Stromausfall

Even though the daylight time is getting shorter, our activity calendar seems to be getting longer. 

In Kindergarten, I came home with new notes everyday about upcoming activities and items needed for their Christmas socials. This will be fun baking with the children and learning traditions here.

I met this week with Adeline's teacher for teacher conferences. The meeting went well as Frau Kühner also invited another teacher to sit-in during our discussion to help translate when needed. Adeline is a sweet student who is doing well in class. She is reaching out to others and the others are responding to make connections and relationships which makes her teacher very happy. The children cheered for Adeline this past week when she spoke completely in German during their sharing time of what they did over the weekend. Adeline is also doing great in math as her teacher showed me her math tests taken during school. 

On Wednesday evening, Eric and I had our "Night Out" events. Melanie and I attended a soup cooking class put on through the local education. We arrived to the small group of 9 women and 1 man (we noticed we were the youngest), learned of the various recipes to be made, and then chose our cooking station. We chopped, sautéed, and got our first soup cooking on the stove when the electricity went out. The teacher initially thought it was a circuit breaker, so she checked the switches and this was not the cause. They popped open the bottles of champagne and wine, and sliced the baguette while we waited for the power to return. Somehow the baguette bag also caught on fire from the tea light candle to add to our evening excitement. We eventually learned the entire street was out and it was due to the workers digging and hitting a line. Stromausfall is a rare occasion here, but happened to occur on Melanie's first girls night out and it happened later in the evening, so we could not even go shopping as the stores were already closed. After cleaning up, we were bummed as the finger foods from the soup ingredients did not fill our stomachs, but we laughed looking back at the events throughout the night and had fun just being together. 

In Sweden, Eric went on a team outing with his coworkers.  He has been elected to plan these events and this was their third one since he's been there.  Previously, he set up going to some local amateur drag races and a bowling night.  They always precede their events with a nice dinner and this time they went out to a local wine cellar, St. Michel.  Afterward, they went indoor rock climbing.  This was Eric's first time rock climbing. He did alright, making it up 2.5 of the 3 walls they tackled, all around 30' high and including an inclined wall.  His long arms and legs helped him.

The European Central Bank is next door to Eric's office in Frankfurt. On Friday morning from their office window, they watched all the dignitaries coming to bail-out Ireland being escorted in and out with a battery of police and security. He said it was somewhat interesting seeing it happen.

Friday afternoon, we had happy hour with Eric at his office. It was a nice gathering with his colleagues and their families. It was neat to see the city all lit up from their office windows. They even had one conference table set-up for the kids with numerous Christmas sweets and activities. 

Operation Christmas Child

This past week we spent gathering our items for the shoe boxes we packed up for Operation Christmas Child. Adeline remembered us doing it last year at Woodside, so this was wonderful that ICF was also participating in this project for the children. 

It was good adventure for the girls to search through the aisles for the items to fill their boxes with. By the time we found the crafts, various hygiene items, small toys, and other little goodies to fill our two girls' and one boy shoebox, we had visited over four stores. The girls each wanted to do a box representing themselves and then a boy one for Colby. Fortunately, Melanie had an extra shoe box to contribute as I did not have any more. This was also a good project for us to do this week since it was cooler and raining. 

Friday afternoon, we wrapped the boxes up, so they would be ready to take to church.  In the evening, we started watching The Chronicles of Narnia as it was damp and raining out. 

Even though it was overcast, the temperatures had warmed up Saturday afternoon, so Emmie led us up to the woods to view the baby pigs. She knew the way since her class has been visiting them bi-monthly since they were born in early September. 

In the evening, we finished watching The Chronicles of Narnia. We had to pause it a few times so Adeline would not spoil the scene for Emmie as her and Eric read the book over the summer.

Sunday morning, the girls were very proud to carry their boxes to church. They added them to the top of the pile with huge smiles knowing another child is going to be very happy opening their box. 

St. Martin's Day

Monday, the girls brought home their lanterns which they made in school for the St. Martin celebration later this week. They were both very excited to tell me how they each made their own lantern. In addition, they sang for me the traditional songs which are sung during the lantern parade.  The girls are still learning the verses, but they both know a few lines which consist of " Laterne, Laterne," and "Saint Martin". 

On Thursday in the early evening, Adeline's class will join the kindergarten in celebrating St. Martin. First, there is to be a lantern parade led by a man representing St. Martin riding a horse and then a bonfire afterwards on the kindergarten playground with food and beverages. 

Since Emmie goes to school early on Tuesdays, she was able to help make and bake the pretzels for the class breakfast. She compared our kitchen to how the class's kitchen is very similar and ever since then has been telling me how many things we have that are also in her class.

It has been raining here and significantly colder, so I was not surprised when Emmie came home Tuesday with a stuffy nose. Fortunately she still has a good appetite and is sleeping well. 

Adeline started subtraction in math this week at school. When she realized she could check her answer with addition, it all made sense to her. She has fun working out her subtraction equations and then doing her addition equations to check her answers. 

