1 Corinthians 15:58

Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

Yesterday Drew got the great news that he got a job!!! After 5 interviews at the Apple Store he finally got a call saying that he is scheduled to begin work this Saturday. God has answered prayers, and Drew's persistence and perseverance has paid off.

This news is such an encouragement, and a breath of fresh air. (Plus, maybe I can be his first customer to buy an iPad from him.)

I guess I'm not the only one who can't sleep...

It is 2:15 am, and there are people walking around outside, others with lights on in their kitchens, people opening their windows and doors. I assumed everyone was normally asleep at this time in Germany because all of their lights are out and blinds already closed when Drew and I hit the hey at 11:00 pm.

I blame the sweltering heat with no A/C.

World Cup Fever!!!

For the last nineteen days, we have been watching soccer almost around the clock. One of my favorite games so far has been Germany vs. England last Sunday. Germany won 4-1, and this place was going crazy! It was a good consolation to the U.S. loss the night before. Although, the U.S. fought hard, and I am looking forward to the next world cup already.

Anyways, incase you missed the Germany game, here is a reenactment of it done completely with Legos! :)

http://www.legofussball.eu/?Lego-Videos:WM_2010

Or you can watch one of the most memorable moments so far at the World Cup...

http://www.legofussball.eu/?Lego-Videos:WM_2010:ENG_-_USA

Almost Famous!

So, last week I got to take part in the making of a commercial for a beer company in Nürnberg. It was really professional with a make-up artist, video camera on a track, spot-lights, and everything. We were there from 7:00pm until midnight, and every time it would start raining we would have to run under a little tent to wait for the rain to pass. The girls on my team and I really had fun getting to experience half of what real professionals go through. I mean for a two minute video, we were filming for almost five hours. Imagine how long a two-hour film must take!

You can see the video here.

I guess I am still getting used to the culture!

Drew and I have been living abroad for almost three years, and living over here has taken some getting used to. There are differences in culture that you never notice until you are actually living here. For example, the sense of humor. (I know I am usually the only one to laugh at my jokes anyway, but over here sarcasm doesn't get you very far.) Or, the way people here are much more blunt than in America.

Well, I guess I still haven't gotten used to this because yesterday Drew and I were at the store buying groceries and the woman asked if I was pregnant. (Ladies, you all know this is hard thing to just let roll off your shoulder when you really aren't pregnant at all.) So, I just tried to make a joke about the comment and continue packing my groceries. However, the blunt side of Germany came out when the woman said, "Oh, so you've just gained some weight then." Drew and I laughed about this comment because in the U.S. no one would dare covering up their mistake in this way.

Can't wait to be back home!

The sun came out today, and so did I.

The last few weeks have been rainy and gray in Germany. So, I capitalized on the sunny day today, and hung out on our balcony!

Happy Belated Earth Day!

Yesterday was Earth day, and I just found out that a major car company is designing an emissions-free electric vehicle to be available for sale in 2013.

Imagine, cars in big cities that don't emit harmful pollution, cars that don't make loud noise as they drive through the streets. A car that doesn't use gas to run, but could be plugged into Photovoltaic panels to be run on completely renewable energy. Not only will it be a step in the right direction, but it may even look good as it is being designed by BMW. This could be a great design. Now, if I can just convince my husband that it is a great investment for us.

I love getting visitors...A few weeks ago, one of our best friends, Chris, came to stay with us. We had such a great time showing him around Germany, teaching him German, and drinking good beer.

(Drinking our favorite beer at Andechs Monastery)

(Chris and I livin' the life in Dinkelsbühl.)

The next week Drew's Aunt and Uncle came for a two week stay at the Kreeger Inn. We took them to the Black Forest, France, and even skied in Switzerland. (One of the best days of skiing I've had!)

(Riding our bikes around Freiburg.)

(Rusty and Kellie on the Swiss-alps for the greatest day of skiing we've ever had.)

We will only be here for four more months, so if you're hoping to come to Germany...do it!

Where have you been?

Verona, Italy

Swiss-Soccer Girls

Hasliberg, Switzerland

Where have I been, you ask? For the last month, I have been traveling like mad. I spent one week with my soccer team in Italy. It was a typical Italian town called Garda, which is about 20 minutes from Verona.

