Sunday, August 24, 2008
Happy Birthday, David!
Yesterday was our son David's 31st birthday! He has changed quite a bit since the day we brought him from the hospital, as you can see below. We are very proud of him, and thankful for the godly man he has grown to be. We are very blessed! Happy birthday, David!!
Friday, August 15, 2008
PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES
Truth be told, I don't particularly like either one of the two probable presidential candidates. But in light of the conventions coming up, I thought I would put my two cents in regarding Barack Obama. I could not put my mark next to his name for several reasons, this being only one of them.
I value life. Senator Obama has said that, if elected president, the FIRST thing he would do is sign the so-called "Freedom of Choice Act" – a bill that would make partial-birth abortion legal again, require taxpayer funding of abortion and nullify virtually all federal and state limitations on abortion, such as parental notification laws.
He was also the only senator to speak against the "Born Alive Act" during floor debates, which guarantees the right to person-hood to any infant born alive. Even the liberal Barbara Boxer of California (100% NARAL rating) voted for this one!
Most importantly, it is very disturbing that he thinks the number one issue in this country, the FIRST to be addressed, is to make abortions easier and to make taxpayers foot the bill. I have a huge problem with that.
Of the two so-called "winnable" candidates, at least John McCain values life, and opposes abortion.
I value life. Senator Obama has said that, if elected president, the FIRST thing he would do is sign the so-called "Freedom of Choice Act" – a bill that would make partial-birth abortion legal again, require taxpayer funding of abortion and nullify virtually all federal and state limitations on abortion, such as parental notification laws.
He was also the only senator to speak against the "Born Alive Act" during floor debates, which guarantees the right to person-hood to any infant born alive. Even the liberal Barbara Boxer of California (100% NARAL rating) voted for this one!
Most importantly, it is very disturbing that he thinks the number one issue in this country, the FIRST to be addressed, is to make abortions easier and to make taxpayers foot the bill. I have a huge problem with that.
Of the two so-called "winnable" candidates, at least John McCain values life, and opposes abortion.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
CHAIR LIFTS, LAKES AND COW BELLS
Yesterday afternoon was beautiful, so I decided I would go up into the mountains to Lake Oeschinen -- or Oeschinensee, which is it's name in German. On the way over to the trail head, I took a couple pictures of Kandersteg: 
I arrived at the beginning of the trail in just a few minutes, but then, I had to decide: a really long walk straight up the mountain, or a short ride up an old rickety chair lift. Needless to say, I chose the lesser of two evils (in my opinion, anyway), the rickety chair lift! It was pretty scary. I have ridden it before, but this time was particularly bad because the wind was blowing really hard, and the chairs were rocking around much more than I would have preferred. It was a bit disconcerting to see that even the locals don't appear to trust it anymore, there is a new one being built!
I made it to the top alive, thank goodness, and started down the rest of the trail to the lake. As I turned the corner, I heard my favorite Swiss sound...cow bells! Hope you enjoy it, too!
Oeschinensee sits in a mountain cradle with the Doldenhorn, Rothorn, Oeschenin and Bluemlisalp peaks surrounding it. You can't see them from these pictures, but there are several waterfalls that come down from the peaks and empty into the lake. I was told that it gets its turquoise color from the glacial silt in the water. It was so pretty...I just had to stop and have an ice cream! :-) Any excuse will work.
You should come up here sometime! If you value your life though, walk up -- or wait until December of '08 when the new chair lift is finished. I highly recommend it.
