Wednesday I got to sleep in and then Eric and I made a lovely pizza dip like creation with the rest of the ingredients that we had left over. We watched Matrix Revolutions and then went to the beach with a few of his friends. It was a different beach than the one yesterday, and still gorgeous blue water. We went snorkeling, which I was a lot better at than yesterday because I did not choke today and even saw a small octopus! The water was colder in the deeper parts, but still warm. We had a grilled cheese, tomato, ham, and pepper sandwich with fries. I love food!
After the beach, we went to a going away dinner for one of Eric's friends and had Greek salad, nachos, spicy pork, and a baked potato. It was fantastic, but I was so full afterwards. We stopped at an American bar when we finished there and Eric and I played darts with MJ. I beat Eric twice, but MJ beat me twice too. It was fun.
When we got back to the base, Eric and I watched Pulp Fiction. I had never seen it all the way through, and at first it did not make any sense, but then I liked it in the end. It was another great day.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
6/28/11
I woke up today, made sure that Eric mailed his dad the car paperwork that he needs, and got in the car to go to the beach with Eric, Collin, and Butters. The water is sooo blue here and it was the first time that I have been in salt water since I think I was about five years old in Florida. It was a perfect day to go to the beach. I had souflaki, which is chicken on a stick, with Eric and it was very good.
We were at the beach for a few hours and then came back to the base. I showered and took a nap. Then we went to the galley and apparently the food here is a lot better than the ship. Shortly after that, I introduced the sailors to pizza dip. They of course, loved it.
We hung out and played beer pong and Eric and I won epically...as in I bounced the pong ball into the death cup off our opponent's chest. We then played Mortal Kombat, which made me miss Mikey a whole lot! It was fun though. Goodnight!
We were at the beach for a few hours and then came back to the base. I showered and took a nap. Then we went to the galley and apparently the food here is a lot better than the ship. Shortly after that, I introduced the sailors to pizza dip. They of course, loved it.
We hung out and played beer pong and Eric and I won epically...as in I bounced the pong ball into the death cup off our opponent's chest. We then played Mortal Kombat, which made me miss Mikey a whole lot! It was fun though. Goodnight!
6/27/11
On Monday I woke up at 4:30 in the morning to catch my flight to Greece to see Eric Smith. Nadja drove me to the airport and we took off around 7am. It was about three hours and Eric and a friend were waiting for me when I got there. We drove two hours to the Naval base and they even have a softball field! I was pretty excited about that.
I met a lot of his friends and then we went downtown to see the shops and have a crepe...soooo good! Mine had strawberries, kiwis, bananas, and chocolate in it. I am getting spoiled with all of this amazing food.
After downtown, I took a nap. We played video games and went back downtown afterwards and hit the "American Alley." Eric, Collin, and I had a good night and are going to the beach Tuesday!
I met a lot of his friends and then we went downtown to see the shops and have a crepe...soooo good! Mine had strawberries, kiwis, bananas, and chocolate in it. I am getting spoiled with all of this amazing food.
After downtown, I took a nap. We played video games and went back downtown afterwards and hit the "American Alley." Eric, Collin, and I had a good night and are going to the beach Tuesday!
Sunday, June 26, 2011
6/26/11
Today we played in Bern, Switzerland's capital. We won the first game 20-4, but lost the second 9-7. They were both good games, we just did not have enough hits and got unlucky breaks in the second game. In the first game, I had an in-the-park grand slam...still hoping one day I will hit an out-of-the-park grand slam though haha In the second game I had a 3-run homerun, over the fence. After the games, a guy stopped me and asked where I was from, he happened to be from the Cincinnati region, and then said that he was not used to little girls having power like that. I thought of T's dad talking about the fact that I was the perfect size for a hitter and it made me smile.
After the games I was so happy to shower! It was very hot today and this week will probably be Africa hot (my cousin Jarrod's term) in Greece. Tan here I come!
Roman made tacos and I had four of them. I was obviously very hungry. They were really good and I thanked him about twenty times. Hopefully that was enough.
Then I went to Nadja's with her because she is taking me to the airport in the morning. I drove the whole way and did not stall. It was good. I am watching some TV with her and then we are going to bed because we have to be up early for my flight. Sweet dreams!
After the games I was so happy to shower! It was very hot today and this week will probably be Africa hot (my cousin Jarrod's term) in Greece. Tan here I come!
Roman made tacos and I had four of them. I was obviously very hungry. They were really good and I thanked him about twenty times. Hopefully that was enough.
Then I went to Nadja's with her because she is taking me to the airport in the morning. I drove the whole way and did not stall. It was good. I am watching some TV with her and then we are going to bed because we have to be up early for my flight. Sweet dreams!
Saturday, June 25, 2011
6/25/11
Happy Birthday to the best littlest brother ever!! I hope he has a wonderful birthday :-)
My day was very low key. It started with me crushing more Red Bull cans with the can crusher. Then it was time for lunch and we had spaghetti. I was able to practice German with Rosetta Stone again for a little while and then skype with T and also my family for Eric's birthday!
After that, I helped with the cherries and packed for Greece. I am visiting Eric Smith starting Monday and I'm so excited! Nadja came by before she had to go to a wedding and her dress was very pretty. I was able to finish reading The Hobbit and then go for a bike ride. I rode up to the soccer field and watched the games for a few minutes.
When I got back, I watched the Switzerland vs Spain soccer game in the restaurant with Tiin, Daniela, and some more friends. It was a nice evening and now I am going to bed. Games in the morning!
My day was very low key. It started with me crushing more Red Bull cans with the can crusher. Then it was time for lunch and we had spaghetti. I was able to practice German with Rosetta Stone again for a little while and then skype with T and also my family for Eric's birthday!
After that, I helped with the cherries and packed for Greece. I am visiting Eric Smith starting Monday and I'm so excited! Nadja came by before she had to go to a wedding and her dress was very pretty. I was able to finish reading The Hobbit and then go for a bike ride. I rode up to the soccer field and watched the games for a few minutes.
When I got back, I watched the Switzerland vs Spain soccer game in the restaurant with Tiin, Daniela, and some more friends. It was a nice evening and now I am going to bed. Games in the morning!
Friday, June 24, 2011
6/24/11
Friday I cleaned and helped around the farm, ate lots of fruit, found out there is also a raspberry bush on the farm, practiced Rosetta Stone, and got to skype with my mom and video chat with Hiram. I vacuumed in the morning and then had lunch with the family. It was fried chicken and wedge potatoes. Everything is always so good!
Cony had me pick up the apple that fell on the ground around the tree by the barn and then I collected the cherries that fell also so that they could be used to make alcohol and then I could mow the lawn. I am a lot better at knowing where I am supposed to cut and how to go about it now. Practice makes perfect haha I was going to crush cans again for Peter, but then it was time for practice.
Practice was at 6pm and Andreas and Debbie dropped me off. It was just a pitcher practice today, so Jrene, Chanti, and I all threw to each other for an hour. Hopefully we bring back two wins on Sunday!
Jrene brought me back after practice and I helped a little in the restaurant and then went with Nadja up to the soccer field. There were a lot of games going on at the same time and Christof was playing on one team. I met a few of Nadja's friends and then we all hung out at the field for a little while after Christof's team finished. Nadja brought me back afterwards and now I am going to get some sleep. Sweet dreams!
Cony had me pick up the apple that fell on the ground around the tree by the barn and then I collected the cherries that fell also so that they could be used to make alcohol and then I could mow the lawn. I am a lot better at knowing where I am supposed to cut and how to go about it now. Practice makes perfect haha I was going to crush cans again for Peter, but then it was time for practice.
Practice was at 6pm and Andreas and Debbie dropped me off. It was just a pitcher practice today, so Jrene, Chanti, and I all threw to each other for an hour. Hopefully we bring back two wins on Sunday!
Jrene brought me back after practice and I helped a little in the restaurant and then went with Nadja up to the soccer field. There were a lot of games going on at the same time and Christof was playing on one team. I met a few of Nadja's friends and then we all hung out at the field for a little while after Christof's team finished. Nadja brought me back afterwards and now I am going to get some sleep. Sweet dreams!
Thursday, June 23, 2011
6/23/11
Thursday I helped clean the restaurant in the morning so that it would be ready for later. I sorted through more cherries, wiped down the tables, and did some dishes. Then I went with Roman to buy some clothes for his vacation this summer. First, we stopped by the garage where his car was being fixed to see if it was ready, which it was. Then, we stopped by his work so that he could pick up his phone charger that he forgot. He is a mechanic in a natural gas factory, from what I could tell. After that, we went to Wil and were able to find him six new shirts. He said that he would not have seen them had he been shopping alone, so he thanked me haha We came back home for lunch after shopping.
Cony made omelets inside pita bread that were so good! I love that pretty much everyone in the family eats lunch together everyday. It is very refreshing.
I read my book again for a little while and then took a nap. When I woke up, I talked to Nicole, T, and Mikey for a little while and then went and helped Nadja in the restaurant and also sorted through the cherries. She showed me what setting to put the restaurant dishwasher on, and it washes the dishes so fast! I was quite amused.
After we cleaned everything up, Nadja and I went to Christof's for a little while. She is able to say short, slow sentences to me and most of the time I understand. Hopefully I still get better though. We were not there for too long and now I am going to bed. Gute Nacht!
Cony made omelets inside pita bread that were so good! I love that pretty much everyone in the family eats lunch together everyday. It is very refreshing.
I read my book again for a little while and then took a nap. When I woke up, I talked to Nicole, T, and Mikey for a little while and then went and helped Nadja in the restaurant and also sorted through the cherries. She showed me what setting to put the restaurant dishwasher on, and it washes the dishes so fast! I was quite amused.
