"Actual Work"

So, from looking at my blog, I realize that it may often seem that I do no actual work here, just play around with the people who come over. I promise, that's not true!! There's everyday chores like sweeping stairs, vacuuming, mopping, all those household chores. But there's "actual work," too. Like helping Brad build a bike shed yesterday (pictures to come!). I got to paint tar!

Take today for example. My job was to clean out the garage. Well, half of the garage, as the other half is mostly full of trash waiting for the appropriate trash pickup day. So, armed with lots of rags, some 409, a bucket of water, sponge, and my iPod, I attacked the garage. Several hours later, organization and some semblance of cleanliness appeared. I felt productive, for sure. But I just thought I would put this up here so that I can show that there is all kinds of uninteresting "actual work" that goes on that doesn't get included in my "fun work" blogs. :)

(I just wish these pictures showed the amount of DUST I cleaned! I had dust in places I didn't know dust could get! ugh)

Three More Weeks to Go!

Wow...I cannot believe the time has gone by so fast! I remember thinking before I left that three months was a long time, my whole summer would be here. Now I'm down to two weekends and I'm wondering where the summer went! I am excited to come home, yes, but at the same time I know I'm going to miss Germany and all my friends here!

On Thursday, Brad and Debbie headed off to Belgium for an overnight date, so I had the House to myself. After doing chores and playing phone tag with Nellie for a few hours, I went and picked her up for a girls' night in. We had pizza and chips and watched a ridiculously girlie movie and just generally enjoyed having no boys!

Friday people came over early for dinner and Bible study, and I got to babysit two perfectly adorable little girls. I was in charge of the meal, and it was a success! Yay. :) On Satuday we went to Glan-Munchweiler for a Volksmarch. We did the 5 k route up some hills and then back around in a loop. It's a bit of work, but a lot of fun, especially with German summer being as beautiful as it is. After an afternoon of MarioKart and naps, we went out to Burg Lichtenberg for a castle tour by our very own Docent Brad. Unfortunately, our tour was cut a little brief by a sudden chilly rain, and we headed down to the Greek restaurant in the town below.It was probably one of the best dinners I've ever had. The food was good, yes, but the company even more so. We had a very large group, so they seated us out on the patio under a tent-awning, and I'm sure by the end of the evening they were very glad they hadn't put us inside. We weren't being rude Americans, but we were very loud and probably a little obnoxious. Our table was enveloped in hysterical laughter for a good portion of the evening. Michelle stops breathing when she laughs and really does begin to turn blue. Gordon laughs very loudly and enthusiastically slaps his knee. I her-hee when I laugh. Now, all three of us were seated next to eachother in the center of the table. Whenever one would start to laugh, the others would join, which would draw in the rest of the table. I actually laughed to the point of pain, something that hasn't happened in a long, long time. It was SO much fun!!On Sunday, we had people over after chapel for a cookout. We went to the comissary first, and the guys generously provided most of the meal, with many bags of chips along with hamburgers and chicken and brats and steaks. Despite the weather being perfect for volleyball, we mostly stayed inside playing the Wii and cards and napping and just hanging out together and enjoying one another's company.

le Tour de France

Yesterday, for our weekend trip, we drove 3 1/2 hours across the border to Colmar, France to watch the beginning of stage 14 of the Tour de France. Our "advance party" (Gordon, Joe, and Jonathan) had left Friday to see the end of stage 13 and to scout out a good place to park and to stand amidst the crowds. They had to endure much rain, but we only had a few scattered showers on Saturday morning, and none during the race.

We managed to park and walk to the raceway and find a spot right on the curb. When the bikers rode past, I was almost afraid they'd knock my camera out of my hand, they were so close. They rode past us quickly, followed by a mile or so of chase-cars with bikes and tires and parts to help should a problem arise. And...then it was over. We took videos and pictures, and later that night Nellie and I went frame by frame until we found Lance Armstrong. :) Her picture is better than mine, cause mine was grabbed from my video camera. But still, that's him!! (it looks like a tabloid alien picture of questionable authenticity...)
After the few seconds of the rac we were able to see, we walked around and enjoyed a day in Colmar. We visited the Frederic Auguste Bartholdi museum - for those who don't know, he is the French sculptor from whom we received the Statue of Liberty. We even passed her on the way into Colmar, on a MUCH smaller scale. We also got coffee at a French cafe, and enjoyed traditional French cuisine like - gasp - escargo. We saw a mushroom store, and several delicious looking bakeries, and an Army/Navy store. One of the guys did go in and ask if they had any white flags. Her response? She handed him the rainbow flag. :) But the whole day was really great, full of good conversations and building of friendships.

