After a couple of busy weeks, we were ready for a change of pace. Between Matt starting his new job and a few outings with friends, we still managed to keep things interesting without overloading the calendar. Sometimes it’s nice to have a week with no big plans, especially when the weather is doing its best to keep you indoors. The rain and cold have definitely been giving us the typical German weather experience lately!
Matt received the cutest photos from his old co-workers at the high school this week. They forgot to take a group picture at his going away party, so the whole faculty re-gathered for a photo in which they were all holding miniature printouts of Matt dressed as a superhero 😂. They realllllllly must have loved him!
Matt officially started his new job on Monday, although his first few days were spent working from home and getting through training. By Wednesday, he had his access sorted out and was finally able to start working in the building. It’s exciting to see him settling into this new chapter, especially after such a big career change since we moved to Germany. After all the adjustments that come with moving countries, it’s nice to see things falling into place for him. Unfortunately, I got no picture of him on his first day, but I hope to grab one next week!
Thursday evening, we met up with friends for a South African wine tasting. We sampled several delicious wines and, as often happens when wine is involved, came home with a few bottles of our favorites. Now we have something good tucked away to enjoy another evening. It was a fun way to spend a Thursday and a reminder that a wine tasting is even better when you find something you want to drink again.
Friday was my day off, but the weather had other plans. A winter storm was moving in, and the drop in barometric pressure brought on a terrible headache. Rather than fight through it and try to be productive, I accepted defeat and spent the day in bed. With the weather turning miserable anyway, there wasn’t much reason to feel guilty about doing absolutely nothing.
That evening, we met friends at Abacco’s in Stuttgart to celebrate Matt’s new job. The food was delicious, and the company made it even better. After dinner, we continued the evening at Nick and Natia’s, where a few bottles of wine kept the conversation going. Between the good food, friends, and a proper celebration of Matt’s new beginning, Friday turned out much better than the rest of the day had started.
Saturday, we finally made it out of the house and drove to Lahr for the Chrysanthema Festival. Every autumn, this small town celebrates chrysanthemums with floral displays and decorations throughout the town center, turning its streets into a colorful showcase of the season.
Lahr is a really cute town, and the festival had plenty of food stalls to browse. We enjoyed German street food for lunch and tried the special Chrysanthema beer while wandering around. The only thing that didn’t quite live up to expectations was the number of flowers. Based on what you see online, I was expecting mums everywhere, but there weren’t quite as many as the internet would have you believe. Still, it was a lovely little outing, and we got to explore another corner of Germany.
Saturday night brought us back home for a game night with the neighbors. We played Mexican Train, a domino game where everyone tries to get rid of their tiles by matching numbers and building a chain of dominoes.
The goal is to end with the least amount of points. It sounds simple enough, but can actually be pretty hard if you are more interested in chatting than strategizing as you can see from my score which was triple everyone else’s We added lavender gin and tonics to the mix, and between the game and the drinks, it was a pretty great way to spend the evening.
Sunday was our planned day of relaxation, and Winter Storm Austin made sure we stuck to the plan. Heavy rain and gale force winds swept through, making even the thought of going somewhere indoors seem like too much effort. We tackled a few boring tasks around the house before calling it quits and settling onto the couch for an afternoon of TV. Sushi for dinner meant we could finish the weekend on a high note without having to spend any more time out in the storm.
It wasn’t a week full of big adventures, but it was a good one all the same. Matt got off to a great start in his new job, we celebrated with friends, discovered a few new wines, and squeezed in a little exploring before the weather sent us back indoors. After the last few busy weeks, a slower schedule and some time enjoying the little things were exactly what we needed.
