Big girl shoes

This past week has been fairly uneventful, but I have had the pleasure of visiting with many different people. An AIA coffee (Americans in Alsace), a coffee with wives of 2 Lilly employees (one from Italy, one from England) and I hosted a ladies' coffee with people from our church here in Strasbourg.  Those of you who know me well, will know that I really don't drink "coffee", I am more of a hot tea or hot chocolate kind of girl.  Not to shock your socks off, but I have actually sipped a few cups of coffee while I've been here in France.  Wow, right?

The AIA group…I was asked to "block the light", hence why my arm is up in the air.

During the fellowship time at these gatherings I am often asked about my day.  Do I work? Just "what" do I do all day?  Am I bored?  Do I like Strasbourg? etc.

No, I do not work "outside the home".  I have been blessed to be a "domestic engineer" for the last 23 years.  I have spent those years raising 3 children, taking care of a house and husband, spending tons of hours volunteering at various schools/churches and raising money for school programs/sporting teams. I did have a brief stint of selling Tupperware when we were in Ky.  (That was a total blast and I started it just to earn a little "lunch out" money and to have some "adult" conversation time when the kids were little.)

When I was a young lady fresh out of school you couldn't have convinced me that this was the life I would want.  After all, wasn't I voted "Most Likely to Succeed" by my peers?  Isn't the "understood" ending to that phrase "in the work force" or "according to the world's view"? I was an overachiever who wanted "more",  more than my parents had and certainly more than the average little girl growing up in Dayton, Ky could achieve.

Doesn't society teach us (and our children) that to be successful one must have a big house, a new car, all the latest fashions, an iPhone 5, a boat, lots of jewelry, and so on?  Unfortunately, many of us fall prey to that line of thought and spin our wheels trying to get there.

I have become so thankful for the "Midwest" culture that I have been surrounded by and my "low income" family upbringing.  Thanks be to God for allowing me to see through all the "stuff" and realize what the TRUE successes in my life have been.

• a loving and hardworking husband
• 3 beautiful, healthy children
• a warm home and food on our table
• parents who are still alive
• siblings who I can count on in times of trouble
• friends who love me no matter what
• a one-way ticket to Heaven some day

As I tick through that list, other than a home and food, money isn't a factor.  Don't get me wrong, I have been blessed with a husband who is an excellent provider and that certainly makes life easier, but we seldom think in terms of "bigger or newer". We like being "regular people".

Woah, sorry about that soapbox moment!  I guess I better get to the reason for this entry's title.  As a "stay at home" mom/wife, I seldom have reason to dress up.  I'm really just a T-shirt and yoga pant kind of girl at heart.  I don't spend a lot of money on fashion, and if I do buy something new it generally has to pass a "comfortability" test, not a "fashionista" test.  (Sorry to make you cringe Lisa)

As a business leader here in Alsace, David is often invited to many social/business functions.  He typically attends those events by himself and so I get to stay in my yoga pants.  Last evening, however,  was an exception.  We were invited to a reception celebrating the "New Year" at the residence of the US Consul General.  

It's not often that a Ky girl mixes it up with a US diplomat, so I had to pull out the "little black dress" and a pair of "big girl shoes".  Not only did I perk up my daily wardrobe, but I actually took the time to curl my hair and apply make-up. (Thanks to my daughter, Sarah, for the "smokey eye" make-up lesson)

I am happy to announce that David noticed both and we were on our way.  Upon our arrival, David was immediately "cornered" by someone who wanted to do business with Lilly and so off I went to mingle. I met up with the president of the AIA (Americans in Alsace) organization whose name is Luther.  Luther happened to have been at the coffee with me last Thursday.  5 minutes into our conversation he said, "what's different? You have changed something" and then he added "it's a good change".  I laughed and said, "Thanks, Luther.  I curled my hair, put on some make-up and I'm wearing my 'big girl shoes' tonight."

Apparently, Luther has only seen me in my yoga pants with minimal make-up. It's always nice when a gay man offers you a compliment…you know he isn't trying to "hit on you", so it is always a genuine observation .  It was nice getting "dolled up", but I was certainly ready to get out of my shoes at the end of the night. I wonder if Cinderella's feet hurt when she was finished dancing at the ball?  

Wishing you all a reflective moment to celebrate your "successes".  Selfishly, I hope that our friendship will make your "list".  A bientôt !

Near death in Luxembourg and Manu for the win

Part of our "plan" this year was to travel to a new place one weekend a month.  Luxembourg was our first adventure of 2014.

Here is your brief history lesson (skip to paragraph 3 of you are uninterested):

• Luxembourg is the only remaining Grand Duchy, meaning it's ruled by a monarch, either a grand duke or grand duchess.
• It is 999 sq miles in size, making it slightly smaller than the state of Rhode Island or slightly bigger than Jacksonville, Florida. 
• It has about 514,000 residents. (Indianapolis has about 835,000, Cincinnati has about 297,000)
• Capital is Luxembourg City
• Located in Luxembourg City, you will find the Luxembourg American Cemetery and Memorial. It contains 5,076 of our military dead (many who died in the Battle of the Bulge) and also the grave of Gen George S. Patton

Okay, sorry to have bored you with some facts, but hey, you are never too old to learn something…maybe you'll win a trivial pursuit game with one of those facts!

Upon our arrival into the country, through a closed border crossing station, we were greeted by a group of policemen at a speed trap.  Nothing says WELCOME TO OUR COUNTRY like a policeman staring down the end of a radar gun.  At our first "round-a-bout" there was another speed trap for visitors coming from the east (Germany).  

We were looking for the tourism office so that we could pick up a touring map of Luxembourg City. The city is full of one way streets and pedestrian only sections…not especially easy to navigate.  We gave up on the looking for the tourism office, ("recalculating" was becoming monotonous) so we opted to park and walk.

As we prepared to head away from the parking lot, we heard a woman scream.  We turned around and saw people running to the other end of the lot….so of course, we followed.  As we arrived, we discovered what the shouting was about.

Apparently this woman (around 60-65) had somehow lost her purse over the edge of this railing.  As you can see, it's nearly as tall as she is, so we have NO idea how she wound up on the other side of the rail.

You can also see that it is QUITE a drop.  She was badly shaken and two hours later was still on the scene with police staff.

That wasn't quite the "attraction" we hoped to see in Luxembourg, but it started our visit off with a bang.  Here are a few of our favorite sights from the city.

Chapelle Saint-Quirin

I love this shot because  it shows the  small chapel carved into the rocky valley wall (circa 1355), then just above the chapel (and atop the fortress wall) is housing dating from the 1800's, and finally the modern skyline of banking centers prominent in Luxembourg City.

We walked across this bridge which was completed in 1450…yep, BEFORE America was discovered by Columbus!

And of course, we had a little fun in the theatre district before we left.

Sunday evening we were invited to dinner at our friends' house.  The food is always delicious, but the fellowship is even better.  They are my French "safe house".  I can practice my language skills and not be mortified by not using the correct "verb tense" or word.  We did have a laugh about some of the English words that the French (and many other Europeans) have difficulty pronouncing.  They have found ways around saying "sheet" of paper (piece of paper) and "focus"(concentrate).  Change the vowel sound on both those and you see why.

We enjoyed a delicious cheese fondue dinner, followed by a green apple/ice cream dessert.  "La pièce de résistance" (the best part) happened after the adult dessert.  Mael was having a waffle and Manu went to the "outdoor refrigerator" (the table on their back patio) to retrieve a whipped cream container.  YUM, I thought to myself.

As he dispensed the cream, I noticed that it looked like chocolate.  Manu explained that it was actually NUTELLA!  I died and went to Heaven.  I will be buying one of these THIS week and can't wait to try it myself.  My only question was, MARCIE, why did you not learn this in Culinary school and bring this precious knowledge to me in the States???

We stayed after dinner to watch the first half of the Broncos/New England game.  It was broadcast on the French sports station and was definitely weird to hear the analysts talk about the game in French.

Wishing you a great week….maybe even one where you get to experience Nutella infused whipped cream!

Lost in Translation

Bon année, or "Happy New Year" in French, is customarily said the first time you see someone in the New Year.  Not like in the States, where one might say it for the first few days after January 1, but, from what I'm told, during the entire month of January.

If French isn't your native language, you might have trouble with this.  Bon année (bohn ahnay) can be a little tricky for we English speakers.  If you happen to place an extra "n" sound in there, (bohn nahnay) you have a whole different conversation starter.  You see, saying bon "néné" to a female can be quite startling.  One of David's co-workers spent the first 2 weeks saying this to all of his employees last January until finally someone took pity on him and told him that he was saying it wrong.  Instead of telling everyone "Happy New Year", he had been telling everyone "Nice tits".  Yep, an extra syllable can be DEADLY!

This same employee played basketball with David for the Lilly team.  He was a college player and doesn't often see a shot that he doesn't like.  If you are familiar with basketball, sometimes a shooter can "get hot".  All that means, is that they seemingly "can't miss" and all their shots score.  In the US, this player would usually say to his teammates, "I'm hot"….indicating that they should pass him the ball.

A direct translation for "I'm hot" would be "Je suis chaud" or "J'ai chaud".  Direct translations are sometimes a TRAP!!  This player spent much of a game yelling "Je suis chaud" to a court full of men and what he was really saying was "I'm HORNY".  The team had a great time with that!!

I ran into another "lost in translation" issue just this past week.  While taking my French lessons, my tutor had warned me that most of the "boutiques" here in Europe would not accept returned merchandise.  That is a bummer!  You see, I hate to try things on while I'm out shopping.  I'd much rather buy it, take it home, try it on and make my final decision.  Compound this issue with the fact that David hasn't purchased his own clothing for 23 years.  I buy it, bring it home, he decides if he likes it and we go from there.  (I think that I've returned less than a handful of items in those 23 years)
Armed with this foreknowledge, I have been very diligent in asking before I make my clothing purchases. Subsequently, I have made a "return" in two of the stores that have become my favorites.

I purchased David and DJ some shirts and a sweater from a well known Alsace men's store before Christmas. (Mise au Green) Before I paid for the items, I explained that they were a gift and wanted to be sure that I could return them.  (I was speaking in English)  The clerk assured me that I could.

David already had a few items from this store and decided that he didn't want anymore "cows".

Company logo…sans the "MISE AU GREEN"….like an "alligator" or a "polo player" in the US

So, we ventured down to make our return.  When we got to the store, the clerk (the same man who helped me with the sale) asked us what we would like in exchange.  I replied…."we'd like our MONEY in exchange for your shirt and sweater".  Nope!  Apparently a "return" in Mise Au Green is an "exchange", not a "reimbursement".  I have crossed one store off my shopping list.

Hope that at least one of these "translation" stories have given you a chuckle for the day.  We are off to visit Luxembourg this weekend.  I hope to have some interesting things to share with you next week.  God's best for your weekend!

Call me Betty Crocker

One of the good things that has happened while living in France is that I have been cooking up a storm.  Not just the same old recipes that have become my standard fare, but new recipes that require me to make many of the "add-ins" from scratch.  Yesterday, we hosted a young couple who will be relocating to Strasbourg in February.  They were coming over to watch the football game, so David told them that we would be serving "tailgate" food.

One of my new "make from scratch" dishes was buffalo chicken bites with bleu cheese dip.  I haven't seen any "chicken nuggets or chicken strips" while I've been here, so that is why it was necessary for me to make them myself.  If you are like me, and say "hey, Tyson is in business for a reason" and just buy them frozen, stick them in the oven and VOILA, I will tell you that you might be missing out. (taste wise, but certainly not MESSY kitchen wise)

The process required me to cut up boneless chicken breasts into bite sized pieces.  Then I had to coat the pieces in a beer batter and then deep fry the pieces for 3-4 minutes.  After I had the chicken "fried", I then mixed up a batch of buffalo sauce and coated the chicken.  Popped it into the oven for 10 minutes and BAM, chicken bites that rivaled my favorite wings place in the states.  David and I tried one (or maybe 2) of the "unsauced" bites.  They were delicious too, quasi  Chick-fil-A. Even the bleu cheese dip turned out yummy.  Now I can finally make a WEDGE salad!  (You can't find bleu cheese dressing here in France)

The other "main course" for our tailgate was a new favorite of ours.  A spicy whiskey BBQ slider.  Now, you can make them as a slider or we also make them into meatballs….either way, they're DELISH!!  Kudos go out the Ree Drummond and her new cookbook for this tasty treat.

