We leave for Germany in two and a half days. I'm nervous and excited all at the same time. We don't have an apartment rented yet; we wanted to see it before we put down a deposit, so we've made reservations at a hostel for four nights, which gives us five days to find an apartment, which should be plenty of time. I'm not worried about finding one, honestly. I'm more worried about where to put our valuables before we find it.
Gotta run to dinner with the Gunter family!
Montag, August 31, 2009
Mittwoch, August 26, 2009
Freedom In Poetry
It's a comfort, really, writing poetry. You can be as cryptic or as blunt as you like. You don't even have to use correct sentence structure or punctuation or grammar. For a person like me, the one dubbed the "Grammar Police" by her husband, there's a freedom in poetry. It's like a painting for me. I've always wanted to be able to paint, but every time I try it doesn't come out the way my mind sees it. With poetry, it always comes out the way I want it; I can fix its mistakes and correct it, perfect it.
I really miss coffee with Lori.
I really miss coffee with Lori.
Freitag, August 21, 2009
New Apartment
It isn't final yet, but we've found an apartment that we're interested in for Germany. It's in Nünberg and it's a 35 minute walk from Josh's schools. He said if he can take a streetcar, it'll only be a 10 minute walk to school. Looking at the different apartments was neat, but after I picked my favorite, I got kind of scared. I don't really know why, but it's a kind of excited-scared. Anyway, here are the pics: http://www.mitwohnzentrale-franken.de/fotos/8000814/
Donnerstag, August 20, 2009
Playing House
I figured out how to describe married life; at least what it feels like for me right now. It feels like I'm playing house. You know when you're kids and you say to your next door neighbor, "I'll be the wife and you be the husband" and he says, "Ok." and you run around making your "house," cooking meals out of dirt and leaves and water (possibly even "coffee" out of dirt and water), and making sure your "kids" (whatever baby dolls you had) were fed, played with, and sleeping well.
Except for the baby part, this is pretty much what my life feels like at the moment. Doing all the "right" things, the things I've seen my mother, my friend's mothers, and the mothers on t.v. do, without a clue as to what is actually right for me and my husband. I'm trying a little bit of everything to see what he and I like best. For instance, he really likes it when I get up with him in the morning, eat breakfast with him, and pack his lunch for him. He can do it by himself, but he enjoys my company and I enjoy his company. I find myself more productive when I get up with him anyway, so it's good for everyone concerned!
Nana and Pa come back this evening. I'm not looking forward to it. I was really enjoying the house to myself, having quiet writing times like this one, no annoying Dudley (their Jack Russel Terrier) to bark shrilly every time the neighbor dogs go outside or if he hears something strange. Shrill bark + tile floors = headaches for all. Don't get me wrong, I love Nana and Pa (and Dudley), and I enjoy their company, but I guess I feel more married when they aren't here, probably because it really is just Josh and I.
It's kind of scary - we move to Germany in two weeks. *gasp* It feels like Germany isn't really that close, but it is. It'll be an interesting part of my life, one that I will never forget. I can't wait to go and see what it's like!
Well, I have laundry to fold, so I'd better get to it. The last load is in the dryer right now and should be done in about 20 minutes. Have a great day today! Aufwiedersehen!
Except for the baby part, this is pretty much what my life feels like at the moment. Doing all the "right" things, the things I've seen my mother, my friend's mothers, and the mothers on t.v. do, without a clue as to what is actually right for me and my husband. I'm trying a little bit of everything to see what he and I like best. For instance, he really likes it when I get up with him in the morning, eat breakfast with him, and pack his lunch for him. He can do it by himself, but he enjoys my company and I enjoy his company. I find myself more productive when I get up with him anyway, so it's good for everyone concerned!
Nana and Pa come back this evening. I'm not looking forward to it. I was really enjoying the house to myself, having quiet writing times like this one, no annoying Dudley (their Jack Russel Terrier) to bark shrilly every time the neighbor dogs go outside or if he hears something strange. Shrill bark + tile floors = headaches for all. Don't get me wrong, I love Nana and Pa (and Dudley), and I enjoy their company, but I guess I feel more married when they aren't here, probably because it really is just Josh and I.
It's kind of scary - we move to Germany in two weeks. *gasp* It feels like Germany isn't really that close, but it is. It'll be an interesting part of my life, one that I will never forget. I can't wait to go and see what it's like!
