I am getting really behind in posting updates because we have just been so busy despite having stayed in town for two whole weeks now! I had thought things would be a little less busy with both kids being back at the same school again. But, with Matt working full time again and the kids trying out so many new activities, we are running around more than ever!
Some good news from this week is that we have made it seven days with a washer flood 😅. A little over a week ago, our washing machine flooded our laundry room, and we had to pull up the rugs again to dry them out. We continued using the washer, but apparently, the drain filter was clogged, so it just kept on flooding. I think we have it fixed now and the whole room is dried out. We couldn’t complete a load for a few days, so the laundry stacked up, but we are in good shape now and hoping to stay that way!
Some great news from last week is that our friends Natia and Nick have returned to Stuttgart. When we moved here, they were some of our first friends in Stuttgart, but they rotated back to the US in August 2022. In a nice twist of fate, they just found out not long ago they would be returning, and suddenly, they were here!
They wasted no time jumping back into things as they arrived in Stuttgart on Monday morning, took a nap, and were ready to go out by Monday evening. It was Nick’s birthday, and we went to Brauhaus for dinner and to catch up.
Wednesday was Natia’s birthday, and we had planned a biergarten dinner, but it’s been pouring rain all week, so we went back to Brauhaus for another birthday party, this time with some old co-workers.
On Friday, Brooklyn and I spent all afternoon and evening baking. The Junior Class Council got a last-minute slot for a bake sale on Saturday. Bake sales are huge fundraisers in our community. We aren’t allowed to sell anything, but we can solicit donations in exchange for someone picking out a baked gift. This community is really so generous and has deep pockets when it comes to fundraisers, so we definitely did not want to lose the slot. We made six dozen cupcakes, six dozen cookies, brownies, rice crispy treats, and homemade cinnamon rolls! The kitchen was a mess, but we were set.
Saturday, Matt worked his first testing session as the IT coordinator at the high school. This Saturday was the ACT, so he left at 6 a.m. to set up the testing stations and be on call for any issues. Ryan had a Boy Scout camp-out in Altensteig, in the Black Forest, so we left shortly after Matt for me to drive him down and drop him off.
I was back just in time to pick up Brooklyn and the baked goods and head to the commissary, where we worked a three-hour shift. The bake sale was a great success. They not only sold out of everything we baked but also raised a huge chunk of money for this year’s prom, which the Junior Class is responsible for planning.
After our bake sale shift, Brooklyn headed to work, and Matt and I met Natia, Nick, and some other friends in Tübingen for the Umbrian and Provencal wine and food festival. Umbria, Italy, and Provence, France don’t even border each other, so I’m not sure what the reason behind the combination is, but it worked.
We sampled plenty of French wines and cheeses before returning to our house for the evening. Some other neighbors joined us, and we ordered take-out and hung out for the rest of the night.
On Sunday, Matt was up early again to golf with friends. I returned to the Black Forest and picked up Ryan from his camp-out and of course, he really had a great time. This was the trip that really made him like scouting again last year, and it started his love of fishing; this year was a repeat of that. He caught several fish but kept one trout, one salmon, and one salmon trout. The Scouts cleaned and gutted their fish, each cooking one for dinner. Ryan brought home the other two and plans to cook them for us this week.
Brooklyn went to school on Sunday because Homecoming is next weekend, so next week is Spirit Week. The Class Council was responsible for decorating the Junior hallway in honor of their theme this year: The Pink Panther. They even decorated Matt’s office door and sign.
Ryan and I enjoyed the Sunday afternoon at home by taking a nap and catching up on our TV shows.
Gilcrests Abroad 