One Month? No Way!

Yesterday, Astrid said to me, "I need to get a new card for my phone."  And I looked at her like she was crazy, but then I thought about it, and sure enough, one month has gone by, and I literally do not know where it has gone.  She said, "This has been the fastest month of my life."  I agree.  It has been a blur of activity and highs and lows and laughter and music and friends and school and all kinds of stuff.  Every time I host, I feel I get better and better at it, and although I have my moments even now, this year I feel more confident in my abilities and I am enjoying the process in different ways.  If there's a next time, I suspect I'll say the same thing. ;-)

Ok, onward... So last time I blogged, I forgot to include that we had a Blessing of the Backpacks at the UU.  All the kids (and adults) who were going to school were invited to bring their school bags and they were each given a little rock that had been painted with a UU chalice and had a word on it for the kids to keep in their bags as a reminder that our community is with them at all times.  Astrid and Leah both had their schoolbags "blessed" and each got a rock--Astrid's said "Dream" and Leah's said "Kindness".  It was a lovely little service and our first time doing such a thing.  The girls, unfortunately, got stuck behind the podium, but Astrid got Leah to peek out so I could get a picture of them up there.

I can't entirely remember what exactly we have done in exactly which order, so here is a basic rundown of the highlights of the last 2 weeks since I blogged.

Astrid had her first track meet.  This was last week on Tuesday, I do believe.  It was the only one that they are having locally this month, so Leah and I went to cheer her on.  At first she said she didn't want us to, then she said she did want us to, so we decided to just show up.  The meet was at St. Michael's High School in Fredericksburg, and I think the entire team was able to participate in this meet because it was local.  The boys ran first and then the girls, and I was able to go live on Facebook so Astrid's family in Denmark could watch if they wanted to.  I do like that about the live option on Facebook!  When Ine was on the swim team, I'd have to film her swimming, then run outside and post the video on Facebook so her family could see it as close to real time as possible.  Even though my connection was kind of spotty, it was still neat to be able to live stream the race.

Pre-race.  I have no idea why Leah is looking grumpy

We arrived early and the kids were busy with team things (translation, wandering around the field, chatting, waiting for their turns).  Leah LOVES being around the teenagers, and Astrid is very good about making sure that she feels included, but also taking her space when she needs it.  Leah doesn't complain when she's asked to go back to Mom, so I think they have a nice balance struck between them.  The top runner for the boys was from Fredericksburg Academy--Chris, the boy I embarrassed Astrid with on the first day of practice.  Leah asked me if I thought Astrid would win when she ran.  I said, "I think she'll be in the top 20!"  In fact, Astrid was second amongst her school runners and 13th overall.  We were so proud of her!  The boys team won the team trophy, and the kids had a very successful first meet.  It was nice to see how encouraging the coach was of all the runners, and the kids had great support from the parents and from each other.  Below are some photo highlights with comments...

Getting ready to run!

Happier girl

Astrid at the finish line

Astrid with her results card

Leah meeting Astrid's friend and talking princesses

High fives from the coach

The team celebrating a great meet!  Way to go, Falcons!

I also took the opportunity to take Astrid to Wolf Trap for the first time.  My 80's rockin' idol Bryan Adams was coming and I really wanted to go.  The only downer was the heat--summer absolutely will not let go of Virginia and it was in the high 90's and HOT.  We picked Astrid up from her practice and drove up to Vienna.  Leah and I had prepared a picnic dinner, and we were lucky to find a spot kind of in the middle of the hill with nice people who made room for the three of us to sit.  We took the little tram up the hill and when we got into the venue and Astrid saw the size of it, she said "Wow!"  It really is a wonderful place to see a show, and I'm looking forward to the Christmas and Memorial Day free concerts later on during our exchange year.  I think Astrid was fully prepared to be bored or not like the concert (when we were listening to the radio recently, she asked if I'd put on music "from this century"... That did not go over well!).  But she actually knew 2 songs and she enjoyed herself.  I had a blast--the concert was amazing, and worth the 30 year wait.  Bryan still has it.  He played for a long time and even did an encore--a phenomenon Astrid was not familiar with.  I explained to her that if you scream and cheer long enough, the performers will come back out and sing some more.  She was impressed by that and I was happy for another 3 or 4 songs.

