First of all: I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and a great start into 2013. I know I was MIA for two weeks and as most of you might have guessed already it was, because we were in Germany. We spent two beautiful, but also stressful weeks at home and with our families and friends. I really needed that time after a few rough months that we had in 2012! Even if we still have some things to figure out and some problems to solve, that time back in Germany made me realize (once again) how much we have already achieved here in the US in the last two years and mostly how home we feel over here.

I still can’t believe it’s been nearly two years! Two years since we boarded a plane with only 6 suitcases and a lot of hopes and a few worries. And now we already have whole new lifes over here and feel home! Before our trip I was a little worried to go home. I was worried that seeing all my friends and our families would make me feel homesick and would maybe make me doubt our decision to move away from Germany. But the opposite happened. I did again have to realize how tough it still is to face everything I left behind. But I also realized that Germany is just not where I want to be and that I do have to chase my dreams over here – in the US! Our first week back in Los Angeles was filled with a lot of work and sleep (due to the jetlag), but yesterday we took some time to go to the beach and enjoyed what we love most about California!

On New Year’s Eve everyone always asks you about your resolutions for the upcoming year! Mine are to keep my head up high, never stop chasing and fulfilling my dreams and to make one big wish come true: Move closer to the beach!

I wish all my readers a successful and beautiful 2013 and hope that I will have many positive storys to share with you all!

Well what can I say – this year flew by! This weekend was our last weekend in the US in 2012, since we are flying to Germany for a two week stay on Wednesday. I totally remember the day in September where we booked the flights (yes, they were cheap back then) and I can’t remember how fast those last four months went by. When we will come back to the US in January it will be the beginning of our third year here. Which feels crazy to me! First, because the day we left Germany for good feels like yesterday. And second because this already feels like home so much that I can’t even remember how the time before it felt.

The last year wasn’t easy for us (I will write about this, when the timing is right), but we made it through. And even if I had some very homesick moments in 2012, I can now go to Germany happy and not very scared of that it will break my heart. It actually will be very nice to take a little break from our busy lifes in LA and give us some time to breath and fuel up on some energy.

We actually have big plans and a ton of changes ahead of us in 2013. We finally want to move closer to the beach and to OC, we will hopefully get some new job-related opportunities and we have great friends that will await us here when we come back.

Living here will always be somehow bitter sweet, since I miss my loved ones, but still know that the decision to move here was the right one. During the hard times this year I sometimes thought about thinking of giving up. Yes, I really mean I only thought about thinking of giving up. Because even that thought made me feel sick to my stomach. Our adventure here has just begun and I am nowhere close to give up on it!

Enjoy your last weeks of 2012 everyone and get ready for a great 2013.

Even far away from Germany, December is a month full of german traditions for us. Not only, because we actually fly home for christmas, but also because we bring some traditions over here. The first one of is the Advent Calendar. My mom sends me and Flo a big box full of little goodies, so we feel the Holiday Love even if we are far away. This year we are also doing an Advent Calendar at work. My german boss came up with this idea and now every one of us has to bring a little treat for the whole office at a certain day.

Tomorrow is my day and I decided to make a very american treat: Hot Chocolate with a Marshmallow coated, White Chocolate glazed Candy Cane. The Candy Canes are also a little internal tradition for Flo and me, since we used those as decorations for our wedding and wedding invites.

Since we had some time today, Flo and I also decided to get some Christmas Cookies going. The last two years we spent in Germany, we always baked Cookies with friends, while listening to old school Christmas tunes and watching some cheesy Christmas movies afterwards.

The Christmas season is somewhat bitter sweet for me over here. I absolutely love the Holiday Spirit here in the US and can’t get enough of all the cute decorations and treats you get. But it also makes me miss my friends and all the Christmas related experiences we shared together.

My parents are planning on coming over during the Holiday season next year and I absolutely can’t wait to share the joy and excitement of the American Holiday with them!