Life Comes At You Fast

Well, this is probably going to be the most shocking entry I ever write.

I'm leaving this family next week.

Yes, you read that right. Sunday, March 2nd, I'm getting on a train and going away. Am I running away? No. Am I fired? No. It's rather a long story...my guest-mother came to me yesterday (wow, it seems like so much longer!) and asked if I had a flight home already. I said no, we're looking at May 19th, but we haven't bought the ticket yet. Well, she said, the thing is...

They've found the lady they want as their next Kinderfrau. They're done with Aupairs, they want someone permanent. It's hard to find someone willing to work afternoons, and who lives here nearby, and is willing to be here long-term, and this lady apparently worked for my guest-mother's boss for like 10 years with his kids, so she's got great references, yada yada yada. Great, why are you telling me this? Well, she's been unemployed for a while now, and after a certain amount of time, the German unemployment agency stops giving you money, and she needs a job now. If they don't let her start early, she's going to have to look for a different job, and they really really want her, and don't want to have to do the whole search again, it takes so long and is so difficult. So, they ask if I can fly home early. Sure, no problem, I don't have to stay for my choir concert if it will help. How early are we talking about? Well, she wants to start March 3rd.

...


..........!!


What?!?!?! Did I hear that correctly? I only have to work here for 10 more days, and then just - that's it? Go home? WOW what just happened here?? I just started my 3 month countdown, and it suddenly got jumped to like 2 weeks! Less than! WHAT? It took a very long time to sink in. Actually, I'm pretty sure it still hasn't entirely sunken in.

So, yes. Next Friday is my last day of work, Saturday is packing, and Sunday is getting on a train. A train, not a plane. I'm not ready to leave Germany yet!!! So, thanks to the grace of God and the generosity of the Ellgens, I am going to live with Brad and Debbie for about a month before flying home. I'll help them out in any way I can, enjoy the rest of my time in Germany, and, of course, see Rob. God is good!

Most of you know this because you were praying for me, but about two weeks ago, I almost quit and came home. I was so sick of dealing with some things, I called my parents crying and asked them to bring me home. After the rest of the day, I had calmed down and thought things through and knew I didn't really want to just up and leave, but at the same time, I was so exhausted from struggling with some of the things here and wanted to give up. Mom reminded me of God's promise that no temptation has overcome us but that which is common to man, and that He will not give us anything we can't handle, but along with it provides a way of escape. I resolved to trust Him and stick out my last 3 months, no matter what, because to say God isn't enough would be terrible. Two weeks later, God has provided my way out - and I didn't have to quit or get fired or anything, AND I get to go back to the Festaburg, which in my opinion beats Disneyland any day for The Happiest Place on Earth.

So, WOW! That's all I can say, wow. I'm still rather overwhelmed by the shock of it all, and a little stressed that my time here has suddenly been chopped, but it's all in God's hands. If any of you think of something you'd like me to bring you from over here, please let me know!! I thought I had a lot more time to work on that, but not anymore!

I'll still keep blogging, even though the Aupair year will be over. And, I'll see you all in April!!

9 Months

Yes, I have been here 9 months. 3/4 of my year is over!! The last three months have arrived. Wow. 75% done. Wow. Wow. I know, very articulate, aren't I?

So, today was interesting. Remember how I told you that the lady at church wanted me to teach sign for a mother's evening performance or something? Well, I went in today to do that, and found out that I'm really doing something very, very different. (I didn't think my German was that bad!!) Instead of teaching them sign for a song they want to do, I'm choreographing a dance - or two, or three - for them to perform. I get to pick the music, choreograph it, and then teach them. Woo-hoo! Kind of a surprise - but sounds like fun!! I will also hopefully be helping with another group of these kids who are doing sketches and scenes and stuff. Fun fun fun fun fun.

Oh, and I went to IKEA today - SO much fun!! The store is simply amazing. I love it. It excites me like no other. I could spend so many fortunes there!! It's kind of a dangerous place, because it gets me thinking about decorating everything...hmmm :)

Sunshine

The sun is shining for the FOURTH day in a row!! This is noteworthy!! Beautiful sunshine! How I love it. :) This has been a good weekend. Sleeping in, being sick - okay, so that one's not so good, but at least it's just a cold - driving, shopping, munching, and taking long bike rides through beautiful german countryside. This is what it looks like by me - jealous? :) [if you click you can get it bigger]
Oh, and something cool happened today. I have no voice at the moment, so in church I was signing with all the songs, and one lady happened to take notice and came up to me afterwards. She said she couldn't help but keep watching me, because it was fascinating, and just what she was looking for. Apparently she's planning some kind of mother's evening at the church, and some of the jr high age girls are performing there, and they were looking for some kind of dance or something to do - and she thought sign would be perfect. So next Saterday - and a few after that - I get to teach sign language!! Just to a song or so, but still - exciting!!

