Hamburg

David already said a little about our trip to Hamburg, so I will just a little more. :)
We had a great time with Zachy's auntie. We were able to stay with her in her flat which was a lot of fun! We sat up and played games and ate junk food after the kids were in bed, it was great!
She also showed us lots of fun stuff in Hamburg, which I have to say is a very beautiful city. We went on the ferry and saw the harbor with the HUGE contianer ships (very cool!). Then we went to a tropical aquarium. It looked like disneyland with animals the design was great! Of course the kids loved that. We saw turtles, fish, lizards, snakes, sharks and many more!
So that was the first day...
The second day we went the mini wunderland (see the last post) then to the North Sea, about an hour and a half away. The North Sea is very unique in that when the tide goes out it leaves 'dry' (mud) ground. The tide goes so far out that you can't see the water any more, there is just a big mud field. There is actually a sport/hobby called watte wanderung, which is simply taking walks in the mudfield while the tide is out. (But beware the tide comes in quickly!) It's pretty cool to walk out a ways when the tide is out, it really is more like mud than sand. The kids found clam shells, and jelly fish and even a few dead crabs. The had a blast playing in the sand on the beach too.
For our last full day in Hamburg, we took it easy. Eva had to work so we went into town on our own and just walked around a bit, had lunch and headed home. Eva and I cooked stir fry for dinner (her request) and we had a nice meal together before putting the kids to bed and playing phase 10 again (which I lost).
So it was a very good trip and we wish we had had more time, I think we could have spent a month there and still not have seen everything. But we got to see the most important person there! And best of all spend time with her! Thanks Auntie Eva!
(Now we just need to round up the aunties here in Freiburg and coup them up in small quarters with all 6 of us for 4 days so it'll be fair! ;) )

Hamburg

David already said a little about our trip to Hamburg, so I will just a little more. :)
We had a great time with Zachy's auntie. We were able to stay with her in her flat which was a lot of fun! We sat up and played games and ate junk food after the kids were in bed, it was great!
She also showed us lots of fun stuff in Hamburg, which I have to say is a very beautiful city. We went on the ferry and saw the harbor with the HUGE contianer ships (very cool!). Then we went to a tropical aquarium. It looked like disneyland with animals the design was great! Of course the kids loved that. We saw turtles, fish, lizards, snakes, sharks and many more!
So that was the first day...
The second day we went the mini wunderland (see the last post) then to the North Sea, about an hour and a half away. The North Sea is very unique in that when the tide goes out it leaves 'dry' (mud) ground. The tide goes so far out that you can't see the water any more, there is just a big mud field. There is actually a sport/hobby called watte wanderung, which is simply taking walks in the mudfield while the tide is out. (But beware the tide comes in quickly!) It's pretty cool to walk out a ways when the tide is out, it really is more like mud than sand. The kids found clam shells, and jelly fish and even a few dead crabs. The had a blast playing in the sand on the beach too.
For our last full day in Hamburg, we took it easy. Eva had to work so we went into town on our own and just walked around a bit, had lunch and headed home. Eva and I cooked stir fry for dinner (her request) and we had a nice meal together before putting the kids to bed and playing phase 10 again (which I lost).
So it was a very good trip and we wish we had had more time, I think we could have spent a month there and still not have seen everything. But we got to see the most important person there! And best of all spend time with her! Thanks Auntie Eva!
(Now we just need to round up the aunties here in Freiburg and coup them up in small quarters with all 6 of us for 4 days so it'll be fair! ;) )

Road Trip!

We are in Hamburg in northern Germany this weekend (after a nine hour drive from Freiburg to Hamburg with 4 small kids in the car!). Never been to the north part of the country so here we are to visit Zachie's godmother who moved here last summer. We are having a blast - will post some more fotos after we get back to Freiburg next week. but here are a couple to tide you over until then...

Here we are in Hamburg in the Speicherstadt (customs warehouses?? - don't know the English word, but it's the place where all the freight is unloaded, inspected, logged and stored until pickup/delivery).

