The Borkes

Sölden - days 3 and 4

2011-11-13T06:41:00.005+01:00

So we finished up our ski vacation with yet 2 more beautiful days. The weather was warm, sunny, and no wind! This trip was just like a spring ski trip - just the way Madeline and I like it!!

Here's a few more pictures from the last 2 days.

Like father, like children: no fear

Don't worry, they all landed without falling!

Loved this guys hat so much, I asked if I could take a picture. Angry Bird.

The overall thought of the trip - two thumbs up from these two.....

Complete exhaustion from this one!

Happy 9th Birthday Jack!

2011-11-10T22:51:00.004+01:00

Here's a quick posting of Jack's 9th birthday here in Sölden, Austria.

This looks like it could be our last birthday celebration on the slopes. Who knows where we'll be for Jack's 10th birthday next year. But for now, we're loving the beautiful weather here in Sölden!

Here's what Jack thinks about this being the last year for birthday celebrations on the ski slopes:

First birthday wishes of the day!

A hug"e" thanks for birthday breakfast

Two thumbs up for pancakes and bacon (little Alan)

Me and my "not so little" birthday boy!

The Gang at the top:

Birthday Tacos (every year)

The candle looks better on the birthday brownie!

See those bunny ears waiting for the picture?

Dinner for two....I mean four

2011-11-10T22:27:00.004+01:00

Home Ec 101:

The kids have been asking for over a year to be able to plan a meal for Brad and I. So this week we finally made the time for the whole project.

Brad had been traveling the whole week for work and so Friday, his return, seemed like the perfect time for a romantic dinner for two! The kids picked out the recipes, made their first Power Point invitation, emailed it to Daddy, made the shopping list, went to the grocery, cooked the meal, decorated the table and BONUS...clean-up!

Takes after his Dad in the kitchen!

The invitation read something like this: You're invited to a candlelight dinner for two at Buona Punta (the Good Point in Italian - this was all their idea).

The Menu:
Stuffed Shells (w/ Italian sausage, ricotta, mozzarella, parmasan and fresh basil)
From scratch Red sauce
Garlic bread with homemade garlic spread
Tossed salad and
Frozen chocolate dipped, peanut coated bananas

Making homemade sauce requires getting your hands messy!

Tossing of the salad

Prepping the pasta

Making the chocolate dipping sauce

Banana Assembly

The Final Product

They did such a wonderful job, and the food was amazing! We couldn't let the "hired help" eat in the kitchen, so we insisted that they eat with us!

Job Well Done!

The Latest Project

2011-10-18T12:15:00.003+02:00

Preparations for our church Thanksgiving is well underway. Here's a photo of my latest project. One of this year's gifts for the missionary ladies is a rice and lavender filled bag. These can be warmed in the microwave or oven and used during the cold months or for those aching muscles!

If you want to make on your own it's very simple.

Supplies Needed: 2x 10" sq. pieces of fabric, 2x 10"sq. pieces of muslin, 2 pcs. of ribbon, rice and lavender. *I harvested the lavender bush in my yard this late summer and laid it all to dry in my dark/cool basement. The just remove the lavender from the stalk and you're ready!

1. Cut your fabric and muslin into 4 10"sq. pieces. Iron all 4 pieces.
2. Sew the muslin squares together leaving an opening (large enough to insert funnel) to fill with rice and lavender.
3. Sew the 2 pieces of fabric together (wrong side facing out), leaving a large enough opening (approx. 7") to insert the rice bag later.
4. Snip the sharp corners off all corners, then turn both squares right-side out and push out corners.
5. Fill the muslin bags with the rice and lavender and sew the opening closed. Be sure to check that the bag is completely closed and no rice falls out.
6. Take the fabric square and iron in the the opening fold.
7. Center the ribbon on one side and sew at opening. Repeat with other side and ribbon.
8. Insert rice filled muslin bag into fabric/ribbon bag and tie.
9. Viola! You're finished.
10. Heat at 45 sec intervals in microwave or at 200 degrees F in oven. Be sure to always keep an eye out as they can catch fire if left unattended for long lengths of time! They will burn also, if heated too long. Please help your little ones!

Rothenburg ob der Tauber

2011-10-18T10:57:00.006+02:00

Columbus Day we took a short road trip to Rothenburg ob der Tauber, an old walled city. Last time we had been there was back in 1999. Notice the rain jackets and drab weather. Winter is coming, you can just feel it in your bones. What you don't see in these pictures is the wind howling down the side streets. We definitley weren't dressed warm enough for the day!

Brad thought it would be a highlight if we went to the famous Kathe Wohlfahrt Christmas store. This bus parked outside was about as interesting as it got. We like to kid him anyway that we drove 2 hours for this!

A view from another entrance into the city.

Jack has added this car to his 16th birthday wish-list! I'm sure we'd get really good insurance rates on this one! Not sure about the gas efficiency though!

Either this was a very short door, or the kids have really been growing!

Another side street view.

I think they could use some Round-Up to help with this ivy problem.

Any guesses how old this barn is? Scary thing, the sign is advertising parking inside and rooms available! Maybe it's the cheepest place in town?

The first thing we saw coming into town was the local bakery! This should be on no surprise to anyone! The locals favorite is the Schneeballen. We decided we would wait until the last stop of the day to buy some - then we'd have a nice snack on the way home.

Look at how yummy they look! Well, we were highly disappointed. They were nothing more than a deep fried, elephant ear-type concoction, covered with powdered sugar, cinnanon/sugar, chocolate or maple. So just enjoy how good they look, and save the calories!

We took the back roads on the way home and came to this bridge that supports the autobahn above. Pretty impressive! I was able to capture this photo while sticking the camera outside the window!

The Kochertalbrücke (Kocher Viaduct) near Schwaebisch Hall, Germany, the Autobahn 6 crosses the Kocher valley between Heilbronn and Nuremberg. With its maximum height of 185m above the valley bottom, it is the highest viaduct in Germany, and was also the bridge with the tallest pillars in the world before the Millau Viaduct in France was completed in 2004.

The nine spans of this prestressed concrete girder bridge cover a length of 1128m, the individual span lengths being 81m for the outer two and 138m for the remaining seven. Pillar height varies from 40m to 178m. The bridge table is 31m wide. Construction was from 1976 to 1979.

Okay, these photos below, I was able to find online.

First Indoor Tournament for the Season

2011-10-18T10:53:00.002+02:00

Here's look at Madeline's new team this year. They took 2nd place out of 12 at last week's indoor tournament!

Ever wonder what makes 'em so smart?

2011-10-18T10:29:00.002+02:00

Here's a glimpse of the "Breakfast of Champions!"
Okay, maybe not...but it sure does make them happy!

What kid wouldn't want to wake up with homemade biscuits and gravy and pumpkin pancakes? Yes, these two are being a bit spoiled when it comes to breakfast the homeschooling way. I keep telling them it will be a rude awakening next year when they go back to school and have to wake up at 6:30 and scarf down a bowl of cereal on their way out the door!

But for now, we're embracing the many benefits of the homeschooling atmosphere!

Historical sights in the Schwäbische Alb

2011-10-17T21:57:00.003+02:00

After the day at the Backhaus (see previous post), we headed into the Alb to see a few sights. First, was a stop at Hohenwittlingen, castle remains of where Baptists were killed during the Reformation Age.

Here's basically what this says. That from 1560 to 1617 many men to include Paul Glock and Mathais Binder were held prisoner here because they believed in the teaching of Jesus Christ and not of the Roman church. These men were left here to die a very slow and painful death.

The climb to the top with a historical lecture along the way. Nothing like learning Biblical history right there on the sight!

A view from the top

Afterwards, we stopped at Grafeneck, the place where the Holocaust began.
Take a minute to read about it...very facinating! http://www.holocaustresearchproject.org/euthan/grefeneck.html

Backhaus

2011-10-10T21:44:00.005+02:00

What an opportunity! Our family had been invited to go to an original Backhaus and see the traditional way Schwabisch Holzofen Brot was made.

The original Backhaus: with the owners far right, their children and husbands back row. Our missionary friends, Bill and Gay Richards, center and us.

Look at the beautiful view from the front door of the backhaus. No, this isn't a postcard, but an actual picture. It was an absolute splendid time!

So what makes this bread so special? Its the holzofen (wood burning oven). Here was Jack's assignment...load the wood and keep it burning!

Here's where it all begins. A roaring fire for 1.5 hours to warm the brick ovens.

Then making the dough. I think there was a total of over 120 lbs of flour used to make all this bread! Look at the size of that mixer.

Now, that's some sticky dough. We filled 6 of these steel bowls with dough for the second rise.

In they go, in a special copper pot fitted with a broom handle. I'm sure it's been around for centuries! We found out that it doubles as a great soccer ball retriever for the beautiful stream from the first picture! Yes, Jack and Madeline made sure they found some time during the baking process to kick the ball around. Guess who launched it into the stream? Jack! And guess who had to go fishing? Yep, Brad. Little did we know at the time the "tool" we used for retrieval was actually used for this bread making process! Shhhh, it's our secret!

Brush washing with water to make the crust shiny.

Here's a sampling of the 40+ loaves of bread that were made that day.
Too bad you can't smell these pictures!

And yet more and more bread lined the walls of this small house.

Of course, while all this bread was baking, we were able to have a sampling of the local favorites that some right from the oven. There is something so good about a wood fired crust!
In fact, ask these two, they made sure they were busy tasting, and tasting, and tasting....

Here's the before.... (pizza, zwieblkuchen,apfelkuchen, und brot mit kuemmel und meersalz)
Oh, sorry in English...pizza, onion cake, apple cake, and bread with caraway and sea salt)

And here's the during...

And there was no after!

Schwetzgens, Apples & Hokkaidos!

2011-10-09T22:40:00.002+02:00

We absolutely love the late summer early fall in this part of Germany. Fresh fruits and veggies abound from all the local markets. A friend of ours in a neighboring town invited us to come pick schwetzgens a few weeks ago. What is a schwetzgen? Its a small plum that is often used for making prunes. Take a look at the first crop!

