I Do It All Myself

This week I decided to get ambitious. What may you ask did I use all my stored energy on?  I cleaned and rearranged both Matt and Nate’s bedrooms with the help of Dan and Dad. I learned many things during the two days this project took me. First, was more of a reminder that boys are disgusting. Enough said. Second, was that each of my boys have such different personalities and this comes out in so many different ways. Matt has very few things. I was able to ship almost everything to him in what would fill two regular size suitcases. Nate, on the other hand, is much more like me in his need to memorialize his life with things. Oh so many things.  Third, was that although it makes my organized, type A personality heart happy to walk past those areas now; my mother’s heart saddens that my boys are no longer occupying those rooms. 

Moving on to Matt the twenty year old. He left his teenager years behind this last Friday with his traditional pasta dinner. This time provided by Olive Garden. Along with what looked like a good time at the base bowling alley. I was just disappointed to not see the birthday party hats being worn or the the noise makers being blown. He has assured me that he will break those bad boys out for graduation.  He was also able to break away from studying last weekend to take in some classic cars and ice cream. 

Next up, Nate is finally in Idaho and even better Twin Falls. Yes Nate, thanks to your mission president I can stalk you from Arizona and see pictures posted on Facebook. You can run but you can’t hide. I even received a sweet surprise Saturday evening from a member of the ward that Nate is serving in when she texted me a couple of pictures of Elder Holmes and Elder Nelson as they were over at her house. On Wednesday as Nate was at the airport waiting for his flight to Boise he gave me a call. I had expected a to hear from him sometime that day and thought I had prepared myself but that first “Hi Momma” about did me in. He and I spoke for 40 minutes and the overwhelming theme of the conversation was how confident, ready, and anxious he was to serve. It made it a little easier saying goodbye knowing that he was so excited. 



We continue the saga of the bum hip with Dan. He was able to see the orthopedic doctor and it was determined that his rotator muscles on his left hip have either been pulled/strained/sprained maybe even a small torn muscle. The good news is no shot in the hip and just physical therapy. He also passed his learner permit test and will be on the road here soon. The last piece of news makes me pretty proud of myself. After months of too short Church pants and white shirt, he is properly attired. STOP GROWING.  (No I did not take the picture during sacrament but before the meeting as Dan was giving the new priest some tips on how to bless the sacrament.)

Bryanna continues to rule the roost. This week preschool was shortened to one day due to the holiday on Monday. She is learning about farms and the letter E. We are not an E friendly household. I could not come up with something appropriate for show and tell that started with E.  She had a great time this weekend with all the rain. As it was a warm rain and while it was light Dad and I let her run around in it. She was one happy curly haired girl. He new thing this week has been “I do it all myself”. This is said very emphatically and with not a little pride. 

This has caused me to muse about my own life and how often I say “I’ve got this” “I can do this myself”or “I do it all myself”.  What pride I harbor in the idea of being able to handle whatever is thrown at me without acknowledging that it is only through Heavenly Father that I am able to accomplish anything. After feeding the missionaries this week, they shared this scripture: 

D&C 84: 88 And whoso receiveth you, there I will be also, for I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up.

I know that I have had angels around me that have born me up in my life.  Those angels have come in many ways but they have been there. The Spirit has been in my heart more times than I can count giving peace, comfort, understanding, and the many other roles that He encompasses. The Lord has truly been on my right hand and my left. How can I boast of being able to do anything without His help. Remember Dans favorite scripture. 

Matthew 19:26 But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.

Love Each of You More than You Know,

Mom😋

Holmes Family Update

Matt:  