2nd foto of me in Buxtehude is kinda an inside thing, I think only the Germans would understand. ;-)

Road Trip!

We are in Hamburg in northern Germany this weekend (after a nine hour drive from Freiburg to Hamburg with 4 small kids in the car!). Never been to the north part of the country so here we are to visit Zachie's godmother who moved here last summer. We are having a blast - will post some more fotos after we get back to Freiburg next week. but here are a couple to tide you over until then...

Here we are in Hamburg in the Speicherstadt (customs warehouses?? - don't know the English word, but it's the place where all the freight is unloaded, inspected, logged and stored until pickup/delivery).

2nd foto of me in Buxtehude is kinda an inside thing, I think only the Germans would understand. ;-)

We're Back!!!!

We are finally back online at home, not wireless yet, but at this point we'll take what we can get!
So much has happened in these past 2 (or is it 3?) weeks since we've been off-line....I don't even know where to begin!! Don't worry though, I'll pick a place and just jump in ; ).
Just a quick run-down...

Nov 17 - Evening in Heidelberg looking at pictures from our outreaches with others from the trips.

Nov 17 -24- A friend from Heidelberg rode home with me and stayed a week with us. We had a great time with her.

Nov. 22, Thanksgiving - we celebrated with about 19 other adults at our church cafe with a total of ten kids. It was a great time...pictures later :).

Nov 24 - Auntie Eva was down from Hamburg for the weekend so she came over to visit and give Zachy his birthday present.

Nov. 25 - pre-birthday party for Zachy (again), before auntie Simi flew off to Oz with her Ozzie hubby

Nov. 28 - My parents arrived from Ok.

Nov. 29 - Zachariah turned 3. And Davey and I celebrated our 10 year anniversary! We didn't do anything, we are waiting until we are in SoCal, then we will celebrate in some way.

Nov 30 - My sister and niece arrived from Oz, very tired but very excited! Zachy got more birthday presents! And he's not done yet! He still has one more Auntie, who's been busier than we are, she's coming today, and then he will be done with his birthday ; ).

Dec 1-3 - Visitors from SoCal here for the weekend. We were able to have a little bit of a visit with our missions pastor and another of the guys from Murrieta, as the traveled around Germany and Switzerland visiting the missionaries out here. We really enjoyed the time with them, even though it was short and we are looking forward to seeing them again in a couple of weeks!

Dec 2 - Auntie Lia and her hubby were here to visit in the afternoon after church. They wanted to see us and bring the kids their Christmas presents before they took off for India for 4 weeks of vacation!

Dec 3 - Jesaiah got the chicken pox! He was home from school all week. He was a trooper though! No scratching or picking and never complained, even when he had stay home when I and the other kids went places with Grandma and Pappa and auntie Kim. (please pray that my girls and my niece don't get it! They would be breaking out just as my sister has to go back to Oz, and we to the States!! Zachy is immunized, so he should be ok.)

Dec 4 - Celebrated Christmas with my Family. Big dinner, presents the whole 9 yards!

Dec 5 - Went to Heidelberg with the my family. Davey stayed home with Dariah and Jesaiah.

Dec 10 - Put my parents on a train to Frankfurt airport at 12:15am arriving in the airport at 3:30 am. Where they waited until 6am to check in. They got as far as Chicago...the flight to Tulsa was cancelled due to an ice storm. They were able to get out the next day around noon, just before bad weather hit Chicago.

Dec 11 - My sister and her daughter took off for England for three days. I'll pick them up tomorrow night.

and here are things yet to come....

Dec 19 - My sister heads back to Oz.

Dec 24-26 Christmas!

Dec 28 - We are headed for sunny SoCal!!! (and boy am I ready for some sun! It has rained every day since my sister arrived! Quite a shock for her, coming from summer!)


Whew! Like I said, there has been a LOT going on. I will try to get some pictures up of some of the things, and write a bit more detail, over the next couple of days! Thanks for being patient, it was so hard not being able to update the blog or check in with others for so long!

It has been really nice though having my family here! It is awesome that we were able to all get together here, of all places. The weather has been pretty mild for winter, which was really great for my sister and niece, other wise they would have completely frozen! It will be cooling down the next few days (highs near or below freezing), but hopefully we will get some snow here in town then. We drove up into the Black Forest on Saturday so my niece could see snow. There wasn't alot where we were, but it was enough to build a snowman (with a few leaves and twigs mixed in the snow) and throw a few snowballs! It was fun.

So that's a quick up-date of what we've been up to since falling off the face of the earth! Come to think of it, I probably wouldn't have been posting too much even if we hadn't been off line!!
Anyway there are many pictures to come...stay tuned!

Becks

We're Back!!!!

We are finally back online at home, not wireless yet, but at this point we'll take what we can get!
So much has happened in these past 2 (or is it 3?) weeks since we've been off-line....I don't even know where to begin!! Don't worry though, I'll pick a place and just jump in ; ).
Just a quick run-down...

Nov 17 - Evening in Heidelberg looking at pictures from our outreaches with others from the trips.

Nov 17 -24- A friend from Heidelberg rode home with me and stayed a week with us. We had a great time with her.

Nov. 22, Thanksgiving - we celebrated with about 19 other adults at our church cafe with a total of ten kids. It was a great time...pictures later :).

Nov 24 - Auntie Eva was down from Hamburg for the weekend so she came over to visit and give Zachy his birthday present.

Nov. 25 - pre-birthday party for Zachy (again), before auntie Simi flew off to Oz with her Ozzie hubby

Nov. 28 - My parents arrived from Ok.

Nov. 29 - Zachariah turned 3. And Davey and I celebrated our 10 year anniversary! We didn't do anything, we are waiting until we are in SoCal, then we will celebrate in some way.

Nov 30 - My sister and niece arrived from Oz, very tired but very excited! Zachy got more birthday presents! And he's not done yet! He still has one more Auntie, who's been busier than we are, she's coming today, and then he will be done with his birthday ; ).

Dec 1-3 - Visitors from SoCal here for the weekend. We were able to have a little bit of a visit with our missions pastor and another of the guys from Murrieta, as the traveled around Germany and Switzerland visiting the missionaries out here. We really enjoyed the time with them, even though it was short and we are looking forward to seeing them again in a couple of weeks!

Dec 2 - Auntie Lia and her hubby were here to visit in the afternoon after church. They wanted to see us and bring the kids their Christmas presents before they took off for India for 4 weeks of vacation!

Dec 3 - Jesaiah got the chicken pox! He was home from school all week. He was a trooper though! No scratching or picking and never complained, even when he had stay home when I and the other kids went places with Grandma and Pappa and auntie Kim. (please pray that my girls and my niece don't get it! They would be breaking out just as my sister has to go back to Oz, and we to the States!! Zachy is immunized, so he should be ok.)

Dec 4 - Celebrated Christmas with my Family. Big dinner, presents the whole 9 yards!

Dec 5 - Went to Heidelberg with the my family. Davey stayed home with Dariah and Jesaiah.

Dec 10 - Put my parents on a train to Frankfurt airport at 12:15am arriving in the airport at 3:30 am. Where they waited until 6am to check in. They got as far as Chicago...the flight to Tulsa was cancelled due to an ice storm. They were able to get out the next day around noon, just before bad weather hit Chicago.

Dec 11 - My sister and her daughter took off for England for three days. I'll pick them up tomorrow night.

and here are things yet to come....

Dec 19 - My sister heads back to Oz.

Dec 24-26 Christmas!

Dec 28 - We are headed for sunny SoCal!!! (and boy am I ready for some sun! It has rained every day since my sister arrived! Quite a shock for her, coming from summer!)


Whew! Like I said, there has been a LOT going on. I will try to get some pictures up of some of the things, and write a bit more detail, over the next couple of days! Thanks for being patient, it was so hard not being able to update the blog or check in with others for so long!

