Random Updates

So, I just got back from a few days south of Nürnberg in beautiful Bavaria (the eastern state of southern Germany) where I was for work. It is a beautiful area and regretably, I didn't bring my camera... so no pictures to go with this post. Actually, I thought you might like to get caught up on how things are going for us in general, so here goes:
Elena has passed the 3-month mark at her job in the pharmacy, which is the probationary period. Up until that point, they can let someone go quite easily if it's not working out, but apparently Elena's boss likes her! She still enjoys her job very much, and a week and a half ago her boss treated everyone to an elegant Christmas dinner at a very nice restaurant... unfortunately spouses were not invited.
I've now been working for a month and a half, and things are also going well for me. It's been an intense learning experience, especially having to adapt to a different language and measuring system than what I'm accustomed to working with. My supervisors are great to work with, and the work environment is pleasant. Working at a higher elevation is also interesting, as the weather is often very different from Balingen. It's funny seeing my plastic water bottle all scrunched up when I get home, and my ears stay plugged for a while afterward.
We've used a couple weekends so far to visit friends and relatives. Most we haven't had time to visit during previous trips to Germany, so it's been nice catching up with them.
I got the results of my German language test, and fortunately I did quite well. The certificate will now be tucked away for a few years until I'm eligable for German citizenship. Other than that, there's not much other use for it. But I'm glad I got it out of the way.  
I am also now in posession of a German driver's license. For some reason I had very much looked forward to this. Not that I have anything special to drive (Elena's 20-year-old Mercedes is still kicking), but for some reason a German driver's license has extra prestige, don't you think? Maybe it's because of the reputation of German cars or the fact that this is the home of the Autobahn. People know that Germans take driving seriously, and I confess I do love driving here. A very big perk is that a German driving license has no expiry date! The down side is that driver's license photos look just as lousy here as they do in North America.