The REAL world beer tour...

Hi!!! We all made it here just fine and are having an absolute blast.

Our hostel in Berling kind of sucked... it was literally out in the middle of nowhere and took us like an hour each night to get home from... but oh well we were in BERLIN! We hung out at the bar called WHITE TRASH and listened to an ok cover band... JR is better. Drank a lot of German beer and had a great time!

Then we figured out how to get train tickets and hopped a train to Prague... This is where we had our first escapade of the trip... after finding our hostel which was awesome... right downtown and on a main street, we realized that we arrived almost 4 hours before we told our hostel owner we would. So we sat at the restaraunt across the street and drank beer for that time and then finally got into our hostel, cleaned up and took in some good Prague jazz. The next day we walked a lot... really a lot but it was so much fun! We decided that since we are drinking beer from all these different countries that we should make this our own world beer tour and make a poster of all these different beers when we get home. BE EXCITED!

Finally, we made it to Vienna yesterday and our hostel rocks. It is super busy, a lot of people... and we probably got too drunk at the bar downstairs last night. But we were socializing and meeting people from all over the world so it was really fun.

Tomorrow it is onto Venice... then Florence... then ROME... then back to Berlin and home. I'll try to update as I can.

Love you all and I cannot wait to come home and hang out with you all again!

KJK

Now stepping up to the plate.

So I am kind of freaking out. It is coming time that I need to actually step up to the plate, bite the bullet, and really bear down on some things. I leave for Europe in T minus 5 days... The day after I get back is my 24th birthday and I am moving into my new house that day... I have yet to become certified through River Falls so I can teach... I am being offered a cool new job at Schmitt... and I have no idea what I am going to do!

So Europe! I am so so so so so so excited to get on a plane with Brett, Ryan, and Mike, and spend two weeks bumming around Europe. I just got a new digital camera to record the entire adventure, and a badass new backpack. We have our plane tickets, train tickets, hostels booked, passports, and a general idea of what we are doing. But something is still missing... not sure what I am missing... but I am sure it will all pan out.

The house... oh I cannot tell you how excited I am to move into a house with these guys. I love my parents, I love being around them... but I feel almost like after coming home from college that I see them too much. Not in a bad way, but that I somewhat take them for granted, seeing them everyday, and having them to fall back upon at home. I think our relationship will grow stronger as I move out. I am looking forward to that the most, the getting to know my parents better by not being around them as much... if that makes sense at all.

The birthday... oh what an uneventful birthday this will be. The 24th... at least I can say I have accomplished what I wanted to do by that time. I wanted to be done with college and have a steady job... CHECK! I wanted to be living on my own... CHECK! I wanted to have a general idea of what I am doing in my life... CHEC... wait a second. I know what I want to do but am I doing it? I guess the most important thing is that I am content in doing it.

I wish I could write about my new job opportunity at the company I have been with for almost 9 years now... I'll let you know as soon as I do.

And so it was born...

A lot of my really good friends have told me to start a blog over the past couple of months and I figure that what better time to do it... The next couple of months are going to involve a lot of change for me, my family, and my friends.

I guess I will start now and move forward...

I am becoming busy again, which I love and hate. I love it because it means that I have things to do and I am loving doing what I am doing, playing music. I hate it because I don't get to see everyone as much as I would like. I just started rehearsals and shows for FUNNY GIRL at Bloomington Civic Theatre. I love the people there! Especially the brass section, with the exception of a few... oh well though! The actors are a lot of fun and really genuine good people to be around. So I am doing that this week and straight up until I leave for Europe... that's right EUROPE!

So yeah, Brett, Mike, Ryan, and I are leaving on May 11th to go to Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Venice, Florence, and Rome. We will be gone for a couple weeks and backpacking and doing the hostel thing! So so so excited because I get to go to Europe not being on a tour, not needing to be in a certain place at a certain time and getting to compete in beerfest.

Then the day after we get back is my birthday... a very uneventful 24th birthday. The very next day, memorial day, I am moving into my new house! No I didn't buy it... Mike, Ryan, Nick Ingles and I rented a place in Burnsville right by Crystal Lake. It is AWESOME! Big bedrooms for everyone and a big room downstairs for our music studio. We will be having a house warming party sometime in June once we get settled in.

Then once we get settled we are going to start hitting stuff hardcore with the bands. I just joined a funk horn band which is currently called Kronic Funk but we are searching for a new name. The band is an odd collection of people but I am excited to be playing with Dan, Shannon, Jeremy, and Jennings! Have no fear... Judging Ronald is still rocking and partying like always! We just competed in a battle of the bands and didn't win... but we were down a person anyway... hopefully we can start doing a lot more shows in the next couple months.

So that is my life right now... busy as can be... I will post more and be insightful or try to be as I get going on this...

KJK