Family Home Fight.

At least that's what my Dad always called it.

So much for being sneaky.

Why can't I just be free to blog stalk in the comfort of my own living room while the little big man watches Toy Story without being outed by every single "live feed" that I come across! To some of you, live feeds may seem like no big deal. When your blog stalk-ee's blog says they've just received a visit from Provo Utah...psht, no biggie. It could be anyone! But when it says, GERMANY just dropped by with a big fat german flag right next to it...well, how many people do YOU know that live in Germany? It's a dead give away. I have tried to remember which blogs have these evil little contraptions and not to check them TOO often, so as not too seem too anxious in my waiting for another delicious post. Still, they just make my blog life a little more complicated. And who needs that stress in their lives?

Thankful.

I loved this video about being thankful.

While I was driving around today running my errands Hallie and I were listening to Christmas music. For the months of November and December if you are in my car or in my house, you will be forced to listen to the Mariah Carey Christmas album on repeat for two months straight. Anyways, Hallie kept asking me, "What's the name of this song? What about this one?" After I told her the title of Silent Night she asked me, "Why are all the Christmas songs about Jesus?" I always love a good teaching moment, so I told her "Because we have Christmas to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ." She looked thoughtful for a minute, then in a semi jealous tone said, "Jesus has the BEST birthday." Mmmmm hmmmm Hallie, he does. I'm thankful that Jesus has the best birthday.

Just waiting waiting waiting.

I found Hallie laying on the rug by the front door tonight. Matt has been gone to Turkey for a week, and is supposed to be getting home tonight. I asked Hallie what she was doing laying there, she told me "Waiting for Dad." Bless her little heart.

Powell Family gift exchange.

Adult Gift Exchange:

Mom buys for Alicia
Dad- Michael
Lara- Mary
Steve- Daniel
Daniel- David
Alicia- Lara
Sara- Robert
Matt- Rebecca
David- Matt
Rebecca- Elizabeth
Robert- Steve
Mary- Mom
Elizabeth- Dad
Michael- Sara


Grandkids gift exchange:

Max buys for Alex
Jackson buys for Chase
Owen buys for Ben
Olivia buys for Hallie
Hallie buys for Max
Chase buys for Olivia
Alex buys for Jackson
Ben buys for Owen

The limit is 30 dollars for the adults, 10 dollars for the kids! Have fun! We'll exchange gifts on Christmas morning.

Dear Fall/winterish weather,

It seems your chilliness has brought along with it a nasty case of the blues for me. It started out as cozy happy times in my jammies with a warm cup of hot chocolate, and has morphed into torture at the idea of having to put on real clothes and leave my house. Or clean my house for that matter. It doesn't help that my husband/rock/foundation of my life has been gone CONSTANTLY. Because when he's gone, I also feel that I no longer have a reason to shower, put on make up, or eat anything besides diet coke and halloween candy. So Fall/winterish wheather, could you please give me a few warm days to help pull me out of my funk? It would be much appreciated.
Love, Sara
ps- If you could help my husband come home quickly, that would be REALLY great. I don't know how much control you have over that.

Diamonds diamonds everywhere.

We had a friend of ours (who happens to be German) at our house for dinner last night. He has a serious girlfriend that he has been dating for a while, and I eloquently asked, "So, are you going to marry Stephanie?" He looked kind of shocked at my blunt-ness, recovered quickly, and replied with a "yeah, it looks that way." Then came my quick follow up question, "Did you buy her a ring?" The conversation that followed up this question intrigued me. He explained to me that in Germany you buy eachother matching solid bands as wedding rings and it never leaves your finger from that point forward. The female gets no diamond. I sat there and contemplated this idea for little while. The first thing I want to see when any female I know gets engaged is her ring. I want to see if it's pretty and (lets be honest) if I like it better than mine ( I never do). Girls with a smaller diamond sometimes feel the need to justify with "we'll get a bigger diamond when we have more money" while girls with big fat diamonds beam with pride over their rock. A lot of couples start out their marriage thousands of dollars in debt to pay for that bling..... what a way to start out! It's all about the ring in America. We take off our sparkly accessory (some of us) to swim, clean, take a shower, work out, for any reason that might compromise the safety of our little treasure.

