Christmas

Christmas was fun and lonely this year. It kind of seemed like just another day. We read the Christmas story from Matthew, prayed and then opened gifts. We spent a couple hours baking and then headed to some good friends of ours for steak and baked potato dinner. I know not the usual Christmas dinner but we decided to do something out of the ordinary. We spent the rest of the day playing games and watching movies with friends and family. Earlier in the day my mom and I drove to Landstuhl to drop off desserts for the Wounded Warrior Center christmas dinner. They also deserve to have a good christmas especially because they are so far from family and have given their lives to fight got their country. What have you done to help someone during this time of the year or during the year?

Thanksgiving

The last time I wrote on my blog I was still on my internship in France. Well that is over and am back home with my family. My dad came home for 2 weeks the day before I got home and then the day after I got back we packed up and went to the Edelweiss Lodge and Resort for 4 relaxing days. We went sightseeing by day and sat in the hot tub by night. We enjoyed tons of good quality family (minus 1) time together and even got wonderful professional massages. On the way home we stopped at Stuttgart, where we used to live, to have thanksgiving dinner. You see the dining facilities at all the bases have thanksgiving dinner for anyone who does not feel like cooking, are single, soldiers, airmen, people on vacation and so on. It was a fun time. We saw some old friends of ours and even a few old teachers. One sight did make my heart ache. This sight was the sight of single soldiers eating alone in a room of families. It made me sad to see that they had no one at this time of year when it has a lot to do about family.

Multiple Lives

Have you ever felt like you have multiple lives but never really felt part of them when you are away or taking part in one life or another? Like your lives continue without you but everything still stays the same for you. It's just weird and awkward. Like you don't want to got back to one life or another but you don't want to stay in the life that you are in now. You try so hard to be in one or the other but you end up giving up and creating your own life or world.

Chocolate Project

I previously published a post about the flavors that I was using for my chocolate project and asked for your feedback. Well you will be glad to know that the production part of the project is officially over as of Tuesday. On Tuesday we had to produce all three of our chocolates in 6 hours. Of course anything that could go wrong did. It took me a good hour to temper the chocolate for my molded bonbons and pour it into the mold. My marshmallow although the flavor came out great, I just mixed it a little more than I should have because I walked away from it for a few seconds. The caramels came out great, but I did dump 3/4 of my sesame seeds on the floor when I was taking them out of the oven. It was a bad day for everyone. They didn't have the ingredients that half the people needed which was the whole reason we had been practicing. It was very stressful. But all in all even though things got screwed up and we were all down to the wire my flavors were delicious and I was very happy about that. I am just glad that it is over.

Geneve

This past weekend was a three day weekend because of all Saints Day. Annette and I decided to take the train to Geneve, Switzerland for the weekend because we would have gone crazy here in town and it was Switzerland. It poured buckets of rain on the way there but once in Switzerland it maybe drizzled for 10 minutes total the whole weekend. We arrived on Saturday night at the hostel, switched some money (because they still use the Francs) and went searching for food. We found a pizzeria still open so we sat for a delicious pizza. It was a little over priced though, but that's just the way Geneve is. Since everything, and I mean everything, is closed on Sunday we decided to do most of if not all of out sightseeing then. We saw the Jet Eau, the flower clock, St. Peter's Cathedral (from where we overlooked all of Geneve), saw the reformation wall, played checkers on life size boards and discovered Geneve. We walked around from 9 am to about 8pm. We were exhausted. But it was a fun time and can now say that we have been to Geneve. We got back to the hostel and since were were bored and nothing was open we ended up playing the box game and then conked out. On Monday since we had no school and everything was open again, that is when we did all of our shopping. A lot of that shopping was swiss army knife hunting to find the best deal. I ended up buying my brother one with his name engraved on it. In the morning though we stopped at the United Nations because part of it is located in Geneve, that is why they speak so many languages there. It was gorgeous and the beautiful morning added to it. With some more shopping, and the hunt (literally) hunt for chocolate shops, which was surprising. Our day came to an end with a dinner of the most expensive Chinese food I will ever eat. But it was good.

25 Years and Still Going Strong

This post is a tribute to my parents. They have been married for 25 years as of October 19th. For a couple's 25th they usually do something special, like go on a vacation or have a fancy dinner. My parents spent it in separate countries, thousands of miles from each other.
They met at Friendly's. My mom was a waitress and my dad was management I believe. Mom thought dad was annoying in the beginning and wouldn't go away but grandma loved him. Mom eventually came around and they began dating. My dad is one of the reasons my mom became a christian. Mom was raised catholic but always questioned the faith and practices. Dad was raised protestant, so she attended church with him a couple times. She became a christian and it's a good thing too because dad wouldn't have married her otherwise and I wouldn't be sitting in France right now doing something I absolutely love. They were married in 85' and my sister was born the next year. They have been through TDY after TDY, move after move, 5 kids, 3 dogs, stitches, broken bones and illnesses; and they are still together.

They are amazing parents and I couldn't of asked for better. They raised us in a christian home and showed love and kindness to everyone. They supported us in everything we did and still do and will love us no matter what. They also support each other in whatever comes their way and is the shoulder to lean on for the other. This is for them...the best parents in the world. Love you both :)

Crazy French

This weekend is going to be another weekend of finding stuff to do in Yssingeaux. A friend and I were planning on going to Provence this weekend for her birthday but we can't leave town. The train system is on strike, the citizens are on strike and gas is being rationed because people are refusing to deliver. So we are stuck in Yssingeaux and are going to go crazy by the end of the weekend.

Chocolate Project

The project for our internship this year is to create a chocolate line and then produce 3 different chocolate from 11 families. I have decided that my line is going to be Sweet & Savory. Of the 11 families I have chosen Molded Bonbons, Marshmallows and Caramel. My Molded Bonbon is going to be a dark chocolate shell filled with a white chocolate passion fruit and ginger ganache. The Marshmallow is to be lemon and rosemary dipped in dark chocolate. And finally the Caramel is a sesame seed caramel, twisted and dipped in dark chocolate. I have to also research how long the shelf life of the product is, who I am to promote it towards and how I am to package it.

What do you guys think so far? Let me know.

