We bought a house!!!

Yes, it's true, Brodie and I bought a house :)
I am soooo excited!!! We will move in at the end of August, so that gives us lots of time for finance, mortgage,lawyer stuff (although most of it is already done!) So.. it's 2500 sq ft (1250 on each level) - there is a double car garage, a nicely kept front yard, with a hot tub fenced in on the front deck. When you come in, you take about 6 steps up, to the left, and you are on the upper level, where there is a large living room, kitchen, dining room and fireplace corner (it's all open), there is a nice closet/cleaning/laundry room, and the masterbedroom, with large ensuite, jetted tub and a HUGE walk in closet (JUST what we need!!). At the front door, when you take 6 steps down on the right, there is a large family room (which we will make into a gym), and two large bedrooms (one will be my office, one will be a guestroom), there is another large bathroom downstairs, the mechanical room, a large storag room and a wine cellar room (neither of us drink wine, but brodie will prbably use it to store all of his gross deer meat or something...).
On the top level off of the dining room, there is a large deck, with stairs down to the yard. There is a workshop attached the house as well , and a nice little yard with firepit and a gardening planter. Sooo since most of you have a different vision of the house after me describing it, you will just have to come for a visit, to see what it actually looks like!! (Reservation bookings availble for October at the moment).

I can't even begin to discribe all what has happened in the last year. (Little recap ; graduated from college at the end of April, yesterday was the one year anniversary of my Dad's death, in October I got hired full time with the best company EVER, in March we sold our house in Germany, I got a promotion and raise at work, in May I bought my new Honda CRV, I sponsored a child in Africa FINALLY (I've always wanted to do this!) and have gained a 6 year old penpal from it, in June we bought a house.) To me, that was one hell of a busy year! Keep em' coming!!!

Most of all, I am soo thankful for all of the people that have helped me through this year, through the good and the bad.

Nicole: Thank you for living with me for 2 years in college and being a great roomate - there will forever be memories of stupid things we did, staying up all night working on projects and papers, living on stir-fry and tuna for two years, and those saturday night hermit movie nights! I am so proud of who you have become and that what you are doing in africa this summer, you should be so proud of yourself for making such a difference in the world, Love you always!!!

My college friends: Becky, Carolyn, Anali,Ashley,Stephanie,Trudy,Becky M,etc. It was sooo amazing to meet all of you from all over Canada. Each of you have such a unique personality and you are all so talented at what you do! I will never forget the COUNTLESS nights spent at the college finishing projects, the amount of money we spent of coffee, and all of the laughters shared! Becky and Carolyn, it was especially nice to get to know you two closer, you are both such talented women who will go all the way to the top! I hope we always stay in touch, and will soon visit again!!

Deenie&Greg: I don't think you know Deenie, how much helped me when my Dad passed away. You were the one that took the time to sit with me, listen to memories, flip through pictures and allowed me to talk to you. I will forever remember the day you helped me make that collage of my dad with me - you'll never know how much that meant to me!!!! You are such a wonderful woman, with so much energy and spirit and you are a great mother to your children. Thank you for always being there for Brodie and I. We love you two very much!!

Elke&Jackson: Well where do I begin, with two of my most favorite people on this world. Elke, you are always there for me(and Brodie) when we need you. Thank you for all of the work you did in dealing with the stuff in Germany, I will never know how else we could have done everything without you. Thanks for all the talks, walks, pilates classes, dinners,movies, scrapbooking sessions etc. Elke, I know whateve school you choose, and whatever program you choose, you will strive and make a huge difference in this world. You are soo talented.You two are always so good to be with. Jackson, thanks for always hanging out with your uncle Brodie and auntie Lisa, you are the collest little dude in the world and I love you to bitz and bitz.

Monika: I am so proud of the changes that you have made in your life, since moving from Germany to Canada two years ago, and then moving to Victoria to complete your Aveda Esthetics Certification. You have truely blossomed and your have such a wonderufl outlook on life know. I am soo happy for all of your success.

Mom and Mickey: You two are always there to support all of your kids, no matter what choices they make. I am so thankful that you two have found eachother and that you can enjoy life together. I am truely thatnkful for all of the help you have provided me with and I hope to be able to pay you back someday. I love you two!!

