It's Starting to Look Like Christmas

With Thanksgiving being so late in the month this year it only seemed fitting to follow the general American tradition of putting up our Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving. The problem here is that we don't have a car.  In addition to the fact that a lot of Germans don't put their tree up until much closer to Christmas.  Marty's family put it up on Christmas Eve!  A lot of Germans here still do that.  We didn't want to borrow a car but thought if any of our friends were getting trees they could just throw ours on top too.  But no one was getting their trees any time soon.  Marty and I went on a long chilly walk. We saw a few Christmas tree lots and looked around.  They all offer delivery but at a premium.  There were some online places as well that delivered.  And there was some that you could buy, living in a pot and then replant once the holiday is over but they all come with the disclaimer that there was no guarantee that the tree would live once planted outdoors... so what was the point.

We found a place - about a 15-20 minute bike ride away that had online sales and free delivery but how would we know what we were getting unless we went to the place to check it out first.  We were heading to the place and had only rode a few blocks from our house when we noticed a little, corner flower shop was selling trees.  We stopped, got off our bikes and walked in to check them out.  They had just been delivered from the farm the day before.  None of them were unwrapped so it was hard to tell what they looked like but since it was so close to home we knew we could get it home on our bikes.  Their trees were far cheaper than the lots specifically set up for the season and at 35 Euro for a 2 meter (6 foot 5) it seemed a great deal.  They were so nice they even gave us 5 Euro off for being their first Christmas tree purchase of the season. 

Marty and I walked back with the tree resting lengthwise on his bike.  And BOOM!  Christmas tree is already up. I'm definitely missing all of our special ornaments that we have collected over the years and all of the other holiday decorations but it isn't so bad for just a box of lights and a bucket of red decorative balls.
Mogli cannot quite figure out why in the world we have set up a live tree in our living room.  He drinks the water from the tree stand now more than his own.  I'm just hoping he doesn't decide to pee on it!!

And I started my new book from my friend, Kelli, over the holiday weekend.  What a TREAT to have a brand new book that is actually mine. 

Our friend, Juli, sent me this picture when I told her we wanted to get a Christmas tree.  She said, "do NOT show this to Marty or this will be you this afternoon"  She was nearly right! 😆😄

Happy Thanksgiving

In a country that doesn't celebrate Thanksgiving and for someone who had never cooked a turkey solo, we really knocked it out of the park this year with TWO Thanksgiving celebrations.

The kids helping make cinnamon rolls with leftover
pie dough

The past two years we have traveled during this holiday.  Marty gets the week off and the kids have Thursday and Friday off each year.  It is not a German or European holiday so no one else is typically traveling and we can get some pretty sweet deals on travel.  Our first year we were hosted in England by our wonderful friends, the Kitcheners.

No rolling pin -
no problem!

The second year we went on a fabulous 5 day/4 night trip to Mallorca.  For me, it is the hardest holiday to be away from "home" and extended family.  It is one of my favorite holidays mostly because there is no gift expectation, it is just about food and friends and family.  Not to mention, Liz, Marty's sister, has hosted us and does ALL the work each year.  So I'm completely spoiled by a fabulous dinner.  And/or my sister or mom has hosted.  So it is a complete luxury to show up for a delicious meal (or meals - some years we were able to do a double Thanksgiving.  One meal with Marty's family and one meal with mine)

Cinnamon rolls just like my mom used to make with the leftover dough

And typically after the delicious meal we were sent home with leftovers for another meal or two or three.  So, the thought of making a meal for just my family of 4 - two of which are vegetarians, with none of them 'really' appreciating all the extra effort a meal like Thanksgiving takes didn't sound so good.

The rest of my family is burnt out on traveling.  It may have something to do with the fact that during our first two years here we went somewhere by plane or train just about once a month. We really hit it hard partly because I LOVE to travel and partly because we thought we would only be here for one or two years.  Now, they just want to stay home.  Marty included but that is partly due to the fact that he has to take two return trips home to Seattle pure year and being 6 foot 5 he has grown to hate the actual flying part.
Anyway, I was pretty upset that no one but me wanted to get away for the Thanksgiving weekend.

Our good friend, Juli, asked if we wanted to celebrate Thanksgiving together.  Well, that sounded better and then I thought let's make it big.  Thanksgiving should be a BIG feast shared with family and friends so we invited our good friends Anja and Kyle (who couldn't make it) and our good friend, Corey and her two kids.

