wide open air

Sparkling

2011-09-24T11:21:00.001-07:00

When I was working on an American military base in Stuttgart, my boss was a Scotsman from Edinburgh. When I first started the job, I could barely understand John. Eventually, though, after training myself to listen closely, I began to understand his lilting Scottish accent. After we became friends, John told me that he had had trouble understanding my accent too, and he thought that I spoke way too fast! John said the cutest things about his daughter—he always referred to her as his wee lass. One weekend he took her to see the Stuttgart Christmas Market, which is one of the oldest and largest Christmas markets in Europe. When I asked him if they enjoyed their time together, he answered with a sigh and said, “Aye, me wee lassie’s eyes sparkled more than all the twinkle lights of the city.” While obviously a hyperbolic turn of phrase, the poetry of his Scotts tongue painted a vividly beautiful portrait of his little girl that I will always remember.

I made my prof cry!! The Story of English part 2

2011-09-10T18:48:00.001-07:00

Last fall, I had the opportunity to live in Stuttgart, Germany, for a few months. Not being independently wealthy at the ripe age of twenty one, I found a job at a gas station on the American Military base. Working at the Shopette, as it was fondly called, offered me the chance to meet virtually every military-based Americans living in Stuttgart, as it was the only station of its kind on the four posts in the city. The accents, from New Joisey to Georgah, were really interesting to hear. After talking to a customer for a few minutes, I could usually make a pretty good guess of where they had come to Germany from. Most of the people who came through my line asked me where in the South I was from. That always surprised me, because I’ve never thought of myself as having a Southern accent, but apparently I do! Before my German experience, I never thought about how language has the power to connect people. Once I met a lady who sounded so familiar, so of course I had to ask her where she was from. Turns out, she had recently moved to Stuttgart from Rogers! When I told her I was from Siloam, we had an instant connection. Although the chances of ever seeing this woman again (I don’t even remember her name!) are slim to none, our accents brought us together for a fleeting moment, and as the snow fell quietly in the dusky German sky, I felt at home.

The Story of the White Girl and the Bus

2011-08-29T18:00:00.001-07:00

When I was in elementary school, I lived and went to school in a small surf town on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii. My little sister and little brother also went to Haleiwa Elementary School. The majority of kids and teachers at school with were locals, mainly of Hawaiian, Polynesian, and Asian ancestry. They spoke English, but in a strange, broken sounding dialect of Pidgin. During the first few weeks of school I could barely understand a word that was spoken to me! A lot of kids made fun of the three little Abbeys for our white skin and our “Haole talk.” At first we tried to ignore it, but I realized we had to adapt after the first day we rode the bus home.

Our house was only a few miles from the school, and so, Mama decided, a bus ride would be a quick alternative to her loading up the babies and making the trek into town. After all of the necessary paper work was filled out and teachers were notified that we should be dismissed with the bus riders, the day of the first bus ride arrived. Timidly, I walked onto the bus, followed closely by Hannah and Paul. The three of us shared a front seat close to the bus driver and began what would turn into a very long journey. Instead of stopping and letting us off in front of our long and somewhat hidden driveway, the bus rumbled on by and started up the mountain. Too scared to say anything and get teased for my Haole accent, I rationalized that the bus driver would stop by on the way back past our house. Two hours later, a panicked Mama picked us up outside of Haleiwa Elementary School.

The next day, Mama made us try again. Small but proud, I was determined to get Hannah, Paul, and myself home safely this time. Blonde head held high, I marched them up the rubber steps and back to our seat. Once three backpacks were smooshed under two pairs of rubber sandals, I strode up to the bus driver, stuck my hands into the pockets of my cut offs, and took a deep breath. I knew the time had come to use the language I had practiced in my head during the school day. With all the courage I could muster, I loudly asked the bus driver, “Dis bus go Waimea?” To my great surprise and delight, he responded “Yeah, gurlh, you do tell me wen ya house come,” and I knew that I had made myself understood. To this day, whenever we talk about Haleiwa Elementary School, Hannah and Paul, and I confess, I too, cannot help but remember with shrieking laughter the story of the White Girl and the Bus.

newsy update--an excerpt from an email to the grandparents!

2011-01-18T10:02:00.000-08:00

My classes have been going great so far! I love JBU and I am so thankful that I am back there! I am taking a physical science course, which is my least favorite subject, but my professor seems to be a great guy and since its basically bone-head science (everyone has to take it) he is really good about explaining things and using visuals to help us understand what in the world he is talking about! My philosophy professor is really young, in his early 30s I think, and he is hilarious! He always has some smart-alec little remark to make, which cracks the whole class up every time! On the first day of class, he called roll and asked what everyone's favorite type of music is. One guy said he like bluegrass and told us that he played the banjo, so yesterday the prof let him bring his banjo to class and he played for us...it was a cool way to start class off! I learned one of the songs he played in choir back in middle school and I was tempted to break out into song, but couldn't bring myself to do it in front of everyone haha. I have had three of my professors before in the English department and it has been really great to reconnect with the whole department. I have a class with Jessa, Jimmy's fiance, too, which is fun! Its crazy to me that so many people that I know are getting married (Hannah, Jimmy, and lots more) and some are already married (like Bryn)! I am just not ready, and I am so OK with that! (Thank goodness! haha)

I just got back from chapel, where we got to listen to Dr. Franklin Graham preach. It was awesome! His voice totally reminded me of you, Grandpa! And what he said reminded me of you, too! He mostly talked about the need for all of us Christian to spread the Gospel of Jesus wherever we go. As an example, he used his ministry in Haiti. He said that when they were down there in a hospital (acutally, they still are) they would pray with every patient and give everyone a Bible. When he was asked by an American news reporter why they did this, even if it might offend someone, he replied that if they weren't spreading the gospel, there was absolutely no point in helping people, because they really wouldn't be helping them at all in the eternal scheme of things. That got me to thinking about our culture...a lot of people do good things for the sake of doing good things, because its the right thing to do, ya know? But it all will come to nothing if they don't share the Good News, too! I had never really thought of doing good things for that sake, and it really struck me as important. I'm excited to see how God's plan for my part in helping people find Him plays out!

