Shields Family Pictures: Frankfurt Germany

We now have beautiful updated family photos! Woohoo!! :)

Every year, it is my mission to get them taken - and these didn't disappoint in the slightest!

We unfortunately scheduled to have them taken on one of the coldest Fall mornings yet - but for the most part, we got through it without too much pain. Haha!

Fall is probably my most favorite time of year! I love all of the changes in color on the trees and the falling leaves. We were scheduled to have them taken just the day before but we were surprised with rain. Going to Palmengarten was out. Bummer! But there's a nearby park that I love to run around and take the kids to right around the corner from our house so we didn't have too walk far. It worked out nicely. Kids were a bit on the whiny side along with some teenage attitude to boot - but my friend that took our pictures brought a bunch of fun things to entertain and distract them with: bubbles, puppets, party blowers...including a little running around and an impromptu leaf gathering and jumping party. I'm so glad I know not to expect a perfect photo session. It just doesn't exist! We managed to have fun though!

I can't post my very favorite photo yet (as it's being used for our Christmas card this year) but I will post some more of my absolute favorites! So many turned out so nice, despite the cold chill! I was pretty impressed! Many thanks, Anastasia, for capturing my family so beautifully! xo

I love my family! xxoo

Aubrey {12}, Jocelyn {6}, Andrew {3}, Landon {18 months}

Happy ONE YEAR in Germany!

One year ago today, we waved "goodbye" to our sweet friends and family as we set foot into a new country we'd be calling home for the following 3 years. Definitely a hard time. But it just got better and better with each passing day. Well, for the most part. We still have moments of homesickness. We love it here though. The food, markets, pretty laid back lifestyle (a lot slower paced than what we were used to in the States!), trails to walk and run on, the incredible amount of history and it's beauty...so much we have come to love here! It really is hard to believe a whole year has already gone by! We have soooo much we still have yet to do and see but boy have we been having a good time - meeting some amazing people and developing lasting friendships, creating some great memories and simply loving life (besides some occasional bumps here and there)!! I'm excited to see what this next year brings. Year #2 in Germany...here we come! :)

{our family on the fourth!}

Our first year in Germany, we have (to name a few):

*Eaten some really good food!

*Seen both Frankfurt area zoos

*Met some awesome friends who have made this journey bearable and worth it

*Gone to the Alps twice

*Found our ward family at church

*Had my brother and his family stay with us over Christmas
*Been to not only Germany but to England, The Netherlands, Belgium, France and Austria 

*Seen Pres. Uchtdorf in person during his visit to Offenbach

*Been to the Black Forest to visit friends

*Seen a handful of castles

*Gotten our first speeding ticket
*John's been to Turkey & France for work

*Gone to Rudesheim and rode on the cable cars above the vineyards

*Took a trip to Wurzburg for Mother's Day

*Went to Heidelberg for my Birthday

*Ran in my first race

*Stopped in Stuttgart for a brief moment to see John's old neck of the woods

*Started learning German

*Experienced 2 emergencies....thankfully both didn't require immediate hospital care and no stitches were needed

*Gone to the Frankfurt Christmas Markt and LOVED it!!!

*Had our van working and not working I don't know HOW many countless times

*Got our German drivers licenses

*Had my new sister and her husband come stay with us for a day

*started the ride of John beginning his Masters Degree program

...and many more!

(many I need to still write about!)

We look forward to having more family and friends come visit us and see Germany!

We love and miss you all!

The Frankfurt 10K

{June 3, 2012}

I DID IT!!!! I survived the Frankfurt 10K run! ;) It was intense with the amount of rain we had to run in but thankfully it was still a fun experience! The week leading up to the race, I started to get a bit nervous and apprehensive. Especially since I hadn't been doing a whole lot of running the previous two weeks leading up to the race. The only time I ran in Garmisch was the day after we arrived and the air was much too hard for me to run again at it's higher elevation. It was nice to have a vacation and relax though! And then during the last week before the race, I ran a few 3 milers and that was it. I still figured that if I could run these distances, I could do 6 miles too. It would, without question, be a bit more tiring. (And it was!!!) The day we received our race packets, it felt more real than ever! I knew there was no time to turn around and back out now. It's so hard for me to believe that just 5 months ago, running wasn't even a thought. My how things have changed!!! :)

