Journey Home

Tonight as I drove home on the rain soaked road my mind wandered as the water swished between the tires & the road. The wipers motioned back and forth clearing the water. The city light cast a pink hue against the midnight gray sky. Clouds were strung about like cotton candy. The cd played a jazzy blue song. The trumpet was strong, the piano played in the background, and the light sounds of the drums took me away. I imagined my alter ego dressed in casual but stylish clothes wearing a pea coat, crocheted scarf, and a beret walking down a foggy rain soaked cobblestone drive on my way to a coffee house to listen to some poetry. Suddenly the music changes and I'm walking through the door into a dance hall. My dress is Navy with white polka dots, my hair is curled and pinned perfectly in that 40's style. Men are dressed to the hilt in their three piece suits, winged tipped shoes, & hats. Suddenly I'm dancing the swing. 123, 123, rock step, 123, 123, rock step spinning in and out. Finally "I'll Be Home for Christmas" played and there I was standing outside of house looking in. Watching the family play games and laugh, children running about, while others held their little ones and talked. Suddenly it felt like home walking in the snow as my boots crunched in the snow. I entered my apartment and started a fire. I curled up on the couch with a good book and drifted off into another world.

Breaking Bread

In 4 days families will gather together to celebrate Thanksgiving. For some a meal ordered will be their choosing and for others it will be days of preparation. In my family the meal revolves around the stuffing. Good 'ole Yankee stuffing. Not one of my favorites and I believe I'm the only one in the family that doesn't like it. Still it's tradition. One I will pass on to my children some day.
Mom came home and was ready to start step one of the process. I was in the middle of something when she started so I opted out of helping her at the time. She put her Christmas music on and started breaking bread. After a while I sat down to join her. We began to talk about some serious issues I've been dealing with about trust, God, relationships, futures etc.... I sat in my chair leaned forward with my elbows on the table. Beneath my hands was a tin pan. I talked and looked to the ceiling as I was trying to articulate what I wanted to say. At the same time I was breaking bread and tossing it into the pan. Apparently mom thought this was comical and tried to imitate me. Only when she threw the bread it went outside of the pan. I'm just the master at it. ha ha. Anyway it was a bonding time for us and a time to realize even with tradition we have 2 different ways of doing things.

Trust

What does trust mean to you? When you trust someone does that generally mean you trust them completely with their decisions or actions? Or does it mean you trust them to a point and if they fail you then you take over? Do you find it difficult to trust because of past experiences? What has to be done for someone to gain your trust?
Today in church the sermon focused on trusting God. God is big enough to handle what life throws at us. There are times we feel He's not there but He is. He's strong enough to hold us up, strengthen us, empower us, heal us, etc.... He's never going to leave us.
He's always there to provide what we need. Granted he doesn't give us everything we ask for. What he does give is only what we need to meet our needs.
Tonight in church we sang "Hungry" in the chorus it says "So I wait for you, So I wait for you. I'm falling on my knees offering all of me, Jesus you're all this heart is living for..." And it reminded me of trust. Do I trust God with every aspect of my life, relationships, jobs, future, missions etc.... And I go through phases where I totally trust God but then there are times when Satan creeps in and I start to believe the doubts he's planted in my head and I begin to take some of that trust back from God. I begin to not fully trust Him. I find when I stop trusting him things don't go right and I'm fighting for things to go right.
In the book I'm reading of short stories I can relate to most of the female characters in each of the stories. One in particular really stands out to me. In one of the chapters she's having a discussion with the man she's dating about fear. His response to her "God didn't give you a spirit of fear." It goes on to say "You fear because you don't trust God." It hit me...I don't trust God fully in certain areas because I'm afraid. I feel like He can't handle it. And it's Satan doing that to me. Listening to Pastor speak this morning and then the song tonight re-iterated that God is more powerful than I can imagine and he's strong enough to hold me up. God knows the plans he has for me and what is to come in my life. He knows the struggles I will face in the future. I don't have to do this alone. I came to the conclusion I've got to stop being "miss independent" and rely on God. Trust him fully that he has the best plans for my life. When I begin to trust him, rely on him, and wait on him my fears will subside and I will have peace.

