Steve really was there

I posted the wrong picture before. Steve really was home for Chrismtas Eve!
We are off to Domus tonight. So what will it be? Spaghetti or Uitsjmiter? Dame Blanche or Pannekoken? What do you chose?

BRRRR, it is cold outside

It is quite a challenge to be outside all day when it is hovering near freezing. We bundle up and stop often for hot chocolate. One day we just stayed on the base and bowled. Oh, I must report that Heidi was in 'Bowler Zone'. I think she had 5 strikes and was easily the winner.. Her score was 133. Even Rach bowled. She was great.
The big coincidence was meeting Coach Fiedler in Trier at the spaghetti ice cream shop. It was just like old times for the boys.
Now if we can just get everyone back to full health, that is our challenge for the moment. Coughs, earaches, sinus, runny noses. The usual winter issues.
We still have a week left toghether but it is going by way too fast!

Christmas morning

We had a great Christmas. Loads of fun to have kids in the house...from 8 months to 29 years old, ALL kids!!! I have to report that the cinnamon rolls were underdone for the first batch, as always. We must stick with tradition.
Our favorite activity of the day was talking to Nicole. Wasn't it great everyone? She brought us all together on Christmas day (well, thanks to Noel) and I loved hearing everyone's voices.

Christmas Markets

Colie's Christmas Message to Family

As promised, Natalie!

So far...

Here is what we have been up to so far....

Updates on the Christmas travelers

So Jake/Mel/Rach/Tommy are here. Their adventures:
1) the ticket was in the name of Melanie Herway and her passport is still Melanie Grossen. Had to call a neighbor (Luckily he was home!) who got their spare key and brought their marriage license...in time no less. That did the trick there BUT
2) They sat in Charlotte for 2 hours on the tarmac because of fog, luckily their layover in Dulles was 3 hours, so they made their connecting flight BUT
3) Their bags DID NOT make it. Not even one. So Tommy and Rach opened Christmas presents early and found pajama's and Mel and Jake are in borrowed clothes while they wash theirs and hope like anything that their bags come in tomorrow STILL
4) They did arrive 1/2 hour earlier than scheduled, which beats Steve who arrived 25 and 1/2 hours later than scheduled....not as bad as it sounds though because he just traveled a day later because he FORGOT his passport the first time at the airport.
NEXT is Seth and Heidi who have to travel from Salt Lake City to Chicago to London to Brussels. If Seth and Heidi are the dominant travelers, then they will have no adventures to report. Let's hope for that!

Joyeux Noel from Colie, part II

And there are more pictures. Obviously, she has been saving up. The music I chose isn't really missionary music, but has the right message anyway....

Joyeux Noel from Colie, part I

I got pictures and a video clip from Colie. There are tons, so sit back, relax and enjoy the show.

Christmas 1996

Natalie and I were talking about Christmas memories. Every kid remembers being part of a nativity scene, and even if they had to be paid (Zane) to be part of it, they love doing it. The singing, the socializing, the food, the music, the story...all of it creates something in our hearts and minds.
I thought about Christmas 1996. Dan was a Senior. Steve was a 1st grader. Everyone else filled the grades in between. Teens, pre-teens, kids...
I have to say that my highlight of this clip is when Steve is doing his Jingle Bell Rock dance and the girls on either side of him get mixed up about which way to raise their hands, and Steve can't win because either way he puts his hands, he is going against one girl or the other. He shrugs his shoulders and chooses....and ends up the only kid going the wrong way.
The clips show some oldies but goodies...Nathan Mulholland, Meredith Kearsley, Hillary Sponbeck, Paige LaTour, Darin Honeywell, Alex Watson to name a few.

Paris for St. Nick Day

Dad had an area meeting in Paris, so I tagged along. One of the best parts was our hotel: Concorde Layfayette. We stayed in room 2009....so that put us on the 20th floor. All the photos of the Eiffel Tower were from the window in our room! Incredible. At Christmas, Paris is even more a city of lights, if that is possible. The weather forecast was rain, rain, rain, but we were blessed and didn't pull out the umbrella even once. It was cold, but no rain.
One splurge was hot chocolate that was so rich it tasted like you were drinking straight chocolate. Of course it cost 7.50 euros per cup! Yikes.
Dad had a great meeting with all the french speaking Stake Presidents in Europe. There were 12 of them. They are planning the first EFY in French speaking Europe, so he has his work cut out for him.
One of my favorite shots is of a police man with his roller blades!
Oh, and there was a fabulous "creche" in Notre Dame Cathedral. The pictures don't do it any justice. Crazy how they can't put the baby Jesus in any of the creche scenes for fear he will be stolen.
OOOPs. I was with Catholic friends today. They informed me that Jesus is not placed in the crib until Christmas Day (dummy! He isn't born yet!) My mistake.

