Reflections

As I sat in my office at work today, looking out at a cold blustery day, I couldn't believe that it's the beginning of our fifth winter in Germany.  Here's the view from my office window:

This led me to think about what a crazy four (+) years it's been...
Since we've been here, we have been through so many things that I never could have imagined before we came.  Here's a sampling of some of the crazier things:

1.  Surviving with only one car for more than a year.  Try doing that for more than one week in the States!
2.  Walking three+ miles through the middle of town carrying a toilet seat and riding my bike in the freezing rain to four different grocery stores just to find celery! (See #1)
3.  Having my hair catch on fire/my scalp and hand burnt by a stray bottle rocket.  For some reason New Year's Eve in the town square feels more like you are somewhere on the Gaza Strip instead of a small farm town in Germany.
4.  Smelling enough smelly people to last a lifetime and realizing that there is no such thing as 'personal space' when you are in line at a German grocery store.
5.  Driving 15 miles in a blinding snow storm at 2:00 am.  Keep in mind that I might have been born in Pennsylvania, but I learned to drive in Florida! Now I know why there are poles with reflectors lining both sides of the road.
6.  Seeing, all in one day, in Amsterdam: The Anne Frank House (which was such a moving experience), windows full of legal prostitutes, and countless "coffee shops" where you can legally buy pot in any way, shape, or form that you would like.  Talk about a city of contrasts!

The crazy things then led me to think about some of the absolutely wonderful things that we've been able to experience since living here:

1.  Seeing the snow capped Bavarian Alps and discovering that Rick and I both could live our whole lives without ever going on another gondola ride up a mountain.
2.  Taking Jersey on the train, into bars and restaurants, and walking her anywhere we would like to go without a leash.
3.  Standing in front of the Eiffel Tower with my husband's arm around me and never wanting to leave.
4.  Riding on the top of an open air tour bus down the Champs-Élysées in Paris singing the Champs-Élysées song that we learned in high school French class.  (Props to Mrs. Hoctor for that one).
5.  Climbing the Leaning Tower of Pisa with Rick and laughing the whole way because it really does lean!
6.  Experiencing Oktoberfest 3 times (and counting).
7.  Driving as fast as you can or want on the Autobahn.
8.  Not getting even one call from a telemarketer in the last four years.
9.  Meeting such an eclectic mix of people and making life-long friendships that we never would have been exposed to in the States.
10.  Traveling all over Europe and discovering that I have a favorite city in just about every country.
11.  Experiencing all that the life and culture of Europe has to offer.  It has opened my eyes in such a way that I am very humbled and grateful that we've been given this opportunity of a lifetime.

I'm just happy that my list of good things is longer than the list of crazy things!