Whew. That took a long time to upload - especially since I had to do it twice (darn internet failures). The silver lining is that the scarf I'm knitting for my sister more than doubled in length during the wait time. Hope you enjoy a glimpse of what Christmas was like here overseas!
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
The 3 Days of Christmas
Whew. That took a long time to upload - especially since I had to do it twice (darn internet failures). The silver lining is that the scarf I'm knitting for my sister more than doubled in length during the wait time. Hope you enjoy a glimpse of what Christmas was like here overseas!
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Christmas Eve
Merry Christmas Eve!
Santa has already done well tonight - he brought in an extra large return of soldiers. We didn't make it to the actual ceremony, but apparently Santa himself led them through the doors into formation in the Hall of Champions. What more could anyone ask for but the return of a hero just in time for Christmas? There are still many, many more downrange, so as you enjoy time with your families tonight, say a prayer for those whose family is far away and fighting, waiting to come home at last.
My Christmas Eve was lovely, starting with banana cinnamon pancakes in the morning, my favorite Christmas reading at breakfast, a hike to the castle in the cold and sunshine, and an afternoon of warm fire, winning at nertz, and naps. We then went to a Christmas Eve service at the chapel which I shall refrain from describing, then people came back to the house for bread and soup, a simple dinner in reminder of the humble birth of our Savior.
It doesn't really feel like Christmas. I know that the trappings and trimmings and traditions are not what the holiday is about, but they're nice, and it's different without them. I miss my family, far away in various places of the US of A. This is only my 2nd Christmas without them, and it's a little bit sad, even though I love being in Germany and celebrating at the Festaburg. Makes me feel even more for those who are off serving their country, and for the families they've left behind who are wishing they were home.
Santa has already done well tonight - he brought in an extra large return of soldiers. We didn't make it to the actual ceremony, but apparently Santa himself led them through the doors into formation in the Hall of Champions. What more could anyone ask for but the return of a hero just in time for Christmas? There are still many, many more downrange, so as you enjoy time with your families tonight, say a prayer for those whose family is far away and fighting, waiting to come home at last.
My Christmas Eve was lovely, starting with banana cinnamon pancakes in the morning, my favorite Christmas reading at breakfast, a hike to the castle in the cold and sunshine, and an afternoon of warm fire, winning at nertz, and naps. We then went to a Christmas Eve service at the chapel which I shall refrain from describing, then people came back to the house for bread and soup, a simple dinner in reminder of the humble birth of our Savior.
It doesn't really feel like Christmas. I know that the trappings and trimmings and traditions are not what the holiday is about, but they're nice, and it's different without them. I miss my family, far away in various places of the US of A. This is only my 2nd Christmas without them, and it's a little bit sad, even though I love being in Germany and celebrating at the Festaburg. Makes me feel even more for those who are off serving their country, and for the families they've left behind who are wishing they were home.
Thursday, December 22, 2011
stille nacht
I'm a city girl - born and raised in Phoenix, 6th largest city in the nation.
I'm in a village so small it has...nothing. Not a stoplight. Not a stop sign. Not a church, a bakery, or a school. It has houses, a cemetery, and a volunteer fire station.
I went out to walk Sam tonight. It's warmed up to 46 degrees (weird to get warmer after the sun goes down) so I was out in just a sweater and scarf. The snow has all melted, alas, but the streets were shining gold in the lamplight, wet with the rain. It glistened off the grass as we walked to the end of town. I stopped at the curve in the road and looked out. I could see the other little hilltop villages in the distance, windows gleaming warm through the night. Where the forest lay in between was complete, unbroken blackness, a gaping hole in the landscape where anything could lurk. Above, the sky was low and cloudy, and a faint smell of woodsmoke hung in the air, along with the rich aroma of wet soil.
The silence was heady as I stood and listened. No cars or trains, no dogs barking or tvs blaring, no crickets. The world echoed with stillness. You can't find that silence in the city, but out here, it's everywhere, soaking the darkness in it's deep quiet. Ahead, through a gap in the clouds, one star shared it's cold, blue light, twinkling in the black.