JBU re-acceptance petition letter

2010-12-15T12:03:00.001-08:00

To Whom it May Concern:

On January 1, 2009, the world lost a wonderful young man, and I lost one of my best friends, Will. His funeral was held at the Cathedral of the Ozarks on January 5. JBU’s spring semester started a few weeks later. At home, where I lived with my parents and four younger siblings, there were a lot of changes. My father began to commute to a town in south Arkansas and only came home on the weekends. My mother, who had worked only part time outside the home for the majority of my life, began working 40+ hours a week in Fort Smith. As the oldest child, I took on a lot of responsibilities caring for my two littlest sisters, taxing them back and forth between school, extra-curricular activities, and home, preparing dinner most nights of the week, and helping with homework. At school, I was enrolled in five classes, and barely passed three, with low C’s. It was as if I just didn’t care about school any more--I rarely attended class, never went to chapel, and sunk into a deep depression. I lost contact with friends, except for the few that had been closest to Will, and spent the majority of my time at home. I felt that God, if He indeed existed, had abandoned me. Before getting my grades back for the semester’s end, I had already decided to “take some time off.”

The last year and a half has been a period of unique growth, spiritual and intellectual, for me. I spent six months working at a tanning salon and then began working at a local florist as well. Will’s sister, my best friend, decided to move to Germany to live with her mom for a few months and I was lucky enough to join her in October of this year. There, I worked at a gas station on a military base and traipsed around the city of Stuttgart for two fabulous months! While I was vagabonding though, I realized that I didn’t want to spend my life working low-paying jobs in order to just squeak by financially.

I know now that education is one of the only means of moving ahead in this world. I’ve also realized that education is more than just showing up: it means hard work and dedication, and I am (finally!) ready to fully apply my potential as an A student. My goal is to earn my Bachelor’s Degree in English and then attend a Master’s Degree program to obtain a Master’s of Education. I would like to move back to Germany, or wherever God sees fit to send me, and teach high school English on a military base overseas.

Spiritually, I have come to a place where I recognize there can be no alternative to believing in God. Without His guiding hand on every endeavor in my life, my efforts are futile. He has taken me though the angry storm of disbelief and delivered me to the calm shores of His Divine Love. I think Oscar Wilde said it best, “Skepticism is the beginning of belief.” Because of my former uncertainty, my relationship with God has become much stronger now that I am certain beyond a fraction of a doubt that God created me, He died for me, and He has “plans for hope and a future” for me as He promises in Jeremiah 29:11.

I am so excited about coming back to John Brown University. I am ready to dedicate myself fully to my studies and look forward to the intellectual and spiritual growth that I know will take place in such a God-honoring atmosphere!

Sincerely,
Morgan “Molly” Abbey

Funny the way it is...

2010-12-14T08:37:00.000-08:00

So much can happen in the span of one week and one day!

Last week, I posted sitting in Echterdingen with the snow falling gently over the red tile roofs of the neighborhood.
Today, I post sitting in my parents lovely home in Siloam Springs, Arkansas, with a parade of puppies playing happily in the back yard.
My adventure was, in some ways, cut short.
In other ways, it was the perfect length--Home for Christmas!!!!
After a few crazy days last week, I hopped on a plane in Stuttgart at 11 am on Saturday morning and arrived in Northwest Arkansas about 9 pm Saturday night.
So thankful for my wonderful parents, the fabulous Crystall and Brandon, and of course my Bryn and her lovely mama-la, Colleen, who helped last week make a crazy sort of sense. Without the support of them, and of course my awesome God, I think I would have lost it!

In my last post, I said I wasn't sure if I'd ever want to come back to Siloam. Lemme tell ya something, when the going got too rough, this girl was LONGING to be in Siloam Springs! Funny the way it is...
I have no idea, really, what the next few months will hold for me. But as my mom put it, there are so many possibilities and we cannot wait to see what doors the Lord will be opening for me! Pray for me, friends, that I will be able to choose the path thats best for me according to His divine plan, which is by far better than anything I could ever have "planned" for myself.

I'll leave you with this funny thought from my very wise and currently bearded little brother. In his western civ class last week, the professor asked the class to explain what control means. After several other students answered, Paul raised his hand and said, basically, "Control is an illusion. None of us have any control what so ever!" So true, little brother, so true!

A Panic of Joy

2010-12-02T02:31:00.000-08:00

When Carolyn and I went down to the Christmas market for the first time last week, I said the silliest thing. We came though a little tunnel connecting the streets and all the little wooden booths were being set up, there was a massive Christmas tree in the middle of the street and I was so over come by it all that I exclaimed, "I'm having a...panic...of...joy!"

Extreme, yes, but I think that is probably the best way to describe how happy I am here. Its like being in a snow globe, a living story book! There is so much to do and to see, but I'm not rushed. I have all the time in the world!

This Tuesday, Bryn and I took the train downtown to an exclusive little botique and she bought the most beautiful wedding gown. She looks (and feels!) like a princess in it. It wasn't even all the way zipped up when she squealed, "This is it! This is my dress!"

Upon arrival, we lounged in these Alice in Wonderland-esque chairs and were served still water in little glass tumblers.

After she had made the decision, which really wasn't a decision at all, we walked down to a little Mexican place called Chico's and had amazing chicken quesadillas and chips with guac. It was yummy! Then she headed off to pick up the precious boys she nannys for and I stayed downtown to do a little Christmas shopping.