After we cleaned everything up, Nadja and I went to Christof's for a little while. She is able to say short, slow sentences to me and most of the time I understand. Hopefully I still get better though. We were not there for too long and now I am going to bed. Gute Nacht!
6/22/11
Wednesday I ate lunch and then was at the ball field for the rest of the day. At 3pm I was supposed to help with a baseball academy camp, but I was not sure if it would get rained out or not. Instead of buying a train ticket and having to buy one to just come straight back, Roman dropped me off around 1pm on his way back to work after his lunch break. While I was waiting, it rained a few times, but at least is stopped in time for the academy to practice.
Around 2:15, Tony, a coach for the academy, and Rick, a man from California that helps coach European teams during the summer, showed up and I was able to find out how the clinic would work. There were about thirty kids, both boys and girls, that showed up and we did baserunning, throwing, outfield, infield, pitching, catching, and then they scrimmaged. I worked with the outfielders luckily. It was fun!
Right after we finished, it started to pour. I went with Tony, his son, Rick, and Sandro, another helper, to get a drink five minutes from the field. I just had Shorley because we had practice at seven. Tony dropped me back off at the field and there were six of us who were able to hit in the batting cage for about an hour and a half. It was productive, but hopefully it does not rain on Friday.
I have slowly been trying to get more Swiss German lessons before I go to bed, so hopefully they will help!
Around 2:15, Tony, a coach for the academy, and Rick, a man from California that helps coach European teams during the summer, showed up and I was able to find out how the clinic would work. There were about thirty kids, both boys and girls, that showed up and we did baserunning, throwing, outfield, infield, pitching, catching, and then they scrimmaged. I worked with the outfielders luckily. It was fun!
Right after we finished, it started to pour. I went with Tony, his son, Rick, and Sandro, another helper, to get a drink five minutes from the field. I just had Shorley because we had practice at seven. Tony dropped me back off at the field and there were six of us who were able to hit in the batting cage for about an hour and a half. It was productive, but hopefully it does not rain on Friday.
I have slowly been trying to get more Swiss German lessons before I go to bed, so hopefully they will help!
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
6/21/11
Today the package of softball shirts, shorts, and socks that my family sent me came in the mail. I was already able to give Nadja her shirt and shorts. I am excited to give more of my teammates the gear too.
At lunch, Peter said something in Swiss that I did not understand, about how I could help around the farm today. Luckily, after we were done eating, Roman was able to show me where I was supposed to go and what I was supposed to do to help. It was a machine that dumped the hay onto a conveyor belt and then another machine sucked it up into storage for the winter.
Cony made a cherry pie and it was delicious, of course! I was able to read more of The Hobbit and then Peter needed me to help with the hay machine. I think he likes that I help because he asked me to get my camera so that he could take pictures of me working. I had no problem with that.
At 6:15, Moni, my first baseman, picked me up because we were meeting a lot of the girls from the team in St. Gallen. The city was having a New Orleans themed party with lots of food and music. I had a shish kabob, with cooked ostrich haha It tasted like beef though, so it was good. And then I had a fruit kabob, with pineapples and strawberries covered in chocolate and topped with nuts. Needless to say, it was absolutely delicious!
When I got home, I checked my email and watched some TV. Time for bed!
At lunch, Peter said something in Swiss that I did not understand, about how I could help around the farm today. Luckily, after we were done eating, Roman was able to show me where I was supposed to go and what I was supposed to do to help. It was a machine that dumped the hay onto a conveyor belt and then another machine sucked it up into storage for the winter.
Cony made a cherry pie and it was delicious, of course! I was able to read more of The Hobbit and then Peter needed me to help with the hay machine. I think he likes that I help because he asked me to get my camera so that he could take pictures of me working. I had no problem with that.
At 6:15, Moni, my first baseman, picked me up because we were meeting a lot of the girls from the team in St. Gallen. The city was having a New Orleans themed party with lots of food and music. I had a shish kabob, with cooked ostrich haha It tasted like beef though, so it was good. And then I had a fruit kabob, with pineapples and strawberries covered in chocolate and topped with nuts. Needless to say, it was absolutely delicious!
When I got home, I checked my email and watched some TV. Time for bed!
6/20/11
Monday I was able to work on the flyer for the American party and upload more pictures. Nadja was able to eat lunch with us and then she gave me a lesson on how to say the time in German. They use quarter after, half til, and quarter til, so it is not too tough, as long as I remember when it is before the hour and when it is after the hour.
Next, I helped sort through cherries again. I like doing that because now I have a few things that I know how to do to help without having to be told. I still eat some of the cherries, but the Lehmanns do too so that makes me feel better haha
Before practice, Cony made Birchermuesli, which was a type of yogurt, cream, strawberry, cereal mix and I loved it! I had three helpings, it was sooo good! Christof told me that he did not like it because it was "too healthy" and we had a good laugh about that, but I told him it tastes like dessert to me. I have to get the recipe for it.
Roman gave me a ride to practice, which again meant that I drove. I am getting better, except at 1st gear on hills. At practice, we had twelve girls there so that was a good turn out. We did a lot of fielding, six hitting stations, and then Jrene, Chanti, and I pitched for a little while at the end. I also drove home when Roman picked me up, and I did not stall once! It is funny when I drive because whenever there is a chance that I have to make a complete stop and then have to start again, which is usually when the car will stall, he will say aloud, "I hope you have to stop here." It made me nervous the first few days, but now I just laugh.
Back at the Lehmanns', Tango & Cash was on, in German, and Roman and I discussed how similar Kurt Russell and Patrick Swayze look. I also asked many times what people were saying because I want to get better at understanding the language here. At least I am making some progress.
Next, I helped sort through cherries again. I like doing that because now I have a few things that I know how to do to help without having to be told. I still eat some of the cherries, but the Lehmanns do too so that makes me feel better haha
Before practice, Cony made Birchermuesli, which was a type of yogurt, cream, strawberry, cereal mix and I loved it! I had three helpings, it was sooo good! Christof told me that he did not like it because it was "too healthy" and we had a good laugh about that, but I told him it tastes like dessert to me. I have to get the recipe for it.
Roman gave me a ride to practice, which again meant that I drove. I am getting better, except at 1st gear on hills. At practice, we had twelve girls there so that was a good turn out. We did a lot of fielding, six hitting stations, and then Jrene, Chanti, and I pitched for a little while at the end. I also drove home when Roman picked me up, and I did not stall once! It is funny when I drive because whenever there is a chance that I have to make a complete stop and then have to start again, which is usually when the car will stall, he will say aloud, "I hope you have to stop here." It made me nervous the first few days, but now I just laugh.
Back at the Lehmanns', Tango & Cash was on, in German, and Roman and I discussed how similar Kurt Russell and Patrick Swayze look. I also asked many times what people were saying because I want to get better at understanding the language here. At least I am making some progress.
Monday, June 20, 2011
6/19/11
Today I slept in a long time and then got up and went to see a castle and Europe's biggest waterfall with Tiin and Daniela. When we first got to Schaffhausen, the city and state (like NYC, NY) that the castle and waterfall were both in, it started raining, but then it cleared up quickly and was absolutely gorgeous outside. The road was blocked off and there were a lot of people, so we found out that the Tour de Suisse was ending in Schaffhausen that day. It was a funny coincidence that we happened to be there, especially because Tiin was away with the military and could not see it when it was in Tobel. We decided to go see the castle and then come back to watch the cyclists finish because we had plenty of time. I was happy to see my first castle, even though Tiin said it is a rather small one. I did not mind at all.
After we looked around the castle, and I took a lot of pictures of the city from the top, we went to the Rheinfall. It is not as big as Niagara Falls, but the water is definitely prettier and it was still quite beautiful. Tiin and Daniela pointed out what all of the flags that we saw belonged to, but I only remember a few, including Thurgau, the state Tobel is in, which is the important one. It turned out to be a great day to go see Schaffhausen.
After we got back to Tiin and Daniela's, I booked my flight to Greece to see Eric Smith. I am so excited!!
I made pizza with Roman when I got back to the farm. He gave me all of the toppings and told me to just put them on, but I put the sliced mozzarella on right after the tomato sauce and apparently that is supposed to be last. After he told me that, I watched what order he did everything else in before doing the rest of mine. I wish I cooked more before coming here because that would have come in handy.
We watched the end of Pirates next and then drove to another tower that you can see Frauenfeld, where Nadja lives, from. I drove again and am getting better. Maybe my next car will be stick shift, who knows.
When we got back, Peter, Cony, Roman, and I all sat in the restaurant and visiting with some customers for awhile before I went to bed. Another great day!
After we looked around the castle, and I took a lot of pictures of the city from the top, we went to the Rheinfall. It is not as big as Niagara Falls, but the water is definitely prettier and it was still quite beautiful. Tiin and Daniela pointed out what all of the flags that we saw belonged to, but I only remember a few, including Thurgau, the state Tobel is in, which is the important one. It turned out to be a great day to go see Schaffhausen.
After we got back to Tiin and Daniela's, I booked my flight to Greece to see Eric Smith. I am so excited!!
I made pizza with Roman when I got back to the farm. He gave me all of the toppings and told me to just put them on, but I put the sliced mozzarella on right after the tomato sauce and apparently that is supposed to be last. After he told me that, I watched what order he did everything else in before doing the rest of mine. I wish I cooked more before coming here because that would have come in handy.
We watched the end of Pirates next and then drove to another tower that you can see Frauenfeld, where Nadja lives, from. I drove again and am getting better. Maybe my next car will be stick shift, who knows.
When we got back, Peter, Cony, Roman, and I all sat in the restaurant and visiting with some customers for awhile before I went to bed. Another great day!
