Another "typical week" for us - meetings, dinner appointments, Thanksgiving, picking up the repaired car (yeah), fixing the washing machine (yeah), spending time creating with Relief Society sisters - well, not everything was typical but it was a great week. We are grateful for miracles from a loving Heavenly Father, love of family and friends, opportunities to serve others and to be fed physically and spiritually.

Baking pumpkins for fresh pumpkin pie (thanks, Rod, for the
encouragement and directions.

Love these kids and the opportunity to work with them.

After a wonderful lunch appointment.

After Thanksgiving dinner. These "kids" can cook!

Good friends.

It's supposed to hang on the wall, yes,
but he thought it was a frame.

So fun creating with these ladies.



More good byes.

These great girls remembered it was our anniversary and
surprised us with a "car" full of our favorite treats!

Some weeks just don't turn out as planned. The trick is to keep planning and be flexible!! The "fixed" car is kaput again, the clothes washer is still kaput. We visited apartments, just not as many as we had planned. The car sprung a "leak" and we were stranded 60 miles away from home in the rain. Thanks to some willing Elders, whose plans had changed, they were able to get us home. The car was towed to a dealership five minutes before they closed for the week end. We were able to get a rental car without the normal 8 hour waiting period. We took our weeks' worth of dirty clothes to the sisters' apartment and use their washer, we've got clean clothes now for another week. Lots of tender mercies along the way this week - "When a door closes - God opens a window."


They learned the advantages of "Windex." We used an entire
bottle to help their apartment shine. Their future wives will thank
us someday!



German Sausages and American Potato Salad is always a hit.
Especially when it's followed by chocolate cake and fresh apple cake.
This group is always easy to feed!




After lunch and an inspirational meeting there is always time for
pictures before running off to catch a train and go back to work.



Sunday dinner with this adorable family was uplifting.

We saw this place another time in the fog.

All weeks must have opposites. Positives and negatives. This week we fixed the car/broke the washer; had sunny days/foggy days; lots of people at the activity/none at English class; saw new things/saw old things; made new friends/visited "old" friends; excited to go home/not excited to leave here.


Another trip to the Bern Temple.



We got to visit this sweet, growing family again.



A lovely walk through a moat.

A beautiful day on the Bodensee.

Beautiful scenery everywhere.

Wonderful family that fed us so well.

Fun activity - fruit crepes and talent show!



Our calendar is quickly filling up so we decided we needed to see as much as we can while we can (plus we were given an assignment to go to the southern most area of the mission). November is still warmish, fall colors are beginning to fade, and snow is in the mountains. We taught a few lessons during the week then headed south. It is such a glorious world we have been blessed with.


That is a highway halfway up. I was so glad we didn't have to
drive up there.



This is what it looks like from the inside of that highway halfway up
that mountain. It turns out we did have to drive up there.

The queen made her announcements from this
balcony in Innsbruck.
 



High on a mountain top!

We can now say we were in Italy and yes we ate pizza.

A beautiful street in Brixen.

Beautiful place with varying weather. This is looking
south, blue skies looking north.



New castle built in the 1800s  in Meersburg with our dear friend.



A castle in Meersburg built in the 600s.



Parking lot at Stake Conference. First to arrive/last to leave.
Last to arrive/first to leave. So efficient. We love how
excited everyone is to see each other and hear all the chatter.



Variety is the spice of life!! We said good bye to a couple of great missionaries and hello to two more. We didn't travel as much but baked and cooked a LOT! There were 16 at the Young Single Adult Activity and none at English class! We helped with a baptism and a Halloween party. We introduced them to decorating cookies, pumpkin bowling and pin the nose on the pumpkin. We met new people and are saying good bye to people that are moving before we do. It was a great and sad week.

Good bye Elder. We hope to see you again.

He has the right last name and it's even spelled correctly.
We must be cousins!!

Good bye Elder. We'll see you in December.

The last District Meeting with this fantastic group of teachers.
(They brought delicious dessert for us all.)

All I see is trouble with these three!!

Some of us know how to dress Bavarian!

Oktoberfest "our" way!!

Frosting is too sweet but they loved piling on the candy.

Decorating Halloween cookies was a new idea.



Good byes are hard.