New blog

http://famleecalledtoserve2.blogspot.com
This is the link to our new blog! I will be so happy to be up and running again.

My techs are still working on making room on Picasa for more pictures. How frustrating. I don't know how to talk without pictures. Snow has come to Jena. Our hills are covered and it is beautiful - you'll have to imagine little homes going up our valley with smoke stacks spewing smoke and pine trees trying to stand tall as they bear the weight of the heavy snow. We are cozy in our apartment 8 stories up and overlooking it all. Our kids all spent the week end together to celebrate the blessing of our newest granddaughter - I love that the kids get together without us. Now if they get together without us when we are home, that won't be so good. I miss the famLee get togethers. We are planning a Christmas with the students that won't be going home to China and the Elders. Enjoy your December wherever you are!!

We got to go to an Ikea! It was fun to just walk around and look but we were on the look out for a closet and a desk for the Jena Elders. We found a desk that we thought would work but we weren't sure if it came in "wood color" so Duane asked a clerk. The clerk laughed and asked if it was for a misisonary apartment, told us he was a member and directed us to what would work best. There aren't that many members of the church here so it's really fun when we run into one. We loaded the car and headed home. The boxes went from the back window to a foot of the front window.  One box rubbed on Duane's ear the whole way home. Another apartment also needed dishes and kitchen supplies so we loaded up. I love Ikea!! I have a fun picture of the full car but until I figure out how to reduce the size of my pictures "blogger" won't let me download anymore pictures!!

Happy 41st Annivesary to us! We spent one night in the castle at Hohenstein. It was every-thing you would expect a castle to be- big, cold, and spooky! But now we can say we spent the night in a castle that was built in 1306 and remodeled in 1890. The next day we had lunch at another castle (cute menu, great food and service, and we were the only ones there). We also met with the missionaries to check their apartment (it's not all play!).

 And we were back in Jena in time to make dinner for Institute. I love it when they like it enough to almost lick their bowls! An Elder that we have worked with for seven months has served his two years and is headed home this week. He will be one of our life-long friends!

                                               

 International Night at church in Jena! So fun. We had food and a presentation from almost all of the countries represented: Guatemala, Cuba, Australia, China, Russia, Argentina, and the U.S. Lots of interesting food - we took apple crisp and McRibs. One lady brought all of the food that filled one of the tables - sandwiches German style, eggs, lots of fruit and cakes. Most people brought a sampling, she brought enough to fill everybody! That's the German way!!

The highlight of last week was a new bundle of joy!! We are so happy for Rich and Linda!

She brightened up our cold, cloudy days. Fall has definitely hit Germany. Out come the hats, wool coats, heavy tights, scarves and gloves. We are surrounded by a beautiful forest that is now orange, red, and yellow. If the white stuff would just stay away we'd enjoy the colors more! There is a cute little tree outside our apartment. One day it was full of green leaves, the next day all of the green leaves had fallen. They hadn't even had time to change color.

So this was too fun. I got to talk to my four sisters in Washington and all at the sametime!!  It was hard to hang up, we wanted to keep talking. 

 Home Evening tonight was with 12 Young Adults. Ten of them had never carved a pumpkin. Tonight they learned.

And most were proud of the results!

We pinned the nose on the pumpkin, pumpkin bowled, ate pumpkin squares and bloody fingers, and drank hot cider with floating eyeballs. We really had fun.