Going Home with Jet Lag

The jet lag going back to the United States wasn't too bad, except for Joseph.   The first night he woke up about 3 am and came into our room.  He said, "this night seems really, really long!"  I said, "that's because it is."  And he said, "but I'm not tired any more."  That is because right after this photo

he went to sleep- in the viewing room!

The viewing was nice.  Afterwards Rob's mom put on a backyard BBQ for everyone that came- the whole extended family!

The next day we had the funeral.

  Rob and all his siblings spoke and gave antidotes from their father's life.

It was great to see all the family there.

This was the very first time I met Matthew's wife Seri.  They have been married for 3 years!  That night Joseph woke up again and he came in to our room and said, "It happened again!"  Surprising- since he fell asleep on the floor of the gym after the funeral.

The next day we buried the ashes.

We actually liked it a lot better.  It was very personal.  We put the ashes in the ground ourselves 

and then put in handfuls of dirt

while we said thank you's and memories.

 Then we visited Monica's grave.

We then had a week and a half to enjoy family before we had to deal with jet lag going home.

6 Weeks

For the first 6 weeks we stayed in a hotel on base and we knew we were almost home when we saw these:

We also saw a lot of that- rainy weather and cloudy skies.  Some areas were flooded and had to be evacuated.  I was not impressed, but after a couple weeks in a fourth floor apartment without air conditioning, I kind of like the cooler temperatures!

We finally made it to a palace-

Ludwigsburg.

Looking toward the palace Duke Eberhart lived in while this one was being built.

Some of the gardens that you had to pay separately to see.  We went the wrong place first and almost paid to get in the gardens instead, but it pigeon German, I figured this out and we got to the right place just in time for the palace tour.  After an hour and a half of learning about Baroque style and what was left and what wasn't, the kids were beyond done!  The gardens would have been lovely!

We also made it to Schloss Solitude

which is the closest one to us. 

This is the long straight road that only the Duke could use.  It went from one palace to the next.  Now we take it to get to church.

This one was part of our German Cultural College.  They took us downtown Stuttgart on the trains and buses and showed us the large hub in Stuttgart. 

Part of the Alte Schloss in the middle of Stuttgart

Then we went to see Schloss Solitude and the Ritter Sport factory store.

Sam turned 14. 

Wrapping paper is over-rated!  We just use the behind the back trick!

One of the things he got was climbing gear.  Sam scrambled up the climbing wall on base multiple times.

Rob belayed for everyone except himself. 

I did that.

The boys were doing pull-ups on the top of the wall.  I was glad just to jump and touch the top of the wall!

When he started back down we almost did a cartoon type, he comes screaming down while I go screaming up thing!  I was able to stop myself, though!

I made it up with a lot of encouragement and a few pulls on the rope by Rob.

Max only made it up this far!  Notice the one shoe look?

Emma also went up most of the way.

4th of July was celebrated on the 3rd because of sequestration.  They would have had to pay workers holiday pay if they celebrated on the 4th, so instead some military bases canceled their celebrations altogether, others like our, changed the day.  It's all craziness!  Our commissaries are closed 4 out of 7 days, so are the mail rooms.  The passport/visa/sofa office is only open 2 days.  The kids get the first 6 or 7 Friday's off, so that the teachers can be furloughed.  Lots of cuts!

For Independence day (3rd of July) we went to Patch and Sam worked at the scout booth selling belgium waffles and fry bread.  They had face painting (not free I learned too late),

pony rides, bouncy houses and lots of food booths.  Rob was too tired, so we didn't stay for the fireworks.  It was nice to sit with all the other LDS people near the scout booth.

Right at 6 weeks in country we got an apartment and scheduled our housing shipments to come on the same day.  They also picked up the loaner furniture and had our inspection on the same day.  It was going to be a crazy day to begin with, but then on Sunday (the day before this crazy day) we got an email saying that Rob's father had died that day.

We had installed our phone and internet already in the new apartment, so we drove there to call and start arranging things.  I was on line while Rob was talking on the phone.  I had some amazing ladies who jumped on line and started helping us out immediately.  One of them got us the numbers to start the Red Cross messages and the leave started.  She also came the next day as Rob was running around getting everything ready for us to fly and helped me with the movers.  The movers yelled at me twice, even though she was helping.  We live on the 4th floor and they didn't get the permit done in time to get an elevator, so they were really tired climbing all those stairs with all that stuff.  A few times they brought stuff up, that had to go downstairs in the basement storage.  Also, they didn't like the way I labeled the rooms.

One lady took my children and let them play in her house the whole day and one lady brought dinner over.  I had multiple offers to help ferry kids around.  I was really impressed with all the help!

Usually, I can get my whole kitchen unpacked and done by the time the packers are ready to leave.  I got almost nothing done even with all the extra help.  

We left country 2 days later.

Our first two European Adventures

Note:  I finally got the computer to upload pictures although at a slow enough rate that I have to do something while I wait.  Love German internet!! *Sarcasm*

Both of our first two European Adventures were very kid friendly and not particularly European.  The first was to LEGOLAND

 (an amusement park owned by an English entertainment company)

 and the second was to the Zoo. 

 LEGOLAND was a lot of fun.  Like Disneyland every ride was made so that even Max could ride it. 

This was one only Max could ride!

 Max is our little wimp child, so making him ride some of them was challenging, but eventually he decided that he liked it all. 

That's the boys at the end of the roller coaster 

 Emma and Sam thought it was a little lame, but we made it fun.  The flying Ninjago were like mini airplane seats with wings that you could control.  They went up and down and around like swings, but if you flapped your wings just right you could turn a complete 360.  Rob got into a death spiral and lost loads of euros out of his pocket while doing it.  Sam also got a crazy spin on.  I refused to spin as going up and down and around were enough for this scaredy cat mom! I can't believe I didn't get a picture of it! 

