Day 7...Venturing to Trier, Germany

Yesterday, we travelled a little further away from our friends' home & went to Trier, Germany. To be honest, I didn't know much about Trier before we went to this city & knew probably the same amount when we left (due to the fact that I STILL can't read or speak German)! It is a beautiful city, and I've learned more by looking on the internet. However, since I've been there, I at least have certain landmarks that I recognize & can relate to. So, first things first (if anyone else is as geographically-challenged as I am), where are we? From my understanding, Trier is only 6 miles from the Luxembourg border & sits on the Moselle River...although I don't remember seeing a river!

So, now that we've been to Trier & I've looked on the internet, I've found out that Trier is the oldest city in Germany, was founded in 16 B.C. by Emperor Augustus, & became the favored residences of several Roman emperors. The city still has some ancient Roman ruins in the middle of the city...sometimes right next to a "modern" building or a new one under-construction. That's something that I found kind of ironic, seeing a "vintage" building right next to some "modern" ones. But then, this little observation made me think about what this country has been through over the centuries, in particularly this past century. I wonder what this country looked like prior to the 2 World Wars? What would this country look like if it wasn't at the center of World War II? Kind of makes me sad to realize the devastation & destruction this country has been through. And I'm also just now realizing that we have not seen any mention of war related history (or at least maybe we just can't read it). So, far though, looking back through the internet, I haven't read much mention of war either. Hmmm!

Back to our adventure which, again, begins with a parking hunt! (Makes me wonder how difficult this adventure is during Germany's "busy" season!) We ended up kind of circling around to get our bearings, even with our friends' GPS! Greg finally found a parking garage, but it ended up being a good hike away from anything interesting. We weren't sure of where we were going, but we saw a beautiful church on the horizon & just started walking to it.

The church turned out to be the Trier Cathedral (Trier Dom).

History lesson time! "The present cathedral in Trier stands on the site of a former palace of Emperor Constantine the Great (the 1st Christian Roman Emperor) and still contains part of the Roman original structures. Its art and architecture covers a time span of more than 1,650 years. It is the oldest church in Germany. The Cathedral of Trier houses great works of art and a holy relic that draws many pilgrims: the Holy Robe, the garment said to be worn by Jesus when he was crucified. Directly adjacent stands the earliest Gothic church in Germany, the Church of Our Lady, built in the 13th century." We didn't get to go in the Church of Our Lady (Liebfrauenkirche) because it was closed for some restoration & renovations. However, from the internet pictures, it looks like a beautiful church with some great architecture! The Trier Cathedral is quite impressive, and I can't imagine that the architecture of Liebfrauenkirche is more beautiful than the Trier Cathedral, but that's all the websites mention is the other church! Personally, I think that the Trier Cathedral is one of the more beautiful churches that we saw.

Next, we had to shamefully ask in English where to go for a tour "train" of the city...since we couldn't find it on our own! (I really wish that I had tried to learn some German words before going there!) Our friends recommended taking this train for the kids & to figure out if there was any place that we wanted to see. Good thing the tour was in both German & English...we at least understood what we were seeing!

View of the former Roman Bath Houses...from our tour train!

After our city tour, we went into the Porta Nigra, the last standing Roman "gate" to the city.

When I first saw this structure, I really thought that maybe there had once been a fire. However, it's called the Porta NIGRA (Black Gate) because the stone has weathered & turned black over time. Of course, can't go any further without a history lesson! "The oldest defensive structure in Germany, the Porta Nigra was erected in about 180 AD when the Roman city was surrounded by walls. Trier was a Roman colony from the 1st century AD and then a great trading centre beginning in the second century. It became one of the imperial capitals under the Tetrarchy at the end of the 3rd century, and became known as the "second Rome."

The Porta Nigra is the only one of four Roman gates that still stands in Trier; the others were gradually pillaged for their stone and iron. The Porta Nigra survived because it was used as the humble residence of a hermit monk named Simeon for seven years (1028-35). After his death he was buried in the gate and the structure was transformed into the two-story Church of St. Simeon (lay church on the bottom, monastery church on top). Napoleon destroyed the church in 1803, but the 12th-century Romanesque apse survived and the entire structure has been restored to its medieval appearance.

1,700 years after its construction, the Porta Nigra is still impressive at 118 feet long, 70.5 feet wide and 90 feet high. The entire structure is made without mortar - the sandstone blocks are connected only by iron rods. The stone blocks weigh as much as six metric tons each.

