Poland

 For our last long weekend before we make the big move we drove across Germany and visited Dresden and Krakow.   The city of Dresden was completely destroyed in WW2 however it was still beautiful and it still felt like an old European city.   I didn't take as many pictures in Krakow because I was truly enjoying the city.  It was a magical place and I hope we can make a trip back to Poland again to spend more time there. The streets were beautiful and I enjoyed our day of wondering all over the city.    The salt mine in Krakow was amazing and probably a favorite for the kids.  After the tour guide told us to lick the walls to really "taste" the mine Rosalyn would not stop licking her fingers and the touching the walls.   I think she had her salt intake for the next few days.   Elizabeth loved the dragon's den and probably would have stayed there all day waiting for a dragon to appear.  She loves everything and anything about dragons.

Nathan always being silly

The dark portion is the only bit of the cathedral that is still standing.

 

The amazing lody (ice cream) in Poland.  Rosalyn picked caprese salad and it amazingly tasted just like you were eating a caprese salad. 

We decided to skip visiting Auschwitz on this trip.  Emotionally I was not in the mind set and instead visited Schindler's Factory Museum.  I thought it would be more about Schindler and how he saved Jewish lives but it ended up being a very well done museum about an overview of Krakow during the war.  These were some cement bikes outside of the museum that the kids enjoyed.   

 Our last stop was the pottery area of Boleslawiec where I was able to shop a bit and get some Polish Pottery.  This was an adorable little restaurant that had amazing perogies.  

 And of course a long drive home of 8 hours isn't complete without playing a game of chess against yourself.  This girl loves chess and Elizabeth wont play her any more because she always wins.  

Time really does fly

I have not posted on this blog in three years and now I deeply regret it.   We have had an amazing three years in Germany and we are now getting ready to move onto our next adventure in Alaska.  I even just realized I had written a post when we just moved into our house three years ago and didn't publish it!!!  Social media and everything about the internet is a constant challenge for me I have a love hate relationship with FB and am trying to decide if I should permanently delete my account. (I have temporarily deleted it in the past and it was always fantastic.)   I love  staying connected with friends, especially given our lifestyle of moving all the time, but at the same time it can be an unhealthy distraction from the things that are truly important. How do people handle the constant influence from social media!?!

Back to the main topic.  Every time we move it is a constant reminder to me about time and the fascination about how it does really fly by.  It feels like just yesterday we were making the exciting move to Germany and we were all learning how to adjust. (Really I have felt like we have been on vacation for the last three years.)   We have been able to travel to 23 countries, the kids all speak Deutsch and read at their age level, and we have made so many wonderful friends. It has been an amazing experience but has also come with challenges.  I often wonder if putting the kids into German school was the best idea and I hope that they are thankful for it later on in life but as a parent I always wonder.  Should I have focused more on music?  Will they miss out on the patriotic programs at school that are so American and all the other activities that I cherished as a kid?  Will being the minority help them later on in life or will it hurt them?  The last is my number one question. 

The concept of time is so interesting to me.  We spend so much time planning and looking forward to the future and then it passes so quickly. Moving every few years really puts things into perspective.  Last night was our last Girl Scout activity with an amazing Girl Scout community that the girls had the privilege to be apart of and I was able to be a  brownie leader.  We made so many memories this last year that I am so thankful for and now I look back and they all happened so quickly. (Once again I did not take enough pictures of the awesome Bridging event.) 

And then this morning was Nathan's last cello lesson with his first teacher.  I still remember calling multiple teachers to find him one for the short period of six months.  One teacher would not take him on because she knew that we would be leaving soon, a constant struggle living this life, and then the next was willing to teach him even though his schedule was full.  But we were flexible and I could not have asked for a better start to what hopefully will be a long and most importantly a fun cello adventure. 

So for now I will continue to try to live in the moment since I spend so much time planning for the future.  And I need to constantly remind myself to enjoy those moments that I spend so much time planning for.  Between practicing for the next lesson or recital to planning for our next family adventure and everything in between.

Rosalyn will still be a brownie so was able to welcome the new Daisies into Brownies.

Elizabeth bridged and became a Cadette!! 

(The only picture since Rosalyn snatched my phone) 

Nathan's last cello lesson with Mr. Ruetlinger.  A teacher we will cherish forever.  

 

Living in Germany

It has been a while since I have written and so much has happened. We have moved to Wittlich, Germany and it has been an adventure to say the least.  The kids are all attending German schools and doing great.  Of course the biggest adjustment was for Elizabeth who started third grade.  We were a bit worried to just throw her into a German school but it has been wonderful and she comes home everyday with a huge smile.  We are learning that the schools here are very different then in the states.  There is much more hands on fun learning and so far NO testing.  She is in an extra German class and picking up the language very well.  She just came home the other day and gave me a lesson on numbers in German.

We have been very lucky to do some traveling before Andrew starts having to travel for work.  The first TDY happens in a week. :(  But I am thankful for all that we have seen and the memories that we have made as a family.  I will be catching up and posting pictures of our adventures so far.  But will try to keep up on things as they happen now that we have internet again.  Germany is very funny about internet.  Only a certain number of people can have internet in a village and not all places are set up to have internet.  Luckily we are in a bigger city, but it took a while before we could connect because the line was still tied up to the previous tenants. It definitely is not as easy as in the states to just call and connect or disconnect.  There are many loops to go through and rules to follow.  However now that we are connected I am excited to document our adventures here.

The biggest change and unexpected happenings for us is our living situation.  We really were thinking we would find a house in the country and the kids would be able to continue there love for nature and run free.  Instead we found a house that is smack in the middle of a small city.  We live above a photo shop right next to buildings on both sides.  The kids HATE having to learn to be quiet during business hours.  It isn't so bad now that they are in school, but before school started it was tough.  Luckily there is an awesome city park that we walk to and the kids can go play and get energy out.  Elizabeth loves being in the city and being able to walk to anything.  For the first few weeks she would just go on and on about how wonderful it was and say it was a wonderland.  She has had her moments where she misses being about to just go play outside.  She has always talked about wanting to live on a farm so this has been a bit different then what we expected.

More to come on our adventures in Germany.

Switzerland

When we arrived in Germany we lucked out in the fact that Andrew's new squadron was all gone on a TDY in Las Vegas.  So we had the luxury of being about to jet off on our first European adventure to Switzerland.  It was a very tough decision on where to venture off to first. lol   I didn't know how to plan trips in Europe so pretty much we learned as we went.  Our van had not arrived yet and the car we purchased here in Germany was a small Ford station wagon and it did not have a radio so that made for a fun first road trip.   I immediately fell in love with Switzerland.   The mountains are amazing, the chateaus on the mountains are amazing, the people are friendly, and we found out is the most expensive country in Western Europe.  The roads are amazing, yes those are the things that I am fascinated by.  In Switzerland there are tunnels after tunnels when you drive through the country.  Since we did not have a radio the kids made a fun game of singing the word tunnel as a triad every time we went through one and then holding onto the last pitch until we had made our way out of the tunnel.  Elizabeth also made her Pete the Cat into a radio so when you pushed a shoe or paw it would play a certain genre of music. ie Them singing that music.   Road trips have become a big part of our family memories and I love listening to them make up games, tell stories, and hear them sing as we make our way to our next destination.  Of course it always comes with some fighting and tears at times.   On this particular trip we made it to the Matterhorn, rod the steepest cogwheel Train in the world in Lucerne, and we stayed at one of the Girl Scout World Heritage Centers.

Book Fair

Apparently there are book fairs and then there are book fairs.   If you have or have had an elementary age child you know about the book fairs that happen a few times a year. Being military we have so far seen three book fairs at three schools and Liz is only in second grade.   Today Elizabeth came home from school and said, "Mom you should see the book fair at this school it is beautiful, just beautiful!!"   I do agree that this school does a great job and we had a great time at family night picking out a few new books.  I hope that Elizabeth keeps her joy of reading throughout her life and continues seeing books as beautiful things.

Sedona

We spent this past weekend in Sedona and then made our way over to Prescott where Liz and I had a great day with her Girl Scout Troop and Andrew and the little ones explored Prescott.  It was a great weekend.  We all had so much fun playing at Slide Rock, eating an overpriced Mexican meal on the main drag in Sedona, fishing at an overpriced trout farm, and camping under the stars.
Despite the money spent the trip was so worth it and the kids had so much fun and I would do it again hands down.  The scenery is breathtaking and the towns along the way are charming.  And to top it off Rosalyn lost her first tooth!!  Made the trip even more memorable.

Conversations

I love the little conversations that I have with the girls and this particular one I wanted to write down to remember.   The other day we were walking out of the Botanical Garden here in Phoenix and Rosalyn and I were a bit behind.

Out of nowhere she said, "Mom I haven't told any of my friends at the gym about Great Grandma dying.  I don't know why but I didn't want to tell them yet."

Elizabeth is much more emotional when it comes to death mainly because she is older and understands it a bit more.  So this conversation was a little out of the norm for Rosalyn.  She is a little more abrupt about death.  We are very open as a family about life and death and what happens to us all. I try to express to the girls every time we visit great grandparents that it might be the last time we could see them.  Most are in their 90's and being military and moving around and not always being close makes it hard at time, but I want them to enjoy, remember, and cherish the time we do have with them.

Rosalyn continued to share with me that she made a remembrance pile of rocks on the side of our house near the garbage cans so that she can remember Great Grandma.  This little act of remembrance from Rosalyn made me a bit tearful and so grateful for the sweet girls I am blessed with.   And I now know what the little pile of rocks is that I keep finding by the garbage cans and I will no longer put them back into the garden.