How do we improve our relationship with HsKA?

Well reader, I know I've been blogging a lot about my trip to Germany last summer from my personal perspective, but I bet you didn't know that I was blogging about it for school as well. MSU Mankato’s Technical Communication program has a blog called Bridges, and it is supported by one of my favorite professors Dr. Lee Tesdell.

If you remember from my previous posts, the class was unique and appealing to me because the students met for an entire semester to prepare for the trip to Germany in the summer. I've done a study abroad before, as I'm sure you remember dear reader...but this one was special in that we had the opportunity to bond with our German counterparts beforehand. All of our research wasn't nearly as meaningful as the trip itself in understanding how the education systems are different.

 My biggest revelation came in my blog A Case for More Software Application. But don't worry; I'll paraphrase for you here. I realized that the stress in Germany, especially at HsKA is on application. They are learning how to use the software that is currently being used in the field. In my own education at Minnesota State University, Mankato I was learning more theory. Don't worry it wasn't as impractical as it sounds....they taught me the basics of how to write tech docs and what questions to consider for my audience. The idea is that no matter what tool, I would know how to do my job, even if I had to learn the actual software.

These two education approaches have their own benefits and downfalls, and it was a truly neat witness firsthand the way that their Educational system works. The problem however is that while Dr. Tesdell did everything he could to encourage the HsKA students to study abroad with us....the credits just don't translate. Our first Tech Comm. exchange student Julian Hocker learned that first hand when he did a semester with us, and received no credit for his degree in Germany. How then can we encourage this globally networked learning environment with HsKA if it sets back students in their educational goals? How do we show them that it truly is worth their time to come and visit us?

I think the answer was in the very trip that we took just last summer. We were a group of full time workers, husbands and wives with children, and even grandparents who didn't have time to dedicate an entire semester to learning abroad. While the students in Germany are much more traditional 20 year old full time students, this type of summer trip would be just as beneficial. 

We were shown so much hospitality with amazing industry visits, host families, and the chance to attend a few classes. In my opinion the best way to keep this relationship alive is to alternate every summer taking trip to Germany then to Minnesota; playing guest and then host. In this way we can really start showing students the benefits of learning abroad, and convince the administrations that there is worth in the type of learning that comes of such collaboration. Who knows....maybe someday we can make it so that a full semester abroad will result in credits at both institutions. 

I know that I found so much benefit in my trip to Germany. I was so impressed with the industry visits and the hospitality of the German students....I would love to see that continued and extended to our German friends here in the US. 

Wasatch Reptile Expo

Last year Andrew talked me into going to the Wasatch Reptile Expo in Salt Lake City. There was of course one rule: I wouldn't have to touch anything if I didn't want to. After getting this in writing I attended and played camera woman. Some of my work is below:

Of course Andrew was disappointed to leave the show empty handed. (He's been begging for a snake since day 1.) So I had to placate him with our beta Chowder, and the promise that next year we could possibly get something small. (You see there was this whole sugar glider fiasco a few years back.)

Over the last year I have been given about 15 different power point presentations about various reptiles and their care. It all came to a head when I came home from Germany and Andrew found a "great deal" on a terrarium. Then he started collecting plants and ledges and heaters and lamps. I found myself agreeing to a crested gecko because they are small, but not so small you wouldn't be able to tell if it was crawling around your house. It doesn't have to eat bugs, mice or any other living thing that would have to be stored in my freezer, and it doesn't bite or if it was eaten, wouldn't kill my cats.

Plus they have cute little eyelashes! 

So this Saturday we woke up early and headed for Salt Lake with a budget and hopes to find the perfect gecko. But first we had to shop! Andrew of course, had a blast!

  

After all the fun was had we walked back to the booth that had the best looking gecko (in our humble opinion) and Andrew got to take home a new friend. And he didn't waste any time in being friendly.

  

I still haven't held the gecko yet...to be honest I'm afraid it will jump on MY face. But Andrew is in love, and this reptile doesn't scare me so much. :) 

Camping - Snow Canyon State Park

I was raised by a woman who taught me that there is nothing worse than camping, fish is disgusting, and being polite is the most important thing you can be. These principles have affected my life more than you know.