Well, I have laundry to fold, so I'd better get to it. The last load is in the dryer right now and should be done in about 20 minutes. Have a great day today! Aufwiedersehen!
Dienstag, August 18, 2009
Married Life
Well, what is there to say? How is one to describe married life? It feels like my regular life with a few different things: I live with Josh, I sleep with Josh, and I make dinner for Josh (and me, of course). Maybe I don't feel married yet because, in a sense, we've been mooching off of other people and haven't really lived on our own. Nana and Paw are on vacation and have been for a week. This absence of their presence is the first time that Josh and I have been on our own, though it is nothing like living on your own.
How would I describe married life? I feel like a stay at home mom. Minus the children part and the paying bills part and the cleaning everything in sight part. I do clean the kitchen; I'm meticulous in that area. Right now the stove is not clean, there is bacon grease on it. I can't clean it, which is bothering me, because the one sponge in the entire household...reeks. That's the best and most accurate word to describe it. I need to go buy more.
I need to go to the grocery store. I've been putting it off all day. Super huge list of things + unfamiliar grocery store = WAY more time than necessary to shop. I've never been a fan of grocery shopping; when I did it while house sitting, I had my list, I got what I needed, and was in and out in no time. Instead of shopping at HEB today, I think I'll try and get it all done at Target. At least those stores are easy to figure out. HEB has the most confusing, convoluted layout imaginable. If you've ever been in one, you know exactly what I'm talking about.
My lunch of cream cheese corn and fruit cocktail is satisfactory. I needed more cream cheese in the corn, but I'm lazy and my corn is almost gone. Next time, perhaps.
I'm going back to Flower Mound this weekend to finish up the room. Everything's packed, but I want to get rid of the Goodwill bags, vacuum and clean up a bit, and get the room ready for the littlest brother to move into. Right now, he's anxious about moving in there because it's unfamiliar. I don't blame him. When I first moved in there, at age 8, the streetlamp outside the window was really bright; it took some getting used to, as did the cars that drove by, shining their lights in the window. I'm hoping that when I get everything ready for him, he won't be so worried about sleeping in there.
Since I'm going back in town this weekend, I wanted to set up a get-together for the girls so we could say our goodbyes and spend some precious moments together. I should have said, "I'll be here at this time and this place to see this movie, come if you like." That would have been much easier on everyone. Maybe I'm just being selfish.
Oh, hey. Today, Josh and I have been married for a whole month. Heh. And you thought it wouldn't last. ;) It seems like just yesterday we were partying at the reception. I had a blast at our wedding. I don't think it could have turned out better! ^_^
I really need to get to the store. I've procrastinated as long as I can. At least it only takes 45 minutes to make dinner :D Aufwiedersehen!
How would I describe married life? I feel like a stay at home mom. Minus the children part and the paying bills part and the cleaning everything in sight part. I do clean the kitchen; I'm meticulous in that area. Right now the stove is not clean, there is bacon grease on it. I can't clean it, which is bothering me, because the one sponge in the entire household...reeks. That's the best and most accurate word to describe it. I need to go buy more.
I need to go to the grocery store. I've been putting it off all day. Super huge list of things + unfamiliar grocery store = WAY more time than necessary to shop. I've never been a fan of grocery shopping; when I did it while house sitting, I had my list, I got what I needed, and was in and out in no time. Instead of shopping at HEB today, I think I'll try and get it all done at Target. At least those stores are easy to figure out. HEB has the most confusing, convoluted layout imaginable. If you've ever been in one, you know exactly what I'm talking about.
My lunch of cream cheese corn and fruit cocktail is satisfactory. I needed more cream cheese in the corn, but I'm lazy and my corn is almost gone. Next time, perhaps.
I'm going back to Flower Mound this weekend to finish up the room. Everything's packed, but I want to get rid of the Goodwill bags, vacuum and clean up a bit, and get the room ready for the littlest brother to move into. Right now, he's anxious about moving in there because it's unfamiliar. I don't blame him. When I first moved in there, at age 8, the streetlamp outside the window was really bright; it took some getting used to, as did the cars that drove by, shining their lights in the window. I'm hoping that when I get everything ready for him, he won't be so worried about sleeping in there.
