Onward and upward

I don't really have a lot of exciting things to share in today's post, except a personal victory that I am excited about. This last weekend I completed my last sexual assault prevention and awareness briefing. In the last year I have trained 1800 Soldiers on this topic and Sunday morning (of all times) I finished my last unit who had returned from a year long deployment the day before. This was also the first time that Don heard me speak, he came along and took a few photos, which really aren't that good but at least you have a glimpse into my world for the last year.
This job has been like nothing I have ever done in my life. I just don't have the type of personality it takes to be a part of the armed forces, but here I am working with the Army of all branches! There have been many days when I have asked myself, how did you get here?!? You know the saying fish out of water...yup that's me!
My time working at a group home taught me that I can do anything for a year, and this job has been an example of that. I am grateful for the opportunity I have had and the people I have met as a result.
That's all, I guess I just needed to process that and decided to use this as a forum for that!

robin

P.S. Now that I am no longer working in this position, I will not be on call 24/7. Don and I are already planning a trip to Paris, so there will be more intersting topics in the future!

A new meaning to girls just want to have fun!

Fasching continues here in Germany, so today I thought I would share one of the unique traditions. This Thursday marks "Altweiberfasching" which literally translated means "Old Women's Fasching."
This tradition is a kind of liberated "women's day" when women storm town halls, banks and offices and snip the neckties off of the men. One article I read explained it this way, "Women are allowed to act crazy that day and have fun without their better halves." (emphasis mine- did anyone else cringe or was it just me?)



Historically, the tradition of women participating in Fasching goes back to the 15th century. In our village Altweiberfasching will be celebrated at 11:11 a.m. Women dressed in costume/disguise will storm the Rathaus(town hall) in search of men. They will bring them outside to the center of the village and tie them to the Narrenbrunnen, or fools fountain where they will proceed to cut off the men's ties. The ties are then collected and hung up as trophies. By paying a small fee, captives will be set free.



The picture above is of the Narrenbrunnen in my village. Don has been warned and does not plan to be anywhere near our village on Thursday.

Now, where did I leave my scissors?

robin

That's Uncle Donk to you.

Don and I are Aunt and Uncle to another cutie I would like to introduce you to. This is Katie, daughter of Dons' sister Karin and her husband David. We met her for the first time last May when we took our first trip back to the states we called the Don and Robin Across America Tour....12 different airplanes in 30 days! We also paid homage to our favorite burrito places while in California. Hmmm...I'm am hungry just thinking about Taqueria Vallartas in Santa Cruz!




Katie is almost 2 1/2 now. She loved her Uncle "Donk". Since she was a newborn I have been blown away at how much she looks like Don. Sometimes it feels like I am looking at what our daughter might look like!
She loves music and according to her Mom she will make her way down the aisle at and join the worship team at church on Sunday mornings. She even has her own microphone!

It is really hard being so far from family, we have missed out on some important events, like our sisters having children. We look forward to coming back to the states and being a part of our families lives again...only 2 years to go!.

robin

A spring, a spring, a marvelous thing, everyone knows it’s Slinky!

Today for lunch I went to a nearby mall. One thing I will miss about working for the Army is that I have a Starbucks 10 minutes away. This is a true luxury since Don and I have driven over an hour just to go to a Starbucks!

Enough about Starbucks. What I did want to tell you about is a funny thing I saw while I was enjoying my tall Caramel Macchiato (see, I can't stop talking about it) and window shopping. One thing that I do appreciate about the German culture is that they can find the simplest things amusing. Sometimes I think that I am in a time warp...I can pass right by and not think twice about it because I have seen it before, or it's just not that impressive!

I am sure that most of you remember the Slinky Toy. I found a picture just in case you aren't sure what I am talking about. In the mall today they had a number of different "discovery center" type of hands on displays. I am not sure if I noticed the slinky or the people first, but I came across a group of older people, probably 70 and above that were crowded around this display. It was a slinky, about 12 feet long and it was hanging from wires. Basically you would move this handle at one end and watch this slinky bounce around...you know, like slinkys always do. What was so amusing was watching this group of people laugh and point like it was this amazing and hilarious invention. I stopped and watched them and giggled when I heard them say (insert German accent here)"Ya! das ist gut! ha! ha! ha! ya! ya! ya! gut! gut!" This was more fun than the slinky!

I named this blog Simple Things for a reason. I really believe that it is the simple things that make life enjoyable. I may not have noticed the giant slinky, but I am so glad that I am not so busy and preoccuppied that I miss out on people enjoying life!

