Auf Wiedersehen, Sommer

Hey Everyone!

  Summer is over.  It's still August but it's been really chilly and I can just feel that it's over.. and the fall decorations are out on display at the supermarkt here.  I'm happy though, having humidity with no A/C was not fun at all during our 2 months of warm weather here in Tübingen.  I'm looking forward to the leaves changing color and everything too.  It should be gorgeous by the time Steve gets here, so going to Munich is going to be great, and it should be beautiful at Neuschwanstein too! 

I'm ready for vacation!  I basically have the whole month of September as a vacation, besides a couple of days.  The family is leaving for the day and overnight to go to a wedding at a castle north of Stuttgart, and on Monday they leave for Turkey for 14 days.  I do have to drive them at 4 in the morning to the airport, but it's worth it and I'll even do it with a smile on my face the entire way.  They'll come back on the 14th and then Steve gets here on the 19th!  We leave for Munich on the 21st and we decided to stay an extra day since we're not going to Paris, which will give us more time to explore Munich and spend in the tents at Oktoberfest. 

The family also asked me to stay until Christmas.  I told them I'd think about it.. but I'm just thinking of a polite way to say no.  They said no pressure or anything, but yeah right.  I've been here for almost a year like we had agreed.  They're in contact with new nannies and everything, they're just worried because most of them aren't experienced drivers.  In Europe, you have to be 18 to start driving, so  most of them are new.  They're having a hard time finding an American nanny like they had hoped, but maybe they'll get lucky.  I just think that missing two Thanksgivings and two birthdays in a row is too much for me, I was really homesick last year and now I've been really looking forward to  being back home in Virginia.  This is also really unfortunate because my friends in Heidelberg asked me if I could stay with them for a few weeks in November.  Bekah and her husband Chris are both in the Army Active Duty and usually they can both manage to make their schedules work so while one of them is gone, the other is home with their three kids.  In November they're both scheduled to be gone.  They do have ladies on the base that are available to come and stay with kids, but they think that's a bit weird for the kids.  They're also like family to me so I was planning on helping them out and spending some time with their kids, but now that's screwed.  The family is paying for my ticket home, so how would that look if I said no to their request, and then went up to Heidelberg to help out?  I'm sure my friends will understand. 

Anyway, I'm going to take the puppy on a walk and enjoy the rest of the day to myself.  I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Jess