The Time Has Come

And so another book in my life has come to a close. I would say another chapter but this has been so much more than a chapter. It is almost midnight and I have to be up in close to four hours. I still cannot believe I won't be coming back here in August. I have had the hardest time the last few days coming to grips with that. I know that God has something wonderful in store for me and I can't wait to find out what that is.

Thank you for sharing this journey with me. As I've said before, I'm not going to stop blogging so I hope you won't stop reading! I've changed the title for now to Allison's Adventures. I'm hoping to come up with something more clever after I find out where I'll be living and working.

Off to bed now.

Brutally Honest

Today was the hardest day of my life. Today I had to say good-bye to my wonderful family at the Anglican Church in Basel. It honestly felt like a part of my heart had been ripped out as I hugged and said my good-byes. Can I be brutally honest? It sucked. It really did. Some of me and Anne's friends got together and made us both scrapbooks with notes from our friends. I don't think I've ever had a harder time saying goodbye before. I can't imagine that I won't see these amazing people again for a long time. I can't imagine not sitting and worshiping with them every Sunday. I am so incredibly thankful that God placed these wonderful people in my path. I am so blessed to have sat under the teachings of my pastor, Geoff. I am so glad that doors at the church opened for me to take a big part in the ministries there. I know that wherever I go God is going to provide a church family for me...but there is something very, very special about the Anglican Church in Basel. I leave you with lyrics from a special song by Brian Doerkson that our praise team has been singing for the last month. We ended the service with it today and I think it's quite appropriate:

"Your Love Will Find Me"

You were there when life began
Spoken words became a man
Formed in love my every part
You caused the beating of my heart
You're beside, behind, before
You surround me
You're everywhere

You chart the path ahead of me
Show me all that I can be
Every moment you ar near
In every step
Through every fear
There is nowhere I can go
To be without you
You're everywhere

Looking to the heavens You're there
And in the dark depths of despair
Even there your love will find me
Knowing that I'm never alone
Even if Your hand takes my home
To the other side of the sea
Your love will find me
Your love will find me

Precious are your thoughts to me
More wonderful than I can see
As I cannot count the sand
I cannot count the things you've planned
But when I wake up everyday
To face the morning
You meet me there

Looking to the heavens You're there
And in the dark depths of despair
Even there your love will find me
Knowing that I'm never alone
Even if Your hand takes my home
To the other side of the sea
Your love will find me
Your love will find me

Pictures from the last year...

Euro Cup Update

Tonight we watched Germany beat Portugal 3-2. It was a fabulous game and we had such a great time watching the game w/our Bible study group after a fantastic bar-b-que. I've added a picture of Anne & I with our Berlin tees on. The phrase "Berlin, Berlin, wir fahren nach Berlin" is translated "Berlin, Berlin, we're going to Berlin!" Next Germany will play on Thursday night which is the day after I get home. I am looking forward to watching and cheering on my favorite team (since Switzy is out)

Today

It was a very emotional day at RIA today. The morning started with my kiddos helping me take down things in the classroom and then we had our annual awards ceremony followed by pizza. Afterwards, everyone started to say good-bye and the tears were unstoppable. One of my students, Harriet, wept on my shoulder as she left the school building. My heart is breaking and I'm going to miss these kids so much.

The next week in Europe I plan on packing up and saying my last good-byes. I really can't believe it's all coming to an end. Didn't I just start this blog? Has it really been 2 years? Time sure does fly, doesn't it?

Tonight I will be going to dinner w/Kelly, Anne, & Anne's Mom to a restaurant in Basel called Blinde Küh which translated in English is Blind Cow. It is run by blind people and the restaurant is completely pitch black dark! Anne & I received gift cards there for part of our Christmas present from the parents so we are finally using them.

Don't know how much I'll be updating in the next week b/c I will have a lot going on but I can promise I will post just as soon as I get back to Jacksonville.

As a lot of you know I had an interview w/a school in Rome, GA and I'm still waiting to hear back from that. If I get it, I would be teaching 4th-6th grade Reading. I will keep you posted.

Must run for now.

Tomorrow

Tomorrow it will all be over.

Tomorrow will be my last day at Rhein International Academy.

The last two years have been a whirlwind of dreams coming true, teaching a variety of cultures, learning another language, and developing a world view of things around me. I will not stop writing in this blog as I know a lot of you enjoy reading about what goes on in my life, however, I can't promise things will be as "exciting" once I return to the States. I have an idea for what I will re-title this but I'll reveal it later :)

Off to bed now to prepare for the final school day of 2007-2008.