After all of these spicy dishes, I thought I better cool everyone down with the dessert course.  Dessert was a "sundae" of sorts.  I had diced up a pineapple earlier in the afternoon and put it in the fridge.  When it was dessert time, I simply added a few tablespoons of pineapple to a glass (you can do it in a bowl, but it will look prettier in a glass), then I added a couple of scoops of vanilla ice cream.  Add some whipped cream (I didn't make my own this time) and then top it with some passion fruit.  I would've included a photo of the finished product, but they were gobbled up too fast for me to grab my camera!

Now, if you are like me, as a Ky girl, I had no idea what to do with a passion fruit.  I didn't even know how to select one.  (The uglier the outside, the sweeter the inside) Does it get peeled? (No, you cut it in half.)  Once it's cut, it looks like it has spoiled. There isn't any "flesh" to it, it's all seeds.  (They are slimy and green with a yellowish pulp)  After it's cut, you take a teaspoon and scoop out the seeds.  I used a half of a passion fruit for each "sundae".  The result is delicious and I challenge you to try it!

Now that I have made you hungry, aren't you glad that you just READ about all of those calories??  It's raining today in Strasbourg, so I had to get my exercise in within the confines of my apartment.  I'm sure that my downstairs neighbors think that I weigh 400 pounds by the sounds coming through their ceiling.  I will probably blog about another post-it note on my front door later in the week!!

Take time to enjoy your day….it's already the middle of January and the time flies by whether we enjoy each day or not.  I try to see God's "blessings" in each day and try to focus on them.  I read a quote that has always stuck with me...“Live today. Not yesterday. Not tomorrow. Just today. Inhabit your moments. Don’t rent them out to tomorrow. Do you know what you’re doing when you spend a moment wondering how things are going to turn out ? You’re cheating yourself out of today." Jerry Spinelli

 I wish you a week of "todays" filled with God's many little blessings along the way. 

Have you ever thought of…..

There hasn't really been anything happening here this week, so I thought I would visit a mishmash of things that one might not consider if you haven't lived in or been to Europe.

ICE
Don't expect it.  It has been my experience thus far that most of Europe doesn't have ice makers.  Not in most restaurants, not in most hotels and definitely not in the average home.  You can't even find "bags of ice" for sale in stores/gas stations.  We found this out the hard way when we took the kids to Switzerland last July.

We were scheduled to leave early Friday morning.  DJ and David went to play basketball and Sarah and I stayed home and went out to dinner.  We were expecting the boys to come home around 9:30.  At a little past 8, we heard a key in the door.  In hobbled my boy…with an ankle the size of a melon.

Great…what does the typical person intend to do while in Switzerland?  Hike.  That plan just flew out the window. We iced down his ankle and hoped it would look better in the morning.  It wasn't much better, but we wrapped it up so that he would have some additional support and altered our plans for a day of hiking.  Since check in at the hotel wasn't until after 3:00 we packed a cooler (drinks, sandwiches and snacks) and thought we'd enjoy a picnic lunch in the Alps.

We arrived in Lauterbrunnen (highly recommended if you ever have the chance) and walked up to a waterfall that happened to be adjacent to the parking area.

 DJ took it slow and his ankle seemed to be ok.

We enjoyed our picnic and headed off to the hotel to try to get an early check-in.  Success!

We got our bags to the room and then were going to head out to Interlaken (Land between the lakes) for a boat tour of Thundersee.  There wasn't a refrigerator in the room, so David and I went to the lobby to ask for ice to keep our drinks and snacks cold.

We were directed to the hotel restaurant.  We asked the nice lady for some ice and she headed into the kitchen area.  She came out about 5 minutes later with a small galvanized tub of ice.  She proceeded to get a glass and put in 3 cubes of ice.  I was like, really?  I explained that our son had an injury and that we needed "quite a bit".  She got a 2nd glass and added another 3 cubes.  She obviously was not "getting it".  I asked her if we could just take the ice bucket to our room and use what we needed and then bring the tub back to her.  Her face contorted into a mask of horror…."no, no, no, then I will not have ice for the restaurant for the rest of the evening" she replied.  ARE YOU KIDDING ME?  My ice maker in the good ol' USA contains more ice than she had in that tub.  I think she was cracking open the "old time" ice cube trays back in the kitchen and that is what took her so long to come back with the ice she had "harvested".

