Heidelberg Castle

Ry, Ellie, and I headed to an English speaking Calvary Chapel Church this morning.  It was in a town about an hour North of us called Heidelberg.  We have a great German Speaking Church in our town (there is someone who translates for us) but decided that we would take a short road trip and catch some sights after church.
Heidelberg Castle kept coming up on Trip Advisor as a the number one place to see in the town.  Over 3000 people had contributed to the comments of how awesome it is so we thought we would take a look for ourselves.
We were able to see Neuschwanstein Castle in late January.  Maybe it was the fact it had recently snowed- giving the castle a winter wonderland effect.  Or maybe it was the Alps as the backdrop, or it could have been the artistic beauty of the castle architecture- Whatever it was, the castle and surrounding area was breathtaking.
I figured seeing castles was one and done- we had seen the ultimate castle so time to move on to other things- wrong!!
The raw edge of the Heidelberg Castle was the first thing noticed as we came up around a sharp turn in the road, leading us up to the parking area.  For as breathtaking as the refinement was of Neuschwanstein, the ruggedness of Heidelberg was equally breathtaking.  You could feel and see the decades old stones you were walking on- you could see a mixture of still standing and ruined parts of the castle.  You see authentic history, not a man made recreation- it was awesome.
For those planning a trip to Germany, put this castle on your list- you will not be disappointed (but make sure to put Neuschwanstein on your list too).
P.S. True to what we have experienced so far in Germany- sightseeing is very affordable.  Entrance to the castle for the 3 of us was 11 Euro (7. for me, 4. for Ry, and free for Ellie)

random pictures from this week

These ornate hanging swans were all over the town of Rothenburg

To get into the 'old town' of Rothenburg, you had to drive through the one lane tunnel

Rothenburg's town square

Restaurant in Rothenburg

Chalkboard advertisement is popular in Germany

A speciality bread in one of the many bakery's we visited- we bought some.  It has an earthy Rye taste- I don't know that we would buy it again but it was worth the try

It seemed like everyone was taking a picture of this building....that's the only reason why I have this pic :)

Anneliese Friese and Elle's

Anneliese Friese's son, from what he told me, has been friends for over 40 years with a gentleman from the US who gives travel advise (Rick Steves)- This pic is of Anneliese Friese, her son, and Rick Steves

since everyone else was doing selfies with the building in the background :)

The sun setting in Switzerland

In a lot of places, you pay to use the bathroom- this is odd...what if someone does't have money- do they poop just outside the door? (just kidding)

The boys cooking down in their apartment

We have been really conscience of making a homey feeling at our apartment and adding things that are 'bright spots'.
We have kept flowers rotating on our kitchen counter since we arrived- the longer we are gone, the more we are realizing how important it is to create a 'home away from home' here- It is hard not to become homesick (even though we are so thankful that Ryan is receiving much needed treatment)

Herbs on the counter next to the flowers

A lot of the doors around town have wreaths on them- Ours did not.  Just like the flowers in our kitchen being a bright spot, we needed a 'bright spot' on our door......we found the perfect wreath when we were out and about today (hope Ken, our landlord doesn't mind- I was going to nail it up but Matt said not to so I hung it from a door knob in the middle of the door- Everything is real on it, even the small white roses

The swan was checking out my camera....probably thinking it was food!!

Ok my Oregon friends that go to my church- at first glance, who does this woman look like (this pic does not do her justice- in person she really looked like her).  I wanted to run up and give her a spontaneous hug but I could tell she was already weirded out because I was having Matt take her picture.

for another time, another season, another generation

Just after take off, I reached into my purse and pulled out my Bible.  It's the same Bible I've taken on 24 flights with me and the same Bible that, on each of those flights, I write in the margin of Psalm 91 where we are going.  It also has a permanent place in my purse, going with me almost everywhere.  I flipped to Psalm 91 read through it, and then looked for an empty spot in the margin to put the date and our flying destination.  In this particular Bible, Psalm 91 covers the bottom of page 548 and then rolls to the top of page 549.  At the bottom of page 549 was an empty spot.

1/15/16: MFR-FRA 'Lord Jesus please keep us safe'

(My cousin Nicole would read Psalm 91 to and then pray it over her girls when they were small.  After she told me she did this, I looked the chapter up and have used the verses so often and in many situations both in my life and to give encouragement to others.  What a great source of comfort and peace the Lord has given us in these 16 verses.)

