Speicher and the villages

Thursday, May 2

After several hours of traveling (about 24 I think), driving and flying, we were glad to finally be in Germany and make it to Ryan's parents house in Nattenheim. When we got there Kris had nice warm German pancakes ready for us, which were so good, especially after snacks and air plane food for so long. That day we took some long naps to sleep off the jetlag. But, once we were ready we went to see the base and a bit of Germany. 

The first place we went was a nearby village called Speicher, where we stopped at a ice cream store. This ice cream store was kind of fun because it had menus for you to order from and most the ice cream dishes were shaped like something, like spaghetti and meatballs, a bumble bee, or a duck. It's really cute to see and really good ice cream!

After that we wandered around the village a little to see what a German village was like. All the roads and sidewalks we walked down were made out of cobble stone and the roads were very narrow, even though they were all two-way roads. Luckily these villages usually aren't busy with traffic. Almost every house or apartment window had plants in it, and a lot of the time the plant was an orchid or a couple orchids; they were beautiful and they seem to love the German weather and do really well here. We also noticed that most people have pretty, lace curtains and keep their yards or the area in front of their homes really tidy and clean. Also as we've been in Germany, we've noticed they have a slower pace of life, especially compared to what we're used to in America. Stores close early so people can be home, and there are benches and little gardens or shrines where people in the village can go to have some quiet time to themselves. So, altogether, Speicher and the other villages we were able to see were very beautiful!

We're really enjoying our time in Germany so far and have gotten to see a lot of it's beautiful country sides!! We're especially enjoying spending time seeing Mark and Kris again!

Our Trip to Clearfield: Part II

While we were in Clearfield, we stayed at Karl and Lesle's house. Uncle Karl was gone on a business trip, so we got to spend a lot of time with Aunt Lesle. She let Jared help her with chores, like vacuuming and helping watch baby Boe (Justin and Courtney's baby boy). I think he mostly just wanted to pretend he was a little baby again like Boe. He loved playing with his toys anyway.

Boe almost four months old

We spent each day making a few more visits to people we wanted to see again before we'd be gone for a long time. We made sure to visit the grandparents on Ryan's side of the family. Ryan's dad's dad, Rodney and his wife Clara took good care of us when we went to see them and Grandpa Rod even gave Jared one of his derby cars that he'd made recently, since Jared was having so much fun with it.

Grandpa Rod and Step-grandma Clara

We also got to see Ryan's dad's mom, Grandma Reatha. She also took very good care of us, as grandmothers do and made sure Jared got some good snacks. We had a nice visit catching up when Ryan's Aunt Jody arrived with her daughter Sarah. Jared really liked Sarah and loved having a little friend to play with.

Grandma Reatha

Aunt Jody and Cousin Sarah

Before heading back to Provo, I was also able to see some of my best friends and my hometown ward again. We got to spend a night having dinner and playing games with my parent's family and also going to dinner with Ryan's brother's family. We had a great time and it was great to see everyone again and feel all the love and support of all our family and friends! It made this time all the more exciting for us! We love you all!! Thanks for everything!!

Our Trip to Clearfield: Part I

Last week we made a farewell trip up to Clearfield to visit with all our family and friends before we leave for Texas and don't see them again for a while.

First, we stopped at my Grandma Virgina's (my dad's mom) house. She always taught her kids and grand-kids how important getting an education was and she was so excited about Ryan graduating.

After that, we sent to my sisters, Jacque's, house for our niece's birthday party. Rachel was turning three-years-old! We got to see my parents and sister and all of Jacque's in-laws, who have been good friends to our family.

The Jacobs Family.

Rachel opening her presents.

 Rachel got a bit scared when Ryan gave her one of his big hugs.

 One of her favorite presents was a bow that her dad gave her.

Mom, Roni, and 11-month-old Kaydee.

Ryan and Jared hanging out at the Beaman's.

 Jacque made and decorated Rachel's cake herself. It turned out really good!

 One of Justin's relatives brought their dog. Jared loved playing with it.

That evening, we went back to Karl and Lesle's (Ryan's aunt and uncle) to celebrate their son, Bryson's, homecoming from his mission to Santa Rosa, California. There, we were also able to see more family and friends.

 Sunday morning, Ryan gave Jared a really nice hair cut, that I guess made his eyes a little ichty...

 ...and his pants. But he looked really good after.=)