Backyard Baptisms

Sunday after chapel the house was filled with soldiers and families gathered to celebrate three baptisms. After a delicious grilled lunch, we put the liner back into the baptismal pit we'd dug last Easter and began our 'bucket brigade' to fill it up with warm water to offset the icy chill of the hose. The sun even came out after a morning of rain. Brad baptized Erika and Spencer Eifler, two of the children of one of the commanders who has been a friend to the House. Chaplain Craven was honored to baptize his assistant Danny. There was cake and volleyball and lots of fellowship afterwards to celebrate these three believers who so publicly demonstrated their faith.

Cinderella's Ball - A Retelling

You've all heard the story - wicked stepmother, fairy godmother, dancing all night only with prince charming, glass slipper, pumpkins, the works. Well, I fear the Brother's Grimm got a little over-innovative, because this is how the story really went.

On a fine summer's morning, the 10th of July, Cinderella woke up in a fine mood. Tonight she was to go to a military ball! The invitation had come some months before, giving her plenty of time to win her stepmother over to the idea. She woke up early and began doing her chores, singing and dancing as she worked, even going out of her way to do a few extra. She cleaned the house, she weeded, she baked and cooked and dusted and took out trash. Finally, she finished her list and was free to get ready. Then, disaster struck - there was no one to babysit that night (Cinderella's other job). Whatever to do? Rather than being a wicked stepmother, like the silly Grimms thought, Cinderella's stepmother gave her permission to attend the ball, taking the job in her stead. How grateful Cinderella was!
Cinderella curled her hair and did her makeup, prancing around the upstairs as she got ready. Her ballgown was a floor-length sheath of red, sparkling and shimmering in the light. I'm not sure where the Grimms came up with Fairy Godmother and a pumpkin carriage, because all Cinderella had were her stepfather and a red Honda. She was told to be back by midnight, was given a cell phone in case of trouble, and she headed off to pick up Prince Charming -

- and charming he was! As she pulled up to the Prince's home, her face broke into a smile. What a handsome man he was! And how proud she was of him and his various accomplishments displayed on his uniform. He and some friends joined her in the Honda and they took off for the Ramstein AFB's Officer's Club (not quite a palace, Grimm Bro's, but close).
Once there, Cinderella was overwhelmed by the uniforms and names and faces as she was introduced to all of her prince's friends, acquaintances, and officers. She shook hands and smiled politely, staying close to her soldier for security. They went through the receiving line, where she met a good friend - who happens to be the wife of the prince's commander. They went and sat at a table crowded with his platoon, and waited for the ceremonies to begin.

Prayers and speeches were said before dinner, but after the food came the most memorable event - the Grog ceremony. The Brothers Grimm leave this out of their story, which surprises me, as they usually like to add gruesome details. The Grog ceremony is a time when the battalion's leaders each explain a piece of the unit's history, and to commemorate certain events add a great deal of a specific liquor into the Grog bowl. The commander begins, pouring in a bottle of Grog from the last ceremony. Copious amounts of other alcohol are poured in after each officer or NCO chugs a significant amount of the bottle themselves. Canadian whiskey was added for the War of 1812, Firewater for the Indian Wars, tequila for the Mexican-American, Southern Comfort for the Civil War, vodka for something Russian, beer for soldiers and Germany, you get the picture. However, other things go in, as well. A can of tank oil - turboshaft - is poured in, the blood of the tanks that keep the regiment rolling. Sand is also added (once from a tanker boot!) for the unit's involvement in Kuwait and Iraq, as is muddy water (to represent the Tigris and Euphrates). This is then stirred together, and the commander samples before everyone else. Lt.Col. Eifler drank three full glasses!! Once he pronounced it satisfactory, all the soldiers rush up to fill their glasses. The stuff is nasty...I (I mean, Cinderella) got close enough to smell it, and that was close enough!!
After the Grog, Cinderella and her prince went out on the dance floor, but didn't really dance much. Instead, one of Prince Charming's friends asked if he could have a dance with the lady and proceeded to whirl her around the floor in a stunningly agile salsa. They dipped and twirled and spun, and Cinderella focused mainly on how to stay on her feet! One would almost have thought she was the one who'd chugged an entire bottle of wine in 30 seconds and he the one who hadn't touched a drop.To avoid turning into a pumpkin - the promised threat if she wasn't home by midnight - Cinderella left the ball in plenty of time. No pushing limits like the girl in the Grimms' telling. Rather than leaving behind a glass slipper, Cinderella took with her a glass, embellished with the unit crest, to remind her of the ball. On the way home, however, events conspired against her to make her late for the midnight deadline. It wasn't forgetfulness or being chased by a zealous prince but a wrong exit and an empty tank of gas. Despite these hinderances, Cinderella and her Prince did make it back home safe, and not too late, and enjoyed spending the rest of their night telling others how much fun they had at the ball!