This box measures approximately 2 feet sq. and 1 ft deep. You think this is alot of plums, take a look below...

4x 5 gallon buckets + 5 flat crates = a week of stained fingers, a fridge full of frozen plums, a shelf of plum jam, a Rubbermaid full of dried "prunes", 5 schwetzgen cakes, and 4 qts. of stewed plums for winter!

Did I also mention that it's the season for apple picking and hokkaido pumpkins! Already made 2 apple crisps, pumpkin soup, prepped and frozen 5 qts. of pumpkin for winter and a box of apples just begging to be turned into something yummy!

Busy, busy, busy!

Daytrip to the French Countryside

2011-10-01T22:23:00.005+02:00

Over Labor Day, we took a day trip to the French countryside; only a 2hr trip! First stop was to do a recon of French pottery in the town of Soufflenheim. My plan is to revisit and shop when my parents come at Christmas!

Upon our arrival, the shops were preparing to close for lunch for 2 hours. We were able to do a bit of window shopping and grab a bite to eat.

Along the way, we found a walnut tree. So of course, we had to stop and see if we could harvest a few for ourselves. Madeline enjoyed opening hers very meticulously...

while to boys were busy crushing them along the concrete wall!

Here's an example of the homes in the area - look at the garden!

Next, we were headed to the town of Ribeauville but took a detour as usual to the town of Kintzheim to see The château du Haut-Kœnigsbourg.

Here's a mini replica of the fortress and grounds.

A few views from the top...

The mountain ridge at the top of the photo is the Black Forest in Germany.

Inside the castle.

Where's Madeline? Oh, taking a turn at being photographer!

Jack was really impressed with the large cannons at the top of the castle. Madeline, not so much.

And yet, another great view!

Another detour...on our way back home we came across this river lock on the Rhine river near Basel, Switzerland. Not something you see everyday. Very neat to watch this boat load, rise and leave.

Stuttgart Driving Range

2011-10-01T22:18:00.002+02:00

So, we decided to take advantage of the beautiful fall weather and took the kids to the driving range. As you can see from the photos, it wasn't Madeline's "cup of tea". Jack, however, enjoyed hitting all 100 balls!

Family Camp in Austrian Alps

2011-09-29T08:08:00.008+02:00

Late August we spent 1 week at a family camp with our church and "German sister" church in the Austrian Alps. We had a great week of bi-lingual preaching, food, fellowship, and many activities; and the views were absolutely awesome!

Day 1: Exploring Kleinwalsertal/Soellereck

Nothing is too hard for these guys! Well, humility maybe!

A view from the top of the peak. Funny thing, we ski this area every winter, but it looks very different in the summertime!

A view from our room - it was great, there was only quiet for miles!

A restful view during our hike....

A preferred picnic spot.

Another breath taking view.

Highland cows along the way. It was amazing that you could hear their bells for miles.

Day 2: Kletter Course/Hochseilgarten in Kanzelwand

Ready for take-off....

"Mr. Agility"

Our group: friends from Holland

Here I am swinging from the trees! Did I mention this course is the highest in elevation in all of Germany?

"Little Miss No Fear"

"Enough with the photos!" This is what I get for relinquishing the camera!

Brad and Madeline enjoying a break and the afternoon sun!

A weary bunch!

Day 3: Hike Fellhorn

Another gondola to the top...but this time a hike down!

View of the Kleinwalsertal valley

1st stop

On our way down to the valley.

Another breath taking view...

Day 4: hiking the waterfall caverns

These pictures just don't do it justice.

See the kids? They're the tiny speck in the middle. This gives you an idea of how massive this area is.

Day 5: Farewell
Madeline was able to play an offertory piece that she has been working on for a few months with her teacher, Jerin. We had to say goodbye to Jerin as she was again returning to the states for school. Back to Skype lessons for now! I'm still trying to upload the video clip of Madeline's piece. Keep an eye out for it later.

Camping in the Alb

2011-09-29T08:02:00.002+02:00

We enjoyed an overnight camping with some friends in the Swabian Alb. Notice the "Americanized" camp sight vs. the tidy European camper. We love the wide open space, the outdoors, let all 7 kids run and explore. The Europeans, however, love their privacy, quiet and solitude!

The Rest of Summer

2011-09-24T22:48:00.009+02:00

So, here are the final pictures from the rest of our summer vacation to the states. A few months late - but better late than never, right? I have so many other current things that I want to post, so I'm just going to throw these photos out there...enjoy!

Both kids really master skiing this summer!
Looking forward to do it again next year!

Jack mastered skiing at Dale Hollow Lake, TN

The boys!

Searching for rattle snakes!

Watching USS Eisenhower coming into port in Norfolk

Golfing with Grandma and Grandpa (or is Jack playing Polo?)

Cedar Point - See the big kid in orange looking around? He thought we were getting on! Wrong!

USMC "Run A Muck" Quantico

WWII airplane hangar in Cleveland (Brad's Dad took a flight in the plane below)

The Cleveland Zoo with Grandma and Grandpa

Columbus, Ohio with long time USAF friends

Madeline turned 11!

Quote of the Day - by Jack Borke

2011-08-09T17:12:00.003+02:00

Well, I know I haven't finished posting from our long summer vacation; but, this was so funny I had to post the quote of the day!

While trying to teach Jack something about paying bills and saving for college, he said the funniest thing:

Jack: "Why are you putting money into my college account?"
Me: "Someday you'll really be thankful for the money to go to college."
Jack: "I wish you'd spent that money on a new DSi for me."
Me: "When you go off to college someday you be glad you had the money to go and a DSi won't help you get there."
Jack: "Who needs college anyway?"
Me: "You do. Someday you'll need to be smart to get a job, to support your wife and those ankle-bitter kids of yours!"
Jack: "I hope the Rapture comes before then! I don't want to have a wife, or kids, or go to college!" (this said of course with the most serious face you can imagine!)
Me: Laughter.....still laughing!

Vacation - Part 2

2011-07-13T21:59:00.013+02:00

So here's part 2 of our vacation. After leaving Chicago, we headed to Cincinnati to visit with my parents. The kids had a blast with fishing, bike riding, gardening, dogs, horses, farms, police stations, tornados, birthdays, and more. Here's a sneak peak at some of the fun....

Fishing at Mamaw and Papaws......

Jack wasn't too impressed with my "big catch"

Cleaning Your Catch 101...

After equipping Madeline and Jack with the proper tools (pliers & knife) they were able to clamp, scale, gut, chop & bone a fish in no time flat!

Madeline loves fish, let me restate that...to eat fish; so she was excited to get the fish clean and have it on her plate. Jack, on the other hand would rather keep the dead one as a pet than eat it!

Here's a photo of the kids with Grammy (my grandmother). She was giving them tips on how to best fry the fish. I loved hearing her share stories of when my Papaw would bring back the "catch of the day" and she would have to gut, scale and cook the little guys (the fish that is).

Jack earning his master filet title

Next, guns and arrows....

The kids enjoyed getting to shoot the bow and arrow along with the bb gun back in the woods. Turns out we have 2 sharp shooters in our midst.

Aunt Mary and Uncle Mike's farm...

Here's Madeline with the newest addition, Nickie. It's always a joy to be able to visit the horses and dogs. We love the country air! below: (Jack with Nickie and Tess)

Okay, funny photo. We had just come from eating lunch, and I simply asked if I could borrow a pair of boots so my white flats wouldn't be covered in horse poo. So, no problem, I rolled up the jeans and headed out, confident in my new look; only to be laughed at the entire way to the barn by my kids and my own mother! I earned the title "city slicker" that afternoon.

Madeline enjoying time with Sugar, who is a therapy dog.

Weather...here's a look at a funnel cloud we were trying to escape while on a bike ride. During our 4 weeks in Ohio, we had 3 tornado warnings and 2 alarms to head to the basement. Crazy midwest weather!

Happy 11th Birthday, Madeline!

Here's Madeline with her birthday cake. An idea by one grandmother, executed by the other! Way to use team work!

Birthday dinner with all the grandparents!

Left to Right: My dad, Brad's mom, Madeline, Brad's dad, my grandmother, me, Jack, Brad and my mom.

The Oxford PD....

My uncle works with the Oxford Police Department. So, we were afforded our own private field trip, behind the scenes!

Jack checking out the SWAT van

Being finger-printed

Being hauled away (I told them both, this had better be the only time they're in the back of a police car!)

Gardening...

The kids were able to help my mom put in her spring garden, not to mention getting a little dirty along the way.

Theatre...we were able to see Cirque du Soleil, Ovo for a Mother's Day surprise

Mother's Day...the perfect gift is her children

Stay tuned for part 3.......

Where in the World are the Borkes?

2011-06-13T15:46:00.003+02:00

In case any of you have been wondering where we have been the past 2 months, well.....we've been touring the Midwest and east coast of good 'ol USA! Brad has been attending a school in the Norfolk area since April; so the kids and I thought it would be a good time for us to come and visit with family and friends.

Since the beginning of our trip, 21 April, to date we've traveled: 10,000 air miles, 126 miles by train, and 1,000 miles by car. With 3 weeks left on our trip be still have 1,772 miles by car, 8,152 air miles and 126 miles by train to travel. Whew....are you tired yet?

The Lord has blessed immeasurably with safe and smooth travels thus far. I expect that it will take me a few weeks to get all the photos and updates posted. But just for starters, here's a few photos of how we began this journey!

Let me first get you up to speed with what was occurring before we even left Germany. In March, Brad was called up to go work in London for an unknown period of time. It ended up that he stayed the entire month. He returned home for just enough time to wash clothes, repack and take a few days of R&R (see previous post, Bodensee), before jetting off to VA for his next duty. Meanwhile the kids and I stayed back in Germany finishing up school & soccer, preparing for my brother and his wife to visit and planning for our 3 month trip to the states.

Jack's soccer team was awarded a donation for new uniforms. Notice the tallest boy in the back...that's Jack!

During my brother's visit we came across this Italian market with the largest tub of Nutella I've ever seen. Jack thought we should buy it!

After 3 days in Virginia with friends, we headed to Chicago to visit Brad's sister and the twins.
Here we are at the Chicago Zoo.