I arrived at the beginning of the trail in just a few minutes, but then, I had to decide: a really long walk straight up the mountain, or a short ride up an old rickety chair lift. Needless to say, I chose the lesser of two evils (in my opinion, anyway), the rickety chair lift! It was pretty scary. I have ridden it before, but this time was particularly bad because the wind was blowing really hard, and the chairs were rocking around much more than I would have preferred. It was a bit disconcerting to see that even the locals don't appear to trust it anymore, there is a new one being built!I made it to the top alive, thank goodness, and started down the rest of the trail to the lake. As I turned the corner, I heard my favorite Swiss sound...cow bells! Hope you enjoy it, too!Oeschinensee sits in a mountain cradle with the Doldenhorn, Rothorn, Oeschenin and Bluemlisalp peaks surrounding it. You can't see them from these pictures, but there are several waterfalls that come down from the peaks and empty into the lake. I was told that it gets its turquoise color from the glacial silt in the water. It was so pretty...I just had to stop and have an ice cream! :-) Any excuse will work.
You should come up here sometime! If you value your life though, walk up -- or wait until December of '08 when the new chair lift is finished. I highly recommend it.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
CHOCOLATES, KNIGHTS, AND CHEESE
Mike and I had a nice weekend. We were driving through the Zwiesseman Valley and came upon this field of cows. You see that a lot in Switzerland, but this one was particularly pretty. The only thing you are missing is the ringing of the cowbells! We stopped the car and just sat by the side of the road for a while, listening.
Saturday took us to the city of Broc, which is the home of the Cailler's Chocolate Factory. We didn't take any pictures inside, we were too busy eating FREE chocolate in the tasting room. They have samples in there of all the chocolates they produce, and you can stay in that room as long as you want. I needed to stop at the store on the way home to buy some bigger clothes. Just kidding, but it WAS pretty ridiculous! Neither one of us was hungry for lunch!MMMmmm...good!
From Broc we drove about 10 minutes to the city of Gruyeres. What a pretty place! Stoked with history, Gruyeres is a cobblestoned village that sits on top of hill. Gruyeres Castle is the centerpiece, and it really neat. Here is a picture of the "castle on the hill" from the east. The town of Gruyeres slopes down the hill behind the castle, out of view in this picture.
Here it is from another angle:
The sun was in a bad place for pictures of the garden, but here is one that shows part of the garden, and the east wall of the castle:
Mike took this picture of me standing in the courtyard of the castle:
Gruyeres also has a cheese factory, and we took a tour. They make Gruyeres cheese, of course! This picture shows the milk kettles, and the molds where the cheese is pressed.
After it comes out of the mold, the cheese is left in a salt bath to draw out moisture and it begins the formation of the rind. 
From there, it is left on the wooden curing racks for a minimum of 3 months. Each round of Gruyeres cheese weighs 35 kilos -- or about 70 pounds.
There you have it, chocolate, knights, and cheese -- all in one day. How about that?
Saturday took us to the city of Broc, which is the home of the Cailler's Chocolate Factory. We didn't take any pictures inside, we were too busy eating FREE chocolate in the tasting room. They have samples in there of all the chocolates they produce, and you can stay in that room as long as you want. I needed to stop at the store on the way home to buy some bigger clothes. Just kidding, but it WAS pretty ridiculous! Neither one of us was hungry for lunch!MMMmmm...good!From Broc we drove about 10 minutes to the city of Gruyeres. What a pretty place! Stoked with history, Gruyeres is a cobblestoned village that sits on top of hill. Gruyeres Castle is the centerpiece, and it really neat. Here is a picture of the "castle on the hill" from the east. The town of Gruyeres slopes down the hill behind the castle, out of view in this picture.Here it is from another angle: Mike and I have been to Gruyeres a couple of times, and have always liked it. While we were there this time, there was a concert of sorts -- Alphorns! I must admit, I have heard better Alphorn playing since I have been in Switzerland. When we lived in Andermatt (2003), there was a guy that went way up on the mountainside and played his Alphorn. The sound was beautiful, and it just reverberating throughout the valley. However, since this performance is the only sound recording I have, you'll have to trust me that there ARE better Alphorn players about! Hope you enjoy it anyway. This was the tail end of the show. Sorry about the wierd blue tint to the video -- I had the setting on the camera screwed up:
Here is a picture of the village itself, with a couple stray tourists in it!
Gruyeres Castle was built in the 13th century. In this picture, Mike is standing on the rampart that surrounds the castle. Doesn't he look like a knight? This knight has a floppy hat instead of shining armor.
There are several pictures here of the inside of the castle. First of all, the kitchen -- which is massive. I am not sure though, I would want to cook in it! 
Then there is the fireplace, which is huge, I suppose, in order for it to heat the building. You'll notice that Mike fit nicely inside! 
The knight's hall was an impressive room, and I enjoyed seeing the actual (no kidding) "knight's graffiti" that is now protected behind the glass on the wall:
Here is a picture of the village itself, with a couple stray tourists in it!
Gruyeres Castle was built in the 13th century. In this picture, Mike is standing on the rampart that surrounds the castle. Doesn't he look like a knight? This knight has a floppy hat instead of shining armor.There are several pictures here of the inside of the castle. First of all, the kitchen -- which is massive. I am not sure though, I would want to cook in it! Then there is the fireplace, which is huge, I suppose, in order for it to heat the building. You'll notice that Mike fit nicely inside! The knight's hall was an impressive room, and I enjoyed seeing the actual (no kidding) "knight's graffiti" that is now protected behind the glass on the wall:Mike took this picture of me standing in the courtyard of the castle:Gruyeres also has a cheese factory, and we took a tour. They make Gruyeres cheese, of course! This picture shows the milk kettles, and the molds where the cheese is pressed.After it comes out of the mold, the cheese is left in a salt bath to draw out moisture and it begins the formation of the rind. From there, it is left on the wooden curing racks for a minimum of 3 months. Each round of Gruyeres cheese weighs 35 kilos -- or about 70 pounds.Monday, August 11, 2008
A Short Walk in Kandersteg
Ok...you're right, this first picture was not taken on our walk in Kandersteg, and I really should have included it in my last post. It is a photo I took from the plane as I left Paris...and I think it is pretty cool. It is the Arc de Triomphe, with 12 streets emanating like sun rays out around it. The Eiffel Tower is just out of the picture on the bottom. Couldn't get my camera out in time for that one!
Here is a picture of the hotel Mike is staying in -- we have a small condo-like one bedroom chalet here. 
Mike and I took a walk through the forest on a waterfall search the other night, and we got some pretty pictures. There are several waterfalls across the valley from us, so we decided to pick one, and hike up to it. 
It was a really pretty walk through the woods, and luckily, there were not too many mosquitoes out that night. They usually love me, and I was not prepared! 
This little chalet is right in the middle of "town", and I think it is really cute. I love the flowers, the ivy, the shutters, the garden in front...the satellite dish on the side kind of takes away from the Heidi image -- but hey, it's 2008.
The last photo for today is a picture looking west through the valley toward the Gemmi Pass.
Isn't Kandersteg a pretty place? Tomorrow I'll post pictures from our weekend, but for now; I am going back to watching the Olympics in German. That's what ya get when the only channel you get in english is CNN and they didn't pay for broadcast rights!
Here is a picture of the hotel Mike is staying in -- we have a small condo-like one bedroom chalet here. Mike and I took a walk through the forest on a waterfall search the other night, and we got some pretty pictures. There are several waterfalls across the valley from us, so we decided to pick one, and hike up to it. It was a really pretty walk through the woods, and luckily, there were not too many mosquitoes out that night. They usually love me, and I was not prepared! This little chalet is right in the middle of "town", and I think it is really cute. I love the flowers, the ivy, the shutters, the garden in front...the satellite dish on the side kind of takes away from the Heidi image -- but hey, it's 2008. The last photo for today is a picture looking west through the valley toward the Gemmi Pass.Isn't Kandersteg a pretty place? Tomorrow I'll post pictures from our weekend, but for now; I am going back to watching the Olympics in German. That's what ya get when the only channel you get in english is CNN and they didn't pay for broadcast rights!
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Switzerland and Alaska
I arrived in Switzerland (after a very l-o-n-g day/night of flying) on Tuesday evening. Mike met me at the train station in Kandersteg, and since then -- I have been living the life of leisure. IT'S FABULOUS! At home, I have a hard time relaxing and doing things I want to do. Here, I have nothing else to do...so I blog, organize pictures on the computer, read, do some digital scrapbooking, watch movies, hike, and just plain old relax. LOVIN' IT. Anyway...I thought that tonight I would resume my blogging about our Alaska trip. I believe I promised I would do a ship tour, so let's start with that!
But then...there is hope! Mike finally finds a machine onboard that is GUARANTEED to give his money back! 
We enjoyed our dinners together, we had a wonderful table that looked on onto the water. In fact, we spotted whales from the window a couple of times. Here is a shot of all of us one night at dinner. 
The were two formal nights on board, and one night, we all took a family picture together. Mike's dad and his wife are in the front, and Mike and I, Greg and Debbie are in the back. 
Next stop...Glacier Bay and College Fjord!
This great picture of our ship was taken in Alaska, although obviously not by us. I can highly recommend Princess Cruise Lines! We were comfortable, entertained, stuffed with delicious food, educated (naturalists on board), massaged, and pampered. Yeah, baby! 
Our cabin was very nice since it had a balcony that was a little larger than the standard rooms. It made a great place all of us to gather the days we were in Glacier Bay and College Fjord. 
Mike's dad and his brother both had cabins right near us, so it was really convenient for visiting. In fact, here are some of us enjoying our balcony before sail-away.
The main atrium of the ship was filled with shops, lounges, and gathering places. It was really pretty!
This ship had the best production shows of any ship we have been on. Of course we don't have a whole lot of experience, but it was the best of the 4 we have tried! My favorite show was one called "Piano Man", featuring music from the greats like Elton John, Billy Joel, and other, well, piano men. Wasn't the theater nice?
The pools were great -- I think there were 4 or 5 of them. They didn't get as much use on this COLD trip as I have seen on warmer cruises, but there were still people in them. The hot tubs were much more popular. Mike and I went in one afternoon when it was raining! 
We didn't do much gambling because we can't stand losing money! In fact, I snapped a few shots of poor, sad Mike as he realized he was not going to make a million from the slots or the tables:
Our cabin was very nice since it had a balcony that was a little larger than the standard rooms. It made a great place all of us to gather the days we were in Glacier Bay and College Fjord. Mike's dad and his brother both had cabins right near us, so it was really convenient for visiting. In fact, here are some of us enjoying our balcony before sail-away.The main atrium of the ship was filled with shops, lounges, and gathering places. It was really pretty!This ship had the best production shows of any ship we have been on. Of course we don't have a whole lot of experience, but it was the best of the 4 we have tried! My favorite show was one called "Piano Man", featuring music from the greats like Elton John, Billy Joel, and other, well, piano men. Wasn't the theater nice?The pools were great -- I think there were 4 or 5 of them. They didn't get as much use on this COLD trip as I have seen on warmer cruises, but there were still people in them. The hot tubs were much more popular. Mike and I went in one afternoon when it was raining! We didn't do much gambling because we can't stand losing money! In fact, I snapped a few shots of poor, sad Mike as he realized he was not going to make a million from the slots or the tables: But then...there is hope! Mike finally finds a machine onboard that is GUARANTEED to give his money back! We enjoyed our dinners together, we had a wonderful table that looked on onto the water. In fact, we spotted whales from the window a couple of times. Here is a shot of all of us one night at dinner. The were two formal nights on board, and one night, we all took a family picture together. Mike's dad and his wife are in the front, and Mike and I, Greg and Debbie are in the back. Next stop...Glacier Bay and College Fjord!
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