Although his football season was off to a great start with 3 touchdowns, a few 2 point conversions, and at least 60 yards rushing, it was to be short lived after only two games. Against Dr. Mom's advise, he decided not to wear his ankle brace during his last game and slightly sprained his ankle.  The following Tuesday (again against medical advise) he did not wear his brace during tackle practice and while running angle tackles, he was spun around having his teammate land on top of his ankle. He reports hearing a pop, his ankle began to swell, and he couldn't walk on it. Luckily, a friend of the family was out watching his son practice and was able to take Matt to the emergency room while getting a message to Doug to meet them there.  Where was I? You may ask. I was taking Dan to his football practice. (More on that later.)  After an X-ray, a shot of something to the stomach to prevent blood clots, and a splint put on incorrectly, Matt was discharged from the ER with an appointment to have an MRI done the next day. I was less than impressed with the care he had received at the German hospital and worked on getting him seen at the U.S. military hospital in Landshtul. Wednesday after 7 hours in the ER in Landshtul, we had a new X-ray showing a Salter Harris fracture through his growth plate on this right tibia, a splint put on the correct way, meds for pain, American style crutches, and an appointment to have a cast put on. It has been two weeks, he was put in a walking cast for a week because he was still too swollen for a permanent cast but now sports a bright pink cast. In two weeks it will be back in the boot for the remainder of his recovery. Matt continues to go to practice each day, coaching his replacements and helping the Freshmen. He attended the Homecoming Parade/Bonfire by wheel chair pushed by his teammate who "broke him". He also went stag to the Homecoming dance because he's not 16 yet. He will be taking care of that in 11 days though. 

Nate:

Nate is enjoying his first year of high school. We had to do a facts of life talk with him about how one bad grade can pull down his average and pointed out the requirements for admission to ASU, his university of choice. Heavenly Father blessed me with that prompting because ever since then he is studying his Spanish since he now knows that he needs two years of a foreign language to get into ASU.  He has also gotten involved with football just not as a player. He has pointed out to me that he did his football season in 7th grade and sees no need to continue. He has taken the position of manager for the football team though and is enjoying being around the players while filling a much needed position. I'm happy because he still has to keep his grades up just the same as the players. Which means all the coaches will be looking at his grades too. Strength in numbers.  He is also taking a class that deals with photography and videography. He is learning all the ins and outs of Photoshop so maybe he can teach his mom. 

Dan:

Dan is playing tackle football this year. We had a deal last year that if he did his best to bring home good grades, then I would do my best to get him on a tackle football team.  Dan kept up his end of the bargain by bringing home the best grades of all the boys and being invited to join National Junior Honor Society.  So I needed to keep up my end of the deal. See here it is not as easy as back in the states. Germans don't play American football, so there are no local teams, and The Air Force doesn't provide tackle football through their youth services due to insurance and liability issues. The only way to play tackle football in Germany is in high school as a DODEA (Department of Defense Education Administration) student or through the Army's youth services program.  The closest Amy instillation to us that has an active youth services program is in Landshtul, an hour and fifteen minute drive from home. After figuring out and navigating all the army's requirements for Dan to play football, he is now a Landshtul Seahawk with a winning season of 3-1. He's the back up quarterback and on the kickoff special team. We have three practices a week and one game on Saturday that usually requires at least a two hour drive one way. So I spend at least 10 hours a week just driving for football. Add 9 more hours for practice time and playtime and we are devoting a lot of time to this game.  Dan keeps he grades up by doing homework in the car and at tutoring on the days he doesn't have practice. He is still able to make mutual and scouts as Wednesday is not a practice day. It just seemed like everything worked out perfectly for us so he could have this experience. It's a big commitment, but he is loving it. Dan also attended his Homecoming dance with a couple of buddies of his and gave me his sheepish smile when I asked if he danced with any girls. 

Doug:

The last couple of weeks Doug has had to complete his vectoring paperwork. This is kinda a hoot to me, as this is paperwork that you fill out telling the Air Force what your career goals are and how you would like to go about achieving them. As Doug is a dentist and all he really wants to do is to sit in his DTR (dental treatment room) seeing patients or pretty much what he is doing right now, this paperwork is pretty ridiculous. Add on that the Air Force is going to send you and tell you to do whatever they need you do or wherever you need you to be, and you get the sense of futility of the whole process. But he went through the processes devoting many hours to filling out his paperwork because that's just the kinda guy he is. Along with seeing patients he is the officer in charge of infection control through out the medical services on our base and the team chief of the emergency triage team. A couple of extra duties that keep him pretty busy. Not to mention being the Wolf/Bear leader for the Cub Scouts in the ward. He seems to be able to sneak in some track time with his motorcycle though when he heads to the race track in Spa, Belgium once in a while. 