The view from Chico's

Later in the afternoon, I met up with some friends from work, Rey and Catie, and we did a little window shopping, drank some yummy gluewein, and went ice skating! None of us fell, and we were completely impressed with ourselves!

The skating rink is set up in the middle of the Christmas Market, which is by the schlossplatz. I thought the color of the sky was incredible. And I still can't believe this is what I get to see on a regular basis!

When we were skated out, with aching feet and sore lower backs and freezing cold hands and cherry red noses, we split up and headed our separate ways home. I hopped on the train and then realized that I had no house key and would be locked out for at least an hour before someone was back at the apartment! Being the clever girl that I am, I got off the train in Vaihingen, which is a short taxi ride away from the base I work on, hailed a taxi, and walked the rest of the way once on post to the Patch Shopette, where I surprised Carolyn by knocking on her door! I told her all about my adventures of the day and then we headed home together at 7:00!

Of course, there are time when I feel like crying, like last night at work when I royally screwed some paper work up and almost burst into tears in front of two boys I work with, my manager, and a store full of customers, but I didn't! And we got everything worked out and the boys were being so sweet, telling me about times when they had screwed something up big time and my manager gave me a shoulder pat and showed me the right way to do it and told me his tricks for remembering it correctly. Good people up at the Shopette, lemme tell ya!

Now that I know how much of the world there is left for me to see and discover, I'm not sure if Siloam Springs can contain me, or I, Siloam Springs! We shall see what the future, and the Lord, has for me! In the words of Dr. Seuss, I feel like I'm starting to happen:

It's opener there

in the wide open air.

Out there things can happen

and frequently do

to people as brainy

and footsy as you.

And then things start to happen,

don't worry. Don't stew.

Just go right along.

You'll start happening too.

Imibis-Inn

2010-11-28T14:32:00.000-08:00

So Bryn, Carolyn, and I have discovered the best burger place in the entire world. Seriously. Better than Inn-n-Out. Its dang good!! Tonight after work, Carolyn and I drove over there for dinner. Fries and Chegg Burgers. YUMMY! I can't wait till Paul comes out here, I have a feeling we'll be eating at this little place a lot!

The Chegg Burger.

Cheese and Egg on the burger.

YUMMY!

The Imibis-Inn.

The best burger place in the whole world!!

It Totally Snowed A Lot Last Night!

2010-11-26T01:50:00.000-08:00

Isn't my little town quaint?

Happy Black Friday...I'm so glad that doesn't exist here!

Silver Bells...Silver Bells...Its Christmas Time in the City!

2010-11-24T15:26:00.000-08:00

So yesterday, Carolyn and I both had the day off from work.
We bundled up.
We wore hats and felt sort of silly, but we were warm!
We walked about half a mile and hopped on a train headed downtown!

We had the whole day to wander the streets of Stuttgart, shopping, talking, laughing, eating, and drinking a wonderful German concoction called Gluewein.
I've written about that before.
Its so yummy..Hot Spiced Red Wine.

A lot of Christmas decorations were up in windows.
But the real surprise was when we turned a corner, looking for the MarktHalle.
And there was a WHOLE CHRISTMAS VILLAGE being set up.
It was so cute!
I took lots and lots of pictures for your viewing pleasure!

Carolyn said that what had been set up wasn't even the half of it!
So I'm really excited to go back downtown again soon!

I got a few Christmas presents...but we mostly just walked and talked.
It was a lovely day.

After it got dark, we hit up an inside mall and got a delish hot dog.
Mayo and Fried Onions is where its at, y'all!
Then we walked across the way to the Schlossplatz where there was an ice skating rink set up amidst the Christmas Village! Thats where we had the Gluewein.
We both made a few long distances phone calls.
Not that we were bragging or anything...haha.

Magical.
Thats the best word I can use to describe our day out yesterday.
Better than Disneyland magical!
And thats supposed to be the most magical place on Earth, right?!

The first Christmas "Haus" we saw.

Hullo, Mr. Nutcracker! I thought you were a Russian?

Decorating and Stocking

Seriously? This is just so cute!

BIG Christmas Tree!

Santa's workshop in front of the Church

They had magnets in the shape of fried eggs!

Dad, I doubt you're reading this.

But if you are...this is a fine tobacco shoppe.

And by fine, I mean, you'd love it!

I tried to pick some winners, if you know what I mean!!

Gluewein/Pastry Stand

Prost, y'all!

(That means Cheers, for all you non-German speakers reading this. Don't get me wrong, I'm one of you!)

Orange Sky, Alexi Murdoch

2010-11-22T13:36:00.000-08:00

Well I had a dream
I stood beneath an orange sky
Yes I had a dream
I stood beneath an orange sky
With my brother standing by
With my brother standing by
I said brother, you know you know
It's a long road we've been walking on
Brother you know it is, you know it is
Such a long road we've been walking on

And I had a dream
I stood beneath an orange sky
With my sister standing by
With my sister standing by
I said sister, here is what I know now
Here is what I know now
Goes like this
In your love, my salvation lies
In your love, my salvation lies
In your love, my salvation lies
In your love, in your love, in your love

But sister you know I'm so weary
And you know sister
My hearts been broken
Sometimes, sometimes
My mind is too strong to carry on
Too strong to carry on

When I am alone
When I've thrown off the weight of this crazy stone
When I've lost all care for the things I own
That's when I miss you, that's when I miss you, that's when I miss you
You who are my home
You who are my home
And here is what I know now
Here is what I know now
Goes like this
In your love, my salvation lies
In your love, my salvation lies
In your love, my salvation lies
In your love, my salvation lies
In your love, my salvation lies
In your love, my salvation lies
In your love, my salvation lies
In your love, in your love, in your love

Well I had a dream
I stood beneath an orange sky
Yes I had a dream
I stood beneath an orange sky
With my brother and my sister standing by
With my brother and my sister standing by
With my brother and my sister standing by

SNOW!