It has been really nice though having my family here! It is awesome that we were able to all get together here, of all places. The weather has been pretty mild for winter, which was really great for my sister and niece, other wise they would have completely frozen! It will be cooling down the next few days (highs near or below freezing), but hopefully we will get some snow here in town then. We drove up into the Black Forest on Saturday so my niece could see snow. There wasn't alot where we were, but it was enough to build a snowman (with a few leaves and twigs mixed in the snow) and throw a few snowballs! It was fun.

So that's a quick up-date of what we've been up to since falling off the face of the earth! Come to think of it, I probably wouldn't have been posting too much even if we hadn't been off line!!
Anyway there are many pictures to come...stay tuned!

Becks

Many Faces of Zachie

This is for Zachie's 'aunties' (godmothers). Here are a few fotos of our/your Zachie-Boy aka 'The Ham' or 'The Long-Haired Hippie' or 'Bubbas' or 'Buddy-Boy'. You can get the individual fotos here if you wish.

Many Faces of Zachie

This is for Zachie's 'aunties' (godmothers). Here are a few fotos of our/your Zachie-Boy aka 'The Ham' or 'The Long-Haired Hippie' or 'Bubbas' or 'Buddy-Boy'. You can get the individual fotos here if you wish.

Home Alone (well, with 4 kids...)

This is day 6 of Becks' trip to the Ukraine. She sent an SMS saying things are going well ministering to the kids in the boarding school / orphanage. On the home front, we are doing well also - but really missing Momma. Because of Jesaiah's weird school schedule and Taliah's kindergarten, we are constantly on the go.

My day starts at 6.00 when we all get up to get ready for school, kindergarten, work. Throughout the day, I am running around bringing kids to school or kindergarten, changing diapers, getting kids from school or kindergarten, cooking (yes everything from scratch and healthy - no instant stuff!), changing diapers, cleaning, changing diapers, washing clothes, answering emails, changing diapers, refereeing disputes, changing diapers, building Legos with Zachie, meeting with people - and oh, did I mention changing diapers??!?!!

After the kids go to bed at 20.00, then I have 4 uninterrupted hours to prepare the messages for Sundays, to work on administrative tasks, answer more emails and of course to write a post or two. Often I am too pooped to really think, but have to force myself to continue (obviously in God's strength). But He is faithful and we have made it so far. Sometime between 24.00/00.00 and 00.30 I fall asleep or slip into unconsciousness (you decide)...to start all over agin in 6 hours.

At least a couple of the kids' patentante (godparents/god-aunties) came over to help for a few hours this week. Thanks ladies! But, man, I am really looking forward to Becks' return! Not only for her help, but i miss talking to her and just having her near me. I guess that's part of what it means when 2 become 1! But overall, I am really enjoying the time with the kids, no, really, seriously. I am, it's great! Maybe if I say it enough, it'll be true! NAWWW, just kidding - I love it! Well, I gotta go - gotta change diapers (!!!) and go get Jesaiah from school!

Here are a few fotos of Auntie Doro playing with the kids...





Twister!!









Zachie, Dariah and Auntie Doro




Ohhh, the tension is toooo much!

Home Alone (well, with 4 kids...)

This is day 6 of Becks' trip to the Ukraine. She sent an SMS saying things are going well ministering to the kids in the boarding school / orphanage. On the home front, we are doing well also - but really missing Momma. Because of Jesaiah's weird school schedule and Taliah's kindergarten, we are constantly on the go.

My day starts at 6.00 when we all get up to get ready for school, kindergarten, work. Throughout the day, I am running around bringing kids to school or kindergarten, changing diapers, getting kids from school or kindergarten, cooking (yes everything from scratch and healthy - no instant stuff!), changing diapers, cleaning, changing diapers, washing clothes, answering emails, changing diapers, refereeing disputes, changing diapers, building Legos with Zachie, meeting with people - and oh, did I mention changing diapers??!?!!