{Race shirt}

The morning of the race, I got up and randomly checked the weather. It looked questionable outside and I wanted to have an idea of what to prepare for and what to wear with my race shirt. There on the screen it showed that we were facing 100% chance of rain. Lovely! And thunderstorms were predicted right on time: when the race was to begin at 1pm! Go figure! This news did NOT help calm my nerves one bit but I just prepared mentally the best that I could and went along with it. I figured if they felt the need to cancel the race, then that's what would happen. But I wasn't going to make the decision to not go on with the race! This rain was NOT going to stop me! And like John always tells me when I want to go for a run and it's raining, "the rain isn't going to make you melt!" :)

After a hearty breakfast, I had John take a quick picture with me and the children. The very children that have helped me get to this race day to begin with. I owe a lot to these cuties - for Aubrey watching them many times after school so I could get a run in and their never failing support and encouragement! Just love these guys of mine!! We then headed straight over to our friend's house. They were so sweet in watching them for us while John and I ran. I don't know who was more excited to spend the few hours together - them or the kids! :) And if it weren't raining, they would have likely been downtown cheering us on. I have to say, with it raining, my excitement was starting to fade. I was sad that they couldn't be there!

Around 11:30am, John and I met up with a group of us Marines and Marine spouses that had signed up to run the race. We got our running chips strung onto our shoes and this is when the rain began. My first race ever was going to be interesting! I hadn't run in the rain and cold weather really at all, I was a bit sad my children wouldn't be at the finish line waiting for me and cheering me on and I was planning on taking my iPhone to the race with me so I could take photos. John didn't think it was going to be a good idea to do that with the heavy rain. And I knew he was partly right. But being the stubborn person that I am and still insisting on some photos....I found a quick and temporary fix: a ziplock bag! Just shoved the phone inside the bag and viola! Problem fixed! :)

{Off to the train station! Just 5 stops or so and we were there!}

And this pretty much summed up what the path for the race looked like...Rain and slick!

And more rain...

And some MORE rain!!!!

BMW was one of the main sponsors - I love how all the balloons were tied to the bikes.

Me before running my FIRST race ever!

To escape the rain, our group ran inside McDonalds and sat and talked until it was time to head to the starting line. Not only was it pouring down rain but it was getting really cold too. These next few pictures were taken before the race on the way to the port-a-potties and before the rain started to come down really hard. 

Here's the start and finish line. The 10K route started from here, ran through the city to another point, came back here and did another round finishing up here.

The white BMW drove around with the clock time on it. Before we ran, there was a 5K race going on.

SportScheck was the company that oversaw the race - lots of emergency personnel out to keep an eye on all of us runners.

Our group!

Another sponsor for the race: some yummy tomatoes!!! We ate some after the run and they were so so good! (Along with the delicious apples and pretzels. If it hadn't been raining, I would have taken a photo for sure!)

So my nerves were all over the place before the race began. It wasn't really that I was nervous per say...I was just extremely excited for a race I had never run before. Especially six miles I had never run before! We left McDonalds about 20 minutes before the race was to start. Last minute bathroom breaks and getting to the lineup area to stretch and get ready. Oh how I wonder how this day would have been had it NOT been raining! I will say I was a bit concerned with the path we were scheduled to run on. It looked slippery and very wet! I made sure I wasn't standing at the front of the line. I'm not one that wants to hurry and go too fast at the start. They counted down from 10 in German and then we were OFF! Well, 30 seconds later we were actually moving and going somewhere! :) Before the race started, I had stuck my ziplocked phone into the back zipper pocket of my pants - but after running a short distance with it bouncing up and down and being uncomfortable, I ran a bit slower while trying to get it out of my pocket. That was interesting! So I have learned not to put anything heaver than a key or ID card in there ever again! :) 

I had heard before race day how fans cheering for you on the sideline can often times help keep you pumped up and moving - but we didn't have that experience this time. And I don't blame them for not being there! I wouldn't have been either if I wasn't scheduled to run. It was cold and terribly wet! And as the weather had been predicted, it didn't take long after we started the race for the rain to come down in buckets! I am not exaggerating! We were soaked from head to foot! Initially, I was glad I had slipped on a dry-fit shirt under the racing shirt. But I sort of regretted that decision when it was making me extra cold and wet!!! 

