Partai!!

Today was Sophia's birthday party for her very not quite yet birthday. (Her birthday is in January, but she likes the summer, so we party now!) Sixteen kids, three adults, plenty of sweets and games later everyone was dead, and by everyone I mean the adults. 

Since I am new and I know none of Sophia's friends except a few we kicked the games off with a name game. You know, the one where you throw the ball to one person and say your name and then their name, etc. Well, in German it is a little bit different. Like the fact that I had no idea what they were saying. Just kidding, I knew most of it. After everyone had the ball it was my turn to throw it to everyone and say their names. I got the good majority, but out of sixteen I think I did well! 

After this was an egg run, wheelbarrow run, thee legged race, a water run (they had cups and had to fill a bucket at the end of the yard), a "fireman" line, a game where they linked arms and had to get each person thru a hula hoop without breaking hands, and last but not least a water balloon toss! This was always my favorite game with youth group growing up!!!! This quickly turned into "find some sort of water from somewhere and throw it at the nearest person". After this, everyone got changed and we had some fantastic food made by Stefan and then we all lived happily ever after. The End. 

Oh yeah! Pictures!!!!!!

(Sophia getting her hula hoop on)

(The kids getting their water balloons)

(This is we're the unthinkable started happening.)

(They got cups and started throwing water at each other)

(And then..... The sweetest little girl just looks at me like "can you move over please so I can get past you?" NOT WHAT SHE WAS THINKING!!!)

(And then round two. Down the back of the trousers and everything. It was a BLAST!)

Bis bald!

The Best Siegfried Ever!

Today was the day that everyone in the house awaited!!! Stefan came home from the Seattle Opera where he performed the part of Siegfried in Wagner's Ring Cycle! All of his reviews were fantastic and everyone loved him. (I myself have never heard him sing except around the house today and cannot wait to hear him actually sing!) 

The kids wanted nothing but forts today!!!! I don't know that I will be able to get out of bed in the morning for fear of feeling too old. So, two forts were built, a father came home, and a party was had all day long! It was fantastic and I am so excited to get to know Stefan more! 

Tomorrow is a birthday party for Sophia even though her birthday is in January. She constantly wants a summer birthday and asks Sabine "why couldn't you have me in the summer/why did you have to wait until winter?" I personally think its great! They still celebrate her birthday in January, but no outside party. Unless the activity of the party is going to be making snow angels, but I prefer egg races! Hope everything goes well with it! 

Bis bald!

Hildegard of Bingen

So! Yesterday was great! It rained all day and was cool enough for me to wear jeans, long sleeves, and wool socks!!! (For those reading who don't know, I LOVE COLD WEATHER!!!!!) We had a lazy morning with a breakfast of yogurt, bread with all kind of cold cuts and cheeses, and coffee. After Sophia went off to a friends birthday party down the road Sabine, Lukas and I went to go see the castles on the Rhine river. Well, since the weather wasn't permitting enough we went another way to see some BIG rocks hanging on the side of a mountain! When I say big, I mean bigger than my house. It was a little scary driving by them, but we made it in one piece to where? Of all the places in the world that I never thought I would end up. We ended up in.....

(If you can't see the sign, Bingen!!!!)

That's right all music lovers who are reading this. I went to the place where Hildegard lived!!!! Well, the town at least. We are going back with nice weather to her home! 

After I nerded out a little we went down to the river (Nahe) and watched where it met with the Rhine. 

We started driving to find a place to stop and have a coffee before heading back home. What started out as a want for coffee slowly turned into a two hour excursion of watching the river, looking at the some six castles and churches perched on the mountains on either side of the river, and finally finding a place to have some coffee. And that place? Was in a castle!!!!

It was absolutely fantastic!!!! The views and the small streets were amazing! A little slick from the rain (I slipped twice), but beautiful none the less. After this we came home and waited for Sophia to come home before we went out to eat in a nearby town with some friends. It was so cool!!!! Not even ten minutes away! The place that we tried to go first was sold out, so we went to a place jut on the other side called The Rosegarten. It was so cute! Some sparkling wine and I ate cheese, meet that I didn't know, some veggies, and (as did everyone else) some of Sophia's French fries. Overall I give it a ten out of ten.

Today, however, I woke up and went downstairs to get ready. Sabine had informed me yesterday that she was having a friend over for breakfast. Me being me, I didn't want to intrude even with the invitation to join them the night before. I am in the middle of reading an intense part of Les Miserables when Sabine comes down and tells me that I can come up (I hadn't had breakfast, but I didn't mind to get it after). I went up with them and had the best morning that I have had in quite some time. Sabine really outdid herself. There were small cakes (gluten free and fantastic!), small sandwiches (ham, cheese, egg, and more ham) and of course, coffee. BUT there was a surprise that I really don't even know the name of so for now we will call it heaven. Oh my sweet baby llama!!! I put it in my mouth and both others were looking at me laughing. I can understand why! If I was making the face I think I was making, then it was pretty funny. I could have eaten ten of these by myself!!!! Thank God I could only have two! It didn't rain today, but it was just very overcast. The rest of the day was really nothing. I got to drive again and I had fun with the kids while building fort number two in Lukas' room.

(Fort #1, built yesterday morning)

(Bigger and better fort #2! With Lukas inside to the left, and screaming FORT!!!!!!)

Das ist alles für jetzt! 

Bis bald!

Whew! That was exhausting!

Well, the last two days have been action packed! Yesterday and today actually kin of run together. I know I did something yesterday morning, but as of right now....it doesn't exist. It'll come to me eventually. We will just start in the middle when I took Sophia to the playground! 

After about an hour here I tried to tell Sophia that we had to go home so we could pick up her brother from his sport. Well, I'm sure you know how good my German is (eh), to a German it is like having a baby what can't talk yet. So, after some help from a nearby parent who spoke excellent English we made it home just in time to turn around and head back to the playground! They said we could stay. (I got to make a good dent in Les Miserables so I'm not complaining.) 

On Friday nights we watch a movie. Yesterday it was Charlottes Web... In German. I caught a good bit of it though. OH!!!! My morning really didn't exist! I did not do much until it came time to take Sophia to her sport (horse riding)! Sabine and I drove out there and guess who got to drive by herself!!! Go on... Guess. That's right! Me!!! I think I was more scared than a, well, a little me seeing a spider above my bed in the middle of the night. But I made it with myself and the car in one piece there, and on the way back, this time with Sophia! 

Today we went all over!!! First we left the house early to go see about getting Lukas a nice nice new (to him "used") saxophone! No such luck though... After this we headed down to the Rhine!!!! It was beautiful!!!!! 

(And this is only half!!! There is a whole other side beyond the island!!!)

We had lunch on the Rhine at a place which is called a beer farm. No idea, don't ask. Lunch was great and we went for a short walk down the riverside. Where we saw a dog who could fetch like no other!! 

(This was my lunch! A very thin pizza-like pure awesome!)

We came home after lunch and then Sabine and I got ready to go to Frankfurt to an opera (type thing). It was good and different all at the same time. All in different languages, so I can't really say much, but I did enjoy myself. After three hours of Rigoletto, Sabine and I headed back to the house where I found Mongo (my new spider friend, whom I give plenty of space) fighting another (bigger) spider. It was a heroic battle on Mongos part because I believe that he now has lunch for tomorrow and possibly dinner. Das ist alles für jetzt! 

Bis bald!

Bratwurst

I had my first Bratwurst today at a party that Sophia's choir had out in the forest. (So many kids!!!) I would just like to say that foreign children are an absolute ball! They don't push each other like American children. That, and wen you don't speak their language that well they get a little scared and ask other adults about you. Ha!

I've gotten a lot more comfortable around the house and that is good, but I really need to learn me some language, because.... Well, it's hard. I can communicate with Chari (the dog) very well, people and full sentences, not so much. 

Tomorrow I'll be driving to go get Sophia from her horse riding lessons. I just hope I can remember the directions and the rules of the road at the same time! Wish me luck!

Bis bald

My first day as an au pair!

I had a rough morning, but only because I slept for a total of 14 hours yesterday! I woke up at 0900 and my eyes could not work! They hurt so bad for so long, but they are much better now. I didn't do much this morning other than read and get a little more comfortable. The real fun started happening after Sophia got home from school at about 1200 and she had fallen and hurt herself (a gash on her foot that will make for a nice scab and a cut lip). After some love, care, and a few bandages she wanted to take Chari (the dog) and me down to the creek just down the road. I loved walking down there because it was so beautiful!! Close streets and really cool houses. The water was cold but it felt great otherwise! 

     (Sophia and Chari on Mozartstraße)

           (The bridge over the creek)

(Sabine said that if she "washes in the creek, she doesn't know" who can blame a 7-year-old who doesn't like baths? I know I can't.)

After we got back we had lunch and then the kids went to play with some friends and Sabine and I went out to the store to try to find an adapter for my computer, which is slowly dying, and had no luck, then we went to Aldi! A name that I know!!!!HA! Anywho, I got to drive! There were many fords and about 5 round-abouts. Other than that and some signs driving was only a little scary. Ha ha. I only took one wrong road though, so I could that as a plus! 

(Das ist Miene Auto! It's a Citrön C5, if that means anything to anyone other than Aaron.)

After getting back home I practiced (ha!) and then got to talk to my parents after dinner. And thus ends my first adventurous day as an au pair!!! One small step for everyone and one giant leap for me. (That's how it goes right?) 

Bis bald 

P.S.- Lukas and Sophia attacked me with a really big "Guten Acht!" 

And... GO!!!

It has been a time for goodbyes and hellos all in the same "day". I flew on about two hours of sleep and when I finally made it to Germany, it had been close to twenty-four hours since the last time I had slept. I was so ready to meet everyone, sadly I had to do some waiting:  about eight hours and twenty minutes of it on a plane full of screaming, very unhappy children. I do have this to say, however, the short span of a day that I have been here has been completely worth it!!! 

Sabine, Lukas, and Sophia each welcomed me with a very warm hug and a smile. After Sabine and I got home we had a very small "second breakfast" (sadly nothing to do with LOTR, but more along the lines of a mother finally being able to eat breakfast after the kids are at school.) The breakfast consisted of bread, cheese, assorted jams, cold cuts, and coffee! What a breakfast, am I right?!

We (Sabine and I) just say and talked until it was time to go get Sophia from school which we walked to do! I really shouldn't get that excited about something like that, but I will have pictures up of the town soon and you will see. The house has beautiful windows that are huge! And open in the coolest way!

I took about a four hour nap in mid day so that I could still be awake a little bit longer in the night. I guess we will see! 

Bis bald!

Well, I think it is officially countdown time in Tennessee! One week from tomorrow I will be leaving the country to embark on a totally incredible adventure! I have Skyped with my German family and I do believe that they are as excited about all of this as I am. I just hope that I can put some sort of culture of mine into their lives like I know that they will do for me.

I am so excited to have this opportunity. Not many people that I have know have ever left my small town, but I hope to start a new trend and longing for adventure in their lives. To touch lives through music, teaching, straight up ministry, or even my horrible language skills (which will hopefully improve quickly). I want to say thank you to all who have supported me over the past...oh, I don't know...We'll just say 22 years. It means the world and I am sure that if I have not already returned the favor, then I will more than gladly do so in the future as you have done for me.

Much prep has been put in to this year long journey and much much more will come out of trying to fit an occasional trip to another country on my day off every now and then. I have waited for this my whole life.. or at least since I was 4-years-old (I can't remember much before that). I hope that whoever reads this blog enjoys reading as much as I am having fun writing it. Again: BIG thanks to those who have given their love and support (and financial grace) to me for everything that is getting ready to happen in my life.

Bis bald!

Goodbyes are the hardest things to say

Over the past four days I have been saying goodbyes like there's no tomorrow (pun intended), but I wish I didn't have to. My best friends in the world have now hugged me one last time before I ship off and I can't stand the look on their faces or the tears in their eyes (or mine for that matter). I've still got a few people to see before I go, but instead of saying goodbye, I will leave them with a polite "bis bald". Until then is a very ambiguous thing to say when you haven't before hand given a date to go along with it, but that's just it! You're merely stating that you will in fact see them again.

Bis bald