After the kids go to bed at 20.00, then I have 4 uninterrupted hours to prepare the messages for Sundays, to work on administrative tasks, answer more emails and of course to write a post or two. Often I am too pooped to really think, but have to force myself to continue (obviously in God's strength). But He is faithful and we have made it so far. Sometime between 24.00/00.00 and 00.30 I fall asleep or slip into unconsciousness (you decide)...to start all over agin in 6 hours.

At least a couple of the kids' patentante (godparents/god-aunties) came over to help for a few hours this week. Thanks ladies! But, man, I am really looking forward to Becks' return! Not only for her help, but i miss talking to her and just having her near me. I guess that's part of what it means when 2 become 1! But overall, I am really enjoying the time with the kids, no, really, seriously. I am, it's great! Maybe if I say it enough, it'll be true! NAWWW, just kidding - I love it! Well, I gotta go - gotta change diapers (!!!) and go get Jesaiah from school!

Here are a few fotos of Auntie Doro playing with the kids...





Twister!!









Zachie, Dariah and Auntie Doro




Ohhh, the tension is toooo much!

Einschulung!

There are some words in German that are impossible to translate, and this is one of them. Einschulung is the festivities for the first graders before they start school for the first time. The new first graders get a 'schultüte' that the parents usually make themselves, and are filled with all sorts of goodies, from candy to school supplies. Each one is unique, just like the kids themselves. I think in most smaller villages it is a time for the families to celebrate their kids starting school, grandparents and other extended family members come and enjoy a day together. The kids meet their teachers for the first time on Einschulung day and get to see the classroom for the first time too. It is usually on a Saturday so that the parents and everyone can be there without having to worry about work conflicts. There is even a church service to go along with it. In fact, the local newspaper did an article on the start of school for first graders in other countries and interviewed Becks and Jesaiah about school in America. We'll try to scan the article in and post it soon.

Our school did it a bit differently this year and had Einschulung on a Wednesday evening. The other difference is that the school is huge (for German standards)! There were around 180 new first graders, and that is just from our neighborhood! We know people whose kids are starting school in a nearby village and they only have around 60 (i think). So needless to say the Einschulung today was a major event! When you consider parents, siblings and extended family members, there were a lot of people there - at least 1000!!

Jesaiah's 'auntie' Anja and Dariah's 'auntie' Doro came also and afterwards we had dinner together. It was fun, and a unique experience, for all of us. I just can't believe he is actually in school now, it is such a major step!

Tomorrow is his first day and he finally gets to take his schulranzen. A schulranzen is a special backpack that all the first graders carry, they are pretty big and bulky but they stand up by themselves (not like a traditional backpack). We found one that was a bit lighter so he doesn't have to lug too much extra weight. The schulranzen is also a big milestone, it has all the pens and pencils and everything that they will need for school in it.

Our little boy is growing up! He is SO ready for school, I am excited for him, I know how much he enjoys learning and discovering new things. I just pray that school will be fun for him and not a bad experience. His teacher seems very nice, I look forward to seeing how the school year will be (the kids have the same teacher from 1st thru 4th grade).

Einschulung!

There are some words in German that are impossible to translate, and this is one of them. Einschulung is the festivities for the first graders before they start school for the first time. The new first graders get a 'schultüte' that the parents usually make themselves, and are filled with all sorts of goodies, from candy to school supplies. Each one is unique, just like the kids themselves. I think in most smaller villages it is a time for the families to celebrate their kids starting school, grandparents and other extended family members come and enjoy a day together. The kids meet their teachers for the first time on Einschulung day and get to see the classroom for the first time too. It is usually on a Saturday so that the parents and everyone can be there without having to worry about work conflicts. There is even a church service to go along with it. In fact, the local newspaper did an article on the start of school for first graders in other countries and interviewed Becks and Jesaiah about school in America. We'll try to scan the article in and post it soon.

