Best Friends Forever!

Today I smiled because I got a letter in the mail from one Jess Yanz! It was her birthday card to me! With a very long note inside :)

 It pretty much made my year! And yes, Jess, I laughed very hard :) And seriously don't worry about sending me anything. I know it's outrageously expensive. I LOVE YOU!

Kayla

Christmas in January!

So after waiting over two weeks to receive my package from Dad and brother (that was just sitting in Vienna somewhere), I FINALLY got it tonight! But, not only did I get my Dad and brother's package, I got another package and two letters! You can't even imagine how happy I was. Well, I bet you wanna see what was in them?

Well, it's gonna have to wait :) I'm gonna tell you about the presents I received from my mom first :) I got these on Christmas Eve if I do recall and I got to Skype with her while I opened them. She got me....

The Kindle Fire! Yay! Now I don't have to worry about carrying books around with me everywhere I go! Perfect! And she got me a gift card to get started (and I definitely have already gotten started reading). 

Yummy smelling body wash, lotion, and perfume! MMM!!! 

A sweet fossil watch! Awesome! I've already worn this out for a night and I've fallen in love. And I kept saying that I wasn't a watch girl. Once again, Momma knows best :)

And last but not least...

A super cute key chain! "Home is where your mom is". Ain't that the truth :) So, mommy, THANK YOU for this. I LOVE YOU SO MUCH and you mean EVERYTHING to me. I'm glad I got to spend my Christmas with you (even if it was through a computer screen). I can't wait to be "home" again :) 

Okay, NOW I can tell you about the packages I got today...

The first package I opened was a "mystery package". It was a mystery because the return address said that it was from "Your Friends". Who could that be? Ah the excitement! Well, upon opening it I learned it was from my best friend, Alicia Sieverding and her family! Also, there was a card in there from another good friend of mine, Kali Blocklinger! Alicia, a.k.a. "Goose", sent me: 1) A really cute wintery red headband 2) the book "Water For Elephants, which I'm sorry Goose, I've already read it but I can't wait to read it again :) and I would highly recommend it 3) taco bell taco seasoning (if you love Mexican food and you live in Europe, you'll understand) and lastly 4) Dove chocolate! Ah, she knows me too well :)

EDIT: The adorable red headband is actually from Kali, as well! Thanks Block! :)

Also in this package, I got the Sieverding family Christmas card, which I LOVED! So to Goose, Kali, and the Sieverdings, THANK YOU SO MUCH! These gifts are absolutely amazing and I am truly truly blessed to have such wonderful people in my life. I LOVE YOU all very much and I can't wait to see you again! 

I opened the letters second! One was from Donna Mueller (my Husker teammate, Tara Mueller's mom) and enclosed was their family Christmas letter. How amazing that she sent it all the way to me in Vienna! Awesome! The second letter was from my aunt Becky wishing me a Merry Christmas! She also sent me a few photos she had taken of me and some of my family members. Needless to say, the pictures and the cards are hanging in my kitchen for me to look at every day :)

Last, but certainly not least, I opened the package from my Dad and my brother! First thing I saw upon opening it was this...

Now, for those of you who can't quite see what the bottom present says (partly because it's upside down) here's a close up...

Oh my brother always knows how to make me smile. Also, he knows the way straight to my heart! He sent me three things. The first two being: 

Like I said, he knows the way straight to my heart :) Yeah we have a weird obsession with animated movies, I ain't ashamed to admit it. The last thing he sent me was....exactly what I asked Santa for! Good work brother! 

I've been doing my very best lately to become addicted to working out...so far, it's going pretty well. Anyways...BROTHER! THANK YOU SO MUCH! I honestly don't have enough words to describe how much I love you and how much you mean to me! You are seriously the best brother I could've ever asked for! Can't wait to see you again! I LOVE YOU! :)

Next up was the gifts from my Dad.

I opened the biggest present first (I'm still a kid at heart) and inside I find a sweet Under Armour sweatshirt! 

