Baltimore, MD

We had such a great time driving all the way to Baltimore. Friday, we left work and headed out east right away. It took us 8 hours with great music and little traffic. We arrived at Patty and Ray's (Frankie's brother) house at around 11 and chatted for a little while before we all fell into our beds. 

In the mornings we sat outside on the porch having coffee (WONDERFUL feeling, I'm telling you) and started the day together. Frankie and I headed out to have breakfast and there happened to be a roadshow right across the street from the breakfast place. We had to give three of the cars 1st, 2nd and 3rd place. Both our first place was the same car ;). Hope that one won.
This one was my second place I think:


This Lady was our FIRST Place
Isn't that a nice piece of art?
Frankie showed me around in the Baltimore area where he grew up and then we went to visit his parents. They're so lovely. I like them a lot. 

I thought this restaurant looked funky:

Look at this crazy balcony!
At night we met with Doug and Paula, Frankie's good friends and had crabs. My first time eating crabs and I bet I've never heard the word 'crabs' so often than I've heard during these days in Baltimore ;). 

Look at the mess we made ;)... but it was very delicious and I tried them as well. Frankie helped me and showed me how to 'eat' them. After the crab has been cracked the first time it's not that difficult... the best thing was the hammer that you use when eating the arms :). 

On Sunday it was Katie's Graduation Party. It was a great party, very warm outside and lots of nice people came over to Patty's and Rays. The whole family was together. Their brother J (short for Jamie) came as well with his family.

Here some pics from the way back... we took a little different route this time and enjoyed the views and good music again :)

Oh, the pictures got mixed up. Here are some pictures from Ford McHenry in Baltimore
Isn't that view terrific?
And again a roadtrip picture:
This was most interesting... they have Truck 'Runaways' in case a truck looses his breaks! Then they would just go on that ramp and hopefully come to a stop... I thought that was COOL!
We had such a great time. I look forward doing this trip again sometime soon :). 

This weekend we're going to do a Harley Tour in Detroit. So far the weather for Saturday should be sunny. I'm very curious how many biker will show up and how the people will be?! So 3 more days of work and then I'm back on the road again towards east *G*.

New Home...

Hihi, just kidding. I'm not moving again... but just to give you an idea where I spend most of my time lately *lol* this is where Frankie lives. Here you see the 'backside' of the Condo. Behind the balcony and the first window to the right is the dining room/ kitchen. The next window to the left is the second bedroom and the third window from right is the master bedroom (very nice and BIG... with a great big walking closet :)... I occupy already 1/3 of that closet *lol*...The one open garage is his with entrance to the 'foyer' and if you look from the front:
You can see the balcony again where the dining room is and the big window brings sunshine into the living room. The left entrance is the front door where you go normally go in and then you have to go upstairs right away. The condo is basically on the second level. It's a VERY nice place... I even have my own bathroom ;). Love it :)

forgot the cable :(

Oh man :( now I have so many things already with me... and the one cable I forgot!!! The one that connects the camera to my Mackie! Such a shame! I'm not able to show you any pics that I've done with my camera for another week. How stupid from me?! And Mackie doesn't have a card reader... so you'll have to wait for new pics for another week I guess. 

Ok, not really... because I still have my IPhone that can take some pics and that cable I sure enough didn't forget ;).

I had a great day of sales calls with Kirstin today and we had such a great and sunny day... it was soooo nice outside that we found a place where we had lunch outside. The both of us got a sun burn ;). Hihi! Can't wait for the summer... it's really time for it! 

Here's one picture in a parking lot of a funny bird... thought he's worth a picture ;). In this picture it doesn't really show off the weirdness of the bird though... how boring...
Later today Frank and I will go and have a nice dinner. I flew in yesterday night and will fly back Tuesday morning (ONE WHOLE WEEK *YEAH*). 

Random pics

Ok, it's time for another post ;) and I actually found some pics that I took with my phone... 

I took this picture when I was picking up Irina and Thorsten from the airport and I just thought this is a total: NO GO. I mean... really!!! How can something like this drive around? In Germany that truck wouldn't even made it one cm far!!! I was just SHAKING my head... and took a picture :). It won't be very cool if this whole mess will loosen up... nice for the man in the car behind it!!!

While shopping I discovered cactuses!!! You can actually buy them... and eat them??? Weird, weird, weird... that must hurt if you bite in it... I bet there is a secret behind how to eat them. I didn't buy any though! That's too strange for me *lol*
On the last trip to DET (that was actually last FR). I had a flight right away after work on FR. It all went pretty well and we were on our way to the runway when the captain said... 'something is wrong with the computer' :(... they tried to fix it while we were 'parking' in the field but this was one of the technical things that the pilots weren't allowed to touch... damn it... back to the gate *nooooo*... ok, so we were waiting for the mechanics for about 10-15 minutes and then they decided it takes an hour to fix. Everybody had to leave the plane... they said we'll board again once everything is fixed or maybe take another plane... while leaving the plane they had already another plane for us ready so we kind of left the one plane and waited a little bit and boarded again on another plane. 

3 people didn't show up... but luckily we didn't wait forever for them (they never showed up I think). But then... this plane had too much fuel in it (can it get more crazy???) I was just laughing... the funniest things happen... ok... so they had to remove some fuel (that was too much for a little flight to DET, we would've had overweight). 

Ok... long story short... ETD of my original flight was 4:55PM and we actually left the gate the second time at 6:30PM... which brought me into DET at 8:30/9PM (DET is one hour ahead of CHI). And then we FINALLY had each other back in our arms :). 

