off and running

I'm so sorry I've not been updating you more consistently this month; things have been moving so quickly (particularly during the past week and a half) that I've not had much time to sit down and process everything.

I am leaving in twenty minutes for a weekend youth retreat, so before I forget everything, here's what's been going on for me...

• I guess I am now a personal chef, technically speaking. A friend connected me with Jane and Bill, an American couple who live in a really fun part of town. Their lives are quite busy right now, which leaves little time for food shopping and cooking, so I've started making dinner for them twice a week. I've done three meals for them so far. I really like Jane and it's been fun to come up with menus and try out some new things (the two soups I made came out really well...when I get back from the weekend I'll post the recipes for you). I definitely underestimated the convoluted grocery shopping process in Vienna (grocery stores are often out of pretty basic items...and there's that pesky little everything's-in-German issue), particuarly when one is shopping for a specific recipe instead of just buying what looks good (as I usually do). But what a blessing it is to get to know Jane, try out new recipes on someone else's dime, and have some extra money to buy wedding gifts!
• GUESTS! Houston (a Vanderbilt friend), his sister Jane (who goes to Vandy but is studying in Florence this semester), and their friends John and Sydney came to town this week! I was able to have them at the Flow House this week from Monday until an hour ago, and we had a great time running around Vienna and just being being here at home as well. It is just so good to see old friends, as cliche as that sounds. I learned a bit about hosting people here in Vienna (it's a little different when it's not actually your house and not actually your country...), so I'll be a pro by the time you get here. The highlight of our week was driving up to the Vienna woods to hike around vineyards and little communities on hills from which one can see all of Vienna. There may have been some Julie Andrews-esque spinning involved.
  
• Definitely a few rough spots during the last ten or so days. I lost my set of keys (mailbox, gate, and front door), which isn't exactly the most responsible thing ever. Luckily, they're not labeled in any way (so, as Dr. Rupp said, unless someone saw me drop them in the street and followed me home, there's no way it's a security problem). This little fiasco, along with a few others of a similar trivial-but-it-all-adds-up nature, added up last weekend and I found myself frazzled and frustrated. It's gotten a lot better since then, and since Terry is now here to pick me up for the retreat so I'll just leave it at that.