We drove up to New York City on Saturday, November 5, and arrived in the early afternoon, as incident-free as can be expected with 3 young children. Mom & Dad and KK & Mike were all assembled at the hotel, so we quickly checked in and boarded the last round of charter buses heading for the Expo at Javits Convention Center in Manhattan.

If you’ve never been to a race expo, you’re not really missing out. Besides picking up your number and race packet (often including your finisher’s t-shirt), you have the opportunity to sample an endless quantity of power bars, gels, and drinks while wandering through countless racks of running shoes, apparel, and other gear. In between, officials from other races press brochures and promotional material into your hands. The cynic in me doesn’t relish being required to attend a marketing/promotional session; the runner in me has to admit that there is a unique air of excitement and enthusiasm for running not found in many (any?) other venues.

Anyway, we spent the rest of the afternoon doing some sight seeing, though Andreas and Maria (and thus Caleb and I) did not last quite as long as the others. After an early night at the hotel and an extra hour of sleep (thank you, end of Daylight Savings time!), KK, Dad, and I arose at 4:30 AM to catch the buses to Staten Island.

About 47,000 people run the NYC marathon each year, and the race takes place in all five boroughs of NYC. (Before this trip, I could not have named all five.) The logistics of shutting down major roads and bridges throughout the city are, I’m sure, insane; it also means that the morning is a long one for most participants.

The “staging area” is Fort Wadsworth, which is on the eastern side of the island. Runners take buses or ferries at designated times to arrive at the fort by about 7 AM, which is when the Verrazano Bridge between Staten Island and Brooklyn closed to traffic. We were split into three different colors (blue, orange, and green) and three different “waves,” starting at 9:40, 10:10, and 10:40 AM. Within each wave, we were further subdivided into “corrals.” Dad was in the first wave, I was in the second, and KK was in the third.

During our many hours at the fort, we were fed coffee & bagels (courtesy of Dunkin Donuts), Power Bars and Gels, water, hot tea and hot chocolate, and Gatorade. We came prepared for the chill of sitting outside for so many hours, but the weather was gorgeous this year and made staying warm relatively easy. Conversation, food, and race preparations passed the time quickly, and before we knew it, it was time to find our respective UPS trucks, which would take our bags to the finish line for us.

Around 10:15, after months and months of training and anticipation and one final rendition of the Star Spangled Banner, I began the race. We began at the base of the Verrazano Bridge, which meant that we were packed in and running elbow to elbow even more than one normally is at the start of a big race. My first mile was thus much slower than my intended pace, but I overcompensated and ran my second much too fast. After that, I settled into a decent pace through Brooklyn and Queens. I slowed a bit coming across the Queensboro Bridge and then decided to start walking through the water stations in Manhattan. Still, I felt energized by the AMAZING crowd support.

Honestly, it was astonishing to see that so many people would stand along the side of the road and scream, clap, high-five, and otherwise cheer on the never-ending stream of spandex and dri-fit clad runners. The only place no one was cheering was on the bridges, and only because they were closed to non-runners.

I continued to feel strong as we passed into the Bronx and then back into Manhattan, but the hardest two miles for me were around 23 and 24, where we gradually ran uphill along Central Park for what seemed an eternity. Finally, we came around the southern edge of the park, passed through Columbus Circle, and entered the Park for the final stretch. I felt strong during my last 1.2 miles, and crossing the finish line was an amazing feeling.

Then came the worst part of the race: shuffling to our UPS vans to pick up the bags. We were not supposed to sit or stop unless we needed medical attention, so we continued walking. . . and walking. . . and walking. Mine happened to be the second to last truck, which meant that I walked about .6 miles- an eternity when all you want to do is get off your feet! After grabbing my belongings and changing out of my sweaty clothes, I again started walking. . . and walking. . . and walking.

We had arranged to meet just north of Columbus Circle, but because of where I exited the Park and road closures, I ended up walking (shuffling) almost 2 miles to meet up with Mike, Caleb, and Simona. All of that took close to an hour, and unfortunately, my chip had a glitch, so my mile 26 and finish times were not recorded. This meant that those tracking me didn’t know if I had finished. . . or collapsed at the end. Thankfully, I found them (courtesy of the highly visible German flags) shortly before they called the emergency number for missing runners!

