First snow of 2008

Yesterday it was cold! I had no idea that snow was in the forecast, though, b/c I never looked...that's how I roll. I like to be surprised. ;) Yesterday afternoon it started hailing, then sort of sleeting and then, snow!





This is what we woke up to this morning. It's not much, but it is the first snow in our area. Other parts of Germany have gotten a lot of snow, but we've been told that our area doesn't get much. Last year the KMC area got about an inch for the whole season.

Skiiing in France and running update.

Last Tuesday, Cory and the boys went skiing at an indoor place in France...only about an hour and a half from us. I stayed home w/ the dog. I did find a dog walker in the neighborhood for future day trips, but I digress...

The boys went with co-workers of Cory's and had a great time. D and Ch tried snowboarding first. They've been eagerly looking forward to it. They're not eager to try it again. LOL It's much harder than it looks. D became plum disgusted and spent his his 2nd hour playing on one of bobsleds. Ch decided he was going to ski. He skiied (sp?) the bunny slope about 10X and then took it upon himself to ski the big hill. Cory kept waiting for him and ended up sending one of his co-workers to look for Ch. About that time, Ch came skiing down the hill. He only fell twice, got right back up and kept on going. But that's Ch for you! He's stubborn!!




















In running news, I tried out my Brooks running pants. The weather was in the 30's and the pants were too hot. Those will have to be for colder days. My legs were sweating. In crappy running news, I have tendonitis in the top of my right foot. Self-diagnosed of course. ;) I'm staying off my foot and taking advil twice a day. I love to run to my ipod and haven't since the summer b/c my other mp3 player got fried when I didn't use the charging cord that it came with. I tried just a generic cable and the music was weird. Anyway, I bought a new ipod and now have 5 hours of music downloaded and I have to wait a few more days to use it. Damn.

The troops at Christmas time!

Don't forget about our deployed troops this year!!

Please visit this link...it's got so much GREAT information!!Some Soldier's Mom

The vicious cycle is broken...

Uh, and I don't mean by with the election. For those that care or have asked, I was not on board completely with either candidates, I fundamentally disagreed w/ Obama and McCain on many issues. Personally, I think we needed a more moderate middle of the road candidate so that both political parties will have to compromise and reach the majority of society. I will say that if by voting in Obama means that the way will be easier for America in this world then I'll hope and be glad for the good things to come.

However, my vicious cycle broken was my 2 days/week of running. This week I ran 3 days!! Woot!

Also, I'm getting used to the weather. When I heard this morning that today was going to be a high of 50-something degrees, I actually thought, Oh it will be a nice day! :)

Halloween 2008

Here is the box of candy David and his friends were handing out. It lasted about 45 minutes. I have never been trick or treating with so many kids before. Cory and I brought Charlie along w/ some a neighbor and his son and a co-worker and his family. We headed out and the number of kids was crazy. The kids would have to wait in lines 10 deep to wait their turn to get a candy. Most people ran out about 45 minutes into the allotted time of trick or treating. Charlie came home w/ about 50 pieces of candy, at the most. And we stayed out there almost the entire time. Crazy!

David as the Joker:



Charlie as an evil knight:



The candy:



David's friend as Edward Scissorhands:

Idar-Oberstein, old post from July 20

We went to Idar-Oberstein yesterday. We went there when I was a kid, so I have been excited about going back.

First, we went to a museum (The German Gemstone Museum) about gems/precious stones. Idar Oberstein's primary industry for centuries was mining/polishing stones. Charlie bought some sandstone at the museum. The museum we went to is at the bottom of page.

Next we went in search of the Church in the Rocks aka Felsenkirche. The legend behind the church is that 2 brothers were in love w/ the same woman and one brother killed the other. The surviving brother built the church as penance. The legend.




