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So, I know it's been a long time since I've posted anything on the blog.  A really long time.  My only excuse it that our lives have been unexpectedly crazy during the last few weeks.  We've had our share of good things (more castles, first day of school, trip to the Netherlands) and some not so good things (Naomi's sore feet, damaged brand new van, sliced the tip of my thumb off).  Oh, and all our household goods (to translate for you non-military folk - our STUFF) finally, finally, FINALLY arrived.  So between trips to the car dealership and the hospital, I've been trying to figure out how to fit our belongings (which fit quite nicely into an 1800 square foot house) into a 1200 square foot apartment.  Quite the challenging task.  And I'm still not done.  Right now the futon is a junk repository, Naomi's books are still in a box (not quite sure where to put them), we haven't hung any pictures (they're currently stacked in the corner of the living room) and we are still using sheets and blankets as curtains.  However, we've made progress, and this apartment is starting to feel like a home.  We'll know we've finally arrived when our kids stop referring to our apartment as "the hotel." 

We have also kept busy escaping the "hotel."  That is why we're here, after all.  And we have seen some beautiful places.  A few weeks ago, B went on a high adventure backpacking trip in Switzerland with the boy scouts.  Poor guy.  I mean, who would want to hike the Alps in Switzerland?  What a rough life.  Anyway, we had a lot of fun joking about the "high adventure" aspects of the trip.  After all, they slept in Alpine huts and youth hostels, had meals prepared for them and took a cog railway and a gondola part way up the mountain.  High adventure?  Are you kidding?  What happened to packing your own food in and out?  Not to mention your waste products?  And how about sleeping on the ground in the rain?   Well, it turns out that the hike was actually quite steep and quite challenging.  As well as being steep, the trail was also very slippery - especially when they were hiking in the rain.  They saw, however, some stunning scenery and had a terrific time.  I can't wait to go back with B and the kids and do some hiking.  I miss mountains.  Anyway, here are some pictures B took on his trip...

Isn't it beautiful?  They were so lucky to have blue skies the first day.  Here are a few more from the first day...

                                                          

 

The building above is where the hikers stayed the first night.  They were sleeping in small beds shoulder to shoulder in the attic.  Apparently the beds they slept in that night were just fine, but the shoulder to shoulder part was not (there was some serious snoring going on) so the quality of sleep wasn't that great.  The second day they climbed to the summit of Shilthorn.  Unfortunately, that was the day it rained, so the view from the top was obstructed by clouds. 

On the final day they did a short hike.  At the end of the hike they came across some local musicians.  And I thought hauling a cello around was a pain.

The Alphorn is really a cool instrument.  If you would like to know how it sounds, do a search on youtube for alphorn - there are a bunch videos of alphorn groups performing. 

While B was off playing Captain VonTrapp, the kids and I had a few of our own adventures.  I think I'm done for tonight, so stay tuned for an account of our harrowing castle hike and yet even another post recounting our trip to the Netherlands.  And if by then I don't feel like I've said enough, you might be lucky enough to get a post on interesting things I've discovered about Europe and Europeans.  Gotta get it in print while it's still fresh!