Lions and Tigers and Boars...Oh, my!

First of all, I promise that the pictures from Christmas and our forays into the world of German Christmas markets and castles are forthcoming. But this little bit of news is very exciting, so I thought it deserved a place of honor on the blog.

I saw my first wild boar today! Just laying there on the side of the road on our way back from the base! Apparently they're all over the place here, and are the primary reason Colby and I haven't taken any nature walks in the gorgeous woods around my sister's house. Melinda has terrified me with tales of "that one guy who was riding a dirt bike in the woods, got chased by a boar onto the road, and was hit by a car and died!" I was understandably a little nervous about venturing into the woods on foot, if some guy on a dirt bike bit the dust from the encounter.

But I'm happy I at least got to see one from the safe confines of the car. It still blows my mind that they just wander around freely. Reminds me of those wild turkeys in Monterey (side note: anyone know what a group of turkeys is called? I can't remember.) I will say that Germany knows how to make the outdoors interesting. Hiking is an extreme sport here with the boars wandering around. I'll need a big gun before I go hiking here.

Gentlemen, Start Your Engines

I got to cross an item off my lifetime To Do list today. Imagine the wind blowing through your hair, the speed, the adrenaline. . .the massive Mercedes semis trying to push you off the shoulder of the road.

That's right. I drove on the autobahn today. By myself. In a giant blue Dodge minivan. The last was courtesy of my I-have-four-kids sister. Colby and I went over to the air base for some last-minute shopping, and I took the autobahn back to her village. It was awesome. And that 130 speed sign in the picture above is totally true. Of course, that's in kilometers per hour, so it works out at about 85 mph. But still, it was a cool experience. And now I can say that I've driven on the autobahn. Yay!

We made it!

Colby and I are FINALLY in Germany. It was quite the adventure getting here I must say. There were oil leaks and fire engines and cancelled flights and diverted flights and lots and lots and lots of hours spent in terminals. We got here yesterday, went to bed last night at 7 and didn't wake up again until 2:30 this afternoon!

It's so beautiful here though! There's something rather pituresque about cute little German houses nestled in the mist with bright Christmas decorations in the windows. They don't have a lot of lights on the houses, but all their windows have something in them. We're on our way to pick up our Christmas tree tonight, so I'll have to post some pictures of that.

The Mom Song

My sister emailed me this link, and it couldn't have come at a better time. I think every child has a certain amount of days they're allotted where they completely forget/ignore/tune out everything you've ever told them. Today was one of Colby's. I love my kid more than anything and he can make me laugh and smile like no one else - but he can also make me want to tear out my hair. It's nice to know I'm not the only mom who feels that way!

On the other hand, this made me realize how much more there is to look forward to...Do you think he'd mind if I made him stay 4 forever?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMhuAtyFCrw