An Arrival

The Wii Fit has landed....I repeat, the Wii Fit has landed. My faith in the United States Postal system is (somewhat) restored. Signing off.

Oh, and just to let you know, I'll be doing some pretty heavy duty blogging in the next couple of days. Keep your eyes peeled! (Whatever that means.)

All I Wanted Was To Get My Mail...

Today was a busy day. Wednesdays are always busy days. I have kids to get places, errands to run, and, oh yeah, it's the day I teach all my students. Today was no exception, and, to add to the chaos I had a rehearsal this morning while Naomi was at pre-school.

Hauling a cello around is never an easy thing. It is awkwardly shaped, it is large, and I never like to put it in my trunk (rear-endings being the most common kind of accident). Today, as usual, I put my cello in the passenger seat. (The most annoying part of this transportation solution is when the cello sets off the passenger seat belt alarm - the beeping goes on FOREVER!) Anyway, after my rehearsal I decided to stop and get my mail.

And now (or those of you unfamiliar with the APO mail system) a little explanation. Our mailbox is not at our house. We have a German address, and a German mailbox here, but we rarely get any mail here. Our APO address isn't even in our neighborhood. It's actually located at a central mailroom on another Kaserne (a Kaserne is a small post, several of which make up the area's military community). We lucked out - our mailbox is on the same Kaserne where Ben works, so usually he can just pick up mail after work. Many of our neighbors and friends have to drive to completely random locations to get their mail.

Anyway, Ben is out of town this week, so I've been driving over to get the mail. I've been especially diligent because we are expecting our Wii Fit (which, by the way, I'm beginning to think some unscrupulous mail person may have stolen - we ordered it a month ago!) and I want to pick it up THE DAY it arrives. Because my rehearsal was near the mailbox, I thought it would be an ideal time to stop by. (I wasn't thinking about my cello at the time.) I drove through some crazy construction (did you know that in Germany all the road construction workers wear blue?), made a wrong turn (there are some really, really, really narrow two way streets in Germany) and finally made it to the gate.....and got pulled over for inspection. AAARRRGGGHHH!

I had to wait while they inspected me, my car, AND had my pull out my cello and open it up. I wouldn't have been so annoyed but I swear the guard was just curious to see what was inside the case. I'm pretty sure he knew I wasn't a terrorist. I understand that it's all "for our safety," but man, it sure annoys the heck out of me when I get pulled over. It annoyed me today, it annoyed me when I was deathly ill and was trying to get home as quickly as possible, and I'm guessing it annoyed my friend when she was taking her son (who had a head injury that was bleeding copiously) to urgent care. Really, all I wanted was my mail. And all I got was a bank statement. What a day.

Portrait of a Princess

Naomi, like about 99.873% of 3 to 4 year old girls (and I'm sure there are statistics to back this up) loves all things princess.  She loves princess movies, princess music, princess clothing, princess dolls....if it has to do with princesses she's bound to enjoy it.  (She still loves lizards, bugs and dinosaurs, but for now they've taken the back seat to her princess fixation.  I will forever remember Naomi treating Ian's model T-Rex to a makeover one day with her Lipsmackers.)  So, when we celebrated her 4th birthday in January, OF COURSE we had to have a princess party.  I think the girls (and boy) that came had nearly as much fun at the party as I had putting it together.  We decorated crowns.  We played princess bingo.  We played pin the horn on the unicorn.  (Pin the tail on the donkey is such a versatile game!)  We had a treasure hunt.  And we did it all within the confines of our 1100 square foot apartment.  (I consider that the greatest achievement of the day!) 

Here are the princesses (and prince) that attended our grand festival...

(I have to insert here that Ian just wandered into the living room blinking and bleary-eyed and muttered "Guten Morgen."  It's 10:16 p.m.  While his timing is off, it's nice to know that he's learning something in his German immersion program.  How long is it going to be until he can be my personal translator?!)

