Catching up

Egg Hunting with friends Matthew and Jaime

Schloss Kalkum

Dinner with the Cousins in Dortmund

Maddie and friends' Matthew and Madison's birthday party

We really enjoyed having Skip's brother Brian and his wife, Ann, here for the week. Over last weekend, we got to see cousin Detlif and his wife and daughter and then Torsten and Elke came down to Duesseldorf and had dinner with us on Wednesday. Brian and Ann went to Amsterdam in the early part of the week and reported a good time. I can definitely report that they ate well while they were here because, for me, Germany is all about the food and my tour guiding includes many meals and snacks along the way.

Last weekend was a busy one for Maddie. There was an Easter Egg hunt at Schloss Kalkum. Nothing like hunting for eggs in 38 degree drizzly weather. I think this is a truism in any country--the day you plan the Easter Egg hunt will be the worst weather day of the week! She also had Matthew and Madison's birthday party. It was absolute madness! And, of course, the kids had a great time.

Skip was supposed to be headed to London on Sunday and stay all week, but he's had to reschedule everything because he had to surrender his passport to the British Consulate in order to get the proper permits we need to live and work in the UK. They won't tell him when he can get them back! It won't be longer than 10 days, and they'll call when he can pick it up! Maddie and I will have to go down and surrender ours as well. Lots of red tape and bureaucracy getting from country to country.

Hey music lovers, why is Jeff Buckley's Hallelujah the number 2 downloaded song on I-tunes right now? It was released back in 1994 and then came back again when it was used in the original Shrek soundtrack. What's going on in the US that it has made yet another comeback? I really miss American radio. I certainly miss having the Radio Disney option when Maddie is in the car. You know, she has a real gift for lyrics and the censorship of inappropriate lyrics doesn't really exist here, so she's picked up a couple of really delightful songs just because I haven't been paying attention. So mainly we don't listen to the radio and she can sing the entire soundtrack of High School Musical, HSM2, Hairspray and Wicked. I'm trying to decide what play to see when we're in London looking for a house in May and I think I will base my decision on what soundtrack I'm most willing to hear played over and over and over!

This weekend Skip is off to a BVB football game tonight and Maddie has a cast party for the Peter Pan play after school. There is a birthday party (this time it's Skip's turn to go!), an Easter Market in the center of Kaiserswerth and the circus is in town. Lots going on.