Day 3

As I sit to write this post, I have just looked at Hurricane Gustav and realized that it is more severe that I thought and that it will hit right in my "homeland." I am anxious and worried about all of my family and friends and pray all will be well....

Today has been wonderful! We got a very late start to the day, but as usual, we packed it full. We left the house about 10:30a.m. (meant to leave around 9:00) and headed to Rudesheim. It sits on the Rhine River and has the most wonderful "river view." Rudesheim is the beginning of the wine country of Germany. There are vineyards everywhere! It is also a quaint town that offers many restaurants, boutiques, and sight seeing.


The main objective for today was to visit the Kathe Wohlfahrt store. This store is known for Christmas things...ornaments, nutcrackers, Smokers (insense type thing), and linens. It is very typical German custom design and depicts common people during Christmastime. The original Nutcracker figure originated with this company (or so I was told) and today offers many different variations. I wanted the "original" and I got it. Mission accomplished.

After a lengthy stop in the Kathe Wohlfahrt store, we took the kids on a Gondola ride up the mountain (like a ski lift, but is a basket instead of a bench). It was breathtakingly beautiful! We rode over vineyards and noticed that each plot of land was owned by different people and offered many different color of grapes....need to do a little wine research, I guess.



After coming down off the mountain, Mattie was in desperate search of Eis (Gelato). We found a place on a side street with the cutest guy working the Gelato stand. He was a young, college aged student and he was very interested in talking to us because he could tell we were American....shocker, I know! The reason, we later found out, was that he was studying film technology at a Univeristy in Frankfurt and was preparing to study in Dallas, Texas for the next few months. He was very excited to tell us about his upcoming trip and talk with people who lived in the States. His English was incredible and we were so glad to find someone that we could actually converse with! We talked long enough for the kids to get a 2nd round of Gelato! God is good all the time ;)

After our Gelato fix, it was time to "experience" the Rhine River....we quickly made our way back to the car. Kids loaded and buckled in, hats on, everything "loose" in the truck. It's time to lower the roof and let the sunshine in!

The scenery up and down the River is quite breathtaking. It looks just like something in a book!! The city is built right on the River and just above the cities on the mountain sides are castles....and lots of them! This area has the most concentration of castles in a defined area than anywhere else in Germany. Norman Rockwell could not have painted a more perfect cityscape with all the colors, FLOWERS, and people. The people of Germany do not have a lot of garden space or grassy yard of any kind. But what they do have are window boxes FULL of sprawling color....Geraniums seem to be most popular. The main colors used in these boxes are red and pink. Occasionally you'll see white mixed in for some variety.

Another interesting sight along the way is the Mermaid of Loriley. This is the mythological tale of how a mermaid would sit on an island in the middle of the Rhine and sing to the ship captains as they made their way down river. Her singing would distract the captains and crash them into the island's shore. There is a monument of this mermaid indicating the exact spot where she would sit. It's right in a curve of the river, too....

Before we were 5 minutes out of Rudeheim, both kids were asleep. Heather and I automatically felt like teenagers again and turned the music way up! (No, it did not wake up the kids). We were not as cool as we thought we were, but we sure had fun! I wouldn't trade that drive for anything! It was worth whatever it took to get the car today....memories of a lifetime. I tried taking pics up and down the River, but most of them did not turn out well. The sun was very bright and drowned most of the color from my pics. However, I do have a couple that turned out okay....but I blinked and will remember these forever in my mind's eye.

After an hour and a half of joyriding, it was time to head home. We decided not to do much for dinner since we had such a big once at lunchtime. The goal was to get the kids to bed earlier so that we could actually sit and visit without interruption. Goal accomplished. Kids were in bed by 9:00 and we were downloading pictures by 9:15. It was good to look back through the pictures...we didn't get them all labeled and organized, but we had a good time looking back through them!

Before going to bed, I called mother at Lawrence Co Hospital to check on the family...sounds like they have a housefull of Ockmon's. They have been friends of our family's for years and live in Thibedeaux, LA and are right in Gustav's path. They brought everything they could fit into trailers, car trunks, and truck beds....including horses and cows! Mom and Dad are glad to have them because we know they will be safe. They also cook like only a true cajun can and you know what that means......

Good night and Godspeed,
SS

Day 2...