Blessed Be Your Name

Do you have a song you love. Every time you hear it on the radio you turn it up and sing as loud as you can or when you sing it in church you get this happy feeling? Usually you know the song backwards and forwards you've sung it so many times and then one day the song takes on a whole new light. Suddenly the words sink in to you. What was once your favorite song that you could sing at a moments notice is now taking on a deeper meaning. It's causing you to evaluate yourself, actions, attitude, words etc....you can barely get the words out, your mouth tightens up, and you fight back the tears. You reflect on others you've seen portray the message of the song to the fullest and you ask yourself if you would do the same if in a situation like theirs.Blessed Be Your Name is one of my favorite songs and Sunday it took on a whole new meaning for me. We began our service with a memorial to the veterans and also to those who've passed away in our congregation. A lot has happened in the year I was in Germany and I'm just now finding out One of those honored was a relative of a friend of mine. She wasn't that much older than me, a wife, and a mother of 2 children. As we began to sing the song I found it hard to sing as I concentrated on the words. I thought of her and how her outlook on life was positive despite her illness, then I thought about a friend of mine who's young grandson is going through a similar situation and the prognosis isn't good, my aunt who went through years of cancer and yet up till the very end gave God all the glory and shared with everyone. I also recalled the story of Job who lost everything and his friends made fun of him yet through it all he said "Blessed Be Your Name". All of these people truly reflecting this song. I thought about my own life and how selfish I had been when something didn't work out. It was God's plan but I wanted Jenn's plan to work. God gives and takes away and our attitude should "Blessed Be Your Name" even when we don't understand it should always be trusting God that he knows what is right for us and give him glory. The sermon discussed being blessed by God. One of the points my pastor made was that sometimes we base "blessings" on materialism. God doesn't promise us he'll make us wealthy or give us everything we ask for. He provides what we need to sustain us and sometimes what we ask for isn't in his plan or maybe isn't even a good thing / situation for us.Sunday was just an awesome day of revelations for me I had a smile on my face driving home. I sort of felt like I was in an orbit gum commercial and there should be a sparkle and ding sound coming off my teeth. I laughed on the drive home as I saw a bike going across a bride in the air. Of course it was attached to a small car of which I couldn't see. The point is I felt refreshed and renewed nothing was going to bring down that "spiritual high".

finding the right one

I'm not much of a yogurt fan but I do like the yoplait whips yogurt. The fluffiness and the exact taste of the flavor (Key lime pie, lemon, etc...) While in Germany I was not able to get the yoplait whips. I did become accustomed to a store brand of Lidl. I loved it. Since being back I haven't craved the whips yogurt. I tried a dannon natural and a walmart brand but was disgusted with the taste. They tasted too much like plain yogurt. Today I tried yoplait thick and creamy. This one I like however it's so thick I feel like I'm eating a facial cream. ooooohhhhhh.

Mowin' the lawn

Today I offered to mow my dads lawn as it needed it and he's not in the best of shape to do it. He showed me how to work his riding lawn mower and off I went. I had thought that I would be using a push mower but he said it was fine to do the riding one. It was better to do it this way as I was not dressed to mow it with a push mower with flip flops on. About half way through my second time around the yard I thought to myself "This thing isn't mowing". I was quite perplexed as to what was wrong when all of the sudden I realized I hadn't put the blades down. So back to square one with the mowing.
The back yard was tricky because of it's layout. I was rounding a tall but skinny tree trying to get as close as i could when I got stuck. At first I was just caught on the branch so I decided to keep going when all of the sudden the tree bends and just as I think I'm cleared I hear a snap and the tree swings up hitting me in the back. Luckily it wasn't a hard hit. I was mortified as I thought I had ruined my dads riding mower and that I had ruined my step mom's favorite tree. I looked over at my dad and he was dying laughing. He told me not to worry everything was okay and that they were wanting to take that tree down anyway. Turned out for the best.

ballroom dance

I've always wanted to learn ballroom dance ever since I can remember. I decided I needed to get out of the house and get some exercise. What better way! I signed up for an introductry lesson pkg. After that I decided I wanted to continue and decided to treat myself for once. In addition to the lessons one is to also attend Practice seesions and or a group lesson. After talking with the one of the head ladies we decided I would benefit more from a practice session. I was a bit skeptical and shy at the same time. I was worried I would be the only young one there. When I arrived on Friday night a set of students were just finishing and there didn't seem to be very many people there. Then they started coming in one by one and my nerves started working over time. All of them over 50 minus the couple who had just finished their lesson. I'd say they were in their 40's. And when I thought I had lost all hope in walks this nice looking guy. He was young in fact younger than me. I was just happy that there was someone in my generation there. I was asked to dance by some of the other guys. One of the older guys asked me to dance the rhumba. All I had learned left my mind. I was tripping over my feet and not on beat. His dancing was far more advanced than mine. At one point I thought I might be in the movie Dirty Dancing as he told me "you're frame's not stiff enough you're not giving me anything to push against." I was shocked that he had just said that to me. In addition I think he'd had a drink or 2 as I could smell alcolhol on his breath. I was never more happy when that dance ended. The young guy, I believe his name was Joey, asked me to dance a few times. He was quite a dancer and takes everything seriousss but laughs to. I think I was more uptight than he was, but probably because I was so nervous dancing with new partners. We danced the waltz, tango, and foxtrot. When I'm with my teacher I'm a little more relaxed and move a bit more comfortably. I've just got to learn to let the guy lead and not just do the steps. The night was fun and challenging learning to adjust to new partners. I realized I danced more rhumbas than anyone else I think. It was a great workout.

