Halloween!

Jaren's parents gave us these traditional Bavarian outfits from Germany! I absolutely LOVE them! I loved wearing my dress (I wish I could wear it every single day) and we had fun dressing up for Halloween!

And Gus was a Beanie Baby!

Star Wars Movie Marathon

I saw these Star Wars shirts/sweatshirts/sweaters (whatever they are) at Target the other day and I just had to get them for Jaren and myself! We are excited for the new Star Wars movie to come out in December! We are having a Star Wars movie marathon this weekend (and yes, we wear these shirts while watching the movies).

We watched Episode II tonight and it was fun to see the places we visited in Lake Como that are in the film! (The Naboo love scenes.)

The film...

Our picture...

I want to go back to Lake Como! This place was one of our favorites! We loved touring this palace (Villa del Balbianello) that was used in Star Wars.

Happy Birthday (And... Jaren started his new job!)

Jaren and I basically share a birthday! My birthday is October 7 and his birthday is October 8. We are two years apart. I love sharing our birthdays, and I love this time of year.

I cannot believe I am 28 years old. It seems unreal! Didn't I just turn 20??? (I met Jaren Halloween night just after turning 20... It doesn't seem that long ago.) Time has definitely flown by! My parents asked what I wanted for my birthday and I told them I just wanted Cafe Rio, a Coldstone cake, and to have the family over. I am still recovering from jet lag (I didn't feel like going anywhere), and to have family over and eat yummy food sounded perfect to me!

I worked all day Wedensday, and then my family came over in the evening. I missed Mexican food while on our trip to Europe so I really enjoyed my salad from Cafe Rio! I love my family and it was fun to spend time with them.

Jaren's birthday was a special one because he turned 30! (What?!) He doesn't even look 30, though! For his birthday (we both had the day off) we went to Farmington Station and saw a movie (The Martian). Afterward we bought Jaren some shirts from American Eagle to wear to work. That night, we had a party with Jaren's family! We ate Papa Murphy's pizza and more ice cream cake.

Our nephew and niece...

Our nephew...

Happy Birthday Jaren!

On another note... Jaren had orientation for work this week! He will be an Orthopedic PA at Ogden Clinic. We are SO grateful for this job! Ogden Clinic is a wonderful business and will be a great place for Jaren to work and provide. He got this job before he graduated- it was quite a team effort. I found this job online, and applied for him. (I wrote his resume and cover letter for him, I applied for him, and answered all the questions online!) A few days later they called Jaren for an interview. He really impressed them and was given the job.

This week I have missed our European trip. I would do it again in a heartbeat! At the same time, though, it has been nice to be home and get back to a "schedule" and enjoy this season. Fall is my favorite time of year, especially in Utah!

One more thing! Gus got a haircut... And he doesn't even look the same! (Sad!) but his hair will grow back eventually (and he can finally see again).

Before...

For some reason I just love this picture of Jaren and Gus at 5 a.m. (Jet lag- that's why we were up so early!)

After... (I miss his curls!!)

Last Day in Europe

Today is our last day in Europe. I have mixed emotions about this and I'm not sure I'm ready to go home yet. On one hand, it has been 5 weeks (we're a little tired), Jaren is done with school, and we are ready for him to start his career! Going home will be the beginning of a new chapter for both of us! On the other hand... traveling through Europe has been a dream come true! I loved Europe even MORE than I thought I would (and that's saying something because I knew I would love it)! I have REALLY enjoyed planning this trip all year and I'm sad it's over. I feel like we have learned so much in such a short amount of time. Who knew I would find art and European history so fascinating? And we never planned on going paragliding! This trip has been quite an adventure. While in Europe, it has been SO nice to not worry about anything except catching the metro or finding our hotel. Traveling has been such a good thing for me... I definitely want to travel throughout my life! We have loved our time in Europe and I hope it's not too long before we come back.

A small wave of anxiety washed over me tonight as I thought about beginning fertility treatment again once we go home. (I'm not exactly sure when we will start this process again... maybe next year?) Europe has been a good distraction for me this year and has given me something positive to look forward to. These past (almost) 4 years of infertility and seeing a fertility doctor in Montana have taken so much out of us (financially, but most of all... emotionally)! We want a family more than anything and many times infertility has caused us more heartbreak than can be described in words! Despite this, I do feel hopeful! I'm ready to conquer this. Jaren is too. This year has taught me that despite trials and hardships, we can still find joy in life! I love my husband and I am so grateful we had this time in Europe together. Memories are priceless! Our love is so strong for each other, and that is definitely something I will not take for granted.

On to our last day...

After breakfast we walked around the wall of Rothenburg. This medieval city is so interesting (and so quaint)! These walls were used for protection of the city in its past, but now anyone can use them for a scenic walk with great views of the city!

We also did some more shopping. Rothenburg has a variety of stores from selling antiques, to clothing shops, children's toy stores, wood working shops, traditional Germany shops, and of course... Christmas shops! We also went into this medieval shop which was fun to take pictures in!

After shopping we drove to another well-preserved, quaint medieval town called Miltenberg. We walked around the city enjoying the beautiful, sunny Fall day! Jaren and I walked up to the city's castle and took some pictures!

Tonight we packed up. It has been fun staying with Jaren's parents the past couple of days. We will definitely miss them! I'm so glad we were able to see where their mission headquarters are, and see this wonderful, beautiful country they get to live in for 2 years!

The final word on Europe!... (I interviewed Jaren and myself for fun!)

Favorite Food(s)...

Jaren's pick: Pear and cheese ravioli from Italy and Sauerbraten and Spetzle from Germany. He also loved an appetizer we had in Paris- cheese spread inside rolled vegetables. (I agree! The way the veggies were cooked was amazingly tasty!)
Sarah's pick: Chocolate gelato from Florence and Crème Brule from France. (I'm all about the sweets!)

