Corn-y

Last night in the car I said to Radley, "Man, that corn on my toe really hurts!" and Aiden piped in from the back seat, "Mommy, why you got corn on your toes?????"

Poor Aiden puked at Aunt Jill's tonight. His kindergarten had been shut down a little over a week ago to be disinfected because so many people have been sick. I knew it was just sitting in his little body, incubating...Argh! He got in the car to go home after being sick in the bathroom and growled, "I hate throwing up! Throwing up is stupid!" Yes, baby, it is.

Earlier in the night, Ava was looking out the open window in Jill's dining room and looked down, commented on something forgetting that her nuk was in her mouth and it fell down, down two stories to the grass below. She was all concerned and Aunt Jill suggested that she tell Uncle Ryan to go get it for her and Ava didn't hestitate, yelling, "Wyaaaaaaan!" Hysterical!

In love with a teenage vampire

I just spent the last two weeks of my life obsessed with the impossible and tragic love story of a teen vampire. It all started with Facebook and the constant and passionate mentions of Twilight. My curiousity was piqued, but I was still sane and scoffed at the premise of a girl and vampire falling in love and fighting against all odds to be together...Forever...PUHLEEZE!!!

Then, Radley brought the book home from the library because, though we had never talked about this strange phenomenon occuring amongst the Facebook youth, he too was wondering what all the fuss was about. He just overcame any shame a grown adult would be facing in checking out the book (well, not really--he can check it out to himself from the school library and remain incognito). Anyway, the book sat around for awhile. But eventually, I decided that I would just find out what all the hype was over and read it--at least the first few pages before I got so irritated or embarassed of what I was reading that I tossed it aside...

Now I'm only slightly chagrined to admit this: I read the entire 4-book saga (each one, comparable to the thickness of a Harry Potter novel) with white-knuckled intensity. I rushed through each day so that I could get to the part of the evening where the kids were in bed and I could settle in to read for at least 4 more hours. I literally had to force myself to put the book down at midnight or 1 am. Radley would come up to the room, see my enraptured expressions and chuckle. I didn't care. Let him poke fun! It was the most fun I've had reading in--ever! Even when I was just starting a book, I was already sad knowing it was going to have to end. Anyway, Radley did eventually read the first book when I would let it go, and even he admitted the writing was intense (though he thought the story was "stupid"--Whatever!) So, I was trying to drag out the last book in the saga (though I really couldn't) and was just dreading the idea of the story being over for me. And now, it is. And I'm sad that that experience is over. It was a great escape from the stress I've been immersed in lately. But at least the ending was satisfying and I did feel a sense of closure. So I can move on. With bittersweet memories of my Twilight experience. And if you're laughing at me and/or rolling your eyes at my love of the teenage vampire love story...I dare you to read it and resist the transformation from rational, sensible grown-up to giddy, guilible teenager falling in love with a teenage vampire...

Europe livin'

So when I first moved to Germany, never a day went by that I didn't think in awe to myself, "Wow, I'm living in Europe!" For the first few years. Little things, the half-timber houses, the groups of people volksmarching, the view of a little village in the distance, the street cafes...all tickled me. The more significant differences, like the slower pace of life, the appreciation for family and leisure reflected in the everyday workings of the society, the great work situations we appreciated, made me feel grateful. Though living in Europe has changed my views, beliefs, and perspectives irrevocably, I've slowly lost my awe. I've known it was happening for a while with a certain sadness, akin to losing your innocence. I would realize whenever we had a visitor--especially first-timers--that I recognized their awe and amazement at all the little things that I had begun to take for granted. And I would feel it renewed, but in a more reserved way...

Last night, I went to a small reunion dinner with some old friends at a gasthaus I'd never been to before. It was a crooked half-timber house, with the restaurant on the 3rd tiny floor, run by an old man with his granddaughter as the only server. We had a delicious traditional meal. After a couple hours, a visiting American group that had come after us and was now leaving, commented on how long we were lingering. We explained that that's just how you eat out here; your table is yours for the night and you relax and drink and conversate for hours. They didn't appear convinced. Anyway, when we were finally leaving, the gray-haired owner overheard us commenting on wine and he simply said, "wine cellar" and beckoned for us to follow. He led us down to an amazing collection of premium wines and proudly boasted about the amazing collection he had. He invited us to come back anytime and we could first select the wine we'd like to drink from his cellar before we ate again. He explained that his building was built in 1390 and still retained most of the original wood beams. We talked to him and got to know him and his place and as we were chatting, one of our group leaned in and said, "This would never happen in the States." And I got that thrill I used to get, knowing this was true, and I was so lucky to experience this night on a regular ol' work night 10 minutes from my home. I'm living in Europe!