Victoria's Secret

A lot has changed since I've been gone. I remember when this store used to be classy and sophistocated. Rich mahogony woods framed the doorway. Pale pink floral fabric covered the walls. Elegant silk nightgowns, silk pajamas, silk boxers and silk robes filled the store. Last night I went to the mall and it hit me....Victoria's Secret is no longer a store I like. They've changed their target audience to the college age. Everything is so young and the decor looks more like a college dorm. I realize they're trying to reach a new audience, but I wish they would have kept more of a mix instead of just on one age group.

Multi-Cultural Wedding

I had the privilege of attending my friends wedding before leaving Switzerland. This was unique in that they were combining Swiss, Western, and Papua New Guinea traditions. Verne was an MK and grew up in Papua New Guinea and Rahel (Rachel) grew up in Switzerland. The church was beautiful. A single pink rose adorned each pew. The podium had a flower arrangement while a three tiered candle stand held 3 moss green colored candles. The atmoshpere was inviting. It felt as if everyone was family. When it was time to start Verne walked down the aisle casually and greeted some people he hadn't seen in a while. He wore a black suit with brown undertones and a brown vest and tie. His father performed the ceremony. Shortly after Rachel entered. She looked like a model with her slim figure. The gown looked delicate and complimented her. She radiated throughout the ceremony. Anytime they sang a song or had a scripture reading they had a verse in each of the languages from their heritages: English, Swiss, and Pigeon. It was beautiful. I believe this is the first wedding I've been to where the groom enjoyed it, was excited and radiated when he saw Rachel. One could catch the excitement bouncing off of Verne and Rachel. Their vowels were beautiful and defined their relationship with God and each other. They stressed the need and desire to have God involved in every aspect of their life. It's one of those were you sit there in awe and think "Wow! I want that! I want that kind of relationship with the man (or woman if you're a guy reading this) I marry!

Surprise Birthday

In Germany it is custom for you to throw your own birthday party. It can be lavish or just a simple gathering of friends for tea. My friend Nicole and I had talked about celebrating together since our birthdays are 1 week apart. We never got any definite plans set and time was getting closer for me to leave. I decided just to let it slide as I had so much going on trying to get things done and see all that I could the last week. Lely suggested we have one last girls night. These were common for us throughout this past year. It was our time to get together do facials, manicures, pedicures, massages, dancing etc....Just us girls. We arranged it for Thursday the 16th. Lely fixed chicken curry, I made salad and Lisa made dessert. We met at Nicole's apartment and enjoyed the dinner and laughter. We were standing around when Lisa came in with brownies and candles in the shape of 31. We started to sing happy birthday but then in the middle of it I became confused and didn't know who the song was for. Was it for me or Nicole? It ended up being Lely, Simone, and Lisa finishing the song and that's when I heard "Happy birthday Nicole & Jenn..." They definitely pulled one over on us. The cheesecake brownies were so good.

I had dressed in what I refer to as my "country" outfit. I don't know why I just feel that way when I wear it. Boot cut jeans, boots, and a brown striped button up shirt. I jokingly suggested we get some music and start line dancing. Simone and Lisa looked at each other and suggested we do a photo shoot. I'd been dying to do another one. :) Since we all live in the vicinity of each other we each went back to our apartments and got clothes to dress up in. We did each others hair and make up going all out on it and becoming daring. We had a blast. It was the best birthday party I've ever had!

European vacation part 1

Before leaving for Germany people said "Oh, you'll get to see so much of Europe because it's cheap to travel around." I'm not sure what their source was, but travel wasn't all that cheap. There were a few times we could get train tickets for 29 Euros and up to 5 of us could travel somewhere within a certain distance. I regret I didn't take advantage of more of these. Most of my travel was done when my family arrived at the end of July. We visited Garmisch, Heidleberg, and Venice. I had adapted to the European / German culture but some of my family had a little trouble adjusting in some areas. We did most of our travel by train. I booked us with fast connections to eliminate waiting time. What was I thinking????? There were 5 of us each with 1 large suitcase and at least 1 carry on. A few of us had backpacks. In addition to this I have asthma. For my time in Germany I had very little trouble with the asthma. We had our adventures traveling by train. Getting off on one platform and running to catch the other one which most of the time wasn't in close vicinity. There were times the conveyor belt for the luggage wasn't working and we'd haul all the luggage up the stairs while running. This kicked my asthma into gear running and carrying heavy luggage. One time I got us on the wrong train, yet we still ended up catching our next connection on time. The ICE (Inner City Express) trains were quite nice. The seats were plush, the cars air conditioned, and if you were lucky you had earphones to listen to music. The slower trains weren't as plush and sometimes not air conditioned. They were also strict on putting feet on the seat. I had the conductor get onto me for having my foot propt up. He wasn't too friendly about it either. All in all we had a good vacation despite the travel flops.

High Tea

The other day a few of us were sitting around talking. Somehow we got on the subjects of hats which led to other topics of discussion which led to us planning a high tea so that we could wear hats. I got excited when I was volunteered to do the invitations. Oh you should have seen me designing them. I had a lot of fun. We agreed on the menu and set the date. Saturday I was shopping in Kardstadt. They have a good selection of hats and it's where I'd found my winter hat. My eyes widened as I approached the hats. There it was hanging on the wall. White with a flower and feather looking combination. A high center. Oh just like in the move What a Girl Wants. It reminded me of the hats that the English wear, or something low key from My Fair Lady etc... It was the first one I grabbed and as soon as I put it on and looked in the mirror I knew...this was the hat. It suited me perfectly. I looked beautiful in it. It was me! It was on sale to. I tried to find some others that were cheaper. I found some that looked okay but this one was tops. I went back this afternoon and it was still there and still on sale. Everyone commented on it at the party. They said it really looked good on me. I thought about wearing it home along with a nice black pant suit and some stunning shoes. Then it would be like the movie Sabrina. Daughter coming home from Europe sophisticated. lol. Not everyone came in hats but we all had fun. Jillian and Sib set the table in a beautiful arrangement. Lucy entertained us with her little girl ballet and twirling. The scones were delicious. They were the best I ever had. Not sure what Starbucks make but it never tasted like this. I made pumpkin bread with cream cheese frosting. All from scratch. It was a nice relaxing event talking, listening to music, and enjoying delicious food and tea.

Rain in Busingen

I had noticed that the sky was unusually gray today. It was dark outside and the wind had cooled off. I decided there was no need for the fans and turned them off. I'd rather have the fresh cool breeze any day. I stood at the window and leaned out. Taking in the scenery, letting the breeze blow against my face. To the left of the office and down the road there were a few people talking. I wondered if they were discussing the weather. I turned my head to the right and gazed upon the clouds. I think to myself if this was Arkansas I'd think this might be tornado weather although the sky would be an eerie green instead of a dark gray. I leave the room to get a glass of water. Upon my return I am shocked to see sheets of rain blowing like a curtain in the wind. I am amazed as I have not seen this type of rain to my recollection. I study the direction and wonder if I should shut the windows. However I decide that it's okay to leave them open. As I enter my office the wind blows harder and I notice the window seal is soaked with rain. I am thankful that I had removed the fans already from that area. I scramble to shut the windows in all the rooms as the wind blows harder. Rain drops slam against my face. I watch in amazement as the rain falls harder and the wind becomes stronger. I have never been in a hurricane before, but this reminds me of the images I have seen on t.v. Things are flying in the air past the office. Luckily it's nothing big that could do any damage. I wonder if this will be finished by lunch time. It's now 10:15. I do not have an umbrella, I wore flip flops today, and Nikolaj is not here to give me a ride to the school. If it continues this way I will walk barefoot and play in the rain provided the lightning has subsided. Lightning flashes and thunder rumbles but not what you'd expect after seeing a mean streak lightning. Where are the big claps of thunder that make you jump? Will there be a fire somewhere? Will Busingen's best be called out to save a cow, barn or house? Not that I wish a fire upon anyone or anything. Oh to be home curled up under a blanket watching an old movie.

Dance the night away

This past semester has brought back so many memories for me. A few years back I had the opportunity to take ballroom dance lessons. Of course it was only introductory and I couldn't afford the full lesson. None the less I thoroughly enjoyed them. My favorite dance is the tango. I had the opportunity to take dance lessons again this semester. I had so much fun. My rhythm seemed a little better, but still needs some work. I had a partner who was patient and stuck it out even when he didn't care to. Monday nights were filled with laughter and dancing. We all laughed at each other as we learned and made the same mistakes over and over again. The memories I'll always have are of Olive and Colby gazing into each others eyes as they danced, Victor and Tamara putting on a show and looked as if they knew exactly what they were doing even when they didn't, Ali thinking he knew it all and didn't need to practice while Sonja got the steps down fast. Mike never having a consistent partner. They all quit on him. If they only knew how great a dancer he is. Alek and Stephi who'd you'd often catch stop dancing to find them sneaking a kiss (They're in love and engaged...what more do you expect). Shandor and Alex swinging to the beat. Gideon trying desperately to get the beat and the steps down while Amber patiently works with him. Then there was Chris and I. Chris was great at keeping the beat whereas I was always off. The thing that made me laugh about Chris was when he turned he looked like he was doing a spin move from a boy band. Ahhh the memories. At the close tonight our teachers demonstrated the Tango for us. It was absolutely beautiful. Monday nights will never be the same.

