I'm packing!

(obviously not...ugh)

Well, today is packing day. All of my stuff (except what's needed for tonight and tomorrow morning) is actually in my suitcases, so I know it fits. Now I just have to go through and reorganize it so it sits nicely despite shifting during flights, and making sure the weight is somewhat even. I really, really loathe packing. It takes a long time, and a lot of thought, and it makes you realize how far you are from your destination. Knowing that I'm moving on Saturday and therefore have to unpack, repack, and unpack again really makes this unpleasant. But I'm going home!!

Despite having said it at least a hundred times by now, I have to say - I cannot believe summer is over already. School starts next week. Work starts right after that. I'm moving in 3 days. (Praise God that things worked out in a last-minute crisis!) But tonight, I have to say goodbye to some of the most wonderful people I know. Brad and Debbie have taken me into their home, mentored and discipled me, and fed me for more than 7 months all told. Nellie has been like a sister - my sign sister! - and is so precious to me. She's moving to Texas soon, so she'll at least be closer. Justin has become a huge part of my life. Gordon is like an obnoxious older brother, or cousin or something. Sean and Jonathan are such good friends, and it's been so nice to talk with them rather than just e-mail like during the deployment. Rosie is an amazing new friend who I won't get the chance to know better. And there are so many others, I can't name them all. And tonight is the last time I will see most of them, as far as I know.

Sniff. I don't know what else to say at this moment. I'm sure after I've actually said the goodbyes, I'll have more of a reaction. Right now, I'm just looking forward to giving all my friends great big hugs and hanging out one last time. But first, I have to get back to shoveling stuff (neatly) into my suitcases....ugh.

New Videos!!

Yup - a large part of my work as "intern" (notice I'm no longer a slave?) is making videos for the House. Here are the most recent two. The first is the newest, and actually gives a glimpse of what the Hospitality House ministry is all about. The second is a short, fun video from our trip to Colmar, France to see the Tour de France. Enjoy!

Fambly Visit

This week the House was FULL!! On Wednesday, Brad and Debbie received visitors from Cadence Headquarters. Gene and Anne P., Carolyn, Matthew & Jill B. and their kids Eli and Emma all came to spend some time with Brad and Debbie and to see the House. On Thursday, my parents and Elisabeth arrived, effectively filling every bed in this whole huge house. Since I'm normally the only occupant of the third floor, it was quite a change to be running into someone every step I took, but having that many people here was pretty fun. We had to caravan our trips and used four tables for dinner on Friday night.

Having my family here was great! This was Elisabeth's first trip to Europe, and I'm glad she came this time. They were in Germany for almost 2 weeks before coming to visit me, and traveled all over. Thursday night, we had dinner just ourselves and Gordon, as all the others were out eating elsewhere. On Friday, we picked Justin up from the base and spent the afternoon in Idar-Oberstein, hiking up to the castles, eating Doener, shopping for gemstones, and enjoying some ice cream. That night was Bible study, led by one of the chaplains from post as a 'guest speaker.' It went really well, and it was cool having such a large group of people.

On Saturday, we piled into a wide assortment of vehicles and headed off to visit Trier. I have been there many times, but I still enjoy visiting, and most of the people had not been there before, or at least not for a year or more. We saw the Porta Nigra (an old Roman gate), the double-cathedral, Constantine's Basilica, and Karl Marx's house. I thoroughly enjoyed a bratwurst and brotchen, along with a mass of Pommes (french fries) with mayo, and some pineapple ice cream. I'm going to miss Germany!!

Sunday saw all of our visitors off, my family to go back home, the Cadence folk on to the next House. That afternoon we enjoyed more bratwurst and just relaxing and hanging out together at home. Justin had a new Wii game that entertained a number of people, some played Nertz upstairs, others of us enjoyed the ancient tradition of the Sunday Afternoon Nap. Dinner was grilled quesadillas and chips and salsa, followed by a short devotional reading from Brad, and trips back to the base. My last weekend at the Festaburg is now over...

One man's trash...

is often still another man's trash, too! At least at German flea markets. On Saturday, we caravanned a group of soldiers out to Homburg for what may be Germany's largest flea market. There are acres of stalls set up, and people sell quite literally everything. There are clothes, toys, cardboard coasters, hats, documents, records, music, books, glass and dinnerware, lots of (American) military gear, and many, many things that could be considered just JUNK. There are also food stands and ice cream trucks, which make it all better.

We walked around the place for a few hours, on one of Germany's few truly hot days - I have the sunburn to prove it! We found all kinds of random treasures. Nellie got a katana and a 10-inch, homemade knife. Justin found a WWII Nazi helmet. Angelica and Steven even found replacement needles for their old record player. Jonathan found a Chinese wall hanging, and while I'm not sure what all other people found, there was a very wide assortment.

I did not find anything to purchase, but I did enjoy trying on a very wide variety of hats, including the Nazi helmet, a gestapo officer's cap, a PC, and a silk top hat. I also got to try on an IBA (US Army issued body armor), and man...it brought me a whole new level of respect for our troops in Iraq. Not only is it heavy, and very hot, it's just dang uncomfortable. The one I tried on didn't even have the side plates in it, nor did it have any of the gear, or a weapon. Reason #574 why I am never enlisting in the Army!!

The Bike Shed

So, I talked in the last blog about helping Brad build a bike shed. There was an old playhouse in the farthest corner of the backyard, long since condemned due to it's age and general decrepitude. So, Brad tore the rotten pieces off and fixed it up with newer wood and added a roof, since the old corrugated plastic roof was sacrificed to become a baptismal pit cover. Then I got to help, and we covered the whole thing in tar paper. Brad even entrusted me with a hammer and nails! (Though he did say I hammer like a girl...well...) After that, I got to paint tar onto all the seams and nails. The next day, after my garage project, I painted some wooden signs for the shed. My original thought was "Festaburg Bike Shop," but Brad said that was advertising for thieves. In response, I went with a Calvin and Hobbes-esque "Keep Out," "Top Secret," and "No Girls Allowed" idea, which was accepted with glee.

So, here's the finished product! Waterproof and waiting to be filled with a few more bikes.