But Wait, There's More!

 I hope that this will be the final crazy-long post for a while.  This summer, with all its moving parts, might end up being put together after we settle, but my hope going forward is to have a time to write every week.  We'll see how that goes.  This post will cover the beginning of 2026 to the present (April) and it has already been pretty eventful.  So, here goes!

 What better way to start of the new year than with a concussion!  Ice skating in our beloved city of Trier was a really fun time, right up until Mama hit the ice hard, blacked out for a moment, and then had mild concussion symptoms for the next couple of weeks.  Oh well, it can't all be beaches and gelato, right? 😀

Right before school began again, we headed in the Czech Republic and spent a day in Prague.  Many, many people had told us that this was a not-to-be-missed city.  It was very beautiful and rich in history.  And also, cold.  

This building is one of the many synagogues in Prague.   

 

St. Nicholas Church 

 

The Prague zoo.  Because it can't all be churches and history and architecture.  It should also be tigers and Komodo dragons and badly sprained ankles.  (That was me again. 😜 I blame the concussion.) 

 

We settled back in to school, with one change.  Brigit came home, because even great language and cultural experiences should not come at the expense of a child's heart.  New baby lambs were born in the field behind our house and winter left a little early this year. 

 

We praise God that Rob was promoted to Lt. Col in February and we were honored to have so many people speak highly of him and to have my dad administer his oath of office again and speak about the continuity of service going back to my grandfather in Germany right after WWII. 

 

This is random, but you have to zoom in on this guy in the airport.  Check out the hair antennae!   

 

Rob and I flew to Virginia in February to attend a conference for squadron commanders and their spouses.  I got to tour the NASA wind tunnel facility and my little nerdy heart was so happy!  We gained some wisdom and hopefully contributed positively to the conference.  We had good talks about what Rob's vision was for the Offutt Chapel in Omaha.   

 

 

While Rob and David went to Omaha from there to attend their yearly silent retreat (mine was in November; just do it people), I flew back to Germany and took the younger kids on a three-day long tour around Germany, Poland, and the Netherlands.  The goal was to eat Berliner in Berlin, Münster cheese in Münster, Frankfurters in Frankfurt, and to just eat in Essen (it means to eat/food).  We accomplished all of this, plus a great history lesson on East and West Berlin/Germany and the fall thereof.  It was particularly moving for Daniel and Tessa, who were touched by the lack of concern for life under Communist rule.  The 3D museum was just for fun and to blow off some steam.

We also visited the palace of Het Loo in the Netherlands which is a home to the ruling Orange family (and has been for hundreds of years), and stopped by the Haribo factory outlet store on the way home.   

 

The Holocaust Remembrance Monument 

 

The Wall 

 

Checkpoint Charlie 

 

Münster Cathedral where we attended Aschermittwoch/Ash Wednesday service 

Het Loo palace

 

Spring is coming with the arrival of the Schneeglöckchen! 

And we have nutria in the village this year!

 

 

The older boys trying to break into our car after thieves got in, stole Emma's wallet and the car's registration and key.  They then locked the door behind them, leaving us unable to get into the car.  That was a strange day.  

 

Purim Haman head breads

Our home Pesach celebration

Celebrating with the Chapel Jewish community

 

David made the difficult decision to give away his/our cat, Licorice, in March.  He is headed off for new adventures and our cats seem to die when we move.  He found a friend who was looking for a new kitty, so she has a new home here in Germany.  

 

Lent was a beautiful season for us this year.  I know in the future I will write more about this journey, but the lead-up to this Easter season was particularly rich and meaningful.  Emma made this painting for  a collaborative Stations of the Cross at her workplace.   

 

So, then this happened.  Avulsion fracture from a rolled ankle on the trampoline.  Did I mention we leave for Rome in four days? 

Happy Easter!  The Lord is risen!

(Remember the post from Christmas about large-family pictures and keep expectations low!) 