Two gateways lead into a small inner courtyard, where unfortunate intruders would be trapped and covered in tar. Above are two tiers of defense galleries with large open windows. It is flanked by two towers, a four-story western tower and the three-story unfinished eastern tower. Inside, an empty apse at the east end and carvings of church fathers like Irenaeus, Ambrose and Jerome recall the Porta Nigra's use as a church."

Sorry! That was long winded, but I found it so intriguing that I couldn't trim it down! I really thought the part about intruders being trapped & tarred & can imagine the very spot where this took place. But I had nothing to fear because we had our own Roman guards to protect us:

After the Porta Nigra, we ventured to a local bakery (bäckerei) for a local snack. These bäckereis are everywhere in Germany & bread & pastries seem to be a staple in the German diet & at every meal! It was fun to try something that we weren't sure what it was, but we couldn't figure out how to ask either. We knew that apfel is apple, so Colin & I each got something with apfel in it, but not the same thing! Sheridan had to get a baguette, but it was soft, fresh & very tasty. I can't remember what Greg had.

Then, we had to walk around & try to find a church we heard about on our tour, Kirche St. Gangolf. Apparently, the only way to access this church is to take a private alleyway, which is why I think Greg wanted to see it! If you didn't know it was back there, you would probably keep walking past it! We walked up just as the noon mass was letting out, but there were still people praying & such.This church isn't as old as the other churches we've visited, but it was still beautiful inside.

Here's the slideshow of our visit to Trier.

By the time we had visited the Kirche St. Gangolf, we were SPENT! While I wanted to go see the Roman Bath houses (Kaiserthermen) since I saw the ones in Bath, England, I didn't want to drag our children or myself across town. When we drove by the bath houses on our tour, there wasn't much of an interior structure to see & the springs to the bath houses are all dried up.

So, it was time to move on to the next stop in our adventure...Luxembourg!

Sarah's Lenten Fast, update #7

I'm in my friends house in Germany, waiting on some of our laundry to finish. The house is quiet because everyone is in bed! I'm struggling to staying awake until the laundry finishes because we need to take with us to Luxembourg a couple of items in there. All I can think about is getting on Facebook to stay awake. It's only about 5:30-6:00 p.m. in Texas, and I'm missing some of my friends. It would be so easy to see what they are doing by signing on FB!

Oh, why did I choose this year as my first year to participate in Lent?!?!

Wait! I know why...the Lord knew what I needed this year. I was crazy busy with work & preparing for this trip. If I had the distractions of FB during this time, I don't think that I would've accomplished or finished what I needed to do.

It's amazing to see how He works. I've been amazed so far during this trip to see all of what He has created. I imagine seeing the Lord sitting in a chair with a paintbrush. To see His beautiful landscapes is an amazing blessing. Or imagine the Lord sitting at a toolshop work bench with a screwdriver in His hand. Another blessing to see how He has pieced everything together!

The Lord knew what I need & what I don't need. He tugged at my heart & directed me, and I'm glad that I listened. I'm just wondering if there are other things the Lord has tried to direct me toward & did I listen? Or will I listen again & follow His tugging? I would like to think & hope that I would. However, this leading has not been easy or enjoyable to follow. But, we were never promised an easy life now...just a great, eternal life later!

Day 6...Technik Museum Speyer

It is Day 6 in our adventure, and we decided to try to do something fun just for the kids...there's only so much "history" their little minds can take (plus we were hoping to get a reprieve from the incessant requests to go back to their friends' house, even if their friends weren't home)! Greg found online this great, fun, kid-friendly museum in Speyer, Germany. Here's where Speyer is located:

This museum is filled with airplanes, trains, numerous cars, tractors, fire engines, helicopters, boats...basically a collection of anything mechanical & shows how technology has changed over time! It even has a huge carousel, model trains, old fashioned jukeboxes & mechanical pipe organs! Sheridan heard the organs playing & started dancing around...then, of course, Colin had to join her!

And of course, since there were model trains, Colin had to see them in action!

This museum had SEVERAL different airplanes in it, from different eras! I've edited the slide show at the bottom of this posting so that you don't have to look at multiple pics of planes! However, we have SEVERAL pictures of airplanes & I have no idea what I'm looking at!

