Room with a View

Carter's German teacher shared this photo today of the Assumption GAPP group attending  Wieskirche, a very famous Rokkoko pilgrimage church in southern Bavaria.

I suddenly find my "modern" Lutheran church boring! Look at the view! I just can't get over how ornate everything is. It's old. It's gorgeous! I'm pretty sure that I couldn't concentrate on what the priest was saying. I'd be too busy looking around.

I know Carter is taking lots of pictures. I imagine I'd be into the thousands by now with how much I love nature AND unique architecture. Everywhere he looks, there's a view of something different – in that beautiful, un-American way.

Frau said the group went to Wieskirche not only to see the church, but also to attend mass. "The Sakristant came up to their group and asked (two boys) to serve mass, which they did. This Sakristant is from Poland and spoke German with the boys. We were all very proud of them. The presiding priest also shared with the congregation in his opening remarks that they had two special servers, exchange students from America, assisting with mass. As you can see, the church is beautiful. We got to have a group picture taken on the altar after the service."

Very cool.

And then Frau broke our hearts with this update: "No one wants to go home, so I am sure there will be lots of tears next week."

You know what? I guess I wouldn't want to leave yet either! With just a teeny glimpse of all that they are seeing and doing, I'd feel like we were just getting started.

Carter still has another week over there to cram in as much culture and fun as possible. Meanwhile, I should get going on those projects around the empty nest that I planned to get done before his return.

I guess maybe time is flying on both sides of the globe.

Whirlwind Tour Continues

Just had to share some great "selfies" of Carter and the latest on life in Germany.

Here is the latest update from Frau T, emailed to us lonely parents on Sunday:

We are back from our whirlwind tour of the Alps and the castle region. Fortunately, we left the rainy weather behind for the most part when we left Landshut on Wednesday. We had a lovely afternoon visiting the castle at Herrenchiemsee and then pulled into the youth hostel in Berchtesgaden right in time for dinner. The view from the rooms was fantastic. They did renovations since two years ago and all the rooms (very large) had their own showers.  

We then had a very packed day on Thursday touring the salt mine, going up to Hitlers Eagles Nest, and then the boat ride on the Koenigssee. The weather couldn't have been better. The kids were real troopers considering this was a marathon day of touring. They were on time to everything and were very polite and attentive listeners. 

On Friday we drove to the monastery in Ettal for a short visit and then it was on to castle Linderhof. We toured not only the castle, but the grotto, the tee house and the hunting lodge. We definitely got in our 10,000 steps and then some that day. We pulled into the youth hostel right in time for check in time. After a spaghetti dinner many headed into town to check out the closed stores. (Tourist shops were open and the restaurants). 

Yesterday [Saturday] we toned our thighs and calves hiking up to castle Newschanstein, over the Marienbruecke and then back down and up to castle Hohenschwangau. Unfortunately, rainstorms came about the time of our Hohenschwangau tour which didn't allow us to go paddle boating on the Alpsee. The rain stopped in time for shopping in the late afternoon in Fuessen. 

Today [Sunday] we went to the famous Wieskirche for mass. Much to our surprise and great honor [two of Carter's classmates] were asked to serve mass. Needless to say, I was quite nervous about this, but at the same time immensely proud of them. The church was FULL for 11 a.m. mass. We got to take pictures afterwards with them in their serving robes (not sure if this is the right expression) along with the head server. The pictures were taken on the altar of the Wieskirche. Because we had plenty of time, the bus driver drove us to Oberammergau to see where the Passion Play takes place. 

We arrived just after 4:30 p.m. here in Landshut to the waiting families. There were hugs all around.

Some interesting observations from the students: there are so many Japanese at the castles that we thought we were in a different country. It was a good idea for Frau T to get a roll of 50 cent pieces to use at the bathrooms. They came in very handy. Even the bus driver needed one.

The youth hostels now have wireless Internet access in the commons areas - aw shucks. However, the kids had very little time to be stuck on their phones since Mr. O and I walked them around and up and down a lot. The weather is supposed to be quite summer like this upcoming week. Tomorrow we head to the BMW plant in the afternoon and on Wednesday we will spend the day at Dachau.

Even though I would love to include pictures, I have not yet downloaded them from my camera.

Thankfully Carter has shared a few. This one may be a poster somewhere in our house!

We texted back and forth today and he enjoyed the BMW plant but wasn't allowed to take pictures. I imagine when he gets back, his Honda won't be good enough for him anymore!

Double Scoop

After spending part of our birthday behind bars, I took my twin for her first King Cone visit today!

Oops, back up.

Behind bars?? Well, leave it to us to wait until we're 47 to cause trouble.

