The Perfect Star Wars Christmas Gift for your Nerdy Husband

For couples that have been together a while every year you're expected to come up with ideas for gifts. Gifts for birthdays, anniversaries, and of course Christmas. Now, my husband and I aren't the biggest gift givers. We prefer doing something for birthdays instead of buying gifts. And generally we prefer to save our money for other things (like travel) than buy big gifts. But, Christmas is a bit different (and just around the corner). I like being able to buy a few gifts I know the Hubs will love. (Of course, these Christmas ideas are also for wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, friends too).

I've spent a lot of time on Amazon, Think Geek, and other websites trying to find the right Star Wars themed gift because I know if I want a home run gift for my husband, it should be Star Wars themed. Specifically Darth Vader, because in his opinion Darth Vader is "the perfect villain". So below are my suggestions, I've even included direct links to Amazon so you don't have to search around!

Star Wars T-Shirts are always a winner

You have your funny t-shirts:

Expressions of Darth Vader T-Shirt is one of the Hub's favorites. Can't go wrong here. And if you have kids, the 1 Dad Star Wars T-Shirt is always a winner.

The second favorite shirt is probably the Star Wars Stormtrooper Casual Friday T-Shirt.

Star Wars Socks

This is great for the closet Star Wars fan, because he can wear them hidden and most people will never know of his secret nerdy fanboying. Like these Star Wars Mens Casual Crew Socks.

 

Star Wars Gadets

This Star Wars R2-D2 Measuring Cup Set always cracks me up. The only reason I haven't bought them myself if because my husband doesn't cook and I am much more a Harry Potter fan than Star Wars. But I have a friend that purchased them for her Star Wars loving boyfriend and he loves them. And then, if your spouse is in the kitchen, what is better than a Darth Vader Apron.

Now, this one is definitely more in the splurge category, at $129.00. But it is just so awesome. And even I will admit how adorable BB-8 was in the new movie. So who wouldn't want a BB-8 App Controlled Robot as a Christmas gift? 


A few other random Star Wars Christmas Gift Ideas

I could go on and on so I will wrap up with a few fun extras. 

The Star Wars Darth Vader Self Stirring and Spinning Mug , the Star Wars Band-Aids Assorted 20 Pack (a great stocking stuffer), or the Star Wars Lightsaber Flashlight.

 

Happy Star Wars shopping! If you have some other Star Wars Christmas Ideas for your Husband (or Boyfriend, Girlfriend, Wife), leave them in the comments!

Cologne Christmas Markets - A Beginner's Guide

One of my favorite things about Europe at Christmas is the Christmas Markets, and here I think we have to give credit to the Germans for having the best Christmas Markets. Food, Gluhwein, more Gluhwein. You can't go wrong.

 

For me, visiting a Christmas Market is usually a day trip, so living in Belgium we usually stick to the markets that are close to the border. Normally Aachen and Cologne. Aachen is also a great little market, but definitely smaller than Cologne. If you just have an afternoon though it's worth a visit.

Cologne though is my favorite. They have several markets spread over the city, each with their own unique twist. This year, for the first time, I visited nearly all of them in one day. Be prepared for an exhausting day to do this, otherwise I suggest spreading it over two days.

General Tips:

• Try the Gluhwein. Try the hot chocolate with amaretto. Eat the Bratwurst. Eat the Käsekrainer. Basically just eat and drink all day.
• Bring a plastic bag to save your mugs once you're done drinking your Gluhwein, otherwise you'll end up with sticky mugs in your purse or backpack which can be very unfortunate
• Take a small backpack with you to carry what you buy, otherwise you're stuck carrying around awkward bags in a super crowded are. Just no valuables in the backpack!
• Check out AirBnB for a place to stay if you want to stay over night - the hotels can be rather expensive
• The weather in Cologne is rarely cooporative - dress in layers, bring an umbrella, hat, gloves, earmuffs, whatever you need to stay warm. It's a long day outside at the markets if it is cold
• If you want to save money on parking and avoid driving into the city, try a Park + Ride: http://www.car-parking.eu/germany/cologne/pr

Now, before you decide you want to go to a Christmas Market, especially in Cologne, you should probably gauge your crowd tolerance. I was there with my husband and our best friends - another married couple. I think the two husbands were slowly losing it trying to navigate through the crowds. And by navigate I mean push, squeeze, or simply just wait until you can find a way through. So something to consider if you're going on a weekend, and especially in the more popular markets.

The Markets

The Old Town Market

This was conclusively our favorite market. My husband and I usually try to visit this one, and this year as we introduced our friends to the Cologne markets, they seemed to be in agreement. It is an incredibly charming market.

                 
Why I like it:

• Absolutely charming, gnomes, details, wood carved stands.
• Beautiful crafts. One of my favorite stands is right when you enter the market, it's a huge end stand with mostly candle related objects. I almost always end up buying the handmade glass candle holders. There is also a stand with handcrafted wood items which are absolutely beautiful.
• Great food. Try the potato cake with sour cream dipping sauce. Sinful. 
• The mugs - So every market has their own mugs. Some markets have new mugs each year, or at least new variations on the mugs. At the Old Town market there are always cute little red mugs with gnomes on them. There are 10 variations of the mug, so you can collect different ones each year. 

Cathedral Market

This is without a doubt the biggest market. There are so many stands. Some have beautiful craft work, some have more normal or cheesy items. If you want a singing Santa hat, this is the market you want to visit in Cologne. But there were so many people it limited our visit.


What I like:

• There are so many stands you can certainly find something here for everyone on your list, or just something for yourself
• Also great food here. We had a bowl of mushrooms in garlic sauce, absolutely amazing. Also sausages again. 
• This is right near the shopping center of the street, and close to the Old Town Market. 

Harbour Market

This is the first year we visited the Habour market. It was definitely a bit of a walk from the other markets, but a nice experience. 

Reasons to check it out:

• There is a pirate ship serving drinks
• There was a stand near the chocolate museum with the best socks ever. 
• Indoor craft tent with what seemed to be local handmade crafts
• The mugs were cute and nautical

Gay and Lesbian Christmas Market

This was also the first year we made it to Christmas Avenue, the Gay and Lesbian Christmas Market. By the time we got there we were all a bit cold and tired, but it seemed like a fun time. There were performers singing and lots of groups drinking. Much more a party feel than the other markets. So if you're not frozen I recommend visiting this one at the end of the night.


Why you should go:

• The stands are all decorated in purple in a very fun, non-traditional Christmas style
• Penis waffles
• Tasty burgers
• The music and atmosphere

Angels in the City Market - Neumarket

We didn't visit this year because we really wanted to make it to the habour, but this is another nice market to visit. It also has more solid, charming stands. Nice crafts, good food and drink.

Check out all of the official details, addresses, etc here: Cologne's Tourism Site - Christmas Markets

Have a favorite Christmas market? Share your thoughts in the comments. 

5 travel essentials for the normal woman traveler

Those of you that know me probably are aware of my love or perhaps obsession with traveling. City trips over a long weekend, a week in a new country, two weeks if I can swing it. Any chance to explore somewhere new I'll take. Not always easy when you're balancing a full-time job of course, but I do my best. And thankfully my full-time job is in Europe, so I have those lovely 32 days of vacation each year. And being in Europe, so many places are just a short plane or train ride away.

The more you travel the more you realize there are certain things every girl can't live without (sorry boys but this post is targeted at the ladies). Now, I'm not talking about picking up and going backpacking for 6 months. I've never done it, so I can't give advice on that. My longest backpacking trip was about 3 weeks. But for those of us, the "normal travelers" I'll call us. The ones that don't usually stay in hostels anymore, like to pack light, but want some comfort, and only have limited time but want to pack in as much as possible every day - this is the post for you.

1. These boots were made for walking: the best travel shoes

So first things first. Shoes. If you're like me and my husband, when we travel we go with the idea that we will never visit this place again. It is our one and only chance to do and see everything. So our days starts relatively early, for us at least. We try to be up and out by 9 and then we are gone for the entire day.

Now, as I said, I'm what I call a "normal" traveler. So I'm not roughing it, and part of that means I want to look at least semi-cute or normal in photos and throughout the day. Which means I've stopped wearing my clunky running sneakers when traveling. It's comfy, sure, but it also makes you stick out as not only a tourist, but usually as an American tourist. Then, I do a lot of traveling in Europe, it is not always flip flop weather, and despite what I thought when I was 18, flip flops are not actually easy or comfortable to walk in all day long. Flats, no. Sandals, too flat. So here are my top recommendations for walking shoes.

The Skechers Women's Go Flex are my new love. I call them my pillow shoes. They're cute enough, reasonably priced, and seriously comfortable. Wear them a day or two before setting off on your adventure, but seriously, give them a try. I have the Go Flex, but have also heard good things about the other versions of the Skechers Go Walk.

Boots are a bit hard to recommend directly, it's a but personal. But, my favorite boot brands are Born and La Canadienne. Worth a look if you're looking for new, comfy boots.

2. The bag: the best travel purse

I think we all know a good bag is important when traveling. It needs to be practical enough to carry everything you need for a day, it needs to be secure, and ideally cute. Oh and of course, it needs to be affordable, right? So finding the best travel purse or bag is not easy when looking for all those things. But after lots of searching, lots of traveling with a regular purse and ending up with a sore shoulder after a few hours, I finally found a few options I love.

Now, the Travelon brand I like the best, and I tend to go for a crossbody bag, they are safer, more reliable. Travelon is reasonably priced, cuter than a lot of the bags, and secure enough. I'm about to take my trusty Travelon Anti-Theft Crossbody Bag to Vietnam and Cambodia with me for almost 3 weeks (see photo above). And the little hook keeping the zipper from being opened is already giving me peace of mind. The bag is just the right size to fit everything I need without being too big so that I overfill and get annoyed that it's too heavy. Another fashionable, easy to use option is the Travelon Front-Flap Shoulder Bag. A last, though slightly more expensive option, is the Pacsafe Citysafe Travel Handbag.

3. The best travel converter/adapter

This is an easy one. I've lived abroad for almost 5 years. I still own a laptop, among other things, with a U.S. plug. So I use my converter on a daily basis, then all the traveling of course. Definitely get a converter that has small adapters, that you can just bring that along per country. Not those big chunky ones. I recommend the World Travel Plug Adapter or the Poweradd 2-Outlet International Travel Adapter.

Most things don't need current converters, just a plug adapter. Just a tip: don't bother with straighteners, curling irons, etc. if you're going from the U.S. to Europe. There is a very high chance they will fry. I've killed multiple straighteners over the year. What I recommend, just go somewhere cheap when you get to Europe and buy a cheap straightener. It's better than ruining your nice one from home.

4. Cases!

I highly recommend two things: a passport holder and something waterproof to stick your phone in. The first is because there is nothing worth than being at customs and digging your your passport, or trying to check in while juggling all your bags. Try out the Zoppen Passport Holder. The second is more for your beach vacation, anything with a pool, but lets you keep your phone nearby, take photos, etc, while keeping it dry. I like the ESoulTech Waterproof Phone Case.

5. Your constant companion: the travel pillow

Every girl needs a good travel pillow. Make the investment, it's worth it. I love mine. My husband always teases me about it, he just uses the plane pillow. I like to make a nice nest of my plane pillow, blanket, sweater, and my travel pillow. All essential in achieving economy class comfort. It's also great for buses, trains, anywhere else you might be napping while traveling. I've had a few, memory foam, regular foam, feather, all sorts. I tend to go back to Memory Foam Neck Pillow or the Feathersoft Microfiber Travel Pillow. Really not a fan of the microbead ones, but that's just me.

Bonus item: Kindle!

Because I couldn't leave this one out, but it's more of an extra than an essential. Though I think for me it is a top travel essential.

Look, I love books. I have hundreds of books. My husband has hundred of books. We even buy multiple copies of the same books sometimes just to have all editions or old editions or whatever. So I was hesitant to switch to an e-reader. Until I did. And now I am addicted. I love my kindle. I can download new books anywhere in the world. There is no need to carry heavy books with me, toss them when they're done or lug them around while I'm not using them. With your kindle, it's all in one light-weight bundle. If you're an avid traveler, just do it. You can get English books anywhere in the world. Bonus when you're in foreign countries. I suggest the Kindle Paperwhite, it's the 2nd Kindle I've had and I love it.

Perhaps many of these seem basic, but I really couldn't survive without these things. Happy to help if anyone has questions, especially if it's your first time traveling abroad!

Why Gilmore Girls, why?

Like many people out there, my Gilmore Girls ride has been a bit of a roller coaster. There was laughter, tears, you know, the whole thing. I was a bit late to the bandwagon, getting into it in college with my best friend. We've put on re-runs in the evenings when we were in our dorm. We would steal some of the one-liners, a particular "I can't hate the pathetic" moment still funny years later. 