Sunday, June 19, 2011
6/18/11
Our games were in fact rained out, after we had time to get everything ready and the other team had already arrived. It was lightly raining all morning, but as soon as both teams had warmed up, it started to really come down. Oh well. Hopefully we will find a good make up date when the sun is shining.
After that, Tiin and Daniela took me to the Scottish Highland games, where one of Daniela's family friends were participating. They guys competing, and the one team of girls, had to climb a tree, throw a tree, pull a tractor, and other kinds of strength-testing, funny activities that were great to watch. The weather was cold, but it was still fun.
I went back to their apartment after that and we looked up times when I could maybe visit other parts of Europe. Daniela also gave me some chocolate that was great, better than Lindt, she was sure to point out haha
I got back to the farm around 6pm and Nadja, Andi, and I went to see Hangover 2, in English, which I was so happy about! Then we went to a fiesta with music and dancing and saw Chanti and Jrene there. I almost taught them I line dance, but the DJ never played the song. I think a couple of the girls caught on though while I was doing it to a random song. It was fun and Nadja and Andi brought me back to the farm so we could all get some sleep.
After that, Tiin and Daniela took me to the Scottish Highland games, where one of Daniela's family friends were participating. They guys competing, and the one team of girls, had to climb a tree, throw a tree, pull a tractor, and other kinds of strength-testing, funny activities that were great to watch. The weather was cold, but it was still fun.
I went back to their apartment after that and we looked up times when I could maybe visit other parts of Europe. Daniela also gave me some chocolate that was great, better than Lindt, she was sure to point out haha
I got back to the farm around 6pm and Nadja, Andi, and I went to see Hangover 2, in English, which I was so happy about! Then we went to a fiesta with music and dancing and saw Chanti and Jrene there. I almost taught them I line dance, but the DJ never played the song. I think a couple of the girls caught on though while I was doing it to a random song. It was fun and Nadja and Andi brought me back to the farm so we could all get some sleep.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
6/17/11
This morning, I put together some songs on a playlist for the American party at the Lehmanns' next month. It was actually a lot of fun because I had not heard a lot of those songs in awhile. It is kind of hard to think about what is "American" though, unless the words American or USA are actually in the song haha
At noon, I went to Tiin's parents' house for lunch with Daniela. It was delicious again and we had strawberries for dessert...Yum!
I helped with chores around the house for a few hours, like mowing the grass and finding out that "Red Bull Kill" means can crusher in Peter English hahaha There were a lot of Red Bull cans to crush because I guess a nightclub from down the street brings them here to be crushed and then recycled. My left arm definitely got a good workout.
After crushing hundreds of Red Bull cans, Cony asked me to go get strawberries, with the car, so that she could make a pie later. She laughed at the look I gave her when I asked her if she meant me driving by myself, so she told me to ask Roman if he would go with me. He did and the strawberry place was not far, but I still stalled once on the way back. I guess it's better than stalling twice? Cony used the strawberries to make a white chocolate, with strawberries, pie and it was absolutely delicious! Nadja and I had two pieces each and I told her that I want the recipe for it for sure.
After that, I found a few more American songs for the playlist and then went and got a drink with Roman. We met a friend of his at this semi medieval bar, that I loved by the way, where apparently they have dinners in which everyone has to sit at one big table and eat everything with their hands like way back when. I thought that would be very fun, so we will probably go back again.
It was a good day, but our games might be rained out tomorrow...ughhh
At noon, I went to Tiin's parents' house for lunch with Daniela. It was delicious again and we had strawberries for dessert...Yum!
I helped with chores around the house for a few hours, like mowing the grass and finding out that "Red Bull Kill" means can crusher in Peter English hahaha There were a lot of Red Bull cans to crush because I guess a nightclub from down the street brings them here to be crushed and then recycled. My left arm definitely got a good workout.
After crushing hundreds of Red Bull cans, Cony asked me to go get strawberries, with the car, so that she could make a pie later. She laughed at the look I gave her when I asked her if she meant me driving by myself, so she told me to ask Roman if he would go with me. He did and the strawberry place was not far, but I still stalled once on the way back. I guess it's better than stalling twice? Cony used the strawberries to make a white chocolate, with strawberries, pie and it was absolutely delicious! Nadja and I had two pieces each and I told her that I want the recipe for it for sure.
After that, I found a few more American songs for the playlist and then went and got a drink with Roman. We met a friend of his at this semi medieval bar, that I loved by the way, where apparently they have dinners in which everyone has to sit at one big table and eat everything with their hands like way back when. I thought that would be very fun, so we will probably go back again.
It was a good day, but our games might be rained out tomorrow...ughhh
Thursday, June 16, 2011
6/16/11
The next route for the Tour de Suisse started in Tobel today. So once I got up, I headed over to where the festivities were. Cony, Peter, and I walked around the tents for about an hour and then came home to eat lunch. After lunch, I headed back to watch the start of the race with Peter. It was not as big as the finish yesterday, and it was over very fast, but it was fun and nice to see such a big event in Switzerland take place.
After the Tour events were over, I helped sort through cherries from the Lehmanns' trees. I had to put the good ones in little baskets to be sold and the not as good ones in a bucket to be made into whiskey. It took a lot of self control though because I love cherries! I think I did alright, but I definitely ate a few of them.
Around 5:15, Roman arrived to take me to practice. By taking me to practice however, he meant me driving his car, which is manual transmission. I have never owned a stick shift car and the last time I drove one of my friends' cars, before Switzerland, was five years ago. I stalled at two different stops because I am not very good at 1st gear, but for driving 10km I was not too bad.
Once we arrived safely at the field in Wil, we were half an hour early. Roman said that he had never played catch before, so I decided that since I had to drive, he had to play catch. I was happy that I had both a regular glove and a catcher's mit and it was a great way to pass the time. Once the two other girls that were showing up for practice got there, Roman left because I had a ride, and it started to rain. All of the equipment was out and everything, so we had to put it back. We were able to just go to the batting cage though and do lots of hitting drills and then use the machine too. Jrene and I tried to pitch after the baseball team showed up and needed the cage, but it was so wet that we did not succeed for very long. Hopefully the weather is nicer on Saturday for our games.
Nadja Niffeler brought me back home and I had dinner at the restaurant. Cony made potato salad today and I told her to feel special because I actually liked it...I never like potato salad.
Roman and I ended up comparing the size, population, and other fun facts of Ohio and Switzerland before he headed to bed. I was also able to show him some of the roller coasters at Cedar Point, thanks to YouTube. I hope that I can convince some of my new friends to come visit me in Ohio sometime because I will miss them a lot.
Tired now, goodnight!
After the Tour events were over, I helped sort through cherries from the Lehmanns' trees. I had to put the good ones in little baskets to be sold and the not as good ones in a bucket to be made into whiskey. It took a lot of self control though because I love cherries! I think I did alright, but I definitely ate a few of them.
Around 5:15, Roman arrived to take me to practice. By taking me to practice however, he meant me driving his car, which is manual transmission. I have never owned a stick shift car and the last time I drove one of my friends' cars, before Switzerland, was five years ago. I stalled at two different stops because I am not very good at 1st gear, but for driving 10km I was not too bad.
Once we arrived safely at the field in Wil, we were half an hour early. Roman said that he had never played catch before, so I decided that since I had to drive, he had to play catch. I was happy that I had both a regular glove and a catcher's mit and it was a great way to pass the time. Once the two other girls that were showing up for practice got there, Roman left because I had a ride, and it started to rain. All of the equipment was out and everything, so we had to put it back. We were able to just go to the batting cage though and do lots of hitting drills and then use the machine too. Jrene and I tried to pitch after the baseball team showed up and needed the cage, but it was so wet that we did not succeed for very long. Hopefully the weather is nicer on Saturday for our games.
Nadja Niffeler brought me back home and I had dinner at the restaurant. Cony made potato salad today and I told her to feel special because I actually liked it...I never like potato salad.
Roman and I ended up comparing the size, population, and other fun facts of Ohio and Switzerland before he headed to bed. I was also able to show him some of the roller coasters at Cedar Point, thanks to YouTube. I hope that I can convince some of my new friends to come visit me in Ohio sometime because I will miss them a lot.
Tired now, goodnight!
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
6/15/11
Today the Tour de Suisse ended in Tobel, which was very exciting! The finish line was only about a mile from the farm so at about 2:15 Andreas, Cony, and I rode our bikes up to see it. The whole street was blocked off and apparently something like 37 other kilometers were blocked off too. It was a big deal.
After we were there for about half an hour, Peter showed up. We were all sitting down at a restaurant with tables set up outside for the event. Christof showed up about another half hour later, barefoot. I asked him why and he said it was because he is a hippie, and then proceeded to point out the fact that he was apparently the only one at the Tour de Suisse because everyone else had shoes.
Andreas, Christof, and I walked back down to where the finish line was and waited for the cyclists to arrive. There was a giant screen that showed us where they were by helicopter video. Everyone was cheering and singing and the music was playing so loud that I could barely hear enough to have conversations with Andreas and Christof at some points. We also were able to get a lot of free gear. For example, we each got a "Tour de Suisse" Tshirt and hat and some sponsor of the Tour's hat, scarf, and cow bell. It was cool, but very hot! The weather was great, but I was definitely sweating the whole day.
Andreas started a countdown for me once the giant mass of bikes were only about two minutes away. He had his camera ready too! We were able to watch the start of the last lap. After that, there were a pair of bicycle stuntmen that kept jumping lines of people laying down on their backs on the pavement in order to pass the time while the crowd waited for the cyclists' return. It was fun to watch and at the end the one biker made them all turn over on their stomachs and he just rode right over their butts, which they were not expecting haha Then, the three of us saw Cony and Peter on the other side of the track, so we made our way over to them.
