Some stuff about the Past Week

About Germans

OK. I love germans - I married one, didn't I? But I had a rude awakening about these people within the last week and I found out there are two things that I really don't like about them. Now I know one can't put the entire nation into one pot and say they're all the same but I'm going to generalize anyway. So there! OK, here goes:

1) GERMANS HAVE BIG OL' STICKS UP THEIR BUTTS!!! Seriously! They are WAY too serious!!! I made a couple of jokes within the last week and got such disapproval from these people. I mean, LIGHTEN UP ALREADY!!! IT WAS A JOKE!!! MAN!!!

2) GERMANS HATE FRIENDLINESS!!! We were sitting around during the reception of this wedding and talking and catching up with some of these germans. Then the conversation turned to how the germans have found their experience in Canada had been so far. K.M. (the groom)' s mother basically says that when she came, she found all this friendliness so weird. She said it all just seemed so fake to her. I just couldn't believe it! WHAT DID SHE WANT? Did she want everyone to be all cold and unfriendly? Like what's up with that? Man, they are a twisted people! They pride themselves on speaking bluntly. They say "at least we tell the truth". Yeah - and wound everybody within a 60-mile radius in the process! I just don't get that. It really bugs me to no end! I have been taught all my life to be nice to people - whether they're strangers or friends - to be friendly and kind to others even though you may not feel like it.

AND TO LAUGH AT OTHER'S PEOPLE'S JOKES!!!
(OR AT LEAST SMILE!)

Mother's Day

Yesterday was acutally quite nice. The girls made me breakfast in bed and brought me cards and gifts. Josh got me 3 books from my fave series which I am totally into right now (when I have a minute or two to read) - The Mitford Series - by Jan Karon. I was so thrilled! It was on my shopping list for my trip to Romania - so I would have something to read on the airplane. When I told Josh that, he said "I know, I took a peek at your list". Oh that made me soooooo happy! How wonderful of him to do that! It was very unlike him and I was so touched.

Church was busy as I had to run around a bit (we hand out flowers to all the moms and I had to get them ready and coordinate the hander-outers of the flowers) but it was good. I did finally get to sit down for the 2nd part of the service - the kids put on a program for Mother's Day each year and they did a really good job again this year. They were marvelous. My girls - how lovely they are.

Lunch was great. Josh got take-out from one of my fave restaurants - Swiss Chalet. It was so good. MMMMMM... Then in the afternoon we visited with another of our German visitors. This one was different, though. Josh's cousin came to visit. He's from Germany but is living in Canada right now and working at a Christian wilderness camp a few hours away from here. He came up for the wedding too. His name is Migges and he's just great. He does NOT have a you-know-what up his you-know-where. We had a very nice visit and it was just a blessing to hang out with him for a few hours.

Then in the evening we finally went on a DATE! We had dinner at a greek restaurant and went to see Firewall - a very good movie but extremely intense. I felt on edge as we left the theater.
And that, my friends, was Mother's Day.

Ladies Fellowship Mother's Day Tea

Tonight we had our annual Tea for Mother's Day. I don't like it when I have to MC these things. It's way too much pressure! I make such a fool of myself. We did have a wonderful trio singing - 3 sisters who have amazing harmony. Their mother did the speaking so at least I didn't have to do that. There was a bit of a disaster in the kids' room - the supervisors (three of the older girls from Sunday School that I thought would be up to the task) did not do their job and the little ones went absolutely nutso. What a mess! CRAZY! Poor Krista!

Then at the end of the evening, I had a conversation with a lady. I cannot tell you how excruciating it was. She was a nice, dear old lady but I could not understand what in the world she was talking about and she had me trapped for about 45 minutes. She just talked non-stop the whole time. I barely ever even got the chance to say "uhuh". Poor little old lady. But also poor Helen. I mean the church had been cleaned up (which I couldn't help with because I was trapped) and everybody was gone and I was just standing there and could not believe my predicament. How in the world do you graciously tell her that you don't understand what she's saying and that you really need to get going? I guess I could have been german and just said "see ya" and left her standing there talking to herself. Because after all, at least then I would have been TRUTHFUL!!!

There ya have it.