Thankful

Grandma and Grandpa came from Utah for Thanksgiving and Karl and Terrie and family came from Arizona.  It was really nice to have some family for our celebration since we weren't hopping among the English Isles this year.

Besides yummy dinners and amazing pies (I tried a lemon tart, Pumpkin cheesecake pie, apple and a cherry berry pie- all of them were so good!)

We played at the traditional Turkey bowl

went and saw where Grandpa was born- or at least round about

and we went and climbed around the Petroglyphs.

These particular petroglyphs are smack dab in the middle of the suburbs- you wouldn't even know it though.  They have protected them pretty well.  

In November Sam finished football and started wrestling- all the sports have overlap here.  

Joseph got promoted in JROTC

And Max started playing basketball with a team I really enjoyed.  They were actually in a different city, but I really liked the coach and his teaching techniques!  The kids all seemed to be good kids and they had fun together.

Out the back door

It's amazing what you can find, in a country as old as Germany, out your back door.  We went for a walk the other day and found the Hohenheim schloss, botanical gardens and exotic gardens.  The exotic gardens were gorgeous even in the winter- we can't wait to go back in the spring and have a picnic under those amazing, old trees.  In the garden there were also Roman ruins- baths, columns and temples.  This one is from a temple to Jupiter.

The schloss is now used by the university and has been since the 1800's, so most of the rooms are offices and libraries, etc.

It is still beautiful on the outside and the grounds are kept up with gardens and a vineyard.

Love that you can find those things within minutes of your own house.  We talked to someone who is almost ready to PCS and they hadn't even heard of it.  So many wonderful things just waiting to be discovered!