Alba's Fan in the Uber Arena

Justin's game was SO fun. It was home in the Uber arena and felt second nature pulling into our parking spot and holding Logan's hand while we walked inside. 

Logan does so well at the late night games now and he thrives in that loud environment. Tonight, he spent the first 20 minutes of the game exchanging the "clapping fans" with Norman, Birgit, and the other 4 people on the row in front of him. He was so happy to be there. 

When Alba would score a basket or Justin would have a steal, the crowd would start clapping and Logan would gently set down both of his fans & join in on the wild clapping. It was so funny to watch. He did this the whole game. 

We got to go with our friends, the Farnsworths. We love our ward family! 

Justin had another great game with lots of crazy, high-energy plays. I'm so glad we've been consistent at going to his games, supporting our #34. 

Supper Club at Hertha BSC!

We crossed off another bucket list item and went to a soccer game at the Olympic Stadium! What made it even better was going with our Supper Club people. The environment was fun, the game was close, and everyoneeee was smoking!! 

That part wasn't super fun but despite the smell, we really enjoyed it!

A Couple of Tiergarten Walks

This month, we went for a couple of walks in Tiergarten. One of these walks was chill, the other was not... Ha! 

Logan is so independent these days and does not like being confined to the stroller. We walked around as a family & sat in the wild daisies while Logan chased and waved at all the dogs. 

Then I came back 10 days later without Justin, and thought I'd let Logan walk & bring the stroller incase he got tired. He didn't. He also didn't like when I tried to help him avoid the mud puddles and hold his hand while crossing the busy street. 

At least is was pretty!

Easter

Easter felt so special this year. We made an extra effort to really focus and study about Christ's final week of his ministry beginning on Palm Sunday. It made all the difference in my experience of this season.

There was no better way to begin Holy Week than by worshipping at church. I was able to give all of my attention to the sacrament and hymns while I sat up at the organ bench. 

I'm thankful for all of the resources the Church has put out to make Holy Week special. Each evening, Justin, Logan, and I sat on our couch to read the prompt and scriptures for the day, followed by the Bible video. Tears filled my eyes on more than one of those nights as we remembered our Jesus Christ and what he taught, did, and sacrificed.

On Good Friday, I read a quote from another blog that stuck with me: 

"It is very hard for us now to read about the events surrounding Jesus' torture and death without the pain of it being diluted by the universal spoiler alert of the fabulous conclusion of the gospel narrative. But they who went through it didn't know it would turn out, not just "ok", but unspeakably gloriously. They labored over his lifeless body with no notion at all that this was going to work out well. Their hopes were dashed and there was nothing for it but to provide as appropriate a burial as could be arranged. There was sad work to be done and endured. 

This moment in the narrative is important because of the time we ourselves spend on the "Friday" of our experience with no notion of how the "Sunday" ever can break through it." - Brian Kershisnik

I know this principle is the same for our lives'. When we keep God and Christ at the center of our lives, they will transform them into something unspeakably glorious. I think of our experiences from the day we arrived in Berlin until now. It has been much better than Justin or I could have imagined or written up for ourselves. I know God is in the details, preparing and giving us amazing opportunities & people who have filled our lives up with so much goodness and love. 

On Easter Sunday, Justin's coach cancelled their shoot-around before the evening game. Miracle!! We were able to go to church together for the first time in months. I don't think I'll ever take holding Justin's hand at church for granted. I missed him being there with me. 

Easter Monday is also an official holiday in Berlin. From Good Friday-Easter Monday, EVERYTHING is closed down. Grocery stores, Nike outlet, big restaurants, you name it, closed until the Easter weekend is over. 

It felt appropriate to walk on quiet sidewalks Monday morning. I was glad my world wasn't rushing back to the norm quite yet after such a special week. 

Vision Board - Netherlands + Tulips

My 2025 vision board has a pair of pink tulips, representing the famous Keukenhof Gardens in the Netherlands!! We woke up to a beautiful sunrise & I hobbled around our bnb getting Logan ready on my stiff post-half marathon legs. 

Our rental was surrounded by canals and farm animals. We woke up with the cows, sheep, and chickens. It was a pretty cool place.

Day One was dedicated to Amsterdam and Zaanse Schans! We walked the bicycle-filled streets and admired the canals, lined with boats. 

These nicer photos were taken by Brynn on her camera!

It was so peaceful & beautiful. Justin and I watched A Small Light on Disney+ a few months earlier. It's filmed in Amsterdam and it was pretty cool to see everything in real life.

Anne Frank House

You could smell the stroop waffles long before we got to this shop. WOW they were so good. 

Tried some authentic Dutch croquettes for lunch with glasses of milk. I honestly don't even know what was inside the fried breading but they were pretty good. 

Sweet Logan did so well. It's harder to travel with him now that he's more independent and would MUCH rather be on his own two feet than in the stroller. We found a quieter sidewalk for him to run around & he was pretty content.

I was super excited to visit Zaanse Schans and see the windmills! There was also a cute clog shop we visited. It was one of my favorite parts of the day.

Not pictured was my actual favorite part of the day: 

Jamie stayed in Amsterdam to work so Logan, Brynn, & I headed home with grilled cheese & tomato soup supplies for dinner. Eating, talking to Brynn, and playing with Logan on the floor that evening was so good for me. 

I love Brynn! She's like a sister to me & I've missed her! We've only briefly seen each other in group settings over the last couple of years. It was so good to just talk & connect & spend quality time together. 