This was a fun musical set that played music and shot water when you stepped onto the corresponding mats.  Very Cool!

We also found a pirate ship where you shot water at people with cannons

and they shot you back.  It was a huge pirate water fight.  One of the families in our ward went on the same day, so we met up with them to have it out!  We were completely soaked after that ride!  Overall, a great day, I think!

The zoo was nice. 

 Stuttgart, apparently is known for their zoo.

Having lived, recently, near the National Zoo in Washington DC, however, makes most other zoos look small.  I felt bad for the big animals that seemed to be in little enclosures!

We had a lot of fun watching the pelicans trying to pick up the fish.  

"Mine, Mine"

Who knew that they had no power in those huge beaks!  We also loved the giraffes and the eel.  They showed you the volts the eel was putting out and it was close to 200 over and over!

Part of the zoo are the gardens of King Wilhelm. 

We did the terrible American tourist thing and ignored our kids long enough for them to climb on the 135 year old trees. Of course we had a park ranger on us in no time, but surprisingly he was very friendly about the whole incident.  He sat down and told us how the whole park was protected by the state and how old the trees were and how it was like climbing on your great-great-grandmothers back.  When we tried to apologize, he waved us off and said, "I think as long as they understand why, then it will not be a problem anymore.  It is better that way."

  While at the zoo we learned about Pfand also!  Bring your cup back and get a whole euro back!  Yeah for Pfand!!

One of these days, these kids have got to go see a castle!

That is so German!

I can't believe it, but some of these things I had actually forgotten about! 

1)  You are not going to get away without paying for a drink.  You will pay, even if you ask for water.  In fact with 6 people you will pay close to $10 for the privilege of drinking water and there are no free refills- ever!  And don't even ask about ice!   One fine, cheap day, I ordered 3 glasses of water and the lady looked at me like I was crazy- since there were 6 of us!  We shared and used our own water to keep refilling the glasses!  hee hee!

 

2)  Get ready to see some really disgusting Speedo's and a bunch of cute butt nekked kids!  But not half as many as there used to be!

3)  You would think with the German ingenuity and amazing cars that their technology would be top notch.  You would be wrong!   Most internet providers still run on DSL.  Um,  Hello, 1990 is calling.  Unfortunately your using the computer, so you can't answer the phone!  Cell phone coverage is spotty and plans are through the roof.  Oh and by the way, they don't believe in families having phones.  No family plan for you!

4)  Cobblestone roads are amazing and everywhere!  I love the designs and am amazed at the work that must have been involved in putting them together.  Running on them, however is hazardous to ones ankle, knee and kidney health!

5)  The bus drivers aren't as mean as they used to be.  20 years ago even if you were there just as they were closing the doors, they would continue closing them and drive off as you pounded on the side of the bus.  Of course, many of those jobs are now taken by Turkish and Greek immigrants.  The other day, Emma got on the bus to come home and had a Beavercreek shirt on that said "Go Creek!"  The bus driver asked her what it said and she told him and he said, "Greek!  I am Greek!  Greek is good!"  She started to say, "um, no creek..."  but then she just smiled and said, "Yes, Greek is good!"  When she got off, he said, "Bye, Greek!"

6)  Soccer is a religion.  You will also find it in your religious buildings!  The other day I saw a team of soccer players outside of a church and I thought they were just waiting for a bus or something.  They were still there a couple hours later and that's when I saw the wedding decorations- in the same colors!  They must have been the honor guard for when the bride and groom came out!

7)  When a place says it closes at 6 pm, be prepared to pack up and leave at 5 pm, because that's when they start shutting everything down!  We didn't realize this when we went to LEGOLAND.  Luckily we met a family from the ward there and they told us.  I have to admit, we still didn't believe them until we saw all the rides start shutting down at 5 pm and the food places boarded up!  When they say they close at 6, what they really mean is, the last employee will leave the premises at 6 pm!

8)  Man capris and Man purses!  Man capris are just wrong- wrong!  I see the value of a man purse when you travel, especially with all the pickpockets, but that doesn't mean I am not going to giggle at you for wearing one!
Oh, it is so fun to get acquainted with another culture (or reacquainted!)  I am sure they are having some good laughs at our expense, too! A couple weeks ago Rob slaughtered the word for cinnamon roll so badly that the lady charged him double! Ha ha!  Yesterday, I am pretty sure the checkout lady at the Real store was saying something like, "fine, you don't want to talk to me.  I'll just talk to myself then!"  But I can't be positive!  One of these days I will understand more than 2-3 words per sentence!  We have started a phrase a day policy.  Everybody gets to choose the phrase they use the most and then we learn it in German.  After that, you always have to say that phrase in German.  Hopefully, we will keep that up for more than one week!  So far we have:

 

Do you have your ID cards?-   Haben Sie Ihre Auseweise?

Stop touching each other!- Stoppen Sie, beruhren einander! (Umlaut on the u in beruhren)

Get off!- aussteigen!

Do not slam the door!- Schlagen Sie nicht die tur!(Umlaut on the U in tur)

I don't like that!- Ich mag dass nicth!

I love you! - Ich Liebe dich!

Dad, check those and see if they are right.  We just used a translate app.  You know they don't always get them right or the way that they are actually said!  And yes, we are learning everything in the Formal tense.  We figure, for the most part we will only be talking with strangers!  Sunday is the test to see if we can remember all the phrases for the week!  We will see how we do.