Well my nature loving husband begged me to come along on his last camping trip to St. George to complete his research last weekend. (He received a grant last year to do a bee survey in Snow Canyon State Park.) And I knew that I had to oblige, even though I probably would be miserable the whole time. You see, I just wasn't built for the outdoors. I'm so fair I've had people mistake me for an albino. I'm allergic, and apparently very appealing to mosquitoes. I just don't do the outdoors much. My husband on the other hand, could very easily forsake society and backpack around the country for the rest of his life. Opposites attract.

Anyway, whether I was fully sold on it or not, I packed all of my necessities into my pink backpack and strapped myself in for the long ride to St. George after work on Friday. Overall the trip was surprisingly better than I thought, with just a few bumps along the way. (Literally, I was eaten to death by mosquitoes both nights.)

Here are the highlights!

1. Snow Canyon is beautiful! Southern Utah is known for it's red rock, and it didn't disappoint! 
   
   

   

   This picture was taken around 7 am, I couldn't believe the moon was still up! 

   
   

   

   Johnson's Canyon

   
   

   

   All of this black rock is from lava flows. Cool, huh?

    

   

   Johnson's Arch

   
   
   2. Watching Andrew do his research was really cool. He's described it to me before, but actually watching him complete the process made me realize how much work he was really doing.
   
   

   

   First you have to scout a good location off the path to place your different colored traps that attract the bees.

   

   Then you fill the cups with soapy water and leave them for a day.

   

   While we waited, Andrew used this cool contraption to collect more bees.

   Andrew's research is on a bee survey. So he preserves and pins all of the bees that he collects, so that he can identify and analyze what species are present in this state park. It was really cool of Snow Canyon to give him this permit to do a collection, and even better that the school gave him a grant to do it all!

   
   3. I was pleasantly surpised to find that Andrew's secondary research was actually kind of cool. ha! He did some lizard tail sample collection for his professor who is doing research on the genetics of lizards in the region. Andrew used his lizard noose (Yes, I have made fun of him for this. And yes, it actually works!) to catch lizards then he would take a small sample of their tails. He is actually really good at this!
   

   
   

   

   One unlucky lizard who he caught on his noose.

   
   

   

   The lizards have really cool looking underbellies! (On top they were just gray and black)

   4. Hiking! Ok I'll let you in on a little secret: I really enjoy hiking. There were some cool short hikes around St. George. Heck, my favorite was one we spotted from the road!
   
   
   

   

   Me at the top of this cool hike we found while driving through St. George. Andrew is terrified of heights so he wouldn't even go close to the edge.

   
   

   
   

   

   It was just over the side of the road!

   
   5. And lastly, just spending an entire weekend with my guy, no cell phones, no worries. Just a lot of great conversation. How wonderful it is to be able to do this.
   
   

   

   He's handsome even when he gets mad at me for taking pictures and grimaces. :)

   
   
   Overall my first camping experience wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I did get eaten alive by bugs, and trying to share a one person tent didn't really go so well....but the 5 points above more than made up for it. I might just have to give this camping thing a try again.

BYU vs Texas

The company that I work for has season tickets to BYU football games, and for a while it was my job to help give them out to the lucky few who were selected to attend. Last year we found out that the Texas Longhorns (my FAVORITE team) would be playing BYU in Provo, UT for the 2013 season. Well obviously I had to go!

By some miracle I was able to scrounge tickets at the last minute, and convince Andrew that he should postpone his trip to St. George. I was so excited about this game that I went out and bought two new longhorn hats, and even replaced Andrew's ragged old UT shirt. My enthusiasm was a bit clouded however by an experience that happened to us two years ago....

In the stands! 

 My other (and really only other) sports team is the Dallas Mavs. So when we moved out here I secured us cheap seat tickets to watch them play the Jazz. One thing you need to know about Utah is that the only real professional sports team they have is the Jazz. There is no NFL team, no hockey, not even a baseball team. So they go all out, even though let's face it the Jazz isn't exactly #1. Well coming off the 2011 Championship we were decked out in all blue and ready to cheer on Dirk! Thankfully the Mavs were victorious! (I was sweating bullets for a while...) But this only made the Jazz fans furious, and they were not happy to see us cheering on our team. We got several rude comments and things got pretty tense. Even walking to our car after the game I was a little worried by the comments people were making. Thankfully nothing really happened....but it wasn't exactly a fun relaxing game.