The announcement, part II

Well, it did turn out to be a big deal. The Brussels International Ward is being split, and absorbed into two Belgian wards. We will have Bru I and Bru II. Some of you have experienced this before. The redefining of ward boundaries, or the splitting of a ward. For some reason, this seemed to be more traumatic, partly because it is dissolving the only English speaking ward and combining it with French speaking wards. However,the ability to worship in your native tongue will be preserved, and the opportunity to be involved with the Belgian Saints are the advantages.
It was a very emotional day. The entire gamut of feelings were experienced and voiced by all the members.
Church is not just a part of our life. It is our life. So when changes come, it is very much a challenge. It will definitely be a test of our faith to move forward and make this all a success. Hopefully we will pass the test.
Still, I am in the mourning phase, as many of us are. We are allowed that afterall I think.

Big announcement in our ward today

Normally I go to bed, and when my head hits the pillow, the next thing I know, the alarm is going off. Well, not tonight. I was up at 4am tossing and turning. I was thinking about this big announcement and I just couldn't sleep.
Since the announcement isn't for several more hours, I guess I can't post the particulars...maybe Widigers or Millers are reading my blog this morning!
I do think a story from church history might be a good comparison though. At one point there was a general conference where Brigham Young stood at the pulpit and basically told the audience, "We just can't sit here while there are saints out there who will perish if we don't help." I have been thinking about the reaction of those in the audience. I'm sure some debated whether or not they would leave their warmth, put their own lives in jeopardy and maybe not even save anyone and perish themselves. Others put their comfort aside and prepared to help. Not because they wanted to or because there was any guarantee of a safe return, but because it was the right thing to do. Because they were asked to help, because their spiritual leaders requested it, and they were confident it was what God was asking of them.
When our spiritual leaders ask something of us, there is always a mixed reaction in the hearers. Some obey, some will receive the direction with joy. Others may be angry. And every emotion in between will be experienced as well. And sometimes when you are asked to sacrifice, many times you only see the loss, and not the blessings that are at the other side of the trial of your faith.
It could be that I'm over-dramatizing the announcement. But I don't think so. It's early Sunday morning. I'll update later.

Stake Conference is over.

Dad's burdens are lighter, conference is over for another 7 months! He did a great job though, for the record. He had to prepare 2 talks in French. Mighty proud of him.
After conference, there were a zillion missionaries that came up to introduce themselves because they all knew Colie from the MTC! Elder Furman said he took yoga class from Soeur Herway in the MTC. Sister Thrasher actually was Colie's roommate in the MTC. She was from Winchester Virginia and knew all about Petersburg, WVa.
We also were introduced to Elder Honeycott from Charlotte NC who is from Jake/Mel's ward. He thinks very highly of Jake and said Jake always said 'hi' to him at church and that made him feel good.
I spoke in the Sat night session. It was just an update on our missionary and how having a missionary blesses our family.

Jimmy Stewart and Kim Novak

Here are some pictures of the Mission Ranch in Carmel, and then pictures from San Juan Batisto....the place in the movie 'Vertigo' where Jimmy Stewart and Kim Novak had a scene at the church. It is all still the same, exactly the same. It was fun to see. As soon as we got home, we pulled out the movie to see the setting, and there it all was.

home, and still sweet home

All is well in Brussels. The home is still standing. The clouds are still overhead. The mist is still misting. The long hallways are still at the Zaventem airport.
It was a fabulous 5 weeks in the US and both Tom and I have an extra 5 pounds to prove it. Oh no! Just in time for Christmas too.
It was pretty funny. We had 2 suitcases each and a carry on each. We looked like we were moving or something. Glad to get those unloaded!
Thanks Natalie and Noel for letting me and Dad come and hang out at your house. Thanks to Isabel for giving us a reason to come! And thanks to Dan & Lara and family for their grueling drive to Ca. and a terrific week-end together!

We found a really good deal on a house in Carmel. It's about the size of a trailor, needs renovating and the asking price is only 1.5 million. But the location is to die for. At those prices, we won't be locating there any time soon. Maybe Austin :) Or maybe we will just enjoy what time we have left in Europe! But just for the record. That is one place I would love to live!

I hate to say good-bye!

Sunday morning before we had to say good-bye. At this point we were all happy and smiles. Not much later there were lots of tears.
Man, I love all of you sooooo much! I miss ALL of you!

Beach at Carmel

There is certainly magic at the beach. Add some crazy, fun loving kids, and it is double the magic! We had a blast in the waves. They all got soaking wet, as would be expected, and had a ball doing it.
Too bad it had to end. We'll do it again, I promise!!!

Monterey Aquaruim

This area is loaded with fun places to go. Museums are usually quite boring to me (especially if it's nice outside!) I admit it. One exception is this aquarium. They had lots of fascinating entertainment. We saw the penguins being fed. The family shot was taken as a wave crashed overhead...you can see that Daphne was pretty excited. You could touch live fish in shallow trays...crabs, starfish, and hundreds more I could never begin to name.
My favorite exhibit was the jellyfish. In the ocean they scare me and I stay as far away as possible. But in the exhibit, they were beautiful. So intricate.
Oh, and also we saw sharks and tuna and sardines all swimming around in a huge tank. It was better than scuba diving because you were safe and you could just observe.
The museum used to be where sardines were canned. Then the business dried up suddenly. They don't know if they overfished it, or if the sardines migrated elsewhere.
Packard, of Hewlett-Packard, bought the abandoned factories in the 1970's and financed the entire aquarium. It is very impressive and had everyone entertained for hours. It's not cheap, and shouldn't be....the tickets are $25 each for the normal entrance fee. Lucky for us, they had free tickets from Dad's school and he was able to get all of us in for free! That made the whole event even more sweet.

Whale Watching

Dan, Lara, Daphne, Zane, Scarlet, Brauer....it was so much fun to have you join us in Pacific Grove California! One morning, Dan and I took Daphne and Zane to whale watch. Of course I wasn't able to get a decent picture. I needed a professional camera and better skills to say the least. May I just say it was fantastic. The highlight was when our boat was smack dab in the middle of about 12 whales. The captain said, "well, you can look just about anywhere and see a whale!" They were close to the boat and all around us, we could smell their breath (stinky!) and feel their splashes and sprays.
The crummy pictures I did get show just how close they were. So the photos show only their backs... Dan tried as well, and I don't think he had any better luck. Still, the pictures are definitely in our memories!
Also, we had about 4 dolphins swimming underneath the hull of the boat. I guess they like to swim there because they catch a current that the boat provides and it makes their swimming easier. We loved watching them (Titanic style!) Lots of sea lions and seals, and unusual birds to observe as well.
Zane was in heaven until the dramamine took control and he fell asleep!

To covet or not to covet, that is the question

I have been enthralled with the scenery. Then I started thinking about the people that had this scenery absolutely every day of their life! "Ho. Hum. Another day in paradise. Oh look, another sunset/sunrise over the ocean. Yawn." So I took some pictures of the houses that are right on the ocean. ALL of them have sweeping ocean views. Oh, but at the end, I took pictures of our little B&B and our deck. You'll be able to tell, b/c it goes to very simple instead of unbelievable. You may not really get a kick out of this, but I like to imagine the people that live in these houses.
Oh, one that is for sale, and it really is a dump is asking for a mere $4,500,000. I suppose these nice ones that I took pictures of are probably in the neighborhood of 2 to 3 times that much. It blows my mind. I wonder if I had that much money if I would feel guilty or would I feel smug. I'm guessing smug. Good thing the Lord doesn't tempt me...He knows it would be more than I could handle!

Master of Ocean and Earth and Sky

I just wanted to say that I spent a morning at Point Lobos Reserve and sat on the knoll and watched the waves crash against the rocks in a most powerful display! (In the picture posted, it is the knoll that is front and center.) I kept thinking about these words from our hymn. I really am glad that God is in charge. If we allow Him to be, that is.
My update for today. I was LAZY. Tom went off to work, and I sat on the balcony and read the newspaper all about the election of Pres Obama. Wrote in my journal and read scrips, did I fall asleep? I don't think so, but who knows. Oh, I did a little yoga, and had lunch, and got caught up on my emails and blogging. Our balcony has a peek of the ocean and I am lulled by the sound of the waves. My goal is to be off on a walk along the beach by 2pm. I hope Heaven is as great as this!
Just talked to Lara and they are headed our direction today. We will meet up on Thursday after they have a day in San Francisco.

Elections in California

The big hoopla here in California is Proposition 8. Right now, we don't know the outcome, but at the moment it is leading in favor of traditional families. So amidst the conflict, I enjoyed a peaceful setting at Point Lobos. But it does look like it will be Pres. Obama. (Its 9pm in California) I hope he can make the changes we need. There is a long, long, list. He has an unbelieveable task ahead of him.

San Francisco

We made it to Ca. Met up with Cindee for lunch. Found a place right on the water in Saucilito (spelling?). It was a cloudy day, but we loved it. The Golden Gate bridge is awesome. It was my first time to San Fran...well I went as a young girl but have only memories of Lombard street. And by the way, we drove down that street and it was a thrill.

