Home and Jet Legged

YES!!! HOME SWEET HOME!! 

We left Ladenburg at 10:30 am - boarded plane at 2:00pm and enjoyed as smooth and peaceful of a trip as possible.  The girls could not have been any better!  Between their Filly Ponies, the I-pad and the food they were good!  We arrived in Denver at 4:15 and worked quickly through customs and were thrilled to see ALL 12 BAGS ARRIVE!!! (Speaking of bags...that was our ONLY snaffoo of the day...upon check in our two jumbo bags were overweight (we read the website wrong) but we just paid the extra charge since SAP will reimburse. THEN...here's where it gets worse thanks to ME...we accidentally checked a bag that should have been a carry on, which means we tried to carry on a bag that had lots of liquid in it!! AHHH..THANK GOD we were in a Premier Club line which was not busy and so the agents were just wonderful! They probably saw the look on my face (and the few tears in my eyes) and very nicely helped me get everything else packed up and escorted  Tim back to the Ticket counter where they let him check the bag FOR FREE! I had a short little meltdown, Tim just smiled and hugged me, and we were off...with a lighter carry-on load which ended up being a blessing! )

We arrived at our home at 6:15pm where we found our house perfectly lit up and stocked with food! WOW...WE HAVE THE BEST FRIENDS EVER!!!!!  I found myself wandering around the house with the biggest smile on my face... I LOVE this house!!!  Everything looked so nice, clean and decorated! And the yard looked pretty good -- except the man we hired apparently forgot to pull all the weeds in the rocks-- but so many things have grown so much!! Let's just say we have some work to do this weekend in the yard...where's my Dad when we need him???  At this point, Rylee woke up and went a little crazy - in a good way - off she went through the house to rediscover all her toys...and I mean ALL - which ended up all around the house. We didn't stop her because it was cute and probably necessary for her transition. This also kept us all awake until 8:30pm - when we then all collapsed into bed. 

Then, Jet Leg set in!!!
3:00am (11:00am in Germany) - Chloe wakes up for her usual check-in  - she goes back to bed and Tim and I lay awake for awhile
4:30am - Rylee comes and crawls into bed with us and promptly begins to TALK...on and on and on...she's awake for sure and begins to tell us about:
   -Christmas and the things she got last year
   -all the stuffed animals she's missed
   -stories about princesses and fairies or something
4:45 am - Chloe comes walking in and asks "Is it night time still?"  She joins us in bed where we all lay and chatter until 5:15
5:15 - we all get out of bed and girls run upstairs to play
5:30 - Mochas are made and italian biscotti unpacked
6:15 - we're all enjoying french toast, eggs and bacon
7:00 - Tim gets on his first call

So, this will be an interesting day for sure!  We are SUPER excited for our playdate today with our best buds!  And thanks again to our friends, we'll have a delicious dinner of Cranberry Chicken, Rice and Salad that's sitting in our fridge right now waiting to be cooked up!!

MOST INTERESTING THING: This one is fascinating to me a little - just sort of surprising...Chloe seems to have very little to no memory of this house!  She's needed help to find her bedroom, her bathroom, the basement, the theatre, Dad's office - pretty much everything! AND she's also adjusting to the bigger home, often yelling out to find out where I am!!  I guess one thinks that kids are so attached to their homes and that they miss it terribly when they're gone. But apparently, when they're this young they are at home wherever Mom and Dad are!!



I make a donation of clothes and shoes before coming home -- more may be burned this weekend!!!




On the plane to America!




Just the beginning of the toyroom destruction last night!



The Girls' Point of View

On our last day in Ladenburg, the girls and I were walking aorund town taking some last pictures and enjoying a final visit to the bakery. During this walk, I was casually asking the girls questions about what they will miss about Germany as well as what they are looking forward to. Here's some of their comments...

What we will miss about Germany:
Chloe:
-the pink flowers
-my friends upstairs (Sofie, Lea and Anica)
-the dogs that bark
-Hannah and Jason and their toys
-trees that blow
(yes, some of her answers were based on things she was seeing at the time!!)

Rylee:
-nut trees and fruit everywhere
-all my German friends
-the bouncy swing
-the swans on the river

NOTE: not ONCE did either girl mention Eis (ice cream)!! I was shocked since they want it EVERY day - and ate it most days!!

What we are most looking forward to in America:
-our friends - esp. Akeeva, Zaylah, Katie, Cash and Livy--- "yea, mom, and they speak English"
-our home
-my new bedroom  (Rylee)
-Qdoba (with a little prompting from me!)
-the new dogs we get to meet
- the flowers (Chloe)

It was a most precious conversation and a nice little peek into their minds!

What we are most looking forward to in America!

Our excitement to return to America can barely be contained.  Yes, we've had an amazing time over here and have created friendships and memories that will last a lifetime...BUT there's NOTHING LIKE HOME!  This past week has been such a strange mix of emotions and time has been either dragging or racing - depending on the events...so hard to find that balance when ones emotions are so crazy!  But, only one more day in Ladenburg! Tomorrow our shuttle will pick us up at 10:30 am and we will head North to Frankfurt. Our plane departs at 2:00pm (Lufthansa) and flies direct to Denver where we arrive at 4:00 pm!  So....what are we most looking forward to???

1. Garbage Disposal - kinda sick of the compost box, the recycling and the trash...and the ocassional smell!
2. The Rio -- need I say more??
3. Qdoba -- can you tell there's no good Mexican food here??
4. Faster service at restaurants..including take out...we can be in/out in just a few minutes if need be!!!!
5. Steaks -have only had one good one - in Italy!
6. Church and School - basically, ROUTINE!
7. Our home - with modern decorations and comfort!! (like carpet)
8. ENGLISH...we can talk to and understand everyone!!!!
9. Different Clothes - some are being left behind and some will be burned upon replacement!!!
10. FRIENDS AND FAMILY....we just cannot wait to hug everyone and begin fun times again!

SEE YOU SOON!!!!

What we will MISS about GERMANY

As the hours tick away towards our departure back to America, we thought we'd relfect on those things we have most come to love about Germany - and will miss greatly! (listed in no particular order:)!)

1. The lush beauty - so GREEN with things blooming constantly (flowers, berries, nuts...)
2. Festivals and Events...REALLY every weekend is filled with options around the area
3. Magnum ice ceream bars..white chocolate for Linda, Dark for Tim and Milk or Almond for the girls!
4. Playgrounds with the most inventive equipment ever...and they're tucked in everywhere
5. The Cave Pizza (Ladenburg)...better then any I had in Italy for sure! And their salads are pretty tasty too!
6. Endless amounts of Trails...we're still discovering new ones...and they take you from town to town easily - and the cruiser bicycles are AWESOME and everywhere - with many senior citizens on them, too!!
7. History...Historical landmarks everywhere...and the age of things still surprises me. And the narrow, quaint roads adorned with flowers - along with the historical buidlings..WOW!!
8. Road speed, driving etiquete and cool, very nice cars all around you - we will miss our Mercedez!!
9. Forests - esp. being able to run the trails through the forest...beautiful!
10. All our new Friends and their endless amounts of kindness, generosity and support...they'll be forever in our lives one way or the other!!

A Festival Just for US!?!

That's right folks...our family has made such an impression on this little ancient Roman town that it's officials threw one gigantic party for us this past weekend. Now, some folks will tell you that it's called the Alstadt Festival and it happens every year, but WE know the truth....all about us and our up-coming departure!! So, it was with great excitement that we ventured down to our festival!

After working our car throught the crowded streets we finally found a place to park which was about 1/2 the distance back to our apartment. Where's that VIP parking???  Then, we began working our way through the thousands of people ...yes, we are loved...and we had never seen our little town so stuffed with tents, flea market stands, numerous food stands, drink stations and of course the ZuckerHaus (Sugar House)!  We finally managed to elbow our way to the main Marktplatz (where are those securit guards for us??) where we met up with a handful of our closest friends. And here the party began...there was music, food, drinks and area for the kids to play.  Luckily, there were also tents where we quickly napped a table...because Mother Nature ALSO had to make another appearance for your celebration and later opened up the heavens with rain, wind and lightning....lovely!

So, we spent the afternoon/evening with a handful of friends celebrating our new friendships and saying Good-bye without really saying good-bye...just "See ya Later" because you NEVER KNOW where life takes you and when/where/how life paths cross! As I watched the kids play, listened to the conversation, and enjoyed drinks and foods with these great people. I REALLY realized just how blessed our family is to have been able to spend time here in Germany and meet these great people.  What an amazing adventure!

It was a great way to wrap up our time here....othere then the rediculous thunderstorm that ended the festivities for some a little early.  But then, we should have KNOWN that would happen because Urte and her family were in Ladenburg for a Festival...and that means rain!!!! :)  But, Steve, Julia and the boys made it home safe on their bikes, Urte, Juergen and kids ran quickly to their car, Petra and her family left just before the cious, and the rest of us hunkered down to let it pass.  Eventually it was time to venture home...so we did with happiness in our hearts!  THANKS EVERYBODY!!!

I wonder what Ladenburg will do next year when it's time to supposedly have this Festival again...we won't be here???

Yea, one picture of Tim and I looking so "German"

Urte unveils a cool picutre collage she made for us




Ellie and Petra




Good friends Mac and Rylee share a laugh



Julia with James



Part of the Gang at our Table



Friend and Colleague, Til - who also lives in Ladenburg




Rylee enjoys her sausage and Clara enjoys that crepe with nutella...both very traditional festival foods!




AAHHH....




The Motters and the Theolke's (Urte, Juergen, Clara and Per)



New Friends...aahh I mean Foods!

Yes, my love of food continues and lately I've discovered some new delights...

1. Nashi - a tremendous little fruit that is a combination of apple and pear - sweet, crunchy, golden in color and wonderful!

2. Goldparmane apples - a new discovery at the apple orchard today - my previous favorite was Celeste, but the "Golden Girl" may beat her out!

3. Grease....I mean Greisse Pudding...a wonderful sweet treat that's somewhat similar to rice pudding but much better. You can buy it in various flavors - although plain with a little bit of our friend, Urte's,homemade Zwelschgen-gelee (jam - flavor doesn't translate?) mixed in is truly wonderful

4. Have I told you about the best ice cream bars on Earth?? Magnum Baby!!! Serioiusly devine ince cream with a chocolate coating that's thick and cruncy - while the ice cream stays hard - and you can get white chocolate, too!!!

5. LoganBrezel -think pretzel dough baked in more of a long roll then in the figure 8 shape...and add a little baked cheese on top and it's something to write home about....oh, I just did:)

Ok...so you can see what I've been doing lately, and why I'll be hitting P90X again in about 1 week!!!

YUM-O:)

Foreigner Fatique

Have you ever heard of this??? No?? Well, maybe because I just made the term up...at least I think so!  I've decided this is what we are all suffering from. It's symptoms are basically being tired of not understanding what people are saying, not knowing what is going on, and feeling ackward and out of place most of the time!  All those things have been sort of fun to this point, but after hitting 4 countries in 10 days we are just plain tired:)  We began to discover the onset of symptoms in Italy when some of the scenery and events just didn't have the exciting effect it should have had! Luckily this is a cureable disease and one that should be healed in approximately 8 days with our arrival back in the USA!!!