Marseille, Boats and Fruit Vinegar

Last weekend one of the girls and I decided to go away for the weekend because we NEEDED to get out of here. We decided to go to Marseille in the south of France on the Atlantic. The first day was gorgeous weather but it rained the second day which was fine because we were leaving anyway. The hostel we stayed in was classic, modern and nice. We ended up staying 1 minute from the port after hours of searching for a hostel. We toured all day Saturday from 9:30am to 9 at night. We saw the Notre Dame, went to the Old Port (Panier District), saw some cathedrals, went to the highest point in the city and found tons of deliciousness. The Notre Dame is small but is gorgeous inside. Tons of color, gold, pictures and candles. It also has a beautiful view of the city. We found an outdoor market selling soaps (which Marseille is known for), pictures, vinegars, bags and other stuff. Unfortunately we did not buy anything because it was only the beginning of the day and we thought that we might find some other deals else where and if not then the market would be there in the morning. Well it rained the next day so most of the sellers weren't there and the only thing we found elsewhere was the vinegar. While walking in the Panier district we came to a cute little shop where the lady was canadian so she spoke perfect english and french. The vinegars in the store were so good that we had to buy one. I bought a black currant and my friend bought tomato. We went back the next day to buy the one each other had but she was closed. They were delicious though. We also bought these cookies that are famous to Marseille. They are about 12 inches and smell of citrus and flowers. They taste of lavender and citrus and last for a year. They are very interesting but good. You could probably only eat one at a time, which is why they are good for a year :) For lunch we ate at a pizzeria where the owner sat down next to us to eat his lunch and then helped us with directions and places to go. He told us that if we wanted the best view of the city and port that we had to go up the hill on the opposite side of the port and go into some port. So we did and he was right, so we decided to go back to the hostel and change into warmer clothes and go back to the park to see the city at night. It was beautiful. Dinner was pasta and the tomato vinegar...deliciousness in a bowl :) The next day we decided to trek up to the Palais du Longchamp in the rain. We didn't realize how far it was but it was totally worth it. It was beautiful. It was a great weekend and well needed. It was nice to be away from the people, and city here. Not that it's a bad place but every once in a while you need to get away.

School Excursion

This past Monday we went to L'Hermitage, France; located on the Rhone river. We all piled on a bus and drove 1hr 30min to the final destination. We were given an 1hr 30mins to walk around town and then meet up for lunch. The first stop on some of out lists were the M. Chapoutier wine shop. We walked in and it was amazing. There was wine everywhere, they had samples of the gravel that the grapes grow in, barrels and wine bottles. One look at the price list thought and out first comment was "No way," then we found the affordable wine. I ended up purchasing 2 bottles, a red and a rose, as gifts for the parents. We had time to walk around the town and visit bakeries and take a view at the Rhone River. Lunch was a 3 course meal, during which we experienced a huge rain storm that was blowing chairs all over the place. Once most of the rain had subsided we left for our excursion at the Valrhona Chocolate Factory. We were not allowed to take pictures inside the factory but the chocolate was delicious. We got to see the whole process of making the ingredients for chocolate. The chocolate bars and candy themselves were all made at the Valrhona school. At the end of the tour we were given a gift back with sample chocolates and recipes books. All in all it was a very fun and interesting day.

Food in France

So the food in France is not much different then food in the rest of Europe. He have had a lot of meat, vegetables and bread. An interesting fact is they do not put their bread on their plate, it is placed on the table to the corner of their plate. It is also rude to keep your hands in your lap during the meal. Our lunches everyday consist of an appetizer, the entree and a dessert. The other day we had Salmon Mousse with spinach. I decided that I would give it a try and ate half of it but it was difficult. I am not a very big fish eater and I can't eat it if it tastes like fish. This did. The appetizer though was delicious. It was either couscous or small pasta with tomatoes, peppers, cilantro, onions and lime juice. I was glad I had a big helping of that so I was full when the entree of fish mousse came.I am learning to open up my mind and try new things. We will see how the rest of the 2 months pan out.

"New Englnd is the New American Missional Frontier"

I read an article today by Jared Wilson, a pastor of a church in Vermont. In the article he talks about how he is a man from Texas who lived in Tennessee for more than a decade but God was pulling his heart toward the unreached New England area. He states that New England is the New American Missional Frontier and gives three reasons why.

1. It is the least churched region
2. The few churches that do exist do not preach the gospel
3. It is spiritually fertile

Whether to stay in Providence or not after I graduate is something that has me on my mind for a while. I have decided to stay in Providence for a while helping the campus ministry at Johnson & Wales. I do believe that even though college students are where some of the focus should be because they are the next generation. Not all of the focus should be on them. What about the people who ride RIPTA, those who you pass on the street, at the mall or sit by at work? What about your neighbors? We all need to share a little everyday with the people we meet. You never know how much of an impact you could have on someone's life.

Update

It's been a while from the last time I posted something and a bit has happened since then. In September we went to Ireland for a week for my cousin's wedding. As a traditional Irish Wedding it was over the course of 3 days. The wedding was Friday, there was a party at the bar on Saturday and Sunday was a family lunch. Then they left for their honeymoon. It was tons of fun and we got to travel for a few days. Although at the wedding cousins were coming out of the woodwork that I didn't even know I had and they were either named Ann, AnnMarie or Marie (I am never naming my child any of those names). What was interesting about the ceremony was that she grew up catholic and he grew up protestant so they had a priest and a reverend perform the ceremony. It was quite interesting. For traveling we went to Galway, Cashel, Cobh, Kilarney, Blarney and the Cliffs of Moher. All within 3 days. It was a lot of fun. I even kissed the "Blarney Stone."
We got back from Ireland and the Bazaar was at the base the next weekend. I worked that all weekend with my mom and then left on Wednesday for Yssingeaux. My mom and I decided that to leave a day earlier than I had to be there so that we could stop along the way. We made a pit stop in Nancy and Dijon. Nancy has what is considered the most beautiful town square in Europe and you can't go to Dijon without buying some mustard.
I made it to Yssingeaux yesterday and today was our first full day here. It's been slow, cold and wet all day but that's ok because we have the whole weekend free and plenty of time to get used to the town. I will keep you updated on the school and all my travels while I'm here but from my first impression it looks like it is going to be a great program and we are going to learn a lot. Bye for now.

This Little Light

So one day my sister and I decided that we would buy some CDs. Well we ended up spending $45 on 4 CDs....crazy? I know. Not sure why CDs are so expensive these day since everyone buys them online now.I ended up buying Addison Road and I forget the other one, but they were both christian, very rare to find at the BX here. They always have gospel and hymns but hardly contemporary christian artists and if they do they are under pop or something else. Anyway there is one particular song on the Addison Road CD Stories called "This Little Light" . Listening to it again recently after everything that has happened this summer brought me, I guess you could call it, comfort. It talks about how we all have a light in us burning for christ and how we should nor lose it during the happy times and the sad. We need to remember through it all that we are child of God. A God that loves us very very much that he sent his Son to die for us so that we may live with him in eternity. A God who has shown us mercy, peace, grace, joy, sorrow and pain, but has NEVER EVER left us. We also need to cherish the time we have with those around us because a life could end just like that, but also to never forget those who have gone from our lives because they are in a better place and they served their purpose here.