2010-11-22T13:34:00.000-08:00

It started snowing today!
I think I'm the only person in the whole city of Stuttgart who's excited!
But man, I felt like a little kid when I saw those little white flakes flurring down from the gray sky!
I'll admit it, I screamed,
SNOW!
The girls and guys I work with grumbled.
But then, this is my first big winter I think I've ever had!
And possibly ever will have, but who knows the future?

I just realized that there is no hint of snow in this picture.

But this is the base where I work.

So, ya know, just image you can see the snow.

Cause I promise you, it really did (is!)

Not me!

I have the day off tomorrow and I'm getting excited!
Carolyn and I are going to do some Christmas shopping and we're going to get the rest of the ingredients we need for our Thanksgiving feast we're cooking on Saturday.
Because we're both working on Thursday.
Double Pay.
Oh Yeah!

I'm in charge of sweet potato fluff, green bean casserole, creamy dreamy apple pie (compliments of PW's lovely pie week recipes!) , and pumpkin pie. I'm also going to make a relish tray, because it just wouldn't be Thanksgiving to me without the pickles, olives, and (hopefully!?!) okra before the meal! Yummy! Carolyn is making the turkey, stuffing, gravy, and homemade cranberry relish that is apparently the stuff turkeys dream of! And she's in charge of the drinkage...I heard a rumor that champagne will be on our menu! Bryn (but really Nate!) is making mashed potatoes and rolls. Our friends Brandon and Crystall are coming over, too! I'm excited!

Mittwoch Menu

2010-11-18T13:19:00.000-08:00

Done with "no carbs" and good riddance!
Big bowl of cereal (see above!)
Good work day
Library! :)
Thai Food Take Out
MILKA chocolate
Package from the Grandparents! (thank you!)
stressing about the puppies (you know you want one!)
soooooo sleeepy!

"This is my late Veterans' Day / PC dislike / I love America but every country has its problems" Post

2010-11-13T03:44:00.000-08:00

Living in a foreign country sure makes me glad that I'm an American with certain unalienable rights.
When I think about all the men and women who have fought to make and keep our country free, I'm incredibly overwhelmed with thankfulness and pride. I want to believe that not one has died or been injured in vain.

I try to keep up with the news from my native land as much as possible. I watch the news on TV almost every night. I check out foxnews.com and knwa.com and other news sights frequently. Some of the news that comes across, though, is disturbing. It seems to me that so many basic rights are being snatched away, especially from students, in order to be "politically correct." I asked google to "define: political correctness." Here is an example of one of their definitions:

Politically Correct claims to be non-offensive speech for all people It is lies, deceptions, or slanted opinion designed to hide the truth and morality. A better name would be Truthfully Deceptive.
stobie.home.sprynet.com/work/oxymorons.htm

In one school in California, a boy who flew the American on his bicycle in honor of his Veteran grandfather, was asked to remove it because "the Stars and Stripes could spur racial tensions on campus." (http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/11/12/school-reverses-course-ordering-student-remove-flag-bike/) He was later allowed to put it back up after many parents and locals were outraged.

A school in Chicago was honoring "Ally Week," where students could show their support of gay students and rally together to promote anti-gay bullying, which has been a problem in schools all over the country. A couple of boys wore t-shirts that said "straight pride" and quoted a bible verse. Some students were offended and school administrators had the boys remove the bible verse. The next day a couple more boys did the same thing and they were asked to completely cover their "straight pride" t-shirts. The school has since agreed to host a forum in order to work out what should be done in these types of situations, because according to one administrator "“The important thing is, even if someone is on the opposite side, you need to respect their opinion.” (http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/11/12/chicago-high-school-uses-straight-pride-shirts-rights-education/?test=latestnews)

It seems to me that the majority of mainstream society is overly concerned with not offending the minorities of mainstream society, while the minorities of mainstream society have every right to offend and be offended by the majority. I don't understand it!

Bryn has a real life example of this type of double standard I feel is upheld in our country. She is taking a class this semester called Anatomy of Human Sexuality. She always comes home with the most interesting stories. In her class there are people both gay and straight, men and women, young and older, married and single, with and without kids, black and white and brown and every other color out there, so it is a diverse learning environment. Last Wednesday when she got out of class she came to pick me up from work, absolutely steaming. She had gotten into a debate with a self proclaimed young man who was gay. Apparently, he is often overly vocal and often pushy when it comes to their class discussions. The teacher had posed the question "should homosexuality be presented as an acceptable lifestyle to publish elementary and middle school children?" No one said anything for a few minutes, which Bryn said was pretty unusual. Then she spoke up. "No, it should not be...I do not want my children to be taught that homosexuality is ok, especially from such a young age. When you are in middle school and elementary, you are beginning your path to self-discovery and sexuality. That kind of lesson plan could be extremely harmful to children, especially those who are already attention seeking or self destructive." Well this guy flipped out on her. He said that homosexuality was the future and basically called her small minded for not realizing that. But she stood up for her point. I'm very proud of her for that. If she had called him small minded for his opinion, I think he would have gone even crazier on her.

I'll leave you with the First Amendment from the Constitution of the United States of America:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

The point of the that amendment is to ensure freedom of speech for everyone, the "offensive" majority and "offended" minority alike.

Mittwoch Menü

2010-11-10T13:46:00.000-08:00

Starting a new thing on this here blog and that is Mittwoch Menü, or Wednesday's Menu! Instead of writing paragraphs about my Wednesday, I'll just make a little menu (list) so you can get a "taste" of my day!

