A resounding "Ya!"

My husband was assigned 'project lead' at work recently, in charge of a big project they've been working on for the last little while. They did such a good job that his boss has decided to send him and a co-worker over to the affiliated offices, in Germany and Austria, week after next, the first week of December. Charlie has been working long hours, and certainly deserves this amazing opportunity, but I was kind of looking forward to him being home a little bit earlier in the evening. Instead, he'll be calling me from the Vienna Hilton, maybe at 3 in the morning. Joy to the World. : )

Our 12 year old son is having a great old time, breaking into a resounding chorus of "How do you solve a problem like Aleia. . . ." every time his little sister walks into the room. The big kids are excited to see what Daddy will bring them from Berlin, etc. . . Meanwhile, I have to battle my way through 3 Christmas parties with all the children that same week . . alone, by myself, while my punk husband is over there in Europe, playing James Bond, sporting a tux, going to the Kringle Market in the native land of Saint Nicholas. . you know, visiting the walks of Beethoven, hearing the 'The Sound of Music' first hand. . . Wait a minute. . I'm pretty sure I'm the one with German heritage. . . So, am I jealous? Am I bitter? May I just say. . . You betcha! : )

But seriously, he'd probably take me with, if it wasn't for the sixteen hundred dollar plane ticket, and our regrettable lack of a nanny. . . . I am happy for him. And excited. It's just that I've wanted to go to Europe all of my life, ever since I was old enough to recognize the black and white photograph of my Italian Grandmother, which still haunts me from the wall in our family dining room back home. I hope he takes lots of pictures. . .

Well, best of luck, best wishes to my man there in Deutschland. I hope he has a great time. I'm sure he'll come back saying "Ya" even more than he has been these last few weeks. Maybe it'll be like the time he feigned a British accent for more than a fortnight, just for fun, to see if he could fool his clients when he was driving limos. Anyway, should be an interesting trip. Kudos to Charlie and the Old Country!