Happy Birthday, Caedon!

Here are a few pics from our recent trip. From top to bottom:
Hiking in the Alps (Before you comment, Caedon and Ashlyn are safer than it looks.)
The Waterfall we climbed up to. It was quite the upward hike.
A view from the side of a mountain.
A view of the Alps from Zell am See.
The castle we stayed at and two views from it.
Kids, (and I) in a Boot am dem See.

I Repent

Got our crate yesterday. We found out we were getting it 3 hours before it arrived when they called to tell us they would be running late! God never ceases to surprise. We had just sent out requests for the crate to not arrive next week so we could atend a retreat. We thought this meant it would come after the retreat, but I suspect a lot of people were ping otherwise!
It was like Christmas around here for the kids and us too. I especially enjoyed being able to listen to some of my music again! We will post again in a couple of weeks when we get back from the retreat.
By the way, my music being here made me think of recommending some. If you haven't heard the great Derek Webb, you need to check him out. Here's a sample:

I Repent

"I repent, I repent of my pursuit of america's dream
I repent, I repent of living like I deserve anything
of my house, my fence, my kids, my wife
in our suburb where we're safe and white
I am wrong and of these things I repent

I repent, I repent of parading my liberty
I repent. I repent of paying for what I get for free
and for the way I believe that i am living right
by trading sins for others that are easier to hide
I am wrong and of these things I repent

I repent judging by a law that even I can't keep
of wearing righteousness like a disguise
to see through the planks in my own eyes

I repent, I repent of trading truth for false unity
I repent, I repent of confusing peace and idolatry
by caring more of what they think than what I know of what we need
by domesticating you until you look just like me
I am wrong and of these things I repent."

Well, Walmart is leaving Germany. I'm not shedding any tears for a couple of reasons.
First of all, it was not really Walmart. It was like some mutated version trying to be Walmart, and failing in the process. There are actually stores already here in Germany that do a better job of being Walmart.
Secondly, I want Walmart to be a part of what I leave behind and visit from time to time. I've already tried to explain this to some of you. I was actually disapointed when I first found out the Walmart was in Germany. To me it has always been a part of what America is (for better or worse) and something I looked forward to in visiting the states. So now I can look forward to just visiting the mecca of materialism whenever I am stateside.

We went to one of the festivities for the 800th anniversary of Dresden a couple of weeks ago. It was quite an experience. It seems as though half of the city's 500,000 turned out! Jonah, Ashlyn, and I rode the big ferris wheel and got several good pics of the city center from the vertigo inducing height. There was a mid-evil style market on one end of downtown, and a lot of international booths set up on the other side.