I was worried to be sitting in the BYU section decked out in orange. I even tried to look up etiquette for away games....I would link to it, but there wasn't too much out there. Everyone pretty much recommends you be respectful, and keep in mind it's just a game. Anyway as game day approached I decided that I was ready to go out and support my team!

Driving up to the stadium I was happy to see tons of orange shirts! I couldn't believe how many people were decked out in support of Texas! I felt so much better as we finally found a parking place and headed toward the stadium. That's when we noticed ominous dark clouds swirling in the sky. I literally stopped and asked Andrew if Utah got tornadoes. That's when the heavens released a downpour. The rain was so hard it hurt my legs, Andrew was even assaulted by a flying fruit coming off of a tree that split his lip. It was crazy! We took cover under some thick trees. I couldn't help but look down at my white shorts (great choice Lacey) and my soaked cotton hoodie. After about 30 minutes we decided we needed to just make a break for it. The game was starting in a half hour! So we ran through the rain only to see people fleeing the stadium. Did we really just drive 1.5 hours for a cancelled game?!

Soaked but ready for the game

They told us if we wanted to wait in the stadium we could, but they were encouraging everyone to return to their cars. Well that was a nice half a mile back in the soaking rain. At this point we were committed to sticking it out. What I noticed as we walked the stadium was the crazy amount of orange. I've hear rumor that Texas was allotted 5,000 tickets to play this game, and I would believe it! It was nice to be with my fellow Texans for a day. :)

Finally the game started back up, and that's about where this story gets worse. Unfortunately it was a slow start...and then after a few touch downs we just lost hold of the game. I believe it was something like 550 rushing yards that we lost, breaking a previous BYU record. Despite the sad performance the thing I noticed most was the hospitality of the BYU fans. It was a bit awkward to cheer against everyone else in the stands...but despite that awkwardness the woman sitting behind us could see how much we were shivering in our soaking we clothes and offer us a blanket and some hand warmers. After we couldn't take it anymore and left with 4 minutes left after the game almost everyone we passed thanked us for coming (they assumed we traveled from Austin) and told us that they hoped we had fun with a pat on the back. And this was not the least bit a way to rub in the loss. I think that if we had to lose, we probably lost to the nicest team possible.

Munchen -Part 1

Did you know that Munich is not really called Munich in German? Apparently they call it Munchen, and us English speakers changed it to Munich. Weird.

Munich was the last part of our trip after leaving behind all of our new friends in Karlsruhe. This meant that we were no longer staying with our buddies, but staying in hotel rooms with our classmates. This proved to be a bit of an awkward situation with our small group, and the European hotel rooms.

The first night we stayed at a hotel in Munich called Cocoon. It was a strange 70's style hotel with a theme around....you guessed it, cocoons. Now obviously (at least I hope it's obvious) I wasn't alive in the 70's so I'm going off of total speculation here, but the green and orange shag carpets and egg chairs made for an interesting blast from the past. The hotel itself was curious, but coming down to breakfast and hearing the 70's music blaring really made it like a trip through the twilight zone.

Here are some pictures of the hotel, and our room:

The lobby of the hotel

The tv stand had a mirror on the back and could rotate. 

I took a very nice nap in this chair. 

My classmate Darin in one of the egg chairs in the lobby.

What made the situation so awkward was that our group was small and uneven. There were only three of us girls total, so we had to share a room. This room had a cot, and a queen size bed. (Remember back in my overview how I explained that we had never met before...) The bed situation wasn't too difficult to navigate, but the bathroom situation was a bit more awkward. The bathroom had no real door. There was a sliding door that either covered the toilet or the shower. So to step in or out of the shower...you were totally exposed. AWKWARD. 

Toilet with the sliding door.

