As I wrote about before, emotionally it has been a rough couple months for me. But it’s not all mediocre and sad, so I thought I would highlight some of the things that I am stoked on these days.
-This guy:
-My visa renewal was a success. I now have a new Aufenthaltserlaubnis, which means I can live and work in Germany (no restrictions!). In three years, I have to return to get my Niederlassungserlaubnis, which is what will grant me permanent residency. My official eAT will be ready in January, so until then I have a sticker affixed to my passport, since we will be traveling abroad in the time between.
-Speaking of traveling abroad, New Years in Sweden! I am so excited to visit the family and just have a change of scenery, as we would otherwise spend that entire time sleeping in and watching movies. I spent three weeks in the winter of 2010/2011 in Sweden and it was a glorious (albeit cold) time. Looking forward to rising early with the kids, playing in the snow, hanging out in Gothenburg, utilizing my terrible Swedish, eating Lördagsgodis, staying up late playing Plump, and falling into bed exhausted. You know, the usual.
-As for other holidays, well, Thanksgiving is this week (yay) and I started the first of my preparations today, making the inside of the roast. Tomorrow I will make the actual roast, although it won’t be eaten until our Saturday get-together. Note: I am feeling particularly stoked on Christmas this year, as I have been preparing M.’s Christmas presents for a month or two now. Can’t wait until I can give them to him!
-In my goal to at least read as many books as I read last year (30), I have just finished 25, not including German children’s books. I also have about 10 in-progress books. We’ll see how much headway I make there… either way, I am pretty certain I will be at 30 or even beyond by the end of the year.
-On a related note, my book comes out this summer but is already available for pre-order here.