Dec.5, 2013

December 1, 2013 Rosenfeld News

            It’s Tuesday, December 3 and the weather forecasters are telling us that a storm system will be moving through this area today. The snow and the wind is slowly increasing as I work on the column, maybe we’ll have an old-fashioned storm today. Our freezers are filled with pork, beef, vegetables, and fruit. Jam and pickles are in the pantry and the tomatoes are in the freezer waiting to be made into spaghetti sauce.  I’ve made and sent a Christmas card to granddaughter Amber in Germany and will be working on more cards today. Bring on the storm. I have many projects to work on and computer games to play.

Best wishes

            I would like to send best wishes to Mike and Anna Wolfe who celebrate their 20^th wedding anniversary on December 5. I’d also like to send a big Happy Birthday wish to a dear friend, Carol Schroeder who celebrates on December 14.

School update

            The Christmas programs are fast approaching so here is the list I’ve been able to find so far. The Rosenfeld School programs will be held Thursday, Dec. 19. It begins with piano prelude at 1:00 pm following with the program at 1:30. Then in the evening again at 6:30 and 7:00 respectively.

            The MCI Christmas program will be held on December 19  and 20 in Buhler Hall at 7:30 pm.

            WC Miller Collegiate’s Candlelight Service will be performing at Buhler Hall on December 12 and 13 at 7:00 pm.

            I will have the date for Altona Parkside Junior High School’s program next week. I couldn’t find it on their home page. I will also post the dates and times for the church programs at that time.

 

Hockey update

            Tom Wolfe was picked up to play with the Altona Maroons Midgets against Winkler on Thursday November 28. They were up during the second period but lost 7-6.
            Then the Altona Maroons Bantam 1 took to the ice in Treherne on Saturday, Nov. 30 and lost 8 -7 but who cares when our grandson scored a hat trick in the third period.

Progress report

            I thoroughly enjoyed having my sister Susie stay with me last week. I can’t remember the last time I drank so much coffee or talked as much. Then on the weekend my sister Eva came out from Selkirk. She used to work in massage therapy and she gave me the most incredible foot rub ever. I think I’ve already received two wonderful Christmas presents.

            My glasses were broken in the accident and Dave and I made a trip to Morden for an examination and the purchase of a new pair which we picked up this week Monday. Between the two of us, I managed to get into the truck and away we went. I must admit that the trip was exhausting and I wouldn’t want to go much further than that at this time.

            My walking power is steadily increasing but I now know how a baby must feel when it takes its first steps. Its very empowering and a person gets determined to go one step further. Dave begins hovering when he feels I’ve done enough so I’m very careful not to annoy him after all he is my care giver at this time. The time will soon come when I’ll be able to do more things myself and he’ll feel more relaxed.

The rest of Amber’s Irish vacation

            Okay, I’m going to do this a little bit unorthodox and tell you about my third day in Dublin before my second, just because I enjoyed my second day the most and want to save the best for last. On Sunday I took a tour to the west coast of Ireland to see the cliffs of Moher. It ended up raining all day, which meant that by the ocean it was also extremely foggy, not to mention windy. I got soaked, but I managed to catch glimpses in between the cloud cover of the beautiful and wild view of the sides of the cliffs. We then all piled back into the bus and sort of drove through the wilds of Ireland until we reached the city of Galway. There we had the opportunity to walk around for about 2 hours, taking a look at all of the cute shops and stuff. After that, it was back on the bus and a three hour bus ride back to Dublin. Once back, I went to get some food and then catch some sleep before waking up super early the next morning to catch my flight back to Bremen.
            Now, for my favourite day! I had the opportunity to sleep in (8:30, as opposed to 6:15), and then at 11:00, was standing to the side of the courthouse downtown ready to embark on a 3 hour sightseeing tour. We got to have a look inside the Dublin castle, walk around the centre of Dublin, and learn a little bit about Irish history. It was a very enjoyable walk altogether. I ended up leaving half an hour early because I wanted to see the coast of the Irish Sea before it got dark. I took a bus out to a smaller town just outside of Dublin, and toured a small castle there. I then went for a walk on the beach. I walked out on the sand of the Irish Sea as far as I could, and just enjoyed the fresh air until the sun went down. Walking back into town, I found myself a nice restaurant and had fresh fish for supper. Even though I was all by myself, I had a fantastic time.
            That was my trip to Ireland. I guess I’m going to have to pray that God will give me a new dream, since this one was fulfilled.
            Now, there has been some really exciting stuff happening over here lately! Sunday evening was a big day for Robert, a new friend from Manchester, England: he gave his life to Christ! Me and the rest of the gang were just so excited for him! I really can’t put into words how God has blessed me with friends over here. I was just thinking about something the other day: during the beginning of my stay here in Germany, I was scared to enjoy my time here because I was afraid that I would like it so much that I wouldn’t want to leave. Well everybody, I would just like to announce that, against my will, my fear has come true. I have really grown to appreciate the life that The Lord has given me here. However, let me clarify my problem; I am also super excited to come home and see everybody.

            I now have 2 lives in 2 different countries, and to say goodbye to this one in Germany is going to be hard. It’s not exactly an ending that I pictured, these mixed feelings that I have, but I think that if I didn’t feel at least a little bit down about my impending departure, it would be a sign that my 11 months here have been a waste of time. Although my return trip is exactly 6 weeks from today, I have decided to live and enjoy this experience here while I still can, without constantly schlumping about being sad that I’m leaving soon.