The last week ...

I can't believe that Christmas break is almost over. It feels like I just landed in Jacksonville and now it's already almost time to get packed again and head to Germany.

It's been a good break. A bit uneventful, but fun. I was able to go to my dad's new church and I LOVE IT!! After church today we went to lunch w/Joe & Mandy McKenzie, the youth director & his wife at Dad's church. They are such a sweet couple and I have, of course, already volunteered to work with the youth when I get back to the States this summer.

Last Sunday we went tailgating w/my brother, Robin, Edna, Steven, my parents, and a few of their friends. It was nice to be doing such an "American" tradition that I hadn't done in a while. It's also nice to see American football on the tv. New Years Day is the Sugar Bowl and I will be rooting for GA!

My best friend Tammy came down from Savannah to spend the weekend on Friday and last night we got dolled up and went out to the Cheesecake Factory and then over to Steven's apartment to sing karaoke w/him & his roommate, Mark.

I have enjoyed being back in Jax and getting into the throes of American-isms again. Target trips have been few and far between but I still have a gift card that I need to use there before my plane leaves on Thursday.

So, yes, it's been a good break. Quite short but I think I will be ready to get on the plane Thursday and head back to Germany for the next 6 months. My parents will be coming over Spring Break so it's nice that I don't have to wait so long to see them again.

I will be posting pictures later of my visit...stay tuned!

Merry Christmas!

I hope everyone had a great day yesterday. I got lots of fun things from Santa including the new updated version of Cranium! Last night after Christmas dinner w/dad's side, we went over to my mom's sister's house and continued our yearly tradition of playing games on Christmas Night. We played a new game called Words of Wiz-dumb which is made by the people who made Loaded Questions. It was so much fun hanging out w/my cousins and laughing and eating Reina's amazing chocolate chip cookies! I think of all my favorite Christmas traditions this is my favorite one!

Back in Florida

Hi everyone,
I landed in Jax at midnight on Thursday. This was after a 10 hr plane ride from Frankfurt to ATL, then a five and a half hr layover in ATL. Yesterday was spent going to my dad's new church and meeting the pastor and some other staff. Then I went w/my parents, my brother & his friend, Jamie, and Robin to get some sushi in The Landing. YUMMY! Afterwards, Mom & I went Christmas shopping and made it to Target which was soooo great!! I love that place!! Today I am meeting Haley for lunch and then going to see my brother coach a basketball game tonight. It's good to be home, but I must admit that I do miss Germany!

Favorite Christmas Songs

A few posts ago I did a "Favorite Christmas Movie" list. So I thought I would do one for my favorite Christmas Albums:

1. Time-Life Treasury Christmas Album
2. Joy by Avalon
3. WOW Christmas
4. Season of Love by 4Him
5. Music of Christmas by Steven Curtis Chapman
6. A Fresh Aire Christmas by Mannheim Steamroller
7. New Young Messiah
8. Home for Christmas by Nsync
9. My Kinda Christmas by Christina Aguilera
10. The Soundtrack from The Polar Express

Below Freezing

It is officially below freezing right now. This morning it was 25 degrees on the way to school and right now I believe it has only gone up to 28. There's no snow and as my friend Délice would say "This is a waste of cold weather if there's no snow!" Good news is that in 48 hours I will be on a plane to warmer weather!

Traditional Christmas Dinner & Carol Service

Yesterday was quite busy but fun! Anne & I along w/our two good friends from church, Jo & Vanessa, had a traditional English Christmas Dinner at Jo's apartment. It was sooo yummy!!! We had roasted parsnips, roasted potatoes, stuffing, brussel sprouts, turkey, & a carrot casserole. For dessert we had traditional English Christmas Cake. I don't know why everyone rags on the Brit's food so much--I'm quite the fan!!! After dinner, we headed over to the St. Pauluskirche (St. Paul's Church in English) for the Anglican Church's annual Carol Service. It was a beautiful service and it was so great to be back in the building where we used to have church back when I lived here before.

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever!

Tonight was RIA's production of the play "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" directed by Yours Truly! The play is based on the book by Barbara K. Robinson and if you haven't read it, I encourage you to go and get it! Anyways, the play went off without a hitch and my family I used to au pair for even came to see it!! I thought it was truly THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER! Enjoy the slide show :)

Happy St. Nikolaus Day!