Since I'm going back in town this weekend, I wanted to set up a get-together for the girls so we could say our goodbyes and spend some precious moments together. I should have said, "I'll be here at this time and this place to see this movie, come if you like." That would have been much easier on everyone. Maybe I'm just being selfish.
Oh, hey. Today, Josh and I have been married for a whole month. Heh. And you thought it wouldn't last. ;) It seems like just yesterday we were partying at the reception. I had a blast at our wedding. I don't think it could have turned out better! ^_^
I really need to get to the store. I've procrastinated as long as I can. At least it only takes 45 minutes to make dinner :D Aufwiedersehen!
Freitag, August 14, 2009
Gramma Julie
That was how she always signed her name on cards and letters.
I had a strange dream about her last night. My mother, my aunt Polly and I were at Grandma's house with Grandma. For whatever reason, the doctor told us the exact time she would die; at 6:00 that night. At 5:30 Grandma took Polly to the back room to tell her something private. Mom started getting worried about Grandma at around five to six and started cleaning the china in the china cabinet in the living room. At 6:10, Grandma came out of her bedroom by herself and walked into the living room looking extremely sleepy. She said, "Carol, Mark" and collapsed on the floor and wet herself. Mom freaked out and started crying. I picked Grandma up by the arms and put her on her back in the kitchen floor in case she had anymore accidents. One of my arms was holding her head; Grandma reached for the other one and held it tight. She was looking straight into my eyes with a sleepy smile on her face. Then she said, "Carol" again. I beckoned mom over there, but she didn't want to come because she thought Grandma was gone. I assured her she was still alive and Mom said that she was crying too much. I told her I was crying too (I had a river of tears streaming down my face) and she came, sat beside her, and grasped her arm. Grandma looked from Mom to me and smiled the sleepy smile again. Her eyes looked sleepy; they were half open. I told her that I loved her, she said she loved me, too. I told her I would finish my book of her and she said, "Of course you will." Then she closed her eyes and she was gone. I woke up sobbing, which freaked Josh out.
This is not really how she died. For those of you who don't know, my favorite grandmother died on July 17, 2009. What happened was Grandma's best friend, Flossie, had been calling her all day, from the morning until the afternoon. Flossie was worried because even if Grandma had been working in the yard (which she did to the day she died) she would have come in by the afternoon time. So Flossie drove over to Grandma's house. Her car was there, her door was unlocked, but no lights were on. She went into the house and there Grandma was, apparently asleep in front of the tv. Flossie said you'd never know she wasn't asleep by looking at her. The death certificate said that Grandma was found at 9:10pm. Flossie said there was a piece of toast sitting on a plate on the table, which was most likely from breakfast. She had been in that chair all day, apparently watching television.
When my family got back from the rehearsal dinner, Dad checked the answering machine messages. I was in my room, making sure I had everything that I needed to get ready in the morning. I heard my mom call my brothers and I. I knew from the sound of her voice exactly what she was going to say. She didn't have tears, but she was extremely solemn. William and I met her in the hallway in front of John's bedroom door; John listened from his computer chair, eyes on us. Mom said, "Grandma died today" and my fears were confirmed. Now I really wasn't be able to sleep. My wedding was tomorrow, all the stress of that included, now my favorite grandparent had died.
You can ask Josh, it meant so much for her to be at the wedding. I kept telling her in my head, "You made it to 91, you just have 2 weeks left. This is easy for you. Just 2 weeks." She made it two weeks, but not to the wedding. To honor her at the wedding, we had a white long-stemmed rose walked down the aisle. John's girlfriend Ruthy carried it to the framed photograph of Grandma, which sat in her place in the row. It wasn't much and only a few people knew what it meant, but it felt like she was there. People kept telling me she was. Josh told me it was a good thing that she went the way she did. It was quiet and peaceful, like she would have wanted it. He said that it was good because she wasn't on her way here, causing panic and trauma for Polly, it wasn't at the rehearsal/dinner, causing panic and trauma for all the attendees, and it wasn't at the wedding, either; it was in her house in her favorite chair, doing something she enjoyed.
I sat there in bed this morning, thinking about writing this post and whether I should or not. I thought about all the things I didn't get to ask her. All the things that I really wanted to know. I'll never really know her side of the story. I can know what she did and how things played out, but I'll never know what she felt about it, what she thought about it.
