The Happenings of Us

Christmas is merry, indeed!

2009-12-25T11:28:00.005+01:00

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy Winter and Merry Festivus. ;)

All is wonderful in my neck of the woods. My husband arrived home this week for R&R. We totally lucked out b/c he wasn't supposed to come home for R&R until the end of Jan/early Feb. Then in October-ish, he was contacted and offered an alternate R&R date. We were less concerned that it was Christmas and more thrilled with it being earlier than the other date. Earlier is better! (well, unless you're at the beginning of the deployment then earlier is not better LOL)

Anyway, here are a few photos of the day he arrived. That family picture is a funny b/c my hubby and some of his guys began the Afghanistache Project. Yes, I hate it. He loves it. And he thinks it's funny that I hate it. He shaved it the day after he got home. He said it was b/c I was nagging. I thought it was just a Christmas present I deserved. ;) But he is totally anticipating the regrowing. LOL

Also, please remember our deployed military members and their families as they are separated this Christmas. Until you've been in their shoes (as we were Christmas of '04 when my hubby was in Iraq) then you can't know or understand the heartache. God Bless our military!

In knee news, I absolutely hate being on crutches. Hell. on. earth. 5 weeks left and I'm counting every. single. minute. It's not the end of the whole recovery process (which is months long), but the end of totally not bearing any weight. Less crutches. Yay. Anyway, I found a clip on youtube of my microfracture procedure in the exact same place as mine. Check it out if you're interested. ;)

Knee Arthroscopy, Military Wives and Thanksgiving Vacation...

2009-12-10T06:53:00.013+01:00

Just wanted to let those of you who've not given up on my blog a note to say that I'm recovering nicely from my knee arthroscopy on Dec 4th. My principal diagnosis was chondromalacia of the media femoral condyle (damage to the cartilage in my knee). Treatment was microfracture surgery. I also had chondromalacia, grade 3, of the patella (which means it's arthritis LOL). The doc "cleaned" it up. So, now I'm on crutches for 8 weeks. No driving. No walking...no weight on my right knee at all (b/c of the microfracture procedure). At. all. I start physical therapy next week. But things are fine. The first 2 weeks they wanted me to be able to bend my knee to 90*, but I can already do that. Mainly things are difficult b/c I can't drive and I'm on crutches. Since I can't use my right leg at all and I'm on crutches can you imagine trying to swiffer the bathroom or carry food from the counter to the table? Some things cannot be done and others take 3X as long. Not to mention having to rely on others to bring me places.

Now, for a bit of gush of my friends who are military wives.

For an army wife as independent as I am the hardest part has been asking for help. My neighbor and friend Jen is a saint. She has brought me to both of my doctor's appts this weeks, to the PX as well as to Charlie's doc appt b/c he decided ;) to get strep throat at such an inconvenient time. I'm second guessing the decision to have this done while Cory is deployed. But I'm very lucky to have all these wonderful people here...those who brought me to the hospital, brought me home from the hosp, visited me while waiting to go into surgery (which was very hard b/c I was the only one there w/o a spouse) and then, besides Jen, I have had friends who've picked up items for me at the commissary, brought meals over and helped with the boys. Military wives are THE BEST! Which brings me to something Cory read. Cory was reading "Kilrone" by Louis L'Amour. If you don't know Louis L'Amour is a very well-known author of westerns. Kilrone was written in 1966. He emailed me this:

"Kilrone is a ex-Army Calvary Captain during the western expansion days of America. He runs across a troop of Calvary soldiers fighting Indians and he is wounded and the soldiers are all killed. He travels to the nearest Army post and the remaining troops decide to scout for the Indians. Kilrone is left to defend the post against 400 plus Indians with a hand full of soldiers and women and children. L'Amour's thoughts on the family members were as follows:"

'The women, rising as always to an emergency, when more often than not they functioned at their best, bustled about and were busy. He was not
worried about the women; he knew that in those around him he was especially fortunate. These were soldiers' wives or relatives, bred to a realization of frontier life and the possibility of frontier warfare.
Not one of them was likely to falter.'

And those are my girls. :)

Anyway, I thought I'd start my entries about our recent trip (pre-surgery). We drove from Kaiserslautern to Garmisch where we spent the night. I've done an entry on Garmisch before, but it bears repeating...Garmisch is beautiful. This was the view from our balcony.

The next morning we drove to Vicenza, where we booked rooms in lodging on Caserma Ederle. A friend of ours recommended a few places to eat, but it was already dark and and we were tired, so we opted for a place right out of the gates.

We thought the shot glasses were pretty funny.

Toasting to Thanksgiving vacation 2009 with yummy limoncello:

The next day we drove to Venice. Did you know there are parking garages in Venice/Venezia? For some reason...like b/c I've never been there...I thought there was a train bridge or a ferry that would take us to Venice from the mainland. Nope. We actually drove across the bridge and parked in a garage. More to come tomorrow...

Knee update...

2009-09-27T08:11:00.007+02:00

For my family and friends, I finally had my MRI a few weeks ago. The results? Well, probably it is an osteochondral injury. If that made you think of arthritis then you get a prize. Okay, not really, but you're right on track. ;) See the tiny bit of shading on the right tip of the femur? The cartilage below it? That's what's causing all of my problems.

It could not be. The only definite way to find out is for the doc to scope my knee, which is the next step in this ongoing process. So, when I wake up, I'll know. If it is the osteochondral injury (and I wake up w/ the doc having done the microfracture procedure) then I've been advised by a couple different orthopedic surgeons that it's in the best interest of my long-term knee health to quit running. *sigh* So, I know what the best and worst-case scenarios are. I'm expecting worst, but hoping for the best. I haven't run since early June (I so miss running outside). I've been going to the gym to bike, use the elliptical or swim (getting into a swimming suit is pure torturous hell for me, just so ya know). I'm getting used to my new routine. And, it's all good. Not what I want, but I've accepted...zen, baby. :)

La Vie Boneheme...hee hee

2009-09-19T11:30:00.007+02:00

Sunday morning we got up and headed to Kutna Hora-Sedlec Ossuary. It is a small chapel beneath the Church of All Saints. The Ossuary is known as the Bone Church. The short version is that an abbot returned from the Holy Land with dirt from Golgotha which was sprinkled in the cemetery. People heard this and wanted to be bured in this holy spot. Many years and deaths later (the Plague, wars, etc), new construction led to the bones being exhumed. In 1870 František Rint was given the job to organize the bones. The Bone Church is the result of these 40,000-70,000 bones. This was at the top of David's list of places he wanted to visit in Europe. I read an article in which an employee was interviewed about the church. She was asked if she was scared working there and she said no, it's the people who are alive that you have to worry about. LOL Amen, sister. ;)

We drove the hour and half scenic route to Kutna Hora-Sedlec from Prague. Crazy GPS.

We returned to Prague and Old Town Square to grab some lunch. There were a bunch of vendors set up and we took advantage of the convenience and price. We had
langos and shisk k bob on roll. The langos had a ketchup based sauce topped w/ cheese. The dough is fried. You just can't go wrong with fried dough.

We then located the Golem (a character in Jewish folklore). "The most famous golem narrative involves Judah Loew ben Bezalel the late 16th century chief rabbi of Prague."

And, yes, I did purchase some Bohemian crystal.

It was a great trip. I really enjoyed Prague.

The never ending la vie boheme....

2009-09-15T19:17:00.004+02:00

Okay, we headed to Prague Castle.

St Vitus Cathedral on the Castle grounds

Okay, Blogger is not letting me add any more pics. I'll start a new entry. *sigh*

La Vie Boheme continued...

2009-09-13T20:35:00.006+02:00

I left off at lunchtime. Our tour guide Pavlina took us to have traditional Czech food.

Having the famous Czech beer. Although it was draft. I'm not impressed w/ draft beer. Must be all those nights of drinking cheap draft beer in college. LOL Czech Rep has the highest consumption of beer in the world. Hmmm....anyway, "The Pilsener style beer originated in western Bohemian city of Plzeň, and further south the town of Budweis lent its name to its beer, eventually known as Budweiser Bier Bürgerbräu thus Budweiser."

Pork and dumplings (boiled bread)

goulash and dumplings

Next was the famous Charles Bridg. Lining the bridge are 30 statues of saints and patron saints. One of the most well known statues is of St JOhn of Nepomuk who was thrown in the river at the request of King Wenceslas. Queen Wenceslas confessed to John and he refused to divulge her confession to the King. So, off the bridge he went. ;) Anyway, it's a tradition to touch the statue. Although, our tour guide said that locals don't touch the statue. There is a cross on the bridge at the spot where JOhn was thrown off and that is what the locals touch. So, we certainly weren't going to be so touristy as to touch the statue. LOL

King Charles and my own Charles (right before entering bridge)

On the bridge:

The cross of St John that we touched

Next we headed to the tram to go to the Prague Castle. It is the biggest in the world. We saw the changing of the guards.

Be back later....

La Vie Boheme!

2009-09-08T15:29:00.012+02:00

With the hubby gone, I've been a little nervous about traveling by ourselves. I wanted to go somewhere over the long weekend, but was on the verge of chickening out. Until my friend Samantha emailed and asked if anyone wanted to do anything. So, I said "how about Prague?" At the last minute I made hotel reservations and mapped our way before I had a chance to back out. Should I even say that there was an adventure? Or is that a given? ;)

The directions said 5:15 hours to get there. We left at 3:15pm when we picked up the boys from school. We rolled into the hotel at about 11pm. The weather was awful. It was raining so hard that people were going 50 mph on the autobahn. There was construction in Prague. It was just a pain. I was so happy to get to that hotel...I can't even tell you.

Saturday morning we booked a tour to see all of Prague. It started in Wenceslas Square. St. Wenceslas is the patron saint of Bohemia which is the region of the Czech Republic that Prague is in. Wenceslas Square is the area of the city where people gather for important events. The Nazis demonstrated there. The Soviet Army rolled in in 1968. The Czech people protested here. And the people gathered there at the end of the Communist rule.

From there we saw the Estates Theater where Mozart performed. He premiered his opera Don Giovanni here.

We then (I think?) headed into Old Town Square.

Church of Our Lady Before Tyn

Astronomical Clock

We then headed to the Vltava River for our boat cruise.

Famous Charles Bridge in the background

After our cruise we headed to the Jewish section of Prague, Josefov.

Jewish Cemetery. The headstones are just the top layer. The graves are actually buried to the street level.

Okay, I'll be back. Such a packed day. I'll be back for lunch and the rest of the day.

Happy Airborne Day

2009-08-17T08:45:00.005+02:00

So sorry to be a little late, but here's to all of our airborne troops. And especially to the hubby who is currently in an airborne unit that is deployed. It's very sickeningly sweet and corny, but the hubby and I became friends after we went to airborne school together (not same class, but we overlapped 2 weeks). It all started there. Awwwwww. ;) I have to admit that 18 years later this video still gives me little butterflies. LOL

AIRBORNE!! (scroll down past the USAF vids to see what my hubby and I did at airborne school)

Decided to break out the picture we took in Paris earlier this year at the St Michael statue. St Michael is the patron saint of the airborne.

Prezzies. :)

2009-06-21T12:47:00.007+02:00

I have a wonderful husband! Besides all the obvious reasons that I love him, he sends me presents from wherever he goes. (yes, I got stuff from Iraq and some other places)

Russian nesting dolls from one of the 'stans(formerly of the USSR). I can't rmember which one he went through on the way to his final destination. LOL

My new slippers from a different 'stan. These were actually a gag gift for Cory from one of the other guys. But the slippers didn't fit him, so he sent them to me. I'm a lucky, lucky girl. ;) They're actually comfortable and I've been wearing them. LOL I know they look like they're on the wrong feet, but when I switch them, they look the exact same. LOL

Oil paintings from Afghanistan...aren't they beautiful?

I also got a coffee mug w/ his base name on it. I'm not posting that one. But I love it.

Garmisch

2009-06-19T08:58:00.009+02:00

After our retreat classes on Friday morning, we headed into Garmisch. I was looking for fun things for the boys to do. I found this "toboggan" ride.

Right next was the trampoline:

And right next to that was the ski jump from the 1936 Olympic winter games. We rode the gondola to the top:

At the top is a small restaurant and bed and breakfast. I'd love to stay there for a night or so.

On Sat, after our classes we headed into Garmisch. It was raining, many of the shops were closed by the time we got there. But we bought new umbrellas...all in different colors. We were like a rainbow!! LOL YOu'll also notice the paintings on the buildings. They're everywhere in Garmisch. From the city's website: Experience the cultural life of Garmisch-Partenkirchen through the simple pleasures of talking a walk through the streets and alleys of the town historically fused together by two alpine villages. The age-old tradition of mural fresco painting on many building façades adorn the streets, making each step a unique experience. Stories unfold one by one, telling tales of yore and impressing local color on the observant observer. Even without a guidebook, every visitor can imagine what the „Bräustuberl“ in Garmisch is and has been since 1933.. The façade of the venerable building has shown strong and hearty mountain farmers and other local characters drinking the unmistakable golden brew for over half a century. Heinrich Bickel, Garmisch-Partenkirchen’s most famous fresco painter, depicted the well-known brewery tableau along with numerous other murals. The façade of the “Frauendorfer” tavern in Partenkirchen’s historic Ludwig Street boasts the traditional wedding of a farming couple - complete with the person in charge of the nuptials and a colorful wedding party. By the way, there are several theories about the origins of the local expression “Lüftlmalerei,“ which translates into something like “little air painting.” One of them is that since the artist’s work takes place up in the air, the expression is self-explanatory. In any case, mural painting was considered a sign of wealth and prosperity in former times. For that reason it is no wonder that one masterfully painted façade after the other decorate the historic Ludwigstraße - the street was originally an important commerce route. Even the Romans regularly moved their military platoons up past today’s town of Mittenwald through Partenkirchen, proving this market community’s long standing history of being “in the hub” of trade.