Something different

I saw this on Lindsay's blog (A Southern Wife) and thought I'd give it a go. If you want to do your own, just go to photobucket.com, type in the answer and paste the picture :)

1. Age you'll be on your next birthday:



2.Place you would like to visit:



3. Favorite place:



4. Favorite object:



5. Favorite Food:



6. Favorite Beverage:



7. Favorite animal:



8. Favorite color:



9. City Where You Were Born:



10. City Where You Live Now:



11. Favorite band:



12. First Name:



13. Last Name:



14. Favorite Store:



15. Favorite item of clothing:



16. Favorite Movie:

Opening Game of Euro 2008

Yesterday Anne & I spent all day in Basel w/our friend Jo getting ready for the first of the Euro '08 games. We bought face paint and new tshirts to go along w/our Swiss theme. Later in the evening, our friend Vanessa joined us and we headed out to Laufen, Switzerland just outside of Basel, to enjoy a farewell dinner from the Wasem family. It was a great night, even though Switzerland lost to Czech Republic 0-1. Switzy plays again on Wednesday night against Turkey and this time we hope they win! Here are a few pictures from yesterday:

Euro Cup 2008

Tomorrow starts one of the biggest (if not the biggest) sporting events in Europe--The Euro Cup. It is a football (soccer) match that goes on for a month and this year Basel has the privilege of being one of the hosts! WOOHOO! Tomorrow's game will be Switzerland vs. Czech Republic and of course I'm rooting for Switzerland. In fact, I hope Switzy wins the entire thing. My 2nd favorite would be Germany with France a close third. As they say in Switzerland "Hopp Schwiiz!" (Go Switzerland!)

The Waiting

Heard this song getting ready this morning for work and it has stayed with me all day. It's an older song by the group 4Him. I hope it brings you peace as it has brought me peace :) PS This is my 300th post! YAY!

The Waiting

I know, you know,
We all have taken blows
At times the weight is more
Than you and I can bear
I hurt, you hurt
We live and breathe the word
But through it all it's good to know
We need to know
That Jesus is there
And you will never have to face the hurt alone

CHORUS
When you're waiting
Through the hard times
Hold on, don't let go
Waiting through the hard times
Will only make you strong, hold on

I cry, you cry,
Life takes us by surprise
Before you know,
It'll catch you unaware
I need, you need,
Much more than sympathy
But through it all it's good to know
We need to know
That Jesus is there
And you will never ever have to cry alone

When you're waiting
Through the hard times
Hold on, don't let go

You will never ever have to cry alone

Getting ready to readjust

As most of you know, I have a job interview in West Palm Beach on June 27th..YIPPEE!! It would be so great to live in S. FL again and I also think it would be a great place to transition back into North American life. There are many things that I feel out of the loop on back home such as movies, television shows, politics, etc. I've felt the transition come on more strongly as of late, getting ready to pack up and head to the States. I know it will only get stronger before June 25th. If you're reading this, please say a prayer for me in these next 3 weeks!!

I love All Recipes.com!

For about a year now I have really gotten into cooking (and most recently baking if you read the post from Saturday). My favorite website is allrecipes.com and I go there at least once a day to check on new recipes or to look up something to make for dinner. I wanted to share my favorite recipe with you in case you just might be wondering what to do for dinner tonight (or even lunch!) Enjoy and if you get a chance, let me know how much you liked it!

Chicken Avocado Salad w/Balsamic Vinegar Dressing:

INGREDIENTS FOR SALAD

* 3 avocados - peeled, pitted and diced
* 1 pound grilled skinless, boneless chicken breast, diced
* 1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
* 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
* 1/4 cup balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing

DIRECTIONS

1. In a medium bowl, combine the avocados, chicken, onion and cilantro. Pour the balsamic vinaigrette over everything, and toss lightly to coat.

INGREDIENTS FOR DRESSING

* 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
* 3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
* 1 clove garlic, crushed or to taste
* 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
* 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
* 1 pinch salt
* 1 pinch freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, oregano, mustard, salt and pepper in a jar with a tight fitting lid. Shake well before serving. Store in the refrigerator.

A few pics of the city I'll miss so much -- Basel

By Your Side

I have had the song "By Your Side" by Tenth Avenue North on repeat on my iPod these last few days. It is so reflective of where I've been in my spiritual walk the last month. I went to school with some of the guys in Tenth Avenue North and their songs have always given me inspiration and been exactly what I've needed to hear. I encourage all of you to go and download their new album "Over and Underneath" on iTunes. I am posting the lyrics in hopes you will find the same encouragement and strength from our Heavenly Father that it has given me:

"By Your Side"

Why are you striving these days?
Why are you trying to earn grace?
Why are you crying?
Let me lift up your face
Just don't turn away

Why are you looking for love?
Why are you still searching
As if I'm not enough?
To where will you go, child?
Tell me where will you run?
To where will you run?

CHORUS:
Cause I'll be by your side
Wherever you fall
In the dead of night
Whenever you call
And please don't fight
These hands that are holding you
My hands are holding you

Look at these hands
And my side
They swallowed the grave
On that night
When I drank the world's sin
So I could carry you in
And give you life
I wanna give you life

(Chorus)

Cause I
I love you
I want you to know
That I
I love you
I'll never let you go

Look, Ma, I made a cake!

