Letter to Military Spouse

While I have never had the pleasure of meeting you or your husband, I felt the need to write you and express a very deep feeling that I have in my heart.

I, as a person, am not brave. I do not tackle things head on, as I hate confrontation. I will travel 100 miles out of my way just to avoid a conflict. I am an American woman that has no idea what is going on in the military other than what I hear on the news.

I have never had to let go of someone so that they could go fight for people that they didn't know, people that sometimes do not appreciate or understand what they are fighting for.

I have never had a sleepless night of worry because of a report that another bomb has exploded and I still haven't heard from my husband.

I have never had to wait for months on end to hold the one that I loved so.

I have never had to tell my children that daddy wasn't coming home tonight because he was so far away fighting for something that they aren't yet old enough to understand.

I have never had to hold my head high and suppress the tears as I hear that it will be at least another six months of separation before my loved one gets to come home.

I have never had to deal with a holiday away from the one that I thought I would share every day of my life with.

And I have never had to feel the panic rising in my heart at the sound of a ringing phone or knock at the door for fear that it is the news that everyone is terrified of getting.

For the reasons listed above, I can not tell you that I understand how you feel. I can not tell you that you must be strong. I can not say that you shouldn't be angry, because you "knew what you were getting into when you married a military man". I can not say these things because I have never had to walk in your shoes.

What I can say for certain is that because of your unselfish acts of bravery and your husbands willingness to stand up for those who see him as "just another soldier" - - I will never have to walk in your shoes.

I do understand that as a military wife you are expected to uphold a certain amount of control, but I never understood how you could do it, until now. I have figured out that you are not like other women. You are of a special breed. You have a strength within you that holds life together in the darkest of hours, a strength of which I will never possess. The faith you have is what makes you stand out in a crowd; it makes you glow with emotion and swell with pride at the mention of The United States of America.

You are a special lady, a wonderful partner and a glorious American.

I have more respect for your husband than I could ever tell you, but until recently I never thought much about those that the soldier leaves at home during deployment.

Until this moment I could never put into words exactly what America meant to me.

Until this moment, I had no real reason to.... Until I heard of you.

Your husband and his military family hold this nation close, safe from those who wish to hurt us...but you and those like you are the backbone of the American family. You keep the wheels in motion and the hearts alive while most would just break completely down. Military families make this nation what it is today.

You give us all hope and you emit a warming light at the end of a long dark tunnel.

Because of you and your family...I am able to be me. I am able to have my family. I am able to walk free in this great land. Because of you and your family, I can look ahead to the future with the knowledge that life is going to be okay. Because of you and your family, I can awake to a new day, everyday.

I realize that you are a stronger person than I will ever be because of these things and I just wanted to take the time today to say thank you to you and your family for allowing me that freedom.

I will never be able to repay this debt to you, as it is unmatchable. However, I hope that you know that no matter where you are...what you are doing...what has happened today...or what will happen tomorrow...Your husband will NEVER be "just another soldier" to me.... And you, dear sweet lady, will never be forgotten.

You are all in my prayer's everyday and I pray that God will bring you back together with your loved one safely.

May God Bless You!

(Author Unknown)

Heidelberg

This past weekend we attended a USO trip to Heidelberg.  Normally we can find a cheaper way to get to these places on our own then paying the price the USO charges, but this trip was a nice cheap day trip so we went.  It was nice to support the USO and not really have to plan anything.  Heidelberg, was a nice German town.  A very German town.  It was not bombed during WWII so the buildings were very beautiful.  Where we live suffered a lot of bombings during WWII so it was nice to see what "Old Germany" looked like.  


We went up to the lookout point up on the mountain by tram and got to see the city from above.  We then went down to the castle which was only two stops down on the tram.  We didn't get to go into the castle which was a little disappointing, but we did get to see a wedding.  How neat... getting married in a castle!  

We also went and toured the old bridge which is another famous destination in Heidelberg.  We got to walk across and look back up at the castle on the hill.  My favorite part of the bridge was a tradition they have started.  By engraving locks and placing them on the bridge.  

Zurich, Switzerland

Last week we had some friends in town.  We met these friends when we were stationed at Ft. Lewis, WA.  It was such a great week catching up with them.  We took a couple of day trips.  One of our day trips was to Zurich, Switzerland.   One of our first stops was the big church in town.  Here is the scoop according to Wikipedia.  

The back side of the church.

The front of the church.

The Grossmünster ("great minster") is a Romanesque-style church in Zurich, Switzerland. It is one of the three major churches in the city (the others being the Fraumünster and St. Peterskirche). The core of the present building near the banks of the Limmat River was constructed on the site of a Carolingian church, which was, according to legend, originally commissioned by Charlemagne.^[1]Construction of the present structure commenced around 1100 and it was inaugurated around 1220.

The Grossmünster was a monastery church, vying for precedence with the Fraumünster across the Limmat throughout the Middle Ages. According to legend, the Grossmünster was founded by Charlemagne, whose horse fell to its knees over the tombs of Felix and Regula, Zürich's patron saints. The legend helps support a claim of seniority over the Fraumünster, which was founded by Louis the German, Charlemagne's grandson. Recent archaeological evidence confirms the presence of a Roman burial ground at the site.

We enjoyed walking around the city of Zurich.  It was a very expensive city though.  Our lunch included the following:

Appetizer: meatballs and parmeson cheese

Lunch: raviolis, noodle dish, cesar salad, minestrone soup and side salad

Drinks: 2 big bottles of mineral water, 1 Coke Zero

Cost: $127.00 American dollars...whew!  

Here are some pictures of the town.  It was a nice day and it did have a wonderful old school feel.  I don't think that we will be returning but it was nice to check it off of the list!  

Small little store

Pretty view over the river.  Wouldn't you love to stay in one of those buildings?

The main train station.  (Hauptbanhoff)

Just thought that this was cute.  Right outside the train station. 

Such detail

Don't you just love the buildings?

I loved this car.  The hotel used this car to pick up their guests. 

Another view

A view of the church from across the street.

Look at the detail on the buildings

I love this cute little green building

Look at the golden umbrellas

Loo

Swiss pride

I just love the details in Europe.  Love them all!  

I am 16 again...

So since living in Germany I have been learning to drive a stick shift.  My husband and I purchased a 2000 VW Passat when we first got here and for the last five months I have just been driving around the base.  Well, today I actually drove off base!  I did chose Sunday because the stores are closed and there is less traffic, but it was still intense.  We decided that we would just drive in Zuffenhausen,which is a town near our base, but somehow we ended up on an Autobahn.  It was a great drive with a great picturesque view.  I even challenged myself to pull off the Autobahn and then try to accelerate quickly.  I was successful.  I had hills, yields, a little traffic, and red lights!  I did stall a couple of times, but only killed the motor once!  Can you tell that I am very proud of myself and my new driving skills?  Next Sunday, we are doing it again!  Woo-hoo!

My view home from work

On Tuesdays and Thursdays I drive out to a town called Waldenbuch.  It's about 45 minutes from my home.  The town is a small town and it's so nice to see the scenery; it's such a relaxing time.  The other day when driving home I saw a sheepherder and his flock of sheep out.  It reminded me of my dad and wanted to share the photo.  

Cinderella had a nice pad...

Over spring break (I know I am really far behind) I accompanied some friends to do some exploring.   For two days we saw three castles; it was a fun experience.  These castles are such a neat part of the German history.  

First castle on the list was Schloss (means castle) Solitude.  This was not really what I expected from a castle although I do think it would be a nice place to have a picnic lunch.  Here is some history I got offline:  

Schloss Solitude was originally designed to act as a refugium, a place of quiet, reflection and solitude (thus the name). Construction of the castle was plagued by political and financial difficulties. Karl Eugen had taken Württemberg into the Seven Years' War on the losing side against Prussia. The building exceeded the budget allocated by the duchy of Württemberg. Further, political wrangling between the duke and influential Stuttgart land barons led to the duke moving temporarily from Stuttgart to Ludwigsburg. In the long run, the castle was prohibitively expensive to keep just as a temporary residence. In 1770 it housed a high school founded by Duke Eugen. In 1775, the Karlsschule academy moved to Castle Solitude. It served as an academy of arts, a military academy, and later a general university for children of the elite. Eventually, maintenance costs led to its closure as a school after the Duke's death late in the 18th century. Between 1972 and 1983, the Federal Republic of Germany restored the castle.

I could enjoy a picnic lunch here.  Couldn't you?

We thought that this passage way made it look like you were crossing over into another time.  It seemed magical, by any means it sure looks beautiful.  

I could live in this little house.  I just thought it was really neat.  Some of the current students live here.  

The second castle is called Lichtenstein castle.  This castle was pretty, this is what I expected from a castle.  Here is some history I got offline about the castle:

Lichtenstein Castle is situated on a cliff located near Honau in the Swabian Alb, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Its self-descriptive name in English means "light (colored) stone."

Historically there has been a castle on the site since around 1200. It was twice destroyed, once in the Reichskriegs war of 1311 and again by the city-state of Reutlingen in 1381. The castle was not reconstructed and subsequently fell to ruin.

In 1802 the land came into the hands of King Frederick I of Württemberg, who built a hunting lodge there. By 1837 the land had passed to his nephew Duke Wilhelm of Urach, Count of Württemberg, who, inspired by Wilhelm Hauff's novel Lichtenstein [1], added the current castle in 1840–42. The romantic Neo-Gothic design of the castle was created by the architect Carl Alexander Heideloff.

Today the castle is still owned by the Dukes of Urach, but is open to visitors. The castle contains a large collection of historic weapons and armour.

The view walking up to the castle.  

Looking at the side of the tower and the town below.  On this side of the castle there is a secret door.  Can you see it in the cliff? It's a black door. There used to be a road that went right up to that door allowing guests of the castle to escape through a secret passage way.  

You may be able to see the door better here. 

Nice security.  Being built on a cliff sure does limit un wanted guests.  

The last castle that we went to on our 2 day stint was Hohenzollern castle.  By far this castle was my favorite and when you see the pictures you will know why.  It's just so beautiful.  I still can't believe that they were able to build these fantastic buildings with the tools they had at the time.  The amount of detail given is amazing.  

Here is some information I found online:

Hohenzollern Castle (German: Burg Hohenzollern) is a castle about 50 kilometers (30 mi) south of Stuttgart, Germany. It is considered the ancestral seat of the Hohenzollern family, which emerged in the Middle Ages and eventually became German Emperors.

The castle is located on top of Mount Hohenzollern at an elevation of 855 meters (2,805 ft) above sea level, 234 m (768 ft) above Hechingen and nearby Bisingen, both located at the foothills of the Swabian Alb. It was originally constructed in the first part of the 11th century.

When the family split into two branches, the castle remained the property of the Swabian branch, which was dynastically senior to the Franconian/Brandenburg branch which eventually acquired an imperial throne. The castle was completely destroyed after a 10-month siege in 1423 by the imperial cities of Swabia. A second, larger and sturdier castle was constructed from 1454 to 1461 and served as a refuge for the Catholic Swabian Hohenzollerns during wartime, including during the Thirty Years' War. By the end of the 18th century, however, the castle was thought to have lost its strategic importance and gradually fell into disrepair, leading to the demolition of several dilapidated buildings. Today, only the chapel remains from the medieval castle.

The third version of the castle, which stands today, was constructed for Frederick William IV of Prussia between 1846 and 1867, under the direction of Friedrich August Stüler, who based his design on English Neo-Gothic style as well as the castles in Loire.^[1] Because the castle was built as a family memorial, no member of the Hohenzollern family took residence in this third castle until 1945, when it became home to the last Prussian Crown Prince Wilhelm; he and his wife,Crown Princess Cecilie, are buried there.

Among the historical artifacts of Prussian history contained in the castle today are the Crown of Wilhelm II and some of the personal effects of Frederick the Great and a letter from US President George Washington thanking Baron von Steuben, a scion of the House of Hohenzollern, for his service in the American Revolutionary War. The castle is today a popular tourist destination.

The town below

The side view of the castle

Walking around the castle

Inside the castle walls

The original Catholic chapel from the Middle Ages

A picture from the castle on our way up the mountain.  Looks like something from a fairy tale.

This was in the secret passage way.  This was found when workers were trying to fix the sewer system.  This had been covered up by rocks.  They are still finding tunnels that lead you out of the castle through the secret exit.  

We were not allowed to take pictures inside the castle but the crown was beautiful.  There were so many jewels and trinkets left there by former royalty it was amazing.  There was a dress there that each of us girls wanted for ourselves, absolutely amazing.  

There is a road here in Germany called the Romantic Road along this road are 150 castles.  Don't think I will get to all of them, but isn't this just an amazing thought?  Puts our modern houses to shame!  

Palm Sunday

This was the palm that I received for Palm Sunday.  This palm isn't like an other I have had before so I wanted to share.  I hope you all enjoyed your Easter.  My husband and I didn't get to spend our Easter together this year, but we were both lucky to spend time with friends!