Wait! Where's the yellow umbrella??? LOL

Actually this is the lobby of our hotel.

On Sunday, we headed home. We will definitely go back to the Garmisch area. There is a lot more to see and do and it's just beautiful there!

Edelweiss, Edelweiss....

2009-06-09T06:17:00.013+02:00

We were lucky that our unit's spouses were invited on a chaplain's retreat in Garmisch. I figured that we could manage to do a few things while also attending the classes. (Location, location, location....;) So, I signed us up! Another spouse and her baby girl rode w/ us. And another and her mom convoyed w/ us. We decided to stop at Neuschwanstein Castle along the way. It is located in the Bavarian Alps and is the inspiration for Walt Disney's Cinderella's castle. It was never completed b/c of King Ludwig's death.

It took about 25 minutes, but we opted to walk up to the castle instead of taking a horse and carriage ride. The walk was all uphill, but it wasn't bad at all. And the day was beautiful and the scenery gorgeous. We actually enjoyed it. Not so much the fly-covered horse patties.... LOL

View from one of the upper floor windows

Throne Room

King's Bedroom (scenes of "Tristan and Isolde" painted on the walls...the walls all through the castle have scenes from Wagner's works)

On the way back down

We hopped in the car for the drive to
Edelweiss, which is a DOD owned lodge and resort only opened to military members and their family (and civilian employees). It is located in Garmisch, Germany which is the Germany of your imaginings.

In front of Edelweiss

I'll have to update more tomorrow when I get my friend's pics of our adventures. :)

...those who stand and wait...

2009-05-24T10:10:00.004+02:00

There's a quote by John Milton, "They also serve who only stand and wait." He wrote this for a different reason than it's recent use. Lately it's been seen in connection with military families. The country artist wrote a song about it:

"They also serve,
those who stand and wait,
Praying by the phone
To learn their loved one's fate.
But they're still in the war,
let there be no mistake.
They also serve,
those who stand and wait."

I love that my husband always mentions the military families whenever he has to give a "speech." He always calls them "true patriots." Love that.

At the other extreme, I saw this t-shirt that made me chuckle. I'm actually pretty laid-back, but it's nice to know that I can always play the deployed husband "card." LMAO

So, yes, my husband left for his deployment. And, no, he does not get to come home for Christmas or any other milestone. Yes, recently someone asked me that. I try to think of the positives b/c I don't need to be told the negatives...I already know them. And no, these positives aren't better than having him at home. :) Anyway, I get to read in bed w/ the lamp on, not as much laundry, I won't have to cook dinner as much, we're not spending money on hubby going to breakfast/lunch at work, nor on gas going back and forth to work, I get to hang out w/ my neighbors having cocktails, etc.

Also, those who are reading this, here is a list of WHAT NOT TO SAY TO AN ARMY WIFE by Army wife Kelly Wright. My own comments are in bold.

What NOT to say to a military wife!!

1. "Aren't you afraid that he'll be killed?"

(This one ranks in at number one on the "duh" list. Of course we're afraid. We're terrified. The thought always lingers at the backs of our minds ---but thanks brilliant, you just brought it back to the front. Maybe next you can go ask someone with cancer if they're scared of dying.)

2. "I don't know how you manage. I don't think I could do it."

(This is intended to be a compliment. Though, its just a little annoying. Here's why: it's not like all of us military wives have been dreaming since childhood of the day we'd get to be anxious single moms who carry cell phones with us to the bathroom and in the shower. We're not made of some mysterious matter that makes us more capable, we just got asked to take on a challenging job. So we rose to the challenge and found the strength to make sacrifices.)

I always say, "what's my alternative?" Do I leave my husband? No, I suck it up b/c I love him and that he stands for something greater than himself.

3. "At least he's not in Iraq."

(This is the number one most annoying comment for those whose husbands are in Afghanistan. What do they think is happening in Afghanistan? An international game of golf? Guys are fighting and dying over there.) This is sort of outdated now, but still "duh"

4. "Do you think he'll get to come home for Christmas/anniversary/birthday/birth of a child/wedding/family reunion, etc?"

(Don't you watch the news? No! They don't get to come home for any of these things. Please don't ask again.)

5. "What are you going to do to keep yourself busy while he's gone?"

(Short answer: Try to keep my sanity. Maybe there's a military wife out there who gets bored when her husband leaves, but I have yet to meet her. For the rest of us, those with and without children, we find ourselves having to be two people. That keeps us plenty busy. We do get lonely, but we don't get bored, and drinking massive amounts of wine always helps keep me busy.)

6. "How much longer does he have until he can get out?"

(This one is annoying to many of us whether our husbands are deployed or not. Many of our husbands aren't counting down the days until they "can" get out. Many of them keep signing back up again and again because they actually love what they do or they VOLUNTEER AGAIN and AGAIN to go back to Iraq b/c there is work that needs to be done.)

My husband joined prior to 9/11 and the wars. He joined b/c he wanted to serve our country. He is a patriot and loves his job and his soldiers.

7. "This deployment shouldn't be so bad, now that you're used to it."

(Sure, we do learn coping skills and its true the more deployments you've gone through, the easier dealing with it becomes. And we figure out ways to make life go smoother while the guys are gone. But it never gets "easy" and the bullets and bombs don't skip over our guys just because they've been there before. The worry never goes away.)

8. "My husband had to go to Europe for business once for three weeks. I totally know what you're going through."

(This one is similar to number two. Do not equate your husband's three week trip to London/Omaha/Tokyo/etc. with a 12-15 month or more deployment to a war zone. Aside from the obvious time difference, nobody shot at your husband or tried to blow him up with an I.E.D., your husband could call home pretty much any time he wanted to, he flew comfortably on a commercial plane, slept between crisp white sheets and ate well, paying for everything with an expense account. There is no comparison. We do not feel bonded to you in the slightest because of this comment and, if anything, we probably resent you a bit for it. Comparing a 12 month combat deployment to a few weeks business trip is like comparing a crappy ford taurus with mercedes convertible.)

9. "Wow you must miss him?"

(This one also gets antoher big "duh". Of course we miss our men. There are some wives who do not and they're now divorced.)

10. "Where is he exactly? Where is that?"

(I don't expect non-military folks to be able to find Anbar Province on a map, but they should know by now that it's in Iraq. Likewise, know that Kabul and Kandahar are in Afghanistan. Know that Muqtada al Sadr is the insurgent leader of the Mahdi Army in Iraq and that Sadr City is his home area. Know that Iran is a major threat to our country and that it is located between Afghanistan and Iraq. Our country has been at war in Afghanistan for seven years and at war in Iraq for five years. These basic facts are not secrets, they're on the news every night and in the papers every day ---and on maps everywhere.)

11. "Well, he signed up for it, so it's his own fault whatever happens over there.

(Yes, ignorant, he did sign up. Each and every day he protects your right to make stupid comments like that. He didn't sign up and ask to be hit by anything, he signed up to protect his country. Oh, and by the way, he asked me to tell you that "You're welcome." He's still fighting for your freedom.)

I can't even respond to this b/c it's so idiotic.

12. "Don't you miss sex! I couldn't do it!"

(hmmm, no i don't miss sex. i'm a robot. seriously...military spouses learn quickly that our relationships must be founded on something greater than sex. We learn to appreciate the important things, like simply hearing their voices, seeing their faces, being able to have dinner together every night. And the hard truth is, most relationships probably couldn't withstand 12 months of sex deprivation.)

13. "Well in my opinion....."

(Stop right there. Yo, I didn't ask for you your personal political opinions. Hey, I love a heated political debate, but not in the grocery store, not in Jamba Juice, not at Nordstrom, not in a bar when I'm out with my girls trying to forget the war, and CERTAINLY NOT AT WORK. We tell co-workers about deployments so when we have to spend lunch hours running our asses off doing errands and taking care of the house, dog, and kids, they have an understanding. We do not tell co-workers and colleagues because we are giving an invitation to ramble about politics or because we so eagerly want to hear how much they hate the President, esp. while we're trying to heat up our lean cuisines in the crappy office microwaves.)

I don't want to hear why you hate President Bush or love President Obama. I don't want to hear about not finding weapons of mass destruction. I don't want to hear about water boarding. Please don't bring up what you saw on CNN or read on some blog. Our military has seen a side of the situations in Iraq and Afghanistan that no politician and no reporter/journalist can ever impart to you civilians. Nothing is ever black and white and it would be nice if people would take the time to see and try to understand the "other side" (whatever it is). Frankly, I don't want to hear anyone's politics, thankyouverymuch.

last but not least....

14. "OH, that's horrible...I'm so sorry!"

(He's doing his job and he's a rockstar. Don't be sorry. Be appreciative and please take a moment out of your comfortable American lives to realize that our soldiers fight the wars abroad so those wars stay abroad.)

I don't need your sorrow. My husband IS a rockstar. One of the reasons that I love him is that he IS a soldier. He is part of an organization that every single day makes decisions of how to protect this country. There ARE bad guys out there in this world now, in the past and in the future.

If you want to say anything, say thank you. After all, we are sexually deprived for your freedom.

And remember that the families serve, also. Try to remember them in your thoughts and prayers. The soldiers need them, yes, but so do the families. Their soldiers are able to do their jobs b/c their families back home are okay. If you can do things for a military wife/children then do so...cut the grass, watch the kids, send THEM a care package, etc. And, for God's sake, don't ask the military wife "what you can do." For some reason we all want to be super independent and we feel guilty for asking or accepting help. Just DO IT!! They are often the forgotten ones.

Um, thank you for coming to my little dog and pony show. LOL (P.S., no my blog is not going to turn into a "my husband is on a deployment" blog, but that's what I've been dealing w/ these last few weeks and have gone NO WHERE of interest. LOL)

Painfully aware...

2009-05-07T19:40:00.001+02:00

from Spousebuzz.com:

Painfully Aware

Another day in The Netherlands...

2009-04-24T12:40:00.004+02:00

After our buffet breakfast, we headed to Lisse, The Netherlands which is outside of Amsterdam and the home of Keukenhof Park. We almost just went straight home b/c of how much Cory was suffering w/ the tooth. But he toughed it out. :)

The park was gorgeous. Here are some pics. I forgot to mention yesterday that we have such few pics b/c I forgot to put the memory card back in my camera. In Pompeii my battery died. No memory card for this trip. I need to plan better. I hope Cory didn't just read that. LOL

Afterwards we headed home which took us forever b/c our crazy GPS kept rerouting us. Overall, I liked what we did in Amsterdam. But I don't feel the need to go back. I felt like we got our asses kicked. LOL I would love to go to the beach on the North Sea. Anyway, we got back and Cory went to the dentist to find out he had an abcessed tooth. My poor husband!

Amster-damn, what a trip

2009-04-23T13:05:00.014+02:00

While most of Cory's unit was off to places all over the world for their block leave, we stayed in the area. Someone had to stay back and defend the fort, right? ;) Anyway, he did take off most of spring break week since the boys were off. We knew we wanted to go somewhere we could drive, so we picked Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Amsterdam is the capital of The Netherlands and is in the North Holland region. Holland is a region of The Netherlands...it is not its own country. :)

Tuesday morning was our departure time. Tuesday morning rolled around and Cory is having excruciating tooth pain. *sigh* He went to the dentist and they saw nothing (even w/ x-rays). We decided to go ahead and go to Amsterdam b/c we had reservations. The drive was easy until we got to Amsterdam. Holy. crap. There was construction galore, traffic, and thousands of bicylists. If you want to know what Amsterdam should be famous for, first and foremost, it should be the amount of bicyclists in that city. According to Wikipedia, in a city of approximately 1 million people, "in 2006, there were about 465,000 bicycles in Amsterdam." And, "In the city centre, driving a car is discouraged. Parking fees are expensive, and many streets are closed to cars or are one-way." Yes, I have experience w/ the "streets are closed to cars." That was embarrassing. LOL Anyway, here's a picture from flickr of bicycles on the street:

The next morning we got up and headed to the Anne Frank House. On the walk, right before the house and next to the church is a statue:

While I waited in line at the Anne Frank house, Cory and the boys went to the Westerkerk (church) next door.

The 3 X's are St Andrew's cross which is the shape of the cross that St Andrew was crucified on. It is also called a saltire and, according to Wikipedia, "The official city motto is Valor, Resolution, and Mercy. The three X's, saltires (St. Andrew's crosses), are taken to represent these even though the X's are older than the motto. A popular tradition also links the X's to the three threats to the city: Water, Fire and Pestilence." Anyway, these 3 saltires are all over Amsterdam.

