Dear Anonymous,

IT WORKED!!!!

I'm sitting here munching on freshly popped popcorn, straight from my stove. I wish you could have seen my look of pure glee when I pulled off the lid and saw a whole pot of beautiful fluffy popcorn. I literally did a jig in the kitchen (more on that later).

The popcorn victory is especially sweet considering I have been sent back from the second seminar trip early, leaving John to continue on to Poland for a few days without me. Something about the mere mention of Poland sends my body hurling itself towards wretched stomach viruses. I'm two for two on this and will no longer ignore fate's attempts to keep me out of what is probably a lovely country.

In addition to the popcorn miracle, two other incidents have worked wonders to improve my mood about being in Berlin without my dear husband.

1. I found my favorite childhood record (yes, I said record) on Itunes. I'm not sure if your Fisher Price record player had the privilege of playing Anne Murray's There's a Hippo in my Bathtub, but mine most certainly did, and no set of songs better captures my memories of growing up. Teddy Bear's Picnic, Animal Crackers, Inch Worm, the classics.

2. While heating up the oil for the popcorn I was entirely engrossed in Jay Z and Alicia Keys' Empire State of Mind. I'm not going to lie, I may have been getting my dance on, entirely oblivious to the fact that my neighbors can see absolutely everything I do in my kitchen. Imagine my surprise when I turn and find I'm being given a huge grin and applause by the couple across the way.

(About that popcorn jig...Oh, I still did it; I just checked the windows across the courtyard first!)