I decided to write this post for closure. She was cremated before we got the call. She had always wanted to be cremated so that her children wouldn't have to fuss about (and pay for) a funeral and burial for her. My uncle had spoken with her and gotten permission to scatter her ashes in the Wichita mountain range near her home, in her five most favorite places. I had always known she wanted to be cremated, but I had always expected an open-casket memorial service first. Seeing the body provides closure in and of itself. Since she was cremated and I wasn't able to be with my family as they scattered her ashes, I won't have any real closure.
I helped my mom and aunt clean out Grandma's house when I got back from the honeymoon. It was weird, being in her house, seeing all her stuff exactly where it had been for years, but not seeing her there. She wasn't in the yard, she wasn't in the kitchen, she wasn't in her chair. Mom and Polly had sorted through her stuff for three days and didn't hit the tip of the iceberg as far as getting stuff out of the house goes. All of the children (and spouses) had gathered the things that they really wanted. That's what Mom and Polly were working on. They took it one section at a time. They have to get the house ready to try and sell it. Grandma lived there for over 40 years; there's a lot of stuff to go through and a lot of stuff to repair.
No one knows why she died. I say she was just old. My mom said that she'd been having some heart problems. I can imagine that. She had lost two husbands, her parents, and her brothers. She only had her friends and family to love her. I don't know how she wasn't constantly lonely. Probably because she was so darn stubborn. Perhaps she was too stubborn to let loneliness affect her. I say she was just old. She is the strongest, most courageous woman I know. She has been through so many difficult times, so many interesting times, and came out on top.
This is why I started a book about her life. Not a biography. An account of her life, things that really happened, things she really did, but fictionalized dialogue. I'm going to try to finish it in Germany; I'm hoping that I can visit Mannheim (where her mother came from) and I'm hoping that it'll give me inspiration, that Deutschland itself will give me the inspiration I need. I did show Grandma the best part already, the part before the book that most writers use to dedicate to their loved ones. I used it to tell her what I think of her, that I admire her, what she means to me, and that I love her. She knew.
I should go now. I have my heart-stopping breakfast of bacon, eggs fried in bacon grease, and Activia to finish. My food is cold, but I don't care. I wanted to write this, to get it off my chest, to give myself some closure. I never had time to grieve, so I grieved this morning, on here, with you. I get to go to Flower Mound tonight and see my family and some friends. I'm excited to see them; I miss them. I hope I didn't bring you down; please don't let me do that. Be happy! :D :D :D Be happy, because I'm happy, because Grandma is in heaven right now, praising God and giving Him all the glory, which was her most favorite thing to do.
I had a strange dream about her last night. My mother, my aunt Polly and I were at Grandma's house with Grandma. For whatever reason, the doctor told us the exact time she would die; at 6:00 that night. At 5:30 Grandma took Polly to the back room to tell her something private. Mom started getting worried about Grandma at around five to six and started cleaning the china in the china cabinet in the living room. At 6:10, Grandma came out of her bedroom by herself and walked into the living room looking extremely sleepy. She said, "Carol, Mark" and collapsed on the floor and wet herself. Mom freaked out and started crying. I picked Grandma up by the arms and put her on her back in the kitchen floor in case she had anymore accidents. One of my arms was holding her head; Grandma reached for the other one and held it tight. She was looking straight into my eyes with a sleepy smile on her face. Then she said, "Carol" again. I beckoned mom over there, but she didn't want to come because she thought Grandma was gone. I assured her she was still alive and Mom said that she was crying too much. I told her I was crying too (I had a river of tears streaming down my face) and she came, sat beside her, and grasped her arm. Grandma looked from Mom to me and smiled the sleepy smile again. Her eyes looked sleepy; they were half open. I told her that I loved her, she said she loved me, too. I told her I would finish my book of her and she said, "Of course you will." Then she closed her eyes and she was gone. I woke up sobbing, which freaked Josh out.
This is not really how she died. For those of you who don't know, my favorite grandmother died on July 17, 2009. What happened was Grandma's best friend, Flossie, had been calling her all day, from the morning until the afternoon. Flossie was worried because even if Grandma had been working in the yard (which she did to the day she died) she would have come in by the afternoon time. So Flossie drove over to Grandma's house. Her car was there, her door was unlocked, but no lights were on. She went into the house and there Grandma was, apparently asleep in front of the tv. Flossie said you'd never know she wasn't asleep by looking at her. The death certificate said that Grandma was found at 9:10pm. Flossie said there was a piece of toast sitting on a plate on the table, which was most likely from breakfast. She had been in that chair all day, apparently watching television.
