Blessings Abound

Moving...

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the blog ;)

find us at: lukeandtamra.wordpress.com

decided it was time for a new look and even purpose for the blog. still very much a work in progress. have patience...

First trip to "The K"

2011-09-26T20:45:00.000+02:00

We went to a Royals game at the end of August and it was all 3 of our kids' first time to a Royals game. Fortunately the Hollands came along to show us how it's done. :)

Highlights From Summer

2011-09-22T04:36:00.000+02:00

I have done a horrible job of updating this blog so here are the highlights from our very hot summer! We spent a lot of time indoors, which really was just as well because this momma was not really up for the task of taking three kids under 3 out on her own!

BabySis trying out BigSis's new bed that we used while potty training (which was a huge success!)

Some sister bonding time

BigSis trying on one of my birthday gifts...if only I could be as stylish as her!

We did manage to get BigSis potty trained this summer. Hip hip hooray!!!

A trip to Grandpa & Grandma Call's "Little Farm"

(affectionately named so by BigSis)

BigSis & BigBrother LOVED the petting zoo put on by some of

Grandpa & Grandma's friends

BigSis riding on the donkey. I told BigSis to tell "him" thank you after her ride, she looked at me funny and then got down to eye level with the donkey and told him "thank you!" Not what I was thinking but I guess he is the one that had carried her on his back. :)

BigBrother loved riding the donkey

But I think he loved all of Grandpa's tractors even more!

A proud Grandpa!

BigSis loved helping Grandma out in the kitchen

Visit to the Children's Garden at Botanica

Reading a story with the Hungry Caterpillar

These days...

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are consumed with these beautiful faces...

BigSis...our little diva!
full of energy & imagination.
now potty-trained. hip hip hooray!
loves to cook up all sorts of goodies in her kitchen.
seems to be transitioning quite well into her role as BigSister...a natural (including bossing around her younger siblings) :)

BigBrother...our curious guy!
loves knocking down towers (if you're quick enough to get it built!)
gives great hugs...even to his sisters
will melt your heart with that grin and those dimples

BabySis...sweet, sweet baby!

loves to coo and grin

lights up whenever her BigSis or BigBrother are around

that sweet grin brightens my day when the days are long (and the toddlers are cranky) :)

We're continuing to adjust to life with 3 kids. I'm continuing to learn what it means to find my strength in the Lord and not myself. Learning more about these sweet kids' personalities everyday and praying we can parent them well.

One Day at a Time

2011-06-30T05:31:00.000+02:00

This is quickly becoming my motto. :) I have been intending to update this blog for at least two weeks now (we've been a family of five for 4 weeks already)...but am just now getting around to it. I'm sure you're all wondering what I've been doing to waste away all the free time I have now that I'm done with grad school. I had great plans of using all this new free time to deep clean and organize my house, work on some sewing projects, go to story hour at the library with Brece, enjoy the summer weather with playdates at the park...you get the idea. Somehow, along with not updating the blog, most of those things haven't happened either. Oh well! The house is sort of clean (some of the time) and I did make it story hour once with two toddlers in tow. The last four weeks have definitely been consumed with adjusting to life as a family of five. All in all things have gone pretty well. It has been a huge adjustment for all of us and we've all had our moments (adults included) but each day we are learning more about the kids' personalities and they seem to be adjusting really well to us. We've had lots of great help...people have come to stay with us, we've had lots of meals brought to us, and lots of other needs met. I'm also learning to trust that God will give me strength for the day at hand...and trying to learn to not worry about tomorrow or the next day. Definitely much easier said than done! So thankful for His grace and faithfulness!

I will try to upload some videos and/or pictures soon!

We're expecting...

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two kiddos...not twins...and I'm not pregnant, but there is a sibling pair that is moving in with us on May 31st! :) We're excited, overwhelmed, scared, happy, and a host of other emotions. We've known this was a good possibility for a few weeks and the kids (a 17 month old boy & 5 month old girl) were able to come and spend a couple of days with us last week. We really enjoyed getting to know them a little bit and Brece has been asking ever since they left where they went and when they're coming back. We are fostering to adopt and have already started the process to adopt them. Yikes! This wasn't supposed to happen this fast...but God's timing has been very evident to us throughout this entire process and we are excited to see the rest of His plan unfold for these two precious children and our family...with 3 kids two and under. We'd love your prayers! ;)

Blessings Abound

2011-04-29T21:57:00.000+02:00

When I first chose the title for this blog I was overcome by the blessings from the Lord throughout our lives but specifically in the gift of marriage he had given us, which was soon followed by the blessing of Brece. I think that "Blessings Abound" may be about to take on a whole new meaning in our lives...

Many of you already know that Luke and I have felt the Lord calling us to care for kids in foster care. We had talked about our desire to adopt children before we were even married, but last fall the Lord really started to place a burden on our hearts and we started specifically praying that the Lord would reveal his will and timing for us in this. The more we prayed about it the more the Lord confirmed in our hearts that he wanted us to care for children who are in the foster care system. There are so many scriptures and thoughts that we've had over the past several months...I'd like to share just a few of them with you.

I think one of the most compelling reasons for our desire to adopt children is that the Lord has adopted us into his family. And he did not adopt us as his children because we had anything to offer him...we were dead in sin, his enemies...yet he called us to himself and redeemed us.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace,

with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.

~Ephesians 1:3-6

Luke and I both feel very blessed to have been born to families that loved us and cared for us from the time we were born. Neither of us experienced much loss or heartbreak as children and we both were surrounded by families and extended families that poured a lot of love into our lives. I recently reflected on this as I read the parable of the talents and that to whom much is given much is expected. Who are we to keep these blessings to ourselves. The Lord has abundantly blessed us and it is out of this abundance that we hope we can give to the children he brings into our lives.

The Scriptures are also very clear (James 1:27) about the church's responsibility to care for the orphans. We believe that as God's family we are all called to care for the orphan but that this looks different for different people. Over the past several months the Lord has continued to burden our hearts to specifically care for and/or adopt children in foster care. We had to take some classes this winter to prepare to do foster care and one thing that we were really struck was the responsibility that foster parents have, not only to the children in their home, but to the birth parents as well. We have been talking for a long time about what it means to minister to those that are hurting. We've been involved in different ministries or donated to different things, and while those things are all very good, it can allow us to keep a certain distance from those that are hurting. We feel that the Lord calls us to enter into a relationship with those that are hurting, walk alongside of them, and invite them into our home. It is our hope and prayer that we will be able to do this with the families the Lord brings into our home.

We know that this will be a difficult road at times with many unexpected challenges. But it is our prayer, that by God's grace we will learn to love these children and their families well and surrender ourselves to his will. We know that many of these children have been hurt deeply and it is our prayer that the Lord will bring healing to their broken lives and hearts. It is only in Him that we are all redeemed and healed. As I recently read Brece the story of David and Goliath I was struck by the verse "for the battle is the Lord's"...we enter into this with the confidence that this is his battle and he will heal the brokenhearted. We pray that we can give all of ourselves to him and that he will work through us for His glory alone. I heard this song (scroll to the bottom of the blog post from the link to play it) on the radio yesterday and I think it really sums up what we're feeling right now...we definitely have fears about what may come but our prayer is that we will not build walls to protect ourselves but rather we will love God's precious children recklessly and that we will learn to trust in the Lord, empty ourselves to him, and know that he is the one who will bring healing to all of us.

Finally, we are claiming this Scripture as a prayer for the families the Lord brings into our lives as we enter into what we believe God has called us to do...

Is not this the fast that I choose:

to loose the bonds of wickedness,

to undo the straps of the yoke,

to let the oppressed go free,

and to break every yoke?

Is it not to share your bread with the hungry

and bring the homeless poor into your house;

when you see the naked, to cover him,

and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?

Then shall your light break forth like the dawn,

and your healing shall spring up speedily;

your righteousness shall go before you;

the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.

Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;

you shall cry, and he will say, 'Here I am.'

If you take away the yoke from your midst,

the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,

if you pour yourself out for the hungry

and satisfy the desire of the afflicted,

then shall your light rise in the darkness

and your gloom be as the noonday.

And the Lord will guide you continually

and satisfy your desire in scorched places

and make your bones strong;

and you shall be like a watered garden,

like a spring of water,

whose waters do not fail.

