Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

I hope you all enjoyed time home with your family :) I really hope you did, because, Thanksgiving and the Holidays are just not the same when you're not at home (no matter how crazy you think your family is and no matter how cool of a place you're in). I never valued the purpose of Thanksgiving so much - just taking a break from the normal hussle and bussle and spending time bonding with your family. Thanksgiving is more than just good food and football (tough loss Aggies, of a game and a great tradition).

I definitley was sad to miss Thanksgiving in Texas. But, I was so excited to get to celebrate Thanksgiving here at the Vuksanovic house! We had a great time! It was so special for me :) In case you didn't know, cooking and baking is COMPLETELY different here. So, it was quite a challenge to find and translate ingrediants. We made a bread stuffing, sweet potatoeos, green bean cassarole, a turkey of course, gravy, and pumpkin pie (from a real pumpkin!). Nevena and I somehow seemed to managed quite well, I think, and we had a wonderful meal together with a few of my friends.

Irina, Laura, and Anna joined us tonight :)

Our Bavarian Thanksgiving

We made pumpkin pie from a real pumpkin. Never done that before! It tasted really good too!

And tomorrow, I'll be in Ireland!

What does an AuPair do all day?

This is one of the frequently asked questions I get from everyone at home. So, let's start with some general helpful tips I've learned...

1) Always wear your tree climbing pants.
2) Bring water. Not only to drink but also to wash off mud.
3) Socks can double as a quick mop up.
4) Sleeves can also double for face wipes.
5) Be creative. Use vivid bed time story voices.
6) Expect to have the responsibility of holding the collection of rocks, sticks, leaves, or bugs where ever you go.
7) When I wake up in the morning and I am sore, it is either from playing Peter Pan and having the role of being the pixie dust so they can fly, or it's because I am a walking jungle gym. (it's my secret to keeping my arms tone)
8) Bring your game face because they bring their please puppy face.

But this is the play by play of my week...

Every school day morning we wake up and have breakfast at 6:15. Then the bus comes for the boys and they are off to school at 7. So on somedays I go back to bed for a bit (you would too, am I right?). On Monday and Thursday from 9-12 am I have my language course. It's going ok. But I'm mainly learning from the family. I have to be extremely attentive though!

On Monday, Tuesday, and Friday afternoons I watch the boys and try to sneak in some English lessons. But even just while we are playing around the house, the boys English improves. They come home from school at 1:30 and we eat lunch together. I managed to remember a few Graces from camp and teach them to the boys haha. The Superman Grace is favorite for these kids, too. My cooking knowledge has probably double since I got here... So have my karate moves. After lunch the boys do their homework and then we play for a while. I am always up for building forts, hide-and-go-seek, and Kapla blocks. And then later in the afternoon the boys have their gymnastics or piano and guitar lessons to go to. On Wednesdays I clean and go to the grocery store and the boys stay longer in school. So days get busy and go by fast.

And what do I do in my free time? Different nights I go into the city and meet up with friends most of the time. When I'm here at the house, mostly I read and keep up with friendly emails (there is so much to keep up with in Texas). I've been going to an international church on Sunday's and a small group bible study on Wednesday nights that I'm enjoying. Monday we have a movie night at a friends house. And then there are the traveling weekends :) these are my favorite! I haven't gotten to travel much this month but in two weeks I'll be in Ireland with Jessica and Brittany! I can't wait!

So, get the picture? My work is a lot of playing, but my playing is a lot of work.

Proverbs 2:1-12

My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding,
If you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.
For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth comes knowledge and understanding;
He stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
He is a shield to those who walk in integrity;
Guarding the paths of justice and watching over the way of his saints.
Then you will understand righteousness and justice and equity, every good path;
For wisdom will come into your heart
And knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;
Discretion will watch over you,
Understanding will guard you,
Delivering you from the way of evil.

Falling into Winter

Autumn has fallen on Germany. It is beautiful. Truly. The trees and sidewalks have all been painted with new colors. Autumn is quickly becoming my new favorite season. Texas must skip this season in favor of the 100 degree weather which is not a fair trade in my opinion. Or maybe it's because Texas' favorite color is brown and not yellow or orange. It's only a few weeks it looks this lovely before the trees go bald and the snow comes. So for now I am very much enjoying my Autumn walks in the park.

I hope you all had a wonderful Halloween as well! Halloween, the whole trick or treating thing is not really that big of a deal here. They don't even sell candy corn (I was shocked and I don't even really like candy corn). I saw a few costumes but nothing like in the States where we will wear our costumes to school that day and go trick or treating through senior year of high school to at least a few houses just for some free candy. I was sad to not see any cute little kids in their creative costumes. There are no spooky Jack-o-Lanterns or haunted house decorations or smell-my-feet rhymes. However, Tuesday was a working holiday so all of the business and shops were closed for All Saints Day. Odd, hm? And, this week is the fall break from school so school are off all week. Trick or Treating in the States would take on a whole new meaning if everyone had holiday from work and school the day after.