Awesome! AND it fits perfectly! Yay! Okay, so the next present was small...under the wrapping was a little box. I knew this was going to be awesome because I fell in love with the box before I even knew what was inside! 

Ahh! What's inside? Only the best present a girl could ever ask for from her dad...

I immediately felt tears running down my cheeks. Tears of joy because this made me feel so happy and special and because I love my dad so much. And, tears of sadness because I miss him every day. So Dad, obviously you're reading this, I love you so much. You are so special to me and I'm very lucky to have the best dad a girl could ever want. I miss you every day, and I can't wait to come home and see you again. 

What else did Dad and Eric send me? You guessed it....chocolate :) 

Yeah, it says "party bag" on it...oh boy...funny but, just today at practice, my teammate, Jenna Hagglund, and I agreed to stop eating so much chocolate. So much for that idea :)

To sum up...I have the best friends and the most amazing family I could ever dream of. I wish there were enough words in the English language to describe how much you mean to me and how much I love you. You are keeping the fire in my heart going strong. Sending all my love to you from Vienna. I am counting the days til I get to be with you again. I LOVE YOU!

Kayla

P.S. In the spirit of Christmas (in January) here is your "The Office" clip!

Yummy Yummy In My Tummy!

Hello friends! Today's Written Paper Ring (see last post) simply said "BLOG!". So, here I am! And seeing as how I just finished my lunch, I thought it would be a good time to tell you about the food here. So, pretty much everything I've eaten at a team meal has been some sort of meat and potatoes dish. Which, for those of you who know me, you must be thinking that the food is perfect for me. However, every kind of meat that they serve has some kind of weird sauce on it. So, it kinda looks like the mystery meat from the cafeteria. That being said, it actually tastes alright. And, yes! I have had schnitzel a few times. It's basically fried chicken! Yummmm!

I haven't really been out to eat that much. Where I live, there aren't really any restaurants around me. I'd have to get on the U-Bahn and go into town. But, I do have a favorite place to eat here (maybe because it's pretty much the only place I've been). It's called Vapiano's. It's a very delicious Italian place in the city. I first went there with Jenna, Svenja, and a girl from our 2nd team, Sophie.

Okay, so the way it works is as soon as you walk in you get a card. You can go up to whatever station you want (Pasta, Salad, Pizza, Dessert) and place your order. They prepare it for you and then you scan you card right there on this strange register, and the machine will put the charges on your card. You pay on the way out. The first time I went there, Jenna and I split a Caesar salad and the I had my own personal pepperoni (which I learned that they call "hot salami") pizza. It was so good! I go back often just for the salad! 

Now, I know it may still be strange to hear me talk about how much I love salad. So, this might just blow your mind. For those of you know me really well, brace yourself...at this point in my life it is safe to say that I eat more broccoli than I do chocolate! WOAH! I know! It has become my latest obsession. I brought two giant bottles of ranch with me to Austria, and broccoli dipped in ranch has become my new favorite snack! 

Okay, I'm about to drop another bomb on you. Ready? Alright, for those of you who really REALLY know me, hold on to your hats. My New Years Resolution is to stop drinking caffeinated pop. So, today will be my fourth day without a Coke or Pepsi. I've gotten a few headaches, but I've been drinking some Cappuccino to kind of gradually weed myself off caffeine. Phew! Those are the only surprises for today I swear :)

I know you are totally mind blown right now so we'll go back to the old Kayla for a bit. THANK GOD Europe has these: 

and...

Haha you didn't think I would cut these out of my diet did you? ;) Now don't go thinking I'm eating half my meals here. These are a very rare occurrence when I need some happy food or I really deserve it. Also, I brought 12 boxes of Macaroni and Cheese with me. I'm afraid that this supply won't last me much longer :)

Basically, I cook a lot at home. Whatever I can cook on a stove top, that is. 

On the menu tonight: chicken, golden potatoes, peaches, and of course...broccoli :) 

Kayla 

P.S. I'm pretty sure I've never posted this one, so here is your "The Office" clip. Enjoy!