The Holmes family gathers to attend and bless the wedding of their youngest member, Terry, to his beautiful wife Erin.

Terry and Erin: The newly married, picture-perfect couple poses outside the Salt Lake City Temple.

Sam and Jenna enjoying the dance (and each other!).

My handsome man....am I lucky or what?!

Sam, Rob, Terry, Jaje, and Delphine--not a bad looking bunch of siblings!

Some of Riga's famous art neuvo architechture. We found something interesting around every corner!

Sam's favorite art nuevo building. You can see the large faces formed into the walls near the roof.

Wipeout! Sam had a little fall iceskating, but Agnesse and I made sure he was ok.

These are the statues in the courtyard of the Holocaust Memorial site. The one in the forefront depicts a shamed young woman hiding her beauty from the Nazi's so as not to become a sexual plaything for them. In the background you can see the mother shielding her children from danger (left) and the prisoners resisting the oppression (right).

There's no way not to get a mustache after drinking that Latvian hot chocolate!

The Latvian Freedom Memorial. Similar to the American Statue of Liberty, it signifies the country's gaining its independance after centuries of being under foreign rule.

These locks are on a bridge in the park separating the Old City from the new city of Riga. When couples marry or pledge committment to each other, they place the locks (somtimes engraved with names and dates) on the bridge and throw the keys in the river. There is a similar such bridge in Florence!

The Riga Castle, proudly displaying the Latvian flag.

The "Three Brothers", the three oldest buildings in Riga.

Sam standing at the Swedish Gate, the last remnants of Riga's old city wall.

Sam and Jenna climbing the leaning tower. Can you see us at the top?

Just some of the artwork you see when strolling along the streets of Florence...

The Last Supper--before the marathon, that is!

After 26.2 greuling miles, we finally cross the finish line side by side. Awww......

Gone 'til November...

Well the Wyclef Jean song reads gone ‘til November, but Sam and I have pretty much been gone since November. We headed to Salt Lake City for four days the first week of November to attend the wedding of Sam’s brother, Terry, and his new wife, Erin. It was a quick trip but definitely worth it as we not only got to celebrate their union, but also got to visit with Sam’s family who we hadn’t seen for almost a year. On top of that, we got to meet Erin’s family who were all really neat and vibrant people. And of course we got a quick fix of our stateside favorites like Target and Mexican food! It was good to be home and while we love Germany and this experience to explore Europe, being back made us realize how eager we are to head back to the states to be closer to our families.

Immediately upon our return to Germany, we attended the annual Medial Service Corps Conference in southern Germany. It was fun to attend a professional event together and I was even volunteered to introduce the commander of the European Regional Medical Command (an actual general, ladies and gentlemen!) before her presentation.

Right after the conference, we headed to Riga, Latvia to explore Sam’s roots (his maternal grandfather was a Latvian immigrant to the United States). Riga was much more warm (in character—it was freezing outside!) and sophisticated than I expected it to be, and was one of the most appealing cities we’ve visited so far. The Old City was small enough to walk around on foot but large enough to be interesting, the food was wonderful, and the people were friendly. Like most other European cities, the architecture was one of the highlights, but Riga was special because of its famous Art Nuevo style. Streets full of buildings with bright colors and ornate trimming and sculptures designed right into the buildings stimulated our eyes throughout the weekend. Some of the other highlights were ice skating, touring the National Museum where we learned a lot about the history of the region and it’s people, visiting an emotionally moving Holocaust memorial at the site of a former death camp, and drinking authentic hot chocolate—that’s thick, rich, melted chocolate folks, not the watered-down sissy drink we’re used to in the good ol’ US of A!

What made this trip so wonderful, though, was the hospitality of our Latvian friends. Sam’s mom did some research for us when she found out we were headed to Riga and she hooked us up (via the internet) with a Latvian girl named Agnesse who coordinated our hotel for us before we arrived. When Agnesse (who also happens to be the Latvian national female arm-wrestling champion) picked us up at the airport, she had also brought along her friend Inara, an older woman who spoke flawless English and who also happened to own a travel agency and knew everything there was to know about the history of Latvia and about Riga itself. For the rest of the weekend, we were either being shuttled around to interesting places by our “tour guide” Inara, discovering the city on foot with Agnesse, or pursuing some activity that was suggested by them. Having the inside track on the city and the people who inhabit it was priceless, and Sam and I are so thankful for all the time they spent with us. Riga was wonderful and it was definitely the best way to tour a city!