And here's a view from the tower. Cory, David and Charlie waved to me down waiting in line, but I never heard or saw them. :)

I waited in line for about 30 minutes. It was cold and rainy. Yuck! I had checked the weather and it was supposed to be nice. I felt vindicated when the Americans behind me in line said the same thing. They were coming from the same area. Oh well. But we finally got into the
Anne Frank House. Official site of Anne Frank House. I read the Anne Frank Diary when I lived in Germany when I was about 9. So, the Anne Frank House was a priority for me in Amsterdam. I even encouraged Cory and David to read a book about her for our trip. Well, they weren't moved as much as I was. The first room we walked into was a very empty room w/ big pics of her on the wall and a quote that included, "I have a goal, I have opinions, a religion and love." And right then I thought I was going to cry. We continued walking through the house. More quotes on the walls. We walked through the actual bookcase that Anne and her family and friends walked through. We was the growth charts penciled into the wall that Otto Frank marked to keep track of his daughters. One of the last rooms had mounted tv's with an interview with Otto Frank. He spoke about how reading his daughter's diary he learned about her as a person and how he never knew what his daughter was really thinking and feeling while they were hiding in the annex and how parents never really know their children. The whole experience was incredibly moving. I highly recommend it to anyone visiting Amsterdam.

The first room w/ the quote I mentioned above:

The bookcase "door":

We left there and began walking toward the Van Gogh Museum. Cold. Rainy. Ugh. This is how the guys looked in line:

The Van Gogh museum was amazing. It's almost impossible to describe how different it is to see paintings in real life compared to reprints. Not even close! I really liked the landscapes, Almond Blossom, The White Orchard, Almond Tree in Blossom but I also like a couple of his still lifes like Basket of Pansies on Table. David's favorites were Wheatfield with Crows and Skeleton with a Burning Cigarette. Charlie like Emperor Moth. Cory and I liked mainly the same ones, but he did like the ones w/ boats, also.

When we left the museum we headed over to the iamsterdam sign. It is huge metal letters. And metal that is wet is very slippery. While I was trying to get David and Charlie in the sign, a guy (that you can see in the "a") slipped and fell. Not just a little jolt, but head over heels. When he stood up he was bleeding. Okay, it's not funny, but his friends weren't even concerned about it. Maybe they had been to a coffee shop (they sell marijuana...if you really want just coffee and pastries you need to go to a cafe). LOL

After this we started walking to the hotel. We got lost. But we happened upon a market. By then the sun was out and we had started drying out. The market was nice, there was fresh seafood, lots of chocolate, and tons of touristy stuff. We finally made our way back to the hotel for coffee and warmth. Yay! However, Cory was downing motrin and using anbesol like it was going out of style. Poor guy.

I'll blog tomorrow about the Keukenhof Garden.

Jumping in Belgium

2009-04-22T12:24:00.009+02:00

First, I have to say Thank You to my computer guy! I won't bore you with my computer problems, but I'm just happy to be back and blogging! :)

My husband's job in the army involves jumping out of airplanes. There are many countries that our soldiers wear their airborne wings. Well, Cory got his first pair of foreign jump wings earlier this month in Belgium. And the jump was out of an airplane, right? Wrong. It was out of a hot air balloon!

Practicing exiting the basket:

Pre-jump Inspection

Loading the basket:

The Jump:

Graduation and Wing Presentation from the JumpMaster:

Statue in the Belgium town. Statue called De Para:

The Wings:

Tara, Billy Bob Thornton and Military Vets

2009-03-23T18:59:00.004+01:00

If you've read my blog then you know my husband is a soldier. We are well-acquainted with the sacrifices that our men and women make. Anything that will benefit them, especially our wounded, deserves special attention. So, please visit my friend Tara's website to hear all about how American Airlines and Billy Bob Thornton are helping out our wounded vets with these ibots! Cool stuff!!

When Tara Met Blog

Paris, Notre Dame, Louvre

2009-03-02T06:20:00.014+01:00

So, we left off at St Michael.

Very near to St Michael, basically across the river, is Notre Dame.

After going to St Peter's in Rome, we thought we had seen the pinnacle of Catholic Churches. Right? Well, we all LOVED Notre Dame. I know that I much prefer Gothic architecture.

We spent the next 45 minutes trying to figure out how to get back to the hotel by train. It was much easier than we thought. LOL But now we feel like experts on the trains. Okay, so not experts but we can get where we need to go. LOL

The next morning we headed back to Paris for The Louvre. We hit the highlights. David wants to explore more, so I told him that we'd go back another time. I do want to go to Versailles.

Much of the people depicted in the art, particularly the statues, are very androgynous. So, Charlie said, "you can tell which are men b/c they have the wankers." LOL (I can't remember if he actually said wankers, but it was some penis slang LOL)

The Slave by Michelangelo

Venus de Milo

Winged Victory

Mona Lisa

Charlie had a little notebook and he walked around taking notes.

After an outrageously expensive lunch in the Louvre cafeteria, we walked toward the gardens, "jardins." During the spring I'm sure it's beautiful, but not so much in February. :) But David wanted to walk down to where an obelisk is, that marks where the guillotine used to be. Yes, same one where Marie Antoinette met her fate.

We then headed back toward the train station. Along the way we did a little shopping in the little touristy shops. We also had a crepe, nutella and bananas. Sooo good!

Au revoir, Paris!

Paris

2009-03-01T12:42:00.001+01:00

I still have not blogged/journaled about our trip, so I decided to get busy.

Heavy pic spam!!

We stayed at a hotel 30 min outside of Paris right next to Paris Disneyland. I had no idea of which hotel to stay at in Paris. And, so many people freaked me out about driving in Paris, as well as trying to find a hotel w/ parking garages that also were big enough for my van. So, I picked the Disneyland Hotel b/c it was right on the trainline. Which we had to learn how to use. :) We bought our tix, the French guy was totally not in the mood to be helpful to us ignorant Americans. LMAO But we managed to find our way to the train.

When we got off the train a bathroom was needed. We got a kick out of the bathrooms...there are no big bathrooms. Literally you open the door right along the halls/corridors and the toilet is right there. Like a port o' potty in the wall. LOL

When we got off the train we walked up the stairs to the street and there was the Arc de Triomphe. It was built in honor of Napoleon's victory at Austerlitz in 1806. It was completed in 1836, just in time for Napoleon's body to be carried through in 1840. It is also here that The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier of WWI was placed. The Tomb has an eternal flame which inspired Jacqueline Kennedy to place one at Pres Kennedy's gravesite.

Around the Arc de Triomphe is the world's most famous traffic circle. Since it's near to impossible to cross that to get to the Arc, there is a pedestrian tunnel.

Here is a pic of the traffic. There are NO marked lanes, seriously. But people seem to know what to do. LOL

Cory and the boys went up into the Arc. Here's the Eiffel Tower. We're going to keep going w/ the hazy days system...you know where we can't see the top of the monuments. Remember Pisa?? LOL

We then began walking towards the Eiffel Tower. I must have looked confused w/ the map while standing on the corner b/c a very nice French gentleman stopped and helped me. We only had one rude French person and that was the guy in the train station. Anyway, we had to cross the Seine.

We got to the Eiffel Tower. We decided to go up, but b/c of the weather we couldn't go to the top.

We then headed to the Rodin Museum. Along our way we saw a small tour group and I took a pic of them just for Jeanie!

David picked out the Rodin Museum as a stop.

We then headed toward our next stop, Notre Dame.

We stopped along the way for coffee and dessert. Mmmmm! 6 drinks + 4 desserts = 50Euros!

Along the way, we came upon this huge statue of St Michael. Cory was excited b/c St Michael is the patron saint of army paratroopers.

Rainy day in Kaiserslautern

2009-02-07T17:59:00.020+01:00

Earlier this week something was wrong w/ our van. We knew we had to hurry up and get it repaired b/c I was picking up Cory's parents on Thurs morning. Well, Monday the car was repaired and all was happy in our house. I picked up my MIL and FIL Thurs morning. Friday morning I got in the van to bring the boys to school and it was running very rough and the engine light was flashing. Well, shit. Cory and I brought the van to the service station and they'll keep it until next week. In the meantime, we have only his 20 year old beater car which seats 4, 5 if the only people in the backseat are children. LOL We didn't want to sit around all day Saturday...I know my in-laws came to see us, but I'm sure they didn't want to sit around w/ us staring at the walls. LOL So, we did the European thing, we decided to walk and take the bus. Since it was raining, um like almost always LOL, we armed ourselves w/ jackets, hats, gloves and umbrellas. Along the way to the bus stop we were stopped by a Red Bull car. Seriously. There were 2 ladies in there giving out free cans of Red Bull. Then we continued on our way to the bus stop with our Red Bull. ;)

On the bus

In Kaiserslautern in front of the Protestant Church

We were happy to see the farmer's market b/c we had never ventured downtown for the market.

Here's Charlie w/ his carrots. He bugged us until we got him carrots.

We made our way to the fresh honey stand. We got a jar of honey mixed w/ cream. Yum! DAvid is holding gummy bears made w/ honey.

Here is the monument w/ pieces from buildings destroyed during WWII

David and Granny in the oldest church (kirche) of Kaiserslautern, St Martin's

Here is the main monument/fountain in Kaiserslautern, each part represents some part of Kaiserslautern. Here is Charlie on the infamous carp w/ the ring of Barbarossa

Syl and Skipper

Kaiserslautern's medieval mile marker, it basically says 18 hours to Saarbrucken which is now an hour drive.

We ate lunch at Restaurant Himalaya that has "the finest nepalese and tibetan cuisine".

Here's our food.

We had fried vegetable momo (Tibetian fried dumplings filled with vegetables served with special chutney)
fresh nan (Leavened bread from fine flour)
David and Granny shared Chicken Sekuwa ( Boneless chicken pieces marinated for 24 hours and roasted in Tandoor)
Cory had Chicken Ledobedo (Typical nepali chicken curry)
Skipper had Chicken Solukhumbu (Chicken cooked with potatoes in a spicy tangy sauce popular in Himalayan region)
Charlie and I shared Shrimp Chaumien (Tibetian fried noodles with king prawns and shrimps)
The boys had baraf for dessert ( Homemade icecream from fresh milk, almonds, pistachios and cardamom). It was all VERY good!!!

We bought tix for the Judas Priest concert (David and Cory, not me LOL) and then caught the bus and walked home in the rain. But it wasn't bad. Really. :)

"May No Soldier Go Unloved"

2009-02-01T18:01:00.012+01:00

I decided to find a volunteer job a while back. I had volunteered at the church the whole time we were at Ft Sam and figured I should continue to do so here. I decided on Soldiers' Angels. "Soldiers' Angels is a volunteer-led 501(c)(3) non-profit organization providing aid and comfort to the men and women of the United States Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, and their families. Founded by the mother of two American soldiers, we are an international, volunteer-led organization supporting America's men and women in uniform. With over 30 different teams and programs, our nearly 200,000 volunteers assist veterans, wounded and deployed personnel and their families in a variety of unique and effective ways."

I first found out about Soldiers Angels while, lurking, um, reading a military blog, From My Position, On the Way! The blog is written by Major Chuck Ziegenfuss, a wounded soldier, who benefited from the Soldiers Angels team at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center (LRMC). It was b/c of Chuck's experience that Project Valour IT was born. Please read his story at the previous link!

Anyway, Chuck blogged about Soldiers' Angels needing some shoes for wounded soldiers at LRMC. I thought, "I could help with that." The project coordinator (sorry if I get actual title wrong), Maryanne Phillips, in Landstuhl sent me a very nice email of thanks. When I found out we were coming to Germany, I thought I should volunteer with the Soldiers Angels Germany team. "Soldiers' Angels Germany is a group of volunteers - military and civilians - living in Germany. We are supported by the Soldiers' Angels Foundation and many private donors. So, I contacted MaryAnn. And here I am now... ;)

As part of the Soldiers' Angels Medical Support Team, our mission is to support wounded and ill soldiers being treated at the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center facilities. Although we are small compared to the wonderful efforts of the LRMC Pastoral Department (Wounded Warrior Ministry Center), we serve approximately 400 hospital inpatients and outpatients with up to 1000 lbs of donations each month.

Donations include phone cards, clothing, Blankets of Hope, snacks, get well cards, and much more."

Please visit Maryann's blog for Soldiers Angels Germany.

Also, here's a video interview of MaryAnn: Interview

Remember that the soldiers are being wounded all year long. I know we tend to think of them more at the holiday time, but Soldiers' Angels provides every day. Please visit the links I've provided if you would like to donate in some way.

Last day of trip, Florence

2009-01-10T15:43:00.018+01:00

I know it's taken me a while to get this done. My enthusiasm for blogging about the trip has waned. LOL But here it is...

We started out the day heading from the hotel to Florence, the birthplace of the Renaissance. We stopped right outside the city where there were excellent views. By the way, the weather was cold. Bitter cold.