C'mon, you don't believe that, do you? We actually met up at the prison in Winnebago to visit her son (my nephew) Tony. What a great gift for her (and her daughter Ashley) to see him. And what a great gift for me to see him AND spend my birthday with my twin for change!

It was a nice visit. He is looking better and feeling better and even has a full-time job now. Sort of a prison work-release program they offer at Winnebago. That's great. Unfortunately, it's second shift so I can't do the Tuesday evening visits after work, but I can still do weekends when I can. In the meantime, he did receive some notes from my blog readers so I THANK YOU for reaching out to him!!

After our visit, I led them northward. They had a 5-hour drive ahead of them but we made sure to make a pit stop at King Cone for a birthday treat and to exchange gifts.

Nothing says "twins" like getting each other the same card! Can you believe that? Of all the tons of sister cards out there, we both found the same one? Crazy. We just laughed and laughed about that!

Our time there was short so they could hit the road. I got home and did some work and then hubby took me out to eat at Ida's for their yummy thin-crust pizza. Yum!

That AND a piece of "Wacky Cake" Raylene sent home with me AND getting a birthday text from Germany made a perfect day! Thanks for all the wishes!

Sweet Saturday

Such a perfectly gorgeous, fun and full day today! Almost midnight now so I am going to be brief since tomorrow promises the same!

Slept in past 8 a.m. so that was a good start. Since my exercise class was called off today I figured I'd go for a run. Even though it's been what, a month since I last pounded the pavement?

It didn't feel too bad at all, though. Just a typical run in the neighborhood... First I was running alongside horses (well, people riding on horses) on Townline Road. For the record, they are faster than me.

Then I saw the "Mile 12" sign on 64th Street and realized I was caught up in a triathlon. And they were passing me, too! To their credit, they were on bicycles – and surely not confused that an old lady had already moved on to the running leg of the race! My neighbor was parked at a corner on the route so I stopped to visit her and cheer on the cyclists awhile before taking that last half mile home. Nice day for the event.

Hubby and I hit the road a little after noon to go to Madison. We were heading to a graduation party south of Madison but our first stop was at the shopping center to pick out some clothes for my niece's upcoming wedding. I do have 2 summer dresses I adore, but they are quite used and Jim thought I could use something new. Hey, when your hubby suggests clothes shopping, you don't question it! We both found something at the first store we went to so we were on the road again in no time.

Next stop: Oregon, Wis.

Always a pleasure to see my high school BFF! Luck class of '86 represents! Some 25 years out of college and I finally get my Blue Gold buddy to wear a UW-La Crosse shirt! Either Julie loves me (and my alma mater)... or her daughter is going there this fall. Yep, she does love me but her daughter Shelbey (who we honored today) is headed to LAX. I thought it was cool that Julie, her husband and other daughter were all sporting UW-L shirts to support the graduate's next move. What an exciting time and sad, too, as their nest will be completely empty come September!

From there, we got on the freeway and headed to Wisconsin Dells, where our nephew Colin was racing this evening.

Crazy beautiful weather! Sunny and 75. Nice day to be at the track.

Date night in the Dells!

Colin didn't qualify for the main feature so had to finish in the top 4 of the semi-feature to advance. He not only finished well, but took the checkered flag! Whoo-hoo!

Here he is in victory lane. Sorry about the grainy pictures.  I was sitting way far away and tried zooming with my phone. Not bad but I would have brought my zoom camera if I would have known he was going to be winning. Ha. Wouldn't that be nice to know in advance?

The feature did not go as well but it was still a nice night to watch. Got home after 11:30 p.m. and we only saw a half-dozen deer or so. And that was all in the last 5 minutes of the drive. Figures.

Tired now because it was a full day and maybe, just maybe, I am getting old!

Rain Delay

Did you ever watch Days of Thunder – that racing movie from way back when with Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman?

Well let me tell you something about Thunder and racing. They don't go together. Not the real Thunder anyway.

It was late afternoon when I started hearing some rumbles. Since the sun was shining, I thought perhaps it was jets flying overhead. We didn't want it to rain because one, we've had enough already and two, we planned to see our nephew Colin race this evening.

It wasn't long before the thunder materialized with its pal lightning and plenty of rain. A hard, fast rain. While that was happening, practice at the race track was delayed, thus, delaying the start of time trials and subsequently, racing.

When it was go time, I donned my Reffner rain gear and we were off! We missed qualifying (Colin qualified 4th for the super late models) but were there for the heat race and feature.

Because of the earlier rains, I did not bring my "big camera." Instead I just used my camera phone to experiment. Low light plus fast action made for crummy pictures. But it was fun tryng. A few for your viewing pleasure...

