To Austria and Back again!

Our adventures start over Thanksgiving for a skiing trip to Stubai, Austria! I've never skiied so hard in my life! Eddie had his snowboard, and tried to keep up with me. (When I wasn't on my butt!) It was so much fun and the alps were amazingly beautiful!

Eddie took this picture on his way up to the top of the mountain! It was foggy down below, but crystal clear where we were skiing!
Then...a couple weeks later we took a trip back to Austria, just the two of us. We stopped in Garmisch, Germany and the Army Edelweiss Resort. There were only three runs open on the ski hill, so we got pretty good at those. I actually skiied the gates and raced down the runs. It was so much fun. We stopped to take a break, and take our jackets off (it was warm out there!) We continued our road trip to Vienna, Austria (the musical capital of the world). I fell in love with the culture and history of this place. We went to Mozart's house and had second row tickets to a quartet in one of his rooms! This dude was staring at me the whole time, so I went and took a picture with him! We decided to make silly faces...
We couldn't miss out on the Schloss Shronbrunn Christmas Market. Eddie got a homemade doughnut and warm gluwein, I got a cookie and warm gluwein. You have to come to Christmas in Germany, it's so much fun!
Oh, and who can forget the opera?!!! We went and saw Mozart's The Magic Flute, and once again had second row seats. It was so beautiful and I got to dress up a little:) Eddie was so handsome...it was perfect! We then went to a cafe and were serenaded by the piano. I should tell you, when we first got to Vienna we went to a restaurant and were the only people there, but we were still serenaded by a piano, violin, and opera singer! I love Vienna!
Our perfect evening ended with some Dom Perignon and the movie The Incredibles. I am so spoiled!It's almost Christmas! Merry Christmas and may God's gift to us remain close to your heart during this season! Lots O Love!

Gnomes, Family and Friends

Eddie's mom and dad came for a visit so we decided to walk down town Kaiserslautern for some French food! I can't wait for them to visit again, I really enjoyed our time together. Little secret, Eddie is a big fan of the Gnome community, he was introduced to them by his friend and roommate Peter, who happens to be a Gnome himself.
We also ventured over to the Rhine River in Germany for a short river cruise. This is Eddie laying claims to his new estate. He seems to think you could ward off the enemy by standing at the top of the tower and shooting arrows. It would take more than arrows to keep me away! :)

We took Eddie's mom to a Rolling Stones concert before she left. It was a lot of fun. Then a couple months later we went to a John Butler Trio concert in Nancy, France. Mike and Andrea went with us, two very good friends that I love dearly!
John Butler, Baby! Check him out, he is quite the guitar player! So...life has been good! It is now fall and I love fall. The fresh air and beautiful scenery. I was able to go back to Wisconsin for a little bit in September. It was nice to see family and friends and just sitting by the camper and enjoying the lake. I miss my family! I keep you all in my prayers and love you tremendously!

Gloucester, Goteborg, Copenhagen and Hamburg

I started off my journey to visit my wonderful friend, Linnea and her parents in Gloucester, England. I loved how all of the quaint homes were made of brick, and the people were so cheery! This is an old sail boat we found.
When we went into the city we could see this cathedral standing above everything else. Turns out, this is where parts of Harry Potter was filmed. I recognized the long hallways!
The next day we went to the coast for some fish and chips. I had to take a picture of Linnea getting in the other side of the car and then driving on the other side of the road. We were comparing how differently we grew up. It's amazing how God can bring people together, no matter where in the world you are. I have been blessed with wonderful friendships! Then on to Sweden to pick up my new Volvo. I drove it right out the factory doors. Eddie and I flew to Goteborg where the Volvo factory was located and then drove back to Germany. I couldn't have found a better fit!Volvo sent us on a tour of the safety exhibit. Eddie found out how big a babies head is, that helmet was heavy! I found out how well he is at multi-tasking while driving and braking for Moose. What a stud!

