Thank you, Michael.

I had one of those happier than ever, can't get enough of the day, smiling, walk home from work the other day.  Surprisingly, it was at 8am after a never ending solo night on a grave shift.  I was listening to the Kooks on my iPod and decided to take the long way home so that I could pass by the river and take in the cold dreary morning while those skinny English boys sang right to me.  I honestly don't think I've ever been this content and happy in my life.  Don't get me wrong, I've never been not happy, but this situation, these surroundings, and my outlook over the next years of my life are all things that make me smile on a daily basis.  Even today, when I'm kind of grumpy and having trouble making it out of bed, I feel glad to be here and thankful for this opportunity.  I do really miss my friends and family though.  Blackout Wednesday was a tough one for me because I knew all of my friends from home and from school were together doing something that I've been there for over the last couple years.  You know me, I just hate to miss out.

Carli and I braving the winds at the top of the Zugspitze

Yesterday was the day of days.  Woke up super early and got a free trip to the top of the Zugspitze for "training".  Unfortunately, there was zero visibility and the wind was so strong it took my breath away, but thankfully the post cards and souvenirs gave me a good idea of what I was supposed to be seeing from 3,000 meters high.  Although I was kinda miserable in the freezing temperatures I got a free lunch and got paid for four hours of work.  Once again, thank you Edelweiss.

I was supposed to head to the resort after to do a 3-11 operator shift.  And then it happened.  Another employee asked me to go to Krampus in Berchtesgaden with her, and then another employee offered to take my shift without me even asking.  I love when things work out like that with little or no preparation.  Although the day promised to be full of fun whippings, drinking, and good ol weird German folklore, the deutschebahn put a halt to it.  The departure list stated that our train would be delayed 30 minutes, then another 30 minutes, then it was canceled all together.  No one knew what was happening and we weren't given an explanation until later that there was a problem with the tracks up past a small city, Murnau.  We waited for the next train to only have the same outcome.  You could tell everyone was growing angry and the crowd was beginning to get larger and more restless.  We were promised buses to take us past the broken part of the track so we could continue our journey.  The first bus arrived and was mobbed by people trying to depart Garmisch.  We weren't one of the lucky ones and we waited for the next bus.  Five hours later we were in Munich and on our way to our connecting train, only to discover that if we got on this train we'd have to turn around and head back home as soon as we arrived to our final destination.  Of course, I was disappointed, but the beauty of it was that we met this hilarious little Austrian man who made the whole useless journey worthwhile.

 Michael kept us laughing the entire time by teaching us funny German phrases, telling us about his life, helicoptering a bottle of wine (I use this term thanks to Randy.  It's when you open a bottle and pass it around in a circle.  Miss ya bud), and telling "that's what she said" jokes.  Yes, he told a that's what she said joke.  Made my night.  When we were going our separate ways I told him I already missed him and even though I was partially joking, it was more of a serious statement.  This little nerd kept me entertained for 5 hours of a pointless journey.  He then invited us to visit him in Munich for a piano recital he was having at a performing arts university in January.  You better believe I'll be there.  SO anyway, we decide to stay in Munich for a couple hours to get dinner and walk around the Christmas market with the plan to take the last train home.  Our friend Tommy was insisting on using the bathroom and we still had a little bit of a walk before we made it to the restaurant so I pointed to an alley and told him to go there.  The girls and I are waiting for about ten minutes then the worry started to set in and we broke apart to look for him in the area.  After thirty minutes I knew something was wrong and saw a sign for the polizei (German police), so the girls and I walked up to the building and I confronted the man behind the glass.  I told him that my friend had stepped away to use the bathroom and didn't come back.  The officer looked back at his friends and shared a few words and we knew then that Tommy was in there.  You could tell they were holding back laughing while they were talking.  Moments later they were escorting Tommy out of the back office and asking for us to pay for his public urination ticket.  Tommy in his slight intoxication relieved himself in front of the polizei station.  A mistake I'm sure he won't make again and that we will never let him forget.  On our way out of the station I asked the officer if I could use the restroom there and added that I'm sure they wouldn't want any more problems for the night.  Luckily, he caught my joke, smiled, and led me to the bathroom.  The day didn't go as planned, but at least I got my first polizei experience out of the way with no tickets in my name.