my little sis kimmie is asleep in the living room, about to wake up to her 2nd full day here in germany.  it is so good to be with fam, especially as today is thanksgiving.  the holiday here, or anywhere outside of the u.s. i would imagine, is kind of a bummer, but we will press on.  kimmie brought a couple cans of pumpkin, we have sought out a supermarket where we can find turkey, and we’re gonna have a big potluck thanksgiving feast on saturday night with the youth group kids.

in the meantime, i plan on taking a little bit of time later on today to write down different things i’m thankful for, and this year, i might need quite a bit of space in my journal.  so many new blessings have been gifted to me over the course of the last year, it’s crazy.  god is so good, and i am so happy and blessed to be called his son.

if you read this before you begin to dig in to your turkey and mashed potatoes with friends and family later on today, would you share one or two things you are thankful for from the last year?  i would love to hear from you!

happy thanksgiving friends!

Jürgen and Rosie got Carolyn and me this amazing machine for our wedding present.  I shall never sleep again.  Joe, Nick…be jealous.

mmmmm, mmmmm, mmmmm!!!

• Carolyn and I took a great day trip to Munich with our new friend Drew from Wisconsin.  We checked out the city for a few hours, and I got to play tour guide which was really fun for me.  Afterwards, we drove a few miles outside of the city to see our friend Meredith play soccer against F.C Bayern München’s 1st Women’s team.  We sat in the cold, had a glühwein, and unfortunately Mere’s team couldn’t pull off the victory.  Was really fun though, and great to see her.  After the game, we went to the Augustiner Keller and had a nice dinner before returning to Nürnberg.
• 4 days later, we took a little trip up North to the Capitol.  See Carolyn’s Blog for a full version of that story.  Although it was a very short trip, it was one we will not soon forget.  Great memories, and we were able to meet up with 2 News Release friends Nata and Franzi, as well as our friend Matt Erley from home.  Really cool.
• On Wednesday of last week, we were greeted by none other than Mr. Jared Shelsta, one of my best friends, and a groomsmen at my wedding.  He has been touring with UpWithPeople, and on his week off, decided to jump over to Lauf to say hi.  We had a really nice time.  We enjoyed some Jäger, we went up to Neuhaus to tour through the Castle Veldenstein, and we hung out in Nürnberg together over a Rauchbier.  He was here for just 3 days, but it was really fun to get to see him again.
• On Sunday, Carolyn played her last game of the Fall Season.  They lost, but I had fun watching with Jakob, and then some good friends from our Church.  Afterwards, we returned home, put on our Sunday Best, and were picked up for a Candlelight dinner at the residence Ohlwerter.  The Ohlwerters, who were my host family when I first arrived here in Germany and who are now very good friends, and the Förners, another amazing family who has been such a blessing to Carolyn and me, are giving us one special gift every month as our wedding gift.  So, this candlelight dinner was our gift for November, and it was a really lovely dinner with people who we know, who we can laugh with, and who have so graciously included us into their wonderful families.
• So it’s been a busy couple of weeks.  In the next few, we are looking forward to some Alpine Skiing, Christmas Markets in Lauf and Nürnberg, and some really exciting visits from family and friends!

What have been some of the things that have given life a special spice for you over the last few weeks?  I hope that you’re enjoying the Autumn season wherever you are, taking time to reflect on the ways that you might be changing and growing as you head into Winter.  If you have a moment, drop a line and say hi!

All the Best Friends,

Drew

U2.com > News > ‘Best Live’ in Berlin

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U2 to play Brandenburg Gate gig

U2 will perform a short set in front of Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate next Thursday, November 5, as part of the 16th MTV Europe Music Awards. And you can register now for a chance to get a pair of free tickets.

As a prelude to the Fall of The Wall celebrations in Berlin, the band return to the city for a free ticketed performance which will be beamed into the 2009 MTV Europe Music Awards.

‘It’ll be an exciting spot to be in, 20 years almost to the day since the wall came down.’ said Paul McGuinness, U2’s manager. ‘Should be fun.’

“To remember God, one’s soul, every day and every hour, means putting love of one’s neighbor above mere animal existence.  There is no trick at all about this, it is just as simple as that to shoe a horse one must be a blacksmith.  And that is why it is God’s truth, because it is so simple that nothing can exceed its simplicity, and at the same time it is so important and great and such a blessing to all people, that nothing can be greater.”

-Leo Tolstoy

It’s minute 42 of a good, brisk run through the heavily wooded forest behind my apartment.  The twangy bass and drums of U2 in my headphones are dictating the fall of my footsteps.  I feel good, natural.  Suddenly, above the drone of Bono in my ears, I hear a rustling in the woods adjacent to my path.  Then I see a streaking movement.  Having seen deer in these woods before, I squint into the misty silhouettes trying to make out a pair of antlers, or a white tail.  I pop out the headphones, and realize that whatever is bounding through the foggy forest, it is not far away from me.  The thudding footsteps of a beast in flight come nearer and nearer.  I stop, in slight fear and anticipation.  And, then exploding from the trees five meters in front of me is a stout, muscular, and beautiful…English Bulldog.

“My God,” I gasp to myself.  I’m sure that it has no owner, rather that it is a divine symbol of such depth that requires days of afterthought.  As the scrambling wild creature turns the corner, I begin to sprint after it, sure that it will lead me to a sunny hillside, above the autumnal mist where I will be able to commune with the Almighty.  However, as I turn the corner in hot pursuit, I see only two stalky white and brown legs bounding into a sheet of fog, to be seen never again.

This was not a dream.  This happened yesterday.  No joke.  And I know it means something.  Any explanations?