i've had a lot pf people e-mail me and ask how i spent thanksgiving, now i know it was like a week ago but i figure if i write it on here it will save me from having to re-write it in all the e-mails....
i was originally supposed to spend thanksgiving in portugal but after talking with some people about it and spending some time in prayer i decided that it just wasnt the best timing. so the wednesday that i was supposed to be flying i ended up sleeping 14 hours, life had been crazy and i think i just needed a catch-up day. thursday was thanksgiving and around 2 i went to larry and pattys (the couple that hosts navigators) with about 30 of my friends. we played board games, hung out, and ate a ton. it was really chill and really fun, i didnt end up going home until like 2am. the next day i went ice skating with some friends and then went over to my friend shauns house where we watched like eight episodes of the office. on saturday we went to cochem, where they have this really sweet castle and did a tour of the castle and explored the town. that night we went to brauhaus (no idea how to spell that) zills, which is a local brewery where they serve authentic german food and have jammin beer. we had a ton of fun just hanging out and we even ended up doing some dancing because they had these two old german ladies singing the whole time. on sunday we had the unity service at church (where all the protestant services meet together) it was kind of weird. so that was pretty much my thanksgiving weekend, it was a good weekend just hanging out but it made me miss home a lot (A LOT). hard to explain in a blog but thats why my last post was what it was.

oh, and in case you havent noticed i started another blog, its not a blog about my life like this one is, its just some lists i'd been making for fun and i thought id post a few, feel free to add to the lists if you think of anymore. www.thatwasnthelpful.blogspot.com

i want to go home.

yesterday was thanksgiving club. john and shannon left for the states so it was my first time running club on my own. it actually went pretty well (minus the hole that got put in the wall during turkey bowling). i gave my first club talk, ever. it wasnt the most eloquent talk but lots of people told me i did well, so thats encouraging i guess. i dont think teaching is my spiritual gift but just because something isnt our gift doesnt give us permission to avoid it. so i did it, and i'm glad its over, and that rosanna and patches are talking next week.

one of the strangest things about living here is how easy it is to be in another country. for example last monday i was driving home from another day of snowboarding and in ten minutes i had been in three countries (holland, germany and belgium) just because of the way the borders fell. so weird. well on friday i was hanging out at the coffee mill (our friday night hang out spot) and phil and brent, at 11 at night, decided we should go to luxembourg tomorrow (sat). so we did. its so weird how going to another country is like going to the city (and is about as far away). we drove in had lunch, walked around for a bit and then headed back. there are things that i definately miss from home but there are so many really neat things about living here that make up for a little bit of what i miss.

the middle school trip went really well. on the ride up my two girls wouldnt talk at all and all of my attempts at conversation failed miserably so i resorted to letting them control the radio and listened to more pink, avril and riahana than i think people should in one day. when we arrived at cave lazer tag in holland i discoverd my in with the girls, they each had a crush on two of the boys on the trip. during lazer tag i was able to help them get the boys (i think more of the boys got me though, but i did ok at lazer tag) and after that conversation was a lot less awkward. after lazer tag we all went to mcdonalds (the girls were so funny, on the way to mcdonalds they were telling me that we better be headed to mcdonalds and not try to take them somewhere fancy because that would be "gross") and then headed back to the hostel where i got to fall asleep to the sound of them talking about how they can find more ways to spend time with the boys they like. the next morning we woke up ate breakfast at the hostel and headed back into holland (the hostel was on the boarder but was technically germany) for indoor snowboarding. i didnt know indoor snowboarding existed but it does. i was pleasantly supirised to find that even with my bad knee i was able to do everything but the jumps (the impact of a small one made me feel like my leg was going to snap) i was even able to do a few rails which earned me major cool points with the junior high boys. overall the kids had a lot of fun and it was a good bonding with the kids that went, i'm glad it had a quick turn around though because i can only take so much talk about boys.

this will not be a happy post.
we had our first snow today. now, on top of the fact that the defroster, heater and windshield wipers on my car dont work its now officially illegal to drive until i purchase winter tires.
the euro rate is hovering around .66-.67 when i moved here it was .74 this means that i'm paying about $150 more each month on bills and things (rent, utilities, phone, internet, etc.). i already make less than i was making when i lived in california working part time as a sub so this is pretty rough. so this means i "get" to start fundraising again...oh the joy.
i know this sounds silly but please pray for the euro rate to stop sucking. people in the military get extra money from the government to compensate for the poor exchange rate but those of us who are here in europe as missionaries are hurting and so many people are having to leave their ministries to go back home to fundraise.
on a happier note john and i are taking eight middle schoolers for an overnighter. were leaving today and heading to holland for cave laser tag and indoor snowboarding. pray for safety for that as well.
thanks y'all, sorry this was such a bummer of a post.

i have internet in my home!
its insanely slow because in the small rural town of badem, germany there is no such thing as high speed internet but i'm just greatful to finally have internet. i also finally have a home phone...well, i have a phone number, i still have to buy the phone, but its a start.




i think this picture kind of gives a feel for badem.

the rest of training was pretty on par with the first half. lots of listening (and not listening when i should be listening). i figured it out and the amount of classes we were in is equivilent to having a 43 unit college load for the week, thats a lot. some highlights were a bridal shower where i found out way more than i would ever want to know about some of the people i work with including my regional director. another highlight was this obnoxious blinky ring that katie (she works in ansbach) bought me on halloween and is still blinking. it was also fun getting to see friends that i do not get to see often because they live so far away. and i was able to get caught up on the office season 4 and we watched the last few episodes of flight of the conchords. on saturday i was in my first european car accident. i was hit from behind and pushed about a half a car length. both my passenger and i are ok, just sore. the car that i was driving only had a small dent on the bumper but the car that hit us is probably totaled, it was still drivable but the entire front on the driver side was smashed in and the door couldnt open (the driver and her passenger were ok as well). i had to spend an hour and a half filling out paper work when i got home that night, which i was less than excited about because a, i wasnt claiming anything and b, it wasnt at all my fault. o'well, military policies can be dumb but you get used to them. our football team made it into the european championships so after the accident we went to the game, we lost but it was good to spend some time with kattie, amber and some other fun kids.