Yesterday I went to my friend & co-worker, Kelly's house. She is an expert baker and has been promising to show me how to bake a cake for a few months now. I am proud to say that I made my first ever from scratch cake! It's a chocolate cake with white (also homemade!) frosting! We had a few girls over last night for a slumber party and it was a huge hit! Here's a picture of my masterpiece!

The First of Many Good-bye's

Tonight Anne, Amy-Jo, Delynn, Vanessa, and myself all went to Jim & Lillian Rowe's house to do some scrapbooking together. We had so much fun and I completed 3 pages of a scrapbook all about Nice & the French Riviera :) The Rowe's ordered pizza for us and we watched some of Anne of Green Gables. Then we had these amazing chocolate pastries that Lillian made along with some English tea. It was such a great night and we had a blast being with the Rowe's. Unfortunately, Anne & I had to say goodbye to them tonight because they will be going to Canada for the summer and when they return, we will already be gone. I can't believe the time is going by so fast. I have tried not to think about it but on Sunday I will have exactly four weeks left of life over here. Doesn't it seem like I just got here?!?!

I know I have been slack on updating pictures so I've included a few at the bottom. Slide.com and Macintosh are not friends so it's hard for me to do slide shows now :( (Other than that I am quite happy with my Mac!). Enjoy the pics and I will do better to put up new ones more often :)


My parents and I at the Colosseum in Rome



Me & Anne in front of St. Peter's


Me & Anne with our "other halves" Jo & Vanessa...we call ourselves the Fabulous Four and will be so sad when we have to separate in a few weeks :(

Sad Times

I was looking on CNN.com today and was just appalled at what a sad state our world is in right now. With this earthquake in China, the typhoon in Burma, and all the issues in Darfur, it makes me so sad for the people and their families. Tomorrow RIA is having a bake sale and the proceeds will be going to those affected in Burma & China. I have to say that living abroad has definitely made me more worldly conscious of things going on everywhere.

Random Things

A while ago my friend Marcy "tagged" me in her blog and I am just now getting back to it! The tag was for me to name 10 random things about myself. So here goes:

1. I have come to start to love jogging outside by the track across from school. The perfect time is around 5pm when it's still sunny but not as hot.

2. I love love love Broadway musicals. My favorites are Wicked, Hairspray, Les Miserables, Miss Saigon, Chicago, & Spamalot.

3. I twirl and twist my hair when I'm tired or in a comtemplative (daydreaming) state. It's a habit I've had since I was a child and no matter how short my hair has gotten, I still manage to find a piece to play with.

4. Anything having to do with the Holocaust fascinates me. I think it was such a cruel injustice to the Jewish race and those that were tortured and killed.

5. I love trying new types of food. Since living in Germany I have come to love Indian food a LOT. I am also a big fan of Middle Eastern food with grape leaves being my favorite!

6. When I travel I like to find a spot and take random pictures. It can be a park or a town square. It doesn't matter. Just as long as I can be as creative and random as I want!

7. I want to name my daughter Maggie Kate or Isabel Grace and I want to name my son Declan Elliott or Hudson Blaine

8. I have stopped going to Starbucks as often as I used to. Partly due to the fact that it's so expensive and I can get the same type of coffee at a hole in the wall coffee shop.

9. My favorite seasons are Fall and Spring which is funny since we don't really have those seasons in Florida and I love Florida to pieces.

10. I go to Disney World at least once a year and never get tired of it. Seriously, I could stand in line for hours just to ride rides and people watch.

Now here's who I'm tagging to do the same:

1. Melanie
2. Jeannie
3. Pags
4. Chris
5. Amy-Jo
6. Josie
7. Cherie
8. Aubrey
9. Michael
10. Catharine

Changes

It is really starting to hit me that I am leaving soon. I cannot believe this is all going to be over in a matter of 8 weeks. It still feels as though I just arrived back in summer '06. A part of me--a big part of me--is sad. I was riding my bike yesterday through the meadow and then took a detour into the woods. The birds were chirping and it was a beautiful day, something that I have rarely seen the last month with all the rain. I started to think about the things--some little, some big--that I would miss. The tree down from the school that stands by the brook. The festivals in the fall that lead up to Christmas. Riding my bike into Switzerland and France. Hopping on a train to go to a different country. Most of all, I'm going to miss my church. I have made some of the dearest friends there that I've ever had in my life. My pastor and his family have been so gracious to me while I've been here and the Bible study that I'm a a part of has been a source of strength and a second family to me. I try not to dwell on the fact that in August I won't be flying back here or in October I won't be going to the Herbst Messe. Right now all I know is that I'm going to Jacksonville June 25th and after that there looms a big question mark in front of me. I'm trying to think of all the positives that will come out of going back to my hometown, but it's still hard to see the positives when I think of what I'm leaving behind here. Most everyone says I'll be back again. Maybe I will. I hope that I will.