David and I left with our 6 cubes of ice and added them to our cooler….DJ's ankle was going to have to wait.  We came back from a lovely boat ride around Thundersee and sent the kids back to the kitchen.

The ICE NAZI would only give them 1 cup of ice.  We had drinks and meat to keep cool.  No freezer to re-freeze our gel packs, no ice sold anywhere and 3 cubes of new ice.  We "enjoyed" lukewarm tea and pepsi for the next 2 days and had to throw away our lunchmeat and cheeses.  Lesson learned:  Ice is a commodity, not to be given away indiscriminately.  We no longer take a cooler for a journey of more than one afternoon.

CELL PHONE COVERAGE
I have mentioned before that we live very near the German border.  That is a good thing for accessing cheaper groceries, but a bad thing for my cell phone.  I have to pay "roaming" charges for phone calls and texts when I cross any border and I have no access to my data plan.  I made a trip to the cable/phone provider in an effort to "add" Germany, Italy and Switzerland early last Fall.  I was told that it was not possible.  REALLY?  I can travel across the entire USA with the same plan and you have nothing to offer me for the countries that border France?

I did receive a phone call in December from our cable provider asking if we were happy with the service and would I like to renew for an additional 5 months.  I explained that my French was bad and the agent switched to English.  I mentioned to him that the only "complaint" that I had was the data package outside of France.  He said that my plan allowed data in other countries at an additional cost….I said sign me up…

He said that it should already work from my phone.  I had just recently been to Italy, it didn't work there and had been at the grocery in Germany the day before….nope, fella, it doesn't work.  He promised to look into it and get back to me.  To his credit, he did get back to me.  The problem was my phone, he said.  "You have to change your settings and turn ON the data roaming".  Oh, really?? Did he think I was stupid?  I had already done that and it still didn't work.  He would continue to check with his supervisor and get back to me.

A lady from the company called our apartment at 8:00AM on Saturday morning.  She didn't speak any English, so I handed the phone to my still sleeping husband.  He attempted to tell her the issue in French (which he uses everyday) and she told him that she couldn't understand him and would send us an email….that was 2 months ago…still no data outside of France.

Fortunately, I have my Verizon Wireless "chip" in my wallet, so when I fly back to the states, I can change out my French chip and use the same phone.  Did you realize that you can "suspend" your phone line? It's saving me $30 a month while I'm here!!


HOTEL BEDDING
When you make a reservation for a room in the US, you can ask for a single (King) bed or double beds.  Usually, depending on the hotel chain, you could sleep 2 people in each of those double beds…our family of 4 does that frequently.  Not a lot of room, but it's doable.  When you make a reservation in Europe, if you want ONE bed, (called matrimonial bed) it's typically two twin beds that have been pushed together.  You can NEVER have one room that would accommodate a family of 4.

Even when you request the "matrimonial bed", you sometimes have to push the beds together yourself. When we were in Madrid our hotel room had the matrimonial bed made up for us, however, halfway through the night I thought I was going to lose my husband into the crevice that opened up between the two twin beds.  I asked the front desk for help the next morning and we changed rooms.  They kindly offered me a "suite" that had much nicer "twin beds" topped with a large mattress pad that kept the beds from sliding apart while you slept.

RESTAURANTS/STORES BUSINESS HOURS
Nearly ALL stores are closed on Sundays in Europe.  They also are closed for all holidays.  That means no last minute trip to the grocery store to pick up a forgotten ingredient.  France celebrates many different National holidays than we do in the states.