Our school did it a bit differently this year and had Einschulung on a Wednesday evening. The other difference is that the school is huge (for German standards)! There were around 180 new first graders, and that is just from our neighborhood! We know people whose kids are starting school in a nearby village and they only have around 60 (i think). So needless to say the Einschulung today was a major event! When you consider parents, siblings and extended family members, there were a lot of people there - at least 1000!!

Jesaiah's 'auntie' Anja and Dariah's 'auntie' Doro came also and afterwards we had dinner together. It was fun, and a unique experience, for all of us. I just can't believe he is actually in school now, it is such a major step!

Tomorrow is his first day and he finally gets to take his schulranzen. A schulranzen is a special backpack that all the first graders carry, they are pretty big and bulky but they stand up by themselves (not like a traditional backpack). We found one that was a bit lighter so he doesn't have to lug too much extra weight. The schulranzen is also a big milestone, it has all the pens and pencils and everything that they will need for school in it.

Our little boy is growing up! He is SO ready for school, I am excited for him, I know how much he enjoys learning and discovering new things. I just pray that school will be fun for him and not a bad experience. His teacher seems very nice, I look forward to seeing how the school year will be (the kids have the same teacher from 1st thru 4th grade).

Jesaiah's birthday/Weekend in Switzerland

Jesaiah just turned 7 on Friday...I can't believe how the time flies! I remember when he was born like it was yesterday, I couldn't have wished for an easier or quicker birth! (Otherwise we wouldn't have made it to the hospital!) He is such a 'big boy' now. He is growing up so much, it is such a blessing to see his heart for God already, I am so thankful for him!
We didn't do a birthday party this year because we went to Switzerland instead. Taliah's Godmother lives in Zürich and we have been planning, since Febuary, to go and visit her and her husband and this was the only weekend that worked for everyone.
We went down on Friday afternoon and stayed the night in the youth hostel and on Saturday we went to a really cool children's 'museum' called kindercity.
We spent the whole day, from 10am til 5:30pm, it was a really interesting place, lots to do!
Jesaiah and Taliah each got to do a workshop, Jesaiah did one on cars, he learned how to change a tire and check fluids and he got to build his own model car to take home. Taliah did a creativity one where she built a lighthouse out of cans and a glass jar with a candle in it. The workshops were 90 minutes long so while they were in there the rest of us went through the other part, caleed 'wissenswege' (paths of knowledge). There was so much to do, and Zachy just loved it, there was a water 'game' with balls and air pumps and everything, there was also a music area with drums and piano on the floor to walk on. Another area had 'experiments' dealing with physical handicaps. We could practice in a wheel chair, try walking on stilts, sack race, the whole area was all about how our body works and what it would be like if something wasn't functioning like it should. It was very interesting. The biggest hit though were the peg boards. I don't know what they are really called but they have pegs in them and when you press your hand or something in them the shape is pushed out on the other side, they are really cool, and as you can see in the pictures we all had a blast with them!
The kids would love to go back, maybe someday!
We really enjoyed spending time with Lia and Manuel and having fun in Switzerland...thanks Lia and Manu!
Hope you all enjoy the pictures!

Jesaiah's birthday/Weekend in Switzerland

Jesaiah just turned 7 on Friday...I can't believe how the time flies! I remember when he was born like it was yesterday, I couldn't have wished for an easier or quicker birth! (Otherwise we wouldn't have made it to the hospital!) He is such a 'big boy' now. He is growing up so much, it is such a blessing to see his heart for God already, I am so thankful for him!
We didn't do a birthday party this year because we went to Switzerland instead. Taliah's Godmother lives in Zürich and we have been planning, since Febuary, to go and visit her and her husband and this was the only weekend that worked for everyone.
We went down on Friday afternoon and stayed the night in the youth hostel and on Saturday we went to a really cool children's 'museum' called kindercity.
We spent the whole day, from 10am til 5:30pm, it was a really interesting place, lots to do!
Jesaiah and Taliah each got to do a workshop, Jesaiah did one on cars, he learned how to change a tire and check fluids and he got to build his own model car to take home. Taliah did a creativity one where she built a lighthouse out of cans and a glass jar with a candle in it. The workshops were 90 minutes long so while they were in there the rest of us went through the other part, caleed 'wissenswege' (paths of knowledge). There was so much to do, and Zachy just loved it, there was a water 'game' with balls and air pumps and everything, there was also a music area with drums and piano on the floor to walk on. Another area had 'experiments' dealing with physical handicaps. We could practice in a wheel chair, try walking on stilts, sack race, the whole area was all about how our body works and what it would be like if something wasn't functioning like it should. It was very interesting. The biggest hit though were the peg boards. I don't know what they are really called but they have pegs in them and when you press your hand or something in them the shape is pushed out on the other side, they are really cool, and as you can see in the pictures we all had a blast with them!
The kids would love to go back, maybe someday!
We really enjoyed spending time with Lia and Manuel and having fun in Switzerland...thanks Lia and Manu!
Hope you all enjoy the pictures!