Me:

 I just read what I wrote and it makes me tired because as the mom I'm involved in it all. I volunteer with Matt's football team providing food, rides, grocery shopping, and event organizing. I am helping Nate with an essay he is writing for a contest and with his Spanish (talk about the blind leading the blind). With Dan I have already described the time commitment but I also seem to have taken on the role of water mom making sure that the players are drinking during the game so we don't have any cramps. I volunteer on base once a month watching kids for the MOPs (Mothers of Preschoolers) group so mom can have some much needed adult time. I also volunteer as a Ways and Means committee cochair for the Officer and Civilian Spouses Club on base, which means I'm in charge  of raising money for our organization to run on. Last but not least I am the early morning Seminary teacher for our ward. I thought primary kept me busy. You can find me each day studying anywhere between 1 1/2 - 3 hours for the next days 40 minute lesson. And that is the part I love. As a teacher who teaches teenagers at 6:20 am, I think I'm passable to decent but definitely no great shakes. Of course all these activities do not slow down the automatic Mormon Yes when favors are asked, church classes need substitutes, or other volunteer opportunities come up.  I'm starting to believe exhaustion is a normal state.

Right now life is crazy. Dinner tonight was pizza, laundry is never done, and I am keeping the house clean enough that the arachnids don't take over and no one catches any diseases from the bathrooms. But there is so much to be grateful for, Matt didn't need surgery, Nate is seeing the big picture, there are no scheduling conflicts with Dan, Doug continues to be an asset wherever he is placed, and I am able to get up every morning at 5 am. The Lord is watching over us. 

First Day of School 2013-2014

The first day of school has come.  And the angels sang.  To say it has been a long summer is an understatement, but then again I think I feel that way every year.  This year Matt started Bitburg High School, Nate had his last first day as a middle schooler at Spangdahlem Middle School, and Danny started the same middle school as a 6th grader.

There are a few things to get use to.  Both schools use a block schedule which means their classes are longer but they only see all their teachers every other day.  Also Matt's high school has less students than his 8th grade class, which he has decided he really enjoys.  Both schools have really dedicated teachers with a more of a family feel.  We are excited for this new year.

Historical Burgenfest Manderscheid

Just down the road from our house is the Manderscheid Castle Ruins.  Once a year they hold a festival there that reconstructs life in the middle ages or a Renaissance Festival.  Is there a better place to have one than on the very ground that held events like this thousands of years ago. 

In the main area there were booths with food and entertainment.

In the castle ruins is where they set up merchant booths.

Some of the entertainment included jugglers and singers.

And of course the joust.

"The Holmes Have Gotten Their Junk" Party

After living three months without our stuff, I said that as soon as we were unpacked that we would have a party and so we did.  As both Doug and I were busy being good hosts there are no pictures.  We wanted to say thank you to everyone who helped us, opened their houses up, and welcomed us while we transitioned.  We invited people from the ward, from our village, our landlord, and the missionaries to help with translation.  

I spent the day cooking and getting ready. We had hotdogs, burgers, and brats.  Stuffed mushrooms, jalapeno poppers, chips with dips, baked beans, funeral potatoes, creamed corn, and desserts.  I tried to make sure that we had at least a few items that our German neighbors would be familiar with but found it interesting that their favorites were the burgers and hotdogs.  I only made a few cultural fopas 1. when I served cold mineral water, 2. not providing cups until asked, and 3. serving creamed corn (according to my dad corn is a food that is served to pigs in Germany).  Not too bad for my first time.

 The missionaries brought a family that had a sons the boys age.  We able to say thank you to everyone with the missionaries translating for our neighbors.  The boys played basketball and showed the German boys how to throw an American football.  We sat and ate, laughed and enjoyed each others company.  Elder Holmes (no relation) even gave the blessing on the food in german so our guests would be able to understand.  It was a great night that we hope to repeat soon.  

It Can't Be That Bad

Life can't be that bad when you wake up to these sunrises and have sheep outside your front door.

EFY 2013

This year Matt was able to attend EFY (Especially for Youth) this year for the first time. In Europe this is call SMYC (Special Mulitstake Youth Conference) and Matt's session was the only international session.  He attended with youth from 10 different European countries, most english speaking but not all.  He was able to enjoy the time in Brisbane, Germany.

Matt was able to make friends with a lot of youth and came home wondering why we were not stationed at Ramstein.  He enjoyed the classes and the activities he was able to participate in.  It was a great way to get him ready for Seminary.

 Matt is on the outer right side three people form the top.

Dinner at a Castle

At the end of July we were invited to Dr. Pat McDoungh home for a cookout.  The big draw was that Dr. McDoungh and his family live in a restored barn that is part of a Manor House/Castle.  Yes a real castle.   Can I say how cool it is to sit outside looking at a tower that was build in the 1100s?