We then headed into Florence. Our first stop was
Accademia dell'Arte del Disegno or the Academy of the Art of Drawing aka the home of the Statue of David. Our tour guide briefed us on the statue and mentioned to notice his face and the focus of his eyes. I thought, it's a statue. But I was amazed! So impressed by this sculpture of Michelangelo's. When I looked at his face/eyes I really felt as if their was a brain inside this statue, as if he was really thinking, focusing on defeating Goliath. Just amazing for marble. I ranked the Statue of David as #2 on my list of faves of the Italy trip.

The other works of Michelangelo in the Academy are unfinished. But they're still so amazing b/c they look as if the sculpture is trying to crawl out of the marble. But Michelangelo was known to have believed that every block of marble had a sculpture inside, and he had to uncover it: "I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.

Next we headed to the cathedral of Florence, The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore , begun in 1296 and completed in 1436. It's well-known for it's dome. The crest of Florence is a red fleur di lis...they're everywhere in Florence.

Click on the pic below so you can see the whole pic with the dome of the Cathedral, that's the bell tower that's showing

Random picture on building in same area

We then headed to the Straw Market which is an open-air market (aka outside LOL) that dates back to the 16th c. According to PPS.org, "Florentines call this market Il Porcellino (Little Pig) due to the wild boar fountain located at the market’s south side. The statue, created in 1612 by Pietro Taccas, was cast from a marble Hellenistic original that is now housed in the Uffizi Gallery. Many tourists come to rub the pig’s well-polished snout and throw a coin in the fountain. It is believed that by doing so it insures a return trip to Florence."

Charlie rubbing the snout of the pig

It was here that the trouble starte. ;) Some guy was trying to get our tour guide Stefan to stop and talk. He was hassling Stefan and he blew him off. We didn't know what was going on. So we kept walking. We headed to the Piazza della Signoria where we found the Fountain of Neptune.

But it was here that Stefan got hassled by a cop! LOL Italy is really strict about hiring their local guides. They want revenue. I mean who doesn't? LOL The guy in the Straw Market noticed that Stefan was a tour guide. When Stefan blew him off, he went to the Florence police, who tracked Stefan down to the Piazza. Stefan was so funny, though. He wasn't really stressed and just kept telling us about places to go in the area and meet him back in the piazza at 12:30p in case they arrested him. LOL The guy on the side was taking pics and the cops told him to stop, but I didn't. The police took all his info down and eventually let him go.

Next we walked to the childhood home of Michelangelo

Then we went to the Piazza di Santa Croce

In the piazza is theBasilica di Santa Croce (Basilica of the Holy Cross). It is here that 2 famous Florentines are buried, Michelangelo and Galileo Galilei.

Tomb of Michelangelo

Tomb of Galileo

Next we grabbed some lunch (I have a few pics, but will have to edit b/c blogger is being weird and won't upload)

Then we went and met the rest of our group at the Piazza di Neptune. Okay, so not the name of the piazza but that's what I remember it as. LOL It was while we were waiting for the rest of our group that we started seeing snow flurries! Our tour guide said he had never been snowed on in Florence. Nor had he ever almost been arrested. LOL AFter we got back on the bus the next few hours it was slow going b/c the snow started coming down harder. We ended up losing 2 hours b/c of the snow. We finally got back to the parking lot at 2am. We were happy to be home!!

Day 5.5, Tuscan Dinner, lots of video! :)

2009-01-07T08:37:00.012+01:00

I left off yesterday when we got on the bus to ride from Rome to Florence. One place that we passed by that was so cool looking was the town Orte.

But it wasn't on our tour, so we kept heading to our hotel which was 15 k outside of Florence, Park Hotel Chianti. Since we arrived in the early evening we had one destination for the night and that was dinner. It was well worth the extra money! I'm still don't know the name of the restaurant that we went to. I wish I did, so I could recommend it! When we walked into the restaurant we were first given Fragolino, a sparkling aka fizzy strawberry wine. YUM-MY!! There was music playing and the whole mood of our whole group seemed to change...everyone seemed happier. :)

Here's a pic of our group:

We started w/ appetizers...a vast array of mostly fresh veggies prepared in different ways. As well as the customary bread:

As the food started coming out we were serenaded by our own opera singer! His name is Roberto and he used to sing opera, he's a tenor. He was awesome!

Our next course was a ravioli (i think it was spinach, but I can't quite remember) and a penne pasta w/ fresh ground meat. The restaurant was great b/c they did bring out pasta for Charlie w/ no meat.

Here's what we did in b/w courses. Charlie started it when he "learned" on another night while in Italy.

Our main course was prime rib. Now, I'm not a big red meat fan. I do eat ground meat about once a week, but as far as steak, etc...not so much. But the prime rib was fab.u.lous! Here it is coming out...presentation is almost everything. ;)

A couple of random pics:

I have 2 more videos but I'll put them in the next entry b/c I think I'm at my video limit. I'm not sure b/c I'm being given some message in German. ?!?!

Day 5, The Vatican Tour

2009-01-06T13:16:00.013+01:00

When I was a kid I did a book report on Michelangelo. Of course, that made me want to one day visit the Vatican. Thirty years later, there we were...

First of all, the day we went was a typical day touring the Vatican...crazy! People lined up to get in. Thank goodness we were part of a tour and had a specific tour time which meant no waiting. Unfortunately, it didn't keep us from the crowds. We met up w/ our tour guide, I think her name was Maria, where we got our little headphones so we could hear Maria as we walked through the Vatican. We started out in the museum. We went through a few (I think) long hallways, one was lined w/ tapestries in which the eyes seemed to follow you (one was Jesus watching all. the. time. :D ), another is the Hall of maps (16c maps cover the walls). Here are some pics:

Vatican Museum
Originally uploaded by Dragon Weaver

Vatican Museums
Originally uploaded by *Checco*

Vatican Museums - Ceiling
Originally uploaded by *Checco*

It was incredibly hard to get a feel for beauty of teh works in the museum. The crowds were so big and it was like being in a cattle drive, just shuffling along.

We left the museums and walked outside before heading into the Chapel. There was this spring-fed fountain that Michelangelo used to drink from when he worked on the Sistine Chapel. He lived until his 80's and that was back when living into your 40's/50's was considered good. So, we all drank, too. Can't hurt. ;)

*sigh* It didn't get any better in the Sistine Chapel with "feeling". I don't want to sound like it's not breathtaking, b/c it is, but it's so hard to "feel" the work when you're sharing it with hundreds of other people. Also, you know how when you're talking on a walkie talkie and the other keys his mic to talk and therefore breaks into what you're saying. Well, I couldn't hear half of what Maria was saying b/c we kept getting those breaks. Finally, I look at Charlie and HE'S PRESSING THE SPEAK BUTTON!!!! Argh! It was him the whole time!! On my "radio" my speak button was covered w/ a sticker, but his wasn't, so he didn't realize what he was doing, but oh. my. gosh. I was so annoyed, not b/c I couldn't hear, but b/c he was interfering w/ everyone else. Later on I did notice another kid doing it, so it wasn't all Charlie, but good grief!!! It's kind of funny, now, but at the time I was annoyed!!

The Sistine Chapel The ceiling are paintings, by Michelangelo, of the stories of Genesis. The back wall is the Last Judgement. Two very interesting parts are Michelangelo's self-portrait with him holding his "flayed" skin (b/c of the criticisms he was subjected concerning his work) and the pic of "the Pope's own Master of Ceremonies, Biagio da Cesena, said "it was mostly disgraceful that in so sacred a place there should have been depicted all those nude figures, exposing themselves so shamefully, and that it was no work for a papal chapel but rather for the public baths and taverns,"[31] Michelangelo worked da Cesena's semblance into the scene as Minos, judge of the underworld" which included the ears of a donkey. When Biagio da Casena complained to
the Pope, the Pope said the painting couldn't be changed b/c "his jurisdiction didn't reach hell." LOL

The Sistine Chapel
Originally uploaded by Schumata

sistine chapel
Originally uploaded by petebeck

Sistine Chapel
Originally uploaded by Bucket2005

Next we headed to the grottoes of the Popes, where we were able to see the stone of Pope John Paul II, the crypt of St Peter, below the altar which the floor above in the Basilica (how do you even wrap your brain around that??) and Pope Pius XI (91 Popes in all as well as some other revered Catholics). I didn't know this, but Pope JPII was buried in the space which was vacated in 2001. Seems the space used to be the tomb of Pope John XXIII. When he was beatified by Pope JPII in 2000 he was moved to St Peter's BAsilica and was interred in a glass coffin b/c of how well-preserved his body was. Interesting.

Tomb of Pius XI
Originally uploaded by Fred_711

St. Peter's grave
Originally uploaded by stiphy31

Pope John Paul II Grave
Originally uploaded by stiphy31

Next we headed up to St Peter's Basilica, Guide to Ste Peter's Basilica:

Michelangelo's Pieta which he sculpted at the age of 23! It is behind bullet-proof glass b/c a crazy guy came into the basilica in the early 70's and damaged the Pieta.

We were able to take pics in the Basilica b/c all the "paintings" are actually mosaics. Look at this pic and you'll be able to see the tiny pieces that make up this work:

Below this picture is the body of Pope Innocent XI, another pope in a glass coffin. What's amazing is that Pope Innocent died in 1689!

Picture of the other glass enclosed Pope John XXIII:

Confessionals (at one time during the year the Pope will receive confessions, although no one knows which confessional he's actually in)

Interior pics:

Dome of St Peter's

Inside St. Peter's Basilica
Originally uploaded by HarshLight

Bernini's tomb of Pope Alexander VII.

Inside St. Peter's Basilica
Originally uploaded by HarshLight

It is a tradition to rub or kiss the foot of the statue of St Peter in the Basilica. When doing so the are asking for St Peter to open the gates of Heaven for them when they die. Notice how worn it is.

Pic of us in the Basilica. Yes my hair looks awful. Please disregard it. ;) Thankyouverymuch.

When then left the Vatican, got back on the bus and headed toward Florence.

Enjoy!

Day 4.5, Sorrento

2009-01-03T19:09:00.010+01:00

When we left Pompeii we drove along the beautiful Amalfi coast (one of 1000 places to see before you die toward Sorrento. Gorgeous. The town overlooks the Bay of Naples. What I found most interesting was how many canyons/gorges the towns were built around and over. Historically it was protected by these gorges.

We first went to lunch which, unfortunately once again, was not overly impressive. Maybe it was b/c we were having group lunches? Anyway, we walked around the town after lunch. Charlie in front of a gorge with the Bay of Naples in background

Sorrento is famous for its oranges and lemons....the trees are ev.e.ry.where. Here they are lining the street in the center of town

And speaking of lemons, first shopping stop was at the limoncello store. Sorrento is known for its production of limoncello which is a lemon liquer. Our tour guide had set up for us to go to a certain store and they supplied free shots of limoncello and free samples of lemoncello candies. The shots are strong, but oh so yummy! I had a shot. Okay, so I had 3, so what, don't judge. ;) I did walk out w/ a small bottle and a bag of candy.

We loaded back up on the bus and went to an inlaid wood factory. We got a short explanation on how the furniture/works are made. The pieces were beautiful but very expensive. I really liked an end table, but it was 650E and just too expensive for my blood. I did pick up a picture frame b/c the actual wood pieces I wanted they didn't have enough (I wanted 3 pieces that could hang together/coordinate, but there was only 1 of that type). Here are some examples of the work:

We really enjoyed Sorrento and I would love to go back. It's a beautiful town and I would love to explore it more. Maybe by then I can get that end table.

Tomorrow is the tour of the Vatican!

Italy, Day 4, Pompeii

2009-01-03T11:29:00.012+01:00

Okay, many have told me that the pics are too small, so I'll post them as "big" this time. ;)

Day 4 started early b/c we were driving down from Rome to Pompeii. We were on the road by 7am for the 2.5 hour drive. We drove right through the heart of Naples or Napoli. From a distance the city is beautiful being on the coast of Italy and halfway b/w 2 volcanoes, but the city is old and horribly dirty. It has had a long history of problems with trash pickup and corruption. We didn't see trash pileups as bad as in the article, but we did see HUGE piles of trash...and that was from the bus. I can't even imagine the places you can't see easily. But look at this pic from a distance...gorgeous!

But we were headed to Pompeii, the ancient Italian city that was completely covered with ash from the eruption of Mt Vesuvius in 79AD. It's so famous b/c the people of Vesuvius were "frozen" in time. Pompeii was "found" in the 1700's and excavations were begun. But it wasn't until circa 1860 that plaster casts were made to recreate the decomposed bodies. Over the years many (majority?) of artifacts from Pompeii have been doled out to museums. This is a computer-generated pic on Wikipedia that "shows" what the eruption might have looked like:

Both D and Ch had read about Pompeii, so were looking forward to it. I was, too, especially about taking a lot of pics. Well, here's a little tidbit for you, buy the 7E batteries from the vendors before you go in. LOL At first I thought I am NOT paying 7euros for 4 batteries...that's about $11. Well, a few pics in, my batteries died. *sigh* So, here's what I got. LOL

First views before actually entering:

First view inside

Amphitheater

Steets of Pompeii

See those big stones in the middle of the road? They were used for people to walk across the street...especially in the case of water in the roads. The chariots' wheels were able to fit around the stones and this was actually a 2 way street.

