Spring has visited our block

Just a few more Europe pics...

Well can you tell school started back up again? January happened and it's hard to believe I'm almost to Spring Break! I suppose when your semester finishes up at the end of April they have to fit it in somewhere. Silly semester system. I've been taking OB and really loving it. Lots of baby-holding and diaper changes and contraction counting and trying desperately to count a baby's heart beat. You should try it sometime, it's quite difficult! Can't say it hasn't made me want one! I've seen amazing wonders of modern medicine though am positive I'd like to try to give birth as naturally as possible. However, I've also learned that as strong as natural intentions can be, it's still wise to be open to interventions if needed. 

Anyway, enough on nursing for now. I just wanted to post some more pictures from our European trip so I can move on to posting about our Philly winter. 

In between Christmas and New Year's, Ben and I had the opportunity to drive up to Frankfurt to meet up with my dear college friend Valerie and her fiance David. Valerie and I lived together all three years that I was at UCLA. She was and is my bosom friend (as we liked to call each other A of GG style) and no matter the time or distance between our reunions, we always seem to pick up where we left off. It seems like only yesterday we were freshmen and making fun of ourselves for going to dormal....

I can hardly believe it's been almost 7 years since graduation when we parted ways...

I know she'll be a lifelong friend. I just wish there wasn't quite as much time or quite as much distance between us! It works out quite well that both her's and Ben's parents live in Germany at the moment, giving us a nice meeting place. 

Reunited at last!

Frankfurt

Loved the chance to spend more time getting to know her future husband. He's wonderful.

They had to explain to us the meaning of all these locks on the bridge. Apparently, when two people fall in love in Germany, they buy a lock, have their initials engraved in it, attach it to a bridge and throw away the key in the river! So cute. One of V & D's Christmas presents this year was their very own lock which they attached to the bridge in Cologne, where her parents live. Love it.

Thanks for spending your special birthday with us, Valerie! I love you and miss our late night fro yo runs, Friends marathons, De Neve adventures, and the laughing that made us tear up. Mostly I miss processing just about everything with you. Can't wait to see you again.

Another very special part of our European trip was spending so much time with our niece. She has grown a lot since we saw her last and will have grown even more by the time we see her next. We loved getting a two-week snap shot of her life as a 2-year old. We moped around for days after saying goodbye to her =)

Playing with Elmo on the iPad

Looking forward to the fall when we get to see her and her parents again =)

Valentine's Day and Marriage

God gave me the gift of a wife and Kristin is her name. She teaches me lots of things, she is patient with me when I am selfish. She makes me laugh, cry and everything inbetween. God gave me her to make me more like Him.

Europe Installment 6: Kandern Then and Now

Tucked away in the gently rolling hills of the southwest tip of the Black Forest in Germany, there is a small town of major significance. 

To say that Kandern is where Ben attended high school would be factual, albeit a gross understatement. However, there are few individuals who can explain exactly what Kandern means to him. Every time I visit, I understand a little more.

I visited Kandern for the first time back in 2002 when Ben and I had just started dating. 

I came over with a group of our friends from Mount Hermon. We had an awesome time exploring the little town where Ben grew up and visiting various places in the region. Looking at the picture below just now, which was taken 9 years ago,  I realized some fun details:  four of us were in Annie's (friend to my left) wedding this past June! Actually, since this picture was taken, Annie and I became sisters! (in-law) Kim (friend to Annie's left) and her husband Dave (not pictured but he is my friend from home and Ben's roommate at Mount Hermon) were among our best friends in Millbrae. Jake (crazy hair) and Ben were each other's best men. Forever thankful for Mount Hermon friendships.

Ro 1 from 2002!!

From wild and crazy rides in the catering van to adventures in Europe, this guy could always make me laugh.

That year was the first time I met some of Ben's closest friends from high school...John Walker, Peter Barrett, Matt Cruse, Phil Storrs....friends I now get to call my own. 

