CJ's Blog

For those who are interested, I started a blog to post the updates on CJ while he serves his mission in Berlin Germany for two years.  I think it shows up now on the side of this page and you can click on the link and subscribe to it if you would like to follow him while he is gone.

I'm still trying to get the blog fixed and the last of posts up from our trip to Germany?????  I guess I've got lots to learn about blogging.

Saturday in Berchtesgaden

I'll finish this post later, but as an overview, we spent the day traveling and made it to Berchtesgaden, funny stories along the way.  Sunday we went to the Eagles nest.....what an amazing day and ended it with a boat ride on the Konigssee lake.  It was more beautiful than I could have ever imagined!  We are headed off this morning to the Salt Mines and then going to spend the day in Salzburg, and end up in Munich tonight to spend the night.

Hope all is well at home.  We are hoping for better data connections in Munich.  Berchtesgaden is quite remote, but well worth the visit.  CJ says we are coming back with the entire family!  I agree.  Love you all.

Friday in Frankfurt cont.....on our way to Berchtesgaden

Friday afternoon we went to Mia’s play.  Her class had presented Sleeping Beauty earlier this year and were asked to perform it again for a theater festival.  It was a little theater in Bad something.  We walked the park and got the little kids Ice cream while Eva helped the class get dressed in their costumes and make up on.  When it was time to go in, the little kids decided to sit on the first row bench.  We were just two rows behind them.  All was well until the wicked fairy scared Luzian.  She was a great little actor!  He cried and one of the other mothers scooped him up before David or I could get to him.  I didn’t recognize her from the BBQ and she obviously wasn’t going to surrender him to us.  He finally got his point across to her that we were OK, and we took the kids out side to wait.  We chatted with the other parents we had met and told them about our time in Berlin.  The teacher from the school that we asked where Mias classroom was, was very relieved to see us with Eva and when she introduced us she stated we had already met.  I guess that would be pretty creepy to have foreigners come looking for a child at the school

After we unloaded the costumes at the car we walked around the town and all the shops.  I’ve decided i rather like paved sidewalks and streets.  Sturdy shoes will be a must for CJ.  The cobblestone walks and roads are murder on your feet.  We got more ice cream and then headed back to the car.  I tried a dark chocolate this time and it was fabulous!

Friday night we played games with the kids.  We learned a new game that we will have to see if we can get in the states.  It’s sort of like settlers of catan in the sense that you build cities and roads, but you build it one card at a time like dominos.  The sides have to match. 

CJ learned how to work the german washers and driers and we did all of our laundry and packed for our next little trip.

We did have one thunder storm, and yes, if you leave those awesome sky light windows open, your bed does get wet!  It was also ridiculously hot while they had to be closed.  I’m so grateful that David stayed away long enough for the rain to stop so he could open the windows.  It quite curious that the windows here are open and there really are not any bugs.  The only time we have had mosquitos was at the mission presidents home. 

On our way to Berchtesgaden

We got up this morning to finish packing and head off for berchtesgaden Eva made a wonderful german breakfast of fresh rolls, honey, meats cheeses and drinks for breakfast.  She also packed us a nice lunch.  David D. had gone to the bakery early just for me and bought my favorite bread to take along with us.  They also bought new bread we hadn’t tried before.  It was a sunflower and pumpkin seed bread.  One of my favorites so far.  Eva packed the last roll in our lunch….she is so nice. 

David took us to the Karben train station by their house and we caught the S6 into the Frankfurt Main station.  We took the Ice train to Wurtzgerb and then changed trains to a regional train that will take us all the way to berchtesgaden.  It’s supposed to be much cooler in the next few days.  The regional train is much slower and stops more often.   The country side is georgous.  It’s so green and looks just like pictures from the story books.  The sky looks dark so I’m sure we will get more rain this weekend.

Our plans are to spend two nights in Berchtesgaden and then one or two nights in Munich.  We are excited for this part of our journey.  We are supposed to have Wifi at the hotel, so hopefully we do.  The total trip today is about 7 hours.  We are almost to Munich and I’ve typed most of the way.  We are becoming more accustomed to the movement of the train and tolerating it much better now.  We’ve never boarded with an empty stomach since the first time.  That was a  mistake.  Cj is catching up on much needed rest and David goes in between snoring and reading his book with an occasional game on his phone.  I’ve loved the mandatory down time.  What a great excuse to blog, catch up on journaling, reading scriptures, pondering life all intermixed with doing just plain nothing!  I find it quite relaxing.  The train was delayed because of flooding on the first part of our journey today, but I said the biggest prayer because there was only one connection to catch and we only had 20 minutes built in to the schedule.  By the time we got their late, the arriving train was also 20 minutes late and so it was no problem!  THANK HEAVENS!!!!  We should arrive in Berchtesgaden just before 5pm local time and we will walk to our hotel.  I hope it looks something like the photos, because if it does we are in for a real treat.  We won’t be able to do much tonight as most things shut down around 5-6pm, so we will rest and enjoy the views, get some dinner and be ready to go in the morning. 

TRAINS, PLANES and DEATH TRAPS………or you might call them AUTO's

TRAINS, PLANES and DEATH TRAPS………or you might call them AUTOMOBILES

I’m very (THAT’S VERY!) glad we are not driving.  The cars are super tiny, and everybody drives very fast on the tiniest little roads.  We haven’t seen an accident yet, which is unbelievable to me.  They Drive fast, stop fast, accelerate fast.  Yet they are more laid back than we are in every way.  How odd is that?

 Lots of trains are running late and so the schedule is a bit mixed up which is very unusual for Germany. 

The train system (BAHN) is easy to navigate.  We have been able to get everywhere very easily.  Most of the trains runs every 10 minutes or so.  Timing the change between platforms can be tricky.  Sometimes the platforms are very far away, sometimes they are close, but you can’t get across the tracks without going down and around and then back up onto the next platform.  Most of the words I know are the ones to help us get where we need to go. 

Yesterday we went to meet Mia after school.  We were supposed to get there as she was getting out, and then she wanted to show us her classroom.  Eva gave us a map, and some directions.  We didn’t make it far before the directions didn’t make sense anymore and we stopped to ask for directions.  We thought we had it figured out, but didn’t end up in the right spot.  I told David that is why we paid for the data plan on the cell phone and to turn it on.  Only 1 problem……we didn’t know the name of the school.  We eventually found the school, but after scaring a teacher to death asking where Mia might be, we discovered she had already gone.  We then tried to find our way home, but instead of going on the walking route, I opted to take the roads because I could get home that way.  It was familiar from driving with Eva.  When we arrived at the house, Eva said she had sent Mia out to look for us, but on the wrong route because she assumed we would come home the way she told us to go.  Eventually Mia came back home and we all laughed about our adventure. 

Travel to Berchtesgaden

We left on Saturday morning to travel by train to Berchtesgaden.  The German rail passes were the "BEST" decision we made for traveling during our trip.  While there can be a few moments of stress as we try and figure out what the announcer just said in German that made everyone standing around us rush to another platform..........it's quite relaxing for the most part.  We took the S Bahn in from Karben where David and Eva live......to the main Frankfurt station and then took an ICE or inner city express train down to Berchtesgaden.  Unfortunately, the trains were all delayed because of flooding, so we missed one connection, and ultimately ended up several hours late.  Funny thing.......we didn't print out the directions to the hotel......counting on using the "very smart phone" that we took with us.   Did you know that in a little mountain village that your smart phone may not be able to receive any data?   Well, best laid plans didn't work out.  It was pouring rain and I kept saying, "look and see if you can see the hotel name on any of the surrounding buildings......it said they were close to the station."

Well, close to the "stop" meaning bus stop is what it really said.  So it was a really good thing we figured out that we should just get in a taxi and have him take us there.  A few minutes later a taxi came by main train station there in Berchtesgaden, and I showed him the email with the name and address the hotel.  He acknowledged quickly that he knew right where it was and I breathed a big sigh of relief as we loaded the backpacks in the trunk and liked into a warm dry car.

Yes, you are thinking, oh good.......no.  We drive and drive, up and moutain roads and its looking more and more remote.  I'm thinking where is he taking us?  How much is this costing us?  What have we done?  After a very long 12 minutes.......yes I knew exactly how much time had passed, I saw the first sign to our hotel.  Whew!  He is in the right spot!  We went through several more little side streets and climbed the mountain even higher till we were at the last row of houses when we arrived.  Ahhhhhhh!  We made it.  Now for the drum roll......how much did that cost?

