Sick stinks, 'specially single.

He didn't want to go, but Kevin had to fly to Kansas City for the week. As punishment he has being-gone-guilt and the knowledge that it is 65 degrees here. Not so in Kansas City. This being our sickest winter (though mildest in weather) ever, I decided to get Strep Throat at the same time Kevin was leaving. My first experience with the infection. After almost 3 days of excruciating, nerve-shrieking agony in my throat - reverberating through my brain and eardrums - I will forever be the most compassionate person on the planet to all persons afflicted. What I never knew was that you also get a jackhammer headache, high fever with chills and sweats, and skin so sensitive that changing clothes makes you cry. God taught me a quick and clear lesson however, that He is good and He takes care of me.

It was Saturday, Kevin was on an airplane and I was debating whether or not to take the kids with me to the hospital (having no doctor for myself yet) so I could get a diagnosis and some very strong drugs. I called three friends - all answered the phone - God knows people - and worked a minor miracle. Sarah is a nurse, listened to my list of symptoms, told me it sounded bad enough to search for drugs and offered to come get the kids. Liz called her friends and found a doctor that does house calls and speaks English! Thank YOU God. He came 10 minutes after I called his number and gave me the prescription I needed. And he was really nice. Lastly, my friend Heidi (who with her husband runs the pharmacy at the University Hospital, wouldn't you know) called and demanded that Eli be given to her for most of Sunday. And her husband answered my questions about the prescription and they gave other good healing advice. At noon Saturday I was so miserable I was close to tears and more than a little desperate. By 3pm prayers had been quickly answered and I was on the road to healing with prescription in hand. It's not a story about sickness, but about God and His provision in a personal, difficult time. I won't soon forget.

Sunday Walks: Eli had a tradional German Sunday walk with my friend's family today while I stayed home to heal and let Mary nap. Sunday walks in Germany (called Volksmarches when done officially) follow these rules. Walking on Sunday...

• Is required. For every German family. Unless there is a horrific storm or sub-zero temperatures. And there is nothing else to do anyway since you can't work outside your house or go shopping.
• Is a fairly serious hike through a forest, with hills. This is hilly, wooded country and there are kilometers upon kilometers of paths built expressly for this purpose. All residents of this country live within walking distance of public paths and a forest.
• Will include lunch and a beer. In the middle of forests and along the paths are shacks and restaurants ready to serve the steady stream of reliable, hungry customers.
• Is a 3-5 hour event (including lunch). Eli was gone for 5 hours today and nearly fell apart at the seams when he got home, he was so exhausted... but happy.
• May be missed if biking, roller blading, or horseback riding instead.

We've begun to observe this tradion ourselves in our own nearby woods and hills and the paths are busy with horses, bikes, people and strollers. A worthy competing activity to the "football game on TV and a nap" routine we favored in the States...

Love & Kisses...

Happy Birthday Baby: Our baby turned 1 year old last week. Just in time for the big event Mary learned how to 'kiss-kiss' on command. She sticks out her lower lip and offers her mouth to you for some love. And she gets plenty. Rather than avoid the cliches, I embraced her near-Valentines birthdate wholeheartedly (snicker, snort) and scattered pink, red, and white balloons - including hearts, of course - for our little party. Our friends John and Sarah came by with their kids. Low key, messy, and fun. Pictures to the right. We reflected later that night what a gift our surprise girl has been and are so grateful to God for the precious daughter entrusted to us. And we like her big brother, too.

As my sisters forwarned, bedtime has become a time when Eli has big questions and comes up with the best pronouncements, things I wish I could remember forever. Tonight he talked about God's house in Heaven and how He also lives in our hearts (even Mary's!) but how did he make us? I reminded him of the story of Adam and Eve and also babies inside of mommies and he says: "I know what God did! He took some sand and mixed it up. Then He made it really hot and then He put the bones into it! But how did it get into the mommy?" The conversation continued and he was thinking hard about the complexities of babies growing arms, legs, and even teeth inside of their gums... all before they are born. Unexpected, wonderful conversations - one of the gifts of having a little boy. A favorite phrase you may hear from this child if you visit and ask him to do something with you: "I'm not available right now but you can do it by yourself." Ah, independence.

