Today I met a man, German, Atheist, WWII survivor...

Today I went for a run at Lewisville.  It is my favorite place to run and over time I have come to recognize some familiar faces but familiar or not everyone smiles and waves as we pass each other.  We are all there to exercise so no time for anything more than a smile and a wave as we pass each other, me with my red face and sweaty brow...

Today as I was on my second lap I noticed a tree had fallen over the path since the 15 min or so I had been there.  Just after noticing that I looked up to see a nice looking older gentlemen walking up from the opposite direction and I commented that we better watch out because the trees were falling.

As he began talking to me I noticed his accent - I suspected German and not being able to help myself I asked where he was from...he smiled and said "Battle Ground" I smiled at his response and asked where his accent was from?  He fessed up and said Germany - always happy for an opportunity to discuss travel I was quick to share that I had been to Germany.  He asked where I told him the various cities I had visited and he began to tell me that he was from Berlin.  That he was 8 years old when Berlin fell to the Soviets and the war ended.  He told me in his near perfect English (he moved here in 1997) that he didn't have the language to describe the horror he witnessed as a child in Berlin during and after the war.  I was spellbound, sweat was running down my back and I was beginning to get chilled but nothing was going to move me down the trail....

He shared that teenagers by the thousands killed themselves after the communists came.  He said with raw emotion in his eyes that as a child he was payed along with the other neighborhood children to go find decaying bodies and report their location to the authorities...
His home was destroyed, all material possessions lost but he didn't speak of any family members who had died, only that his father had both of his legs shot off in the war...and they were visiting him in a hospital north of Berlin when their home was destroyed.

He said that he should be crazy for the horror he has witnessed but that he was not and he thought those men in their suits who tell you to talk about your feelings was a huge waste!  Thinking maybe his faith had sustained him I asked him if he was a man of faith, did he have a relationship with God?  He replied abruptly "NO! If there was a God those things would not have been allowed to happen." My heart hurt for him, I said a prayer for him, but I could totally understand his point of view...

He told me that when he was 3 he saw Hitler.  He and his family had gone to watch a military parade that Hitler was present at and that as the soldiers dressed up in their finest and riding by on their horses a soldier bent low and picked him up by his suspenders and sat him on the horse.  He remembered the smell of the leather and how beautiful the horse was...

He went on to become an aeronautic engineer gaining his degree in Dresden.  He continued to live in East Germany until 1960 when rumors of a wall going up reached him and he decided it was time to leave...
He hitchhiked around Europe, became and airline pilot and stated that the only 3 places he hasn't been was Hawaii, South Pole and New Zeland  At that point I told him he should write a book! He smiled and said "no one would be interested" I told him I would read it!

Frychik

So today I met a Man, German, Atheist, WWII survivor....

9 hour time difference...

I leave in a week!
Today I actually have butterflies! And I'm starting to hug my family more frequently and for longer periods of time...Ty just LOVES it! ;p

I'm also starting to think about what time it is in Spain while its a completely different time here and what a GIGANTIC time difference 9 hours is...

I have developed the most annoying habit of waking up at 4:30 AM - it used to be 5:30 but apparently that wasn't early enough....grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Anyway, this morning at 4:30 AM I thought hmmm its 1:30 in the afternoon in Spain right now...How weird is that.

I have experienced 9 hour time difference a few time before and its rough the first day.  I know the key is to stay awake and not lay down and take a nap the moment you arrive in your hotel room.  I did that once...

It was my 3rd trip to Europe and we were in Paris.  We (students in tow) had done the typical leave at the crack of dawn fly all day/night (time difference) land in Paris in the morning and hit the ground running for "Day 1" of the tour.  Towards the end of the day we had an hour and a half down time in the hotel before dinner...I decided to sleep, wisely I set my alarm but when that alarm went off I felt like I was a mile under water buried in cement...I could NOT wake myself up! Which wasn't an option since I was the responsible adult on the trip! So lesson learned no naps!

Frychik

Georgia on my mind...

Tornadoes scare the crap out of me!
Thankfully I've never been hurt or lost anything due to a tornado but I only know that in hindsight...

I've been through several harrowing storms in the South.
There is nothing like being told their is a tornado headed right towards you and
-you don't have a basement
-you have two small children to protect
-you live in a tiny town never before mentioned on the news and they report its headed right towards you...
-you have no idea what the next few min., hours, hold for you as you huddle in a bathtub with your babies...
-
LOL - I have to pause here and insert that I just felt my first earthquake...while I'm writing about tornadoes mind you! I think that is hilarious!

While it was a small earthquake - they just reported it as a 3.6 it is freaky! I've always managed to be gone, asleep or in a location where I simply didn't feel the other earthquakes that have hit our area...and it is BIZARRE to feel your entire house shake!

Anyway...as I was saying tornadoes freak me out and I seriously was about to say I would take an earthquake over a tornado any day! I did not in any way invite one to actually take place! And I'm thankful it was small!

Adairsville, Georgia just South of Calhoun (our home away from home) was hit hard today by tornadoes...
My heart goes out to those who have lost their homes or worse a loved one.  We have checked in with our friends in Calhoun and it seems all is well with them...

I'm just gonna conclude by saying I'm looking forward to heaven...

Frychik

I'm going to Europe next week...

Next Week!!!!!

I know I run the risk of sounding terribly uppity...
I assure you I'm not...
Please don't mistake my enthusiasm for haughtiness!

But I am going to Europe next week! And I couldn't be more excited!
There is much to do...
Besides worrying over 2 weeks of lesson plans I'm worrying over deciding what to pack and what to not pack...