Day Two, we headed to Keukenhof!!! This has been on my bucket list forever and I was so excited to see the flower fields. 

We were some of the first ones there and it was perfect. The morning sunshine was on our backs, birds singing in the trees, and Logan had lots of room to run around on the cobblestone paths.

We took the whisper river boat through the fields of flowers and the smell was unreal. Not even a slight cold could mask the flowers. 

Before climbing on the boat, I had the thought, This is either going to be really memorable in a good or a bad way (depending on how Logan was). Thankfully, Miss Rachel on silent was the key for a successful whisper boat ride & it was a good memorable experience. Ha!

The big indoor greenhouse had more varieties of tulips than I could count with the most creative names. 

The weather was clear skies & it felt so nice. There were plenty of dogs for Logan to say hi to & he even fell asleep in his stroller (!!!!).

I would love to come back someday with Justin and visit again a little later in the tulip season when all the leaves on the trees are out.

We stopped at a cute local cafe for lunch & got the yummiest chicken sandwiches and sweet potato fries. It was fun to people watch the locals. They're a warm, friendly culture and the lifestyle feels very relaxed. I loved the change of pace we experienced that weekend. 

The rest of our time was spent at our cute home for the weekend! Kayaking with the cows and swinging in the backyard. It was the perfect amount of time before coming home to Justin. <3 So grateful Brynn & Jamie were down to make it happen and travel together. 

Berlin Half Marathon

“I’m so proud of myself.”

A phrase I told myself countless times over the last eight weeks! I really enjoy working out and moving my body but not necessarily running… 

Last April 2024, after watching General Conference, I wanted to go and watch the runners at the finish line for the Berlin Half Marathon. It was sunny and the air was full of excitement. It was Justin’s first time being in an environment like that watching a race. 

& it was so inspiring! To see so many people work so hard to accomplish something. & to join with more people to cheer those strangers on. 

Walking down the cobblestone median with the Brandenburg Gate behind us, Logan in his stroller, I had the thought I want to run this race so badly next year. I hope when the time rolls around, I still want to do it. 

Last weekend I did it!!!!

I registered for the race in June 2024 - 10 months before the actual event haha. I was locked in. 

It was truly something I looked forward to and thought about almost daily until my training began. 

I convinced Brynn, who is living in Spain with her husband to run it with me. (Biggest blessing!!)

We trained and sent selfies back and forth updating each other on how our runs went. 

Every Saturday morning, I would wake up and drive to my parking spot by the Victory Column to get my “long run” in. After every mile ran I would say out loud, “Good job, Claire. I’m so proud of myself.” I’ve always been confident in myself, but doing that positive self talk was a special experience. I really am so proud of myself for doing training especially when I didn’t want to do it! 

Justin & Logan called me on almost every run (sometimes multiple times). They kept me going and I’m so grateful for their support. 

Race weekend arrived & so did Brynn and Jamie to Berlin!! I started to get butterflies the night before but they were quickly overshadowed with the excitement and anticipation that had been building up for almost one year. 

I had prepared and I was ready! 

Our cheerleaders drove us to the Reichstag & we walked with the other thousands who were crazy enough to sign up for the race

Don't let the sunshine surprise you - it was still pretty chilly! Thankfully we had some jackets and sweaters we could wear & donate at the start line.

The energy and music at the start line carried me through the first few miles. It was so exciting!! So much energy & anticipation to perform after all of those preparation runs and weeks of training.

The actual race was a blur. It was HARD. Every month of 2025 so far (yes, even April), I’ve had some sort of cold which affected my training. I definitely could have trained better but it was what it was and wow I’m so thankful I had Brynn to keep me going. 

She was so positive and encouraging when I’m sure she was tired too. Each kilometer we passed, I said, “Good job Claire, I’m so proud of myself." 

The last 5 kilometers were brutal. Longest 5k I’ve ever ran. Ha! But the race course and spectators were so motivating. We had people cheering for us quite literally every step of the way. & if there weren’t people, there were bands playing their drums and singing for us. 

It was so cool!!!!!!!! 

Right before we hit the Brandenburg Gate, my scanning eyes found Justin, Logan, Jamie, and Walli, standing in the spot I had stood one year earlier - cheering for us!! It made me want to cry. I was so happy to see them and relieved to almost be done. 

My slow pace picked up and after crossing through the gate, I saw my Brazilian sisters with a big neon pink sign cheering me on to the finish line. 

What a blessing to have so much support and feel so loved. 

I’m so thankful I stuck with that goal and followed through. Crossing the finish line was surreal. How are you supposed to abruptly stop your legs after they’ve been going, going for almost two hours. 

We got our medals and couldn’t keep the smiles off of our faces. We did it!!!!! 

I’m so thankful I got to share that experience with Brynn. & so thankful that Justin could be at the finish line for me. He’s rarely home on Sundays with his schedule, but everything truly lined up in the best way possible for him to come support me for a few minutes before heading straight to his home game. 

Forever grateful for him. (Xoxo)

My legs are still sore (3 days later) but at least I don’t look too stiff when I’m walking. Ha! 

We went home and rested for a few hours before heading for the airport to the NETHERLANDS. 

The airport and our airplane was full of runners proudly wearing their medals. We got a big congratulations from our flight attendant and I have never moved so slowly walking down the stairs from an plane to the tarmac. 

I’m sure I was quite the sight walking crookedly down the stairs with a huge toddler baby on my hip! 

It was such a special, cool, amazing, hard, rewarding experience & I'm so thankful I could share it with the people I love in Berlin.