I'm not sure if Madeline and Jack are getting their training for babysitting or zoo-keeping!

Here's Madeline, right at home with Gabriella and Filippo (18 months).

Stay tuned for the update of our next stop.... Ohio!

3 Days at the Bodensee

2011-04-12T23:29:00.009+02:00

At Monkey Island - notice the stork nests on top of this building. This is their breeding ground and it was hatching season!

If you know us, grass doesn't grown under our feet. After Brad's one month TDY we squeezed in a mini vacation during the 10 days he was home before leaving again!

We spent days trying to plan out where we should go for the 3 days we had leave. The first plan was to head to Holland to see the tulips at the Keukenhof; then we decided it was too long a drive for such a short time. Next idea, France for some WWI & II sights and some pottery shopping. And finally, head to southern Germany on the Swiss border and see where we end up. Yep, we went with option #3.

It wasn't until the morning of our departure that we had solidified our plans (well as much as we ever do, anyway), and headed south. We found a wonderful Ferienwohnung (vacation apartment) for rent in the country side near the Bodensee (Lake Constance). This family didn't speak any English so it was a great opportunity to put my German to the test! Surprisingly, I didn't do too bad!

From base camp, we went to "Monkey Island" in Salem, Germany. This is a very interesting place. You actually feed the monkey's by hand. Upon entering you're instructed to grab a handful of popcorn and given directions on how to interact with the monkeys. As soon as we entered the gate, Jack was immediately jumped by the "gang", a group of 1 - 2 year old monkeys! Jack wasn't startled at the least, however our guide was!

We learned that they are very particular about the cleanliness of their popcorn. While giving them 2-3 pieces a time on our out stretched hand, a piece fell to the ground. So, naturally we picked it up to feed it to them. They instinctively knew that this piece was dirty, and ignored it in our hand. So we thought we'd out smart them and mix the "dirty" piece in with the clean ones. Funny, they knew exactly which piece was dirty and didn't even touch it while picking out the clean ones.

Okay, the photo below is for all of you who keep asking where is Mamarazzi? Yes, I'm still alive and kicking! You see I've trained Madeline to be the next photojournalist in the family!

Day #2: Mainau Island, Bodensee, Germany

It wasn't long after starting our day with the traditional European breakfast of bread, jelly and muesli, that we heard cried from the backseat of "We're hungry". While driving through a small lakeside town we saw the "meat truck". Brad and Jack checked it out while Madeline and I perused the bakery. SOLD - they spotted smokies. So for the price of 4 smokies the meat man threw in a free mysterious sausage. Sorry to say it didn't survive the afternoon heat in the car and was tossed along the roadside somewhere!

We made it to Mainau Island and enjoyed the beautiful views of the Swiss Alps and the lake.

When I asked the kids to stop so I could take their picture in front of the entrance they said, "No, not another shrub photo". Well, as you can see their enthusiasm is oozing!

Typical German fashion there was a park - and with water! The day was nice and warm, but still only in the upper 60's. Famous last words, "Just don't get wet!" Well see for yourself......

Before:

After:

Yes, a plunge into the water - and with jeans and tennis shoes. After contemplating what to do, as I would have been miserable in those wet clothes all day; Brad said, "leave them on - they'll dry and he'll learn." I had almost convinced myself that is was going to have to be that way, when I turned and saw a sign for a Wäschetrockner (clothes dryer)! HURRAY! I think I was happier than Jack, to be honest. So, off whet the jeans, socks, and shoes and into the dryer they went, on high! Luckily we had a spare pair of shorts tucked inside the bag. So we waited in the sun to keep warm. A lesson was learned, I think; and a thanks to the parents before that saw the need for the dryer!!!

Along the perimeter path of the island we came across this amazing tree. It looked a bit like I feel in the mornings, stiff, achy and thirsty!

This island is famous for their flower gardens during the spring, summer, and fall. We just so happened on it during tulip season.

After our walk around one side of the island there was a vote to stop and take a break...who's working the hardest today?

Then of course a snack....

Now the question..."How do we get off this island?"

Thank goodness the kids had the map and were sure they knew the right way...

Eureka....we've found the way!

After a picturesque drive around the southern part of the lake into Switzerland we stopped at Rhein Falls, the largest plain waterfalls in Europe.

We arrived just before closing time and were able to access the falls for free! This was nothing in comparison to Niagara - but to see and hear the volume of water, that close,was pretty neat.

Day #3: Homeward bound

We decided we would take the scenic route home; it's always much nicer than the autobahn if you have the time! We stopped in the town of Triberg, as we were told it was a must. Well, take it from us, don't bother. It's a small tourist trap of a town. If you're in the market for a Cookoo clock this is your town. So what did we do? We took the obligatory photo and skipped town to a small village for lunch!

Along the way we stopped at the Barfusspark (see blog "Barfusspark " from August 2009).

This time Brad was able to join in the fun. Due to our time limits, and the park not fully open, we took the much shorter 1,5km route.

Doesn't it look like loads of fun?

Well, off to our next adventure....vacation in the USA! Stay tuned.

A Preacher in the Making

2011-03-30T16:38:00.002+02:00

Like father, like son!

Querty 11 Space Capsule

2011-03-30T16:30:00.002+02:00

The kids have been studying space recently in science. They've also been able to attend several venues at the Stuttgart Planetarium.

In their spare time, Madeline and Jack, have turned an old packing box into their "Querty 11" space capsule. The box is so big, that our neighbors called to see if we were moving, as it is visible through Jack's window!

Missions' Conference

2011-03-30T16:09:00.002+02:00

Well, it seems I'm on top of everything these days BUT this blog! I honestly have good intentions to post weekly; however, homeschooling, church activities, soccer & Brad's work schedule seem to be the most demanding!

Two weeks ago our church had our Missions' Conference. We had Les and Donna Garner, missionaries to Mexico, come a preach our services. We had a wonderful week of activites to include missions project boards and an international dinner. Since we're an international congregation to begin with, we had some outstanding food!

The kids of the church were assigned a missions board. They were to research a country and prepare a display to be shown during the week. Here's a look at Madeline and Jack's board: Liberia.

Liberia was chosen because the kids felt they had the most items to display, due to Brad's recent travels.

A Modern Day Piano Lesson

2011-02-21T22:32:00.005+01:00

We had to most wonderful piano teacher last year from March-June. Both Madeline and Jack were learning by leaps and bounds. The sad news.....she moved back to the states to attend college. After spending the last 6 months trying to find a suitable replacement, we came up with an idea! Why not try piano lessons via Skype 5,000 miles away. Jerin seemed up to the challenge! Thanks to her willingness to see Madeline succeed (Jack is on hold for now), she is conducting our lesson 7am ET and 1pm CET. Amazing - her willingness and dedication, we certainly appreciate it!

I thought I give you a glimpse of our set-up. Remember that our wi-fi doesn't exactly work in our house due to the concrete walls in which you'll see in the photos below! So we must run an ether-net cable from upstairs to downstairs!

Step 1 - running the lovely blue ether-net cable from the classroom upstairs

through the classroom, out the door.....

....down the hall (gotta love the color of our 1970's tile).....

...through the banister (notice the securing mechanism used around the spindle!)...

...across the ceiling in the mail hall downstairs, and through the door to the family room.....

....then comes the computer positioned on a step stool, Rubermaid tote & 3 dining room chairs!

All this for one amazing lesson and the joy of seeing your child excel in piano! Madeline has also had the opportunity to play as the main pianist for several of our church services! It's been an awesome opportunity for her!

Crazy Weather

2011-02-21T22:26:00.003+01:00

For a moment, I thought winter was over and perhaps, spring had come to stay. Well, waking up this morning to the ground covered with snow, sure was a surprise for us all. So, we took advantage of the recent snow and spent the day skiing in the Bavarian Alps!

We are thankful; however, that we've had several weeks of dry, dare I say Sunny, warming weather! Here's just a few photos of how our landscaping is confused during this temperature swing!

Our hazelnut tree in full bloom - while a shrub is covered with ice from freezing rain. Do you notice the bright green stem growing in the middle? Well that's an over ambitious rose bush - crazy.

Root canal, Root Canal.....Root Canal!

2011-02-20T16:27:00.002+01:00

Okay, funny title, I know! Lets rewind to our ski trip to Soelden, Austria in early November 2010. You'll notice if you glance back, in the archives, at the amazing photos from our trip you'll not read anything about tooth problems! I thought it was a temporary toothache, nothing worth adding to the trip's notes. Well.....nearly 4 months later - the tooth is still a work in progress.

My simple (or so I thought) toothache turned BAD. After dealing with the excruciating pains in my jaw and ear for 2 days at an altitude of 3,250 meters (10,662 ft), I knew it must be something bad. I thought a sinus infection and once we cleared the altitude, things would get better. Well the 4 hour drive home, seemed never ending.

The next morning I tried tackling the mountain of stinky, ski laundry, tried getting the kids back on track with school and running Madeline and Jack this way and that for soccer training. By the end of the day, I was in agony wanting to find a pair of pliers and yank this tooth. So early the next morning, 6:00am, I went to the base dental clinic for something....anything that would help this pain. The Dr. said that the nerve of the tooth was dying and that is why I had so much pain. After being made to wait until 8:30am (when family members can be seen) this Dr. proceeded to do an "emergency" root canal.....or so he said.

Notice the book....this was the military dentist's plan - learn on the go! Yikes!

After every possible "test" they could do to this tooth, each increasing in pain, they finally numbed me up; that is after I stopped sobbing uncontrollably. Did I mention I had Madeline without an epidural? Yes, the worse pain you can imagine. Long story short, this Dr. opened the top of the tooth, drilled out the denta (the flesh of the tooth), sealed it and sent me on my way with heavy narcotics. I was under the impression that the "root canal" was complete and I should be feeling better. WRONG. On Monday, I was able to get in to see my regular German dentist on the economy. He took an x-ray and said that a root canal hadn't been preformed. So the base dentist actually sealed up the tooth with high infection in the tooth and bone. This had the potential to get ugly.