Today was St. Nikolaus Day in Germany and the kids received oranges and candy in their shoes when they got to school. Today was also our dress rehearsal for "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" which opens for one night only tomorrow night!

Coffee Break

I came into my classroom today after getting my coffee at snack time to find Harriet & Tiffany in this pose at my desk! My students know how much I love my coffee!

Dresden

This weekend, Anne, myself, and two of our friends, Aubrey & Amy-Jo, took a 36 hr trip to Dresden on the eastern side of Germany. I've been wanting to go to Dresden for a while b/c they have the oldest Christmas Market in Europe and also b/c it's in the eastern part of Germany. We got a really great deal on a night train and arrived yesterday morning after traveling all night. It was a great day and Dresden is a must see for anyone coming over to this side of the world! Here are a few pictures:


Me & Mr. Snowman

Me in front of the Opera House

A statue of Martin Luther in front of one of the cathedrals

Dresden by night

I love my roomie!

A few pics of the last month...more to come soon!

Christmas Movies

Ok I actually stole this from my good friend Tony's most recent blog (his blog addy is www.tonypags.blogspot.com if you are interested). With Christmas just around the corner, he has added a list of his favorite Christmas movies and so I'm going to copy him. I hope you don't mind, Pags!!

1. A Muppet's Christmas Carol
2. White Christmas
3. A Christmas Story
4. The Holiday
5. Love, Actually
6. A Charlie Brown Christmas
7. Mickey's Christmas Carol
8. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
9. Home Alone
10. Christmas Vacation
11. Home Alone 2
12. It's a Wonderful Life

I've already cheated and watched numbers 1, 4, and 5. I say "cheated" b/c it wasn't even close to December when these movies were viewed.

And yes, to my mother and everyone else: PICTURES ARE GOING TO BE POSTED ON SUNDAY I PROMISE!!!!!!

Funny quote!

We are learning about Ecosystems in Science and on Monday I asked my kids "What is a nonliving thing in our ecosystem in class that helps people live or survive?" One of my students, Marvin, replied "Coffee is a nonliving thing that teachers like you drink every day to survive"!!! I thought that was so great..and very true!

Black Saturday

Today Anne and I along w/Delynn, Aubrey, & Amy-Jo went into Basel for the Anglican Church's Annual Christmas Bazaar. The Bazaar has gone on for 50 years now and is a Basel tradition. Plus it's nice b/c this is the church that Anne & I go to. We had a ton of fun and it was like our own "Black Friday" except we called it "Black Saturday." We found some really cute candle holders, great VHS movies at the cheapest price imaginable, and ate some wonderful British food. I had a cornish pastry and Anne had cottage pie. MMMM!!!! We also tried mince pie for the first time which was so yummy!

Afterwards, Anne & I went over to the Basel Christmas Market which started today. It was so nice to see all the beautiful Christmas decorations and stalls lit up. Basel was bustling with holiday excitement and all the stores were ready for Christmas shoppers. We then walked over the bridge to Claraplatz and browsed a few shops before heading home. Of course we stopped at Starbucks to get some hot chocolate before hopping on the bus back to Weil!

It is still freezing over here but my body has adjusted well. It's supposed to snow on Monday but we've been hearing that for a month now so I will believe it when I see it. I hope to be updating with a huge slideshow of pictures from the last month either tonight or tomorrow. I know I'm overdue for that!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and I'm off now to watch a movie and try to get warm!!

Happy (Late) Thanksgiving!

I hope you all had a wonderful day yesterday. Despite the fact that I had to be at school, Thanksgiving turned out to be a ton of fun. Anne's friend from England is visiting us and so we had her and our friend Jo from church over for a traditional Thanksgiving meal. It was my first time making mom's sweet potato casserole as well as baking a turkey. The casserole turned out great, despite being a little soupy (the recipe calls for evaporated milk and all we have is condensed milk) and the turkey was delicious! We also had macaroni & cheese and Anne made green bean casserole...YUM! After dinner we had some tea and watched A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving before Jo had to catch her train. All in all, it was a very memorable Thanksgiving nad really made yesterday feel somewhat like a real Thanksgiving Day.