I was home for four days, and then made my way down to Switzerland to enjoy a weekend of skiing with old team from Switzerland. We were skiing in Hasliberg, and I worked on my swiss accent.

I was home for another two days, and then was off to Frankfurt for work. In Frankfurt, I attended a conference for people working in Bathroom and Heating in Germany.

Now, I love traveling, and I even think I could travel for my job. However, having so little time in between trips and seeing my husband so little is not what I had in mind.

It is nice to be back at home, and stay awhile.

I know it isn't father's day but,

I am so thankful for my dad! I just got off the phone with my father, who by the way has just gotten Skype so we'll be able to talk more often, and we had a great conversation. One thing that has truly been a downside of living so far away is that I haven't been able to talk with my family very consistently, but our conversation today was a blessing.

My father is a kind, determined, and soft-spoken man who has always shown me so much love and taught me how to love others. When we were kids, he used to take us every Sunday night to serve at a homeless shelter in Denver. He has always challenged me to think things through and to put others above myself. He has enabled me to do so many things in my life, and I am truly happy that he is my dad.

Here is a picture of us outside of Starbucks. It is one of my favorite memories with him because we got to talk for a couple hours before I left to come over to Europe, and we just enjoyed our time together like we always had when I was in high school.

Love you dad!!!

Shout out!

Just a quick shout out to Jake and Emilie for getting engaged. Congrats my friends. :)

Happy Sixth of January!!!! (Everything is closed again.)

Christmas time in Germany is really wonderful because everything is actually peaceful, much like I imagine it was when Jesus came into the world. As Drew and I celebrated our first Christmas together in Germany, we didn't realize that all of Germany shuts down for three days over Christmas. Christmas Eve was on a Thursday, and almost every grocery store, shop and business closed at 4pm that day. We knew everything would also be closed the next day, but figured we would be able to buy more groceries on Saturday the 26th before stores were again closed on Sunday as normal.

Little did we know, all of the stores were also closed on Saturday because in Germany they celebrate Christmas for three days. We didn't go hungry, and we were able to buy some lunch at the local gas station.

However, surprise surprise. Today is January sixth, and Drew tried to go to the grocery store this morning. Only to find that today is also a national holiday with everything closed.

Write below if you can guess which holiday is celebrated in Germany on the sixth of January by everything being closed.

My "Best of 2009" List...

(In no particular order...)

Noelle's Wedding in July

Two Visits from Jared

Hanging out with Andi and Ivan in Switzerland

Skiing with our friends Drew and Stefan in Austria

Going to the U2 concert in Berlin for the 20 year fall of the wall

Being inspired by cool architecture

Chillin' with my new Husband!

Having my new mom, Amy, visit for 2 days during Christmas time.

Our new Cappuccino machine.

Exploring Greece!

Finding great beaches

Driving my boss's solar car

Celebrating at our wedding!

An Austrian wine tour with our new friend Hans.

The view from our bed and breakfast in Salzburg with Drew's parents

An architectural masterpiece in Prague

Picture perfect vacation with Drew's parents

It was really fun!

Bethany and Josh's wedding in Idaho

Emmy visiting in February!

Without pictures....

Maren's wedding, I know it was beautiful.

Hearing that we will become an Aunt and Uncle in July!

Deciding to move home in August!

Democracy Fail?

What is true democracy? When a president becomes elected with whom we do not agree, we simply say, "I did not vote that way, but I am stuck with the Majority's decision until the next election." However, this idea of democracy cannot be applied to every situation.

Last week Switzerland voted with a majority to no longer allow the building of minarets on mosques. A minaret is a distinct architectural feature of a mosque comparable to say the church bell towers of the famous European cathedrals.

Though the people voted and the ban was passed, is this true democracy when the country's very own constitution states in the second article, "The Swiss Federation protects the liberty and rights of the people...It promotes common welfare, sustainable development, inner cohesion, and cultural diversity of the country. It ensures the highest possible degree of equal opportunities for all citizens." (1)

What is true democracy? Allowing people to vote and living with the majority? Or is the voice of the minority just as important as all the others?

(1) English Translation of the Swiss Federation Constitution, http://www.servat.unibe.ch/icl/sz00000_.html December 9, 2009

Thanks Nevin!

After taking the vote, I was ready to get my haircut into the fashionable "adventurous brunette" style. Despite my fears of chopping my hair and not being able to describe exactly what I wanted, I walked into the Hairstübchen. I showed the hairstylist my picture, and told her what I wanted.

She looked at me and said, "that is not what you want." After I explained to her that I did want this haircut, she bargained with me and started cutting. She tried really hard to tell me I didn't want short hair, then she cut my hair into her own mixture of the two pictures I originally wanted. (Plus her own little twist.)

I simply laughed as I left the shop, and wondered if Nevin always takes such authority when cutting hair....

Well, here are the pictures, and I am actually happy with how Nevin decided my hair should look.

The

Nevin

Adventure!

I need your help!

Most girls get the advantage of having advice from their friends before they get such a drastic haircut. However, because of the distance I can't get input from you before I get my haircut on Thursday. So, I need your help in deciding which cut I should get. I am going for something a little different, and a little more fun. Here are the options...

Current Curls

Adventurous Brunette

Sensible Blonde

Living History

As some of you may have already heard, Drew and I were lucky enough to get two free tickets to the U2 concert in Berlin that celebrated the 20 year anniversary of the Berlin wall coming down. Not only did we get to experience a band that has spanned the decades creating meaningful, beautiful, and inspiring music, but we were also part of the crowd feeling the history reflected by the Brandenburg Gate. The celebration of freedom, of choice, of unity. It was impossible to ignore the lively atmosphere that Berlin exudes because it has lived without the basic rights of life that it now promotes openly.

Despite being at the concert, I couldn't truly grasp the history of Berlin until the next day. Drew and I had met up with some friends from Berlin to have lunch, and upon their request we headed toward the nearest Subway. The city was going to celebrate the anniversary with a falling of a giant dominoe-wall over the former site of the Berlin wall. It was already being set-up on Friday with protective barriers so that no one could cross. We were on the wrong side of the wall, and could not get to the other side. My stomach growled in protest, and I had a slight sense of what the Berliners may have felt standing on one side of the wall seeing what the other side offered, but not being allowed to pass through the wall.

Good morning star-shine

You know when you wake up a little too early in the morning, and are sleep-walking through the motions of getting yourself ready for the day? Every thought that goes through your head as you check and recheck the clock is, "Please let me have set my clock wrong; please let me be able to go back to sleep." Of course, it never happens because everyone is always so careful to set their alarm to the right time.

Au contraire. Yesterday I was completely ready and about to leave for the train at 7:15am when I looked at the computer which said 6:15am. At first it took me awhile to realize, but that night was the "fall back" time change. WAHOO!!! I jumped back into bed for an entire extra hour. That morning I woke up on the right side of the bed twice, and it was the best day ever!

I think I may....

Walking home from the train yesterday, a thought began to form in my head. The beautiful fall colors are all around the countryside. Friendly people have consistently been striking up conversations with me. Delicious new German-meals have found their way into our kitchen. The girls on my soccer team actually make me laugh, and enjoy going to soccer. There are a few ski trips in the works. Work is a challenge that pushes me to learn new things, and to become a better designer.

I may actually like Germany!

Think pink.

Apparently, in the design world, pink is in. Last year it was purple, so the only natural color to follow would be pink. I was subtly informed of this by a designer friend last weekend, and have been trying to think of ways to incorporate pink into my designs for customers. A pink toilette? A pink sink? Even as I think of these trendy possibilities, I cringe at the thought of plaguing one of my customers with a 1970's repeat of colored bathroom fixtures.

As we have been talking about worship at youth group this year, I have been answering questions about how I can worship God with my work. As a designer I want to improve people's lives through design. This may mean a pink toilette for someone who needs some color in their life to cheer them up, or it may mean a simplistic design of a kitchen to improve someone's efficiency and ease while cooking.

The worship comes in enriching peoples' lives through design; making their life easier and

hopefully reflecting God's design for joyful living.

(Thus, the creative and simple pink bathroom below.)

Trendir, laufen interiors, googleimages.com 2009