I had been taking pictures of my favorite Swiss spice all day, because it was all over the Tour, and so Andreas and Christof took me over to the tent where the founder was. While I was talking with Stedy, and he was getting a good laugh about how Americans can never really pronounce it correctly, Andreas bought me four different spices that I get to bring home with me in September! I was sooo happy and thanked him very much. It was very nice of him.
Nadja showed up right after we saw the cyclists finish the lap that they had started while we were watching earlier. Then we walked down the street a little further and came across the tent that Roman and his friends were sitting in. The whole Lehmann family was there! There was live, "typical Swiss" music playing and Nadja told me that I would never see that many people in Tobel again haha
I had a great time at the Tour and was very happy that I was able to be here for it. Around 6pm, Nadja and I had to leave to head over to softball practice. I ran practice again today because Tiin could not be there and we did some fielding, hitting, a scrimmage at the end because there were enough people today, and then the pitchers threw for a little while afterwards. At the very beginning, after warming up our arms, I played a throwing accuracy game with them that I loved from Elyria High, and it made me think about how much I miss playing for Coach Fenik. The girls liked it too, so we played two rounds.
Once Nadja brought me home, I talked with her and Roman in the kitchen until she had to leave. Roman and I were able to watch a little more of Pirates of the Caribbean, which of course made me happy, and then he went to bed.
I had a great day and now have to get some sleep. Talk to you soon!
After we were there for about half an hour, Peter showed up. We were all sitting down at a restaurant with tables set up outside for the event. Christof showed up about another half hour later, barefoot. I asked him why and he said it was because he is a hippie, and then proceeded to point out the fact that he was apparently the only one at the Tour de Suisse because everyone else had shoes.
Andreas, Christof, and I walked back down to where the finish line was and waited for the cyclists to arrive. There was a giant screen that showed us where they were by helicopter video. Everyone was cheering and singing and the music was playing so loud that I could barely hear enough to have conversations with Andreas and Christof at some points. We also were able to get a lot of free gear. For example, we each got a "Tour de Suisse" Tshirt and hat and some sponsor of the Tour's hat, scarf, and cow bell. It was cool, but very hot! The weather was great, but I was definitely sweating the whole day.
Andreas started a countdown for me once the giant mass of bikes were only about two minutes away. He had his camera ready too! We were able to watch the start of the last lap. After that, there were a pair of bicycle stuntmen that kept jumping lines of people laying down on their backs on the pavement in order to pass the time while the crowd waited for the cyclists' return. It was fun to watch and at the end the one biker made them all turn over on their stomachs and he just rode right over their butts, which they were not expecting haha Then, the three of us saw Cony and Peter on the other side of the track, so we made our way over to them.
I had been taking pictures of my favorite Swiss spice all day, because it was all over the Tour, and so Andreas and Christof took me over to the tent where the founder was. While I was talking with Stedy, and he was getting a good laugh about how Americans can never really pronounce it correctly, Andreas bought me four different spices that I get to bring home with me in September! I was sooo happy and thanked him very much. It was very nice of him.
Nadja showed up right after we saw the cyclists finish the lap that they had started while we were watching earlier. Then we walked down the street a little further and came across the tent that Roman and his friends were sitting in. The whole Lehmann family was there! There was live, "typical Swiss" music playing and Nadja told me that I would never see that many people in Tobel again haha
I had a great time at the Tour and was very happy that I was able to be here for it. Around 6pm, Nadja and I had to leave to head over to softball practice. I ran practice again today because Tiin could not be there and we did some fielding, hitting, a scrimmage at the end because there were enough people today, and then the pitchers threw for a little while afterwards. At the very beginning, after warming up our arms, I played a throwing accuracy game with them that I loved from Elyria High, and it made me think about how much I miss playing for Coach Fenik. The girls liked it too, so we played two rounds.
Once Nadja brought me home, I talked with her and Roman in the kitchen until she had to leave. Roman and I were able to watch a little more of Pirates of the Caribbean, which of course made me happy, and then he went to bed.
I had a great day and now have to get some sleep. Talk to you soon!
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
6/14/11
Happy 25th Anniversary to my wonderful parents!!!! :-) I love you so much!!
Nadja and I got ready at her apartment today and then headed back to the farm to help Peter with some work. When we were almost back to the farm, she said to me, "Now it is your turn to drive." We switched seats and she gave me lessons on when to push the clutch, gas, and so on all around the farm. I only drove in a big circle basically, but she is a good teacher and it helped. She made me do 1st gear the most, which I appreciated because that is what I am the worst at. Hopefully I remember everything she taught me today.
We raked the grass that had been mowed and talked about the things that we will need for the "American Party" that we are hosting at the restaurant in July. I am excited! I have to make flyers for the party and a playlist and make sure that it is legitimately American. Hopefully I represent well!
After that, I tried to get as many pictures from hiking up as possible. It took forever! I was able to get them up though and my daddy thanked me for the wonderful backgrounds for their anniversary. I was glad that I was able to give them something!
Peter needed help again after that, and I had to drive the tractor while he hammered fencing in. The tractor is also manually operated. We had another one of our English/German lessons and I did not do too bad. The tractor did not stall so I say it was a success haha
Once we were all finished, Peter went for a bike ride, I talked with Andreas a little bit about Sancho, and then got ready to go out for drinks with Cony and Peter. They took me to two other restaurants and I got to meet a few of their friends. It was a fun night and I am excited to watch the Tour de Suisse, that ends in Tobel conveniently, tomorrow.
Gute Nacht!
Nadja and I got ready at her apartment today and then headed back to the farm to help Peter with some work. When we were almost back to the farm, she said to me, "Now it is your turn to drive." We switched seats and she gave me lessons on when to push the clutch, gas, and so on all around the farm. I only drove in a big circle basically, but she is a good teacher and it helped. She made me do 1st gear the most, which I appreciated because that is what I am the worst at. Hopefully I remember everything she taught me today.
We raked the grass that had been mowed and talked about the things that we will need for the "American Party" that we are hosting at the restaurant in July. I am excited! I have to make flyers for the party and a playlist and make sure that it is legitimately American. Hopefully I represent well!
After that, I tried to get as many pictures from hiking up as possible. It took forever! I was able to get them up though and my daddy thanked me for the wonderful backgrounds for their anniversary. I was glad that I was able to give them something!
Peter needed help again after that, and I had to drive the tractor while he hammered fencing in. The tractor is also manually operated. We had another one of our English/German lessons and I did not do too bad. The tractor did not stall so I say it was a success haha
Once we were all finished, Peter went for a bike ride, I talked with Andreas a little bit about Sancho, and then got ready to go out for drinks with Cony and Peter. They took me to two other restaurants and I got to meet a few of their friends. It was a fun night and I am excited to watch the Tour de Suisse, that ends in Tobel conveniently, tomorrow.
Gute Nacht!
6/13/11
Monday was the perfect day to follow hiking a mountain. I was able to sleep in and around 1:15 Nadja picked me up and we went to get Sandra, her friend that came with us to Säntispark last time, and headed to the sauna again. This time we stayed in the inside section of it because it was absolutely packed due to the holiday weekend. I did not mind though because it still has the sauna, the cold pool, and somewhere for you to relax after both, so you do the same thing, plus it was a little cold outside anyway. We were able to go through the sauna, pool, relax cycle four times this time and then we headed back.
I grabbed my stuff to spend the night at Nadja's from the farm and then we drove to her house. We were able to watch Grey's Anatomy, mostly in German until Nadja tried and realized she could change it to English, and then Pirates of the Caribbean, all in English! I was very excited, even though I told her and Andi that they could watch it in German if they wanted because I know every line haha
Nadja and I watched a few more shows after that and then headed to bed. It was a nice, relaxing day that my muscles were very grateful for.
I grabbed my stuff to spend the night at Nadja's from the farm and then we drove to her house. We were able to watch Grey's Anatomy, mostly in German until Nadja tried and realized she could change it to English, and then Pirates of the Caribbean, all in English! I was very excited, even though I told her and Andi that they could watch it in German if they wanted because I know every line haha
Nadja and I watched a few more shows after that and then headed to bed. It was a nice, relaxing day that my muscles were very grateful for.
Monday, June 13, 2011
6/12/11
On Sunday, Tiin had joked the night before that we were going to wake up at 6:55 in order to have breakfast right when it opened, I actually woke up at 6:54 and we were in the restaurant for breakfast by 7:15. I thought that was funny because the joke turned into reality.
The view of the mountains surrounding us that we woke up to was gorgeous and the sun had just come up over the peaks in the East. It was shining on the little lake that the restaurant overlooked and I took a lot of pictures thinking about how nice of a view that would be for the families that live in the restaurants for the summer season in order to provide for the hikers. We were on our way shortly after, and Sunday's hike was the harder hike I was told.
I knew why pretty much as soon as we set off. We headed straight up the mountain that our cabin was next to. When you go up, the paths just zigzag back and forth at an incline because if you tried to go straight you would literally be climbing the mountain. It took a little while for us to reach the top part of the mountain closest to us, but once we were there, it was mostly straight across toward the Hoher Kasten peak that we were headed for. Hoher Kasten means "high closet" in English. Tiin was trying to come up for a reason why it is called that, but he could not, so I accepted that it just is.
After a couple of hours hiking to it, we stopped at another restaurant that has a cable train leading to it for food supplies or in case some people do not want to actually climb to get to it. A lot of the really high restaurants have these cable trains. The temperature changed quite a bit while we were hiking, depending on the wind. Also, at the time that we stopped at that restaurant, we were pretty much eating inside of a cloud. We could see the way we had come the day before, but the other side of the mountain was invisible to us. I thought that was pretty funny and was temporarily blinded at one point because of the sun reflecting off of all the white color of the cloud.