"17 Euros please" said the nice taxi driver.  Ok, not so bad.  Could have been 50 or 100 for all I knew.  We approached the front of the little BergHotel Edelwiess, and were completely mesmerized. It was the darling little Bavarian hotel we had seen in the pictures.  We were greeted warmly by the older gentleman who owned the hotel and he gave me the room key.  My eyes must have gotten big, because the darling old fashioned key had a key ring identifying it to room number 13!  Really?  Really?  So after he said, are you ok, I said, "yep, that's my favorite number.....how did you know?"

It took CJ explaining how double locks work before we could open the door.  The room was small, but clean.  Had the customary AWESOME german windows we have grown to love and little bathroom with a shower.  We had two big doors that opened to the patio were we could see the beautiful mountains.  We decided that with the effort to get there, we would just go to the dining room for dinner.  We took turns in the bathroom and unpacked a little before dinner.  CJ and I found a slug, unlike any we have ever seen before.  It had horns and armored scales.  (Insert update from one week later...I learned that those horns are actually the slugs eyes, and their name translates to naked snail, because they have no house or shell).

We headed to dinner a the little restaurant and had a great meal.  The Bavarian music was delightful and the food was great.  The couple who owns the hotel does the cooking and serving, but they did a great job.  We went back to our room and had a great nights sleep.......except I realized that somehow I didn't pack any of my medication.  I guess we will figure that out tomorrow.

Wednesday in Berlin

Today we planned on taking a bike tour.  It was easily the highlight of our days spent in berlin.  Our guide, Randall, was the funniest aussie I’ve ever met.  He travels to Berlin every other year to work for the bike company, and in the off year, he goes to Bolivia to work with underprivileged children.  They run the bike tours to raise money for the kids.  He was so funny and taught the history of the city in a way that humorous, entertaining and easily understandable.   We started out by picking out our bikes.  He said we should take our time and find one that we really loved.  He said we should use our squeaky toys and bells!  They were all very nice geared California beach cruiser bikes.  We all picked a bike and gathered around for his final instructions before we were on our way.  He asked for a volunteer.  Said it needed to be someone responsible, strong, caring and easy to spot.  David raised his hand.  He thanked him for volunteering when he didn’t even know what he was volunteering for.  Then he said, David would be our “ASS-MAN”.  The one to stay at the end of the pack and watch all of our “asses” and make sure no one got lost.  He said he’d rather be doing that then leading the group, but David probably didn’t know where to go.  He would look behind and make sure he could see his “Y” baseball hat.  If he couldn’t find his assman, then he would know something was wrong and he would go looking for the lost people.  More than once, our faithful assman David saved the day by helping the girls who crashed their bikes or who stopped to take a picture and then got left behind.  I was so proud of him!

The concept of the bike tour was amazing.  We were so tired from walking and this way we could get from sight to sight in no time at all.  The best part was the city was completely shut down because of Obama.  Today there was NO car traffic which actually worked out nice, because it wasn’t nearly as scary to ride on the roads.  The amount of polezi  was crazy!  Armoured tanks at every street and the parks were lined with armed agents.  I kept thinking, is this really all necessary?  We were able to get through most security stops with our guide and saw most of the big stops.  We couldn’t get close to Brandenburg gate because that is where Obama was actually speaking.  They had also closed down check point Charlie and the Reichstadt building while we were there to prepare for the first family to visit.  But, we still did and saw lots!  We will definitely plan a return trip in two years.

Because of the security issues we had to take a different path through the Tiergarten.  It is an amazing park in the middle of Berlin that used to be the royal hunting ground.  Unfortunately the only path available to take went right past the Nudst Meadow.  Yep, Dorthy, you are not in Kansas anymore.  Now this is not the kind of nudity you want to see……as a matter of fact, you don’t ever want to see this kind.  PEOPLE, have you looked in a mirror?  The guide said, try and keep your eye to the left, but it is just like a train wreck, you really can’t help but look at it.”  I’m glad he gave us some warning.  We were riding along and out of nowhere, a bunch of rolly polly old men were sprawled all over the grass on blankets and dozens of them were dancing around in the fountains.  Oh my!  I’m surprised that no one wrecked their bike.  He did say if you like what you see, then give them a little squeak with your horn to let them know.  UM, some of our group did.  Mmmmmm, I think they did it because they just wanted a reaction and they got what they asked for. 

CJ mentioned that they wandered down the beach one day to find themselves in an area where people should look in the mirror before prancing around in their birthday suit.  I guess we not big into the nude scene in America.

**********WARNING TANGENT*******

You have been officially notified that the following section is emotionally charged and possibly blown out of proportion.

Ok, seriously!  REALLY!  You close down a major museum for three days, so the first family can visit for one hour?  Are they really that important?  How many visitors do think there were in Berlin this week that missed that opportunity because the government feels justified for “security reasons” to completely take over a city?  Did I mention I’ve had my trip planned for more than 1 year!  Not only that, I didn’t know Obama was in Berlin until I got here.  Maybe the government could keep us more informed of where NOT to vacation if we wanted a break from American politics for a week.  I kept seeing $$$$$ as they welded every man hole cover shut, swept every park with thousands of officers, put up security fencing for miles and miles and miles.  Brought in huge tanks and armored vehicles to place on every single street!  Is it necessary to shut down a museum two days prior to a visit of the president?  They can’t do a security check in less than 48 hours?  If his life is in that much danger, maybe he should just stay home!  After the third day of the OBAMA CHAOS, the Berliners who were excited for his visit were now just mumbling about the ridiculous level of security and inconvenience this has caused.  They said over and over, it wasn’t like this the last time he came.  But ahhhhh, he wasn’t the President of the United States then.  The street restaurants and venders all had to close and lose business, there wasn’t a trash can to be found anywhere!  They were the unhappiest of all.  Who would cover their expense for a week without any customers? 

All this effort and expended resources to speak out in the open, which in the end didn’t happen, he ended up speaking behind a bullet proof shield anyway.  There were only 4,000 special guests who were cleared to attend.  Needless to say, the tone definitely changed over the few days we were here, and the other Americans visiting expressed feelings much like ours.  When I was asked why I didn’t like him, I mentioned a few things about the “big brother spy attitude” of his government and what I think is obvious dishonesty and deception.  Man, did that set the German people off.  I guess I should have figured that out ahead of time, but I was just being honest.  Don’t they read the paper?  Don’t they know what is really going on in the USA?  Excuse after excuse for illegal behavior that is “necessary” to protect us?  Sounds like something from German history.

************************TANGENT OVER******************************

So the bike tour was amazing like I was saying, and we enjoyed every bit of it.  We ended up back at the TV tower where we started.  David was congratulated for being a great Ass-man and was told he could have a free beer, but since Randall figured out along the way we don’t drink, he offered him nice cold bubble free water.  (actually more expensive than the beer!) and gave him a free piece of the berlin wall. 

We walked back to the station and headed back to the hotel.  We were  hot and sticky!  We took an afternoon shower to cool off and took a short nap before getting dressed to go and meet with the mission president. 

We figured out the trains to make it to the mission home.  After getting to the closest station we had a short walk (about 1.6 Km).  The neighborhood was beautiful, and it had cooled off just enough to be bearable.  We arrived at their home just as they were pulling in the drive way…..perfect timing. 

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE is all I can say.  They were wonderful!  I’m so glad we had the opportunity to meet them and spend just a short time visiting with them.  I think Sister Kosak is a lot like me…..poor CJ.  She is matter of fact, but in the sweetest way.  She said she pleads with the elders to keep their apartments clean because the spirit couldn’t possibly live in that kind of a mess.  They answered all of our questions, shared lots of great information about what would be best for CJ, and were delightful in every way.  President Kosak said he believes in principles, not rules; because if you only have rules, you will not know where to go next, except to look for the next set of rules.   It was evident that telling someone how to live their life is not something he will ever be a part of.  I’m not sure I’ve got the quote right, but he said every missionary who complains about his companion will hear this, “Elder, you can choose your wife, but not your companion.  You need to learn how to get along with your companion because you don’t choose your children.”  How true!

President Kosak kindly drove us back to the train station and just as I was getting out of the car he said, “Sweet Mother Mullen, your boy will be in good hands.  You need not worry so much.”  I replied “But if mothers didn’t worry, the number of prayers offered for the missionaries and all that labor with them might decrease.”   He gave me a sweet smile and a warm hand “hug” and we were off to the train. 

I felt so much better!  I have had more peace than anxiety, but after meeting them the anxiety was mostly gone.  We have a good plan of what he really needed, what the mission was going to be like, how money, bikes, traveling, personal shopping and everything else was handled.  I wish every mother could have had the experience I just had.  It was such a blessing.  

