Sweet Summer.

I can hardly believe that summer has already come and gone. It's good to be back in Blauen and settling in with my girls but I wanted to take a minute to look back on this summer. Here are a few of the highlights.

I was able to see all of my immediate and extended family this summer. This was such a blessing to me. It was refreshing and a great time to reconnect and enjoy each other. When I first arrived in the States I went straight to Door County, Wisconsin for a Crowley family reunion and later traveled to Texas to see the Thompson side.

The hardest part of being over here in Germany is being away from my family. I am thankful that my immediate family was able to be all together but it only lasted about 12 hours. 8 of those I spent sleeping because I was still fighting jet lag. Still we savor our time together and hope for more time soon.

Thankfully, I was able to spend some time in Michigan with Amanda, Emily and Caitlin at camp. One morning I went to breakfast with Em and Cait at the Chuckwagon. They have donuts as big as your head so obviously, we needed to check this out. This is me with the apple fritter we shared. We couldn't even eat half of it.

And here are the Thompson sisters minus Jean.

On the way to Texas my parents and I stopped in Cincinnati to see Tim and Jean. We went to a Reds game and had a great time. The night was perfect for a baseball game, and I'm not even a big baseball fan. The Reds didn't win but we still had fun.

Jean and I had a great time talking, admiring the accent of the woman behind us, and picking out what Reds logo we would want on a piece of paraphernalia during the game.

And Mom, Dad, and Tim. Tim and Dad were a bit more into the game.

I was also in a wedding this summer. My dear friend Erin got married and I got to be a part of the celebration. Erin and I have been friends since we were 2 and we have dreamed of our weddings for about as many years as we have been friends. It was a joy to help with last minute preparations and then be a part of the actual wedding. The wedding went smoothly and I know that God has brought Erin and Tyler together so it really was a blessing to me to see them married. This is Erin right before she walked down the aisle, she was absolutely breathtaking.

I also got to see two of my best friends from college this summer. Brittany traveled with me and my parents to Texas for a week. We enjoyed eating good Texas cooking, swimming, Sonic, and watching fireworks. It was a great time to catch up on life and enjoy just being together. When I got back from Texas, Val came to visit for a weekend. We went to Bluffton's farmer's market, went star gazing, listened to lots of country music and talked late into the night. These times with friends were so meaningful to me. To reconnect and see how God is working in their lives is such an encouragement to me. God has blessed me with some wonderful friends who are able to speak truth into my life.

Finally, I spent time at home reconnecting with some of my supporters. I shared at St. John's one Sunday morning. I love sharing about my dorm and the work that I get to do. I keep saying how blessed I felt throughout this summer and catching up with my church/supporting community was no different. I am continually amazed at how God provides and how much you all are willing to give toward what I do here and what I need. One of my biggest needs this summer was a new computer and right now I am typing on a wonderfully fast, new computer provided by people who are passionate about what God is doing here. I find myself continually thankful to all of you. Your friendship and giving is such an encouragement when things get tough here. I know that I have a community behind me and that gives me strength.

All in all, it was a wonderful summer. It flew by and I definitely didn't see everyone that I wanted to but I am still learning how to plan these times that I have back in the States. Keep an eye out for another blog post soon on how the year has started!

Here is a final picture from the summer. I throughly enjoyed Ohio sunsets while I was home. Germany is beautiful but I don't see sunsets that compare to those spent on the front porch at home.

Ending the Year

After a rather long absence in writing, I am back! The last few months have absolutely flown by and I hardly know where to begin. I'll try and hit a few of the highlights.

Warm Weather.

So this isn't really a specific event but it was definitely a highlight of spring. We had a rather cool, gray May but June came with lots of sunshine and we took full advantage of this by spending lots of time outside playing soccer, ultimate frisbee, volleyball, badminton, and just relaxing on the front steps of the dorm. Here are a few pictures from an impromptu photo shoot one warm evening.

Beka and Caroline. They are roommates and they are wonderful.