Running in that extreme amount of rain was challenging to say the least. I started to shiver, my breathing was not steady as I was breathing harder than normal to compensate for being cold and my feet were drenched with all the puddles I couldn't dodge! I remember John mentioning to me that his feet were squishing around in his shoes and I told him that being a true Oregonian, that he should be used to that sort of thing! Hahaha

When I signed up for this race, I also signed up John to run it with me. I of course had his full permission and consent in doing so but being a newbie in running, I felt better knowing he'd be there to run it with me. I mentioned to him that running the race with me didn't mean he actually had to RUN the race WITH me. But he insisted on running the race at my pace and by my side every step of the way! I felt happy and sad at the same time. Happy he wanted to be with me and encourage me and sad that he wouldn't be running it at his own and much faster pace! So with that said, I gave him many chances to change his mind if he really wanted to run ahead...that I really would have been fine. But he stuck by me the entire way! xo

Running with my phone in hand and not in my pocket made things go so much easier. (Especially when John ran with it!) I didn't have music to listen to which I normally do while running but I at least had John to talk to. And thankfully, I had a piece of gum to chew (thanks, Christi)! :) Things were going well and I was running past people at a comfortable speed. I think with it raining, I was actually running a little faster. Maybe to get done quicker? Maybe because I wasn't getting as warm? I honestly don't know. From time to time, John would ask me how I was doing. So sweet of him, I know. But after he kept asking and talking about the race, I had to ask him to change the subject so I could focus on something more pleasant. I don't think I hydrated myself very well before hand and was starting to get a side cramp. I was a little edgy but I kept quiet and made small talk. When we were close to the point of making our first turn to head back, John said, "I don't think it's raining hard enough, do you?" And not too much after he said that, it began to come down even HARDER! How that's even possible, I do not know! 

When we reached our halfway mark, I was starting to lose my energy. I was running still at a good pace and making good time according to how I felt and from what my watch was showing. My watch that didn't work the minute the race began because it didn't find a satellite in time. Thank goodness my running chip detected my overall time! :) Volunteers were holding out water cups and a half of a granola bar. I grabbed both. Drank the water quickly and disposed of the cup. And then tried eating the granola bar. I had gum and because of the rain, it wasn't staying in my hand and I didn't want to liter so I swallowed it. Yeah. I know. Gross. It reminded me why I don't do that. But eating that granola bar wasn't worth losing my piece of gym, let me tell you! And do you realize how hard it is to chew and run at the same time? Boy, that was another interesting experience. I ended up choking on my one bite of the granola bar. I didn't care at this point...I threw the bar on the ground over to the side so no one would trip on it. And it was then that I realized I had another 3 miles, while coughing and choking, without gum! 

John asked me if I was okay. I told him, "yes, I'm just choking!" And he laughed and said, "it's hard to run and eat at the same time, isn't it!" No sooner he took a bite of his own granola bar and started to choke as well. He now knew what he was talking about and we both chuckled as we ran. 

As I said, I hadn't prepared for this race as much as I would have liked. As I started running the second lap around, I let doubt creep in. I was starting to get fatigued and I began wondering "why on Earth did I sign up for this thing???" Tears started to fall down my cheeks but I was trying to fight them back. My breathing started to go out of whack as I was trying to hold back the tears AND the coldness from the rain was making me hyperventilate a little bit. My teeth were chattering and I was shivering from the rain. John noticed that I was starting to struggle with the run and coached me into focusing on my breathing and getting it balanced again. So I focused on that and then laughed about crying and being ridiculous - but part of laughing was because nobody could see that I was crying with all of the rain that was going on. John then said, "and nobody can see the snot running down my face!" Ha!!! Guess the rain had it's advantages! :)

