Disclaimer before you get started: the coding on this entry is screwy - sorry for it looking lame, I am tired of messing with it, so just pretend that it looks fabulous....

I cannot believe that I was able to go to Germany with Rob. It was just such a spur-of-the-moment event!

Tuesday the 12th, I was talking to my boss about Rob going to Germany. I told her that there was no way; he was leaving on Saturday. She said, you just need to look up flights and see.

I did. It cost less to fly to Germany round trip that it did to fly to New York from Salt Lake! I went home and talked to Rob about it. We didn't make a decision that night, but in the morning we decided if the fare was still there, I would book it.

It was and I did. Interestingly enough, we looked online later that night and the ticket would have cost three times the amount had we waited!

It was a mad dash to get everything coordinated with the kids, our itinerary, etc. ready in just a few short days. We left on Saturday, May 16.

I can only tell you how wonderful the time was. It was amazing to spend time with Rob - we have only spent 2 nights away from the kids at any given time (at least to my recollection).

We flew into Frankfurt and took a train to Guettingen and from there took a cab to Duderstadt. Duderstadt is the town in which Rob's company is based. The Otto Bock is from Duderstadt and it really keeps the town (as well as surrounding areas) alive.






Frankfurt Airport (just like the sign states) - just getting off the plane

Duderstadt
Legend has it that the women of the town were tired of the men drinking and otherwise misbehaving, so they chased the devil out of the town. As he was nearing the end of the town, he went up this tower and grabbed the rafts on his way out and twisted the roof.






We stayed in Duderstat until Wednesday - from there Rob's co-workers took the train to Frankfurt to fly home. We took a slower train to Fulda - the town of my birth. Last time I was there, I was ten. Obviously, I don't really remember much. It was fun to walk around and experience it.

For a bit of trivia, in 2007, Ring*Con (Lord of the Rings convention) was held in Fulda. I just saw this last night. Funny!






The Orangerie, Fulda

Fulda Dom

Another, more simple church (St. Michael's), Fulda (in fact, this and the previous pictured church are right next to one another).

From Fulda, we hopped on a train and travelled to Wiesbaden. It is famous for their hot spring baths. If we felt the need, there were public bathing houses in town - nude, of course. We passed as we were feeling clean already.

Wiesbaden

We rented an automobile and drove up the Rhine. Let me tell you how lovely this auto was...Audi A3. You know, my Toyota is nice, but I have to say that it was fantastic driving 160 km (or more) on the autobahn - it didn't even feel like we were moving fast. At one point, we had three Lamborghini's zip (I use that term loosely) right past us. They were just a blur. Yellow, red, yellow. I wanted to take a photo for Jacob, but we couldn't get the camera out fast enough!

A view from the road - travelling up the Rhine River. Just one of the many castles lining both sides of the Rhine.

I was driving, but a lot of the pictures were taken by me (making sure that no one was behind us, Rob taking the wheel, and me slowing down). Phew!











We had a GPS in our car, so finding things was fantastic. Well. With the exception of the time the road was blocked and the GPS kept telling me to 'make a u-turn, if possible' over and over and over. I was worried we were going to be driving around in circles (we did it twice).















Another view of the Rhine River.

This is Burg Eltz - the only castle we visited. It is owned by three families all branched from the Eltz family tree. One family still has residence there.

Heidelburg
This is a great pedestrian bridge. There is another bridge further south (I think) and it is an overpass where they regulate how fast the flow of water flows downstream. Also, it is a mini Panama canal (I have no idea the correct terminology for that). Rob and I stood on the bridge for about 45 minutes watching the process. It was pretty cool. Ahhhh, modern technology!




We decided to go to Rothenburg ob der Tauber - this is a city I remember well from my first visit (10 years old). Mostly, I remember the Crime and Punishment Museum. This city is completely surrounded by a wall that is still standing. It was fascinating to see and walk upon this relic.

Wall section with tower (windows boarded up).

**Whilst exploring the smoke-filled casinos & hotels of Las Vegas last weekend, we learned many new things.

**Never, EVER sit in a jacuzzi that has pubic hairs still in them. (Luckily, I noticed them, prior to setting one toe or even running the water in the overly-large tub!) Mostly, I wanted to vomit when I saw them. Can I just tell you what I think about hair? Let alone pubic hair? SICK! Next to being spat upon, having a hair that belongs to someone else near/on me (or especially in my food) makes me want to hurl. The older I get, the more OCD tendencies I seem to have.

**As a family, we have been watching the series 'Stargate.' It is a movie/series - the IMDB.com summary is: "An interstellar teleportation device, found in Egypt, leads to a planet with humans resembling ancient Egyptians who worship the god Ra."

So, in the Luxor, there are a lot of hieroglyphs on the walls. Rob said to Noah, "Hey, Noah! Is that the writing that is on the Stargate?" Noah responded, "No, Dad. It is Egyptian." He couldn't believe that Rob made that mistake!

**Hoover Dam is an amazing civil engineering feat. It was so great to see such an incredible structure. I really enjoyed seeing the art deco style. I never really liked that style before, but now, I think that it has its place in my little world. In case you are wondering, no one is buried in the walls of the dam. If so, it would loose its integrity. Apparently, it will withstand an 8 point earthquake on the Richter Scale.

**Yesterday, we were talking about the millennium and how the lions will not eat lambs, peace on earth, etc.

Jacob wanted to know about us eating cows and how that would fit in with the whole peace-on-earth thing. I told him no, we will all get along. (My guess is that humans eating animals isn't really fitting that description of peace.)

He was disappointed. He said, "I was hoping that we were going to have a barbecue with Jesus!" I think that, that is a great idea. I can only imagine Jesus pulling up a seat next to our kids and eating a veggie burger. Sounds like a fantastic time to me.

**I really am tired of the blog template that I have. I found one I like, but just as I was ready to click save - I had a message that my archives will be deleted. I kind of freaked. Those of you that have been doing this for eons longer than me, do you have any advice? Is it really going to delete my archived blogs? I was thinking that I need to copy and paste my past blogs into a Word document - do I?

Noah received a microscope for Christmas this last year. I am amazed how much time he (and Rob) spends looking through that device. It is really cool to see life in a different perspective. I thought that I would include a few pictures for your viewing enjoyment...

The first is sugar and the next two are feathers (with different lights illuminating it).









A few weeks ago, Noah was in the shower and started screaming for me. Of course, I have thoughts that he is hurt or has shampoo in his eyes. No. He just was uber creative with his cleansing accoutrement.

As you may remember, Rob's cancer came back. The doctors have been stumped as to how it got there in the first place, let alone returned. After countless tests, hypotheses, and the proverbial head-scratching - we now know what has caused Rob's cancer.

Let me back up a bit before I let you know the etiology of the cancer. Yesterday, we were sitting in an office of a social worker to determine whether my children needed any additional sessions. (I have been worried that they needed to see someone to discuss their worries.) Out of nowhere, Noah tells the short-but-sweet-story of Rob, the sculptor.

Daddy used to have a studio for his art. A giant came along and squashed the studio into little pieces. After that, he squirted cancer all over him.

So - to sum up the confusion that has gripped so many medical professionals: giants are real and they cause cancer. Their modus operandi is to squash art studios & wield cancer-squirting weapons.

Next mystery?

Noah had a conversation with Rob yesterday regarding his birthday wishes for any presents he may receive.

His first request is for a microscope that 'can see the little holes in leaves." Just a little history here...Noah received a really, really cool microscope for Christmas. It can see the little itty bitty bugs in plant water. Apparently, that is not powerful enough.

Rob told him that, that might be a little bit too expensive at this point in time and asked him if he had a second request.

Without thinking about it, Noah replied, "I would like bricks."

Huh???

He explained that he wanted bricks so he could build Mam (that is my mom) an underground house in our backyard.

Honestly? I cannot even begin to tell you what a wise old soul Noah is. He is always thinking such deep thoughts.

Jacob and Gabrielle are doing well - in case you were wondering. They don't say as many cute things as Noah. They are doing well in school and are having fun with their friends, etc. Sorry, kids. You need to start coming up with some really great one liners...

Noah had a rough night. He had to wake up in the morning because his sheets and comforter had fallen off (which, while annoying, is not a new experience for him).

I was in the shower and he came in to tell me what a bad night he had because he had to wake up in the middle of the night to put his covers back on because he was freezing.

He ended the conversation with, "My sheets are alive."

I suppose that it is the only logical explanation for sheets mysteriously inching their way off one's body in the middle of the night.

Last night while serving dinner, I was holding the salad bowl in my hands. Noah eyed the salad suspiciously and asked me why there were pink cucumbers in the salad.

I had to explain to him that they were radishes, not cucumbers. He even tried it - didn't like it so well, but nonetheless, it was funny.

Jacob and Gabrielle had to hold their giggles in. Jacob whispered to me that we needed to post this on the blog - not 'Dad's cancer blog, but the other one.' I was happy to oblige.