Let me throw a quick side note in saying that pretty much the entire time we were hiking I was thinking about how nervous my dad would have been with his fear of heights. I was trying to decide if the about 1 1/2 foot wide paths that went close to straight down on either side at some points would have been enough to keep him from the view at the end. Then I decided that he would probably have just liked to have taken a different route to the top, because there were many options. There were also so many people of different ages hiking that we passed, babies being carried in the sacks on people's backs to almost elderly people. It was so refreshing to see that big of a difference in age groups all doing the same thing and everyone saying hello, in some way or another, to everyone else because friendliness is a must when hiking.
We headed out again after our nice break. I was definitely nervous at a few parts of the hike, paying more attention to what my feet were doing than I ever have before, and it took us another few hours to get to the top of Hoher Kasten, but it was definitely worth it! I could see Austria, Lichtenstein, Germany, and Switzerland from the top and everything was absolutely gorgeous! We had something to eat and drink, played some more cards, took a lot of pictures, and then headed back down the mountain toward the car.
It took only two hours to get down, compared to the two days it took for us to take the route up that we chose, but my toes were pretty tired from jamming into the front of my shoes on the trip down. A few times while going toward the top of Hoher Kasten we had to make our way down to go back up, which I understood because that was the only place there was a path, but still was a little exhausted from. There was no more going up on this route, which was nice because to me that would not have made sense. We had another break for a drink at the bottom of the mountain and I just kept staring up at the peak thinking about how we had just been up there. It was a pretty amazing feeling.
That night, the five of us, plus another one of their friends named Martin, had a bbq at Tiin and Daniela's apartment. It is a very nice place and I had a great time. Cony had even made me an American cheesecake to bring because she found the recipe in a magazine or something! It was very good and I could not believe that was the first time she had ever made it. I liked getting the chance to know everyone a little better and I am really happy that this is where I ended up getting to continue my softball career. I had a terrific weekend!
The view of the mountains surrounding us that we woke up to was gorgeous and the sun had just come up over the peaks in the East. It was shining on the little lake that the restaurant overlooked and I took a lot of pictures thinking about how nice of a view that would be for the families that live in the restaurants for the summer season in order to provide for the hikers. We were on our way shortly after, and Sunday's hike was the harder hike I was told.
I knew why pretty much as soon as we set off. We headed straight up the mountain that our cabin was next to. When you go up, the paths just zigzag back and forth at an incline because if you tried to go straight you would literally be climbing the mountain. It took a little while for us to reach the top part of the mountain closest to us, but once we were there, it was mostly straight across toward the Hoher Kasten peak that we were headed for. Hoher Kasten means "high closet" in English. Tiin was trying to come up for a reason why it is called that, but he could not, so I accepted that it just is.
After a couple of hours hiking to it, we stopped at another restaurant that has a cable train leading to it for food supplies or in case some people do not want to actually climb to get to it. A lot of the really high restaurants have these cable trains. The temperature changed quite a bit while we were hiking, depending on the wind. Also, at the time that we stopped at that restaurant, we were pretty much eating inside of a cloud. We could see the way we had come the day before, but the other side of the mountain was invisible to us. I thought that was pretty funny and was temporarily blinded at one point because of the sun reflecting off of all the white color of the cloud.
Let me throw a quick side note in saying that pretty much the entire time we were hiking I was thinking about how nervous my dad would have been with his fear of heights. I was trying to decide if the about 1 1/2 foot wide paths that went close to straight down on either side at some points would have been enough to keep him from the view at the end. Then I decided that he would probably have just liked to have taken a different route to the top, because there were many options. There were also so many people of different ages hiking that we passed, babies being carried in the sacks on people's backs to almost elderly people. It was so refreshing to see that big of a difference in age groups all doing the same thing and everyone saying hello, in some way or another, to everyone else because friendliness is a must when hiking.
We headed out again after our nice break. I was definitely nervous at a few parts of the hike, paying more attention to what my feet were doing than I ever have before, and it took us another few hours to get to the top of Hoher Kasten, but it was definitely worth it! I could see Austria, Lichtenstein, Germany, and Switzerland from the top and everything was absolutely gorgeous! We had something to eat and drink, played some more cards, took a lot of pictures, and then headed back down the mountain toward the car.
It took only two hours to get down, compared to the two days it took for us to take the route up that we chose, but my toes were pretty tired from jamming into the front of my shoes on the trip down. A few times while going toward the top of Hoher Kasten we had to make our way down to go back up, which I understood because that was the only place there was a path, but still was a little exhausted from. There was no more going up on this route, which was nice because to me that would not have made sense. We had another break for a drink at the bottom of the mountain and I just kept staring up at the peak thinking about how we had just been up there. It was a pretty amazing feeling.
That night, the five of us, plus another one of their friends named Martin, had a bbq at Tiin and Daniela's apartment. It is a very nice place and I had a great time. Cony had even made me an American cheesecake to bring because she found the recipe in a magazine or something! It was very good and I could not believe that was the first time she had ever made it. I liked getting the chance to know everyone a little better and I am really happy that this is where I ended up getting to continue my softball career. I had a terrific weekend!
6/11/11
On Saturday, Tiin, Daniela, and their friends Markus and Thomas picked me up at 12:10 to go hiking. I was really excited and we drove about 45 minutes to get to the mountains. Once there, we parked the car, all grabbed our backpacks, and headed off to the trail we would follow.
There was a stream to our right pretty much the whole first part of the way we walked. It was so pretty and the mountains were surrounding us. The path was big enough for cars to come through, but only the cars that belonged to the people that worked in the little restaurants or the food suppliers were allowed to come through. We still had to get out of the path a few times though because there are quite a few rest areas along the way.
Once we had walked up, and I mean a pretty good incline, for a little while we had made it to where we were stopping to have a drink. I had Shorley, like a carbonated apple juice, which I have very often. We sat for about a half an hour and then headed off again. The next part was mostly walking through a valley in the mountains where a lake, that is usually a lot bigger but there was not enough snow for it to melt into extra lake water this year, a few houses, and a lot of cows were. I took a few pictures with the cows and got one of Tiin with the cows too haha
By about 5pm we had made it to the place where we would be spending the night. It was a bigger restaurant area, with restrooms and showers inside, and then two little cabins separate from the big building, one of which would be where the five of us would sleep.
After we had a little snack and showered, we played cards for a long time. First we played a game called "Skip Bo," which was a little bit along the lines of Uno. Next, we broke out the Swiss cards, which have different pictures on them and do not use hearts, spades, clubs, and diamonds, and there are no 5s, 4s, 3s, or 2s, so I was a bit confused at first. We played a game that means "Pants Down" in English haha I got pretty good at it, but still did not win very much. It was a lot of fun though. We had some dinner in between games. I got some type of pig meat on the bone and Grandma Julia and my dad would have been proud because I made sure that the bone was clean by the time I finished it haha
After playing a few more games of Pants Down, we headed off to our cabing to go to sleep. We had flashlights, which thank you Christian Taylor for that wonderful flashlight app on my iPod, it has come in quite handy multiple times, and saved me from the piles left from cows, goats, and dogs that we were trying to avoid during our walk back in the dark. The cabin had eight pillows and blankets set out on the beds built into the walls, four on each side. We fell asleep pretty fast because we were all exhausted.
There was a stream to our right pretty much the whole first part of the way we walked. It was so pretty and the mountains were surrounding us. The path was big enough for cars to come through, but only the cars that belonged to the people that worked in the little restaurants or the food suppliers were allowed to come through. We still had to get out of the path a few times though because there are quite a few rest areas along the way.
Once we had walked up, and I mean a pretty good incline, for a little while we had made it to where we were stopping to have a drink. I had Shorley, like a carbonated apple juice, which I have very often. We sat for about a half an hour and then headed off again. The next part was mostly walking through a valley in the mountains where a lake, that is usually a lot bigger but there was not enough snow for it to melt into extra lake water this year, a few houses, and a lot of cows were. I took a few pictures with the cows and got one of Tiin with the cows too haha
By about 5pm we had made it to the place where we would be spending the night. It was a bigger restaurant area, with restrooms and showers inside, and then two little cabins separate from the big building, one of which would be where the five of us would sleep.
After we had a little snack and showered, we played cards for a long time. First we played a game called "Skip Bo," which was a little bit along the lines of Uno. Next, we broke out the Swiss cards, which have different pictures on them and do not use hearts, spades, clubs, and diamonds, and there are no 5s, 4s, 3s, or 2s, so I was a bit confused at first. We played a game that means "Pants Down" in English haha I got pretty good at it, but still did not win very much. It was a lot of fun though. We had some dinner in between games. I got some type of pig meat on the bone and Grandma Julia and my dad would have been proud because I made sure that the bone was clean by the time I finished it haha
After playing a few more games of Pants Down, we headed off to our cabing to go to sleep. We had flashlights, which thank you Christian Taylor for that wonderful flashlight app on my iPod, it has come in quite handy multiple times, and saved me from the piles left from cows, goats, and dogs that we were trying to avoid during our walk back in the dark. The cabin had eight pillows and blankets set out on the beds built into the walls, four on each side. We fell asleep pretty fast because we were all exhausted.
Friday, June 10, 2011
6/10/11
Today I woke up around 11:15 because I was so tired from yesterday. I got ready for the day and then helped Peter for a little while. I mowed the lawn again, which went a lot smoother this time since I already knew where and how to mow. Then, I swept the driveway on the side of the house. That took a long time, but I was happy to be able to help. I also helped a family friend, Sevi, send a picture to a future employer. I hope she does great at her new job!
After all of that it was time for practice. There were only three of us today, but we got a lot done. We were able to do grounders, one-hops, fly balls, hitting, and pitching. I was really tired at the end of it all, but my dad would have been proud because it was good pitching conditioning practice.