I actually still remember the moment the picture above was taken...I remember ordering my first beer and I remember Annie taking a sip of her drink and saying, "tastes like Hawaii!" and I remember Peter (who is sitting to my left) telling me about a girl he loved a whole lot back then. She went to their high school too. Her name is Kara, he loves her even more today and I am now lucky enough to call her my friend too. Peter and Kara are the amazing friends we visit when we go to D.C.

John (at the bottom of the picture) married Katie, another one of Ben's dear friends from high school. The first time I met Katie, I was visiting Kandern at a pretty awkward point in Ben and my's relationship. In fact, we had just broken up! (It's a long story). Regardless, Katie was so kind and warm to me. I remember thinking how sad I was that I would never get to be friends with her since Ben and I would be parting ways. Fortunately, about three years later, Ben and I figured things out, and I got to be friends with Katie again =) She was visiting Kandern too when we got there this time! AND she is pregnant with their second. So fun to see her and Luca. 

Ben building towers so Luca and Lucie could knock them down.

This time I tried to take some pictures in front of things I knew I had photos of from 2002. It didn't turn out exactly how I had hoped, but that was 9 years ago! Crazy. Here are some then and now shots.

Ben and Annie in Freiburg, 2002.

Ben in Freiburg, 2011.

France in the background, 2002.

France-ish in the background, 2011. (Can you tell from our sweatshirts we are Californians? =)

In the gazebo, 2002.

Gazebo, 2011.

I wish everyone who considers Ben their friend could visit Kandern. He graduated with about 70 kids. I'd say at least half of his friends (including his sister) married someone from BFA (Black Forest Academy...his high school), just to give you an idea of how close they were. Ben is somewhat of an exception in that he married outside of BFA. I think one reason why Ben and I "work" is because I come from a pretty small, close-knit community in Canyon Creek, and so can understand a TINY BIT what it was like for him. Living in France for a year helped me to understand the Europe thing a little. His family and friends welcoming me in helps immensely.

And during trips like these, where I get to spend hours walking the streets and hills of the closest thing to home he's ever known, listening to his stories, trying to see the world through his teenage eyes, understanding more and more why he is who he is...well, what can I say, I just fall deeper and deeper in love.

Next Installment: Feuerbach aka my favorite story Ben told 

Europe Installment 5: Marche de Noel, Kris Kindle Mart, Christmas Market

The first day we arrived in Germany we drove up to Freiburg for the Kris Kindle Mart. It's possible we ate a little too much a little too fast, but when at a Kris Kindle Mart in Freiburg, Germany...why not?

The one exception I will make for pork....wurst.

Gluehwein!! (Vin Chaud)

Fried cauliflower with cream sauce and cherry dumpling with vanilla sauce....yes please.

For some reason there is a Coastal Redwood Tree planted infront of the church in Freiburg so of course we had to visit it and take a picture with it (which proved to be more difficult than anticipated)

The day we drove home from Bergun we stopped by Basel to hit up its Kris Kindle Mart. After walking around the market/downtown/Rathaus area Ben and I snuck up to the Munster Church and caught part of an evening service. Seeing the church again reminded me of being in Basel with a group of our Mount Hermon friends back in 2002. Good times.

 

Christmas tree in front of the lovely Rathaus

After Christmas we drove over to Colmar in France. This was my favorite market (and not only because I got to converse in French :). Colmar is straight out of a storybook. And let's face it, it's France so the food's awesome, the people are charming, the children are adorable and the wine is uber cheap (wish we could have taken more advantage of this last detail).

Gauffre au Nutella (Nutella waffle!!)

Brought me back to my Grenoble days

This is the landmark building in Colmar...it's hard to tell from the picture but it is very unique and beautiful.

This building contained some of my favorite French things such as....

and....

AND....

Buche de Noel, Alsace style

Eclair au chocolat

Very thankful for the chance to spend some time in my favorite country with mon amour