Half Marathon in Budapest

Wow...is all I can say about Budapest!

When my friend, Rebekah, first asked me if I wanted to run in a half marathon I thought it would a great challenge for me. I was slacking in the exercise department and needed a goal to work towards. I started a 15 week half marathon training program (Hal Higdon's) and got the ball rolling. The training was hard, but ended up being fun for me. I truly enjoyed getting out and running which is something I really never thought I would do. I loved being able to finish a run (even a big one towards the end) and feel my "runners high."

We looked into driving just to save money, but after seeing that it was over 13 hours we decided to fly. I know, smart choice with 4 adults and 3 kids, right?! So, we flew out with our friends, The Sechrists, on a Thursday night and had two full days of sight seeing before the race day on Sunday. The weather was gorgeous on Friday. We took a 3 1/2 hour (10 mile) bike tour around the city to see the main attractions. It was a perfect way to see them without having to do all the walking. On Saturday we walked to the Jewish synagoge, Opera House, the castle district on the Buda side as well as many other places. We were exhausted and knew we needed to save much of our energy for the race the next morning so we headed out and went back to the apartment we rented. We stayed in a perfect location and would definitely stay there again.

Sunday...race day! The weather could not of been more perfect for the race. Mid to upper 60's, sunny and not a cloud in the sky. I couldn't believe how many people were there and the race center. We heard they broke the record f0r entries to the race to well above 6000 people from all over the world. As the start time got closer I was getting less nervous and more excited to just run! The first few kilometers were a little on the slow side, but then after that I just decided to take in the beautiful scenery around me and just enjoy myself. I didn't want to get behind the 2:15:00 pace guy so I felt good as long as I didn't see him. I didn't go into the race with a goal time to finish...I just wanted to finish the race. The run started in Heroes Square on the Pest side and we made our way over the bridge to the Buda side for what seemed most of the run. By about kilometer marker 16 I was getting tired and just wanted to be done. But it's funny how adrenaline kicks in and at the 20 marker I sprinted to the finish line. I can't tell you the emotions that came over me as I crossed the line. I was so excited to be done and happy to say I completed 21 kilometers! I am happy to say I ran the whole time. I didn't even stop when I got water or glucose. ;-) My time according to my chip as 2:12:44...whoo-hoo!!!

The rest of the afternoon we just took it easy and went to the Turkish baths which were amazing. From the pictures below you can see how unique the place was. The best part was being treated to the best foot massage I have ever had.

We finished off the night with 2...okay...maybe 3 bottles of wine between the 4 of us. Gotta love Hungarian wine!

If you have ever thought about making a trip to Budapest I highly recommend it. It is a beautiful place that holds a special place in my heart.

Rebekah and I after we completed the race.

Just finished!

Hanging out before the race began.
Szechenyi Bath (Turkish Bath House) Where the race began.
The day before the race while they were setting up. Jason, Rebekah and I were ready!
The Hungarian Parliament

The second largest Parliament in Europe after the one in London.
I think this was Jackson's favorite part of the trip...seeing Darth Vador and the Storm trooper.
So apparently it's good luck to touch the horses's you-know-what. Don't judge...everyone did it!
I had to put this one on here. If only I could explain what was going on in this picture. This one definitely speaks for itself!
Fisherman's Bastion on the Buda side
From the Buda side overlooking the Danube River to the Pest side.
I just love the tiles on the roof. So unique!
St. Stephen's Basilica
The Turkish bath house
Can you see why we loved it so much? This pool was like a giant hot tub. In the building on the other side was about 20 other baths of all sorts of temperatures. The kids loved it!
Our bike tour we took on Friday.
Near the Anonymos statue area.
Jak Chapel
This was a common thing for Cole and Grace. So sweet...
Heroes Square

They were such good kids during the trip. They have turned into quite the European travelers!

Family Time in Texas

Summer is full of fun and memories. We love coming to the States in the summer not only to get back into the American culture again, but also to spend time with the ones we love who we don't get to see as often as we would like. We had so much fun in Texas spending time with my family. The kids love being out in the woods at Gaga and Daddy Don's house. They especially love being with their grandparents. From Gaga's crafty side to Daddy Don's silly side the kids just adore them!
We were able to spend four days at the Bertram's house. The cousins had a blast running around and playing together. It didn't seem like it has been a year since we were all together. Now that the kids are getting older it definitely makes things easier to do. We could just let them play outside and not have to have too much supervision. A nice treat for the grown-ups!
Brad came up for a few days while doing some business traveling to Dallas. I really loved seeing him play with the kids and enjoyed being with him. Brad is coming to Germany in September so we will be able to spend some more time with him at our home.
As usual the time always passes quickly and we were off to Michigan. I treasure the memories that were made during our visit.