I got ready to go out with Tiin and Daniela and some friends after practice. We hung out at the Lehmann restaurant for a little while and then we went to another little restaurant. It was fun hanging out with them because they are the people that I will be hiking with this weekend. I am excited! Got to get some sleep now so that I am rested up!
Gute Nacht!
After all of that it was time for practice. There were only three of us today, but we got a lot done. We were able to do grounders, one-hops, fly balls, hitting, and pitching. I was really tired at the end of it all, but my dad would have been proud because it was good pitching conditioning practice.
I got ready to go out with Tiin and Daniela and some friends after practice. We hung out at the Lehmann restaurant for a little while and then we went to another little restaurant. It was fun hanging out with them because they are the people that I will be hiking with this weekend. I am excited! Got to get some sleep now so that I am rested up!
Gute Nacht!
6/9/11
Thursday was Johnny Depp's 48th birthday!! I woke up bright and early in order to get ready to go to Europa Park, an amusement park in Germany. Nadja Niffeler picked me up at 7:20am along with Jacky, who is another Devil softball player, and Nadja's friend Christine. It took about two and a half hours to drive there, not bad with all of the traffic.
Once we got there, I realized that it was a lot like Epcot at Disney World. A lot of different European countries were all included in Europa park. There was Switzerland, Germany, France, Spain, Russia, Holland, Italy, and others. The first thing we went on was a ride that just takes you up about 150 feet, does a slow circle, and takes you back down so that you have a good view of the whole park. It was not as big as Cedar Point, but I am used to that haha
During the day, we rode a few different roller coasters, my favorite being Blue Fire, but they were all fun. We also went on the big swings, a haunted house ride, and two water rides, the one that got us soaked was luckily at the end of the day. After the haunted house ride, we went into the gift shop which was filled with pirate things! I was so excited! I finally found a pirate flag, and it was not expensive at all, yay! We also went into a shop that took photos and made them look antique, so we got to dress up. It was a lot of fun!
For lunch I had chicken nuggets and a baked potato that I could not finish because they put sooo much of the cream cheese/sour cream stuff on it that it was drowning in it. I also bought dessert, a chocolate covered banana and a chocolate covered wafer thing with fluff on top, they were so good! I had a lot of fun getting to know Nadja and Jacky better. They were really nice all day and Nadja's friend Christine seemed nice too, but she did not really speak much English and I don't speak Swiss, so we just smiled at each other haha
After our day at the park, Nadja drove us home and I thanked her and Jacky again for inviting me. When I went up to my room, Cony had washed my sheets and put the blanket back on my bed in the shape of a heart with my teddy bears sitting on top of it. I thought that was very cute and nice of her and thanked her. I talked with her about my day and showed her some of the 183 pictures that I took haha
I went out to the restaurant and sat with Cony, Peter, and a few customers after that, and was able to meet Thomas, Nadja Lehmann's biggest fan. He was really nice and spoke pretty good English so I talked with him about when our next games were and how I am Polish and Irish. Also, everyone here knows what "na zdrowie" means (cheers!) so whenever we raise our glasses, that is what I always say and it often gets a few laughs. Thank you Grandma Julia!
I went to bed after that because I tried to get the pictures I took onto facebook, but was way too tired. It was a really fun day!
Once we got there, I realized that it was a lot like Epcot at Disney World. A lot of different European countries were all included in Europa park. There was Switzerland, Germany, France, Spain, Russia, Holland, Italy, and others. The first thing we went on was a ride that just takes you up about 150 feet, does a slow circle, and takes you back down so that you have a good view of the whole park. It was not as big as Cedar Point, but I am used to that haha
During the day, we rode a few different roller coasters, my favorite being Blue Fire, but they were all fun. We also went on the big swings, a haunted house ride, and two water rides, the one that got us soaked was luckily at the end of the day. After the haunted house ride, we went into the gift shop which was filled with pirate things! I was so excited! I finally found a pirate flag, and it was not expensive at all, yay! We also went into a shop that took photos and made them look antique, so we got to dress up. It was a lot of fun!
For lunch I had chicken nuggets and a baked potato that I could not finish because they put sooo much of the cream cheese/sour cream stuff on it that it was drowning in it. I also bought dessert, a chocolate covered banana and a chocolate covered wafer thing with fluff on top, they were so good! I had a lot of fun getting to know Nadja and Jacky better. They were really nice all day and Nadja's friend Christine seemed nice too, but she did not really speak much English and I don't speak Swiss, so we just smiled at each other haha
After our day at the park, Nadja drove us home and I thanked her and Jacky again for inviting me. When I went up to my room, Cony had washed my sheets and put the blanket back on my bed in the shape of a heart with my teddy bears sitting on top of it. I thought that was very cute and nice of her and thanked her. I talked with her about my day and showed her some of the 183 pictures that I took haha
I went out to the restaurant and sat with Cony, Peter, and a few customers after that, and was able to meet Thomas, Nadja Lehmann's biggest fan. He was really nice and spoke pretty good English so I talked with him about when our next games were and how I am Polish and Irish. Also, everyone here knows what "na zdrowie" means (cheers!) so whenever we raise our glasses, that is what I always say and it often gets a few laughs. Thank you Grandma Julia!
I went to bed after that because I tried to get the pictures I took onto facebook, but was way too tired. It was a really fun day!
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
6/8/11
Today was a lazy day until the evening. In the morning, I was able to skype with my dad and vaccuum a little so that was nice. I just sat and read my book most of the rest of the day. I am really happy that I have so much time to read because I missed it while I was at school.
In the afternoon, Nadja got here and around 5pm we started preparing stuff for the fondue...Mmmm. I cut a loaf of bread and was happy that I was not super slow at it today. Almost all of the Lehmann family was there for fondue today, except Roman. It was nice with so many people at dinner. I really like them, so I love when everyone is around.
Nadja and I headed to practice after we ate, which we joked about because we had too much cheese and bread haha Practice was fast-paced again today, and I think that the girls had fun. We did outfield, hitting, and pitching. Then Nadja and I headed back to Tobel right after practice ended so that we could catch the rest of the soccer game vs Wil. It was my first European soccer experience and Tobel ended up winning, which was good!
After the game I talked with Nadja, Roman, and Peter a little before writing this and heading to bed. I am going to Europa-Park tomorrow, so I have to be up early. Gute Nacht!
In the afternoon, Nadja got here and around 5pm we started preparing stuff for the fondue...Mmmm. I cut a loaf of bread and was happy that I was not super slow at it today. Almost all of the Lehmann family was there for fondue today, except Roman. It was nice with so many people at dinner. I really like them, so I love when everyone is around.
Nadja and I headed to practice after we ate, which we joked about because we had too much cheese and bread haha Practice was fast-paced again today, and I think that the girls had fun. We did outfield, hitting, and pitching. Then Nadja and I headed back to Tobel right after practice ended so that we could catch the rest of the soccer game vs Wil. It was my first European soccer experience and Tobel ended up winning, which was good!
After the game I talked with Nadja, Roman, and Peter a little before writing this and heading to bed. I am going to Europa-Park tomorrow, so I have to be up early. Gute Nacht!
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
6/7/11
This morning I woke up around 10:15 and read some more of The Hobbit. I am really glad that I brought some books, despite Christian Taylor's claim that I would have no time to read haha I showered, put on a shirt that Debbie gave me to keep, very nice of her, and had lunch with the Lehmanns, which was pork and potatoes in cream. It was very good and I thought about how Grandma Julia would have loved it.
After lunch, I had some of the chocolate that Nadja bought for me in Germany yesterday. The chocolate in Europe really is better, sorry America. She got me both milk chocolate and white chocolate and they are absolutely delicious!
After that, I folded some laundry for the Lehmanns and then Cony showed me how to work the motorized bicycle they have. That will help for all the big hills here haha I took a short bike ride with it, but then it needed to be charged again so I brought it back and Cony plugged it in. I was able to feed Sancho and then I tried to skype with Mikey and my dad, but skype was not working so that was kind of sad. Instead, I did some of my own laundry and then the motor bike was ready to ride.
I rode to Wil, which did not take very long, probably around half an hour. I was able to use the ATM, which had an English option that I was very grateful for, take some nice pictures, and not get lost. Then it started to rain a tiny bit, so I headed back to the farm. I am really happy that Cony showed me how to use the motor bike because I would not have made such a quick trip without it.
Roman and I tried to watch Pirates of the Caribbean next, but it took my computer forever to set up and then he had to leave shortly after, so we only got a half hour in. He said he liked it so far though, so hopefully we will pick up where we left off soon.
After I had some dinner, Peter and Roman, when he eventually returned home, tried to teach me a little about German or Swiss German or both. I am not sure. I tried to teach them English. It took forever though and I do not think we accomplished much. My head hurts now, so I think that I will head to bed. Goodnight!
After lunch, I had some of the chocolate that Nadja bought for me in Germany yesterday. The chocolate in Europe really is better, sorry America. She got me both milk chocolate and white chocolate and they are absolutely delicious!
After that, I folded some laundry for the Lehmanns and then Cony showed me how to work the motorized bicycle they have. That will help for all the big hills here haha I took a short bike ride with it, but then it needed to be charged again so I brought it back and Cony plugged it in. I was able to feed Sancho and then I tried to skype with Mikey and my dad, but skype was not working so that was kind of sad. Instead, I did some of my own laundry and then the motor bike was ready to ride.
I rode to Wil, which did not take very long, probably around half an hour. I was able to use the ATM, which had an English option that I was very grateful for, take some nice pictures, and not get lost. Then it started to rain a tiny bit, so I headed back to the farm. I am really happy that Cony showed me how to use the motor bike because I would not have made such a quick trip without it.