This weekend we are going to our church's annual Christmas Bazaar and it's also the first weekend of Basel's Chrismtas Market! We might also try to head over to France to see the Christmas Market in Mulhouse.

And last but not least, I will be in Jacksonville in 4 weeks! YAY!

Enjoy Black Friday!

Christmas Survey!

I thought this was fun to fill out. If you want to send it back to me w/your answers, simply copy & paste and email to allirae78@gmail.com

Have fun reading/doing :)

Body:
1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate?
Hot Chocolate

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?
He used to sit them under the tree and now he wraps them all...

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white?
white

4. Do you hang mistletoe?
nah

5. When do you put up your decorations?
my parents start on Thanksgiving...however, I don't really have any (yet) over here but if I did it would be this weekend

6. What is your favorite holiday dish?
Granny's mac & cheese

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child.
waking up at 4am w/my brother to go look at our presents...also making dough ornaments w/my mother

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?
Lisa Rutherford told me in 3rd grade...I then went home to confirm the truth with my mother...I was devastated

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?
We used to open one gift but now we just wait for Christmas Day

10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree?
ornaments & lights

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it?
love it for about the first day and a half...over it after the third day...

12. Can you ice skate?
Yes but I fall a lot

13. Do you remember your favorite gift?
a My Little Pony bed tent when I was 7

14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you?
getting home and seeing my family

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert?
anything Reina makes on Christmas Night

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition?
on Christmas Eve we go to the Christmas Eve service which is really special...on Christmas Night my brother and I go to our cousins house and play games

17. What tops your tree?
Santa Claus

18. Which do you prefer giving or receiving?
both

19. What is your favorite Christmas Song?
O Holy Night, What Child is This, Carol of the Bells

20. Candy Canes?
sure

21. Do you feel Christmas is too commercialized?
oh definitely

Thanksgiving Week

Yet another year being away from my family on Thanksgiving. It's only Monday but I'm already starting to feel the pining in my heart to be with my loved ones on Thursday. I miss waking up and smelling my mother's home cooking and my dad reading from the Psalms before we eat dinner. We have a teacher planning day Thursday, but afterwards, Anne & I are preparing dinner for Anne's friend, Lisa, who is here from England, and our friend Jo from church. We'll be having a turkey breast, macaroni & cheese, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, rolls, & English pudding. It will be a mix of some American & Brit treats! YUM! So not all is lost and I probably won't be as homesick on Thursday as I was last year, but I will still miss seeing the parade (unless that goes on strike, too!) and being w/my fam. The good news is that it's only 4 weeks until I'm home for Christmas! Yippee! This weekend Anne & I will be going to the Basel Christmas market, our church's annual Christmas Bazaar, and getting ready for Christmas in general. No tree to put up, but we will hopefully have some fun decorations around our apartment.

I hope you are all doing great and had a wonderful weekend. I spent the weekend w/the family I used to au pair for and babysat. It was wonderful! I hope to be putting up some more pictures soon. I was going to do that today but of course I left my camera at my apartment! Anyways, hope all is going well Stateside.

Auf Wiedersehen.

14 degrees fahrenheit

This is what the temperature is supposed to be tomorrow. Still no snow but I'm sure that will come fairly soon. I'm so sorry I haven't been updating like I normally do. I've been so busy with school and getting ready for our school play that I've hardly had time to write anything clever!

Last Sunday Anne and I went with our good friends, Jo & Vanessa, to our friend Sarah's house for a birthday lunch. Vanessa's b/day is Saturday but she is leaving for Argentina tomorrow on vacation so we had to celebrate early. We had a great time together and I just adore being around these four people! We all go to the Anglican church together so we only see each other once a week but it makes for the best Sundays ever!

Speaking of church, I'm now helping out with the 11-13 yr olds in Sunday School. In January I will be one of the head teachers but right now I'm just helping out with the upcoming Christmas play and being an extra body in the classroom.

So now it is nearing 6:15am so I need to get in the shower and get ready for another Thursday at school. I'm so grateful for the upcoming weekend as these last 2 weeks I've been so tired! It will be nice to relax for a few days yet again :)

Freeeeezing!

