Schoooooooools out for SUMMER!

The kids survived another year of school.
This group of people have been a huge part of our German life. Always a great time when we all get together!
Our neighbor, Suresh, had mentioned that he plays the Sitar, an Indian instrument. He and his wife, Anu, invited us over for coffee and a show. I am so glad we were able to get together before they moved back to the USA.
Valentino had a birthday party that was pretty amazing. Live music, hors d’oeuvres, too much wine, great friends, and lots of laughter. In our front yard. 🙂

And the next morning we caught a flight to the US for 2 weeks!! We weren’t planning on going but decided that it would be good for us to reconnect with family, friends, and coworkers. We won’t be in Germany forever, and saying goodbye to several of our friends here made me start thinking about what life will be like when we repatriate in December.

This. Brody snuggles. Despite me suggesting to Emily that she wait until we went to Des Moines the next weekend, a quick phone call from Ty in the car on the way home from Chicago had her throwing her kids in the car for 2 nights in Bettendorf.
Cousins. There are no better friends in life than cousins.
We have lots of extra beds. The Shivers are a snuggly bunch.
Baking with Memaw. Lily couldn’t WAIT to bake with Memaw. First request – Navajo tacos. YUMMY
The girls. A whole pile of Lily’s friends came over one night. Lots of squealing and laughter. So fun to catch up with their parents. Got some great tips about school and sports.
Sticker shock. I was excited to go to my favorite burrito joint, California Burritos. 1 burrito, a large chips & queso, and an iced tea. THIRTY DOLLARS!?!?!?!?
We spent the weekend in Des Moines. Friday night intense UNO Attack game.
Brody seemed to always win.
Not a good look for me, but be warned that playing Connect 4 with Oakleigh and Piggy is impossible, between Oaks dropping in extra circles and Piggy emptying them all out, I don’t think we got in a single round. 🙂
Some of Jess’s friends were having a party and we totally crashed it.
Ty got some driving practice in.
Jay and I ran out to Sundie & Brad’s to pick up my painting they brought back from Arizona for us. We will always have great memories of the Königstein Hauptstraße.
Papa and Jay got my cuckoo clock hung up.
The boys went to Iron Tee to hit some golf balls.
Aunt Brooke did an amazing job painting faces for the 4th of July
And Shelby knows how to make a parade a lot more fun!

Lacking photo evidence, but here were some more highlights. Car show with Gees and Coens. Patio parties with the Blint girls. Lunches with lots of friends. Reconnecting with coworkers. Dinner with the Bach’s. Car shopping for me. Baseball & softball with Coach Matt. Relaxing at Memaw & Papa’s. Staci & Brian. The biggest brunch. Fireworks and sparklers.

I didn’t take many pictures – I was just living in the moment. And I have been slacking on writing my blogs so I am sure I am forgetting to mention a lot of things. What I can’t forget is the feeling of home. There really is nothing like it.

We landed at 6 AM on Sunday. We got a lucky upgrade! We had just enough time to run home, drop our bags, get changed, and head to Lily’s softball game. She was a trooper!
But crashed as soon as we got home.

I didn’t realize how badly I needed that time in the US. I have loved our time in Germany. I could stay longer. But there are so many great things to look forward to back home. This trip reminded me of all of those things.