Thursday afternoon as we were getting our coats on to join the St. Martin celebration, it started to rain. Adding some more layers for warmth from the wind and rain, we finally started out the door. Brigitte came to our rescue as she had some plastic bags readily available to protect the lanterns from the nasty weather. In addition, she offered her heavier raincoat with a hood for me to wear. With the lanterns flapping in the wind, we made it into the school. 

The foyer was crowded with many families, but they were able to have a few instruments to lead the singing.  The girls chimed in when they knew a few key words and the atmosphere was jolly, despite the dreary weather. 

Unfortunately, the parade only went along the sidewalk in front of the school due to the weather conditions, but St. Martin and the horse did make an appearance and the bonfire was lit even though it was a small one. 

When we made it back into the school, we collected our goose shaped rolls to munch on. Gluwein and brats were also offered, but it was too chaotic in the small school to enjoy, so we trekked back home for the girls to enjoy their St. Martin geese.

Happy Birthday Eric!

Sunday morning, the girls were very excited to celebrate Eric's birthday. They brought him his presents in bed. While he went for a morning run, we decorated with batman balloons and tableware. We also made pancakes for breakfast. Upon returning home, he said his bones felt a little creakier this morning compared to last week. Adeline insisted we put a candle on his pancake stack and sing to him before we began eating. 

Eric's choice for lunch was "My Thai" in downtown Hofheim. Eric enjoyed his birthday meal.  Adeline like her soup and Emmie had fun dunking her springrolls in the sauce.

In the afternoon, the Wendel family joined us for cake. I ordered a Sachertorte from our local bakery earlier in the week. Eric was delighted when his birthday cake was revealed to him as this is one of his favorite tortes. However, the girls were disappointed as they wanted me to make him a Superman cake to go along with the Superman tableware. Everyone enjoyed their slice and the other treats on this joyous occasion. 

Even though we did not have a Superman cake, we have a Super man we get to share our lives with. Even with a few more gray hairs appearing this morning, your ladies love you very much and wish you a wonderful year to come.

Der Herbst, der Herbst, der Herbst ist da!

This is the title to the fall song Emmie is learning in kindergarten. She is doing a good job singing the lyrics as it talks about the weather, the changing of the leaves, fall activities, and even how it brings wine because the grapes are ripe to be picked in the vineyards.

On Monday, the girls took gummi candy to their classmates to celebrate Halloween. The kids enjoyed their treat and the girls had fun passing them out. We spent the later part of the afternoon outside as it was warm and sunny, even if the sunset was at starting at 5pm.

Tuesday afternoon, we saw a children's puppet show, "Mutig, Mutig," at the city center. It was a play about a frog, snail, mouse, and sparrow who meet at the pond. They have a bet to see who is the most courageous and do silly things to prove it. In the end, the sparrow does none of these things which demonstrates how one can say no and still be brave. The show was very entertaining as there was audience participation and songs for the children to sing along with.

On Wednesday afternoon, Emmie invited her friend, Stella, over and Adeline invited her friend, Vicki, over to our apartment.  It was a great mix of girls. They had fun decorating their crowns and putting on a talent show for me. Vicki was patient with me as I did not understand everything she was asking and both older girls helped out the little ones. They all enjoyed their popcorn snack, although I forgot to put sugar on it since the Germans like their popcorn sweet.

Emmie is getting more vocal with her German. Thursday, we were walking to the park and Emmie and Henrik stopped to look at some yard decorations. After a few minutes, Adeline told them to come as she was already 3 houses down the street, so told she told Emmie to come. Emmie replied with a stomping foot and in German, that she was coming.

This week, I dealt with the dishwasher repairman as the dishwasher broke late on Sunday evening. Unfortunately, it took till Wednesday for the drain pump to get unclogged and for us to find out it was a bracelet and broken glass from the former tenant. Friday morning, my shopping trip was cut short as they were conducting a fire drill at the mall, so I had to evacuate the dressing room. It was a good thing they went around, as I initially thought someone stole something from what was being broadcast over the loud speaker.

Friday evening, Sarah and I went out for dinner in Wiesbaden for belated birthday celebration dinners. After strolling through the quaint town, we settled on a place for dinner. We had a fun time with the waiters as we conversed in English, but had them bring us the German menus, ordered in German, and departed with German.

After attending Adeline's basketball session on Saturday morning, we walked over to the school next door. We were able to find her a new pair of ski boots after numerous fittings for this season as it was their annual ski swap.  In the drizzling afternoon, we took a drive to Hocheim for their festival.

With our umbrellas and rain boots, we strolled the streets looking at the various vendors' items. Eric found spicy flavored almonds, even though they were more mild. The girls found chocolate popcorn for their afternoon treat. We warmed up in one of the local wine grower's house. In addition to opening up his garage for serving beverages and small food items, they also converted the basement to a little restaurant. We all had hot drinks- Eric had wine, I had applewein, and the girls had orange juice.