As we were getting all the last minute details figured out for our trip to Germany, it crossed my mind that my purse Bible was in too bad of shape to make the trip.  Maybe it should go into the storage bin under my bed where special keep sakes are kept and I should get a new one.  If my Bible was going to 'retire', I knew it would need to be replaced....Since 2005, when the Lord took me through a season of overcoming a 10 year long battle with panic attacks, I have always carried my Bible with me- The Holy Spirit living inside of me and my Bible are my greatest tools in living a life free from a panic disorder.  I have my 'go to' verses that when, life starts getting overwhelming, I read- they are a reminder of God's promised peace over our lives as Christians- and a reminder that no matter what is going on, no matter how scary or big or terrible life seems, God's got it under control and we do not need to fear.

As I took my Bible out of my purse, with the intention to letting it retire, I looked it over and opened it up wondering how long I've had it....

Presented to Stephanie by April on October 3, 2007 (thank you April!!)

It was a birthday gift from a friend while we were both working in youth ministry at our church.  Small Bibles that were decorated cute on the outside were popular and April knew I really wanted one.  For my birthday in 2007, she gave it as a gift.

After looking how long I've had it, I then flipped over to Psalm 91 and read through it- praising and thanking the Lord that we have His Word to read- also thanking the Lord for His peace and presence in the 24 flights written in the margin.  

After this, It just seemed right to bring my tattered worn out Bible on one last trip (as opposed to buying a new one).  It's pages are crumpled and the cover is missing most of the once bright leather.  It has bounced around at the bottom of my purse for eight years....It's been opened at all hours of the night, being read, and has rested many a night under my pillow- I've also written out prayers, beside certain verses, in many of it's margins.  Having the reminder of God's faithfulness, seeing the prayers and reminders written in the margins in this Bible, knowing that this Bible has gone some miles with our family seemed like such a source of comfort when the days get long during the 12 weeks we will be in Germany.

When we get home, I will take it out of my purse (replace it) and tuck it away for another time, another season, for another generation.  My prayer is that someday my grandchildren, great grandchildren, and great great grandchildren will come across a box of keepsakes- that they will open up my Bible's tattered pages and read the words in it's book.  That they will see the prayers written out for not only their parents but for them.  That they will choose to love the Lord and walk faithfully with Him.  That they will trust the Lord even more because of the generations before them that talked about (and wrote about) His faithfulness.  And finally that they would choose to shine Jesus for the generations after them.

sitting at the kitchen table writing this blog post this morning from Germany

'He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.  I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust.  Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare and from the deadly pestilence.  He will cover you with His feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.  I will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.  A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.  You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.  If you make the Most High your dwelling, even the Lord, who is my refuge, then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent  For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.  You will tread upon the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent.  Because he loves me says the Lord, I will rescue him.  I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.  He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.  With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation.'

Psalm 91

switzerland and the shining

The Euro and the Swiss Franc are strong in the currency market right now.  Imagine that the US dollar is the Paso and the Euro and Franc is the US dollar- Our US dollar came to Europe as the underdog.
We wanted to see a bit of Switzerland during the 3 weeks that Matt and Isaiah will be here in Germany.  The Swiss Franc is stronger than the Euro right now so we knew our trip to Switzerland was going to have to be strategically planned.  An affordable hotel would be important- really important.
We were headed to see a castle several hours South East of where we are staying and decided to make our trip to Switzerland an extension of the castle visit.  Switzerland was only 2 hours South of the castle (instead of 5 from Schwabisch Hall).  The decision to see Switzerland was last minute. Once we decided it was a go, I quickly got online to book our Hotel.  I read the first review of the Hotel and it said 'Beautiful View'.  The Hotel was literally a quarter of the price of anything else I could find.
It was late afternoon by the time we finished up with our castle tour and headed into Switzerland.  We were all stoked that it was a sunny afternoon which enabled us to see the scenery.  The road we were on followed the base of the Swiss Alps for most of our trip which made for a beautiful drive.
You've just spent the day at a fairy tale castle
You've followed the Swiss Alps into a picturesque town in Switzerland

just bring the car to a halting stop now and get out.

