Summer Breeze

    The weather this week has been very October like.. nice breezes and temps in the high 60s and low 70s. I say this not to torture those of you dealing with the smoldering weather down south, but to admit that I somehow miss the hellish Alabama summer time. There is something about your skin feeling like it is about to completely char off and then moments before it does, jumping into warm, but pleasant lake water.. sipping a cold drink, eating water melon, and sandwiches.. it all has a different feel in the miserable heat. However, I am trying to embrace our fall-like atmosphere and remember that the blistering summers will be waiting for me to enjoy and despise again one day.

    Last Sunday we visited an English speaking AND Baptist Church in Wiesbaden. It began over 50 years ago because of the Army base in Wiesbaden and still serves some of those families and many others. We really enjoyed the service and went back this week as well. I feel so at home there because of the language, the worship, and the message. I can really sense that this is not just a building of worship but also a family of believers coming together each week to fellowship and love one another. I also like the fact that there are many members from the south :) and around the world! During the prayer time one woman expressed her desperate plea (as the church has been praying for months) for God to spare her husband, who has been sick for months and the doctors say this is his last week without a miracle. Her children are still back in Africa as she cares for her husband here. Please pray this week that this woman has the strength to face whatever comes.

     Sunday evening we went to the city to watch the final game of the Euro cup. We enjoyed the beautiful breeze and views as we cheered España on to a win! It was a lot less crowded than for the Germany game we watched a week prior, which made for a relaxing environment. 

watching the championship EuroCup game

sunset after watching España whoop Italia 

     On Monday I finally registered for living in Bingen, which took literally two minutes. Tuesday we went to apply for my visa, which also took an unusually short amount of time.. After our months and months of doing the same for Simeon in America it was hard for me to believe that was it for me. The document has not been printing yet but we are hopeful to have it in a couple of weeks! That same day we purchased a new large rug for the living room (YAY feels much more cozy.. pictures to come soon of the apartment), and... drum roll please.... a FREEZER! We can now have ice (well we are still waiting on the ice trays to arrive but soooon), frozen fruits for smoothies, ICE CREAM!!, frozen pizzas, veggies, and a surplus of other exciting things. We each worked hard to make the freezer fit in our storage closet- Simeon completely re-structuring our shelf, and me organizing enough to get rid of our 2nd shelf! (We have way too many open shelves in our apartment, which adds clutter so I am trying to get rid of a few). It was a long day but a wonderful feeling to come home to fun new things. 

    The fourth of July was essentially a normal day- except for my red, white, and blue outfit and our dinner. We grilled chicken, spare ribs, and wieners on our cheap grill, which took quite a while but was well worth it. Check out these hilarious pics of my hubby working hard! All of the neighbors were laughing and a couple offered that we use their grill (in their garden of course), but it's not the same eager response we would've gotten in Alabama :( 

The best part of the day was beginning our new patriotic tv series "America: The Story of us." Since the Fourth we have been watching 2 episodes a night, most nights. It has given us both a better picture of America's history and more pride for the country. 

     Another fun part of the week for me was going to the natural pool by myself Saturday, as Simeon has been fervently studying for his exams. It was a fun experience driving the car and doing something on my own. It's funny though how awkward I always feel in those situations.. kids running around me being silly, families kicking a ball.. and there I am in the middle of it all, hoping to goodness that no one comes near me and gives me a reason to say something. If someone actually tries to talk to me.. as in more than one sentence.. I usually respond that I don't speak German or I answer the question very simply hoping they won't go on. However, the worst is when a child bumps into me, or someone says something in passing.. anything not worth explaining that I'm American.. then I usually just smile, laugh, something of the like, and likely seem very rude for not responding with at least a few words. Whatevs.. hopefully this is not my life for too much longer and as long as it is I'll just embrace my awkwardness. 

     There was a fireworks show Saturday night that we attended. It travels down the Rhein as riverboat cruises and party boats follow it the entire way and get to see a night's worth of fireworks! It was in Bingen for at least 30 minutes, which was impressive.. however it was not coordinated to music and there were long pauses between many of the fireworks sooo we were once again disappointed. It was a cool setup though as fireworks starting on the Nahe, a little river on the side of Bingen that flows into the Rhein, and about five minutes into that show another started at the castle, which sits on a hill above the city, and finally there were more fireworks from the side of the Rhein close to Rüdesheim (across the way). Of course the excitement called for a crepe (which I had been telling myself I would get all night if I endured the October-like weather).. I chose nutella and cinnamon which was a treat of a combination! Ummmm sugar! 

after watching the fireworks Saturday night- it was COLD even with my boots & "long sleeves"! 

     Church, as stated previously, was great again this week. Afterwards we headed back to Bingen and found that the city was still extremely crowded from the group in town for the fireworks and other festivities from the night before. We ate at an chinese restaurant we had been wanting to try- as Simeon's desire for sweet & sour chicken was growing very strong. We enjoyed the meal- still haven't found asian food quite the way it is in America- however, it was delightful because of the choice of music. A mix of "Frosty the Snowman", "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas", and other classics played at a very audible level as we silently enjoyed our meal (only one other couple in the restaurant), and discussed how nice the music did sound if you could not understand the words. I continuously cracked up as Simeon wished me a happy birthday. 

    Yesterday we went to the charming city of Bad Kreuznach and walked around a little while, which was a nice surprise from Simeon. We had lunch at a lovely italian restaurant on the cobble stone piazza, however in typical italian fashion the service was very slow so by the end we had spent way more time in the city than intended.. we still made  a few minutes for a trip to H&M where I found a couple deals since my wardrobe here is on the small side (which I actually adore). And, naturally, we grabbed some ice cream on the way out of the city. Afterwards we hit up the large grocery store (trying to be Walmart but nowhere close), which is of course named Globus. We spent 2 hours in there because one of us is very adamant about deals while the other has specific cooking needs so we have to walk down every aisle and really discuss our options.. we make a good team though and I'm pretty sure with some work we can cut this time in half in a few weeks. Actually i'm praying we can cut this time in half. 

walking around in Bad Kreuznach

     I also had the chance to skype this week with my sweet family- Mom, Dad, Mimi, Aunt Debbie, Uncle Barry, and of course Snookster- which was great.. skype has a way of making me feel closer to home while also making me miss it in ways. But I still have not dwelled on these feelings and therefore have not been home sick- praise the Lord! With all of my daily complaints to Simeon about life here, I truly am thankful for this opportunity to live not only abroad, but in his home country.  Simeon has exams for the next few weeks so pray that he is able to focus and we are able (not too concerned) to find some chill time in between! We throw the football outside of our apartment anytime he needs a break...fairly certain we'll be ready for the NFL in a month.