As I sat here last night listening to our German Man friend I felt inspired. THAT is what marriage is all about. Simple bands that you wear for your lifetime and never take off. It's taking a commitment from the get go of financial resposibility. It's recognizing the beauty and simplicity of the union of two people, while still symbolizing eternity. Not only that, but it's equal. You start out as equals. The same bands. Not one flashing around a big expensive rock while the other humbly wears his wedding band. Maybe this is where women pick up their sense of "my husband should do everything I want and I should do nothing for him", maybe that's reading a little too far into it. Regaurdless I had a lot to think about last night and was so grateful for our friend and his insight into marriage and the meaning behind giving the woman you love, a ring.

ps- I'm not going to go trade in my sparkly diamond for a band. I love it too much.

Come hang out with us....

Today I made Matt's life miserable yelling "pull over!" so I could take pictures of the world that we live in. Enjoy!



Just a typical German road.

This is the cafe near our house that I LOVE. Best waffles ever. Not waffles, like with syrup. Thick, doughy, sprinkled in powdered sugar, pick it up and eat it with your hands, deliciousness.

The arch I drive under pretty much everyday on my random errand running.

This is the town that we live in.

Every town in Germany has its own Church, this is ours.

And another awesome shot of the German roads.

Ok, so this is not scenery. This is Hallie with "Emma" (formerly known as "Cocoa" when I was 4). It is one of the only things I have saved from my childhood (I'm a compulsive thrower-awayer) and Hallie LOVES her. She did rename her, but I guess I can deal with that. Didn't we all have a Pound Puppy as kids?

Let me tell you, I'm in love with this boy and his bad attitude.


Aaaaaand, just a little fun with macro.

What can I say? The man understands me.

That's why on his trip to Crete last week, he brought me home this!



What girl wouldn't want her hubby to supply her with over 2 pounds of Greek Feta? That's love.

Dear Santa,

Dear Santa,
I've been a REEEALLY good girl this year. I would really like a pair of THESE in purple. They will last me for the rest of my life and I will wear them around my freezing cold house AND out on dates with my hubby. Come on Santa, you owe me one.
Love, Sara
ps-I wear a size 8.
pps- The website says you should go up one size for them to fit right.

Happy Anniversary!

One year ago today we were sleeping our day away on our very first day in Germany. I don't think I've ever been quite so tired in my life as I was that first day. Everything looked so strange. The guesthouse we were in had a weird little sink in the kitchen and the equivelent to a mini-fridge in america. The shower was weird, the beds were weird, the tub was weird, the floors were REALLY weird, the washer and dryer were ridiculous and SMALL. It smelled different than America, is that weird to say? I sat in awe on our drive from the airport at the beauty all around us and couldn't wait to go exploring through the darling little towns and villages we drove through. Everything was old and brick and charming. I felt like I had just stepped into an old book. I was looking at Germany with fresh eyes and excitement about what was to come for our little family.

In this past year it has all become so normal. My mini sink and mini fridge are just a way of life, I'm used to it. The brick, I couldn't imagine life without it. I could absolutely do without the spiders, but you take the good with the bad. The idea of going to America where there is a store open after 6pm is so exciting and strange to me. I do still have my "holy crap" moments, usually when I'm driving, when it hits me that I....Sara Powell Horrocks....live in Germany. In GERMANY! And I have to do a quick head shake to come back to reality. (it's always a good idea to be in reality when you're driving). I love when people first move here, or come to visit us, and I get to see it all again through their "fresh eyes". I get to see their jaws drop, or point in awe at the brick arch that I drive under every day. I makes me feel so proud of this beautiful, charming place that I live in.

Our move here has brought opportunities for us that I could never have imagined. We've seen Austria, France, Belgium, Holland, the Czech Republic, Greece, Germany, and Matt has seen many more that. And it has only been 1 year! I can't wait to see what the next 2 1/2 will bring. I am so grateful for our exciting adventure and can't wait for more friends and family to come out here and appreciate what I thank my lucky stars for everyday.

However, I do miss a nice BIG burning diet coke from Carls Jr (they have the best ones you know).