That pun is for you Auntie!

So here goes nothing!

7:30 a.m.
veggie scrambler and Canadian bacon
day one no carbs
LIBRARY!
Work
Ribs
Blog

and later...

Phone Home
Bed early (ish!)

And if you feel that you can't go on

In the light you will find the road

Led Zeppelin

Riding the Train to Work

2010-11-09T09:29:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I rode the train to work again. Since I had already taken the train by myself to the Staatsgalerie, I felt comfortable about going solo. I hopped on the train and realized immediately that something was different about the car I was riding in. For one, the seats were bigger and comfier, but there was also rails everywhere, sort of like in a handicap bathroom, ya know? So I thought that it was possible that I was riding in the handicap car, but there were no signs anywhere that made me think that...so I just got to work writing a few post cards when this lady with bright red (dyed) hair and a tight little mouth who began yelling at me in German and showing me a badge of some sort. I asked her if she spoke English and she began repeating the word "ticket, ticket, ticket!" So I showed her my ticket. It was the wrong type of ticket!! "Come wis Me," she ordered. So I went! She kept lecturing me in German, but I had no idea what she was saying. Then she pointed at a big number 1 painted on the wall. Thank goodness there was a nice young woman that motioned for me to sit down next to her. I plopped down in the seat and asked her if she spoke English. She did and asked for my ticket. Then she explained to me that I had been sitting in First Class when I had paid for a coach ticket. Who'dve thunk that there'd be a first class section of an inter city train?! Obviously, not this clueless American!

Staatsgalerie Stuttgart

2010-11-09T09:19:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, I headed downtown via train to explore the Staatsgalerie, an art museum. It was amazing! 42 rooms of masterpieces. The first room I walked into was Abstraction - Figuration by Neo Rauch, a German national who's work is haunting, but I just couldn't look at them long enough. Another artist that caught my eye was Max Beckmann, another German artist. He lived and worked during the expressionist movement, but his "expressions" are quite different from those of Monet, Manet, and that lot.

Beckmann's Girl with Banjo and Mask

Surrealism and the work of Salvador Dali, among others, was another of my favorite rooms. I think what I like about surrealism is the attention paid to intricate details and the "surreal" subject matters that are often very complex.

Salvador Dali

Then I got to the Picasso rooms. And Oh My Gosh! I love Picasso. I wish I could marry Picasso! (Actually, I've read he was quite the womanizer and plus he's dead...so maybe not) The Staatsgalerie has a wonderful Picasso collection. One website claimed that it was one of the largest in Europe. I'm not sure about that, but it was wonderful.

The great thing about Saturday was that even though I had a great afternoon, I barely got through half of the museum! And since Saturdays are free admitance, I have a feeling I'll be spending many more lovely afternoons there.

Fall Market

2010-11-05T10:47:00.000-07:00

Here in Echterdinger, we have a famer's market on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Yesterday (Thursday), I woke up and looked out my window.
What do you think I saw?
A market.

At first I was confused.
"Did I get my days mixed up? Is today Wednesday?"
I knew I wasn't that mixed up!
So I asked Carolyn, out in house expert on Echterdinger.
(And boy are we lucky to have her!!)

"Its the fall market...like a craft market!"

So of course I went and walked around and checked it out!

There was a tea stand.

And a spice stand.

There were jewelry stands.

There were also stands with HUGE underwear hung up.

There were rolls and rolls of cloth.

Very pretty cloth.

There was this stand of fur merchandise.

Poor little fluffy fox tails.

And deliciously warm looking sheep's wool slippers!

There was also lots of candy stands.

And sausage stands.

And beer stands.

Typical Germany.

Sami, if you are reading this, I got a part of your Christmas present!

Longer Post Later

2010-11-05T10:33:00.000-07:00

So this is what we did today!!

http://www.sensapolis.de/en/infos

Pretty dang fun!

Woooooo Pig Soooooie!

2010-10-31T14:54:00.000-07:00

So today I wore a Razorback shirt to work.
What a great conversation starter!

First, I met a man who's wife went to the U of A.
"Are you from Fayetteville?" he asked me.
"I sure am!" I drawled (a little extra on purpose, of course!)
"Don't tell me ANYTHING about the game! We haven't watched it yet!"
"Oh, me either! I'm so far behind these days!"

Then some guy asked me if I was a razorback.
"Yupp," I replied, not looking up.
"Well, at least your in the SEC," he said.
Then I noticed he was wearing an Alabama sweatshirt.
"Everyone always gives the SEC crap, but we could beat all of 'em," he said, "And no matter how much we fight among ourselves, we'll stick together when it comes to anyone else!"
Bonding moment.

At the end of my shift I was stalking bread, minding my own business.
"Nice Shirt!" some dude said!
"Oh thanks, are you a fan?"
"HELL YEAH! I'm from Little Rock! I LOVE the Hogs!"

It was a great night of work!
I think I might wear a Razorback shirt at least once a week!

Halloween in Germany

2010-10-31T04:26:00.000-07:00

So last night, we went to this place:

Frankenstein's Castle!

I will be totally honest.
I only went along because Bryn was absolutely dying to do this.
I didn't want to.
I'm a big scardy cat.

But Oh My Gosh!
I had so much fun!

The characters were scary, yes.

But they were funny, too!

They posed with us everytime we asked!

There were shows.

There were beer gardens.

There was an actual bar.

I got a Ghost Buster.

And a Dracula Nr. 1.

They were gross.

But it was fun!

We drove the 2 hours to Darmstadt with Crystal and Brandon, some good friends of Nate, and Crystal's friend Alix, who's from England.

We had an absolute blast!

