Ramstein High School Toga Day

Here is Bryant with Mallory Lacy and Shannon Walker, also former Heidelbergers now attending Ramstein High School.  They're doing their best to get into the Homecoming spirit at RHS, even though deep down they are HHS fans through and through.

A - Jugend

Bryant played in a soccer tournament today that qualified his team - VFB Rauenberg - to move up to the next level. Tracy watched him score some sweet goals and make some timely assists. Playing on this team since he was a young boy has been a fulfilling and rewarding journey for Bryant. He now plays on the highest level team as a starter, sometimes designated as captain, and generally plays the entire game as well. No wonder his first 5K was a piece of cake for him.

As he begins school in the fall at Ramstein, it will be much harder for him to make all the practices and games, but hopefully he'll still be able to fit in a few more soccer memories with his teammates.

This boy is growing up too fast. We're going to miss him when he's gone!

Our sweet "new" Audi

One of the perks of having a daily long commute to work and school is the need for a low maintenance, low fuel automobile.  We decided to sell our Toyota Sienna minivan (farewell minivan era) and get an Audi A4 instead.  We LOVE this "new" car.  It runs like a dream and uses half as much fuel (now diesel) as the minivan did.  Wish you all could fit in it with us!

This daily drive to Kaiserslautern is going to be sweet!

Right?

Pedaling with Style

Lissie is going to her classes at BYU in style this summer. Our original plan was for her to take the bus, but the walks on both ends ended up being too long, so she "traded in" her bus passes for a blue beach cruiser.

Now she has twice daily bike rides and dance classes that should keep her in shape. She thinks she'll be more "buff" than Bryant when she gets back in January!

Happy Birthday Elder Allred!

It's hard to believe that Christian is 20-years-old on his birthday today. We all did what we could to make his birthday special even though he is half a world away and we can't exactly call him up and sing to him.  But we prepared boxes and cards, and thankfully Lissie and Emily's box successfully arrived on time.  I was privy to the contents of some of those birthday packages . . . a German Bible, squirt guns, candy, water bottle, family pictures, assorted aliens, t-shirts for p-day, gift cards, and more candy - everything a missionary could want or need on his birthday!

The box from Germany seems to be lost-in-transit for the time being, but we have faith that he will get to celebrate more in the not too distant future.  He and his companions can have a pizza party with the Domino's gift card we sent.  Or maybe just deliver pizza to someone.  Christian reports that they already have dinner appointments with ward members every single night of the week!

Here he is showing off what is likely his favorite gift this year - a necklace from Lissie.  Too bad missionaries aren't allowed to wear necklaces because I know he would wear this one with pride!

Happy Birthday, Elder Allred, and keep up the good work!

Camp Helaman - Baumholder, Germany

Bryant got the chance again this year to join the Kaiserslautern Military Stake in their week of missionary prep/high adventure -- aka Camp Helaman. They camped at Baumholder and encountered some hungry bugs, but they did have some fun adventures too. On the day of the long bicycle trek, Bryant accidentally crashed his bike and had some impressive abrasions to show for it. On Thursday evening, our area of Germany had it's big "storm of the year" which managed to soak everything (including Bryant's scriptures) and blow away several tents. The storm also hit right in the middle of testimony meeting, but of course, they were undaunted and finished out their meeting in the swim locker room.

Here they are on the day of river rafting:

A big thank you to the Kaiserslautern Military Stake for allowing Bryant to take part this year!

Goodbye!

All I can say is that it doesn't get any easier as the kids grow up and leave for college. Lissie left on the same day that Marie & Will & kids left, which only compounded the difficulty in saying goodbye.  Both Lissie and Marie had left me kind goodbye notes, and I spent the first half hour or so trying to get up the courage to read them!  As I cried through the readings, and then wandered about the house crying some more, all I could think was "This is not right!"  Then I had to pull myself together and go to work.  Tracy stopped in at the library on his way home from the airport, and we sat on the couches there and cried some more! So no, it doesn't get any easier.  We even contemplate its inevitability long, long before it happens. 

So long, Farewell, Auf wiedersehen, Goodbye!  We're missing you already!