Tschuss!

robin

Remember this song on t.v.?

What walks down stairs, alone or in pairs, and makes a slinkity sound?
A spring, a spring, a marvelous thing, everyone knows it’s Slinky!
It’s Slinky, it’s slinky, for fun it’s the best of a toy
It’s Slinky, its Slinky, it’s fun for a girl and boy
Everyone wants a Slinky; you ought to get a Slinky…..

It's times like this that keep me humble...

Ever had one of those days? Wish you could turn the clock back just 5 seconds and redo something? I did yesterday morning. I wrecked my beloved Elaine. I am fine, just a really sore neck and shoulder and a couple of welts on my face and wrist from the air bag. Here are some pictures of what is left of her. We have a lot of history, I feel so bad.

Yesterday morning I had an appointment to drop of the paperwork for my new job that I will be starting in a few weeks. I forgot something, so I drove back to my house and then planned to drive the 50 miles to my current job. It was snowing, but nothing unusual, and since I grew up in Idaho wasn't overly concerned about it. I was making the final turn onto the street we live on when my tires started slipping and I lost the ability to steer and break...I made a direct hit into a neighbor's brick wall. I was only going about 20 mph, but look at what that did to my car. Both airbags ejected on impact. All I remember was watching this brick wall coming closer and then the airbags popping. My first thought was "the car is going to blow" (obviously I have seen to many movies) so I pulled the keys out of the ignition and walked across the street. I had my work cell phone, and the only number I could think of was Don's work number. I called him, I was crying (big surprise) and the only thing I could say was "I'm so sorry, I totaled our car." I really freaked him out, he was imagining me laying on the street bleeding! He had to tell me what number to call for the police (we don't have 911 here) and so I called them and the German Polizei.

I am so grateful that no one else was involved. I am so grateful that no kids were walking to school at that time, that I didn't hit another car head on, that I didn't have babies of my own in the car with me. I am so grateful that Don was here and not in Africa or Greece, or a million other places, and that he was the first person I saw after it happened. I am so grateful he didn't care about the stupid car and the fact that we only have 1 vehicle now and his first words to me were "Are you okay, I love you so much." And I am so grateful that this happened 100 feet from my front door, with neighbor's next door and not on the autobahn driving 75 miles +.

I know that this wasn't a life changing experience...I am fine and I will work through the feelings of regret, and embarassment. I just wanted to share this with you because I think it is important to be reminded of how quickly things can change.

Thank you Father for protecting me, and for your quiet presence and peace in times of chaos.

"I love you, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my GOD is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call to the LORD who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies." Psalm 18:1-3 NIV

amen

Can we elect a different ground hog?

I can't believe the ground hog saw his shadow. Even though I am not sure if it really counts for us here in Europe I am still bummed.

I am longing for spring! It is so cold here right now that the trees are frozen white with frost. I haven't seen the sun for over a week. Am I the only one who feels like winter is dragging on forever this year? So, today I am writing about a trip Don and I took last spring because I need to think about something else other than winter.

Last April we went to Holland to see the tulips with some friends. I posted a few pictures, but believe me they hardly do it justice. We drove about 5 hours from our home to the famous Keukenhof Gardens just outside of Amsterdam. There are so many tulip and flower farms, all you see for miles are rows and rows of flowers, it looks like a rainbow on the ground...absolutely beautiful. That evening we stayed at a beach town called Noordwijk. I attached a picture of Don and I at sunset with the North Sea behind us. It was the first time we had seen the ocean since we moved here two years earlier.

We also visited the Anne Frank house in Amsterdam...the home where she and her family lived in hiding from the Nazi's for 3 years before they were discovered. Since living here I have been to Dachau and to Auschwitz- Birkenau, but seeing this home was just as humbling and moving for me. I will never forget walking through those rooms...I will especially remember climbing through the secret door behind the bookshelf, because I smacked the top of my head and saw stars for a moment! I also remember walking in Anne's bedroom and reading the part of her diary when she talks about hanging pictures of her favorite movie stars and singers. The pictures are still hanging there, just as she left them. I added a picture of the building which is the Anne Frank House. It was originally the location of her father's business, the apartment was hidden in the back on the top floor and was impossible to detect from the outside.

Anyway, I feel a little better...but I'd still like to ask another ground hog for a second opinion!

Think Spring!

robin