Is Spring Here to Stay?

Wow!! The weather was outstanding yesterday! We had clear blue sky (which is very rare in Germany) and it reached 60 degrees. And to top it off, it was Saturday, so I could actually enjoy the warmth. Yes, a long walk around base was calling my name.  During my walk, I was thinking about the weather has such a big affect on my mood.  The warmth just does something for my soul.  I can hardly wait for Spring, Summer, and Fall to get here.
Later that afternoon, I attended the baptisms ofTaylor Dalke and Sarah Peterson, both children in our ward. These children have been anxiously awaiting their daddy's to come from Afghanistan for a two week break so they could get baptized.

The Petersen and Dalke family

Afterwards, I ran to Schwandorf to a flea market with a good friend, Janeen Nance. It had been going on for 3 hours before we got there. So by the time we arrived, they were starting to put things away for the day. I've never been a person to shop at yard sales because I never find anything, and today was no different. But maybe it was because things were very picked over by the time we got there. However, I had a great time learning some of the tricks of the trade from Janeen.  I also learned that if I want to buy some real crystal or hand blown glass, this is the place to find them for a very good deal. 

Tammy

How to Host a Murder Mystery Dinner

Yesterday I attended my first "How to Host a Murder Mystery" Dinner party.  One of my good friends, Lydia Beck, was the was host and did a fabulous job!  Our murders mystery had a Western theme.  As such, the purpose of our gathering was to determine who killed the Judge of the town.  I was given my character a few days beforehand so I could get my costume ready.  Having been picked to be one of the cowboys, I didn't worry too much about my costume.  I "thought" I had most everything I needed.  As it turned out, I had nothing but a pair of jeans, a button down shirt, and a pair of boots. Apparently, in our move to Germany I threw away my cowboy hat, bandana, etc.  So off I went Saturday afternoon to The PX to buy a cowboy hat, banadana, and pistol.  I was blown away when I got there and only found a bandana.  I began to panic as I only had a couple of hours before I had to be at the party.  Off I rushed to the only other place I could think of--Tedi.  Tedi is the equivalent of our Dollar Stores in the States, and YES, they saved my booty.  Oh how I MISS Wal-Mart and Targets (my one stop shops)!!

Back to the party--In between each round of the game, we'd stop and have one course of dinner.  We started with chips and salsa, moved on to the lettuce salad, onward with the savory pulled pork sandwiches, potato salad, and fruit salad, and ended with apple and lemon merangue pie. 

The town folk present for the gathering were Cowboy P'Elvis Swagarin (Becky), the Mexican widow Dee Edela Muerte (Kelly Fees), Cowboy Elias Truist-Heath (me), Prostitute Elvira Lynn Fekshin (Ryan), Cowboy Wyatt Hertz (Lydia Beck), Butch Chastity (Amy), Helena Handcart (Kristina), and the dentist Chief Breaking Wind (Jena).

The food was great, the game was entertaining, and the company was fantastic! Everyone did a great job acting their parts.   And as horrible as I am at these type of mystery games, I even guessed who killed the Judge!

Chief Breaking Wind (Jena), Elvira Lynn Fekshin (Ryan), and Butch Chastity (Amy)

Dee Edela Muerte (Kelly Fees)

 P'Elvis Swagarin (Becky) and Elias Truist-Heath (me)

Butch Chastity (female outlaw extraordinaire and Helena Handcart ((mother of 13 boys, all deceased).

Chief Breaking Wind (chief of the "Cowpai" tribe)

Elias Truist-Heath (me), P'Elvis Swagarin (Becky), Wyatt Hertz (Lydia), and Helena Handcart (Kristina)

Tammy

The Coke Jar - 7 Months Down

Jared is worried that I'm not keeping up with his Coke Jar challenge.  So I figured I better post how the bottle is looking 7 months after my soldier left home.  The jar is now to the point that I can no longer lift it.  Personally, I was hoping for a "fuller" look by now, but I'm not sure that I'm willing to start getting nickels to make it happen as I will probably have to help roll it all up...On second thought, I think it will be a great job for Jared to do once he gets home!  lol

Month 1 and 2

Month 3 and 4

Month 5 and 6

Month 7 and 8

Tammy