Snails anyone?

Okay so it has been a while. I have been keeping myself a little busier over the weekend. Of course, the day I return to my blog I learn someone crazy made today "National Escargot Day." GROSS!!! I am not real sure why anyone would want to celebrate snails, much less eating them! YUCK!!

So anyhow, Saturday was the Marigold Festival in the little town of Winterville, where my parents grew up and where we went to church growing up. It is an event I looked forward to every year when I was younger and as I grew up. My dad was the announcer for the parade because he is just that awesome. Of course it is always fun to walk around the different booths that are set up in the park from the staple sand art to the surprising booth with huge turtles! Of course the day was not complete until dad and I had split a cup of delicious boiled peanuts and each of us wrangled our own share of homemade ice cream in different flavors. I managed to get away with a new book for a buck! Here are a few pictures from the festival, the rest will probably get uploaded when I get back to Germany. :)

Ok, well it is only letting me upload one picture for some reason! Saturday I also got to spend the afternoon with my old college roomie, Bray, at her baby shower. She is expecting her first, a baby boy, in July but will probably not last until July because the baby would be around 9 pounds if she waited. Bless her heart, she is ready! It was so good to see her and be able to celebrate with her at this exciting time in her life!

Later on Saturday we got a chance to celebrate my cousin, Tiffany, graduating from high school with some family. I know this is an exciting time in her life and we are proud of her. She is still unsure as to what God's plans are for her so please be in prayer about what her next step might be.

Sunday I spent the day with my mother-in-law's family. We went to church, had lunch, and just spent time together. Meme, Jonathan's grandmother, was not having a great day. Her throat was bothering her a lot so please continue to pray for her as she undergoes chemo treatments.

Monday and part of today was spent with Laura and the boys at her house and then we all headed into Athens Monday afternoon so Laura and I could meet up with my big brother John for a Giles siblings only dinner. It was a lot of fun to get together just the three of us. I can't think of the last time we have done that. It was definitely a nice treat on the visit home. Jonathan will get here Saturday afternoon so obviously I am very excited about that! We are looking forward to our time together at home before heading back to Germany.

47

We are indeed in the 40's. This week I am really excited about getting prepped to go to the beach with my family next week. It is rare that our family gets a chance to get together, much less for a vacation. We have not been on vacation as a family since the summer after I graduated high school- long time! ANyhow, it technically won't be the whole family since Jonathan won't be there and I am saddened by that. I am excited that I get to spend the week relaxing and having geniune family time for a whole week at the beach. It is a perfect vacation to have my last summer in Georgia for a while.

This week I am trying to get some major cleaning and packing done. Mama Na, Jonathan's mom, will be dogsitting for my sweet Cash next week so my mom is going to come up on Friday with the Durango to take some more stuff to put in storage at her house. Some more scheduled highlights for this week include another splash zone visit with Laura and the boys, pool time with Melanie, dinner with Bray, and lunch with Emmanuel girls Thursday afternoon, and vet appointment for Cash Friday morning.

Ok so I have been tantalizingly promising you some of the information that I have managed to dig up on Germany.
Here is the website for the elementary school that is on base. There is not a whole lot to it right now since school is not in session but feel free to browse:
http://www.mann-es.eu.dodea.edu/
This is the website for the actual base. Most of the stuff is seemingly boring to normal people but thought you might enjoy it anyhow.
http://home.mannheim.army.mil/
I was trying to put the picture in here of what might be our floor plan but it is not working very well. I will try to put it on facebook.

Getting Closer

Well yesterday I went to do a trial run with my hair do with Cassidy, the girl that is doing my hair for my wedding. It looked good and if I can ever figure out how to put pictures up on here I will put a picture of it up. I have not showered yet this morning so it is still a lot of curls going everywhere.

I am about to shower and get ready to go to a shower, not mine. My good friend and old roomie Bray is getting married in September and I have a shower for her today in Athens. So I am looking forward to seeing her! I haven't seen her in so long. I get to see her two weeks in a row! Melanie and Bray are both throwing me a shower next week, it will be my first one! YAY! I am excited that everything is getting close. It makes me nervous that everything is not ready but I know I have done all I can do right now.

We will be starting back in school soon and I am trying to do my best to get everything ready so I have less to worry about once we get back. I have most of my bulletin boards started but I still have to put all my posters and everything back up on the walls.

Jonathan will be home in two weeks and I am more excited about that than anything! I read my sister's blog about anticipating Josh getting home and I wish I would have only had to go a week! It's ok though, I know she misses him! I am just excited that Jonathan will be home soon, even if it is only for a little while. I love him so much and can't wait to be his wife! Well I have to go get ready for Bray's shower.