Today the weather is about 39 degrees Fahrenheit. This morning we had our Fit for FUNds program for the kids to raise money for our playground by doing different exercises. While we were outside it started to flurry and got extremely windy. I think I'm still thawing out from being so cold! During our time outside I said to Anne "Ok, I'm really in Florida, the sun is shining and it's 90 degrees!" I was trying to warm myself up but of course it didn't work! Tonight we are supposed to have snow showers with more snow tomorrow so Anne & I have planned on making hot chocolate and watching White Christmas. My heavy winter coat is still in the basement and after today, I really need to go and fish it out! I hope everyone else is staying warm right now! Looking out of my classroom window there is definitely a snow sky and it looks like it's about to let loose all over Weil am Rhein.

Me & my kids

This was taken the other day in the backyard of the school. This is what's going on my Christmas card this year :) Enjoy! Thanks to all of you who are praying for me right now. I am so grateful and blessed!!

Limbo

I haven't typed a post like this in a long time. A post where I'm brutally honest and not just "Hey look at this picture!" Not that those are irrelevant posts but I promised myself I would be honest on my blog from the first day I started it.

The last month or so I felt as if I've been in Limbo. When I got back from summer break, I just knew I would be leaving Germany at the end of the school year and go back to Jacksonville. As the months progressed, I started feeling as though Germany was where I was supposed to be at least for another year. But now? Now I don't see myself anywhere and I don't know why. I feel as though I'm walking in a big question mark. Decisions have to be made but I don't know if I can make them without a strong dosage of prayer. I miss my family. I miss my friends who are all having children now and that I won't get to see until those babies are at least six months old. I feel like I'm missing out on so much, but at the same time I'm experiencing so much! The town that I live in is so beautiful and I love the fact that if I wanted to, I could walk into another country on any given day. I am so, so blessed that this is where God wanted me to be, if only for 2 years. But the year is going by so quickly and each time I try and ponder what life will be like a year from now, I want to chase the thought away.

I need direction. I need God's direction to lead me like never before. I don't like this whole "limbo" thing.

If you're reading this, please pray for God and his infinite wisdom to take over me and direct me in the way that I should go.

Limbo isn't fun.

Computer probs

I haven't really been updating too much lately w/pics b/c my laptop isn't working. There's an internal problem with the hard drive. It's only a year 1/2 old so it shouldn't be having issues like this. I'm rather frustrated but blessed that at least I can use my school computer.

In other news-the event I've been waiting a year for is finally back--The Herbst Messe! This is the huge fall fair that takes place in Basel starting the last Saturday of October. It lasts 2 weeks and is so much fun! Anne & I are going tomorrow w/Aubrey, Amy-Jo & possibly Josie & Jamath. We are meeting up w/the Ladle family later in the afternoon as well. Tomorrow is going to be a ton of fun! I will do my best to get pics up asap.

October feels like January

It is approximately 40 degrees right now. This morning when I left my apartment I was ever so thankful that I had put on my long johns under my pants! It's definitely colder this fall than last fall. Supposedly it is supposed to snow within the coming weeks. Looking out of my classroom window it looks like it could be a warm, sunny day. But when I took my kids out to recess I was bundled up like an Eskimo! If it's this cold now, I'm wondering what it will be like in January..!?

C-A-N-E-S Canes!

I was so happy to see that the Hurricanes FINALLY beat the Seminoles! WOOHOO!

US vs Switzerland

Last night some of the RIA staff went w/Diana and some of her friends to see the US soccer team play Switzerland in Basel. It was a really cool event and when we sang the US National Anthem I got chills! Team USA beat Switzerland 1-0 in the last 6 minutes of the game. When it was over, they came to cheer on the American fans in the stadium! We had a blast and it was probably one of the most fun sporting events I've ever been to. To get a description of the pictures in the slide show, scroll the mouse over them. Enjoy!

What I've Been Listening To...