Like so many other in preparation for A Year in the Life, I binged. I am a rather experienced Netflix binger, but this took things to an entirely new level. I am pretty sure my husband contemplated cancelling Netflix, getting rid of our TV, and moving somewhere without internet because of my Gilmore Girls binging. He has developed a deep hatred for Gilmore Girls, one that resulted in him muting his live stream of American Football and offering to watch a show with me instead of having to listen to as he calls them, "those annoying girls" in the background while watching football.

I've now, finally, after a rather painful journey, have finished A Year in the Life. And I have one burning question: Why Gilmore Girls, why? I. Just. Don't. Understand.

(Spoilers warning)

Rory is still awful. I think most of us in our re-watching have come to this conclusion. I'm not going to go into details of why she was awful in the original show, plenty has been written on that. But, let's look at a few new aspects.

1. Paul. Do I have to say more? Well, obviously I do. I mean, I can get over most of her poor judgement decisions, sleeping with Logan, sleeping with a Wookiee. But just freaking break up with Paul already! It's like she went from bad to worse. I mean she was rather terrible, but she was kind of ALL ABOUT her boy toys. And now she can't even remember she has a boyfriend, let along to break up with him? I figured, sire after Winter, he'd be gone, especially when she's still sleeping with Logan (let's ignore that he's engaged, because honestly it's Logan, did we expect more). And then maybe in Sping, but then in Summer, (or was it the beginning of Fall, honestly the episodes were so long I have no idea) she writes a note still reminding herself to break up with him! What the hell, Rory, what the hell. 
2. I think we're not surprised she's a mess, it kind of makes sense when you think about it. But how did it get this bad? She doesn't seem to care. Where is the super-prepared Rory that freaked out because she had to meet someone at Yale in the wrong outfit and unprepared? She shows up for a crappy website and can't even pitch herself. Unprepared or not, she's got nothing. But then she finds out her beloved local newspaper is going under and she begs to take it back, she even pitches, and she dives in head first. I just don't really understand how as a Yale graduate with a long resume this is all she can manage to put her energy into.
3.  She still is kind of a crappy daughter. Not saying many of us haven't been guilty of some her the same crimes, but the whole premise of the show is their deep unique mother-daughter relationship. But it's all take. She doesn't seem to notice Lorelei is not doing well, going through a rough time. She is lying to her. Again. But yet she goes into details about her Wookiee night? Weird. And then the book. As usual, Rory loses it as soon as she gets told no or her mother say anything other than of course, whatever you want, dear. It's a very one-way street.
4. I don't understand the panic of the newspaper delivery? Why was that so complicated? 
5. And then, going back to point 2. Jes comes in for all of 2 seconds, suggests she writes her own book, gives her the topic, and suddenly her life has meaning again. That's all it took? But she couldn't even find one meaningful thing to say at her interview?

Okay, enough about Rory specifically. I have some other bones to pick.

1. The play. That is 15 minutes of my life I will never get back. If you don't have enough material to fill a 90 minute show make it shorter. 
2. The pool. Since when does Stars Hollow have a pool? We have never seen a pool before. And Luke at the pool? Please. We get it, it's summer. And who are these children that are following them around with umbrellas? Where are their parents. I know it is a small town, but...
3. Again the newspaper delivery issue. When did Stars Hollow get so big? Why was it so complicated? In the town that all came together and put a full buffet out for a cat's funeral, they really couldn't manage to get these newspapers delivered without chaos?
4.  Wild. Unnecessary.
5. The little life or death brigade reunion. Once again we see Logan's charming side, ignoring that he's engaged to someone else. But the way it was filmed. The nice thing about the original Gilmore Girls was even if it was crazy it felt real enough. It wasn't trying to hard. They were dancing around the streets. Walking like they're in a music video. And Logan's little merry band just went off the deep end. Too far Gilmore Girls, too far.

I have more to say. So much more, but I think my Gilmore Girls word vomit is enough. Surely others will jump in and fill the gaps of the other things that are just so wrong with this.

Oh, but one last thing. She's pregnant? Is this a joke? It's Logan's I'm sure, because unless she slept with Dean in the 2 minutes they were together, or Paul (or was it Pete) that she couldn't remember she was dating, it must be his right. Does that relationship really need to get any more complicated? Does she really have to just continue making poor life choices?

Oh, but I did like that they finally said Michel was gay and is married. It was never blatantly mentioned in the original show. Good for Michel.