...was jam-packed and lots of fun! After a slow entrance into the day, we certainly covered a lot of ground before the end. However, I learned a very valuable lesson....never, never, never, NEVER leave home without the camera charger...even though the camera has always stayed charged for 3-weeks, not just 1 day. Thank goodness Heather is just as much of a picture person as I am and always has her camera. BIG blessings....

Our first stop yesterday was at the Weisbaden Market. Oh what a wonderful market it was! There was everything you could imagine at this market...fresh flowers, fruit, vegetables, freshly cut meat, dairy...cheese, eggs, fresh milk...freshly squeezed juices, every form of bread you can make, pastries, jellies (or marmalade as it's called here) and seasonings. I could have stayed there for hours! Two things I learned: I LOVE zinnias now more than ever and I wish that I could shop at a fresh market every week!

Next stop was the Military Base. I desperately needed Euros (still had not exchanged money yet) and Heather had a "surprise". Now, I have never been on a miliary base before and it was a new experience. First, there were GERMAN guards at the entrance checking each person and vehicle entering post. If you do not have a military card, you must show your passport. So, I oblige and hand it over fully expecting a polite "hallo" and off we go...not the case. They take my passport, look at me, back at the passport and tell us to pull over. My heart is pounding faster than it ever has...it's one thing to be in the U.S. and have issues, but to be in a foreign country with issues is another thing entirely! All I can think of is how glad I am that I registered my visit with the U.S. Embassy in Germany. Heather realizes how panicked I am and quickly tells me not to worry this is protocol for visitors. The "visitor" has to be escorted through the rest of the check point. The funny thing is that I am not the one that is physically escorted, but it is Heather! Strange. Anyway, we get through without any further issues and I get to have my passport back. Whew!

While on base, we go to the PX and get a couple things that we need for our day, exchange dollars for Euros (exchange rate was 1:1.66, not bad at all!) We grab a quick lunch and then Heather tells us to stay put and finish eating and she'll be right back....about 30 minutes later, she comes back for us and off we go to start the rest of our day. The "surprise" was about to be uncovered...in such typical TPT fashion, she rented a CONVERTIBLE BMW for our trips over the next couple of days! This was such a wonderful surprise and the rest of the vacation was already shaping up to be fantastic! (In case you don't know Heather or any history about our spontaneous trips in the States, Heather ALWAYS rents a convertible at some point...even for just a few hours :))

So..after we transfer all of our "stuff" from one car to the other, off we head towards Heidelberg. Now, I don't claim to know much about cars, but even I am not easily intimidated...this car had a mind of it's own. It was a diesel powered car with sustainable features. for example, all cars in Germany are standard 6 gear + reverse engines and it is quite common that when you stop at a light or stop sign or whatever, to put the car in neutral and stop. Well, this car when stopped turns off completely. When the clutch is engaged it immediately starts back up again. Wierd, but appreciated I am sure by the environment. That took some getting used to. The next task is to figure out how to let down the top....and as soon as I learn German I can read up on it in the manual. Needless to say, the pictures didn't help much so we will have to figure it out later.

Once in Heidelberg, I am impressed. This city sits on the banks of the Neckar River. It's beautiful! There are several Universities in Heidelberg and one is an American University. Quite cool. The first thing we do is find parking....we finally find the parking garage, but have to wait about 15 minutes for someone to leave so that we can enter. That's right, it was FULL! But that's okay because we were able to get in fairly quick and get on our way around the city. Once parked, we made our way to the train station so that we could get to the top of the "mountain" to visit the Schloss Castle. It's not a functioning place anymore, but still very massive and grand. It is more of a castle "ruin" than anything. However, there were people in formal wear everywhere, so there must've been an event taking place that we could not see. I loved this castle because the grounds were very plain, but open and green. We got a lot of exercise walking around and just hanging out on the lawn (kids needed a break from the stroller and walking). It's very hot this day and we go through a lot of water and fruit that be purchased at the market and just "happen" to throw in the stroller "just in case."

As we make our way back down the mountain, off to town center we go. Something about it reminded me of Mary Poppins. I found a beautiful hand-carved wooden cross. It has the most detailed grapevines all in it...very pretty and I am glad to have found it. For some reason, I have gathered a collection of crosses over the years and I realized this not long ago. In my next house, I will plan for a "Cross Wall" so that they can all be displayed.