And since this post is titled "Changes" perhaps maybe some of you can help me start to think of a new name to title this blog as after June 25th there won't be any more Adventures in Germany. Any thoughts?

Little Wooden Shoes

When I was in Amsterdam last year I bought a pair of wooden shoes. They are tiny and couldn't fit on anyone's foot but they were exactly what I'd wanted to bring back as a souvenir. They sit on the bookshelf in the den at my apartment and everyone can see them displayed. I often catch myself looking at them because they are one tangible thing I can take back with me in June. I know that wherever I set up house next, they will be out and about for all to see. They will also help me to remember that the world is small and that not that long ago I was living in a foreign country that over time became like home.

I've started to get into the mindset of leaving and it hurts worse than anything. I can't imagine not coming back in August or having a week to go somewhere in October. There is something that captivates me about this continent like nothing else. I'm truly an American girl at heart, but experience has led my heart to be torn between two continents and that's OK. It doesn't mean I'm unpatriotic or love America any less. I think it's just the part of transitioning between two places that are so different.

I know that I will spend a great deal of time missing this wonderful place. Looking at pictures and reminiscing in my mind is going to happen a lot that first year back.

But at least I have my little wooden shoes.

Whew!

My parents just took off after a wonderful week of fun. They arrived last Monday and on Tuesday myself along w/Anne, flew to Rome, Italy with them. We had a blast in Roma and saw EVERYTHING! I had already been previously when I lived in Switzerland but it was nice to go back, especially having more time to spend there.

The last 3 weeks has been a big blur of fun and Anne & I had a blast hosting our friends & my parents. However, it will be nice to go home and not have to entertain for at least another month!

I'm still filling out job applications at different counties in Florida. Please be praying for the right job to open up somewhere!! I'm trying not to get too anxious but I guess I thought I would have heard something by now from the schools that had my resume.

We had our time change Saturday night and I'm feeling the effects of it right now as it is the first day of school. I was running on pure adrenaline this morning but now I am fading and fading fast! The sun is coming out and I'm contemplating going on a bike ride when school is finished today. I'm hoping the weather will continue to get warmer as it was 70 yesterday!!! Spring is my 2nd favorite season (with fall being first!)

I'm Dreaming of a White...Easter?!??!

That's right. We woke up this morning to snow on the ground and freezing temperatures outside! I could NOT believe it was SNOWING ON EASTER!!! What's more is that I had planned to wear something spring-y and cute but had to resort to a warmer, winter-y outfit w/my winter coat and wool scarf!!

Despite the snow (I'm just not a fan of it), this was probably one of the best Easter's I've had in a long time. I led worship today at church along w/our praise team. Afterwards, our Lifegroup (Bible study) all went over to our pastor's home to share an Easter meal w/their family. I am now home and sitting up in bed enjoying the stillness of our apartment after housing all of our guests. We had a great deal of fun with them and were sad to see them go, however, tomorrow my parents arrive and we have to get the house back into order!

Hope you all had a wonderful (and warmer!) Easter!

An early welcome to Baby Charlotte

My friends Tony & Cyd are about to have their second child, another girl, who they will name Charlotte. I've known Tony since 3rd grade and was extremely privileged to know Cyd in High School. They are two of the sweetest friends and it has been so fun to reconnect with them even being so far away! Welcome Baby Charlotte Pagliarullo! I can't wait to meet you! PS Claire, I can't wait to see you again, either :)

Pigeons

I was sitting at a random bus stop in Basel a few weeks ago waiting on (what else) my bus to arrive when I noticed a pigeon picking at the ground around my feet. I think that pigeons are disgusting and probably not on anyone's top ten list of favorite fowl. But I was bored and really had nothing else to do so I started to really study what the pigeon did. He (or she?) would walk back and forth around one area pecking at whatever it could find on the ground. He hopped onto the street and was seconds away from being pigeon pie when a car approached. At the last second and flew away.

I was reminded the entire time of the verse in Matthew that reminds us of the birds in the air and how they are taken care of so why should we worry? This pigeon certainly brought that to my attention. Think about it--he didn't have a care in the world as he pecked away at the crumbs on the ground. And he wasn't really concerned that a car was speeding towards him because he had enough sense at the right time to move out of the way. So why can't I be like a simple pigeon? Why am I worrying about how much money I will get next month and the month after or how I will live on what I have right now? If a pigeon is content with the crumbs on the ground, why can't I be content with what God has already blessed me with? If God directs a pigeon to get out of the way when he's about to get creamed, why do I worry that God isn't going to bless me with a job just at the right time?

Something to think about, isn't it? God takes care of nasty, disgusting pigeons, of course he's going to take care of His own children!

Like I said, just something to think about...

Slacker

I've become a terrible blogger lately. It's not that there isn't much going on, it's just that I'm so busy I hardly have time to sit and take in a breath and type!

