Greetings,

I feel like a blog update is well overdue. Once again, Craig and I have got caught up in our everyday life routines. The great part about having our blog is it gives us, not only a chance to share our experiences, but for us to reflect on our experiences and realize we have a lot to be thankful for this holiday.

I have been busy with school activities. The weather has turned dark and dreary as we start this winter so the school offers ways to keep everyone from getting too stir crazy. I currently take a german class once a week, a Teaching English as a Second Language course every other week and I am participating in the school play, Fame. Along with having the dogs around and that whole "teaching" bit, I am managing to keep myself entertained.

Craig is continuing to excel in his language course. He is currently in the second level and the more he learns the harder he realizes the language is. Luckily, he has been told that learning German starts off hard but then gets easier. This is unlike learning English which starts of easy and then gets much, much harder.

The dogs are now with us and we are so happy to have them. Our little family is complete. We have taken them on the tram and they did fabulous. Mika was terrified until she realized she could look out the window. Bella just sat in my lap and was content.

Bella did a little bit of shopping with Craig and I last week in the Hauptbahnhof (train station). However, I ended up carrying her the whole time because I was afraid she was going to pee on the floor.

One excitement in our life is that the Christmas market in Leipzig has started. The city center of Leipzig looks like what one would imagine Santa's North Pole to look like (minus the snow). There are stands set up everywhere with all sorts of items to buy. I had first thought that there would only be Christmas items but I was wrong. There are scarves, gloves, purses, brooms, shaving kits, bird houses, along with every Christmas decoration you could imagine. The best part of the market is the food. Yummy, yummy food that smells delicious. Last night Craig and I enjoyed a bratwurst; his was 1/2 a metre long! The choice drink at the Christmas markets in Germany is the Gluhwein (hot wine). It is served in a special, collectible cup which you can bring back to the stand to have refilled for a price.

We will be having our own small Thanksgiving dinner with a couple of friends on Saturday. We miss our family and friends and wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving day tomorrow!

A couple of pictures for your viewing pleasure:

We biked, in the rain and cold, to the Christmas market. I refuse to ride the tram because it is just so much easier to bike around. Unfortunately my light doesn't work well on my bike when it rains so I had to wear Craig's headlamp last night as we rode.

There are actual men playing Christmas music on their instruments. The stand below them is selling Gluhwein.

Ferris wheel set up in Augustusplatz. My students informed me that the carousel burned down during the night :(.

Craig enjoying his Gluhwein and hunk of meat. The wine this year is served in a glass which celebrates the Leipzig University's 600 year anniversary.

The stands at the market!

Yummy, yummy food.

Our creatures are spoiled :).