Moments of peace like that are rare, where the world stops and you breathe in and can only think of how great is the Creator, because the beauty of His creation drowns out everything with it's silent rejoicing.
I'm in a village so small it has...nothing. Not a stoplight. Not a stop sign. Not a church, a bakery, or a school. It has houses, a cemetery, and a volunteer fire station.
I went out to walk Sam tonight. It's warmed up to 46 degrees (weird to get warmer after the sun goes down) so I was out in just a sweater and scarf. The snow has all melted, alas, but the streets were shining gold in the lamplight, wet with the rain. It glistened off the grass as we walked to the end of town. I stopped at the curve in the road and looked out. I could see the other little hilltop villages in the distance, windows gleaming warm through the night. Where the forest lay in between was complete, unbroken blackness, a gaping hole in the landscape where anything could lurk. Above, the sky was low and cloudy, and a faint smell of woodsmoke hung in the air, along with the rich aroma of wet soil.
The silence was heady as I stood and listened. No cars or trains, no dogs barking or tvs blaring, no crickets. The world echoed with stillness. You can't find that silence in the city, but out here, it's everywhere, soaking the darkness in it's deep quiet. Ahead, through a gap in the clouds, one star shared it's cold, blue light, twinkling in the black.
Moments of peace like that are rare, where the world stops and you breathe in and can only think of how great is the Creator, because the beauty of His creation drowns out everything with it's silent rejoicing.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Life at the House
If you see my facebook, you'll be aware that we have had snow. Lots of snow! I woke up to a world of white (think Amy Grant's Christmas to Remember) and as soon as I was out of bed I was running around taking pictures. I went out with Brad to walk Sam, and we walked up to the end of the village. Everything is just so picturesque, especially with the fresh snow blanketing everything. I asked Brad if he ever felt like he was living in a postcard. He said that on trips to Rothenburg and similar places, he felt more like he lives in Disneyland for free. It's a fairly accurate description. :)
Yesterday I went shopping with Debbie at a German market (Globus is the closest Germany comes to Wal-Mart), and I picked out a few of my favorite things, including pepperoncinis stuffed with goat cheese and some Bresso. I covet a German grocery store at home, simply for the vast variety of meats and cheeses and jogurts they have! I'm sad that it's now illegal to bring home any kind of meat, but believe me I will be laden with chocolate and cheese and other deliciousnesses. If you want something specific, let me know!
Sunrise happens here about 8:30/9 am, and it's dark again by 4:30, which really is messing with my brain. By 9pm, I'm exhausted, which I put up to a combination of leftover jet-lag and sheer internal clock confusion by the early darkness. In the morning, I enjoy my tea with Brad and Debbie before we split off to our separate occupations. Debbie's not been feeling well, so today has turned into a very quiet one. I've been working on the videos, which are coming along quite nicely. It's weird to have been elevated from slave to intern and now to contractor, perhaps the highest level achievable in this house. Contractors get all kinds of perks, hee hee.
I am loving the snow. People were rather aghast that I had never before shoveled snow, so I seized the opportunity to do so this morning, and Brad obliged by narrating a video about it, thinking his filming was a fair trade for my shoveling.
The chill outside really makes my room seem even more delightfully warm by contrast. I also love the new wood-burning stoves that have been added since my last visit, one in each living room. We sat around last night, Brad knitting a scarf, me writing a letter, Debbie chatting on the phone, listening to Christmas music.
I am loving being here, even if it is cold. Still holding out for a White Christmas. Love and miss all of you at home! And eine froliche Geburstag für Matt!
Yesterday I went shopping with Debbie at a German market (Globus is the closest Germany comes to Wal-Mart), and I picked out a few of my favorite things, including pepperoncinis stuffed with goat cheese and some Bresso. I covet a German grocery store at home, simply for the vast variety of meats and cheeses and jogurts they have! I'm sad that it's now illegal to bring home any kind of meat, but believe me I will be laden with chocolate and cheese and other deliciousnesses. If you want something specific, let me know!
