Merry Christmas To You All!!

Go Jazz!!

Update on the boys 2nd basketball game. They won...29-4. Lucas scored 10 points in the first half and had to set out the second half so everyone got a chance to play. Nathan did great with some steals and blocks. He got bumped in the nose in the last quarter and had a great nose bleed, so we spent the rest of the game in the locker room making it stop. But it was a good game for both boys. Hooah!

After Shopping, we went through the town

Here is a picture of the many steps we had to climb to get to the top of a tower. I don't know what we were in, but it must have been some old church. The staircases were very small and very old.



View from the top of the tower after many, many steps.

Here are some of the ladies on a landing below me.

another wonderful view...that's the Cathedral and St. Severus Church in the view.

This was looking down from the tower...

Those are houses built on a brigde over the water. We also go to go into one of those that the city keeps restored for people to visit.

Shopping at the Christmas Market in Erfurt

Yesterday was a fun day shopping at the Erfurter Weihnachtsmarkt or Christmas Market. A lady I work with at the thrift shop invited me to go along with her and some other ladies from her battalion. There were six of us and Sylvia's aunt met us there also. Sylvia is German, so it made the trip a learning experience also. She guided us around town and explained things to us that we would never have known otherwise without her.
Here I am with my first cup of Glühwein. Glühwein is a hot, spiced wine.



This is where we got the Glühwein. Sylvia knew the people running this food establishment and got us all a free cup of Glühwein and potato pancakes, which were also really good.

This is known as a pyramid, I can't remember the german name for it. I also bought a small one for myself. That's Sylvia and I in the picture.


We got to the market early so it wasn't very crowded, but by the time we left, people were everywhere.

Here's a closer picture of me and Sylvia. Thank you so much Sylvia for inviting me along. I had so much fun and am looking forward to another day trip with you.

This was a very nice manger.

Domplatz at Erfurt

Most of the Dom is Gothic and dates from the 14th and 15th centuries, but the lower parts of its huge towers are Romanesque and belonged to a church built on this site for Bishop Boniface in 742.
Here is a picture of the organ inside the Erfurt Cathedral.



This is an advent wreath at the bottom of the steps from the churches.

Inside the catheral they were selling these items that were carved out of olive wood in Bethlaham.

This is the view looking down from the top of the 70 steps.

The wide stairs that lead dramatically from the Domplatz to the main entrance of the cathedral provide a good view of the 14th-century Gothic presbytery, which is supported by a massive fortress-like substructure known as the Kavaten (late 13th century).
The church on the right is called The Severikirche (also St. Severi-Kirche, Church of St. Severus) stands next to the Dom on a small hill in Erfurt.
A five-naved early Gothic hall church, Severikirche was built a collegiate church for the regular canons of St. Augustine during the 12th century. Today, along with the cathedral, it is Erfurt's most famous landmark.

another view from the top...

another picture from the bottom...

1st Basketball Game

Sorry these pictures are so bad. They were either to blurry or to dark. I could only salvage these 4 out of the 20 I took. I'll get better ones next week. Anyways, Lucas and Nathan won their first game 25-8. It's bittersweet winning games when your playing against your friends. Although there are 4 teams in our area, because it is such a small community, they have friends on all the teams. It will be much easier to cheer them on when we travel and play teams we don't know.
In this picture, Nathan is the purple player that is most visible. He's #20 and plays point guard.

Lucas is the purple player in the center of the picture. He's #40 and forward is his position.

Nathan in the center of the pic...

This was the top-off. I got most of both teams here. Lucas in on the far left and Nathan is on the far right.

Lucas had 2 baskets, a few steals and blocks. Nathan blocked a pass and did some great guarding.

Happy Birthday Nathan!!

I think this was Nathans favorite present, Madden 07

His Brett Favre jersey


Les sent him $10 and a dog tag that he really liked. The card was my favorite. It fit Nathan to a tee, and I know Shelia will agree. The card read "Q:How many sons does it take to screw in a light bulb? A: Only one, but you have to ask him about 50 times." Nathan even laughed when he read it because he knew it was true.

Nathanbob squarepants...

Thanks for the movie Shelia and Virgil...

Go Greenbay...

Pictures from Nathan's Birthday

Nathan being silly...



Blowing out the candles...

Cupcakes for School

Today is Nathans birthday, so I made cupcakes for his class. They have starbursts on them decorated like little presents.

Having fun at the bowling alley

Since Nathans birthday was today, in the middle of the week and the day before Thanksgiving, we had him a small get together with a couple of friends at the bowling alley on Sunday.

Nathan was trying to be camera shy...