On Saturday Simeon had his public speaking class from 8AM-3:30 PM. No, that was not a typo. Class on Saturday, all day; and on top of that he had to give a speech! Needless to say, when he was back from class a fun afternoon was in store! We packed up our bags and headed to the natural swimming pool, about a five minute drive away. I was thoroughly impressed by how clean this natural pool, similar to a lake, was. It was very clear, green water situated on a mountainside with a beautiful view onto the Rhein, the city, and the vineyards. The water was of course very chilly and the air quite brisk as well, so I did not swim, however I enjoyed relaxing and throwing our new football with Simeon (which he was ecstatic to have).
On Sunday we tried out what we thought was a solely English speaking church in Wiesbaden(a decent sized city about a 20 minute drive away where the military base is). Sadly, the church ended up being German and English- all of the music was German hymns and all of the speaking was translated between German and English. In some ways this may seem like the perfect church for us since both of us would be able to understand, however in reality it is extremely difficult (and annoying) to follow a message when it is being translated after every few sentences. We did enjoy meeting the pastor and an American who graduated from Ole Miss several years ago. They were very welcoming and encouraging us to find a church that was purely English. We would both rather go to a church that is either in English or German and if it ends up being Simeon's church (which is great!) in German then he can translate for me. We are going to try another English church in Wiesbaden this week.. we are fairly confident that it's only English so i'm excited to try that and maybe meet some Americans!
After church Sunday we went into the city of Wiesbaden (which I love) for lunch and a little walking around. We looked for Chinese food but only found Japanese (not like our's in America but yummy) and enjoyed a nice lunch outside. Even though it was cloudy, I always enjoy outside dining. It was great to have a little trip to the city and on our way back we took a wrong turn and found a wonderful gem! There was an outdoor market/fair going on in Mainz(another city close to Bingen) that we drove by and decided would be a great activity for Monday night.
I just adore outdoor gatherings of people and this market, which we arrived at around 9:30 before the sun set, was a similar set up to the Christmas Market. The Mainz Christmas Market was the highlight of my trip to Germany last December and I am eagerly awaiting the cold air, warm wine, booths with handmade goods, and people gathering together for fun times. I woudn't say this was the exact same atmosphere because 1) it's summertime (sort of), not christmas and 2)there were way more crowds for this event. It was also a tad less classy considering it was a fair, but at the same time managed to be about 80% more classy than our fairs. Being in Germany, this was of course slightly more of a drinking fest with people our age and a little younger, rather than a place for small children to ride farm animals and eat funnel cakes. However, the foods were delicious- fresh pizzas, sausages galore, thai food, churros, and all of the drinks you could imagine. We watched a fireworks show that started out incredibly lame and became slightly more impressive, nonetheless, we realized that no fireworks show will ever outdo our insane expectations after the one at our wedding :) We also enjoyed a ride around a ferris wheel with a mom and daughter who spoke german, english, and spanish! It was a beautiful view onto the Rhein, the city, and the fair. All in all, it was a great night!
Thursday night we went to some guys' house (friends of Simeon from class) and cooked out/ watched the Germany vs. Italy game. It was raining fairly hard but the grill was situated in an cool old barn so cooking was still possible. The food was great and the game was exciting to watch, despite the disappointing outcome. I have really gotten used to the awkwardness of not being able to talk with people. I usually understand what the conversation is about and it's sad not to be able to give me input or really get to know people, but as long as Simeon is by my side I don't feel weird about it anymore. Most of the young people here actually speak some English but I guess they just don't feel confident enough in their skills to do it unless they absolutely have to. Usually people will speak in German and allow Simeon to translate some, then all of a sudden say something in perfect English. In some ways it frustrates me that they won't just talk to me the entire time in English, but on the other hand I often feel the same with my Spanish when I don't absolutely have to use it, so it's just something I'm learning to not care about.
The rest of the week we spent watching movies- 21 Jump Street (although vulgar) and Hop are two I highly recommend!, throwing the football and going to the pool (we went to 3 different ones this week). Oh and one day last week we went to a big grocery store, Globus, and I found even more items that I have not been able to find at the grocery here so that was a huge success, even though I'm still missing a few things.
Realizations about Germany this week:
1. You may see children as old as 8 walking around naked at the pool, relieving themselves in the grass, or changing clothes in open air (still not as bad as my experiences in Spain though).
2. It is not necessary to have stop signs at very difficult/busy intersections, however it is necessary to have 36 different signs related to parking, 92 warning signs (including one for frog crossings), and over 100 regulatory signs.
3. When it lightnings or thunders the people stare and take pictures.. even though clouds and rain are frequent, storms seem to be incredibly rare.
4. The views in Bingen are absolutely beautiful and I am so thankful for our time here!
Realizations about life this week:
I spent one morning while Simeon was in class reading a CaringBridge blog that I stumbled upon, which you can find here. It is written by Laura Black, a sweet, young mom who passed away last Saturday, two days after I started reading her blog. She fought cancer for five years and details most of the journey in her blog. It was incredible to read the letters she wrote there for her children and see her outlook on life and her eagerness to live, but willingness to die. She admitted just weeks before her passing that she had finally replaced her prayers of, "God heal me" with "Your will be done." One particular post really captured my attention and reminded me that if a woman who was days away from death and in immense pain could grab onto life and want it more than anything, how much more should I be jumping for joy with every breath in thankfulness to God for giving it to me in addition to all of my MANY blessings! Here is the post if you would like a little encouragement for your day! Keep in mind this is a letter to her young children to read one day in the future.
