A German White Christmas???

After living on a tropical island for three years, I was ecstatic to get to Germany so I could have a white Christmas!  It has been this huge build up since we arrived…the anticipation of Christmas Markets, sledding, building snowmen and seeing beautiful, snow covered trees on Christmas morning.  It looked like I was going to get my wish….

This was the view from my house the other morning!  The boys and I were beyond excited!  We were squealing, opening the doors and making plans to play outside!  They wanted pictures with the snow and I wanted to capture their excitement for our first German snowfall…

The streets were covered, and I was hopeful it would stick for Christmas…

Sadly, I was mistaken!  It was gone by the end of the day (due to rain) and we have had nothing but rain since then.  It is looking like we are going to have a green (and rainy) first Christmas in Germany…boo, to that!

Sunday Dec 25, 2011

50% Chance of Drizzle

 

What kind of weather are you having for Christmas?

Running my way out of 2011….

So despite the injuries, despite the amount of time I have been forced to the side-lines, despite the fact that I have just got to running again this week…I have set one final goal for 2011.

Silvesterlauf 10K Race (photo from 2010 Race)

I am going to run a New Year’s Eve 10K race!  The Kottweiler-Schwanden sports club is sponsoring the 39th International New Year’s Eve Street Run, and so far there are 93 people running (I am number 93).  What better way to leave the year I began running, then by reaching a new goal that I have not met before!  Since I have only been able to bust put 2 mile runs this week, I have my work cut out for me.  I plan on upping mileage as safely as possible and then if I need to interval it during the run, so be it.  I am sure I can do it if I do some tempo training and endurance training (safely) over the next two weeks.  My mileage will come back and I am sure I will be okay!!!  A race with my group, in Germany on New Year’s Eve…that is one great way to welcome 2012!

Not only do I get to meet a goal (although, it will probably be very slow), I get to do it with my running group!  See how our names are registered all in order!!!??!!

                                                                                               88. Marin, Lisa 1972 w W30
                                                                                               89. Eaton Heins, Jodi 1971 w W40
                                                                                               90. Rafferty, Michael 1958 m M50
                                                                                               91. Ramirez, Jeannette 1974 w W30
                                                                                               92. Ramirez, Rob 1967 m M40
                                                                                               93. Groff, Amanda 1932 w W70

Also, notice the mistake I made when registering….It asked for ‘vintage’ (bad translation from Google Translate) which I thought meant my age.  I typed ‘32’, but it meant the year of birth, so I am showing as being born in 1932 and am in the women’s 70 years+ category!  Ha ha, oops!  At least this way I can blame it on my age when I come in slow, by pretending to be a 79 year old who doesn’t exercise!  I know for a fact there are many a women of that age who could out run my as any day of the week! Since Eric will be on night shift, I figure I can tire myself out with this race (get my neighbor to bring James for my finish line ‘high five’) then go home and ring in the new year asleep on the sofa celebrating with my boys!

What are your plans for New Year’s Eve???

Markets, Festivals and Nicholas, Oh My!!

It was a busy long weekend in the Groff house!  We hosted Thanksgiving dinner Thursday and basically laid around until late afternoon on Friday…then it was off to the Trier Christmas Market, followed by our own village’s festival Saturday night to see Nicholas!

The Trier Market was gorgeous!  We were there at  night, so we got to see all of the pretty lights and displays.  We also got to warm our freezing hands with mugs of Peppermint Hot Chocolate and Bailey’ Coffee!  The market looked like a display you see on someone’s mantle at Christmas!  It was so amazing to see these things in larger than life size!

As soon as we got there, James spotted the Carousel.  He was  non-relenting in his begging to go on it!  After we warmed up with drinks he had a turn and smiled from ear to ear the entire time.  I am not sure if the smile was from the ride or from the girl he decided to sit with in the little carriage seat!  He loves the ladies, whether they speak English or not!

The boys enjoyed their treats…James was overwhelmed with excitement and Gavin was just wonderstruck with all of the lights and toys!  He just starred at them and you could see his little mind just reeling with the wonderment of it all.  Then he was all about the Sus Popcorn…it was mighty tasty!

We got some nice photos together and then decided it was time to get back to the warmth of our Jeep for the 90 minute drive home.  Two hours at a market flies by when you are busy looking at all of the ornaments and wooden crafts!  The next day was spent tidying up, relaxing some more and then visiting our own village’s festival!  We had a visit from Nicholas who gave out goodie bags to the children while the parents enjoyed some Gluwein…I am not a fan, so I left that part up to Eric!  Meanwhile, we played, tried to stay warm, and practiced running up hills with Gavin!