And that's where my camera died. LOL But I found some images on flickr.com:

Here's a link for a fountain...they all had different "faces" so that they could be used when giving directions.

Our tour guide was an older gentleman named Roberto. Sooo fun! He brought us to the Pompeiian brothel. He said if any of the kids had any questions they should ask their parents. He also mentioned the pics of "things" that went on in the brothel, including "70-1." LMAO I also added the "sign" that are around town that pointed to the brothel. :) Charlie said it was an arrow. ;)

We then headed to the Pompeii Forum where I got a few more pics b/c my camera had rested and re-charged.

That's Mt Vesuvius right behind Cory's head. :)

I thought there were going to be areas, at least one room, that were going show how life was the day that Vesuvius erupted, but our tour didn't include that. Boo. But there were at least 3 open rooms w/ a wall of cage-like bars w/ remains...a few plaster (or resin) casts and hundreds of jars, bowls, pottery and such.

What was very interesting is that Pompeii used to be a city on the coast/beach. Now the coast is far away, um, I could look that up to find the distance, but I'm not. ;) But Charlie found quite a few seashells as we walked around. Neat, huh?

So, overall, Pompeii was interesting. Not exactly up to my expectations (it is one of the top destinations listed by Smithsonian Magazine), I was a bit disappointed b/c our tour didn't include some of what I wanted. I did find pics on flickr. But Pompeii is huge. Only 3/5 of the town has even been excavated. So, maybe we can go back one day and have a longer and more inclusive tour. I do recommend it, though. ;)

The rest of the day was still along the Coast to Sorrento. That will have to be done tomorrow.

Enjoy!

Taking a break...

2009-01-02T19:03:00.003+01:00

...from the Italy trip. :)

My friend Princess April has a friend Sanna who makes wonderfully cute handbags. April swears she gets compliments whenever she carries her Sanna-created handbag. :)

Sanna is having a contest on her site to win a handbag. And who doesn't want to win something cute???

So, go to Sanna's site and follow the instructions. There are a minimum of 25 participants needed, so GO!! Although I do hope I'll win. ;)

Tour of Rome, Day 3.5

2009-01-01T12:38:00.015+01:00

Still Christmas Day. ;)

We left the Vatican and headed toward the Coliseum. We passed by Tiber Island while on the bus. Sorry, no pic, but you can see it if you visit the site. ;) We also made a stop to take a picture of Circus Maximus. We didn't actually go to it and I don't remember what I was thinking about, but I didn't even get off of the bus for this picture. LOL

We next stopped for our walking tour. Our first stop was the Colosseum. My first impression was that it wasn't as big as I thought it was going to be. My next thought was that there were a lot of vendors for Christmas Day. LOL Guys with little stands selling mini-colosseums and books, etc as well as guys walking around selling scarves and little glass blocks w/ an etched colosseum on them. There were also lots of knock-off bags being sold. ;) The vendors were very pushy. I looked at some of the scarves that one guy was selling. After I told him that I wasn't interested, he had gone down from 15E to 5, it took another 10 minutes to shake him. He followed us and finally ditched us when someone else showed interest. LOL

Picture of vendor that flickr won't let me take.

We were bummed that we couldn't go into the Colosseum b/c it was closed for Christmas Day, but we walked around it and took pics. It actually only took us about 15 min to walk all the way around the Colosseum and that was with a bathroom break...so not that big, really, although it could accommodate 80,000 people.

Right next to the Colosseum is the Triumphal Arch of Constantine, which " was erected to commemorate Constantine I's victory over Maxentius at the Battle of Milvian Bridge on October 28, 312. Dedicated in 315."

We then began to move away from the Colosseum toward The Forum Romanum or Roman Forum. "It is the central area around which the ancient Roman civilization developed." Also, it "considered to be the center of the Republic and Empire." Our tour guide compared it to having the Vatican, Washingon DC and Wall Street in one area.

In this pic, D and Ch are facing the Colosseum and the Forum is in the back.

We continued walking and saw some other ancient sites. We then passed by where Michelangelo died. Although, I haven't found any record of this online....just what our tour guide told us. Anyway, Michelangelo was much loved by the people of Rome, however he was from Florence and wanted to be buried there. Supposedly, he was buried for a few months in Rome, but then some Florentines smuggled his body out of Rome, so he could be buried in his hometown.

Next was Trevi Fountain, "largest — standing 25.9 meters (85 feet) high and 19.8 meters (65 feet) wide — and most ambitious of the Baroque fountains of Rome." "The fountain at the juncture of three roads..." It was here that we saw some of the illegal bag sellers haul ass! They must have gotten a tip that the cops were coming b/c they had ALL of their handbags picked up in LESS than 5 seconds, I swear I am not exaggerating, and were running down the street. Since David and I were waiting for C and Ch to come back from the bathroom we witnessed it all. Including the cops that came along a few minutes later. LOL

Here's D and Ch throwing their coin into the fountain. "A traditional legend holds that if visitors throw a coin into the fountain, they are ensured a return to Rome." I hope if they go back to Rome they have a job and can pay their own way. ;)

Can't visit Rome and not have gelato!! I am not a fan of ice cream, but I can promise you that gelato is better! Ch had vanilla, D had coffee and I had chocolate. I bought it for C b/c I don't ever order ice cream and if I would it would be lemon, but even I liked this chocolate. :)

We then continued walking to the Pantheon, "is a building in Rome which was originally built as a temple to all the gods of Ancient Rome, and rebuilt circa 126 AD during Hadrian's reign." This was David's #1 pick for the trip. Again, we had A LOT of vendors walking around selling knock-off handbags and toys for the kids. They were quite insistent, but one was agressive, I had to get a little forceful w/ him.

AFter that we saw a couple of other sites, including Santa Maria Sopra Minerva. Most interesting is that Catherine of Siena is buried here, except for her head. "St Catherine died of a stroke in Rome, the spring of 1380, at the age of thirty-three. The people of Siena wished to have her body. A story is told of a miracle whereby they were partially successful: Knowing that they could not smuggle her whole body out of Rome, they decided to take only her head which they placed in a bag. When stopped by the Roman guards, they prayed to St Catherine to help them, confident that she would rather have her body (or at least part thereof) in Siena. When they opened the bag to show the guards, it appeared no longer to hold her head but to be full of rose petals. Once they got back to Siena they reopened the bag and her head was visible once more. Due to this story, St Catherine is often seen holding a rose. The incorruptible head and thumb were entombed in the Basilica of San Domenico, where they remain."

After that we headed to dinner. However I won't put a link to the restaurant b/c we were not impressed at all. Their spinach ravioli was good, but other than that? Eh.

Enjoy! Pompeii and Sorrento tomorrow! :)

Day 3, Vatican "It's the Vatican...

2008-12-31T10:08:00.017+01:00

"It's the Vatican, not the Vatican't"---Cory, Dec 2008

Day 3--Merry Christmas! :)

I am very glad I'm putting all this together b/c some of the days are starting to run together. ;) We started the day w/ our buffet...lots of croissants. Yum! We then headed to the Vatican for Mass and the Papal Blessing. I really thought there were going to be so many people and lines to get in for Mass. But St Peter's Square was relatively quiet.

Nativity in St Peter's Square

We then went through the detectors to go into the Basilica. Just going into the Basilica was so surreal...the actual Michelangelo's Pieta. How to even comprehend that? I'm going to post most of the Vatican/Basilica pics later b/c we did go on the official tour.

Swiss Guard at the Basilica

First view upon walking in the Basilica

Next picture is approximately where I spent most of Mass, standing, except there were no benches or chairs like in that picture (which is another borrowed one from flickr.com)...the story: David was having gastro problems and he and Cory headed to the bathroom right before we were let in to go and sit down for Mass. Charlie and I saved seats for them, but they never showed up. I was worried and kept looking for them. Finally, after the Gospel, Charlie and I left to go and look for David and Cory. I was worried that David was really sick. So, we ened up standing here for the rest of Mass when we couldn't find them. Didn't even go to Communion. When Mass was over, guess who comes walking out? Of course, David and Cory. And THEY went to Communion. *rolling my eyes*

Altar...we were actually closer during Mass, um, before we left. LOL

Nativity in the Basilica

I did sneak some video in. Eek. ;)

After Mass we walked right outside and ended up almost under the window where Pope Benedict was going to give his Papal Blessing. No matter what the pics look like (LOL) we were actually very close. If you look at the next picture (which was actually taken 2 days later during our tour), you'll see the window w/ the burgundy curtains where Pope Benedict came out. We were actually on the ground to the left of that window, about 10-15 ft behind that statue.

The next video is of when the Pope came out. It was like being at a concert!

Receiving the official Christmas blessing, Urbi et Orbi, or "to the City of Rome and to the World". If you'd like to read what he said, please visit :The Vatican's Website. I can't really explain what being there meant...it wasn't so much a religious experience as a community one. On my list for the whole trip in Italy, being there for the Papal Blessing ranks #1. For Cory, also. He also picked going to Mass.

After leaving Vatican Square we grabbed some lunch. We had
paninis. The grilled bread is really good. We also had espressos, which came out of Milan. The tour guide stressed how smooth and wonderful they were. Um, well...to us it was shot of very stiff and dark coffee. Personally, I like a big ol' cup of coffee that I can savor over a good 15 min or more. LOL

Can you believe all this happened b/w breakfast and lunch? I'll have to blog about the rest of the day tomorrow.

Enjoy!

Italy, Day Due...that's 2 in Italian ;)

2008-12-30T10:10:00.014+01:00

Be prepared for a boatload of pictures!!

We had a wonderful buffet breakfast at the hotel. But b/c of the late sun rising we could only go to the beach after our breakfast...well, if we wanted to actually see the sea, that is. ;) Which left us a grand total of about 20 minutes before the bus left. We ran down to the beach which is on the Ligurian Sea which is an arm of the Mediterranean Sea.

Then we headed into Pisa, the birthplace of Galileo Galilei, "Father of Science". Pisa is an ancient port-town at the mouth of the Arno River in the region of Tuscany. Of course, we were headed to see the famous La Torre di Pisa. Construction on the tower began in 1173 and started to sink in 1178...only 5 years later! If you notice in the pics, you can see how the base began sinking before construction of the tower was finished. The next level was attempted to be straight on a crooked base. The tower took approx 200 years to be completed. It was closed in 1990 and attempts were made to the foundation to keep the tower from leaning any more. When it was reopened in 2001 it was claimed that the tower was safe from toppling for another 300 years. Currently, the top of the tower is 12ft, 10in from being center. Anyway, the tower is actually the bell tower for the cathedral of Pisa. In the square there is the cathedral, baptistry and tower. When we first got there it was just after 8am and very foggy.

The baptistry is in the foreground, then the cathedral and then the tower:

The Baptistry:

As the morning wore on we got better views:

Unfortunately, we couldn't go into the tower, cathedral or baptistry (we heard it has great acoustics)...they were all opening up as we were leaving. Boo. So, we then shopped around. We did get the requisite plastic tower...that was David's purchase. :) Charlie purchased a pen that has a map of Pisa wound up in the inside. So he can pull it out (in a scroll fashion). Cory ended up w/ a marble statue of St Michael for only 5E. No, we don't believe it's marble. ;) And I couldn't pass up the leaning cup of Pisa.

So, we hopped back on the bus for the drive to Roma. We drove straight to the Catacombs of San Sebastiano, Official Website. The catacombs are the underground burial places of Christians (and Jews) during the time of ancient Rome. There are no longer any bodies there. ;)

Inside the basilica (the next few pics are from Lawrence OP on flicker.com...my motto for this trip was if my pics don't come out or I didn't get the pic, I'm sure I can find it on photobucket or flickr):

Saint Sebastian for whom the catacombs/basilica are named. He actually did not die from the arrows, though that is how he is always portrayed.

The ceiling is wooden

My pics:

David and Cory lighting a candle to Saint Sebastian

We then headed to our hotel to check in. The thing about hotels in Europe, in my limited experience of course, is that the rooms are small, at least in our price range. We had to get 2 rooms, one w/ a king bed for Cory and David, and Charlie and I had a room w/ 2 twin beds. I wish we could have had connecting rooms, but we didn't. So, Cory and I had to each take a boy. LOL Our room But we did have nice views:

B/c David was not feeling well, we opted to stay at the hotel that evening. Unfortunately, the hotel was in an area of town that there were no restaurants or cafes. If we had gone anywhere we would have had to take a cab, so we went to the bar in the hotel. Our tour guide, Stefan, had told us it was expensive, but we had no idea!! David had a hamburger/fries, Cory a club sandwich/chips, I had a salmon sandwich/chips, Charlie had fries and we all had a soda. Can you guess how much that cost us? 72 euros which is approx $105 dollars. I am not kidding. So, that was our Christmas Eve dinner! LOL But we were together in Rome...not a bad gig overall. ;)

Trip to Italy, Day 1

2008-12-29T15:10:00.011+01:00

Well, it's sort of hard to start this b/c the trip was so huge. I guess the beginning...