The girls helping haul our picnic at the bottom of the hill at Wolf Trap, ready to eat some dinner!  We all pitched in and enjoyed a great night

Bryan Adams, first concert at Wolf Trap

We have also enjoyed some fun times as a family.  Of course most evenings are now filled with homework and our school routines, but we do try to carve out time for family activities.  My favorite time of day is dinner time--we all eat together as a family and there is always lots of chatter and giggling.  Sometimes we play cards or games, but usually we just enjoy each other's company.  Astrid and Leah have each come up with activities to do together, and they have "sisters nights" a couple of times each month when I go to game night with my friends, which neither one of them is interested in.  They make slime together, watch movies, put on make up, or God knows what else.  Recently, they decided to try making their own lipsticks using a technique Astrid saw on line.  There were 2 ingredients: Vaseline and crayons.  We went all over the place looking for containers that they could put the completed lipsticks in, but unfortunately we had a lot of trouble and wound up using mini Altoids tins.  Each girl got two tins and could make two lipsticks.  The smell of melting Vaseline is something I have discovered I cannot stand, but Astrid loves it. Consequently, Leah has informed me she loves it.  I was just happy they had fun.

Astrid explaining the science behind the fashion

The completed product

Leah also found a "make your own ring" kit using some kind of magical plastic compound similar to the slime they've been manufacturing, so the girls made their own rings one night after dinner.  They fell apart a little bit, but it was the togetherness that mattered.

Astrid canning applesauce

We also took a canning class to learn how to preserve our own fruits and vegetables.  This was a class I won at the UU during the spring service auction, as I am very interested in learning how to can, but also a bit intimidated.  If you could have seen a 7-year-old's and a 15-year-old's faces when I told them that we were going to take a canning class...well I can probably leave it up to your imagination.  But they actually both enjoyed the class a lot, especially the samples.  We preserved applesauce and got to bring a jar home with us, which was fun and they both ate it very happily.  Astrid says I'm allowed to preserve spaghetti squash, which is her most favorite food in America and I'm not sure, but I'm thinking we're going to come to the end of spaghetti squash season soon enough, so she feels we should guard against future shortage by putting our newfound canning skills to work.

We also went to the Breakout Game Fredericksburg.  This is SO MUCH FUN!  They have opened a new room in which you have to investigate some kind of barbershop business that is a front for the mafia, and you have one hour to collect the clues and get out of there before the mafia returns and kills off your federal agent squad.  The game has a 17% escape rate, meaning only 17% of people who try it manage to escape, and we did not manage to get out on time.  It is REALLY hard.  And you overlook things all the time.  But it was a blast, and we all want to go back and play again and try to defeat the room.  We were locked into the house with a couple on a date, and worked hard on word puzzles, chess games, opening locks, finding keys.  We did manage to break into a secret room but ultimately we didn't get all the way through all the different puzzles we had found.  Still, it was really fun and a great activity for us to do as a family.

This weekend, we had been told that a local AFS volunteer was organizing us all to participate in a color run, the Color Me Rad 5K.  I asked Astrid before she arrived if she would like to participate and she said she would, so I got us all tickets and we went down to Chesterfield yesterday to 'run' with the other AFS'ers.  I had done one other color run in the past and it was no big deal, but this was absolutely the messiest run I have ever been involved in.  The girls' hair was literally crunchy from slime and color powder and all kinds of mess.  But it was a total blast.  Astrid did a great job of letting Leah be with her for a little while before sending her back to Mom and just having fun with her friends.  Time with the other AFS'ers is so important--they are the only ones who can really understand what they are all experiencing and going through.  But Astrid is always very mindful of Leah's feelings and how much she loves her big sister, and what a responsibility that is, so I'm pleased she does a good job of balancing her own needs with Leah's feelings.  It seems very natural to her.