Chosen

Have you ever noticed God will make things known to you in a recurring theme? Since Friday it seems God's been pointing something out to me that I never really grasped. I knew it, but it's been sinking in the past couple of days. It all started on Friday when Lisa shared Duet. 7:6-8a (niv) with me... For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession. The LORD did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because the LORD loved you and kept the oath he swore to your forefathers. God didn't choose us (you) because we had the most he chose us because he loved us, he promised our forefathers, and we're his treasured possession. Have you ever had someone tell you that you are a treasure to them. To know that someone thinks you're a treasure to them makes you feel special. I know I am a treasure to my parents even though they haven't used that exact word, but when Lisa read this and I heard that I was a treasure to God WOW! Me? With all the mistakes I've made and he's forgiven me I'm still a treasure to God! It's like when a child finds the ugliest rock, to some it's not beautiful but to the child it is. He'll clean it up and show it off to everyone because it's his treasure.
Sunday I was to do nursery which meant I would not hear the sermon. As I got ready to leave after the songs I looked back and the one little boy I would have had in nursery was quite content in the lap he sat on. I didn't want to disrupt that peace. As long as he was quiet there was no need for me to go. This was God working as he remained quiet throughout the service. God wanted me to hear the message and I'm glad I got to stay. I love playing with Adrian, but I needed to hear the sermon. We had missionaries from Kenya speak to us. As Elisabeth spoke she shared the verse John 15:16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. Yet another verse where God chose us (you)! This one goes on to point out that we were chosen to go and bear fruit...fruit that will last. For some evangelism comes easy but for others it's hard. It takes boldness and courage. You may be the first person to introduce someone to Christ or one of many in sharing Christ with a person. For some it could take a while before they make their decision. The important thing is to keep loving them and encouraging them. As for the last part of the verse I do believe God will give you what you ask but only if it is his will for you and it fulfills our needs.
As I read my devotional for this morning it had a verse on being chosen. Isaiah 43:10a, b..."You are my witness,"declares the Lord, "any my servant whom I have chosen." We are God's witnesses and he has chosen us! The devotional talked about if you don't share God with people who will? It brought up the point that we often think there are more qualified people than us to do this job. One of my friends share a quote with me "God doesn't call the qualified, he qualifies the called!" I'm not sure who said it but the point is we don't have to have everything in place or have a theology degree to share Christ with anyone. We are called by God to go and share his love for us and for others. Some people are visual people. They get more out of what they see than hear. People are constantly watching us (you). Showing love for others despite their background can be just as strong of a testimony. In closing God has definitely shown me that I am chosen as you are chosen. He loves us. He chose us to go and bear fruit. He chose us to be his witness. We are His treasure!

Singen

Graduation Banquet is coming up for EuNC. It's the social event of the year for the school. It's a formal event and the girls and guys dress to the hilt. Dilemma? Of course! I've not a thing to wear! Ahhhh but there is a suite I bought in the states before coming. It's semi fancy not business like at all. I look good in it, but I need something to wear underneath the jacket. Lisa and I set out yesterday in search for the perfect top. We had a blast as we spent most of the day shopping. We went into stores we'd been dying to go into since arriving.
In one particular store I made a small purchase. When I finished checking out the lady asked me which color flower I liked. I scanned the bouquet of yellow and pink roses. I chose pink. She picked one out and handed it to me. A smile stretched across my face and I said "Vielen Dank" (Thank you very much). That made my day. It put a skip in my step. I couldn't stop smiling. We decided to commemorate the moment because it's not every day I get a rose (or any flower for that matter). Lisa took a picture of me with the store in the background. As we were doing this we were in front of a house. I assume the lady in the house was watching as she came out with a similar pink rose, speaking German, and handed the rose to Lisa. Now we both had roses. We were so happy. We quickly ran to Lidl (grocery store) and got a bottle of water so our flowers wouldn't die on us!