21st Birthday

Woo-hoo, I'm 21! Wow...that sounds old. When I go home, I'm gonna have to go in and get a new driver's license. (That's good, because I look about 12 on the one I have now!) My birthday was really a lot of fun. Because it was a holiday weekend, the guys all had Monday off and were able to celebrate with me. We hung around the house most of the day, arranging Brad and Debbie's new basement furniture, then had a mexican-themed meal for dinner. YAY mexican food! You can't really get anything all that spicy over here, which is a shame, but it sure was delicious. Debbie even made my favorite cornbread casserole.After dinner, there were presents and cake and games. Debbie made me a chocolate cake with penuche frosting, the traditional Cardy birthday cake. I got earrings from Debbie - pretty red dangling ones that will match my ball dress! I got an Idar-Oberstein stone frog tealight holder from Brad. He'd tried to find one tick-shaped (I HATE bugs, and Sam's been having a vicious tick problem), but fortunately they don't make them that way. Thank goodness. I also got gummi bears from Gordon and a pedicure set from Kristen, since I'm an Arizona girl at heart and always, always wear flip flops (or go barefoot!). We ate cake and went and played my favorite game - MarioKart - on Justin's Wii. Brad and Debbie even got into it, and we all had a blast! It was a good way to celebrate another year of life. :)

July 4th

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!! Ours was amazing - I hope yours was too! We had perfect weather: warm and clear and lovely. Saturday morning, we got up for breakfast as a group - a large group! We managed to fill almost every bed at the Festaburg this weekend. The morning was full of some preparations, and when afternoon came, it was time for a party!

Families and soldiers joined us, as well as our American neighbors and some of their friends. Joel brought over some huge speakers and a sound system, and we filled the air with classic American music. Some people milled around talking, but most of us headed out to the volleyball court for some games. While much of the time was just trying to keep a volley going, we did play a couple "serious" games, with eating first being the stakes. Because, what is July 4th without a barbecue? We grilled brats and hamburgers and hot dogs and pork steaks on our hanging grill, and enjoyed fresh HUGE watermelons and potatoe salad and chips and all kinds of good American foods.


After lunch and several more games of volleyball, we loaded up into our caravan and headed for Kapoun Air Base over by Ramstein and Vogelweh. There was a carnival there, so we headed over and walked around enjoying the cotton candy and hot dogs there before settling down on a grassy hill to wait for fireworks. (The Air Force has more funding than the Army, so their pyrotechnic display promised to be more spectacular.) It was worth the drive and the wait! About half an hour of amazing fireworks, shot from the middle of a baseball field. We were close, and could feel the ground shake with some of the explosions. It was a great ending to a wonderful holiday. This is the first American Fourth of July I've had in the last 3 years, so it was a blast!

Simple Joys

So, today it began to storm as Debbie and I were getting ready for Friday night dinner & Bible study. Flashes of lightning filled the rooms, and cracks of thunder grew progressively louder and scared poor Sam. Two of the neighbor girls, Christy and Paige (there's an American family across the street now) ran over to see if I wanted to go play in the rain with them, so out we went. We danced in the streets, splashed in puddles, ran around with our arms open, jumped around and acted silly, pointed in awe at huge bolts of lightning, and on more than one occasion let out a squeal at a particularly loud peal of thunder. We got soaked, and came in bedraggled and dripping, but it was SO much fun to just go outside, run around, and enjoy God's storm. (no, I didn't take the picture...but it looked about like this!)