Vacation time

"There's such a lot of world to see." -Moon River

Guess whose mom and sister are getting on a plane to Germany right about now?! They'll make it into Frankfurt early tomorrow morning, Neckarbischofsheim after that, then we're off to see the world! The itinerary includes time in Heidelberg, Strasbourg, Baden-Baden, and Munich. Ohman!

Please keep them/us in your prayers and think happy thoughts (no neck or back pain...or smelly airplane neighbors)!

Frohe Weihnachten!

I have never celebrated Christmas quite like this. Dad read from the Bible then we all pitched in for "The Night Before Christmas." They were sweet enough to not make me wait until tomorrow night and I opened presents while my family watched me on Skype. It was strange (and I hope to never be so far away for Christmas again!) but special. I can't express how thankful I am for my wonderful family.
To top it off, it snowed all day!

(Below are a few pictures from tonight's celebration with my host family. Notice the paper snowflakes in the window behind the tree!)

quote

"Develop an interest in life as you see it; the people, things, literature, music--the world is so rich, simply throbbing with rich treasures, beautiful souls and interesting people. Forget yourself." -Henry Miller

Let it snow!

So it has been really really cold! Yesterday it rained the whole day and the snow melted. Today it's back...maybe Tira and I will go sledding again.

Life has been busy as usual. Since I posted last, I've had the opportunity to visit Wiesloch and Mannheim (again). There was also a little Weihnachtsmarkt here in town last Sunday. I was able to enjoy a hot kaba (hot chocolate) before it started raining on us. We're slowly but surely decorating the house. The girls and I made paper snowflakes a few days ago and I made a little Christmas tree out of a magazine. There's a huge Santa Adventskalendar hanging in the play room. I've also really been enjoying the smell of fresh pine and cinnamon thanks to the Advent wreath.

Only three weeks until I see Mom and Sarah-Kathryn. So very very excited!

Hello!

Things have been busy! Where do I start? This is a picture of the beautiful snow I woke up to Thanksgiving morning. Thursday evening I was invited to have dinner with a really great missionary family that lives in one of the next towns. It certainly wasn't the same as being with my own family, but it was nice to spend time with such loving people (and the mashed sweet potatoes were amazing).

This morning I hitched a ride with them and spent some time in Heidelberg. The Weihnachtsmarkt is open and I loved walking around!
Then this afternoon/evening I went to a Hoffenheim soccer game. They're a really big deal around here. It was totally freezing but so much fun! Soccer fans in Germany are crazy. Here's a quick clip of the stadium after Hoffenheim tied things up at the very end of the game.

Tonight I'm really looking forward to putting in a movie and thawing out! Schönes Wochenende!

Christmas!

The Christmas spirit is slowly invading things. Lights have been hung over the streets, there's talk of which Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas market) will open first, and moms are running around looking for goodies to put in their Adventskalender. Yesterday evening in Sinsheim my favorite little flower shop (next to my favorite little bakery) had an event to celebrate their sale of Adventskränze (or, Advent wreaths). It was my first taste of what Christmas looks like in Germany and it was beautiful. I even had my first sip of the famous "glühwein." It's red wine with spices like cinammon and cloves served hot and delicious. I have to say it again...these pictures don't do it justice.

covering all my bases...

Just because I didn't want to miss any part of this German experience, I spent Sunday night in the emergency room. Okay, maybe that isn't the reason. Here's the cliff notes version: an ovarian cyst ruptured, then following orders from my concerned real Mom, my HM (host-mom) took me to the hospital in Sinsheim, they ran some tests and hooked me up to an IV for the night in a room shared with "two old Omas" (as Tira would say). Oh Lordy. It was quite the adventure. I'm doing much better, drinking lots of water and resting. The girls are under strict orders not to jump on me at least until the end of the week!

St. Martin's Day

Tonight I paraded around town with a bunch of Neckarbischofsheim's kids and parents. Carrying homemade lanterns (and accompanied by the fire department), we celebrated St. Martin. Legend has it he was a Christian soldier in Rome who cut his cloak in half to share it with a beggar. We followed a marching band as it followed "St. Martin" on a horse (this year it happened to be a woman..we called her "Martina"). At the end, each kid was given a sweet pretzel from a local bakery. It was freezing but I'm so happy I was able to join in!

Since it was so dark, I had a hard time getting good photos...but here's one from the web.

(photo)

daily adventures

Another week is coming to an end. This has been sort of a crazy one because the girls have been out of school (fall break). No school means sleepovers with friends and grandparents which means extra sleepy girls. Lucky for me we've finally come up with a "work" schedule so that I'll know exactly what to expect each day. I look forward to next week when things will be back on track.

We had to adjust our clocks last weekend. I enjoyed the extra hour of sleep but I've been missing my evening walks. It's just not the same when it's so dark outside!

So, as I've mentioned, I spend most of my time with Tira. We still have our good and bad times, but she is really a wonderful kid. A couple of days ago Jasmin, Tira, and I went shopping in the adorable city of Mosbach. My little Tira decided that she'd rather wear her coat backwards. So that's how we walked around town... I held one hand while she tightly held a yellow leaf in the other. Outside the stores in Mosbach there are little playground rides for the kids. After Tira told me exactly how to hold her precious leaf so that it wouldn't blow away, she climbed up on the rocking moose and started commenting on all the people who passed by. "Oh Lauren, look at that old, old Oma (grandma)" or "Lauren, look! He has no hair!" Kids can be so much fun. On the ride home she made up songs, sang them very loudly, and then made buzzing and throwing up noises. Another thing she really enjoys to do is refuse to pull her pants back up after going to the bathroom. It took me awhile, but I've learned the trick. Let her run around for awhile, until the initial thrill has worn off, then pull them up for her. It's less dramatic that way.

Well, I'm going to have a coffee and get ready for my day. Have a wonderful weekend!

Halloween

Yes, Halloween exists in Germany. It's definitely not the same as home, but I look forward to it. Not sure yet what my plans are for tonight. I might go out on the town dressed as Pippi Longstocking...Hope yours is safe and spooky!

Fall

I'm having a wonderfully lazy Saturday. I've been wrapped up in my cozy comforter drinking hot chocolate for most of it. I did venture out on a walk about an hour ago. Here are some pictures of my favorite route. They don't do it justice.