And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt;

you shall raise up the foundations of many generations;

you shall be called the repairer of the breach,

the restorer of streets to dwell in.

~Isaiah 58:6-12

We {HEART} Our Cousins

2011-04-20T04:56:00.000+02:00

In the last 2 weeks Brece has gotten to spend time with all 3 of her cousins. Much fun was had by all! Sure makes us wish we all lived closer and could see them more often!

Brece & Josiah enjoyed hunting for eggs...well, Josiah enjoyed hunting for eggs & Brece had fun walking around with her basket looking at various things in the yard.

Dance party to "Wheels on the Bus"

Celebration!

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I passed my oral comprehensive exam last week for my Master's degree (what a relief!). We celebrated with the Hollands by going out to Oklahoma Joe's (how I miss good KC BBQ!) and then to the Cheesecake Factory for some dessert.

Brece LOVED the cheesecake. (haven't really found any foods she doesn't love... ;))

Keziah couldn't get enough of the whipped cream topping

Thanks for letting us stay with you and for celebrating with us Hollands!

Our Big Helper

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Brece loves to mop the floor

Look at that stack of dishes she washed!

Making sure the counter is nice & clean

Brece loves to play in the dirt & plant things with Grandpa

Josiah & Grandma came to visit!

Brece's first tea party

Brece loves...

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1. Eating (& hamming it up for the camera)
cupcakes + spaghetti = very messy brece!
2. "K-State Willie"
It doesn't get much better than watching Willie the Wildcat live while eating a giant cookie!
3. Painting & coloring
Brece tried finger painting for the first time today and loved it! She's quite the artist!

Joyous Celebration!

2011-01-14T03:14:00.005+01:00

Brece's cousin, Josiah, had a birthday in early December so she was well aware of what goes along with a birthday...presents and CAKE! She eagerly anticipated celebrating Jesus' birthday and getting to eat some cake to celebrate. We had a great time celebrating Christmas with both of our families and as our own little family of 3.
Christmas Eve at Grandpa & Grandma Radatz's with cousins, Adiella & Keziah
Michelle and I tried a snowflake and shaving cream craft with the girls. They weren't too thrilled about putting their hands in shaving cream. Brece kept saying "messy" and scrunching up her face. Oh well...we had fun trying
We had the pleasure of having a family from Indonesia for breakfast Christmas Eve day that we spent a few days with while we were visiting Caleb in Indonesia a couple years ago.
Brece checking out her new table and chairs. Playing with play-dough and coloring at this table are two of her favorite activities now...and then baking the play-dough cookies in her new kitchen that Grandpa Radatz made.
Daddy picked out and bought these sunglasses all on his own. Brece thought they were "stylin" and loves walking around with them on top of her head.
We met the Calls in Manhattan for a K-State basketball game and then celebrated Christmas on New Years
Brece checking out all the cool stuff Grandma Call made her, including an oven mit, apron, and potholders to use with her new kitchen and a new purse.
Josiah and Brece had fun helping everyone open their gifts. They were both gift-opening experts by the time it was all said and done!

Celebrate!

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Celebrating the end of the semester (and last.class.ever!! just 1 clinical to go!) with Skoops milkshakes...doesn't get much sweeter than this! :)

Playing with the nativity...what a sweet gift from a dear friend!

Pumpkin Patch

2010-11-11T20:09:00.003+01:00

We went to the pumpkin patch several weeks ago, but I'm just now getting around to posting some pics...

"I'll take this one!"
Playing in the straw
Brece's first pony ride...she preferred to ride "no hands" :)
Brece loved the tunnel slide...Daddy's tailbone did not (he's such a good sport!)

Our little care bear

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Dancing!

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Redding Wedding

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On Saturday we were in Manhattan for my cousin's wedding. Brece, Adie, and even Keziah had fun dancing the night away! The girls managed to get the entire Radatz family out on the dance floor...not a small feat...they must have a strong pull on all of us!Adie and Brece love to dance...and hang out together!

Pretty sure this girl's got more rhythm than either of her parents!

Even Grandpa got in on the dancing :)

Isn't she cute?!

The Hollands cuttin' a rug...

Check back later for a video... :)

Happy Dance

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Getting warmed up for the wedding we're going to this weekend. Brece can't wait to dance the night away with her cousin, Adie.

Bookworm

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Brece's favorite thing to do lately...Another favorite activity...especially when Daddy was in Australia last week

Demolition!

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Daddy's little girl...and one step closer to putting in our new hardwood floor!

Lori's Wedding

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Last weekend we took a road trip to Bettendorf, Iowa for Luke's cousin's wedding. We had a great time with family!

Brece is 1!

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A Trip to the Zoo

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A day at the zoo with Aunt Michelle, Adiella, Keziah, Aunt Heidi, Josiah, and Mandy. A great time was had by all!

Finger Painting!

2010-06-01T20:58:00.004+02:00

Last week we let Brece finger paint with chocolate pudding. She thought it was great fun! I'm not sure which she enjoyed more, "painting" or just seeing how much pudding she could get on her little fingers before she put them in her mouth.

yum...this stuff is delicious!

"all done!"

10 Months & Into Everything!

2010-04-30T15:41:00.002+02:00

It's hard to believe Brece's first birthday is quickly approaching. She's crawling all over and having fun exploring. She's especially good at opening cabinet doors and draws and "reorganizing" for me. It's fun to watch her learning so many new things!

Photo of the Day

2010-03-17T02:16:00.003+01:00

I was cooking dinner tonight and heard Brece kind of grunting like she was stuck or trying to pull up on something. When I walked into the living room this is what I found...Guess she was excited to see the sun again and wanted to catch some rays!

Chinese New Year

2010-02-28T03:38:00.004+01:00

Two weeks ago we celebrated the Chinese New Year with some friends in Wichita. Our friend is from China and works with Luke. He and his wife gave Brece this outfit after she was born and it actually fit for her to wear to the New Year celebration. Too cute! We enjoyed some Chinese food, traditional Chinese dancing and other performances with them.

Unredeemed

2010-02-19T16:45:00.003+01:00

A friend of mine posted this on her blog. What a powerful song. I've been reading through Hosea and it has reminded me of just how faithful the Lord is to pursue us, even if we're not pursuing Him. I'm so thankful He doesn't leave us "unredeemed".

An Unforgettable Trip

2010-02-08T21:25:00.004+01:00

On Wednesday Brece and I flew to Colorado Springs to spend a few days with one of my good friends, Jillian, and help her out while her husband is out of town for work. She has two kids, a 2 yr old girl and 6 month old baby boy, so we didn't have any great expectations for our time, except to just hang out and enjoy each others company. Well, we've gotten much more than we bargained for! Thursday morning Jillian was awoken early in the morning, not by a crying child, but the stomach flu. And it was one nasty bug! Jillian was really only able to make it out of bed on Thursday to get to the bathroom and a quick trip to a nearby urgent care to get some IV fluids and some Zofran (anti-nausea medication). So the three kids and I spent the day hanging out. The kids did great, especially considering their ages, but what an exhausting day! Friday Jillian felt a tiny bit better, but still spent as much of the day as she could trying to sleep and recover from this nasty bug. Friday evening she was starting to feel better but things did not stay calm for long...I'm not exactly sure what happened, but the glass I was drinking from broke on the side table I was setting it on and in the process of trying to catch it I gashed my hand. I immediately felt a cut on the tip of my finger but looked down to see a huge gash in the palm of my hand with my tendon clearly exposed. This was going to take more than just a band-aid! So Jillian called the local urgent care and they were open for 30 more minutes. So I drove myself the couple of blocks and Jillian watched all 3 kids while they stitched up my hand. What a deal! Thankfully, our weekend has been a little less eventful, but Jillian has continued to fight the flu bug and I've tried to figure out how to take care of an 8 month old and help Jillian with just one hand. Both of our husbands are flying in tonight...Jillian's is returning from his trip for work and Luke is coming to help me fly home with Brece. We are anxiously awaiting their arrival!!