And one thing that I really liked was that all the people who dressed up were in SCARY costumes!

Instead of

Ummmm...

Skanky ones.

I'm working today.

I bet we'll sell a lot of candy!

Then me and Bryn are planning on baking cookies

And watching scary movies, of course!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

On a Happier Note: Pictures!

2010-10-29T13:36:00.000-07:00

Courtney, if you ever read this blog

Which you should...

This totally reminded me of you

And your Sr. Portfolio

You know...

Mixing nature and industry.

Carolyn's hospital bed.

Poor thing.

She was laid up for 4 days.

But she's home now.

Thank goodness!

The view from the hospital bed.

The windows were opened a lot.

Very German.

And very beautiful!

The view from Frog Road.

This is what I get to see when Bryn drives me to work.

I don't want you,

The lovely readers of my blog,

To think of me as a big whiney baby.

Because I love Germany.

I love living here.

I like my job.

Not only because I get to interact with some very kind people,

but because it helps me realize all the places I want to go in life.

In the words of my

Favorite

Band

Of. All. Time.

"I've never been so alone

and I've never been so alive"

Third Eye Blind, Motorcycle Drive By

HE'S BAAA-AAACK!

2010-10-29T13:24:00.000-07:00

Yes that's right, ladies and gentlemen of the blogosphere.
He's back.
The D man.
The security guy.
Whatever his name was.

Well he has a new name now.
Its not a very nice word.
So I won't say it.
But use your imagination.

He came through my checkout line tonight with 12 bottles of wine.
And he paid for his gas.

I did every thing wrong.

Well, according to him...
I did everything wrong.

(insert his name here)

After our transaction was complete,
He proceeded to tell me the
correct way
to do everything in the entire store.

He doesn't work directly in my store.
He doesn't deal with 48321-4732810478 customers a day.
(most of whom are incredibly nice)

However, he does deal with people who do everything wrong.
Apparently, people like me.

After our little lesson,
He informed me that he would be emailing my boss
To tell him how everything in our store
Is Done Wrong.

"Don't worry," he assured me with his icey blue eyes, "I won't use your name."

Almost in tears, I lifted my chin.
"Its Molly. Use my name."

"Oh, I don't want to get you in trouble...unless you do something really bad, like stealing."

"Have a good night, sir."

And he walked out the door.
Almost forgot his movie.
But as the nice, honest kind of girl I believe my self to be
I hollered after him
And he got the movie.

I tried to keep smiling.
I tried to do my job
The Right Way
(which I thought I'd be doing all day long)

A few more customers passed through the line,
Each one nicer than the next.

Then came the man who made my night.
Well, my week really.

"You are doing such a great job," he told me sincerely
"Anyone who tells you otherwise or is mean to you has a
Pathetic Existence."

My eyes filled up with tears.

"Thank you for saying that."

And he walked out.

Then my shift manager walked by.
He asked me if I was okay.
I nodded yes.
He told me to take 10 minutes anyway.

Some people are nice.
Some people are not.

(Insert his name here.)

But the world is a mix of good and bad.

And I'm here to tell you:

I know the heart of life is good.

Stealing. Its Wrong.

2010-10-25T07:59:00.000-07:00

But apparently everyone's doing it!

Just got back from new hire orientation.
8 hours of need-to-know information.

Our instructor was a nice guy.
Kinda squirrely.
But nice.

Then there was this guy.
His name is...
Well I don't remember but he's in charge of...
I don't know, exactly.

a) Shoplifting
b) Security
c) Scaring new hires out of ever stealing because he will find you. And he will persecute you. And possibly kill you.
d) All of the above, except killing. Because that's illegal. But if it wasn't, I think he might do it.

If you chose D, you'd be correct!

And the thing is, you can tell he really loves his job.
Like A LOT!
Which is good, right? People should love their jobs.

But this guy...
This guy likes to catch people stealing.
He stared down each of us new hires at least once with ice blue eyes, as if he was trying to figure out who he would catch first.

I don't steal.
I don't want to steal.
I think stealing is wrong.
I can safely say that I've never stolen anything.
(Well okay, maybe I've stolen a lip gloss from Sydney's Drawer. But that's not a store. That's in my house. Paid for with love by Ruth and Chris. Who are my parents too. So, technically, I wouldn't call that stealing!)

But this dude made me feel like I had already stolen $59,320,751,830,748.94 worth of company products, including gas.
(Who steals gas?)

It took all of my courage to look him straight into his paranoid eyes.
But I did it.
Because I'm an honest kind of girl.

Once, I turned myself into my Chemistry teacher for copying my lab partner's lab report.
And I cried.
Real tears.

That honest.

So don't worry, Mr. Shoplifting Prevention/Security Man/Ice Blue Eyes.
This is one new hire you won't have to worry about seeing again!

On a nicer note, all the leaves are in full color now.

They almost look like they are on fire.

Beautiful!

Paris

2010-10-19T11:01:00.000-07:00

So, the Parisians are rioting (again).
And we're not going this weekend.
So, I'm a little bit sad.
But also safe and sound in Germany.
So, that's good.
Bryn's still going, via train.
So I'll be solo, but that's okay!

I've decided that instead, I will spend this weekend getting to know Stuttgart a little bit better...and at the same time do one of my favorite activities in the whole world--visiting museums! There's several museums in Stuttgart, including the BMW and Mercedes-Benz museums, but those probably won't be on my agenda. The two I'm most interested in are both adjacent to the city's center.

The State Gallery

"Comprising the Old State Gallery (Alte Staatsgalerie) and the New State Gallery (Neue Staatsgalerie), exhibits range from the Middle Ages to the post-modern.

