All I Want for Christmas...

Be still my heart, Christmas time is right around the corner! Oh, how happy am I! :)

 Unfathomable amounts of toe warming gluhwein, monstrous Christmas trees and markets (in Budapest AND Germany), hot chocolate with large amounts of amaretto, watching my most favorite childhood movies, frightful winter weather, catching snowflakes on my tongue when I feel as if no one is watching, silly stockings and the brightest Christmas lights...
This time of year makes me ALMOST as excited as Halloween.
Almost.

I never know what to ask for when my mother says, "What do you want for Christmas?" Well, besides a white Christmas, here are a few things that are definitely on my Christmas Dream Wish List!

I have fallen head over heels in love with all of the adorable, little French bulldogs roaming around Berlin. It's quite unfortunate, since I won't be able to have one for at least several more years! When I do get one however, he will be perfect--like the cute little fella you see here.

I have been absolutely obsessed with FURLA bags for some time now. The PVC material and sleek design of this bag is so endearing somehow! I especially love this unbelievable sparkly, red color. *Urban Decay could make an incredible lipgloss out of this shade!* It reminds me of Dorothy's unforgettable shoes from the Wizard of Oz.

Damn you, Black Milk. I made a post about this brand recently and I am still flabbergasted by these leggings in particular. Napoleon and an artistic battlefield, what's not to love?

I have a thing for lockets. There's just something romantic and old-world about them, and I've always wanted a beautiful gold one like this. Don't the emerald and diamond pieces on this gem just make it so exquisite?
It would be even more exquisite if it were hanging around my neck!
Ahem...

Two plane tickets to Knoxville, Tennessee please! *Santa, my German boy has to come with me too!* :)
I always get a little homesick around this time of year, no matter how many gingerbread cookies I stuff myself with. This will be my second Christmas in Germany though, and I'm terribly excited for it!
 I realize that I am very lucky indeed to have such a wonderful German family to celebrate the holidays with.

On an ending note, I've been playing Dolly Parton's Christmas music nonstop for the past few days. My poor roommate probably wants to murder me with one of the tofu-rauch "smoke" dogs I recently bought. However, Dolly's the sweetest woman and her angelic voice is entirely too contagious. If you've never heard "Smoky Mountain Christmas" you must listen! 

Good night everyone, wherever you are.

 

Slow down, Father Time! Why the rush?

Time creeps by so quickly when you're happy and loving the life you were given.
It's been almost one month since my last post *sorry everyone*, and sleepy November rushed by quite silently!

My November was filled to the brim with so much love, excitement, and adventure--just a few of the things I enjoy most. One of my best friends, Maria, came to visit me from the States for one week and we didn't stop exploring...AT ALL! Sometimes I forget how big and devious Berlin is. There were so many little nooks that I had not explored, and even I was overwhelmed with the amount of things I had put on the week long itinerary. (I have this habit of wearing myself out more-than-frequently due to the fact I want to see EVERYTHING as soon as possible, and as efficiently as possible. Yes, this is difficult whilst wearing heeled boots but the trick is to have two cups of coffee in the morning and a third one after lunch, and to make sure you have a piece of fruit--perhaps some Haribo Vampire gummies as well--stuffed down into your purse).

The lovely Sanssouci Palace in Potsdam! Unfortunately Maria, Sebastian, and I arrived to the palace just as it was closing--we had a pretty late start that day, but it was still worth the visit!

Potsdam is a really beautiful area on the outskirts of Berlin! I'm really looking forward to a return trip once the weather is nicer. The detailing on the building was beautiful!

Also, I spent the first two weeks of November fasting, which proved to be extremely difficult since Berlin's food is so tempting. I had been speaking with one of my dearest friends about my plans to partake in the fast when she commented, "Whitney, you are one of the most hilariously-destructive people I have ever met. You are thrown through life to wherever God wants you to go, trying to help everyone around you, and you will kill yourself if you don't rest and take your of yourself. Stop swinging, just rest."
My mouth hung open as I started to retort.
*Crickets chirping...*
Well, this friend of mind is wise beyond her years. 

"Rest, you say?"
Yes, that's exactly what I did. I rested and fasted. If you've never fasted before, I highly recommend trying (but NOT during exams or a busy week of school...you WILL go insane, or pass out from exhaustion. This is clearly not healthy). I have been doing the Daniel Fast for two and half years now, and it's excellent when you're feeling down in the dumps, uncertain, or when you're family and friends are having a difficult time. I put up a list of loved ones to pray for during the 14 day period, and found myself much happier and more thankful than usual--which was the goal after all, since Thanksgiving was right around the corner. One should also note that participating in the Daniel Fast makes you EXTREMELY emotional, especially if it's that time of the month. Eeeeee! I found myself being completely overwhelmed, but not necessarily in a bad way. When I read a quote that touched my heart or when music seeped into my ears and trickled down into my soul, I was so in tune and just...happy and thankful. 

I have felt more complete in this past month than any other time that I have been living in Germany. Unfortunately, I was not able to make it home for Thanksgiving but I did have a massive Thanksgiving party at my flat which was composed of the following:
1 French girl, 1 Norwegian girl, 1 Russian girl, 2 American ladies (myself included), 2 charming German fellows, chicken, stuffing, deviled eggs *the BEST deviled eggs in all of Germany, I am sure*, macaroni salad, incredible pumpkin-mango chutney, Norwegian salmon wraps, corn, mashed potatoes, delicious apple crisps, and fruit salad.
My stomach exploded shortly after and I went into a food a coma for at least 24 hours.

Only a small fraction of what was actually prepared! It was all too entirely delicious.

As you can see, my November has been most eventful and I've been spending this whole week in anticipation for the BERLIN CHRISTMAS MARKETS ! Plus, the weather has been lovelier than expected--Jack Frost has been painting my windows, letting me know that the Christmas season is definitely here. That scoundrel. ;) I'm still dying to go to to see northern Germany or Dreseden while the Christmas markets are up, but I may have to wait!

If that weren't exciting enough, my wonderful German boy and I are going to Budapest during the first week of December! I haven't really started planning for that trip yet since the Thanksgiving food is still meddling with my regular thought processes and motor skills.

I hope all of you have had a wonderful November and that you remembered to give thanks on days other than just Thanksgiving! :) 

With love to you all,

Whitney