Easter

 The past several years, living in Nebraska, we spent our Easters away from family; which meant that we got to spend them with amazing friends.  We got into a really nice little rhythm of going to church, sharing a meal, and just plain having a good time.  It was clear early on that this year would look a little different.  First of all, we have yet to find a church out here, and though we were planning on trying one out for the first time Easter Sunday (which didn't happen...read on...), we were a little nervous at the thought of spending such an important holiday with a church family we literally didn't know at all.  Second, there was the matter of the weather; it was not a nice week leading up to Easter, and the day of ended up being pretty gloomy itself, with snow flurries in the morning and a dreary cloud cover the rest of the day.  It certainly wasn't in step with the Easters we had growing up in Southern California: Sunny, warm, and very much spring.  Even the last three years spent in Nebraska boasted some pretty beautiful days for Easter Sunday.  But not here, not this year.  The fact that we woke up on Easter Sunday with two sick kids, a Momma who was not feeling so hot herself, and a Daddy with a headache, we decided to stay in, keep our germs to ourselves, and enjoy a quiet Sunday at home.  Hopefully for next year we'll be settled in a church and can get back to our tradition of church, friends, and fun! 
We did still have a little fun, though.  On Saturday, Daniel got to color Easter Eggs for the first time!! Sunday afternoon we gave him the only suitable egg-collecting receptacle we could find (a bin we use to store some of his toys) and all went out into the backyard for a good old fashioned egg hunt!  We even dressed the kiddos up in their Easter best; we weren't about to let a little snot and some coughing get in the way of them looking adorable! Never mind that I was wearing yoga pants and a sweatshirt...Here are some pictures from our low-key celebration:

Decorating eggs!

He wanted a "gween egg, pease!"

Cate's contribution to the activity...smiles!

Caitlyn looked adorable in her Easter dress!  Apparently, this is the only pic I took of her...bad Mommy!

Daniel's makeshift Easter basket

"Wow, look at this egg!"

Tasting an egg...not such a fan!

Snow

Last year in Nebraska, when Daniel first experienced snow, he was not such a fan...

It's hard to really see the displeasure on his face in this picture but, trust me, it's there. 

Here in Germany, snow is a lot more appealing to Daniel.  First off, he's a whole year older, and second of all, it's not quite as cold here as it was in Nebraska.  The few really nice snow days that we've had, we make sure to get Sissy down for a nap, bundle up Mommy and Daniel, and head outside for some snow fun! 

Castles in the Sky

One of the reasons I've always wanted to visit Germany is the castles.  During high school, I kinda went through a HUGE princess kick (everything I decorated with was pink, sparkly, and had the word princess on it somewhere...), and I would look at pictures of these amazing castles in Germany and dream of the day that I would get married at one of them.  I snapped out of said princess kick about three days into my freshman year of college (thank goodness...a wedding at a castle would have been expensive!).  But though the dreams of  being a princess have long dissipated, the dreams of visiting castles has not.  So, imagine my excitement when I learned that, not only would I have the opportunity to see some of the most amazing castles in the world, but that I'd be living about 15 minutes from one!
Burg Nanstein isn't exactly the most spectacular or amazing castle, it's not very big and is mostly in ruins.  However, when Nana mentioned that she would love the chance to see a castle while they were here, and the weather being too unpredictable to plan a trip too far away, we decided to check it out.  The fifteen minute drive turned into a 45 minute one as we drove past the tiny road up to the castle again and again, but we finally figured it out and made our way up the narrow, winding drive.  It was a pretty cold day to begin with, and being up at the top of a hill with nothing to buffer the wind made it even colder, but we bundled up and were able to walk around the castle and enjoy spectacular panoramic views of the area that we now call home.  Daniel had a blast going up and down the stairs with Nana and Papa, running around in the main courtyard area, and exploring all around the ruins.  His favorite part was finding sticks and rocks to throw.  It was the perfect "starter castle", and made me very excited for the castles we'll get to explore in the future!

 Daniel climbing up the stairs with Nana and Papa

Posing at the top...check out the view! We live somewhere down there...

Even with the pretty view, Dan is still more interested in the iPhone.

Nana and Papa with their grandkids.  It was COLD up there!

Exploring the castle

Daniel playing in the courtyard. He loved this part...mud, rocks, and a pile of logs.  What more could a little boy need?

And then there's this girl...

Playing peek-a-boo behind Papa's arm

Papa, aka "Court Jester", entertaining his subjects

It doesn't get much cuter than this!!

The journey into the new

This blog has been nearly impossible to start.  So much has gone on since the last time I've blogged, or really even the last time I talked to many of you.  I have struggled about whether or not to catch you all up on what has happened over the last six months or so, or just start from the here and now; I think I'm going to be doing a little bit of both. 

This season in our life has been characterized so much by newness.  New baby, new role for our first baby, new year, new country, new home, new daily challenges and struggles...there is a whole lot of "new".  I am actually a person who relishes things that are new; I love getting to have experiences and opportunities that I've never had before, I love getting to start fresh.  However, I also hate goodbyes, and I hate leaving a good thing.  As much as it was so part of God's plan for me to end up married to Nathan and living in Nebraska for a while, it was so hard to leave the wonderful network of family and friends that I had back in California, so hard to leave a job that I loved at Wilshire Ave.  As the years went by living in Nebraska, it was so hard to say goodbye to the friends that were leaving on their own journey into new.  It was hard to say goodbye to the friends that we were leaving behind as we started our next adventure.  And finally, it was hard to say goodbye yet again to our family in California, family that we had rediscovered in a new role; grandparents, aunts, and uncles.

So, we said goodbye to what was normal, and wonderful, and comfortable, and said hello to getting lost frequently, being confused, being "those Americans", being far away from many that we love.  However, we also said hello to a new adventure that we get to go on together.  Together, as a complete (unless God chooses to intervene) family of four.  Together, as husband and wife and son and daughter.  I am pretty confident that whatever time we spend here in Germany will be constantly peppered with new.  And this blog will be about us figuring it all out.

Welcome to the chronicles of the Heald journey;the journey into the new.