The sun had gone down as we were entering the town of Lucerne.  The exit we took to get to our Hotel was in a sketchy neighborhood.
'How do you lock the doors in this car' was my first words as we pulled up to a stop light
Our GPS had us take a left turn on a narrow street and start winding up the side of a mountain.  Switzerland has had quite a bit of snow, so, the farther up the mountain we went, the narrower the road got (due to snow pack on the side of the road)- and the farther away from town we got.
'This can't be right' is what Matt kept saying
'The reviews said it was a beautiful view' was my constant response
It's completely dark now
We kept winding around until we saw a dimly lit three story motel (it seemed 'quaint' when we first pulled up).  It was all but vacant when we opened the creaky old wooden door- I was still thinking quaint and beautiful view.....Matt was starting to tell me 'this place is freaking me out'- The boys were  with Matt on the creepy feeling.
The Hotel had a small restaurant- Ellie was tired so I headed up to the room with her and the boys went to the restaurant.
As soon as we got to our room, I walked out onto the balcony and snapped a pic of the view (and then posted it).  Ellie had fallen asleep and I decided to sit on the bed and do a bit more research on our hotel (Matt doesn't get freaked out easily).
As the screen on my computer lit up, loud screeching sounds started coming from the room next door.  It sounded like someone was dying so I went out into the pitch black hall (I learned later that you had to turn on the hall light each time you went into the hall) and stood by the door wondering if the police needed to be called....
It's wasn't the sounds of a hurting person
I'll just leave that right there
Fifteen minutes later, the boys come up the elevator- Matt said they heard what was going on right when they stepped into the hall- They all just sort of looked at each other and busted up laughing...and then were horrified-  Matt walked over to the door and banged on it until there was silence.
That set the tone for the entire night
A run down creepy hotel with paper thin walls that was doubling as a brothel.
The googling had begun- Where were we??
Bedbugs, Dirty, paper thin walls were the reviews
the hotel also kept being referred to 'something you would see on the shining' (which we had never seen)
The boys had their own room just across from us- by 4:00 a.m. I told Matt that we needed to give them something to remember this hotel by (as if they wouldn't already).
I quietly went to their door and scratched on it.....
ahahahahahaaaaaaaa!! I scratched and scratched- long scratches down the door
I went back to our room for a few minutes and then headed back to the boys door (trying hard to contain my laughter)-This time I shook their door knob just a bit....
I heard movement from their room and then I heard Ryan open his knife
I had to shake the knob just a bit more, as I did, Isaiah say's in a firm voice from behind the door 'YA?'
I died laughing and told them it was me.
Isaiah said he had been up most of the night because it sounded like someone was dragging furniture down the hall.  He was awake the first time I scratched on the door (and was freaked out)- He got up Bum's (what he call's Ry- for the longest time we thought the was calling Ryan 'pube's- so we started calling ryan pube's) and they devised a plan of how they would defend themselves if someone tried to come into their room
They were both standing behind the door, ready to pounce when they opened the door for me.

We left at first light- Matt said he saw the people from next door as he was walking out- I told Matt he should have walked by them and made loud obnoxious sounds like Forest did in the movie Forest Gump when his principle walks by him (after being in the house with Forest's mom).
When we drove out and saw the hotel in the light, the peeling paint and run down balcony's, it all started making sense.  The worker from the hotel bending down and pouring warm milk into a cat's bowl was the last view out of the car window.
We headed down into Lucerne and were greeted by strange looking clowns and really expensive EVERYTHING.
We stayed for an hour and then loaded back up into our car, which we had parked in a parking garage under the city.  The machine to get out of the parking garage would not take our credit card so the pile up of cars behind us was GREAT.  There was honking and chaos until the attendant finally came down to the garage and let us go without having to pay.

Good buy Switzerland and thank you for the 'Shining' experience!!

Along with these clowns everywhere were the heads of the clowns hanging from poles- It really was odd!

in 1927, in the town of rothenburg

During the year of 1927, in the town of Rothenburg, Germany, a general store opened.  The store sold all sorts of necessities and was owned and run by the soon to be mother of Anneliese Friese.  

Annelises's mother

Anneliese was born and the store continued as she grew up, she working in it.  Love and marriage carried Anneliese over to America where, her German born husband had taken a job.  He was working along the Snake River in both Idaho and Oregon- He, ambitious to experience life outside of Germany and she willing to follow.  It was not long after he began work that an accident happened, on the job, that took his life.  Anneliese came back to her hometown in Rothenburg, a young widow.  Her late husband had a friend, Mr. Friese, that he had grown up with. Mr. Friese was a cop in their hometown- He and Anneliese fell in love and were married shortly after. 
Anneliese's mom passed away and the general store moved a few blocks down the street to a two story rust colored building with a certain charm that is a staple in the town of Rothenburg....

With the move, the general store changed into a souvenir shop, specializing in Hones Cuckoo Clocks.  During this time, Anneliese took over the shop and had children of her own, two boys.  They grew up working in the shop, much like Anneliese.

Twenty years ago I told Matt that someday we would have either a cuckoo clock or grandfather clock on our wall.  The clock would need to tell a story and have meaning behind it.  In our travels, if the town has had a clock store, we have gone in- one of my favorites is a little clock store that sits just outside of the beach town, Brooking, in Oregon.  

Each house we have moved into (11 total), one of the first things I do is look at the walls in the kitchen and living room and tell Matt were I think a cuckoo clock or grandfather clock would look best- he helps decide the best place.  Though the spot on the wall sits empty, we both know what it is for.

I don't know how you know it's 'the one' but you just know.  It's the moment, the place, the situation, the look, the reminder.

Our grandkids will get to look at our cuckoo clock and hear the story of how once, we were in Germany..........