Sunrise happens here about 8:30/9 am, and it's dark again by 4:30, which really is messing with my brain. By 9pm, I'm exhausted, which I put up to a combination of leftover jet-lag and sheer internal clock confusion by the early darkness. In the morning, I enjoy my tea with Brad and Debbie before we split off to our separate occupations. Debbie's not been feeling well, so today has turned into a very quiet one. I've been working on the videos, which are coming along quite nicely. It's weird to have been elevated from slave to intern and now to contractor, perhaps the highest level achievable in this house. Contractors get all kinds of perks, hee hee.
I am loving the snow. People were rather aghast that I had never before shoveled snow, so I seized the opportunity to do so this morning, and Brad obliged by narrating a video about it, thinking his filming was a fair trade for my shoveling.
The chill outside really makes my room seem even more delightfully warm by contrast. I also love the new wood-burning stoves that have been added since my last visit, one in each living room. We sat around last night, Brad knitting a scarf, me writing a letter, Debbie chatting on the phone, listening to Christmas music.
I am loving being here, even if it is cold. Still holding out for a White Christmas. Love and miss all of you at home! And eine froliche Geburstag für Matt!
Monday, December 19, 2011
Rothenburg & Würzburg Christmas Markets
Hello! I decided to do a vlog, for several reasons that you don't really care about it. However, I was exhausted, between jet-lag and a long weekend trip, so I only went with one take. Please to forgive any errors or oddities. I say umm a lot. Enjoy!
Friday, December 16, 2011
oh ho ho
I'm here! Flight from Minneapolis was delayed 2 hours, and the 2nd flight out of Amsterdam by another 40 minutes, but that meant I got to watch the sunset over the city as the lights came on, and read more of my book. I made it through about 750 pages of the Hunger Games books. (I never touched my knitting.) I also got to watch the stars out my window through my sleepy daze, which was glorious. There was a man singing on the plane at what approximated 2 am. He sang only in short, loud bursts - kind of like [off-key] musical Tourettes. And I have not broken my streak of never having a working television on a transatlantic flight.
Brad was there to greet me, however, unfazed by the delays. We drove back through cold and rainy German countryside, and I admired the dark clouds and the bare trees and the green hills with the vineyards stripped of their crop. The river is swollen and undulating with muddy water from all the rain, covering the fields and the bike path. We stopped at Globus and I ate my first real bratwurst and pommes in ages, and went by the IACS office to get my pass - much quicker this time.
We headed back home, where Debbie greeted me with a huge hug and a tour of those things in the house that have changed - not much, it still feels like another home. I unpacked into my old room ("Nellie's Room"), took a shower, and took a brief nap before it was time for the Christmas party.
Most of the people I know from before have long since PCS'd out of here, and in my increasingly jet-lagged state the evening is kind of a blur of new faces. I do have two friends from before, Rosie and Angelica, wonderful girls I met right before leaving 2 and a half years ago. They both have beautiful baby girls that I thoroughly enjoyed holding tonight. We ate dinner, sang Christmas carols, played some games, had a brief devotion, and enjoyed a gift exchange and lots of Christmas cookies. I got a cute new scarf and some long, white, knit mittens! I've already gotten to work on my video projects for Brad. I'm gonna finish a bit of uploading so I can share with you, and then it is time for me to pass out, since we leave at 8:30 am for Rothenburg!
I am soooooo tired. And so thoroughly delighted to be back in Deutschland!
Brad was there to greet me, however, unfazed by the delays. We drove back through cold and rainy German countryside, and I admired the dark clouds and the bare trees and the green hills with the vineyards stripped of their crop. The river is swollen and undulating with muddy water from all the rain, covering the fields and the bike path. We stopped at Globus and I ate my first real bratwurst and pommes in ages, and went by the IACS office to get my pass - much quicker this time.
We headed back home, where Debbie greeted me with a huge hug and a tour of those things in the house that have changed - not much, it still feels like another home. I unpacked into my old room ("Nellie's Room"), took a shower, and took a brief nap before it was time for the Christmas party.