My mom and I pinkey swore we would go only with carry-on - which I think is a very good idea because EVERY time I have traveled internationally I have ALWAYS taken way too much stuff! Except my last trip to Peru I did carry-on but that was 10 days - this is 17!

As this is my longest trip...and it will be chilly at times so I can't just get by with shorts and tank tops.

But by far the majority of what I will be taking is my camera equipment...which probably weighs around 20lbs not including the tripod (which any professional photographer know is a must when shooting landscape - so I have read) Then there are the essentials --

• Passport! Thankfully light weight - not an issue
• iPad or no iPad?  Lighter than laptop - without it I won't have a way to view pictures I have taken - could download books and then not bring them - however, another expensive electronic to worry about...
• Shoes - sigh I have big feet - I think I have settled on just my running shoes and some flip flops - while I would love to take some of my much loved boots they would fill my entire suitcase
• Pants? - 17 days - cold, warm, comfy... how many? I do have some cool zip off pants they are definitely coming.  Pair of yoga pants, jeans? Capris? Would 3 long pants be enough?
• Socks, underware, 5 obviously doing laundry while gone...
• bra - sports, comfy, supportive? Forget the supportive! COMFY!
• Coat - rain or warmth? I feel I need to chose between my new raincoat (waterproof) or a super warm but not waterproof jacket - I think both would be to much. Madrid will be coldest the rest of the trip looks like mid 60s lows in mid 30-40 range...
• Cosmetics - pretty easy I'm not a fussy girl...
• Hair - I have an appointment tomorrow - do I cut this mop off and go short or keep it long and just braid/bun/pony every day?

Any wisdom out there? If so please share :)

Frychik

Bend

Sun River - Mt. Bachelor

After hearing my husband talk about how much he wanted to go to Mt. Bachelor for a ski weekend - for MONTHS - I finally said just do it already and he did.

Planning something like this makes me nervous because despite my best laid plans I cannot plan the weather!

And weather is KEY when planning a ski weekend!

We did this two years ago and it RAINED the entire time and there was ZERO skiing on our ski weekend...

But Sun River is a fun place to go regardless of the activity so we planned and hoped.

The weekend before the entire region was experiencing an inversion - which resulted in significant snow loss and significant depression to me trapped in a freezing fog bank in Meadowglade...

So it turns out we planned it perfectly because this weekend there was lots and lots of fresh fluffy snow for us to ski , or "shred the pow" as my husband loved saying just to aggravate our super cool boarder boys...

Needless to say the weekend was....

The boys were happy...

They play together really well when snowboarding is involved and it makes this momma so happy to see her boys bonding over something they share equal love for.  They are very different kiddos but when it comes to snowboarding and soccer they are united in their passion...

There were only moments of sun...I still have yet to ski off the top of Mt. Bachelor (my second time skiing there) The top was fogged in so the lift was closed.  But the cool thing about this mountain is that it is so big that there is plenty to do...

We skied until our legs burned and then we skied some more...

Then we went in and drank hot chocolate and then we skied some more...

 I absolutely loved that after finishing on the mountain we only had a 30 min drive back to our house! It was fantastic to get back in time so enjoy some of Sun River's beauty - we caught a beautiful sunset on Saturday...Of course the other side of that is that we didn't have to get up super early to make it to the mountain when the lifts opened...

I have come to the conclusion that in addition to my lake house...I also need a ski house and of course my beach house...

Is that too much to ask for?
I think not! :)

And Jeff and I found some adorable coyotes...I begged them to come closer I had visions of getting amazing shots where you could see the reflection of my camera in their eyes...but they just wouldn't cooperate!

After two days of skiing it was time to head home....

After a very snowy trip over Mt. Hood we entered back into the rainy side of the state...

Sigh...

I told Jeff we might need to consider retiring in Bend...

Man I'm getting old!

On another note...

I know I have been a terrible blogger and I don't know that anyone will read this...

But life is MUCH improved and I'm about to leave on an adventure and I "plan" to blog every day while I'm gone...

So if your interested stay tuned...

Frychik

2013

Once upon a time my children were small...

But then they grew and then they went off to school and we thought they were oh so very grown up!

I cried a tear when I said good-bye at the kindergarten door...

I was amazed at the year they would graduate...2013 and 2015!

It sounded like space age...

A distant time far far away...

Hmmmmmmmm

Happy 2013!

What a beautiful way to start a new year!

If you are so inclined...check out shellyfryphotography.smugmug.com for some new pictures...

I hope now that my schedule has eased up I will be taking more pictures :)

Oh and I'm excited because I can now say - I'm going to Europe and Africa next month! :)

Frychik



Vacation - Day 1

Today feels like a vacation day...
I'm sorry for those of you who are not on a school schedule and don't get two weeks off...
It is one of the BEST perks of my job!

While it is Wed and we are several days in today feels like vacation - and here's why...

1.  Received my final grade for my Masters class 94% - huge relief!
2.  No real agenda this morning
3.  Ran 2 miles and felt strong :)
4.  Went shopping with the boys and bought a few things just for me :)
5.  Ate Christmas cookies for lunch :)
6.  Bought two new books just because they looked interesting...Eight Girls Taking Pictures and A House in Fez - The first appealed to the photographer in me, the second the traveler and the fact that I will be in Fez, Morocco in just over 6 weeks!
7.  While I LOVE having Christmas at my house today all is quite and there is nothing to prep for...
8.  Tonight I don't have to cook dinner because we are going out to eat :)
9. After we go out to eat we are going to a Blazer game -
10.  Because for the first time in a long time I am setting the agenda and the agenda isn't setting me :)

I hope you have time for a deep breath!

Frychik