Yes, We're Alive! & Fasching 2012 {Part 1}

Gosh, I hope our families and friends haven't stopped tuning in completely.  I know I've been slacking, but please bear with me.  Whoa!  What a busy couple of days!  Even this weekend just coasted on by and now we're about to start another week.  I am absolutely dreading it since Malu will be taking off for some training with his reserve unit.  He'll be gone for a good chunk of time.  I wish I could say that it'll be better when he returns, but it's quite the opposite actually.  He'll be in and out until late summer when his unit mobilizes for the big "D".  As in deployment.  His fifth.  Our third as a married couple.  Our first with Vaiosina.  I shudder when I think about it.

So let's change the subject because I'm afraid that, at this point, I'm still in denial about it.  A huge part of me is hoping that this deployment will disappear.

Last week, we celebrated Fasching, which I refer to as Mardi Gras--German style!  Our partner family, the Finches, drove into Stuttgart since it was a long weekend (President's Day Weekend, to be exact) and they were able to experience Fasching with us!

I haven't had a chance to go through all of the photos from last weekend, but I'll leave you with this sneak peek and I'll post the rest tomorrow.  Promise!  Okay, so this picture has been on my Facebook profile for the past week now.

But hey, it's still a cool photo.

So basically in February, many towns and cities throughout Germany have a week long celebration for Fasching, starting on the Thursday before Ash Wednesday.  Usually, there is a celebration marked by public street parties and parades where people are dressed in a variety of costumes, from clowns to witches and demons.  These characters, throughout the parade, throw out candies and other goods to onlookers and sometimes taunt, poke and jab at you too.  No beads though...at least not in this town (we went to Weil der Stadt).  Another thing...throughout the parade, people kept yelling AHA!!! Not sure what that is about, but it was all quite interesting and so much fun.  And...I believe Malu had the loudest "Aha!" in the entire crowd!

Another reason we're so happy to be a part of the European experience!

Anyway, I'll leave the rest of the pictures for tomorrow.

Okay...here's one more!

 AHA!!!

Have a great week!