Winter winds down, Spring heats up! Sort of...

Herbstmesse aka Basel's Fall Festival

This past Wednesday night, the entire school invaded Basel, Switzerland for the annual Herbstmesse...Fall Festival, Swiss style. We hit the streets of Basel around 5:00 pm after loading 6 coach buses along with several cars immediately after school. The students were turned loose for 4 hours of eating, riding and general fun!  The night was clear and cold and just perfect.

Our Herbstmesse tradition....heissi marroni...roasted chestnuts to you and me!  We LOVE them!!!! We can buy them through January in Germany, France and Switzerland!

Basel is a beautiful city, with many narrow streets scattered thoughout.

This is Wittlingen's new dorm mom, Laura.  She's Texan through and through and makes me smile!

Lane is seen here trying to negotiate with the ticket man to get a discount on 650 tickets for the bumper cars.  I didn't realize he learned such vocabulary words in German class!  I'm sure the fact that I was snapping pictures didn't help.  Oh well!

Clearly he knew enough vocabulary!  Here he is distributing tickets to the BFA throng!

David Moon, one of our former dorm sons, asked me to ride with him.  For the record, I am NOT a good bumper car operator!

Meghan with Spencer, one of Jeffer's friends and a frequent visitor at our house.

Remember how they used to have "couples skate" time at the roller rink? It was like someone announced "sibling time" at the bumper cars!  Cars were filled with brother/sister combos.

This is serious business!

I LOVE this kid!  Kingsley lives at Maugenhard dorm and Lane coaches him in soccer.  I have to fight the urge to pinch his cheeks every time I see him.

One last time....Jeffer's last Herbstmesse and final bumper car ride with his pops.

Another set of siblings.  Kristoff and Anna Kate.

Meghan and her very first friend at BFA, Eliza.

Believe it.  He stuffed that entire wad of cotton candy into his mouth.

Emma and her best bud, Chloe.  We call 'em Laverne and Shirley. Emma is Laverne!

Miss Phoenix the marvelous! 

Sarah was one of my students last year. 

Two of my small group girls, Andi and Krista.

The night ends at this place.  Did you know that the most expensive cup of Starbucks coffee is found in Switzerland? Around $6.50 for a grande Cafe Mocha. 

These two girls are precious!  New students at the dorm up the street from us. I've heard them called, "Swasians" their mom is Korean and their dad Swiss.  The taller one played soccer on the Swiss national team.

The following scene took place the night before as Lane walked in our house prepared to lead his small group.......

Check out the TV.........

All of his guys but one got dropped off or walked to our house.  While Lane went to fetch the one, the others put in my Pilates tape.

Please! Even Maggie got in on the action!

I'm tired and have absolutely nothing creative to say except thanks to all of our supporters for enabling us to do this!  We appreciate you.

As Kandern Turns ... or Days of Our Lives

 Two postings in one night, we're making up for lost time! (Even though the date on the posting below this is October 11th, we just put in the opening paragraph, before it was just pictures.) Our goal is to update this bi-weekly with fresh pictures and a few fresh comments. Fresh as in new, we are missionaries after all! Here is one more batch of school start-up and other highlight pictures year to date.

Waiting for the train after our flight from the US in July.  Honestly, could we draw MORE attention to ourselves?

I get more huffs and puffs when I require a First Day of School picture!  When I snapped this one, my heart was in my throat, as this is the last "FDof S" picture with Jeffer in it.  In the words of Charlie Brown.."AARRGGG!"

Lined up and ready to parade in to the BFA auditorium on the first day of school.  Jeffer was the bearer of the Red, White, and Blue, while his friend, Jake(whom I think looks EXACTLY like Greg Brady) carried his native Canadian flag.

After the opening ceremony and my waterproof mascara is still holding up beautifully!

Just accept the fact that I will insert a picture of Maggie on a regular basis.  I love this dog.  I want her life.

Emma and her friend, Madison, dressed up for the middle school fall party.  A group of them went as the Scooby Doo gang. Can you guess who they are???

This was taken on the junior class trip to Paris and Normandy.  Peter wasn't feeling well, so Lane and I waited with him outside Notre Dame.  One must be careful not to get covered in pigeon poop while waiting outside Notre Dame!

As you can see, no one got lost while in Paris because of Lane's glow in the dark windbreaker!  Notice his walkie talkie clipped to the strap of his backpack.  You can take the man out of the Army, but you can't take the Army out of the man!

Yoel and Phil are two of Lane's small group guys. They are absolutely freezing in this picture because they took part in the tradition of playing in the ocean regardless of the outside temperature.  Lane and I did not take part in said tradition.

Lane's entire small group on Utah beach.  Dorks. 

Lane with the Blauen dorm parents, Ivan and Delores Flaming, during our Residence Life professional development day.

L

We are so very grateful for Michele Phoenix seen here instructing Lane on the how to's of xanga-ing!  Michele is a BFA graduate, and has been teaching at the school for like..ever! This year she is Meghan's and Jeffer's choir director.  Jeffer drives her up the wall, but isn't it nice that Meghan can balance his bad behavior with her good behavior!  Michele and I are on the church worship team together, and have gotten in trouble for talking more than once. I know, big surprise! She's also a published author with two books under her belt, both of which I've read and thoroughly enjoyed....see me for details!