Dear Friends,
Hello from a chilly (but sunny) Germany! This second semester has been a blur so far, but I'm finally taking time to sit down and fill you in on what life's been like here at Haus Palmgarten.
This update will encompass both January and a bit of February, so let's just call these
Wintery Highlights:
Amy's Visit!
First things first--my sister came to visit me for New Years! It was awesome. I don't know when Amy stopped being my little sister and started being my friend, but somewhere between being annoyed at having to wear matching Easter dresses and now, that happened. And I'm quite grateful that it did. Amy flew back to Germany with me after Christmas break, and it was LOVELY to get to show her around my corner of Europe. :) It will never stop feeling crazy to me that I'm in a spot where a two hour drive can land me in either Switzerland or France, depending on what highway I take. It was fun to show Amy some of my favorite day trip spots, as well as exploring a few places that I've never gotten to go! It also turns out that Amy's a very helpful sort around the dorm, and the girls loved having her here. So Amy, if you ever want to quit school and come back to Palmgarten...you should just feel free. :)
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| Atop the Schlossberg in Freiburg |
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| Amy and me in a rainy Basel, Switzerland |
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| Picnicking in Lucerne |
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| Amy's in Kandern! |
Home basketball games
Basketball is a big deal at BFA. It's like football at Notre Dame. Okay, maybe not that big of a deal. But the home basketball games are always a highlight of the winter sports season. We hosted games three weekends in a row, and it was great to get to watch five of my girls play so hard and so well!
I don't think I've mentioned this in a while, so I think I'd better remind you: my girls are so good at life, and I'm so proud of them. I get to live life with so many talented and dedicated athletes, musicians, artists, photographers, writers, encouragers, and just generally stellar people in this dorm, and it's fun to get to see them put their awesomeness on display.
So here's a particular shout out to my basketball players: I'm so proud of how hard you've worked and how much patience and perseverance you've shown this season. Keep being awesome. #Palmisalwaysthebestforever.
Star Wars Movie Marathons
This may seem like a trivial thing to include in my list of highlights, but I have to mention our Star Wars marathons. Every now and then, we're blessed with a weekend where there aren't a lot of events going on at the school and the girls can stay home and rest and laugh and play and catch up on homework...and watch movies together. Several of our girls had never seen any of the Star Wars movies (can you believe it?), so we decided to remedy that situation by showing all six of them over the course of two weekends. And what's the only thing that could make movies more exciting? That's right--themed snacks. I love themed snacks. They can make what might otherwise be a boring night into an exciting event. And just because I'm so proud of our Star Wars snacks, I'm including a couple pictures. (There were also some snacks that seemed like they would look really cool, but they didn't pan out in reality. But I'm not including pictures of those. :) )
Palm Valentine's Party
Every year, Palm throws a themed party for Valentine's Day. Each girl invites a date for her roommate. It's always a lot of work, but a LOT of fun. In the couple weeks before the party, invitations are sent out, decorations are prepared, menus are planned, and everyone shows up in costume ready to party. We could never have pulled off this year's party--which was a 50's Diner theme--without the help of some very diligent seniors. Thanks, ladies, for all your work in brainstorming, planning, decorating, cooking, and cutting out a LOT of little pieces of paper. You are all champions. :)
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| Palm Staff. We're so normal. |
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| I got to run the cotton candy machine! I think I missed my life's calling. |
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| Playing 50s Slang Balderdash at the tables. |
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| Burgers and fries--like any true diner. |
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| Our illustrious seniors at the photo booth! |
My Birthday Celebration
As Facebook may have informed you, I celebrated my birthday yesterday--the whole day was full of delightful surprises, from a wall of balloons spilling through my doorway to thoughtful notes and gifts, to a really delicious carrot cake and dorm birthday dinner. Thank you Katie and Palmies and RAs and William and Hudson and Soraya for making my day so special and making me feel so loved.
Well, thanks for reading this far! I really do appreciate and covet all of your prayers, especially in these long winter months.
Obviously, there are days when we're not throwing parties and I can get bogged down in the drearier aspects of every day life. So for those days, I would ask you to pray for encouragement and strength for me and the rest of my staff. Our goal is to model Christ well for these young women, and also provide them with a home that is safe, joyful, and loving. It's a tall order, so please pray for us in that, that God would continue to be at work here in Palmgarten, and also in the families and ministries of my girls.
Thank you for your friendship and support!
Amanda
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