Last week was Thanksgiving. While this is not a holiday celebrated by the Germans, Jay and I took some time off to spend with friends and family – and eat amazing food. I have so many things to be thankful for this year. Good health, the worlds best husband, 2 children who amaze me on a daily basis, a dog who reminds me to enjoy the little things, family and friends at home who haven’t let the distance separate us, friends here who have become such an important part of my life in a very short period of time, a job that keeps me mentally stimulated and pays the bills, new coworkers that have been great to get to know, and last but not least – being able to spend the month of November with the worlds best in-laws (makes perfect sense that they created the worlds best husband).

Ty bought a couple souvenirs in the Black Forest last weekend so that he could decorate his room. We are all starting to get in the Christmas spirit!
Zack took Kirk and Sherry into Frankfurt and showed them around. Rumor has it he missed his calling in life and should have been a tour guide.
Thanksgiving!! We signed up to bring mashed potatoes. Everyone got involved in the prep.
Yum
Black Forest ham, Amsterdam cheese curls
Now THAT is a proper bottle of wine
This hat was a hit. Its legs moved and it played the Chicken Dance. So many giggles.
I love that we have found people that are as goofy as we are.
Ted. I am thankful for Ted. I am thankful for Ted’s ability to go shopping at the US military base where they stocked CANNED CRANBERRIES! Y’all. I know it is a teensy bit redneck, but I grew up on these. And I can’t have Thanksgiving without them.
Zack and Deanna had a turkey cookoff. One smoked, one baked. Both were mouth watering delicious.
This woman never ceases to amaze me. Kicks butt at work, as a mom, as a dear friend, and as a hostess.
We might be a long way from home, but this meal brought me there mentally. Everything was SO good. All made by people who we have come to love like family this year.
I mean. This HAT!!!
It is hard to believe we have known most of these people for less than a year. And sad to think we only have about one more year with them. Making the most of the minutes.
Did I mention I have the world’s best husband? He is so special that an entire country didn’t have to work on his birthday. While everyone was stuffed full from the Thanksgiving feast, we did manage to eat at last a couple bites of his birthday cake.
Ty learned a good lesson over the past couple of weeks. You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. He wasn’t going to try out for the JV basketball team – not good enough, won’t make the cut, super competitive team, blah blah blah. I begged him to at least go to the tryout and let the coaches tell him he wasn’t good enough. Guess what….he made the JV team, and even gets to travel.

Fun (annoying) fact. Finding basketball shoes in Germany is not easy. Amazon came through for us, but it was a struggle.

One fun thing that a few of the International Schools do is host visiting athletes to save on hotel costs. Ty was able to stay with a family in Switzerland during the rugby season. We got to return the favor for basketball. We hosted 2 boys from the Zurich International School – one from Romania, one from Hungary. They were sweet boys, were only here for one short night, but it was a great experience.

Because Ty made the basketball team, I stayed home with him while Jay took his parents to Strasbourg, France for the weekend. They said it was incredible! There were several different markets spread out across the city. Many streets had a different theme. So many lights. So many people. So much hot wine. They had an amazing last weekend in Europe together.

Kirk and Sherry made it home safely. They may need 3 weeks to recover. :). They were troopers – often walking 15,000 steps per day, backpacking through Europe. They explored new places, tried different foods, embraced the experience. I am thankful for them.