The last couple of weeks have been so busy. Whew! I started my German course and so far that is going really well. I'm learning all the important things......

like BIER!!

And some of the not so important things, like grammar and verb conjugations :) Kidding. It is an intensive course and it really covers everything and we are learning SO much. There are only 10 people in the class which is perfect. The other students come from all over, Asia, France, Brazil, Panama, England and there is also a woman here from the US. Everyone is really nice and friendly and its just a great atmosphere. We have two teachers who rotate through the week which I wasn't sure about at first but it works. They are both really great teachers, very friendly and helpful. To summerize, the people are wonderful, I love learning the language (AND having to immedeately apply what I learn to my daily life), and its great to get up in the morning and have somewhere to go and something to do. Plus, I love it when we have homework!! I don't think I've ever said that before.

As for the other areas of life here.....good, good, good. Family life is great. Still. This last week we could really feel in the house that the girls have become very comfortable with me and have really accepted my being here and my role in the family. Every day we are getting more and more comfortable with one another and life flows pretty easily. Our schedule, or routine is very relaxed and not at all like, now you are working, and at this time you can do your own thing. It really just feels like I'm a part of the family and I'm a friend to Lara. I help out around the house or play with the girls, and then sometimes I have my friends over or I have plans to go into the city. Its just life here.

Well, here is a bit of visual representation of what I have been up to these last several weeks.

On our way to the Mercedes-Benz Stadium to watch FOOTBALL!! VFB Stuttgart vs. FC Shalke.

The Stadium.

Support Stuttgart!! Red and white everything.

VFB Stuttgart on the left, FC Shalke on the right.

Woooo!! Football!

It felt kind of strange not to have more pre-game stuff. And no anthem or anything.

This is the Stuttgart fan section. There is no seating it is standing only.....and they stand, AND cheer for the whole game. I tried to take a video, it didn't turn out very good, but they are loud and seriously, there is hardly a break in the cheering.

Mmmmm, half time was beer and brat time......and then back to the game.

Now that my German class has started, I have to wake up ear-ly. Oh man. But, on the plus side, somedays I get to enjoy a beautiful morning sky.

Okay, okay, maybe it isn't so aweful getting up early.

The results of my last baking day with Lara. In case you were wondering these are not from scratch, they're from a box and I had to buy them because they're called Mini Americans. I thought this was hilarious. I have absolutely no idea why they are called Mini Americans. Silly Germans. The cookie should actually be frosted, half chocolate and half citrus but, we thought just chocolate was better. We also added some M&M's because, well, they're fun.

Mmmmmm. Delicious. Lecker.

This I took last Friday when Sabine and I took the girls for a walk in the woods not far from the house. Absolutely gorgeous with the sun coming through the trees. Lara was always asking me 'what is that?' and testing me on my knowledge of German.

Fall is beautiful here. I love it.

Sabine and Lara.

Lili at the playground.

So sweet!!

Oooops, Lili dropped her Rice Cake. 'Look Mama!'

Lara inside of a little house someone made out of tree branches.

German Class

Tomorrow is my first day of my German language course! I'm a tiny bit anxious because I really have no idea what to expect. But I'm also excited. It will be great to have something more to do here, a reason to get out and go into the city and of course, to learn German!! I am really looking forward. Oh, but it means that I have to get up so early! No more rolling out of bed at 9, having a long relaxed breakfast and an even longer lazy morning. I'm a little bit sad about this, but I'll adjust to my new schedule. So, bright and early tomorrow morning, half past 8.......


:)
K.

mein Wochenende

Freitag:
I ate at a Turkish restaurant with Stephan and Sabine. It was the kind of restaurant where you have to take off your shoes and sit on pillows on the floor to eat. I thought this was great, except I don't think it provides the best conditions for degestion. Also while we were eating they had a belly dancer for entertainment. It was great fun. And it was so nice to go out. Sometimes, because I don't have a reason to go out, I forget to even go out during the day!! So this was nice.

