Christmas in Germany is a Blast!

The Christmas season has come and gone, but the memories of it will remain.  The Christmas markets are beyond words.  There is food, fun, unique "stuff" to look at (and sometimes buy...:o) and an overall giddy feeling for the spirit of Christmas.

This is not the only Christmas market.  Many cities in Germany will have a Christmas market and each one is unique.  Each one is a Christmas wonderland.

Here we are beginning a new adventure.
It is our first look at a Christmas market in Frankfurt, Germany.

Even Santa comes to the Christmas markets.

Sampling the fine cuisine...

Here we are eating fried potato pancakes with
a big scoop of applesauce to dip it in.  It is so yummy.

Everything is dipped in chocolate in this wonderland.  Here is a skewer with fresh raspberries covered in chocolate.  Oh yum.

Get a look at that pretzel!!  Have you ever seen anything like it? 

We are warming-up with a cup of warm"kinder punch"
(children's punch).  It has the same spices as wassail or
apple cider, but instead of apples, grape juice is used.

My favorite...the Christmas stars.

At Christmas time people hang these stars
 in the windows of their homes or
 on the top of Christmas trees.

It wouldn't be a Christmas market without ornaments for the tree.

Eye candy

Here it is...gingerbread...this makes the journey complete :o)

Can't wait until next year so we can do it all over again!!

Dr. Who Mania

We had the opportunity to go see the Dr. Who special in the movie theater in Frankfurt.  It was definitely a cultural experience.

A picture is worth a thousand words....

After riding the train - this is our stop.  We are walking through
the train station on the way to the theater.

On the way we meet many Dr. Who fans
heading in the same direction...
and, yes, the dresses are bigger on the inside.

Just having fun waiting in the lobby.

Wearing the "special" glasses.
(Only cool people wear those.)

After the movie...the plot no longer a mystery...or is it?

Never leave home without it.  What is it?
Your sonic screwdriver, of course!

Ivan Becomes a Deacon - Wooo Hooo!!!!!

The day has finally arrived...hard to believe, but Ivan can pass the sacrament now!  He was ordained a deacon in our ward.  It was so great to see him passing the sacrament.  Jay was asked to pass the sacrament with him.  My two favorite guys, so awesome.

In case you didn't know, the sacrament is always passed to the bishop of the ward first.  So, the one that passes to the bishop has to begin it all and go in front of the whole congregation.  Yes, you guessed it.  They had Ivan do that.  He did a great job.  I'm so proud of him. 

Of course, I can't take a picture during the sacred time of partaking the sacrament, but I did get a family picture outside on the day he first passed it so I'll share that with you.  

Night at the Grammys

I have a whole lot of catching up to do....so, I'll begin with Grammy Night for Young Women and Men in our Frankfurt Stake.  All I can say is: "Wow!"  The leaders really outdid themselves with this evening.  They really wanted the youth to feel special and ... I'm sure it worked ;o)

It was a special night for the youth.  The parents and family came as sideline observers while the youth were the "celebrities!"  They were served a wonderful gourmet meal on beautifully decorated tables.  They were served by adults dressed as waiters.

A couple months before this event, each ward's youth group wrote a movie "short" and recorded it.  At the Grammys we got to watch all the movies.  I must say that it was great fun to see what each group came up with.  They got to choose their own themes - you can imagine the variety.

Emily's group wrote a news report that involved various incidences.  Emily acted the role of being interviewed during an investigation of someone stealing a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken (long story, but cute ending).

In case you are wondering, yes, each group won a Grammy!! (or - a plastic look-a-like :o)  Emily's group won for being the best edited.

Without further ado, here are the sparse and perhaps not so great pictures I took of the evening.  Can you believe I didn't get a single picture of Emily?  So disappointing.

The cutest boy at the Grammys!!

Thrift Store Shopping in Frankfurt

The kids had Thursday and Friday off from school (Fall Break #2).  Jay took these days off work so we could go shopping.  We hit 4 stores in two days.  Did I mention they were thrift stores?  We didn't have a ton of luck (no nice European second-hand clothes), but boy it was interesting to explore what was there.

These pictures are from the thrift stores next to the Harley Davidson Factory (yes, you read that right...Harley Davidson Factory.)

Entry into the big thrift store warehouse....brrrrr....no climate control here!!!

Interesting items to be found outside the thrift store, too :o)

Having a look around at all the treasures - kind of looks like the inside of our house!

Found...chess pieces!

wooden sleds and an old spinning wheel

Ummmmm....not sure, but interesting to look at

This is my personal favorite.  A table on wheels with cup holders.  So awesome....but what would I do with it?...seriously!

Keg Man

Old sewing machine...what do you think?  Should I go back and buy it?

Another not-so-old machine

Saying "good-bye" to our friends.

What was purchased?  A stack of old Miles Davis CD's, a stamp collector's book full of stamps from everywhere (and just in time for Ivan to work on the stamp collecting merit badge!) and....drum roll please....an incredible sewing kit!  Wooo hoo!!!  Well, so much for finding clothes and staying warm.

Here is our new sewing kit in all its glory!  Don't you love thrift stores?

Ivan's Priesthood Preview

It is so crazy for me to sit back and realize that my son will soon be old enough to be ordained a deacon in the priesthood.  Wow!  Where has the time gone?

The Frankfurt Stake had a wonderful evening planned for all the boys about to turn 12.  (Ivan turns 12 on November 24th!)  There were a lot of families at the Priesthood Preview meeting.  First we all met in the chapel.  (There was a small group of us who were English speakers only and so a very nice lady sat near us and translated the meeting for us.)  After the welcome and introduction the boys and their families were divided up into 3 groups.  Each group met in separate classrooms.  In each classroom there was a teacher that taught an aspect of the holy priesthood.  One room (actually this one was appropriately held in the chapel where the sacrament is passed) was the discussion of the sacrament, what it means and what it means to be able to bless and pass the sacrament.  One classroom was taught the history of the priesthood and it's restoration through the prophet Joseph Smith.  Forgive me, but I don't remember what was taught in the 3rd classroom.  Please keep in mind that this was all done in German.  At this point, the parents were allowed to be in the class, but we took a backseat so the boys could all sit together.  Ivan (and one other boy in our group) had the nice lady sit with them, but we were too far away to hear.

The stake Primary President spoke in the meeting.  Her talk was very good.  I could tell how much she loves the children and these boys who will soon be leaving primary.  Her own son also happened to be among the boys turning 12.  At the conclusion of the evening, everyone was served a brownie and some ice cream.  Also, the primary president gave a gift to each boy.  It was a framed picture of a scripture and picture of a boy wearing the whole armor of God.  She also gave the boys these little flashlights to remind them to follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost.

Here are a few pictures from the evening:

Ivan received this beautiful invitation in the mail to attend the Priesthood Preview on November 15, 2013.

Ivan with stake Primary President.

Treats at the end of a great meeting!

Guitar Cemetery

I had the privilege of visiting the guitar cemetery with Jay today.  About a year or more ago he bought a resonator guitar here when he flew to Frankfurt for a TDY (we were living in Jerusalem at the time).  

He told me all about this place over the phone.  Who would have thought I would be seeing it first hand later?  Well, it wasn't anything what I imagined.  

Have a look:

Enter the cemetery with caution.

These have seen better days.

Note the casualties of Rock, Blues, and Jazz (to name a few).

A Moment of Silence.....

Seeing some hope here.

One of these ought to do.

Found a heart beat.

Can definitely apply CPR to this one.

CPR

Exiting the guitar cemetery.

Adopted...one broken guitar!