Open House was amazing! Everybody loved it. The guys worked hard to get everything clean and ready for it. They got the fire pit ready, got the garage all set up for showing "Indie" themed music videos, set up an open mic in the dining room, and made tons of food. They also blew up 200 or so balloons and filled the halls with them. Blauen also decorated with very Indie art. Hopefully the video will be uploaded soon to show you how we presented the theme. Once everything was set up, there was a soccer game against Vienna Christian up at the turf field. It was quite a tough and close game for the guys, but they scraped through. And then they all came to Open House, wandering between the fire, movie, Blauen, the rooms, the web, and everywhere else. There were tons of positive compliments, and most everybody had an enjoyable time.

And life continues up here on the hill. Weather keeps flip flopping between wet and sunny. A bunch of the guys were away at AFNorth and SHAPE over the weekend playing soccer. Because it was such a long drive, they left on Thursday after school, and the dorm seemed emptier without them. On Friday a bunch of guests came over, and they had many escapades, such as waxing and using a windsurf board and rubber raft down the wet hill and surfing down the fast cold creek. Wrestling and other forms of fighting also debuted spontaneously. Saturday, the guys went up to Frieburg for the day while some stayed behind and made a huge fire and burned several trees. Soccer came back late that night, with some ties, wins, and losses under their belts. They were quite exhausted. Sunday, because everybody was so tired, dorm devos was made optional, but many still traveled up to Hoch Blauen and roasted marshmallows and hung out with each other before tearing it down the hill in the dark, shouting and enjoying themselves. It has been a good week, and there are more soccer and track events coming up quickly.

Well, pray that the sun comes out!

Heya
We're back. Or rather, the students are. They all trickled in on Monday and Tuesday, tired, but rested from spring break. All of them were filled with stories of trips and escapades across the globe. We also have two guests for a bit, Gabe, visiting for the first time in a couple years, and Monica. It's unbelievable that there are only 9 weeks left till school ends. Everything seems to be coming up too fast.

Open House is this Saturday, 7:30 to 9. We are doing it with Blauen (can't tell you the theme yet, still secret). There is a friendly soccer game against Vienna Christian on the Marzell turf field, so lots of people will be up here. The excitement of March Madness also continues, though it appears that not many people registered. Anybody got ideas of a dorm retreat?

See ya soon with an update on the awesome open house!

Greetings Beloved Sonne Knights,

It is time to think about March Madness again. Or in the case of Sonne, Sonne MADNESS! If you have played in the past you may still be registered at Poolhost.com. If not follow these simple insturctions and you will be caught up in the Madness!

1. Go to Poolhost.com

2. Go to Register, on the left hand side of  the page. Then check you email for you temporary password.

3. Login to Poolhost.com, and change you temporary password.

4. Go to "User tools" and select "Join a Private Pool"

5. The pool Login is: "Sonnenhof" and the password "Marzell" and you are in the pool.

If you have any problems with this process see Ben Brown and he can help you out.

I miss all of you and wish we were there.

Matt Dredge

It's Snowing!
 So, yeah, yesterday was S.A.D (Snow Awareness Day). And, of course, as Murphey's law Dictates, it snowed the day after and is doing so nicely. But the guys needed the rest, because they just got back from Retreat up in Nurnburg. They had a fun time, wandering around the city, eatting non dorm food, and receiving an excellent message about the Kingdom of Heaven. But they were extremely tired, but they got a full day of rest. Tomorrow is track and soccer tryouts, so a lot of guys are feeling ready to run and get on the teams.

Yeah, March Madness info coming soon.

What a BEAUTIFUL DAY!

The sun is shining, the sky is clear, and it feels like summer. It's just an amazing day. And church is in the late afternoon today, so everybody is out enjoying it. A soccer game started at 11 AM and is still going on. People are out and about, in the creek, just laying around reading and tanning.

Friday and Saturday were Candlelight Dinner, an outreach to the German community. Several of the guys were involved in performances, and also some helped with serving and speaking in German. It was a big success. That is the reason church is late today: because cleanup takes a long time.

The weather has been sunny and warm for the most part of three weeks. It is rather odd. Everybody likes it, though some still wish for it to snow so they can snowboard down Hoch Blauen. Retreat is coming up. Once everybody returns from retreat, soccer and track tryouts begin. All the guys have been preparing really hard, and we hope they all make it.

Well, off to enjoy the sun!

Super Bowl Party. Oh yeah!

There were basketball games last weekend. Our guys fought amazingly. Sang Jin was unstoppable, and Sean did great. But they didn't win. This weekend is an away game.

Last weekend was a three day weekend, due to Fasching and Rosenmontag. The guys were quite grateful to have Monday off. The staff was too. Especially since it allowed the dorm to watch the Super Bowl. We didn't have it live, but Chaplain Sam taped it for us, and the dining room was all rigged up with a projector, sound system, and all dark. There were a lot of snacks, and the game started showing at 10 AM. Very few cheered for the Patriots. The last two minutes were the loudest, as many had fallen asleep, but were awakened when the Giants got ahead and won the game. Nearly everybody was elated and yelling in happiness that the Patriots did not win. Luke was especially happy, because it meant his Dolphins would stay in the record books as the only team to go undefeated.

So, see ya later!  