It is so amazing to have markets and festivals every weekend all over Germany to enjoy with our friends!  Now we get two special friends coming this week from Japan, and we cannot wait to share the in the Gluwein, wursts, waffles and celebrations with them!  Up next…the Landstuhl Christmas Market Race…

What did you do this weekend?

Tennis Tournament, Running, Eats, and living German!

So today I woke up (and slept in) feeling pretty good despite having some belly troubles throughout the night!  I was well rested, the sun was shining and Eric informed me that we were hitting up the Tennis Tournament in our village because our neighbor asked him to be his partner!  Our neighbor is seriously the most kind man, he reminds me of my Dad!  The whole family is amazing and they are my lifeline out here since they know everyone!  Through them we are meeting other people, finding walking paths, learning about our area, getting James some tennis, futbol and German lessons, AND we are getting more comfortable in our new country!

We hiked it up the huge hill to the Tennis Courts by our home and got to see Eric play in his first match.  They lost that one, but it is all in good fun!  We enjoyed some salad in the shade and I also enjoyed my granny smith with DCD PB for dipping.  Gavin was getting a little cranky after all of the playing and french fries, so I brought him home for a nap and took the opportunity of quiet to go for a nice run on the treadmill!  I got to get some cleaning and laundry done before heading back up for the second half of the day!  We were just in time to see Eric’s last match (apparently, he had three and not two games to play), Gavin enjoyed clapping and cheering on his Daddy.  We then enjoyed some homemade German cake…these cakes are like something you would see at a professional bakery…unbelievable!  Also unbelievable is that I did not have the camera when I got a piece, which means I have no photo.  Don’t be fooled though, this cake was so amazing I could have cried! 

We then met some other neighbors: An American in the Reserves, his German wife and their cute little boy (they actually live right across the street), a fellow Canadian whose son comes to play with James, and countless others who were more than caring and patient with my not so perfect German speaking skills!  It was a great time to meet the people in my village and make some nice connections!  I left feeling so glad I had made some friends and now feel even more comfortable in my new home and neighborhood! 

We had a great time and stayed the whole day and well into the evening!  I came home to look up some recipes and make a good healthy meal plan for the week, as well as a plan to make up some granola, homemade tomato sauce, homemade salsa, and a new recipe.  I love lemon poppy seed loaf…so much that I would avoid Starbucks because I knew if I went in (instead of drive-thru) I would cave and eat one many pieces of their delicious loaf!  So what if I could create a healthy alternative?  My idea will be put into action tomorrow once I get a few ingredients.  The plan is to make Lemon Poppy Seed Overnight Oats….this is an exciting prospect for me!!!

I need to rest up in order to be energized for my kitchen creations tomorrow, and for a nice afternoon trip to the theater for the boys to enjoy some Cars 2 action!  I am going to take the day off from running and then do some Yoga meltdown in the evening after a nice neighborhood walk!

 How are you spending your long weekend?

Goodbye Home!

We leave our home today…the home we have lived in for 3 years, spent Gavin’s first year of life and saw James grow from a Korean speaking toddler to a snarky little almost-six year old.  Today I say goodbye to the only home the four of us have known together.  It makes me think about how exciting it was when we first got here, so here is a recap of what we’ve loved!

The Island of Okinawa, my home for the past three years!

James was only 3 years old when we got here (well he turned 3 about a month after we got here).  From the first second he stepped foot into that sand, he has been a complete beach bum!!  Soon he will need to be all about the snow!

Our first trip to the beach!

Always a running start to the water!

Loving the waves!

  I teach Yoga and Pilates and was so excited to offer a Yoga Retreat while we were here!  We had 13 people attend, it was on the beach and very successful!  There was yoga, kayaking, learning sessions, pilates previews and of course lots of healthy good eats!

Warrior Pose during our first Morning Yoga session

Our Kayaking session (Me in the back...rocking the shorter hair)

Teaching a series of arm balances on our last morning!

We loved having BBQs and get-togethers at our house.  They were always known to get a bit rowdy, but were always a good time!  We have had so many funny memories from our backyard bon-fires (we made a bon-fire pit with a 1/2 an oil drum, plus we built stairs going into our backyard jungle).  I always went to bed long before these nights ended, and this St.Patty’s Day was our last backyard event!  We are known for the pig roasts (including violating pictures posing with the pig) and for people looking ‘confused’ by the time they leave…(by confused, I mean intoxicated)

First Pig Roast....pig violation!

There have been known to be trucks and kegs in our yard...the go well with the horse shoe pits they built!