Roman and I tried to watch Pirates of the Caribbean next, but it took my computer forever to set up and then he had to leave shortly after, so we only got a half hour in. He said he liked it so far though, so hopefully we will pick up where we left off soon.
After I had some dinner, Peter and Roman, when he eventually returned home, tried to teach me a little about German or Swiss German or both. I am not sure. I tried to teach them English. It took forever though and I do not think we accomplished much. My head hurts now, so I think that I will head to bed. Goodnight!
Monday, June 6, 2011
6/6/11
Nadja, her boyfriend Andi, and I went to Germany this afternoon after all sleeping in, showering, and eating breakfast! I love that the Swiss eat so many foods with chocolate...Mmmm. They have chocolate spread and I had it on bread rolls this morning, which was so delicious!
Konstanz, Germany is only about 20 minutes away from Nadja's house. There is a beautiful lake there and it was a very nice day during the time we picked to go because right when we were leaving, it started to rain. Perfect timing! When we got there, we stopped in a store to pick up some household items and chocolate because the prices in Germany are better than in Switzerland, even with the higher taxes. Then, Nadja and Andi took me down to the lake so that I could take some pictures. After that, we went into a few shops and walked through the town, then headed to a restaurant called "Deli." I ordered steak and potatoes and was even able to try Andi's schnitzel and Nadja's penne pasta. Everything was delicious!
Once we were finished eating, we headed back to their apartment. I watched my first Swiss movie with English subtitles called "RabbitWithoutEars" and it was very cute. We were able to relax for a few hours before Nadja and I headed to practice.
Today's practice was pretty hard, but good work and fun. I think the girls liked it too because I heard some nice comments about it, which made me really happy. We ran a lot at the beginning of practice, but they were kind of fun drills, so I think that helped. Also, I learned that I like when I give Tiin a bunch of different ideas for practice and then he picks which ones he wants because I think it helped practice flow more smoothly. Working together was just the right balance.
After practice Nadja took me to a wooden tower that overlooks all of Wil. It was about 105 feet in the air, so many stairs haha Everything was beautiful though so it was definitely worth the climb! She said that we will come back in the daytime so that I can take more pictures, but I did get a few really pretty ones anyway.
Today was so much fun and I am excited to have more adventures soon!
Konstanz, Germany is only about 20 minutes away from Nadja's house. There is a beautiful lake there and it was a very nice day during the time we picked to go because right when we were leaving, it started to rain. Perfect timing! When we got there, we stopped in a store to pick up some household items and chocolate because the prices in Germany are better than in Switzerland, even with the higher taxes. Then, Nadja and Andi took me down to the lake so that I could take some pictures. After that, we went into a few shops and walked through the town, then headed to a restaurant called "Deli." I ordered steak and potatoes and was even able to try Andi's schnitzel and Nadja's penne pasta. Everything was delicious!
Once we were finished eating, we headed back to their apartment. I watched my first Swiss movie with English subtitles called "RabbitWithoutEars" and it was very cute. We were able to relax for a few hours before Nadja and I headed to practice.
Today's practice was pretty hard, but good work and fun. I think the girls liked it too because I heard some nice comments about it, which made me really happy. We ran a lot at the beginning of practice, but they were kind of fun drills, so I think that helped. Also, I learned that I like when I give Tiin a bunch of different ideas for practice and then he picks which ones he wants because I think it helped practice flow more smoothly. Working together was just the right balance.
After practice Nadja took me to a wooden tower that overlooks all of Wil. It was about 105 feet in the air, so many stairs haha Everything was beautiful though so it was definitely worth the climb! She said that we will come back in the daytime so that I can take more pictures, but I did get a few really pretty ones anyway.
Today was so much fun and I am excited to have more adventures soon!
6/5/11
Today I woke up, had breakfast, and Tiin picked me up for the games. They were about an hour and a half away, close to Lucerne. We won the first one, but unfortunately lost the second in the eighth inning with the tiebreaker rule. We did not score our girl on second in the top of the eighth, and then they scored their girl. Oh well. It was a good game so I guess we will just have to do a little better next time.
After the games, Tiin took me back to the farm. I took a much needed shower and then went up to Andreas and Debbie's because they invited me for raclette, which is when you use a special grill to heat up cheese and then pour it onto potatoes and whatever else you want. It was so good! I spent a lot of time talking with Debbie and then went over to Nadja's for the night.
We watched some TV and then went to bed. It was a busy day, but fun!
After the games, Tiin took me back to the farm. I took a much needed shower and then went up to Andreas and Debbie's because they invited me for raclette, which is when you use a special grill to heat up cheese and then pour it onto potatoes and whatever else you want. It was so good! I spent a lot of time talking with Debbie and then went over to Nadja's for the night.
We watched some TV and then went to bed. It was a busy day, but fun!
Saturday, June 4, 2011
6/4/11
Today I woke up, had some breakfast, vacuumed, and went to this outdoor spa place called "Säntispark" with Nadja and her best friend Sandra. It was very nice and relaxing. You have to go in the sauna for about fifteen minutes first, then you go into the pool, which is pretty cold, and then you lay out. We did that three times total and were lucky and it turned out to be a beautiful day. It was in St. Gallen, which is not far, and I hope we go back again. There was a mini waterfall and lily pads and the grass around the pool made it look like a spring. Everything was very tranquil and beautiful.
That took a few hours, and afterwards Nadja and I came back to the farm. I helped her cut some fruit for the Bowle drink and then I cleaned dishes, since I am better at that than making food haha I have already gotten faster at cutting peaches though, so hopefully I will get better at everything else too so that I can help more.
I was able to have a skype conference call with my mom, Mikey, Jessica, and Eric, Aunt Patti, and Grandma Carol. That was a lot of fun, but hard taking turns when to talk haha After skype, I went back outside and there was a bachelorette party at the restaurant. I took a few pictures with them and then went with Nadja to Christof's for a little bit. We watched a game show, which I did not understand, but of course still tried to participate in guessing what was going to happen, who was going to win, or what the answers were to the questions. There was even a game where you had to read a person's lips and guess what they were saying. I told Nadja that I would have been good at that game, had the lady been speaking English haha
Then Nadja brought me home and now I am going to bed because the Devils have a doubleheader in the morning! Wish us luck! Gute Nacht!
That took a few hours, and afterwards Nadja and I came back to the farm. I helped her cut some fruit for the Bowle drink and then I cleaned dishes, since I am better at that than making food haha I have already gotten faster at cutting peaches though, so hopefully I will get better at everything else too so that I can help more.
I was able to have a skype conference call with my mom, Mikey, Jessica, and Eric, Aunt Patti, and Grandma Carol. That was a lot of fun, but hard taking turns when to talk haha After skype, I went back outside and there was a bachelorette party at the restaurant. I took a few pictures with them and then went with Nadja to Christof's for a little bit. We watched a game show, which I did not understand, but of course still tried to participate in guessing what was going to happen, who was going to win, or what the answers were to the questions. There was even a game where you had to read a person's lips and guess what they were saying. I told Nadja that I would have been good at that game, had the lady been speaking English haha
Then Nadja brought me home and now I am going to bed because the Devils have a doubleheader in the morning! Wish us luck! Gute Nacht!
Friday, June 3, 2011
6/3/11
This morning I woke up at 9 for 10am practice. Cony drove me to the field and I was the first one there. I started to worry that the time had been changed on me or that nobody was coming, but luckily the four girls that were supposed to show up did. Tiin was not there again, so I ran practice. We did a little bit of everything, some outfield, infield, hitting, and then live hitting off of Chanti, Jrene, and me. Practice ended at noon and Jrene gave me a ride home.
I took a shower and a nap after getting home and eating. When I woke up from my nap, Cony told me that Peter needed help with something. She could not think of the words, so I just followed him outside. We ended up killing weeds. I said "oh weeds" when Peter pointed out to me what I was supposed to do, and he looked at me funny. So I said "weed" again and pointed and he was still confused, but after the third time he got it and said "Blacken," so then we each understood what the word weed is in both English and German haha I then told him "weed killer" and pointed to the long weed killing device in my hand and he said "Blacken Gewehr" and then proceeded to pretend to shoot something with the end of the weed killing device in his hand and say "Winchester." I then understood that the long weed killing things we were holding were called "weed guns." It was a nice little German/English lesson the two of us had before we proceeded to actually kill the weeds. All of the tall grass looked the same to me though so I had a hard time knowing which ones I was supposed to kill and had to ask Peter a few times "this one?" and most of the time he said "nein." I think by the end I killed what I was supposed to though, so cross your fingers for the Lehmanns.
After my weed killing adventure and German lesson, I went and sat outside at the restaurant. Andreas and Deborah sat with me and Nadja sat with us when she could. I had some bratwurst wrapped in bacon with french fries and then played some racquetball with Deborah. We were not very good haha It was fun though.
After Deborah and Andreas had something to eat, they showed me their apartment above the restaurant. It is very nice and there is even a really cool photo on the wall of Deborah's eyes, taken by a photographer. It was a present to her from Andreas and I told them that I really liked it. They let me borrow two DVDs because mine do not play in the DVD players here because they are American. I thought that was weird, but I will just have to watch mine on my laptop then. They said that I can borrow their DVDs whenever I want, so I will be all set!
After that, we went back down to the restaurant and I had some of the farmer's ice cream, which was so good! Then, the three of us sat and talked until they went inside. I helped Nadja get a few drinks at the end of the night because one woman bought a round for the whole table, and then went inside and said goodbye to Nadja. She is picking me up tomorrow afternoon to go to the sauna. I am looking forward to that!