1 January	New Year's Day	Nouvel an / Jour de l'an / Premier de l'an
moveable	Good Friday	Vendredi saint	Friday before Easter Sunday (observed only in Alsace and Moselle)
moveable	Easter Monday	Lundi de Pâques	Monday after Easter Sunday (one day after Easter Sunday)
1 May	May Day/Labour Day	Fête du Travail / Fête des Travailleurs
8 May	Victory in Europe Day	Fête de la Victoire	End of hostilities in Europe in World War II
moveable	Ascension Day	Ascension	Thursday, 39 days after Easter Sunday
moveable	Whit Monday	Lundi de Pentecôte	Monday after Pentecost (50 days after Easter Sunday)
14 July	Bastille Day	Fête nationale	French National Day, commemorating the 1789 Storming of the Bastilleduring the French revolution
15 August	Assumption of Mary to Heaven	Assomption
1 November	All Saints' Day	Toussaint
11 November	Armistice Day	Armistice de 1918	End of World War I
25 December	Christmas Day	Noël
26 December	St. Stephen's Day	Saint-Étienne	Observed only in Alsace and Moselle

Many shops will also be closed on Monday mornings.  In July and August many business (shops AND restaurants) will close for up to two weeks at a time for summer vacations….can you imagine your local McAlister's Deli or Subway closing for two weeks?  I think NOT.

Restaurants are somewhat dependent on the country.  We have found that in Strasbourg, there is only 1 "seating" per night.  They don't "turn" tables, so if you have a reservation, the table is yours for the entire night.  While this allows the customer to take their time and enjoy the meal, it doesn't work for a tourist who didn't think about making a reservation.  We have walked into a completely empty restaurant and been told that there are no tables available for the evening….really, you don't want to make an extra 50 Euro tonight?

In Strasbourg, the restaurants are typically closing up by 10:00 PM.  However, in Spain, most restaurants are not opening for business until 9:00 PM, so if you skipped lunch you are in big trouble.

I could go on and on, but you are most likely bored with the differences.  However, if you ever want to come to Europe, make sure that you enjoy that last EXTRA LARGE beverage from McDonald's that is FILLED with ice cubes, sold for $1 and refillable….you can't get that here.

Wishing you a blessed weekend filled with NOTHING to do, and thanking the Lord in advance for the answered prayers that are on the way.

Weekend in Germany

This past weekend David and I headed off to Ulm, Germany.  It is about a 2 hour drive from our apartment. Our main purpose for the trip was to go watch our favorite "Butler Bulldog" play.  Matt Howard now plays for a professional team called ratiopharm. He was kind enough to set us up with free tickets to the game.

We caught "Matt" on our way to the concession stand

pregame warm ups

The "how" to this weekend is a cool story…at least I think it is.  In Indy, our family attends church at E91.  It is a HUGE church that offers 3 Sunday service times.  (This girl came from a Ky church that offered one Sunday service and 50 people was a crowd)  All of our closest friends attend service with us on Sunday mornings and we usually try to snag the same seats every week.   One Sunday morning, about 3 years ago, we had sung the opening song, sat down for announcements and then were to stand for another song.  As I stood, I immediately noticed that my previous view of the screen was now completely eclipsed by an enormous male body.  I let out an involuntary "woah" and the body turned around and said "sorry".

It took me a minute to figure out why I recognized the face and height, but then it came to me….it was Matt Howard, the Junior center for the Butler Bulldogs.  Cool, he was a Christian and he went to our church.  He wasn't just a come once a month guy, he came all the time.  That was a huge encouragement to us.  I mean, come on, his parents didn't know if he was going to church….they lived in Connersville, Indiana. Even when there was a really physical game or an overtime game or an away game where the team had to travel back to Indy late on a bus, Matt would be at church the next morning.  He would usually sit with his sister and her family.  Sometimes, other Howard family members would come too.  We would notice them, because like us, they would generally sit in the same area.

We would occasionally say "good game last night" during the "greet those around you" time at church, but never really introduced ourselves.  Well, fast forward 2 years.  David is living in Strasbourg and attending a game for our local pro team, the Sig.  He looks out onto the court and who is on the opposing team?  Matt.  He calls me later that night and tells me.  The next day at church, I see Matt's sister in the row behind me.  I walked over and casually mentioned that Matt had a great game the night before and that David was living/working in France and had seen Matt play.  She immediately asked me for David's contact info and passed it along to Matt.  VOILA, God just made a VERY big world into a small little place.  David and Matt have been trading emails since.

Before the game we decided we would check out the city of Ulm.  It was raining, so I wasn't too keen on the idea, but hey, why not.

