Darmstadt in the sun

This week has been snowy and very cold. However, today on our pday the sun was out and we decided to do some exploring. We visited an old chuch and tried to visit an art museum in the artist colony. However, the church was closed when we got there and the art museum was not open either. The church was on a hill in Darmstadt and the views of the city were beautiful. There were lots of garden areas and walking paths and we decided it will be much lovelier in the spring. The paths were snow packed and it was very, very cold with a soft wind blowing. I am so glad for my sweater and tights and warm coat. We then went to the downtown area to look for a few things. I found a cooking store that almost looks like williams and sonoma but not quite. We bought a big mixing bowl to make cookies and rolls in. I am happy. We found that there is an entire other area for shopping which we will see at a later time. We met the missionaries from Langen in the shopping area. They are here for interviews with the mission president. The mission president did interviews all afternoon. Elder Houston called to set the appointment for us at 8 pm. We went to the center and waited. We had visits with the missionaries waiting as well as the JAE who were there watching a movie and playing games. We are putting together a large puzzle and so we worked on that also. At 10:45 President Ninow finished with the interviews with the elders and came into the room and asked "Is there anything we need to discuss or can we do this at a later date?" (That is my kind of interview.) We visited for 5 minutes and then he drove back to Frankfurt. We will see him in a couple of weeks. I think he has more pressing matters with the young elders and he hopes we know what we are doing. I wish that were true. We were home very late last night and this morning came early. We will leave to go to the bank and post office on our way to the church. Today is the quiet day at the center and we will get most of the reports off today and complete the paperwork for the quarter. The JAE come this evening for "sport", where they play indoor soccer in the cultural hall. It is hillarious (as Megan would say). I am trying to figure out what snacks and drinks to have around but I don't know what they like yet. I am going on what most young people like--food. We have been enjoying the various bakeries that we find. Some of the things we like and others we don't. We are going to make kasekuchen on our own and will share that with the JAE. It will fun. Monday night for FHE they called at the last minute and needed dad to give the lesson. He talked about the Holy Ghost. There were 2 investigators there and 15 other JAE. We had dinner first--chicken tetrazini, carrots/zuchini, brotchen, fruit and cookies. They ate everything. The lesson went well and we were home by 10:30. It was a long night for me. Our Mondays are spent in shopping and preparing food but I like it. I am getting more knowledgeable about the groceries and how to use the stoves and ovens. I am learning to cook in new ways. We are busy and happy but miss those at home. It is always good to get mail and pictures. We pray for you all.