When my family got back from the rehearsal dinner, Dad checked the answering machine messages. I was in my room, making sure I had everything that I needed to get ready in the morning. I heard my mom call my brothers and I. I knew from the sound of her voice exactly what she was going to say. She didn't have tears, but she was extremely solemn. William and I met her in the hallway in front of John's bedroom door; John listened from his computer chair, eyes on us. Mom said, "Grandma died today" and my fears were confirmed. Now I really wasn't be able to sleep. My wedding was tomorrow, all the stress of that included, now my favorite grandparent had died.
You can ask Josh, it meant so much for her to be at the wedding. I kept telling her in my head, "You made it to 91, you just have 2 weeks left. This is easy for you. Just 2 weeks." She made it two weeks, but not to the wedding. To honor her at the wedding, we had a white long-stemmed rose walked down the aisle. John's girlfriend Ruthy carried it to the framed photograph of Grandma, which sat in her place in the row. It wasn't much and only a few people knew what it meant, but it felt like she was there. People kept telling me she was. Josh told me it was a good thing that she went the way she did. It was quiet and peaceful, like she would have wanted it. He said that it was good because she wasn't on her way here, causing panic and trauma for Polly, it wasn't at the rehearsal/dinner, causing panic and trauma for all the attendees, and it wasn't at the wedding, either; it was in her house in her favorite chair, doing something she enjoyed.
I sat there in bed this morning, thinking about writing this post and whether I should or not. I thought about all the things I didn't get to ask her. All the things that I really wanted to know. I'll never really know her side of the story. I can know what she did and how things played out, but I'll never know what she felt about it, what she thought about it.
I decided to write this post for closure. She was cremated before we got the call. She had always wanted to be cremated so that her children wouldn't have to fuss about (and pay for) a funeral and burial for her. My uncle had spoken with her and gotten permission to scatter her ashes in the Wichita mountain range near her home, in her five most favorite places. I had always known she wanted to be cremated, but I had always expected an open-casket memorial service first. Seeing the body provides closure in and of itself. Since she was cremated and I wasn't able to be with my family as they scattered her ashes, I won't have any real closure.
I helped my mom and aunt clean out Grandma's house when I got back from the honeymoon. It was weird, being in her house, seeing all her stuff exactly where it had been for years, but not seeing her there. She wasn't in the yard, she wasn't in the kitchen, she wasn't in her chair. Mom and Polly had sorted through her stuff for three days and didn't hit the tip of the iceberg as far as getting stuff out of the house goes. All of the children (and spouses) had gathered the things that they really wanted. That's what Mom and Polly were working on. They took it one section at a time. They have to get the house ready to try and sell it. Grandma lived there for over 40 years; there's a lot of stuff to go through and a lot of stuff to repair.
No one knows why she died. I say she was just old. My mom said that she'd been having some heart problems. I can imagine that. She had lost two husbands, her parents, and her brothers. She only had her friends and family to love her. I don't know how she wasn't constantly lonely. Probably because she was so darn stubborn. Perhaps she was too stubborn to let loneliness affect her. I say she was just old. She is the strongest, most courageous woman I know. She has been through so many difficult times, so many interesting times, and came out on top.
This is why I started a book about her life. Not a biography. An account of her life, things that really happened, things she really did, but fictionalized dialogue. I'm going to try to finish it in Germany; I'm hoping that I can visit Mannheim (where her mother came from) and I'm hoping that it'll give me inspiration, that Deutschland itself will give me the inspiration I need. I did show Grandma the best part already, the part before the book that most writers use to dedicate to their loved ones. I used it to tell her what I think of her, that I admire her, what she means to me, and that I love her. She knew.
I should go now. I have my heart-stopping breakfast of bacon, eggs fried in bacon grease, and Activia to finish. My food is cold, but I don't care. I wanted to write this, to get it off my chest, to give myself some closure. I never had time to grieve, so I grieved this morning, on here, with you. I get to go to Flower Mound tonight and see my family and some friends. I'm excited to see them; I miss them. I hope I didn't bring you down; please don't let me do that. Be happy! :D :D :D Be happy, because I'm happy, because Grandma is in heaven right now, praising God and giving Him all the glory, which was her most favorite thing to do.