"There are tons of cute, sweet, little, precious Christians that I hear say all the time, “I’m so ready for Heaven.” You know what I want to say to those cute, sweet, little, precious Christians? Nothing. I just want to punch them in the nose. I know, I know. That’s not what your Mama should be teaching you is it? Notice that I don’t punch them, I just look at them and say, “I know…” (be angry but don’t sin and all that), but seriously, they have no idea what they are saying. Now don’t get me wrong, there are some people in this world that are in such a place of pain physically or emotionally that when they say, “I’m so ready for Heaven,” they’ve earned the right to say it. But most people that say that have a wonderful marriage, children, a great house, money in the bank, no health problems, and have no idea what a real problem even is. When they say, “I’m so ready for Heaven,” what they’re really saying is, “I’m tired of trying. Life has gotten a little uncomfortable. I don’t want to do this anymore.” I just want to look at them and say, “Really? Because all I want is life. Yes, life has problems. Yes, life is uncomfortable. Yes, life is hard. But life is beautiful and I want to keep living it! Heaven isn’t going anywhere. But God has put me here for now. I want life.”
Life is filled with beauty. It is all around me. The sunrise and sunset. The stars. The smell of a baby. Rainbows. The sound of laughter. The feel of the hand of someone I love in mine. The smell of fresh cut grass. Watching the flowers bloom in spring. The sound of waves rolling in. The warmth of sand on my feet. Hearing, “Mama!” when I pick you up from school. The pitter-patter of little feet running down the hallway. Laughter. Hearing, “I love you.” Saying, “I love you.” The way the outside light changes after a storm. Cold Coca-Cola in a glass bottle. Lemonade stands. School plays. Getting a card in the mail. A good hug. Watching a clumsy, little puppy. The smell of warm chocolate chip cookies. Making S’mores in the backyard. Tent camping. The whole family cuddled together on the sofa. Watching my child learn something new. Teaching my child something new. First steps. Watching a child sleep. Birthday parties. The crackle of a real fire. Spending time with people I love. A Sunday afternoon nap. Watching Daddy walk through the door after work. Hearing people pray. Getting a craft my child made. A funny joke. A breeze on a hot day. The right scripture at the right time. Drinking hot chocolate. Watching snow fall. A good surprise. Watching my child win.
Life is beautiful at so many turns. There is something praiseworthy in every day. The problem isn’t life. The problem is our attitude. We live in a world that says we are in control. When I was growing up, I would spend hours dreaming about what I would be, who my husband would be, how many children we would have, what kind of house we would have. The list goes on and on. Then I grew up and went to college. It really did seem like I was in control. I got to choose my major. I got to choose my friends. I got to choose how I spent my time. I got to choose where I would go. I got to choose what I would do. I got to choose whom I would date. I got to choose what I would wear. I got to choose what I would eat. I got to choose what time I would go to bed. I got to make every decision. It… was… AWESOME!!!!! Life was going exactly how I had planned. I was in control.
But then life progresses. First, you get married. When you get married you’re no longer your own person. Now you have two people that have input into all of your decisions. You lose a little control. Then you start working. Your boss has a say in what you do. You lose a little control. Then you start having children. All of the sudden what you want doesn’t matter near as much as doing the best for them. You lose a little control. Circumstances happen that affect your life. You lose a little control. You have a child that’s born with a disability. You lose a little control. You are diagnosed with a health problem. You lose a little control. You face financial problems. You lose a little control. Tragedy strikes. You lose a little control. One day you wake up, look at your life, and think, “Whose life is this and what happened to mine?!?” In that moment you realize the truth: You never were in control. You just thought you were. Either you’re sovereign or God is sovereign. It can’t be both ways. When you realize you aren’t in control, you have one of two choices. 1) Become despondent, enter a state of despair, and become depressed; or 2) Realize that there is one thing you can control: your attitude.
The only thing you can control in life is your attitude. But that one thing that you can control is key to how much joy you have in life. In everything, there is something that is praiseworthy. Everything. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” Whether or not you choose to rejoice, pray, and give thanks is a choice. It all depends on your attitude. Don’t ruin your life with a, “Woe is me, oh don’t you feel sorry for me,” kind of attitude. Enjoy life. Grab life by the horns. Live life. Be filled with joy. Have an attitude of, “Yep, it was bad, but even that was praiseworthy.”
I have a wonderful life. I can’t believe how much I’ve been blessed. I’m married to a wonderful man. I have three amazing children. I have wonderful parents. I have a great brother. I have in-laws that treat me like their own. And I can’t even begin to list all of the amazing experiences I have had in life. If God chooses to take me home and anyone ever looks at you and says, “Your poor mother...” you look right back at them and say, “Obviously you didn’t know my mother.” I’m living my life. I’m living it fully. I will never, ever give up. I may finish, but I won’t give up. There’s a big difference. That’s what I want for you. I want you to have an amazing life filled with incredible experiences. I want you to live and laugh and love and travel and experience new things and go after what you want in life. I want you to live life fully. I don’t want you to ever give up. It’s all about attitude. It’s your choice. Choose wisely.
I love you!
Mama"
You are amazing Casey!! Love reading your blog. I feel like I'm reading some awesome adventurous book. Hope everything continues to go well. Love you!!
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