can't get enough of me - can ya?

so i am wondering just exactly what the response might be if i should decide to continue with my blog in kc. any takers?

by the way...

i wanted to let everyone know that i have moved back to kansas city, mo as of july. so if you are in the neighborhood, give me a ring... thank you so much for stopping by my site to keep up with all of my overseas adventures!

crockett and tubbs

if you knew german, you would know that this is pronounced "miami vice", but it means miami white. it's an advertisement for kitchen supplies with a mediterranean look. the little nuances.

oh, those silly germans...

tis the season

SPARGEL!!! every spring these stands can be seen at least every mile on every road. you wouldn't want to be caught offguard without fresh white asparagus. when i say germans like asparagus, i mean they LOVE it. they celebrate it. they have entire menus dedicated to the stuff. you want soup? we have spargel soup. you want salad, spargel salad. entree - yup. i haven't yet seen a spargel dessert, but i wouldn't put it past them.

p.s. it's delicious! but you have to say it in a loud voice, as all of the signs have at least one, if not three exclamations pointing you in the direction of the stand. my favorite is the spargel cartoon people they use to advertise or the spargel shaped stands.

a little courtesy, please...

so, you know that unspoken rule in the states that all radio dj's adhere to? the one where no one speaks over words in songs? well, apparently that doesn't exist here. they will start a song in the middle of their conversation, which often sounds like the peanuts teacher, and you get all excited, even sing a few of the first lines in anticipation. and then... they are still talking... grr. or on that same note, they will seriously just cut the song off, right in the middle of it. leaving out entire verses... what kind of closure is that? come on, people...

not just for kids anymore

this tasty little delight is 100% normal. average adults can be seen enjoying this in public. no shame. and no, it's not spaghetti, it's ice cream. what we as americans would only eat at our kids' birthday parties, is just another dessert here in germany. after years of making fun of it, i decided to concede and try it. can i just say - yum.

there's something to be said for being 10 again...

in prague

a perk of the job: living so very close to other rad countries. i was able to take one of my high school girls on an overnight to prague just to hang out more with her. simply marvelous to be able to stay at a good friend's home (Barb who is on YL staff), see the local sites, get quality + quantity time with a great kid, and see prague. it's a win win win win win. in kansas city, that would be like hopping over to springfield for a night - no brainer!

here is a really cool church with four distinctly different architectural buildings surrounding it. i don't remember them all, but apparantly prague is known for the variety of architecture and how nothing was destroyed by the war. also, prague has a massive amount of jewish memorabilia that hitler sent there to make a museum to the "lost race". so there is plenty of jewish history there if you're in the neighborhood... not to mention we are standing right on the prime meridian.

barb and alina.... awww...


the dancing building. the straight one is supposed to be fred astaire and the bent one is ginger roberts dancing together with him. pretty righteous.

fat tuesday; a la germany

notice how many heads you see in the background. outta control i tell you...

so on tuesday, feb 20 we celebrated fasching along with the rest of the world. a day to party it up pre-lent. call it what you like, mardi gras, fasching, carnival; regardless it was f-u-n. i went with my german language class.

and here's some of the colorful aftermath... confetti!

my amicus girls

since i have been here, i have seen 4 of my amicus girls: noemie, bernadette, magda, and johanna (sorry jo, i couldn't find a pic... send me one!) what a fantastic blessing to see these girls who inspire me. this was one of the reasons i wanted to be here - to see amicus girls and remind them of god's amazing love for them. i am so thankful.

i done went skiin'...

so, last saturday i went skiing for FREE with the school as a chaperone. a miracle because i haven't been for 7-9 years. i only bit it twice, unfortunately for me, one of those i think i broke my dang thumb... but i am just ignoring it for now... sound advice- right? also a miracle because we haven't had snow here really at all this year. which is drastically different from last year when i arrived to 4 feet of snow that did not melt until late april. so, here i am with my friend, colleen, in the austrian alps enjoying god's beautiful creation. jealous?

dumb tree takers...

so i was put off when they cut down the cute shade and privacy tree by my balcony and now i have to stare at a lame half tree/the street, but i am completely thrown off by the total deforestation going on behind my house. see pics below (p.s. this is the last time i saw some of these beauties, may they rest in peace):






i loved the view out the back of my house, wonderful big trees blocking the wall for the autobahn (yes, directly behind me), when one day they cleared out the crap. okay, fine. clear it away. but no, the next day and the next and the next they took out 90% of the trees covering this wall, so now what do i see out the window? stupid white-ish nothing. why? i thought germans embraced nature and all that comes with that . this does not fit in my "this makes sense in germany, this is what they do" box. they still have their diggers and special deforestation machines out there, maybe i should hijack them or yank a cord or write a really really mean note or something. seriously folks, why?

deutsches bundesliga

i am not sure if you are aware of this or not, but to germans futball is not just a sport, it is a religion, it is life. so, here we are in front of their temple, the alliance arena, colored red for the FC bayern muenchen team's game that night. this was just an ordinary game, tuesday night, and the place is packed out. even in the frigid outdoor seats, the steam from the screaming fans and the gluewein heated us from head to toe. we were enraptured by the chanting, expecially when they replaced the words of "oh, susanna, don't you cry for me", to "fc bayern, blah blah blah blah blah blah." (it was all german, what do you expect?) how can you live in germany and not go see a futball game? the whopping score of 0-0 was the straw that broke the camel's back, however, and our coach was promptly fired. these germans won't stand for scores like to this to keep happening, so ex-nay on the oach-cay... you live you learn or so they say...

advent; prepare ye the way!

God's love overwhelms us and breaks into our lives leaving our human good will behind. it was never Christ's purpose to bring about self-improvement. he became poor not to offer us a moral toning up, however good this may be. the Word became flesh so that the same amazing life that broke into the world when Jesus Christ was born actually becomes realized in our own lives here and now.

-philip britts

from a book i have been looking forward to reading for a year now: watch for the light, readings for advent and christmas. i am trying to prepare the way for Christ in my own heart to take up residence. i started celebrating the liturgical calendar sometime in university, and i really appreciate how it sets my focus and prayer life to be more in tune with the ebb and flow of the seasons and holidays. i am quieted and ready for these times to meet the risen Christ.

first ever yl european women's conference

these are the 4 other women i work alongside here in munich; kristy, donna, tara, and meghan.

card playing ensued every evening until the wee hours of the morn. these are some of my cute friends; barb in prague, kathy in paris, and zsa zsa in london.

dinner out with all 35 ladies. christmas pudding wasn't all i had hoped it would be, but you have to try it just once!

hallelujah! that's all i have to say. these women are amazing! for real. wow, they are following jesus and taking him at his word that he is faithful. what a healing moment when we can all be real and wounded at the feet of the cross, and when jesus tells us he loves his little girls so tenderly and completely. words can never express what sweetness these ladies hold for me.

jesus, you are praying for me

day and night you are interceding

jesus, you are praying for me

day and night you are speaking words of life

my priest

you know how i get weak

all of my wanderings

and the places i hide when i just can't find

my faith

and you say

father, pour out your grace

this one is seeking your face

you know why i died

father, you love this child

look at my hands and feet

grant mercy

-laura woodley

god bless krispy kreme!

so we found krispy kreme here in london... we all made ourselves sick on the gooey glazed deliciousness. look at our sugar induced delerium taking hold! glorious... we couldn't hide the fact that we were loud american dorks very long in the face of these delectible treats.

intern training in london nov. 27-dec. 3

these are some of the other interns from around europe. we get together four times a year to learn more about how to do young life and learn from each other. these are blessed times to walk alongside others who know what it is like to do ministry in another culture with various obstacles and amazing people. they are really pioneering young life in new territories. i am so humbled to be a part of this team of folks. every time i walk away from our training times more in love with jesus and young life. wow! beautiful!

we were able to walk around downtown london on the last night after training. it was all decorated for christmas and so cute. here is the london bridge for your viewing pleasure.

thanksgiving goodies

i cooked my first official thanksgiving meal (or parts thereof). my friend, karen, and i cooked for about 5 or 6 hours making a turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, mac & cheese, and more. then we took them over to my boss' house for a young life thanksgiving meal with volunteers, staff, and family.
what a beautiful smell. and what a blessing to have family here to be a part of the body of christ.

advent poem

no one can celebrate

a genuine christmas

with being truly poor.

the self-sufficient, the proud,

those who, because they have

everything, look down on others,

those who have no need

even of God - for them there

will be no christmas.

only the poor, the hungry,

those who need someone

to come on their behalf,

will have that someone.

that someone is God.

Emmanuel. God-with-us.

without poverty of spirit

there can be no abundance of God.

-oscar romero

christmas is here!

i am still recovering from the fact that it snowed in kc before we got anything here, but nonetheless, christmas is in full germanic swing here. christkindkmarkts, gluewein (mulled spiced hot wine), roasted chestnuts, and carolers are abundant. the other day in the coffeshop, i was surprised to realize that the reason i was so elated was the american christmas music on the radio. aparantly, we americans kicked out some seriously good christmas music so they didn't feel the need to make their own. i am not sure how to feel about that. on one hand, maybe german traditional christmas music would be nice and unique, on the other there is nothing like bing crosby to make you feel all warm and cozy and nostalgic inside.
here they celebrate christmas on the 24th with a dinner, presents, and maybe even a church service. the houses are all decorated, similar to the states, but less clark griswold-esque... their trees are much more natural and some even put real candles on their trees (just on christmas day when they are all home)! i have heard of some pickle game where a pickle is hidden in the tree and whoever finds it gets a special gift?... don't really know about that one... my personal fav is the random santas. i guess santa can't get down the non-existent chimneys, so he climbs into windows. a little scary/amusing. see for yourself: