Friday I've got travelin' on my mind

Well, my friends, I'm setting out on one last adventure in Germany. I'll be in Frankfurt tonight. It'll be an interesting trip, that's for sure. I'm meeting up with a couple friends from BYU, and honestly, I'm not even sure what all we're doing. No big deal. Most important is to see people I won't get to see for at least 20 months. Actually, it could be much longer than that. I don't know if I'm going back to the Y, and besides, they'll all be done there when I get back off my mission anyways.
I also starting packing for America today. It's a week and a half away, but since I'll be traveling until Tuesday night, I thought it best to get a head start. And another friend, a former exchange student of ours, wants to come visit me on my last weekend. I do need to give her her Harry Potters back... And I really want to see her one more time. I'm pretty sure all my junk is going to fit in my luggage. All my clothes that I brought (minus some that I gave away), my shoes, plus some books that I bought, and the various blu-rays, oh and the really big fluffy coat my mom brought me. I'm using that for insulation for all the chocolate I'm bringing my family. My brother works for Delta and he says it gets pretty warm down there wherever they keep the luggage on the plane. Anyways, my clothes are packed. I'll just wash and rewear the clothes I'm bringing to Frankfurt.
Thank goodness I'm coming back soon or I'd be a weeping mess of emotion.
For real.
I don't even want to think what state I'd be in if I had to leave for the foreseeable future. It was bad enough last time when I had to leave after three weeks. This time, I'm also bringing home different stuff. Not just dessert. And I'm armed with a huge photo album. I'll be fine... I hope.

Tuesday Afternoon

It's Tuesday afternoon, and I'm done with work. I have one last choir rehearsal for the Uni Chor. I'm not even a student... which is why I don't feel too bad about skipping out on one of our concerts. And the Friday rehearsal this weekend. I'm going to Frankfurt, baby! My friend Ary has planned a get-together for us and all the other Americans we know that have made it over here this summer. Sadly, due to unforseen circumstances, several of our friends won't be coming, but it'll be fun anyways. And I can't promise I'll get to blog about it until I'm home. Which will be on a Tuesday afternoon in two weeks, if all goes well with the buddy pass. Oh man. Two weeks. I also want to write a post about the questions these kids have asked me.  I won't spoil the fun by giving a preview. You'll just have to be patient until, well, I get home home. Next Tuesday I should be getting back from Frankfurt and possibly singing in the Uni Chor concert if I gete back in time and I feel like it. But on this Tuesday Afternoon, I'm going to try to find birthday presents for my two sisters. They both have their birthday in the next couple weeks, and since they're still young, I feel obligated to give them more than just some excellent chocolate. Did I tell y'all I'm bringing my family 24 bars of chocolate? Anyways, I'd better skidaddle so I can find something for my sisters. Time's rather short you know...

The earth is turning...

Sorry for my absence from the blogging world. I actually have some adventures to blog about. I just got caught up in a good book... And Wednesday my laptop decided to quit turning on. So I'm on the family dinosaur, and I have no idea how much time I'll actually have to write. Everybody's out, but I have other things I need to do while it's quiet. I found out Wednesday that I'm speaking in church on Sunday. Seven minutes about why I want to serve a mission. They said I could take longer, but I really don't even need seven minutes to explain that one. I just want to share the love and happiness I've found in Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. And everybody should know about the blessings that can be ours if we follow Christ. K, Done.
So, I get to give two farewells. The other one will be back home in Georgia, closer to when I actually go on my mission.
Guys. I'm going home in 2.5 weeks.
By the way, if anyone ever complains about the price of fabric in America, just know that it's waaaay more expensive over here. My host family decided to ask a lady from church to sew something for me as a farewell gift. This lady used to sew women's clothes for a living, so the skirt I picked out will be pretty awesome when it's done. And the fabric, a lovely gray flannel, matches practically every shirt in my closet and will keep me warm in the Alps. I hope.
Really I have a lot more to say, but I should probably go do something productive. Like prepare my talk for Sunday. Or figure out how I'm going to teach a song to the children at church. *sigh* I just didn't want y'all to think I fell off the planet.
Confession: I'm really aweful at thinking up titles for things. Hence the lyrics. And since my list of lyrics is on my laptop... Hence the not-so-splendid title. There ya have it.

We'll find a place where the sun still shines

After more than a week of nasty, rainy, cold weather, the sun finally came out. I don't know what season to call it, though. It's pretty much summer for here, but more like April for me. And I apparently have allergies. Strangely enough, they don't bother me too much while outside. It's only after I've gone back inside that I start sneezing like crazy. Maybe I'm allergic to being inside when the weather is nice. Huh. 

My dreams the other night involved Iron Man and Thor, and maybe a little bit of Pearl Harbor. It was all rather strange. And last night I dreamed I was already on my mission and people were giving me money to get somewhere. That somewhere, Celle, is not in my mission, but where I went on my mini-mission. And you don't have to pay out of pocket to get to places in your mission- it's all rolled into the monthly amount you pay, as far as I know.

We put up the trampoline in the backyard today... woohoo? 

Tuesday marked the third anniversary of the first time I set foot on German land. And, for once, I'm not scheming how to get back. I have plans. Concrete plans. Ain't nobody gonna stop me plans. These mission plans are making it so much easier to leave next month. I've got just over a month left here, but that's alright. I've got that final Schluss feeling. The end of this adventure is drawing nigh. I don't have to mourn my departure, though, since I'll be back in the blink of an eye. Well, if that America blink were to last two months. Whatever. I'm going to enjoy my two-month blink, whatever I end up doing. Hopefully I'll find some sort of income. If nobody wants a babysitter/house cleaner/meal preparer/whatever, well, I'll just hang out with my family. Hopefully Dad will get a lot of work these next 21 months.

I think it worth mentioning that someone I never expected to see again showed up in church Sunday. I know him from the German House at BYU. It quite threw me off. His brother lives here with his family, so it wasn't completely random, but still very unexpected. Too bad we didn't get to talk longer... Naja. 

I'm now halfway done with Les Miserables auf Deutsch. I'm really glad I'm reading the book after seeing the movie, 'cause the musical leaves out a lot of detail and some interesting parts. I won't bore you here. Or I just don't want to sound like a fool in case I read something incorrectly. 

I met my sister's boyfriend via Skype this past Sunday. I approve? I mean, I'd like to meet him for real. He seems like a nice guy.

My sister and I also watched Pride & Prejudice simultaneously and Skype-chatted all the best lines. We kept track of the "ohhh burn" quips and the awkward moments. Good stuff. That movie never gets old.

Oh, and just because it's warm outside doesn't mean it's warm in the basement. They told me I'd get the room that stays the coolest in the summer. What they meant is: "You will want a jacket and the heater on in June." And no matter how long I leave the window open, only the cool air comes in. No sunshine. My tiny window is in a corner that gets very little sun quite early in the day. I love being cold. Not.