This seemed to be a really great museum for this history-buff, however, about 95% of all the signs that explained what we were looking at or what it was used for or any type of history were all in GERMAN!!! We saw a few things in English, but that was few & far between. In fact, I remember seeing some contraption & still have no idea what it is & what was it's purpose!

Any clues as to what this is? or what it was used for?

We also saw what we think was a "primitive" tractor & hay bailer...but it's just a guess since we couldn't read the signs! I managed to get a video of it in motion, but it was loud & looked interesting & dangerous with pitch forks attached to the back of it!

I think the highlight of the day was the 747 that we got to climb in & see different things up close. Well, climbing in the 747, the Antonov 22, & other aircraft were the highlights of Greg's day. For the kids, they enjoyed the most the "alternative" exit from the 747...a spiral, tube slide!

At first the kids didn't want to go down the slide, so Greg went down first by himself. The kids & I took the "old-fashioned" exit & went down about 91 stairs!
Like I said, there were 91 steps to get up to the entrance of the 747, so therefore, 91 steps to get to the slide too! Wouldn't you know it?!?! Colin had absolutely NO PROBLEM climbing these stairs & proceeded to continue to do so about 6-7 more times, with the last 4-5 times carrying the mat that he had to sit on to slide down! Remember the video from yesterday & the screaming "My legs are tired!" Lesson learned...

Sheridan took a little longer to warm up to the idea of going down the slide...she's my timid & cautious one! However, either Greg talked her into it or she saw Colin do it, she went down at first with Greg, then me, then probably could've kept going & going & going! She too loved the ride!

Here's a video of our sliding fun!

After lunch, we let the kids slide a couple more times, but then moved on to the Space Shuttle Buran. It's the Russia's version of our shuttle, but I think someone said that it only had test flights & never actually went up! What a waste of time & money!

Here's a slideshow of all our pics:

Pretty much after this we're beat & still have to drive back to our friends' house! However, if the kids had their way, we'd STILL be at the slide! And I just remembered, I don't think that we heard all day "when are we going back to Aaron & Isabelle's?!?!" It was a nice relief from that type of questioning!

Tomorrow's adventure takes us on an overnight stay in Luxembourg! Our adventure will be continued!

Heidelberg, Germany...Day 5

We spent Day 5 in Heidelberg, Germany to go see a castle up close! I'm "geographically challenged" and have no idea where in Germany I am. So, I thought that I would include a map for your enjoyment!Since our friends' kids were still in school during the day, we decided to make some daytrips to explore Germany & hope to make it back to their house by the time the kids return from school...maximize all 4 kids playtime while we can! We drove a little over an hour from our friends home to Heidelberg. I tried to enjoy the ride & scenery as much as possible, but I was still jetlagged & snoozed in the car!

So, before we begin, I will confess that I love history & the stories behind stuff. So, of course, I had to include a history of the Schloss Heidelberg, the Heidelberg Castle: "Nestled in the hill 300 feet above the city of Heidelberg stands the breath-taking Heidelberg Schloss (castle). The castle is a combination of several buildings surrounding an inner courtyard, put together with a haphazard look. Each building highlights a different period of German architecture. The castle has a history almost as old as the city itself. The first parts of the castle were constructed around 1300, but it wasn’t before Prince Elector Ruprecht III (1398 – 1410) that the castle was used as a regal residence. Until it was destroyed by lightning in 1764 leaving it permanently uninhabitable, the castle was the residence for most of the Prince Electors. In 1800, Count Charles de Graimberg began the difficult task of conserving the castle ruins. Up until this time, the citizens of Heidelberg had used the castle stones to build new houses."

When we arrived at Heidelberg Castle, our next adventure began...finding a place to park! The castle is located on a gorgeous hillside...STEEP hillside! So, we drove up past the castle to look for parking, & kept going & going & going, up & up & up! We saw the end of Heidelberg city limit sign, but still kept going. It's Winter time & this tourist attraction is not crowded, so why can't we find a parking place?!?! Can't imagine how difficult it would be during the "busy" season! So, we finally decided to turn around & go back & ended up driving past the castle again, but going downhill! We finally found a parking garage, WAY downhill from the castle...but we still have working legs & decided to just "hoof" it!

Since we were WAY downhill, we knew we had an uphill climb...but then we saw some stairs & decided to take those instead. Little did we know, we would hoof it up about 300 stairs! So, we go up the stairs & probably get about 1/3 of the way & now I'm regretting NOT getting into shape BEFORE our trip! My hips were burning, my feet were hurting, my calves were shaking, & my lungs were trying to work as hard as possible to take in as much oxygen as possible...I AM OUT OF SHAPE!!!

We finally arrived at the castle, huffing & puffing, but got to see a great view of the city below & the kids got to see the remnants of a real castle! The castle still had a portcullis that the kids got to touch & feel & stand next to. We tried to move it, but it was secured open. It didn't seem that heavy but you know it is. In the portcullis, there is a smaller doorway. So, it was fun for them to imagine what it was like to stand guard at the gate, hear a knock, & ask "Who goes there?"

We continued to walk through the interior courtyard & went down into the cellars of the castle. In the cellars, we found a BIG wine barrel. We had heard that this castle housed the Heidelberg Tun, or the “World’s Largest Wine Barrel”. And we thought that we had found it, but were unimpressed by what we saw.After we saw this wine barrel, we kept on walking & found more downward ramps & steep stairs! Oh, we were wrong...the above was NOT the Heidelberg Tun...but this one is:
History Lesson time again: "The Heidelberg Tun, or the “World’s Largest Wine Barrel”, was built in 1751 by Prince Elector Karl Theodor to house the wine paid as taxes by the wine growers of the Palatine. It stands seven meters high, is eight and a half meters wide, holds 220,000 liters (58,124 gallons) of wine, and has a dance floor built on top of it. The court jester who guarded the cask during the reign of Prince Elector Carl Philip, a Tyrolean dwarf nick-named Perkeo, was supposedly known for his ability to drink large quantities of wine. Legend has it that he died when he mistakenly drank a glass of water."

The rest of the time, we just looked around what we had access to...it's still "winter" time in Germany. There are lots of things that are closed during the "slow" season. So, unfortunately, we couldn't go inside the more "important" parts of the castle. But the kids found the most important part of the castle, as you will see in this video:

After we finished at the castle we walked back DOWN the same stairs that we shamefully climbed to get to the castle. Thought that you'd like this video:

After we finished our treck down the stairs, we decided to visit the Heiliggeistkirche, The Church of the Holy Ghost. Of course, here's a history too: "One of the few buildings in Heidelberg to survive the many wars during the past centuries, the Church of the Holy Ghost stands reverently in the Marktplatz. And even though the foundation was laid in 1398, it took until 1544 to finish the tower. The church has been home to Catholics and Protestants alike throughout the centuries. In 1706 a divider separating the two denominations was put in when both wanted to have services there, and it remained until the 1930’s. The church also has remains of the tombs and epitaphs of the Palatinate electors as well as a collection of manuscripts." Of course, we have a video for you too, an interior shot of the church!

After visiting the church, we decided to stop for lunch. We weren't sure what was good or where to go. This was our first German dining experience without our friends to help translate. We ended up in a quiet cafe & just stuck with what we knew...PIZZA! I know, I know...risk-takers we are NOT! We did manage to order water for everyone with NO GAS (apparently sparkling water is a staple in Europe, but not a favorite of the Kempers!) and a ham & pepperoni pizza. Or at least, we thought that we ordered pepperoni. We quickly learned that pepperoni in the U.S. are NOT the same as pepperoni in Germany. I'm not sure what German pepperoni's are technically called, but they are essentially small, slightly mild peppers. They remind me of the banana peppers we get on the side when we order pizza from our favorite place, but I don't think the banana peppers have any spice.

Oh, well! We laughed about this as a fun "German" experience & memory! Even the waitress got a kick out of our "ignorance." She asked if there was something wrong with the pepperoni since we picked them off the pizza and still didn't understand what we meant by pepperoni when we tried to describe it to her!

In the 1st video, I showed you a bridge. After lunch, we walked to the Old Bridge. Here's the history of it: "Prince Elector Carl Theodor built the Old Bridge in 1786. Although the fifth bridge built over the Neckar in this location, it was the first stone bridge to be constructed. The twin towers on the city side of the river were once part of the city wall, and contain dungeons used for housing criminals. In the center of the towers, hanging above the portcullis, is a plaque giving acknowledgment to Austrian troops who helped defend the bridge against a French attack in 1799."

Throughout Heidelberg, the streets are made with cobblestones. For whatever reason, the cobblestones are a favorite to Sheridan. She always noticed if we were walking or driving on them! She always pointed out the cobblestones everytime she saw them.

And with that, we have another fun adventure in the books.

Luzern, Switzerland...Day 4

We spent Day 4 of our adventure touring around Luzern (Lucerne), Switzerland. Apparently, if you're a Swiss or if you're German-speaking, the city is spelled Luzern. However, all English speaking or non-Swiss will spell it Lucerne. Even the city logo has both spellings in it:

We started out the day with a driving "tour" of the city. Actually, this was an inadvertent tour because we were trying to find the Gletschergarten (Glacier Gardens). Luzern has many winding as well as one-way streets. We even found some streets that went up & down very steep hills! We finally decided to just get out & ask...it was a good thing too! Apparently, this is a very hidden location & only accessible by foot...but for the kids very well worth it!

The first thing to "welcome" us to the Gletshergarten was the "Dying Lion Monument." This monument was carved out of natural rock in memory of the heroic deaths of the Swiss mercenaries at the Tuileries in 1792. WHAT?!?! 1792! This amazes me! All of the detail & the curves of the lion's mane...carved in the early 1800s...no machinery! WOW! All of the kids were really excited to see this too!

After looking at some interesting glacier remnants, we went into the Spiegellabyrinth (Hall of Mirrors). It was so much fun for all kids & all four parents! I think the funniest parts were seeing 6 or 8 Colins or Sheridans, watching the kids walk squarely into a mirror thinking it was an open hallway, & watching everyone walk with their hands out in front of them as if we were blind or in a very dark room!

Here is more mirror fun:

Then, of course, we're in Switzerland. What's one thing you HAVE to eat for lunch or dinner??? Perhaps some great, delicious Swiss delicacy?!?! Well, we don't know what that would be because for the kids, we went to McDonald's!!! I know...FANCY!!! Honestly, it was an easy choice so that we didn't have to fight our kids to eat something! And we saw one when we "toured" the city earlier in the day.

We continued walking around this picturesque city...seeing Chapel Bridge & the Water Tower over Lake Lucerne, to seeing a portion of the former city wall that was used to fortify the city in the former days! We, also, stopped in at the Jesuitenkirche (the Jesuit Church). This church was right off the water & is beautiful on the outside & inside!

After the church visit, we were all tired & still needed to drive back to Germany. So, it was time to go...oh, but wait! We can NOT come to Switzerland without tasting & getting some Swiss CHOCOLAT!!! Oh YUMMY!

Strangely enough though, we actual had a hard time finding a place that sold it. More than likely, this "shortage" was probably due to the fact that we were shopping on a Sunday (everything seems to shut down after 4 pm on Saturday until Monday morning). We stepped into the Bachmann's Confiseur shop & I, all of a sudden, felt this great sense of euphoria! I died & went to Chocolat Heaven!!!! I had to look at everything & it was so hard to control myself & not buy 1, 2, or more of EVERYTHING! But I also wanted to find some chocolat that I couldn't find in the States....didn't know that the Lindt Chocolate Company is actually Swiss chocolat! However, I can buy this in the states...so I actually had to search for another company because Lindt chocolats were everywhere in this store! I finally found a company that I didn't recognize...Camille Bloch...but then I still had to make a choice! Darn! I couldn't just buy it all! I finally decided on a "Torino Noir"...Swiss Dark Chocolat with Truffle filling! Mmmmmm! The kids had to be restrained from their desired indulgences, but they finally settled for some lapins en chocolat (chocolate bunnies)! Simple, but still mmmmmm! delicious! Unfortunately, hindsight...wish I took a picture of all the chocolat everywhere in this store!

Our pics of Day 4!

And so ends Day 4! The adventure continues tomorrow!

Our Snow Fun Adventure...Day 3

Our adventure continues on Day 3...what did we have planned for today? Snow tubing & tobogganing in the Swiss Alps, of course!

We travelled about 30 minutes or so from Lucerne, Switzerland to Engelberg, Switzerland...another BEAUTIFUL drive. We saw not just snow capped mountains, but Colin saw what he thought was frozen waterfalls. Whether this was just frozen run-off or actual frozen waterfalls, we don't know & that small detail really isn't important...the site was still spectacular! It was a great, beautiful, sunny day! Since our kids had never been skiing before, we opted to not put them in ski school. However, it would've been really cool to say that we've been skiing in the Swiss Alps. Maybe next time! And there is more to do in the Swiss Alps than just ski!