Dienstag, August 11, 2009
Time Flies When Your Mind is Occupied
Wow. I didn't realize it has been three months. A lot has happened since then. I got married, went on a honeymoon, packed up almost all of my stuff from my parent's house, moved it all into storage, and moved to Austin.
The wedding was amazing from our point of view. Josh and I had a blast and wish we could do it again, minus the stress and $$$ out the wazoo. Some of the pictures are up on Facebook. I'm not sure if I'll put up the others; two cameras were used (for security/safety reasons) and over 700 pictures were taken. I have one camera's pictures of getting ready and the ceremony. I still have one more camera with different pictures of both of those categories, plus all of the reception pictures from both cameras. Jeff Carr did an amazing job! If you ever need a professional photographer, even just for a Christmas card, Jeff is the man to do it. No, he didn't pay me to say that.
There was only one mishap with the wedding: Josh and I forgot about the unity candle. Pastor Mike stepped aside for unity candle time and Josh and I stood there, racking our brains, trying to figure out what went next. We hadn't exchanged rings, we hadn't said our vows, he hadn't pronounced us man and wife, but we couldn't figure out what we were supposed to do. Finally Mike whispered loudly, "the candle" and the light bulbs went off in our heads and on our faces (I almost wish Jeff had gotten a picture of the dumbstruck looks we had on our faces), we laughed, the crowd laughed, and all was well. Aside from that, our wedding went without a hitch. Julie, Lara, Paula, and the rest of my bridesmaids and friends did such a fantastic job; I wish I could have done more to thank them.
Now Josh and I are in Georgetown, a town an hour north of Austin. We're staying with his grandparents until we leave for Germany in September (I'll tell you more about Germany later). His grandparents are letting us live with them (for a whole 30 days!) on one condition: I cook dinner. :D I was so excited when Josh told me! Now I'm really getting to play house and experiment in the kitchen and be creative and all that fun stuff. I have learned very quickly that Josh likes anything that is food. I don't feel that I can trust his opinion on my cooking for that very reason. That, and we're still in the new phase where he doesn't want to hurt my feelings. I have rejected my own cooking since being here (the dish really was not good and was further ruined by freezing - the grandparents are obsessed with freezing things) and Josh still said it was good and kept eating it - the rest of the 13x9 pan of it. Ah well. At least he's eating it, right? :D
I feel like I need to do something with my blog, other than bore you with the details of my everyday life, which will hopefully not be quite so boring once we move to Deutschland. The reason I feel this way is because Josh has started a blog where he solves math problems from a book of his. He's basically trying to solve his way through I. N. Herstein's Topics in Algebra in a year and he's posting the equations with their proofs (answers/solved problems) on his blog. He doesn't expect anyone to read it - he's only doing it for himself. Also, I watched Julie & Julia on Friday (excellent movie - buy popcorn and a drink for it, though, it's long) and, in case you haven't seen the previews, in the movie the main character, Julie, cooks her way through Julia Child's cookbook and posts the experience on a blog. While Julie is cooking away, you watch Julia as she learns to cook and write the cookbook that Julie and millions of Americans are using today. It's a great story.
Anyway, between Josh and Julie & Julia, I feel as if my blog is pointless. I'm afraid that once I get to Germany and get settled in, I'll get lonely during the day and I don't want this place to become a whine fest, as I'm afraid it has become in the past. I will be making a conscious effort to fight off the lonliness and sour attitudes, but just in case I get weak, I want you to actually want to read my blog. I do plan on stealing the idea from Mutating Missionary and take pictures of my surroundings and post a few on my blog every day, but I feel as if that's not drive enough. Maybe I'll post pictures of my cross-stitching work to show my progress with each piece and maybe even set goals for myself to get it finished by a certain time. If you get any ideas for me, let me know.
Ah! I remembered that I am going to post a German word or phrase every day, just to help myself out. It may be a word that I need to learn or a word that I learned that day, but it will be on here, accompanied by the English translation. My ultimate goal while I'm over there is to become fluent, or at least as much as possible. Josh and I won't even speak English to each other to help ourselves with fluency. I can't wait to get started!
