I always feel the need to write an apology and explanation whenever I have a long absence from blogging. If you read my last post, you’ll see that this semester was about readjusting to school life in the USA… but in mid-November, it also became about balancing school, work, and my visitor from Germany! There just wasn’t any room on the full plate for blogging.

Here are some sights of what we have done over the past seven weeks…

Julius’s first weekend in Georgia – hiking at Sweetwater Creek State Park

Thanksgiving in Kentucky – Julius met the whole family and got to explore Lexington

Exploring Atlanta! We’ve taken time to do some of the things I’d never done here, like go to Piedmont Park. We also went to see Handel’s Messiah at the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra to celebrate Julius’s birthday.

After the semester was over, we met up with friends in Helen, GA. This place is made to look like a Bavarian village. Julius commented, “This is simply amusing.” We had lots of fun with the Remkuses.

That same weekend, we got engaged! Julius and I planned a special afternoon/evening together, including a visit to a winery, cooking dinner together, and an exchange of blessings and rings. Let the planning begin!

Christmas in Kentucky – more family time! This was really fun for me to show Julius how we do Christmas, since I spent Christmas with his family in Munich last year.

Engagement photo fun! My favorite cousin Melissa is a pretty great amateur photographer and we had a funny little photo shoot at my grandmother’s house in the country. Thanks Melissa!

Ringing in the New Year in NYC! We spent three days visiting my brother Patrick in the City. It is a magical place!

This time has been full, and so is my heart. I’m not ready for Julius to leave next week! But now you readers know why I’ve been absent from my blog.

This year, I think the blog will take on a new theme. “Life international.” I hope to blog about planning a bi-cultural wedding, a(nother) move overseas, and my increasingly intercultural life. Exciting things to come!