My dentist promptly reopened the tooth preformed the proper root canal, made 5 injections down in the canals of the tooh (OUCH) and filled the entire tooth cavity with liquid antibiotics then sent me home on oral antibiotics for 10 days. "Come see me in 10 days and we'll finish," he said.

Pictures always help to understand the process - I have had steps 2 & 3 preformed 8 times with 4 canals!

Ten days later - still infection in the bone. Repeat the same procedure as mentioned in the above paragraph - oh, but no need for being numbed this time! Crazy, yes, I know. I have gotten very good at quoting comforting scriptures and reminding myself that this awful pain I was experiencing each and every visit was nothing compared to that of the Lord's death!

So fast forward to today, nearly 4 months later. After 8 trips to the dentist, each one repeating the above steps - the tooth was finally healthy enough to receive the permanent filling! YIPPEE! I have never been happier. It was this happiness that made the last appointment's pain bearable. Now what? So I have to wait 6 weeks to make sure there isn't an adverse reaction to the filing and then.....a new crown. Well, that's to bring some pains - but I have a six week break! By the way, I do love my dentist, he's been great through the whole thing.

We're still here

2011-02-08T09:01:00.001+01:00

Wow! Has it really been since last year that I've blogged? Things here are well, just a bit busy as usual. I hope to be able to update some photos, etc. later in the week. Thanks.

Hiking the waterfall - winter

2010-12-30T22:23:00.003+01:00

We posted pictures of the Bad Urach waterfall this past June - during the summer. Here's a few photos from our trek in the snow today. It was absolutely beautiful and quiet amid the snow!

Christmas!

2010-12-30T21:57:00.004+01:00

Merry Christmas! Praying everyone had a wonderful Christmas celebrating the "reason for the season," Jesus.

Here's a few snapshots of the kids on Christmas morning!

A drawing kit from Auntie Jen and Uncle Angelo - provides hours of entertainment!
A new Nerf gun to add to Jack's arsenal! Who am I kidding, it's dart tag- this provides hours of chaos and excitement for Daddy too! Thanks, Jen!

Here's Jack and the gang!

Razor scooters from Uncle Matty and Aunt Tanya! Thanks you two for the wonderful new indoor sport of scooter racing! With the snow piling up outside, this has become a regular evening event around here! I'll be sure to send the repair bills to you!

New hat and mittens from Mamaw & Papaw - just what Madeline wanted! She's too cute!

Here she is examining her new craft supplies and heat embossing kit!

A color and wash t-shirt from Grandma - they love it!

Thank you to all for the gifts! Your thoughtfulness was appreciated. We love you!

Mom's Cheesecake!

2010-12-30T21:52:00.002+01:00

What would a Christmas Eve be without Mom's famous cheesecake? This year, being 5,000 miles away, I decided I would try making Mom's cheesecake for the first time! WOW! It was a hit - not a piece, not a morsel left. The only problem, is now everyone asks for it every time a dessert is needed!

Sorry, this recipe isn't for posting!

Thanks, Mom, for the recipe! Sure tasted great - but missed sharing a piece with you! Love you.

Sledding

2010-12-30T21:46:00.003+01:00

During one of our latest snow falls, friends joined us for an afternoon of sledding. We headed to our favorite hill and had a few hours of fun!

Christmas Cookies

2010-12-20T20:14:00.003+01:00

A Christmas tradition around our house is making Christmas cookies. This year it seems as if Christmas came much quicker than last. Of course with international shipping deadlines of December 6th, we had to be much more organized with shopping and shipping gifts stateside! Since the first part of the month was spent preparing for the big "ship", our baking was put on the back burner.

This past week we were dumped on with even more snow! There were 2 days we weren't able to venture out - so baking seemed to be the best thing to occupy our time in the afternoons. Madeline's choice was to make thumb prints with strawberry jam. This has become her favorite recipe, thanks to my friend Karen! Jack of course, wanted to make our Christmas cutouts - 7 Cups of flour! Can you imagine the mess? Here's just a glimpse of the fun!

Indoor Soccer

2010-12-20T20:02:00.004+01:00

Madeline had her first indoor soccer tournament for this winter. The day began at 7:30, meeting the team and carpooling for the first game at 10:00 - last game, 4:30. What a long day but great for our German immersion! Her team placed 5th out of 12.

Madeline is #8

A photo with a few team mates taken at their team Christmas party.

Sweet Potato Pound Cake

2010-12-08T15:54:00.006+01:00

Okay, here's another recipe worthy of posting. I'm going ahead and listing the recipe as I know many of you will ask! And yes, sweet potatoes. I don't like them as a vegetable, but this bread is delicious.

Sweet Potato Pound Cake
(From: Country Living)
Makes 2 9-inch loaves. Total cooking time: 1 hour

3 C flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 sticks butter, softened
1.5 C sugar
1/2 brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 C mashed sweet potatoes *
4 eggs, room temp
3/4 C chopped pecans

*you can peel, chop and steam 1-2 sweet potatoes then mash or drain and mash a 40-oz can of sweet potatoes

1. Preheat oven to 325F. Grease and flour two 9-inch loaf pans. In a medium bowl, sift next six ingredients.
2. In large bowl, using electric mixer on medium, cream butter, sugars, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Blend in sweet potatoes, then eggs, one at a time. With mixer on low, add flour mixture a little at a time.
3. Spoon batter evenly into prepared pans. Sprinkle pecans over top of batter. Bake until ckaes test clean - about 60 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Remove from pans and cool completely on wire rack. Dash with powdered sugar if desired.

The First Snow

2010-12-08T15:30:00.005+01:00

Winter has arrived! We had our first dumping of snow Thanksgiving week. Heavy, wet snow and cold temps with the high of 17, made our area a winter wonderland. The kids enjoyed bundling up and playing in the snow. For 2 weeks the temps had a hard time reaching above 20 degrees F.

The total snow fall this time around, 1.5 feet. Nothing like the 3 ft last year in Virginia! However, I think I've already shoveled more snow this past week than all winter last year!

Monday morning we awoke to no heat or hot water. Cancel school? Not a chance, just bundle up and work through it. The kids don't like that aspect of homeschooling. No snow days!

Just like last year, our heitzung (furnace), decided to blow a gas valve. The temperature inside the house was nearly 40 degrees. We were so thankful to have a efficient wood burning stove and responsive landlord. I have now earned my "fire" badge, as I have proven myself in making a lasting fire. The wood burning stove heated our entire main floor all day and burned through 8-10 logs!

We are now experiencing the great thaw! Today's high 40 degrees and rain. Our front hedges were so heavy with wet snow that they were bending over the sidewalk impeding the pedestrians way. After creating "avalanches" to lighten the load, the hedges seem to have survived. The forecast....more snow tonight and through the weekend!

Kurbisbrot

2010-11-16T23:37:00.005+01:00

My neighbor, Annett, made this delicious pumpkin bread (kurbisbrot) for us several months ago. We have these wonderful Hokkaido pumpkins the Germans use for everything. I took a stab at translating the recipe and converting to metric measures. The final product tasted as good as is looks! Great, warm with fresh pumpkin squash soup!

Happy 8th Birthday, Jack!

2010-11-13T09:15:00.002+01:00

While skiing in Austria, Jack celebrated his 8th birthday; another one to remember!

Skiing Solden, Austria

2010-11-12T05:53:00.010+01:00

We just returned from 3 days of skiing in the heart of the Austrian Alps! It's so awesome that we can be transported to this amazing snow covered wonderland in just four hours! We rented a fully furnished apartment in town at the base of the glacier, that way we could do most of the cooking ourselves -and nothing is better than coming off the slopes and being greeted by a nice hot shower and warm fuzzy PJs!

A view from our apartment!

The top of the glacier

This time of year is still considered "Pre-season"; therefore, there was no snow in the valley and the only area you can ski is the glacier. We checked the weather report in advance and there was a possible chance of snow flurries one day on the glacier, but in the valley very moderate temperatures. When we woke up on Monday to our surprise we had a dumping of 8" of snow! Great for the ski conditions but what about driving up that glacier pass? We were told that we needed snow chains by some but noticed many other traveling without them. What did we do? Of course, we had to try it ourselves! Climbing the 15% grade in our 4-cylinder, 5-speed, diesel, we finally made it to the top only skating on our wheels a few times as we had a great view over the edge due to there being no guardrails!

Notice the small tunnel - this is where you drive out of the mountain! Crazy!

A wonderful view of the mountains behind the kiddos as
they take the first gondola of the day!

Here, Madeline and Jack take a rest in their "snow loungers"
while Daddy took in a few wild runs out of their league!

The first day proved to be a bit of a challange with the "white-out" conditions. Never fail, the kids did great! Even though at times you could only see a few feet in front of you and the snow pelting your face kept you from seeing well the day was a success.

The 1/2 mile ski tunnel that takes you from one side of the glacier to
the other - what a neat experience!

A view from the bottom.

A view from the top!

Time for another break to stretch their legs!

Days 2 and 3 promised better weather. The trip of the glacier road was much easier and the views amazing! Here you can see some of the fun we had during these days!

2 thumbs up from Jack - loving the powder!

Gotta love this view! Notice the peaks above the clouds!

Unmarked territory - this is where you'd find my brother and his wife!

Madeline and Jack have become quite the dare devils when it comes to skiing - this they get from their father! Following like ducks in a row, Brad finds the jumps first and the kids are close to follow. I was finally convinced to follow suit - yep, I was the only one who crashed and burned. Perhaps I should stick with my daytime job - taking photos - or as the kids call me "Mammarazzi"!

With all the new snow the snow cats were out in full effect!

This is one of my favorite snapshots! Taking a break for lunch.
Gotta love that smile!

Jack's Glasses

2010-11-12T05:51:00.002+01:00

Last week at Jack's eye exam we found out he needs glasses. Of course it's no easy task to get a Rx filled here. We ended up making a four hour trip to Ramstein to get this glasses made! Here's a look at the new Jack on our way home!

Legoland

2010-11-11T15:44:00.002+01:00

Just a bit behind in posting, but here are some pictures of our trip to Legoland Deutschland several weeks ago. It's really amazing what they can do with a plastic block!