Last but not least...

My dearest Brodie: In September we can celebrate 6 years of being together and enjoying eachothers company, wisdom and laughter. You have taught me so much in life through your experiences and I am forever grateful. You are such a calm, collected and peaceful person, with such a colourful and sarcastic personality. Isn't it amazing, how we found eachother in this world? I love all of the memories that we share and I know there will be many more. Thank you for always being there for me. I love you!

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I know people are reading this blog (thanks to the sneaky tracker... :)
So far I have only one comment on all of the posts that I've written :(
BOO... :(
So come on everyone...
Write what you think and I would also like to see who is reading :)

THANKS :)

My Weekend!

I had a super fun weekend :)

My nephew Jackson got to stay with Brodie and me for the entire weekend!!!

First of all we went to Jersey's Birthday Party......

The little girl is my step-sisters girl, Jersey. How cute are they? Jackson fell asleep on the way home from the party....(pooper).

The next day we got up just in time for the garage sale - Mom and I sold a ton of stuff thanks to the help of Jackson of course. He spent the entire time playing with his G.I. Joe man called "Wendy". Mom was selling a mirror and Jackson really liked standing in front of it and admiring his good looks while giggeling. He also got mad at Oma for selling some of his toys..

Then he cleaned the Truck with Mickey, his favorite dude.

Later Jackson helped me cook a delicious dinner. I pulled up a chair to the stove, he got on it, helped me pour the tortellini into the pot and stir it, helped me dip pork cutlets into egg, then crumbs and fry em' up. We cut up and washed cauliflower,broccoli and carrots and Jackson added an Emeril "BAM" by spicing it up with some salt and pepper. Dinner was delicious thanks to Jackson!!

Then we went to town and I let him pick out a movie, and of course he picked a scary one - 'Scoobie Doo and the Island Zombies" we were at the edge of our seats! Scarry Stuff!!

Then it was time to sleep.

The next morning we made yummy hashbrowns with eggs and then went and played with Taylor.

Of course - he could not contain himself when I dropped him off with Mom and Mickey on Sunday night - they are his favorite.

Well - Thanks Elke for letting me borrow Jackson for the weekend - we had a slice :)

Happy Fathersday

Well, it's that time of the year again to honour and thank my dad for all he has done for me. This is my first Fathersday without him - and I miss him terribly. Last Fathersday was the last time we talked before he passed away at the end of June. I wish I would have gotten the chance to hug him one more time, or tell him how much I love him, but I know that I can't play the "what if / should have done that" game. This year has been one hell of a challenge, trying to learn how to live without his hugs and phonecalls. Although he lived in Germany, everyone thinks that I wasn't close to him - but I would never be able to tell all of the wonderful memories that I have with him. My Dad was a hell of a stubborn guy (must be the german in all of us..) he was also very short tempered but still always took his 3 girls shopping (for hours) while patiently waiting until we finished. He was the best driver I know - when I flew home to Germany we had to drive on the autobahn in order to get to our house out 'n the country and he would rip though the traffic at insane speeds!!! He was so meticulous and detail oriented and his passion was working on his house, fixing things and upkeeping the garden, lawn and his flowers. He always taught me the importance of travelling the world and seeing all that is out there - every summer that I visited him he took me somewhere different and I will forever remember our travels together. He liked his beer and good ol' german soccer games. LOVED reading the paper everyday. Sunday's Michael Schumacher racing on TV, and looking at new cars were also his favorite things. He loved a good german meal, taking me to festivals where he wanted me to go on rides and eat lots of good food. So many memories I recall, funny and sad, I will forever hold close to my heart. I miss you Dad - but I know that are you closer to me than ever before!! I am happy that you are with your family now and that you are at peace watching over us all. Thank you for always being there for me (and turning the lights and radio on and off all the time) I know that's you and I love those signs!!

ALLES GUTE ZUM VATERTAG

ICH HAB' DICH LIEB

The condo I furnished...

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Tagged!