"This Little Light"
There's a little flame inside us all
Some shine bright, some shine small
The rains will come and the waters rise
But don't you ever lose your light
In this life you will know
Love and pain, joy and sorrow
So when it hurts, when times get hard
Don't forget whose child you are

Chorus:
This little light of mine
I'm gonna let it shine
This little light of mine
I'm gonna let it shine, gonna let it shine

May you live each day with no regret
Make the most of every chance you get
Let your eyes get wide when you look at the stars
With the same sense of wonder as a child's heart
With the ones you love treasure the time
And for those who are gone keep their memories alive
Hold on to your dreams don't ever let go
There's a fire inside you burning with hope

Chorus:
This little light of mine
I'm gonna let it shine
This little light of mine
I'm gonna let it shine, gonna let it shine

There will be days when you want to give up
When the clouds settle in
But after the rain comes the sun
Don't you ever forget
One day there will be no more pain
And we will finally see Jesus' face
So until then I'm gonna try
To brave the dark and let my little light shine

Chorus:
This little light of mine
I'm gonna let it shine
This little light of mine
I'm gonna let it shine, gonna let it shine

There's a little light inside us all

Family Wedding

Last weekend my Mum, Heather, Rachel and I drove 6 hours (should of been 5 but there was tons of construction) to just outside Dresden for my cousin Adam's wedding. The party was over a three day period because as the invitation said they like to celebrate. My cousin and his wife have been married for a year but they never had a church ceremony. We were staying at a hotel/hostel run by Monks and some mission. What the mission does is help people in East Germany who have dropped out of school or been in jail and they teach them different skills and morals and things in life. The buildings on the property were all restored and were actually built with the help of the people who have been through the mission. My cousin, his wife and her family have had strong ties to the mission and what they do for a while. The rooming situation though I have to say was a little awkward. Everyone else had rooms with the people they came with and my mom ended up with her own room because the room we were going to have was going to be used for something else. So Rachel, Heather and I ended up sharing a very large room with Marci's (Adam's wife) brother and his girlfriend and a friend of Adam's. The guys however were up in the loft so we did not sleep on the same floor but it was still slightly awkward because we didn't know them.

We arrived in time for the BBQ and the rest of the festivities. That night   we had a BBQ with friends and family from both sides of the couple and then celebrated the Baptism of Adam that evening. As the evening led on some of us sat around the table for a little chat and get to know each other time. Breakfast was a traditional German breakfast followed by free time till the wedding at 3pm. So we decided to go into Dresden for a few hours. We only walked around a small area of the city but it was fun to
 see all the old buildings and the beautiful detail on everything. It used to be where the Royal family of that region lived. before leaving we stopped for lunch and had the most delicious flammkuchen (a very flat pizza with no marinara sauce); my sisters ended up getting bratwurst. the funny thing is is that we don't think the cook charged us for the bratwurst and my sisters are convinced it's because the cook thought I was cute but I'm not totally sure. Anyway it was a neat little cafe where they cooked the pizzas and food outside and served it to you sitting down at a table or standing up. We made it back to the hotel in time to change for the wedding, which was in a very small rustic church, completely their style. After the wedding on the way to the reception, Germans do a vehicle line where they drive along behind the happy couple honking their horns till they arrive at their destination. We returned to the hotel for tea and cake, had a break and then had the remainder of the reception and dinner.

A neat little thing they did was a picture guest book where you would have your polaroid taken and then stick it in a book with a little message for the couple. They also did this thing where everyone went outside to the lake where they had a little dingy set up and the couple got in and rowed out to the middle kind of as a crossing of the water because he's from England and she is from Germany. They then set up fireworks from behind a set of bushes. I must say it was very romantic. I enjoyed many things about this celebration and one of them was that almost everyone who attended was a Christian, which was very enjoyable because many of our conversations were about Christ and the church. They were also all very welcoming and friendly. It was amazing to see such a loving couple who are completely dedicated to Christ and furthering his work, join in a holy union set up by God. It is very encouraging and gives one hope for the future and the people of the world.

Not another one!

This summer has turned out to be a very morbid one filled with accidents and death. We were away this past weekend at my cousin's wedding and so we did not receive the phone call until last night. Apparently my Great Uncle Joe passed away on Friday from natural causes. I had not seen him in many years but from what I remember when I was younger, is that he was a really fun and nice uncle. Why all this stuff is happening in one summer I am not sure but I am glad it is this summer because I am not sure if I will be home next summer to help my mom. I suppose though that you have to be joyful about their life and pray that they lived it to the fullest.

Things happen in Threes....Well not with my family

Lets recap the mast few months. My Dad was deployed to Iraq, Rachel broke her ankle, Hovis (the dog) died, and Nathan decided to get 70 stitches in his head. The set of three did happen after my dad left but then of course my family had to break that saying like they always do. Our other dog Hunter started having problems walking on Sunday and he was whining about his left ear. We thought it was an ear infection and that is what was causing him to be off balance. We took him to the vet and he wasn't sure what it was, so he gave us antibacterial medicine for him. We were to return to the vet in 2 days. Well he only got worse in those next 2 days. When we went back to the vet he suggested that we get a CT Scan done to find out if it was tumors or something else. It turned out we had to drive him to an Animal Hospital 45 minutes away, where they took blood tests, spinal fluid and a CT Scan. He stayed there for the week and then my mom got a phone call today from the vet since the tests had to be sent off to be looked at. Apparently all the tests came back negative for bacteria, cancer and everything else they tested for and that it was tumors in his head. We drove over there around 7pm today to say goodbye before they put him down. He was much worse than when we saw him on Sunday. At least he's not in pain anymore and he's probably running around with Hovis in the farm in the sky. Do you think that God cries when one of his creations leaves this earth?

Travel Junkie

I did it. I started a travel blog. http://kgdeweij-traveljunkie.blogspot.com/  I only have 2 posts so far but it is still in the process of being edited. Let me know what you think.

New Blog Idea

So I have been thinking about doing this for a while but I am not sure if people are going to read it. I have been thinking about adding another blog to my current one. My idea is to start a travel blog and have a post about where I have been with information about the town and city. What do you think?

