Things loved this winter

In honor of the first day of Spring, I just wanted to recap those things I especially loved this winter.

1.  The completion of the exterior of the house, including the roof:

2.  L'Occitane Shea Butter hand cream

My friend Ashley used to gush about this hand cream at work all the time.  I'm not sure I could make it through winters anymore without this hand cream.  I went through a whole giant tube of it this winter.

image from http://www.loccitane.com/

3.  Parmigiano Reggiano

Joern and I love Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.  Imagine our surprise when my dad and stepmom sent us a big block of it with some ultra-yummy traditional balsamic vinegar this year for Christmas!

                                               image from www.parmashop.com

4.  Christmas Markets
Joern and I did our fair share of Christmas Marketing this year.  Stuttgart, Neuffen, Esslingen, and Strassbourg, made for a very toasty and fun Christmastime.

5.  Finally going home!
I spent my first full Christmas here in Germany, and realized that I do not like missing Christmas at home.  But, Joern and I did go home two weeks ago.  It was a very short week at home, but I am so glad that we went, and so thankful to Joern for being such a great guy for going home with me!  It was wonderful to see my dad, stepmom, sister, aunt, cousins, and some old friends.  It was also great just to be back home, to feel good again, and recharge my batteries.

All in all, winter 2010/ 2011 was a pretty good one.  But I have to admit, I was so happy to see the sun today on this first day of spring.  I am looking forward to spring in Germany, flowers blooming, and warmer temperatures.  Of course, I am also looking forward to seeing what spring brings for our house.