My Blackburn Family!: October 2015

Hello Family! It's Fast Sunday!!! Hope to hear from some of you today. Like maybe Travis??? Or Becky??? Or Dennis??? One can dream, right?

Mom and Reed, I hope you know I read and enjoyed your last posts, sorry I didn't comment. Sometimes I check from my phone and it's not so easy to comment, and then I never bother to go back on the laptop and make a comment.

Anyway, we are doing well. I do post every now and then on www.benandmarindashaha.blogspot.com. I have quite a few pictures up there including of our recent trip to Salzburg and some of the Nazi sites we visited if you want to keep up with us. If you can't access it for some reason, please let me know!

So, life is pretty good for us right now. I absolutely LOVE fall here in Germany and am sad to think it is our last one. Really, it's such a beautiful season here. Our base is surrounded by vineyards and this is the season for grape picking and harvesting and the vines are so full and beautiful right now. Ben had Friday off of work and we spent Fri and Sat in the Black Forest (two hour drive) and want to go back next weekend! Today is the last day of Octoberfest here in Stuttgart. Whereas Munich definitely has the biggest fest, Stuttgart's isn't far behind. It's like a carnival on steroids. This year I caved and bought the girls dirndls and James lederhosen and we took them to the fest to do the rides. I think the fest is just ok, but there are people here on base that go all the time and buy tickets for the beer tents and just get stone drunk and love everything about fest. So, sometimes I kind of feel like we're the oddballs. I wish I could teleport all of you guys here. I do miss you all so much and it's hard to hear about you guys playing football in between conference sessions and all of that. I'm dreading Thanksgiving. Hardest holiday by far to be away from home.

Ben has a cataract on his eye and has to get surgery again. Does that just not sound so OLD??? It's depressing getting old. But of course he still acts and looks youthful… plays ball with James, wrestles with James, runs around the house with the girls on his back. He is going to Israel this week, AGAIN… I have to say I'm pretty proud of him in his job. He has been around for the longest in his office, and is now considered the go-to guy when it comes to all things Israel. He has become quite the expert and when I go to the work functions I can tell his colleagues really admire him and his work. So, now a new FAO is moving here whose area is the Middle East and is basically bumping Ben from his job. Ben is a bit sad to leave the guys he loves to work with and all the excitement and chaos that comes from being on the Israel desk, but he is now going to start working at the Poland desk, which obviously makes sense. His biggest disappointment in life right now is that AFN (Armed Forces Network) stopped working and he can't get baseball or football at the moment.

Emily loves school and all the extra activities she's involved in… she and Caroline have joined the girl scouts! There are some hardcore troop leaders who live here on base and they do a great job of organizing the meetings and activities and the girls love it, so why not? My only beef is what is the deal with all of the patches you have to get and the vest?! I'm not joking, I spent close to $90 for their vests and badges. Is it not a bit of a racket?? But I digress. Em is doing swimming, which is fun because it's at the German pool with a German instructor and German swim mates. I get a little irritated with some of the German moms because they are just so German about stuff! I got lectured the other day because I wasn't wearing shower slippers in the shower room when I was helping Em after the lesson. So, the next week I brought a pair of flip-flops to change into while I helped her shower. And then a lady got after James for not wearing shower slippers. I mean, he was just sitting there on the bench, who cares??? So, now I just make Em run out to the car in her swimsuit and towel and we shower at home. I'm sure they disapprove even more of that, but what are ya gonna do?

Caroline is IN LOVE with school. It's not even funny. When I go to pick her up she begs to stay. When we get home she complains she wants to go back to school. Tonight I said, "Tomorrow is Monday." to which she replied, "Hooray!" and then I finished, "but there's no school because it's Columbus Day" and she fell apart. I wish I had that much enthusiasm for Mondays. She's great because she usually gives me the play by play of what happened at school, whereas I always have to squeeze Emily for any info, which she usually doesn't offer anyway.

James is awesome. He can count to 20. He knows his letters and can sing the ABC's. He loves firetrucks and bulldozers and trains. I take him running in the morning sometimes in the jogging stroller and I usually dread construction sites, but I find myself grateful for the two gigantic construction sites we pass along the route because he is in heaven. HE also loves taking the u-bahn (tram system). I took him downtown the other day and he threw a huge fit when it was time to get off. He would be happy to just ride it all day long. And James' absolute love and delight in his life is his dad. Holy cow, I don't remember my kids being as attached to Ben as James is. I mean, the girls have always had love and affection for Ben, but James is borderline obsessive… like he asks for him all day long and when I say he's at work he exclaims really angrily, "Noooo!!!" and when Ben comes through that door it's a mad dash to the door and he doesn't leave Ben's side for the rest of the night. It's super cute, but not very fun when Ben goes away for days at a time like this coming week.

I'm doing great. Enjoying my calling as the beehive adviser. Enjoying the fall weather… running with James, cooking for my family, reading Oliver Twist, writing PTSA newsletters, and staying oh so busy with the day to day grind. Really, my days are so full, it's amazing how much time it takes to be a mother of three little ones. I enjoyed a recent trip to London/Bath England for four days with a gal from my ward to the Jane Austen fest. I felt guilty like Beck should have been there instead of me. It was beautiful. Right now we don't have any trips planned, just content to be at home and enjoy what the area has to offer. You don't have to go far to have some great experiences here.

Loved conference and am looking forward to discussing the talks. I'm still in Alma but have the goal to finish before the year is over. Thanks Reed! Love you all and miss you more than you know!!!

Love,
Me