For those of you who know my 5-year-old, Grace, you know what a handful she can be! She speaks her mind, is strong-willed and independent, and sometimes very resistant to discipline! Sometimes? OK, how about "all the time!" What you may not know is how incredibly loving, nurturing, and caring she is at the same time. Today Troy and I were both sick. I mean, SICK SICK. Me with a wicked stomach virus, Troy with some kind of respiratory funk. Grace was our nurse all day long. She played downstairs, watched movies, fed herself--nevermind that her meals consisted of cereal, brownies, and yogurt (in my defense, every time I tried to get out of bed, I ended up in the bathroom, hugging the toilet). And every time Troy or I called her name, she rushed to our side and met every need. "Grace, can you get me a Jolly Rancher?" "Grace, Mommy needs a cold rag for her head." "Grace! Telephone!" You name it, she did it. When she finally crawled in bed tonight, she said to me, with a big grin on her face, "I love you Mommy. I'm sorry you're sick. Mommy, when I grow up, I want to be a nurse, so I can help sick people like I helped you and Troy today."

Handful or not, she is a blessing from God Most High, and I can't imagine my life without her.

Yesterday I made the discovery of a lifetime. The discovery that will make the next 2 1/2 years in Germany a little bit easier. The discovery that lifted my spirits and put a smile on my face.

I discovered a mall.

Yes! A real, American-style mall, only 30 minutes from my house, with a hundred different stores and one super-sized food court, complete with Subway, Burger King, and an oh-so-divine chocolate candy store that would make you slap 'yo momma (in the poetic words of my father). I don't think I need to elaborate any more. Ladies, you understand what I mean. You can relate to the emptiness I was feeling, the "shopping" withdrawals I was having, the random bouts of homesickness that can only be cured by forking over hundreds of euros for clothes I'll never wear, kitchen gadgets I'll never use, and candy I really shouldn't be eating in the first place. As much as I love Germany, there are times when I just need a little taste of home.

I've heard that there is another mall just past Manheim, about an hour from my house, and that one has a Starbucks. My next assignment: learning how to say "vinti-decaf-skinny-vanilla latte" in German......

I think I need to create a new blog. It will be called "The Rantings of a Lunatic Woman Trying to Survive Single Parenthood in a Foreign Country." My first post will consist of the following:

AAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


There, that feels better.

Now I can get you caught up on our oh-so-exciting lives. Not. Last weekend we drove to Garmisch, Germany, with my friend Jill and her two children. Garmisch is in the south-eastern part of Germany, smack dab in the middle of the Alps and only 30 minutes from the Austrian border. There is a military lodge and resort in Garmisch called Edelweiss. We didn't stay at the lodge because we couldn't get a room, but we were able to take advantage of the recreational activities that Edelweiss has to offer. Translation, SKIING! The week prior to our trip, Garmisch got about 2 feet of snow, and it was just like powder. We hadn't planned on letting the kids ski (Troy and Stephen actually snowboarded), but when we found out what awesome programs they had, and how inexpensive they were, we succumbed to the constant whining of two 10-year-old boys who desperately wanted to hit the slopes. So, while Troy and Stephen conquered the world of snowboarding, Jill and I sat in the lodge with the girls, drinking hot chocolate (laced with Baileys) and enjoying the views. No, I'm not talking about the ski instructors; I'm talking about the mountains.......Oh, who am I kidding?? On a side note, somehow Jill had talked me in to a "no makeup" weekend. What was she smoking? And how dumb was I to agree to it? Has anyone ever seen me without makeup? "Scary" doesn't begin to describe it!

I'm getting way off the subject here. On day three of our trip, I decided to sign Grace up for the kids' ski school. She had watched those kids the day before, with longing in her eyes and the saddest puppy-dog face I've ever seen. I just couldn't say no. She had so much fun, and turns out, she's much better at skiing than her mother (see previous post). Jill and I wanted to take an adult class, too, but we couldn't find childcare for little Grace. One of the ski patrol guys told Jill she could just strap Grace to her chest and ski down the hill. Riiiiiiight.

Our weekend was fun and pretty uneventful, unless you count the GPS screwing up and taking us to Austria; or the car battery dying because one of the kids left the interior lights on overnight; or the fact that I forgot to take an ice/snow scraper with me on the trip. News flash: driving through the Alps in the middle of winter? You really need an ice scraper. Fortunately, I did remember the kitchen sink. And Jill and I packed about $200 worth of snacks and drinks for the trip. Scraper or not, we could have survived the next Ice Age with that much food.

Jill and her family are headed back to Garmisch next month. Not me; I'm ready for the coast of Spain. Give me the beach and a tall pina colada....I can die happy.

(In honor of the "king of late night television," I've put together my own "Top Ten" list. I have to preface this list with a short explanation of what went on this past weekend. My friend, Jill, and I decided to load up the kids again and take the train to Cochem, Germany. Cochem is beautiful; I've been there before, and it's definitely a favorite. There is a huge, majestic castle that sits up on a hill and looks down over the town. On my first visit to Cochem, the weather was horrible and we didn't make it to the castle. Jill and I decided we would take the kids on Saturday. The rest, as they say, is history......)

TOP TEN REASONS I ALMOST WET MY PANTS TODAY (from laughter)

1. Arriving to the train station 40 minutes early and still missing our train to Cochem because we couldn't figure out how to use the ticket machine (doesn't anybody speak English around here?).

2. Being offered Champagne (from the bottle) by a group of odd-looking, drunk German men, Michael and Harry. Michael entertained our children while Harry bragged about being able to say "Cheers!" in 80 different languages. Jill and I could hardly contain ourselves as they made themselves at home right next to us for the entire 90-minute trip.

3. Being serenaded by same group of odd-looking, drunk German men who have a fondness for Elvis Presley songs.

4. Making it to Trier (thank goodness our drunk friends are going elsewhere!), deboarding the train and walking 500 yards north to another track to catch our connecting train, and realizing that the train we just deboarded has followed us those 500 yards, changed its destination sign, and is picking us BACK up to take us to Cochem. Huh?

5. Arriving in Cochem, FINALLY, only to realize we have no idea where we are or how to get to the downtown area. (The only living person within miles of us was a woman at the taxi office who didn't speak English and wouldn't open the door for us.)

6. Finding our way to downtown, FINALLY, only to find that all the shops and the castle are closed for the day. Isn't this fun, kids?

7. Waiting at the track to board the train to leave Cochem and being almost blown away, literally, by a freight train moving at about 130 miles per hour through the station. (Jill was smart enough to move further away from the tracks; I was frozen with fear as I tried to remember if my will was up-to-date.)

8. Arriving in Trier, our half-way point, only to find that the last train home left 30 minutes earlier. Oh, please don't tell me we have to spend the night in Trier? I don't have any clean underwear!!


9. Learning that there is one more train to Kaiserslautern, but we only have 17 seconds to get to the track and board before it leaves. Where are the kids, and can we come back for them tomorrow?

And finally, the number 10 reason I almost wet my pants today:

Making it to the track just in the knick of time only to see our even drunker German friends, Michael and Harry, getting ready to board the same train! What are the odds? I mean, really?


The fun didn't stop there either. Harry sat with us AGAIN for the 90-minute train ride back home while Michael serenaded another group of unsuspecting Americans with the same Elvis Presley songs. We tried to hide from them, but it was useless. Thanks to my oh-so-friendly daughter, Grace, they found us every time. This trip was utter chaos, but WOW, what memories. What's next for the travelling duo and their wild and crazy children? Vienna, Rome, Salzburg, Bern.....wherever the tracks may lead!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

The new year is finally here, and I can hardly believe it's actually the year 2006! It seems like only yesterday that I was suffering through freshman biology under the wonderful instruction of Mrs. Davis, a.k.a. crazy lady with a horrible vendetta against our class because we didn't do a science project. Oh, did I say that? Anyway, in spite of feeling incredibly old, I love the arrival of a new year. It always feels like I am getting a fresh start; it's the perfect time to reflect on my life, consider what things I'd like to change, and then set goals for myself. Notice I didn't say "resolutions." I never make resolutions. Instead, I make one goal for the new year, then I set out to achieve it. Last year my goal was to train for and run a marathon. I trained for 5 months, ran a half-marathon in Colorado Springs, then signed up for a full marathon in October. Three weeks out, I broke a toe and was unable to run the race. Was it a failure? Not at all! I got in the best shape of my life, lost 15 pounds, and could actually tell people I had run 18 miles at once (although most people just responded with, "Why would you do that?"). So what's my goal for this year? Wouldn't you like to know!

We got 4 inches of snow last week, so the kids and I went sledding almost every day. Jill and I built a snowman in her back yard. He was the ugliest snowman I've ever seen, but we had a good laugh, especially considering we used a dill pickle for his nose. (see above picture) Please, no comments. On Saturday we hopped a train to Heidelberg. It is such a beautiful town! We've decided that taking the train is so cheap, there is really no excuse for us to sit at home on the weekends! We have a lot of Europe to see, and a short amount of time to see it!

New Year's weekend was full of excitement, too. Let's just say that our neigbors really know how to throw a party! I had decided that I would just go to bed early and ring in the new year the following morning, but they had other plans for me! Since fireworks are legal here, every family in our village was setting off their own fireworks display. I was a little worried at first, especially with the amount of champagne being passed around! I mean, these were huge fireworks. I'm not talking about the cheesy junk you get from a roadside stand in Alabama! These fireworks were incredible. I was sure that one rogue firework would land on my house and burn it down before you could say "Happy..."! Fortunately, that didn't happen. We ended up partying outside in the freezing cold with our neighbors until almost 2 a.m. I know, I'm such a wild thing.

I enrolled Grace in a part-time preschool today. It was either that or sell her to the gypsy down the street. I think I made the right choice.

We'll keep you updated on future happenings with the Smith family European vacation! Until then, GLUCKLICHES NEUES JAHR! (Happy New Year)