Thanksgiving in Germany!

So I've been busy.  

Lots of events, gatherings, appointments, and dates have prevented me from sitting down and writing a bit about what's new in Stambach.  Nothing too new, but there are definitely a few things worth documenting here.  

We had THREE TURKEY dinners this year.  One with John Deere Expats, one with our close friends, and one with our church.  I brought the camera to only one of those.  {and later realized that I didn't even take a picture of the TURKEY?!?  Or any of the supremely delicious food!  How'd I miss that?}  

So, last Saturday was the dinner at our church, upon many requests from our fellow German brothers and sisters.  Turkey, cider, pies, and football all made an appearance, and overall, it was a really great time.

Simple decorations. 

A few fun crafts. {for the girls}

    

 Games.  {for the boys}

We all had plenty of things to be thankful for, so writing them down was one way to count our blessings.  This game was pretty basic, but fun.  You write one thing you're thankful for, and the last letter of that word will become the first letter for the next word.  German or English intermixed made it interesting and a little tough at times.

And plus this big paper....well, everyone got a chance to write down a few of their many blessings.

Fun times to be had!  

What are just a few things I'm thankful for?

My hubby.  

{and those black, furry, sweet little pups snuggling with him.}

Pink skies.

{this took my breath away.}

Nature's delicate little wonders.

And above all, most importantly, dearest to my heart, and treasure of my soul, I am thankful for my Lord Jesus Christ.  

ALL of the above would not be, if it weren't for Him.   

He is my everything.  Absolutely nothing in this world compares.  Or even comes remotely close to comparing to the awesomeness and perfect beauty and goodness of my Heavenly Father.

I hope everyone else had a thankful Thanksgiving!  I know, everyone is in Christmas mode already, but I wasn't about to let this slip by without sharing with you all what I'm glad for.

{and I'm really, REALLY thankful for all of you who are reading this right now!  Friends are precious.}

-Christine

An Outrageous Task.

It's been a really beautiful week here in Stambach.  The autumn colors are at their fullest and brightest, and it simply takes my breath away when I'm surrounded by such vivid beauty.

As you might have guessed, I am documenting just about every moment of it.

{Please excuse squatting dog.}

Seeing something as stunningly gorgeous and splendidly colored as the fall leaves, leaves me practically insane to gobble up as many photos as I can.  

But something strange happens when I look at something so beautiful.  There's a desperate, kind of freak-out thing my brain does....because the one thing that makes my heart truly sink, is seeing a photographic moment---and it slipping away from you before you have a chance to capture it.  Heart. Crushed.  

And I feel this way about Autumn.  The colors burst into their fullest of glory {overnight!}, and only remain on the trees for one week!  So it's this hurried rush that I feel, in order to freeze all that beauty onto a photograph.  

This is my Numero Uno, stumbling block.

Camping out in the middle of the woods has crossed my mind.  Really, it has.  Pretty sure I could sit in one spot for the entirety of a day, shooting pictures in all different lights and weather.  I know, I can be a little dire sometimes ;)  

Nate is the greatest supporter of me and Mr. Canon7D, and yet he occasionally reminds me to just stop. Enjoy.  No pictures.

THIS IS HARD FOR ME.

But I've been convicted of my frenzied attempt to get it all on camera.  It's a greed, hunger, obsession, whatever you want to call it.  I realize how silly it is for me to think with desperation.  And it's much too daunting of a task!  Every nook and cranny of this countryside is Nat. Geo worthy.  Not that my photos are even remotely close to National Geographic standards, mind you.  But those of you who live in Deutschland know what I mean! 

So, feeling a little annoyed with myself, slightly crazy, frustrated and a bit cranky, a wonderful solution came to mind.  

Find autumnal items.     Multiple colors/shades.     Photograph.     Collage via Picasa.     voilà!

This is one way to capture and remember the year's autumn colors without fret or fear of missing out on any photo opportunities!  Really nothing new here...just a collage of pretty colors.  Well, new realization for me I guess.  My choleric-melancholy personality needs to take a BREAK sometimes.  It's exhausting!

Sorry for the long writing.  Read this:

{Habakkuk 2:14}
"For the earth will be filled with knowledge of the GLORY of the Lord..."

If little Stambach is "filled with such glory" I'm confident that wherever you are, God's glory is clearly defined.

Enjoy this final picture of what autumn has to offer...can't forget the purple sunsets.

Happy November, lovely people!

-Christine