Friday, December 23, 2005

ALLES GUTE ZUM GEBURTSTAG, ELLEN!

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Happy Birthday to You!

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Happy Birthday to You!
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Happy Birthday, Dear Ellen!
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Happy Birthday to You!
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Make a wish!

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Thursday, December 22, 2005

IT'S THAT TIME OF YEAR, FOLKS!

ZZZZZZZZZZ

Today was Ellen and David's last day of school. We are taking it easy today, wrapping gifts, playing video games, and watching videos. Since I won't upload any cool travel pics today, I thought you'd appreciate a video, too. To play it, just click on the screen above. If you haven't checked out YouTube, I highly recommend it! HO HO HO, everybody! Thanks again for all the birthday greetings!

Wednesday, December 21, 2005

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!


Mmmm...cookies for my birthday. Pauline sure knows the way to my heart...and enough to share, too. Thank you!

Pauline gave me this gingerbread house kit for my birthday, too. David is so excited to put it together! (Even better than Legos...well, almost.) He's never put together a gingerbread house before. Me either - mine were always made of graham crackers. Thanks, Pauline! We will put up pictures of the house when it's complete.

Thought you'd like to see a picture of the table set for my birthday breakfast! Ellen's cake is there, along with the gifts. The theme is the sea. See the lighthouses? Pretty special since last night I was talking to God about lighthouses. So what a happy surprise to see them on the table when they called me in for breakfast, like God was saying, "Hey, I hear you. I'm listening and I'm here with you."

Tuesday, December 20, 2005

HITTING THE WALL; BOUNCING BACK

I had no jet lag until today, and then, hoo boy! I hit the wall. Slow start today, but finally got it together long enough to get to Ellen's dance practice. Wasn't sure what to expect, but I was so impressed. The choreography was really ambitious hip hop. The teacher was delightful. She has a great philosophy, paying attention to each child, regardless of body shape or skill level. Her winning attitude is growing the school. The facility was beautiful, situated out in the country.

We drove through shadowy farmland, dotted by bright farmhouses strung with lights and hung with evergreen. The festive decorations make more sense here. The contrast to the dark sky and cold weather makes them stand out. It made me appreciate them more than I do in my sunny, warm, evergreen home state of MS.

I met the funniest mom at the studio. She was a regular comedian, an American living in Germany for about 20 years, the mother of 4, married to a German. She said out loud many of the things I had been thinking. She made me laugh. What a gift she has!

We made it to the grocery store after watching Ellen dance. I am getting used to seeing all the vegetables and foods that I had never seen before. I guess I didn't notice them my last trip, but I will miss seeing them when I shop in the US again.

Tomorrow, Dan will drive me into the city to get some cookies at a special bakery - at the request of Pauline - a million thank you's for the suggestion! Can't wait for my birthday breakfast tomorrow. Ellen just finished making my cake - she finally settled on double chocolate with chocolate chunks and chocolate drizzle. Sounds delicious. We listened to some of my mixes on iTunes and laughed and talked about life. Yay! Finally I get some quality time with her. Got to grab it when you can get it. Know what I mean?

Monday, December 19, 2005

CONVERSATIONS

After breakfast, my sister-in-law and I had the best conversation! It was so great to sit down and talk. Beat the mess out of any sightseeing we've done so far. You just can't top quality time with family. Ellen had her big presentation today: a long speech on Somalia, complete with slides, food, and artifacts. She's been practicing for a long time. So when she came in afterschool, we were dying to know the report. A+...Way to go, Ellen!

David went over to a friends house to play, and Ellen and Annette went to an orthodontist appointment, leaving Dan and me free to take a short trip to Luneburg. Their Chrismtas Market was much smaller than yesterday's, but the city is so old-fashioned, and it is a short drive. I enjoyed listening to Dan in the car and while he gave me a tour of the city. He sure knows a lot about German history and geography! On the way back, we picked up David. When we arrived home, Ellen told us that her principal had called to congratulate her on doing such a good job on her speech. Good news gets around fast!

Farewell, Luneburg...

A favorite parkbench...

The city washed in shadows...

The dramatic cathedral...

Like stepping into Narnia...

Looks inviting, but supper is waiting back home...

A restaurant's back courtyard...

Window shopping...

Another view of the Luneburg market...