The Elders all gussied up for Christmas

The Young 'uns all gussied up for Christmas.

Elizabeth entrances us with her tale of Babushka.

Entrance to the Roman fort at Saalburg.

"Yeah, you know...I live on that street with the castle on the end?" (A typical German street in a typical German village.)

Jim and Liz spending some time alone in the serenity of the Frankfurt Temple.

How about a wet, sloppy Christmas smacker for my Sammer!

Beautiful stained glass inside one of the churches in downtown Luxembourg.

Charming Luxembourg in the evening.

Notre Dame, all decked out for Christmas.

A Notre Dame gargoyle overlooks Paris.

Jim and Liz at the Eiffel Tower.

A beautiful blue sky illuminates the majestic Sacre Couer basilica.

Later that day, it was snowy outside the Louvre!

One of the monuments at the American Normandy Beach Memorial.

The historic beaches of Normandy.

Jenna the eskimo bundles up in the snow!

The crematoriums at Dachau--not a pretty sight.

The Neuschwanstein Castle

Jim and Liz take in the scenery on the hike down to the gorge.

Did I mention that we traveled to Narnia (aka the Patnach Gorge)?

Over the river (sea) and through the woods...

Yep, it’s true—December brought our first official visitors from the United States, but we had some work to do first. The first weekend in December Sam and I were down in Heidelberg because I had drill, but it wasn’t all work—we also got all gussied up and attended the annual Medical Holiday Ball. We worked the following week and the next weekend was spent buying groceries, researching travel plans in preparation for the visit of Sam’s parents, Jim and Elizabeth, and cleaning the house that we hadn’t really lived in for a month (see previous post). Then it was back to work for one more week before we finally, finally, got to rest.

Elizabeth arrived in Germany on December 16th, the first day of her first vacation overseas. We barely let the poor woman rest before we started toting her all around on a whirlwind tour of Hessen, the region of Germany in which we reside. In addition to going for daily walks and runs along the trails near our home, we also explored several local attractions. We saw the Munzenberg Castle (which is mostly ruins) and the Friedberg castle (which is now home to government buildings), and also took Elizabeth to the Friedberg Church, which is one of the oldest and largest churches in the area. Sam and I had never been to the church before and were very impressed. On another day, we visited the nearby Saalburg Roman Fort. The area of Germany we live in formed the northern-most boundary of Roman territory up to the first century A.D. The Romans built a wall with several outposts along this boundary, and remnants of both the wall and the outposts can still be seen scattered throughout the area today. What’s neat about the Saalburg Roman Fort is that you can see both ruins of the wall and the old outpost, but historians have also reconstructed the whole facility as it would have looked back in the first century. We got to tour this reconstructed fort and spent a lot of time in the museum which contained all sorts of artifacts recovered from the site. Elizabeth, who is a Latter Day Saint, also wanted to find and tour a German temple. Luckily, one of the two Mormon temples in Germany is located within a half hour of our home so later that day we took her to explore it. We also took two out-of-town excursions, one to the “English Movie Theater” in Frankfurt where we saw two amazing movies (King Kong and the Chronicles of Narnia--highly suggest 'em both) back to back, and to the famous Christmas Markt in Nuremberg, which is the largest Christmas market in all of Germany. Despite Elizabeth getting lost—no worry, we found her at Starbucks!—I think she really enjoyed the shops, the food and drink, and being immersed in the German culture. It was a good time had by all.

We picked Jim up at the airport on the morning of December 24th and at that point felt that we could really begin to celebrate Christmas—after the men rushed off to do some last-minute shopping, that is! Once they got home we enjoyed some homemade potato soup, shared stories of our most moving Christmases, watched the Polar Express (with the famous Holmes Family yeast popcorn in hand, of course!), and heard the tale of Babushka (an annual tradition) as told by Elizabeth before turning in for the night. Christmas morning we woke up early—I mean really early—to open presents and enjoy a traditional German breakfast before getting all cleaned up for church at the international temple in Frankfurt. I got positively spoiled with gifts from Sam, Sam’s family, and my family (who sent over a humongous box full of presents), including an antique French end table from Sam that we’ve taken to calling the Marie Antoinette. Anyway, I don’t know if I’ve ever mentioned it, but the Germans really know how to do breakfast; they are all about different kinds of bread, meat, and cheese served along with fruit, yogurt, and soft-boiled eggs. We attempted to provide that breakfast for our guests and it was damn good if I do say so myself! After returning from church we went right to work preparing a non-traditional but positively delectable Christmas dinner of grilled rib eye steaks, garlic mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, garlic bread, and miscellaneous trimmings. In addition to Sam’s parents, two friends and our American neighbors from upstairs also joined us for Christmas dinner. It turned out to be quite a spread and I think everybody enjoyed both the food and the company immensely. Over dessert we played a couple games of Battle of the Sexes which got everyone riled up just enough to feel like we were burning off a few of the thousands of calories we’d just ingested, but it wasn’t long before we had to kick our friends out of the house and be off to our next adventure—the ballet! As a Christmas surprise, I got Jim, Elizabeth, Sam and I tickets to the Russian City Ballet’s performance of the Nutcracker in Frankfurt on Christmas Day evening. It was both Sam and my first time at the ballet and we really enjoyed it. For many reasons, it was a Christmas I will never forget.

Next we got down and dirty with some serious traveling. We got up early and drove to Luxembourg the day after Christmas, where we visited both the American and German World War II cemeteries and also spent time in charming downtown Luxembourg itself before getting back in the car and heading to Paris. We spent the night in Paris and toured the city on foot the entire next day, taking Jim and Elizabeth to Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triumph, the Sacre Coure (possibly Sam and my's favorite site in Paris), and down the Champs Elysees. We also tired to hit the Louvre which turned out to be closed. This was a little disappointing—because who wouldn’t want to see the Mona Lisa?—but we were pretty much fatigued at that point and there weren’t too many complaints when we decided to enjoy a movie (the new Harry Potter) instead. The next day we left Paris and headed north to the historic beach of Normandy where we toured the American memorial amid a major snowstorm. It was very moving to be able to stand on the rocky ledge and look down at the beach and the angry sea below and realize that the fate of the world had been decided there by the blood that was spilled by our brothers. It was sobering but also filled us all with a sense of pride, and as we drove back home to Germany through snowy Belgium, Sam and I were reminded again of why these memorials exist—so that we don’t forget what happened, so that we remain cognizant of the world and circumstances around us, and so that we may garner a little more knowledge with which we can hope to shape the future.

We spent a day at home to let Jim and Elizabeth get their bearings and to let us all get caught up on laundry and then we headed down to our favorite part of Germany, the Bavarian Alps. On our journey south, we stopped at the Dachau Concentration Camp site which now houses several memorials and a very informative museum in addition to the original buildings that have been preserved. We learned so much about the history of the concentration camps and the holocaust and got to see first-hand the cramped barracks the “prisoners” were forced to live in and the ovens in which many were cremated. Although it was a sober experience, I am very glad we did it.

From there we headed down to the famous Neuschwanstein Castle, the “fairy tale” castle upon which the castle in the Disney logo is based. After hiking up to the castle, we took a shortcut through Austria to get to Garmisch, a sweet German town nestled in the heart of the Bavarian Alps. There we enjoyed dinner at the lavish Edelweiss Lodge, an American resort run for members of the military. We spent the night in nearby Munich and came back the next day to tour the Partnach Gorge. On the way to the gorge we encountered a pleasant surprise—there was a World Cup ski jump competition taking place that we got to see close-up. All I can say is that those guys get some serious air up there! Anyway, the Partnach Gorge is a steep, beautiful gorge located in prime logging country. The loggers used to cut the trees, drop them down the gorge into the river below, and let them float down to the sawmill. The gorge is very narrow, however, so often times trees would get stuck and the loggers would have rappel down into the ravine (it’s way too steep to hike or climb down) to clear up the jam. Several loggers died this way, and there are some memorials to them located along the gorge. Some years back, the Germans decided to make this gorgeous natural beauty accessible—in a safer manner—to all who wanted to see it. Now there is a gondola that lifts you to the top of the gorge and a rather steep trail that you use to climb about three-quarters of the way down. At that point they used explosives to cut a trail out of the sheer rock faces that make up the walls of the gorge, and you can walk along this trail pretty close to the water. When Sam went to see the gorge the first time, it was in the early summer and both waterfalls and mist were abundant. We went in the dead of winter this time, but the white, wintry landscape and incredible ice formations made it a breathtakingly beautiful excursion. I will let the pics from the gorge speak for themselves, but I will say that it was like Narnia in there! After completing our walk through the gorge, we got a ride back down to in a horse-drawn sleigh—a perfect end to a perfect day—before heading back to our home sweet home for New Year’s Eve.

We had a relatively quiet New Year’s Eve at home which consisted of popcorn, conversation, and monopoly—much different than last year’s craziness in Paris—but were pleasantly surprised with fireworks displays all over our small town as the clock struck midnight. There was no Dick Clark, but Sam and I had each other and family to share it with, and that was enough for us. We spent New Year’s Day recovering from our travels and getting Jim and Elizabeth ready to head home, and saw them both off—after a successful and fulfilling vacation—the next day.

What's next for the travel plans: During the first couple months I was here, not working and lonely for my family, the days seemed to last forever. Now, they fly by so fast and it’s hard to believe that we will be out of here in half a year. I know these next few months will go by fast as well and Sam and I are planning to see all of Europe that we can in the time we have left. The current itinerary includes Oslo, Norway the 13th through 16th of January, Moscow, Russia the 17th through 20th of February, Prague, Czech Republic with my parents in April, and also Spain, Holland, Poland, and as much skiing as we can cram in this winter.

And in other news: Sam continues to stay busy at the clinic. He is the type of person who will not just learn what he has to in order to get by and then settle. Instead, I think he constantly seeks challenge and growth, and therefore is always pushing himself to new limits in his career. (This is a good thing as long as he doesn’t forget to take care of himself and shower me with attention in the process.) The full-time support officer at my unit departed in early January and I’ve been appointed to assume the duties of overseeing the day-to-day operations at the unit until we get a new full-timer in. There will be a lot more on my plate than there has been in the past and I am looking forward to it. I have always preferred to have too much to do versus not enough, and I—like Sam—appreciate what a learning experience this is.

Jim and Elizabeth’s visit was great for so many reasons. Of course it was wonderful to spend time with loved ones, and it was neat that Sam and I got to host Christmas for the first time. But one of the best parts was just sharing the “Europe Experience” with them; it was as great as we’ve always thought it would be and we are excited to keep on sharing. My sister Jessica is coming over for spring break in March followed by my parents a week later, and I am really looking forward to that. We are also hoping that Sam’s sister Delphine can make it over to run a marathon this spring, and of course our open invitation is still extended to anyone who wishes to visit. We’d love to have you!

We are making progress on the educational front and are still planning on starting school next year, although we are not yet certain exactly where in the states we’ll end up—we just hope it’s together! So far I have been accepted to the Doctor of Physical Therapy program at University of Minnesota and have phone interviews lined up with University of Maryland and New York Medical College, so that is really exciting. Acceptance into medical school is a little more grueling of a process, and Sam’s initial applications have been reviewed and secondary applications requested, which is a step in the right direction. He is also applying to some Doctor of Osteopathy programs which he’d really enjoy as well. It seems like a long process, but at the same time it’s crazy to think that in a few months we’ll know where we’re headed once we get back to the states! Yikes!

No ring for Christmas (I know that’s what everyone wanted to know) but Sammer and I are doing well. It has been an exciting and perpetually busy year for us and we have definitely faced some challenges, but overall it has been a year of growth and I think we are stronger and more dynamic both as individuals and as a team. One of the greatest things about us is that we truly are the best of friends. I’ve been told by some long-married couples that this will not last forever, but for now we are certainly enjoying it (and each other), and I know it sounds corny but I still fall more in love with him all the time.

Our families continue to thrive and grow stronger with each challenge faced. Some exciting news is that my parents—who I inherited the coffee-freak gene from—just became the new owners of the local coffee shop in Fargo that we’ve been patronizing for the past ten years. They have the best coffee in the world (I have found none in Europe that matches it) and I know my mom and dad will do a great job with the store. Another interesting turn of events is that Sam's mom, who is on a 13-week travel nursing contract in Fargo, is now living with my parents. How cool is that?

Thank you so much for taking the time to check out the blog and for staying interested in our lives over here. We miss everybody so much and appreciate all everyone does to stay in touch. You are always on our minds and in our hearts, and we wish you well as you begin the New Year. Take care and stay safe (and warm!).

Love,
Jenna & Sam