Tuesday in Berlin

On Tuesday morning we woke up to the bright Germany sunshine.  It’s bright here around 0430!  We enjoyed a great breakfast at the hotel, complete with both American and Germany cuisine.  The yogurt was amazing, as was the bread selection.  Nutella is served everywhere here and I’ve enjoyed lots of it.  We walked to the station and headed back to the Berliner Dom to meet to kids.  Our tour guide gave the tour in German (I think Stephan requested that), but Erin, one of the chaperones, interpreted for David and I.  It was a very impressive building.  He did a great job explaining the history of the building.  We got to behind the ropes to the alter, and also up to the balcony where the emperor would sit.  The ceiling art is actually mosaics art with little tiny colored stones.  It was recently renovated and was gorgeous.  Many of the sections for murals were never finished.  The last part we visited was down into the crypt.  Yes, there are really dead bodies in the caskets, or vaults or whatever you want to call them.  It was clean, but musty with a hint of the smell of death.  I wonder how they seal those big stone crypts?  They were so ornate it was incredible.  I guess back in the day, if you were royalty you commissioned the design of your crypt long before you anticipated being dead.  There were many for the children of the royals, mostly boys, and I’m assuming they were hemophiliacs based on the information given about bleeding disorders.  The little boys’ crypts were also very ornate, always adorned with a crown on top, while the girls were a simple box, sometimes with absolutely nothing on them; not even their name. 

After the Berliner Dom, David and I went on a bus tour.  It was a hop on-hop off tour so you could stop anywhere along the way.  We stopped at the Brandenburg gate and tried to get closer than the day before.  The plans for Obama were well underway and taking over the entire city.  I have to be honest, I was really annoyed.  Most of the city was buzzing over his visit and I kept asking why they all love him so much.  I never heard anything solid, just that he made lots of promises last time he was here.  We got off the tour close to our hotel to take a quick nap and cool off.  We also grabbed some laundry soap for CJ.  We tried to get back to the NEUS museum to meet the group but ended up missing them.  This museum was amazing!  Full of Egyptian artifacts.  I couldn’t help but think, how DID the germans get their hands on all this stuff?  Kiersten would have been in heaven at this museum.  If we ever come back with the girls, then we will be sure to plan a long stop here.  We met up with the kids at the Norbanhof station and headed over to Kurfürstendamm street for the kids to shop. 

We went back to our favorite café Schwartz for dinner and I tasted white asparagus.  It was awesome.  It is only available for a few weeks this time of year.  It was cooked in butter and served with boiled potatoes topped with hollandaise sauce and basil.  Does anyone know if you can get white asparagus in the states?  Dave had a whopping serving of Weiner schnitzel and house potatoes.  It was amazing too!  They also have the best Coca-Cola light at Schwartz.  Indego knows to bring in a big cup of ice and pours it over fresh lemons.  They serve it out of glass bottles and it’s amazing.  The perfect end to a long, hot, muggy berlin day.  We went back to the hotel where we had left the AC on high and our room was wonderfully cold.  CJ taught me a new German word, “hülaheis” or hot as hell.  That sums up the weather.  

Museum Island and Other Thoughts

MUSEUM ISLAND

We learned that Hackasher Market was our favorite stop in the city.  It was close to Museum Island and also a popular cross stop for other trains.  We got off the S7 and followed the signs to the Museums.  I wondered if museum island was REALLY an island, and it is.  It is surrounded by the river on all sides.  It was obvious there was lots of construction going on, and that made things a little bit tricky sometimes.  But we always found where we needed to go.  The Pergamon museum was where we were supposed to meet CJ.  As we walked through the tall pillars I could see a group of kids off in the distance.  YEP, they were ours.  We chatted with CJ, well, he talked non-stop and I was so excited to hear all of his adventures and see some of the pictures on the camera.  He did a great job taking pictures and had over 700 of them…..YEAH!  We enjoyed the museum and then split from to group to go on a river cruise Monday evening.  We walked back by the Berliner Dom and found the entrance to the river cruise.  It was very hot in the afternoon, but had started to cool off.  I’m so glad we decided to buy the insulated water bottles, which really paid off.  Not only is “still” water hard to find, but ours stayed cold for the whole day.  We declined drinks from the bar on the cruise and enjoyed our water and some candy that we had bought with us.  The architecture was impressive.  I think my favorite part were the bridges.  Each one was unique and had a story.  There was only one bridge that survived the war intact.  It was so low that when going underneath it you had to watch your head.  There was one bridge that had a giant bust of the architect on it.  It was creepy as you floated underneath because the eyes just starred at you.  The tour guide explained all the major buildings and the old routine of passing from East to West Germany before the wall came down.  There was a kindergarten (grades 0-4) built for the children of the government employees that cost more than 250 million Euros to build.  The original class had 12 students in it and there were 24 full time teachers.  The native Berliners don’t like that building very much.  Of course now its enrollment is larger, but it is still only for the elite.  You could see rows of top-of-the-line toys and bikes lined up outside the doors to the coolest playground I’ve ever seen.  Not to bad for a government perk!

After the cruise we walked back to the station and headed back to the hotel.  We stopped for a walk down the shopping street and decided to get a bite to eat at one of the outdoor Italian restaurants.  It is a little strange, because you just sit down and wait for someone to take your order.  I really just wanted water to drink, but didn’t realize what he would bring.  He spoke very little English, but I can point really effectively at the menu.  He came back to the table with a very expensive looking bottle of Perrier water.  He served it into two crystal wine glasses and it tasted great.  My comment to David was, “enjoy this water….I have no idea how much it is costing usJ”  I ordered stuffed mushrooms in a white wine cream sauce and David had lasagna.  His had green noodles in it, and what I learned later is a béchamel sauce as well as a Bolognese sauce.  It was quite good and I may start making it that way at home.  My mushrooms were to die for, and I was wondering if it would be acceptable to pick up the dish and lick it clean…..I had plenty of bread left over to clean it pretty good, so I felt ok walking away without licking my dish.  We enjoyed the evening night life of Berlin on our walk back to the hotel.  

We were hot tired and sore, so a long shower (something forbidden here) felt great!  We crawled into a comfy bed and slept well.

WATER and POWER

When we first entered our room we couldn’t get the lights to turn on.  Then we discovered that you must insert your key card in a slot at the door and then all of the switches work.  When you leave your room, you take your key card with you…..and everything turns off.  How cool is that.  It was very hot and muggy the last few days and we were thrilled that we had air in our hotel.  We tried to turn on the air conditioner in our room, but couldn’t get it to work.  We called the front desk and they explained that if the windows are not closed then it won’t turn on.  We fiddled with the door and then ……..voila it was like magic.  As soon as it sensed that the door was closed tightly, then the air turned on.  Imagine if we took that much effort to save energy.

The water here is very expensive.  They pay to bring it into the house and for it to go into the sewer.  I haven’t seen a drinking fountain since we’ve been here.  Everyone drinks bottled water.  We pay about 1 € per bottle.  But back in Frankfurt we bought it bat the store for about 0.19 €. 

Many people here speak some English; some better than others.  You are fine in most touristy areas, but you can get into trouble at some restaurants, or shops that are off the beaten path.  Overall, our ability to communicate has been just fine.  I did order a Diet Coke the first time, even though CJ told me not to say that.  The very nice waiter reminded me that it is Coca-Cola LIGHT here.  Diet Coke is the slang for cocaine.  OOPS!  I guess that screams tourist. 

On the tours the guides speak pretty good English.  Sometimes we are the only ones in the group who need it, and sometimes the entire group needs its.  On the trains and in the train stations, they say everything important in German and then in English.  I have just learned how to ignore anything they don’t repeat, because it’s not urgent.  If we are standing at the platform and they start talking in German, and then everybody leaves and starts heading somewhere else, we have learned how to follow them……if you wait for the English, you may miss the train. 

Berlin Cont......

I may have blogged some of this before, but I don’t have wifi right now, so if I repeat myself…..forgive me.

We are traveling back to Frankfurt by train today.  BERLIN WAS AWESOME!  We were hoping to spend the day in Dresden on our way back to Frankfurt, but the trains are not running on schedule because of the flooding, and multiple stops are canceled.  So after all things considered, we are just going to skip Dresden and head back to David and Eva’s.

