A year in pictures: Week 46

Friday 22 July

By day six of trying to fly to the states, the kids were getting pretty tired.

They were learning to sleep just about anywhere...

...and I mean ANYWHERE.

But despite the unpredictable schedules and minor setbacks, the kids were as happy as ever.

Saturday 23 July

On day seven (if my math has been correct), we finally got onto a plane. We sat in the jump-seats of a cargo plane, not far from a huge army truck. 

The woman sitting next to Joey was a lifesaver. Her name is Marcia or maybe Marsha. She was such an angel and helped me with my kids. I know the Lord placed her in our path to help make this flight easier.

This is how my kids spent most of the flight, sleeping on the floor of the plane. 

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Flying Space A is better than commercial any day.

From here on, I have no idea if my dates are correct. My camera is set on German time which is nine hours ahead of Washington State. So my days get a little mixed up.  What I do know is that we arrived at Grandma and Grandpa D's house well past midnight on Sunday July 24th.

Sunday 24 July

We had missed our week-long family reunion, but luckily Erin stayed a little longer with her kids in hopes that we would still arrive. My kids were thrilled to get to see their cousins. They played and played and played. They got wet and muddy. They chased chickens. They rode big-wheels.

They also rode in this wagon, which was being pulled by Grandma W in her riding lawn mower. 

After Church on Sunday, the old folks, along with a few young folks (I won't say who is "old" or who is "young"), gathered together to chat and have dinner.

Here we have Aunt Sharon, Meledie, Grandma D., Auntie Doris, Uncle Lynn, Joel, and Grandpa D.

Monday 25 July

My kids slept on the floor of a camper with their cousins. While I shared a bed with Erin. 

TJ was so tired from our travels that he crashed without any problem.

Tuesday 26 July

Tonight Grandma W. (my mom) took my kids and Erin's kids up to sleep in the hayloft. 

Years ago, my grandma would do the same with us. 

Grandma did this with all of the grandkids who came to the family reunion. 

She was so thoughtful to do it again for my kids so they could share this special memory.

The kids listened to Grandma tell stories. And Grandpa (my dad) came out in the evening and played the harmonica until everyone was asleep. A perfect night.

Wednesday 27 July

Today is David's birthday. I'll post more on that eventually. 

But can you imagine where he spent the morning of his first birthday?

A walk in health clinic, which happened to be attached to a pharmacy.

Turns out that Joey and I both have strep throat. David? Nothing. He's just cranky to be cranky, I guess. Maybe all the travelling finally got to him.

As you can see, David was not cranky for long.

A year in pictures: Week 45

Saturday 16 July

Tonight I said goodbye to my husband. Joey took this picture.

He's off on a business trip. I know he'll be home soon, but it's still hard to say goodbye. 

Wednesday 20 July

This is day four of trying to fly Space A to the states. There were no flights going out, so we spent the day at the park. Bailey demonstrated some mad monkey bar skills.

Thursday 21 July

No flights to the states on day five, so we explored the air base. We saw some cool airplanes...

...and some pretty woods. 

Hoping I will find better luck for travel during week 46

Email from Erick

I have posted on the private blog: http://erickinthearmy.blogspot.com/

Regensburg - A year in pictures: Week 44

Friday 8 July

Tonight DeShane said goodbye to his family. He is leaving for one year to fight in Afghanistan.

Erick and I had the honor of driving him to meet his bus.

DeShane is a good friend and mentor to Erick. I pray he returns home safely and quickly.

Saturday 9 July

We took a day-trip to Regensburg. It is a beautiful, historic city that is not too far from our home. 

The rest of this post consists of pictures from our day in Regensburg.

In 500 BC this was a celtic settlement. By 179 AD, it was a Roman garrison. Somehow it survived WWII with very little damage. Today it is one of the most intact medieval cities in Europe.

This is the famous medieval stone bridge of Regensburg:

This bridge was built in the 1100's, and it was the longest bridge known to exist at the time. 

There is a strange folktale that goes along with this bridge. Here it is:

The Stone Bridge and the devil

Legend has it that the cathedral builder and the bridge builder made a bet on who would finish their projects first. As the construction of the cathedral began to progress much faster, the bridge builder decided to make a pact with the devil in order to finish first. To win the bet, the bridge builder promised the devil the first three souls who crossed the finished bridge. The devil did help him to win, but the bridge builder felt deep regret. The tradition of the time meant that Priests and Monks would be the first to cross the finished bridge to bless it. The bridge builder outsmarted the devil by chasing two roosters and a dog over the bridge before any man had a chance to cross. The devil accepted these souls, but in his anger, he made a huge hole in the stone railing that could be seen for many years.

In reality, the cathedral was built long after the bridge. And there are many bridges in Europe that share the same tale, but I thought it was fun.

Here is Joey on the bridge just before entering the city:

This is St. Peter's Cathedral:

A church first stood in this location in 700 AD. There have been many updates and remodels since then. The cathedral took it's current form beginning in 1273 and was not finished until the 1870s.

Inside the cathedral there are historic stained glass windows that have remained in tact for hundreds of years. This is a stained glass window that dates back to the 1300's. It depicts Peter with a key. I did not take this picture. I got it from www.sacred-destinations.com:

Here are my kids in front of a statue of the Bavarian King, Ludwig I:

We took an evening stroll down by the Danube:

We found a bench near the water. Don't I have a cute family?

Last view of the city before we headed back to the car:

In the parking lot, Erick and David decided to have a little fun:

I love these boys:

A year in pictures: Week 43

Are you wondering where weeks 41 and 42 went? Well they were spent on our cruise starting here and our family trip to Croatia here. Let the fun continue!

Friday 1 July

Driving home from Croatia, we saw some gorgeous views. This is Chiemsee Lake, the largest lake in Bavaria. 

Saturday 2 July

What do you do on a cool summer's evening when nothing is planned? Roast Marshmallows!

Monday 4 July

See our trip to Austria

Wednesday 6 July

David loves to lounge. 

In his high chair. In his stroller. Anywhere. He is as happy as a clam if his feet are in the air.

The 4th of July in Austria

On our drive home from Croatia, we passed by a lot of beautiful sights. This fortress, just miles south of Salzburg, looked so amazing from the road that we just had to stop:

We stopped only to find out that it was closed for the evening. So we decided to come back the next time we had a chance. 

Our chance came on the 4th of July. Erick didn't have to work, so we hopped in the car and drove back to Austria for the day.

Hohenwerfen Fortress was built between 1075 and 1078. It was mostly used by the Salzburg rulers as a military base and a place for hunting. Later it became a state prison. Now it is solely used as a tourist attraction.

To get up the mountain to the main part of the castle, we rode a tram. It was steep:

We arrived moments before they began a falconry demonstration. It was so cool to see the men who work with the birds all dressed up in historic costume:

We saw a few hawks (as one would expect at such a demonstration). Then I was shocked when they introduced a bald eagle:

Watching the eagle fly through the air and in front of the mountains seems appropriate somehow on the 4th of July. The bird was breath-taking:

Here you can see my three kids watching the bald eagle swoop down right in front of them:

They had other types of eagles as well. I couldn't believe how near they were to us in the crowd. It was such a fun demonstration:

After the falconry demonstration, we decided to explore the castle a bit. TJ was thrilled to find a knight in the courtyard:

We eventually went on a tour of the castle. Part of the tour included common punishment tactics of the time. Joey didn't want to be kept in the stocks:

Part of the tour also included the bell tower. This is our tour guide with her finger in her ear. She just rang the bell while we were standing there. It was loud:

The view from the castle was picturesque:

Erick and the kids in the courtyard (David is in the backpack carrier):

We headed back down the tram and let the kids play in the trees for a moment while Erick, David, and I took a break on the bench:

We drove five hours home, and still made it just in time to see the 4th of July fireworks at the Army base. It was the perfect end to a perfect day: