That's right, folks! The film I(Katrina) always thought was so boring has now become a family favorite. We can just all add it to one of the many ways Graydon has made me a better person. :)
On Thursday I went to my visiting teaching appointment. I met Sister Benitz at our normal location at the train stop, then we both walked up to the Gierschke's apartment. We teach Marion and Melanie there, they are wonderful and we love them. Marion is the one I think we wrote about, who found out we were in Feuerbach and dropped a delicious cake by the apartment a day later. Mellie is a few years younger than me, I think, but I'm not sure and I do love her!
Anyhow, as I was walking with Brigitte up to their apartment, she talked to me about life in general, and I found out her son was struggling a little with his English. I told her I could help, if they would like, and that I had actually been an English tutor in the states! Yesterday she let me know that we could try it after she had talked to her son, and so we've got the first 'appointment' in Christmas break. I'm really excited! It will be just like the good old times. And Graydon's coming with so I won't be too boring. ;)
Graydon also did his home teaching Thursday night, in Vaihingen, which is about an hour away. I talked with my sisters for so long that I walked in the door just a few minutes before Graydon, who had an hour commute to and from Vaihingen! That is just one way I can illustrate how well I love those ladies.
On Friday we piled on the S-Bahn and headed to Esslingen. We asked someone on the train how many regions it was to get there, because Graydon only has a ticket for two regions. It was lucky we asked; Esslingen is a third zone away, so we stopped and bought Graydon another day ticket for the trip. I swear 90% of our money goes to DB and VVB, the train coorporations.
It was cool when we got there. We saw some Elders right off the train (we were actually meeting everyone at a Burger King--the Christmas Market was the institute activity), walked to the Burger King, and bought a little dinner. Graydon picked up the Elders' tab. I wasn't feeling well at all, so I got a kids meal. Which they call just kids menu. No idea. We ate and waited for the rest of the YSAs to show up, and then left for the Christmas Market! We walked over with the sisters, Sister Seidel is actually leaving Wednesday, so I like to spend as much time as I can with her. We both love those wonderful sisters!!! We got separated, though, when we got to the actual market, and stuck with the International Elders and Patrick. It was really fun. I made Graydon buy me some hard candy to suck on (it is next to extinct in Germany), and we walked around. There was a section called "Zwergenland" or midgetland, that was really cool. Every Weihnachtsmarkt has it's own 'theme' and Esslingen's is more of a midevil feel. They had a few games; Crack an egg (like the stacked cans game where you try to knock them down, except for it's just an egg on a log and you throw rocks on it), as well as an ax throwing game and an archery game. The boys were pretty tempted by crack an egg until they saw someone win, and all they got was a lighter. :) There was also a cool little carousel that children could ride in. It was run by a man in 'garb' as mom would call it, pushing handles on the outside to make the wheel spin, and the cars were actually just baskets made of sturdy wood.
There were basket stands, armor stands, period clothing stands, wood stands, whatever-you-could-think-of stands, and candle making stands. There were also a lot of food stands, which didn't help my stomach at all. We five wandered around for a while, then the zone leaders called, so we had to try and explain where the heck we were in the whole market. Just a note: THAT IS IMPOSSIBLE. We were in one of the offshoots. We explained sort-of where we were, then waited, then went back to the main part, and we finally met them there. As well as everyone else! Then we broke off again, and our first group plus the ZLs plus Leor, a french-german from Paris, headed to a stand to buy mugs of Gluehwein--JUST KIDDING!!-- Kinderpunch, as well as the mugs with them. They were very good. We then went back to Zwergenland to show the ZL's, and because Graydon hadn't found the archery part which he wanted to play. We got there just in time for it to close. Bummer. So, we left and went home. I felt so sick all the way home, everyone was afraid I was going to throw up on the train. I looked so terrible Patrick told Graydon he'd better get me home fast, or to a hospital, whichever one came up first. :) It was all good, though, and we got to ride our first Regio-bahn, which has two levels just like the...what's it called?...Frontrunner. It was cool and we were excited to ride on the top floor.