Monday in Berlin – after arriving we headed out to find the Hard Rock Café.  It should have been simple.  Did you catch the should?  There are no landmarks here like the mountains we have in Utah, which makes keeping your compass quite difficult.  We realized we headed the wrong way down the big street kurfürstendamm.  This is the equivalent of the Magnificent Mile in Chicago.  It is a lovely street full of every kind of store, shop, street vendor etc.  Our hotel is just off of this main road on a side road.  The main street that runs on the other side, Kastrassa, is the other shopping street. 

We found the Hard Rock Café and picked up our Berlin City Passes.  This was the greatest thing that we could have planned for.  After doing much research, I decided to purchase these ahead of time and eventually found a great deal on them.  Our passes gave us unlimited access to the public transportation, unlimited entrance into the museums and access to the main attractions. 

We eventually found our hotel and I was relieved to see that it looked very much like the hotels we are used too…….AND had air conditioning.  Something we would learn was rare for Berlin.  We approached the desk and the cute girl there was very nice to help us.  We were earlier than we thought so we had not arranged for an early check in.  I also didn’t have David’s Hilton number with me when I made the reservation so I asked if we could at least leave our bags for a few hours and get the check in process started.  She looked up his Hilton number and then said, “Ooooh, Mr. Moollan this changes everything, you have silver status!”  Then she typed away at her computer and made a few phone calls.  She apologized because she could not get us into a room straight away; but assured us that a “perfect” room would be ready when we returned.  They tagged our bags and locked them up.  Off we went to meet the kids. 

We stopped in a SCHWARTZ café on the way to the station.  It was recommended by the concierge at the hotel.  We met our favorite waiter in the whole city there; “Indego” took very good care of us.  We figured out his work schedule and stopped back by several times to grab a bite to eat.  It was delicious food and reasonably priced.  After eating, we found the train station, Savingyplatz.  It was closer than the one we originally got off on when we arrived.

When we arrived at the station, I knew we needed to validate our passes, but couldn’t figure out where.  Eventually we found someone who could explain it to us, and we had been trying to do it in the wrong machine.  The validation machine isn’t by the ticket kiosk.  Hmmmm  Does that really make sense?  Anyhow we figured it out and were on our way.  

Monday in Berlin

We made it.  The train connections were easy….we are doing better with the Language than I had ever hoped!  We checked into the Hilton…..it’s gorgeous.  I’m thrilled that we made the decision to stay here.  We are very close to multiple stations that take us to anywhere we want to go. 

Seeing CJ was so GREAT!!!  We met the group at the Pergamon Museum.  We walked through it, but were more interested in CJ than the museum.  He didn’t stop talking for 2 hours.  He did a good job of taking pictures….has over 700!  Way to go buddy.  I’m hoping to figure out how to add the pictures soon.  The connections here are VERY slow!

We tried to walk to Brandenburg gate but guess what?  OBMAMA is in town!  Can you believe that….of all things.  Anyhow, he is speaking there tomorrow, so the security was crazy.  We are hoping to get a picture of it sometime, but as for now we could only get within a few blocks of it.

We spent the day sight seeing and ended our day with a river cruise.  Headed back to the hotel and then to dinner at an Italian out door restaurant.  More about all that later tonight. 

We just finished breakfast (Tuesday morning) and we are off to meet the kids, tour the Berliner DOM and tour the crypts, and do a few more museums.  We are also going to the old berlin wall.

Love you all…..be good! 

OFF to BERLIN!!!!!

We woke up at about 0430 to get ready to leave.  The final things were put in the bag and we headed to the car.  David was so nice to take us to the train station.  He sensed how nervous I was and said he would make sure we got where we needed to go.  The drive to the station was uneventful and we made good time.  We check in at information and they dated our German Rail Passes and then we found the platform.  We walked down to the correct loading place and waited for the train to come.  We reviewed all things he’d taught us and then we boarded.  He was so kind to even walk on with us and showed us how it says that we had reserved the seats in a little electronic window above the seat.  When we don’t reserve seats we need to know how to tell which seats are still available to sit in.  We settled in and then he came back on the train and said they had made an announcement that the stops were going to change just a bit and to be sure and get off at the main station. 

We had decided to take the ICE (not pronounced Ice, but "It-see-eyh")and so we made reservations for two window seats with a table.  That way I could type on the net book and catch up on the blog.  The train left the station and I slept for a bit.  When I woke up I realized Dave wasn’t doing so well.  He was downright GREEN!  I guess he won’t be reading on the train.  It was smooth, but more wavy and curvy than I thought.  I swapped him places so he could lie down as there was no one sitting next to us.  I told him more than once to please moan quietly and he finally fell asleep and will hopefully not puke before we get to berlin.

The country side was beautiful and fun to see.  The train is FAST…..it’s a bullet train I guess you would say.  This is the “SPRINTER” route which doesn’t stop very much and gets us to Berlin in 3:30.  Driving by car would be 6-7 hours.

When we get to the main station we will need to find the Ubahn or SBahn to take us to the hotel.  We will need to find the Hard Rock Café which is where we will pick up the Berlin Cards and bus passes we have purchase.  We will meet up with the kids this afternoon.  I can’t wait to see CJ!

Family Dinner

After church we got a quick bite to eat and then rested for a while.  David’s family came over for dinner and we BBQ’d.  We really enjoyed visiting with all of their family.  The weather was beautiful and kids played outside in the back yard while we chatted for hours.  As we lay in bed we wondered what the neighbors must have thought with all of the English talking they had heard. (I will blog later about the funny conversations about the Turks and Hispanics. 

His sister made a dessert called Quark.  It’s most similar to yogurt, but not really.  She whipped heavy cream and then mixed it together with the Quark with a little sugar.  Just before serving you mix it in fresh fruit (we had raspberries) and meringue dollops.  I couldn’t figure out the sweet crunchy things were until they told me.  It was very refreshing and the perfect end to the meal.

After cleaning up and more visiting we put the kiddos to bed and then sat out on the back porch and ate sampled several different kinds of German Chocolate that Eva had purchased for us.  It was delicious!  It’s hard to pick a favorite.  I was gazing when Eva asked me what I was thinking about….being honest I told her I was pondering how to fit as much chocolate in my suitcases as possible. 

We retired to bed and finished packing for Berlin.  We decided to go in backpacks to make it easier.  After everything was ready to go it didn’t take long to fall asleep.  The sky was clear tonight so it was the first time we could see all the stars as we laid in bed.  I think I need to add an addition to my house so I can have a window like this over my bed!  It’s awesome.  

Going To Church

On Sunday morning we were getting ready and I asked Eva what I could do to help.  They always say “nothing, you are our guests”.  (BTW I just keep doing the dishes anyway…..even though they tell me no).  They are the amazing hosts.  After asking again, I suggested maybe I could help do the girls hair.  Mia was excited when I told her I could put in a braid.  So after doing a cute little up-do and finding a flower I thought we were ready to go.  But then I realized Janna was upset.  I asked about what….she wanted her hair done too!  NO PROBLEMO!  I quickly found something for Janna’s hair and we were ready to go.  We walked to the car and headed to church.  We were running a little late and poor Eva was stressed because she said we wouldn't be able to find parking.  OK…..she wasn't kidding!  I said, no worries, I’m here, just drop us off, we’ll go in and you can find a place to park and then join us.  We got there just in time.  David was speaking and so my David went early with him to save seats.  This particular ward met in the chapel just adjacent to the temple.  It was a lovely sacrament meeting.  I didn’t understand much, but really loved hearing them sing the hymns.  Because I knew what the words should be, I could pick out a few words.  I learned how to pronounce a few more words while we sang and then just hummed along when I couldn’t figure it out.  An area seventy also spoke during the meeting and chatted with David afterwards.  He asked him why he didn’t speak any German.  David’s reply was “habla espanol?”  He just paused, said ok and then decided to speak to him in English.  

We met the two sets of elders for the ward and had a good time chatting and asking questions.  Elder Emery is the “famous” elder from Lone Peak BB team!  He had only been there 3 days.  When I realized who he was, I knew why he looked familiar to me.  He was happiest out of the bunch to have an English conversation with someone. 

After sacrament meeting, they divided the chapel into three sections for the other meetings.  The kids were all settled downstairs for primary and Sunday school started.  I followed along in my manual and scriptures whenever they quoted or read something, and David interpreted some of the comments so I could follow along. 

Relief society had a wonderful feeling to it, and it just felt like home, even in such different surroundings.  One of the brethren brought in a tiny table that they carefully arranged a little lace tablecloth on and placed a small vase of fresh flowers in the center.  How amazing is it that the sisters in the gospel do things so beautiful wherever they are, with whatever they have.  It wasn't grand or glorious but a genuine gesture of making something special and beautiful for a Relief Society meeting.  They sung As Sisters In Zion and I couldn't keep the tears from flowing down my cheeks.  It was beautiful!  The sister who taught the lesson glowed with the spirit and I could have stood up and testified that what she said was true even though I didn't have a clue what she had said.  I was surprised more than once that I was feeling teary, but then realized I was feeling the spirit, but didn't know what they were talking about.  I guess it speaks in any language.  It was just strange to not know what I was actually crying for?  Maybe others who have been in different countries have experienced this before......but it was a first for me. 

After church we walked the temple grounds with the kids and took some pictures.  On the way home we took an unplanned tour after getting slightly lost.  It was actually quite fun!

Saturday

Today we headed off early to the temple.  We dropped the kids off at David’s sisters on the way.  The streets by the temple we very windy and VERY narrow!  There was no parking at the temple so David dropped us off and we went inside to figure out where to rent clothing.  They told us we need to pay at the distribution center that was just across the front walk way.  After returning we checked out our clothing and got dressed.  The session was full to capacity, all 40 seats!  We were given headsets to listen in English.  It was delightful to listen to the German backing the English words.  I actually learned a lot because there is so much repetition.  The workers don’t all speak English but I just waited for the appropriate pause and did just fine.  We spent some time in the celestial room with David and Eva which was nice.  We are so often in a hurry!  Not having a deadline or somewhere to be was a welcomed change.  

We went back to David’s sisters to pick up the kids and they gave us a tour of their home.  They are building a new home so it was fun to see German construction that is modern.  About half way through I finally started to get a few things.  There is NO WOOD!!!!!  Wait????  What?  NO WALL BOARD?  So here is how they do it.

A foundation is poured from concrete, and then stones are set for all of the walls and structure on the first floor.  Then a cement slab is poured for the second floor etc.  This makes all of their walls very thick….about 8-9 inches thick.  She didn’t want the typical German stairs that wrap (spiral staircase) so they designed their home to have a straight stair case like we have in America.  It was funny to hear her tell me how difficult it was to design and have built this way.  She also loved seeing the laundry room on the main floor in America, so she had done this as well.  I should mention here that her washer and dryer would be considered the “big ones” here and they are VERY SMALL!!!!  

To finish the walls inside they coat them with a very thin coat of plaster, and sometimes use a version of what we would call wall paper, but is really like a plaster product.  I’m amazed after knowing that none of what I have seen is wall board, just how smooth they can get something.

 

Their bathrooms (except for 1) were still under construction so we got the see the inside of the German toilet.  The parts are all inside the wall, nothing is free standing like in America.  The bathrooms are all so small that if you put a toilet in like ours you wouldn’t be able to put in anything else.  Just the seat comes out of the wall, and then inset in the wall is a button to push to flush.  Because they are so “resource conscious” they are very careful with their water usage and have two buttons, one for “big” stuff and one for the little. 

It is not common here to have children share a room, but they use their space wisely and fit three lovely kids’ rooms into the upstairs in addition to their master.  I think we figured out that each level of this home was less than 650 Sq. feet, but it was so nicely organized that you didn’t feel like it was really that small.  I guess when you put smaller furniture, appliances etc. it makes a difference.

The land is very expensive here and in short supply so the “lots” are very tiny.  The yards (if they have one at all) are only as wide as the home.  There are very few single homes.  Eva drove us around town to look at a few of them.  Most are row houses or town houses with a few twin homes here and there.  David’s sisters were building together and their twin homes shared the boiler and other “guts” to save money.  They don’t have any forced air heated.  In the basements newer homes have radiant heat in the floors and the upstairs have radiators on the walls.  The windows all open wide which I have never seen before.  I really like them.  Not just slide open, OPEN OPEN!  The outsides have metal shades which are shut from the inside.  They not only protect from theft, block out light and make their homes complete dark, but also can be closed with any bad weather and protect their homes.

Because of the size of the walls (8-9 inches thick) the doors are all different.  They have a cut out flange on them that has a rubber gasket around it that completely seals every door in the home when closed.  I’ve only seen this in America on our outside doors.  This in addition with everything else, makes their homes extremely energy efficient.  It is pretty much un-heard of to have air conditioning.  But because the windows open so large, the air can flow freely in the morning and evening to cool off the home.  The flooring is tile or laminate.  Eva’s home has cork floors which are very nice to walk on.  They are softer under your feet than our hard wood and they are warm.  Wood is not commonly used.  Carpet is a big luxury here, and in this new home it was only put in the children’s bedrooms.  It’s not like American carpet; I don’t think there was a pad?  And it was more like a very tight industrial carpet.  They use lots of throw rugs and bamboo mats. With all of these hard wood floors through, they don’t really use brooms.  They vacuum them. 

Monochromatic décor is popular here.  And they use a lot of white.  White walls, cabinets, even floors with just a little splash of color.  I quite like it.  It’s a very clean look, but with small children would be difficult to keep clean.  They don’t use typical base boards and door casings because of the way they construct the home. 

Packing for Berlin

It's midnight here....I'm just finishing packing for berlin.  We leave at 0530 in the morning. I'll finish typing up the last two days on the train and post when I get wifi.  We spent Saturday in the temple, experienced grocery shopping.....German style, and then ended the day with a BBQ for Mia's school. Today we went to church and then had a family party with some more amazing food!  After the kids were in bed, we ate 3 different kinds of chocolate on the back patio enjoying the amazing weather and the very late sunset (after 9pm).

My David is snoring because I stopped for just a minute to type.  Guess I better get finished and into bed.  Love you all.

Ps I have some very yummy new things to cook when I get home!

Saturday BBQ

Saturday evening we joined Mia’s class party.  It was super fun to socialize and get to know the parents and other children in her school class.  It was held at a private park associated with a church.  They had restored ruins there and grave stones from the 1500’s.  There was a memorial by the tower where there was once a girl who was held captive there after she was caught helping the poor.  The kids tried to translate the plaques for us. 

There is one American girl in Mia’s class whose dad is working there in town.  Her parents were amazing and expecting their 7^th child in a few weeks.  I spent quite a bit of time talking with her.  They have lived in other countries as well and it was fun to hear about the differences.  She was a little nervous about delivering here, and I happy to let her vent about the difference in the medical systems.  Later I asked Eva and David more questions about insurance and medical care….more about that in a later post.

Many people speak some English and most are excited to engage in a conversation.  The pot luck food was fabulous.  I didn’t try anything that I didn’t like.  I loved the salads!  My favorite was a corn and tomato salad with little tiny cubes of Gouda with herbs and cilantro.  I had more than one helping of it.  There were multiple potato salads and one that was fresh potato and cucumber salad from southern Germany.  My David loved it, and I thought it was ok.  Basically, it was grated cucumbers, grated potatoes, salt pepper and vinegar. 

We played games after dinner and chatted around the fire until it was time to go.  It got quite cold in the evening, and I didn’t bring a sweat shirt with me to the BBQ.  I’ll have to remember that!  The sun sets very late here in the summer, and so my internal clock is very messed up.  I keep asking what time is it?

A New Way to Look at Life

Today we headed off early to the temple.  We dropped the kids off at David’s sisters on the way.  The streets by the temple we very windy and VERY narrow!  There was no parking at the temple so David dropped us off and we went inside to figure out where to rent clothing.  They told us we need to pay at the distribution center that was just across the front walk way.  After returning we checked out our clothing and got dressed.  The session was full to capacity, all 40 seats!  We were given headsets to listen in English.  It was delightful to listen to the German backing the English words.  I actually learned a lot because there is so much repetition.  The workers don’t all speak English but I just waited for the appropriate pause and did just fine.  We spent some time in the celestial room with David and Eva which was nice.  We are so often in a hurry!  Not having a deadline or somewhere to be was a welcomed change.  

We went back to David’s sisters to pick up the kids and they gave us a tour of their home.  They are building a new home so it was fun to see German construction that is modern.  About half way through I finally started to get a few things.  There is NO WOOD!!!!!  Wait????  What?  NO WALL BOARD?  So here is how they do it.

A foundation is poured from concrete, and then stones are set for all of the walls and structure on the first floor.  Then a cement slab is poured for the second floor etc.  This makes all of their walls very thick….about 8-9 inches thick.  She didn’t want the typical German stairs that wrap (spiral staircase) so they designed their home to have a straight stair case like we have in America.  It was funny to hear her tell me how difficult it was to design and have built this way.  She also loved seeing the laundry room on the main floor in America, so she had done this as well.  I should mention here that her washer and dryer would be considered the “big ones” here and they are VERY SMALL!!!!  