We were heading back towards the finish line when I told John that I needed to slow down a little or....And he said, "or....what?" And I said, "stop!" He said, "stop, what?" And I said, "no....the word STOP!! I will STOP if we don't slow down!" So he started chanting, "Go Go Go!!!" And I said, "stop!" We both laughed. It was good he was keeping up the jokes and making me laugh so I could take my mind off the run for the time being. We then heard loud music up ahead so I knew the finish line was getting closer! I started running a little faster again knowing that the run was almost done and that really carried me to the finish line. And then we did it...moments later, we crossed the finish line and were greeted by our friends from our group!!! I was so happy I about cried again! :) Especially when I saw our time. I ran without having a goal other than to finish. Maybe deep down, my goal was also to finish before an hour. So I was really pleased with how I did. John crossed the finish line 1 second sooner than me....here's our stats:

Leslie

Placed: #81/305 women

#14 of age group/ W30

Time: 53:10 

(About 8 1/2 minute mile)

John

Placed: #424/603 men

#58 of age group/ M30

Time: 53:09

We made it!!!

I had such mixed emotions after crossing the finish line. 

Relief.

Happiness.
Emotional.

I completed a goal I set out to achieve! What a feeling that is! :)

At this moment, I'm not sure I'll sign up to run another race but I may consider it at one point so I can continue making running fun and something exciting! And to help a cause.

After greeted by friends and warm hugs and high fives, we immediately walked over and got in line for some drinks and food. And they didn't disappoint! While holding my phone, I had room to grab a water, a few cherry tomatoes and a pretzel. John grabbed, well, I actually lost count. 5 apples (1 he gave me and it was the best tasting apple I've ever had!), maybe 5 pretzels, a few waters....yeah, he was feeling pretty blah after that! :)

{Me + Christi! We rock!! - she finished #10 of our age group (4 before me)}

{Friends!}

{All of the guys}

{All of the ladies}

I'm so happy we did this! A few from our group were getting ready to move back to the States so it was one of our last fun times out together. So....we shall see what's next! I can already tell you I will never run a marathon. But a 1/2 marathon is doable. Anything less than a 1/2 will be fine by me! Today I'm not considering anything. But tomorrow's a new day so who knows! I really never thought I'd ever see the day that I would run. And enjoy it nonetheless! But I'm glad I started it at 32. I probably would have done really well starting in my 20's but averaging 8.5 minute miles right now is pretty good in my book! Running is definitely still happening though - race or no race! :)

Flying By

{On our drive to Wurzburg}

It dawned on me the other day how fast this past year has flown by so quickly; we're almost at our year mark living here in Germany and I'm becoming a little sad. Moving here, I cried when we left family and friends and the known as we went into the unknown. Slowly, day by day, things got better. I was very homesick but not because it's horrible here! It's quite the opposite actually! But it still isn't home so of course family and friends were (and are) missed. But as John and I were driving to Wurzburg on Sunday for Mother's Day, we were discussing how it has felt like we've only blinked and an almost year has flashed before us. How our 2 years left here is going to go by just as fast, especially while we try to cram in as much as we can see and do before we have to move back to the States. And I think talking about it all, made me sad! Just as I cried when moving here, I know without a doubt that I will cry when we move back home. Germany is a beautiful country; I'm enjoying taking it all in and seeing as much as I can. Knowing that this is a once in a lifetime experience makes it all the more reason to appreciate this opportunity! If I don't happen to see anymore than we already have, I won't be too heartbroken though; I have seen more than I ever thought or dreamed that I would!

{On our drive to Wurzburg}

In other news, I am just one busy mama around here with my four young-ins. I love being the mother to my little ones - they make me laugh, they make me cry, they make me want to pull my hair out, they make me happy. But most importantly, they make me proud to be their mother and I would never want it any other way! I'll take the good and the bad if only I can see their smiles, hold their hands, watch them peacefully sleep, hear them as they learn to read, see them enjoy the food I make them...the list goes on! It's all worth it to me.

Lately, we are busy....

*getting ready for our summer plans

*spring cleaning and organizing

*meal planning

*with a sometimes cranky and demanding baby

*running and walking 20-25 miles a week. Frankfurt 10K is in less than 3 weeks!!!!

*packing and planning for our trip this next week to Garmisch - relaxation HERE WE COME!

