Top 3's, 5's & 10's (2010 in review pt2)

Even though I was glad to say goodbye to 2010, when I was thinking about the year as a whole, there were many highlights which is always great to realise. Sometimes, when you are in the middle of it, it's difficult to see the positive and hindsight then becomes a wonderful thing.

And so, on I go to the first batch of top #'s (all featured in no particular order)

Top 10 Events of 2010

1. The Chances visit Germany. Always a treat to have them all over here. We fitted loads into just a few days but the highlight was definitely getting us all on the same photo.
2. Easter.  What a surprise, a totally pink affair full of prettiness. It's such a great time of year to decorate the place with glitter, flowers, feathers, eggs and pretty, pastel colours. So very me! It's a great way to welcome the spring.
3. Our trip "Untertage" (or us down a coalmine!). A life-changing experience which I know sounds a bit exaggerated but it was a spectacular adventure that gave me a much greater sense of respect for those who work (or have worked) underground.
4. Liberty and I taking mum for Prêt à Portea at the Berkeley Hotel in London for her birthday present. A fashion collection inspired afternoon tea followed by Mama Mia in the West End. It was lovely to spend the day together and I think we all enjoyed ourselves so much and had a lot of laughs. My favourite delicacy was the Chanel shoe - what a classic.
5. My brother-in-law's wedding to the wonderful Elke. Ok, so I didn't want to post a photo of them here as I haven't asked their permission but they set up a self-portrait corner for the guests to have a bit of a laugh and we spent five minutes there taking some silly photos. Silly being the operative word! If you know us, you know that is not hard for either of us!
6. Mum's visit to Germany for my birthday. I blogged about it but it was lovely to have her here for my birthday and to check out three Christmas Markets in as many days. We never find ourselves together in a photo so I was especially pleased with this one. 
7. The World Cup in South Africa and Germany coming third. I did support England through the fírst stages until they lost against Germany (an ever so slightly awkward moment!) but then it was all out to cheer on the German team to their well-deserved third place. It's hard to support England over here (!) but at least I get a bit of the best of all worlds in being able to support them both. (And I am really NOT a big football fan - once every four years only).
8. Surprise flowers from a very special friend. I wrote about reconnecting with a wonderful schoolfriend earlier in the year. We hadn't seen each other for 9 years (since I moved to Germany) and I went to vist her in May. We chatted and laughed and caught up as if we hadn't been apart all that time and then she surprised me with these beautifully thoughtful flowers to let me know she was thinking of me. Good friends are so hard to find and it's one of my resolutions this year to do better at keeping my friends in my thoughts and to keep in touch more regularly. 
9. Halloween. This year I really went to town on the crafting and decorating for Halloween and was thrilled with the result. We had our usual small party with family and friends complete with very ingenious costumes and it was a lovely, relaxed evening. 
10. 24 hours in Hamburg with Ted. My first time to this very beautiful port city and even though we were there for such a short time, and we kept to a real budget, we managed to see the main highlights of the city. It's really a lovely place and I hope to go back one day with R to look around in more detail. A very successful weekend.