We strolled the streets of Heidelberg for several hours going in and out of stores and even talking to a few people - mostly tourists - but very nice. I found a clothing boutique named Stefanel, which is my name in German. Of course I have a picture and may one day have to open my own store...ha!

By this time, it is 7:30 and time for dinner! We find a side street restaurant that has seating outside. It's so nice outside that sitting inside is not an option! We order Flammkuchen (German pizza), tomato basil soup, French Baguette Sandwich. Now, German pizza is not "normal" pizza....Italian pizza has a tomato sauce base. German pizza has a cream cheese base. Very thin and not the Philly Cream Cheese, either. The crust is very thin and crisp...think tart. The toppings are like what you'd expect, but they use Formaggio cheese instead of mozzerella or cheddar. I cannot say that I would prefer this style of pizza over Italian style, but I did enjoy it and would order it again.

Because Heidelberg is a touristy type place, there are tons of dessert places...gelato stations, crepes, etc. Mattie had been talking about "ice cream" all afternoon and we promised her that we would get her some after dinner...if she ate a good one. And, true to our word and true to her actions, we got the "ice cream" after dinner. It was Gelato (Italian Ice) and it was GOOD! You can get this in the U.S., but we Americans tend to go for the cream instead of the ice. Or, at least this American does. It's been a while since I have been around a 3-year old eating ice cream and walking. Mattie was enjoying her chocolate Gelato and wearing most of it, too. It was running down her elbows, all across her face, and dripping steadily....what were we thinking to not sit down and eat our desserts! Europeans believe that meals/food should be enjoyed and that does not mean walking around with it. People were looking at us...but at least they were laughing and not sneering. Mattie was really cute, but we were praying that she wouldn't run into anyone for they would surely be covered in chocolate Gelato. She was just precious and enjoying every minute of this treat.

After a little "issue" getting out of the parking garage, we are finally on the road and headed back home to Weisbaden. It's late and everyone is tired. The kids are asleep before we even get out of the parking garage. It's so good to have the quiet time with my friend and talk "adult stuff" without having little ears listening. I have learned that 3-year olds are much more perceptive than I give them credit for.

Today we are headed up the Rhine River and Heather just figured out how to let the top down on the convertible! Woo-Hoo! This is shaping up to be a GREAT day! I hope the kids like wind in their hair......

Sweet dreams....it is around 4a.m. in the State.

Auf Weideresehan (Goodbye),
SS

Day 1

Gutenmorgen, Freunds! (good morning, friends)

What a day yesterday! I arrived into Frankfurt at 7:18a.m., local time (12:18a.m. USA Central Time). Going through customs in Germany was quite different than Central America, where I traveled earlier this year. In Germany, the European nationals have their custom stations and all others have their own stations on the other side of the room. There were so many "non-Europeans" that the line wrapped the room twice. It took a while to get through customs, as you might imagine. In Honduras, the customs agent scanned your Iris, took a mugshot and asked a whole bunch of questions. In Germany, the agent said "hallo" only when spoken to first and then threw the passport back on the counter....needed a glove to catch it as it slide across the counter! And off I went in search of the exit where my dear friend and her crew were waiting for me.

Frankfurt is a typical city, as far as European cities go....Weisbaden is THE city of the area, though. For you Mobile people, it's like living in the 08 zip-code...the place to be! Weisbaden is very quaint! Buildings dating back to the 1600's. (Heather's house is the 1st floor of a 4 story house and is "new" because it was built in the late 1800's). This living arrangement is very common in Germany. The houses are so big and no one can afford a whole one. I think Heather's entire house is worth around 2 million dollars...in Euro, much more than that. I don't have a picture yet, but will post one as soon as possible.

When Heather picked me up from the Flughafen (airport), I had not slept all day as I just could not get comfortable on the plane ride into Germany. She was expecting me to need a nap when I first got in, but surprisingly I felt great and was ready to see the city! So....after a quick shower, off to downtown we went...on foot, of course! Europeans walk EVERYWHERE...glad I brought comfortable shoes (and, no, you can't wear tennis shoes either)! The people of Weisbaden dress up everywhere they go. You will never see anyone dressed casually (i.e. running shoes and shorts/cotton pants) unless they are actually exercising. The tennis shoes they wear are like Puma canvas ones...don't know what they are actually called, but you get the idea.