As it turns out Corey had just committed to hosting a few of her German friends to show them what Thanksgiving is all about. We decided the more the merrier and we all (17 of us) met here to celebrate.  Juli and I each cooked a turkey and then we split of the sides and desserts between the 3 of us.
It turned out perfectly.  The food was delicious, the company was great and we all left happy, full and thankful.  I still missed my family terribly.  They all got together for the first time in many years for the holiday at my sister, Kim's.  It doesn't make me as homesick when I know they are each doing their own thing for the holiday.  But when they are all together and we are so far away, it stinks.

However, in the future, whether we travel or not on this holiday I now know I can 1) make a turkey on my own and 2) have a very happy Thanksgiving hosting in my own home.

Wednesdays

Not only do I volunteer teaching English to refugee and immigrant women at an educational center each Wednesday but I also volunteer at the school shop at the kids' school.  We sell all the JFK labeled shirts, sweatshirts, bags, mugs, etc. It is a fun group of people I work with.
My Wednesdays are pretty full both time wise and fulfilling-wise

Class Thanksgiving Lunch

The school the kids' go to is a German/American school and try to celebrate holidays from both countries.  Most of the holidays are the same but Thanksgiving is uniquely American.  The tradition in the school is that one of the American parents host a Thanksgiving lunch, during the school day, sometime in the week of Thanksgiving.  The school has Thursday and Friday off for the holiday as well. 

When we moved into this house and I saw that we had a winter garten and a dining room I knew we would have the space to have Benjamin, his teacher and his 23 other classmates over for lunch.  What I didn't know was that our remodel would still be far from over but I stayed the course and figured we could make the space they would be in cozy enough... hopefully. 
The week before the day of the class lunch Benjamin looked at me very seriously and said "really, mom? REALLY? You are having my entire class over HERE?"  This place looks like a shit hole!"  Haha.  It did, he was right.  At that time we still had all of our things (extra bed, unhung artwork, empty luggage, etc, etc,) in our dining room as there was nowhere else to

put it as they continued to work on the basement.  BUT... then Marty and I rented the car and at least got the roof paper out of the yard and kind of straightened up the rest of the junk.  The basement rec room was finally finished so we could put all of our stuff there until the rest of the rooms were finished to actually put it where it belongs.  Part of the motivation in "reclaiming our house" came from Benjamin's "its a shit hole" comment. 😄😂
The tradition is that the hosting American parent also makes the turkey but the rest of the parents in the class bring everything else.  It was my first time making a turkey and a few days before I had to bike to a special store - not necessarily a "special" store just a bigger one and

further away than I normally go.  It had gotten dark during my ride there (because it starts getting dark here around 3:30 now!!) and it was raining.  I really wasn't all that happy about it at the moment.  But my first attempt at a turkey turned out great.  I mean, it probably wasn't the most moist turkey but it was

well cooked, had good flavor and was perfectly seasoned.  It really wasn't even that hard.  I was surprised.
There were three other moms that came to help and Marty was on picture and Mogli duty.  Thankfully, Mogli was still very worn out

from his "run with the wild boars" the day before and barely even got riled up when the kids showed up around noon.  The class of 24 walked about one mile, through a park with

their one teacher.  No permission slips were required.  No parents complained.  This would never happen in the states!!
They showed up and piled their coats and shoes in the mudroom and plopped on the comfy couch.  Their very

kind teacher, Mr. Olson, led the class in a thankful activity where each student had made a leaf previously and then each student got up and in front of the class said what they were thankful for and then taped the leaf to the wall.  I think I was supposed to have a tree cut out on the wall... oops!
The kids ate and drank and laughed and then after the meal went out and ran around in the yard.  I had been a bit nervous leading up to it as I had never made a turkey on my own before and organizing and dishing out food for 25 was a bit overwhelming but it all went off without a hitch.  So well in fact that I would volunteer to host it next year.

Sunny Weekend Out

We finally had a sunny Sunday in which to explore the city and actually with an added assignment to take some photos.  A good friend of ours who runs a magazine had asked us to write a story about Berlin.  Things most tourist don't see.  Marty really took the lead and wrote up a great story along with insight of coming her as a child with his family.  Alongside the story there would be photos so after a couple failed attempts due mostly to weather, this Sunday we had time, it was sunny and we finally had the motivation to do it.
We walked up to Gleis 17 - the infamous train track that once took trainloads of people to be killed in the concentration camps.   It is a somber place, especially on a cold winter day imagining the horror that went on there and how the people being loaded like cattle felt when they were there.  There are roses and candles left by family members or others who go and visit and pay their respects.

We then hiked up Teufelsberg, the highest point in Berlin and it is a manmade pile of rubble.  It was once an unfinished Nazi  Military-Technical college that was then covered up and became a US listening station during the Cold War. We had Mogli with us as this is in the Grunewald and part of the largest off leash dog park in Europe.  He had a ball running up ahead of us and coming back and up ahead again and then back.  On our way back down, however, he took off charging. And he is FAST. We had no idea where he went. Our eyes could not keep up with his speed.  Plus he is now exactly the color of the fall, golden leaves.  After calling his name and Josie completely losing her mind having convinced herself that he was lost for good, we came upon a few people walking up the mountain.  They asked what our dog looked like and told us they saw him and another dog chasing the wild pigs.  You see here in Berlin they have tons of Wild Boar that roam free.  *watch the video that is embedded in that link. Kleinmachnow, where this was filmed is about half a mile from our house!!**They are typically quite harmless unless they are with their young or are cornered and I say "quite harmless" but

I would lose my mind if I actually saw one upon my bike ride or walk home from somewhere.  They often run in packs and it sounds like this is what happened and then Mogli and another dog decided to chase them? Try to play with them?  We have no idea.  But he came back after 10 minutes of gruelingly waiting for him and calling his name.  His tongue was out and it was as if he was saying "You have NOOO idea what I just did"

We then hopped a train for the center of the city and our favorite Greek restaurant - Asteria.  Good end to a good weekend.

Crane Operator

On Friday a crane arrived to put some metal beams up into the attic.  The engineer had to redesign the floor in order to make sure it could hold a living space up there even though when it was originally built and who knows for how long after that there were people living up there.
The metal beams were pre-measured and pre-made to fit in just the right spot.  And because they were so long and heavy they needed a crane to hoist them in through an open window in the attic.

The entire crane arrived on the back of a truck and then with a remote control the crane operator "drove" it off the back of the truck and into our driveway.
The operator was one of the nicest guys.  Very jovial and talking with us.  He asked Marty if Benjamin wanted to get up on the beam.  YES, of course he did.  And then he asked if Benjamin wanted to control the crane.  Another resounding YES.
He called Benjamin over, buckled the remote control fanny pack thing around his waist.  Spoke to him in Germany telling him what each of the controls did and then as Benjamin was hoisting in the first beam, he said "There are a couple of guys up there in the window.  Make sure you don't squish 'em" Hahaha!!  Benjamin

took it very seriously.  He very carefully used the remote controls, fed the beam through the open window to the guys above and then with a smile handed back the remote control.
Day # (whatever, I have lost track!)  Beams IN.
A crane will come back in a few weeks to hoist up some other steel beams but the first of the beams are into the attic which is a big step.

Mogli

Mogli has so easily become part of our family that I forget to write just about him.  The kids are over the moon in love with him.  They are playful and gentle and kind and all of the things that they typically are not with each other 😉

They fight over who gets to sleep with him and who gets to sit with him on the couch or who gets to cuddle him.  At first he wasn't allowed on the furniture or beds. Then he wasn't allowed on certain chairs and now he has full reign over the entire house.  Much to his extreme pleasure.

We go on walks several times a day.  Marty takes the brunt and the responsibility of that job.  Every day we walk to school together. Josie rides her bike slowly alongside Marty and Benjamin and Mogli walking.  Since I have been subbing I only go on the walk to school a couple days a week now.  But whether I am there or not Marty and Mogli stop by the park on the way home where Mogli meets up with all of his dog friends.  It is quite a fun dog community there each morning after drop off.  Mogli spends about 30 minutes off leash, RUNNING, and playing and picking up sticks and having a ball with his friends.  Sometimes there are up to 10 different dogs there. The days we go and there are no other dogs, or no other "fun" dogs he seems quite upset.

After dinner every night Marty and the kids take Mogli on a nightly walk. The kids on their roller blades, Marty and Mogli on foot/paw. Sometimes I go too but more often than not I'm still cleaning up dinner.  It gets dark super early so by 7:30 it seems nearly midnight!! But they all enjoy the nightly walks.
Yes, there is A LOT of extra vacuuming and cleaning and he has chewed up a few things but all in all he is a GREAT dog and the perfect fit for our family.

Benjamin does this race skating in front of the hospital. He goes up near the windows and then skates at full speed to Marty who blocks him before he goes racing into the street.  Thankfully we are right at the hospital if something were to go sideways... It is just a matter of time, trust me.