In the end, it took about 2.5 weeks for the NYC Road Runners club (which administers the race) to determine my accurate finish time (via video recording of the finish line). The delay was a bit agonizing, especially because I didn’t stop my watch at the finish and so didn’t really know my final time. I am grateful to the NYCRR , though, for being so professional and thorough in resolving such glitches. In the end, my time was 3:41:33- not a PR (personal record), but my second fastest marathon and well under my hoped-for goal of 3:45. I was thrilled with the entire experience: the weather, the crowds, the city, the course, my effort, and my time.

We finished off the weekend with Sunday morning brunch with a dear old friend, Leslie, whose dad completed residency with my dad in Chicago in the early 1980s. We lived in the same building then, and our families have kept in touch over the years. I hadn’t seen Leslie since high school, so it was wonderful to reconnect!

One final but very important note: I could not have achieved this without Caleb’s tremendous support. During the many months of training, he took on an extra childcare burden while I mapped out, planned for, and executed my many, many training runs. He sacrificed his own sleep, time, and work-out time to let me focus on this, and I’m extremely grateful. I’ve promised him a break from marathoning, so I’ll be focusing on some shorter runs for the next few years. But come 2014 or 2015, I hope to be taking on the London Marathon. Let’s see if I stick to it!

You would probably be even more confused if the excitement about Christmas has been building for weeks, while at the same time, your family has been telling you that it is almost your birthday, too! Supposedly you are going to be three years old (no mention of Jesus’s age has been made). To top it off, the kind, well-meaning lady at church contradicts what your parents have told you: When she asks you, “Whose birthday is coming up?” and you tell her, “My birthday!” she gently corrects, “No, we are celebrating Jesus’s birthday!”

What?! What is with the tree, the lights, the decorations, the manger, the stockings, the presents? And for crying out loud, WHOSE birthday is it, anyway?!?!?

Such has been the world of Andreas over the past few weeks. He finally understands a *little* about birthdays and a *little* about Christmas, but celebrating these two events back to back was, I think, quite overwhelming for our 3-year-old.

Nonetheless, both events were wonderful celebrations. We rented a mini van and drove (yes, drove) to Iowa- cat and all- to spend the holidays with Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Seth, Uncle Wyatt, and Aunt Grace.

Fun there began with cutting down our own tree on Grandma & Grandpa’s Christmas tree farm and continued with gatherings with both sides of the family.

The kids are lucky to have three living great grandparents in Iowa: Great Grandma and Grandpa Neil and Great Grandpa Lowell. This was Maria’s first trip to Iowa, so it was great for her to meet all of them!

This was the first year that we saw Simona take pleasure not only in opening presents but also in giving them. Andreas opened his very first present- a set of four airplanes from Grandpa- and became so absorbed that he couldn’t be bothered to open other gifts! Maria had fun pulling at the wrapping paper and crawling around in the chaos.

Andreas was pretty tired by the time his birthday party rolled around, but he rallied nicely after a quick nap and dinner to enjoy the festivities. We had baked a chocolate cake from scratch, so the kids got to help decorate it. He received another (larger) airplane and again was immediately enamored. I think this year was the first time he realized his birthday was “his” special day.

The rest of the week was filled with indoor and outdoor play. The weather was great- highs in the forties or even fifties, and little to no precipitation. Highlights included a long romp at the playground, games of hide-n-seek in Grandma & Grandpa’s back woods, a bonfire, and a trip to the shooting range! Grandpa let Simona and Andreas each take a turn.

Overall, we had a wonderful time and can’t wait for our next trip to the Hawkeye State.

I ought to know, because I have spent my life having Americans reference any or all of these topics when the fact that I am German comes up in conversation. While I appreciate the efforts to make conversation about Germany, it feels a bit to me like someone from a ranch in Montana being asked to talk about Times Square or the beaches in Florida. Americana, yes, but probably quite different from the day-to-day American experience in Montana.
So here is a glimpse into “my” part of Germany, Schleswig-Holstein (“S-H”). Sorry if this is boring. . . I’ll include a brief family update at the bottom, so feel free to skip the geography lesson.

