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!