Thankfully I stayed with some amazing ladies and we worked out the situation with little discomfort. However, we were the lucky ones. The boys were stuck in rooms meant for only 2 people. And one student had to share with our professor. (This is a little less weird in that most of us are older non-traditional students. So it's not like there was some CRAZY age gap. However a nameless source did confide that the prof snored quite loudly through the night. AWKWARD!) The 2 people rooms had a similar bathroom set up with one exception....the sliding door was glass. Now that is one awkward situation I am glad I didn't have to navigate! 

So the first part of our adventure in Munich was our crazy 70's Cocoon hotel. It was quite an adventure, and we haven't even gotten to the city yet! 

Finding A Church

Well reader, it has been a busy September so far! (And it's only the 6th!) Andrew and I have recently found a church that we both like (this is actually a difficult task, as we both look for different things, and being a Protestant in Utah makes it even harder.) I don't usually share so personally, because, well, I don't know who you are! But this journey to find a church stems from a lot of background and personal experience.

 I am a Christian. I don't identify with a denomination other than the generic Protestant. I don't believe in men making decisions about what God has to say. I think he made it clear in the bible which is why I don't identify as Baptist, Methodist, Episcopal, or anything else. I believe in a personal relationship with God and do not merit any works as a means to heaven. 

It's a scary thing in this day and age to declare these things publicly. And while I'm not on a soap box in downtown SLC, or even writing for a large following, I do feel it is important that I share this information. I have friends, colleagues, and family that do not agree with my position. I don't like to take social media or my professionalism to use as a soapbox, but I do want to be clear. I don't judge anyone else for having different beliefs - but this is me. You should know the real me.

There is a lot to share in my personal journey and evolution of my relationship with Christ. I can't do that all here in one post. And I don't really plan on doing it regularly. That's not the intention of this blog. This blog is about travel, and well this journey is one that has been important in my life lately. I may choose to write more later, but I don't know yet. For now, I know that I want to share some insight into my family and our journey to find a church.

When we lived in Denton we found a church that we both absolutely loved. Then we moved to Utah. It was confusing to see a temple/stake center on every corner. Heck, I was used to seeing Baptist churches! So we dragged our feet and checked out a few churches as we thought about it. Some were shockingly evangelical...completely freaked my born and raised Southern Baptist husband. Some were a bit too immature, my deep thinker just didn't think it was enough for him to grow from. But this new one seems to be just right.

You see, we both have very different backgrounds when it comes to churches.

 Andrew, as I mentioned was raised in Baptist churches. When he was in middle school his family switched to a new church so that his sister could find a good youth program. She loved it, but Andrew was miserable. He didn't fit in with the kids that attended and saw a lot of hypocrisy as he moved into high school. One of the things I truly love about my husband is his passion for learning. He is no different when it comes to theology. He's a quiet guy, but he does have a lot of opinions and reads a lot. I respect him immensely and want him to have the opportunity to chose a church where he feels comfortable. He doesn't like sermons that are surface level. He thinks we should be gaining some insight and depth, and well, our last church was fantastic at that!

Now me. My father was a chaplain in the air force. He pastored his own Baptist church when I was a baby. Unfortunately the Southern Baptist stigma rang true in small town Texas and my family struggled with the whole denomination from that point on. Growing up we were never members of any church through we regularly attended a Bible Church from the time I was 5-17. We were involved, I was active in Awana, Small groups, the praise team (for a brief period), and my parents helped out with children's Sunday school. We felt loved there, and not domineered by a denomination or the political aspects of church administration. The teachings were based strictly on the Bible. When I turned about 17 my life had changed a lot. I was a bit more jaded and I suddenly realized that sleeping through the college like lectures of my pastor was not OK. Sure, I really enjoyed our Youth group and got a lot out of the message. But high school was almost over.

Not to mention when you attend a church for so long you see people change. I was frustrated by cliques that I was seeing evolve in our Youth group. As a very jealous person I was irritated to see people getting all of the attention and opportunities. I realized that it was time to move on. I needed to find a place where I was growing and learning, and a place where I felt loved and wanted. I just didn't feel that way anymore. (DISCLAIMER: I am not blaming anyone for this change of heart. If anything I am to blame for feeling distant and frustrated. My jealousy is probably my biggest struggle and unfortunately I let it warp my perception and take over my emotions. It's something I still struggle with today. There are a lot of friends that I have made at the church I grew up in, and for that I am so grateful. I think anyone who knew me in middle school really saw my heart. High school changed things, and not always for the better. I don't blame the church or it's members....but things changed and I needed to move on.)