The 'confused' look that is always on all faces by the end of the night (morning)!

Another pig roast/violation

They come hungry and thirsty....but they always leave satisfied 😉

Of course one of THE most memorable moments of Okinawa was the birth of our second son, Gavin!  This was a long road of loss and doubt, but we were determined to give James a little sibling!  James would talk to the belly, pose with it, and tell me what Gavin was saying to him!  He is a proud big brother and there is not really anything more we could have asked for from our time here!

Only had a black and white copy....James posing with the belly!

Super Hero of a big brother!

Always loves to help out and take care of his little brother!

All in all, we will take amazing memories, friendships and family adventures with us as we leave!  We cannot wait to see what Germany has in store for us, and I know that a home is whatever you make of it.  As long as we are together we will make our new home just as happy and memorable as the one we are leaving today! 

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live?  What makes YOUR house a home?

Single Chocolate Berry Cake in a Cup!

Today is all about some yummy eats and a new goal that I achieved!!  I ran my first 4 miles today!!!  I took last week off to just strength train my legs…everyday!  No cardio, only strength training!  It paid off, and I decided to come up with a lovely healthy treat to celebrate my great start to my last Monday in Okinawa!

source

I was so eager to get to the gym this morning for my first run after the goal of NOT running last week.  I was determined to rest the shin and really get some more strength to my legs!  I could feel a difference and wanted to see how that worked into my run.  I took it to the treadmill and was constantly shocked and excited about how great my legs felt!  No dead legs, shin pain, foot pain…nothing!  PLUS, it was my first run with the new Nike Free Run+…LOVE THEM!!!  They were great, and the feet felt light and airy…not heavy and hot!  When I got to mile 3, I was literally giggling because I could not believe how great I still felt.  I pushed it hard and plan to go for another 4 miles on Wednesday!!  Now for breakfast:

My new cereal mix-up, scrambled eggbeaters/egg whites, fresh fruit in a cup!

I made a protein filled cereal bowl!  I wanted to get extra protein in where ever I could fit it!  For my new cereal mix-up (AKA: healthy Cocoa Puffs) I mixed:

• 1/2c Kix
• 1/4c Flax Grain Cereal
• 1/3c Go Lean
• 1 tsp unsweetened cocoa

I shook them up in a baggie (and even made 5 more bags so they are ready to go for this hectic week) and then I added 1/3c unsweetened almond milk, plus some of my fruit. 

SOOOOO Good! I am now addicted to these since I have to lay off the oats a bit!

The fruit had kiwi, blueberries, banana, raspberries, apple and 1Tbsp walnuts that I chopped up!  This was YUM!!  For an extra tangy taste mix up 1tsp of honey and 1Tbsp lime juice plus a sprinkle of stevia…pour over top!

Fruit in a glass

Okay, now time for my treat!  I love reading about different single portion cakes, cupcakes, breads, and so on!  Finally I decided to go for one other than the brownie I always resort to!  I wanted chocolate, of course, so I whipped out some goods:

The ingredients

 Single Chocolate Berry Cake in a Cup:

• 1/3 cup egg beaters
• 1 Tbsp plus 2 tsp Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
• 1/8 tsp Vanilla
• 1 tsp Stevia (not shown, sorry)
• 1.5 tsp unsweetened cocoa
• 1 Hershey dark chocolate kiss or a few dark chocolate chips

Mix all items and put in a glass sprayed with cooking spray.  Put half of the Hershey Kiss (all chopped up) or a few chocolate chips on top. 

Ready for the microwave

Microwave in 30 second intervals, being sure it doesn’t ‘overflow’ (mine did, damn loaner glasses that are too small).  Microwave for a total of 1:30 or more if you need to.   Let sit for about a minute and then tip into a bowl.  I cut mine up a bit to let the steam out.  Add some semi-frozen greek yogurt sweetened with stevia, the remaining chocolate bits (or chips) and some berries (mine were frozen strawberries that I thawed out with stevia).  The result: a totally yummy alternative to fatty/sugary/empty calorie cake that you would get at the store. 

Tastes great, AND you can name all of the ingredients 🙂

Hope you all had a great Monday like this girl!!  Tomorrow is  the day of pure non-stop preparation for our move.  We officially move out of our house tomorrow, into billeting and that means emptying out the pantry and fridge…sigh!  It should be an eventful, exhausting and jam-packed Tuesday…all steps toward our new adventures, gotta love every second 🙂

How did you spend your Monday?  How do you plan to spend your Tuesday?  Any cereal mix-ups that you love to create?