 

The pictures above were from Easter Vigil on Saturday night with the Episcopal service.  Below are Sunday morning pictures with Emma leading worship and the obligatory sugar blowout! 

Easter Sunday night and we are headed to Rome!  This turned out to be the most amazing trip.  So much beauty, so much history, so much connection with the historical Church.  My children (and Rob and I) worshiped and cried and marveled at God's movement in our stories.  Many of those particularly worshipful moments have no pictures to accompany them, but we will never forget.  With the churches all still decorated for Easter, the smell of lilies will always remind me of this trip.

 

Yes, those are parakeets living on the top of the Palatine Hill. 

 

Gelato and chill... 

Santa Maria Ara Coeli 

 

St. Paul's Outside the Walls 

 

St. Peter's Basilica and the hour-long wait to go through security 

Wednesday morning audience with Pope Leo XIV.  It was such a blessing.

 

 

 After La Scala Santa, where no pictures are allowed, we came into St. John Lateran across the street.  See Callum praying?  He did this in every church we went in, kneeling on the floor if there wasn't a clear kneeler.  His prayer: Jesus, please, please, never let me disobey you ever again.  I don't want to disobey you.  May our hearts always be this tender toward the good Jesus.

 

Banana tag in the Circus Maximus 

 

Have I mentioned how well we ate?  Most of the food was cooked back in our Airbnb, though we did a couple of restaurants.  Ian made us a delicious Caci e Pepe and we had Caprese every night!! 

 

Thursday we took the train to Naples to see Herculaneum, a smaller and differently preserved city like Pompeii destroyed in the explosion of Mt. Vesuvius. 

 

Plaster casts of skeletons found in the boathouses, trying to escape the blast. 

 

The bowls are filled with nuts and figs preserved whole. 

 

Okay, so this water trough is super cool.  It was for people, not animals in ancient Rome and it was fed from a stream up the hill via an aqueduct.  That aqueduct is still what the modern city of Herculaneum uses to feed their water system!!!  They sure don't build 'em like they used to! 

 

Then we walked to the beach. 

k

 

 

More gelato!! 

Callum found a substitute nonna on the train home.   She and her daughter spoke no English, but grandmas speak a universal language.  The people we met were so delightful.

 

The Ancient Appian Way built by the Romans on our way to the Catacombs of St. Callixtus.  No pictures allowed there. 

 

Friday we saw the last "tourist spots." And then we headed to a vacation campground for our last day. 

 

 

Santa Maria Sopra Minerva 

;

 

The burial place of St. Catherine of Siena (That's for you, Kathleen!) 

 

Callum and Elliott played football with some Italian kids while the rest of us watched a scene from a movie or TV being filmed. 

 

Fancy Italian dinner at the vacation campground...thing...we don't really have a word for this in English. 

 

 

Back home and someone got some sun! 

 

Almost there!!  Last weekend, Rob and I took Ian and Isaac on their birthday trip to France to walk the Sgt. York historic trail, view some preserved WWI trenches and have a really nice French dinner.  We also ducked into the cathedral in Metz, but missed the Chagall windows there!!  Another time, maybe. 

k

 

d

 

For reference, this road is just wider than our car and is two lanes. 

 

A small village church built in 1646 

 

Okay, if you've made it this far, congratulations!!  And thank you for sharing in our adventures!  I will try to post more regularly.  Especially because, as you may have gathered from some hints dropped, we're not coming back to the US this summer.  We have received new orders to England.  The Cotswolds to be more precise.  We don't know exactly where we will live yet, but it's likely to look something like this in our neighbourhood.

We'll be doing a grand tour of the US in July to catch up with some of you and spend some quality time with our parents before going back overseas.  Kathryn, Emma, and David won't be joining us this time around.  Katie and David will be living and working in Omaha, and Emma is headed for college at Barclay in Kansas.  We would appreciate your prayers for this new family arrangement and we would love to see as many of you as possible this summer and for visits in England!!