Today was officially the first day of Spring Break. My friend Erika from college flew in on Saturday and is staying w/me until Easter Sunday. Anne also has 2 friends from college here as well. We all went to the Rheinfelden Spas on Saturday to get the jet-laggers well relaxed and ready to enjoy Europe. On Sunday we all went into Basel for church and afterwards Erika & I went back to Weil and got some ice cream at the Eis Cafe. It was sooo yummy!! We both had a Black Forest sundae which consists of chocolate ice cream, straciatella (think chocolate chip ice cream), cherry juice, cherries, & whipped cream--YUM!! We walked back to my apartment and had a nice, long, Sunday afternoon nap, then woke up and had some dinner. We stayed up late talking and catching up.

This morning was gross & rainy but Erika & I decided to go over to Strasbourg, France and spend the day there. We were blessed w/only overcast weather there and no rain. This was my 3rd visit to Strasbourg and I can honestly say I never get tired of it! The cathedral there is absolutely breathtaking and today we climbed all 329 steps to get to the top! We munched on a Flammkuche (onion pie type thing...will have to explain in further detail later) and then walked around a bit before heading back to the train station.

Tomorrow we are day tripping to Titisee & Freiburg and our guests are really looking forward to it as am I!

I will try (really I will!) to get some pics up soon of recent events.

Happy St. Patty's Day to all my Savannah friends reading this :)

You Know You Live (have lived) In Germany when...

I found these online and thought they were definitely worth sharing! Might give you even more insight as to what goes on over here! Some of the numbers are missing due to the fact that I didn't even get what they meant!

1. You have sorted your garbage into at least 3 garbage cans and you know the difference (or should know the difference) between "Gelbe Sacke" and "Restmull"

3. You have ever had or not had "lust" to do something.

4. You get excited that CNN is in English.

5. You know what a Döner is, and you've eaten more than one in the same week from a different "Imbiss" each time.

6. You've been to Oktoberfest

7. You've worried before about catching "the last Strassenbahn" home.

8. You've ever been stressed out at the grocery store while checking out, and have noted that you will never take "baggers" for granted ever again.

11. You've ordered more than one Kugel of Eis a day...everyday...

12. You've laughed at someone trying to say "squirrel"

14. You know what the "German Stare" is.

15. You know what DB stands for.

16. You've ever explained to someone what a "pinata" is.

17. You've ever visited the local gas station on a Sunday because it's the only thing open.

18.You know the difference between Milka and Ritter Sport.

19. You know what a WG is, and have lived in one.

20. You've ever been totally confused on how to open any and all windows/doors/locks.

Fun Pic ;)

There are more to come, but this was taken last night at our Open House for prospective families. This is me with some of my co-workers. Enjoy!

Snow, Sheep, Roman Ruins & Reading day!

Did you get all of that? I know it's been a while (again!) since I've updated. I feel like I can't slow down long enough to get in a good blog. So let me fill you in:

1. Last Tuesday we went to the Roman Ruins in Augst again, this time for a class field trip. We are studying Ancient Rome in Social Studies and so it was the perfect place for us to go. At the end of the field trip we had real Italian pizza provided by one of my students, Chiara.
2. On Friday, we had a Teacher In-Service Day and right before we were getting ready to leave, we saw a whole entire herd of sheep coming down the hill across from the school!!! It was like NOTHING I'd ever seen. There were sheep dogs and everything!! It was really crazy!!
3. Yesterday was the start of Reading Month at RIA and today we had Storybook Character Day. Anne & I dressed up as Beezus and Ramona Quimby, respectively. We got some really funny pictures of us posed as the sisters :)
4. And last but not least, we woke up this morning to see a shower of snow outside! It didn't stick (THANK GOD!) and turned into rain (and slosh basically) before I got to school. However, being that we are closer to spring than winter right now, it was still a bit of a surprise.

There are pictures to all of these stories (except for the snow), but at this point and time I am going to be late for staff meeting so I will post them (hopefully) tonight or tomorrow at the latest. Off to staff meeting!

Spring -ish weather

This weekend we had some of the most beautiful weather we've had in a long time. It was sunny, but more importantly, it was WARM! Today after church, I stood outside with my friend Vanessa and just enjoyed the warmth and how beautiful it was. I'm not holding my breath for it to last much longer--this is the area of moody weather and cold could come at anytime--but while it does, I'm going to enjoy it :)

In other news, my friend Erika will arrive in about 20 days and my parents will come in 28 days! I am really excited about both visits! It will be nice to have a piece of home over here for a bit.

Florida On Their Minds...

Yesterday two of my students, Chiara & Tiffany, were talking about how they wanted to swim with dolphins one day. I mentioned to them that in Orlando they could go to Discovery Cove and swim with dolphins there. So we got on the website and then found the site for the new Sea World water park (Sea World owns Discovery Cove) called Aquatica. It is one of the most amazing things I've seen. You can actually go down a water slide that goes through a pool of black & white dolphins! So the kids were blown away by that and started talking about going there on a field trip!! I had to start chuckling b/c Harriet got out a pen & paper and started doing the trip budget!! Of course they didn't realize this meant CROSSING THE OCEAN to get there. It didn't seem to phase them b/c then they looked up ticket prices to fly from Zürich to Orlando. At this point they figured it was going to be more expensive than they thought so I figured they would give up...not so.