We got on our super duper tour bus at 6am Tuesday morning. The bus was nice. Our guide's name was Stefan and the driver, Benny. Cory and David sat on one side of the aisle while Charlie and I sat on the other. It was a nice quiet ride. Since it doesn't get light til about 8, we dozed until then. We had stops every couple of hours for either a break or a meal (breakfast, lunch). We had an amazing view of the Alps while driving through Switzerland. Since the area is so mountainous we spent about half the time driving through tunnels, but this was the view when coming out of one of the tunnels...everyone on the bus woke up and there were a lot of "oooooooohs" and "aaaaaaaaaaaaaaahs" and "wows!" Which seemed to last about 10 minutes or so and then everyone got used to the view. LOL We also passed through Lake Como and no George Clooney. Oh well, his loss. ;)

The "truck stops" or "autogrills" that we stopped for breaks/meal were very nice and clean. Not like most in the states. In Switzerland we stopped at Marche. The food was good, but some of it was very expensive. We waited in line and got a bowl of pasta, creamy sauce w/ carrots. The bowl was about the size of a regular cereal bowl and it ended up being 13 euros! Holy crap. That's about $20!

They also had a small store where we picked up a couple bars of Swiss chocolate for the road. I mean, we have to sample the chocolate, right? We got on the bus and David said, "It tastes like chocolate." LOL Everyone around us started laughing.

We arrived in Pisa at about 5pm. We actually stayed right on the coast...too bad it was so cold! Pisa is on the Liguarian Sea which is an arm of the Mediterranean Sea.

Nativity right in front of the boardwalk area:

So, not much of this day as we spent most of it on the bus, but the views were spectacular and we were so excited w/ the promise of what was to come.

More of Pisa tomorrow...

OH! If you have to comment as "Anonymous" I'd love if you typed your name in the box before publishing your comment. I'd love to know who is commenting. LOL Thanks! ;)

December 5 08, Pie in da Face

2008-12-08T09:00:00.006+01:00

We have a holiday party coming up, so our unit organized a fundraising event...Pie in Da Face. All the commanding officer and NCO's (Non-Commissioned Officers) had to sit and have pies put in their faces by soldiers who donated. It was all in fun and quite hilarious. I decided that I would donate and pie one of the guys in the face...and who better than my own wonderful husband? It's for a good cause. ;) No one got the picture of me kissing him after the pie...so I did get a sticky face, too. :)

Pre-Pie Picture

Kaiserslautern Christmas Market 6 Dec 08, HUGE entry!

2008-12-07T12:20:00.012+01:00

Saturday morning we had an errand to run so we headed out to get that accomplished. Afterwards we went to Miesau. This is the small town that Cory's little post is in. Yesterday was their Christmas market and the goal was a mug. ;) We got there and they weren't even set up yet. So, we left and went to Kaiserslautern's Christmas market. The market is set up in the walking/shopping area of downtown Kaiserslautern. Of course you know the goal. :) A mug. And lunch. Here are Cory and the boys with their lunch...the boys had pizza and Cory and I had french bread w/ a garlic spread (Cory's topping was salami and I had tomato and feta cheese):

Here are other pics of the market:

I did manage to get my Kaiserslautern 2008 mug. Actually, I came home w/ a bunch. The first "gluhwein" (pronounced glue-vine) stand I went to I got 3 mugs, one with gluhwein. ;) When we noticed that 2 of them did not say Kaiserslautern I went back to exchange them. Only to find out that they weren't even selling the 2008 mugs b/c they had run out. I had ended up w/ one from 2003. Well, damn. I HAD to get the correct mug, so we HAD to go to another stand and get another mug of gluhwein. ;) From our post newspaper, the Kaiserslautern American, writer Kerry Solan, "Gluhwein, or 'Glow Wine', dates back as far as 500 BC, long before spiffy plastic stoppers were able to keep wine fresh. Spices and herbs were added to wine for healthy reasons and to make the wine drinkable again."

Next we headed across the street to the old Barbarossa castle. Its remains are dated from the 1200's. It was set up as a medieval Christmas market. The "band" also played and walked around the other market heralding St. Nicholas.

For your viewing pleasure I took a short video of the band:

By that time we knew the Miesau market would be open. And in search of a mug from every Christmas market, we headed back. This is b/c I have a wonderful husband. We had to drive 25 min back there and he offered it and never complained. ;) Here's my mug. Even though it didn't say "Miesau" or "2008" I thought it was an interesting color and got it anyway.

Frankfurt Germany

2008-12-04T12:45:00.004+01:00

Last Wednesday (day before Thanksgiving) I had a friend fly to Germany to visit. She was flying into Frankfurt and I had to go and pick her up. This was a huge deal for me. For those of you who are family and friends reading this, you know I have driven all over the US. I am the driver, always, and myself and the boys have driven long distances by ourselves at times. The summer of 2006, I drove from Texas with D and Ch to visit C who was at an army school/course in Washington, DC. So, a one hour drive to an airport is nothing right? Well, in the US I wouldn't have anything about it, but driving in Germany by myself was still slightly intimidating. I'm proud to say that I no longer have any problems with driving in Germany. :D

Anyway, I picked up my friend, G, and we drove to downtown Frankfurt. Finding a parking garage was a bit difficult, but we persevered and found one just around the corner from where we needed to be. The main goal was to go to the Frankfurt Christmas market or Weihnachtsmarkt "is a street market associated with the celebration of Christmas during advent, mainly the four weeks preceding Christmas Day. These markets originated in Germany and Austria but are now being held in many other countries." (Wikipedia) Also, according to our post newspaper, "The history of Christmas markets dates back to the 14th century. After farmers had sold their crop, they paid their workers. After attending worship services during Advent, those workers spent their money right away at little markets set up around the church. most common items offered were sweets and toys. There were also craftsmen selling baskets, pottery, spices, clothes and Christmas tree ornaments. And not much has changed. :) The Frankfurt market had plenty of stalls selling Christmas decorations, clothing (gloves, hats, scarves), toys, food and drink. We tried the bratwurst. Well, I had a different type of wurst (sausage), but I'm not sure what it was. And the most popular drink is gluhwein. It is a warm red wine flavored with cloves and cinnamon. Since I was driving I opted for the kids orange cider. It tasted like warm tang. But I was really after the mug it came in. Each village/town/city that has a Christmas market has its own mug. Here I am proudly sporting my Frankfurt Weihnachtsmarkt 2008 mug, as well as a closeup. I won't mention that I have a new sick obsession of collecting Christmas market mugs. :)

After the Christmas market we walked over to an observation tower. Here are pics of Frankfurt from the tower:

There is lots to do in Frankfurt, but we had to head home.

First snow of 2008

2008-11-22T09:52:00.004+01:00

Yesterday it was cold! I had no idea that snow was in the forecast, though, b/c I never looked...that's how I roll. I like to be surprised. ;) Yesterday afternoon it started hailing, then sort of sleeting and then, snow!

This is what we woke up to this morning. It's not much, but it is the first snow in our area. Other parts of Germany have gotten a lot of snow, but we've been told that our area doesn't get much. Last year the KMC area got about an inch for the whole season.

Skiiing in France and running update.

2008-11-15T17:29:00.007+01:00

Last Tuesday, Cory and the boys went skiing at an indoor place in France...only about an hour and a half from us. I stayed home w/ the dog. I did find a dog walker in the neighborhood for future day trips, but I digress...

The boys went with co-workers of Cory's and had a great time. D and Ch tried snowboarding first. They've been eagerly looking forward to it. They're not eager to try it again. LOL It's much harder than it looks. D became plum disgusted and spent his his 2nd hour playing on one of bobsleds. Ch decided he was going to ski. He skiied (sp?) the bunny slope about 10X and then took it upon himself to ski the big hill. Cory kept waiting for him and ended up sending one of his co-workers to look for Ch. About that time, Ch came skiing down the hill. He only fell twice, got right back up and kept on going. But that's Ch for you! He's stubborn!!

In running news, I tried out my Brooks running pants. The weather was in the 30's and the pants were too hot. Those will have to be for colder days. My legs were sweating. In crappy running news, I have tendonitis in the top of my right foot. Self-diagnosed of course. ;) I'm staying off my foot and taking advil twice a day. I love to run to my ipod and haven't since the summer b/c my other mp3 player got fried when I didn't use the charging cord that it came with. I tried just a generic cable and the music was weird. Anyway, I bought a new ipod and now have 5 hours of music downloaded and I have to wait a few more days to use it. Damn.

The troops at Christmas time!

2008-11-10T11:25:00.003+01:00

Don't forget about our deployed troops this year!!

Please visit this link...it's got so much GREAT information!!Some Soldier's Mom

The vicious cycle is broken...

2008-11-07T14:51:00.002+01:00

Uh, and I don't mean by with the election. For those that care or have asked, I was not on board completely with either candidates, I fundamentally disagreed w/ Obama and McCain on many issues. Personally, I think we needed a more moderate middle of the road candidate so that both political parties will have to compromise and reach the majority of society. I will say that if by voting in Obama means that the way will be easier for America in this world then I'll hope and be glad for the good things to come.

However, my vicious cycle broken was my 2 days/week of running. This week I ran 3 days!! Woot!

Also, I'm getting used to the weather. When I heard this morning that today was going to be a high of 50-something degrees, I actually thought, Oh it will be a nice day! :)

Halloween 2008

2008-11-01T09:57:00.003+01:00

Here is the box of candy David and his friends were handing out. It lasted about 45 minutes. I have never been trick or treating with so many kids before. Cory and I brought Charlie along w/ some a neighbor and his son and a co-worker and his family. We headed out and the number of kids was crazy. The kids would have to wait in lines 10 deep to wait their turn to get a candy. Most people ran out about 45 minutes into the allotted time of trick or treating. Charlie came home w/ about 50 pieces of candy, at the most. And we stayed out there almost the entire time. Crazy!

David as the Joker:

Charlie as an evil knight:

The candy:

David's friend as Edward Scissorhands:

Idar-Oberstein, old post from July 20

2008-11-01T09:06:00.002+01:00

We went to Idar-Oberstein yesterday. We went there when I was a kid, so I have been excited about going back.

First, we went to a museum (The German Gemstone Museum) about gems/precious stones. Idar Oberstein's primary industry for centuries was mining/polishing stones. Charlie bought some sandstone at the museum. The museum we went to is at the bottom of page.

Next we went in search of the Church in the Rocks aka Felsenkirche. The legend behind the church is that 2 brothers were in love w/ the same woman and one brother killed the other. The surviving brother built the church as penance. The legend.

Climbing up the steps to the church is no joke. It was a workout. Charlie and David were going to count the steps, David lost count somewhere over 100 and Charlie counted over 500 (um, a bit of an exaggeration LOL). This is the tunnel to get into the church through the back. It was added in 1980 or 81. There are steps to go up to the front, but they are closed off now. I just googled and there are 230 steps.

This is the "bubbling spring" in the middle of the church. "When this labour was completed, it was taken as a sign that his penance was complete also, his sin forgiven, as a spring opened up within the chapel (a spring which remains active today)."

Felsenkiche: Click on slideshow for pics inside the church...my batteries died, so I got few pics. *rolling eyes*

After the church we hiked down to the town to get some lunch. This is where we ate:

We sat outside right under the name of the restaurant. I got their specialty of pork cooked over an open fire. It was good, but David's schnitzel was the best we've had in Germany, yet! Inside, the walls are lined w/ huge pics of the history of the town. The whole legend of the church (fratricide) is on the walls in pics.

We were interested in the castle, also, but couldn't figure out how to get up there. When we asked the waitress she said, "you go back up to the church..." OMG, those steps again. Little did we know that the steps were the least of our worries. The switchbacks on some parts along the way were steep. We get to the top and guess what was there? Yep, cars. LOL We were glad we walked though. But we didn't really get to look inside much b/c there was a wedding. There are 2 castles, the "new" castle and the "old castle". The lady in the souvenir shop (where both David and Cory, LOL, bought some pewter knights) referred to it that way. Found on the internet: Castle Bosselstein, a.k.a. 'the old castle' above the church, is first mentioned in historical documents from the year 1197. It was abandoned about 1600 following a siege and fell into ruin.
Castle Oberstein, a.k.a. 'the new castle' was built around 1320. It was partially destroyed by the French in 1680, and a fire in 1855 laid further ruin to the castle. Parts of it were restored and housed a youth hostel until a few years ago. A group of citizens is now actively collecting funds to stop further deterioration.

New castle from the old castle (next 2 pics are not mine)

Old castle, Burg Bosselstein:

Looking down to the town from the old castle, yes we walked all the way up. My calves are sore today. :)

Walking back down the trail (and I love you guys or otherwise I wouldn't put this horrid pic of myself on here!)

Afterwards, on the drive home, we went on to the army installation in Baumholder. My dad was stationed there in the very early 60's. And then again. We lived there when I was a kid, 7-9 years of age, so 1976-1978. I remembered the elementary school and where we lived from there. So, I found our old apartment building (stairwell). The big playground is still across the street as well as the German house next door. When I rolled down the windown to come in to the gate the wind was gusting. I remembered why it was called the rock. Baumholder is on the really high ground, high on a mountain/hill, "the rock." It's a pretty post and very hilly. Cory and I kept saying we couldn't imagine running here. LOL I hope to go back and take pics and go to the museum. I found these pics online (of course not exact bldg):

Trier, Germany-old post from Sept 3

2008-11-01T08:55:00.002+01:00

This was from before I started my blog.