Despite the excitement we're thankful...
*I was here to help Jillian while she was sick
*That the urgent care is so close to her house! :)
*That the cut on my hand was not any deeper...they told me a fraction of a mm deeper and I would've needed hand surgery on the tendon...not sure how we would've managed that!
*That the urgent care was still open, took my insurance, and it was not the kids' bedtime.
*It was my left hand and not my right hand...I would've really been handicapped then!
*For the memories of the week that I'm sure we'll look back on and laugh at someday! :)

It's basketball season!

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Christmas with the Call's

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Getting ready to play in the snow with Josiah...neither of us were too excited about our sled rides though.Josiah and I had a lot of fun playing and sharing Grandma's toys.
Hanging out with cousin Mandy
Hanging out with cousin Jackie
Hanging out with Aunt Cindy

Christmas with the Radatz's

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Meeting mom's good friend Ashley before the Christmas celebrations begin.
Brece loved chewing all her presents this year
Reading a book with Adie, Aunt Michelle & Uncle Jacob
Playing with Grandma & Grandpa Radatz

Brece's 1st Christmas

2010-01-03T03:52:00.002+01:00

We celebrated our first Christmas with our small family on the eve of Christmas eve...before all the other family celebrations started. We had a nice dinner and exchanged some gifts...none compared to the gift we received in Brece this year! We really enjoyed celebrating with our new little family!
Brece enjoyed "tasting" all of her gifts!

Playing with the paper was more fun than the toys!

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Family & Friends,

Christmas has come once again, and it's time to write the annual Christmas letter, to share what has gone on in the last year for us. (I say annual Christmas letter, but I think this is the first one I have ever written. ~Luke) Looking over the last year, we realize just how blessed we are. We are blessed to have the friends and family we do. We are blessed to have had some of the opportunities that we have had over the past year. We are blessed that Jesus Christ came to earth, and paid the penalty for our sin.

One of the biggest blessings we received this year was the birth of our daughter Brece Anne. She was born on June 12. She was born with a full head of curly hair. She was a larger baby at 9 lbs 12 oz and at 6 months old she is still big for her age. As with all first time parents, we have had our ups and downs, and we are beginning to learn about who this little person is. We are pretty sure that she will be a strong willed little girl, who knows what she wants and is not afraid to ask for it. She already loves to talk. We can't get enough of her hugs and kisses that she loves to give out. For us, her smile lights up the room.

Another change for us was moving to Hesston. After spending our first year of marriage in Germany it was time to move back closer to family before Brece's birth. We left Germany at the end of March, and moved into a house in Hesston. The winter had been very grey and snowy, and Tamra was ready for the Kansas weather again. She used to really like snow, but after walking to the store nearly daily while being pregnant was enough to make her tired of the snow. We have really enjoyed living in Hesston. It is a nice town that is close to family. We enjoyed being away for our first year of marriage, but we were ready to be closer to family and friends again. I don't think that the Grandparents would have liked me too much if we would have stayed in Germany to have Brece.

Tamra is currently staying home with Brece, and making our house into a wonderful home. She continues to work on her master's in Public Health Nursing. She is nearing the end of the class work, and plans to finish in Spring 2011. She also enjoys spending time with other women from the area who have babies that are about the same age as Brece.

After working for 2 years in Germany, it was a bit of an adjustment for me to work here. The pace in Germany was much slower and more methodical than the office here. Besides work and spending thime with Brece and Tamra, I have taken up smoking -- smoking meat that is. The first try was a big disaster, but it has gotten better since then. (At least I think so, and Tamra does not complain.) Absolutely not complaining...it's all been delicious...well, except the first try...and it's a meal I don't have to cook. Can't beat that! ~Tamra

We thank God for what He has done in our lives. We have been placed in amazing families who love, serve and support us. We have been blessed with friends that care for and encourage us. We have met people in Hesston who have befriended us. We have a God who is on His throne in heaven, and whose plans are not changed.

We wish you a Merry Christmas, and a blessed New Year.
~The Calls

Thanksgiving

2009-12-10T04:47:00.005+01:00

Sorry I'm so slow in posting...but hopefully late is better than never! :) We had a great Thanksgiving holiday with both of our families this year. Luke's Grandpa passed away the weekend before Thanksgiving and since the funeral was not too far from Hesston, we ended up having the Call family stay at our house for Thanksgiving. It was sad to lose his Grandpa but he left behind a legacy of faith, honesty and integrity and he was anxious to go home and be with his wife and Savior. We are thankful for the legacy of faith he passed down to our family and will always remember his smile and how he especially beamed when holding his great-grandchildren.

A photo from this summer

A few pictures from Thanksgiving...

Luke smoked our turkey and it was delicious!!

Carving it was a 2 person job!

Uncle Caleb & Brece

The Fam!

First Bites

2009-11-18T20:23:00.003+01:00

Last week Brece turned 5 months old and we celebrated by letting her try some cereal. She seemed to like it although she has become more unsure about it.

Rollin' & Talkin'

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Brece learning to roll over. I think we may have a strong-willed girl on our hands!

She can now roll from one end of a room to the other...although she definitely prefers one direction. So far this is as much as I've gotten on camera.

Practicing for the game on Saturday...gotta train her right!

And last, but not least...our little ladybug on Halloween.

Dressed in Sunday Best

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Sometimes (or a lot of times) I just can't resist snapping some pictures of our little cutie! :) She has started rolling over this week so hopefully I'll catch her on video soon and be able to post that!

Eat em up, KSU!

2009-10-18T22:30:00.009+02:00

Saturday we headed to Manhattan to watch the Cats take on Texas A&M. This was Brece's first KSU football experience...complete with tailgating. She did great and we all had a lot of fun watching the Cats thump A&M.

A beautiful sunset during the game...it was a perfect fall evening!

Brece tailgating with Great-grandpa Radatz & Grandpa Call
Tailgating with our "crazy" (about KSU that is!) Aunt Kathy!
Grandma Radatz helping Brece fall asleep to rest up and be ready for the game!
Our first family photo at a KSU football game
Brece enjoyed snuggling up in the Sleepy Wrap (which we LOVE!)

Leavin On A Jet Plane

2009-10-05T18:22:00.004+02:00

This past month has been full of traveling for us! Labor day weekend we had planned to drive to Minnesota with Jacob, Michelle & Adie but after a last minute change in plans we ended up in Colorado instead. We had a great time visiting several friends in Colorado and Brece did great traveling in the car. The day after we got back Luke flew out for a 2 week business trip to Europe. While he was gone Brece and I spent some time in KC visiting friends and family. Luke flew into Wichita on a Tuesday but there was no time for him to rest as we flew out to Michigan the next day for a wedding. A friend of mine that I have known since 2nd grade got married in Grand Rapids. It was a gorgeous wedding and we had a great time! Once again Brece was a great traveler and did really well on her first flying experience...for which we were thankful as I'm sure everyone else on the plane was as well!

Brece excited to start on our road trip to Colorado!

Family picture at Glen Eyrie in Colorado Springs
Playing with cousins Josiah & Adie
Brece's first flight

Brad & Michelle's wedding in Grand Rapids

Giggles

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Last Thursday Brece laughed for me for the first time. We've been trying to catch it on camera since and succeeded tonight!

Call Family Staycation

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Instead of embarking on a trip with two little ones, the Calls opted for a staycation this summer. It was a fun-filled weekend on the farm! Here are a few highlights from the weekend!

Hanging out with Great-Grandpa Pankratz

Playing with cousin Josiah...
...he even shared his toys with me
Slip 'n slide!! (in the front yard...I'm sure people thought we were crazy!)
Luke gave great pushes to keep us sliding!
Slip 'n slide train...maybe not our best idea...

Caleb showing us how to play Taspony...a game he brought back from Indonesia
Charles & Laura...I'm pretty sure Laura won this match!
Joel & Luke in a fierce match!
Heidi & I showing off our Taspony skills

A few pictures

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Hanging out with Daddy...one of my favorite things to do!
Aunt Heidi
Mom's friend, Wendy
My first bridal shower & hanging out with the lovely bride-to-be!
Meeting Aunt Eleanor & Uncle Joel
Meeting Uncle Caleb

Meeting Family

2009-07-02T01:14:00.011+02:00

Brece has been able to meet several family members over the past two weeks. She met Grandpa & Grandma Call, Great-Grandpa Pankratz, Uncle Josiah, Aunt Heidi, and cousin Josiah on Father's Day weekend. We had a great time! She also got to meet several people from the Gruenbacher side on Father's Day and mom's cousin Liz and little Caden last week. She can't wait to play with all her cousins when she's a little older!