Okay, back to Princess Naomi.  I really think she had a good time at her party.  It was so gratifying to me to see her enjoy herself so much.  Here she is opening presents:

                                    

Here is the princess castle cake I made her:

                                    

And here she is about to blow out the candles:

                                   

I must insert that I owe a huge debt of gratitude to my cousin Holly for her help in figuring out how do do this cake.  I saw a picture of her infinitely better version and begged her for help which she most generously bestowed.  Thanks Holly!  I think next time I will try using bigger cake pans.  The center rounds were just not quite large enough to support the weight of the towers.  (You may have noticed that the center tower has a decided tilt.  I think it gives the cake a distinctly Italian flair.)  If Naomi is anything like me, I'm pretty sure there will be a next time.  My mom must have made me a heart shaped cake every year from the time I was 8 until the time I was 18 (thanks Mom!).  I'm actually looking forward to trying again.  It was a fun experiment.

Here are some recent pictures of our beautiful, smart, kind, compassionate, sweet, determined, feisty, adventurous, obstinate, loving, expressive, silly, precocious, dramatic little girl. 

Ballet class with Miss Arianna...

             

Balancing exercises during warm-ups...

                                      

Naomi's first snow angel...

                          

Ian was off sledding with the boys from the building and their dads (Ben was in Chicago taking the boards) so Naomi and I had our own little snow day.  We built a really, really cute snowman which I was unable to photograph because my battery died right after I took these two pictures.  Unfortunately, by the time my battery was charged, some really nice neighbor kids had knocked it down.  Gosh I love living on post. 

Anyway, Naomi - Happy Birthday!  We love you.  We are so glad you are a part of our family.  You are a very special little girl!

Merry Christmas!!!

Well, I suppose we're a little bit late here.  I know that it is more than slightly ridiculous to post something about Christmas more than 2 months after it has passed, but I can't help myself.  Christmas happened, after all, and it does need to be documented.  Actually, there are quite a few things I plan on blogging about in the next week or so.  And I really do mean to do it.  We've got a bunch of trips coming up and if I don't get caught up now, I never will.  So, Merry Christmas from Germany!

We had a very nice Christmas.  Ben's work schedule was pretty lame (he had to work both Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve) so we kept it pretty low key.  We were invited to spend Christmas Eve with some friends from our ward, we had dinner with our next door neighbors on Christmas Day, and we visited my aunt and uncle in Schweinfurt the Saturday after Christmas.  We really appreciated having so many people reach out to us and make us feel welcome during the holiday season.  It is sometimes hard to be so far away.

We did, however, enjoy the chance to spend some quiet time with the kids.  We decorated gingerbread cookies (evidence to follow), we opened presents, we played together, we cooked our very first Christmas goose (traditional in Germany), and, right about New Year's Eve we got sick together.

                            

Note the finely decorated decorated cookies.  I know Ian did the gingerbread Santa, and I think that Naomi did the star, although I'm pretty sure she had some help.  Just a guess.  Those sprinkles look just a little too even...     

I think Santa enjoyed quite the treat, don't you?                    

                            

Excited kids on Christmas morning - we didn't actually open presents until about 8:00 in the morning.  Heaven. 

                              

And finally, our genuine, home cooked, day-after-Christmas German feast:

                                                  

                            

We had (as aforementioned) a lovely Christmas goose, complete with sauerkraut stuffing.  We had rotkohl (red pickled cabbage - kind of a sweeter version of sauerkraut), and potato dumplings.  (The peas were an afterthought - I just couldn't stand the thought of only having cabbage/sauerkraut as our only vegetable for the evening.)  For those of you who have never cooked a goose (hahaha) I'd recommend NOT buying one, or rather, not sending your husband to buy one at a European grocery store on Christmas Eve.  I think that by the time the goose was cooked (sorry, just can't get enough of that) and all the fat had melted off, and by the time we had our cooked goose (last time, I promise) carved, we had about 3 pounds of cooked meat.  I figure the cost was about $25/lb. of cooked meat.  I wish I could say that eating said goose was a gastronomical delight never to be duplicated (and worth every euro cent).  I can't.*  The experience we had researching and preparing our traditional meal, however, was.  We'll probably try another traditional German Christmas meal next year, but I think I'll substitute a turkey for the goose and focus our attention on some yummy Christmas desserts.  (This year it was store bought Lebkuchen.)  And there you have it.  Christmas in March.  I'm really not doing too well at keeping current, here, am I.  I resolve to to better!

*The goose was tender, and quite tasty.  I just didn't think it was fantastic enough to warrant the purchase price.  Maybe they're cheaper in the States.

25 Random Things

*Warning* This is a picture- free post...

25 random things about me….I have a hard time doing something like this because I can’t imagine someone actually reading it clear through to the end. I’m really not that interesting. But, I have been tagged approximately 25 times (okay, maybe that’s a slight exaggeration) so I guess I’ll give it a go.

1. I am compulsively responsible. This guy I dated in college complained regularly that I wasn’t spontaneous (I retorted that I wasn’t STUPID) because I wouldn’t do things like take off in the middle of the night for Wendover with him. Who wants to go to Wendover, anyway?
2. I am a night owl. This started in college with post performance highs and has continued with child free hours post bedtime.
3. I am embarrassed that I am not speaking German yet.
4. I really, really, really want to learn to play the banjo.
5. Or maybe the mandolin.
6. One of the things that makes me happiest is watching my children really enjoy something and/or seeing wonder in their eyes when they discover something new.
7. I enjoy baking. Not cooking so much, but baking. I really love making fancy desserts – especially ones with a high chocolate content.
8. I started watching Stargate SG-1 with my husband and by Season 3 was hooked. (The first couple of seaons were lame.) We now own all 10 seasons.
9. Despite having been raised in a cold weather climate (UT) I don’t like cold weather. Or snow. I like skiing and sledding, but only for a day or so. I miss the weather in Georgia – humidity is a pain, but it keeps my hands from cracking and bleeding which is a definite bonus.
10. I am NOT athletic. People think that because I’m a musician I’m coordinated. Well, just because I can move my fingers does not mean that I have any gross motor skills. Let’s just say that PE ruined my 4.0 in high school. I think that they should have remedial PE for people like me.
11. I am looking forward to taking some tennis lessons this spring. There’s a tennis club here on post with clay courts, so that should be interesting. The difference between tennis and other sports is that I can be bad at it and enjoy it. I never enjoyed basketball.
12. I LOVE GERMAN YOGURT!
13. AND CHOCOLATE!
14. AND CHEESE!
15. I’m having to exercise more here as a result of numbers 12, 13 and 14 to keep the weight off, and it is totally worth it!
16. I don’t like to exercise.
17. The thing I hate most about Germany is my stupid, tiny, cramped apartment.
18. I feel like something’s not right with the world if I’m not in the middle of a good book. I always have a stack of books on my nightstand, and I can’t fall asleep unless I’ve read for a little while before bed.
19. I like numbers and statistics. Lately I’ve been addicted to the CNN Money page – the price of oil and the Euro/Dollar conversion rate are my latest favorites.
20. I truly believe that something worth doing is something worth doing well. So, when I do something, I go all out.
21. As a result of number 19, I sometimes get overambitious and overextend myself. Fortunately I have a fantastic husband who is willing to help me out of the fixes in which I so frequently find myself. I’ve dragged Ben into cooking projects, baking projects, MUSIC, MUSIC, MUSIC, sewing projects, Relief Society Projects…..poor guy.
22. I love period dramas. Pride and Prejudice, North and South (not the Civil War one), Bleak House, Emma, Martin Chuzzlewit, Sense and Sensibility and Persuasion are among my favorites. I love to read the books, and I love to watch the movies.
23. The thing I miss most right now (aside from family and friends, which goes without saying) is my Symphony job and the performance opportunities I had in Augusta. I’m having a very hard time finding places to play here. (Refer to number 3.) Hopefully now that Naomi’s FINALLY in pre-school I can work more on my German and work harder on finding a group to play with.
24. I want to work on my singing. I get asked to sing in church a lot, and it would be nice to feel like I was better in control of what comes out of my mouth.
25. I have the greatest husband and kids on the planet. (And yes, I really believe that.)