I've had a cold since Friday night (yes my b/day night! wah!) and decided it would be best to stay home from church yesterday to recoup for today. While I was home yesterday, it gave me a chance to browse through some podcasts on iTunes. I came across Pastor Bob Coy from Calvary Chapel in Ft. Lauderdale. My brother attended that church when he went to high school. Anyways, I've heard nothing but wonderful things about this man from Chip so I decided to subscribe to free podcast sermons by him. It's so refreshing to hear this man speak! He is truly anointed by the Almighty!

On a less serious note, I've also gotten into listening to Jeff Foxworthy. It all started over Fall Break when Anne mentioned that she just didn't get his humor. I downloaded Redneck Games for her to listen to and, well, needless to say--she gets it and I think is slowly becoming a fan.

I'm still a bit under the weather and didn't feel 100% today but went to school nonetheless. However, I came home as soon as school ended and am now sipping on some Theraflu like stuff that Cherie lended to me (THANKS CHERIE!). Hopefully I will feel better tomorrow.

My 29th Superhero Birthday Party

Yes you read that right. Last night my roomie & my boss got together and planned the most random but fun birthday party ever. Everyone came dressed as a superhero and then had to dress me up as Artsy Girl. I know this sounds a bit confusing and like something I'd probably never plan myself, but trust me--we had a blast!! Anyways, here are some pics from my 29th.


Me as Artsy Girl. The shirt reads DRAMA BABY!


The party people

First Birthday Pic!

Me & my kiddos on my birthday :)

Fall Break Pics FINALLY!

29

And so...the last year of my 20s officially starts today...

Even more randomness..

This has been a pretty low key week after all the excitement of last week's trip. The kids came back to school today and my class was quite mellow. I noticed at recess today how orange the flowers are becoming. They were laid out all over the ground and it looked so beautiful! Pictures are coming, I promise.

Random stuff

Sorry that I have yet to get pics up from Fall Break. We got home on Thursday morning at 3:00am and the next day my computer went on the fritz for a few days. We are in the process of getting pictures onto cds b/c so many digital pictures makes a computer tired! So...I am hoping sometime this week to get pictures up from last week's trip. It really turned out to be a great time. I especially loved Amsterdam and seeing Anne Frank's & Corrie Ten Boom's home. We've had teacher planning days the last 2 days so tomorrow will be the first day of teaching in a week and a half. I've enjoyed my break but I'm excited to see my kiddos tomorrow. I was in Basel earlier today having coffee w/a friend from church and as I was walking back to the tram stop I noticed that the air was a bit crisper and there were several fall displays in the window. Fall is my favorite season so I'm so glad that it's really here! The leaves are changing outside our apartment and they are really beautiful. Oh yes, Anne & I have also started cooking w/pumpkin! Last night we had sauteed pumpkin, eggplant, & zucchini over brown rice. Tonight we had steamed pumpkin over whole wheat pasta. Both dishes were yummy! We are hoping to eventually have roasted pumpkin but since that takes a while to cook and we are usually tired by the time we come home, that will probably have to wait until a weekend. I've started to eat a few organic items now such as yogurt, pasta, & milk. YUM! It's not nearly as expensive over here as organic food is in the States so that makes it even better. On another random note, I got my plane ticket to fly home for Christmas and I am officially coming home on Dec 20th at 11:39pm! I will be landing in Jacksonville after a five hr layover in Atlanta. So anyone who wants to come out at midnight to greet me you are more than welcome!! Hope everyone is doing great. Until my next post--Auf Wiedersehen!

Road trip thru Europe

Belgians are the craziest drivers in the world. I thought Floridians were crazy but Belgians make we Floridians look like the world's best drivers!! They don't really give you a chance to move over into the other lane and once you see one coming at you, you'd better get the heck out of dodge!

That being said, we've had a wonderful time in the northern part of Europe. Despite their crazy driving skills, the actual country of Belgium is beautiful. Being able to see where such a famous battle took place was amazing. Yesterday we drove up to Holland or the Netherlands, whatever you want to call it, and saw Corrie Ten Boom's house. This is really cool b/c the gospel is presented during the tour!! We drove on to Amsterdam (Ten Boom house is 25 min north in Haarlem), had a wonderful Thai dinner, and went to bed! Today we are going to Anne Frank's house and then heading back to Germany.

This has truly been a wonderful trip and I can't wait to share the pictures with you!!!

Brussels, Brugge, & Bastogne!

I have to make this a quick blog since I am on a timer thing at the hotel. We are in Bastogne, Belgium where we've been since Saturday night. This is the city where the Battle of the Bulge took place. Anyway, yesterday we drove up to Brugge which was BEAUTIFUL and also to Brussels but got stuck in a traffic jam so we didn't get to see much of it. SAD! Today we toured around Bastogne and saw some really great museums and for WW2 buffs like myself it was AWESOME! Tomorrow we are driving up to Amsterdam to spend the night and will also see the Corrie Ten Boom house & Anne Frank's house. Exciting! I will try to post up some pics tomorrow night and a slideshow when I get home. Love you all!

Fall Break is here!

Today was the last day of school before a week off for Fall Break. It is rainy & cold but the leaves are changing and despite the yucky weather, the trees are looking so pretty!

Tomorrow, Anne, Aubrey, Amy-Jo, & I will be leaving on a five day European road trip to Luxembourg, Belgium, & Holland. We are staying in Bastogne, Belgium where there is a TON of WW2 history. It is not far from Brugges & Brussels. We are going there on Sunday and on Tuesday we will drive up to Amsterdam. We're really looking forward to a fun break and are still super amazed at how cheap we can get to all of these places!

Just a plug: if you are in need of a great song to lift you up I suggest you download "Hosanna" by Hillsong United. I can't stop listening to it and it has really been such a breath of fresh air for me when I listen to it.

Hope everyone is having a great Friday and that your weekend is even better. So many fun things going on now in the States w/the new Fall season & college football starting!

Pumpkin Festival

Today was yet another fun and exciting festival! The Pumpkin Festival is something Anne & I went to last year and enjoyed it so much that we had to go back this year. The Ladle family invited us to go w/them and since we always have a blast w/their fam, we said yes immediately! When we got there we ran into a ton of RIA families: the Hinshaws, Coens, the Bidwells, the Manleys, and even Diana and some people from her church! Amy-Jo, Josie, Jamath, & Erika also came along. We got in line for soup and pumpkin cake which were both out of this world delicious! Then we went and watched Kai Hinshaw, Blaise Coen, & Sam Bidwell do the crate climb. It's connected to a bungee cord and you have to keep climbing until you lose your balance or reach the top and ring the bell. Blaise & Kai both reached the top and Sam got halfway through. Then the kids went and played in the haystack and went to pet the donkeys. There was also a corn maze that you could pay 5CHF to go into and so of course we did that! It was a TON of fun wandering around in there and it took us all a while to finally get out! After that, it was time to go home b/c after yesterday and today, everyone was pretty worn out! I hope you enjoy the slideshow and I believe this is the last festival until the Herbst Messe begins in October!

Gonna Party Til the Cows Come Home!

Today a bunch of RIA people took a road trip over to the French speaking part of Switzerland. Our purpose for the trip was to see the cows come off the Alps or as we have been joking all week "Party til the cows come home!" It was quite an interesting road trip with Anne & I forgetting our passports and then having to cross the border 3x to go back and get them. Then we ended up in a traffic jam outside of Basel and got lost along the way. However, the company in our car was quite laid back and easy going so we just joked and laughed about it on the way there. When we got close to the village, we saw the cows coming towards us with their herdsman! It was AWESOME. We got TONS of pictures before pulling off and going into the town. Once we got there we saw 4 more rounds of cows!! We also ran into some of our students & families: the Ladles, the Coens, the Hinshaws, & the Antrims. We had a great day and before we left Anne, Aubrey, Amy Jo and I all bought fun hats! It was such a fun day and I am EXHAUSTED after being up since 5am but it was well worth it!! Tomorrow is the Pumpkin Festival in Bottmingen and Anne & I will be attending of course. I do believe Fall is my favorite season over here b/c of all the fun festivals and things going on. Enjoy the slide show and have a great rest of the Saturday!

Pictures from Fall Open House

Flower Children

Me w/my 2nd parents in Germany--Cam & Jen

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Our awesome and amazing RIA staff!

Kids really do say the darndest things!