The Joys of Space-A Travel

One of my best friends got married a week ago in Pennsylvania and I was planning on attending. So I decided to take Space-A, which means it's free and I might not always get out. Well I got out the day I walked into the airport and was in the States last Monday night. I was able to see family, friends from HS in NJ and attend my friends wedding (which was beautiful). I was planning on flying out Space-A on Monday after 4th of July. The flight ended up being canceled an hour before I got there so I stayed with my friend from HS for the night because there was a flight the next day. Nope, that flight got pushed back to Wednesday. Wednesday came and the flights got pushed back to Thursday and then canceled completely. There were three flights on Friday though so I planned on those. I was able to get a seat on the second flight out, but then they told us that they would be stopping in Dover, Delaware because of maintenance problems but the plane was flyable. We arrived at Dover and were told we would be there for 30 minutes. Then we deboarded the plane and were told to collect out luggage because we were staying the night and that our roll call time would be at 13:45 today. Of course the hotel on base is booked through to Sunday and I have no idea where the hotels off base are. So we all pretty much bunkered down in the terminal and USO for the night. I think I have had a collective total of 4 hours of sleep so far. Now I'm hungry and the roll call is not supposed to happen until 19:45 tonight. UGGHHH!!! Kill me now. But I must say I have met some very nice people and if people see you walking on base with luggage they are more than likely to give you a ride. So I have to say I have been privileged to help and company.

An Accident Prone Family

With 5 kids, 2 dogs and a horse there were bound to be some sort of accidents. Well the horse is now gone and so is one of the dogs. They went to the farm in the sky. My older sister broke her leg when she was about 6 and then a little while later. She ended up with a cyst in her knee. My brother got stitches in his lip when he was 18 months and again about 18 months later. He then got stitches in his forehead when he was 7 or 8. I broke my pinky toe when I was about 13 (now 22) and we've had a couple sprained ankles and shin splints in between then and now. My dad recently got deployed and then my sister decided to brake her ankle playing Softball in May. She gets her cast off today though. Then the dog dies about 2 weeks ago. A week later my brother decides to try and scalp himself and ends up with 70 stitches in his head. He didn't really do it on purpose. He was walking under those wooden bridges at playgrounds and thought he had cleared it when he came up and hit his head. He had to of been coming up with such force to cause what he did. We are hoping that he is done because he has worked his way from his lip to his head. My sister's not so sure. There may be a few more broken bones and twisted ankles in the days to come.

How accident prone is your family?

Death of a loved one :(

Loosing a loved one is never a fun thing including when it is one of your pets. As many of you know I have two English Golden Retrievers. We have had them ever since they were puppies. One of them is 16 (Hovis) and the other is 13. The 16 year old has had many surgeries, broken legs and infections but has managed to last for 16 years. She almost died 4 years ago when we were in Stuttgart. The vet told us that if we had waited a few more days to bring her in she would have died of an infection in her uterus. She has slowly been getting worse and worse ever since 2004. She had arthritis in her back legs, especially on the left side and battled infections. On my trip back home my mum told us that she was not doing well and that they discovered a cyst in her throat so she was eating canned food.

I was the only one home on Wednesday and since my friend was coming the next day I was meant to clean the bathrooms. I cleaned one and then went outside to get rid of the stinging nettles because I didn't want her little girl falling in them when she came. As I was going outside Hovis went outside as well and she was breathing a little funny and heavy so I kept an eye on her. I gave her some water which she drank but then she dumped it over as she moved to a different spot. After  couple of hours she still sounded bad but she wouldn't drink any water, so I sat with her trying to pour water on her tongue. I called my mum around 4:30 to let her know and to reminder about going to the commissary. She asked me to come to the base to pick up the groceries and my siblings since she had to work that evening. I must have left around 5pm and got home around 6:30pm. I told my brother he had to pick up the dog poop outside. The next thing I know he's calling me into the back room to tell me that Hovis is dead. I check and she was. She already had flies on her. I was balling...couldn't get a hold of my mum so I had to call me sister to run to her work and tell her. My dad called later (who is in Iraq) and asked how things were, I told him about Hovis and he started crying (she was practically his dog). When my mum got home that night we started digging the hole in the back yard and since it started thundering and lightning we had to stop and finish it the next day. My brother kept his head on during the whole thing and didn't cry, which is a good thing because it was only me, my sister with the broken leg and my brother home at the time. The worst thing though is that she was alive when I left at 5 and dead when I got home. I felt terrible. I know there wasn't anything I could have done, but if I had just sat there with her longer instead of worrying about the weeds.
Hunter (13 years old) is having a hard time adjusting. He has always known Hovis being there. This morning our neighbor found him across the street looking into the butchers glass window, wagging his tail, staring at his reflection. My mum thinks that maybe he thought his reflection was Hovis. He locked the back gate this time and when I went out later I found him trying to get out again to go and look for her. He hasn't quite grasped the fact that she's not coming back. Not only is it going to be hard on him but it's also going to be hard on all of us. Hovis picked us. as her family, we didn't pick her. When we went to pick out a puppy, we all got out the car and all the puppies came running up. They then turned right back around and ran back. Hovis was the one sitting by my dad's feet looking up at him. It's funny how even though pets can't talk back to you and they have to soul, they can become part of the family.

Graduation...Jersey...Home

So Graduation was last Saturday and I can tell you that I was not paying attention during the ceremony at all. Well first of all my sister, mom and grandma came up on Thursday and then on Friday we went to Boston. While there we had to have one of Mike's Pastries cannolies. Then graduation was on Saturday at 8 am. Not sure why it was that early but it was. My uncle decided to drive up that morning from Jersey and arrived at 6am...again..CRAZY!!! He had to leave at 3:30am to be on time. I had found Leeta that morning at the Dunkin Donuts Center, that way I

knew someone that I would be sitting next to. During the speeches and stuff though no one was paying attention at all. On our left there was a group of people with blue hair and yellow t-shirts that said Team Kevin and during the ceremony one of them left and came back with nachos and cheese as if it was a basketball game. After graduation pictures were taken as usual and then we had lunch at Joe's American Bar & Grill. We then did a quick packing up of my things and drove down to Jersey for my Graduation BBQ at my aunt & uncle's house. It was great to see everyone, even though it wasn't for very long. We repacked everything on Sunday and drove down to South Jersey on Monday to take a hop back to Germany. For roll call for the flight was at 5:30pm and we got there and signed up at 1:30pm. This man who was a civilian and who looked like Morgan Freeman put our information in the computer and signed us up for the flight. We waited around in the terminal for 5 hours before getting on the flight although we almost didn't get on. We are so used to other places where they call you up to the counter by name to sign in. Well apparently they don't do that at McGuire AFB. So around 6 when they kept calling for people to check in for the flight we didn't think anything of it because we had already done it and then they announced that the flight was closed and that people should start moving to the gate. At this time we were confused because they hadn't called us and we still had all our luggage. My mom went up to the counter and they said the flight was closed and we explained that we had to get home and that we thought they would call up by name. They didn't want to argue so they took our bags (all 7 of them) without question and put us on the plane (there were 3 of us and 4 seats left). Once we got through security and we were waiting to get on the bus to go to to the plane the guys who had checked us in came out to give us our boarding tickets and said it took some time because we weren't in the system...which was weird because we signed in 5 hours earlier. They asked who it was and we said he looked like Morgan Freeman and they knew who we were talking about. Apparently he didn't put our information in right or something and he should have also taken our luggage when we checked in, which he did not do. So we were lucky to get on the plane. We made it to Germany by the following morning at 10am, went home and crashed (vegged out) the whole day.

Ughhh....Packing

So for the past day and a half I have been packing and separating my stuff according to what I need to take with me for 6 months and what can get put into storage. I love to pack put I hate packing. I hated the fact that I had to pack for 6 months (May thru December), which means I needed to pack summer, fall and winter clothes. That was the worst part because I felt like I was packing too much, but I felt that if I didn't pack too much I wouldn't have stuff that I needed.

So this morning the packers arrived to pick up my stuff for storage and I will tel you this, packers are not environmentally friendly. They stuff about 10 sheets of paper into a box and then start to pack it, and then stick more paper on top. They also wrap stuff more times than they need to be and wrap stuff that don't need to be wrapped and could fit in another box. It's surprising how I have moved so many times and never really noticed it before. Maybe it's because at school everything is about going green and saving the environment, but they are all about that in Europe too, it's just not taught in schools.

My room is mostly empty and I still fee like I kept too much stuff. Do you ever feel that way? Like you just have too much stuff that you didn't een know you had or use once a year?

Pondering the Future

I was at a very enjoyable BBQ at a friends house today and as all the girls went inside later on the conversation quickly turned to marriage and weddings (seeing as three of them were already married and another was soon to be). As they talked about their relationships, engagements, weddings, and things that happened at them and such it made me wonder...Where am I going to be a year after I graduate? (they all got married right after college). Am I going to be in RI? Am I going to be in a relationship? Am I going to be in a kitchen or a bakery? It makes one wonder. I feel that when one is married it is easy to know where one is going to be because you are going to be wherever the other person is, but when you are alone it's kind of confusing and not real clear (although not everything is clear and laid out because it is all in God's plan). But in situations like today it does make one wonder. It also made me feel lonely and inadequate. Because I have never been in a relationship before and thus there obviously no wedding in my future anytime soon. It also hits home when people make comments like "Why don't you have a boyfriend yet" or "Oh, I was excited for you" (when there is a miss communication about who someone is). It does make someone feel like "Well why aren't I in a relationship?" or "Is there something wrong with me?" I do know that I can not control these things though because God is in control of it all and He is all I truly need, but it is difficult in situations like this.

Chocolate Mousse

One of my classes this trimester is 4061. What it is, is the running of a restaurant. We are in groups of 3 people and we have a budget of $125 to fee 16 people a minimum 4 course meal. We then have assigned days and each group executes their own menu. We pick our employees from the rest of the class and create our own menu. My group went 2 weeks ago and it turned out great. This week I am a BOH employee and am making the dessert. The dessert the group chose was chocolate mousse and since I had not made mousse since over a year ago, I decided to test it out this weekend. It turned out really well...no chocolate chip mousse, thank goodness. I am now prepared to make the best mousse that I can this Wednesday.

Bored...bored...bored

You know what really gets me. Facebook and the internet was fun way back when, but recently I have become very bored with it. I always find myself going to the same sites over and over again and they are not very educational, ie; Facebook, e-mail, shopping, amazon, jwu, etc. I get very bored with it and it frustrates me when I catch myself doing it. I need to start reading more and finding other things to do. This does not mean that I am going to stop being on my computer because I need it for homework, but I just need to stop being lazy and find other stuff than going on Facebook all the time. So if you find me doing this, please stop me and tell me to find something else to do. 

Marriage From the Beginning

Voddie Baucham

Marriage from a biblical perspective, marriage by design, what marriage was intended to be.

"Marriage was designed on purpose for a purpose, and when we use it for things it was not designed for we will find ourselves in trouble. Gen 2:18 - "The Lord God said that it is not good for man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him." Marriage was God's idea. Marriage is a good and honerable state. It is a gift, holy and wonderful thing. It is an incredible relationship, ministry and opportunity but we do not believe that. Proverbs18:22 - Proverbs 31:10-

2 basic biblical purposes for Marriage:

1. Procreation - the idea that we would represent God on the earth. The idea that he gives us marriage to have children, to raise them up as and represent the image of God among the earth. "Be fruitful and multiply" - the first command that God gave to man.

2. Illustration - Ephesians 5. designed Marriage to be a living breathing illustration of the relationship between Christ and the church.

3. God Designed man to desire marriage - do not shy away from the desire that God has given you for marriage."

Projects...UGHH!!!

I really hate it when every single class that you are in has projects. The biggest project due first is for my 4061 class, which is where we basically run a restaurant. We are in groups and we have to design our menu within a $125 budget, with 5 courses and serve 16 people. We have to do everything from picking who we want for our employees from the rest of the class to running and managing the restaurant on the day of service. My group was smart and picked to be the second group to go...which turns out is next Wednesday. Our whole project is due this Wednesday and we have been working diligently on it all day today and now I am just worked out. For some reason I have no umph to finish the thing today but I know it has to be done....and Alon and I have another project that is due tomorrow that we need to finish. UGGHHH!!! I can't wait till I'm out of school.

Light After Dark

http://www.lightafterdark.org/

This is a great website. They have the videos for Crazy Love by Francis Chan if you don't have time to read the book. They also have the audio for Marriage by Design by Voddie Baucham, which are also very good and something that everyone, especially those who are single need to listen to.

Russia 2010

I am finally back from our Spring Break Mission Trip to Russia; Zavolzh'ye to be exact. The trip flew by very fast, except for the flights. They were both 10 hours, there and back. We landed in Moscow at 11am on Saturday morning with maybe all of us having 45 minutes of sleep the whole flight. Needless to say it was a long day touring Moscow until 10:30pm when we had to go to the train station. We got to Nizhny Novgorod at 6:30am Sunday morning and then had an hour drive to Zavolzh'ye. That morning we had about 1hr 30min to get ready for church and then were out the door again. It was such a blessing for Alissa and I to be at the church again and see how far they had come since last year.

The year before we entered in the front on the ground floor with planks of wood and drywall everywhere. This year we entered through the back and there the construction supplies used to be there is now a room they use for childrens church and for the english club. There is also a kitchen off of the room that they never had before. When you go up to the sanctuary there is a brand new floor similar to the one used in the room downstairs. Last year it was just planks of wood that if you dropped a pen it would fall all the way to the ground floor. 