Grandma CallGrandpa CallGreat-Grandpa GruenbacherBrece's second cousin, Caden
My dad & Uncle Jeff's first Father's Day & cousin Josiah
Uncle JeffGreat-Grandpa Pankratz

One Week Old

2009-06-20T00:18:00.004+02:00

Here are some pictures from Brece's first week! She is a great baby...eating well and sleeping for 6 hours at night. What a blessing! Brece is looking forward to meeting Grandpa & Grandma Call and Aunt Heidi, Uncle Jeff & cousin Josiah this weekend!

A proud Great-Grandpa Radatz
Grandpa & Grandma Radatz
All dressed up and ready to go home from the hospital
Meeting Aunt Michelle & cousin Adie

It's a Girl!

2009-06-13T21:45:00.004+02:00

Brece (prounounced Bree-cee) Anne Call was born June 12th at 6:24 pm. She weighed in at 9 lbs 12 oz and is 20.5 inches long. She has lots of curly brown hair (with blond highlights) and is absolutely beautiful! Everything went really well and we couldn't be prouder parents of our new baby girl!

One of the nurses made this hat for me...too cute!
What a BIG girl!
Right after delivery.

Sneek Peak

2009-05-17T20:54:00.003+02:00

We're making progress on getting things ready for the baby's arrival. I finally felt inspired this last week and got some decorating done in the nursery...curtains are hung and I made a few things to hang on the walls (you can sort of see them in the picture above). There's one last thing that I want to make but need to know the baby's name first...so it'll have to wait until after the baby...as well as more pictures of the nursery. :) I had some fairly regular contractions one day last week and decided that was as good a time as any to get my bag packed for the hospital. So now we're just waiting to see when CJ will make his/her arrival!

Home Sweet Home

2009-04-21T03:02:00.004+02:00

Luke and I have really enjoyed getting settled back into life in Kansas. Thanks to lots of hard work from our families, all our stuff was moved and our walls were painted when we arrived home from Germany, so it's been pretty easy to get settled in to our new house in Hesston. We've really enjoyed being able to spend time with family in our first few weeks home. The first weekend home we were able to spend a Saturday with Luke's parents and brothers and then went to KC for Adie's dedication. Easter Sunday we tried a church in Hesston and then joined the Radatz's for an Easter lunch. Of course all the pictures have one particular little girl in them! :) Now we just need to see our nephew (and his parents too, of course)!

Adie before her dedication.

Adie on Easter Sunday (and CJ too!)

Adie playing with Uncle Brad

Last days in Deutschland

2009-04-04T00:05:00.004+02:00

My parents and brothers came to visit a couple of weeks before we left Germany. Here are some pictures from their visit! I've also updated the belly shots slide show. We're happy to be back in Kansas and getting settled into our house. I'll post some pictures once we're a little more "settled".Holocaust memorial in Berlin.

Ishtar Gate from Babylon from 6th century BC.

Brandenburg Gate in Berlin.

Remnant of the Berlin Wall.

Family photo on our way up to see Hohenschwangau Castle in Fussen.

Schnee!

2009-02-26T11:27:00.006+01:00

Over the past 3 weeks we've had more snow than I've ever seen living in Kansas! It has snowed nearly every day for the past 3 weeks and we had one day last week where we probably got 8 inches. Crazy! I think we got another 2-3 inches on Monday and again on Tuesday this week. They do a really good job of cleaning the streets here and a pretty good job of cleaning the sidewalks...especially considering all the snow! But with the sidewalks there ends up being a HUGE pile of snow (3-4 ft high in places) that lines the sidewalk and makes it really tricky if you need to cross the street or change sidewalks! Today I found out what they do to fix this problem...

Tractor shooting snow into the back of the truck.

The view from our apartment Tuesday morning.

The view from our apartment last Tuesday.

We also had our last doctor's appointment in Germany this week, which is a little hard to believe. Things continue to go well and I can't believe how much CJ is growing...and that CJ will continue to get bigger over the next 13 weeks! I'll try and update the belly shots tonight so you can see his/her progress. :) After all this snow we're really looking forward to getting back to Kansas in time for some nice spring weather and some spring thunderstorms (which they don't get here)!

Good friends & a quick update

2009-02-14T09:33:00.004+01:00

Just a quick update...last week Luke had to travel to Atlanta, GA for work and I really wasn't looking forward to spending a week in Marktoberdorf, Germany by myself. Even though I've been here for almost a year now my German is definitely not conversational and I don't know many people (outside of our German class) in our small town. We've made some good friends in Munich, but it takes at least 1.5 hours to get there...so not easy to do more than once or twice a week. But Luke had the great idea that I use a travel voucher we had gotten on one of our trips back to the States to visit one of my best friends in Colorado Springs. I had not seen her (or her baby, Kaiya) since our wedding. So Luke and I were able to fly to Washington DC together and then he went on to Atlanta and I flew to Colorado. I had a great time with the Pettus family and was really blessed to get to spend some time with a good friend!

Things continue to go well in my pregnancy...I've updated the "Belly Shots" slideshow on here and posted a picture here. CJ definitely continues to grow and I can't believe we're getting close to the 3rd trimester! The nursery is in the process of being painted (thanks mom & dad!!!) and we've gotten some of the furniture for the nursery. So once we get home it shouldn't take long to get everything in order for the arrival of CJ. Speaking of moving home...Luke's last day of work here will be March 31st. Our plan is to then fly home either April 1st or 2nd. Not too far away!

We're Halfway!

2009-01-16T13:48:00.002+01:00

Yesterday marked 20 weeks in our pregnancy...so we're halfway! As I mentioned in an earlier blog we had a sonogram while we were in the States with the doctor that is going to deliver our baby. We had decided to find out the sex of our baby as well. Luke had kind of wanted to be surprised but he knows how much I like to plan and agreed to finding out. The sonogram was amazing...our little one was moving all over. We saw the head, arms, legs, fingers, toes, heart, brain, umbilical cord...about the only thing we didn't see was something telling us if our baby is a boy or girl. Because of how the baby was positioned the only view we could get was of his/her butt cheeks and the little stinker had his/her legs crossed the entire time as well! I had been thinking that we were having a boy but now I think we may have a little stubborn girl...or a little girl that already knows she has her daddy wrapped around her finger and she figured keeping her sex a surprise was the least she could do for him! Since they do a sonogram at every appointment in Germany we could still find out the sex, but I've decided I can plan well enough without knowing and we think it'll be fun to be surprised the day our baby is born. Here are a few pictures we got from the sonogram.

CJ's armCJ's face

Christmas at Home

2009-01-14T10:46:00.004+01:00

Here are a few pictures from our time at home!

Adiella modeling her new hat and swimming suit...LOVE those chubby arms and legs!Getting some time with little Josiah.

Luke trying out my new Sleepy Wrap...I think Levi likes it too!

Uncle Luke with Josiah.

Christmas in Rome

2009-01-12T17:46:00.003+01:00

I realized today it's been a month since I've posted on our blog. Sometimes my lack of posting is because I don't feel like there's been anything "post worthy"...but that has not been the case this past month! A brief synopsis...Luke and I went to Rome for Christmas and then flew home to spend two weeks in Kansas. While in Kansas we were able to see the house we bought in Hesston, celebrate Christmas with both our families and get some quality time with our niece and nephew, whom we adore!! We also had an appointment with the doctor that is going to deliver our baby and another sonogram to find out the sex of our baby. Many of you know the result...but I'll make another post soon to let everyone else know what we found out! I'll try and post some pictures from our time in Kansas too...but back to Rome. Luke and I were in Rome from December 22-26 and loved every minute of it! We saw all the sites...the Forum, the Coliseum, the Vatican, St. Peter's Basilica to name a few highlights. We did a lot of walking and really enjoyed just walking through all the little neighborhoods throughout the central part of Rome. Another one of our favorites was the delicious Italian food we got to eat. I don't think the Olive Garden will ever be quite the same! ;-) I'm working on a slideshow of the pictures we took to post. Hopefully I'll get those up this evening!

