Beer Pong

We went to the German American friendship fest and had fun going around and checking out all the cool booths and rides and wearing out the children, and on our way out we decided to try out this booth that had beer cups and beer steins.

You buy balls and whatever cups you get balls in you get to keep.

We wanted to get steins, so we tried it out and only got glass beer cups.

But we had another free evening, so we went back to try again and met the Sister Missionaries playing beer pong too, so we all played and prayed for eachother as we took turns.

This round we were very successful! Sarah won two glass cups and a big stein, and I won a regular blue stein.

Afterwards we realized that we had just been praying with the missionaries to win beer cups while gamboling... oh.

After that we didn't go back. :P

Reichenstein Castle

On Monday I went with the Sister Missionaries and some sisters in the ward to Rudesheim for a day trip touring old buildings and the Reichenstein castle.

We set off in the morning and looked around Rudesheim at their cool shops until lunch.

After lunch we walked to the gondola rides and rode up to a walking trail that led past some cool old buildings.

We came to a statue that was built right after Germany was formed

She represents Germany

  The shields represent the countries that joined together to make Germany.

Next we came across this guard tower

This structure is called "Die Zauberhole" (The magic hole)

It was under construction, but there was a sign that we read and the tunnel behind it is the entrance and going through the tunnel you withstand trials and the light room at the end of the tunnel represents the light of wisdom. 

Although, the only trial we could imagine could fit in the tunnel, from what we could see, was overcoming claustrophobia. 

At the end of the trail we came to a ski lift that took us to Assmanshausen where we caught a ferry across the Rhine river to Reichenstein castle.

This is a view from the boat

To get the to castle there is a steep trail

We just about passed out when we got to the top winded, and the garden through the gate took the rest of our breath away.

 The picture gives the view little justice. 

No, they're not real

These ones might be though

These steps are about 12" wide

The Prince's and Princess's floors were up the same staircase

The princess's floor was all colorfull

The prince's floor was a bummer after that

Although he had a cool writing tower

 We took a ferry back to Rudesheim and got ice cream on our way home. 

July 4th

 For the fourth of July we went to a ward BBQ and water party

 

Afterwards there was a fireworks show. 

Talmage was scared of the fireworks, and Addie was a little at first, but warmed up to them.

My camera died in time for the finale, but they shot fireworks all above us and it was like a roof of fireworks. 

It was really fun!

The Chamber of Secrets

The other day we went with some of the moms in the ward and their kids to play at a splash park. We were later than the others and Sarah had never been there before, but we found it just fine.

 

There was this big snake that the kids could play on and reminded Sarah and me of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

 

Strawberry Picking

The other day some of the moms in the ward put together a strawberry picking day, and we decided to join them, so we all went to this organic farm and found the strawberry patch. When we got out of  the car the little breeze that there was carried the sweet smell of strawberries. Yum!

 Once they had weighed our bucket we were set free in the big field to fill it.

The straw inspired a straw fight

We picked for about an hour until our bowel was heaping full, and we all had hands covered in pink and red juice, and ate many on the way home.

A Way Out

I testify that God lives and loves and listens to us. I know that God loves me and watches over me.

Last night Sarah and I packed the kids in the car, excited to go to our first square dance in Germany! We had an address, directions, phones, cameras, ready to have fun!
The directions were great! We found where we were supposed to be and oh, look! There was parking right under the building! So we followed a car and squeezed down through the narrow little German parking garage tunnel and first thing we saw was them sliding a card through a card slot, and the big gate slid up, and down right behind them, and to the left there was parkenhaus so we drove down a windy S tunnel and got to a bar, like at most parking garages, and Sarah tried to get a ticket and it told her that the parking garage was closed... German parking tunnels are barely big enough for one car to go down. Like a foot on each side. And we sat there for a minute like, are we in big trouble? How are we gonna get out? And we were silently saying prayers as Sarah slowly backing out, and as we got to the split this old German couple drove down behind us to the private gate and looked at us like "what are they doing?" And we watched as they approached the gate, eyeing the exit, waiting to attempt turning around, and these metal bars start lowering from the ceiling. Our hope of using that as an escape route dropping with them.
And in my head I'm saying one long prayer asking our Father in Heaven to please get us out.
The car that had just came in went through the gate, and the gate remained open, and the light to the side was green, and we backed up and inched toward the gate waiting for an alarm to go off, and it felt like it took like 5 minutes to just under that gate, we were so scared we would be in huge trouble and the gate would come down on the car, but we drove through, and looked for an ausfahrt (car exit) sign, but all we could see were parking garage tunnels headed down, so we choose one, hoping and praying that we could find an exit.
We drove for a little and can across a German couple standing next to their car staring at us, no expression, just staring, not even moving as we smiled and waved accept to follow us with their eyes.
Just past them we saw a tunnel leading up with an ausfahrt sign! Whoot!... There was another gate. We sat there for a second, and looked back at the couple still staring, only having moved their heads since we turned the corner.
Sarah got out of the car and talked to them. Neither of them spoke any English, but they understood we just wanted out, so the guy walked us out with his special card, and we thanked him and said a prayer of thanks for God allowing us to make it through that parking garage, and leading those kind people to help us out.

We parked on the side of the road and walked to the square dance venue. There was this old elevator, but we decided to take the stairs. We only arrived a little late, and everyone was super nice! They were all older probably over 35, and they loved the kids. Especially the baby.
I joined in the dancing and we all met new people, and during a break they said something about the visitors from Utah, so we smiled and waved when we realized they were talking about us. :P
And the next break they gave me a little dangle for my badge! :D yay!
It was lots of fun. I also realized how much I'm gonna miss dancing with my own group over the summer!

Around 9:45 the kids were ready to go home, so we got them packed up and we were thinking not to risk the elevator, especially since this door had a sign posted next to it that had people inside a red crossed out circle with some German words.
As we were leaving one of the guys was like oh, just let me help you into the elevator. So he went down and sent it up to us, and helped us squish into the tiny old German elevator, and we pressed the button and the doors closed and we went down... And down. After a little Sarah and I wondered if we were gonna be in the parking garage when the doors opened, but when we stopped the doors didn't open, so I pushed the open door button, and it flashed red at me and the lights turned off. We were stuck in a dark creepy German elevator at 10:00 at night in downtown Wiesbaden, and we hadn't told anyone in Germany where we were going. Both Sarah and I tried prying open the door, but all we could see was black wherever we were we were not at the lobby. The kids started freaking out, I started franticly pressing buttons, and Sarah pulled out her phone found out that there was no service, and tried the call button, but all that happened was a high pitched buzz that just added to the confusion. And I, in my moment of panic, realized that I had not documented this trip with pictures yet, so I pulled out my phone and took one. :P

After that we all said a prayer together, and that calmed us down, and the peace helped greatly!
Sarah tried the call button again and held it down, and after a while it dialed and rang, and this lady's voice answered speaking German, and we answered in English and soon a guy speaking English answered and asked us if we had pressed the open door button, and we were like duh! And he kept asking us if it was working, and we pressed buttons and pressed buttons and said silent prayers, and then the lights can back on, and the door started to open, and we were like "it worked!" And the guy was like "OK, bye"
When we looked out we saw dark concrete tunnels with metal doors and signs with red words in German, and from behind the doors came noises like machinery. I cautiously stepped out and looked around, and around a little corner to the right, at the end of a tunnel was a little green sign that said ausfahrt (auto exit). Sarah stayed with the kids and watched me as I went down the creepy tunnel to see if it really was an exit. I know angels were with me protecting me because I felt at peace, there was no panic until after. When I reached the door I opened it and it was dark, and it terrified me, so I immediately ran back to the elevator and Sarah closed the door right behind me and we pressed the button for the floor we wanted and it went up, and the doors opened to the lobby, and I don't think I've ever felt so relieved, happy and blessed to see daylight!
The guy who helped us with the elevator was outside with a cop motorcycle and jacket and looked thoroughly confused as we walked out.
I know that God was watching over us. And is always there for us. And will always be there ready to protect, guide and save His children when we ask and listen.
We are all God's beloved children, and always will be! He is all powerful and all things are made possible through God!
(See Matthew 19: 26)

Erbach

On Saturday we looked at all of the festivals and decided to go to the Erdbeerefest. So we got the kids ready, got in the car, put in the address we were pretty sure was the right one into the phone, and drove off.

And drove

And drove

And drove

And admired the landscape

And after about an hour and a half arrived at this cute little town

And we couldn't find the festival, but we kept passing all these cool looking buildings, so we got out and got some ice cream from a little ice cream shop and asked about the Erdbeerefest and found out that we were in the wrong place. But the whole town was cool german buildings, and we could see cool spires, so headed off to check those out. 

There was a bridge 

And then a wall before we could see them 

And then we really saw the cool old town!

   

It's a very sweet little old german town. Everyone was very friendly, and we were pretty much the only tourists there.

There was this pretty blue house that was built in the 1500s and the lady that lives there greeted us as we walked past, and there's a father and son that run a cool little wicker shop.

Talmage made a new friend

And we explored for the next three hours. :)

As we were leaving this is one of the last buildings we saw. I thought it was two buildings at first, but from what I understand, the Erdbach Palace was first built in the 1300s and was added onto for like 400 years after that, and thats why the tower is so old, while the front looks like it could be from the 1800s.