Anneliese Friese and her son 

P.S. In Rothenburg, there is also a small shop that does wood engraving...I love you mom and I love you sis!!

whether or not

We have been in Schwabisch Hall for one week and one day.  

Nothing has been familiar since touching down in Germany but most everything has been comfortable...somewhat of a paradox and hard to put exactly into words.  
It's been a week of reminders, at least for me personally, how fragile our health is- really, how fragile life is and what little control we have over it.  It's been a reminder that, in an instant, our lives can change and take us on roads we never dreamed we would travel.  
The situation that to us, changes our life in an instant, is to God, a moment He orchestrated before the beginning of time- a situation He has allowed only because He knows the big picture- a picture filled with the promise of his guidance and care for us.  A picture filled with hope that He is taking each situation, both good and bad, and working it out for His glory and our good.  
It was Sunday May 11, 2014 that Ryan was bit by a tick- In that instant, our family's life changed.  When we learned he had contacted Lyme Disease from the bite, we swung hard to make sure he had aggressive treatment.  But God saw fit to let that hard swing be a strike.  For reasons only God knows, He wanted our family to come to Germany.  He wanted Ryan's life to brush up against Andrea's (who has treatment at the same time as him, sitting in a chair not but 6 feet from him 3 times a week- she has been sick for 14 years and has been affected from head to toe by Lyme).  He wanted our family to meet Bettina, Ryan's nurse and Ken (and his wife Claudia) who we rent our apartment from.  The Lord arranged so that we would be here when Rachel, Jonny, and Trey would be going through treatment for Lyme Disease- all people from our home town in Oregon.
Here we are, swinging even harder than we did the first time, seeking the best treatment (we believe) in the world- but the truth is, what we see as a hard swing, is our family following where God already knew we would go- a road He set up for us to travel on long before Ryan was even born.  
Whether Ryan is healed or not from Lyme will ultimately not be up to Matt or I.  Ryan's healing can't be bought, it can't be earned, it can't be manipulated.  This doesn't mean we don't try everything within our power to seek the best treatment available but it does mean that ultimately, Ryan's healing from Lyme will come when God see's fit.  It will come when and if that is what God has chosen as the perfect plan for Ry's life...and for that, like the paradox between Germany being unfamiliar but comfortable, Matt and I are thankful- we are thankful that outcomes ultimately belong to the one that created us- the one that formed us- the one that knows us with such detail, He knows the number of hairs we have on our head....The one who loves us unconditionally.  If we could choose, we would take this trial from Ry and heal him immediately- but we can't, because we don't know the whole story of what God wants to do with this trial.  We don't know the whole story of His plan or what is ultimately best.  He does.
And so we rest in the peace of God's direction, His wisdom, and His love and we begin our second week here in Germany.

May God Bless and Keep you this Sunday and may you feel His loving arms wrapped tightly around you.

Life is But a Weaving 

Corrie Ten Boom's theme poem (The Tapestry Poem)

My life is but a weaving 

Between my God and me. 

I cannot choose the colors 

He weaveth steadily. 

Oft' times He weaveth sorrow; 

And I in foolish pride 

Forget He sees the upper 

And I the underside. 

Not 'til the loom is silent 

And the shuttles cease to fly 

Will God unroll the canvas 

And reveal the reason why. 

The dark threads are as needful 

In the weaver's skillful hand 

As the threads of gold and silver 

In the pattern He has planned 

He knows, He loves, He cares; 

Nothing this truth can dim. 

He gives the very best to those 

Who leave the choice to Him.

switzerland and liechtenstein

Lucerne, Switzerland

Lucerne had these freaky looking statues throughout their city...none of us were a fan of them AT ALL

We stopped by a local dairy farmer- He was just outside of the city in the hills of Lucerne.  He holds up the cow tails with a rope pulley system and milks the cow by hand as he sits behind it.

This was the typical house in the city of Lucerne- very different than a German house

A Swiss license plate

The hotel we stayed at lasts night...beautiful view with dirty accommodations..no bueno

all tired out 

Pronounced Lift-ten-stein'There have been 15 monarchs of the Principality of Liechtenstein. The current Prince of Liechtenstein is Hans-Adam II. The prince has reigned since 13 November 1989.'  Below is where the prince and his family live.  I would also like to add a side note to anyone else who ever gets a hankering to visit Liechtenstein...It is the most expensive place we have ever been to- Matt's McDonald's meal deal was $18.  You were charged $2. for a Ketchup packet.  It was beautiful to see though!

The swiss Alps gave us a beautiful farewell on our way back to Germany this afternoon

And lastly, the picture below is for Isaiah's family (and for his girlfriend Anaiah- who he was FaceTiming with when I took this picture)