Replica of the Munich soccer stadium

Using our engineering skills building race cars!

Happy Birthday, Brad!

2010-10-22T11:42:00.001+02:00

Another year older! Happy birthday, Brad!

Autumn in the Wald

2010-10-22T11:34:00.003+02:00

This is one of my favorite recent photos of Madeline and Jack.

This time of year is beautiful around here in the forest. We're so lucky to be surrounded by hundreds of miles of forest. Here are a few snapshots of our recent walk through the wald.

Who's older here?

Always an adventure - finding a deer blind, or more likely a wild boar blind, along the pathway.

Laundry!

2010-10-22T11:23:00.002+02:00

I had to post this photo of Jack's soccer uniform to say how much I love my stain remover!
Each Saturday I spend 1 hour scrubbing this "white" jersey clean! These days it seems each 3 hour soccer game is rainy and cold...and muddy. You think this one is bad, you should have seen him last week - all you could see were the whites of his eyes! He loves it!

Pumpkins, pumkins, pumpkins

2010-10-15T12:28:00.004+02:00

Trying to get caught up on some blogging and picture posting. Here are a few photos from our trip to Ludwigsburg last month. Notice the warm, sunny day - a novelty around here!

Palace grounds

Annual kuerbis (pumpkin) festival

Notice how tall the kids are getting! Madeline stands at 5 feet and Jack 4'11''!

Finally a picture of Brad and I together!

Grandma and Grandpa's visit

2010-09-22T00:01:00.004+02:00

Brad's parents came back with us from Sicily to visit for a few weeks. We had a great time visiting some of the local sights with them. Here are a few photos.

The city of Tuebingen

The Mercedes Benz Museum, Stuttgart

Notice the things around our necks and the earphones? These were the self guided tours in English - we were sure to make a fashion statement!

The 26th Air Force Birthday Ball

2010-09-21T23:55:00.004+02:00

Just a few fun photos from the Air Force Ball last weekend.

Brad's Promotion

2010-09-16T11:18:00.004+02:00

The day finally came for Brad's promotion. Here are a few photos from the day!

Here you can see the changing of the rank from Major to Lieutenant Colonel.

Above: Madeline and Jack
Below: Brad's boss, Major General Sherlock, and myself

Madeline and Jack with the 100 cupcakes they helped decorate!

9 Days in Sicily

2010-09-15T14:41:00.023+02:00

I'm not sure exactly where to begin telling the story of our 9 day adventure to Sicily. First and foremost, let me give you some much needed background information.

Our mission: relaxation, and to visit with Brad's sister, the twins and her husband's family. Brad's parents also joined up with all of us in Sicily after their Baltic cruise. So let's just call it a family reunion! We were going to be guests of our brother-in-law's family in the small countryside town of Ciminna.

Gabriella, Angelo, Filippo, Jen

A view of Ciminna

We were anxious about our vacation to experience Sicliy like a "local". Upon flying into Palermo we were surprised at the size of the mountains and how arid the landscape. In fact as it turns out most of Sicily is quite mountainous. For the moment we felt like we had arrived back in Las Vegas (minus the sea of course).

A view from Campania

We were greeted by Angelo's brother, Vito, at the airport. The only Italian we knew came from the handy Italian-English dictionary I had borrowed for our trip and Vito's English was about the same, so our 1 hour car ride to Ciminna was on the quiet side. Our first stop "Campania" - the countryside villa (or what we had pictured anyway) of Angelo's parents. As you can see it wasn't the type of villa that we were imagining, but we did learn to enjoy simplicity!

Here you can see Brad and Jack playing volleyball with a string used for hanging laundry to dry.

The sheep and chicken pens

We had a 5 course Italian meal for lunch, lasange, rabbit, salad, bread, and melon. If you know Jack and I very well, you know that we didn't eat any sort of strange meat! (Be sure you finish reading the entire blog for some interesting "meats" that were served!) Let me say that every meal is more than 3 courses, always includes bread, salad, pasta, meat and finished with fruit. Here's a peek inside the modest kitchen that we ate lunch in everyday. It's amazing what Angelo's mom can produce with such a small kitchen! Yummm.

Notice the only oven - a small convection oven and one light bulb hanging overhead. This room also served as the bambini's bathing room, laundry & storage room and Vito's bedroom after the kitchen closed usually around midnight!

Pato the guard dog amid the olive trees. This dog ate anything....when there was a question what to do with the scraps...it was always "give it to Pato"!

I literally took over 250 photos on our trip and this blog entry will quickly become that of a novel so I'll switch to photo essay mode!

Making the Cheese

Angelo's family are sheep and olive farmers. They make a wonderful cheese called peccorino, which is made from the sheep's milk. Here you can see part of the process to make the aged peccorino and ricotta.

Madeline and Auntie Jen enjoying a bowl of ricotta

A mature olive tree - the trunk is amazing!

The Porcospino

First ,the kill - we were promised a meal of porcupine before we left!

Here, the porcospino hangs awaiting the "cleaning" process - yuck!

"De-quilling"

Up close and personal

Grilling

What a nice photo....and then (below) the porcuspino arrives right in front of me!

I did manage not to "toss my cookies"!

Had to throw this photo in too. The remnants of what would be our going away lunch (sardine heads & tomatoes)!

The Bambinis

The cousins, Madeline, Gabriella, Jack and Filippo

The official weigh in for the twins as they've now added pasta to their diet!

Don't let the blue bib fool you, this is Gabriella!

Filippo, Madeline and Jack

Bath time for Gabriella

Campania

Angelo's Dad, Filippo, Brad and I during an afternoon BBQ in Campania
Menu: rabbit, mutton, lamb (and chicken thanks to my dear husband!)

Laundry al fresco! It's a 24 hour process out here!

A view of the house built into the hillside

We hiked the backside of this cliff and have some funny stories to tell. The views were beautiful!

Ciminna - the city

A typical narrow street in the city.

The view from Jen and Angelo's home in the city.

Here you can buy fresh fish (fruits too) daily. They announce their arrival each morning via megaphone!

Thanks to family friends, we were treated to a behind the scenes look at bread making

Another example of the tight and narrow streets. Who will win, Semi #1 or #2 oh wait...look another truck...interesting!

The Daily Happenings

We were able to find a deck of cards thanks to someone on Grandma & Grandpa's cruise. This deck of cards became a life saver for passing time in the late afternoons. Here Jack is playing "golf" with Angelo's cousin, Francesco. Although neither Jack for Francesco spoke each others language, we had a great time together!

Ice cream, a great late afternoon snack (especially since lunch was at 1pm and dinner not until 9pm)

The Ritz Carlton it's not, but the blow-up pool was a hit with all the kids!
Be sure to read the fine print when your hotel advertises...pool!

Jack and Francesco working to open almonds from the tree in the yard.

Everyday at 6pm we took our afternoon walk with the bambinis through Campania

A typical meal with around 30 family members each day!

Figs, figs, and more figs. The kids loved to pick them right off the tree!

Can't say I'd ever seen a fig tree before, nor did I know exactly how to eat one. You can see the kids' got the hang of it quickly.

While returning from our evening walk we noticed a ploom of smoke rising near the house in Campania. We later discovered that it was a wild fire, so of course we had to check it out! None of the family property was damaged.

The Mediteranean Sea & Roman Ruins

Forgot your beach floaty? No problems, this buggy made its pass several times a day!

Southeastern shore of Sicily

This is the northern part of the island, near Palermo.

Ancient Roman ruins

The family photo (minus Gabriella and Filippo)

Pizzayolo

So here's the story of the Pizzayolo! (If you notice this is the same room where the porcuspino was prepped a few nights earlier!) Brad was getting lessons from Lena, Angelo's mom, on how to properly cook the "Cu Di Runa" aka Sicilian pizza!

The Departure

One last photo of all the cousins. Madeline and Jack were in charge of the last morning feeding. What great helpers they were.

We had a wonderful and unforgettable trip! The final leg, the train from the airport home!

Old photos

2010-08-19T16:50:00.003+02:00

In preparing for the Air Force's 63rd Birthday Ball and Brad's upcoming promotion I came across some of these old photos. It's amazing how young Madeline (age 5) and Jack (age 3) looked. Enjoy.

Brad's promotion from Captain to Major - October 2005

Back on the Farm

2010-08-19T16:24:00.004+02:00

Well, we enjoyed it so much we escaped back to the farm for 2 days! It seems the only way to get away from work is to "get away". We spent 2 days hiding out on the farm, this time more equipped for camping and cooking. We've expanded our fleet and now along with Elijah, we have Cook-E the camping stove. We had a wonderful dinner of buffalo burgers, couscous and s'mores; followed by the "All American" breakfast of bacon, eggs & pancakes! The kids commented that good thing we weren't staying on a pig farm as the pigs might get worried at the smell of bacon!

We were able to introduce the 1st generation farmers with s'mores (w/ an international flare of course). After inspecting them for awhile and then watching as we showed them how to eat it, they took the first bite with some hesitation. Moments later we noticed the marshmallow stringing from Opa's chin, and guessed it was well liked. After eating their second s'more they disappeared....we wondered if we had sent them into a diabetic coma with all the sugar. Did I mention these weren't your ordinary s'mores, these were based on spanish cookies (Maria Cookies), covered with Nutella and then topped with an ever so light browned ooey, gooey marshmallow; a must try!

Sorry there are no pictures, not sure what happened to them. Until next time!

A Weekend on the Farm

2010-08-04T17:14:00.009+02:00

Well, we finally found some time to get away to the beautiful countryside of the Schwaebische Alb! We packed light, threw the tent in the car and headed 45 minutes south to the foothills of the Alps. As we were driving through the villages we notice a farm road that disappeared into the wheat fields - of course, we did a u-turn and went exploring. We ended up at a diary farm in the middle of no where! We stopped and asked if we could camp and we were warmly welcomed.

The farm had 170 head of dairy cows, horses, goats, cats and dogs. We all received first hand farming lessons during our stay to include feeding, cleaning & milking!

As you can see here Madeline and Jack are all smiles when it comes to watching the milking process, but it's a different story when they take part - hands on!

We saw the fruits of our labor the next morning at breakfast with farm fresh milk and cream for our coffee! (However, Jack couldn't get past the fact that milk actually comes from a cow this way - he insisted that it was always store bought!) We had a great lesson on how our foods get to the local grocery!

Next task, to set up camp. We hadn't planned on making a fire, so at the last minute we gathered wet wood, paper and borrowed matches. After many attempts we finally were able to get a spark....and then fire. Elijah we weren't, but we kept insisting that Brad call fire down from Heaven. With a little help from our foot pump (we now call Elijah) we had enough O2 to feed the fire - ingenious, I know! The downfall, if we stopped pumping the fire died.

Jack and Madeline took turns chopping wood, but we decided it would either be Christmas or the ER before they made it through this log.

We weren't sure anymore what was dirt and what was dung, but we were sure to keep our teeth nice and clean during our stay! You might have noticed our "cool" weather clothes - yes, it's still July here in Germany but our highs only reaching the 60's in the day. I'm not trying to gloat for all you who are still suffering triple digits this summer, but we sure are enjoying it!

Along the way we stopped in at the Marbach stud farm, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marbach_stud . We were able to see the new foals, practice driving a carriage and cracking a whip!

Continuing down into the Lautertal Valley we stopped in at the Hohenstein Hofkaeserei (organic buffalo farm cheese) http://www.albkaes.de/ . Again the kids were put to work.

This by far being the stinkiest job of all. There must have been over 100 head of Albbueffel (buffalo), plus more flies than we could count!

We bought some fresh cheese, a chunk of bread and hit the road again. This time for some R&R (or so we thought!). We decided to hike up to one of the local castle ruins. On the way the kids found a field that was begging them to come and chase Daddy around in.

What a view from the top!

Our journey home landed us in a glider club watching the gliders launch and land. The kids wanted to know if they could fly this "baby" home rather than taking the picturesque drive!

All in all..... we had so much fun, we'll do it all over again!

Military Police Dogs

2010-08-04T16:53:00.004+02:00

We had a opportunity to see some up front training of military dogs this past week. The kids learned about how and why these dogs are trained; and were able to see some demonstrations of drug & explosive sniffing and of course the most interesting..... attacking an enemy. Yet another perk of the military life we're living!!

House For Sale :SOLD!

2010-07-22T22:49:00.006+02:00

We finally sold the house in Las Vegas! What an answer to prayer. Through this 18 month process we've learned many invaluable lessons, mostly to trust in the Lord, He always provides!

The kids helped us celebrate by making this cake
!

Piano Recital

2010-07-22T21:12:00.004+02:00

Here's a glimpse of Madeline and Jack's recent accomplishments after 8 months of piano lessons. We're so thankful for our teacher, Jerin, who has been a tremendous teacher and example, thank you.

Socialized Medicine

2010-07-14T16:51:00.003+02:00

We experienced socialized medicine first hand with Jack being hospitalized with a severe intestinal virus. After 4 days in the hospital with no a/c and liverwurst for breakfast, he was elated to be sprung from the krankenhaus!

We did receive good medical care - just so different from America!

Jack was bummed that he missed VBS - so VBS (western theme) came to him in the hospital!

We also celebrated Father's Day - what a gift!

My Parents' Visit

2010-07-14T16:03:00.008+02:00

Many of you may be wondering what happened to us....just life keeping us all so busy. We've really enjoyed our summer and as usual, staying busy with all sorts of activities. So rather than bore you with a long winded narrative of our happenings, I'll show you via photos!

My parents' visit was great fun, we played at the parks, took in a few castles and just plain goofed off!

preferred method of transportation - S-Bahn train

playing at a local park

Touring Schloss Solitude (above and below)

Another local park

The Stuttgart Church (above and below)

The Bobbahn in the Schwabian Alb

A day's hike to a waterfall in the Schwabian Alb

At Madeline's soccer match on the other side of the fields a developement company was giving rides for 50 cent Euros. Of course Jack and Papaw found a way to take the ride for a view of the city.

Exploring nature with Madeline's snail collection - yuck!
And this strange looking Highland Yak thing!

And of course - the local food!

Just down from the restaurant the kids asked what this yellow box way - a sign that we're getting old!

Soccer Fever!

2010-06-17T09:41:00.004+02:00

Here's just a glimpse of how we spent the last week. Madeline played in her first outdoor tournament with Team Warmbronn. They came in 4th out of 12 teams - oh, and she scored her first goal for the team!

Now, Jack's team has been on spring break for a few weeks, so they've been spending lots of time practicing and roll-playing teams from the World Cup! Yes, it's World Cup fever around here. So for Jack (Team USA) he's holding strong against an entire team of Deutschland members!

**My parents were here visiting for 2 weeks, and we have lots of great photos of the visit. Hope to have them posted very soon.**

Happy 10th Birthday, Madeline!

2010-05-31T17:34:00.002+02:00

It's hard to believe that today Madeline turned 10 ! Happy Birthday!

SVgg Warmbronn - Madeline's soccer team!

2010-05-22T20:49:00.003+02:00

Well, finally a good fit for Madeline and soccer. After much prayer she is well adjusted and enjoying her new team. Here's just a glimpse of the fun!

A break from the rain!

2010-05-22T20:34:00.004+02:00

So, we've put our "Ark" building on hold as the 3 weeks of rain has come to a stop! We decided we'd take advantage of riding our bikes through the forest which is just out our back door. Here are a few photos to enjoy!

The Piano Duet

2010-05-11T21:46:00.002+02:00

Here's a quick look at the kids practicing for their piano recital. I think they're doing great for just learning to play 7 months ago. Practice, practice, practice!

A View from Rohr

2010-04-16T13:02:00.002+02:00

Here is the view from our town. With all the leaves still in bloom, we have a perfect view of the Stuttgart valley. This park is just 5 houses down the street - a favorite place to play and ride bikes!

Good 'Ol Rufus

2010-04-16T12:50:00.003+02:00

Well as many of you know, Jack's favorite "buddy" is his dog Rufus. Rufus has traveled many miles with us and survived 3 PCSs. After much love and many washings we had to finally gut him and restuff him. Jack was a bit worried that he would never look the same. Here are a few photos of his surgery. The only problem....we forgot to stuff his heart back inside. The kids just say that he won't be prone to a heart attack now!

Never fear, he is now "plumper" than ever before!

Garmisch-Partenkirchen

2010-04-10T11:09:00.006+02:00

This past week we celebrated a much needed break from schooling! The kids and I decided to take the train from Stuttgart to Garmisch to meet up with Brad while he was attending a conference.

Our adventure began early Wednesday morning by taking the local train from our town to the Hauptbahnhaof (main train station) in Stuttgart. We boarded the ICE train and headed East to Munich, where we transferred to a regional train heading south to Garmisch, on the edge of the Alps!

After our three hour trip we immediately headed to the 1936 Olympic stadium/ski jump.

Upon our approach to the mountain the kids noticed this shiny track built into the hillside - a toboggan run! So of course we headed straight up the mountain! The kids had a blast, well, Brad and I did too! At first we were a bit leary (okay, just me) to send the kids up by themselves, but by the end they had graduated driving safety class! Let me clarify that...Madeline had proven herself safe! We were a bit concerned that Jack only had the "need for speed"!

After 6 successful runs it was off to the trampoline. Madeline was buckled in and off she went bouncing to her hearts content. She successfully mastered flipping both forwards and backwards; although, she was hurting the next day from her 20 minutes of acrobatics!

Jack also masters jumping to new heights. Limber he isn't but he was able to jump the highest hands down.

Later that night we attended a local missionary church where friends of ours are serving while awaiting to enter the field in Austria. What a blessing it was to see a missionary up close and personal - the kids really loved it!

The city of Garmisch is so picturesque. Everywhere you turn there are gorgeous views of the alps and beautifully painted Bavarian buildings. Thursday we spent the day exploring the town, shopping and of course eating ice cream and sipping cappuccino!

On Madeline's wish list was a dirndl. This is the traditional dress of Bavaria. You can see is wearing it with such excitement! We somehow couldn't convince Jack to buy a pair of lederhosen!

The view from our room was beautiful. To see the sunrise over the mountains is just amazing.

Yes, we did see the sunrise both mornings as once the first person is up, everyone is awake! We stayed at the Edelweiss Lodge and Resort on the edge of town.

Just before we headed home, we hiked the mountain ridge across from the Zugspitz. After about 1.5 hours of climbing up...we were rewarded with a breathtaking view of the mountains and some yummy apflestrudl with vanilla sauce and fresh cream! The decent was no problem, a breeze compared to the pain up getting to the top!

Happy Easter - Resurrection Sunday

2010-04-05T21:46:00.012+02:00

What a wonderful Sunday we had! First and foremost the celebration of our risen Saviour, Jesus Christ and Madeline and Jack's baptism. Here are a few photos from our day!

Here's a photo of our church "under construction". We love our little piece of heaven here!

The kids sang for the main church service.

Here are a few photos of the baptism. (Notice our preacher, he's a veteran who served in the Army and lost him arm - something our kids will never forget!)

Skiing Oberstdorf

2010-03-13T16:06:00.012+01:00

We decided to take advantage to our most recent snowfall, so we packed the car and headed for a day trip to Oberstdorf, southern Germany. http://www.oberstdorf.de/skifahren/

We had absolutely beautiful weather, sunny and 32 degrees! The kids had a blast and are quite the masters of skiing these days! Here are a few photos and videos of the fun. Enjoy!

Jack skiingMadeline skiing

Drafty Windows?

2010-03-06T07:30:00.002+01:00

Here's proof of our drafty window problem we continue to fight here in our house. This morning we awoke to snow inside our hallway. Notice it had not melted overnight. Brrrrrr.....nice and toasty in here!

Day #1 of a New Smile!