Colin finished more toward the bottom than the top of the pack, but it was just nice to see him racing. And have a date night to boot.

Tomorrow we may end up seeing him at the Wisconsin Dells race track, depending on weather, mainly, and energy. Right now it's time to wave the white flag – not checkered – and call it a day.

Process of Elimination

I have probably lost more weight than anyone I know. The problem is, it finds me. I lose it. I gain it back. I lose it again. I gain it back again. I always thought giving up the "good stuff" was the hardest thing to do in a diet.

Until I saw this quote about the "elimination diet." How about a diet that lets you give up "bad stuff"?

Sounds great but looks hard, doesn't it? That's quite a list.

Thankfully I am slow to anger but I am also slow at letting go of regrets and resentments. I am a work in progress there. I have to stop myself from saying, "I wish I would have..." It's simply not going to change anything. Instead, I need to learn from negative choices and use them to change myself for the better.

On that short but heavy list, worry is the hardest for me to eliminate. Harder than carbs. Harder than ice cream. Harder than mint chocolate. Harder than anything.

Again, worrying simple is not going to change anything. Yet I just can't figure that out on a consistent basis. I wonder if I say I am concerned if that is a better action. Or is concerned just a close cousin to worry?

Probably. Either way, I need to continue to turn worries and concerns over to God in prayer and just trust that He's got it. I pray a lot, but I guess don't always let go of the prayer so He can take it. I'll continue to work on that.

Maybe the pounds won't fall off but the weight on my shoulders will surely lighten.

Feeling Needed... Or Something

I was so excited to hear the Slim Shady ringtone at work. Was that my boy finally calling me? I mean we've chatted via messenger programs but not actually on the phone.

I was so excited and let out a big, "Hi there!" Only to hear, "My ATM card doesn't work and I only have about a half hour before we have to leave."

Some things never changed. Teenagers are definitely closest to their parents when they want money!

For our part, Jim had called the bank before Carter left so they knew he'd be making transactions overseas. With the latest "crisis," he called again and they said Carter had entered an incorrect PIN.

I recall vividly at the bank when we signed him up for his account that I urged him to pick an easy PIN that he would remember. He picked such an odd number combination, but he assured me, "Oh I won't forget that!"

Well I guess he did.

Lucky for the sanity of us  – and probably his travel-mates, too – he remembered the magical code in time. Would hate to run up yet another phone bill figuring that one out!

I have to admit it felt good to briefly be needed, no matter what the reason. Especially when I could actually hear him say, "Love you!"

Of course, he always says that after I give him money, but I'll pretend he misses me.

Take a Hike

Guess who received some more photos from Europe? I did, but I am willing to share!

Above is just your typical view while hiking the Alps in Austria. They had somewhat of a rainy time but that didn't prevent my boy from using that camera! Chip off the old block.

Favorite picture. I want to call this "You First." Anyone who knows me knows I am a bit Distress Diva when it comes to heights. I just can't approach them calmly. Carter not only has great photo composition here but really makes me not want to look down!

Guess what? It's not that far down after all! I still would be freaked when it started swinging though. In this photo we have, from left, Lukas' little brother Florian (Flo), Carter, an unknown friend and Lukas.

I guess the swinging bridge is better than crossing on a log! (I'm kidding. I'm sure it's just part of the photo. I hope he wasn't at risk, says worried Mom.)

Carter's host family taking a lunch break on the Alps somewhere. Front is mom Yvonne, Flo and Lukas. Back is his dad Peter. Anyone singing Sound of Music yet?

I gotta give him props for mimicking my photo skills. The scrapbook thanks him in advance!

I never know what the rock piles represent, but I see them often and the ones that manage to stay standing are cool. 

 Waterfalls of all sizes...

And despite all the rain, they went to a water park. He said Area 47 was awesome. 

Mountain water from the Ötztal Alps nearby feed the swimming areas there. How cool is that? Well, probably really cool compared to heated pools in other parks.

According to Carter, they enjoyed a meal "at the world famous Stanglwirt restaurant and it had the best food ever." It is part of a 5-star hotel with an unobstructed view of the mountains. And the scenery in the parking garage was pretty decent, too...

Boys and their cars!

At some point, somewhere, he toured another beautiful church.

I would be up to a jillion photos by now I think! So many interesting and beautiful things! So jealous yet so thrilled he gets this unique opportunity. I don't think a month is long enough to take it all in. 

But he can't stay one day longer!

Empty Nesters Par-Tee

I'm not going to force you to look at pretty golf photos, especially if you don't golf, but you might enjoy the scenery so stick with me...

We don't always go to super nice courses, but when we do it's usually when we make a golf weekend out of it with our friends Scott and Sandy. They live on a golf course near Green Bay but like to "get out" once in awhile, too, so it works great.