We stopped at a few other stores that I had been anxious to go into. This was my first experience with hoity toity (sp?) stores. The first one we stopped at was interesting. They were nice but I think God really didn't want me in there. It was quite windy on Sat. Lisa got to the entry way first and before I could step through the wind blew knocking over the 2 mannequins (sp?) standing outside which now blocked my way of getting in. I just laughed. Needless to say the shop was out of my price range. The next one we went to was not a pleasant visit. We felt uncomfortable and as if they were watching us the entire time. Maybe because I had jeans and a sweatshirt on. Who knows. At any rate we didn't give them our business. We were not offered water and biscuits that were set up strategically in different parts of the store. We relaxed in Singen eating at a cafe, taking pictures, and still looking for that perfect top. We finally found one and it was quite an expensive store but I think more along the lines of Dillards. The salespeople there were nice and helpful and the blouse was only $25 Euro. The day was a blast but I was worn out from all the walking.

Nerds

Do you remember nerds? The little round candies that sometimes resembled a molecule with a sweet and sour taste? Tonight as I dished out Vanilla icecream for Lisa and I, I noticed that frozen raspberries when crushed imitated nerds. In fact that went as far as to imitate the taste just without the sugar. My conclusion is that Frozen raspberries were the "original" nerds and the inspiration for the creator of nerds.
P.S. They're great in vanilla ice cream!

Autobahn

You've heard the rumors of "There's no speed limit!, You can go as fast as you want, etc." You can imagine my delight when I found out I would be driving on the Autobahn. This would definitely satisfy my need for speed. I was pumped and ready to go! While it can be a little scary as cars come flying by you as you are getting on. Still I had to remain calm and do it. I was so excited getting to go 100 km. then up to 120 km. Only to find out that yes I was on the Autobahn but this was not one that has a "no speed limit" rule. There were 2 points in which the speed limit was null however the hidden rule is that you can only go up to 120 km. You gotta love the Swiss! ha ha. Then to find out that 100 km is around 60 mph. Come on. Although I must say it felt like we were going around 90 when I hit 120km.
Autobahn is a general term used in Germany, Austira, and Swiss (to my knowledge) meaning highway. Germany is the only country (I am told) that has the "no speed limit" Autobahn. I was saddened when I realized I was not on the infamous highway. Another thing to throw you for a loop is that the highways are color coded. In Swiss it's Green and Blue and in Germany it's Blue and Green. Each highway for each country you have to have a sticker to drive on them. I forget the meaning of the colors, but it's the opposite meaning in Germany. Hence, the switch of order in the way I wrote them. It's still fun and exciting getting to drive and shifting into 5th. Hopefully I will get to experience the real autobahn before leaving.

Sabrina

Having no t.v I've watched more movies than I can ever imagine. More so than I did in the states. In fact I've watched them over and over again and again. I can almost quote you the lines from the ones we have. Last night after dance class I was dreadfully tired but it was too early to crash. Finally I decided to watch a movie and Lie down. I put Sabrina in as I like the music and the story. However, I thougth I'd try it in French. No, I don't know French, but I love the way it sounds. I put the subtitles on so if I wanted to know what they were saying I would. As I lay there watching it, it was as if I was watching it for the first time. It was quite exciting. Not to mention the fact that it was relaxing as the voices were soft as they spoke the French. I was out within minutes. Try it sometime.

Snow, Snow, Snow

We've had some delightfully warm weather lately. People enjoyed the days outside wearing spring clothes, sandles, flip flops etc... You can imagine how disappointed we were when we heard it was coming to an end. A cold front was moving in and snow was expected. Sure enough, yesterday while eating lunch, it began to rain. All of the sudden pea sized hail come out of nowhere in all directions. It was a short hail storm that turned back to rain. As I sat in the office working I looked out the window and to my surprise huge snow flakes were falling from the sky. It was beautifull. It was short lasted and didn't stick due to the days of warm temperatures we had had previously. This morining on my way to get my laundry, I was shocked to what my eyes saw. SNOW! It had snowed during the night and I had no idea. What a beautiful surprise to wake up to. It didn't stick to the streets but to the grass, cars, and houses. Now it's begining to slowly melt away. It's beautifull, but not enough for a snow ball fight. :(