Well, it's late, and I need to get my husband (!! :D !!) into bed. He has work in the morning and takes FOREVER to fall asleep. Good night, all! Gute nacht, euch (is that how you say it, Lori/Robyn?)! Aufwiedersehen!
The wedding was amazing from our point of view. Josh and I had a blast and wish we could do it again, minus the stress and $$$ out the wazoo. Some of the pictures are up on Facebook. I'm not sure if I'll put up the others; two cameras were used (for security/safety reasons) and over 700 pictures were taken. I have one camera's pictures of getting ready and the ceremony. I still have one more camera with different pictures of both of those categories, plus all of the reception pictures from both cameras. Jeff Carr did an amazing job! If you ever need a professional photographer, even just for a Christmas card, Jeff is the man to do it. No, he didn't pay me to say that.
There was only one mishap with the wedding: Josh and I forgot about the unity candle. Pastor Mike stepped aside for unity candle time and Josh and I stood there, racking our brains, trying to figure out what went next. We hadn't exchanged rings, we hadn't said our vows, he hadn't pronounced us man and wife, but we couldn't figure out what we were supposed to do. Finally Mike whispered loudly, "the candle" and the light bulbs went off in our heads and on our faces (I almost wish Jeff had gotten a picture of the dumbstruck looks we had on our faces), we laughed, the crowd laughed, and all was well. Aside from that, our wedding went without a hitch. Julie, Lara, Paula, and the rest of my bridesmaids and friends did such a fantastic job; I wish I could have done more to thank them.
Now Josh and I are in Georgetown, a town an hour north of Austin. We're staying with his grandparents until we leave for Germany in September (I'll tell you more about Germany later). His grandparents are letting us live with them (for a whole 30 days!) on one condition: I cook dinner. :D I was so excited when Josh told me! Now I'm really getting to play house and experiment in the kitchen and be creative and all that fun stuff. I have learned very quickly that Josh likes anything that is food. I don't feel that I can trust his opinion on my cooking for that very reason. That, and we're still in the new phase where he doesn't want to hurt my feelings. I have rejected my own cooking since being here (the dish really was not good and was further ruined by freezing - the grandparents are obsessed with freezing things) and Josh still said it was good and kept eating it - the rest of the 13x9 pan of it. Ah well. At least he's eating it, right? :D
I feel like I need to do something with my blog, other than bore you with the details of my everyday life, which will hopefully not be quite so boring once we move to Deutschland. The reason I feel this way is because Josh has started a blog where he solves math problems from a book of his. He's basically trying to solve his way through I. N. Herstein's Topics in Algebra in a year and he's posting the equations with their proofs (answers/solved problems) on his blog. He doesn't expect anyone to read it - he's only doing it for himself. Also, I watched Julie & Julia on Friday (excellent movie - buy popcorn and a drink for it, though, it's long) and, in case you haven't seen the previews, in the movie the main character, Julie, cooks her way through Julia Child's cookbook and posts the experience on a blog. While Julie is cooking away, you watch Julia as she learns to cook and write the cookbook that Julie and millions of Americans are using today. It's a great story.
Anyway, between Josh and Julie & Julia, I feel as if my blog is pointless. I'm afraid that once I get to Germany and get settled in, I'll get lonely during the day and I don't want this place to become a whine fest, as I'm afraid it has become in the past. I will be making a conscious effort to fight off the lonliness and sour attitudes, but just in case I get weak, I want you to actually want to read my blog. I do plan on stealing the idea from Mutating Missionary and take pictures of my surroundings and post a few on my blog every day, but I feel as if that's not drive enough. Maybe I'll post pictures of my cross-stitching work to show my progress with each piece and maybe even set goals for myself to get it finished by a certain time. If you get any ideas for me, let me know.
Ah! I remembered that I am going to post a German word or phrase every day, just to help myself out. It may be a word that I need to learn or a word that I learned that day, but it will be on here, accompanied by the English translation. My ultimate goal while I'm over there is to become fluent, or at least as much as possible. Josh and I won't even speak English to each other to help ourselves with fluency. I can't wait to get started!
Well, it's late, and I need to get my husband (!! :D !!) into bed. He has work in the morning and takes FOREVER to fall asleep. Good night, all! Gute nacht, euch (is that how you say it, Lori/Robyn?)! Aufwiedersehen!
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