When we went off to college there was another Bible church very similar to the one I grew up in. Andrew had been a few times and really liked it. But a lot of those same people (it's really common for people to move to Denton from my hometown) were attending the church, and it wasn't the fresh start I wanted. We turned our attention to a different church, and I'll be honest things were tough for quite a while. If high school was a change of heart, college was a roller coaster. I dealt with issues I wasn't prepared for, and struggled with demons that kept me from accepting the grace I have always revered. Thankfully I wasn't left alone to figure things out, Christ kept with me and led me back to him. (Not that I was ever truly away...just struggling.)

Finding this church here in Utah wasn't easy, and for two people who are shy it can be hard to really join into a new community. We are both pushing ourselves to get involved and make this church our home. I'm excited to see what we will learn and what kind of encouragement we can gain.

Andrew's Journey

Today is a pretty important day for my family. Today Andrew takes his GRE. This test will help him as he spends the rest of this semester talking with potential graduate advisers and filling out applications to various grad schools all over the country. This test is an important factor in determining where we will be in about a year from now.

Getting to this point

When Andrew first went to school he made a lot of mistakes (and he'll admit to them, so don't think I'm a jerk!) haha. It was one year and one semester into his college education that we became engaged the day before Christmas Eve, and life took another exciting turn.

This was taken the day we got engaged December 23, 2007

That last semester before our June wedding was an interesting one. Andrew and I began to talk about his career goals, and he told me that he really had a passion for cooking. He always has from helping his mom in the kitchen growing up. Andrew really struggled with his career decisions because he wanted to be the provider for his family. (Andrew's traditionalism is something that I absolutely love about my husband, but it took me a long time to explain to him that I would much rather him find a way to provide that would make him happy rather than just financially secure.) So before school started again for the Spring semester we were looking at Culinary school options for the Fall.

Unfortunately, with Andrew's mind on Culinary school he sort of forgot that he was still attending school. He stopped going to classes, and then missed the drop date. He was stuck with a 15 credit hour semester of F's. But what did he care? This wouldn't effect culinary school!

Fast forward three years, Andrew is about to finish his Associates in Culinary Arts and has been working at various restaurants to support us (well mostly me as I finished up my Bachelor's degree). He's unhappy working in the kitchen, and feels the need to at least get a Bachelor's degree. For a while we talked about a business degree, or may nutrition to accompany the culinary degree....but another passion of Andrew's kept popping up. His love of animals.

Andrew's graduation from Culinary school (2011)

One of my favorite stories that Andrew's mom tells, is how she and Andrew's dad had to sit down with Andrew as a boy and explain to him that not everyone wants to talk about lizards all the time. haha This is so my Andrew! He's one of those people who will study something with all of his energy if he is truly interested in it. It may seem like Culinary school was a waste of his time, but I think it really showed him that he was capable of being great at something. (And who would complain about their husband getting a culinary degree?! I often say it was our best investment!)

I have now watched Andrew put in two years at Weber State University in the Zoology program. He has helped with numerous research projects and even secured a grant to study bees in Southern Utah. He received several awards and scholarships this year based mostly on his enthusiasm and efforts both in and out of the classroom. The grades from that fourth semester of college still present him with challenges. Especially now that he has decided he wants to go to graduate school. But it has only made him work harder to get good scores on his GRE.

Andrew's Zoology Service Award 2013

I can't explain fully the change in Andrew from high school to now. I know that he has never in his life studied so hard for a test as he has for his GRE that he is taking in a few hours. I know that this is the first time he has worked hard at something not directly related to his passion. (There isn't any biology on the GRE.) And mostly I know that I am lucky to have been by his side to watch the transformation. Many people look down on us for getting married so young, but I know that I have really gained so much from watching my partner become a godly man and leader.

Good luck on your test today my love, no matter the score I am so proud of your efforts and it shows me how dedicated you are to your goals. I love you. 

Zugspitze!

