PSP

After a quick trip to Atlanta, Denver, Minneapolis, and Kansas City, I ended four days of travel in Palm Springs, CA. It was a beautiful night last night, and we were all excited to be out of the snow. This is us at the airport, which, I might add, is outdoors.

This is the foyer of the hotel we stayed in. Mind you, we were only there for a TOTAL of 11 hours, so we didn't see much, but it was fun none-the-less.

The View from my window at work. . . .

Sometimes there are some breathtaking sights out the window where I work. Here are a couple traipsing back from Seattle, and then taken this morning on a trip back from Denver.


And sometimes there are great shots from my hotel rooms. This is in Washington DC about a week ago.

A Visit to Seattle

For those of you who aren't aware, I'm going to be an auntie for the first time come May! I got a chance to go meet my newest little family member after my trip to Manchester. This is not the best picture, but I have to put it up here, 'cause I'm a proud auntie! And the baby actually moved for me so I could see and feel it! "Her" name is Coco for now....And this is me Coco. I've already decided I need to set a budget for myself or I'm going to spoil Coco rotten!
And, the beautiful mama, of course. We had a fun visit. Just too short.

Manchester, NH

I added another state to my repertoire! This is the view from my hotel window in Manchester, NH. Notice the church steeples. More of them to come. . . . So, I actually got "stranded" here for an extra night, thereby allowing more time to explore the city. I was pleased, since it was very fun to traipse around.
This is looking up main street there. Love the lampposts.
Now, here are two of the curches we saw, both on a corner. One was catholic and one was episcopal.
This is the catholic one from the side.
And the episcopal
Then looking towards the front of the catholic. These churches were some of MANY that we saw.
These are the two ladies I got "stranded" with, and we kept each other company for the afternoon. THEN, we happened upon this little diner. . . .

. . . .which happens to be famous. . . .
. . .and we stopped in and had a drink. . . .
. . . .and some dinner. Those sweet potato french fries you see were pretty scrumptious!

On the Street Where I Live

Some of you might wonder what it looks like where I live. Well, here's the street walking towards my house. It's about 2 blocks away on the right. Here's a view of my driveway.
And a view of the corridor heading up to my front door.
And a view out my back door where I go out to do my laundry (underneath the 2nd set of stairs).And if you ever go out the back door, you'd walk this way to reach the street.

Happy V-day!

My mom has friends everywhere! I just got a delivery from one of them!
I spent my eveing with some friends from my Bible study at a restaurant near here. This is Christine and Kim.
And us girls again, with Beth on the end.
This is Claire and Taylor. Claire is my small group leader, and Taylor is the pastor's wife.
And this is the pastor, Justin, and James. James introduced Taylor and Justin.

Two Weeks Vacation!!!!

It was incredible to be able to go back to Germany on vacation for the last two weeks. The highlight: sleeping in the same bed for 13 nights in a row, which I haven't done since March. That's a long time!
And what would a little visit there be without sharing some highlights with you?! First of all, I'll share some German culture. . .just to set the mood. This is the local bakery in the grocery store. Every day such wonderful delights can be had there. You have to be careful if you're a bread addict, like I am!

And then there's the "meat and cheese" deli counter. Germans eat coldcuts, bread and cheese twice a day, so this is a very important part of their shopping experience.
And now a little walk through town. . .
Marktplatz in Kandern on market day. You can't seem to find views like this in San Francisco?!!Looking down into Kandern as you enter town from my mom and dad's village.
Another street closer to the school. My Aunt and Uncle, Sandee and Tim, live on this street.
One of the views from the "hill" mom and dad live on.
Some snow drops in mom's garden.
And some crocusses (sp?). It was beautiful while I was there, and this in the beginning of February!
This is mom and dad's street in Riedlingen. Their house is the one with the "tower" and the white station wagon in front.
Sunset from mom and dad's back yard.
This is looking towards the hill mom and dad live on from the other side of their village, as seen from my cousin's house.
Now, for the good stuff! One of the reasons I chose to go there when I did is that mom celebrated her birthday! For mom's birthday, we met dad at the Kabop house in Kandern for lunch. Dad was happy to be eating one of his favorite things, can't you tell?!!
Then we spent the evening with Shumans and Schmidts celebrating with mom.
Our host and hostess for the evening. Cathy and Jonathan have been a part of our lives for a long time. Mom used to take care of Jonathan when he was a baby, and Cathy was one of the teachers at the elementary school our very first year in Germany.
And mom's sister and bro-in-law, Sandee and Tim. Don't ya' just LOVE maditory family pics?!!

Now, I was happy to be there, but I'm not sure about the rest of the people in this picture!
My cousin, Ty, and I. He LOVED taking this picture, can't you tell?!!
And what's a birthday celebration without GREAT dessert? THANKS, SANDEE!
When mom got home that afternoon, this bouquet of tulips was waiting for her when she got to the apartment. Someone had "snuck" them in while she was away as a surprise for her birthday! They were beautiful!

Then there was the best part of visiting: seeing old friends and making new ones! One of the girls I used to take care of in the dorm at Wittlingen is now on staff (as of Christmas time) at BFA. Alyssa had an open house to celebrate God's faithfulness in getting her to BFA.
This is my friend, Carmen, and her family. Carmen and I were in 5th grade together and continued to be classmates until we graduated. Now she and her husband live and work in Germany with their kids.
And just the two of us for old time's sake.

Sometimes the best pictures are "arm self portraits", even if it's not quite centered. My good friend, Gail, and I. We were RA's together when we first started, and she has since stayed on staff as a librarian.
And this is my "Bwoss", Susie. I learned a lot from her while working under her for 2 years at the BFA high school front office. I don't think I could have been as good of a flight attendant without observing her working with people.
A stroll through town, and I met my good friends, Les and Elva. They were hosted by my parents when they first came to Germany, and then I lived with Elva's parents when I moved back to Three Hills.
One joy was getting to interact with Hannah Tebbe, mom's little friend. I think she's one of the reasons God waited to give mom grandbabies for a while.

Hannah is VERY ticklish, so this smile is seen often during the process of tickling!
You wanna' carry my pinecone?

Hannah LOVES "Dodo". I think its pretty mutual.
Teaching Hannah the trick of eating a pretzel from another person's mouth. She wasn't real sure at first.
Look at those LONG eyelashes! She's a little charmer, that's for sure.

This was a night I spent with some old friends. I used to babysit all these kids, and we've all "grown up" at BFA together. And I've worked with both of their dad's in some way, shape, or form.
Sometimes its not the quality of the picture, but the smiles that are on it!
And another one. Still figuring out how to use the digital camera correctly.
This was another evening where I got to visit with some other friends, but most importantly. . . .
. . . chat with their new son, Jonathan. He's a cutie!

I'm pretty sure he has his daddy wrapped around his little finger! After all, who can resist?

And just because He loves me, God sent me off from Frankfurt with a beautiful sunset goodbye, and a first class seat for the first time. This is backing up from the gate.
And from the air. . . .
. . .and I think this one could win a prize or something. Good job, God!

So, that's the end of my two week vacation. And fun was had by all!