On Monday through Thursday mornings we went into the school and spoke with the english classes. We gave a presentation about life in Providence and at Johnson & Wales. We then broke up into groups and we able to speak with them one on one (with translators of course). They loved to perform for us as well and would dance, play the guitar or sing. Some of the students actually came to every session on all 4 days, and they were the ones who were so eager to learn from us and had the dream of going to the language school to become a translator. It was a blessing to see the smiles that we brought to the students' faces just by being there and being interested in their lives. Many of them were confused as to why we chose Zavolzh'ye and why we were interested in them considering we are Americans. Many of them also had such gloomy faces and this look of sadness in their eyes because they do not see much hope in the future or ever in Zavolzh'ye. Many of them want to leave Russia or go work in Moscow but the teachers tell them that they are not going to make it very far, and all they are going to know is what they learn at the technical school. It is really very sad. 


I found that the church this year was much more open to inviting the students to the church for a special youth group on Tuesday and Thursday of that week. When the youth leader got up at the school to invite the students to the one on Tuesday there happened to be a teacher in the audience that was atheist. She told the principal that we were actually connected to the Baptist church and were not Orthodox. (We had never told them that we were either. They just assumed we were orthodox). Well when they found out they cut our 2nd sessions at the school on Wednesday and Thursday. (we were meant to have 2 sessions on those days but instead we had one on each day). That was ok because even though we did not announce it publicly, we did invite the students in our groups personally. And the students came. The reason for the removal of the sessions though is because Baptists in Russia are viewed as a cult. 

While there we were able to help Mike sort out the stuff for the English Club. Someone had given Alissa a Netbook before we left because they thought she needed a new computer. Since she didn't she gave it to Mike to use for the club. Mike and Jake were able to set it up so that the projector and everything was run off of the top of a cart that someone had made for them. We also organized the books so that they fit on the bottom of the cart. This way the whole cart is run off of one wooden cart and it saves Mike and Alissa from lugging books and cords and computers back and forth to the church. 

The Tuesday and Thursday youth groups were a great turn out. Each night I think we had about 7 students from the school that came. We found though that the church is very guarded when it comes to sharing the gospel because they were underground for so long and because they are viewed at as a cult. So they had asked us to plan the program for Thursday. So we decided to play a game, sang some worship songs and then Erica shared her testimony and Kevin was able to share the gospel because how else were the students from the school going to hear it. Hopefully we were able to encourage the church by doing this, by showing them that they should take advantage of every opportunity that they are given to share the gospel. 

We toured Gorodetts on Friday and that evening Kevin, Jake, Erica and myself left Alissa and boarded our train to Moscow. We went to the open air market and toured Moscow on Saturday before turning for a goodnight sleep before our return flight on Sunday. I think I slept a total of 30 minutes on the flight back. 


I am looking forward to next year and seeing the progress that the church will make in the coming year and how we are able to serve them. Please keep them in your prayers when you remember. They need the courage to share the gospel and be ready to take risks.

Russia Prep

I have to say that tomorrow we leave for Russia and I am in no way ready. I have been putting off packing all day; i just haven't been feeling like sitting down and doing it. Not sure if it just comes with age but these days I haven't been able to stay absolutely focused. Anyways, today was the day of making sure that we had everything and when all the running around started. Laundry had to get done, made a run to walmart, said good bye to friends and now it's packing time. I pretty much have everything it's just the whole organizing and putting it in the bag now. I am hoping I can get it done by midnight and get a good 8 hours of sleep....but we'll see. I won't be writing for the next 10 days, but I will have a ton to write about when I get back. Pray for us as we travel.

Poppy Seed Bread

Hannah stayed over this weekend for some much needed time away from the dorms and roommates. It was a pleasure having her over. Well last night we decided to make Poppy Seed Bread. Love the stuff. Although ours didn't turn out like they normally do. They got slightly over-baked on the sides...something our oven has a tendency to do. Anyway, the quick bread turned out ok, but it wasn't as moist as I had liked or as it had previously been.

Poppy Seed Bread
3c. Flour
1 1/2 tsp. Salt
1 1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
3 Eggs
1 1/2 c. Milk
1 1/8 c. Oil
2 1/4 c. Sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp. Poppy seed
1 1/2 tsp. Vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp. Almond extract
1 1/2 tsp. Butter extract

Mix all the ingredients together in the order that they are listed.
Grease and pour the batter into a loaf pan, bundt pan, muffin tin or some other baking pan.
Bake in the oven at 350 F for 40 min  or until a knife comes out clean.

Glaze (optional)
3/4c. 6x sugar
1/2 tsp. Vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. Almond extract
1/2 tsp. Butter extract
water or orange juice

Combine together the 6x sugar and extracts in a bowl. Add enough water or orange juice to make a slurry. Drizzle the glaze on top of the poppy seed bread once it is removed from the oven and has cooled slightly.

Getting ready for Valentine's Day

So yesterday Alissa got the sudden urge to make Valentines Day cards after seeing her friends' online. So we decided to drive up to Michaels later that night and buy decorative paper. Hannah was with us and we were all so starving on the ride back that we decide to go to The Cactus Grille for dinner. It was delicious and so much food. We then went back to the apartment and started making cards. They started off looking like the picture above and ended up looking like the one to the right. We ended up making about 25 cards and ended up going to bed around 2am. I have to say though, that the reactions from the people that they were given to made it well worth staying up that late. Love all the memories we made Alissa :)

Creepy

Saturday night Alissa decided to watch one of those documentaries about a real life haunting online and at first I decided not to but those things always seem interesting so I joined her. It was about a haunting in Connecticut. A family had to move from New York City because their son had cancer and was getting treated in Connecticut. The only place they could find to rent was an old mortuary. Well it wouldn't of been as creepy a place to live in if the gurney, wash basin, needles and stuff used had not still been in the house. Well as the show went on Alissa and I were just so confused as to why the parents wouldn't believe the kids and everything they were seeing. The kids just got tired of the parents not listening and so the older boy (the son who was sick) one day decided to confront the demon and it began to slowly take over him. Well the son was eventually removed from the house because he was becoming violent and the demon started to attack the others in the house. Then the parents realized that their kids were telling the truth all along. They brought in demon hunters and stuff like that and eventually got the catholic church to perform and exorcism. And of course after you watch things like this something creepy or weird happens the next day. Well I woke up for church the next morning around 7am and thought I heard music coming from Alon's room while I was in the kitchen. This wouldn't of been as creepy if we had not watched the documentary the night before and if Alon had actually been here for the weekend. It turns out it was coming from Alon's room but I was too freaked out to go in. I let it go for an hour and then finally knocked on the door once Alissa was awake. Her iPod was on. Apparently it was set on a timer, for her alarm. But the thing is is that I did not hear it Saturday morning and neither did Alissa.....Creepy.

