Onward to Berlin and the WCs!

The drive from Herzo to Berlin on Monday was uneventful but long. We broke it in half by stopping at a McDonalds along the autobahn. We have to say that the McDonalds in Germany are the nicest we’ve ever been to! Both the one in Herzo and the one we stopped at on the way to Berlin had modern interiors; McCafes (think Starbuck in McDonalds!); and fun kids play areas. The play area was especially fun at the autobahn McDs and it was a great way to keep Angus from getting too restless.

We managed to not get too lost driving in Berlin and found our hotel just in time for Greg, Paige and Emily to go for an afternoon run, then Greg and Emily headed over to the stadium to watch an evening of track & field. I opted to stay at the hotel with Angus and Paige, since I was getting up early to fly to Portland and needed to repack a carry-on bag for that trip. The three of us strolled the streets near our hotel and settled on Döner Kebabs for dinner. Then we watched the Eurosport coverage of the World Championships—I’m going to miss that while in Portland the next few days!

Sadly, I woke up at 3:00am to drive the rental car back to the airport and catch my 6am flight back to the States. I cried while I left the boys (& on the plane!) even though the rational side of me said it was important for me to attend this conference and it is not big deal to be gone for a few days. Still, the other side of my brain says I will miss them dearly and it is just too far away! Well, no changing it now! I am on the plane and will be in Portland in just a few hours. I present tomorrow afternoon and will do my networking, then head back to Berlin to be with my guys.

I would like to end this blog with a note of congratulations to Eron and Julia Osterhaus who announced that they’re expecting! Eron is our point of contact at adidas America and is a good friend to the team and us. We look forward to their baby’s arrival in February 2010!