The next week I headed back to work at my unit in Heidelberg and Sam attended another conference in south-western Germany. The following weekend I had drill so we stayed down in Heidelberg and then it was straight on through to another week of work. You’d think we were getting a bit burnt out at this point, but the big challenge was yet to come—next on our agenda was heading to Florence, Italy over Thanksgiving weekend with two of our friends to run the marathon! Florence was the first European city Sam and I visited together, and it has always remained a special place in our hearts and minds. It did not let us down the second time around; it was still the charming city we remembered, and the Duomo was still just as massive and beautiful as we remembered. Being there a second time gave us the opportunity to explore the city at a leisurely pace and eat lots of pasta in preparation for the big day. We also got to do some shopping at the local markets which we never do, and this time we got in to see Michelangelo’s David, something we missed the first time around. I should also mention that we flew into Pisa and took a detour to climb the Leaning Tower before taking the train to Florence. It was one of those things you hear about your whole life and know exists but never imagine you’re going to see.

After all that excitement, it was time for business…On the morning of November 27th we started the marathon at the Piazza de Michelangelo overlooking the city of Florence, ran through parks and residential areas and past famous churches and palaces in the heart of the city, and successfully completed the race along the banks of the river just under five hours later. It was a hell of an experience and was also the single most painful experience of my life! Sam and I tried to train as much as we could in the months before the race (which was not much given our crazy schedule), but I am convinced that nothing can really prepare the body (or at least my body) to run 26.2 miles! Towards the end, as we endured cold and sleet, every single joint hurt and every muscle ached but we just kept going, because what else can you do, really? Sam and I supported each other and stuck together all the way to the finish line, and when I finally stopped, I was amazed at how agonizing it was just to stand there, not even moving. The walk back to the hotel room was the worst, but each day after that got better and the only place I can feel any residual effects now are my knees; I’m hoping they will heal completely with time. Anyway, it was quite the experience and I am proud of us for going through with it. It was just hella cool to compete in an international event like that, and to do it with my baby. Heck, it’s pretty damn cool to be able to say that I’ve run a marathon! Of course, before we even caught our breath Sam was talking about the “next” marathon, but at that point I was thinking I might be a better cheerleader than runner…..I’ve gotta give props to our two friends, Scott and Abe, who also ran the marathon. It was their second marathon and they both kicked ass—Scott finished in two and a half hours!

We had one day after the marathon to rest up in Florence before we headed back to another week at work for me and another conference down in the Alps for Sam, and before we knew it, December was upon us. I’d like to point out the next fact not to get sympathy from anybody because I know I’ve just described some pretty stellar experiences, but maybe it will help explain why I didn’t update the blog (or really maintain good communication with anyone at all) during this time…I was not in my home for a single whole day during the entire month of November. The most I was home was for a few hours to wash clothes and repack between trips, or to catch a few hours of sleep at night. (And in case you’re wondering, it was still another two weeks before I finally had that day at home!) I sure couldn’t have done it without my beloved coffee, and I’m not ashamed to admit it!

It seems like so much has happened since November and yet it’s only been a month. High school and college passed by so fast, and the months and years just keep on flying for me as I’m sure they do for you. So often there isn’t enough time to accomplish all we want, even when we’re accomplishing and experiencing amazing things, and I think it’s important to actively identify and savor the things that are most precious to us and to be thankful for all that we’ve been blessed with. For me, I know the thing that gives me the most happiness and strength is the love and support of my family (including you, Sam!). That is the most precious gift I’ve been blessed with and I hope that each and every one of you knows—even when I don’t get a chance to speak the words—that you mean the world and more to me and all the goodness and sunshine I have inside of me comes from you. I love you more than you could ever know.

Take care, be safe, and keep in touch. Much love to you and yours,
Jenna & Sam