Breakfast with Karli

A staple outing every week.

Afternoon snoozfest

Can't get enough of this sweet angel.

Incandescently Happy.

This week has just turned out fantastically and it’s only Wednesday. On monday I started my German class. There, I met a girl named Karli. After class we began talking and instantly clicked. She’s from California and is also au pairing here in Bonn and actually only lives about ten minutes away from me. We went to breakfast this morning and had a great time. It was as if we were old friends. I’ve met some really great people in Germany, but there’s just something different about finding someone who completely understands your language and the whole “being somewhere completely foreign” concept. I’m so excited to go to cologne with her this weekend.

On top of that I get to spend my afternoons and evenings with the two sweetest boys ever. Tonight I got to put them to bed as both parents had work obligations. As we read stories, cuddled and slowly drifted off, I felt an overwhelming feeling of love. I am so glad I am here and really feel that this is exactly what I’m supposed to be doing right now.

Stay tuned for tales of Köln (Cologne).

Love you all, tschüss!

Mein Name ist Rachael

German class is well underway!

Feeling the Love

I got my first "I love you" from Nico today. Needless to say I turned to mush.

Argh!

Today was Finni's 6th birthday party! As you can tell it was pirate themed. It was such a fun day full of activities at the Pirate Park along the Rhein including a treasure hunt! My favorite part, however, was making this fun cake. Well maybe eating it was my favorite part...

Yo Ho A Pirates Life for Me!

Nico has a pirate ship, pirates, and ninjas. Naturally I have a speed boat, monkeys, ninja princesses and a mermaid. Totally fair fight.

Lets get ready to RUMBLE!!

What do Finn and I do in our spare time? We make lots and lots of paper airplanes...and then we race them!

Marble track :)

I love watching these boys' minds race with imagination while doing any activity together.

Chipmunk Cheeks

Nico kept stuffing his cheeks with olives...it was kind of hilarious.

Rollin' on home.

Today I was graced with a BEAUTIFUL sunny afternoon ride home from kindergarten with Finni.

Date time.

One of my favorite things about having the boys at separate schools, is that I get to have alone time with each of them. It is so fun listening to them recount their day and tell me wild stories from their imagination. So today, Nico and I stopped by the Bäckerei on the way home from school. Lunch for 2 for 6€...yes please. One of my best afternoons to date!

Feels like home

My biggest vice? Diet Coke. Hands down. However, they don't have Diet Coke in Germany. What they have is Cola Light. And guess what...its way better.

Morning in the city

Every morning, I ride my bike to the Montessori Schüle to pick up Nico. This is my favorite pathway to ride along. The plants are so fresh and beautiful (even though its January!).

Nico's Montessori Schüle

I Have Arrived!

Saturday afternoon, I landed in Frankfurt after a long 24 hours of straight travel. Upon landing, I hopped on the bullet train and a short 45 minutes later I arrived in Bonn. 

Its been a quick couple of days so far, with lots and lots of bike riding. I did about 6 miles yesterday and another 6 this morning and still have much more to do this afternoon. Hopefully I’ll get some more pictures taken of town on my way to pick Nico up from school!

tschüss!

Good Morning!

Good Morning!, a photo by rachaelhansen on Flickr.

My first visa!

My first visa!, a photo by rachaelhansen on Flickr.

Germs

Germs, a photo by rachaelhansen on Flickr.