2010-03-05T10:40:00.006+01:00

So, we've begun our orthodontic care for Madeline - what an adventure it's been already with the German dental system! These first few photos are while we're waiting for the doctor. We took Brad along this time - his first visit to the office. If you know him, he wants to check out everything. While exploring the drawers and hidden cabinets he set off not one or two, but several alarms. The constant "beeping" from our room caused many of the staff to peek in through the glass door to see what the "Americans" were up to! He did manage to find the model of the human head to keep us all entertained.

Here's glimpse of the first photos of a work in progress! The second photos is a bit scary, but it sums it all up! Did I mention that Madeline chose green and blue for the retainer colors - yummmm!

SNOW

2010-02-15T15:12:00.012+01:00

We managed to make it out of DC in between snow storms, only to arrive back home here in Germany to a week of continual snow! We took advantage of the forest (waldheim) across the street for some fantastic sledding adventures!

The snow here is just beautiful. It is so quiet when you walk through the forest...that is until the Borkes and their sled arrive! Enjoy the photos! And yes, I do partake in all of these events; however, I'm the only one who remembers the camera!

The view from the top. This hill doesn't seem too intimidating. But on the Radio Flyer sled you pick up speed - similar to that of the Luge. The only difference....the suprise jump at the end of the run!

Here's the first crew ready for launch!

WIPEOUTS, Take #1

Ooohhhh...that's gotta hurt!

Some fun along the way.

5 Weeks and 9,000 Miles Later!

2010-02-11T15:52:00.026+01:00

Let me first answer the question many of you have been asking....yes, we're still alive! We've just returned home here in Germany. We've just completed the "Borke Stateside Marathon" of 9,000 miles in 5 weeks. If I posted every detail, I'm sure you'd all be bored and tired of refilling your coffee cups! So here are the Cliff Notes.

Our First Stop: Virginia

We took our first Space A flight from Europe to USA without a hitch. We of course, were well planned, prepared & packed much patience before our departure. After waiting 15 hrs in the Ramstein terminal we took a C-5 flight to Deleware....yes Deleware. We were aiming to reach BWI but our only chance of getting stateside took us to nearby Deleware. The flight itself was very interesting. I don't have too many photos to share as taking photos on the flight line was prohibited. What an adventure. We boarded a bus which took us out on the flight line and boarded the massive C-5 airplane. After climbing up the ever so narrow ladder to the "top deck" we buckled in for the 9 hr flight. Did I mention that the seats are installed backwards and there is NO heat? Yes, a flight to remember. Several hours into the flight, I glanced over to see how the kids were doing and to my amazement they were sound asleep, coat, hat, mittens, wool blankets and all! After seeing that they were taken care of, I promptley headed to the back of the plane, or I mean front (remember the seats are backwards) to see if I could confirm that the excruciating pain in my toes was frostbite. Thank goodness, it wasn't. Upon landing in DE we crashed for the night and the next day rented a car and drove 2 hrs to visit friends in Northern Virginia. The kids had a blast visiting with all of their friends and I enjoyed catching up with some of my dear friends as well.

Second Stop: Cincinnati, Oh

On this leg of the trip we were looking forward to spending time with my family, surprising my mom with a 60th birthday party, and getting to see my brother and his wife from Colorado! While we were in town we were able to take in some of the local fare and Jack's favorite, Skyline chili. We enjoyed catching up with everyone and some much needed relaxation. (Somehow I didn't get many pictures on this visit :(

Third Stop: Chicago

So far, the kids and I have been traveling solo, but were looking forward to catching up with Brad when we visited his family in Chicago. We tried a new method of traveling this time around, the MegaBus - only $10 per person and the same amount of travel time as if we were driving ourselves. Take a look a this photo! We were so excited to see Brad's sister, Jen's twins! They are too cute and so sweet. It was really a blessing getting to know them. Both Madeline and Jack were so loving towards both of the bambinis. Madeline however, really became the mother hen, feeding, rocking and entertaining both Filippo and Gabriella. Of course what's a visit with the Borke Clan without some adventure! We spent a day ice skaing and a day rollerskating. Grandma even joined us for the roller derby. We had loads of fun.

While in Chicago we were treated to several meals at Angelo's new restaurant, Il Monelli, http://www.imonelli.info/ a definate place to stop next time in Chicago!

Can you see how much Filippo and Gabriella are loved? Don't forget ChiChi.

Fourth and Final Stop: Virginia and the 2010 Blizzard

Well, we had heard that there was a huge snow storm brewing in the DC area, so we decieded to move our flight and take the earliest flight out on the 5th to DC. We arrived just before the snow began falling. Over the course of the next 24 hrs 25" of snow fell. Good thing we were staying with our friends who can make a lot out of a little. We were without power all day Saturday but somehow with a gastop stove were able to have a complete breakfast of homemade cinnamon rolls, eggs, biscuits and gravy and french press coffee! Did I mention that we were able to have merinated chicken, rye bread and baked beans for dinner! Yummmmm. I can't release the names of our most gracious friends as their home might be flooded by other visitors the next time there is a blizzard. We like to keep our treasure hidden, so we can frequent again next year! Thanks again for everything!!!! After digging out of the house/neighborhood for 2 days we were finally able to get back into civilization just in time for the Superbowl. Here are just a few of the very funny photos of all of us playing in the wonderful white stuff.....SNOW!

Return Home:

We were able to connect back to Europe on a space A flight from BWI - this time a commercial jet with heat! We were extremely blessed with all of our travel connections during this journey. Now reality.....back to school, laundry, cleaning etc. I imagine we'll find a day or two to squeeze in some skiing in the Alps while we're getting more snow here in Germany! Until the next adventure!

Christmas...What does it mean?

2009-12-25T23:32:00.010+01:00

I love this time of year...Christmas! No, it's not for the hustle and bustle, all the delicious foods we enjoy or the gifts we often receive. Unfortunately, most people are concerned about getting that "perfect" gift and often overlook the "Perfect" gift that was given 2,000 years ago. The birth of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Last Sunday the kids in our church were able to display the true Christmas story. They spent many weeks practicing lines, songs and even planning the costumes! We are so thankful for our church and all the families that share with us in the truth and the wonder of this Christmas season.

Madeline played Mary and Jack the first Wiseman.

Snow!

2009-12-22T10:28:00.007+01:00

Brrrrr....it's been cold here this past week. The record temperatur was -16 C (=5F). We have found that using our kamin ofen (fireplace/woodburing stove). You can see the big green monster in the photo on the right. We have finally figured out the art of making a fire that will keep burning all day long. The benefit, we don't have to run our very expensive radiator heat. We are constantly fighting the old drafty windows and watching our Euros go out the window! Here are a few pictures of the kids enjoying our most recent snow. It seems like Jack has been held hostage....and Madeline is set on burrying him in the snow!

Christmas Cookies

2009-12-22T10:18:00.003+01:00

Each year it is a tradition to make Christmas cut-out cookies. This is my grandmother's recipe. She made these cookies with all the grandchildren every Christmas and it promises to be lots of fun and very messy! This year we shared our tradition with some American and German friends. Afterwards, the girls found some time to play dress-up!

A New Smile

2009-12-05T00:10:00.003+01:00

If you haven't read the post "Tooth Pulling 101" you must read it to fully appreciate Jack's new smile!

Jack's method of pulling teeth!

Here's tooth #1 Wednesday before Thanksgiving.

Micah and Jack after tooth #1

The new smile! Tooth #2 Sunday after Thanksgiving.

Tooth Pulling 101

2009-12-02T17:00:00.003+01:00

So.....Jack's two front teeth have been quite wiggly these past few months and I think he's been itching to sing "All I Want for Christmas are My Two Front Teeth"! He had this hair brained idea that he would use his Nerf gun to remove the first tooth. Pictures won't be able to do this justice, but I was able to catch a brief clip of the ....shall we say "show".

After several failed attempts, we had to resort to the old fashioned way of Mom pulling. He wanted to be sure he wouldn't have any trouble eating his turkey on Thanksgiving.

Well as you can see, Jack has a co-conspirator. These two are racing to see who will loose the left one first.

Micah beat Jack by just a few hours....using the preferred method - a Nerf Gun!

Thanksgiving

2009-12-02T16:46:00.012+01:00

This year for Thanksgiving our family focused on "serving" rather than "being served". Every year our church, Victory Baptist, hosts a Thanksgiving meal for the missionaries in the surrounding areas of Germany. We had families come from as far as Romania and Czech Republic. The festivities began the week before for a church-wide cleaning day. We all rolled up our sleeves, grabbed a scrub brush and got to work. After a complete overhaul, the church was gleaming and ready to take on 125 pounds of turkey!

On Thanksgiving day we had a complete room full of all the traditional trimming and a few new ones (smoked brisket & Greek salad). Our church kids sang a few songs that they've been practicing to include on in German! Afterwards, we had a devotion from a guest preacher, sang a few hymns and the kids enjoyed the balloons!

Throughout the day we were able to fellowship with many of the missionary families and learn how they live. I found it humbling to speak with the family from Romania and hear about the daily struggles from yellow well water to mold in every room. It makes me thankful for the housing the Lord has provided our family here in Germany. Just last week we were without hot water and heat for 4 days, and thought we were having a hard time. We as Americans are so soft...we don't know what it's like to live without all the conveniences of heat, hot water, appliances, etc. I am truly thankful for those who heed the calling of the Lord to be missionaries!

Our church was able to supply these families with a huge box of American favorites that they all miss. I know that they were just as much a blessing to us and we were to them. The day after Thanksgiving, we all met at the church for more eating! Yep, a big hearty breakfast and then a day in downtown Stuttgart for the Weinachtsmarkt (Christmas Market). The kids all enjoyed themselves and the weather was terrific! This truly was a wonderful Thanksgiving to remember.

Jack and Micah enjoy the rides and chocolate covered stawberries and bananas!

Skiing Stubaital Austria

2009-11-18T15:13:00.020+01:00

Where, oh where shall I begin this story?

Once upon a time there was a family of 4 who needed a vacation of at least a week or more.

First was the challenge of packing the family wagon with everything from skiis to Jack's toy dragon.

Down the Autobahn we drove through the rain, wind and snow, packed to the gills wouldn't you know!