F.Y.I~The pictures were all in order when I designed the page, but the posting isn't cooperating. So...bear with me and enjoy them as they are! I didn't have time to mess with it...but maybe later. ;-)



The whole Bertram/Scherden Family



Gaga and Daddy Don with all the grandkids

The 3 Bertram kids

Lee and John

Aunt Bekah making banana bread with James, Hope and Tommy.

Breakfast time on the stools that Uncle Lee made.

Grace and Hope

The cousins enjoying some of Gaga's yummy cupcakes

Jason's parents were able to come to Texas for my dad's 60th birthday. It had been 7 years (since our wedding) since they had been to my parents house. I am so thankful that my parent and in-laws are so close. What a blessing!




Jason was able to go to Atlanta to visit his brother for a few days. I love that he is able to go there and spend some quality time with him. On another note, we are finding new renters for our house because Chris is moving out. So Jason had a lot of business and house projects to take care of while he was there.

Dad Scherden and Jason and the Grist Mill in Gruene for my dad's birthday.

YaYa and Gaga (funny I know..but Jackson named them)

at Mandola's winery

No Training Wheels for AJ

I have been so bad about blogging these past few weeks. We are having a great summer vacation so far in the States. Between having time with family and good friends I don't make time to sit down and blog.
Anyway...we knew we wanted to teach Jackson how to ride a two wheel bike this summer. I just expected it to be a long, drawn out deal with the whole learning process. But, the second day Jackson popped right up on the bike and took off riding. He rode all the way down the block and back again (with Jason by his side). We are so proud of him! There are quite a few kids in the neighborhood in Michigan so he is able to ride around with them and keep up with the older ones.
Jackson is so proud of himself as well!

Bye, Bye Baby~Hello, Big Girl!

Grace has been going through a few changes lately in her life. She is now almost completely potty trained. She still has a few accidents here and there, but for the most part she is out of diapers and pull-ups. Yahoo for not having to buy diapers again!! She does still wear pull ups at nap time and during the night just in case. ;-)
Grace had a love affair with her binky. Around 13-14 months we would only let her have it when she was in her crib for sleeping. So now that she is two it was time for it to go! A couple of weeks ago we started the process of cutting the tip of it and each night we did the same until there was just about nothing left of it. The first few nights were very hard. Poor thing...she would scream and yell out for us while in her room. So sad, but I knew that she was just going through the typical withdrawls from it. After a few nights she gradually got better and I can proudly say it is gone and in the trash. Actually she put it in the trash herself. I have been telling her that since it's broken she needs to throw it away. The other night she took it upon herself to put it in the trash. A few times she would ask where it was and I would just remind her that she put it in the trash because it was broken. That was good enough for her and she just said, "okay."
Also yesterday we took down the crib in her room and she is in her big (queen size) bed. She loves sleeping in her big bed with all of her babies...6 of them to be exact! I tell you, that girl is something else with her babies! Such a little mama!

A Few Reasons...

I have found a few reasons why I am loving Germany in the spring...
First off I knew we had two apple trees in the backyard, but was SO excited when I saw that we
also have a cherry tree! Unfortuntely we won't be here when the cherries are ready to be picked since we are heading back to the States. So, I have told a friend of mine to come over and take all she wants. I would hate to think they would go to waste! But for the apple trees they should be ready not long after we return. I can see homemade applesauce and lots of other "apple" things in the future!
Also, I am loving the fact that it doesn't get dark here until almost 10 o'clock at night. It is still something I need to get used to, especially during the winter months when it would be light for just about 7 or 8 hours a day. And when I say light...I really mean the sun was somewhere hinding behind the clouds-so it makes it more like a grey day. Oh, how I am loving all this sunshine and long days!

My baby apples starting to grow!
Cherries!
Grace has been "helping" me pick the bad ones off the tree.
This picture was taken at about 9:20 at night. Isn't that great!?!

Where did May go?

It's hard to believe that the month of May is coming to a close. But I am super excited because that means that June is almost here and we will be heading home to see family and friends for the summer vacation. Jackson only has 4 days left of preschool and today is his last day of soccer practice. I am praying that I can work one day a week next school year at the Mother's Day out program since I am not keeping Cole next year. It will be great to have some extra travel money throughout the year.
For Memorial Day weekend we are heading to Bruge, Belgium with some friends. We are staying in a "house" in the middle of the city center. It will be great to have some extra room and a kitchen to cook our own meals in. I am looking forward to Belgian chocolate as well as trying some much talked about Belgian beer. We are going to bring our bikes and the chariot for the kids so we can do some sightseeing around the city. I'll be sure and post pictures when we return!