Seven Random Facts

Since I was tagged by Becky it's now my turn to share 7 random facts. Here are the rules… Each person tagged gives 7 random facts about themselves. Those tagged need to write in their blogs the 7 facts, as well as the rules of the game. You need to tag seven others and list their names on your blog.

Ok...

1. I electricuted myself when I was 4 years old. We were living in Germany and we had this stove with a an electrical outlet on it (at toddler height), me being smart at 4 , grabbed a metal shishkabob stick and actually stuck it into the right hole! All I remember was being blown up into the air and it threw me back around 8 feet (remember, Germany has 220 volts for every appliance!). My mom was out shopping and my dad was sitting 5 feet from me at the kitchen table reading the newspaper! I guess I scared the crap out of him hahaha. Moral of this silly fact: Don't play with electricity in Europe!!

2. I learned to swim when I was 9!!!!! HAHA.. I had this serious phobia of water all of my life, which caused me to feel like I was DYING everytime I had a shower haha (I must have been a smelly child). Finally my family friend Sabine took me swimming every Saturday for a year and I ended up with my "Seahorse" Certificate (that's a german certificate telling you that you officially swim now haha). Moral of this silly fact: Make sure that you have your Seahorse Certificate before you turn 9 (also learn to shower before you are 9....)

3. My first big concert was in Germany (AGAIN, I was 9..) and both of my sisters (Elke and Monika) took me , after we convinced out dad to buy us the concert tickets. He drove us to the area and there was probably 200 people there, hahaha. Did I mention this bands name? "Bed and Breakfast" a popular european buy band in the early nineties (you should google them..). Anyways, since I was such a terribly sensitively weird child I cried the entire concert because it was too loud for me. hahaha. Moral of this silly fact: When taking your 9 year old sister to a concert, take earplugs.

4. I have dated Brodie for almost 6 years!!! (since I was 14..) I remember the night he asked me out, on my mom's porch. It was a starry, clear september night and Brodie was SOO nervous. He's really been my only boyfriend. Moral of this fact: If you want something, go for it!

5. I am kind of a shopping addict. Then again what woman isn't?!? I like to buy new stuff, lululemon, MAC, house stuff, decor... you know girly stuff. I guess I'm gonna have to work the rest of my life to keep up this addiction - boo. Moral of this silly fact: Work more so you can buy more!

6. I flew an international flight (Canada to Germany) all by MYSELF when I was 6 years old. From then on I pretty much flew back and forth by myself every summer in order to visit one of the parents that I wasn't living with at the time. Moral of this silly fact: Allow children under 6 to collect airmiles!!

7. Last but not least...When I first moved here in grade 6 I had NO friends. There was one girl in my class that bullied the hell out of me so bad that it made me cry EVERY morning and I DREADED going to school. The year after that we became best friends (don't ask me how that happened) and we were best friends all through middle school and high school. (Sade-You Rock!). Moral of this silly fact: Don't bully foreign immigrants! They CAN be nice you know...they might become your bestest friend!

OKAY... I tag Elke, Monika, Krista, Sarah, Carolyn, Nicole, Courtenay

Germany

As most you might know, my sister Elke, nephew Jackson and I went to Germany at the end of March with the intent to clear and clean out our Dad's house so that people might FINALLY buy it. I was dreading this trip and having to face not only with a TON of work but also many emotions. Elke and I (with the help of amazing friends !) cleaned out the house in the first two days. Alot of people doubted that we could do this! The next day we sold all of the furniture and 'stuff ' and the day after that the house sold. I must say 'Job Well Done' sista! Now the house is sold, and it feels bitter sweet. I loved that house not only because I grew up in it, but also because my dad built it. On the other hand, what is the logic in owning a house in Germany but not in Canada?! I will visit (with Brodie next time!) and how HIM how to drive on the autobahn, eat insane amounts of italian food, take him to a UEFA cup soccer game and of course - show him the house! Life changes, all the time and this is part of it...

New Website!

Hello All!

Finally I have decided to join blogspot aswell! After countless attempts to fix up the problems with out other website, I have decided to leave the old behind and start up a new blog! Also, if you are not familiar with blogspot - you can leave comments under each post!! YAY!!

I hope you stop by often!!