We walked along the Danube (no, it wasn't blue) and the city wall and throughout the "Fischerviertel" (the old fishers and tanner's quarters).

The city wall

The Danou (Danube) and view of our hotel

We saw the "Schiefes Haus" (Crooked house 1443) and then moved on to the Cathedral (Ulmer Münster 1420) and a cute Greek Orthodox chapel. (Valentinskapelle 1457)

Schiefes Haus

Ulmer Müenster

Just in case you read German and want to know about the chapel.

We warmed up with a hot chocolate and a cup of coffee and headed back to the hotel to get ready for the game.

Our logistic problem was that neither Matt, nor his fiancé, Brittney, knew what we looked like.  Fortunately, Matt had set us up with tickets in the "girlfriend/wife/fiancé" section and Brittney introduced herself at halftime.  We enjoyed a ratiopharm win and headed to the VIP lounge after the game.  Matt's teammates are mostly American and we were able to meet/chat with them. It was a really fun evening (except for the time that the General Manager came over and asked if we were Matt's parents, WHEN did I get so OLD??)….but it wasn't quite over.

The Colts were playing!!  Matt and his fiancé, Brittney, came back to our hotel and we watched the Colts victory from my laptop in the lobby. It definitely wasn't a grand way to see the game, but it worked. It was an awesome game and it ended at nearly 2:00AM for us.  We planned to join them for breakfast the next morning at a "Pfannkuchenhaus" (pancake house) called Allgaüer Hof.

David and Brittney waiting for the restaurant to open

The plates were enormous, the size of a large pizza…..David ordered one with german "meatloaf" and eggs.  I ordered the one with hot raspberries, ice cream and fresh whipped cream.
 

What can I say, I'm still a kid….who can resist ice cream for breakfast?

We enjoyed getting to know Matt and Brittney and we can't wait to show them around Strasbourg. Speaking of Strasbourg, I'm sorry to tell my Midwest friends that the sun is shining and it's 55 degrees here today.  I must be off to take a walk (gotta get rid of that enormous pancake)….not something that you can do there in the -13 temps with a foot of snow on the ground.

Wishing you all a warmer week and maybe the opportunity to make a new friend.  God's best to you all.

They're not "kids" anymore

Well, I'm back safely in our Strasbourg apartment.  Gone is the ocean and the sunshine, replaced instead by a canal of water and some rain.  I'm not complaining….it will be mid-40's here all week.  I frequently check the weather at "home" and I was horrified to note that by Monday the high will be -4 in Fishers.

Vacation laundry is going (and going and going), the dishwasher is running, I've finished my devotion for the day and thought this the perfect time to blog.

I LOVE technology.  That doesn't necessarily mean that I'm  especially "techno-savvy", but I love the gift (and I do mean GIFT) of being "connected" to my family and friends in a way that was impossible only a few years ago.  Gosh, that made me sound just like the 50 year old I will be this March.

In just one day David and I were able to FaceTime with his Mom and Dad, our friends Marcie and Dave, along with Lisa, Spencer, Sam and DJ.  I traded "snap chats" with Sarah all day, I kept up with friends and kids on Instagram and FaceBook and received an email photo of my niece and nephew ringing in the new year.  Those of you who are near my age will appreciate that as the gift I was referring to….we can remember when you were tied to a house phone (with a cord) to make a call or would have to write a letter to communicate with someone miles away from you.

Ok, let me get to the reason I titled this post "They're not 'kids' anymore".

Our kids have grown up at the beach.  The two youngest ones have never known a year without a beach.  David's family has spent summers at Ocean Isle Beach in North Carolina since he was a teenager and every summer (two when I was 8 to 8 1/2 months pregnant) we would make the trek to that same beach.

We are the family that packs up for the entire day and doesn't leave until dinner time.  When the kids were small, that would mean long walks, tide pools, sandcastles, games of bocce ball, baseball and football, body surfing, boogie boarding and lots of sunscreen applications. (I learned all about the importance of sunscreen application the summer my fair haired, blue-eyed daughter was one year old)

We've learned, through bringing guests with us on vacations, that not all families are this way.  Who knew?  We thought everyone loved to be at the beach ALL day long.  We've already established some "spouse criteria" for our children that includes: loves God, good dental hygiene, can pass a background check, loves the beach and of course, loves sports.

Consequently, we were either at the beach or on the water nearly everyday while we were in Tenerife.  On Christmas morning, we took a long hike near our house.  The scenery was spectacular and the hike nearly killed me.

We decided to go along the water for the trip back.  DJ and Sarah took the lead.  We couldn't tell if there was a path that would go all the way back to our house and I didn't want to walk BACK up the killer hill if there wasn't.

They made it around the point and motioned us to follow.  Guess what I found when I rounded the bend?

I found a time warp.  It was like I was instantly transported back in time to the early 2000's.  My 3 and 5 year olds were trapping fish in a tide pool.  Oh, how I wish.  

How does it happen?? How do your babies, who depended on you for everything, suddenly become independent, mature and just plain AWESOME adults? It is a mystery.  I know that I still try to "mother" them and that it drives them crazy, but it just doesn't seem possible that they don't "need" me to do that anymore.

We had great conversations with our kids all week.  Life choice conversations.  Not just David and I touting our beliefs and lecturing, but them having a dialogue with us on what THEY want and why. There will still moments of them being "kids"…. but that was just because they are both so full of life, love to laugh and enjoy adventure.

Speaking of adventures, David taught DJ to drive a stick. Sarah wanted no part of this learning opportunity.

We went on a family fishing adventure and watched DJ reel in a 45lb stingray.  

My line was next and I could NOT reel the thing in.  Turned out to be another stingray and it managed to tangle up with David's line.  He "helped" me to reel it in.  Past the bait fish and the two stingrays we came up empty.  But it was an afternoon on a boat and I got to see dolphins and pilot whales…who could ask for more?

We attempted to trek to the volcanic rim of El Tiede, but there was a snow storm that blocked the path and we were unable to go the last 200 yards to the top.

alas, so close to my first volcanic rim

View of El Tiede from the valley floor

the "lunar" landscape in the El Tiede valley on our way out

Our last family adventure was Loro Parque.  It was on the north side of the island and the forecast called for rain.  Not a beach day, so we thought it was a perfect "sea world" kind of day.  The park was fantastic and we enjoyed seeing dolphin, sea lion, orca and parrot shows.  There was a great aquarium and the best penguin exhibit I've ever seen. We went home along the north shore of the island which was a BIG mistake.  Two lane curvy roads that didn't allow passing….the speed limit was 90km and we were behind a LONG line of cars going between 45-50km.  The hour trip took us almost 2 hours and to make it worse Sarah developed food poisoning from a sandwich eaten at the park.  Nothing like someone vomiting into a bag in the backseat with no where to pull over.

Our last day with the kids was spent at the beach.  Sarah was able to sleep most of the afternoon and even felt up to a couple of games of euchre.  The kids boarded their flight home Monday morning.  It was a long journey (nearly 20 hours) that included 3 flights.  Apparently, Sarah wasn't as over her symptoms as we would've liked….good thing DJ had purchased that smoothie cup on that layover in Dallas!!

Everyone is now back where they belong.  The kids will start school in two weeks.  Sarah will endure another round of RUSH and DJ will be initiated into SAE.  Joseph is looking for a new job in No. Ky and David is back to work. Another day, another year.  

I'm usually not one for New Year's resolutions….not because I don't see the value, but just because I've never really tried to keep one.  However, as I was doing my devotion today I actually set one.  In 2014 I want to be a "Mary".  I want to draw nearer to Jesus in an intentional way….unlike her sister "Martha" that I have typically been.  You know, the one who gets all of the chores/tasks on my list done and then gives my last 5 waking minutes to Him.  If you don't know who these two women are, I invite you to read about them in Luke 10, starting in verse 39.  

I wish you each a full and blessed 2014. I pray that if you have children that you can experience a "time warp" moment of them and then also have the opportunity to appreciate the "older" version that they have grown into.  If you are blessed enough to have parents on this side of Heaven, I pray that you will honor them in the coming year….many of us would love to have just one more moment to give ours a hug or to say one last "I love you". Take the time to be a friend, offer a smile, say a kind word. Those are the things that matter.