OH YEAH

I almost forgot! Well, I did forget, and then I remembered again. I want to show you all the video from my time at the Festaburg!! Well, here you go. :)

New Year's at the Festaburg (Public Version)

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525,600 Minutes...

Yes, RENT. Another new favorite musical. The story is...interesting, but my gosh is the music incredible. I've been singing it all week, and physically cannot get it out of my head. There's constantly a mixture of at least 4 songs running around, and I love it. :) I think I'm going to go watch it again....for like the fourth time this week...and I've watched all the extras, too.... :) Oh, and I think I'm in love with the character Mark Cohen. I haven't fallen in love with a movie character since...well, Legolas doesn't count, but before that was Han Solo, or Garrett from Quest for Camelot. This one beats them all.

Anyways, there is another reason for the title. One year ago today, I heard about this job and wrote back. A very simple e-mail, asking for the information just for information's sake, never believing I could actually DO it. I just wanted to know all about it so I could dream and think how cool it would be. I wasn't serious when I told my mom and Aunt Pam about it two days later in line for the VNSA booksale. I'd been looking for nanny jobs around Phoenix, and when she asked how it was going, I said, "Haha, I've found the perfect nanny job."
Oh, really?
"Yeah, guess where?"
Where?
"Germany. Wouldn't that be amazing? Too bad I could never really do it."
Why not?
"Mom - it's Germany. Pack up for a year and just go?"
Yeah, why not?

Well, apparently, she was right, because here I am a year later, 3 months away from the end of my year here. One small step back then...and look how far it's come. It's interesting to think back to what was going on then, with school and choir and OneVoice and trying to find work and roommates and Southwestern and just everything. I miss it. I can already say, I cannot wait to go home. I'm gonna miss it here, and I love Germany, but I'm so close to being ready to come home. Once Rob's deployed, I'm ready to leave here.

The Weather

Yes, this is a blog about the weather. You know, everyone always talks about talking about the weather as if it were a last-ditch conversation effort, but really, sometimes it really is worth mentioning! If it's been raining for a month solid and you get a morning of blue skies and sunshine, Yes! the weather is an exciting topic! If you live in Phoenix and the sun shines and bakes and fries and broils every single day of the year, and you wake up to the sound of raindrops, Yes! the weather is very exciting! And if it should happen to begin to really storm, YAY! call your friends (we were always 'storm buddies') and get excited together because the weather is so darn exciting!

I cannot wait to go back to having rain be something to look forward to instead of dread. It has rained every day for longer than I can keep count. I can hardly wait for spring. I love rain - in Phoenix. Here...it's just another day that we're mostly stuck playing inside, and it's cold and wet and muddy out. The weather has been mild, between about 2 and 10 degrees over the last couple weeks. Then today's weather was just . . . wow. I woke up to a partly cloudy sky, very excited to see blue. Then it was fully cloudy. Then fully sunny, with dark clouds on the horizon. Got some rain. More sunshine - actually got to wear my sunglasses! Then SNOW. Then sunshine. Then rain. Now it's dark and we can't see the weather anymore. But it's cooold. Woo-hoo. At least the sun has started getting up around 8 and going down at 5:30ish, instead of the mid-winter up at 9 and down by 4. Every day is a little longer....by the time I leave, it will be up at 5ish and down at 11ish. Yay sunlight!!

An Expensive Mistake

So, I accidentally used up all my phone money. Which is saying something. :( Calling home from my landline here is really super cheap, and I had approx. a 20 euro per month limit. No problem, I maybe used the full twenty once or twice so far. Well, then came this month. Apparently, calling a german cell phone from a german landline is much more expensive than calling an American number from a german landline - who'da thunk it? So, this month, my phone usuage was pretty much the same as normal, just to a different kind of number - and there went the rest of my year's phone money. Ouuuuuch. So, now I get to pay my own phone bill, woo-hoo! I really don't mind that at all. I just feel bad, cause I really had NO IDEA that it cost that much more, and that's a lot of money I used up. I'm not going to mention the number. But I feel bad - more, I feel they're a little, well, disappointed isn't quite the right word, but maybe disapproving? But honestly, it was an accident - I had no idea at all. Dang it.

Ha, and to make things even 'better,' my pre-paid cell phone needs to be re-upped. I never use it, hardly, and haven't had to put more money on it since like July, but the timing would happen right after I have other phone/money issues. Joy.

So, just pray for me? That I don't feel so guilty about this or worry about it so much. Honestly, I hardly slept last night for worrying about it. See, originally there was only one number I couldn't call, and I could still call home and other stuff, so I was confused as to why it wasn't working, and then it stopped working all together, and I knew I'd used up all the money - and spent the whole night worrying about what I had done and what the consequences could be. Fortunately just a mild lecture and having to pay my own, but still.... :( I do feel badly. Very badly. Why does calling a german cell from a german landline have to be so darn expensive???