Today was our first Cafe Rio visit of the season.  I'm sure it won't be our last.

When I arrived at my parents' house on Sunday night, my dad was excited to show me the latest project they've been working on.  

Years ago, when I was still in elementary school, my dad found his old train set from when he was a boy.  He brought it to our house, fixed it up, and mounted the tracks on a big piece of wood.  It was our favorite thing to play with whenever there was a snow day.  I remember that as soon as the radio announced that school was cancelled due to snow, all us kids would get Dad to hoist the train board out.  Then, we'd build a complete town around the train tracks with Lincoln Logs, Legos, and blocks and play with that thing the whole day.  It was awesome!

Well, once again, that old train has been resurrected, but this time on a much grander scale.  Dad bought new tracks, but before he attaches them to the train board, he had my sisters paint a town on it.  Jenny and Jami have spent hours designing and painting this town that is uniquely "Larson".  I probably stood and stared at this for a half hour the other night, just delighted with what they've come up with!

(I added the letters to the photos so I could explain what each site is.  There are no letters on the actual board.  And it was too big to capture in one photo, so sorry for the awkward splicing.)

My mom, Jenny, and Jami came up with representations of everyone in the family, as well as some key places in our family history.  Here is what everything is:

A - Bitner Train Station (Dad and I think they should change this to Bitner Bahnhof, in honor of our German residence)

B- my dad's barn and pasture

C - Grandma and Grandpa Darrington's cabin at Bear Lake

D - Lucas Pit Stop, since Jeremy hits a gas station every day for his Pepsi supply

E - Bear Lake

F- Jason and Whitney's house in Neola, UT

G - Bust's Burgers, because Justin is the king of drive-thrus

H- Jenny and Mike's house in American Fork, UT

I - Jodi and Jeff's house in Amarillo, TX

J - Sonny Elementary, as Josh is the eternal student

K - Us-Go-To Market.  When we were little, our neighbors' dad worked in Vernal, and his family would visit him occasionally.  Whenever they did, their little 3-year old girl would say, "Us go to Vernal".  That became a catch phrase in our family, and since Jeff and Ashley now live in Vernal, and he works for Coca-Cola, this market just makes sense.  You'll notice the Coke insignias. 

L - a softball/baseball diamond.  My family has always liked to play and watch.  In fact, I remember staying with my Grandma D, and often after dinner we'd head over to the city baseball fields to watch whatever random teams were playing.

The train board is not officially finished, since Mom wants to polyurethane it before they attach the tracks.  But, I think it is just so cool, and I couldn't wait to post about it!

(This was not planned.  I didn't realize I was taking "theme" pictures until I reviewed my photos at the end of the day.)

It's Popsicle Tuesday!

My mom and nephew D in the morning.

And Brad's mom and sister with her kids in the evening.

Delightful!

I'm HOME!!!!

Today we got to attend church in the Clarkston ward, which felt like a huge family reunion.  Every ward in the world should feel so good.

Jessica stayed with her friend B for the weekend, so today it was just me and my boys.  I had some errands to run regarding our house in Waterford, and that gave us the chance to spend a little time with our neighbors.

Here are my boys with their old buddy J.  And when I say "old", I mean they've been friends for a long time.  J looks 16, but he's really just Pepper's age (I poached your picture, Michelle - thanks!).

Later, we went to Chinese, which is a little Chinese buffet Brad used to take the kids to quite often.  It isn't my favorite place, but everyone else in my family loves it, so I go along for the ride.

Here is the message I found in my fortune cookie at the end of our meal:

Of course, this must refer to Brad, my favorite blonde who is currently working in Lisbon, Portugal so the rest of us can party in the U.S.A.  I could say something a little dirty about this, but I prefer to keep things tasteful. . .

This morning, we were on a cobblestone road in Berlin, Germany, and tonight we are at a barn dance in Milford, Michigan.  I love modern transportation!

 Our good friends in MI host a gigantic barn dance at their house (well, barn) every year, but this is the first time we've been able to go.  It was a rootin', tootin' good time!  There were a TON of people there, so I got a chance to chat with many old friends while my kids square danced, went on hay rides, and otherwise had an old-fashioned country party.

(The arrow is pointing to Jessica dancing with a cute boy.  She arrived and was immediately assimilated into the teenage crowd.  I saw her for about 5 minutes the whole night.)

Our bags are packed and we're ready to go...!

(I've been singing Peter, Paul, and Mary all day)

All our bags are packed (well, almost all - we're still waiting on Jessica's suitcase), so tomorrow we can fly to the U.S. of A!!  

This morning was Luke's spring concert.  He informed me at breakfast that I should sit on the front row, since (as he put it) I never sit on the front row and he likes me to sit on the front row.

So, I hustled to the concert so I'd be on time to get a front-row seat.  As you know, parents and grandparents of preschool children are really the most aggressive sub-species of the human race, so it took a little doing, but I was able to man-handle my way into a front row seat.

Well, my efforts paid off.  When Luke took the stage and saw me on the front row, he was ecstatic.  He grinned at me during the whole show, often jabbing the kid next to him to point me out.  

I don't expect to get such blatant adoration from him for much longer, so I sat and basked in every minute of it.  It was totally worth mowing over all those other moms to get the front-row seat.

(Let the record show that this was not the most photo-worthy event of the day.  I had every intention of taking a photo of Thai Tuesday, a delightful tradition of pigging out with my American friends at our favorite Thai restaurant.  However, I got so side-tracked with laughter and conversation that I forgot to snap a photo.  So, this semi-lame photo will have to suffice.)

This is my new favorite "story".  I found BBC's  Lark Rise to Candleford on youtube and I am hooked.  It doesn't take much; basically dangle a Victorian English period series in front of me and I will bite - hook, line, and sinker.

WARNING:  THIS POST CONTAINS PIONEER PORN

Today, I finished sewing the clothes Jessica needs for the pioneer trek next week.  Our trip to MI coincides with our Michigan stake's youth pioneer trek, so Jess is going with her friends from the Clarkston ward.

Here she is in the bloomers I made from an old pair of my pajama pants.  Technically, this is Jessica in her pioneer underwear.  I'm sorry if you are offended.

Today was Father's Day, so we got up bright and early to make 

breakfast-in-bed for Brad before he had to leave to speak in another ward.  Since Brad left the house well before we did, the boys were left to their own devices in the tie tying department.

Luckily Pepper was there to perform his Big Brotherly Duties.  As far as I know, Adam was not laughed out of Primary, so I guess the tie was up-to-snuff.

This afternoon, I went to a bridal shower for my friend Rachel.  Somehow, I managed to take photos of all the food, but I missed getting a picture of the bride.  I'm not sure I like what this says about me as a person. . .

In one week - ONE WEEK - from today, I will be in America for the summer!!!

And, can you guess what I am looking forward to the most right now? 

Let me give you a hint:

Yep, I'm looking forward to driving on big, wide, American, non-squishy roads.  

Today as I was running some errands, I found myself holding my breath in tight spots, as if sucking in was going to somehow shrink the width of my car and I'd have more than a couple of inches on either side to maneuver my car.  And, I can't wait to back out of a parking space without making a 50-point turn to wedge my car out.

Of course, I'm also looking forward to seeing all my friends and family, but today it is all about the roads.  I MISS NON-SQUISHY ROADS!!

Tonight was my last institute class of the year, so I had to take some photos.

My Peeps!

(OK, who am I kidding?  I'm not street enough to say "peeps".   Heck, I'm not even street enough to say "street".  Sorry.)

For the last few weeks, I've been staying after class to teach ballroom dancing to the YSA's.  It has been so fun!  The young people here are so enthusiastic about dancing, and every week I am surprised to have more men show up for the class than women.

Teaching the institute students reminds me of my teaching days at BYU.  I looooove college-age people.  They are more like actual people than teenagers, and they are so young and smart and just awesome.  I'm really going to miss my Thursday night Institute Fix.

Tonight we had a Relief Society barbeque in my backyard.  We played traditional BBQ games like Run-With-An-Egg-On-Your-Spoon and a water balloon toss (thanks Denise!), and it was really fun to watch all the German Frauen cut loose!

Today, Lukie felt very important because he had homework like the big kids.  His class has been learning about insects, or as his teacher calls them, "mini-beasts".  His assignment was to find or draw pictures of his favorite mini-beasts and make a poster he could present to his class. 

Well, Brad's parents are gone, so we are back to our boring selves today.  After a semi-gross dinner of frozen pizza, things are suddenly very quiet around here.  Luke fell asleep on the couch and Pepper is sleeping over at a friend's house (yes, I know it's a school night.  Don't judge me.). 

 I just caught Adam and Jess having a rare "getting along" moment.  These two don't usually have a lot in common, so I had to document them both engrossed in some Oblivion tutorial. 

Tonight, Jessica and Lois tore up the floor playing Dance Central with the X-box Kinect.  Sadly, I didn't grab my camera in time to catch their sweet, sweet moves, so I had to settle for a significantly more dignified pose of Jess with her grandparents on the sofa.

Mark and Lois are leaving first thing tomorrow morning, and we are all so sad to see them go.  It's a good thing there are only 11 days left until we will see them again in Utah!

Lois really wanted to see the temple in Freiberg, so we took a road trip.  

The Frieberg temple was built in 1985, four years before the Wall fell.  It is a true miracle that the East German government allowed it to be built.  It was so cool in the visitor's center to see the photos of the dedication - huge lines of people came to see a new religious building in a place where religion was not allowed.  One photo also showed the road in front of the temple full of Trabi's, the crappy little car manufactured in East Germany (of course, my car-nut husband pointed that out).

