heut hab ich mal ein absolutes schmankerl. der mit abstand längste post auf diesem blog. der erste auf englisch. der erste gastpost. und der erste, der von ner dame verfasst wurde… also lest selbst und schaut ein paar bilder an!
Hallo to relatives and friends of the Hoermann family!
I am Stephanie, Chris’ girlfriend. Yes, I am American, but no, I do not believe that water magically comes from the tap! I met many of you last summer and will hopefully have the opportunity to meet the rest of you this coming summer… Now, it’s fair to say that Chris has a hard time staying in one place for very long, and now that he is back in Germany, I’ve been asked to share a bit about Chris’ experience in America, so that as many of you meet with him in the coming weeks, or at least check out his pictures online, there is a bit of a story to go with the images!
Chris arrived in Colorado last October and started working at the Sonnenalp Resort of Vail. His first few months were filled with meeting new people, enjoying the Rocky Mountains and celebrating the holiday season – including the Sonnenalp Christmas Party and a visit from his family!
As 2007 rolled around, Chris continued to attend numerous ski events and hit the slopes whenever he wasn’t working. We also got the chance to start spending a bit more time together, as Chris started to work in the evenings!
February and March were filled with fun parties, hosted by our work friends from around the world, including the Brazilians, Austrians and even myself!
In April, Chris and I took a trip to Denver with our friend Stefan and also traveled to Denver for an NBA game with friends Andi and Uuli, before I moved back to Minnesota. The days in Denver were super fun and a great way to end my time in Vail. Luckily, Chris and I decided to keep and contact and try to make a relationship work, and so our summer of travels began… but not before Chris enjoyed the famous Last Day on Vail Mountain!
We first met in Miami, where we visited the beach, toured the Everglades and enjoyed a tour of the city on a rented scooter! Chris then visited the Arches National Park in Utah with a good friend from work, Andrea, before returning to Utah again with myself, Stefan and Uuli to watch the Red Bull Airrace. 
The race was hot, but the park was beautiful and we had a massive watermelon so it was a pretty great experience overall – Uuli using the “shocker” while drinking was also a highlight of the trip!!!
Chris managed to work a few weeks, but was then off again for the biggest trip of the summer. His friends Flo and Guenter visited from Germany and they all traveled to Las Vegas, Canada and Alaska, before returning to Germany for a surprise reunion with Chris’ family. The boys had a typical trip to Vegas, seeing the sites and taking in the bright lights, but the real adventure began in Canada.
Enjoying a stay with extended family and hiking through the wilderness (shorts, snow and alcohol seem to have made these adventures all the more interesting…) filled the days in Canada before the boys were off to Alaska.
I met the boys in Alaska and promptly nicknamed my new friends Hunter and Susie Salmon, based on Guenter’s similarity to my dog’s name and Flo’s obsession with fishing (he was moderately successful one day, but to be honest, the fish tasted horrible! HaHa). We roamed around Alaska in an RV for 12 days, taking in breathtaking mountains, oceans and small fishing villages along the way! A visit to Denali National Park filled the final days of our trip, where we saw moose, caribou, wolf, rabbits and of course bears – although a trip to the zoo may have found bears at a more desirable distance for the guys!
So, then we were off to Germany, where Chris encountered many tear-filled reunions with family and friends, and I was able to tour the region around his home with the greatest guides available!! Highlights of the trip included the town party/ soccer tournament (Sulzberger Dorffest), meeting all of Chris’ family and friends, and visiting many famous ski towns and castles in Bavaria. Of course, the trip had to come to an end and we returned to the U.S. in late June.
Some months passed and I visited Chris on a few more occasions, but then Chris had a special visit from his mom for his birthday – and his Oma and Opa came along for the trip as a surprise! They visited the Arches Park in Utah (Chris’ third visit) and toured a few tours and popular areas in the Vail Valley. Chris and I visited the Rocky Mountain National Park in late September, which was a most memorable trip, marked by beautiful nature hikes and sleeping in the back of a van for three days J.
Chris finished working at the Sonnenalp in late October and visited some friends from Germany who are now living in Miami. The trip seemed to be very relaxing and a good way to spend a few days off before coming to Minnesota to meet some of my family and friends.
Chris visited Minnesota twice for a total of over three weeks and the time was amazing. As the pictures show, we took part in many activities with my family and friends, attending many sporting events and toured both the city of Minneapolis and Chicago! In the middle of his time at my home, Chris visited Chile and Peru with his Dad and friend, Andi.
The boys seemed to have a fabulous time eating and drinking their way through the cities and enjoying a low-key weekend at the lake house of a new friend!
And so, Chris has left the U.S. and returned to Germany to catch up with friends and enjoy the holidays with his family. I was, of course, sad to see him go, but I know that he will enjoy his time at home and we will see each other again soon. I hope you all enjoy the pictures and stories that Chris will share with you, as I believe he had a truly unforgettable experience and would love to share it with all of you!!