Geschaft!

Finished, done, made it, etc...! That is what 'geschaft' means, and our friend Eva (one of Zachy's godmothers) has finished her teaching degree! The three older kids and I went with another friend to her 'graduation' in a city about an hour and a half away. It was a short ceremony, a very short speech, a couple of songs and then they all got their diplomas. It was cool to be able to be there and celebrate with her. Congratulations Auntie Eva!!!

After the ceremony we went to a wildpark (wild in German is the same as in English except that it can also mean wild animals), so it was a wild animal park, but get this....it's free! I am often so amazed at the things here that are either free or very cheap. We payed 2 euros for parking and then we bought two boxes of food for the animals for one euro apiece. So for four euros we spent about an hour, it was already getting late when we got there, looking at and feeding all sorts of animals! And there were 3 or 4 really cool playgrounds mixed in the park as well.

Afterwards we went to dinner in cute little restaurant where we could sit outside in the 'hof' (courtyard) which was surrounded by a wall of sandstone covered in ivy and attached to the original city wall of the town built in 1550-something. (I don't know if the wall around the restaurant hof was that old, but inside the restaurant there was a section of the old wall still standing). It was really quaint, with good food.

After dinner we headed back to Freiburg. It was a really fun afternoon and we enjoyed getting to spend time with Eva and Jacque. (Thanks guys for hanging out with us!) Jacque and I took a bit of a 'scenic' route home (sometimes hard to tell where the sign's pointin' ;-) ), but it only took us about an extra 10-15 minutes, and when you have good company what's a little extra driving time, right?

Geschaft!

Finished, done, made it, etc...! That is what 'geschaft' means, and our friend Eva (one of Zachy's godmothers) has finished her teaching degree! The three older kids and I went with another friend to her 'graduation' in a city about an hour and a half away. It was a short ceremony, a very short speech, a couple of songs and then they all got their diplomas. It was cool to be able to be there and celebrate with her. Congratulations Auntie Eva!!!

After the ceremony we went to a wildpark (wild in German is the same as in English except that it can also mean wild animals), so it was a wild animal park, but get this....it's free! I am often so amazed at the things here that are either free or very cheap. We payed 2 euros for parking and then we bought two boxes of food for the animals for one euro apiece. So for four euros we spent about an hour, it was already getting late when we got there, looking at and feeding all sorts of animals! And there were 3 or 4 really cool playgrounds mixed in the park as well.

Afterwards we went to dinner in cute little restaurant where we could sit outside in the 'hof' (courtyard) which was surrounded by a wall of sandstone covered in ivy and attached to the original city wall of the town built in 1550-something. (I don't know if the wall around the restaurant hof was that old, but inside the restaurant there was a section of the old wall still standing). It was really quaint, with good food.

After dinner we headed back to Freiburg. It was a really fun afternoon and we enjoyed getting to spend time with Eva and Jacque. (Thanks guys for hanging out with us!) Jacque and I took a bit of a 'scenic' route home (sometimes hard to tell where the sign's pointin' ;-) ), but it only took us about an extra 10-15 minutes, and when you have good company what's a little extra driving time, right?