On Saturday, we went to Trier, Germany, the oldest city in Germany. It is only an hour away and Cory and David have been very eager to go there since hearing about the Roman baths and amphitheater there.

The first place we went was Porta Nigra, one of the Roman built gates that was part of the city wall that was built b/w 180-200 AD. This is the northern gate that is left standing. We walked through as well as went to the museum which is connected.

Next we had lunch. We sat next to a table of people from Holland who were on a bike tour. they were very interested in Charlie's Heelys. Apparently there are no Heelys in Germany and he got lots of looks the whole day. LOL

Then headed to the Market Square.

St Peter Fountain

Looking at St Peter Fountain

Red House w/ inscription that states that Trier is 1300 years older than Rome

Cathedral Cathedral

Constantine Basilica Constantine Basilicia

Electoral Palace

Imperial Roman Bath built 1600 years ago and never used. Typical government project. LOL Not a drop of water flowed there. We had fun times in the tunnels! LOL

We had a great day, but didn't get to see everything. We plan on going back another time and going on a tour. We also didn't get to see the Roman amphitheatre.

Pumpkins

2008-10-29T20:31:00.002+01:00

Just wanted to share pics of our Halloween pumpkins.

Daylight Savings Time in Europe

2008-10-27T16:48:00.002+01:00

We fell back last Sat/early Sunday morning. So, for the next couple of weeks we'll be 6 hours ahead of Louisiana (Central Standard Time) until the US falls back.

Samel Guillot and St Avold, France

2008-10-25T18:34:00.011+02:00

Cory's great-uncle, Samuel Guillot, died during WWII. He is buried at the Lorraine American Cemetery in St. Avold, France. We live less than an hour from there. When we got there we lucked out b/c a staff member, Mr Walters, a retired soldier, was able to focus on us entirely. He gave us a folder with brochures and papers with information to contact a couple of different agencies if we wanted to find out more information regarding Cory's uncle and his death. Mr Walters gave us a little background about the American cemeteries in Europe. >General John "Black Jack" Pershing pushed for a memorial to be set up and was the first chairman of the American Battle Monument Commission. The ABMC is an agency of the executive branch of the US government and was established on 4 March, 1923. Currently, the "ABMC administers, operates, and maintains 24 permanent American military burial grounds and 22 separate memorials, monuments and markers on foreign soil, and 3 memorials in the US. Presently, 124,921 US war dead are interred in these cemeteries." Please visit their website: American Battle Monuments Commission

Mr Walters picked up a bucket and escorted us out the visitor's building. First, we went to the chapel: The tall building is the chapel.

Mr Walters talked a little bit about the unit that Cory's uncle was in. He then showed us the machine that plays the music (bells). He turned it on and started some hymns playing and we walked out of the chapel to find the headstone. I recognized "How Great Thou Art" as we were walking. When we found the headstone Mr Walters took a bottle out of his bucket. It was sand. He rubbed the sand over Cory's uncle's name. The names are etched into the headstones and the headstones are white, so in a picture, the names don't show up well. The sand gets into the etching and makes the name darker. Then he told us that the sand comes from Omaha Beach in France (beach that the army landed on during D-Day). He then took our picture with the headstone. This video is actually after the "sanding" as you can tell by the sand in the name. But I wanted to be able to share the bells in the background, so I headed back to the headstone. (I hope the video posts!) This was my husband's great-uncle, and I, of course, didn't know him nor know his children/grandchildren, but I found the whole experience to be very moving. I got a little sniffly. He died and left behind a wife and 3 children, the youngest was only 4 months old. His wife always hoped, b/c of the original classification of MIA, that he would one day make it home. Just makes me sad.

Afterwards, we walked around the cemetery:

After we left the cemetery we went into St Avold to grab some lunch. We finally found a place and it was a real French restaurant. Of course it had to be with the name of Restaurnt Chez Erica. :) I had Bouche a la Reine (the one w/ the rice) and the pastry the gravy and meat and mushrooms was poured onto was a.ma.zing. Delicious! The funny thing about our experience at the restaurant is now we realize how much German we are learning b/c it was so hard to switch from saying "danke" (thank you in German) to "merci" (thank you in French). David is taking French this semester so we relied on him a little bit. How funny is that? LOL Here are some pics of our lunch and the restaurant:

Running news and Dollar v Euro

2008-10-21T12:25:00.005+02:00

Okay, so I don't have much. I feel like a broken record these days when it comes to running. I'm still only managing 2 days/wk (usually 45-60 minutes) and a 3rd day of walking. I'm not known for my commitment (except to my husband and kids, of course!), but I thought that when I had gotten so motivated and dedicated to my running that I wouldn't have much trouble getting back into it after the move. It's so much harder than I ever thought. And I've always hated running in the cold. Guess what? It gets cold in Germany....and windy. LOL So, I decided to buy some cold weather running gear, so I'll be comfortable...buying a treadmill is a last resort as I hate to run inside. I've bought gloves, a headband to cover my ears, I have under armour (that I took from Cory) and I bought these pants:

My next purchase is a good jacket. We do have a pretty good store here on-post w/ outdoor gear. The guy who helped me w/ the pants told me to check back soon as they were getting new stuff. Love new inventory!

Remember growing up there were these good/bad jokes? A man fell out of an airplane. Bad! But he fell on a haystack. Good. (remember these are for kids, we all know the guy would die LOL) But there was a pitchfork in the haystack. Bad! Well, when we got here the dollar was worth 62 cents per 1 Euro. Really Bad. We went to a German McDonald's. Good! B/c how great is getting schnitzel at Mickey D's? We got 4 Happy Meals which totalled 14Euro, but it actually cost us approx $21. Baaad! Anyway, the dollar is up against the euro (approx 72cents/E). Good! COLA is down. Bad! COLA

Burg Eltz

2008-10-11T22:41:00.013+02:00

Saturday morning we headed out for Burg Eltz. I wanted to go there b/c it was only 45 min-1 hour away according to a website I frequent. Um, no. We encountered a stau ("autobahn traffic jam") and an umleitung (detour) in a small town and the drive ended up taking us 3 hours. The drive was actually about an hour and 40 minutes.

Anyway, the fog was really bad from our house and I was worried that we wouldn't be able to enjoy the scenery. But the fog lifted about 30 min before we got to the castle and the day was gorgeous! The drive along the Mosel River was very scenic. The castle is right outside a small German town (Munstermaifeld). It's a beautiful walk down to the castle in the valley. And what is remarkable is that the castle is still owned by the same family(ies) (Kampenich, Rodendorf, and Rubenach families) that lived in the castle in the 12th c, 33 generations ago. It is a very luxurious castle compared to other castles this old...every room in the Kampenich section could be heated where as most castles only had one room that could be heated. All the windows have glass. We did take the guided tour, but we were not allowed to take pics. Visit the official Burg Eltz website (Burg Eltz)and select the "Castle Tours" tab and click on the links to see some of the rooms:

Stations of the Cross along the walk down to the castle from the parking lot

Entrance

In the Courtyard

During tour

We had a bite to eat at the cafe on the castle grounds.

I had wurst (sausage) and German potato salad.

Cory had goulash

Pictures along the walk to castle:

We headed home and had no traffic problems. ;)

Might as well JUMP!

2008-09-29T20:00:00.012+02:00

Have you wondered what Cory really does when he goes to work? Well, watch this video(it was made before Cory came on board to this unit...the female soldier speaking in the video held the position that Cory now occupies):

http://www.afneurope.net/Home/ArticleDisplayDD/tabid/649/Default.aspx?aid=1578

An article from earlier this year when the FST became airborne.

http://www.eucom.mil/english/FullStory.asp?art=1530

Music in Germany

2008-09-25T10:42:00.003+02:00

We do have 2 stations here that are in English, American Forces Network (AFN The Eagle) and Canadian Forces Network (CFN). And, yes, it's nice to hear English, but one minute you can be listening to the latest song by 3 Doors Down and then next will be a song by Celine Dion. It's crazy! Country is usually limited to Sunday, i think. But there is always a classic Casey Kasem countdown. Imagine my surprise to hear tha the popular group Reo Speedwagon had its 3rd top ten hit. LMAO http://www.afneurope.net/DynamicMenu/Radio/AFNTheEagle/tabid/91/Default.aspx The CFN is the same except there will be some French songs every once in a while. http://www.cfsue.de/cfn/Welcome_e.htm

Most popular songs in the US are played on German stations, so it's not like we're missing a lot of music here. But for shits and giggles I thought I'd give you the Top 20 songs in Germany as of this week with a link to the German ones. This list is according to http://www.worldcharts.co.uk/world%20charts/germany.htm.

1--I Kissed a Girl Katy Perry

2--Gib Mir Sonne Rosenstolz
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecQm9RbD7O0

3--Sweet About Me Gabrielle Cilmi

4--This is the Life Amy MacDonald

5--Das Hat Die Welt Noch Nicht Gesehen Sohne Mannheim

6--Nessun Dorma Paul Potts

7--All Summer Long Kid Rock (sick.of.this.song.)

8--Alles Neu Peter Fox (love this one!)

9--Infinity 2008 Guru Josh Project

10-Viva La Vida Coldplay

11-When I Grow Up Pussycat Dolls

12-Helden Gesucht Thomas Godoj

13-I'm Yours Jason Mraz

14-Closer Ne-Yo

15-So Soll Es Bleiben Ich+Ich

16-Alleinesein Peter Heppner

17-Give It 2 Me Madonna

18-Warwick Avenue Duffy

19-Just Dance Lady GaGa

20-Nichts Bringt Mich Runter Ich+Ich
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gM04vNZjZ0U

This song is still on the charts and reminds me of this summer and moving here. :)

Lasse Redn by Die Artze

Running News: I'm feeling stronger and more confident in my runs here...even with the cold weather. I officially timed my route on Monday and the one today and I have a longer route to time. Now I know what my times are for these 3 different routes and can work on becoming faster. I will start lengthening my runs next month, I think. But now I have a baseline to work with. I don't care for running road races, but am thinking about signing up for one just to see where I am and b/c it's a good cause: Breast Cancer Month. Unfortunately I know quite a few women who I'd be running for.

Flammekeuche and Christmas

2008-09-24T10:30:00.003+02:00

Ever since we've been living in Germany we've been told that we needed to try Flammekueche. Since it's all about the food, well, sign me up! :) From Wikipedia:

"Tarte flambée is an Alsatian dish composed of thin bread dough rolled out in a circle or a rectangle, which is covered by crème fraîche, onions and bacon. It is one of the most famous gastronomical specialties of the region.

Depending on the area of the region, this dish can be called in Alsatian flammekueche, in German Flammkuchen, or, in French, tarte flambée.

Legend says that the creators of this dish were those Alsatian farmers who used to bake bread once a week. A tarte flambée would be used to test the heat of their wood-fired ovens. At the peak of its temperature, the oven would also have the ideal conditions in which to bake a tarte flambée. The embers would be pushed aside to make room for the tarte in the middle of the oven, and the intense heat would be able to bake it in 1 or 2 minutes. The crust that forms the border of the tarte flambée would be nearly burned by the flames.

The name itself comes from this method of baking, the English translation of the original Alsatian name meaning 'baked in the flames'."

There is a recipe here:: http://kochtopf.twoday.net/stories/1623414/.

Back in August we went to the Kaiserslautern Medieval Fest. It was okay. But the great thing was finally getting to try Flammekueche. Here are a couple of pics:

And, yes, this is leading somewhere. ;) Yesterday, my neighbor Jen and I went to a couple of German stores that I hadn't been to yet. The second store is Kaufland. It's sort of like a Super K-Mart b/c it has groceries. As we were perusing the chocolate I glanced at the refrigerated section and saw Flammekueche. I decided to buy one and try it. And it had nothing to do w/ an easy dinner....nothing at all. ;)

It turned out really good! Not as good as the one at the festival, but the vendors there were cooking them up fresh! Can't beat that. But I will definitely buy more of these. ;)

Now, for our Christmas plans. The last few years everytime I would talk about planning a trip the plans would fall through for some reason or another. My husband's job has to take precedence and I'm okay with that...I'm army wife, it's what I do. :) But I didn't want to live in Germany for 3 years and not see Europe. So, this time I didn't really talk about our plans. But now I feel safe b/c we booked our trip last night and got the confirmation email this morning!!!! The only thing that could happen now would be if there weren't enough people booked for the tour. So, cross your fingers for me. Our itinerary:

DAY 1 - SWITZERLAND - PISA
Early morning departure - around noon we reach the Swiss Alps and enjoy the splendid alpine scenery. Entering the Lake district we will view Lake Lugano on the Swiss side, then as we enter Italy we pass the majestic Lake Como. Early evening we will arrive in Pisa, check into our comfortable hotel and stay the night.