The Old Gallery, built between 1838 and 1843, houses works produced from the Middle Ages up to the end of the nineteenth century including old German, Italian, Dutch and Impressionist. Artists include Rembrandt, Casper David Fredrich, Bellini, Tinteretto and an entire room devoted to the 'Legend of Perseus' cycle by Sir Edward Burne-Jones. The earliest and most important work in the gallery is a 1385 altarpiece of the Bohemian School depicting King Wenceslas with St Vitus and Emperor Sigismund.

The New Gallery, constructed between 1979 and 1984, is acknowledged as one of the finest examples of post-modern architecture. The permanent exhibition covers work by twentieth-century artists including Matisse, Beuys, Pollock and Schlemmer and incorporating one of the world's largest collections of the work of Picasso."

House of Art

"Home to the Stuttgart City Gallery, the Württemberg Society of Art and the Stuttgart Union of Artists Gallery, the House of Art exhibits painting and sculpture from the nineteenth century to the present. Highlights of the collections include work by Hölzel, Dix, Fritz Winter, Dieter Roth and Joseph Kosuth."

Thank Goodness for handy little websites like this one: http://www.stuttgart -museums.com/

KrautFest

2010-10-15T09:53:00.000-07:00

Well the weekend is here and with it--KrautFest or as we Americans living here in Echterdingen call it-CabbageFest! On Sunday, the city workers (I assume) began setting up by stringing flags of green and white cabbages all through the streets. Then, little by little, booths appeared, and then a stage, and then the vendors! Outside our kitchen window, a band is playing Eric Clapton and the locals, on foot, are munching away at all sorts of cabbagey delicacies. I'm excited to try the Gluhwein, a spiced wine served hot, and maybe get a Crabby Patty! Yes thats right, one of the vendors is selling the crab cake burgers that Mr. Krabs and Nickelodeon have made so famous! Should be a great weekend--I'll be sure and let you know!

Krabby Patty Stand

The stage

I've heard they'll crown the Kraut Queen here!

Gluhwein Stand

Getting Ready for Work

2010-10-13T07:27:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Bryn and I went to talk to Andre, the HR man for the Stuttgart military bases. He was super encouraging. Basically, we are just waiting for my background check to come. Then I will go to orientation either this Monday or the following Tuesday and then start my new job. Most likely I will be a checker at a Shopette, which is a huge gas station and the only one of its kind on the 3 or 4 bases here in Stuttgart. I've been in there a couple of times now. Theres a couple of girls who seems really cool, just about my age, and tons and tons of cute boys around too ;-) I'm excited to get working, but honestly these last few days of just being able to relax, cook, write, read and hang out with Bryn and Carolyn has been so wonderful after having been working two jobs for the last year. Right now, Carolyn is cooking dinner, a Thai pork in a peanut sauce that smells amazing! The two little boys that Bryn nanny's for are sitting next to me on the black leather couches. We're watching Maraduke, and its pretty cute! I'll post again soon! xoxo

mushroom quesadillas

2010-10-12T11:39:00.000-07:00

Ok, so the other day when we were headed out and about the lovely city of Stuttgart, I got my hands on a copy of Rachel Ray's 30 Minute Meals 2 that just so happened to be sitting, cold, lonely, abandoned in the back seat of Nate's truck. I flipped through the book, just looking at the pictures of all the lovely things RR has thought up. And then I saw the recipe for mushroom quesadillas. I couldn't get the thought of those stringy gooey buttery little yummies out of my head! So tonight I made them. And people. Seriously. You need to make these for yourself. For your family. For your friends. For your neighbors. Just make them!

Mushroom Quesadillas
Adapted from Rachel Ray's recipe

1 block of Monterrey jack cheese
1 container of regular ole brown mushrooms
tortillas
butter (and lots of it!)
salt

Roughly chop the mushrooms and saute in butter. Salt to taste.
Grate the cheese.
Melt butter in a frying pan that has preheated on medium.
Place one tortilla in the buttered pan.
Cover with cheese and sauteed mushrooms.
Put another tortilla on top.
Flip.
Cut.
Serve.

LOVE!

The Promised Pictures!

2010-10-11T14:01:00.000-07:00

Well just look at me, two posts in one day with pictures in both! Be proud, my darling readers, I know I am!

My beautiful bed in my beautiful bedroom!

The view I get to wake up to each and every morning!

Me and Bryn at the Volksfest on Saturday

Me and my new German friend who's name I can't remember...oops

Yum!

5 Sinne (5 senses)

2010-10-11T13:54:00.000-07:00

Today Bryn and I caught the S-Bahn (the train that goes between cities, as opposed to the U-Bahn, which is the train that goes around the city)

to do a little shopping and get lunch before we went over to Nate's house for a lovely dinner of pot roast with all the traditional fixins--mashed potatoes, cooked carrots and onions and gravy. While we were in the city, I had a little time to journal in the beautiful city of Stuttgart's center...

Sitting in the schlossplatz--the city center.

I hear the fountain like a waterfall, musicians tinkering away on Eastern sounding instruments, and the sounds of people talking all jumbled up together like a happy herd of grasshoppers humming. Two lovers who can hardly keep their hands off each other are laying in the grass in front of us. My mouth taste slightly of the crunchy onions and spicy brown mustard that crowned the best hot dog I've ever eaten bought across the street at the mall. Like an after thought, I can smell the cigarette smoke wafting through the air. The sun is shining behind me and I am perfectly content to sit Indian style in this green green grass. A breeze tosses my curls about my neck and I am thankful for my little brown hair tie that holds them all in place. I only wish I wasn't fighting a head cold...but such is life! Surrounding the park is a most interesting mix of both old and modern architecture. Somehow it works like a bridge, spanning humanity through out both time and space and bringing together all of us who sit here today. Just now a tiny black chihuahua is straining against a leash held by his beautiful raven headed mistress, who is distracted by the click of a lighter against a cigarette against her red lips. A beautiful little boy with a red plaid messenger's cap is snuggled up against his seemingly exhausted mother...and the music plays on.

