Mr. & Mrs. for 15 Years!!

5 - 10 - 15...each one of those year markers feels like they have come extremely quick! We step back and reflect in awe of the adventure we have lived together these past 15 years--5 homes, 2 countries, 3 kids and a guinea pig. We have come a long way since the day we said "I do". We have certainly changed in many ways, including grey hairs and maturing faces! However without a doubt we can say we have changed and grown for the better as Christ has remained the center of our marriage. Over the years we have had our seasons of highs living on love and seasons of drought as ministry, kids, health problems, cross-cultural living etc. sucked out all energies leaving little for the other. No matter the season we have remained committed to each other, but more importantly God has kept his promises and has been the life source of this marriage. We have grown to complete the other one's thoughts, know what the other is thinking by just a glance or touch. We have very diverse gifts and strengths but that is what makes us so compatibile. We can honestly say that we are more in love with each other than we were on August 19, 2000. We give God the glory for these past 15 years together!

I could not ask for a better partner in life, parenting, ministry and globe-traveling than my best friend and love of my life--I love you more everyday, Precious! Happy Anniversary!

We did get away for a little trip to celebrate our anniversary. The kids tagged along with us, and it was a fun way to celebrate. We spent two nights in Colmar, France. We rented a charming little place in the heart of Colmar that was a complete delight. I always have fun searching out places to stay and everyone was happy that my track record for good finds continues.

House with a view

A traditional Alsace decor with hearts, because the region is located at the heart of Europe. The apartment was on two floors complete with balcony perfect for an afternoon coffee and reading break.

Colmar is such a beautiful and romantic city located near the borders of Germany and Switzerland. We were married in Solvang, the Danish capital of America and Colmar gave us a similar feel which made us reminisce of our wedding all the more.

However, we also chose to visit Colmar because it is the home of the Isenheim Altarpiece painted by Matthais Grünewald in 1512-1516. Jonathan has been wanting to see this work of art in person so it was a win-win place to choose. The Unterliden Museum was closed for remodelling so the altarpiece was moved to the Dominican church. This hugely cut down our museum viewing time but since the goal was seeing this specific piece it all worked out. It is nice that all the museums we visited on this trip offer free audio guides with the ticket. This greatly helps to keep the kids engaged and explain things as opposed to reading plaques. We got much less "when are we done?" questions.

After checking off this must see in the early morning we had the rest of the day to just wander and explore. We took a little train ride that the kids enjoyed and we learned more about the history of the Colmar. Did you know that Auguste Bartholdi, the man who sculpted the Statue of Liberty was born in Colmar? There are many original Bartholdi sculptures located throughout the city. A large 12 meter replica of the "Liberty lightening of the world" can be found outside of town, but this was as close as we saw giving honour to the famous sculptor and his world famous masterpiece...

The kids had no difficulty in choosing an afternoon snack. The Bretzel-Donuts were a hit and Luca got two rounds of them! Emma thought it was cool to eat French fries in France. Luca endured a French pizza declaring that Italian is better. At dinner Samuel said he has eaten better but the ice cream made up for it. Jonathan and I had a regional speciality of pork knuckle (ham hock) with Sauerkraut topped with Munster cheese and Cremini mushrooms. The German influence was definitely noted with their food. It was super good, rich and filling.

The food displays were so beautiful. I always enjoy seeing regional specialties.

The smallest house in Colmar (the red one). It is a law that each house is painted a different color than its neighbor.

The following pictures are from "Little Venice" named because of the canal running through that section of town.

As you can see every corner was picture worthy and thus it was really hard to narrow my picture selection down for this post. You can count it as your virtual vacation for the day. :)

What more can I say? It was the perfect place to spend our anniversary! Stay tuned for our little Reformation tour through Geneva and Basel on our way to and from Colmar.