A Little Rambling

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!

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...

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...

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 pepperoncini s 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 h...

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!

I always go on about how wonderful my friends are after we've been out having fun doing something particularly nerdy or awesome or spontaneous. They're fun and exciting and unique and creative and enjoyable. But sometimes it takes a night like this to really appreciate them. True friends care. They sit with you quietly when you're sad or sick. They reach out to touch you, a hug or a shoulder rub or a back scratch or holding your hand, or letting you just rest on them. They don't ask too many questions. They don't get impatient. They follow you when you disappear and set up camp on the bathroom floor till you're ready without a word of complaint. They cheer you up - but they don't force you to be cheerful. They love you with actions and words. They don't make a big deal of it. They accept and help and love. They pray. They let you know you're never alone. To all my friends, I love you dearly. Thanks for loving me.

I finished my scarf - the first yarn project I have ever seen through to completion. Woo! I allowed myself yarn for two more scarves, no more. If I finish those as well, then I'll get more. It's fun! Wheee! Next up: a flat scarf.

I feel like my eyes cannot focus on anything further than 4 inches from my face. I have a very long plane ride coming up, and I get notoriously cramped and bored and ear-achy and can't sleep on them, and I have never had a transatlantic flight on which my personal seat-back tv worked. Thus, I am constantly in search of things to occupy my time - and especially this time as I have two layovers. I bought the Hunger Games trilogy and have not taken the plastic wrap off it yet, hoping that that will provide hours of eager page-turning excitement. Last night, I was also given a knitting loom and tool, and taught how to make a tube-scarf by the amazing SBT. I went to Michael's today to buy some yarn, and barely managed to come out with only one skein. I see all the pretty colors and I decide that I am suddenly super knitter! I will make complex patterns in fancy styles for everyone I know! I will make 8 scarves this week! I will be speedy and proficient! I will...probably giv...

Semester's OVER! Jury is passed. Finals are done. Tk20 is...whatevered. Observation hours are complete. Massive papers and projects are turned in. C'est fini ! Fertig ! Terminado ! Finito ! (guess which languages I sang all morning working on my jury?) To celebrate the end, I went out for lunch with my long lost roommate Ashley, and we indulged in large plates of delicious Mexican food from the original Garcias. I went home and was able to have the luxury of a 2-hour nap before heading to Jester'Z with a group, where we laughed until our faces hurt. Every time I go, the Jester'Z manage to turn my laugh into a part of their skit. Last night, I was a squeaky jet engine and the sound a penguin makes. After the show, we headed over to Paragon to dance till midnight. We had an evenly matched number of guys and girls by then, so we all got to dance a lot. There was another guy there who was marvelous, and he whisked me around the room in a blazing waltz (or at le...

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 my other blog , though I'll probably double-post on here, too. If you're curious about what it is I do in Germany, go browse through that 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 everythi...

Tonight was my 2nd annual holiday recital at work. It went SO WELL!! the festive stage set-up This event has been a mild stressor in my life for the last two months or so, and slightly more than mild in the last week. I had enough students this year that I was able to split it into two recitals, one piano and one voice. I've been working with my kiddos (and adults!) for weeks and weeks, practicing their songs and talking about stage etiquette and microphones and making sure they knew exactly what to do once the recital was finally here. They definitely didn't disappoint! There were SO MANY PEOPLE there! We brought in extra chairs and still ended up SRO for both recitals. Last year it was just kids and their parents, but this time there were grandparents and friends and teachers and extended family members and who knows who else, all crowded in till we completely filled the whole studio. In between recitals there was hot spiced cider and lots and lots of cookies and treats...