Hello from Darmstadt!

Hello from Darmstadt, Germany! It's 5am here, and I'm sitting under my
thick feather comforter in a small room at the convent. All 4 of us have slept only on and off all night, and have been feeling bright eyed now since about 3:30. Oh the joys of jetlag!

Our last day in Calgary was very busy with last-minute preparations and many phone calls to say good-bye. It was also Micayla's 9th birthday, so we had to fit in some celebrating as well! But, by 3pm we were off to the airport.
Amazingly, all 5 of our huge suitcases weighed in at within one pound of the 50 lb allowance! Our night flight was smooth and uneventful, although sleeping was difficult (standard crying baby and all-night movies playing). We arrived in Frankfurt 50 min ahead of schedule at around 10:30am (2:30am Calgary time), and quickly cleared customs, picked up our luggage, and met Sister Passionata. What a blessing to have someone there to meet us, and a ride straight to our accommodations. I can't imagine having had to negotiate the Frankfurt transportation system with 2 tired kids and 10 pieces of luggage!

The convent has been an interesting cultural experience! It's like stepping into a German movie about nuns that takes place in the 70's. The convent is on 25 acres of beautiful land in a suburb of Frankfurt, and about 120 Protestant "sisters" and a few protestant Franciscan monks have lived in community here for 50 years. They maintain the grounds, sew their own clothes, grow and cook their own food, care for their elderly colleagues, and run a retreat center and publishing house. The sisters have been wonderfully friendly and welcoming, the food delicious (good German
cuisine!), and our 2 rooms are simple, but warm and comfy.

The girls have done great in spite of losing a full night of sleep. They are enjoying the convent atmosphere, trying to learn some German phrases, and loving the food!

Today we plan to stick close to this area, since we'll all be totally exhausted by midday and a nap may be in order. Thanks to all of you for your well wishes, your prayers as we traveled, and your help with last-minute details. Thanks to Ed and Jami for letting us live in your home for our last week in Calgary, to Steph for living with us and putting up with the craziness, and to Erna for being our last-minute stand in ride to
the airport. We couldn't do this without all of you to support us in so
many ways.

Cathy