Below are some pictures from our day.

Astrid signing the "Awesome Foreign Students" sign

The AFS'ers 'before'

Darn right!

The first colors have been thrown

Just a little way into the race

Leah and Astrid filling their water bottles with purple color

She is getting messy...

The kids decided to make snow angels in the color

Our "after" shot--I have never been messier in my life!

Afterwards, we picked up AFS'er Nana from Japan and brought her back to Fredericksburg.  She was switching from her welcome family to her permanent family, so it was interesting to talk with both girls before they fell asleep--we all had an early start in the morning (Team Kosior left home at 7AM) and then were very active during the race, obviously, so everyone was tired.  We talked about the American military presence in Europe and Japan, and it was interesting to get their perspectives on if we should stay or go (want to know the answers?  Host an AFS'er yourself! :-D )

After we got home, we took showers and Alex from AFS came and picked up Nana to bring her to her new family.  The girls and I had some downtime in the afternoon--I fell asleep, Astrid did whatever she was doing, and Leah watched a movie.  In the evening, we had a party to go to at the home of a member of the UU who I did not know very well.  We kind of debated going--we were all tired and I didn't know who would be there, but we decided we should go for a little while, and we had an absolute blast.  There were lots of little kids running around, which Astrid loves, and several of my good friends from the UU were there, so I had people I was comfortable talking to.  As the party was dying down, the host broke out some fireworks for the kids to enjoy, and I think the adults enjoyed it just as much!  I made a shrimp dip to take with us, and Astrid said if she had tasted it before the party, it never would have made it.  The girl does appreciate my cooking--she went nuts over a baked potato bar the other day! So all in all, a very nice day.  We had a discussion the other day that we are always busy on the weekends, which Astrid isn't used to and she would like a little more downtime, versus me who is glad everyone is family home on the weekends and I am ready for action!  So we are trying to strike a balance between those two needs, but obviously have some work to do.

All in all, the first month with Astrid has blown my expectations out of the water.  It has been a blur of running, Dollar Tree shopping, good food, lots of laughter, family activities, crafts, non-stop chatter, movies, school, church, and more.  Thanks for reading and see you in a few more weeks!

Welcome September!

Hard as it is to believe, it's September!  A lot has happened since my last update, so I'll try to give a big rundown of all the details...  Things are going really well here, now that the initial excitement has worn off we are all getting to know each other on a deeper level, understand each other's quirks, and get comfortable with our family's new dynamics.  This week will be interesting, because Leah starts school tomorrow (HALLELUJAH!) and then we will settle into a more comfortable routine that will last until June.  It has not been a totally perfect experience--Astrid finally let down her guard and informed me she doesn't think hamsters are cute, plus she's also not a good toothpaste squeezer.  But I guess I have to forgive her her faults. :)  I of course do not have any.

So, I last left off it was August 22nd.  That night, I had volunteered the girls to make brownies for the community supper that the UU puts on.  There are several local churches who put on community suppers weekly for people who might not otherwise get a hot meal, and members of the UU have been serving at St. George's Episcopal Church for some years.  Leah and I have been happily volunteering in this capacity for quite a while, and now our church has taken over one dinner per month and we cook, serve, and clean up the meals.  This month, we weren't able to volunteer at the site, but baking brownies was totally doable, so Astrid and Leah made two pans of brownies and then promptly licked the bowls.  We delivered the brownies to the church and the UU folks were very grateful.