Vanity Fair

I watched Vanity Fair today; a movie I have wanted to see for a while. It is not what I thought it would be. The main character is called Becky Sharp; she grew up a starving artists daughter and ended up working as a maid in a girls boarding school when she was very young. She tends to wither her way to the top of wherever she is, but the women do not like her. She becomes the assistant of a very wealthy women who likes her but when she finds out Becky married her nephew she hates her. It's funny how someone is a delightful person but when they marry into the family they tend not to be good enough. Her and her husband are disowned by the family but they don't care because they know their luck will turn around and they are absolutely in love with each other. She doesn't seem to care about any other man because she has the love of her life. But the way she uses the people around her to provide for her family causes her to lose that love. I found myself rooting for Becky and her husband to stay together, hoping that she would turn from her ways a realize what she was doing, but sadly it did not happen. She meant good, and in her eyes that is what she thought she was doing, but it was driving a wedge between her and her husband. Not only did she lose the love of her life but she lost her son as well. He was sent to a boarding school and she never saw him again. The end is not what I expected though. I actually did not like the end. She ends up marrying a man whom she would have married in the beginning of the movie but he never proposed. It made her seem cold and insensitive. There is actually an alternate ending that I liked better. It made her seem like she had feelings and cared about the people in her life that she lost. All in all it was a good movie and very enjoyable. It was excellent acting and a good story line.

SEX180

I have finally finished this book that a friend of mine gave me called "Sex180: The Next Revolution" written by Chip Ingram and Tim Walker. She told me that she felt like I needed to read it, which made me wonder what she noticed. After reading it I am still not sure why she felt like I needed to read it but I did like it.

It is not one of those classic books about purity and staying pure till marriage. It is about staying pure but it also talks about why we should stay pure and God's reason for it. It talks about how to live it as one, as one + one and as one + the world. In other words as an individual, in a relationship and in the world. We need to be a person who has inward character, outward modesty and upward devotion. It talks about the reason God wants us to stay pure till marriage and that is because sex is sacred and serious. It is not something to be given away lightly. It was given to us as a gift from God and he desires to give it to us with the right person at the right time in the right place. Every time someone has sex with someone else ie; bf/gf, one night stand, etc. they give away a piece of themselves that they can never get back. A scar is created that can never be erased completely. It is ok to say that we are staying pure till marriage but it is much more than that. We need to live it out in our relationship with God and others, as well as in what we say, how we act and the way we dress.We need to see fellow christians as our brothers and sisters first and then move into a relationship if that is the right direction. In that relationship though the growth of the other person's spiritual life should be the most important.

I could be doing a bad job of explaining all this, but it is a great book for young men and women who are coming of the age when they are going to be confronted with sex. It is a good book even for christians who are further in their walk or just starting no matter the age.

Christian de la Huerta

So this guy came to speak at Johnson & Wales on Wednesday evening about religious tolerance and religion. The title of the event was called Beyond Belief and it was true in some sense because Alissa, Jake and I were Beyond Belief that the school had him as a guest speaker. There were about 20 - 25 students that showed up, which did not surprise me, but I think they were expecting more. Christian de la Huerta is a Gay ex catholic, who writes books on bridging homosexuality and spirituality as well as women empowerment.

He started off by talking about Religious Tolerance and what it was and what it wasn't. I agreed with him on that topic. Then he started talking about different religions and started bringing in all these facts, that I am not sure where he got them from. He said things about how Christianity and Catholicism oppresses women and how if we empower women to their fullest we can solve all the world problems. Islam on the other hand is very liberating toward women. He also said how all religions work towards the same end destination and we can get there on our own as well (the end destination being enlightenment). Basically he picks and chooses what he wants to keep from each religion and so he is his own religion. He says that we all have this whole inside of us and we try to fill it with ice cream, music, friends and food etc. But we can't. We can fill it ourselves, we just have to look deep down inside us to our inner-self. He also answered someone's question by saying that the bible has been used for good and bad (meaning the crusades and spanish inquisition) and that it had been changed and twisted so many times. Also, apparently reincarnation used to be in the bible until they took it our a couple centuries ago. This is only a little of what he talked about. There was a bunch of other ridiculous stuff that was said as well.

Alissa and I were just so shocked that the school would bring someone like this to speak. Another thing is there were students in the audience who were there because they were searching for something and I feel like him speaking just added a whole bunch of confusion to their already confused mind. Please pray for those students and Johnson & Wales. If this is a reflection of what the school thinks the students are looking for then it is cause to be very nervous. 

Spirits

Yuck!!! That's what I have to say to that. This week in Beverage Appreciation class we tasted spirits. Vodka, Gin, Tequila, Whisky and Rhum. I do not understand how people can honestly sit a sip on these without mixing them. They are revolting. The Vodka had no taste, it was just a cool burning sensation that you felt in your nose. The tequila tasted chemically, like a margarita mix. The gin tasted like I was drinking a pine tree because of the juniper berries that it is made with and the Rhum tasted like leather with a sweet taste at the end. The Whisky burned, it was slightly sweet and mellow but it did have a hot burning finish to it.

If anyone does drink these straight up on ice or however, could you explain to me why you do so? And why you like them.

Dogfish Head Brewery

Today in Beverage Appreciation class we had a guest speaker from Dogfish Head Brewery. They are a craft beer company and are based out of Delaware. Craft Beers are only 5% of the beer market, but they are gaining more customers with every year and beer that is tasted. Bud, Coors and Miller feel threatened by these craft beer breweries and feel that they need to offer more flavored beers to their markets, except that all their flavored beers mostly contain adjuncts (added flavors, syrups and stuff) and not actual fruits, herbs, wood, etc infused into the beers.

We tasted 4 different beers today and I have to say that it has my taste buds yearning to taste more craft beers. My favorite of all 4 beers that we tasted was the Midas Touch. It was like wine, but in beer form. It was sweet, but slightly dry. It was made with thyme, grapes, and honey I think. It is an ancient Turkish recipe from the 2700 year old drinking vessels discovered in the tomb of King Midas.

They have a variety of different beers and they try to incorporate flavors that one would not think would be in beer; such as, vanilla, maple, raisins, beet sugar, caramel, chocolate...you get the idea. They have seasonal beers and limited release beers. Another cool thing is that they take ancient recipes from hundreds of years ago and create a beer out of them. They have one from China, Finland, Aztecs and King Midas' tomb. Another interesting beer that I would like to try is called Pangaea which contains an ingredient from all 7 continents. That would be a flavorful drink to taste. I have to say though that once you taste craft beers you may never go back to Bud or those other beers.

http://www.dogfish.com/

Contemporary Issues in the Food Service Industry

You know I have to laugh at my class on Contemporary Issues in the Food Service Industry. All we do in class is give presentations on different issues and write article reviews. The first two presentations have gone already and they were about Going Green and Organics. I have to laugh though at some of the things that these students say. In the Going Green group they talked about Composting and the girl said that it sounds confusing when you hear it, but when you know what it is it's not. Now I was sitting there wondering how the word Compost sounds confusing. Anybody know? The other thing that I have to laugh at, and I don't mean to offend anyone, but it's funny how all these students and people think that recycling is this new thing and how it's amazing and the same with composting. Europeans have been doing it for years. Ever since I remember I grew up composting and recycling. It's so funny how a country that is meant to be up in the world is just starting these new concepts.