First, we started the day with a fun gondola ride up the Mt. Titlis resort! The kids had a great ride, and we enjoyed a breathtaking view! Of course, both the girls & the boys were practically attached at the hips! So, the girls all rode together, and all the boys rode together! All of the kids had such a fun time & probably could've stayed on the gondolas all day long!

Girls Gondola Ride

Boys Gondola Ride

So, our next stop was the "Snow Toys Park." Here, the resort has snow tubes, as well as 2 other contraptions, to ride if you aren't skiing. Greg rode both of the contraptions, but I don't know what they are called or even know where to begin to describe them! All in all, it was a fun adventure. Warning: this video may not be for the light of stomach viewers, but we thought you'd like a taste of our adventure!

After lunch, we rode the gondola about half way down the mountain. At this point, we found our way to the Tobogganing equipment. Well, actually, I call it sledding, but Greg says the official name is Tobogganing. Sheridan rode with me, and Colin rode with Greg. Sheridan & I crashed once, and Colin & Greg crashed twice. Although, when we were done, Sheridan would've rather have rode with Greg. She kept telling me to go faster & not slow down! If I had listened to her, I have no doubt that we would've crashed more!

This was an incredibly fun day! Here are the pics too:

We saw another opportunity for adventure in the Swiss Alps...something I'm sure Greg would've literally jumped to do. Check it out!

Just to recap our day...a little interview of the kids:

And so, there is Day 3! Our adventure continues tomorrow with a tour of the city of Lucerne...a must for the day...Swiss CHOCOLAT!!!

Reuniting Friends...Day 2

Our European adventure continues...

We arrived in Germany today, March 12th about 7:20 am. WHEW! That was a LONG flight! But the kids did well & the only issue was Colin trying to find a comfortable position to sleep in when he was SO TIRED!

I anticipated & dreaded going through the passport & customs part of this trip. But actually, it was really easy! I guess Germany isn't as concerned about their visitors?!?! They didn't ask us any questions, we didn't have to fill out any forms, & we didn't have any customs checks with our bags! Crazy, but I was relieved!

The next part of our adventure starts with getting our rental car & trying to navigate the German Autobahn!!! Note to self & others: when trying to navigate, it's probably best to orient yourself with the direction your facing! I guess we were too excited to get going, we just took off, not sure where we were or what direction we were going! HA! We got so confused & turned around, and it's NOT easy to exit & do a quick U-turn! We ended up on another section of the Autobahn, had to exit that & find another road to turn around on & make our way back. Then, once we found the correct Autobahn highway number, we discovered that we were heading in the wrong direction! WHEW! There went 25-30 minutes, but we got a quick tour of some parts of Germany that we probably wouldn't see...or will probably ever see again! HA!

We finally made it to our friends house (of course after getting lost in their small village because the street signs are kind of hard to read). And the kids anxiously waited for their friends return home from school...oh, but it was a very sweet reunion!

Our adventure continued right after this reunion! We loaded the cars & both families drove to Switzerland (via Germany & Eastern France). Here are some pics of the view on our way:

So, here's the next mini-adventure we had on our way to Switzerland! I made the mistake of letting Colin drink some apple juice & orange juice on the plane...a rare treat for him! Well, the juices were "catching up" with Colin & we found ourselves making an emergency pit stop on the side of the road in France. He got to do to France what many Americans wish they could do, he got to literally dump (for a kinder way to put it) on France!! It was great but not expected, so we weren't prepared! Gas stations & rest stops were very few & far between, so this was the best we could do!

We arrived in Switzerland just in time for dinner. We were all tired, so we ate dinner, got settled & went to bed!

And so, there is Day 2!

Our European Adventure Begins...Day 1

Well, first, I must say that we were nervous about the beginning of this adventure. On Friday, March 5th, 6 days before our trip begins, Colin came home from school with either a stomach bug or possibly food poisoning. We immediately started getting concerned about who would be next & how this would effect our trip. We kept Sheridan away from Colin for about 24 hours, which surprisingly turned out to be a difficult task (I guess that's a good sign!). Then, anytime, I had to touch Colin or anything he touched, I immediately went to the hand sanitizer to wash my hands! Thankfully, I will report that we were all fine & the rest of us stayed well!

So, our adventure began at 5:30 a.m. today. Greg decided to wake the kids up early in the hopes that they would be tired enough to sleep well on the plane & also maybe adjust better to the time difference. Not shocking at all, it wasn't hard to get them out of bed...they both were SUPER EXCITED that the day had finally come for us to go to Germany! Even though Greg set Sheridan's alarm for the earlier time, she practically jumped out of bed with excitement.