Samstag:
We had a relaxing morning. A long breakfast, Frühstück. And in the afternoon I joined Stephan to go to the football stadium. VFB Stuttgart vs. FC Schalke. Wow, the atmosphere in the stadium is amazing, so intense. VFB Stuttgart was placed at 11 I think going into the game and FC Schalke at 2, or something like this. The final score was a disappointing Stuttgart 1, Schalke 2, with a foul called just before Stuttgart's second goal was made. Even so, it was so much fun to have the chance to be in the stadium for a game and it was really an experience. I don't think we have anything like it in the US.
(I thought of you the whole time Nils. Stephan even said that someday you have to come visit and go to a game)

Sonntag:
After another long Frühstück, Sabine and I went to what was basically a garage sale. It was a photographer friend who was selling clothes and shoes and all kinds of things which she had used in photo shoots. Better than your average garage sale. She had all kinds of things and they were in great condition, and still cheap. I found a few things for my room and also a book to start scrapbooking with some of my photos from Germany. I figured I get started now and maybe I will actually finish it one day. One can hope. In the afternoon then we went out, Stephan, Sabine, the girls and myself, just for a nice walk in the city. The weather was good and it was very nice to be out a bit all together.

Another great weekend past!!

K.

Cookies!!!

Ready to bake :)

Hehe, smile Lara.

Being silly here...

Yumm, this is the best part. Lara was totally into the eating part. I have her a ball of dough to roll in her hands and she imediately put it in her mouth! HAHA. She will like baking.

Our lovely cookies. Interesting also to see how she makes the faces. Where the eyes and mouth and nose are placed. Very interesting.

Ready for the oven!!

In they go...

and then we wait.

Oh no!!! I have to get used to a different oven and different temperatures :( Something to learn for next time.

(They still dissapeared with the blink of an eye)

K.

Food for Thought

I'm starting to realize how much I've taken for granted just being able to communicate with the people in my life. How often do you think about how to communicate with your friends, children, spouse, the person at the market, or the bank? Probably never, right? I mean you think about what, but not HOW. And I don't mean via telephone, or email etc. But it adds a whole new spin on the day, on life, when you can't just open your mouth and express yourself, or explain what you're thinking, what you need etc. And sure there is a lot that can be 'said' without being verbal, but that really only goes so far. But even as frustrating as it can be here at times, not being able to communicate, I am still not at a total loss, and I can only imagine those who are.

Just a thought for the day.

Baking Day!!!

Friday of last week Sabine and I sat down to discuss a kind of weekly schedule. It is a flexible schedule but it will give us an idea of what is happening every week, who is with whom and doing what. This is great because now I can plan activities with Lara and know when I am with Lili and at what times I maybe have a break.

The biggest days for me are Wednesday (today) and Thursday. Wednesdays are baking days!! I'm very excited about this. Its something new for Lara, something I can introduce that can be my thing with her, and I think she will really like it. Then on Thursday Lara and I will have a two-way tutoring session. She will help me with my German (she LOVES this, and its good for her to feel that she can help me with something) and I will work with her on some English. This will also be fun and beneficial for us both. After a short German/English lesson then we will work on a craft project which can be carried over from week to week or from day to day if we need to fill time anywhere. My creative juices are already flowing!!! I have a long list of ideas which keeps growing!

So, today is our first baking adventure. I think it will be a good exercise (Occupational Therapy!) for Lara to use her hands to roll the dough into a ball and then we'll have some fun using M&M's to make faces in the cookies. Its a very simple cookie recipie to start, better not to plan too much. Who knows, it could be a total bust!! But I'm hopeful. I think it will go well. I'll update you tomorrow with photos :)

K.

The times they are a changing.....

We have had beautiful weather here in Stuttgart since I arrived. Gorgeous sunny days and quite often very warm. Usually I wake up and the sun is coming in through my window....but today, I woke up and saw this.....

And because you all know PNW weather you can imagine with a sky like this that, yes, it is raining. On the top of that hill there is also a television tower, can't see it can you. Oh well, I have no where to go and its nice and cozy inside.


So, I spent the morning making a weekly schedule with Sabine. Planning what we will do each day with the girls. Who is with whom and doing what. This is very, very good. Just what we needed. And we both were getting excited and brainstorming all kinds of activities and crafts and baking things we could do with Lara especially. This is what I love. Then Sabine's mother came for a visit which was very nice and after our Mittagessen I put together a small Tisch for my computer which we bought at Ikea the other day. And now I think I will sit down with a latte and my book and have a few quiet hours before Lara comes home at 5. All in all a nice and a productive day.

Look at the colors on this tree! This is also just outside my window. I guess I can't pretend anymore that it is still summer. But if it means I get to look at these beautiful Fall colors then I'm okay with it.

:)

K.

Pictures!!

Stuttgart!!!

This is accross the street from the train station. The first photo.

.....and then looking down the street. All the taxis lined up in front of the station.

My new house. The second floor. A little out of order but I can't figure out how to move the photo. It doesn't help that this computer is all in German, I can't figure out the commands. Just getting used to the keyboard now, Y and Z are in the wrong place among other things.

The entrance. The door on the left leads into the dinning area which is one long room blending into the sitting room with the TV.

And here is the sitting room and TV, as mentioned.

Dinning room and the beginning of the kitchen, the küche, in the back.

die Küche.

Our first weekend together and we drove out of the city a bit to this trail through the woods. It was a very nice walk and so nice to have this time all together. Stephan was explaining all about different trees and nuts and exploring with Lara, Lili taging along or just enjoying to run and run and run, and I had a very nice talk with Sabine about familes, Lara, their thoughts and approaches to having a child with special needs, about my friends and family etc. It was a great day.

We stopped here to sit in the beautiful sunshine a bit, have something to eat and drink and enjoy the view.

Here is the view. Gorgeous. Stephan was telling me that one of the old kings of this area, had a hunting castle somewhere down the lake. Also, in the winter you can skate on this lake!! I'm going to keep that in mind and see about coming back in the winter. How cool.

More of the view.

I have no idea why this one is upside down but like I mentioned before this computer is all in German and I can't figure it out. I really like this one though, even upside down.

Wild (Vilt) Swine (Shvine)!!

The little ones were so cute!! And the big ones......

not so much. And they were mean!

Which way?!

Sabine and Stephan dressed up for an evening at the Volksfest in the beer tents. Prost!!

Last weekend we went out into the wine hills that surround Stuttgart. This is looking down into a kind of suburb of Stuttgart.

More grapes growing on the hillside and Stuttgart in the distance.

The great city center of Stuttgart. Wish I had a camera with more zoom.

This is a chapel burial site of a former king and his queen.

Lara and I, matching a bit, in front of the chapel.

Stuttgart again.

Wine, wine, wine. I guess here its just grapes, grapes, grapes, but I like to think of what it will become.

More walking around.

We stopped at a sweet little beer garden for lunch. It was a beautiful day as you can see.

Still wish I had that zoom....That is the chapel where we were earlier.

Lara, looking sweet and very willing to pose.

Stephan and Lili climbing the hill. Thrilling I know, but I thought it was cute.

More, more, more....

This was so funny. Last Sunda we went for a walk through the city park. As we walked we past this man dressed like he was in an old American western movie. We all looked and eachother and laughed. THEN we stopped at a beer garden in the middle of the park and as we sat down this band began to play and they were a country band! And all these people got up from their tables and started line dancing. I could not believe it. So funny.

Gettin' down with their country selves.

Lara and I.

The sheriff, notice his badge. Watch out, you don't want to cross the law.

That about sums it up as far as pictures go. This weekend I'm looking forward to seeing Esther on Friday and going out with her and some of her friends and then on Saturday the guys are also coming to Stuttgart and we're all going to the Volksfest!!! So that will be Esther, Simeon, David (friends from Scotland) and I going on Saturday. I'm looking forward to seeing them and having a night out.

Bis Bald!!