What have those two been up to?!

Being engaged is like nothing else in the world! I can't even try to explain all of the emotions that you go through, and how many life lessons you learn as you prepare for marriage. One of my favorite bible verses states,

" Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with eachother, loving one another, and working together with one heart and purpose. Don't be selfish; don't live to make a good impression on others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourself. Don't think only about your own affairs, but be interested in others, too, and what they are doing."
Philippians 2:2-4

So, I've learned that I will always put God first and then Eddie before myself. This should be interesting. It's easy to think about what I want, but what God wants...and even more challenging what Eddie wants, that will be the challenge. This challenge I choose to embrace wholeheartedly! During Easter I'm reminded about how much God loves us, but not only that...how much he wants us to share that love.

Eddie and I were blessed with VIP tickets to the Foosball (soccer) game in Kaiserslautern. Our good friend, Luis, is on the team and asked if we would like to go! So, we finally got our F.C.K. (Foosball Club Kaiserslautern) scarfs out and enjoyed field side seats and a buffet dinner!
We happened to have a weekend off together and remembered that we have never seen Versailles, France! We did not hesitate to buy train tickets and were soon surrounded by the night life of Paris, France! We hiked up to a church on the top of this hill and watched the sunset over the Eiffel Tower. Then we went to get some warm drinks. We had to take a picture for Jared as he would be pretty jealous of this cup of cream!
We then went hiking around the city and saw the other Statue of Liberty and the Eiffel tower lit up. It looks like this statue was dedicated about three years after the one in New York. It looks exactly like the one in New York, just smaller!

The next day we finally made it to Versailles, and the chateau where Marie Antionette and Napoleon lived. This is also where many war treaties were signed including WWII.

It was a wonderful trip, I cherish this time with Eddie and look forward to many more fun-filled days! Hope you all had a wonderful Easter and we look forward to seeing some of you in July! Lots of Love!

The Proposal

Did you know that my name, Sarah, means Princess in Hebrew? Did you know that my favorite ballet is Swan Lake, not to mention I watched the movie Swan Lake almost every day during my childhood. Did you know that I have seen the movie Everafter almost the equal amount of times in my adulthood. Oh, I almost forgot...did you know that I have found my prince charming?! This is the story of Prince Eddie and Princess Sarah and their magical trip to Schloss Neuschwanstein, the castle of the swans.

Once upon a time, Eddie and his parents, Tom and Rose, invited Sarah over to Christmas at Eddie's apartment in Kaiserslautern, Germany. Before Tom and Rose had arrived, Eddie and Sarah decorated the apartment and got a tree and Christmas presents. Eddie bought the Christmas dinner and Sarah made Christmas cookies. It was a beautiful day, spent relaxing and playing Thurn and Taxi, Eddie's new favorite board game. Still they were not done celebrating. Earlier as they were all in Frankfurt, they stopped by a souvenir shop and saw pictures of the many castles in Europe. Eddie found a picture of a very small castle that he and Sarah had taken a picture of on the Rhine River Cruise (see the Gnomes, Family and Friends blog). He claimed the castle as his own, so they could not resist purchasing the picture. Rose noticed a picture of the Schloss Neuschwanstein, the grandest of all the castles and stated how beautiful it was. Sarah remembered that they were travelling to Garmisch, Germany the day after Christmas and that the castle was very close. She mentioned taking a detour to see the castle on the way to Garmisch. The morning of December 26th 2007, Eddie, Sarah, Tom and Rose took off in Sarah's red volvo toward the German-Austrian Alps. They got a late start and worried about making it to the castle in time to buy tickets. Eddie drove his little heart out. When they reached a stau (traffic jam) they pulled over for a break and Sarah took the wheel. After just a couple kilometers on the autobahn, Sarah got in an accident with a BMW in front of her, and an Audi behind her. Bummer, now they really were not going to make the castle in time. Sarah felt awful, but decided to say a little prayer that everything would be ok. There was little to no damage, so everyone took off. They approached the alps, that were absolutely stunning. Sarah wanted to wake everyone, but knew that soon they would be in the midst of them and everyone would be able to enjoy their enormous beauty.
Eddie jumped out of the car and ran into the ticket office as Sarah, Tom and Rose soaked up the snow and lights of Neuschwanstein. They parked the car and went to meet Eddie. There were no more tours in English, but there were radios they could listen to in French! Eddie was disappointed, but then the manager came out and offered him an english speaking tour! They were off up the mountain to the Schloss Neuschwanstein eating bratwurst and pretzels on the way. They took in the snowy castles beauty, going to every look out point along the way. They reached the top, the last of the tours were starting. Sarah and Eddie held hands as they were suddenly surrounded by the most elaborate of homes. The vestibule, the throne hall, the balcony, the dining room, the master bedroom, and the singer's hall. The sun had gone down and the Christmas tree was lit as they left the castle. Sarah tried to urge Eddie along as she saw his parents heading down the trail. "We're going to loose them!" "It's alright, I want to see if there is a trail behind the castle, Eddie said." Eddie and Sarah went exploring while Tom and and Rose went further out of sight.
They were at the front of the castle, the giant doors were now shut, and to their surprise they were standing there alone. Eddie and Sarah looked up at the castle and felt like it was all to themselves. Eddie looked at Sarah with a smile and got down on one knee. Sarah covered her face in shock as she questioned herself, is this really happening! Eddie stole Sarah's heart once again as he professed his love and devotion. They looked at eachother and he suddenly realized he had forgotten to ask the most important question..."Will you Marry me?!" Sarah knew that this was one of the most important questions she would ever be asked. She knew and Eddie knew that the Lord had His hand in every moment, it was all His doing. "Yes, I will!" Eddie gave Sarah the most beautiful ring she had ever seen.

The story does not end here. Tears ran down Sarah's face as Eddie went on to tell the story of his proposal. Before Thanksgiving, Eddie had gone back to Shell Lake, Wisconsin to meet the rest of Sarah's family and ask for her hand in marriage. Sarah had thought that he went back to Virginia to see his parents. Funny that he was out running errands when she had tried to call him! He met Grandma and Grandpa Swan, Grandma Parker, her brother Matt, her cousins and uncle and aunt. Sarah had wanted Eddie to meet them all before thay were engaged, but knew that was not possible. Or so she thought! Eddie had given her the best gift, he truly is her prince charming.
Eddie knew all along that he would propse at the castle, but made Sarah think it was her idea to go there. She was completely surprised! He is sneaky, and turns out, had help from many friends! This is only the beginining of their Happily Ever After!
THE END

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!