Save the Frogs!!! Ribbit

Do you remember the arcade game Frogger? The adrenaline rush you got trying to help the frog cross the street without getting running over by a Mac truck? Who knew this happens in real life. I was surprised to find out that in Germany there are a few places where they close the streets during mating seasons for Frogs. At first I thought that they were pulling my leg. Apparently there are hundreds of frogs that mate in certain areas. In the past it was a nuisance as people would run over them with their cars. After a while, the build up of the lifeless bodies, blood, and guts became a problem causing some accidents from the road becoming slippery. In another area of Germany they have put up a protective tarp along the side of the road for about a mile. They placed buckets at certain intervals. The frogs try to jump the tarp but they can’t eventually they’ll move far enough down that they’ll make it into the bucket. The buckets are checked every so many hours. They are then taken to the other side of the street and the frogs are released. In a way you could call it the “Frog Bus stop”. However, I’m sure Kermit the Frog would rather take the city bus instead of the bucket bus. In essence this is the safest way for the frogs to cross the street and live a longer life. According to Marina Arnold, German frogs are different from American frogs in that German frogs quack whereas American frogs ribbit. Here again I thought I was being played but apparently not. Seems like Kermit the frog left Miss Piggy for Daisy Duck therefore explaining the quacking noise of the German frogs

Elizabeth town

I decided to watch a movie I’d never seen before, nor did I have any desire to see it when it came out. While the movie takes place in Kentucky there were reminders of home built in. For instance when he arrives in Kentucky it’s during the summer and you can hear the insects buzzing around. It reminded me of home with the crickets, katydids, and other creatures I hear when it’s warm outside. It took me back to a place in time where I could feel the hot muggy air pushing against my skin and the sweat beads forming on my head. The reunion scenes with the family reminded me of mine. There are people everywhere, kids running around playing games, the ladies cooking while the men sit out in the yard or in the living room talking. The southern accents were very prominent in the characters. It was then that I realized I’m okay with the accent I have. I’ve noticed being here it will occasionally come out while I’m speaking. Living here, I’ve discovered I love. It’s different than home. The atmosphere is different. I don’t have a hectic schedule to adhere to; I’m healthier as there aren’t fast food restaurants on every corner. I’ve said on several occasions “I don’t miss Arkansas. I just miss family and friends. Tonight as I finished the movie, they crossed through Memphis into Arkansas and showed the State Sign. I threw my hands up in victory and cheered for Arkansas. Maybe there is a little part of me that misses Arkansas. Arkansas will always be my home state, but there comes a time when you move on and find a new home. There will be times I will miss things about Arkansas and I’m sure when I return there will be things I miss about Europe. I’ll see a movie or hear a sound that will take me back to this time and place. What will it be like when I return? Everyone’s life has gone on as mine has to. When I return I will truly face culture shock for the first time in my life.

Saturday Trek

For the past 3 weeks I've been walking to Schaffhaussen on Saturdays. It's great exercise in that it's about 3.5 miles away. We generally take the bus back for now. Today it was just me as the other girls had plans to go to Zurich. I decided I would take the bus in then take the leisurely stroll home. I had seen a dress in a store I wanted to try on. It's a different style for me, not one I'd normally go for. As I got off the bus and started walking towards the stores I felt a sprinkle. I hoped it was just my imagination and nothing more. I was wrong, it started raining. I didn't have an umbrella nor did I have enough money to buy one as they're expensive here even for the tiny ones. I arrived at the store a little wet but not bad. In the window the dress looked great on the maniquin but when I found it in the store it was ugly. I didn't try it on since I thought it was ugly and they didn't have my size. I have trouble finding clothes to fit me here. I decided to go on. Since it was raining I decided to treat myself to McDonalds. I've only had it twice since being here. French Fries (Rainy day comfort food :) ) I walked back to the bus stop thinking I was running out of time. It was only 11:30 I had plenty fo time. I should have stayed and ate at McDonalds. Halfway to the bus stop I looked down at my bag....It was wet and the bottom was about to fall out. Between holding my bag and trying to keep the hood of my sweatshirt on my head it was a task. By the time I got to the bus stop I was soaked...hair, jeans, and all. Luckily the food was still warm. They have mustard here for the chicken nuggets but not Hot mustard. I miss that for my fries! I got curry instead. It was good. Similar to a sweet and sour sauce though. It was okay on the fries but I still prefer my hot mustard. Needless to say it was a short trip. It's been a long rainy day here. I almost thought we were getting a thunderstorm but it only thundered one time.

Valentines Day

Valentines Day had a whole new meaning for me this year. As I was on Dayspring.com I saw a quote they had "A valentine may be far away, but God is always near". This year Lisa, Simone, Ali, and I didn't have a valentine here with us to celebrate so we decided to celebrate together so that we wouldn't be "alone". The girls had dinner together. I made morrocan chicken, Lisa made bruschetta, and Simone made zucchinni bisque soup of which I discovered I liked. Instead of champaigne or wine, we had the nonalcoholic Rimissi. Just us girls enjoying a nice relaxing evening. Ali joined us after dinner to make sugar cookies. It was a unique experience to see what colors we chose for frosting and how we decorated. Simone got artistic, Ali had a modern take on his, and Lisa and I were pretty old fashioned with our decorations. While I didn't have a valentine with me, I had God and friends to make the night unforgetable.

Sunday's in Schaffhaussen

Despite a week of nonstop rain, this weekend was incredibly beautiful! The sun shone bright making the temperature more comfortable (around 52 or so). As I sat at my desk I looked out at the bright sun and thought to myself “this is not a day to stay in”. I decided I would go to the dock and write in my journal. However, as I wrote an email to a friend of mine my mind drifted off to the other end of the Rheine where the walkway is lined with benches and trees. Ducks and Swans swim close to the shoreline…Yes this is where I wanted to be. Under the canopy of dead tree branches soaking up the sun and taking in the surrounding sounds. I can’t wait for the trees to come into bloom. Off I went on my 3 mile trek. As I approached the city I noticed there were a lot of people. The further I went in the more people I saw. Everyone was out enjoying the weather walking along the river bank. There were old couples holding hands walking with canes, families playing together, young couples wrapped in each others arms sitting on the edge of the bank (oh to be one of those couples!), a group of old men sitting on the benches talking as well as a group of old women sitting on the bench talking. Nobody was in a hurry. It was like walking through a scene in slow motion. When the weather is nice, Sunday’s in Schaffhaussen is the place to be!

Theory as a lense

Theories are like lens in that they help you see things from a different perspective. In fact they can make situations seem clearer. Dr. Lyon was an avid fan of this approach as he coached us in our research class. It was our senior project and we took a communication theory and applied it to a situation involving communication in our life. In essence we analyzed the situation and came up with solutions of how we should have approached the situation. As a speech major, this also applies to anyone who writes, we had instilled in us “REVISE, REVISE, REVISE”. Never go with your first copy as you will always find mistakes. This approach is a necessity in my job of web design. In my web design class we learned the basics of web design, yet we did not go into detail on design aspects. In my current job setting there is Simone who has been editor of a newspaper and knows the ins and outs of design and there is Verne who is advanced in Photoshop and video editing. Working with these two has been an eye opener. They’ve been like my “lenses”. We are currently in the process of redesigning the front page of the webpage. I started to work on the design and was satisfied with what I had done. It wasn’t my best but I thought I had done a good job considering I had tried a new concept. Friday, I had Simone look at it from a designer’s perspective and everything changed. However, with the two of us sitting down discussing the pictures to use and why some aren’t the best suited, what needs to be our focal point, what can be of a lesser value, etc…I saw things in a different light. I’m glad I didn’t post my original copy. As Simone has worked on this with me it’s developing into something better. I can’t wait for the finished product.

Break Through

Last Sunday the music leader sang this song "Break Through". All week I tried to remember the name but for the life of me I couldn't even remember the words. Apparently God was speaking to me then and wanted to remind me of it again today as we sang it in chruch. Thank you God! It's by Tommy Walker
"...Break through all my doubts...Break through all my fears....Break through that I may worship You...break through all my pain...break through all my guilt and all my shame....You are brighter than my darkest night stronger than my toughest fight Just one touch from You my King, my friend And I'll never be the same agian..."
2 weeks ago for our devotionals we discussed the story of Jesus on the boat with the disciples when the storm came up. We discussed how sometimes we try to take things into control ourselves and handle everything instead of trusting Jesus. We also discussed the fact that we will always be faced with storms we have the choice to turn away like a coward and try to avoid them or we can walk through them with God and while we may not always win the way we think we should we will come out of it stronger in God. When Sharla sang this song last Sunday it reiterated to me everything we had discussed in the devotionals especially the part "Your stronger than my toughest fight". This week I've seen God answer prayer and handle a situation I had to face. Through it he gave me a peace about it and the words to say and he answered my prayer for the other person in how they would respond. So today when we sang the song again it meant so much more to me. He broke through all my doubts, fears, pain. He held me up through the storm. After going through this I had peace with the situation and today I was able to worship him and I radiated.

Lychees

Lisa introduced a new fruit to me. A couple of days ago we were shopping at Lidl (prounounced Lee dle) when she found Lychees. She got some and said I needed to try them. They looked prickly to me and I really had no interest in them. Today she brought me 2 and said "just try them". The shell is hard and spiky. You start with the nub at the top and peel off the shell. At first it looks like fish eggs or something from inside your body because of the texture and color (milky translucent white). As I peeled the shell some of the skin came off which caused a thicker section of the fruit to come off. The texture was quite interesting. It was similar to raw chicken or seafood. The taste was good. Not my favorite but if I had no food I could learn to like them. All in all it was interesting and I can add it to the list of foods I've tried.