Yesterday on the way to lunch, Carles, a very inquisitive student, was rambling on and on about something or the other. I was honestly so ready for a break that I just kept nodding my head, not really paying attention to what he said. Suddenly, he looks up at me and says "So Miss Stroud, can we donate a child to Africa?" Well, obviously he meant can we ADOPT a child FROM Africa but it came out wrong! I about died laughing but maintained my demeanor and said, "We'll have to see, Carles."

Tembafest video!

To see the video of me & Anne & our kiddos dancing go here: http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=5093340788

Tembafest & a walk across to France

Yesterday was the 5th Annual Tembafest in Weil/Friedlingen. RIA participated by doing a dance to David Crowder's "Open Skies" choreographed by Yours Truly! I am trying to download the video taken of it onto here but while I try to figure that out, I made a slideshow for you to enjoy in the meantime. After we danced we stayed around w/the families and students for a bit and then Aubrey, Amy Jo, Anne, & I walked across the longest footbridge in the world from Weil to France! It was a super fun day!

Random Ramblings and Victoria Beckham

It is interesting to think that a year ago now I was in the transitioning mode of moving to a new country. I remember feeling this big ache inside of me every time I went to the grocery store and couldn't find the American food I thought I couldn't live without. I remember getting super homesick every time I thought of the time zone difference and what my family & friends were doing back in the States at that exact moment. I would often check my plane flight ticket online just to glimpse at the date I was leaving! And now? Now I can't seem to get enough of where I live. I love going grocery shopping and finding new and interesting things. I love biking all over Weil and discovering the simple beauty of a sunrise or sunset. I love looking out my classroom window and seeing the leaves start to change color as autumn approaches. I no longer roll my eyes when all I hear is another language and not English. Instead, I listen intently to see if I can pick up anything that I've learned in German class! I wish you could all experience what I am experiencing. I wish I could wrap up this wonderful place and take it home with me at Christmas so that you could just get a glimpse of where God has placed me right now. It is amazing and I am truly blessed to be where I am.

On a funnier note, today was Chapel and our theme for the month is Attentiveness. Diana was talking to the kids about how we should all be attentive to other people, especially those who are older than we are. One of my kids, Carles, who just joined us last week, raised his hand to add to the topic. When she called on him Carles said "You know Victoria Beckham is not attentive to anyone else. She's all about herself"!!! I had to hide my face from laughing so hard!! I leaned over to Anne & Amy Jo and said "Just to clarify, we do NOT discuss pop culture in the classroom!" Later, I attributed his comment based on the fact that he comes from Spain and is a huge soccer fan.

The school day is almost over and tonight Anne and I are having Amy Jo & Aubrey over for pizza and a movie. We are all so zonked from this week that we told the girls to come on over in their pjs and comfy clothes!

I hope you guys are having a great day and that your week was wonderful. This weekend is the Tembafest which is a festival in Weil that celebrates different cultures. Four of our students are dancing to a song choreographed by Yours Truly. I will be posting pictures up tomorrow :)

The harvest is plenty...

Today we took a field trip literally right across the street from the school to harvest grapes. We had a great time & the kids had a blast picking (and eating!) grapes. When we were finished we made fresh-squeezed grape juice! YUM!!! I think this was one of my favorite field trips in the year I've been at RIA.. Enjoy the slide show!

Strassenfest!

Last night was the start of the Harvest Season in Weil. We begin the season by having a huge street party called Strassenfest. The street party opens with the mayor tapping a keg and a band playing music. Anne & I went with the newbies, Aubrey & Amy-Jo and met up with Diana, Richard, Delice, and some of Delice's friends. We stayed for a/b an hour and left early only b/c both of us were feeling a bit under the weather. Anyways, here are some pics from last night's festivities. Fall is here..YAY!

Meet Roxy

This is my bike that my friend Amanda sold me last semester before I left for the summer. I named it "Roxy" b/c it's girly yet tough ...haha. I've enjoyed Roxy so much and am loving biking around town and to & from school! Don't worry, Dad, it's COMPLETELY safe!!!