Today was the kicker though out of all this stuff. Today was about Organics. I had found this article the other day about how organics really aren't that much healthier for you and the only way to eat healthier is to add more fruits and veggies to your diet and less animal products. The group today kind of said the same thing, and the fact that there aren't any pesticides on the products to make you get sick. But that's not the kicker. The kicker is what my teacher said in reference to a girl's comment. The girl mentioned how they have linked growth hormones given to chickens and cows to the sudden growth and earlier puberty of children. Then my teacher said that it's true and they have discovered that the hormones given to cows to produce more milk has caused people to grow taller or just grow more in general. Now this was about 10 years ago when they started all this stuff with hormones and I drink milk everyday; not organic and it's not straight from a cow, so why am I still 5'2"? Shouldn't I be a couple inches taller? I just had to sit there and laugh to myself because I am pretty sure that it is mostly genetics that affects how tall you are, as well as how you carry yourself.

It's funny how we can get caught up in the topic and so want to say something that we don't even realize if what we are saying is true or not.

WICKED THE MUSICAL

Saturday Evening, I joined Micah and some of my fellow students for a wonderful night of the musical Wicked. I had never read the book or seen the play, but I LOVE the Wizard of Oz. I have to say it was a very good play and the story great. It was funny to see how they tried to connect the two stories and prove that the Wicked Witch of the West was actually not Wicked. There were a lot of good morals and underlying themes in the play as well. If anyone gets a chance to see it....GO.

New Years

For New Years this year we slept until late in the afternoon because we got home late from England that morning. We did stay up until midnight though, playing poker, watching British Mystery Christmas Specials, and then at 11pm we watched German New Years Folk parties on TV. We then went outside and watch our neighbors set off fireworks into the wee hours of the morning. We stayed outside for a good half hour and then since it was freezing, decided to go back inside and watch Race to Witch Mountain (which is a cute movie). The sad part about this year was that we did not get our traditional New Years Book. Every year, since we were younger our parents would give us a book on New Years Day. This year however the mail was being stupid and weird and the stuff that was ordered didn't come in. Not all of the Christmas gifts came in either, so we may be getting some gifts in January or February.

England for the Holidays

So my parents decided Christmas Day that we were going to England the next day to visit family and friends. So we loaded up in the van...which is very small with 7 adults....the next day and were on our way. It took 5 hours to get to the ferry in Calais, and 1 hr 30min ferry ride and another 2 hour drive to London. The hotel we stayed at the first night was ok, but the elevator was scary. We loaded 6 people into this closet elevator with bags and rode up to the 4th floor, on the way it felt like we were going to fall at any time. We decided to take the stairs from then on. The next day the elevator was marked as out of order...kinda creepy.

We saw my aunt and uncle that night, whom we hadn't seen in 6 years and they are the same as ever. My aunt is still as crazy as ever. But we love her. We took the Underground into London the next day and hit as many sites as possible because it was the only day we were going to have there. We went to 21B Baker's Street...a MUST. We are huge Sherlock Holmes fans. We went to the Bunhill Graveyard and Wesley's Chapel & Leysian Mission (that was exciting). We saw the Tower Bridge and London Bridge (which is not the real one). We saw the Globe Theater, but didn't get to go in...sad :( We walked the Millennium bridge and saw St. Paul's Cathedral, and stopped for a nice warm drink at Starbucks. We had to take the traditional picture though of how many people you could fit in a telephone booth....we fit 4 of us. And another must was the 9 3/4 platform at King's Cross, which was a little disappointing because it wasn't the actual stop they use in the movie but it was close enough. We went to Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey and Piccadilly Square. These were all in the evening so we got to see all the lights and stuff for christmas.


The Next day we drove 4 hours to the coast to see some very good friends, whom we haven't seen in 6 years. It was so much fun to just relax and spend time with them, having dinner, walking around town (even though it was so cold). My friend Rachael had a baby girl 2 years ago named Gracie and I just got to meet her on this visit. She is so adorable and she has pudgy cheeks. She looks exactly like her mom. We had some of the best fish & chips in a long time......DELICIOUS!! We ate Italian the first night and the garlic bread that we ordered for an appetizer came out looking like a pizza and tasted like one too, but it was really good garlic bread.

Jan, 30th we began our drive back to Germany. Of course we had to stop at an English grocery store before leaving to stock up on delicious British food. We then headed out on our way and hit traffic and detours. We ended up missing the ferry we were meant to be on, but got on the 6 o'clock one. It was then an hour and a half boat ride and a 6 hour drive home. So we didn't end up getting home until around 2 in the morning.

All of us trying to fit into a phone booth...we only managed 4 people

St. Paul's Cathedral with the Sunset hitting it

Tower Bridge....not London Bridge...many people get confused

All-in-all it was a great trip with many, many new memories.

Christmas

I'm a little behind on writing about everything but I am going to try and catch you all up.

So every christmas morning we have cinnamon rolls, open our stockings and read the christmas story from the book of Luke. We then open our gifts from under the tree. There were some really crazy gifts given this year. It's funny because everyone that I tell about this stuff laughs and thinks we are cray giving and getting gifts like this. Well last year my dad decided to get us compound bow & arrows and I also got a professional Belgian Waffle maker. This year however, I received tools (alan wrenches, pliers, a measuring tape, work gloves, etc.). My sister Rachel got an Egyptian sword from my older sister and my brother Nathan got an English shield (legit size and everything) from her as well. It was the year of weird and out there gifts. I also got this old pottery punch set that is really amazing.

We cleaned up and while my brother was trying out his new wii game my mom was in the kitchen making dinner. We helped of course. We sat down at the end of all the hard work to a delicious ham, roasted potatoes and carrots, homemade bread, stuffed mushrooms, mashed potatoes and stuffing.....I'm getting hungry just typing about it. And for dessert we had homemade apple pie and pecan tarts with eggnog. I almost forgot the christmas crackers. We always have christmas crackers at christmas. Everyone holds one and crosses their arms and holds the end of the person's next to them, so that the whole table is linked. You then pull as hard as you can and whoever gets the bigger end gets the prize inside. It normally consists of a paper crown, a joke and a toy.

 That night we watched Poirot. We receive British TV so we get a lot of British shows and there seem to be a lot of detective shows. Poirot is a Belgian detective, with a funny mustache, who lives in England and solves murders. We love the show for some reason and they always have a christmas special on and we watch it every year.

What are some family traditions that you do at christmas?