For Jake

As soon as we saw this sign post, we all knew it was Jake's mantra! It's a shop on the River walk in San Antonio.

Adventures

Yeah! Tom has arrived in Austin. We went to San Antonio yesterday to walk the River walk and to visit the Alamo. While there I fought with a longhorn steer. Yea, right.
Do you love Bryn's fingernails and earrings? And one night she was dressed up in her Halloween costume having just attended the ward trunk/treat festival, and she was helping Pop to brush his teeth.
Today was Isabel's day as she was blessed. I'll let Natalie post pictures of that event...Isabel was beautiful and was given a very special blessing. I'm so glad that Tom could be here to participate.

Josie and Elmer

Noel taught me how to enhance my pictures with my IPhoto. Didn't even know I had such a great computer....hmpfh. Wish I had Noel around to teach me more stuff! Enjoy the picture of your ancestors....Josie Content Foutz and Elmer Alfonzo Taylor, who are the parents of my mother, Audrey Taylor.

This is Tom

I should really be asleep, but I read Heidi's blog on Seth and was so entertained that I thought I would try to blog Tom.
1. Tom loves to read maps.
2. Tom is fascinated with Roman history.
3. He will eat anything I put in front of him, and always thanks me for fixing the meal, and when he has time will do the dishes.
4. Since childhood he wanted to live in Europe, and he pulled it off beautifully.
5. He has a natural singing voice and hears the harmony. He always has a tune in his head (his own tunes)
6. Tom played in rock n' roll bands, and his band played opening for the band 'Chicago'.
7. When we were first married, I handled the finances and went into the 'red' for the first two years. He took over, and we have been fine ever since.
8. To relax he likes to look at real estate.
9. He studies his french and is doing great even though he wishes he were better at it.
10. He is a lot like his parents; family first
11. Tom is a natural athlete.
12. He doesn't exercise nearly as much as I do, but is in better shape
13. He loves to talk sports with his boys
14. He LOVES being 'pop'
15. Chocotoffs are a weakness, as well as Leonidas, as well as chocolate ice cream
16. Tom is romantic
17. Tom joined the church when he was 19, and was introduced to the church by his girlfriend. Her name was Kathy Roza and I owe her a big thanks!
18. Tom would have had more kids.
19. Tom does not snore. Well, maybe a little, it's me that is the problem.
20. He was engaged when we met.
21. We kissed on the first date.
22. He hates April fools.
23. His current best friends: Larry Green, Verdonn Simmons.
24. Neither of us like to garden, but when we finally get out there to do it, we feel good about ourselves.
25. He washes his cars by hand, and doesn't like to use a car wash.
26. He likes old movies
27. He likes to read biographies
28. Tom loves to travel, thank goodness!
29. His favorite city is Rome, duh.
30. He does the church work (meetings) and I do the family history. We are hoping that the combination will do the trick.
31. He loves to go out to eat couscous.
32. Tom lived in Germany right after WWII.
33. Tom served his mission in Italy
34. Tom is spiritually sensitive.
35. He was always very good to his Mom.
36. He is a light sleeper. Except when the babies would cry at night.
37. I taught him how to snow ski, and he got as good as me.
38. 'Sticky Rice Mango' was discovered in Thailand, and he found it in Utah this summer...well, thanks to Heidi and Seth, via Kathleen Bluth.
39. He loves kids
40. He does NOT BBQ
41. Tom has survived several car accidents.
42. After one car accident, he was pulled into a sheriff office that was the template for The Andy Griffith Show, which explains whey he loves that show so much... plus he thinks Barney is hilarious.
43. When he thinks something is especially funny, he will laugh till he cries
44. He doesn't want a cell phone
45. The worst thing you can do around him is to not use your knife when you are eating.
46. Tom is very, very patient
47. He likes people of different cultures
48. He is making his own CD
49. He dreams of retirement, he talks of retirement, he plans for retirement, will he ever see the day?
50. He still thinks he can take on Dan, Seth and Jake on his knees.
51. He knew Natalie was going to be a girl...in the days when you found out the gender of your baby upon delivery, he knew before she was born.
52. Tom is the dominant driver, but lets Seth think that he is.
53. He is proud of his kids
54. Tom is rarely sick
55. Saying that: He did have Lyme's Disease back in 1988, before the medical field really knew what it was
56. His worst/hardest calling in the church was Deacon's Quorum Advisor. He dreaded teaching that class. Went to get a parent, and came back and they had locked the room and crawled out the window. Stake President is piece of cake compared to that.
57. Next worst/hardest calling was Stake Sports Director.
58, And yep, that's how old he is, 57, and here's one to grow on! Love ya!

Story time at the Library

Just what you do when you are the babysitter....find all the fun, free stuff!