Baby Update

2008-12-11T20:23:00.003+01:00

We're now 15 weeks and we had another doctor's appointment last week and this time the doctor spent even longer doing an ultrasound. We really enjoyed getting to see our little one! The doctor checked to make sure that the baby is growing appropriately and that the spinal cord is fully closed. Everything looked good! The heart rate was again about 140/minute. The picture isn't as good this time, but we were able to see all of the baby including the tiny fingers and the baby trying to suck his/her thumb. Pretty amazing! I've been feeling good too and have a little more energy than I did during the first trimester. I'm starting to get a "pooch"...I'll make a slideshow of pictures so you can watch my belly grow. In this picture the baby's head is on the right and is looking down.

Visitors!

2008-12-04T13:52:00.010+01:00

The last few weeks we've had the pleasure of hosting some visitors. Luke's parents came to visit for a week at the beginning of November and a couple of days after they left my friend, Wendy, came for almost two weeks. We really enjoyed our time with each of them! Luke had to work while his parents were here so I had the honor of playing tour guide. We went to see the Neuschwanstein Castle and hiked up the mountain to get a view of the castle from a bridge, visited Dachau, did a little shopping in a nearby town, and drove to the Black Forest and visited Freiburg. Unfortunately I didn't take many pictures while they were here...not sure what I was thinking! But here's one of the Neuschwanstein castle in winter. It had snowed a little while Luke's parents were here and then we got about 5 inches the weekend after they left and it's still on the ground. I need to get geared up for a winter here!

Wendy and I had the chance to go to Prague for a couple of days while she was here. We also went to the BMW Museum, toured the Residence Castle in Munich, visited Dachau, made a Thanksgiving dinner with some friends, and did some shopping at a Christmas market. It was a lot of fun to have her here and I've enjoyed having people around to hang out with during the day! Wendy and I on the Charles Bridge (Prague Castle in background)

Astronomical ClockEntrance to Prague Castle (some of which was built in the 10th Century!)My favorite car at the BMW Museum...maybe not such a good family car though!

***Stay tuned for a baby update!!***

Our Baby's 1st Photo

2008-11-07T12:00:00.005+01:00

As probably most of you have heard by now we are expecting a baby June 4th. We had our first OB appointment this week. We weren't really sure what to expect since it was here in Germany. I thought they might try and listen for the heartbeat with a doppler, but we were pleasantly surprised when they did a quick sonogram. So not only did we get to hear the heartbeat, but we got to see our little one as well! The head is on the left of the picture and is about half the body right now. You can see two little hands and one foot as well. On the sonogram we could also see the heart beating and the baby moving around some. Amazing!! The baby is only about 3 cm right now...so just over an inch. Overall I've felt really well so far. I've definitely been more tired than normal, but I figure being tired is something I should probably get used to! We've decided to move back to the States sometime towards the end of March. Luke's contract here is up at the beginning of April so the timing works well with that and then we'll be home a couple of months before the baby should arrive...hopefully that will give us a little time to get settled. Right now the plan is that we'll be moving to Hesston, KS where Luke will continue to work for Agco. We've started house-shopping :-) and are looking forward to being back closer to family.

Indonesia

2008-11-06T09:13:00.014+01:00

Luke and I returned last Friday from spending two weeks in Indonesia visiting Luke's brother, Caleb. We saw and experienced so many things that I've been having a hard time deciding how to give you a glimpse of it in one blog post. So I will do my best (without going on and on and on...) to share the highlights with you. I've only included a few pictures in this blog, but I will make a slideshow of some of our favorite pictures on the sidebar that you can look at if you'd like. Between us and Caleb we have over 500 pictures, so I promise I'll just pick our favorites!

We spent the first week in Indonesia in Bandung, where Caleb lives. We met with many of his friends, spent some time with a couple from Kansas that has lived in Indonesia for 32 years, saw an active volcano, went to a market, went a Muslim mosque, and traveled to a farm in rural Indonesia and spent one night there. We then traveled back to Jakarta (the capital city) and stayed with an Indonesian family that Caleb has gotten to know well during his time there. They showed us great hospitality and we really enjoyed our time with them. While in Jakarta we were part of a going-away party for the couple from Kansas, toured a park that displayed the culture of the different islands that make up Indonesia, and spent one night on a small island where we were able to snorkel, relax, and enjoy the scenery. On our way to the airport at the end of our trip Caleb asked us to choose five words to describe our experience in Indonesia. I think this may be the best way to highlight the trip for you. And in all honesty, I've made some slight changes to the five words from how I originally answered Caleb's question as I've had a little more time to reflect on our trip (and to try and give you a more complete picture on the blog!).

1. People: I think this word best describes Luke's and my first impression of Indonesia...there are people everywhere!! Caleb told us that the island has an average of 1000 people/sq km...and there are rural parts of the island with very few people. Most neighborhoods did not have streets through them, just very narrow paths (impossible for a car to fit down, but just wide enough for a motorcycle) called gongs. The gongs weave through all the houses that are definitely not set up on any sort of grid. We were amazed Caleb could figure his way through the mazes of gongs! The other reason we chose this word is that everyday we had at least one meal with a friend of Caleb's. It was a lot of fun to meet the people that he has been developing relationships with over the past two years. The above picture was taken after we ate lunch with Caleb's roommates. We had a great time with them and ended up giving a mini "marriage seminar" as they are almost all single, really wanting to find a wife, and had lots of questions about dating and marriage. I don't know how much wisdom we have to share after short 8 months...but they were eager to learn whatever they could from us!

2. Overwhelming: For much of the trip I found myself feeling overwhelmed, for a number of reasons (being pregnant may be one). I think one of the most difficult things for me was to see the level and extent of poverty that exists in Indonesia and feeling a sense of hopelessness and wondering how you could even begin to make a difference in a place with such poverty. The poverty level in Indonesia is considered an income of $2/day or less and 40% of the population lives at or below the poverty line. The government is well-known for its corruption and this has definitely contributed to the lack of development in Indonesia. The people we talked to though had great respect for their newest president and they all felt that he was taking steps to eliminate the corruption. This picture is a typical street scene in Bandung. There are a couple of bicycle taxis on the left side of the picture and a man carrying to large metal boxes over his shoulder. He is most likely able to cook out of these boxes and then sell food on the side of the street. This is a very common way Indonesians try to make a living. So not only do you have all the traffic of cars and motorcycles but you also have bicycle taxis, people pushing carts, and horse-drawn taxis trying to weave their way in and out of traffic. We actually saw a motorcyclist get knocked down by a young boy pulling a horse-drawn taxi against the flow of traffic during rush hour in Jakarta.

3. Culture: Luke and I really enjoyed getting to experience the culture of Indonesia. While we were in Bandung we attended a performance of traditional Indonesian music and dance. The Anklung is a traditional Indonesian instrument made out of bamboo reeds of different sizes to make different pitches. We even had the opportunity to learn how to play the Anklung. Dance in Indonesia always includes very colorful costumes, often a mask, and a lot of emphasis is placed on facial expressions and hand movements. The video at the end of this paragraph is a traditional Indonesian celebration for a boy before he is circumcised. The boy being carried in the chair is the lucky guy...I don't think he has any idea what's coming! We also got to try a variety of Indonesian foods, which always includes rice for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The Indonesians we met joked that unless they've had rice with their meal they aren't full. In Indonesia breakfast food is not much different than what you eat for lunch or dinner...seasoned rice with tofu is a very common breakfast. We were also fortunate enough to be in Indonesia for mango season, so we ate lots and lots of mango and other tropical fruits while we were there. We also ate at a restaurant in Bandung that was up on top of one of the mountains and was an open restaurant in the jungle. There were huts spread throughout that each had one table, so you felt like you were the only ones there. There were trees, large boulders, and waterfalls all over as well. It was gorgeous and the food was delicious!! It is considered an upscale restaurant, but the entrees were all about $5/plate...what a deal! The night we ate with Caleb's Vietnamese friends they cooked traditional Vietnamese food. It was really good and Luke and I managed to eat the entire meal with chopsticks! The most interesting thing they made us was a dish they normally have to celebrate the new year that is made with meat and cartiledge from a pigs ears and face. I tried one bite, but that was about all that I could stomach. I think it was knowing I was eating cartilage more than the actual taste. I'll make sure and include some pictures of the food we ate in the slideshow of photos.