The next day, August 23rd was my birthday.  I had hoped to go to Virginia Beach for the day, but unfortunately there was a lot of stuff going on with Astrid's school, plus I didn't want her to be exhausted for her first day of school, which was the next day.  Consequently, we decided to spend the day at King's Dominion.  In the morning, Astrid had to go over to FA to get her computer set up with their system, so we dropped her off and Leah and I just sort of hung around the area waiting for her to finish.  She got to meet some fellow "newbies" starting at the school, so that was nice, and got connected to the school's intranet and whatnot.  As soon as she was done, we headed straight down to Doswell/KD.  It only took us a half an hour to get there, and we had a great day.  Astrid agreed to take Leah on any rides that might make me feel a bit sick, which was good, and she also tried several of the more daring rides, like the Dominator, the Berserker, and the Crypt.  I was praying each time, as I would just see blonde hair dangling down, or green shoes, and I was hoping she was fine.  But she emerged each time with a big grin.  We also met Charlie Brown, played Boo Blasters, and spent a big part of the day in the water park.

On the way home, we stopped at Freddy's, which has become my favorite burger place since the disaster that is Steak N Shake disappointed me.  Then we headed home, and discovered a package from FA on the front porch.  In it were some FA spirit gifts and a lovely note from the head of the school welcoming Astrid to the academy.

Leah and Astrid with Freddy

Astrid now has the FA spirit!

Then it was off to bed to prepare for school!

The next morning, Astrid was ready as directed.  She said she was so excited and nervous she thought she might throw up.  She asked if she could borrow my tote bag to take some of her things, and given that it was my Barenaked Ladies bag, I was THRILLED she wanted to use it, and of course said she could.  I took a picture in the backyard, and then we drove to the bus stop and waited--no bus!!  We waited till about 7:30, and then thought we shouldn't wait any longer or she'd be late to school and drove like crazy down to FA, where I snapped a picture of her as she headed into the building.  Every year I drop a student off for their first day, I'm impressed as heck by their bravery to do this crazy exchange thing.  They all know the first day is part of the process, and it's something they all want, but it takes some guts to put yourself out there and actually go into a building full of people speaking a different language who have known each other for at least a little while and try to figure out where you belong.  The first day was a retreat day--all the kids were bused over to a local park for swimming and fun, so it wasn't too stressful, and of course she had a number of people she had known from cross-country practice, but I was still so proud of her for going.

Astrid heading into school on Day 1

I picked Astrid up after track practice and she said it was awesome.  She was ready for day 2, was already making friends and acquaintances, and had really enjoyed herself. That evening, she announced she HAD to get new notebooks for her classes, so we trekked back to Walmart, where she went totally nuts upon discovering that notebooks only cost 17 cents.  She and Leah sat on the floor and looked over all the colors there were, and she set about planning how she would raid my craft studio to make the covers a little jazzier, which she has done over the course of the past week, and which has been VERY impressive!

17 cents!?  Let's buy them all!

By 4:00pm on day 2, I had an email from the English teacher thanking Astrid for her participation in class, which was pretty awesome.  She has now been at FA for a week and a half, and has really been doing great. She had one sort of down experience at lunch, finding a group of kids to sit with, but all the kids proceeded to spend the entire lunch period on their phones and not talk with her, so she excused herself.  I think she has resolved this issue by now, as she has made a core group of friends and seems happy eating with them, and they all swap their food, which I guess they enjoy! Cross country is a challenge, in a good way, the heat has been brutal, and she isn't used to running quite as much as she has had to for practices, but she has happily noticed new muscles developing in her legs.  She also got a blister on her toe, and until now has resisted my urgings to put some ointment on it to help clear it up, but an old lady at the Dollar Tree threw some shade her way the other night about not listening to her mom, so she is FINALLY submitting to the tyranny of Neosporin.  But she's not happy about it.

That Friday evening, I picked her up and we stopped in Old Town to visit with my sister-in-law Paula who was visiting for one night from Boston, MA.  I hadn't seen her in 18 months and it was really lovely to spend some time with her at her hotel.  She brought Leah and Astrid gifts and took us all out to dinner, and we had such a nice time.