S-H is the northernmost German state and is bordered by Denmark to the north, the Baltic Sea to the east, the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (Mecklenburg- West Pommerania) to the southeast, the Elbe river to the south, and the North Sea to the west. Hamburg, the 2nd largest city in Germany (after Berlin), is a separate city-state located on the Elbe River between S-H and Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony), the state on the other side of the river.

S-H is home to the Nord-Ostsee Kanal (NOK), the third-most-important shipping canal in the world (following the Panama & the Suez Canals). The Elbe is also a major shipping route, and huge container ships, ferries, and cruise liners traveling to and from Hamburg’s massive port are a frequent site from the shorelines.

Because it is the “Land Between the Seas,” S-H has a relatively mild temperatures year-round, with averages of 55L/75H in the summer and 28L/38H in the winter. Don’t be fooled, though- S-H is so far north that it stays light from about 4:15 AM to 11:15 PM in the summers. It is extremely windy and very rainy, which can make even a summer day quite cold by our standards! The hidden benefit to the grey, dreary weather, though, is a subtle beauty borne out in the lush landscape and the frequent, awesome cloud formations. My Oma has instilled in me a deep appreciation for both the scenery and the hardiness of the locals.

Glueckstadt, where my dad grew up, was founded by a Danish king in the 1600s. (S-H was a contested territory for much of its history and was controlled by the Danish at various points in time.) The town lies directly on the Elbe and is home to a ferry across the river, which many vacationers and even large trucks utilize to bypass the notorious traffic jams in the “Elbtunnel” in Hamburg. In fact, during peak summer vacation season, the ferry itself can have a multi-hour wait time! Watching the skilled seamen dock and then quickly direct traffic on and off the boat is a past time in and of itself.

Glueckstadt is a cute, walkable town that attracts quite a large number of tourists, especially during its annual “Matjeswochen,” or town festival celebrating the local delicacy: pickled raw herring. (It tastes great with some tomato slices, pepper, and pickles on black bread. Trust me!)
Glueckstadt also boasts a marketplace with a beautiful church and a twice-a-week market, where locals purchase food and other items directly from area farmers, bakers, and other vendors. Some of our favorite town establishments have always been the local public pool (the “Fortuna Bad”) and an Italian ice cream shop with amazing gelato.

I hope you have enjoyed a brief tour of some of the lesser-known parts of Germany. Tour books usually skim over Schleswig-Holstein, but I’m proud to call this one of the many places I feel “at home.”
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Other Updates:
Caleb has begun his job in Baltimore, and we have decided to live in that city instead of Washington, D.C. It was a tough decision, but ultimately, we realized we would have a much higher quality of life as a family if we lived close to Caleb’s office. Maria and I joined Caleb in looking for a place to live last weekend, and all of us will be moving into a new (rental) home in Baltimore on August 1. We are looking forward to being reunited and to beginning a new chapter in the Old Line State.

Festivities to celebrate KK’s big day officially began on home turf, though: Her bridal shower and bachelorette weekend took place here in Georgia. Since I’m currently back to being a Georgia Peach, I was the lucky one who didn’t have to travel this time!

The shower was down in Peachtree City, so the night before, we had an old-school family dinner- Mom, Dad, and 3 of the 4 sisters! I don’t know when the last time was we all sat in our “assigned seats” and ate mom’s cooking without any spouses/friends/kids/others at the table. It was just too bad Janice couldn’t be there. . . then again, Oregon is a long way from Georgia. . .

. . . Little did KK know, though, that Janice actually WAS en route to surprise her and attend the festivities. She arrived on Saturday morning while KK was “out and about” with bridesmaid Anamanda.

The surprise!

The shower was beautiful, and KK opened great gifts, including one that was bound to please Mike:

Next, the party pared down to the “bachelorette” crew, who completed a fun video scavenger hunt before heading up to Atlanta for a night of good food and fun.

Matron of honor Linda had arranged for a great dinner, dessert, and night in a beautiful hotel with a rooftop pool in Midtown.

The next three weeks flew by, and before we knew it, we were all in Ithaca, NY for the big day! We stayed at the same house in Brooktondale we had rented for KK’s graduation, so it was fun to have the family mostly together. Simona and Andreas enjoyed some down time with Uromi.

Unfortunately, I don’t have any pictures of the rehearsal dinner or Polterabend, which took place at Mike’s parents’ house. It was a great evening, including delicious roasted pig, a bonfire, ice cream, and, of course, the requisite plate breaking and sweeping.

The next morning, we headed up to the beautiful Aurora Inn, located on the shores of Cayuga Lake. Though the day was windy and cool with occasional raindrops, it was anything but drab. (And actually, that’s exactly my favorite kind of weather- like a good fall day along the Elbe River in Schleswig Holstein!)

The bride was beautiful, and the bright colors she had chosen contrasted beautifully with the gray sky.

The ceremony took place at a church a few doors down and was followed by a salute from KK & Mike’s crew friends. (I should also note that the groom himself rowed in a race (with his bride watching) THAT MORNING!)

After that, it was back to the Aurora Inn for a night of dancing and fun.

The newlyweds honeymooned in Hawaii before settling down in their current home in Nashua, NH. We’re so happy for you, Mike & KK! Congratulations!

SO. . . rewinding to Memorial Day Weekend and Summer Wedding #2:
Mere weeks after our move to Atlanta and my sister Linda’s wedding, we flew up to Maine for my cousin’s wedding. We now have had the opportunity to spend time in Maine during 3 of the last 4 summers, and we have grown to LOVE those visits. Not only is the weather and scenery gorgeous, but it is also great fun to catch up with the wonderful extended family we have up north.

The wedding took place in Damariscotta, a picturesque coastal Maine town, on an absolutely perfect early summer afternoon. The bride and groom’s joy was evident and permeated every aspect of the day, from the elegant ceremony to the festive reception.

Another highlight of the weekend for our family included an afternoon exploring Fort Williams Park and the Cape Elizabeth lighthouse in South Portland, which proffered stunning scenery and a chance for Caleb to practice skipping rocks with Simona.

The next summer trip took us to the “other” Portland, this time on the West Coast. After flying into Portland, Oregon and then driving down to Eugene, we got to enjoy the equally beautiful scenery of the Northwest. The purpose of this trip was, of course, my sister Janice’s wedding, which will be detailed in my next post. We wished we had more time to enjoy the great outdoors (and the blissfully cool weather), but that just means we’ll have to find a way to make it out west again before too much time elapses.

After a sweltering seven weeks in Atlanta, we were off on our Midwestern roadtrip. The first part has already been chronicled here, but the second part took us to new parts of the country. Since our good friends Sam & Sarah moved away from DC in early 2008, we have made it a goal to visit their home in Kansas. That opportunity finally came during Caleb’s semester break in August.

From Iowa, we drove to Wichita, Kansas, where we spent about 4 days reconnecting not only with Sam, Sarah, and their two kids; but also with friends Anna, Justin, and their two kids. Their family was also part of our small group in DC, but they moved back to their home state of California during the summer of 2008. The fact that all TWELVE of us were able to reunite was nothing short of amazing. Sam and Sarah graciously hosted all of us, and we all LOVED not only their beautiful old home, but also the state/city of Wichita, Kansas. Best of all, of course, was creating new memories of cooking delicious dinners, making ice cream, playing in the sprinkler, going to the playground, and generally enjoying fellowship with dear friends.

Sadly, all good vacations must come to an end, so we left Wichita and drove through Oklahoma to reach Arkansas, where stopped for dinner with our friends Jake & Trisha and their boys, Eliot & Oliver. The next day, we got to stop for lunch and playground time with Dave, Heidi, and their daughter Rosie in Memphis, Tennessee before finally finishing up the LONG roadtrip and arriving back in Atlanta that night. We estimate that we drove about 3,000 miles and visited with 22 friends from our times in DC and/or Chicago along the route. Definitely a well-needed, refreshing break to a hot summer in Atlanta!

Much fun was had at Grandma & Grandpa’s! One of the kids’ favorite activities was simply riding little bikes out on the driveway.

Grandpa also let them play in a puddle out front right after some rain, which Andreas especially enjoyed.

Grandma took us to the Iowa Children’s Museum, which was a highlight for Simona. She got to be a doctor, a cashier, a dentist, a pizza-maker, a ballerina, and much more.

Andreas found plenty of “Flugzeuge” (airplanes) and other entertainment, too.

And Grandma treated us to a ride on the carousel after lunch, which both kids adored.