After visiting the temple, we drove to nearby Dresden.  Since we moved here, I've been wanting to visit Dresden because that is where my great-great-great grandfather Karl G. Maeser is from.  Karl G. is the man who started BYU, under the direction of Brigham Young.  Karl was extremely well-educated, having specialized in ground-breaking teaching theories and pedagogy in the best universities in Germany.  When he joined the church, his affluent family disowned him, and he moved with his wife to Salt Lake.  In Salt Lake, he and his wife didn't speak English, so the people there didn't realize how brilliant he was.  He was barely scraping by when Brigham Young recognized what Karl could do and put him in charge of setting up a Mormon college.

Since moving here, I have felt a real connection to Karl.  I can kind of understand how hard it is to contribute to a place when there is a language barrier, and how frustrating it is to feel underestimated because people just can't get to know you.  I am so grateful to Karl G., because he is responsible for creating BYU, which I attended and just loved.  I feel like my time at BYU really defined how I view myself and built the foundation on which I've lived my adult life.  

I have felt several times that my calling as an institute teacher here in Berlin is my way of paying back Karl G. for his contributions to BYU and my life.  He crossed an ocean and used his unique talents and training to start a university that would be a pivotal force in who I am.  Now, I have crossed back over that ocean and am doing my small part to strengthen the testimonies and encourage the young people of Karl's home country.  I know it sounds cheesy, but I have often felt over the past two years that Karl understands how hard it is for me to be here, and he is cheering me on through the veil.  When I stood next to his statue, I had a real moment that felt like I was holding on to a friend.

 Mark, Lois, and I spent the afternoon touring Sanssouci in Potsdam.  This was Fredrick the Great of Prussia's summer residence.  Inside the palace, there are lots of statues and paintings of naked people.  It's awesome.

This afternoon was Adam's Spring Pops concert at school, and he was very excited to have his grandparents there to watch it.

This is Adam's grade singing "YMCA".  You can tell that Adam had a lot of enthusiasm!

After the concert, Adam continued to get the royal treatment when Grandpa and Dad both went outside with him to throw some baseballs.  Baseball is Adam's new passion, so he bonded with Grandpa Bitner, who played a lot of baseball when he was in high school.

There was a lot of talk about "not throwing like a girl".  I really wish I had a better argument against such blatant sexism, but I'm a girl, I know how I throw, and I know it's pathetic. 

Today, I went with Mark and Lois on a bus tour of Berlin.  In theory, it was supposed to be a nice way to get an overview of the city.  However, in practice, it was a little frustrating, as it felt like every point of interest was surrounded by construction.  It's hard to get too impressed by a city that seems to consist mostly of rickety metal fences and orange cones.  Maybe I was just grumpy because of the rain.

Here is a shot of the East Side Gallery, the biggest remaining section of the Berlin Wall.  Berlin commissioned artists to paint it, so it's not nearly the gloomy reminder of East Germany that it could be.

Yay!  Brad's parents are here!  They arrived this morning for a week-long visit.  Let the party begin!

My poor banished flowers.
I bought these and set them out in the house, and within a half hour, Adam's allergies were going gang-busters and he could barely take a breath.  So, I had to move the offending flowers out to the winter garden.  Sad.

This moment was preceded by a heaping helping of strawberry shortcake.

And that, my friends, is a Sunday Evening at its finest.

Today, Adam and Lukie took advantage of a positively perfect 

sunny Saturday afternoon:

This fountain in our back yard doesn't work - on purpose.  In order for it to "fountain", we'd need a big 6 foot deep pit in the backyard full of water, which is just too dangerous with kids playing back there all the time.  So, the pit is all filled in with sand, and the fountain just fills with rain water.  But, that seems to be fine with Luke.  He comes out here just about every day to float his boats in the fountain.

Today the kids didn't have school (some random German Catholic holiday), so I went against my better judgment and allowed them to have Screens.  They usually are not allowed to have Screens (TV, video games, computer) on weekdays, but since there was no school, I made an exception.

Well, tonight around 6:00, after a full day of the kids lazing around like slugs, I snapped.  The whole house is a mess of dirty dishes and snack wrappers, as evidenced by this shot of the computer room:

Ugh!

So, I flew around like a crazy woman and banned them all from Screens until every room in the house is S&S-ed (spic-and-spanned).  

They didn't love that, so this was their passive-aggressive move:

Since they can't have Screens, they all congregated outside to play some badminton/t-ball/baseball hybrid game rather than buckle down and clean up.  I figure this will last until somebody gets hurt or Jessica gets bored.

These are my Book Club Girls - Denise, Susanne, and Tracy.  

Tonight was our last book club meeting before we break for summer.  We decided to meet at a restaurant and have dinner while we discussed the book The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, which was a nonfiction book about the woman whose cells have been dividing and living on in petri dishes since 1951.   She was a poor, black woman who died from cancer in Virginia, and her family never knew that her cells were in literally every medical research lab in America for over 50 years.  It was a very interesting book, giving voice to her family who had been pushed aside as their mother's cells were used to develop just about every medical advance since the 1950's, including the polio vaccine.