So, there it is. More than you possibly ever wanted to know about me. If any of you made it through all 25 I should give you a prize. There’s always chocolate…..

I Heart London Part III, or, I Have Been Changed for Good

Well, it's still Sunday.  Ben and Ian are still at Stake Conference.  Naomi has made it through Tinkerbell the movie TWICE and is standing precariously on a ball while holding onto the table while telling me that "This is my talent mom."  I'm afraid that this will only end in tears. *Update* As I finished typing that last sentence, Naomi fell off the ball and whacked her chin on the table.  Fortunately she was more scared than hurt.  And, it did end in tears.

Anyway, the Motrin hasn't worn off yet, so on we go with the final installment of our London trip.  Hopefully I can get this done before sitting upright becomes unbearable again.

Our third (and last) full day in London we spent with our friends.  Our first destination was Buckingham Palace.  You can't go to London and not at least stop by, right?  We decided to walk from the train station, rather than take the Tube, which turned out to be a great idea.  Have you ever seen footage on TV of processions heading towards Buckingham Palace?  Well, there are these wide sidewalks lined by trees all the way to the palace.  The kids had a great time just running.  We walked past St. James Place (I can never hear those words without recalling Sir Lucas' offer to introduce the Darcys and the Bingleys at the court of St. James) and were fortunate enough to have group of soldiers on horses (cavalry?) pass right by us.

                                  

We had wanted to see some of the pomp and circumstance associated with the British royalty and there was no changing of the guard that day, so this was the best we could do.  It was good enough for me - I saw the changing of the guard when I was a teenager and don't remember thinking it was anything special.  The kids loved the horses and the soldiers with their bright red uniforms.  I must admit it was an impressive sight.

One big advantage to visiting London in December is that the crowds are minimal.  We had no wait to see the crown jewels when we visited the Tower of London, and there were no big crowds outside of Buckingham palace. 

  

  

I can guarantee that you can't get pictures this empty of other people in July! 

So after we'd taken a gander at the palace (you can't go inside) we headed onward to St. Paul's Cathedral.  St. Paul's is one of my very favorite cathedrals.  While the outside is nice, the inside is spectacular.  It is truly beautiful inside.  Unfortunately you I couldn't take pictures inside. (Somehow they've got to keep the gift shop in business!  And, it is a church after all.) The ceilings (keep in mind this is a cathedral so the ceilings are extremely high) are all vibrant, colorful mosaics with gold accents.  There are scenes from Genesis - most particularly the Garden of Eden - which include beautifully rendered depictions of plants and animals.  There are also stunning mosaics of scenes from the life of Christ.

Something else I noticed (that I hadn't noticed before as a teenager) was the American Memorial Chapel at the back of the Cathedral.  It is a section of the building that was rebuilt after WWII (the cathedral sustained some damage) which commemorates the American soldiers who gave their lives in defense of the British Isles during WWII.  There is a beautiful illuminated book listing the names of all 28,000 soldiers.  Visiting this chapel was a particularly poignant experience because my husband currently serves in the army.  It was good (and sobering) to be in a country that owes quite a lot to the sacrifices made by American soldiers and to see that those sacrifices are still remembered and appreciated.  St. Paul's was probably my favorite stop in London.

                           

                                              

Our final stop as a family (and with our friends) was the British museum.  Can I just say that saving the British museum until the very end was a BIG, BIG, BIG, HUGE, TREMENDOUS, HORRIBLE mistake?!!?!  The kids were exhausted.  Ian lay down (on the floor!) in nearly every room we entered.  Naomi wanted to be carried the ENTIRE time.  I was really hoping that the mummies and Egyptian stuff would perk them up but no dice.  They just wanted to go home.  So, no viewing of the Rosetta stone.  No viewing of the pilfered statues from the Acropolis.  No viewing of pieces of pyramids from Egypt.  We did get to see some really fascinating old coins which the kids got to hold (they thought that part was cool) and we did see the mummies.  We are definitely going to have to go back.  Maybe summer of 2010.  There is still Wimbledon to see after all!