On the first day with my parents we packed up and left Munich for Garmish in my parents rental car. I was super excited that they were bring their car because I thought I could knock off one of my Bucket list items -- to drive on the autobahn of course! But alas, those Europeans still like their manual transmissions. So it looks like before I can cross that one off, I'm going to have to get around to that other Bucket list item learning to drive a stick shift.

The Zugspitze!

Before we even stopped at the hotel our first tourist attraction was the Zugspitze. We navigated our way from the bahnhof to the train that would take us to a cable car, that would take us to the highest point in the German Alps. I wasn't too impressed with this brilliant idea my parents had....after all I live in Utah, mountains aren't exactly new. Boy, was I wrong! This was my favorite part of the trip, second only to our time in Rothenburg.

First of all, I just have to share this adorable picture of my parents. My mom decided that she needed to use her newly bought hiking poles....let me just tell you there was absolutely no hiking involved. haha But she did look like a super cute skier.

So I think the best way to explain the experience is to take you on a ride!

First you take a nice scenic train ride. 

Then you take a short walk...

 

 And board the cable car! 

Once you hit the top, a snowball is a must! 

The cross marks the highest point in the German Alps. 

So there were a few things against us on this trip. The melting snow made it so that we couldn't actually do the hike to the golden marker at the highest point. And the visibility was not so great either. The picture above was taken at just the right moment, because for most of our lunch we couldn't even see it!  But looking at the photographs of the men who built this museum, having amazing discussions with my parents over cake and coffee, and watching my dad throw snowballs over the ledge made it one of my favorite stops on our trip. (Not to mention I got a killer red wool beanie, which I proceeded to wear for the duration of my trip!)

This is my graduation

Well, I did it. I finally finished my Master's degree on July 26, 2013. This has been a difficult degree to earn, not because the program is hard, but because the circumstances were not my favorite.

When I did my undergrad I was blessed to have Andrew working full time. I only worked 20 hours a week on campus, so I was able to take a more than full time load. I worked really hard to finish school in 3.5 years. (The half was student teaching, if I had chosen a different minor, I could have finished in 3.) I take a lot of pride in that. But I wasn't able to do that this time around.

I had my first full time job, and I was forced to go slow. I also took a semester break between degrees because I had planned to go a totally different route. Looking back, I'm glad that things worked out the way that they did, but there was a lot of hurt and disappointment when plan A fell through. Then I watched people I graduated with finish school back in December, and as stupid as it is...I felt jealous, and disappointed in myself. (Ok, I already called it stupid...so ease up already!)

In reality, it only took me 2 years and one summer class to finish up my degree. But it's felt like an eternity. I feel joy, relief, and excitement now that I have finished my MA. But...graduating in the summer means there are no graduation activities, and no graduation. What's more, is doing this 100% online has meant there is even less of a celebration. I have definitely made friends online, but not like I did in my undergrad.

So...Saturday I celebrated my graduation in the best way that I know how...

Dog Park - Andrew has become a true night owl lately, while I'm pretty well synched into my morning schedule. I woke up bright and early and decided I would take Archer out for more than just his business, I would take him on a nice little walk. One of the reasons why we ended up at our apartment complex, is because it allows German Shepherds and it has it's own little dog park. Archer recently was neutered and hasn't been allowed to play for almost a month now. (There were some complications.) So I walked him down to the dog park, and he had the time of his life! We met Earl (an American bulldog mix), Blue (an appropriately named Blue Heeler), Bear (a 7 month old Great Pyraneese) and MJ the lab. Archer had a blast and was laying down by the gate within an hour. I was glad I could let him play so hard, because I knew Andrew and I weren't going to be home much that day...

House Shopping - We started out our day looking at a potential house to rent. My hopes weren't high because it's not a traditional rental situation. One of Andrew's professors is going on a sabbatical and wanted us to rent his house while he is gone. After looking at the house and talking with the owner I was thrilled. We agreed to rent the house as soon as our current lease is up, and now I'm so excited about more space, a fenced back yard, and no more 3rd floor living!