This is the original tower that was built in the 1100's.

View from the Tower

Manor House that is now a Bed and Breakfast. 

Formula 1 Race

Doug and Dan had the opportunity to go to the Formula 1 Races at the Nederburg Ring in the middle of July.  As I didn't attend I don't have a lot to add except do you see how happy my Danny is?  A boy after his dad's own heart.

  

4th of July

Ok, I wasn't going to write anything about the 4th of July because we really didn't do much this year and the pictures are really limited, but then I saw some pictures of Danny and couldn't help but put them up.

For the 4th the base did an Appreciation Day which included a BBQ, paintball, prizes, live music, games, and a go kart track.  Matt and Nate earned money for scout camp by being on litter duty for a couple of hours while Danny stood in line FOREVER to drive the go kart.  To his mind it was worth every minute of the wait.

Pretty sad picture of fireworks, but we were able to go home and sit outside our front door to have a great seat for the show.

52 Dental Squadron Picnic

All the way back to the beginning of July the 52nd Dental Squadron hosted a picnic for all the service members and their families. 

In the Air Force there is a tradition of "Hail and Farewell".  This is an opportunity for command to welcome in the newcomers to the unit and also to say goodbye to those moving on.  It has been our experience (on large bases) that this is more of an announcement or FYI situation.  Not on Spangdahlem though.  Nope here you are introduced by your sponsor and then you get to say a few words.  Usually this takes the form of where your last duty station was, where you will be working, and your family.  Well, between both our sponsor, Jake Atwood (who we have known for 10 years), and Doug our family was not introduced like the others.  So in my typical mild way, I speak up introducing myself and the boys with the closing remark that we are the family that Doug is "so proud of".  Needless to say I made an impression.  Not only on co-workers but also commanders.  I am still being referred to as the wife that introduced herself. 

   

There were lots of activities to participate in but my favorite was seeing the boys suit up in Sumo wrestling gear meant for adults and try to take each other down.  I may have to invest in a set.

Dan trying to get the gloves on

Nate can't see without his glasses with his wig/head gear falling down

Our German House

View from our front door.

Last Tuesday we moved into our off base house.  Although it is nice to have our own place, I don't think it is going to feel like home until I get my stuff.  That should happen sometime the end of July.  We live in the country and on the edge of our little village.  All you can see out our front door is fields and on a really clear day you can see the Air Base. 

  

If you think this picture is lacking color it is because my entire house is lacking color.  Everything is white, gray or black.  The house is two story with an amazing attic space for storage. German's don't believe in open concept living so each room is separate. When I have more than base furniture I will take interior pictures.  

This is our landmark. The tree has been trained to grow up the house. We turn here to go home.  

Our neighbors back yard.  This is one of two cows they have. 

The best thing about the little village of Gindorf is the church bells that ring on the hour and half hour. Love it!!!!

Trip to Trier

Train Station in Spiecher

  Our first sightseeing trip in Germany was to Trier.  Trier is the oldest city in Germany known by locals as the city started 1,013 years before Rome.  It has so much history.  We took a train to Trier to teach us how to use the train. It was a great experience and nice not to have to worry about wrong turns, getting off on the wrong traffic circle exit, or where to park.

Train Tracks at Spiecher Station

The scenery is so green.  But you pay for the greenness with rain and boy did it rain the morning of our adventure.

Dom (Catholic Cathedral) 

 Have you ever been someplace and asked yourself if you are really there.  I stood outside the Dom in tears, amazed that I was actually standing outside something so amazing.  Dreams do come true.

Street in Trier

You can see all different building periods in Trier.  I love how they all come together in an eclectic mix that says it is comfortable with their past while continuing onto the future.

Basilica 

The Basilica dates back to Roman times when Trier was the capital of Western Rome.

Wall inside the Basilica 

On the walls you could see the marks put into the brick so that marble could be attached.

Ceiling inside the Basilica

The building is three stories high and the roof is amazing.  

After walking around in the rain we enjoyed a huge German lunch.  The overall favorite was the tomato soup which I was quickly told that I needed to find a recipe so I can make it.

There was so much more to see but we figured that this was a must stop for all our friends and family when they come to visit that we will be able to see much, much more on future visits.