Becca and Hannah Jo showing off the spring flowers around our dorm.

Caroline and Ami rolling in the flowers.

And just a group of us being ridiculous, as usual.

Junior Senior Banquet.

One of the traditions at BFA is JSB, our version of prom. The girls come straight home after school on Friday and we rush around to get their hair up, makeup done, dresses on, and get them out the door in a couple hours. The juniors and seniors looked gorgeous and it was so fun helping them get ready. Soyoung, my fellow RA, went with the upperclassman to JSB and I stayed back with the underclassman. We had dinner at the dorm and then got dressed up and went out for ice cream at McDonald's. Maybe not quite as exciting as JSB but we had a great time.

Here are the upperclassman and Soyoung at JSB. I must say, I live in a dorm with beautiful girls.

And here is a smattering of pictures of our underclassman night on the town.

Here we are all ready to get going.

On our way to McDonald's we decided to watch some of the sunset from a hill near another dorm. An intense photo shoot resulted. This is Alesia frolicking through the fields. The picture is a little blurry but I kind of like it that way.

I think we all have a future in modeling.

And this is my beautiful Parisian, Claire.

Don't be fooled by their innocent faces. These girls are vicious. Beka managed to catch them attacking me.

And this is all of us together. I love these girls and it is a joy to spend time with them.

Soccer.

As I've mentioned before, I had the privilege of helping coach our girls soccer team this year. It was a great learning experience for me and a fun way to meet new girls. We travelled to Ramstien, Germany for tournament and made it to quarterfinals. The girls went into overtime in their last game and ended up losing 0-1 to the team who won the entire tournament. So while we didn't make it as far was we would have liked, the girls played very well. This is me at tournament french braiding hair. Not only did I get to practice coaching this year, I also perfected my braiding skills.

And this is a picture taken by Becca, a senior in my dorm, at one of our games played in the town where our dorm is. It was in May but it felt like March. The day was drizzly and foggy. If you look to the left of the umbrella you can make out the lines of the field. The fans in the stands often couldn't make out anything past half field. This definitely made for interesting games.

Graduation.

On June 11th my dear seniors walked across the platform and received their high school diplomas. It was fun celebrating with them and getting excited but graduation at BFA is very different from any other grad I have been to. The director of our school brought the students up individually and said a few words about who they are, what strengths our community has seen in them, and gave them each a Bible verse. Each of the students, in return, gave a tie to the director. Each year the seniors give something to the director as a gift. I don't think the director will ever need to buy another tie. All in all, the grad was very personal and meaningful. After grad, everyone goes outside and for many of the kids, they say their final goodbyes. When I graduated from high school, I still had a summer in front of me to spend final moments with my friends and then probably see them again at Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, and maybe a few times in between. For this class, the students are headed for colleges all over the United States and even the world. Because of this, BFA's grad was the most emotional grad I have even been to.

Here is a picture of the class of 2010.

And this is Anna, one of Blauen's seniors, receiving her diploma.

And that is about it. I spent the day the girls left cleaning up and then we had the dorm checked out. The next few days were full of cleaning and packing up my own room and spending some time with friends. Then I took off.

Now I am back in the States and would love to see you. I am trying to figure out how to connect with everyone and have meaningful time with people here. I would appreciate prayer as I try and not only rest and get ready for a new year, but also spend quality time with people that I love here. Also, I would appreciate prayer for a little more monetary support. I am in need of a new computer, my current laptop is five years old and barely hanging on, and I don't have enough support to purchase a new one at the moment. Pray specifically that I would find the right computer, at the right price, and have the money to purchase it.

That's about all for now. If you are in Bluffton area, I am presenting a brief update on life in Blauen at St. John this Sunday during the sunday school hour. I would love to catch up with you more there.

Peace.

A Day in the Life

7 weeks of school remain. 8 weeks until I fly home. I cannot believe how quickly time as gone by and looking back, I wonder how so much time has passed. While thinking about this the other day, I decided to keep a log of a day here and see where the time really does go. Now, I feel slightly narcissistic posting this but I thought it was interesting and I thought you all might enjoy seeing what a day in the life of an RA looks like. Here we go.

7:35 am - Rise and shine. This is a sleep in morning for me so I don't have to be downstairs until a little before the girls leave for school. Soyoung did breakfast and I get an extra couple hours of sleep.

7:52 am - I head downstairs and make myself some tea. I am currently on a detox from coffee so a cup of rooibus will have to do.

8:15 am - Time for the girls to catch their bus. Everyday the staff lines up to say goodbye to the girls and give them hugs. I love this part of the day.

8:24 am - It's my laundry day so I head to the basement to see how many loads I have and resort and organize the mess that is waiting.

8:33 am - A forgotten lunch phone call interrupts my laundry sorting. After finding the forgotten lunch and making a couple phone calls, calm is restored. No one will go hungry today!

8:51 am - Finally start the first 3 loads of laundry.

9:03 am - Get out the vacuum and head for the kitchen. The floor is in desperate need of a good cleaning.

9: 12 am - And time to mop. I actually don't mind mopping the floor. There is a satisfaction in looking back on the clean, wet floor and seeing the job accomplished.

9:28 am - Relax with a little piano playing. I took years of lessons I didn't like and wasted too much of my parents money years ago but for some reason this year I've come back to the piano and it's become a kind of therapy for me. I'm still not good but just sitting there and interacting with the music is so soothing to me. Anyways...

9:50 am - I realize from my stomach growling that I haven't had any breakfast. Time to get some.

10:13 am - First round of washing is done. Three loads in the dryer, three more into the washers.

10:27 am - Take a minute to check my email and facebook. There is a lot of smack talk about my cousins right now with our upcoming reunion. Reading them always makes me smile. My dad is actually on too (it's 4:27 am his time, crazy) so I chat a little with him.

11:11 am - The dryers are done. Time to fold three loads of laundry, put what's in the washer in the dryer, and start 2 more loads.

11:44 am - I need to get a run in today and this is the only place it fits so I quickly change and get going.

12:23 pm - I get back from my run and need to be out in door in 20 minutes I take a quick shower and get ready for the day.

12:51 pm - Running a little late, I head for my small group meeting in town. I'm in a group with 3 other RA's and our leader is a wonderful woman from the community. We meet every other week and it's a good time to relax and talk about what is going on in our lives.

3:53 pm - Leave small group and go to soccer practice at the school.

5:28 pm - Soccer practice is finished. I have absolutely loved being able to coach soccer this spring. I don't know much about coaching and it's been awhile since I've played consistently but I enjoy being back on a team and getting on the field again. I am learning so much but the other coaches are patient and the girls are amazing.

5:57 pm - Pick up dinner from the central kitchen. Monday through Friday our evening meals are cooked at the school and then we pick them up and take them back to the dorm. As much as we may complain about the food it is a huge relief not to have to cook every night.

6:22 pm - Get back to the dorm and unpack dinner. We eat family style in my dorm so we take the big pans of food and put them in smaller bowls and platters. It makes the meal a little more intimate or family like.

6:30 pm - Call everyone down for dinner time.

6:58 pm - The girls start their evening gratis or chore and I pack up the leftover food with Soyoung.

7:18 pm - I remember that I have the evening snack today and that there are some fresh strawberries that are about to go bad in the refrigerator. Time to find a new recipe.

7:37 pm - After a checking out what Betty Crocker has and then doing a little googling I settle on a strawberry cake. Time to make it.

8:43 pm - With the cake cooling and snack in 15 minutes I remembered that I still have unfinished laundry downstairs so I head down to tumble the dry clothes a few more minutes and then put the last two loads in the dryer.

9:06 pm - Snack is a little late but it's finished, put out, eaten, and, I have to say, pretty good.

9:22 pm - Run down and check the laundry. Not done.

9:45 pm - Finally, the laundry is dried and folded. Done until next week.

9:48 pm - Start the dishes left from snack.

10:07 pm - The dishes are done, the kitchen is clean, and I am glad the day is almost over. Time to wait for the girls to finish up whatever homework they have and get to bed. Some of the girls have bed times but the upperclassman have a little more freedom. I curl up with a book tonight and say my goodnights as the girls head to bed.

11:13 pm - Everyone is off to their own rooms so I do a final check of the dorm and then lock the doors and go to my room.

11:20 pm - Before a go to bed a make a phone call to a dear friend. I usually make my phone calls home late at night.

11:48 pm - Finish a chapter of my book.

12:08 am - Turn out the light and get some sleep.

Now, my days aren't always this busy and sometimes they are busier. Life in the dorm means you're always on call and have to be ready for anything. I love that about it. Having a schedule that is somewhat consistent but has a thousand variables is exciting and keeps my life very interesting.

Also, this is a run down of my tasks for the day. My job here has tasks but those tasks usually come after the girls. Relationships are first and most anything can be delayed if it means spending a little more time with one of my girls.

So, this is where my time has gone. Incredibly exciting? Not really. Hard work? Sometimes. Rewarding? Always. I love this job and thank God He brought to it.

Playing Catch Up.

This is long overdue and for that, I apologize. So much has happened since my last post and I hardly know where to begin in catching up. To keep this post as short as possible (which isn't very short at all), I am going to skim the the past couple months and look at some highlights. Here goes.

Christmas.

Tim and Jean were able to come for Christmas break and it was absolutely wonderful. We traveled around the area, played games, went hiking, and just enjoyed being with one another. One of the highlights for me was making buckeyes. This is a family tradition and it's just not Christmas without them.

Here is my favorite picture of Tim and Jean from the trip. We took it one day when we went hiking up by my dorm. It was a beautiful day and the snow was perfect.

Break was a nice change of pace and though this Christmas was a little unusual (for example, we had a Christmas lamp instead of a Christmas tree), I wouldn't change at thing.

A new semester.

Now the girls are back and we are settling into schedules and finding the rhythm of life here once again. So far, this semesters has been filled with basketball games, dance parties, and lots and lots of snow. One weekend the basketball games were cancelled due to the snow and the girls took the opportunity to spend the day sledding next door on Sonne's hill. Here is a series of shots from our adventures.

SO much fun. I love the energy and life that these girls have. They bring me so much joy. Living life day in and day out with them is refining and teaches me so much about what it means to live in community. We see one another at our best and worst and learn to love each other in spite of our faults.

In more recent news, we are beginning to hope that spring is on the way. We had over a foot and a half of snow throughout the past few weeks and it has finally almost completely melted. This weekend the weather was "warm" and though I don't have the heart to say we won't see anymore snow, I enjoyed the break from the frosty weather with a hike up to Hoch Blauen (the high point behind our dorm) with two of my girls. The sun was out and we felt brave so we did this in shorts. There was a lot more snow on the path than we had anticipated but we had a great time. This is Beka and I somewhere along the path.

And Anna conquering the snowy logs.

And our poor bare legs. They were a little red by the end but it was great to feel the freedom of wearing shorts again.

And of course, attempts at some jumping pictures. We never completely succeeded but had fun trying.

When we finally reached the top and received many a strange look from the Germans we passed, the view was spectacular. Only on very clear days are the alps visible from here but we could see them so well. This is us enjoying the view.

And here is the view. Incredible. I still have a hard time believing that I live here.

That's about all for now. Things are going well here. I continue to absolutely love what I do here and though I miss my home, family, and friends so much, I know this is where God wants me.

A few things to pray about.

- I will be coaching soccer this spring which will be fun but will keep me extra busy. Pray that I will balance my time well and not get burnt out.

-Spring break is coming up which means our girls will once again be traveling all over the world.

-Joe, our dorm dad, has been gone due to his mother's death for the past few weeks and will be returning to the dorm tomorrow. Pray that it will be a smooth transition.

That's all for now. I will try to update this more regularly again. Thanks again for all your support!

Peace.