Our Christmas tree is still dying, but slowly, so we're still holding on to the hope that it will still have needles by Christmas. And we're not putting lights on it, grandpa, so don't worry about the fire hazard!!
On Saturday we were mostly lazy, which was nice. We headed out about 3:15 for the ward building, because Enrico told us to meet him there at 4 for costumes. We got there, and waited outside, and guess who came? Gabi!! Unfortunately, she thought it started at 4, and had nothing to do with the planning or set up. She did help us figure out how to ring the bell so we could at least get inside, though. There was a nice man from our ward(I wish I could remember his name!) in the geneology room that let us in and explained that he didn't think the program started until 5:30. Then as Gabi was leaving to visit her sister, the missionaries came. Just as Gabi was pulling out and gone, we found out it started at 5 and tried to tell her. Too late.
After that more people started showing up. As Graydon and I were about to crack out a good game of Canasta, three of the young women showed up and we taught them how to play Skip-Bo! Lacey, I hope you're proud of our spreading this wonderful game around in Germany!! :) We played a round, and just as we were going to start another one Enrico showed up, as well as the Americans who were in charge of set-up. It turns out Graydon and I probably didn't need to come until...oh, I don't know. Maybe 5. But we busied ourselves and helped get things set up. It was all good.
Right before we started eating Sis. Jensen showed up and gave me a doll in a white shawl that was going to be baby Jesus. So I ate with him in my lap, hoping not to get any declicious american foods on him or the shawl. When it was about time for the program, we went up onto the stage and changed into our costumes. It was fun, especially with the five guys that composed the Narrator (Enrico), The three kings (Patrick & two other Young Men), and Joseph(my Graydon). They are goofy. I thought I was just going to be in the manger with the baby Jesus, but I had to walk around pregnant first and then go up to the manger, and then have baby Jesus. Does anyone else see a problem here? :) Enrico said, "Maybe just put the baby under your dress." I tried that, but when I just reached under my dress to get it back out, he said, "Maybe that's a little to graphic for the kids." We ended up tying Graydon's wadded-up sweatshirt on my stomach region, and I walked around that way. I wish you all could have seen the looks we got from the adults (haha) and the children were precious. One little girl looked at me and yelled for me to zip up her coat, so I knelt down and did the job. Precious. When we got up to the stable (composed of a soccer goal with pine branches stuck in the netting), I sat down with Graydon, and we tried (really hard!) to figure out what the heck Enrico was saying, as he was reading Luke 2 in German. We're looking at each other, going "Are we supposed to have the baby yet? Now? Now?" Not a clue. When we heard "Christkind" we decided it was time, and simply pulled the doll out of the manger where Sis. Jensen had planted it. I wasn't looking out onto our audience, but Graydon said all the Germans were laughing. Hahaha. I still don't know if we took the right cue. Everyone else came, though, including two darling little angels in wings, and it went really well. Finally Enrico said it was over and we got up and went back behind the curtains.
It was really fun being Joseph and Mary! Absolutely fantastic!
Yesterday we went to church came home, and I started watching Charly Brown movies while Graydon made me a plate of rice and himself an omlette. Don't think he's starving me, I wanted the rice!! Promise!! He then came in and finished Charly Brown with me, and after that we started watching It's a Wonderful Life on Youtube. It was really nice. We watched until we had to get ready for a choir concert and leave for the church again.
I had the worst headache at the concert and was extremely tired. I fell asleep for parts of it, I think, but I couldn't help it!! It was pretty in spite, but far different than anything we had expected. There was a broadcast of the General Christmas Devotional afterward, but I really needed to be somewhere where I could lay down, so we left. We're going to watch the devotional online tonight for FHE. We went home and layed down, and finished watching the movie. Unfortunately, the headache didn't go away, but then we went to sleep and that helped me a lot. :)
Well, all for now. We love you very much!! Have a great week!
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