4. Ministry: It was really encouraging to see the fruits of the ministries that have been started in Indonesia. The first couple of nights we were in Bandung we stayed with a couple that has served in Indonesia for 32 years. They actually moved back to the US while we were there, but the fruits of their labor were very evident and encouraging to see. We met a friend of Caleb's that is a leader on a campus ministry team whose father had been discipled by the man of the couple that had been in Indonesia for 32 years. Luke and I were really challenged to think about how we can be intentional where the Lord has placed us and how we can best serve Him and the people that He has placed in our lives.

5. Beauty: While I would not necessarily say that the cities were overly asthetically pleasing, we saw some amazing beauty in the rural parts of Indonesia. We saw valleys of hand-farmed rice patties, active volcanoes, mountains, jungles, and amazingly clear blue water with gorgeous coral, sea animals, and fish. Definitely much different scenery than you see in Kansas or southern Germany! We also got to experience some traditional Indonesian music and dance while we were there that was beautiful as well! We both really enjoyed experiencing the culture and the friendliness of the people of Indonesia.

Oktoberfest

2008-10-17T11:52:00.005+02:00

This post is a little out of order, but I wanted to post a few pictures from our Oktoberfest experience. We went right before we left to come back to the States and so I didn't get the pictures posted before we left. It was definitely an interesting experience! The closest thing I can compare it to is a GIANT state fair. Although I'm taking Luke's word for that since I've never actually been to the state fair! There were TONS of people, carnival rides, a couple of roller coasters, tons of food vendors and beer tents. The beer tents are set up by the different breweries and serve beer and traditional German/Bavarian food. It can be difficult to get into the tents because of all the people, but we were there on a Sunday morning so we were able to get in and eat lunch in one of the tents.

Inside the beer tent--which is really a building they set up and tear down every year.

Adiella Gertrude Holland

2008-10-10T19:37:00.003+02:00

Our niece, Adiella Gertrude, was born on October 7th at 7:48pm. She is a big girl and weighed in at 9 lbs 4 oz and is 21 inches long. Her and mom both did great and came home from the hospital yesterday evening. We've really enjoyed getting to spend some time with her!

Gianna Jessen

2008-09-28T16:01:00.003+02:00

A friend of mine posted this interview on her blog and I found it very eye-opening...so I thought I'd share it with you as well! I heard Gianna speak when I was in high school...what an amazing story and an amazing lady! You can also find more information about this at www.bornalivetruth.org

German Culture Lesson #1

2008-09-22T16:32:00.006+02:00

A few different people have told me since moving to Germany that sometimes "culture shock" is worse in a place that is, for the most part, similar to the culture you come from. They say the reason is that things are similar enough to home that you unconsciously expect that most everything will be the same and when it's not it catches you completely off-guard, whereas in a completely new culture you don't really expect things to be the same. Some of my more difficult days here have definitely been when I felt like I had this living-in-Germany-thing pretty well under control and then haven't been able to do something simple like help the lady at the grocery store that insists on asking me about denture cleaners. I have no idea why she thought I looked like a denture expert! (There were tons of people in the store that day...many of whom were much older than me! :-) I ended up telling her I thought it was okay, but I was really frustrated that I couldn't understand what she was saying. We have also had some moments of "culture shock". One of these "moments" occurred many times this summer. We have come to learn that Germans believe that a draft will make you sick, maybe even kill you (especially if you're an infant). So even if it is 85 degrees outside and you're riding on the un-airconditioned train you cannot open your window (pictured above). If you do open your window people just come up and close it for you. I was caught so off-guard the first time this happened! They don't ask, they just walk up and close it. So funny! Some younger people apparently have not bought into this theory as much, so we always looked for cars with open windows on it when we traveled by train this summer. Now that it's getting cooler outside we've also learned that Germans believe it's good to sleep in a cold room...a really cold room actually. It is very common for Germans to turn the heat off in their sleeping room and leave their window wide open all night long! Crazy!! I haven't figured out yet why that draft is okay but the one on the train isn't. They will also leave a door or window open in winter to allow fresh air inside. Strange coming from people that hate drafts and are very energy-efficiency conscious! We haven't adopted this practice yet, but we've contemplated it just so it'd get cool enough in our apartment that we'd have a good excuse for Luke to start a fire in our fireplace! But I have a feeling those really cold days will be here soon enough!

Luke's Trip to Russia

2008-09-18T14:11:00.008+02:00

Last week Luke took a business trip to Moscow, Russia for a couple of days. They had meetings one day and then had a morning to see some of the sights. Here are a few pictures from his trip!

The Kremlin

Russian architecture (notice each window is different...a Russian trademark)

Red Square (red in Russian also means beautiful...hence the lack of red!)

Cathedral inside the Kremlin

Another cathedral inside the Kremlin

Moscow skyline from Luke's hotel room.

Stalin-era apartments. Luke said these are everywhere...how aesthetic!

Notice the small, older (green) building next to the Stalin-era building. Luke said it was a city of contrasts of the very old, communist era, and the new capitalist era.

St. Basil's Cathedral

Fall is in the air!

2008-09-15T17:53:00.005+02:00

Fall is definitely in the air here and I've been inspired to update the look of our blog! It has been a lot cooler here and a few of the trees have even started to lose their leaves. We welcomed the fall season this weekend with some chili and cinnamon rolls...yum...one of my favorites! We've also been able to take in some K-State football (replay of the games anyway) and watched the Chiefs yesterday (via Slingbox). Now we just need to figure out how to get our Kachelofen going! Our what?!...you may be asking...it's a large, tiled stove in our apartment. Apparently they're very popular in Germany, people get excited here when they find out we have one. It does produce a lot of heat and will definitely help us keep warm this winter...we just have to figure out how to carry the firewood to our apartment. The dilemmas of not having a car! The other sign of fall is that Oktoberfest is close to kicking off. We went to Munich yesterday for church and our church is only a block from the grounds where Oktoberfest is held. All the "tents" are up and ready to go. We haven't gotten our drindl and lederhosen yet, but we might go into Munich early next Sunday and check it out.

Soon to come...pictures from Luke's recent trip to Russia...

Sommer in Marktoberdorf

2008-08-27T11:29:00.003+02:00

My parents had originally talked about coming to visit this summer but it didn't work out and my dad recently commented that he was disappointed to not be here during the "growing season". So I thought I'd take some pictures to give you a glimpse of summer in Southern Germany. It really has been a gorgeous summer and I just told Luke the other day that I'm probably going to think that I'm going to melt our first summer back in Kansas! The highs average in the 70's and the lows in the 50's...definitely can't complain! There are several photos so I put them in a slideshow on the right hand side of the blog. I think if you click on the slideshow it will take you to the website that I uploaded them to and you can view them larger. We hope you're all doing well!

Back to School

2008-08-19T10:51:00.003+02:00

While I have enjoyed the past few months and the time I've had to adjust to living in Germany and the role of wife it has definitely gotten more difficult in recent weeks to find enough to do to keep busy. So this Thursday it is back to school for me. I am taking 4 courses at KU Med and plan to finish with a Masters of Public Health Nursing. Fortunately I'll be able to complete all my courses online and then will have 2 semesters of clinicals to complete when we return to the States. So it's time to hit the books!

The Lord is Good

2008-08-06T08:16:00.009+02:00

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
Serve the Lord with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!
Know that the Lord, he is God!
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him, bless his name!
For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.
~Psalm 100

This past weekend the weather was gorgeous and we didn't have anywhere we had to be so Luke and I decided to ride our bikes towards Füssen (a town in the Alps where the Neuschwanstein castle is located). We thought we'd either ride part way and back or ride all the way and then take the train home. After we'd been riding for awhile we realized we hadn't brought any money with us for the train...so wherever we rode to we'd be riding back. We ended up within about 5 km of Füssen by the time we stopped for lunch...which made it about 55 km (35 mi.) round trip. I was reminded once again of the Lord's goodness and majesty surrounded by His beautiful creation! We have been so blessed in our first 5 months of marriage! It definitely hasn't been perfect and the Lord is already using our marriage to teach us just how selfish we can be and to refine us. I hope that I can continue to learn to praise Him in all circumstances and situations and learn to trust that even the difficult times are from Him and are in accordance with His good and perfect will. Here are some pictures from where we stopped for lunch.

Forgensee

You can barely see Neuschwanstein castle in mountains
(towards the left)

Lindau

2008-07-28T10:37:00.004+02:00

This weekend Luke and I took the train to Lindau...a small island in Bodensee (Lake Constance). The Rhine River flows through the lake and Austria and Switzerland border it. The weather was gorgeous (70 and sunny...I wish we could bring this summer weather back to Kansas with us!) and we enjoyed the day walking around the island, playing tourist on a paddle boat and just enjoying the scenery and weather. Here are a few pictures...

The harbor of Lindau

Cruising on the paddleboat

Luke "posing" for the camera...

Fishy business...

2008-07-07T12:47:00.005+02:00

Last week I thought it'd be fun to cook something somewhat festive for dinner on the 4th of July since we're living overseas and missed out on all the BBQing and fireworks. On one website they had different recipe ideas for different regions of the country and the Midwestern recipes were German-inspired recipes. Perfect! Or so I thought. So on Friday I went to the open market that they have every Friday in Marktoberdorf and bought some fresh fish. The filets in the window looked really good, but when the man behind the counter got the "2 Stuck" (2 pieces) that I asked for he lifted up a whole fish and dropped it in a plastic bag. I had eaten a whole fish once before but I wasn't sure I'd be able to stomach preparing it. I could hardly stand to see it's eyes peering at me through the plastic bag! I know...some of you are thinking..."really, a fish...and you worked in the Emergency Room???" And it's true...I've seen things that I won't list here because I'm sure you don't want to hear about them and yet I am totally grossed out by anything slimy or scaly!! Thankfully Luke came through for me and helped with all the preparations that required touching the fish...so pretty much all of it! They were delicious though and I guess somewhat festive...although I've never eaten a fish with eyes looking at me in the good ol US of A (and whole fish is actually what the recipe called for)! Here are a few pictures that I took to document the process!

Euro Cup 2008

2008-06-27T12:59:00.007+02:00

Since moving to Germany, Luke and I have learned a lot about "football". Not the kind of football we'd go to Manhattan to watch so many Saturdays in the fall, but European football...what we refer to as soccer. We have learned a little more than just about football though, it has also given us a little insight into the German culture. Typically Germans are very reserved and communicate something is good by not saying anything. If however something is wrong or needs to be changed they will very clearly communicate this...not in a rude manner, just very matter-of-factly. This mindset carried over into sports as well...or so we've been told...until two years ago. In 2006 the World Cup was hosted by Germany and Germany finished third. Germans have told us that since then the fans here have become "fanatical". The Euro Cup 2008 started on June 7 and we have been able to see a small glimpse of this as we've watched the Germans celebrate victories en route to the Euro Cup Championship, to be played on Sunday. The semi-final game held even more significance as it matched Germany against Turkey. Since moving here we've discovered that there is a very large number of Turkish immigrants living in Germany. And, unfortunately, as is common in many areas where there is a strong immigrant community, tension between the Turkish and Germans is not uncommon. However, many showed their allegiance to both countries. It was not uncommon leading up to the game to see a car driving around with a Turkish flag on one side and a German on the other. The game lived up to its expectations and Germany won 3-2 on a goal scored at the very end of regulation. They will now face Spain in the Euro Cup Championship.

Salzburg, Austria

2008-06-23T15:06:00.006+02:00

This last weekend Luke and I took a quick trip to Salzburg, Austria. Here are a few pictures from our trip! A little explanation for the last three pictures...biergartens are very common in Germany (and Austria). They are usually an outdoor seating area associated with a restaurant and covered by large trees. You are allowed to bring food in with you from home or another restaurant, you just have to order a beverage. Germans will gather with their family or friends on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon just to hang out, maybe bring cards to play. Luke and I were thinking the Germans that came to America should've brought this tradition with them, but then we remembered how many days a year the weather is nice enough (and not too windy) to really enjoy eating outside. Oh well!

Mirabell CastleThe gardens at Mirabell Castle

The home where Mozart was born

The city of Salzburg (taken while hiking up to the castle in the next picture)

Festung Hohensalzburg (one of the biggest castles in Europe)

Augustiner Biergarten

Enjoying a stein of bier at the Augustiner Biergarten

Bike riding in the Alps

2008-06-19T18:09:00.005+02:00

Last weekend Luke and I (and our bikes) took the train to Füssen to do some bike riding in the Alps. Here are a few pictures from our journey. It was a lot of fun...but also exhausting for a couple of people from the flatlands of Kansas! This coming weekend we're planning a short trip to Salzburg...so I should have some pictures to post next week of our trip!

Füssen

Entering Österreich (Austria)

View from where we stopped to catch our breath on our way up.

Luke figuring out where we're at (on the green curvy line).

Käsespätzle

2008-06-14T18:53:00.000+02:00

Last Friday night our German class went to our teacher's house to make Käsespätzle. Our German class consists of Luke and I and two others that moved to Germany from the States. We were also joined by two Frenchmen that our teacher also works with. We had a great time practicing our German and the Käsespätzle was delicious! Some of you are probably wondering what Käsespätzle is. The dough is made basically from flour, water and eggs. You put it through a Käsespätzle press and boil it in water. It is then layered with different Allgäu cheeses (from dairies in a region near where we live) and topped with fried onions and then baked. Yum! We're planning on bringing a Käsespätzle press back with us so hopefully we can make Käsespätzle for some of you. The tricky part will be finding the right cheese. Somehow I don't think it'd be quite the same with cheddar or velveeta cheese.

"Getting" the groceries we need to make Käsespätzle...and you thought only kids played store. (this was our German lesson for the day)

Tine (our German teacher), showing Luke how to stir the Käsespätzle batter.

Luke hard at work in the kitchen! :-)

Oops! Luke was stirring too hard...or he's just too strong for the spoon!

Using the Käsespätzle press to cook the batter. Quite a process, but well worth it!

Italia!

2008-06-07T11:09:00.000+02:00

Last week Luke had a training session in Italy and I was able to go with him. The training was in a rural part of Italy, near Bologna, about a 6 hour drive from Marktoberdorf. The drive was almost the best part. We drove through southern Germany and the Alps in Austria. The Alps were gorgeous! Very green this time of year with several villages nestled into the many valleys. Northern Italy had mountains with vineyards taking up literally every piece of ground that didn't have a house, building, castle (we saw several throughout northern Italy) or road on it. There were even grapes growing in the "ditch" between the highway and the railroad tracks. The part of Italy where the training was held was very flat and mostly farmland. It was also out in the country and I didn't have a car, so I spent most of my time sitting in the meetings reading a book. Not exactly a dream vacation to Italy! ;-) But on the last day the weather was nice enough that I was able to walk into the nearest town. They were having an outdoor market and I really enjoyed just walking around and watching the Italians interact with each other and shop...and just listen to them talk. The Italian language is a little more beautiful than German! We also had some really good Italian food and wine while we were in Italy. They definitely pride themselves on aged food! The first night we had some parmesan cheese that was 2 years old and aged salamis. At the end of the evening they brought out some Balsamico (balsamic vinegar) to eat with the parmesan that was 12 years old. We were all impressed and it actually tasted really good. By the last night they were bringing out cheese that was 3 years old and Balsamico that was 40 years old! Only a few people were able to try the 40 year old Balsamico...but I did have some 30 year old Balsamico and it was tasty! Here are a few pictures from our trip!The tractors Luke tested while in Italy. I was hoping to get a ride, but it didn't work out.

Some sort of tree farm next to where Luke's training was held.

A house in the countryside.

A meat stand at the market with some aged salami hanging up.

The open market in Concordia, Italy.

Konigssee

2008-05-31T17:30:00.000+02:00

A couple weeks ago (I'm a little behind on blogging...sorry) our church had a family retreat and we were able to attend. It was in Teisendorf, Germany, which is about 15 minutes from the Austrian border. We had some free time on Saturday and friends with a car. They invited us to come with them to Konigssee. It was gorgeous and not somewhere we would've been able to get to very easily by our normal mode of transportation...the train. Since we were so close to Salzburg we decided we should watch "The Sound of Music" when we got home and this lake is shown several times in the opening credits. The first two pictures are the main lake. We took a boat tour to the other end of the lake and then got off and took a short hike to another lake that's shown in the third picture.