Shopping - I debated getting a really expensive diploma frame for my MA degree. When I graduated with my undergrad I decided that I should wait and get the expensive frame for the bigger degree. However this time around I still couldn't bring myself to shell out $150 for a frame. So I decided that what I wanted was a really nice watch. It would be a nice reward to myself for finishing, and I would get a lot of use out of it. More than just hanging it on the wall. So I had a lot of fun trying on watches and was surprised by the watch I fell in love with. I had my heart set on rose gold, but ended up with this beauty!

Lunch - We headed to Park City to the Fossil outlet, and I decided to surprise my old boss's wife with her favorite cookies for her birthday. They caught us on the drive and offered to take us out to lunch up at their resort in East Canyon, since they were already headed there. We took them up on it, and enjoyed some awesome conversation and their kind-hearted generosity. (I honestly can't explain how much I love my old boss. He was an amazing man to work for, and he continues to help me even though he isn't my boss anymore.)

Pool - Andrew was a trooper. He shopped with me through the outlet mall, TJ Maxx, and World Market. So we decided to end our Park City day with one of his favorite activities. We found a place to play Billiards. Andrew is my little pool shark, and while pool isn't one of my favorite things to do I know that he loves it.

Pizza and a Movie - We ended the day with some pizza and a movie back at our place. I snuggled up with my puppy, and it was a really nice ending to a fun day! 

So I didn't get to dress up and walk across a stage. No family was able to come up for my special day, but I had my #1 supporter there with me and it's more than I could have asked for.

Happy to spend the day with this goof-ball

Strasbourg, France

We arrived in Karlsruhe on Saturday, and spent a very long day meeting people, seeing the campus, and attending the KSC soccer game. (More on that later, I promise!) We finally had a free day on Sunday, and Julian Hocker, a German student who studied as a foreign exchange student at my school, offered to take a group of us to Strasbourg for the day.

Karlsruhe is very close to the France border, so it was only a short train ride over to Strasbourg. And hey, who wouldn't want to add another country to their travel list?! I was on board, although unfortunately my host Felicitas wasn't able to come. She did take me feed me breakfast and get me to the train station on time. 

Me, Kelly, and Fer waiting for the train to Strasbourg. 

There were three of us US students, and our tour guide Julian that made the adventure to France. And it was a fun group because it was so small. Unfortunately, I left my camera sitting on Felicitas' bed. So I was totally at the mercy of my friends to take some pictures of me and for me. Thankfully, Julian is an amateur photographer. His pictures came out amazing! So in keeping with tradition, I will highlight my trip for you below! 

The train station was really cool from the outside. It was a giant glass dome, so we wander outside to be wowed by the the buildings, but turned around to be surprised by the modern architecture we just walked out of! 

The main square of the city. We often joked that Strasbourg was more like a German city in France. The buildings all reminded me of a small German village, and you could definitely see that in the main square. There was also a totally random carousel in the middle of a busy round about. It was pretty cool. 

Notre Dame of Strasbourg - I'm sure you remember my post on Paris, and how much I loved Notre Dame! Well I didn't realize that there are a couple of Notre Dames, and one of them is crunched up against the buildings in Strasbourg. It was like a smaller version of the one in Paris, and it was pretty incredible.

  

Climbing to the top of the church - for just a few euros you can climb to the top of the church and get a fabulous view of the city! I'll admit, this trek just about killed me. I felt like a old lady, but it was totally worth the view at the top. You can even sign a book, which of course, I did. So next time you're there, flip back to May 2013 and you'll find me. ;)

View from the top!

This is right before Julian kicked his lens cap and it fell outside the railing and down to the ground.

Modern with the old - One of the coolest things about Europe is finding modern art or architecture in the middle of these old buildings. We found this really cool fountain while we were wandering around. 

The Rhine in Strasbourg runs right between some buildings. We got some great pictures of the buildings and the river. 

The food. We indulged in plenty of French pastries, but everyone told us we need to have Flammkuchen. I was told that this is a typical dish of Strasbourgh...though this is the German word for it. In french it's something like flambee and it's very much like a super thin pizza.

Strasbourg was my first sight-seeing day, and it was a lot of fun. I was itching to try out my French, but honestly more people spoke German. All in all I think Strasbourg can be described as a little German town in France. And hopefully that doesn't offend anyone! :)