Don't be shocked. Not just for punks and rebellious teens, brightly colored hair is one of the first things you will notice about the German people. Upon my arrival I began an immediate and frantic search for a good salon. Having colored my hair in 6-week intervals for the last 12 years a safe medium brown, I was extremely anxious about the abnormally high number of otherwise normal looking women - of all ages - with fluorescent orange, red, and purple hair. We're talking about regular folks in the neighborhood - moms and grandmas alike. German acquaintances surmised - quietly - that these were 'East German' women or 'Russian Germans' - a few of the many stereotyped groups in this area. Regardless, you're going to see them, and are forwarned. But my hair shall remain brown.

Autobahn Oddities. Unless you're driving the Autobahn at night you won't notice another strange phenomenon in Germany, the total lack of light pollution. Completely dark driving. For the most part the Autobahn has zero lights (not on signs, or difficult corkscrew entrances/exits, or bridges), zero reflective barriers or markers, and even dull hard-to-see paint lines. A consistently large buffer zone made mostly of tall woods between the Autobahn and any buildings helps and everyone turns their lights off at 8:00pm regardless (that's 20:00 here, by the way). It's almost spooky. But don't be spooked by the seemingly 'homeless' cars hanging out under underpasses - thats carpool parking. One last warning. If you spend much time at all driving around our host country, you will at some point see a man peeing on the side of the road... and not behind a tree, a bush, or even a car door. Gute Fahrt!! ("Enjoy the Drive!")

Coffee? Baggies, Bottles & the Environment.

My friend/neighbor came by the other day for an afternoon visit, along with her kids. I warned her I had no coffee or tea or cake. She finds Americans fascinating, thankfully, and the gaffe was excused. While coffee is also popular in the states, of course, it is absolutely required here as a basic human need... every morning and afternoon. With cake. Often from a fancy espresso machine everyone has in their kitchen. Walk downtown on any afternoon and you will find little bakeries full of people having their cake and coffee. She asked in a rather shocked voice 'What do you drink in the morning?' Me: Orange juice. 'But don't you want something that's hot?' Now she sounds quite incredulous. Me: Occasionally hot chocolate. And I drink too much coke/pop in the afternoon. She tells me I am definitely not very German. I have yet to meet a German citizen who does not drink coffee or can tolerantly comprehend that I do not.


Ziploc baggies are friends to this household. Gallon-size, Quart-size, Sandwich-size... I love them all. Our relationship is longterm, co-dependant, and successful. Same goes for convenient water bottles. Unfortunately this is considered an illicit affair in the eyes of our new neighbors. It is only very recently that baggie imitations are available at the store and there aren't very many (no one is buying them). To be fair they have reason to show their condemnation. Neither are good for the environment - a high concern in Germany and climbing daily on my own priority list after watching the 'Planet Earth' and 'Inconvenient Truth' movies and living in an environmentally aware culture. The locals can remember winters 10-15 years ago when snow fell in this area for four to six weeks each winter. There has been exactly none the last several winters. Climate change, they believe. I attempt to negate the effects of my consumption by recycling all plastic diligently and purchasing our drinks in recycled plastic and glass at the 'drink market.' I am in training.


Language Love: I fear my greatest improvement in the area of language is flexibility. As in the muscles being used to desperately convey a concept via body language. All should fear to challenge me in 'Charades' when we are back in the states. I can expertly demonstrate adverbs and will kick your butt. Another funny thing in language is the concept of False Friends. A word looks the same in two languages so you think (hope) it means the same thing. One less to remember among 50,000! But no. It is not to be. An example. Take the highly recognizable word POISON. In English this is something very bad and pictorally represented by a red skull. In French, with an extra 's', this is the word for a Fish (swimms, yummy w/butter). And in German, with the same spelling as in English, this is the word for Gift (as in "This is for you!"). Beware, all who tread here.