This morning during snack time, they were discussing how they could get a permit in Basel and sell stuff or play music!!!! It was too funny! I had to end up telling them to stop talking about it because they were getting REALLY carried away. I decided to take their idea and Cam, our middle school teacher, and I are going to do a project together with our classes about going on their "dream vacation." We will let them pick a place and give them a budget to work with, etc.

It was really cute and if you are in Florida, please go to Aquatica and tell me all about it! It sounds and looks amazing!

Painting Pictures of Egypt

These song lyrics (by Sara Groves) sum up a lot of what I am feeling. I know that soon decisions will have to be made and I will either be leaving Germany/Switzerland again and saying good-bye to some very dear people in my life. If you're a TCK or simply someone who's moved around a lot, you will appreciate these lyrics. If you've never moved anywhere else in your life and have often wondered what it's like to constantly be going from one place to another, here you go:

"Painting Pictures of Egypt"
by Sara Groves

I don’t want to leave here
I don’t want to stay
It feels like pinching to me
Either way
And the places I long for the most
Are the places where I’ve been
They are calling out to me
Like a long lost friend

It’s not about losing faith
It’s not about trust
It’s all about comfortable
When you move so much
And the place I was wasn’t perfect
But I had found a way to live
And it wasn’t milk or honey
But then neither is this

I've been painting pictures of Egypt,
Leaving out what it lacks
The future feels so hard,
And I wanna go back!
But the places that used to fit me,
Cannot hold the things I've learned
Those roads were closed off to me
While my back was turned!

The past is so tangible
I know it by heart
Familiar things are never easy
To discard
I was dying for some freedom
But now I hesitate to go
I am caught between the Promise
And the things I know

I've been painting pictures of Egypt,
Leaving out what it lacks
The future feels so hard,
And I wanna go back!
But the places that used to fit me,
Cannot hold the things I've learned
Those roads were closed off to me
While my back was turned!


If it comes too quick
I may not appreciate it
Is that the reason behind all this time and sand?
And if it comes too quick
I may not recognize it
Is that the reason behind all this time and sand?

Pictures from Lisboa

Lisbon Day 3

I know I said I would post pics but I will do it when I get home :) Please forgive me!

Ok so today Anne & I went on another sight-seeing tour and saw a TON of stuff. The Lisbon jail, the Spanish square, lots of cathedrals, and over a dozen monuments. The tour lasted 2 hours and when we were finished it was way past lunchtime! We grabbed lunch at a snack bar and I just picked something on the menu (it was all in portugese) which turned out to be beef, scrambled eggs, and french fries...quite the interesting match! It was good, but a tad on the salty side. After lunch we took a boat to the other side of Lisbon and went up to the Cristo Dei. It is the statue that is really famous in Rio de Janeiro and back in the 50s they reconstructed one over here. Anyways, the top of the statue was closed from yesterday until Feb 24 but we did get in some good viewing sites!!

When we got back to the main side, it was after 5 and so we decided to go find Pizza Hut and have good ol' American pizza for dinner!! It was a good bus ride there but so worth it! We got back to our hostel a few minutes ago and are about to go to bed as tomorrow we have quite a long day trip planned to Sintra, Portugal.

Lisbon Days 1 & 2

It has been a beautiful 2 days in Lisbon so far. Anne & I arrived yesterday around 12pm Lisbon time(they are an hour behind German time). We got to our hostel and then walked around the city to do some exploring. The buildings here are ancient and I don´t think I`ve seen buildings this old since I was in Greece. The architecture is unlike any I`ve seen in Europe. We finished our day by having dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe and then heading back to the hostel.

This morning we got up after a very good night´s rest and decided to take the trolley to the old flea market. I found a BEAUTIFUL ring for only €3.50 and a handmade purse. The flea market was right next to a very famous cathedral that overlooked the Atlantic Ocean. It was so breathtaking!!! We had lunch at a little hole in the wall place and then headed back to the main part of the city to catch a bus tour. It took us all over Lisbon and we got off when we heard `this is a shopping center with over 300 stores..` It ended up being WAAAAAAAAY out of our price range and so we got a cup of coffee and headed back to the bus stop!

It was dinnertime by then so we walked up the hill (Lisbon is FULL of hills...very much like what I imagine San Fran. to look like) and found another hole in the wall place and had a delicious cup of potato and leek soup for €1.50. We got back to our hostel about 30 min ago and tomorrow we are taking a boat tour to the other side of Lisbon and then we´re going to tour the castle at the top of the hill.

More to come later!