We still took the kids to school for a few hours today while we finished packing. For Sheridan, this allowed her to finish taking some tests & finish up some schoolwork. So, thankfully, she won't return to school with any make-up work to do!

The Parking Shuttle Ride to the Airport

So, we picked up the kids at school at 11:45 am, picked up lunch on the way, headed to an airport parking spot, loaded & road the parking shuttle, and arrived at the airport to check in about 12:30 pm. Not too bad! Now, getting through security is another story! Thanks to American Airlines baggage policies & fees (even for foreign travel), we were only allowed to check 4 bags without being charged any additional fees. So, we took through security for carry-on: 4 "personal items" (a.k.a. 3 STUFFED backpacks & 1 oversized shoulder bag), 2 rolling carry-on suitcases, 4 coats, & 2 booster seats, plus we had to take off our shoes for them to be scanned too! Since we brought our laptop & Colin's nebulizer & some liquid medications with us, we had to take those items out of our bags & had to have them either scanned or inspected. So, it probably took us about 20 minutes to get through security, but I have to keep telling myself, "They are keeping us safe, they are keeping us safe, they are trying to keep us safe!"

Our plane was already at the gate..."waiting" for us!

So, we finally get to our gate around 1:00 pm, for our 2:00 boarding & 2:35 pm departure. The kids want to get on the plane NOW! So, what else to do when you are too excited & can't sit still??? Why not dance around! Here are some pics of our travel buddies:

Listening to the airplane engines

Well, that's about all for Day 1. Really, the most exciting event of the day was getting through security & getting on the plane! Day 1 was spent just travelling to Germany! Our flight was about 9 1/2 hours long. Greg was kind of right about the kids sleeping on the plane. Sheridan fell asleep within the first 15 minutes of the flight, but Colin did not. We gave both kids some benadryl later in the flight, which helped them both to sleep for part of the trip.

Our adventure is to be continued....

One House Project Down

Just had to take a minute to brag on my husband & be thankful for his hard work! When we bought this house, we knew that we had to do some exterior improvements...or else face foundation problems down the road!

We had a structural engineer come to our new house during our "option" period, and he strongly recommended that we have the french drain line removed & replaced with a better yard drainage system. The bids came in at about $2700-$3000 for materials & labor. WHOA!

So, thanks to Greg's willingness to do some manual labor & no fear of hard work, Greg decided to tackle this project himself!

Materials ran us a little more than $500, so Greg's work saved us anywhere from $2,200 to $2,500! WOO HOO!!!

Greg had some help too from my stepdad, Mark, and he had to work around the weather & Greg's work schedule. So, Greg finished up by covering up the last of the new drain pipes about a week ago, and we can cross off one house project off our list!!!

Colin is playing SPORTS!

A little bit of a catch up post!

Colin started playing sports last year. He started with soccer in the spring & played baseball this fall. The only problem with his activities, compared to Sheridan's activities, is that they are outdoor! For both the spring & fall sports last year, we had A LOT of rainouts & what seems to be endless rescheduling! In the end though, Colin is very patient & understanding about the rain & hides his disappointment very well!

Colin's soccer season was played in the Spring through Upward Sports, and his team was called the Lions. We've really enjoyed the Upward program that Sheridan has participated with her cheerleading. The program is very laid back & emphasizes encouraging & including all children, no matter their skill level. The program prays before every game & has a devotional at the end of every practice. They also encourage the players to memorize scripture.

I guess at this age, it's probably more accurate to really call this sport Bunch Ball instead of soccer. However, Colin played hard and didn't feel discouraged, even though he was one of the smallest boys out there. He didn't score a goal this season, but came very, very close to it and kept trying! There were a few times that he would get run into by other players, and he would just shake it off, play the tough guy, and keep on going! I was very surprised by his "toughness" especially when other "bigger" boys would come off the field crying!

Colin's baseball season was organized through the local youth baseball league. His team was called the Scrappers! His original schedule had his last game scheduled for October 15th. However, due to A LOT of rain and many, many, many rescheduled games, his season was extended into the 1st weekend in November! Again, he was very patient with the weather and very attentive to the game.

Colin played every position, including catcher, and was even awarded the game ball for his efforts in that game. In his last game, Colin played 1st base & managed to get 3 or 4 players out at 1st! It was really exciting to watch. We really enjoyed this team too. His coach was very laid back and very encouraging to all the boys! Some of this team actually played tee-ball together last Spring. We were hoping that Colin would be able to continue with the same coach this next season, but he's been placed on the Braves team. So far, his coach seems a little more "hard core" than his previous coach. However, all the coaches seem to be focusing on the boys learning more technique & skill. So, this will hopefully be a good experience for him.

He has really enjoyed playing both sports. However, both sports coincide this Spring, so Colin has chosen to play baseball instead! So far, 3 practices have been either rained out or fields too muddy to practice! The season starts in a couple of weeks, so we'll have to wait & see what the weather will bring! Thankfully, there is an INDOOR Upward Soccer league that we'll let BOTH kids participate in this summer!

Sheridan joins The Power Team

After every Upward Season is over, there is an Awards Night & a time for the players, cheerleaders & coaches to have some fun. The Power Team came this year to Awards Night, and Sheridan got to join them...well, she joined them at least for this one night's performance! She's my performer, so I know it was a treat for her to be on stage!

Always the cheerleader!

Is this real? (warning...parts are shaky because I was laughing so hard!)

So, seriously, how many kids would know if it's real or not?!?!

Time to fly, Sheridan! Don't let go!

She was ecstatic about her "performance" & insisted on getting Nitro's autograph afterwards. It really was an exciting & fun show!

Go, Go, G-O, Go Sheridan Go

Sheridan just wrapped up her latest season of Upward Cheerleading where she cheered for basketball. She had a great time, learned a lot of cheers, & even a dance too! She is even turning her basketball cheers into cheers for Colin's upcoming baseball team.

I was the assistant coach this year for her squad, and her head coach taught her squad & another squad a dance. Here it is:

At the end of every game, each cheerleader is given a star to put on their megaphone, Best Effort, Best Cheers, Best Spirit, Best Leadership, and Most Christ-likeness. Sheridan said the prayer at the beginning of the game for both basketball teams & the cheerleaders, so she earned a Christ-likeness star!

This was Sheridan's 3rd season to cheer, so we now have 3 cheerleader uniforms, 3 sets of pom poms, & 3 megaphones! However, next season, Sheridan says she wants to try basketball...we'll see!

Are spelling bees in Colin's future?

Colin has learned so much in his pre-k class this year. He has learned all of his sounds for the letters & is working on his writing....he can write the letters but just working on the "neatness" factor.

So, what amazes me is that he is becoming a great speller! Sheridan learned to read by recognition, so sounding out unrecognized words was rather challenging to her. However, Colin is learning to read by sounding out the letters. So, he keeps asking how to spell something, sounds out the word, then VOILA! He has spelled it!

Here are some words: hot, gas, pass, duck, pack, mud. There are more, but I can't think of the words.

Just so proud of my 5 year old!

Sarah's Lenten Fast - Update #6

Isn't it amazing how we get tempted, even by something we think & know is good, when we've said "God, I'm doing this for you!"

I'm a fan of an organization called Legacy Moms (www.legacymoms.org), and they have challenged Moms to 31 days of prayer in March on behalf of our kids to bring about change & Godly character. Well, here's the kicker...they are sending out daily prayers & scripture through their FACEBOOK page! Uh-oh & bummers for me!!!

OK, Lord, I gave up Facebook for you. You've placed this on my heart, and I've seen the positive benefits of this fast. But, seriously! I really want to participate in this time of committed & focused prayer! So, what do I do?!?! This is a huge temptation because I can see the positive benefits of this time of prayer!

"Don't give up & don't give in" is all I can think of in my head! Oh, the temptation is great to just sign on for this one thing! When Lent is over, this challenge is long over! So, why not log on?!?! But then what happens if I sign on...I know that I'll get distracted by all the other things that are on there! So, NO! I'm not going to log on!

However, I have a friend who is willing to support me & make the extra steps to cut & paste the daily prayers & devotions & email them to me...thanks Jenn!!! WOO HOO! Thank you, Lord, for blessing me with friends that not just support us through prayer but also take the extra steps to help us stay committed to you!

I have a daily scripture flip "calendar" that I have on my desk at work. Here's today's scripture that I think is very fitting:

"My choice is you, God, first and only.
And now I find I'm YOUR choice!...
You made me your heir!" Psalm 16:5-6