Most of the people I know from before have long since PCS'd out of here, and in my increasingly jet-lagged state the evening is kind of a blur of new faces. I do have two friends from before, Rosie and Angelica, wonderful girls I met right before leaving 2 and a half years ago. They both have beautiful baby girls that I thoroughly enjoyed holding tonight. We ate dinner, sang Christmas carols, played some games, had a brief devotion, and enjoyed a gift exchange and lots of Christmas cookies. I got a cute new scarf and some long, white, knit mittens! I've already gotten to work on my video projects for Brad. I'm gonna finish a bit of uploading so I can share with you, and then it is time for me to pass out, since we leave at 8:30 am for Rothenburg!
I am soooooo tired. And so thoroughly delighted to be back in Deutschland!
Thursday, December 15, 2011
tomorrow! I mean, today! I mean, tomorrow!
It's so close! It's almost time to get up and get dressed and get on an airplane! Which means I should probably go to bed, since tomorrow has become today. I go to Germany today! But because of a time shift, I get to Germany tomorrow!
Time travel. Wheee!
As usual, my wonderful mother helped me pack my piles of stuff into the allowed luggage requirements quite successfully. And as usual I am running over a list in my head constantly, trying to figure out what I'm forgetting. And wishing that it was already time to leave, but all of a sudden I'm finally getting sleepy.
Also, gute nacht! Nun ab in die Heia.
Time travel. Wheee!
As usual, my wonderful mother helped me pack my piles of stuff into the allowed luggage requirements quite successfully. And as usual I am running over a list in my head constantly, trying to figure out what I'm forgetting. And wishing that it was already time to leave, but all of a sudden I'm finally getting sleepy.
Also, gute nacht! Nun ab in die Heia.
Friday, December 9, 2011
One Week till Germany!
A week from now, I will have been on a plane for 11 hours already. In case you haven't heard, I'm going back to Germany! I'll be working for Brad and Debbie for about 3 weeks over the holidays. That means it's time to bring back this blog, though I'll probably double-post on the regular one, A Little Rambling, too. If you're curious about what it is I do in Germany, go browse through old posts on this blog, or go check out some of these videos on youtube. I'll be making more, as that's the main purpose of this trip. I just got a new camera and better software, so they'll be improved!
I'm really praying for a white Christmas, though right now it looks like rain rather than snow. (Please oh please!) I'm excited to see some old friends and to make new ones, and to spend time with two of my favorite people in the world.
I have my voice jury tomorrow, and then my semester is over. That gives me the better part of a week to get a couple more warm clothing items and everything else I need for Germany, and to spend time with my most ubiquitous friends celebrating the season. It all goes so fast! I'm going back, across the ocean to where a good portion of my heart is tethered, to cobblestones and castles, bakeries and the balcony, döner and Deutsch. (I had to finish the alliterated pairs somehow!) I'm looking forward to Weihnachtsmarkts and chapel services (yes, even those!), to nertz on Sunday afternoons, hikes to the castle, prepping for dinner, discussions and Bible studies, even the smell of the mopping solution and walking down the hill to the garbage.
Be prepared for an onslaught of pictures and posts, though they may be spread out and very long.
I'm really praying for a white Christmas, though right now it looks like rain rather than snow. (Please oh please!) I'm excited to see some old friends and to make new ones, and to spend time with two of my favorite people in the world.
I have my voice jury tomorrow, and then my semester is over. That gives me the better part of a week to get a couple more warm clothing items and everything else I need for Germany, and to spend time with my most ubiquitous friends celebrating the season. It all goes so fast! I'm going back, across the ocean to where a good portion of my heart is tethered, to cobblestones and castles, bakeries and the balcony, döner and Deutsch. (I had to finish the alliterated pairs somehow!) I'm looking forward to Weihnachtsmarkts and chapel services (yes, even those!), to nertz on Sunday afternoons, hikes to the castle, prepping for dinner, discussions and Bible studies, even the smell of the mopping solution and walking down the hill to the garbage.
Be prepared for an onslaught of pictures and posts, though they may be spread out and very long.
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