The past month has flown by, but there were some big things that we enjoyed tremendously, and wanted to remember them...
The first is that my good friends' husband has finally come home. After 15 months of serving in Iraq (15 months is ridiculous, I know) his troop came home safely at the beginning of the month. We felt very honored to be part of the celebration. It was truly something movies are made of... The reunion was at 2:00 AM (yes, in the morning). The families all gathered at the fitness center in the big gym, while a giant dividing curtain was hung in the center. The anticipation was unbelievable. When the soldiers arrived, they had to line up in formation on the other side, and slowly the curtain went up. After 15 months, there they were in the same room as their families, and they still had to wait to truly be united. A few short speeches were given, a prayer was said, and then they were given the O.K. to run to their family. My friends husband was one of the first to make it to his family, and it brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it. We have experienced so much as a family since we have been here, and to think that he had missed that same amount of time with his family, and they without him. We are so happy to have them together once again, and it has been so much fun getting to know him (we have done so much with his family, but didn't really know him), and it reminds me of how lucky we all truly are!
On a completely different note, we had a few weeks ago going to our German Friends' "Garten". Throughout the country, they have sections of land set aside, and divided up, where individual families can buy or rent small pieces of land. I am guessing it is mostly for people living in a city, in order to have space to plant a garden, or barbecue etc. The closest thing that I could relate it to, was a "Lake House" or a "Camp" without the water. You feel like you are at a camp and far away, while really it is less than a mile from where we live. It was fun - our friend had a big fire going, and set up a "fest table" (like they have at Oktoberfest and throughout Germany) and had the equivilent of a Thanksgiving dinner. The kids could pick grapes, ride bikes, and everything! It was a really neat experience just because we have nothing quite like it back home. I think it would be such a neat thing to do for those people that just want to get away and have a small piece of property, yet don't want the mortgage of a lake house - very cool
2 comments:
Hi! Good to hear all is well in Germany. MK was on the computer the other day with me and I showed her a picture of Mia. I asked her who that was and she yelled, "ME!"...
You folks are experiencing some great times. Too bad most families in the USA are missing out on what it is to enjoy doing things together and having family fun. This blog is how I grew up.....getting together with friends and family.....fishing, swimming,cook-outs, playing outdoor games...... Makes me want to relive those years. Thanks for sharing. Love to all, GP
Post a Comment