Other kid-fun during the week included a trip to the splash park, rides on the tire swing, and lots of reading books and playing on the living room floor with Grandma & Grandpa. (More pictures are on the “photos” page).

Meanwhile. . . while the kids were having fun with Grandma & Grandpa, Caleb and I got a chance to go to Chicago by ourselves! We enjoyed an evening with Northwestern friends Anne, Wei-Lin, Brett, Mary Ruth, and Cordell, eating Chicago style pizza and home-made ice cream; wandered around the NU campus reminiscing; visited Dan, Hilary, and their new son Drew (more NU friends); and generally enjoyed Chicago in the summertime.

On the way back to Iowa, we detoured through Dyersville to see the Field of Dreams (ie the cornfield / farm where the famous movie was filmed). As huge baseball fans, it was about time we made it to this site!

If you build it, they will come!

A breakfast with Great Grandpa Brenneman and a bonfire at the cabin rounded out wonderful week in Iowa.

(More on the travels to come, but the next post will likely be an update on Andreas and his eyes.)

Simona and I left on the first leg of the trip on August 4. We drove from Atlanta to Nashville, where we stopped to have lunch with our friend and former church small-group member, Kyla. It was Simona’s first time in Tennessee, and a HOT day it was. Still, it was great to see Kyla and spend some time catching up with her.

Our drive took us through Kentucky, Illinois, and just across the Mississippi into St. Louis, Missouri. (KY and MO were new states for Simona, too.) She did VERY well on the drive but was quite fussy and unhappy about taking a quick peek at the Arch before checking into our hotel. Turns out, the poor girl had a fever and got sick upon our arrival at the hotel!

The four hour drive from St. Louis to Iowa also passed quickly, and before we knew it, we were at Grandma & Grandpa’s! We even beat Caleb and Andreas, whose morning flight was delayed in Chicago.

We were quite happy to be in town for summer wedding #4, which was Caleb’s brother Wyatt.
Wyatt and Grace met as young children and grew up just a few houses apart from one another. Despite a shared childhood, they didn’t start dating until shortly before graduating from high school. They dated long-distance through four years of college and were married on August 7.

The wedding ceremony was a small, family event that took place in the woods behind Caleb’s parents’ house, next to the cabin at the back of the property. It rained the morning of the wedding, but that couldn’t put a damper on the occasion. Caleb made a handsome groomsman, while Simona did a wonderful job of spreading flower petals in the special dress her Grandma made for the wedding. And, most importantly, the bride and groom were thrilled to become Mr. and Mrs.

The flower girl and groom, waiting out the rain before the ceremony:

Wyatt even wore the same suit his father wore when he got married, almost exactly 32 years before!

The reception took place that evening, which allowed the kids time for naps (and us time to dry off!) before heading in to Cedar Rapids. We had a great time catching up with family and friends, though I unfortunately didn’t get to take pictures since I was mostly busy with the kids.

It was a privilege to watch Grace and Wyatt become husband and wife, and we were honored to be part of the ceremony and reception. We’re excited to have Grace part of the family, and I am excited to have my very first sister-in-law!

Congratulations, you two! We wish you many years of happiness!

(More on the rest of the time in Iowa and the remainder of the road trip to come. . .)

So wherever this finds you, we wish you and your families a wonderful holiday!
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UPDATE: As you can see, we have updated the “look” of our website. The content has not changed (besides some recently uploaded photos); however, it is much more user-friendly on our end. Which makes updates a bit easier for us.

Credit for the photo at the top of the site goes to our good friend Brett.

Hope you enjoy it!

The real excitement begins on 09/11/09, when we fly to Germany for a two week visit.  Andreas will work his hardest to destroy every knick-knack placed lower than about 36 inches off the ground at Uromi’s house but will not be successful.  (That project would take even him- a most determined crawler / investigator / destructor- much, much longer than two weeks.)  Simona will likely sample every unhealthy cuisine found in Deutschland, including plenty of Kinderschokolade, Eis, and probably several of the unfortunately named chocolate-covered marshmellow treats known as “Mini Dickmanns.”  Caleb and I will spend our time supervising the above-mentioned troublemakers while trying to visit with friends & family and take in the sites of Dresden, Leipzig, and Berlin.

Should be a fun trip.  We’ll let you know how it goes– wish us a good time!

We may have had a little too good a time, though.  The plan was to leave Maine to drive to NYC fairly early on Sunday.  I didn’t realize, however, that there was a family brunch planned for Sunday morning.  I decided we should go, since the whole point of traveling to Maine was to spend time with family.  I figured we could spend just a little while and then still get on the road at a reasonable time.  That was my first wrong assumption.

Once Simona and her cousins got into the pool, though, there was almost no getting her out again.  It took us until early afternoon to finish swimming, get dressed, eat some lunch, and head for NY.  We left Maine at 2, and I figured that we may hit a bit of weekend traffic heading south out of Maine but that we’d be out of that by the time we passed Boston.  Second wrong assumption.

So the GPS said we’d arrive in Brooklyn, NY by 7:21 PM.  I figured stops, etc. would put us at our destination at 8:15.  Third wrong assumption. For the sake of not boring you with the details, suffice it to say that at 9:30, I called Caleb from the car in a traffic jam in NYC to tell him that I was living my own personal hell: Andreas was sitting a few feet from me, screaming his head off because he was hungry, but I was unable to help.  (I did finally cave in and pull over on the side of the highway in Brooklyn to nurse him. . . I figured traffic wasn’t moving anyway, so there was no reason to force A to suffer more.)  With all of that, I FINALLY made it to my friend’s apartment at about 10:20. . . only 8 hours, 20 minutes for a 5 hour, 20 minute drive!!

But, it got even better.  The next morning, I decided to wait until 10:30 AM to leave the city, figuring we’d hit the least possible traffic that way.  We pulled out at 10:40 for a drive that should take about 4.5 hours.  I was shooting for 6.

Of course, we hit traffic the entire way out of the city and then had the privilege of paying an ELEVEN DOLLAR toll to cross the Verrazano Bridge.  I shook the dust from my sandals, vowed that I would never again drive anywhere near New York City, and, for the first time in my life, was THRILLED to be in New Jersey.

We merged onto the Turnpike around 11:45, and at about 11:45:02 AM, the people in the car next to me waved at me, pointed at my front tire, and mouthed, “You have a flat tire!”

SO, we fortunately made it about 4 more miles to the next service plaza, pulled off, and spent an hour and a half using the bathroom, eating our lunch, getting gas, and changing a tire.  Many, many thanks to Jim and Tom from Charlottesville, VA, who helped with the tire change.  Driving on a donut doomed us to having to travel at about 55-60 mph the rest of the way.  Fortunately, the kids fell asleep, and I hoped I could at last make a long, strong push towards home.

Traffic was, for once, mercifully light, and we had about an hour of smooth sailing.  I was getting a bit tired and began debating pulling over to buy something to drink, but figured that I should push through while the kids slept.  I passed a service plaza with a sign telling me that the next one was 25 miles away and figured I could easily make it that far.

About 2 miles past the sign, however, Simona woke with a start and announced that she had to use the bathroom.  Urgently.  I thought about pulling over on the side of the highway, but the traffic was busy enough that it seemed unsafe.  (I also didn’t want to leave A alone in a parked car on the side of the road while I took S to pee in the grass. . .)  So, I began trying to distract & encourage her to make it 20 more miles.  I sang and cheered while she whined and cried, both of us increasing in our intensity and desperation.  Finally, though, she exclaimed that she had wet her pants.  Honestly, it was actually a relief for both of us, since she finally stopped her pained cry.

BUT, it added another lengthy stop, with a change of clothes and some clean up.  Andreas got a diaper change and wasn’t hungry.  Since I had left my wallet in the car, I decided to skip the drink and hit the road again.

We made it as far as Delaware- only about 20 minutes away- before A decided he needed to eat IMMEDIATELY.  And, of course, S had to use the bathroom again.  So, we took YET ANOTHER 45 minute stop.  I vowed that it would be our final stop, and for the only time on the trip, I was right.  We pulled up to our house at 6:00 PM- a mere 7 hours, 20 minutes after leaving NYC.

Lessons learned:  Too many to list.  Memories made:  Tons.  Desire to repeat the experience:  Absolutely none.

(PS- hoping to get some new pictures up soon.)