Our Apartment

2008-05-16T13:23:00.000+02:00

So I have been promising some of you that I would put pictures up of our apartment...well, I've finally done it! I would still like to do a little more decorating, but here's what it looks like for now... Living room (the blue thing on the right is a wood-burning stove)
Our office and dining room

Living room
Kitchen
Bedroom
This is looking out the window in our bedroom. I don't think you can see it in this picture, but just above the rooftops you can see one of the peaks of the Alps. Our little bathroom. :-)

Building project

2008-04-28T14:19:00.000+02:00

Luke and I wanted a desk for our apartment and after doing some shopping at IKEA we decided we (Luke) could make a desk. So I met Luke a few nights at the hardware store after work to help him carry home the wood and supplies we would need to build the desk. (We don't have a car, so we had to walk home with all the wood.)

Luke getting ready to try out his new tool that he got for the purpose of building this desk.

We're making progress...

...and the finished project! Now I can get some things organized! :-)

My life is like the Sound of Music...

2008-04-28T14:00:00.000+02:00

Luke and I got new "Fahrräder" recently, so this week I did a little exploring of the area on my bike. I rode about 6 miles to the lake pictured below. It was a gorgeous day and the scenery was amazing! You can't really go for bike rides like this in Kansas!
At this point of my ride I came really close to breaking out into "the hills are alive with the sound of music..." I kind of felt like I was living in the Sound of Music...well minus the VonTrap children and a dress made out of curtains. :-) (Those are the Alps in the distance of the first picture.)

This is a barn in the middle of one of the villages I rode through. This is very common in Germany. Most farmers live in small villages and go out to their fields. They even have their barns with the livestock in the village. The tractor inside the barn is a Fendt...the tractors Luke works on here.

Dachau

2008-04-07T09:52:00.000+02:00

We had another friend visit this weekend and yesterday we took him to see the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site. Luke and I had not been there yet. I think in many ways we are still processing what we saw yesterday. I think it is hard to comprehend the reality of this camp (and others like it) sitting in a history class in the United States. Walking through the buildings and camp make it a little more real, but it is still difficult to comprehend exactly what took place on those grounds for so many years. It is sombering to consider the depth of depravity of the human heart, that we are all this depraved and yet have been shown amazing grace by our Lord and Savior that we so desperately need. I will post pictures for now and maybe share some more thoughts later. If you're interested in more information check out the website of the memorial site: http://www.kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de/index-e.html

The main entrance to the camp. The brick road is the main road leading into the camp that many prisoners were marched in on. Many other prisoners were brought in packed on train cars. A very small part of the railway is still present inside the camp.

Arbeit Macht Frei (Work brings freedom). Many prisoners in this camp died as a result of the unbelievable work demands and conditions they faced. They were only given a small ration of bread once every 4 days and expected to perform hard labor for many many hours a day.

"JOURHAUS" The main entrance to the camp and main office of the SS officers of the camp.

One of the guard towers. Many prisoners "attempted" to escape knowing they would be shot and killed and in many ways realized death was their only escape.

Entrance to the bunker/prisoner cells. Much of the torture of prisoners took place inside this building. This is also where prisoners were initially brought and "medical examinations" were completed. Later in the war "special prisoner" and religious prisoners were held here where conditions were slightly better than those of the barracks.

Looking down the hallway of the bunker with prisoner cells lining the hallway.

A door to one of the prisoner cells and a look inside one of the prison cells. Many of these cells were used as "Standing cells and were divided into smaller sections so that a prisoner could not sit or lay down and filled with many prisoners at one time. The prisoners were often left in the "standing cells" for days.

Inside the prisoner barracks. These "beds" are the largest. As you walk through the bunker the beds become smaller and smaller as they had to make more room for prisoners. The camp was expanded around 1940 to hold 6,000 prisoners. When the camp was liberated in April 1945 there were over 30,000 prisoners being held in the camp.

A memorial in front of the main building. The main building housed SS soldiers, used as a place to carry out torture and to perform "medical experiments" on prisoners.

Living in Deutschland

2008-04-03T12:47:00.001+02:00

I have been trying to come up with something as clever as the key story to blog about...but not to be. So instead I thought I'd highlight some of the similarities and differences between life in the States and life here in Deutschland. Overall it has been relatively easy to adjust to the "culture" here. But there are a few differences...

1. Grocery stores...you have to put in 1 Euro to get a shopping cart. You get the Euro back when you return the cart, but it's definitely important to always make sure you have a Euro with you. Otherwise you get stuck trying to carry all your groceries through the store...which I've learned from experience can be a little difficult. You also have to pay for your grocery bags. So most people have baskets or reusable bags they use. We have some bags we reuse but I'm hoping to get a cute German basket soon to carry my groceries in!

2. Apartments...rarely come with closets, of any kind. The top pictures is of our 2 "Schranks" in our bedroom...otherwise known as wardrobes. It's been a little tricky to figure out where to put linens and all those things that we typically throw in a closet, but I think I'm starting to figure out a system that works. You'll notice in the second picture that refrigerators are a lot smaller here than they are in the States. Definitely learning how to be more efficient with the space we have! It is not uncommon to have to furnish your kitchen in an apartment in Europe, which means you have to purchase and install the sink, cabinets, stove and refrigerator. Fortunately our apartment came with all these things in place. Another difference is that most people do not have a clothes dryer. The last picture is our version of a "clothes dryer". Much more energy efficient! I'm sure there will be more differences to tell you about as time goes on! I have had a few cooking "adventures" that I can share sometime...

First Visitors

2008-04-01T15:21:00.001+02:00

Our first full weekend in Germany we had our first visitors. I need to get into the habit of taking more pictures...but I'll post what I have for now. The couple that came to visit us are friends of Luke's from Iowa. They were in France and Germany for business and all of Europe takes a four-day weekend for Easter so they were able to come down and spend a couple days with us. We took them to see Neuschwanstein Castle and spent a day in Munich walking around. I'm hoping to start doing a little more exploring so that I can be a top-notch tour guide when y'all come to visit! The picture of Neuschwanstein is actually from when I came to visit Luke in August...it basically looks the same now...just a little less green around the castle. The last two pictures were taken at the old Rathaus in Munich which is the courthouse/governmental building. I don't think it is used for this any longer but the architecture was amazing.

Learning German!

2008-03-17T12:32:00.001+01:00

So today I had one of my first opportunities to use some German I had just learned. I've decided to try and spend an hour each morning studying German. This morning I sat down to study and about 30 minutes into studying needed to go check the laundry to see if it was finished. Not remembering that our door automatically locks, I shut the door and walked downstairs to the basement to check the washing machine to see if our laundry was finished. It wasn't, so I headed back upstairs to finish studying only to realize I had shut the door and left my keys sitting on the kitchen counter. Literally, right before I went to check the laundry I learned the phrase, "Ich brauche die Schluessel." This phrase was written above a picture of a man standing outside of his locked door...translated means "I need keys." What are the chances! I had no idea I'd have the opportunity to put this phrase to practice so quickly!! Of course, in the moment of panic when I realized I had locked myself out of our apartment I did not remember the whole sentence but I at least remembered "schluessel" and our landlord just happened to be out cleaning the hallway so I could ask her for a "schluessel" to our apartment.
She graciously gave me a key and I was able to get back in to the apartment. When I started studying again the lesson was speaking the phrase, "Ich brauche die schluessel" (instead of pointing to the picture as I'd just done) and I had to laugh out loud. I don't think I'll forget that one! Or to either leave our door open or take my keys with me when I go downstairs to check the laundry!!

Hallo!

2008-03-17T12:00:00.000+01:00

Greetings from Germany! We arrived in Marktoberdorf, Germany on March 14 and are anxious to get settled into life here. We were married March 1, took a honeymoon to the Smoky Mountains in North Carolina and then spent a few days at our parents opening wedding gifts and preparing to move across the pond. Luke has been living here for almost a year and I am excited to be joining him. We are looking forward to experiencing life in another country together, hopefully learning the language, and having the opportunity to travel around Europe. Hopefully this blog will allow us to keep in touch with friends and family at home and will be an easy way for you to find out what's going on in our lives and how we're doing!