Max's birthday

Today has been a very domestic day for me.  I haven't had a day like this since I was house-sitting at my Dad and his wife's farm over Thanksgiving.  That was a glorious day of baking bread, hanging laundry out to dry on the line which overlooks the back field, and preparing dinner for friends.  I felt like a pioneer woman that day.  Today, I'm feeling a bit like a German hausfrau.  I cleaned the house while listening to German music, shook out the carpets from the balcony, baked Weihnachtsplätzchen (Christmas cookies), ran to the bakery to buy a fresh baguette, and made bruschetta for this evening.  Is it bad that I kind of loved today?

Last night was Max's birthday party at Max and Bärbel's beautiful , old, house.  I kept wandering from room to room admiring their whimsical art (by Max's sister), their '70's inspired light fixtures (the coolest), and the handmade book and CD shelves (made by Bärbel).  It's one of those houses where when you spend time in it you get to know a little bit more about the people who have made it a home.  It didn't look like a showhome, and didn't feel like it was trying to impress anyone.  It just felt like their home.

I was nervous about the evening, because it's the first time in my life where I've been to a party where every single person is speaking a language other than English.  I wasn't sure if I would be able to keep up with the conversations...or, if great guy's friends would all think that be brought a deaf/mute person as his date.  But, of course, everyone was lovely.  I am always so touched when people make an effort to get to know me;  when they intentionally cross a room, pull up a chair, and say, "okay, jetzt zu Dir" ("okay, now to you").  I think that's a gift we can give each other...our time, our attention, and our energy extended to getting to know another person.  Of course, I realize that these people are also giving great guy the gift of wanting to get to know his girlfriend.  That says a lot about them too.

P.S.  Great guy isn't always so great.  Last night I commented on how much slimmer German women are than, say, North American women.  I said that I think I need to lose more weight to truly fit in here, and you know what he said?  "Go ahead, if you want to."  Damn, I think he's one of those guys who doesn't play that female game of giving platitudes when we go fishing for them.  I guess that's probably a good thing in the end. And, I will try to say less stupid things in the future.