Happy Anniversary Us and Germany

We’ll kids, we’ve been here one full calendar year. Does it feel like it? Do you still miss us at home? (Rhetorical question-there is clearly a correct answer here.) I feel that when you hit these mile markers in life, it’s a good time to glance back (I’m getting nostalgic, cue “Auld Lang Syne”) to see where all you’ve been and hopefully how far you’ve come.

So how far have we come? How do you measure a year? (Change music. “Season’s of Love” from Rent please.) Let’s try a quick list.

Year in Numbers:
Countries Visited—13
Number of Guests who’ve graced the Klaus Haus—30
Hours spent learning German—450 for Heather. 200ish for Tim. (And just so you know folks, he’s still kicking my kiester here!)
Weekends on the Road—24 (This number actually down from last year when we lived in Peoria. Shame on us.)
Kilometers driven—65,000 (No idea what that is in miles. You do the math.)
Calls home—Oh dear God, no idea. Thousands.
Tears shed—Quite a few.
Belly laughs—Twice the number of tears shed, without a doubt.

Nope, although interesting, the list doesn’t quite do it justice. I can honestly tell you that the ride so far has been a roller coaster. On the downside (grab your tissue) I wasn’t quite prepared for how difficult this was gonna be for me. I’ve struggled more than I thought I would with redefining myself over here. Next time I do this, someone please get me a few bottles of Prozac to take the edge off! On the up side, and wow, there are sooo many upsides. The travel, the meeting of new and exceptional people, the time I get to spend with my husband (which was normally spent at the dance studio), the great visits from our family and friends. The list goes on and on. I feel somehow like a new teacher freshly out of college. That first year is usually u-g-l-y, you ain’t got no alibi, defined a lot more by the mistakes you made (and learned from) and the very few, but hugely gratifying successes.

Anyway, long story short, so far, so good. And we can now say that we’ve got a year under our belt. Hopefully, my blunders through Europe now can be a little more graceful. Graceful…yeah, right. Shouldda spent more time in ballet class.