Zootopia

Marty and I always mention how slowly lines move in Germany.  And also how completely unbothered workers in Germany are about the long the lines of customers they have waiting in front of them.  When they are face to face with you, YOU are the only thing that matters.  Which, in a way, is nice.  You have waited your turn and you are entitled to take your time and get your questions answered.   This happens in any type of industry.  We have seen it in restaurants, grocery stores, electronic stores, train stations, really anything where there can be a line of customers and only a few workers.  The workers do not acknowledge you.  I have yet to have ANYONE look at me and say "I'll be right with you"  The Germans do not waste their words.  I can just imagine them thinking "Why would I waste my words or energy telling someone I'll be right with them.  That is an obvious fact" And why would any German waste their time with these niceties.
Today we went to one of the main Duetsche Bahn  stations (train station) to ask about a special deal they are running through tomorrow.  Apparently they have these DB discount cards and you buy one for the year - normally for 62 Euro- and then you get 25% off any train bookings in the future for an entire year.  But because of a special promotion the 62 Euro price has been reduced to 25 Euro.  So we thought if Marty and I each get one of these cards (kids ride free) it would save us substantial money on future train travel.  So to make sure we weren't missing anything we decide to do this in person rather than online.  We get in line behind probably 20 other people, likely doing the same thing.  There are 3, very grumpy, DB workers behind the counter.  Not one of them is bothered by the line of people that has now grown to at least 30 people total.  Each teller takes their ever loving time.   We over hear one teller tell a customer who does not speak much German, "Well, I can't look at your nose and tell you how to answer that, you will have to tell me"  So bitchy!!
There was another customer ahead of us who had some kind of voucher.  The customer likely had waited 30-45 minutes and when finally up to the counter the DB worker tells her that her voucher is only valid when booking online.  The customer laments to the teller that she has been waiting in line for a very long time and would just like to redeem her certificate.  The teller then proceeds, in a very arrogant way, to say to the customer, "well, it is not my fault.  What? Am I supposed to look in people's pockets and see why they are in line and warn them to get out" In other word, - your problem not mine!!  So SO bitchy!
We finally get to the front of the line and are called over by the only male worker currently in the DB.   We have noticed him while standing in line and he is V.E.R.Y slow.  Even just watching him fold the tickets for the customers was painful.  Not one care in the world.  No matter that there are 30+ people in line waiting, this guy was going to take as much time as he wanted.  So, we get slowpoke.  But, he really couldn't have been nicer.  Marty asks his questions regarding the DB 25% off cards.  We feel like there are so many unknowns with the transportation here and everyone tells you a different piece of information and unless you go to the source you are never quite sure of how things really work.
Then we ask about booking trains for the weekend to Prague.  He lights up and somehow goes EVEN SLOWER.  He starts looking up trains and connections.  I already knew the times trains leave Berlin and the times trains leave Prague.  I knew the prices.  All we needed was to book them with our newly purchased 25% off Bahn cards.  He asks when we want to leave?  I tell him the time.  He confirms.  When do we want to leave Prague back for Berlin?  I tell him.  He confirms.  Then confirms price.  Then before he books Marty asks some random question about the fast (ICE) trains.  The guy goes off on some long winded, slowly delivered explanation.  UGH!!  I wanted to kick Marty.  Why ask this guy for anymore than what we need.  He is as slow as molasses.   No joke.  Then right as he is about the print out our Prague tickets a mail courier comes with a package.  He slllooowwwlly picks it up and squints.  Then slowly laughs and says he can't read it without his glasses.  He turns his swivel chair around and spends 3 minutes looking for his glasses and another 2 trying to read it. Then reads it and puts in on the back counter.  And... back to us.  Now, let's print those tickets.  At this point as I sense the transaction is nearing the end I head outside to wait with this kids who have been so unbelievably patient.  Once outside the kids and I wait for at least another 10 minutes.  I have NO idea what could have possibly taken him this long.  But Marty emerges with 4 round trip tickets to Prague (yay!) and tells me that the DB guy immediately put up a "This counter is closed" sign in front of his window as soon as Marty was done.  Phew!  Just too much for that guy.   Such a long process for what should have taken 5 minutes.  There was something about the whole interaction that reminded me of the sloth scene in Zootopia!!  