Oh, and there are no pictures of us at the British museum.  I guess I was tired too.

Here's our final picture from London:

                                            

Granted, this is a horrible picture, but can you tell what it is?  (I know Nicole can.) It's the Emerald City!  Yes, that's right, Ben and I (on our anniversary no less) got to go see Wicked!  Our friends took all the kids (that's 6 kids including theirs - oh, and we had done the same for them two nights earlier) on the train back to the house we were all staying in together and Ben and I got to go on a date by ourselves to see Wicked in London.  It was amazing!  We loved it.  After anniversaries here in Europe, it's going to be hard to go back to dinner and a movie in the States.  We're definitely getting spoiled.  And yes, I did cry during "Changed for Good."  We miss you all!

I Heart London Part II, or, How to Get Kids to Have Fun at Museums

Hello again all!  I realize that my goal of writing multiple posts in a short amount of time in an attempt to bring us up to the present has been, sadly, unfulfilled.  All I can say is that we are experiencing what so many families with young children experience after a move - weeks and weeks of being sick.  I think we're slowly making our way through every German bug out there.  The worst part of it all is that we haven't been sick at the same time.  Nope, I have had a sick child, a sick husband, or been sick myself for at least six weeks.  Today it's my turn.  I woke up with a nasty fever, cough, body ache combo that had me flat on my back until the Motrin and Robitussen kicked in.  So, Ben is at Stake Conference with Ian, Naomi is lying on the couch watching the Tinkerbell movie for the second time today and I'm taking the opportunity of my drug induced state of well being to do some blogging.  I have a whole bunch of pictures from London to post, so I'm going to try and get through them all today.  Here goes!

Our second day in London we split up with our friends for the day (in order for them to do things we didn't want to and vice-versa).  We started out the day at Westminster Abbey.  I love Westminster Abbey.  I think it is a fascinating church and I think it's amazing how many statues and tombs they have crammed in, and continue to cram in.  Our original plan was to just walk through the church and see what we could until the kids had had it, however after Naomi took this picture:

                                                

the greeter/guard (who joked with her that he hadn't been ready and didn't have a good smile) told us about the children's path that we could follow.  Inside at the information desk we found clipboards with a "treasure hunt" for the kids to do.  It was great.  There were questions like "Westminster Abbey has the highest ceiling in Europe.  How high do you think it is?" and "Find the statue of Shakespeare.  What is he leaning on?"  and "Find the tomb of Queen Elizabeth I.  What year was she born?".  The kids(especially Ian) loved it.  And, at the end, we got to turn in our answers for a giant chocolate coin.  I wish that every museum/church had something similar for kids to do.  We got to see more, the kids had fun searching for answers and there was candy at the end.  What more could you want?!  Here are some more pictures of Westminster from the outside. 

                                  

                                         

                                                            

Note how beautifully blue the skies are.  We really lucked out with weather.  London in December was definitely a risk, and this time it paid off.  In fact, it was warmer in London that week than it was in Heidelberg!

After a wandering Westminster and a really bad lunch at Quiznos (Not so good in London, much to our dismay.  STAY AWAY!  And they didn't even have bathrooms!) we walked up to Trafalgar Square.  Our next stop was St. Martin in the Fields (a church).

                                           

The church itself is nothing spectacular (although there is a cool cafe in the crypt downstairs - if only we had waited to eat there!) but for those of you who aren't classical music nerds (like myself) this church is home to the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields (one of the finer orchestras out there) conducted by Sir Neville Mariner.  Unfortunately they weren't playing that day, but I did get to see the church and hope that I'll be able to return for a concert someday.  And, the church is also the location of the London Brass rubbing center.  Our kid friendly activity of the day!  Coloring!  Here we are working on our masterpieces:

                                         

After we were done we let the kids run around Trafalgar Square for awhile. 

             

             

                                                             

Our final stop was the British National Gallery. 

                                              

I must say that our kids were troopers.  It did help that I made a bingo game for the museum - they spent their time searching paintings for things they could cross off on their bingo cards.  We had a wonderful day.  I really, really love London.