Most Beautiful European Area(s)...

Jaren's pick: Swiss Alps and the Black Forest in Germany.
Sarah's pick: The Swiss Alps!

Favorite Adventurous Experience(s)...

Jaren's pick: Paragliding.
Sarah's pick: Paragliding and hiking through the Cinque Terre!

Least Favorite Adventurous Experience(s)...

Jaren's pick: The crowds of Venice. (Don't get him started!)
Sarah's pick: The bathrooms in Italy! It was always a gamble... Will they have toilet paper? Soap? Will they be clean? (Every country had nice clean restrooms except Italy!)

Favorite site(s) or place(s) in...

Germany:

Jaren's pick: Neuschwanstein Castle and Rothenburg City.
Sarah's pick: Heidelberg (Hohenzollern Castle sits above this beautiful city) and Neuschwanstein Castle (the fairy-tale castle)! I also loved Linderhoff Palace!

Austria

Jaren's pick: Hallstatt.
Sarah's pick: Walking above and around the old city in Salzburg!

Italy:

Jaren's pick: Lake Como
Sarah's pick: Florence

Switzerland:

Jaren's pick: Northface Trail
Sarah's pick: Northface Trail

France (Paris):

Jaren's pick: Walking up and down the Seine River.
Sarah's pick: Everywhere in Versailles!

Favorite hiking experience:

Jaren's pick: Northface Trail in the Swiss Alps
Sarah's pick: Hallstatt

Favorite artistic piece(s):

Statues:

Jaren's pick: Michelangelo's "David" and Donatello's "St. George."
Sarah's pick: Michelangelo's "David" and Bernini's "Apollo and Daphne" in the Borghese Gallery.

Paintings:

Jaren's pick: Botticelli's "Birth of Venus." (In the Ufizi Gallery, I liked this one too!)
Sarah's pick: Too many to name just one! I love work by Millet and Monet. I liked "Entombment of Atala" by Francois (in the Louvre) for its romanticism. "Les Disciples" by Eugene Bernand is one of my favorite paintings, and a fun surprise for me to see it in the Orsay!

If we could choose 1 more day in Europe (of any place we visited, not a new place) we would spend more time in...

Jaren: The Swiss Alps
Sarah: This is a tough one! But I'd have to go with... Paris! I'd love to see the Sacre Coeur (among other sites), shop the flea markets, and go bike riding around the city!

Rothenburg

The city of Rothenburg is quintessential Germany! It's a well-preserved medieval town from the 12th century. Jaren and I love Rothenburg! The city is beautiful and the area around the city is lovely as well. The leaves are changing and Autumn is definitely here! 

It's fun that our trip is ending in Germany, since it began in Germany. I'm trying not to think about going home, and enjoying all I can during this last weekend in Europe!

After we (Jaren, myself, and his parents) checked in to our hotel today, we went inside St Jakob's church. It was amazing to see the wood-carved alters and stained glass windows! I love going inside these old churches, it's amazing to think how old yet well-preserved they are! (I just can't get over it!) This church was medieval, and therefore decorated and built in the "gothic" style.

The church...

Jaren and I then climbed to the top of the bell-tower of another church. We had a good look around at the town and all the buildings. When we went back down we met up with Jaren's parents and drank fresh-pressed apple juice. I have never tasted better apple juice! It was so fresh, delicious, and the perfect Autumn drink!

Fresh apple juice!...

The shops here are so fun to browse, especially the Kathe Wohlfahrt Christmas shops! There is also a Christmas museum in one of the shops. This museum shows the history of Christmas trees, ornaments, and decorations. It was so fun to walk through the museum (no pictures allowed, though) and see original antique ornaments and decorations! (My Mom would LOVE it!) It's interesting how Christmas decorating has changed and evolved over the years. I'm pretty excited for Christmas now! 

At night we took the "Night Watchman" tour. Honestly, this tour was SO good! (And SO fun!) The "night watchman" of Rothenburg told us stories about life in medieval times and the history of Rothenburg! We walked around the town with him and he would stop in places to tell us stories. We learned how Rothenburg became a city in the first place and what life was like back then, it's downfall, why it was and still is so well-preserved, and how it barely escaped the bombings of WWII. The watchman was funny and stayed in character the whole time! (And he dressed like the watchman did back in the medieval times.) I loved it! I also liked that the tour was in the dark and a fun thing to do around Halloween-time.

Rothenburg at night...

From Paris to Frankfurt

I was a little sad today as we left Paris, I adore this city! But I'm grateful for the time we had in Paris and I am excited to see Jaren's parents again! We have one last adventure ahead... Rothenburg, Germany!

We woke up this morning and had breakfast in a small cafe across from our apartment. They have the best pastries here! (My pants are getting pretty tight!) Then we walked around the Eiffel Tower one last time. Afterward, we went to the train station and rode back to Frankfurt.

First day...

Last day...

This was our most favorite drink in Paris! We first tasted it on our honeymoon when we had dinner in the "France" part of Epcot-Center in Disneyworld.

I forgot to post these funny art pieces from yesterday! (Jaren and I laughed at these!)

Apollo's "selfie"... (Really his weapon is broken, but it looks like he's taking a selfie!)

"Talk-to-the-hand!"...

Also, this is a famous painting of Jesus at a crazy Italian wedding party. If you look at very closely at the face of Jesus it looks like he is thinking, "Get me out of this picture!" I don't think he would be at a party like this.

Tonight we went to dinner with Jaren's parents, and then went grocery shopping with them! I bought me some Musli (German cereal) to take home. I'm a "cereal girl" through and through!