Happy Fall!

Fall is officially here! Although, it has felt like Fall to me almost from the first day that we arrived in Germany. It is beautiful here with all the trees and the foliage. I take Thomas to preschool on the autobahn but each day as we come home, I choose to take the "scenic route" and look at the leaves (it's only five minutes longer).

James is back from his trip to Russia. He will travel again on October 14 and will be gone for a week. He has been very sick all weekend long. He has to stay close to a bathroom, if you get what I mean. For all our sakes, we hope it is from something he ate while traveling. I will be cleaning bathrooms and disinfecting like crazy today in effort to keep the rest of the family healthy, in case it is a virus.

On a positive note, I had the wonderful Hans and Helga over last Thursday to hang curtains in the house. They were here for 4 1/2 hours and hung all that I had. I was short a few curtain rods, (I thought there were multiples in a box, but there weren't and the next day, they came in the mail!) but the place seems better now that we have some curtains.

We also got the spectacular news that our HHE (our goods that came by ship) have arrived!! I found out this morning that it will be delivered tomorrow (Tuesday). James will be given Tuesday and Thursday off to unpack and organize all of our belongings... but I think it will take at least a month to get organized. We brought out too much stuff, we just know it. And, it always seems to take forever to get things hung up on the walls. And, unfortunately, we will have our stuff and the army stuff here in our little house for a few days which should prove to be tons of fun!

Yesterday, was the Primary program in our ward. Primary is the children's organization in our church. Last year, Thomas wouldn't even sit up in the front and sing the songs, not to mention do his little part. We were very proud this year, when he happily went up front and fully participated. When it came to the individual parts--he even went first!! Way to go Thomas!

This Wednesday, James and I will be taking a "Welcome to Germany" course along with the two other "new couples" at James' work. It is an eight-hour class. Day-care has been arranged on-site that we have to pay for, but at least we didn't have to come up with our own arrangements. Then, that night I have a meeting at our church house, as I have been asked to be a Relief Society teacher, which means I will lead the topic of discussion once a month, on Sunday, to the other women who aren't serving either the young children or the teenagers in our church.

So, as you can tell, we are going to be very busy this week!

Until later,

Emily