My apologies...

I have been a very bad blogger lately. A couple weeks without a sweaty Saturday post and this post still isn't one. I'm sorry for not writing, but I am not sorry for why I haven't wrote. We've been pretty busy living life that I just hadn't had the time! So, I'm going to rewind in my head and fast forward through the last few weeks for you. This is what has been happening in Hamburg lately:

-Had a cookie decorating afternoon with the ladies and kids

What a spread!

-Horst and Gale came into town, Freezers won their game that night

-Attended a surprise neon-themed birthday party for one of the girls

-Hosted a late Thanksgiving feast for the Scherenbergs (I have no pictures, sadly)

-Worked

-Attended another Freezers win

-Went to Lübeck for some more Christmas market festivities

 

-Went to some German classes, skipped some too

-Took part in some of the Scherenberg family photos, although Bea is making me wait until Christmas to see them! I did get a preview though.

so sweet!

-Freezers won again, Kevin with a goal, team moved into second place

After Kev's goal

-Had some good runs, had some crummy runs, had some average runs

-Went to the Christmas markets downtown again, happened to see a parade while we were there

-Freezers lost and moved back into third place

-Horst and Gale flew back to Canada

-Attended the team Christmas dinner

-Worked some more

-Got our Christmas tree

-Started Christmas shopping way too late

-Did a corny photo shoot with Kev for the paper and was interviewed about my marathon training

"Hamburg's Sportiest Couple: Love, Ice, and Marathon"

-Almost finished Christmas shopping

That is where we are at these days! There have been no hockey games since December 9th and it has been a nice break for the boys. Play resumes on Tuesday at home against Ingolstadt. This week doesn't get any less busier as I have some Christmas things to finish, a girls' Christmas party on Wednesday, and we need to get ready for our next visitors. Kevin's friend from home, Justin, and his girlfriend, Jocelyn will be spending Christmas and New Year's with us and we are very much looking forward to it! I hope your holiday season has been off to a great, stress-free start! Tschüss!!

Sweaty Saturday... and a Hockey update

I don't have much to talk about for sweaty Saturday because I didn't get much running in this week. The week began with me getting locked out, so no running then. I got a run in on Tuesday and then woke up Wednesday morning with some pretty swollen lymph nodes and a bad cough. I have gotten this sickness every single winter ever since having a bout with mononucleosis when I was 16.

When I was in University, this sickness would stay around for a week or more. I was almost always in the middle of track season and there was no way I would let my smokers cough interrupt that! I wouldn't miss a practice, let alone a meet. Just medicate a bunch and all would be well. So it makes perfect sense to me why it always lasted so long. And although I'm training for the marathon now, I don't mind taking some days off to really allow myself to get healthy. It sure worked too, it's been only three days and the cough is almost gone and was able to do a short, easy run today. Yoohoo!

Hockey has been going pretty dang great for Kev's team. They have won 7 of their last 8 games including a big win last night against Berlin. The Freezers are currently sitting in third place in the league with a game tomorrow. A game that you can all watch! I'm not sure if that link will work, if it doesn't: go to the league website, www.del.org. Click on the "Krefeld Penguine-Hamburger Freezers"on the right side of the page under Live Videos. The game will be at 10:45 a.m. for the WI folk and 11:45 a.m. for you Markham people.

From last night's game

I will be with a bunch of the girls tomorrow and their children watching the game and decorating Christmas cookies. Cookies that I must go finish! Tschüss!

Happy Thanksgiving

This is an exchange between myself and the only other American girl on the team today. It definitely doesn't seem like Thanksgiving here in our parts! I don't smell the turkey cooking, there is no NFL on our German TV, and I definitely won't be participating in the Black Friday shopping madness (bring it on, cyber Monday!). It does, however, really bother me that some stores are opening as early as 8 p.m. tonight. It was a fun shopping tradition when the stores opened at midnight or later on Friday, but in typical consumer driven American style, we are now allowing the need to find good deals for material things outweigh the importance of a day to spend with our families.

Although it doesn't feel like thanksgiving, I think I should keep the real reason we have Thanksgiving alive and give thanks. A few things I'm thankful for these days:

My family and friends back home: Those that are back in the states and Canada, you know who you are. I think about you often, miss you, am thankful that you're a part of my life, and look forward to seeing you soon! I'm a big fan of the phrase, "It's not goodbye, It's see ya later."

My hockey family and friends: Although this family can change year to year, I am blessed to meet amazing people and with them, celebrate our traditions and share many of life's ups and downs.

My health: Although I am currently battling a congested head, overall I am extremely lucky to have good health and that's something I don't take for granted. 

The Sun: It sounds silly, but living in a city where overcast days seem to be the norm, I am really grateful every time the sun peeks through. I can't think of a better way to start the day than to wake up to the sun shining through the blinds. 

Running: I am thankful for my ability to run and to have running be a part of my life. Even though it frustrates me many times, I am grateful for the times it also allows me to just think and relax.

Technology: While living abroad, things like skype, Facebook, this blog, and smart-phone apps are what keeps me in the loop and in touch with those I miss back home. I love being able to watch my goddaughter grow up by the photos I see on facebook and to be able to constantly message in a group chat with my hometown girlfriends. 