 After the DB station the kids and I headed to the zoo. With the time change Marty has to be back before 1:30 to do his radio show.  For this next week we are only 8 hours ahead of Seattle instead of 9.   It was a gorgeous fall day.  But, quite cold with the wind blowing.  It was the first time since arriving when I have actually been cold to the bone.  I didn't dress with enough layers as it looked so sunny and in the sun it was pleasant but the minute you were in the shade and then plus the wind it was downright, bitingly cold.  More layers next time!!
The kids spent most of their time at the playground and the could not have been cuter together. 

They laughed and laughed and played together so well.  Then they walked through the zoo hand in hand 💗 It is at times like these when all of their fighting and bickering seems miles away.  Then we all decide to head to the Aquarium, which made me very thankful because it was inside and heated and I was able to thaw out a bit.  Fun and productive first day of Fall Vacation. 

Our Alternate Universe

We often feel like we are living in an alternate universe here.  So many times things happen here and if these same things were to happen in Seattle we would react to them differently.  Actually that is not true.  All we do here is "react" to things we didn't know were going to happen or are currently happening.  In Seattle we would prepare.  Prepare may be too strong of a word, too.  Anyway, what I'm trying to say is we had NO idea that the clocks were about to "fall back" on Saturday night/Sunday morning.  We all went to bed a bit later than normal but all slept in until 8AM.  It wasn't until partway through the day that I noticed that my phone clock didn't match with the microwave and wall clocks in the house.  I asked Marty if he knew if the time "fell back." He didn't know either.  We had to look it up. Which means we actually slept until 9AM (old time)   In Seattle I would never, ever have not known this fact.
There was another huge storm here on Sunday.  It was very windy.  Marty and I went for a long walk without the kids.  It rained, there were branches down everywhere but it didn't seem as bad as the hurricane from about a month ago.  Apparently north central Germany was the focus of another huge storm.  Public transportation was shut down in parts of the city and 5 people died because of this storm.  I didn't even know it was a storm of this magnitude until a friend here in Berlin "checked in safe" from Storm Hewart. It is just crazy to feel like we are two educated people and feel so completely clueless to what is going on around us.  We don't watch the news nor read it.  Not that I could as it is all in German and who has time to watch the news but it is just strange to not know even just the basics.
The kids have the entire week off for "fall vacation"  I didn't find out until late in the day today that tomorrow is a national holiday (Reformation Day)  Normally, in Seattle, a national holiday like Verteran's day or Memorial Day wouldn't affect me if it weren't for the kids being out of school that day and the post offices being closed.  I can't think of any other way those type of national holiday affect me in my personal life.  It is completely different here in Berlin as every store is closed for these types of holidays.  And the only stores that affect me really are the grocery stores.  Sundays all the stores are closed and so we were a bit low on food but I wouldn't have bought enough for 2 days had Marty not sent me a message reminding me that all stores would be closed tomorrow.  Again, I think of refugees or immigrants who appear not so smart because "how could they not know about x,y,and z"  Well, we are here to tell you that when you move to a new country you just really don't know about these things because you are too busy and tired from just trying to figure out all the new systems and customs and language.  #learningsomuch  #changingeveryday

Play Dates and Dinner with Friends

On Friday Benjamin's friend Clayton, the one he digs in the sand with, came over after school to play and Benjamin was in heaven.  I have not seen him this excited for a very long time.  He wanted to show Clayton everything.  They started out with the prized screen time but that didn't even last that long and on his own he was off showing Clayton all over the house.  They ate lunch and played games and share a lot of laughs.  It was fun to see him excited about a friend which he really hasn't been since arriving in Germany.

A couple of hours later Josie arrives with 2 friends from school.  I made popcorn and they all sat around and ate and talked and laughed.  Having a bunch of kids over, enjoying popcorn and having fun is something that was a very common occurrence in Seattle and I hadn't realized I was missing it until it was happening again.

The sun came out and so Benjamin and I and Clayton, his brother and his mom all headed to the nearby park and flew the kite and the boys ran around crazy.  Benjamin has been really needing that boy energy release.  He is so often surrounded by Josie and her friends that he doesn't get to be rough and tumble as much as I know he would like and need.

We also had some fun friends over for dinner on Saturday night.  Thanks for making the trek, Bridget, Luke, Elia and Tesh!! We realized that it was our first dinner guests (apart from friends visiting from the US or family) and it felt good to feel a bit more at home here.  We knew the month between when Marty left for Seattle (September 29th) and Halloween would be nuts.  Marty was gone for the first week of Oct.  I was in Madrid for 4 days, then we had the House Hunters International filming, throw in a broken washing machine for 10 days and Spooktacular and we were literally and utterly drained both mentally and physically.
We didn't even realize it last night was the "fall back" here in Germany so we got an extra hour of sleep.  And the kids have this entire week off for Fall Vacation.  Just in time for all of us to take a little break.
Weeks ago I had mentioned to Marty that he should take this Friday off and we should go somewhere for a long weekend.  I found an 8 hour train trip to Paris for about the price of going from Seattle to Portland and then there were 50€ per person, one way flights from Paris to Berlin on Sunday.  So cheap for a weekend in Paris but he said he didn't want to take another day off of work since he had just spent the four days doing the HHI stuff.  Just a few days ago he said that now he actually has Friday off but of course, now the prices are over double.  But we may end up going to Prague for the weekend.  It is only a 4 hour train trip and cheap by train and to stay right in the center.  Weather looks to be good, too.  But... the whole waiting to the last minute to plan a trip is not going to work for me.  There are waaaayyy too many good deals on airfare.  I've already looked ahead and for all of us to fly to Athens on the Friday before MLK Jr. Day (Marty and the kids get the Monday off) and fly home on MLK day is only 200€ total for all of us.  Crazy.  There were similar prices to Naples, Italy and Lisbon, Portugal and Sevilla, Spain... My mouth waters just thinking of all the of the long weekend trips we can hopefully plan and take while living this close to so many cool places.  Stay tuned....

House Hunters International - Photos

We recently received a few more photos from our time with the House Hunters International Crew: 

Push Pull

Ever since arriving I feel like I am always pushing when I should be pulling.  This can definitely be a metaphor for all of life here but now I'm referring specifically to the doors.  I swear they are all opposite of how they would be in the U.S.  9.5 times out of 10 I push when I should pull or vice versa.
After Benjamin's first few days at school he pointed out that the green labels

are "push" and the red ones are [stop] and pull.  Ever since he told me this I swear it has become a bit easier.
It is interesting because I told myself that I should just learn the two words in German for Push and Pull since they are generally on the doors but then I thought that I probably wouldn't stop and read it even if I knew the word.  Well, I was proven wrong when I was in Spain.  Even if I just saw a part of the word or even just a letter or two I knew if I needed to push (empujar) or pull (tirar)  I never pushed when I should have pulled in Spain.
Speaking of Spain and now that I've been back in Germany a couple of weeks I realized that my really turbulent couple of days shortly after returning were in part because I was able to be myself in Spain in a way that I'm not able to do here.  I was able to talk to anyone and ask directions, talk to wait staff in a restaurant, talk to the person working in a train station and even do a return transaction. 

I was able to laugh, make small talk and joke and most certainly be me in a way that I can't here and coming back to Germany highlighted how much of myself that I'm not able to embrace here while I'm out in public.  I also noticed that my personality is so much more in line with the culture in Spain than it is in Germany.  I'm loud, I'm affectionate, I'm friendly and smiley for the most part.  All of these things I saw on the streets in Madrid and I do not see them here in Berlin.  I reminded Marty that when we very first talked about our dream to move to Europe for a year it was supposed to be 6 months (the warmer ones) in Berlin and 6 months in Spain.  This was before kids or before they were of school age.  Clearly that plan wouldn't work with kids in school but sometimes I do wonder how this whole experience would be for me if we were living in a country where I could speak the language and surrounded by a culture that was more in line with who I innately am as a person.

Spooktacular

Josie and her friends and Benjamin the Knight

Spooktacular is a huge, all school, Halloween party/festival that takes place every other year.  It has been an enormous source of emails, flyers home and especially excitement from both kids for weeks. 
Yesterday was the day!  The kids dressed up and we all walked down to school with Aurora, Nils and their dad.  We had purchased 5€ tickets weeks in advance so we were all set.  We arrive at school shortly after the gates opened at 5PM and the school already seemed packed. 

Upon entering each student was handed a Halloween goody bag with several pieces of candy and other treats inside.  Josie immediately runs into several of her friends.  She has gone through some ups and downs regarding friendships here.  She seems to have always had a friend or two, even from the first day when she met the other Josephine, but lately we have been wondering if she is enjoying her friendships here.  She has talked about Elliott more the past few weeks and I know she is missing her good friends from Seattle.  However, in the past few days and certainly last night, I saw her silly side come out with her friends and it made me super happy.  She was surrounded by her friends the entire event and was in her happy, social element the entire evening flitting from friend to friend.  It is interesting all that I worry about here with each child!! 
But back to Spooktacular, they had little events strewn throughout the entire campus.  Nearly the entire event was held outside.  Thankfully, it was a beautiful, Fall evening.  There was no rain and it was even a bit warm.  Josie quickly broke off and ran around with her friends the entire evening.  Benjamin had made plans to meet up with his buddy, Clayton.  Apparently, they told each other that they would meet at the sand pit at the beginning of Spooktacular (😆) Unfortunately, the event didn't include the back sand pit area and we were never able to find his friend during the event.  Like I said, it was packed!! 
Benjamin and I went together to all of the little booths.

Benjamin having his palm read by
a high school volunteer

There was bowling and ring toss and palm reading and then there was "Frankenstein's Lab" -  a small play put on by high school students.  I've said this to Marty several times but there is something really cool about having kindergarteners through high school seniors on the same campus.  I think there is something really important about that cross generational/all ages intermixing that you don't see at an average US school. 

half way through the night
Benjamin realize his costume
was on inside out!!

The older kids need to be patient, holding the bike gate for younger bikers and the younger kids somehow are held to a higher standard with older kids around.  It is pretty cool.  The school is 1700+ students in grades K-12 , so pretty huge.  Events like Spooktacular are particularly interesting because there were SO many high school volunteers helping with each station and helping younger students through the various events. 
Inside the cafeteria was a bake sale where you chose and paid for  a small, medium or large (1, 2 or 3 €) paper plate and then walked through and filled up your plate on various donated baked goods.  It was a cool way of doing it however, all my kids ate for the entire night was a bunch of cake, cookies and cupcakes.. 'tis the season, I suppose. 

About an hour or so into the event everyone crowded around a performer who was a flame eater and flame thrower (?!?!?!?)  Seriously!  It was nuts.  My first thought was there was NO way this would fly in a Seattle school. 
The performer even dropped his flamed item a couple of times.  haha!! Benjamin was in complete awe!!  No one was hurt and he put on a pretty good show. 
The kids had a great time and on the walk home we felt just a few rain drops... perfect timing. 

Ode to My New Washing Machine

Oh, Washing Machine, Oh, Washing Machine

See that 2:57..that is
2 hours and 57 minutes to
run a load.  Crazy. 

How happy we are to have you.... that's all I've got as far as an ode.. but I'm overflowing with happiness to finally have a machine down in the cellar and clean clothes, towels and sheets again.

It is strange though.  The default cycle is just the basic cycle and it takes THREE hours to run a load.  Isn't that kind of crazy??  There is a couple quicker options but that most of the cycles are at least 2 hours.  Most are three.  Are the clothes really getting that much cleaner?  Not complaining. Not complaining.  I love my new machine!!

Late Birds

School this year has been significantly easier than what each of the kids were used to in Seattle, particularly in math.  Benjamin doesn't seem to mind at all and Josie is quite distressed by it and it continues to be her number one complaint about living here.  She fells somehow that she is being left behind by all of her APP/HCC cohort that she separated from to move here. We are trying to figure out how to remedy this.  We brought along the math book that her friends in Seattle are working through this year so we could keep her caught up with a few after school and weekend math sessions per week.  However, completely understandably, she does not want to do extra math in her free time she just wants the math level in school to be correct.  I have to believe that having a lighter load in math has allowed her the mental capacity to be excelling in German the way she is.  Pros and cons to everything I suppose.
Not only is Benjamin's academic school day easier but it is also shorter. 

Grades K-2 only attend school from 8 until 1PM, which feels like early release EVERY day!! (3rd and 4th grade attend until 2PM and grades 5 and above attend until 3PM)  Thankfully we live near school as this would be a total pain to have kids on such different schedules. They do have many after school optional activities.  He is taking chess class on Tuesdays but that doesn't start until 2PM so we still have to go collect him and 1PM and eat lunch or hang out with him until 2PM when his chess class starts. Again, proximity to school and our fairly flexible days (and the fact that the weather has been mild) makes this not all that annoying actually.  On Fridays he plays lacrosse but not until 3PM so he comes home for a couple of hours and then we head back.  They do have a couple of after school care options as well.  Hort is a government subsidized full time, any time school is not in session, child care.  During breaks and conference days and early release, there is always Hort.   This program is for two working parent families and since I'm not working we don't qualify.  I've been told that we could just say we want him in the program so that he can learn the language and they would allow him in. But he doesn't want to give it a try.

There is another program called Late Birds and it is a pay as you go (I think it is 3 or 5 € per hour) and a bunch of his buddies attend this. I keep asking him if he wants to give it a shot (particularly on Tuesdays and/or Fridays to avoid going back and forth to school so often) but he kept saying "no"  Well, last Friday because of the House Hunters filming we needed somewhere for him to go as we just couldn't get back to school by 1PM to pick him up.  And wouldn't you know, he loved it!! 
This week he went on Wednesday... of course he chose Wednesday since it wasn't one of the days he has an after school activity but whatever.  We were all happy about him liking it.  I'm hoping he wants to continue with at least one day a week of Late Birds.

Fall and Halloween

Fall has been very beautiful here in Berlin.  I keep waiting for the COLD weather to kick in and so far it seems quite mild.  I know I will be biting my tongue once it hits and I am cold to the bone.  We all had different fears before we moved here and as dumb as it sounds, the long, dark, cold winters worry me. Apparently people don't ask how long you have lived in Berlin but how many have you wintered here.  Coming from Seattle I have to believe it can't be THAT bad, right??  Berlin is quite a bit north of Seattle, though and even north of London and Paris.  It is even north of Calgary and more in line with Dublin. 

So, yes, it will be colder and darker but just how much is yet to be determined.  I keep wanting to get back out to Schlachtensee and take pictures of the changing fall leaves but just haven't had the time.  The days leading up to our HHI filming were absolutely gorgeous but unfortunately the laundry fiasco took up too much of my time.  Maybe still this week I can get out there.  I fear by next week most if not all of the leaves will be down.  And the forecast looks to be quite cold starting next week.  People here say that it is "cold" pretty much from November until March. 

Today though, I was too warm in my coat and just wore a sweater.  Every day I'm not freezing I consider it a win. 


I thought I would escape Halloween by being out of the US but I guess they celebrate it here too. I have to say Halloween is the worst holiday for us non-creative moms.  I am the least creative when it comes to Halloween costumes and it kills me to spend a bunch of money on something that they will wear once, maybe twice. 

In Seattle, Josie normally just looks at  Amazon.com and we order one of the lesser expensive, all inclusive options... because if it isn't in the package there is probably no way I'll be able to make it.  And the times I've tried it has taken so much time and cost me more and it has never looked good in the end.  So today Josie and I head out to find something for her to wear as a costume. The kids plan to go trick or treating on the 31st but there is also a huge school party tomorrow evening called Spooktacular that only happens every other year. 
Thankfully in our rental house there is a dress up box.  Benjamin has found a Knight costume that he said he could wear.  This is pretty much what happened in Seattle too.  He would just find something in the dress up box- most of which were hand me downs from friends and he is happy as a clam, or superman or Mario or whatever costume strikes his fancy the day before Halloween.  Josie is quite different and cares a lot more.  She didn't have school yesterday or today because of school conferences so we hopped on the bus and headed into town.  I suggested she be a cat.  For those of you that don't know, kids who dress up in a cat costume have really non creative moms. 

She has been a cat many times in the past back before she really cared.  All you have to do is have black leggings, black shirt, black boots (all of which she has) then buy simple black ears attached to a headband that you can buy anywhere and then draw a black nose and whiskers on her face.  Viola!  Cat costume.  At first she really balked at the idea of a cat.  So we went searching.  Big problem, there aren't Targets here.  Where else does one search for a costume.  I don't know how to say "costume" we don't even know what we are looking for and to remind you, I'm not creative so if it isn't an all inclusive package we are in trouble.
After a few different stops on the bus and a few different stores she gives in and says "OK, I'll be a cat"  Phew!! Now just to find the cat ears and tail.  Normally these come together and are quite easy to find.  Nope!  Not here.  We searched everywhere!!  There were devil horns everywhere but not cat ears.  Then she says she thinks she can make cat ears out of a few of the items we have seen throughout our search.  We buy all the supplies (all for under 8 €) and she gets to work.  Her friend Aurora helps out. 

After a few hours she has ears and a tail and looks fabulous and feels proud of herself for making her own costume.  I told her that if her Aunt Liz were here she would have an amazing costume as Liz is one of the most creative and talented people I know.  I felt pretty defeated during our search.  I hate Halloween in Seattle when I know where and how to buy a costume even if they are never very good but today I was sad that I'm not more creative and frustrated by how hard things like this seem to be here.  But SO so proud of Josie for just doing it herself and coming up with a great costume.  The good thing is apparently black cats are not common here at all so hopefully she won't be one of a dozen as she was in the US. Meow!!   Josie the black cat. 

Seven and a Half

Benjamin's half birthday was yesterday, Monday, October 23rd.  He is now officially closer to 8 than 7.  Crazy how quickly time passes.
He requested Indian Food for his half birthday (no surprise) and so we all hopped on a bus- we actually ran and nearly missed the bus and then hopped on it.  Running and nearly missing the bus seems to be our thing.  Actually, side note, when we were doing the House Hunters International filming one of the scenes was at the S-bahn station.  We all got up to the platform and the producer and camera guy were discussing the shoot and a train came and we all got really antsy.  When a train comes you get on it, you don't stand around and talk about your video shoot!! So, anyway, we all pile on the bus and made the connection with one minute to spare.  We felt so successful.

Benjamin and Josie are into ordering for themselves.  Benjamin clearly said "kleine Coke" (small coke) but somehow they brought him a grosse coke (big coke)  he claimed it was his half birthday treat.   He devoured the chicken Tikka Masala as he always does and even Josie enjoyed it!

He has adjusted very well to school and life here. He is, without a doubt, my more difficult child.  He is opinionated and strong willed. Transitions have always been hard for him but Marty and I both talk about how easily and quite happily he goes to school each day.  He has made a few solid friends and asks for play dates often.  Now that the HHI is over we have time.  The boy he likes to dig in the sand with is coming over on Friday.  Yay! And I met his mom at the fun run and really liked her.  I really love it when my kids become friends with kids who have cool moms.  Bonus!

This is the note that came home with Benjamin
a few weeks ago requesting we set up a time to play
with his friend "that digs in the sand with me"

On Wednesdays and Fridays he has Sport (P.E.) first thing in the morning.  So we drop him off and he goes into his classroom and drops off his backpack and picks up his Sport clothes and then heads right past us again with all of his little buddies. 

Benjamin and his buddies heading to Sport

 He really is happy here (or at least it seems) which makes me quite happy.  He says the number one thing he misses from Seattle is his best buddy Callum.  The two have skyped and xbox Minecrafted together but I think he hasn't found another friend quite like Callum.
Here's to another 6 months of being seven.... We love you Benjamin Fritz!!

Also, Oma sent Benjamin his own letter (most of the mail is for Josie, especially since she just had a birthday) so he was quite thrilled to get his very own letter in the mail. He read it aloud (proudly) to me.  Thank you, Oma!!

Our "Thing"

So apparently, we can talk about our "thing" we just can't disclose specifics.  Before we left Seattle we applied to be on the hit HGTV show "House Hunters International."  I don't watch much tv of any kind and had only seen the show a couple of times on a flight or two.   So I was a bit unprepared for it all but Marty was all for it.  I honestly was so NOT into it that it caused several fights between us leading up to it.  This really isn't my thing and especially because it was going to take 4 days and 12 hours per day.  But he claimed that this would be cool to include the radio show  in our House Hunters episode since it was such a big part of our move (getting the show to work technically from here) and that it would all just be part of our Berlin Adventure and we would have this amazing time capsule of our move.
Thursday started a four day stint of 12 hours of filming per day.  Without going into too much specific detail we both went through a lot of emotions throughout the process.  Excited, regret but mostly we were just purely exhausted.  In the end it turned out to be a very interesting and intriguing experience.  We had many moments of fun and the crew (producer, camera guy, sound guy and "fixer" -the guy who did everything else) were all super nice and really just enjoyable to be around.  In fact, now that it is over we kind of miss them all. They became like family. 
We don't know when it will air, they say probably 4 to 6 months, but I will definitely keep you all posted.  Marty took some photos during the shoot.  Oh, and I'm feeling much better about everything.  We still don't have a washing machine but a new one is supposed to be delivered on Wednesday.  YAY!!
Here are a few photos: