Our Get to Know Us Write up for the Newspaper in Area Office

We are Marv (Marvin) and Vickie Paxton and we come to Frankfurt  from Cedar City, Utah, where we have lived for the past 25 years.  Previous to that we lived in Salt Lake City, Utah, and Aberdeen, South Dakota.   We have two sons and one daughter, 2 daughter-in-laws and one son-in-law, 8 grandsons ranging in age from 11 years to 8 weeks and 2 granddaughters age 7 and 4.   We feel really blessed to have the family we have.   We love getting together and going camping, 4 wheeling, hiking, eating, laughing, playing games, watching movies, visiting historical places and working in the yard, and anything that involves being together with our kids and grandkids.

Marv and I were originally lined up on a blind date.  We had a nice time and dated a few more times then I told him “we can just be friends”.  About 6 months later we ran into each other again at an institute dance and my desire to date him again was renewed and luckily for me he asked me out one more time.  Long story short, about a year later after seeing each other or talking to each other almost every day, he asked me to marry him and I readily agreed.   That was the best decision I have made in my life.   He is a very kind and gentle man.   He has blessed my life and I feel honored to be his wife.

 

Marv was born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah.  He has one brother and one sister.   His sister and his mother,  who is 88, live together in Salt Lake City.

 

He joined the Army (3 years) when he was 19 and spent a year in Vietnam. When he got out the army, he hired on with the FAA as an Air Traffic Controller and was in that profession for 35 years.  He retired in July 2007 because his job was privatized and we were offered the opportunity to continue on with Lockheed Martin but it would require us to move to Prescott, Arizona.   We felt it was not worth the move at that stage of our life as I was working for S&I and not old enough to take early retirement.  We feel we made a good decision.

He served as Stake Clerk in a Student Stake for 5 years and then was called as a Bishop of a Student Ward for three more years.   He loved the students of the ward and they loved him.  He has served as a Stake Auditor, and we team taught as Temple Preparation Teachers and Family Relations Teachers in our ward.   I think one of his favorite calling’s was to be a Family Home Evening Parent to a young man in the Youth Correctional Facility in Cedar City.

I was raised in a military home.  My father was in the Navy and we moved around the country almost every year of my life until I was 16. My claim to fame (or not) is that I graduated from Preston High School.   I have 3 brothers and one sister, who died as a baby.   I have been a secretary in my work experiences, which included working for an attorney,  in the schools and my favorite was Seminaries and Institutes.

I have served in many capacities in the church.   I have been blessed to be Primary President, Relief Society President both ward and stake (student), Young Women’s advisor, camp director, a teacher in all organizations.   I have loved my callings and they really helped me grow closer to my Savior. 

 I felt prompted a year ago January to retire after 17 years with S&I.  Nine months later we were approached about serving a mission here in Germany and after some bumps and bruises on the path to getting here, we are now serving here.  I am serving with S&I doing finances working on the second floor and my husband is working with CFYA doing finances working on the fourth floor.   I guess this keeps us happy as we really look forward to our lunches together.  We love being here and hopefully learning from all our new experiences we seem to have each day.  How blessed we are that the Lord has confidence in us that we can help to do something of value here.

Ronnenburg Castle, Saturday, April 23, 2011

We went to the Ronnenburg Castle on Saturday, April 23, 2011.  We went to Frankfurt and picked up Allan and Diane Asplund, another senior couple to go with us.  We were told that there was suppose to be some kind of a fair there with jostling, sword fights, booths and performances and that it would be really fun so we decided to do that.  We were told it started at 11:00 a.m.   We got there around 11:30 and had no problems finding a park.  We went inside and there really weren't any people around.  There was a small group of performers in the field that appeared to be practicing and there were some people hang gliding on the hill below the castle but other than a few other people (very few other people) walking around it was us.  We spent some time in the museum and then finally asked about when the festivities started and were told we were a week too soon.  Oh well.  We were told we could pay 5 Eur and go inside the castle and wander wherever we wanted so that is what we did.

We had an absolute wonderful time.  This is the kind of castle I expected to see in Germany.   It is old and they have kept it as much as possible looking like the original.   I believe someone lived in it until around 1960.   We could touch almost everything in the building and that was a fun thing to do also.  

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Inside courtyard of castle looking up at the tower.

Outside wall of the castle before going in.

The wheel that they would walk on to drop the bucket into the well to get water and to bring the bucket back up.  The well is 317 feet deep.   We threw buckets of water into the well and it was amazing how long it took for the water to hit the bottom and then to hear that sound come back up.  We had so much fun doing it I think we did it at least 3 times.  They had a light on so you could see to the bottom of the well.  There was grate over the top of the well so you would not fall in.

We all decided to be like the little kids and pretend to be a Queen or King.  We did have to stupe pretty low.  We look pretty funny but there was no one around so we could act like kids again for a minute or two.

Vickie

Marv

Allan Asplund

It looks like Allan and Marv were not so liked as King because they are in the Stocks.  What do you think, should we let them out?

In the courtyard was a place where they built a fire and used a bellows to make things.  They also had a cannon.

Hope we don't break the cannon.  That would be hard to explain.

The next are some pictures of the tower we walked up.  Marv counted the stone stairs and he said there were 103 steps plus two flights of stairs toward the top out of wood that were very narrow and pretty straight up and down - a little of an angle of about 20 steps each.  

Looking up the tower we are going to climb.

Entrance to tower to start our climb.

The top level of the tower and door leading to the outside.

I think I must have been a little nervous about going down because I am watching my feet.

I made it down the first flight to steps at the top going back down.

The spiral stairs going down.  See how skinny the sides are.  You always hoped you didn't have to pass anyone on the stairs.

This is the top of the tower and that ledge where the railin is is where we could walk all around the tower.

The view was amazing.  You can see the performers below, a biplane flying around, the buildings below and the fields and towns in the distance.  The weather was perfect and it was simply amazing.   I can now understand why they built their towers because you can see for miles and what a great protection that must have been for them.   Below are some pictures of the inside (windows) and then pictures overlooking the valleys.

Marv's telephoto is really good because they were way down there.  Previous picture shows a little of how far away they were.  These were the performers that were practicing I guess for next week.

I think we were told the yellow fields are Flax.  There are lots of these fields and they are so pretty.  They also seem to grow dandelion fiels and they do look pretty until we Americans get up close and see what they are.  They make teas and other things out the dandelions and they are allowed to grow in flower beds etc.  Marv tells me I have to quit pulling the tall grass out of the Ivy by our apartment.   I can't help myself.

Now for the inside of the castle.   The dungeon first.  We saw a room that they had the armour in and some of their swords and weapons.  This was about the only thing that was locked behind a gate that we couldn't touch.  Then we went to the dungeon where we saw a table they tortured people on by putting their heads and arms in one end and feet in iron cuffs attached to a bar that was attached to a chain which was attached to another bar that they turned.  The doorways are short so were the people short until they took them to this stretching table (ha ha).   Marv and Allan tried out the tables.  What do you think?

Then we are off to the kitchen.   It is pretty big I guess but I sure am glad I don't have to use their pots and start a fire to cook everything.  What's for dinner?

Looks like Allan is ready for dinner.

What you want dinner?

Anyone know how to cook on this?

Our friends, Allan and Diane Asplund.

How would you like to cook in this?

Is this a drying rack?

Hallway to kitchen

There were lots of different diningrooms.   Here are a few.  Notice the European head mounts of animals.  It was very strange I thought.   I like that ours have the fur and look like the animal not just a skeleton.

Can you see the carvings on the bench?  I think it is really neat.  Cozy window table.

Does this remind you of Bear Lake?  Well maybe not but this looks like where royalty ate and just maybe we could get all our family around this table.  What do you think?

Another diningroom. 

The paintings on the walls are original and they are trying to preserve them.  This is one of the rooms that actually had things inside of glass cases we could look at.

Do you thing these were elk?

Are these Jack-o-lopes?  They really do exist?

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This is a diningroom with all different mounts on the walls.  I think they actually use this room for a special adinner they offer which I think Marv said he saw on the internet which costs 50 EUR.  I know we aren't eating here, that's for sure.

Here is the pharmacy.   I can just see a Wizard in here mixing up all his potions.

Here are some pictures inside the castles

Looking out the window toward tower we climbed.

Staircase in the castle.

Iron box we think was used to heat a room.  The detail is beautiful.

 This is a clock.  Doesn't the middle look like the sunstone?

Their toilet.   No door but a window.  Candi, you definitely would not like this one.  Me neither!

 I think this floor was wood and creaky.   You sure couldn't sneak up on anyone.

Don't you just love the multicolored cobblestone.  This is before you enter the room with all the antlers.

Here are some more pictures of the outside of the castle in the courtyard.

 Inside the courtyard looking up to the tower.

 On the outside of the courtyard between the buildings inside and an outer wall.

The entrance to the first part of the castle.

Outside looking up the castle and smaller tower.  Larger tower that we climbed in the back.

 Walk way on the outside of the courtyard between courtyard building and outside walls.

 Outside walls.

 Standing on outside wall looking back through the trees to the tower we climbed.

 Outside walls.

 Close up of a window in wall.

 A spot on the outside wall looking back to the tower.

Marv and Vickie on the landing at the outside wall.

Gate to go off the wall.

 Arches on the inside wall.

 Looking at the buildings and tower from the outside wall.

 Well I hope you have enjoyed your tour of the castle at Ronnenburg, Germany.   We had beautiful weather and a great time with our friends.  We did try to eat at the restaurant there until they brough us the menu.  We had already ordered our Coke Lights and so didn't dare leave.  We couldn't read the menu because it was all in German.  We found the guy that told us the event was going to be today - he was there because he thought it was that day also and asked for him to interrupt the menu for us.  He is a paid employeed married to a German, our Relief Society President, and I think he is from Ireland but he is very knowledgeable about about all these fortresses throughout Europe.  Two other missionary couples had come also.  They didn't do all the crazy things we did and I'm not even sure if they went in the castle to all the rooms because they were eating at the restaurant long before we got there.   Anyway, he explain what was on the menu and we noticed that everything was 18 or 20 Eur so we decided to order a salad that cost 6 Eur to split and the Asplund's order a bowl of soup to split, which cost them 5.5 Eur.  We ate that and paid for our stuff and went to the hot dog stand and bought a  Bratwurst which Marv and I shared and they shared one and we bought some fries to share.   We were glad that the others were gone so they didn't see us do that.   But we didn't want to pay all that money at the restaurant and so this was our solution.    Anyway it was still lots of fun.  

Then we went back to Frankfurt.  Parked our car at the Office.  Went up the Asplund's apartment for a potty break and a cold glass of water and then we walked over to catch the train.  We rode the subway (train) downtown and walked over to the Bridge over the Mein and at 4:30 p.m. 10 churches rang their bells at the same time.  It was pretty neat and it sounded neat.  There was a meeting with lots of other senior couples that had come to listen to the bells.  They do this 4 times a year.  Once on the day before Easter, Christmas Eve, start of Lent and may the start of the Passover or something like that.  They rang for over a half hour.

Then we walked through the plaza and down to the second place to pick up the train where  Sister Asplund and I decided to go half on some strawberries and half on 2 kilos of white asparagas because everyone said they are so good.  Do you know how much 2 kilos are?  Well we didn't, it's A LOT.  We were laughing as we said to the guy, is that 2 kilos?   That's a ton.   He was totally laughing at us.  I gave some away and I think she did too.  Guess what's for dinner?   That's right white asparagas - probably for lunch too.  Don't think I can do breakfast too.  

We rode the train back to the drop off point and walked back to our car.  It was a fun filled day and we actually got home before 6 p.m.