Ciao :)

Fastnacht Break

Once again Fastnacht is here which is the German version of Mardi Gras. Most of the country had their Fastnacht last weekend, but Weil's was this weekend and Basel's starts tomorrow morning. Anne & I went to the Weil parade today and then went to Michael & Delynn's apartment to watch the rest of it. They live right on the Hauptstrasse where the parade took place and so we could get a great view of everything! It lasted 3 hours and we took lots of pictures which I will post tomorrow evening.

Tomorrow morning, Anne & I will get on a plane and head to Lisbon, Portugal! We will be there until Friday and we are so excited! We are hoping that this will not be a repeat of our Nice experience where a scary man barged into our hostel room and yelled at us in French! This time we got a twin room so we don't have to share w/anyone else! I will update daily w/pictures and stories from our time there.

Hope you all had a relaxing weekend!

Happy Chinese New Year

Today we celebrated Chinese New Year at RIA. Two of our families pitched in, one of which is actually FROM China and we had homemade dumplings, lo mein, fried rice, & spring rolls! It was VERY yummy and the kids had a great time helping to make the dumplings and eating everything as well!

Super Bowl Commercials

Thanks to Yahoo I was able to see some of the new commercials for the Super Bowl. I'm partial to the Justin Timberlake Pepsi commercial, although I thought the FedEx commercial with the pigeons was hilarious as well. I was glad to see the Giants win, though I'm not really a fan of either team that played. Maybe next year we can hope for the Jags in the Super Bowl...?!

PS Obviously there isn't much going on if I'm blogging about Super Bowl commercials...

Deep & Random Thoughts at quarter til 11

So I've decided I'm going to pursue working in Europe for the next few however many years! I was at Life Group (aka Bible Study) on Thursday night and I was talking a/b how I wasn't returning to RIA and that I just wanted to stay in this part of Europe. The tears started to flow and wouldn't stop and I felt like an idiot but I'm so thankful that the people in my Life Group are so supportive! I haven't ever mourned leaving a place like I have here and so until I'm told otherwise, I'm just going to try to pursue whatever avenue it takes to stay here.

Last night Jo and Vanessa came over to me and Anne's and we watched Hairspray. I am now adding that to my top ten favorite movies list. It is such a great movie and the musical numbers were incredible. I started getting nostalgic and went on iTunes to find some Broadway songs that I used to listen to years ago. I have been in Broadway mode since and am now yearning to go to London and see a show!

Tomorrow is our day off and Anne & I plan on planting ourselves in front of the television and watching season 6 of Gilmore Girls for the day. Anne is sick w/whatever was going around school and so it will do her good to rest.

Weather-wise it's 47 degrees right now and supposedly snowing in Weil tomorrow. I'll believe it when I see it since that's been the weather report for the last week. I'm really hoping we can make it til March or April w/o snow and just let spring begin!!!

I'll close for now. I hope everyone has a great time tonight at their Super Bowl parties!!

Go Giants :)

Just one of the reasons why I love my job...

Me and Lauren today about to enjoy the Puppet Show

When you only have 43 in the student body and half of them are sick...

There's no school on Monday now b/c we've been dealing with a nasty cold going around the building. Since there are already a few amount in each class, it makes the class sizes even smaller. Not to mention that every day since school started back we've had at least one staff member absent due to colds, etc (my day came the day AFTER we started back!). So today Diana made the decision NOT to have school on Monday so that everyone could rest and get well over the weekend. I'm REALLY looking forward to this much desired and needed break...Of course ironically our Winter Break begins a week from Monday and we will be off all the next week!!

My kiddos on Multiple Day

Apology...

Just wanted to apologize for not updating sooner. Our internet AND phone have been out at the apartment and I rarely have time to sign on the internet at school. I hope to be updating soon w/pictures from Multiple Day here at school when my entire class dressed up in green together! We looked great!

This weekend I went on the day away retreat w/my church and had a wonderful time being w/my friends there.

Not too much else to report except that I'm going thru some financial stuff and I just ask you all to pray that God would be the strength that I need right now. It is a blessing to know that those of you reading this are avid prayer warriors!!

Must run as my kiddos will be out of German class soon.

Showing my age....

Today I let my kids have a "stretch break" between the transition of Math to Science. I put on some fun music from my iPod and one of the songs just happened to be a Backstreet Boys song. I asked one of my students, Chiara, if she liked the Backstreet Boys. Her response: "Who are the Backstreet Boys?" Too bad this isn't 1998 or else my question might not have gotten that response!

Lespwa

I wanted to tell you all about the organization my cousin, Jay Cherry, has started for orphans in Haiti. It's called Lespwa and is pronounced exactly as it looks. Lespwa is the Haitian word for "hope." Their website is www.lespwaworldwide.com so if you get a chance please go check it out.

Just a plug for the fam and a cause that has really started tugging at my heartstrings!

