An Inspiration

Today I lost an incredible brother and best friend. His fight with cancer was a cruel and vicious one. It brings peace to know he is out of pain and in a beautiful place. Never have I known a more loving and positive person-- never a bitter word escaped him throughout his trial. He was like the sun whose rays touched and warmed everyone, whether they wanted it or not.
This is his blog: nomountaintoohigh.me
You, too, will be inspired.
I love you Kevin...I will miss you so much.

One Last Hurrah

Some things never change...like stars in the sky, cat fights at night, and kids and amusement parks! We were invited to go to Legoland (never been before) Deutschland with some wonderful, new friends we met in the ward. They are from Provo, have 5 children, and have been here for 6 years. The dad is actually the bishop of our German ward--they are an incredible family! (And their German is amazing-especially the kids.) It was the perfect finale to an adventurous summer. And with our lego enthusiasts, it was a trip long overdue. Ashton had fun taking pictures-- of everything:

 US president and German chancellor meeting in Berlin

Boss taking on Vader!

Allianz Arena, home of Bayern Muenchen FC
There are actually 30,000 tiny lego figures representing half the
number of fans that can fit in the stadium!

The children start school on Tuesday and we finally can move into our permanent home on Thursday. We are looking forward to unpacking our suitcases and having more than two outfits to rotate through! It will also be nice to transition from "vacation" mentality to "normal-life-with-a-routine" mentality. (I know, spoken like a true mom...) We have loved our time in this city, Landsberg am Lech, and it feels a little like transfers on the mission--very bittersweet. Hopefully our new city will be just as great.

from a trail along the Lech River--one of our favorites to explore
(That was one huge, dead fish floating down the river!)

Picture this in Fall...can't wait.

Chasing the Years...

It's September 9th--a very special day in our family! Fourteen years ago Bruce and I were living in a 600 square foot apartment in Houston, Texas finishing up a business degree and a PT degree, studying and eating breakfast together when my water broke and our lives were changed forever! You may have taken 16 hours to arrive, and required an emergency c-section, but you were still a dream come true...the beginning of our family! Happy Birthday Tal--we love you so much and are so blessed and privileged that you are a part of our family.

This is what your brothers and sisters said about you:

Olivia: "I miss the fun when Tal is around. We laugh more when he is with us."

Ashton: "I miss his pancakes--Tal makes the best pancakes!"

Boston: "I miss how he always helped me when I got hurt."

Ava Rose: "Nannaa bababa mamama meow tau dadada hi."

Thanks for just being you--we love everything that you are and that you share with us. 

Alles Gute zum Geburtstag!!!

Engage the senses

Here is the video from Koenigs See. If you listen carefully, you just might here the cowbells on the mountainside! 

This little dorf is called Unterammergau, the sister village to Oberammergau. We are excited to try out their skiing this winter. It's totally old school with the T-bar for a lift! Hope you can experience the sights and sounds of the beautiful surroundings. (Do not view if you suffer from motion sickness.)

Rosie's  first "Rodelbahn" ride was quite an adventure for her. 

She LOVED it. Be glad this isn't Ashton and Olivia's ride...

they went at least four times faster. It was a picture-perfect day, except

for when Rosie was stung by a bee while the kids and I were doing

the bungee trampoline.

Rave Runs

...and walks and hikes and rides. 

I have decided to take my camera with me on some of my runs in the mornings because I come across such great scenery. For instance on Monday I ran down here:

And then I turned the corner and saw this:

 (the bridge in the lower right crosses a large river 

called the "Lech" hence the name of this city "Landsberg am Lech")

I just love the crooked, red rooftops that are slanting in precarious ways. Many of these rooftops were built hundreds of years ago...so charming and intriguing.

A bit later I was here, headed through the wall that encircles the "Altsatdt" or old city. It too is hundreds of years old and protected all the people living inside:

Needless to say, I am thinking of you, all my running friends! Wish you were here to run these beautiful routes with me... but I have found a new running companion:

Olivia's been a super sport and she enjoys it so much, she often goes without me. It has amazed me how confident and brave the children are. They have the city figured out and beg me to let them go in to town by themselves and buy their Brezeln alone. (I haven't been brave enough to allow it--yet.) They have no worries about checking out or communicating with the cashiers. Understanding the language comes quickly to young ones, and Ashton seems to have a special knack for speaking it too.

With Bruce at work now all day, and school still out, the kids and I have been doing a lot of exploring in the thick, abundant forests. We often feel like we are in one of Grimm's fairy tales when we are in the woods. It is no wonder there are so many mystical, magical tales with their roots in this area!

I thought about letting the kids play in the forests, and then I thought twice. One could get seriously lost in these woods. They are known as the black forests, "Schwarzwald", because even in the middle of the day, very little sunlight penetrates the thickness of the trees making it very dark and dense. This is one of the brighter areas.

Here's Ashton wishing he could jump in for a swim...however this is the city's drinking water so no swimming allowed here.

This area is called "Die Teufel's Kueche" or the Devil's Kitchen. Folklore has it that is was a place for witches and elves and small, bearded men to gather and build bon fires, and scare any wary traveler who may have been wandering through. So cool! The water comes straight out of the ground and is very high in calcium and other minerals--hence the blue color. Many fresh springs also run into it. The water is crystal clear and so clean. Boston found an arrow and a silver sword at the bottom of the lake which he is sure were lost during an awesome battle here centuries ago. Imaginations have reached new heights since we've been in this magical land! 

Farewell Grandma Gleed

Today I found out about the passing of a dear friend and stalwart example.  
Margaret Gleed was an inspiration to all -- anyone who knew her would probably say that their life was blessed because of their acquaintance with her. She always had a cheerful smile and wonderful words of wisdom. I especially admired her love of the scriptures and powerful optimism. I know she is so happily reunited with her sweetheart, a day she has long awaited! I will miss you and will never forget the inspiration you were in my life and that of my children! Thank you for your beautiful life.