After a stroll all around town, we grabbed a wonderful pasta lunch at this Italian restaurant that Heather loves. They actually make the past right in front of you! Mattie ordered pizza and ate all the tomatoes FIRST...have you ever known a 3-year old to do that??? Me either.

After lunch, the kids were tired, but not ready to give up the fight just yet...Mattie had seen a "train" that she wanted to ride and Heather thought it would be a great idea because it was a "tourist" train that drove around the city pointing out this and that. So...we get our tickets and hop aboard. Instead of the kids falling asleep...you guessed it, I am the one that struggled with fighting off the droopy eyes! It hit me like a ton of bricks that I had not slept in 32 hours!

We finally got back to the city center on the train and a Diet Coke was immediately sought out! (It is 3:00 p.m.). So, Heather had brought bread to feed the ducks (the kids favorite thing!) on our walk back home throught the park. There is a little outdoor cafe in the park that Mattie had wanted me to go to with her and the ducks are just a few feet away. This was the perfect "Diet Coke" fix place. I wish you had seen the excitement that the kids had feeding the ducks and the excitement Heather and I had with the caffeine. Everyone was happy and life was great!

After about an hour, we headed back home to change the kids and went to Idstein. It's a city that the center of downtown is still original to the 1600's. The buildings actually lean because of the age...the townspeople have embraced this and have painted it these bright, beautiful colors. they have the most wonderful festivals...Christmas, Pumpkin, Wine, etc.... Of course, I missed the Wine Festival by about 4 days. The attraction that we came to see was the Witch's Tower. It was constructed in the 1500's and looks everything like a medievel tower that you'd expect. It was closed and could not get in yesterday, but it just looked cool! The pictures that we have do not do it complete justice, but we have lots of pictures from town and I will share soon.

We ate dinner at a local restaurant on this city center (8:00 p.m.)...very typical German food. I cannot pronounce what I ordered...I just pointed to the waiter, who spoke English and had lots of compassion on this foreigner. I ordered pan friend pork steak with a beer gravy. The side was Stazel (basically pasta, with a cheese coating - think macaroni and cheese type dish). Heather had a fried pork steak with a mushroom sauce and fried potatoes (think sliced potatoes/hashbrowns). The kids had sausage with fried potatoes (German equivalent to chicken fingers and fries in America).

After a wonderful meal, we headed promptly home as everyone was tired and needed a bath and bed. Heather tells me that I did not make it as far as the Autobon (sp?). She said that I fell asleep mid-sentence. I have no rememberance of this, but the only thing I do remember is her waking me up as we were pulling into the driveway....she and Mattie were all laughs.

It is 9:50 a.m. here this morning and we are running late starting our day. As I type this, I am still in pajamas and drinking coffee...however, I am excited to head downtown Weisbaden to the Saturday market. I hear it's lots of fresh produce and I am craving some fruit! After the market, we are headed to Heidelberg...this is the place that several friends told me was a "must see". It's not a very far drive from here, so that's good. I am sure it will be a nice nap for me (still in a groggy state after 10 hours of sleep last night).

Oh - the roads here are VERY narrow! The cars are smaller, but extremely nice. Most people drive BMW, Mercedes, Audi, FORD's, and Smart Cars. Heather has a BMW 5-series. We feel very "normal" in this area...in the states we would be....well, you know. The Audobon, is an Interstate that is 3 lanes across or more. However, the far left lane is unlimited speed. You can go as fast as you want...and believe me, people do! There is an ICE Train that runs along side the main Audobon out of Frankfurt. It is very expensive to ride...almost as much as the plane.

Okay, gotta go...it's time to get with the program! Hope that each of you have a wonderful Saturday...right now, all of you are still in your REM sleep, so happy dreams!

Tschus! (bye)
SS

I HAVE ARRIVED!

After a slight delay in NWArkansas this morning, I have finally arrived in Frankfurt and headed into the "city." I have no cell or data services on my Blackberry...this is going to be a true vacation from my normal life.....more to come.

Miracles

HALLELUJAH for Mrs Barbara's test scans! They came back CLEAR! What seemed impossible at first was made possible through faith, lots of prayer, and by God Himself doing only what He does best....miracles.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

You've Been Tagged

Okay, I saw this on a couple of blogs and I found it interesting....I'll do my best to make mine half as good....

Here's what you're to do: list 6 interesting things about yourself. (Easier said than done!)

1 - While in college, my 3 best friends and I went to Gulf Shores and stayed in my Aunt's condo for a long weekend. We decided that it would be fun to take a day trip to Destin and have a change of beach scenery. So, instead of just going over for the day and coming home, we decided that it would be more fun to rent a convertible in Pensacola, drive up and down the strip in Destin for a while and then head to the beach. After several hours of sand and sun, we then decided to go out to dinner and whatnot. However, what we failed to plan for was a shower and electricity for hairdryers. So...what do we do? We find an outdoor shower head at the beach and lather up....in our bathing suits, of course, but nonetheless, bathing in front of God and everybody. It's the only time in my life that I have actually seen and heard people walking by say "see those girls over there? don't do what they are doing...." It was a BLAST, though and I wouldn't give anything for that day with my friends.

2 - I really like to exercise early in the morning. I love the early morning and am a morning person...I just hate actually getting out of bed. That is the biggest obstacle of my entire day.

3 - I absolutely LOVE to travel! Whether by plane, car, sea or foot, I will go anywhere and do almost anything at anytime! Spontaneous trips are the best...

4 - I love to entertain...and cook. I know this is shocking to most people, but I love being surrounded by family and friends. And to actually have a hand in their good time is just "extra".

5 - There is nothing better than sweet surprises....flowers for no reason, a phone call just to say hello, friends that just drop by, etc....

6 - My favorite indulgence is a day at the spa....massages, facials, manicures, pedicures...you name it!

Countdown...T - 4

Ever been so excited about a trip that you just absolutely could not concentrate on anything else??? Well....that is the situation that I am in. This week I will travel across the big pond and visit my very best friend in Germany. Heather and I have been friends since we were Juniors at Southern Miss. In all the time that we have been friends and in all the places we have lived (and believe me, we have covered all corners of the USA), I never thought that it would require international travels! The countdown's on.... T - 4 wake-ups!

Anyone have any suggestions as to how to stay awake on a 9 hour flight in the middle of the night???

Reference

If you haven't read the latest blog entry from Angie Smith, please click on her blog on my sidebar....the latest entry was outstanding (Bring the Rain - story of Audrey Caroline). This is the perfect picture of how God overcomes our obstacles....if you haven't read this blog from the beginning, pour yourself a cup of coffee, sit back, and enjoy an amazing story.

As the saying goes...

Those of you who know me best, know that I LOVE good sayings....my sister sent me this one a few days ago and it is one of my favorites.

80s Party

Do you remember much about the 80s? Where were you? What were you doing? What stage of life did this decade find you? For months (well, actually a year and a half) we all have talked of an 80s party and finally Jen and Darren came through for us....the pictures below represent all walks of life found in the 80s. I personally do not remember much about that time as I was in early elementary school for most of it (and so were many others pictured here). But for those of us in this situation, we decided to dress as we felt we would have dressed had we been grown teenagers.....I do have so say, though, that some outfits were genuine 80s ACTUALLY WORN by those individuals....I will let you guess as to who those were...

Darren and Jen...our ever so themed hosts...playing a little air synthesizer to "Jump"

The Girls

The Men and Jen

Jazmin, Holly, Julie, Kara, Steph, Courtney

A little game of "Remember When..." Can you guess who is in the picture?

That's right...Me...dressed as a cheerleader (Hey Mickey!) at MUMC Halloween Party in the 80s

Who can forget the jelly neon bracelets??

Mike and Heidi

Bret Michael's girlfriend....or would have been, anyway...

Courtney, Steph, Jazmin

Heidi and Jen

Jazmin, Steph, Holly

Remember the friendship pins????

Amy Greer

Julie and Steph

Heidi, Jen, Steph, Courtney, Jazmin, Kara

Jazmin and Allyson
Eric (a.k.a Tubbs)

Eric and Ross

(err...I mean Crockett and Tubbs)

Heidi...looking very authentic, I might add....

Mike...Lamda, Lamda, Lamda
Some looks were better left in the 80s, Darren and Jeff

Julie and Brian....do the Air Jordans look authentic enough??? They should....
Ross and Courtney, I mean Crockett and Bret Michael's groupie

Mike and Leah.....Dolly is missing her dress, L!
Courtney and Brent

Coolest Video EVER!

Check this out....it is very cool...


http://www.mychurch.org/blog/30635/coolest-video-ever