Airplane Buddy

Normally, by now, you would think I’d be used to the annoyance it is to ride economy on an international flight. I prefer coming back to Germany just b/c the trip is quicker and I at least get in a little nap. Not so on this flight! I sat down in my window seat and there wasn’t anyone in the aisle seat. I thought “woohoo maybe it’s my lucky day and no one will be there!” Well, of course the man who ended up being my seat partner came right before the flight closed. I knew he was going to be chatty when he said “Well, looks like I’ll be your flight buddy tonight!” I don’t mind chatting w/the person next to me on a flight so please don’t get the impression that I’m a plane buddy snob, but I was already tired, had a lot on my mind, and really just wanted to listen to my iPod and try to sleep.

Wouldn’t you think it would be obvious that someone DOESN’T want to continue a conversation when they put their headphones in their ears? Apparently, this guy thought I was able to talk to him and relax at the same time. I finally figured I wasn’t going to get ANY relaxation in until I talked to him. Ok, honestly, it wasn’t really THAT bad at first, but once we got settled in the air I really was ready for a break. I got through dinner and decided to pull out my laptop and watch an episode of The Office. The guy thought it would be a good idea for him to watch something, too, because then he started rooting around underneath the seat in front of him and that’s when I discovered my foot had been resting on top of his laptop...oops!!! He was quite rude about that and said “Please try not to step on my laptop. It’s very expensive!” I wanted to tell him that if he got a laptop case, that might not have happened but I just nodded and said “Oh, sorry” as politely as I could.

When it was time for sleep, this dude got out two pillows and proceeded to put one of the pillows up against my arm. This would have been fine if, say, I KNEW the guy!! Not only that, he very rudely kicked his feet underneath my space so that I was forced to curl into a semi-ball in my already too confined seat. Needless to say, I did not sleep a wink. During breakfast this morning I opened the window because we were flying over England and the sun was up so I thought it might wake me up some. This caused Talky Man to tell me to move my head because he wanted to see if he could see the English Channel. “Nope, too many clouds” he says after literally crawling over me to peek out. At this point I still had my iPod on but he continued to talk and talk and talk to me that I finally gave up and turned it off. I almost died laughing when he said “So I need to know...do I snore in my sleep?” “Um, I don’t know. I had my music on the whole time,” I responded as nice as I knew how.

By now we were hovering over Frankfurt and I knew I wasn’t going to doze off anytime soon so I carried on a conversation with him for the next few minutes. Nothing too monumental. I told him what I did and he told me he didn’t agree with small school settings because kids need more experience with other children. I really didn’t feel like coming back with anything so I just said something like “Yes, well I think different people like different things” or something.

When we landed he was one of the first ones off the plane and that was the last I saw of him. I’m sure he meant well....and I really hope this didn’t come off rude. I was hoping it would be a humorous account of airplane adventures.

My luggage made it safely to Frankfurt (Delta now has points back with me again since they didn’t lose it going over or coming back) but sadly somewhere in the Frankfurt airport my RIA jacket is laying on the ground. It fell off of my luggage as I was trying to make it to the bus terminal. Sad. I will get another one soon.

So yes, this has been the longest entry EVER made by one human being, but I wanted to get it all out while it was fresh in my brain. I’m off to the grocery store and then coming home to VEG!

Welcome Liam David Gregory Samples!

Yesterday at around 2:45pm, my dear friend Lindsay, from college, gave birth to a 6lb, 10oz baby boy named Liam. I am so excited for her and her husband, Brian. I won’t get to see Liam until he is at least 6 months but thankfully Linz has a blog that I’m sure will be updated regularly with pictures!

Congratulations Lindsay & Brian! Liam, Auntie Alli can’t wait to meet you!!!

New Years Pics

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What I don't have to do in 2008...

Last night I had one of the sweetest New Years Eve's I've had in a while. I went over to my aunt Reina's house and spent the New Year watching Auburn beat Clemson and then praying in the New Year with my cousins and their friends. One prayer that remained evident was that we should stop acting like slaves to God and remember that we are the children of a KING. I want 2008 to be a year of me coming to really understand that I don't have to "try and be a better Christian" b/c there's no way that I can do that. The more I try to be better for Jesus, the more I will fail. It is comforting to know that God loves me no matter what I do and how much I screw up.

Here's to 2008--the year of living in Christ and not being better for Christ.

Alvin & The Chipmunks, Pumpkin Spice Lattes, & Happy New Year

Today my mom along w/my cousin and aunt went to see Alvin and the Chipmunks. I used to LOVE the cartoon when I was little and the movie was so great! Jason Lee did a great job portraying Dave and I hope they come out w/a sequel involving the Chipettes!

I was also privileged to get a Pumpkin Spice Latte today at Starbucks. This is a big deal b/c they do not have that drink in Basel and I've really been missing it!! It was quite yummy!

And last, HAPPY NEW YEAR. For my friends in Germany it's been 2008 for forty minutes now!

Me & Tammy

This was taken two nights ago before we went out to dinner. We both thought this was a great pic of us! It's no wonder people always mistake us for sisters!