2010-10-08T04:48:00.000-07:00

Day 3 here in Germany!

Last night Carolyn and I took the train down to Volksfest in Stuttgart...IT WAS UH-MAZING! When we first got there, we had a couple of jager shots to fit in the locals...ugh! After I coughed down shot number two, we headed over to the tents...which were HUGE closed off tents filled with really long wooden tables that could probably seat close to a hundred people each...and the tents were totally packed! We were lucky enough to get seats at such a table right next to a couple of German boys who were students at the local university...super cute and super nice and super good English! We then took the train back to what we thought was the right station, but it wasn't...so we took a taxi back home to Echterdingin and promptly fell asleep!

Today, Bryn, Nate, and I are working on getting my bedroom all put together, playing Farkle (thanks for the dice, Mama!) and just hanging out around the haus to gear up for tomorrow...the Fest again!

2010-10-06T13:18:00.000-07:00

I MADE IT!!! Germany is so beautiful, so clean, so green! My flight wasn't as horrible as I thought it might be, and it was awesome because I met my cousin Josh at XNA airport unexpectdly and we were on the same flight to Atlanta!! He was so sweet, took me for appetizers and good talks. Then on the trans-atlantic flight I sat next to a man who was an older German gentleman who currently lives in the states...He laughed at me for what my adventures might hold, especially not speaking German. I know i'll be ok, though, I know that this language barrier will not be as big of a deal as he probably thought. I also sat across from a very cute german guy who was traveling with (i assume) his grandparents...he was a total doll!
Anyway...Bryn and Carolyn picked me up from the Stuttgart airport around 9 am this morning. we went back to the apartment ( which is HUGE! for Europe!) and kind of settled in and unpacked and freshened up before going to dinner at Faviano's, an Italian "cafeteria" type place where you choose what you want to eat from a menu (in english!) and then watch the line chefs cook it right in front of you! We enjoyed a lesiurely meal and then walked around downtown Stuttgart checking out the tons of cute little shops...went to a HUGE indoor farmer's market type place with lots of different vendors. I was so tired after though! We went back to the apartment and I absolutely CRASHED for about 4 hours...I set my alarm, but didn't even hear it go off! Woke up around 5:15 to the sound of Nate, Bryn's man, who is fabulous, btw, singing downstairs haha... later, the four of us, (Me, Bryn, Carolyn, and Nate) went out to dinner at a local bier garten here in Echerdingin and stayed for almost four hours!!

PICS TO FOLLOW!!

i don't know why nothing was posted under my last post...?

2010-09-30T18:50:00.001-07:00

tuesday isn't that far away

2010-09-30T18:38:00.001-07:00

2010-08-30T18:33:00.000-07:00

So I've been pricing tickets.
And what I want to know is, why the hell is it cheaper to buy a round-trip ticket than it is to buy a one-way?
Regardless, it does make my life a little easier to know that I have a return date.
And my dad wants me to come home for Christmas, which I didn't think I'd be able to afford...but now I think I might be able to swing it!
Probable purchase date:

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8TH

Ahhh, Germany, I can hear you calling my name
every.
single.
day.
And you're sounding pretty sweet!!

Drive. Incubus.

2010-08-17T17:24:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, I feel the fear of uncertainty stinging clear
And I can't help but ask myself how much I let the fear
Take the wheel and steer
It's driven me before
And it seems to have a vague, haunting mass appeal
But lately I'm beginning to find that I
Should be the one behind the wheel

Whatever tomorrow brings, I'll be there
With open arms and open eyes yeah

Whatever tomorrow brings, I'll be there
I'll be there

So if I decide to waiver my chance to be one of the hive
Will I choose water over wine and hold my own and drive?
It's driven me before
And it seems to be the way that everyone else gets around
But lately I'm beginning to find that
When I drive myself my light is found

Whatever tomorrow brings, I'll be there
With open arms and open eyes yeah

Whatever tomorrow brings, I'll be there
I'll be there

Would you choose water over wine
Hold the wheel and drive

Whatever tomorrow brings, I'll be there
With open arms and open eyes yeah

Whatever tomorrow brings, I'll be there
I'll be there

(its opener there in the wide open air)

2010-08-16T18:11:00.000-07:00

I sit here, in the same chair where I last wrote a post on the lovely years, what seems like ages ago. At this time last year, I was embarking on a journey that took me nowhere and everywhere, too. It took me into an in-between-place, a place between childhood and adulthood. I had decided take a semester off. And then, in December, I decided to take another semester yet. And now, August 2010, I choose to take yet another, third semester off. What will I do with my life?

I have no idea.

Who am I?

I have a vague idea. I know who I want to be, I know who I was, but I'm not 100% sure I know who I am. However, I'm not 100% sure anyone ever knows exactly who they are. Perhaps I just am.

Well folks, I want to figure it out!

I'm moving to Germany.

I don't have an exact depature date yet.

But then, I don't have a return date either!

This is the tentative plan, for now:

Leave Arkansas (I'm thinking mid September). Travel halfway across the world. Join Bryn and Carolyn in a little village outside of Stuttgart. Get a job on the American Military base in Stuttgart. Begin to learn German. Practice French, in France. Traipse around Europe with Bryn. I'm talking hostels, backpacks, and trains here! Oh, and I'd like to...

find myself

because truthfully, I'm a little lost.

And I can't think of anywhere else I might likely be, other than Europe.

So pray for me.
Send light and love my way when you think of me.
And read my blog, if you'd like to know more about my adventures in the wild wide world.

(its opener there in the wide opener air)