In the midst of eating turkey, drinking wine, and celebrating together, I hope all of you back home are able to take some time to count your blessings and remember what Thanksgiving is really about!

And then get your butts out into the cold and buy lots of stuff. Tschüss!

Sweaty Saturday

Thanks to a girlfriend, I am lucky to be even getting this post up. Which is because I'm locked out of the apartment this weekend and Kev is away. I'll tell that story in a bit. Not writing today would have been a shame as I missed Sweaty Saturday last week due to our trip to Prague. I know you all would have been heartbroken to miss another one.

I did a fitness test this week in the form of a three mile time trial. This is the second "test" I've done since I started the training plan. The first one was a three kilometer time trial and didn't go so well. I am glad to report this one was better! I completed the time trial in 18:30. Although this was on the high end of the goal pace per mile range, overall, I am happy with the result. I feel as if I mentally stayed strong during the entire "race" (which I technically won, but that tends to happen when one races alone). I was able to reflect during my cool-down and really pinpoint the areas in those three miles where I can improve via form, mentality, etc. I am feeling good about where I currently am in the training and excited to keep getting stronger. I only wish I wasn't locked out and could access my shoes and gear to be able to run this weekend...

One thing I find I am really missing about running back home is the general comradery between runners. It doesn't matter where in North America I am, if I come along another runner (or walker), there is usually some sort of interaction, whether that be a smile and nod, or a smile and greeting of some sort. I come across many other runners here in Germany, but unless I initiate some type of exchange, I am just passing another frown-faced runner. I know running isn't always fun, but come on, let's pretend we are somewhat enjoying ourselves. It is only in rare cases that I receive a smile, a "Guten Morgen" or "Hallo" from a fellow runner. These running experiences don't help to dissolve the stereotype that German people are unfriendly. Luckily, I have spent enough time in this country and come across plenty of friendly Germans to know the stereotype isn't completely true. 

Now, I know you are all wondering: Autumn, you dunce you, how did you manage to get locked out? Well, the boys had to take the train today to Mannheim for their game tomorrow. My girlfriend and I were going to head downtown for the day so we went with them to the local train station, to which Kev drove. Since he was driving the vehicle, he had the car/apartment key set and the spare set (so he could get back into the apartment upon return from Mannheim). We got to the train station, I rushed over to buy us tickets since we were cutting it close on time, boarded the train, said goodbye to the boys when we reached their stop, and continued downtown. After a bit of shopping and sitting down for lunch, I realized I never got the car/apartment set back from him. Scheiße!!! So here I am, carless, apartmentless, embarrassed, and glad Kev is not one a 4-day road trip!

I hope your weekend was less stressful and I hope you were able to sweat a little bit today! Tschüss!

Eat Panera at home! Broccoli-Cheddar Soup

Winter is in the air! We are sitting at -1 degrees and although there is no snow on the ground, (thank goodness!) I am enjoying just thinking about getting this apartment ready for Christmas and cozying up on the couch with a blanket, hot chocolate, and a movie! Normally, I refuse to even think Christmas until after American Thanksgiving. However, seeing as I will be working the evening of Thanksgiving, and the Christmas markets start here next week, I feel ready to just get into the Christmas spirit. Don't feel sorry for me, I got to partake in Canadian Thanksgiving in October and we will be having our turkey dinner again this year with the Scherenberg's and Horst and Gale the first week of December.

For most people, this is perfect soup season. I didn't used to be a big soup fan, I never liked the way the veggies got so soggy and always thought the only liquids that I was supposed to consume warm were beverages. When we had tomato soup and grilled cheese growing up, I used to put about an inch of soup in my bowl, just enough to dip the grilled cheese into.

That's all changing as I am finding soups, thanks to Pinterest, usually, that make my taste buds excite. A while ago, I stumbled upon Budget Savvy Diva's copycat Panera Bread's broccoli cheddar soup. Now, I can't say I have ever even ordered soup at Panera Bread, but I've never heard bad things about the soup, or any of their food for that matter.

This soup was absolutely delicious! We dipped some garlic bread into it for added yumminess. Give it a try yourself when you need to heat up on a cold day. You can find the original recipe here, as I tweaked some things in ours. I doubled the recipe when I made it, it's always nice to have some to freeze! Kev actually preferred it frozen and reheated.

Broccoli-Cheddar Soup (serves 4)

Ingredients:

1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/4 c. butter
1/4 c. flour
2 c. whole milk
2 c. chicken broth
1 head fresh broccoli (florets only, chopped small)
1 c. thickly grated carrots
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 c. grated cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Saute onions in a bit of butter, set aside.
2. Melt butter in pot, add flour, stir and cook for 3 min.
3. Add milk and chicken broth, slowly, stirring the whole time.
4. Bring to a boil, stirring, then simmer on low for 20 minutes.
5. Add broccoli, carrots, and onions, simmer for 25.
6. Mix in salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
7. Heat soup over low and mix in cheese until melted.
8. Serve! Add a little cheese on top for good looks and extra cheesiness. :)

If you haven't noticed, there is a new page tab at the top of the blog. It's a quick view of all the places this hockey lifestyle has taken us so far. Happy Friday! Tschüss!