hours filled with work, play, and life

During the past few weeks, life has followed a fairly steady routine, which has also been pleasantly interrupted by special events.  As April moved along, the sun warmed up the plants and the air, and everything bloomed into fullness in thankfulness.  I joined in by spending all my spare moments in the outdoors, whether during lunch, while I studied more German grammar, or sat on a bench watching the girls play on the playground.  Each day after picking the girls up from kindergarten, we would almost always immediately go back outside, riding bikes or bobbycars, dancing in the newly green grass, or building a sand tower.

At the end of April came two important things:  first, there is the day that I add another year onto my age, and second, I had special guests to spend that day with me.  My parents flew across several states and an ocean and part of Europe to spend just six short days living life with me in Germany.  We had a wonderful time exploring my corner of Germany, taking some new adventures that I hadn't even experienced yet, and getting to know the people who surround me here and make life here as good as it is.  There will be pictures coming soon, from their cameras, as I spent most of my time just seeing things anew, from their perspective.

After my parents left, I was left here with the children and their grandparents, because their parents also took a vacation.  For ten days, we also formed a routine, as I woke up first in the morning to get the girls up, dressed, and ready for kindergarten, found some sort of entertainment for the rainy days, and all took turns putting them to bed.  We had a lovely time together, and I am very thankful for having a warm lunch for a week and half (which I am sometimes too lazy to make just for myself), and for the care that they provided for the girls as well, allowing me to still go out and enjoy myself.

A week ago, I had planned to have my friends over for a belated birthday celebration, and to grill and hang out outside and enjoy the spring weather.  Well, the weather has played a cruel joke, and the last two weeks have been like being in March again, which for us means rainy, gray, and cold.  There was even snow last week in the Black Forest.  Ridiculous.  This called for a change of plans, therefore I made a huge batch of curry, a giant pot of rice, and fed the steady stream of friends who came over.  We ate and talked and laughed and then played the biggest, rowdiest, most hilarious game of UNO you could ever see.  My friends here have an extra list of rules that they play with, which includes drawing a card if you ask a question, so our phrasing becomes quite creative.

The other details of life at the moment include searching for jobs, working on my resumé, filing forms and making copies.  My next huge step is a German proficiency test in July, which I will continue studying and preparing for during the following month and a half.  I am encouraged by the feedback I have received from those I talk to here, but I also know that I have far to go.  Good thing I have always loved a challenge.  Now I must rest, and enjoy the vacation my body has forced upon me, when it woke up sick this morning.  Life, in all its normalcy, goes on here as well.