Running Update and Christmas is Near!

Just in case you were wondering, I didn't forget about my blog.
I was quite busy with very important adult things: work, cleaning the apartment, more work, laundry, even more work… and every time I got to the blog, I was so tired that nothing good came out of it.
I'm not saying that this is going to be good, however, I will do my best to at least finish the sentences and write readable words.

So, you all know that I ran for the first time in Dresden and I couldn't be happier about it. Still, one week after, there has not been another run.
I've decided to take it as slow as I have to (or possibly can), since my knee has been acting up for the days following my treadmill-adventure. Baby steps.

Source

If you have ever had a stress fracture, please share your thoughts with me. How long did it take you to get back into running? Do you feel like it healed completely? Or can you still feel it after a hard workout? I'm getting really impatient.

To distract myself with beautiful and happy things, and because we are a little crazy, Nick and I went all out (as much as we can) with our Christmas decoration.

You see, I am not one of those people who get disturbed by the early(ish) Christmas mood. If you sell chocolate Santas at your store right next to Halloween candy - that's fine with me. Who would complain about a great variety in sugary treats?! Plus, the worst thing that could happen to me is Christmas sneaking up on me, leaving me unprepared, or taking days away from this great time of the year. I'm a fan of the cold, the Christmas markets, mandarins, hot teas, and thinking about what I could get for family and friends that would make them happy.

I wish I could have a blinking Elmo on our balcony!

Thankfully, I am not alone with my excitement for the big day. When Nick and I were on the bus back from Dresden, we already decided that even if we are going to be here for only a year, we will still decorate.

So on Saturday, inspired by the grocery shopping trip, we continued our tour through stores around town in order to find the right things to illuminate our balcony - and we were successful!
Our outside space is really small, but we found something that is bright, but (hopefully) not too distracting for people who are driving by.

Guess where we live!

I know, I know. The rule in Germany is, not to decorate for Christmas until "Ewigkeitssonntag" (Eternity Sunday), the Sunday before the first of advent. Which was the day after we got our decorations. We just couldn't resist and in our defense, we almost made it and were only 12 hrs early. Which is less than a day. So we were kind of just in time.

While Nick secured these glowing embellishments to the outside of the apartment, I took care of the inside.

We don't have much to work with here, since whatever we buy here has to fit in a suitcase when we fly back. 

But we worked with what we had and now Christmas can come.

In a few weeks.