Upon our arrival at Pension Wasserfall, we realized the 4 hour drive hadn't been bad at all.

The process of unpacking to lighten our load, made us realized we had a long time to go.

After the last bag was unloaded we headed to town to find a ski school not run by a clown! We found the school but oh was it pricey, Brad' wasn't sure but it seemed a bit dicey.

What better instructors than good 'ol Mom and Dad. The kids were a bit fearful, but eventually glad!

The bunny hill was a challange for the first day or so, but due to bad weather they were ready to go.

Our backs were hurting from all the bending and pulling, by the end of the day we were dreaming of the ski schooling!

Day two rolled around and we started anew with the locals for breakfast and a brotchen or two.

Skiing all day sure works up an appetite, but hurry...no time for resting there's more skiing in sight.

(

lunch on the slopes)

From the top of Tyrol, the view was amazing, but looking down the kids thought we were crazy.
There's only one way down....we told them so, follow me and now lets go.
You mean we have to ski through the thick cloud? Yes my kiddies so don't stop now!
You know these Europeans and all their signs, we had no idea what we should find.....
A black diamond we soon realized was our fate, but no worries the kids did great!

Two thumbs up from these guys who skied, they loved the sun and the afternoon treats!

The friendly blue monster was always around, to be sure you weren't acting like these two clowns! The view was breathtaking, always perfect for our picture taking!

Help! I'm frozen, not sure I can get up...quick bring me some of cocoa in my cup!

What an adventure always a thrill, Jack turned 7 this week while we skied this hill!

Are these Vickings or are these our kids? I don't know but I sure love their wigs!

On a serious note....we had a wonderful time, a much needed time of relaxation and time spent as a family! Stay tuned for more adventures!

Twins turn 1 month!

2009-11-18T15:09:00.001+01:00

Filippo and Gabriella are doing well with their adjustment to being home! Jen and Angelo are enjoying parenthood x2!

Yes, We're Still Here!

2009-11-05T13:55:00.003+01:00

Many of you have been concerned that we've fallen off the face of the earth. Well we haven't just a bit computer challenged these days. As I wrote a few months back when we moved into our old house the wiring was a bit faulty and therefore blew up our computer. We've been piecing together and rebuilding those parts that still work with an old computer. So at any given moment we don't have sound, USB capabilities and unreliable internet connections and at the moment the inability to post pictures. It's the "charm"! We often kid ourselves about all the "charm" Europe has to offer - this is one of them!

A brief update - Brad's sister Jen is home with both babies, Filippo and Gabriella. Now comes the tough part getting them on the same schedule! Hang in there Jen you can do it!

Madeline and Jack are cruising through school looking forward to a long break in January to visit friends and family for a belated Christmas. They are both excelling in their piano and it is such a delight to hear them play. Madeline is practicing a few Christmas pieces to play at church in December. Jack is still busy as ever playing German soccer and loving every minute of it. He will be switching to indoor play next month - yippee! We're tired of standing out in the freezing rain for 3 hrs of practice a week!

We are all looking forward to our ski vacation next week to Stubital Austria. Jack will also be celebrating his 7th birthday! Stay posted for some great pictures in about a week.

Going Home

2009-10-24T23:16:00.002+02:00

Got news today that Jen will be going home today. Pray for the babies, they are scheduled to make it home next week, pending continued improvements with their health! Thank you all for your prayers!

Twins Update

2009-10-22T22:49:00.002+02:00

Thank you for all who have been praying for Jen and the babies. Today Jen is feeling much better and looking like she'll be released by the weekend. Pray for Filippo and Gabriella, they are not able to digest their food and are still in the NICU with feeding tubes. They are however able to keep their body temps up and breathing without any oxygen. Please keep them all in your prayers! We hope to be able to post more photos soon!

Newest Addition!

2009-10-21T14:26:00.004+02:00

Tuesday, October 20, 2009, Brad's sister Jen, and her husband, Angelo welcomed into the world their beautiful twins! And of course our first Niece and Nephew - born the day before Brad's birthday!

Please pray for Jen, she's had some complications with her blood presure. All hope to be home by end of week!

Gabriella Elena Grimaldi (on left)
wt: 4.11 lbs length: 19"
time: 5:56 am

Filippo Grimaldi (below)
wt: 5.2 lbs length 19"
time: 7:25 am

5 Minutes of Fame

2009-10-08T23:28:00.001+02:00

Last weekend Jack had a once in a lifetime experience. His fussball team was invited to escort the players for the local Bayern Munchen vs. SV Vaihingen fussball match. Jack's soccer club has celebrated it's 100th anniversary all year this event was the close of the celebration. We arrived at the club an hour before the match. The boys suited up in their uniforms and had some time to kill before being paired up with the players.

We were able to introduce the team to trailmix. Many of the boys were curious as to what Jack was eating. Being the polite boy that he is, he offered some to his teammates. Kids are kids no matter the nationality, they all wanted to toss aside the nuts and raisins and only eat the M&Ms! I think we made many friends that afternoon! Of course as I was passing around the mix, I thought "Oh, no! How do I ask if any one is allergic to peanuts in German?" After the peanuts were already in every mouth, I quickly thought, "well I do have one Epi pen with me!" Thank goodness, no problems.

The time came for the big line up. In the clubhouse all the boys went. I quickly gave Jack the instructions to stay with his coach and just follow all the other boys; wave when they wave, run when they run...that kind of advice. I saw that he was paired with a local player for the SV Vaihingen team. The player was just talking away to Jack and then Jack looked at me a shrugged his shoulders. I walked over and said "he speaks English". The player nodded his head and said "Ja" (yes). That was about it. He took Jack's hand and they rushed the pitch (the field). Jack did great, waved and ran right on que!

We unfortunatley didn't get any great photos of the field line-up due to the size of the crowd and players. Hope you enjoy the ones we were able to catch.

Below are a few from last weekends game!

Drachen (kite) Fest

2009-10-07T12:18:00.000+02:00

Last weekend we attended the Drachenfest (kite festival) in Ost Fildern, a nearby town. We had a beautiful day and the perfect amount of wind for flying kites....well that is if you brought your kite! The advertising for the event stated that there would be complimentary kites available for your use. When we arrived the kids were immediatly side tracked with the huge playground as were all the kids! After climbing, spinning, jumping and squirting water the kids were ready to explore the rest of the festival. We came upon an area where you could paint a poster. The kids enjoyed making new signs for their bedrooms.

After securing their artwork with a rock on the side of the hill to dry we ventured down towards the multitude of kites. There were acrobatic kites and kites that carried small go-carts across the field. Along the way were an array of musical sculptures. Madeline's favorite was the one made with rubber gloves and recorders. The gloves (handschue) were taped to the mouthpieces of the recorders so you could squeeze a tune! Jack wasn't too impressed, he liked the ones you could spin, spin and spin. There was a moment that I thought we would see the musical wheel flying down the side of the hill!

What is a

Borke adventure without the local fare? Yes, we sampled the schweinsteak, ledentopf (soup), and yes you guessed it...Jack's favorite the rotewurst. After a few spills of the apfelshorle and cleanup, we came across these bunnies. We still are unsure of what they represent or why they were here. The kids of course saw them as another opportunity to do some climbing. We really had a great day!

A Day in Stuttgart

2009-09-29T21:00:00.000+02:00

We were so kindly invited by our neighbors the week we moved in to join them for a day in Stuttgart. They offered to show us how to use the public transit (U-Bahn, S-bahn and Bus), the local sights, and the best ice cream place in town. We had a wonderful time getting to know one another and learning each others language (with the help of a dictionary at times)! They have a six year old daughter who is very cute and Madeline and Jack enjoyed teaching her how to play, Eye Spy, Old MacDonald Had a Farm, and other english language games. She in turn taught them how to play Shing Shang Shung, a German version of Rock Paper Scissors. I think this relationship will be great for all of us.

On our adventure we toured the famous Schloss Platz, Theatre district, and upscale shopping. Of course you can't afford much around here with how weak the dollar is. We enjoyed window shopping the sale shoes priced at 250 Euro which = $375. Oh, did I mention that in our wet shipment all of my winter shoes were moldy? At these prices, you can understand why I'm enjoying my tennis shoes so much. I really do need to break down and buy new ones - online of course!

Here's a photo of the kids at the Schlossplatz.

Soccer vs. Fussball

2009-09-29T20:31:00.001+02:00

Welcome to soccer the European way! What a road it's been to get here. Three weeks ago we were able to find a boys and a girls German soccer team for Madeline and Jack. After a week of figuring out where to be, which team is the right age group, I think we've hit the nail on the head!

Jack is playing on the SV Vaihingen club, right here in our town. The team has 12 players and they play 2 teams of 6. Jack had his first games this past Saturday. They played 3 games from 8:30-12:30 in the nearby town of Plinegan. He scored his first goal in the second game!

The boys on the team all seem to be very nice and somehow they all communicate with one another while speaking different languages. The parents are all very nice and speak english so this helps Brad and I out a bit! We've been invited to attend the team ski weekend in Austria later in December! A great group of people. Through this emersion I will at least be able to talk about fussball, now how that helps me asking my neighbor for a cup of sugar, I don't know!!!

As for Madeline, no luck. We quickly found out that girls are the 2nd class athlete in these neck of the woods. Madeline practiced with the SV Morhringen girls team and didn't enjoy it like her brother. Rightfully so, she was paired up with a group of girls the average age of 14. She noticed the physical differences right away! This team practices on a cinder field, not the nice grass or astro-turf fields the boys have! So, in order to play agressively you end up falling and yes...bleeding. And if you know my Madeline and her skin infections - not a good pair! So to make a very long, long story and long, long week short...she is now giving the CYS team on base a try. She's not very excited about the caliber of play, but enjoys the social interaction with the American kids! More to report later !!

The Berlin Wall

2009-09-22T20:58:00.001+02:00

Here is a piece of the Berlin Wall. What a great experience for the kids to be reading about the Cold War and now being able to see and touch a piece of history.

Air Force Ball

2009-09-20T17:44:00.001+02:00

Here's a photo of us and our friends from the Air Force Birthday Ball we attended last night.