The dorm is so quiet. . .
Last week sunday is where we shall begin. Several weeks ago, the guys had obtained a name for an inner dorm secret santa gift exchange. So they collected their gifts, and the Saturday before Sunday was spent wrapping them creatively. Some were big ,some were small. Sunday rolled around, and everybody went to church. Upon returning from Church, there was a tasty lunch, and then some  van loads went down to the Christmas concert. The choir and String Thing did an amazing job this year, giving everybody quite the beautiful show and imparting a sense of Christmas cheer into all. The guys then hurried back up to the dorm, where the staff were busily bustling about making food. A huge spread was laid upon the tables, and the guys dug in after giving thanks for the amazing meal. The guys were in heaven with all the wonderful food that they were eatting, and many stuffed themselves to the brim. A quick clean up later, everybody gathered in the living room. Pillows were strewn about, so about half the guys laid in a pile in the middle, and from that point on presents were orderly given. Several people had done the "many boxes inside boxes" wrapping trick, and it was a joy to see boys tear things apart. Everybody had a rip-roaring fun time, and went to bed extremely happy and sated.

There have been exams this week. The guys have all been antsy, because they want to finish with school and return home. But they still studied hard for their tests, and it is assumed many did well. It has snowed again, a wet heavy snow, but it has already begun to melt. Ah, well, hopefully some more will occur right  before the guys return.

Johann was creaked on Thursday. He wrestled Austin in the living room before anyone was able to grab him, and carrying him down to the creek was a chore because of his super-powered struggling. But he was still dumped in the icy cold creak, and pulled Austin down with him. It was very enjoyable.

The dorm is so quiet. Though that is normal on a Saturday morning at this time. But mostly because half the guys have already left and departed home.

Merry Christmas Ya'll!

Heya!
Let us explore all that has transpired in the past, oh, two weeks. We had Thanksgiving (American) two Thursdays ago. That was quite a spread that the dorm prepared for the students. There was tons of food, from turkey and ham to many pies prepared by Gail and Cathy. After dinner, everybody pitched in to help clean up, and some games of "pudgy bunny" also erupted. (pudgy bunny-a game in which you stick a piece of food in your mouth and say "pudgy bunny," and then keep adding more till your mouth is too full to say or do anything.) It was tons of fun. Afterwards, there was a football game to watch. The next day, a Friday, was a much enjoyed holiday. There was a CS resurgence among many of the guys, and they played all day.
The Saturday that followed, not December 1st, was Christmas Banquet. It began at 6 P.M., so many of the guys were planning not to get ready till 5. But they were forced to be ready by 4 in order for many dorm pictures to be taken. It was quite fun, as Chim and the donkeys participated. Everybody looked quite stunning also. It was not as cold outside as previous years, so that was fortunate for the guys who had to wait outside the school for their dates. When all the dates arrived, the couples funneled into their tables in the auditorium and the program began. Daweed and Austin, being on Student Council this year, outdid themselves with preparation. They are to be applauded for their amazing work. The food was different this year, the acts were quite enjoyable, and the wishes that were granted were quite interesting to hear and see. Many, many pictures were taken, and everybody had a smashing good time.

Annotation to an earlier note: Sang Jin has also made the basketball team, and is on swing.

On Sunday, several of the guys who are in Drama Outreach went a performed a mime at a church in France. Interesting note about that is that all the guys in the Drama Outreach group are from Sonne.

This past Friday was a movie night at school. Everybody had the choice to choose between Transformers, Hairspray, Meet the Robinsons, Evan Almighty, Ocean's 13, and Spiderman 3. Whatever they watched, the guys returned sated and happy to the dorm and went to bed quite quickly.

The following Saturday was Freiburg shopping. Everybody traveled to the train station, met up with their friends, and took the train to Freiburg. There they got off and had several hours to wander through town, shopping for Christmas presents in the large Christmas market underway. Guys also took advantage of the dining, such as Starbucks and Subway, and got nice food. Everybody met back up at four, got back on the train, and returned quite tired to the dorm. It had been an amazing day.

And now everybody is ready for Christmas Break. November and its dreary days are over, and the countdown to home has begun. See ya all soon!

It has decided to SNOW like crazy these past days. Kristoff has won the snow poll, and won it quite well, as there is about four inches of snow all over the place. A lot of ice and water too.

Basketball tryouts have started, and it's interesting for the guys, running around in the cold and snow, hoping to get on the team. Thanksgiving is next week, and a day off on Friday, so that's cool.

Last week was the school play, "Up the Down Staircase." Our own Austin was a student in the play, and cut his hair for the part. He was tackled one day at lunch, with his permission, and many people took scissors and chopped off locks of hair.  Some Axe was also used. If you want quite a descriptive version, go to www.xanga.com/serenitymine

Herbste Messe was fun. Sorry for not updating about that. Going to the rides, drinking tons of coffee at Starbucks, all good stuff. And smashing each other up on the bumper cars to rap it all up was a blast. It was chipper, but not too cold.

Christmas banquet is in a week and a half. Many of the guys have asked, succesfully, girls to the banquet. To mention one:Daweed. He had many of the guys dress up as "arab terrorists," run across the street, bust into Blauen, and kidnap Rita. He then came and rescued her from their clutches, quite dramatically at that. Anyways.

TTYL