Oh... yeah... this beautiful sunset greeted me in DET. Ist't that romantic?... And of course a wonderful, happy man greeted me with a huge smile :)
We had a wonderful weekend, did our first Harley Tour together and had lots of fun ;)... on Monday morning Frankie dropped me of at the airport on his way to work... and I went then right away from the airport to work. 

This picture is right in front of my gym :). I'm a gym junky I guess... every night when I'm in CHI I try to go... and today I tried something different!!! It's so cool seeing how all this work in the gym pays back... 

back to the picture... there are those animals (I don't even know their names)!!! And I guess they became parents ;)... now they have all those little ones running around. And when I left the gym the whole gang was crossing the street... and not fast or so... no... they were just walking across the street and then they stopped in the middle of the street! I guess the mom was watching if they all follow!!! It was too funny... they feel very homy there.

Ok, I need to start packing my stuff... tomorrow after work I'm gonna go on a little roadtrip to DET :). On sunday I probably come back to CHI and will fly out on Tuesday again... *g*... to DET but I have to work this time ;). 

On FR after work Frankie and I will go on a roadtrip together to Baltimore where his family lives. So I'm gonna meet them all :)... I'm so excited and look forward to meeting them a lot :). Monday May, 25th we have a holiday (Memorial Day)... that's the day when all the pools open up... YEAH... sun... 

St. Louis and BigFoot

Yeah... I saw BigFoot!!! The trip to St. Louis was just awesome... the sales calls were very good. I really enjoy working in the other branches... and going on sales calls is pretty cool every now and then. I'm so amazed by how comfortable I've become standing in front of people. My school mates from about 10 years ago wouldn't think that I would've been ever able to do that... yeah... quiet lakes are deep!!! (Don't know if I can translate this 'sentence' one to one...). 
Ed wanted to take a picture with me next to the monster... *lol*... I'm actually not that small!!! The car is just so HUGE!!! 
Some nice landscape pics


The next day I went with Gina on Sales Calls into the totally other direction... first day 2 hrs south, second day 2 hrs north... here the Missouri State University. Very nice place I have to say
Weird vehicles:
The University of Quincy, IL
We bought some very delicious cookies for our clients in this very unique bakery. It was a great shop and tasted so good. All homemade... *yammi*. It totally looks like old school... I liked it a lot. Can you see the sign: 'Rona's homemade patisserie'? 

No? I think you need new glasses!!! ;) hihi... just kidding... 

Yes, we actually also do WORK!!! Even though it might not look like it ;). On the way back my flight got delayed but it wasn't that bad. Just 1.5 hrs or so... I was able to do some emails at the airport which was pretty good.
Unfortunately my body wants to get sick I think... Monday I was feeling very tired. Tuesday all day long with Ed in the car who was sick already didn't really help me getting better. And today my throat hurts. But I drink this totally not tasty hot water with ginger... that should help the throat... I mean I'm not seriously sick... but I get the signs... and I'm trying to beat my body up with eating tons of vitamins *lol*... drinking bad tasting stuff ;)... I'm gonna make it. 

Tomorrow I'm gonna fly out again :)... this time not on business but personal *YEAH*. Destination will be Detroit. Hopefully the weather will be somehow good so we can do a little Harley Tour... that would be so cool. If not than we'll have a lot of fun as well... we always have ;)... 

Oh, I think somebody in the house has his fireplace going... it smells like it... or maybe an accident *lol*... ashes all over the apartment!!! Yeah... this time it's not me though!!! I'm not using my fireplace anymore. It's finally getting warmer here and I'm not in the mood of using it right now... it's just too much work and frustration *lol*.

Irina and Thorsten in CHI Town

This was just too cool... Irina's suitcase was 'heavy duty' ;)... on the way back to Germany they gonna take one of mine and then they won't have overweight anymore and don't have to pay extra money!!!

They arrived Saturday afternoon very relaxed from San Francisco. They had a very nice trip through the West of the USA. They visited 11 National Parks (yeah) and a lot of other great stuff:
The first night we were preparing dinner ourselves
a little too much for just the three of us. Now I have 4 additional lunches for the next weeks ;). Oh, and here one very cool thing right away... you can see the Mobile Rene has created for me... all by hand... those little animals. I hang in the breakfast bar area because I think they make a good fit in there
Sunday Morning we got up early and made our way downtown via train

The Opera Down Town and two crazy people... I didn't take sooo many pictures than Irina and Thorsten... this was the most famous 'position' you could see these two most of the times ;)
FLOWERS... the whole city was full of them... soooo cool. I loved it
Millenium Park... an ocean of green and flowers

Me in front of the Buckingham Fountain:
We're sitting on the water for a while, resting our feet...
A view over to the Sears Tower
I just couldn't help it... I did take so many pictures of flowers
These are the sidewalks in DownTown... isn't this a beautiful city?


From the Hancock Tower I took a picture of one of the green roofs that we have here in Chicago. They help to cool down the buildings in the summer time and it helps ;)... Chicago is pretty environmentally friendly in some parts
Michigan Avenue again...

Irina and I were trying to help moving the suitcase... I think I have to do some weight lifting first before I'll be able to lift this monster *lol*
We hat a fun time. This morning they're going to head out to Frankfurt again back to good old Germany. I was very glad they stopped by... we had a lot to talk about and hope to see each other again soon. They really liked Chicago and for dinner we went to 'Texas de Brazil' a Brazil Steak House where you have a very nice buffet and then they start coming around with all sorts of meat!!! DELICIOUS... they were very impressed by this restaurant. We ate a LOT... and rolled out of the restaurant *lol*... I think this was a very nice ending of their vacation and they're ready to go back to work after a nice relaxing and great vacation.