To finish the walls inside they coat them with a very thin coat of plaster, and sometimes use a version of what we would call wall paper, but is really like a plaster product.  I’m amazed after knowing that none of what I have seen is wall board, just how smooth they can get something. 

Their bathrooms (except for 1) were still under construction so we got the see the inside of the German toilet.  The parts are all inside the wall, nothing is free standing like in America.  The bathrooms are all so small that if you put a toilet in like ours you wouldn’t be able to put in anything else.  Just the seat comes out of the wall, and then inset in the wall is a button to push to flush.  Because they are so “resource conscious” they are very careful with their water usage and have two buttons, one for “big” stuff and one for the little. 

It is not common here to have children share a room, but they use their space wisely and fit three lovely kids’ rooms into the upstairs in addition to their master.  I think we figured out that each level of this home was less than 650 Sq. feet, but it was so nicely organized that you didn’t feel like it was really that small.  I guess when you put smaller furniture, appliances etc. it makes a difference.

The land is very expensive here and in short supply so the “lots” are very tiny.  The yards (if they have one at all) are only as wide as the home.  There are very few single homes.  Eva drove us around town to look at a few of them.  Most are row houses or town houses with a few twin homes here and there.  David’s sisters were building together and their twin homes shared the boiler and other “guts” to save money.  They don’t have any forced air heated.  In the basements newer homes have radiant heat in the floors and the upstairs have radiators on the walls.  The windows all open wide which I have never seen before.  I really like them.  Not just slide open, OPEN OPEN!  The outsides have metal shades which are shut from the inside.  They not only protect from theft, block out light and make their homes complete dark, but also can be closed with any bad weather and protect their homes.

Because of the size of the walls (8-9 inches thick) the doors are all different.  They have a cut out flange on them that has a rubber gasket around it that completely seals every door in the home when closed.  I’ve only seen this in America on our outside doors.  This in addition with everything else, makes their homes extremely energy efficient.  It is pretty much un-heard of to have air conditioning.  But because the windows open so large, the air can flow freely in the morning and evening to cool off the home.  The flooring is tile or laminate.  Eva’s home has cork floors which are very nice to walk on.  They are softer under your feet than our hard wood and they are warm.  Wood is not commonly used.  Carpet is a big luxury here, and in this new home it was only put in the children’s bedrooms.  It’s not like American carpet; I don’t think there was a pad?  And it was more like a very tight industrial carpet.  They use lots of throw rugs and bamboo mats. With all of these hard wood floors through, they don’t really use brooms.  They vacuum them. 

Monochromatic décor is popular here.  And they use a lot of white.  White walls, cabinets, even floors with just a little splash of color.  I quite like it.  It’s a very clean look, but with small children would be difficult to keep clean.  They don’t use typical base boards and door casings because of the way they construct the home. 

First Impressions

We arrived early into Frankfurt.  The county is beautiful from the air!  GREEN!!!!  Flying in I could see multiple solar power fields and windmills.  The rivers define the boundaries here and the rest of the roads are just fit in where ever.

The airport did not have a gate for us, so came off the airplane out in the "air plane parking lot" and were bused back to the terminal.  We waiting in line for the passport checks and then on to baggage.  Found our bags just fine and they weathered the trip well, all except the big duffle bag - but that's ok because I got a great deal on it from Down East Home so no tears about that one.

I was nervous we wouldn't be able to find EVA, but a soon as we came around the next corner, there she was!  Sweet little Luzian was asleep in the stroller.  We hiked to the car.  OK.....German parking lot!  You really knew you were not in america.  First they were all SMALL!  But oh, so nice.  Eva's mini van from the states looked like our 15 passenger van.  We loaded up and she skillfully navigated her way out of the parking garage.  It was the equivalent of driving our 15 passenger van in down town Chicago.  The streets are small, and the garages even smaller.  There was a few inches of clearance on either side.

We headed back to their house.  The neighbor hood is beautiful.  Little road made from bricks.  They live in what we would call a town home.  Their street is a No parking street, it's only for playing so we unloaded the car but then she parks on the street behind them.  Her house is just darling.  I'll take some pictures and post them in the next day or so.  

We drove to pick up the girls from gymnastics, and I decided I was really glad we were not going to drive while we are here.  Narrow doesn't really do justice for the roads!  And they twist and turn like I've never seen.  We spent the evening chilling and figuring out the rail system for our travels next week.  Eva made a delicious meal for dinner and we tried several kinds of cheese.  GOODBYE diet!  The pretzels were amazing and then she told me they were out of a box.  I wonder if I could get those home.

We crashed hard last night.  Slept great and woke up to the sounds of a bird singing a song unlike any I've heard before.  I'll have to figure out what kind of bird it is.  Or maybe they just sing birdie in German too?  We are sleeping in the newly remodeled attic....it's very amazing.  The window above our bed is the neatest thing you have ever seen.

We are headed to the temple this morning, and then Eva and I are going to go do some shopping.  We will go with Mia tonight to her school BBQ.   Hope everything at home is going well.  Give my kiddos a hug if you seen them.  Miss them so much already!  I'll squeeze a little one on this end to get in my mommy hugs.   Love you all!

In flight Dinner

We were served a lovely little dinner of pasta, potato salad and carrot cake.  The bread was something from ______ and I don’t want to go there again.  It was Rye (which I don’t mind) but it was moist and flat, completely un-leavened and cold!  All in all, I think it was great, except I can tell I’m going to need more Carafate on the trip than I thought.  I wonder what they have in Germany that is equal to that?

After Dinner we settled in.  There was a movie on, but I couldn’t get to my headphones easily.  Note to self…….practice pulling things out of your carry on bag with your eyes closed while sitting in one of your kitchen cupboards.  It’s like a sick game of twister!  The couple seated in front of us is nice, but are taking way too much of their purchased space on the plane.  The wife keeps having her husband adjust her 2 normal sized pillows from home, which are slipping through the side of the seat an invading 4 inches of my 8 inches of room.  I’ve politely asked her to move her pillow so I could adjust my tray, and she was resistant.  I really hoped she would notice it was shoved clear back into my space, but within about 20 seconds, she asked in a hurried voice, “are you done yet so I can put my pillow back?”  Oh well, hopefully she doesn’t have something awful since I’m going to be very close to her pillow for several hours.

After all the work to get out my head set, I got them plugged in and…….you guessed it, the movie was in GERMAN.  RATS!!!!  I flipped though the channels and settled on some soothing classical music.  Within a few minutes, I was in my own “LITTLE” world and sleeping……sort of.  I was surprised at what woke me up.  Sensing any shift in speed or attitude reminded my ears and stomach we were actually moving.  I slept on and off till about midnight (home time) and then got out the trusty iPad, played all my lives of candy crush and any  bingo game that didn’t require the internet.  Then I decided I could catch up on some conference talks.  The one that stood out to me was from L Tom Perry titled Obedience to the Law is Liberty.  I LOVED THAT TALK.  I got much more out of it studying it along with some of my original notes.  It was a good reminder that we are here to exercise our use of agency, and the choice is really ours.  How we act or react is completely up to us. 

The kiddos on the flight were all sound asleep until several hours later when the youngest (probably 6 months) woke up very unhappy.  Her poor mama.  After some soothing and help from the flight attendants, she was back asleep and the mom breathed a sigh of relief.  I got up to use the bathroom and was a little confused as the information on the door is in German and there were no pictures.  I finally just guess and sure enough it was the toilet.  I practiced a little German while I was in there; soap, flush etc. are all very important words. 

The sun came up early, and it was bright!  I was annoyed that while the majority of the plane was still asleep, passengers kept opening their shades.  It was like blinding someone at the movies with a mag light……..PLEASE PEOPLE!!!!  After a while I noticed that the cabin lights were being adjusted very slowly, and over about 30 minutes the lights were back up.  How nice of them not to just turn them on.  Can you imagine if they did that?

They started serving breakfast and I was really excited.  I could see the trays they were passing out and it looked delicious.  OOPS, forgot that the row in front of us turns from premium economy to just economy.  Our economy breakfast consisted of a very yummy hot roll, a meat and cheese slice and a small plate of fruit.  Luckily for me, it was all melon, so David wouldn’t eat it.  It was pretty good.  Maybe we will consider upgrading our meals for the flight home.  There are many who have and there is a stark difference!

The cabin TV’s show us on a map every so often.  We flew up over Canada and Greenland, over the ocean across Ireland and England and now we are almost in Germany.  It puts up our speed, altitude, temperature etc.  It’s pretty cool what technology can provide now a day.  Most of our flight has been at 36,000 feet and we go anywhere from 540-560 miles an hour.  The outside air temperature up here is stated to be -70 Fahrenheit.  No wonder the bags are cold when you pick them up.  We are scheduled to land in Frankfurt 90 minutes ahead of schedule and I’m grateful for a slightly shorter flight. 

Hopefully customs will go well and our bags will arrive and be in one piece. 

PS  I’m grateful that working 20 years of nights has prepared me so well for JET LAG.  You should see how bad the people look on the plane……..I wonder if that’s how I look after working????  But after just sitting here and catching multiple naps……I feel pretty darn good.  

In Flight Reflections

We are safety cruising now at 33,000 feet and just passing over Denver, Co.  What an amazing sight the Grand Canyon is from above!  We are expected to land on time tomorrow after a slightly shorter flight than planned because of favorable weather conditions. 

While we waited at the gate to board I had several re-occurring thoughts.  The first was how funny the gate attendants were as they changed their minds over and over.  One sweet slightly older German lady kept saying you don’t need your passport, only your boarding ticket and state they were starting in rows 40-45.  Then a gentleman would come on and say, please have your boarding passes with your passport open to your photo in your hand and say we were boarding rows 14-19 first.  They alternated multiple times, when a younger lady then came over the speakers and we started boarding….no passport needed, and starting in the rear of the plane.  I’m not sure why I got such a chuckle out of this except to say that is makes me feel slightly better about my own “off” days at work when we un-intentionally give out miss information.  Our fellow passengers were very nice at the gate, very docile, and most just waited their turn.  Only a few rushed the gate when they called for those traveling with children or who “need a little extra time”.  I made a comment under my breath that was louder than I thought because several people around giggled when I commented on the “rushers” need to board because they needed more time.  BTW, how nice to NOT use the word handicapped or elderly etc.  The condor crew have been extremely nice happy individuals to be with.

The other things noticed by many passengers, including ourselves, were the large number of children at the gate.  WOW!  They weren’t quiet, or well behaved.  One gentleman seated by us sent his wife out on a mission to figure out where they were going to be seated on the plane……so funny.  As if he could do anything about it now.  I thought, maybe they are just getting it all out ahead of time.  I remember the stares we got when traveling with the girls.  Can you imagine seeing us at the gate?  I was always relieved, as I received countless compliments after “good” flights with the kids from the nervous passengers surrounding us.

As we made our way down the ramp and onto the plane, the Vegas heat was stifling.  The very sweet young man working at the door said it was 107 already out there!  Can you believe working outside on the tarmac in such heat?  I hope they get paid well. 

Once on the plane we didn’t have very many rows to go before we arrived at row 15.  David and I are seated in the two seats on the right side of the plane.  It is set up with 2, 3, 2 across.  There was a very cute little white pillow and freshly laundered blue blanket on each of our seats which made me smile.  I had tried to figure out how to bring a blanket or pillow but with all of the weight and size restrictions, it just didn’t’ happen.  I almost paid a premium in the airport, but decided my sweat shirt would suffice.  We got ourselves settled and the pre-flight instructions played in both German and English.  I’m pretty surprised how much I got out of the German version!  I might understand a little more than I thought.  I’m pretty rusty on my numbers though.  The captain is very GERMAN and has a sense of humor.  There was a slight delay and so I settled in.  I used my very cute little white pillow against the window and I’m not sure how much time passed before I realized we were moving and taking off.  The jet fuel smells just like the helicopters landing/taking off at the hospital.  We are sitting right in front of the massive engine, but I’ve got a great view out of my window. 

It must be a very long runway…….seemed like forever before actually lifting off.  But then once airborne it was very smooth.  The bird’s eye view of Vegas was amazing.  The detail in how the city was laid out, perfect large blocks, all the houses in rows.  Then there would be one section with one curved road through the middle of it?????? Seriously, now why would that bug me?  The main streets never faltered in being perfectly square.  Then there would be an entire neighborhood with the streets set on a weird angle.  I wonder who lives in neighborhoods like those.   There was one area that appeared to have a large manmade lake, and then houses surrounding it, with roads out in the middle like a little peninsula…..so each and every one had “Lake Front”.  I wonder what that neighborhood is called.  Does anyone know?  It was cool, right in the middle of the dessert.  I’m sure it’s $$$ to live there.

After we were airborne the flight crew served “welcome” drinks.  Free alcohol for everyone (over 18 that is).  Hmmmmm, are they onto something here?  I just had a plain jane diet coke with ice.  Kind of boring after seeing the rest of the pretty drinks.   Dave broke out the gobstoppers and we sipped our welcome drinks and felt just as good as those feeling a little more relaxed with alcohol. 

It was then I broke out the computer and started typing.  I’ve tried to post from the iPad, but honestly, can’t stand the keyboard.  It was nice to type freely on the netbook.  And so that brings me to right now, the seat belt sign just went on, the little carts filled with meals are being whisked away.  I’m thinking we have something in our future……turbulence.  YEP, the captain just said, sorry folks, we didn’t expect this, and it shouldn’t be for too long.  When the lead flight attendant came on, she explained that the meal would be delayed for a while.  She apologized and justified her decision to ask the team to defer serving dinner until it was safer for the crew to be about the cabin, and it would be more enjoyable to eat.  It’s great that she gave an explanation like that.  We could learn a lot about a service oriented industry that has firm boundaries by patterning after the airlines. 

There is a boss – the head honcho – the captain.  He very nicely introduced her in the beginning as the “one in charge of the cabin” and that she would make sure that first and fore most our safety was her job, but that her team would do everything they could do to make our trip enjoyable.  Wouldn’t it be awesome if the people directly in charge of something were given that kind of public un-conditional backing?  The crew has been well trained in being polite, but clearly stating the boundaries.  Apologizing for known inconveniences or changes to the plan, but stating they would reconcile them as best they can and in a timely manner.  Then keeping everyone informed of any updates.   I think you would be pretty stupid to not be able to figure out why they were delaying dinner, but their willingness to acknowledge that, and thank you in advance for your patience is very empowering for both parties.  I wonder how that would go down at the bedside in the NICU?  Would it be something like, “I realize that I will not be readily available to answer your questions while I give your next nurse important information about your baby.  I appreciate your cooperation and patience to allow us to be effective and punctual, even though at times it may seem inconvenient for you.”   In an effort to be available and to keep patients happy, we have dissolved lots of boundaries that make our day to day bedside nursing tasks very difficult.  I guess I have something to try when I get home.  I think I often feel like, “I told this mom she could _______, but now we are admitting another baby.  How am I going to get all this done.”  It’s really no different than having dinner ready for 300 passengers and putting it all away because you can’t control the weather.

lines, lines and more lines

 The new terminal 3 here is beautiful.   The Q system is better than the dairy industry....and cattle might be better behaved. First to get boarding pass and pass port check, then to check seats and luggage.  The  first security line to check passports then body scan line.  Line for currency exchange.  Whewww.  W are waiting at the gate ready to go. 

People watching is a blast.  Can i ask why you would take a 12 hour flight in heels, mini skirt and tank top?  Glad I'm comfy in my sweats!  

Love you all

Germany......here we come!

The day is finally here!  Dave and I are at the airport in Las Vegas waiting to check in for our flight.  Getting out of the house was just as I thought it would be........rough.  We pulled out of Provo late....and checked into our hotel in Las Vegas REALLY late, but had a good nights sleep and are ready to go.  It's hot here......I guess it's the dessert, but now inside the airport I'm thinking I need my sweat shirt.

After moping all day, Sugar wouldn't say goodbye last night.  She knew.......do dogs really under and English?  KC couldn't find her last night, but eventually found her under our bed.  I hope she will do ok.  She has been pretty bent out off shape with CJ gone.  Maybe she will be ok with some face time or skype.  I don't think the ducks or bunny will mind if we are gone:)

The girls were not happy that I made them clean before we left, but the reward of spending the first two nights with their best little friends was worth it.  Madi eventually found her smile and wasn't teary when we stopped by to say goodbye as we left town.  It was nice to hear their sweet voices this morning on the phone.......I think they know I'm super nervous for the flight.  Our flight is 11:20 long and it will be afternoon tomorrow when we get there.  Loosing a day is pretty weird!  But I guess we get one back at the end.

If you need us we will only have Dave's phone while we are there.  Ill try and post as often as we have wifi to let you all know where we are and what we are doing.  We will check email and face book messages whenever we have wifi.

That's all for now.  I'm going to go find some diet coke and take some zofran.

Catching UP!

I'm WAY behind on blogging!  I realized this when several people sent emails or texts asking if things were OK because I hadn't posted in so long.

Here's the scoop.......Summer started, we played hard together as a family, worked hard together as a family, and spent many lazy summer days together as a family.  I was blogging during "down time" that disappeared when summer came and I was surrounded 24/7 by all of the kids.  Carving out a few more minutes in the day to blog just never happened.  I wrote lots of entries on my new net book, and journal in good ole fashioned ink, but couldn't figure out how to post from anything but the big computer.  As summer continued, life began to get more complicated.  My dad was diagnosed with liver failure and we started the process of getting him listed for a liver transplant - more on that later.  Grandma Jo is still alive and kickin' at Jamestown and keeps us moving and ensures that there is never a dull moment.   KC has progressed amazingly well, but with the start of school we've been forced back into some of the reality of it all.

All of that mixed with family reunions, getting the kids settled in school, work, church callings,  a couple of weddings and funerals make up the last three months.  My plan is to post the events/and already written entries now that the kids are in school and I can spend a few minutes catching up on everything that I'm behind on. 

When I first started blogging my goal was to record my experiences as a mom, wife, sister, and daughter so that my children and anyone else could know and learn from all of the normal ups and downs of life.  I've benefited more from my blog than probably anyone else ever will, so that makes it all worth it.  Hopefully as I go back and fill in the summer gaps I won't drive anyone crazy!  If I do, you can just join me and we will go crazy together.

Muffin's Wedding

We traveled to Colorado this weekend for Muffin's wedding.  Muffin (a.k.a. Leslie) is the daughter of David's cousin Vanessa, daughter of Uncle Jerry and Aunt Wanda. 

We decided to take the little car and send the boys with Uncle Cliff.  They were going to take their trail blazer either way and it all sounded like a great idea.  Caravan with them, save money on gas, little car is easier to park and get around in, could easily fit everything into the trunk.  WELL, let me just say that I'd give about a million buck right now to have 7 feet of van space between the girls and the front seat!

A much deserved rest stop at Mcdonalds!

I'm probably exaggerating, but I never fully appreciated the interior space of the GAS HOG other wise known as the BUS.  We have NEVER traveled in anything smaller since the girls were born so I had no idea what I really appreciated about it.  For starters, just the amount of space that separates the passengers from the drivers is amazing.  Being able to tolerate the happy giggling for hours on end,  with only 1 cubic feet of space from their little mouths to your ears is just too much to handle.   I must admit that when we travel we usually take out the front bench and put the kids as far back as possible. The obvious benefit of more bench room is invaluable.  The back seat of the focus has always seemed adequate while running errands, dropping kids off to school or a trip up to SLC.  BUT it's not enough space to live in for 8 hours while you drive to Colorado! 

OK, now the good parts.  The girls can still sleep in the car (even though they were pretty much on top of each other), we got great gas mileage and enjoyed our satellite radio (we don't have it in the van) on our trip. 

Aside from getting there and getting home, we really enjoyed our time spent with family.  The kids have always LOVED Jerry and Wanda so it was fun to see their home and spend time there too.   We were joined by most of David's other siblings and enjoyed spending time with them also.  We are greatful to Aunt Susie who make us all laugh with her "Salsa" incident.  I will never eat Pace picante sauce again without visualizing Susie in Aunt Wanda's kitchen with Salsa everywhere.  A big thank you to Aunt Wanda for being so willing to have us invade her home for the weekend.

We opted to stay at a hotel to make it a little bit more of a vacation for the kids since we didn't go anywhere else this year. We had adjoining suites with Liz and Cliff.   The kids enjoyed the pool, the "breakfast" of whatever their little hearts desired and playing games all night long with Liz, Cliff and Jerry.   Uncle Cliff bought them each special junk food when I wasn't present.....and voila.....a happy little vacation for everyone. 

 Thanks Cliff for taking the kids to the pool while we ran to Target. 

 It doesn't matter what the sign says, Cliff you can be our lifeguard......I think?

 David and I spent one morning at one of the manufacturing facilities for his company.  It was fun to see how they put all of the instruments together. When we got to the car, we knew we were in Colorado because there was this cute little bunny sitting by our car.

The wedding was amazing.  It was held at a little ranch up on the side of the mountain.  I just want to add here that you should believe the GPS rather than the nice old man who asks you if you are lost and then says, "Follow me, I'll take you right there!" 

It was nice to have the hotel bathroom space to get everybody ready.  The girls had planned their "hair do's" ahead of time and I almost didn't get all of that hair pinned up in enough time.  I guess you could consider this a practice run for the future:) 

Uncle Tom (David's brother) performed the ceremony.

 

While we waited for the wedding party to be photographed we enjoyed drinks and hors d'oeuvres.  The girls caught onto the "bar" concept right away and drank their share of root beer and sprite.  We kept ourselves busy catching up with extended family and taking photo's. 



The girls were escorted by their "big" cousins.  Alexis, Kiersten and Madilynn adore each and every one of their cousins.  We are so happy that they are part of our lives!

 THIS IS SO MUCH FUN!!!!  Just check out the smiles on these girls.  They are having a blast. 

 Melonie, Andrea, Jordan, Nathan (in no particular order) and Don

 KC helping Grandma Mullen

 Grandma Mullen and her handsome Grandsons!

 All of the grandkids at the wedding with Grandma Mullen.  Well, almost all of them.  Where is CJ?

 I decided I didn't like the stairs and fountain......lets move everyone and try this photo again.

 AHHHHH, much better and NOW you can see that I think we found all of the grandkids this time. They are good looking group of kids.   

 Group hugs --  CAREFUL -- don't knock Grandma over!

 Don & Melonie

 Rob & Tracy

Aunt Wanda & Uncle Jerry with the Triplets

 

The boys were seated at a table with the other "big" cousins.  David and I sat with the girls along with Aunt Pat, Var and Laura.  Not knowing how formal the dinner would be, we reviewed ahead of time what to do if there was more than one fork........the girls were very disappointed there was only ONE fork at the table when we sat down.  The boys were relieved.  Oh well, maybe I'll have to set more forks for dinner occasionally. 

 If you look closely at the table, the boys reserved a space to honor Aunt Martha.  Right in between KC and Jerry. 

Dinner was great and the girls entertained our table exceptionally well.  The toasts came next.  The girls had been waiting anxiously to use that special, tall elegant glass.  I prepped them that they could pour water in it to drink when the time came, but that they would not be getting alcohol.   When the hostess came around she poured sparkling cider in their glasses.  After all the prep I had done, Alexis said politely, "Thank you, but I'll just have water, I don't drink alcohol."  I showed her the difference between the two bottles and she was tickled that her drink bubbled just like the champagne.   The hostess continued around the table.  She poured cider in my glass then Madi's then Laura requested champagne.  Out of the mouths of babes....Madi very nicely says, "Aunt Laura, I know you are an adult, and can make your own choices, BUT that is really not very healthy for you and alcohol can make you feel bad and make you do strange things."  It was one of those moments that you wish you had never given your child those words to say, and at the same time it's all the truth and maybe it's  not so bad to say those things after all.........  Over the next little bit Madi would lean over to Laura and ask, "Do you feel different yet?" Then she would lean over to me and whisper, "she's not acting strange yet."  I guess we are ready for our next discussion on alcohol and it's effects on our bodies.  Hopefully Laura didn't mind Madilynn's attempt at evaluating the effects of drinking one glass of champagne. 

The very best part came next......the DANCING.  The girls didn't hold back!  Out they went to the dance floor.  They danced their little hearts out. 

 Learning how to line dance

 Private dancing lessons from Uncle Rob

 Go Uncle Rob and Aunt Melonie - you guys are AWESOME!

 All good things must come to an end.  After hours of fun we told the girls they must say goodnight and we said our goodbyes.  The boys escaped early with Cliff who was in need of peace, quiet and some extra "pills".  I really thought the girls would fall asleep on the way back to the hotel, but they were on cloud nine.  Kiersten kept saying this was the best night of their whole life.  "Leslie is a real life princess!"  The wedding fulfilled every dream our little trio has ever had, and hopefully Leslie and Ryan's too! 

Goodbye Muffin - We love you!

Congrats to you Leslie and Ryan!  We hope this is the beginning of a long wonderful life together.  Thanks for letting us be part of your special day.