Overbooked

It is pouring rain outside...it began late last night and has continued all day long.  My cats aren't sure what to do, the dog isn't sure what to do, I'm not sure what to do.  It's like the whole world has stopped and everyone is waiting for the 'ok' to exhale.

But the weekend itself?

Perfectly Fallish.

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Speaking of not exhaling...that's what our whole weekend felt like.  We way overbooked ourselves, though it didn't feel like we were overbooking at the time of booking.  We ended up with a typical Friday night dinner in the garden and there were not only our friends but lots of kids that wandered in and ended up staying, which is always fun.  

I, at 4:15pm, decided to roast a couple of big chickens and a huge tray of roasted vegetables...brussels sprouts, carrots, potatoes, onions, fennel, garlic and then made a big salad to go alongside and by miracle of miracles it was all put together and on the table in 2 hours.  

Opened a few bottles of wine and called it a party...not bad.  Not bad at all.

That guy that I like so much had to work on Saturday and I met up with an old friend for a super long coffee date.  I had enough time to run home, change and out the door we went for OktoberFest at the local German club.  It's an annual tradition and it's loud and loud and did I mention LOUD?  

But aside from loud it is SUPER fun.

I had invited pretty much everyone and we ended up with a small group of 27.  We got there early, set up our tablecloths and watched the night unfold.

There was beer.  Good German beer on tap...my favorite being the Spaten Oktoberfest.  I like it in the bottles when I can get it but on tap it's so good.  

There were pretzels.  And schnitzel.  And potato pancakes with applesauce.  And more beer.

There were friends.  So many fun friends...both old and new.  There was great music and the building of the cup tower (we won...or at least we think we did!) and then, after all that, there was dancing.

The chicken dance.  The polka.  The hits.  The nots.  

We must've danced for 3 hours straight and I've gotta say, I've had a hard time getting out of bed the last few mornings.  Oh, and I can't seem to lift my right arm over my head...probably from all the toasting.

Those Germans?  Well, they sure throw a great party.  And that's coming from an Italian girl.

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And 3 hours away, Matteo was at his own OktoberFest with his friends, so we compared notes throughout.  We missed him!

We got home at a time when the moon was high in the sky and slept for a few hours...that guy that I like so much had a 6:00am call time with his choir the next morning.  Ouch.

But God created coffee...hot, strong coffee, for that very reason.

I ended up rolling out of bed and with a very raspy voice, got myself to church in time for early service.  His choir this year is huge and they were singing at a former church of ours and I'll admit, it's a hard place for me to go back to.  There's a history, as there often is...and a story that still hurts when I think about it...sometimes a bee sting is still felt even after the mark is long gone.

But it was all good and I felt so at peace worshipping there that morning which was definitely God at work in me...in my heart.  And I'm thankful for that.

After, we went to a former students beautiful home and had such a lovely time with them.  They cook...as in we had the most amazing meal ever and felt so pampered by the time it was over.

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We climbed into bed last night and I realized we had spent more time away all weekend than home and just as I was settling in with my book, the rain drops started.  That sound...what is it about that sound that is so calming, especially to us in the dry state that we are in?

And that brings me to today...Monday.  I'm moving slow and thinking slower.  Work is always a bit crazier when it rains and there's always stranger than normal problems to solve and today has been no different.  I'd love to be curled up on my couch watching a movie but that's just not going to happen...but tonight I'll be curled up while I watch our beloved Bronco's play.  

I hope it's still raining.

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