Astrid, Leah, and Auntie Paula

Paula was very impressed with Astrid and how self assured she was and what a good conversationalist she was, so that was nice.  Both my late husband's family and my family have been so generous with all the students we've had and it's been nice seeing Astrid get the same star treatment as the others.

Astrid in her 'new' dress and crown

On Saturday, we were back out shopping to find some clothes for Leah and Astrid.  Astrid needed a couple of things and Leah needed a few back to school outfits--nothing major as she already has more clothes than God.  We started at the Goodwill, and Leah discovered a pink plastic coconut she Had. To. Have.  Astrid found a nice pair of running shorts and a cute skirt.  She tried on a few prom dresses as well but was nervous that her body might change by the time prom rolls around, so we didn't buy anything yet.  Then I noticed signs for Weecycled, which is a local consignment sale where parents can sell their kids' old clothing and I took Leah there.  We got some great clothing for Leah there and Astrid found a cute dress so I got it for her.  Leah's prize finding was a purple tutu that she and Astrid both wore as a crown.  Very fun.  I also scored a copy of Mystery Date, the 1965 edition, so I HAD to buy that.  We went over to my mother's house for dinner and so that Astrid could meet my sister and her family.  After a couple of hours, we headed back to our house to play Mystery Date.  I literally could not wait to play.

We named our game pieces--Marcia, Twiggy, Patty, and Ginger...  Then we proceeded to play.  It was such a blast.  I didn't come close to winning any of the three games we played, but Astrid won one and my sister won two and we had so many giggles over it.  It was really awesome and worth every penny.

The next day, we went to church and the UU hung and dedicated its Black Lives Matter banner.  Each member and friend had the chance to sign the back of the banner affirming they "stand on the side of love".  Leah, Dottie, Astrid, and I all signed it.  I was so proud to be a UU and proud of my girls for their big hearts.

Afterwards, I held a "Welcome Astrid!" party at the house.  About 10-15 people showed up and met Astrid and welcomed her to the home and community.  I had done some Google searches about what kinds of foods would be appropriate to serve, and discovered that the Danes enjoy a variety of cold meats, fish, and cheeses, pickles, and breads.  Of course I had to get some Danish butter cookies!SO that was our little smorgasbord, alongside a Welcome Astrid cake!  It was a really nice day, and George Clooney even showed up to celebrate.

This past week, it has been a little calmer and quieter, as Astrid has been in school all week, so we haven't had a lot of free time to have fun.  It's been nice finishing the summer with Leah, although truth be told, I'm ready for her to be back in school.  We've done little things like lunch at Cracker Barrel, and I got to show the girls The Princess Bride.  We went to back-to-school night at Leah's school and Leah was very proud to show Astrid around and give her a tour of the school, as well as show off her big sister.  This past weekend was Labor Day Weekend--we did some shopping (of course!), we went to my mom's husband's birthday party (Astrid trying to teach us all to say "Happy Birthday" in Danish was a big hit!), my friend Amber's mom's birthday party (Where Astrid nearly kidnapped a 6 month old baby), and today Astrid went to brunch with some of her new friends from school.  This past week I also got to Skype with Astrid's parents for the first time and I really, really enjoyed that, they are lovely people and it's nice to feel like I have good communication with the whole family.  They are happy we are doing so well, and I can contact them any time I feel I need or want to and vice versa, which is great!  I've been very lucky to have good relationships with all the natural families of the girls I've hosted permanently, and I love them all so much!

It's hard to believe she's been here more than 3 weeks!  We've been having such a good time and enjoying
our time together... I'm looking forward to settling into a more permanent routine and then the year will really fly by.  In my next update, you'll be hearing about Astrid's first Wolf Trap experience, and whatever other adventures we are able to get up to.  I'm gazing longingly at the calendar hoping to fit in a beach trip, but so far, it's not looking too good... We also need to go up into the mountains during the fall to see the leaves, pick pumpkins, go to New York, survive the cross country season, and more!  Stay tuned!  I'll be back soon.