Black Forest Ski Trip

Here are some photos of our ski trip to the Black Forest. We went with the Fitzpatrick family and some high school kids from the American base and our church. The first photo was taken from the guest house that we stayed at for two nights... it would have been pretty tough skiing around there...Kurt mastering the slopes... Beautiful country! As you can see at the bottom of this picture, there were people walking UP the mountain. I don't know why they did that... there was a ski lift right behind us. Those little, old, German ladies... they sure do know how to make us feel lazy :) On our last day, we toured the town of Titisee. This is where many of the hand-crafted, Black Forest, Cuckoo Clocks are made. It was a beautiful trip!

We're not in Wyoming anymore Toto...

You'd think we would feel right at home with all the farmland around us... however, it was a little shocking the other day to notice the tractor that we had been following for 2 miles was, under all it's scrapped off paint and rust... none other than a Mercedes Benz.

Our first experience of walking into a McDonald's in Germany was also a culture shock. As you can see, it looks more like a Starbucks, with it's elegant desserts and leather couches. I took a picture of the bathroom as well, as I was quite impressed at it's sophistication... I really felt like a tourist at that point. Germans in general aren't very 'smiley' people... they don't smile when you take their picture in the bathroom either... just in case you were wondering...

Hepler Family Tree

We took a road trip to Vaihingen and Lomersheim, which are towns about 1 1/2 hours south of where we are currently living in Germany. It was in these German towns, where Kurt's ancestors originated from. Rosemary Hepler sent us a copy of the Hepler Family History Book so we could do our research before setting out on our journey.

Here is a picture of the church in Lomersheim where Johann Casper Heppler Jr and Susanna Scheible were married in 1743. We took the picture from the exact same position that the drawing in the Hepler Family History Book was drawn from. It is amazing that the buildings are exactly the same as they were almost 300 years ago! Even the tree in front of the church is still standing!

This is a castle in Vaihingen that also appears in the Family History Book. It was in this town where Casper Heppler lived with his wife and their two boys, Georg Jacop Heppler and Christoph Friederich Heppler. The Heppler house is no longer standing but it is recorded that the house was located on Keltergasse Str., which we were able to locate. There were many homes present on the street that would have been present when the Hepplers lived there.Here is Kurt at the castle in Vaihingen. Keltergasse was located near the church that you see in the distance. This church is also seen in the family history book from the aerial view of the castle. It is amazing how well these buildings have been preserved!

Connie's Trip Home

Since I just got hired onto Labor and Delivery, I decided to make a quick trip Stateside to see some family, before starting my new job. I spent a week in Florida and saw Mom and Dave, Grammy, Poppy and Jacki. It was great weather, great food and a time of being spoiled rotten by family (yes, every single one of you is at fault for that!!!) :)

Here is Mom and Dave...

Mom and Con on the beach - we loved going to watch the sunsets! Grammy at the Nature Preserve, behind Mom and Dave's house.

On Valentine's Day, Poppy treated Jacki and I to pedicures and manicures and then we all went out to lunch at the Cheesecake Factory. Of course we couldn't leave without trying the raspberry truffle, chocolate cheesecake!! Yum!

Talk about serenity.... ! :)

My beautiful mother... :)

From the sunny beaches of Florida, I continued my journey to the snow covered state of Illinois to see aunt Kik. It was well worth it! Here is Guy and I giving Kik a lil' love :) Con and Kiki The trip continued to Wyoming where I saw my Dad and Jan. I missed these guys! Con and Dad took a trip through Swan Valley to Idaho Falls. It doesn't snow like this in Germany!

"There's no place like home..." Dad's snow covered yard as viewed from my seat by the wood-burning stove in the kitchen I stopped in Laramie to have an amazing halibut dinner at the home of the Redmons. Here is Katy with sweet, little Isabel.

I also stayed in Colorado with Jim and Doug for a few days. The highlight of this part of the trip was when we went snowshoeing in Estes Park. We were on the trail just as the sun was coming up, and thanks to our trusty guide, good ole' Jimbo, we had plenty of food and water and could enjoy the trip without a worry in the world. Here's Jim helping me put on my gaters and snowshoes. You never get too old to elicit help from your big brother...

Sometimes we followed a trail, sometimes we made our own trail... and sometimes there would be no other way but to slide down the slope, hoping to stop before hitting a tree. :) Good times...

My comrades: Jim, Doug and Lacey. Jim, Doug and Con. Stopping for a breather... Jim and Doug take the lead across the lake. Lacey and I trailed with some room to spare... um... just to make sure they'd have help in case the ice wasn't thick enough. It was for their best interest, really...

The "Believe" sign for KikiThis photo was taken by Jim, you can tell he has an eye for photography...