I took a shower and a nap after getting home and eating. When I woke up from my nap, Cony told me that Peter needed help with something. She could not think of the words, so I just followed him outside. We ended up killing weeds. I said "oh weeds" when Peter pointed out to me what I was supposed to do, and he looked at me funny. So I said "weed" again and pointed and he was still confused, but after the third time he got it and said "Blacken," so then we each understood what the word weed is in both English and German haha I then told him "weed killer" and pointed to the long weed killing device in my hand and he said "Blacken Gewehr" and then proceeded to pretend to shoot something with the end of the weed killing device in his hand and say "Winchester." I then understood that the long weed killing things we were holding were called "weed guns." It was a nice little German/English lesson the two of us had before we proceeded to actually kill the weeds. All of the tall grass looked the same to me though so I had a hard time knowing which ones I was supposed to kill and had to ask Peter a few times "this one?" and most of the time he said "nein." I think by the end I killed what I was supposed to though, so cross your fingers for the Lehmanns.
After my weed killing adventure and German lesson, I went and sat outside at the restaurant. Andreas and Deborah sat with me and Nadja sat with us when she could. I had some bratwurst wrapped in bacon with french fries and then played some racquetball with Deborah. We were not very good haha It was fun though.
After Deborah and Andreas had something to eat, they showed me their apartment above the restaurant. It is very nice and there is even a really cool photo on the wall of Deborah's eyes, taken by a photographer. It was a present to her from Andreas and I told them that I really liked it. They let me borrow two DVDs because mine do not play in the DVD players here because they are American. I thought that was weird, but I will just have to watch mine on my laptop then. They said that I can borrow their DVDs whenever I want, so I will be all set!
After that, we went back down to the restaurant and I had some of the farmer's ice cream, which was so good! Then, the three of us sat and talked until they went inside. I helped Nadja get a few drinks at the end of the night because one woman bought a round for the whole table, and then went inside and said goodbye to Nadja. She is picking me up tomorrow afternoon to go to the sauna. I am looking forward to that!
Thursday, June 2, 2011
6/2/11
Today I woke up at 6:45 so that I could help the Lehmanns get ready for their holiday breakfast at the restaurant. Everything looked so good and I took plenty of pictures. After enough people had come, I had some too. I had cheesecake, which is actually cooked cheeses with bacon on top, a yogurt with strawberries and nuts mix, cheese, bread, and Zopf with chocolate. Mmmm!
After that, I read my book a little and then took a nap. When I woke up, I took a walk to the train station to look around. I found out that a ticket to Wil is about 13 franks, I think. I skyped with my dad and then with my Aunt Patti and it was very nice to talk with them.
In the late afternoon, I made myself waffles with peanut butter. Not sure why I felt like having that, but Cony wanted to try it. They do not eat peanut better as much as we do in the US and I am not sure if she had ever tried it before. I will make her a peanut butter and jelly sandwich one day because she will probably like that more than on the waffles haha
In the evening, Cony made a pizza for Peter and I to share. She bought the pizza, but they add cheese and salami to it so that gives it more flavor. It was very good!
When I was finished eating, Andreas and Deborah took me sightseeing. First, we stopped at a personal zoo place. There were just a few animals, but kangaroos were included and I was so happy! Then we walked down to a bridge that was built so that when you are in the middle, you can rock it back and forth. That was really fun and we laughed a lot. From the bridge, they drove me past a gorgeous vineyard where I took a lot of pictures. Every time they thought I would want to take a picture, Andreas would pull over so that I could. They were so nice! We stopped at a park, where we found a tiny frog and then a seesaw. Deborah and I played on the seesaw for a few minutes, something neither of us had done for years. We definitely laughed and enjoyed that. The last stop was at a house that an artist was building to live in. It was made of stone and had a lot of weird curves and structure to it. I told them that I did not think it would be very light in the house once it was finished and they agreed.
I was very happy that they wanted to take me to see all of those lovely places and thanked them a lot. I think that they find me amusing with all of my pictures, please and thank yous, and trying to figure out how to speak German. I guess that is good that I can make them laugh!
After that, I read my book a little and then took a nap. When I woke up, I took a walk to the train station to look around. I found out that a ticket to Wil is about 13 franks, I think. I skyped with my dad and then with my Aunt Patti and it was very nice to talk with them.
In the late afternoon, I made myself waffles with peanut butter. Not sure why I felt like having that, but Cony wanted to try it. They do not eat peanut better as much as we do in the US and I am not sure if she had ever tried it before. I will make her a peanut butter and jelly sandwich one day because she will probably like that more than on the waffles haha
In the evening, Cony made a pizza for Peter and I to share. She bought the pizza, but they add cheese and salami to it so that gives it more flavor. It was very good!
When I was finished eating, Andreas and Deborah took me sightseeing. First, we stopped at a personal zoo place. There were just a few animals, but kangaroos were included and I was so happy! Then we walked down to a bridge that was built so that when you are in the middle, you can rock it back and forth. That was really fun and we laughed a lot. From the bridge, they drove me past a gorgeous vineyard where I took a lot of pictures. Every time they thought I would want to take a picture, Andreas would pull over so that I could. They were so nice! We stopped at a park, where we found a tiny frog and then a seesaw. Deborah and I played on the seesaw for a few minutes, something neither of us had done for years. We definitely laughed and enjoyed that. The last stop was at a house that an artist was building to live in. It was made of stone and had a lot of weird curves and structure to it. I told them that I did not think it would be very light in the house once it was finished and they agreed.
I was very happy that they wanted to take me to see all of those lovely places and thanked them a lot. I think that they find me amusing with all of my pictures, please and thank yous, and trying to figure out how to speak German. I guess that is good that I can make them laugh!
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
6/1/11
I got ready this morning and then went outside to ask Nadja if she needed help with anything because tomorrow is a holiday here and she has to run the restaurant. She had me roll chocolate croissants that she taught me how to make last week. It was easy and fun.
After that, Tiin picked me up and I went to his parents' house for lunch with him. We had meatballs, mashed potatoes, carrots, tomatoes with mozzarella, and then strawberry tarts for dessert. Everything was so good! I drank apple juice that tasted like non-alcoholic, sparkling drinks that are served for New Year's Eve which was also very good. I saw the rooms that Claire and Christina, another American girl that came with Claire, stayed in at the Ruckstuhl house. It was a very nice house and it was very nice meeting Tiin's parents.
After lunch, Tiin took me back to the farm. I skyped with my parents for a little bit and then read some of The Hobbit, which I have been trying to finish for years now haha Cony called me into the kitchen when Christof, Nadja's older brother, started making the dough for the Zopf for tomorrow, because it is a holiday. I am going to be helping with the restaurant because a lot of people will be coming by.
After talking with Christof and Roman, another one of Nadja's older brothers, for a little while about various things such as Cedar Point, fear of heights, bungee jumping, and the fact that The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings series are definitely internationally known, I was picked up by Ann-Katrin to go to practice. Ann is a girl from Germany who is also playing for the Devils this summer.
It had rained for a lot of the day, and since there were only five of us today, we were able to have practice in the batting cage. I ran practice because Tiin could not be there. At first, we tried doing some outfield drills on the grass outside of the cage, but then we decided that it was too wet because we were all slipping so hitting inside the cage would be better and we could practice more fielding on Friday. We warmed up with a few drills and then hit off of the machine. At the end, I caught for Jrene so that she could get some pitching in, and Ann and Nadine pitched to each other. Nadine and Miriban both play for the younger team, but come to practice with us sometimes. Miriban has never pitched, but once Jrene was done, I taught her some drills she could do because she said that she wanted to try pitching and she threw a few to me as well. It was fun.
After practice, Ann brought me home and on the way we stopped for gas. While paying, she bought some Swiss chocolate for us to share. I thanked her and we talked about how great Swiss chocolate is haha
When I got home, I was able to talk with Roman a little more, and then he headed to bed. I should go to sleep too, so Gute Nacht everyone!
After that, Tiin picked me up and I went to his parents' house for lunch with him. We had meatballs, mashed potatoes, carrots, tomatoes with mozzarella, and then strawberry tarts for dessert. Everything was so good! I drank apple juice that tasted like non-alcoholic, sparkling drinks that are served for New Year's Eve which was also very good. I saw the rooms that Claire and Christina, another American girl that came with Claire, stayed in at the Ruckstuhl house. It was a very nice house and it was very nice meeting Tiin's parents.
After lunch, Tiin took me back to the farm. I skyped with my parents for a little bit and then read some of The Hobbit, which I have been trying to finish for years now haha Cony called me into the kitchen when Christof, Nadja's older brother, started making the dough for the Zopf for tomorrow, because it is a holiday. I am going to be helping with the restaurant because a lot of people will be coming by.
After talking with Christof and Roman, another one of Nadja's older brothers, for a little while about various things such as Cedar Point, fear of heights, bungee jumping, and the fact that The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings series are definitely internationally known, I was picked up by Ann-Katrin to go to practice. Ann is a girl from Germany who is also playing for the Devils this summer.
It had rained for a lot of the day, and since there were only five of us today, we were able to have practice in the batting cage. I ran practice because Tiin could not be there. At first, we tried doing some outfield drills on the grass outside of the cage, but then we decided that it was too wet because we were all slipping so hitting inside the cage would be better and we could practice more fielding on Friday. We warmed up with a few drills and then hit off of the machine. At the end, I caught for Jrene so that she could get some pitching in, and Ann and Nadine pitched to each other. Nadine and Miriban both play for the younger team, but come to practice with us sometimes. Miriban has never pitched, but once Jrene was done, I taught her some drills she could do because she said that she wanted to try pitching and she threw a few to me as well. It was fun.
After practice, Ann brought me home and on the way we stopped for gas. While paying, she bought some Swiss chocolate for us to share. I thanked her and we talked about how great Swiss chocolate is haha
When I got home, I was able to talk with Roman a little more, and then he headed to bed. I should go to sleep too, so Gute Nacht everyone!
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