Once I get out of the habit of writing, it's hard to jump back in! These past three months have been a blur of activity! I was kindly allowed to skip out on my week of work during the Easter Break so that I could go home and help out at home. Having Esther there was, of course, a huge help since she is such an outstanding person. The two weeks I was home was draining mentally and physically in the sense of lack of sleep and a lot of running around, but I am so glad that I went home. I don't know how they were functioning without me there! No matter how much my Mother likes to be in control of things and likes to pretend that everything is okay, that was very much not the case. It was hard to see her in so much pain and being able to do very little about it, except advise her to stay away from foods that are inflammatory, which she stubbornly ignored. It's hard to be so helpless in helping someone, especially when they are unwilling to change the way they think about things even though, in the long run, it will benefit them. I LOVED seeing my friends as well and was fortunate to have Kayleen and her lovely daughter in town for most of a week. Went on runs, met up with friends for food and drinks, visited my Grandma and Grandpa multiple times (another blessing), and had fun seeing Esther interacting with Daniel. They are so similar and also so different at the same time. Very good for each other. :)
Back in Germany the busy schedule continued - sushi dinner's with the women, knitting club i.e. gossip club, biking around the city, and German class (work pays - yay!!!). Went on a day trip to Würzburg with Susanna and Ning and got to be taken around the city by the fabulous Maria and Julian. Love them. More sushi nights and drinks. BBQ's at friend's once the weather got better. Overnighter trip with the second graders, which was SO much fun. Love playing football with them - Andi, Seb, and I against a torrent of second graders. Marshmellow's. Bon fire. A long weekend in Rhodes, Greece with Susanna, Jennifer, and Will. Beautiful old town city surrounded by a fortress. WONDERFUL long weekend in Walting with my FABULOUS German family plus boyfriend/fiance. Open air concert on the hill over Eichstätt. Canoeing down the Altmühl. Eating, eating eating. Running. Biking. Street festivals in Frankfurt. Popcorn. Apple wine. More BBQ's. Helping a friend move aka going up and down stairs carrying heavy objects for 5 hours and being called a boxer, because of my strength. EUROCUP. Germany has won it's last two games and hopefully kicks butt on Sunday. Going away party for Alana. Another rotation of Au Pairs finishing up their year.
Today: Went on a team building adventure in a "climbing forest" - my direct translation. Zip lines and obstacle courses up high in the trees. It was so much fun. Tomorrow is our school's own euro cup with the kids all playing against each other. Scavenger hunt party with friends around the city.Coming up: Zoo trip with the Reception class and 2nd graders, baby shower for Sarah, weekend trip to Walting, Summer festival at the school, more street festivals, dentist, and then HOME for the summer. 16 days. As always, time flies.
