The New Digs

Our second look at the apartment was even better than the first - it was a beautiful sunny day - so we could really imagine all the possibilities the giant terrace has to offer us. We have the contract in hand and can move in anytime after April 1st. Anyone want to help?!?

The Apartment

All Fun and Games

Ok it's not really all fun and games here - but that just happens to be what gets photographed. In addition to some long work hours over the past couple of weeks, we're gearing up for Silke's wedding and have plenty of related projects to work on, and we've started the search for a larger apartment. We've fallen in love with a "penthouse" apartment (which just means that its the top floor!) with a spacious terrace and a great view of the city. We'll take a second look at it tomorrow and if we're still smitten we'll sign the lease and start packing.

In January we got away for a weekend retreat with my GEM colleagues from around Germany - where we experienced a nice time of encouragement and refreshment. We kicked off this year's Karnival celebrations with the annual "day-on-the-town" with Ralf's office. No worries, the long hair tickling his face and the challenge of blowing your nose with a "piercing" were sufficiently annoying to Ralf to ensure that this look won't be permanent!

Fun and Games

Happy New Year

New Years

With the help of Ralf and Tanja and Ralf and Grietje we rung in 2008. In honor of my first New Years in Germany we kept things very traditional - spending hours at the dining table eating Raclette (a special Swiss or French cheese that is heated under a grill and then scraped onto your plate to be eaten with potatoes, pickles, etc.), watching Dinner for One, and then enjoying the fireworks on our street at midnight. Our Italian neighbors put on a great show for us! After our guests headed back home we spent the rest of New Years day walking back through the pictures and moments of 2007 and thanking God for a seeing us through another year. He has certainly been gracious to us and blessed us!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Ralf and I are back from celebrating our first Christmas in Beilstein. Christmas Eve is the big event in Germany. During the day Ann-Katrin and I decorated the Christmas tree, complete with real candles (which must be very strategically placed so the whole tree doesn't go up in flames!) In the late afternoon we visited Volker and Sibylle's church for their Christmas service and then after some Wurst-salad we got down to the opening of presents.

Christmas morning we awoke to the sounds of a brass band which plays Christmas carols every year from the tower of the castle for the whole town to hear. A thick layer of frost gave everything the "white Christmas" feel. Later in the day Silke and Rüdiger joined us and we enjoyed traditional holiday foods, and a nice stroll through the frosty vineyards. It was for us a very merry first married Christmas. Often we found ourselves reminiscing about last year's Christmas with the Harms family and were glad to be able to Skype with most of them and share at least a bit of the day together. Of course our photos are not nearly as cute as Santa Ruby or Adorable Elizabeth, but we hope you enjoy them none-the-less. Frohe Weihnachten!

Christmas 07

Happy Birthday to Me!

Arriving home from my meetings in Frankfurt I was greeted by this birthday message from Ralf made out of lentils and corn kernels and little blue card giving a clue to my present...

Tickets to see the Blue Man Group show!

We were up close and personal in the 8th row - rain coats required to protect from paint splashes, etc.

Auntie LaLa and Uncle Raaaalf - twice over

Elizabeth's pet names for us seem to have stuck. We'll have to wait awhile to see what the newest family addition will want to call us, but little Ruby Christine can have her pick. Since her debut on November 25th, we're calling ourselves blessed, to welcome her into our family and our hearts, and praising God for her healthy arrival!

Who Says Germans don't Celebrate Thanksgiving?

...they do when an American is willing to prepare the feast for them! It works out well, they get a really fat delicious meal and I get a little taste and feel of home. Its a very symbiotic relationship. Throughout the meal they kept saying "I'm already full"...so they still haven't fully grasped what Thanksgiving is really all about - eating till you pop! As we went around sharing what we are thankful for, I mentioned of course my dear sweet husband (who lovingly cleaned up the whole kitchen after the feast!) and being grateful that all family members were able to enjoy the day outside of the hospital. Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving

Reliving the Moments

This Thanksgiving I'm thankful for Uncle John - who spent many hours putting together a fantastic video memory of our wedding day. Here is the crown jewel for your enjoyment "Highlights".



Also available online:
Matt & Sara's Solo - Feels Like Home to Me
Ceremony Snippet

Wedding Season Fall Edition

As promised...we just finished another round of festivities and are due for a break until Ralf's sister's wedding in March. At the end of it all, we're still convinced our wedding was the best - the prerogative of every couple, right?!

Weddings Fall Edition

Peaks and Valleys

We've just returned from a week vacation wandering through peaks and valleys of the Swiss Alps. Over the past weeks we've experienced some figurative peaks and valleys as well, wandering through the news of Dad's cancer and Elizabeth's ins and outs of the hospital. We feel like we are getting good at living out Romans 12:15 "Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn." On the one hand rejoicing over God's beautiful creation and the chance to enjoy it (not everyone can just pop down to Switzerland for vacation!) and on the other grieving with those who have difficult views right now. Hope it works the other way around too and you all can rejoice with us through our vacation!
 
After celebrating the wedding of Stephan and Ina on Saturday, we caught a train Sunday morning to Beilstein where we picked up Ralf's parents car and the keys to their vacation apartment in Switzerland. Monday we drove the rest of the way to Thyon, stopping briefly at Montreux on Lake Geneva. Tuesday thru Thursday were spent exhausting every possible muscle in our body as we hiked up and down various mountains. Friday we drove up the Furka Pass - reminiscent for all you Harms' of Phantom (aka Puke) Canyon - on our way to the Thermal Baths at Vals. There we soaked every muscle in our bodies at the super chic pools designed by one of Ralf's favorite architects Peter Zumthor. Glorious weather and a complementary room upgrade helped to make up for the colds we were both suffering from.

Switzerland

Ralf asked why Switzerland is so special for Americans when we have the Rocky Mountains which are just as high as the Alps. (Pike's Peak is 14,110ft vs. the Matterhorn is 14,690ft) My answer was simple - because its in Europe! So the next time you are planning a trip over the Atlantic, just remember you've got friends in high places...6562 ft to be exact.