Scout Camp and Other Adventures

Joseph went on Scout camp to Slovenia this year, by Lake Bled. I know he had a great time, but I hope he realized how lucky he was to go somewhere so beautiful! It was just our ward this year, and I think they did a fantastic job. They went swimming, and snorkeling, and repelling, and zip-lining, and hiking. They had great weather the whole week, and I wish I could have been there too.

Meanwhile, back at home, the rest of the kids and I had a couple of our own adventures with our friends. First we went to the Lindt Chocolate Museum in Koln. It smelled so good in there! We took our time, learned a lot about chocolate (the good and the bad - Cora will tell you not to buy Hershey's because they're the worst.....this post is not sponsored by Hershey's), saw a lot of artistic stuff, watched the chocolate being made, and of course, we ate some!

A couple of days later we went picking blackberries together. Wild blackberries grow everywhere here. If it's on public land, you can just pick them. Joe and I always grab a handful when we're on walks or out riding bikes. This time we picked, and picked, and picked until the bugs, thorns, heat, and tired children forced us to stop. It was a good haul.

 We went back to my friend's house and made blackberry pie and jam. We pretended to be domestic goddesses.

 Then we went home and made blackberry pastries, milkshakes, and froze the rest for smoothies.

The jam is my favorite thing. I have rediscovered peanut butter and jam sandwiches, which I've never been a huge fan of. Homemade jam makes ALL the difference. On a good slice of grainy wheat bread, it's simply heavenly.

FSY

Cora and Joseph got to go to FSY International (for all the English speakers in Europe), here in Germany again. They do FSY here remarkably well. The kids always come back with great stories, good friends, and stronger testimonies.

In case you don't know the difference between FSY  and EFY:
EFY (Especially for Youth) is put on by the continuing education department at BYU, and is in the United States.
FSY (For the Strength of Youth) is held in several countries outside the United States, and is run by the area presidencies.
I can't personally tell you how they compare, because I never went to EFY (it seemed like it was for the "rich" kids - EFY is waaaaaayyyyyy more expensive than FSY, and there's no way we would be able to send our kids to that)

Anyway, I'm just grateful my kids had the opportunity to go. Cora, especially, got some things out of it that she REALLY needed, that she didn't even realize she needed, until she got them. I think that was so important for her right before this move we are preparing for. We've talked a lot lately about how God knows what's best for us, better than we know ourselves. He doesn't always give us what we ask for, but He gives us what we need.

Nuremberg

I have resigned myself to the fact that I'm not going to get to see everything I want to see in Germany (let alone in Europe) before we leave.

resign (rɪˈzʌɪn)

verb

1. accept that something undesirable cannot be avoided.

   synonyms:

   reconcile oneself to, become resigned to, become reconciled to, have no choice but to accept, come to terms with, learn to live with, get used to the idea of

Some of the places I REALLY want to visit, but won't because of a lack of money and time:
Berlin
Garmisch (I've technically been there, but didn't get to see the area, including the Zugspitze, Partnach Gorge, and the nearby Neuschwanstein Castle)
Munich and nearby Dachau
Hohenzollern Castle
Lichtenstein Castle
Essligen
The Black Forest
Leipzig
Fulda
To name just a few.

Now, when you see this list you might think to yourself, YOU LIVED IN GERMANY FOR 3 YEARS AND YOU DIDN'T GO TO BERLIN!!! No, I didn't, and I partly hang my head in shame for that....HOWEVER - Berlin is 5 1/2 hours away from where we live.  Do you know what is closer to us than Berlin? Other Countries. The Netherlands, Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Austria, and the Czech Republic. Every time we took a trip somewhere that wasn't too far away, we had to make a choice, and there are a lot of factors that go into that choice. Berlin, sadly, didn't make the cut for a number of reasons. Neither did the other places on my list, which are also ALL closer than Berlin ;)

Before I moved to Germany, I had NO IDEA how beautiful it was, or how much there was to see here. No. Idea. Even though I took German in high school for 3 years, Germany was barely on my radar. It was never at the top of places I wanted to see. But now I can't recommend it highly enough. If you are ever able to travel to/in Europe, you should definitely try to see Germany...and I'm not even getting compensated for saying that!

One other place that I really wanted to see was Nuremberg. I'm not going to get there even though it is only 3 hours away. Lack of time and money ruins EVERYTHING you guys! However, Joe was TDY for 5 weeks during May-June in Vilseck (he got to come home on weekends because it's only 4 hours away), and the last week his class got to go on a field trip to Nuremberg. I am jealous, obviously.

I don't think they did a whole lot while they were there, but they did go the courthouse where the Nuremberg trials where held (these were trials held by the Allied Forces after WWII to prosecute the most prominent leaders of the Nazi party. Nuremberg was chosen partly because it was considered the ceremonial birthplace of the Nazi party. Joe got a couple of shots there. Just a couple.

I feel like this post might sound like a whiny post, and really, I have absolutely nothing to whine about. I have been so blessed to be able to go to all the places that we've been. Maybe we'll get to come back someday and visit some more places, but if not, I'm still grateful. Plus, more adventures await us in Nebraska, right? Right? (p.s. if you didn't know, we're moving to Nebraska)

Making Us Laugh, Making Us Proud

One thing I have loved seeing over the last 2 years is how much Cora has invested into drama, how hard she has worked, and how much she has learned and grown. She has put up with a lot of crap, made wonderful friends, and had a lot of fun. I feel so bad that she is getting pulled away from what she has built here, and I pray that she will be able to find a place for herself in our new home.

Cora's last production of the year was TWO one-act plays, the first of which was "A Fable", directed by none other than our very own Cora!!! It is the only play directed by a student other than a senior to be shared with an audience other than the student body (they have a senior directed play every year for the public). This play is very avant-garde, and super abstract. It was neat to see Cora's vision come to life (at least, as much of it as her drama teacher would allow).

The second play of the evening, "Employees Must Wash Hands Before Murder", was the senior directed play this year, and was the funniest high school play I've ever seen.  Cora didn't have many lines, but she had us laughing SO hard as the disgruntled employee.

Break a leg in Nebraska Cora!