Ich spreche Deutsch..sort of

Monday we started our German class with RIA's German teacher, Herr Hermann. We had to take a placement test to see what level of German we were on and I was surprised at how much I remembered from living over here 5 yrs ago! It was really funny b/c Anne, Aubrey, Josie, & I have decided to have German names. I'm Liesl, Anne is Brigitta, Aubrey is Gretl, & Josie is Louisa!!! Of course all from The Sound of Music!!! Anyways, I'm hoping to be somewhat fluent by the time I'm back in the States!

Takin' it easy!

Thanks to all of you who were praying for me this weekend. I feel a lot better and my heart isn't nearly as "fluttery." I'm cutting back on caffiene and only had a 1/2 cup of coffee this morning! That's kind of a record for me b/c as you all know I am a coffee addict!! I'm taking it easy this weekend and didn't go to church this morning. Instead, Anne & I are going to listen to her pastor from home and then get ready for our coworker, Hillary's, birthday party. Anyways, again thanks for the prayers and keep them coming! I'll let everyone know what happens just as soon as I hear something!
Love & hugs to all!

When in Switzerland do as the Romans do..

On Saturday, Anne & I joined the Ladle family and went to Augusta Raurica in Augst, Switzerland. This is a town with preserved Roman ruins from the Roman Empire. I've been twice before and never seem to get tired of it! This past weekend was the annual Roman Festival complete with chariot races, gladiators, and even an appearance by Mr. and Miss Switzerland! While we were there we ran into the Antrim family from RIA and also the Allo family who used to be at RIA. Gaby was in my class last year and is now in a Swiss school near Zurich. Anyways, here are a few pics I took of our fun day!

Me, Tiffany, & Anne in traditional Roman wear!

Posing with Jordan Antrim & Rachel & Tiffany Ladle

Fighting gladiators!

Time flies..(and other randomness)

It occured to me the other day that the students I am teaching this year were all born the year I graduated high school or my freshmen year of college...scary. I am trying to remember how long it has been since I was 10 or 11 and it really doesn't seem that long ago. I remember in 5th grade New Kids on the Block and Paula Abdul were the "cool" celebrities to be into. Now it's this High School Musical thing my kids can't stop talking about. I actually watched High School Musical w/Anne last semester and thought that if I were younger, I probably would have been just as obsessed with it. It is just amazing to me how fast time flies. I still can't believe I started college 10 years ago because it just doesn't seem like that much time has passed.

Good news: I'm teaching Drama to 2nd-8th and the one 8th grade boy that at first thought he'd be too cool for Drama now states that it's his favorite class! SCORE!

Introducing My Kiddos!

Here they are in all their adorable glory :) My 4th/5th grade class (even though I'm still waiting on 2 more students to join us in September) Ashleigh is in fifth grade and is from Tampa, Florida (WOOHOO!).

Chiara is in fifth grade and from Rome, Italy.

Tiffany is in fifth grade and is from Provo, Utah.

Jakob is in fourth grade and comes from Denmark

Marvin is in fourth grade and is from Switzerland.

Harriet is in fourth grade and comes from England.

First Day of School

Today started the 07-08 school year at RIA and it went great! I am now teaching 4th/5th grades and LOVE it! I have eight students, but two of them will arrive in about 2 weeks. I forgot my camera today (BUMMER!) so tomorrow I plan on taking it and taking LOTS of pics to post. Anyways, thanks to those of you who prayed for me today! I'm looking forward to a great year at RIA!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JOSIE!

Tonight we celebrated our staff member, Josie's birthday. She turned the big 2-4! It was so great to have all of our new staff on hand tonight. Unfortunately, Josie's husband, Jamath, couldn't join us b/c he had an away soccer game. We had a great time and it was fun to get together before school starts on Monday. Enjoy some pics...

Me & the birthday girl!

Josie opens the picnic backpack the Walz's, Anne, & I gave her

I'm SO glad the Antrim's will be back with us this year! Ashleigh will be one of my students again :) YAY!

Setting Up & Saying Goodbye

We finished up Orientation for teachers this week. My classroom is FINALLY finished being set up! YAY! Tomorrow we have Parents Open House where we will meet some of the new (and old) parents and students. Here are a few pics of my classroom:





Tonight Anne, Diana, Kelly, & I went into Basel to say one final goodbye to Erika. Erika taught Kindergarten at RIA last year and is going back home tomorrow to the States. Here are a few pictures from this evening: