Happy Naughty Week!

Yes, you read that right- it is now Naughty Week. (Just wait, the idea will catch on. We all need to contribute a new movement or idea into the world and, oddly enough, this is mine... well, one of them.)

Anyway... HAPPY NAUGHTY WEEK!

See, Santa bribes us into being good all year to get gifts, right? Remember how he asks if you've been a good boy or girl this year? Well, on December 25th we all get our payoff from Santa for being so good. Now do we need to keep on being good right away to ensure us goodies for next year?- NO! I found the loophole as it were, next year is a whole week away. So come next December when the jolly man asks if you've been good all year- technically he is asking about the year 2009. I say if we have to be good 51 weeks of the year we should live it up like Fat Tuesday during Mardi Gras (just before the Ash Wednesday of Lent.)

So, give in to that 2nd (or 3rd) brownie.

Call in sick to work and play hookie.

Let the laundry and dishes pile up some.

It is our chance to be a little naughty!! (Yes, a little- I don't really need to go streaking in my underwear like the Santa pictured here.)

And let me be the first to officially wish you a Very Merry Naughty Week!

Have Yourself a Groovy Lil' Christmas

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Holt Clan Christmas

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

The Pickett-Holt Family Christmas

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Picture Updates

Rob had Tuesday off so we ran some errands- including getting some fresh milk at the place I mentioned in the last post. (Thanks Leslie for showing me this spot!) Rob says the Nalgee bottles will work for now but we need to find some of those old glass milk jugs soon.

Also: Here are some pictures from the Christmas Markets we visited and a picture of us at the Knights Meal at Auerbach Castle.

Moo-ving On

Well as some of you know we were planning on adopting a cow from Switzerland. We would get to pick out a Swiss cow- and Lea above was the one we would pick- get to visit and work the farm and get her cheese in September. Well- after looking into it further it turns out it would cost far more than we could reasonably afford for such a silly venture and so we are simply praying our dear Lea will be adopted by some other loving family. (Who wouldn't fall in love with that face? who, I ask you, who?)
And so we are mooving on.
A friend has shown us a place nearby where we are able to get raw milk so we drank it in honor of the Swiss cows (even if the milk is from German cows- they all speak in the same German moo.)
In other news: We went to some Christmas markets yesterday and had a medieval dinner at a castle last night. It is late though so pics will have to wait for now.

Couch Sleeping & Wine

Well, Rob is sick. He was told not to come in to work today. Last night he fell asleep on the couch- of course I covered him with a blanket before I headed off to sleep in the middle of the bed. But not before I took a picture of him sacked out on the couch. You'll just have to trust me that it was quite the funny picture because he has said there is NO WAY that I am posting that picture on the blog. (Sorry, folks but he is cranky enough with being sick that I'm just not up for risking it.)
Today was special in that we received the wine hutch that we bought at the Ramstein Bazaar 3 months ago. We didn't realize at the time that the wine hutch we saw was only a model and ours was to be shipped from India- hence it taking so long. But now it is here and we have a little furniture shifting to do that Rob says we can putoff until later this weekend- when he will hopefully be feeling better. At least you get to see a picture of it.

13 Years

So, Yesterday was our 13th anniversary. No, not our wedding anniversary (we're just coming up on 4 1/2 years for that one.) This was the anniversary of the night we met. It was Saturday, December 9th, 1995- one month before I turned 15. There was a winter tolo (informal, jean wearing dance- that was western themed this time.) We decided to go as a big group so 3 other girls came over to my house to make a spaghetti dinner for the 4 guys. Rob was actually the date of my best friend, Kristen.
Though Rob actually talked more to my mom than to me that night- it still is the first time we met.
Later in January I started going to youth group where both Kristen and Rob went and came to know him better there. You can see some of our earliest pictures of us playing around at youth group here. The dark haired guy in the middle is actually Rob's younger brother, Mike.
We did end up going to a handful of dances together, the first being the homecoming dance you can see us pictured at below. Funny, but I just wore a dress of the same color this past Saturday at the Battalion Formal.

A Busy Weekend

This weekend:

Friday was my mom's birthday. (Happy B-day Mommy!)
Rob and I had our first Suppers for Seven group meeting. It was a great night of food and fun with friends (even if the guys beat the girls in both board games we played).
Next time we meet is on my birthday and Mike even offered to make me a red velvet cake. We've even picked out a game to play that the girls can't help but win- Friends Trivia (from the TV series).
On Saturday:
We got all fancy and went to the Battalion Formal at Schwetzingen Schloss. Again it was an evening of fun, food and friends. We even received two bottles of Gluhwein to take home.
On Sunday:
They had an all musical service at church followed by lunch out down by the river with everyone. We were going to go to the Christmas Market downtown but decided to go rent some movies and stay warm at home.

Thanksgiving in Poland

This past week has been busy. I made my first solo turkey (and then made another one, a ham, a green bean casserole and 2 pies) to freeze and take to Poland.
Thursday morning we loaded up and drove to the Elim Christian Center in Poland (arriving in time for dinner). Friday I spent the whole day in the kitchen helping make a traditional Thanksgiving meal for about 400 people. My feet were very sore at the end of the day- but it was worth it.
On Saturday we went to Auschwitz Concentration Camp. It was drizzling while we were there which only seem fitting for visiting such a place. As we left however, the rain had stopped and we saw a gorgeous sunset over Birkenau. The picture of us has the gate to the camp behind us. It says "Work makes you Free." Only by working so hard that it killed them were they able to be free in death. I can't begin to describe what it was like being at Auschwitz- so I won't even try to explain the feelings I had at seeing the site where so much had happen and so many had died.
On Sunday we packed up and returned to Mannheim as the end of the Thanksgiving weekend approached.
I am so glad that we went and had the opportunity to serve, reflect, fellowship with others from our chapel and give thanks for all our blessings.
My friend Stacy went on this trip and her blog describes the weekend far better than I did. To read her blog click here.(Go ahead, click it- it is really good and you know you want to anyway....)