We spent the evening in the garage. After a few attempts, Eric was able to break through the cement ceiling and install our bike hooks. With careful planning, we are able to hang the bikes and bike trailer, have room for the wagon and scooters, and park the car within our one spot.

Happy Halloween!

The evening was excellent for celebrating Halloween as the temperatures were mild and there was no precipitation. Earlier in the week, I spoke with some of our neighbors about passing out candy to the girls, so I had a handful of houses for the girls to ring the bell at. We also invited a few friends to go trick or treating with us. I lit the pumpkins and put them out in the garden for everyone walking by to see. When everyone was at our house, we practiced a few times reciting, "Suesse oder Sauer", which means sweet or sour while taking pictures. Adeline and Atisha were spiders, Henrick was a tree, Rebecca was a witch, and Emmie was an elephant. 

We were on our way and the kids were excited. At the first house, the kids were quiet as they called out for candy. As we continued down the street, their laughter and happiness could be heard all around. Some of our neighbors were so kind as they filled up special treat bags just for the girls for when they came to their door. We had to stop a few times as Emmie's elephant ears kept falling off, but it did not stop her momentum at all. 

Rebecca and her mom also knew additional people for us to go trick or treating at, so the kids enjoyed being out longer and by this time were experts at saying "Suesse oder Sauer". Eric was a trooper as he had just completed the marathon and was slowly strolling with us up and down the hilly streets taking pictures to capture the moment. Aside from Rebecca's older brother and his friends, we were one of three families, we saw out in the four block walk we strolled.

After we completed our neighborhood tour, we came back to the apartment to continue the festivities. Everyone liked our cut-out decorations and dangling spiders, bats, and skeletons strategically placed around the apartment that I had brought with us. Eric made mummy pizzas for the kids and I made a hand from carrots coming out of the vegetable dip. We made monster face cupcakes and dirt dessert filled with spiders and gummi worms for our dessert area.  

The girls had fun sorting through their candy they received. There was some new type of chocolates they tasted and many little bags of gummi items. The eyeball candy and smarties were their favorite pieces. 

We had a great time celebrating Halloween night.

Frankfurt Marathon

The morning was cool, but warmer temperatures and sunshine were expected for the marathon- otherwise a perfect day for running. We dropped Eric off wearing number 8795 at the train station for the 8:19am train to Frankfurt. He said the platform had about 100 people on it and when the train pulled into the station, it was already full. 

The marathon began at 10am and it took Eric about 5 minutes to cross the starting line. This was a quick start, since there were 20,000 runners.

At 17 miles, he was still on a 3:35 pace. Eric said the drink stations offered fizzy sport drinks along with water. Some stations also offered warm tea and Coke. There were many people along the entire route and numerous bands to cheer on the runners. At the 20 mile marker is when his steam started to run out and this is when he began to slow down.

Us gals attended church and afterwards enjoyed the international food sampling which concluded the diverse but united sermon series before we headed to the marathon. I set the navi for a parkhaus in downtown Frankfurt near the 40 km marker. This is the spot Eric said he would be good to see him around 1pm. I wanted to make sure we did not miss him, so I took full advantage of no speed limit on the open autobahn on a Sunday afternoon. The girls even commented about how fast I was driving. We made it to the city with some minutes to spare. 

Unfortunately, the parkhaus was under construction, so we had to walk down the four flights of stairs. Once at street level, the girls hopped on the stroller and I ran with the stroller to get to the course as I could see red shirts going by. I crossed the street when the light was red and then realized all of the cops were watching the race and not the cars, so I was not going to be getting a ticket. We made it to our spot at 1pm. 

We waited anxiously for Eric to come around the Turm. With every red shirt that went by, the girls thought maybe it was him. After about 20 minutes, they got bored with it, so Adeline went and sat on the sidewalk on the other side of the street. The girls were entertained by the runners dressed in banana and clown costumes, along with the few who had on business suits or balloons tied to them. We watched the race pace setters go by and still no Eric. There was a band playing at the intersection so their tunes also helped the time to go by.

Finally, the girls spotted Eric as he rounded the corner. What excitement it was! "Go Daddy, Go!" could be heard near and far from them. He stopped for a brief kiss and then continued on. Adeline tried to catch up with him, but he was too quick for her, even with a stop at the drink station.

When we got back to the parkhaus, we initially climbed to the wrong level. I remember what level the non-working eleveator said, so it was a shock to us all when we did not see our car when we entered the parking area. After a quick trip to the floor above and seeing no cars, we descended down one level to find our car in it's parking spot.

Eric completed 42km (26 miles) in 4:16 by running into the exhibition center. They had his name up on the board as he was crossing the finish. After the race, the organizers offered fruit, bread, and cans of beer along with the normal rehydrating beverages.

We returned home to tidy up the house and work on our Halloween party details. We went and picked up a slow moving Eric from the train station. We are super proud of him.

Here is the website with the race details.  Frankfurt Marathon race and details You can view the results and see portions of him running in it.