Climbing up the steps to the church is no joke. It was a workout. Charlie and David were going to count the steps, David lost count somewhere over 100 and Charlie counted over 500 (um, a bit of an exaggeration LOL). This is the tunnel to get into the church through the back. It was added in 1980 or 81. There are steps to go up to the front, but they are closed off now. I just googled and there are 230 steps.



This is the "bubbling spring" in the middle of the church. "When this labour was completed, it was taken as a sign that his penance was complete also, his sin forgiven, as a spring opened up within the chapel (a spring which remains active today)."





Felsenkiche: Click on slideshow for pics inside the church...my batteries died, so I got few pics. *rolling eyes*

After the church we hiked down to the town to get some lunch. This is where we ate:



We sat outside right under the name of the restaurant. I got their specialty of pork cooked over an open fire. It was good, but David's schnitzel was the best we've had in Germany, yet! Inside, the walls are lined w/ huge pics of the history of the town. The whole legend of the church (fratricide) is on the walls in pics.



We were interested in the castle, also, but couldn't figure out how to get up there. When we asked the waitress she said, "you go back up to the church..." OMG, those steps again. Little did we know that the steps were the least of our worries. The switchbacks on some parts along the way were steep. We get to the top and guess what was there? Yep, cars. LOL We were glad we walked though. But we didn't really get to look inside much b/c there was a wedding. There are 2 castles, the "new" castle and the "old castle". The lady in the souvenir shop (where both David and Cory, LOL, bought some pewter knights) referred to it that way. Found on the internet: Castle Bosselstein, a.k.a. 'the old castle' above the church, is first mentioned in historical documents from the year 1197. It was abandoned about 1600 following a siege and fell into ruin.
Castle Oberstein, a.k.a. 'the new castle' was built around 1320. It was partially destroyed by the French in 1680, and a fire in 1855 laid further ruin to the castle. Parts of it were restored and housed a youth hostel until a few years ago. A group of citizens is now actively collecting funds to stop further deterioration.

New castle from the old castle (next 2 pics are not mine)



Old castle, Burg Bosselstein:



Looking down to the town from the old castle, yes we walked all the way up. My calves are sore today. :)



Walking back down the trail (and I love you guys or otherwise I wouldn't put this horrid pic of myself on here!)



Afterwards, on the drive home, we went on to the army installation in Baumholder. My dad was stationed there in the very early 60's. And then again. We lived there when I was a kid, 7-9 years of age, so 1976-1978. I remembered the elementary school and where we lived from there. So, I found our old apartment building (stairwell). The big playground is still across the street as well as the German house next door. When I rolled down the windown to come in to the gate the wind was gusting. I remembered why it was called the rock. Baumholder is on the really high ground, high on a mountain/hill, "the rock." It's a pretty post and very hilly. Cory and I kept saying we couldn't imagine running here. LOL I hope to go back and take pics and go to the museum. I found these pics online (of course not exact bldg):

Trier, Germany-old post from Sept 3

This was from before I started my blog.

On Saturday, we went to Trier, Germany, the oldest city in Germany. It is only an hour away and Cory and David have been very eager to go there since hearing about the Roman baths and amphitheater there.

The first place we went was Porta Nigra, one of the Roman built gates that was part of the city wall that was built b/w 180-200 AD. This is the northern gate that is left standing. We walked through as well as went to the museum which is connected.









Next we had lunch. We sat next to a table of people from Holland who were on a bike tour. they were very interested in Charlie's Heelys. Apparently there are no Heelys in Germany and he got lots of looks the whole day. LOL



Then headed to the Market Square.





St Peter Fountain



Looking at St Peter Fountain



Red House w/ inscription that states that Trier is 1300 years older than Rome



Cathedral Cathedral





Constantine Basilica Constantine Basilicia

Electoral Palace



Imperial Roman Bath built 1600 years ago and never used. Typical government project. LOL Not a drop of water flowed there. We had fun times in the tunnels! LOL









We had a great day, but didn't get to see everything. We plan on going back another time and going on a tour. We also didn't get to see the Roman amphitheatre.