*reading lots and lots of books - everyone has one they are reading. John: The Crisis of Islam, Leslie: The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks (my favorite author, however, not my favorite read!), Aubrey: Catching Fire (book #2 from Hunger Games series), Jocelyn: The Princess and the Frog, Andrew: Curious George, Landon: Blue Hat Green Hat - okay, so we're reading to the boys but didn't want to leave them out! :)

*catching up on laundry (it never ends!)

*craving to get the grill out and bbq!

*going to the playground just about any chance we get

*on the last days of the school year...we have a count down!! Aubrey: 19 days, Jocelyn: 14 days

*starting new chore lists - we'll see if this one will work better! one can only hope!

*at work! Well, for John that is! Lots of late night hours at the office

*enjoying a break in-between semesters (again, this is for John! But it's enjoyed by all that he's not wrapped up in studies at the moment!)

*catching up on blogging

*watching a little one toddle all around the house getting into everything! - and loving it

*wishing we could ditch our home in Virginia (yeah, we'll be wishing that one for a long time to come!)

*enjoying the sunshine and warmer weather

*dreaming about John + I's vacation to Greece! THIS is getting me through the difficult and long days. Even though I'm nervous leaving my two little boys for a week who are still attached to their mama (the girls I know will be okay)....I'm super ready for some time off!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Be prepared to see a lot more older posts in the coming weeks. I'm trying to catch up on events I do not want to forget. Like our trip to Oregon last summer, family vacation to Virginia Beach, our time with friends before moving to Germany, our Christmas with my brother and his family. You know...a long time ago stuff! :)

I Love to See the Temple

Today ended up being a much needed family day! Normally when Sundays roll around, we get up and get ready for church. But today started off a bit differently. We accidentally slept through the day-light savings time change and didn't have enough time for all 6 of us to even hurry and get to church even close to on time. Really not a fun start to the day for me. I love beginning a new week having attended church meetings and having been spiritually fed. So we had to improvise on what the day entailed. As Spring has definitely found it's way to these parts of the world the past few weeks, the sun was out and almost 70 degrees. I couldn't deny the feeling that we had to find some way to get outside and enjoy the weather. A reoccurring thought popped into my head: "let's take a trip to the temple!" For one reason or another, we had yet to even see the Frankfurt Temple as a family since moving here. With General Conference being next weekend, I couldn't think of a better time to go to the temple! After lunch, we packed up some snacks, rushed the kids to take last minute potty breaks and hopped on the autobahn to a city called Friedrichsdorf where the temple resides.

We got there in about 20 minutes and wow! was it beautiful!! I really love seeing the temples. The feeling I get being there. The structure of the building. Seeing and smelling all the colorful flowers. All of it! I am of course biased having lived in the Portland Oregon area much of my life so I do claim that the Portland Temple is my favorite! The only other temples I've been to is Mt. Timpanogos, Boise, Salt Lake City and Washington D.C. Once we got all of the kids out of the van, we discovered what a horrible mood Jocelyn was in. Not the most fun thing to experience: a cranky and nothing-will-please-me-at-the-moment five year old! She cried even more so when I took the kids photo in front of the temple sign and dragged her heals behind us saying, "i hate this day! i hate walking!" and whatever else she felt compelled to complain her heart's desires about. I did my best to distract her (and ignore the bad attitude) and bring a smile to her face but all my motherly attempts didn't work. When all else fails, bring out the food! That seemed to do the trick! I'll have to remember trying that one closer to the front of my attempts next time. :) 

The temple is quite a pretty place and always brings me a feeling of peace! Going to the temple not only brings us the opportunity to be sealed as families forever, but can alleviate stress, help us to think more clearly, get answers to our prayers, provide us with peace from the outside world and recharges us spiritually, physically and mentally. It is without a doubt one of my very favorite places to be! We enjoyed our time wandering around the grounds as a family (which also included trying to catch or keep up with Jocelyn and Andrew), Landon practiced more of his independent walking and I took some pictures before we turned around and headed back home...for our weekly Sunday walk! Something I've been very much looking forward to starting up again. Now all we needed was a grilled dinner. Mmmm! We need to get that going soon!

It was a really good day (despite a few bumps in the road).

And I love seeing my children embrace in the same things that I love.

They really are the best! 

My everything!

I love my family!