Unfortunately, I am the handicap of the group. All 3 are way better than me but I don't golf enough. I have to learn I can't just golf our usual 2 or 3 summer weekends with them and expect to get better. But I cope. As the saying goes, if you can't be good, look good. Ha, isn't that a saying?

Well we made a pit stop on the way to Green Bay Friday night so hubby could buy me a new (early) "birthday suit" or 2 so I could look good. We especially wanted to be sure it included purple since we were golfing at Thornberry Creek, also considered the "official course" of the Green Bay Packers.

Whatever. Notice the purple flowers? At least they got that right.



It is technically in the village of Hobart (see water tower) and part of the Oneida Nation reservation, which maintains the course.

Nice clubhouse, eh?

The "G" was on all the carts. I only took the picture because I thought this just might be enough to convince some of my Packer-loving sisters to golf!

Arrowhead markers were used to distinguish tee boxes.

Our friend Scott (aka Happy Gilmore) has a 90 mph swing and drives it a mile. I could never swing it back that far and find the ball again on my way back! He's good, though!

Hubby takes a shot on the fairway. We only had a bit of rain during our round Saturday morning but the course was pretty wet from previous precipitation.




The scenery left something to be desired...




Except for the fine, fine, very fine houses showcased around the entire course.

Oh, and these lovely ladies, too!

And my fellow empty-nester! You're starting to see purple!

Our hosts with the most!

Even the flags at that course are purple! Totally sending mixed messages. Like my outfit? That's the main thing! And, yes, we did have a great time. Rain held off until right when we were getting into our cars afterward. Perfect.

Onto Door County...

We got to their place in southern Door County in the mid-afternoon, giving us time to take a nap before dinner. Isn't that what old, empty nesters do? If not, we're starting a trend.

Had dinner at the Glidden Lodge on Whitefish Bay on the Lake Michigan side of the Door Peninsula. Cute place. Excellent, excellent food. I tried a new "catch." How does this tempt your taste buds? Yellow Fin Tuna blackened with a spicy Cajun seasoning, grilled to order and served with a roasted red bell pepper sauce. Oh yes, it was as good as it sounds!

We skipped dessert and went for some after-dinner shots – with the camera that is. It was getting past sunset so the pictures are a little dark. But you get the point: It's beautiful there.

Time for couple shots! I haven't grown taller. Jim just stood on the back slope of the rocks. Smiles courtesy of good food, great friends and a super day.

Scott and Sandy posed for a sweetie pic, too, then led us back to their place for a campfire.

I had one mishap that night. I cut the tip of my ring finger on hubby's razor when I was reaching for something in our overnight bag. There sure was a lot of blood and throbbing pain. But it did not affect my golf game on Sunday.

I still sucked.

But what a nice place! Welcome to Horseshoe Bay on Egg Harbor. It is a private course but Sandy won the foursome pass in a charity auction so they let the riffraff in. Now that's a nice barn-turned-clubhouse, right?

I would rank it the top 5 beautiful courses we've played. Just so well-maintained and excellent photogenic placement of white rock. The mini waterfall is a nice touch. Happy to say I didn't lose my ball in there.

Some unique "bi-level" holes. On this hole, you can drive to the upper fairway on the right or the lower on the left. There wasn't a huge difference and no length advantage. Not like one of the later holes.

I thought this one was pretty. Sort of reminds me of Glacier Woods in Iola, but these rocks were likely hand-placed while the ones in Iola were mostly there naturally from the glaciers.

Horseshoes served as the tee-box markers.

Here's the challenging super bi-level one. If you go between the trees it was the upper fairway and you had to get over some nasty crap to get to the green. The lower one on the left was more straightforward but still challenging getting up to the green. Put it this way, it didn't matter which one I used. It got to my head before I even tee'd off and it was a bad, bad hole for Robyn.

But I looked good. Ha.

Gotta take photos when I can since this is our summer vacation!


The only downside is that we were so close to the bay, but only got to see it on the last hole. It was a great backdrop as we made our way down the fairway. See the rock wall on the right? I guess I was a little obsessed with those rocks. I think I want to use them around our house!

Here's me trying to ignore the scenery and just hit it straight. I did. On that shot at least.

Goofing around while we wait for the group ahead of us to get off the green. Like my other new birthday top? (Who's spoiled??)

Finished up and looked out at the beautiful bay. We had thought it might rain but it turned out to be a perfect day. Mostly sunny but not too hot. Just right.

One more sweetie snapshot before we hit the road to Rapids.

And a final salute to a great Empty Nesters Par-Tee Weekend! Thanks for joining us.