On our way back we stopped in Copenhagen, Denmark. We took a tour of the city and found some live music. This is the statue of the Little Mermaid. Copenhagen is where Hans Christian Anderson is from.On our way through Sweden and Denmark, we had to take a couple of long bridges over the ocean and even a long tunnel under the water! The weather was beautiful and the water was so inviting. This was one of the many harbors in Copenhagen.Once we hit Germany we rested in Hamburg and went to the Tier Park. This family sat down next to me! I'll have to ask Holly what the name of these creatures are. They let me pet them and then climbed up the wall.Eddie's favorite was the hippie donkey. What is he sharing...oops, maybe I shouldn't have posted this!This one is for Holly, we found a baby elephant! So cute! We were sad to see our journey end, and now it's back to work. Luckily we have decided to live our lives to the fullest every day, no matter where we are or what we are doing! Hope your day is just as wonderful! Lots of Love!

'Venice of the North!'

Isn't this cute...Air Force Pilot and Army Nurse. That's Eddie's plane in the background. We decided to take a trip for Eddie's birthday, where did we go...

Brugge, Belgium!! I started off the trip by getting tattooed! When I decided I didn't want it anymore I just washed it off with warm water.
We took a boat ride on the canal. They call Brugge the Venice of the North because of these canals and, of course, because of the beauty of the city. The rose is from the church service we went to that morning. The whole service was in Flemish, but it was fun to be a part of.
This is Michelangelo's Madonna, it is in the same church we visited for the Sunday Service. It is beautiful, Eddie's words were...,"That's small." Yeah, I guess it is!

Then we decided to take a walk to the 'Lake of Love.' It was a beautiful day, and fun to get away from our busy schedules. I recommend Belgium for the waffles, just let me know, I will take any of you there! Lots of Love!

One Man

I went to Austria skiing, it was amazing...but I have something more important that I would like to share with you that I read this morning!

ROMANS

17For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.
18Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men. 19For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.

"We are all equally guilty and contaminated before God. " Ben Young said this in one of his devotionals and humbled me in an instant. We could be Mr. or Mrs. Perfect doing everything that is right and proper, but in the end it is GRACE that saves us. We are created to do perfect works through Christ Jesus, so why are we trying to do it on our own? (Ephesians 2: 10). Because we are saved from sin and we know God's amazing grace, we cannot help but do good things. That is when love is made complete in us and we are able to share it with others. We can give love WITHOUT God's GRACE, but it does not come from our heart of hearts, it comes from the part of us that just wants to do the right thing. We know right from wrong, but God knows life from death.

Today I am truly thankful that I know what Jesus did for me, He has completed me. I am finally whole.

Falling in Love in Ireland!

I have learned that if I wait on the Lord and give all of my insecurities and worries to Him, there is a peace that radiates from me. I never knew that this peace is what would draw me to a man. I wish you all could meet him, he has the kindest, biggest heart that could only be from a man that loves God. Now enough about that, let me tell you about Ireland!

Eddie and I took off to Dublin, Ireland, the first time either of us had been there. It was such a fun trip, it was hard to leave. Especially when we missed our flight and had to stay an extra night!
We took a tour of the city, meeting Molly Malone and St. Patrick. Rumor has it Dublin has the best Guiness in the world. We had to find out for ourselves, and...yes that is most definitely true!
My favorite part of the trip was talking with the people and imersing ourselves in the culture. The music was so much fun, and everyone was invited to sing or play. I love the pipes and the flute and the banjo, oh and the drum and guitar...the violin was pretty cool, then there was the oldest accordian looking thing, I don't even know what it was, but it added an amazing sound! I couldn't get enough!
We went to the oldest pub in Ireland, The Brazen Head, 1198. Eddie and I ordered some cider and just sat and listened while the locals each sang their favorite songs. I felt so welcomed and blessed to experience all of this!
It was raining and windy on our last day, but that did not stop us from visiting the Irish Sea! There is so much more to see in Ireland and we will have to go back someday! Love to you all and prayers for a beautiful day!

Spain

We got up really early one morning to see the sunrise over Murcia, Spain. We had to walk a little ways from our hotel as we were on the bay side and the sun was rising over the Mediterranean. It was a cool morning, but as the sun came up, I decided to jump into the water. I went to Spain with full intentions of swimming in the Mediterranean, and my friend Enma jumped right in with me! The water is so clear, so beautiful!




We went over to Granada and visited the Alhambra Palace. I have found that each country I visit is so different and unique from eachother, Spain did not disappoint me. The sultan's palace was on top of the Sierra Hills overlooking Granada.






We spent as much time in the sun as we could before heading back to the gloomy weather of Germany. And of course, I ate as much seafood as possible. We tried everything, even the ones with tentacles, chewy!