DAY 2 - PISA - ROME
After breakfast we will visit the “Field of Miracles,” site of the famed Leaning Tower of Pisa. Time to shop for souvenirs before we head south to Rome along the coastal highway. Upon arrival in the Eternal City, we will first visit the Catacombs, early evidence of Christianity. After hotel check-in, there will be time to relax until we depart for our festive Christmas Eve Dinner (€35).

DAY 3- PAPAL BLESSING- ROME
Merry Christmas! After breakfast, we are off to St Peter’s Basilica for the Christmas Mass, followed by the official Papal Blessing out on St Peter’s Square. It is broadcast around the world - and being there is a memory to cherish forever! In the afternoon, our city sightseeing tour will include magnificent sights: the Coliseum, where gladiators fought for their lives; the Forum, once the center of the Roman Empire; the Pantheon, a temple to all gods; and of course the Trevi Fountain (don’t forget to toss a coin).

DAY 4 -POMPEII -SORRENTO
Today join our full day excursion (€69)) to the Gulf of Naples where we first visit Pompeii, which was buried by erupting Mt Vesuvius in 79 AD. The secrets of ancient Roman life are revealed by our local guide as we tour the excavations. We then drive to Sorrento (great for shopping), a famed resort town located on the cliffs overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. Return to Rome in the evening.

DAY 5 - VATICAN
In the morning, join our tour of the Vatican (€39). Together with a local art expert you will see the treasures of the Vatican Museum. Admire Michelangelo's frescos in the Sistine Chapel and marvel at his “Pieta” during our tour of St Peter’s Basilica. After lunch - “Arriverderci Roma” we drive north into the hills of Tuscany to Florence. Tonight, savour “la dolce vita” at our festive Tuscan dinner with music and wine (€35).

DAY 6 - FLORENCE
First, we view Michelangelo’s David in the Accademia Museum. Our walking tour of Florence features the impressive Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, the Gates of Paradise, Piazza Signoria and the Santa Croce church (tomb of Michelangelo). Explore and shop for leather and gold. Early afternoon, we depart for Germany where we arrive at midnight.

How Bazaar, How Bazaar

2008-09-22T11:10:00.005+02:00

I've been waiting for months for the Ramstein Welfare Bazaar! http://ramstein-bazaar.org/ It's a shopping bazaar with 2 airplane hangars of vendors from all over Europe. The bazaar has been at Ramstein Air Force Base since 1965 only having been cancelled in 2001 (the terrorist attacks on the US, of course). I've been thinking that I would shop 'til I dropped.

*sigh* I wasn't all that impressed. About half the vendors I see at the local PXs. And the rest of the vendors had beautiful items, but were things that I'd like to buy when I travel. For example, I loved all the Polish and Italian pottery, but I plan on going to Poland and to Italy and would love to buy some pottery there.

I did end up buying 3 items...all are kind of kitschy, but cute. :)

I went w/ 2 of my neighbors/friends. Of course we enjoyed the food. The Filipino/American association had a booth. We had adobo chicken, lumpia and pancit (noodles). It was delicious. My friend Ann is from Hawaii and Japanese/American. For her it was comfort food. We topped it off w/ funnel cake.

That night Cory, Charlie and I went out to dinner w/ my neighbor Jen and her son. We went to a local restaurant owned by an Italian. Last time we were there I noticed a pizza called the "Sophia Loren." I had to try it! It has mushrooms, ham and 2 eggs, sunny-side up. It was really good, more like a breakfast pizza.

In other news, in case you don't know, I suffer from a sickness. It's called "New Bedding Fever." I buy a new bedding set almost every year. I bought one in the spring before we moved. I really liked it, a lot. Well, now I found one on Target that I want. I'm trying to at least hold out until the spring so I can say that I had my current bedding for year. I'm sick. ;)

In running news, I've started my 4th week of running since the boys are back in school. I've only been running 2X/wk b/c my knee still does hurt. But now that I'm getting used to the hills here (and I've ordered some cold weather running gear) I'm going to try and run 3X/wk. I am walking w/ my neighbor/friend Jen on alternate days. Today I only ran for 30 min, but ran for an hour last Friday. I'm getting my stamina back and only curse a little bit when I run the hills. ;) But I'm actually doing pretty well consider I didn't run mid-June to mid-Aug...international move threw a wrench into, well, everything.

Kaiserslautern, Germany

2008-09-06T10:12:00.005+02:00

I've decided to start using my blog again, so that all of our family members can follow along aka live vicariously through us. ;)

I have a couple of other entries here:

http://stacyllw.livejournal.com/

Six unremarkable quirks

2008-05-22T23:08:00.003+02:00

My friend (and published author!!), Farrah Rochon, http://farrahrochon.blogspot.com/ has her Six Unremarkable Quirks meme on her site. Here are the rules:

-Link the person who tagged you.
-Mention the rules in your blog.
-Tell about six unspectacular quirks of yours.
-Tag six bloggers by linking them.
-leave a comment on each of the tagged blogger's blogs letting them know they've been tagged.

I'm not tagging anyone. I'm breaking the rules. ;)

1. I cannot sleep uncovered. It doesn't matter if I'm napping on the couch or sleeping in my bed, I have to be covered w/ at least a sheet.

2. I cannot fall asleep while I'm watching TV until the show is over. Even if I'm watching something incredibly stupid. It drives my husband crazy. He can watch a show and just turn it off in the middle and go to sleep. I'm like "waaaaaaaaaaait, I want to see the end!!"

3. I'm quirky about cheese. I'm good w/ cheese and chips, cheese and bread, grilled cheese, but I can't eat cheese on a sandwich/burger, cheese on a salad, etc.

4. I do not like to go to the bathroom w/ anyone in there. I will always close the door, even w/ just tinkling. My husband, on the other hand, could go to the bathroom (1 or 2) with the Pope sitting next to him.

5. I always buy new clothes or new shoes for a trip. Even if I have everything I need.

6. You know how it's usually the man who drives the family car? Not in our family. I ALWAYS drive. My husband never drives. Yes, I know it's a control issue. :)

So there you go. My husband had more for the list. *rolling eyes*

What happens on TDY...

2008-05-07T12:36:00.003+02:00

My husband is TDY this week. It's not a long trip, less than a week, so it's going to be totally easy. Right? I mean, I have almost a week of lying in bed w/ the lamp on while I read and not having my husband say, "I can't sleep with the light on." I don't have to cook. And the reunion is, well, I don't need to go into that. *wink* Anyway, we've been married 14 army years, so I've easily survived longer TDY's and a deployment. But this is the first TDY since we've had a dog. A dog who is used to getting up with my husband for his morning walk and, ahem, constitution b/w 4 and 5 am. And our dog *will* go in the house if I don't get my lazy arse up, so I haven't slept well. I wake up at approx 3am and check the clock while dozing until 4-5.

All I know is that I have a wake-up left. I'm exhausted. I just think of future TDY's or deployments and groan.

TDY has taken on a whole different meaning for me.

Power Songs

2008-05-05T21:44:00.003+02:00

There was a discussion on Runner's World about power songs: Power songs...pretty self-explanatory, right? Right. So, I read through all the posts. All of them. Very popular are Eminem's Lose Yourself and Survivor's Eye of the Tiger. All genres of music were represented.

I have always loved anything peppy. As long as it was happy and danceable, then I liked it! I mean my mp3 player playlist has songs from the Legally Blonde soundtrack, Toby Keith, Eminem, army cadences, Hannah Montana, Rascal Flatts, Kiss, The Killers, Lenny Kravitz, Britney Spears, Elvis, Will Smith (and more) and my new favorites, angry man groups, like Linkin Park, Rage Against the Machine,Foo Fighters and Godsmack. I NEVER thought I'd like this type of music, but these songs are really power songs for me...they can get me running or keep me running like no other music can.

I worked out today at the gym again on the elliptical. My knee is feeling better, so I guess I did need the rest. Whatever. Anyway, I didn't try to set it up for any pre-set program. I just put it on manual and did intervals at certain points. I wasn't bored b/c I had to pay so much attention to the time, so it ended up being a good workout. Yay!

Books of April 08

2008-05-04T18:14:00.000+02:00

I've been in a reading slump for years. But don't take it as I'm reading no books at all b/c I'm still reading...I just find very few books that I like. I start a book and, immediately, I'm bored w/ it. Basically, I go into every book already thinking it's going to disappoint me. But I still read. And, yes, I read primarily romance. Don't judge me.

So, here's what I read for the month of April:

Her Every Pleasure -- Gaelen Foley (Eh.)

First You Run -- Roxanne St. Claire (pretty good...good enough that I'm interested in reading more of her backlist)

The Duke Next Door -- Celeste Bradley (Eh.)

Private Arrangements -- Sherry Thomas (pretty good...I still remember the story and it's been a few weeks since I read it, so that's a good sign LOL)

Twilight Series which consists of Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse -- Stephenie Meyer (LOVED them! Yes, the whole love triangle was unnecessary to me. What? Like Edward isn't the one? *pffft*)

Expounding on the Twilight Series....b/c I can. ;) If you haven't read or heard about Twilight, well, they're a series of books for young adults. I am, definitely, not a young adult. LOL But I have many friends who were raving about these books. I don't read books about vampires. Ever. Never. I'm not into fantasy. But I have that reading slump problem and thought, what if these books can pull me out of my slump? So, I went to the store and bought the first book, Twilight, but not the other 2 b/c what if I didn't even like the first book? I went home and read Twilight straight through. I went back to the bookstore the next day and picked up New Moon and Eclipse. I read those straight through back to back. I did have some problems w/ certain issues in the book due to the fact that the books are geared for young women aka tweens and teens. Soulmates? Whatever. But, overall, I LOVED this series. I am minorly obsessed with them and it's been a month since I read the books.

So, now I'm still in a slump b/c I can't find books as good as the Twilight series. *sigh*

Who knew I was an outside person?

2008-05-02T22:09:00.000+02:00

I exercised today! Wheeeeee, after a week off trying to heal my naughty knee. I knew I wanted to try something easy on the knee and since the harpy "thou shalt not run" doctor mentioned it, I biked. I don't own a bike and couldn't bike outside (which is better for all involved b/c I'm likely to hurt myself if not someone else), so I went to the gym. Okay, so I used to go to the gym a lot quite a few years ago and bike or run. No problem. The last 2-3 years, I cannot exercise at the gym...so boring and I'm lucky if I complete a mile. But I knew I had to do something before I start to gain back the weight that I've worked so hard to lose. I brought my mp3 player w/ my running songs. I picked the bike in front of one of the 3 tv's. I get myself all settled in and start pedaling. After the first couple of minutes I realize, shit!, I'm in front of the tv that's playing ESPN. *groan* I don't know if there's anyone out there who cares less about sports than I do. So, now I'm only listening to music and it's not diverting my boredom. But I'm trying...I swear. My awesome workout on the bike? 20 minutes. Gah, pathetic.

Good news! My knee has felt great today! I hope it's getting better. I don't know how many more days I'll last having to workout in the gym. I need to be outside w/ my feet on the pavement!!

Naughty knee

2008-05-01T23:33:00.000+02:00

I just got back from the doc about my knee. Um, yeah, she was no help. I still have no idea what is wrong w/ my knee. I have no idea what to do about it except stop running says the doc. She was really harpy about running being good for your heart but bad for your joints. Okay, that still doesn't asnwer why I have been running for over a year w/ NO pain AT ALL in my knee and it just starts all of a sudden. Stop running. Oh yeah, that's right. Find a different exercise to do. Ooookay, but I want to know what's wrong. It's probably tendonitis and it will go away if you stop running. I don't think it's serious enough for an x-ray or MRI. I just want to know what to do about it. People w/ knee problems strengthen this muscle (:she pats my thigh:). If it continues to hurt for another month or so then maybe you'll need physical therapy. Yeah, I'm going to not run this week, but I'm starting again next week. I'm researching exercises and a couple of friends who have had knee problems are helping, also. I just can't stop running now. It's part of my life. *sigh*

A friend of mine in her 30's was just diagnosed w/ stage 3 breast cancer. Ladies (and men) do your breast exams! Feel yourself up! :) Thanks Carrie for that one. :)

Running Injuries

2008-04-24T16:05:00.000+02:00

I swear I can't catch a break when it comes to my body falling apart. *sigh*

About 5 years ago I had decided to lengthen my runs and, hopefully, train for that elusive marathon. Well, that train was derailed w/ a 2 1/2 year battle w/ plantar fasciitis. I found a shoe, Brooks Addiction, that was perfect and my PF was history. Then came the Morton's neuroma from one pair of shoes I had been wearing. I got a pair of ugly ass Crocs so my toes could breathe and spread and, finally, the neuroma went away. Then came the turf toe. Okay, so that is self-diagnosed, but after all the research I did on the internet, that's the only thing it could be. Babied that and almost never feel it. NOW, son of a bitch, I've been having knee pain for a couple of weeks. *sigh* It is slightly below and slightly to the inside of my kneecap. The worst part is that I have no idea why my knee hurts. B/c I increased my mileage? B/c I had added runs w/ more downhills? B/c I got new shoes? (exact same ones that I used before, but the pain didn't start until I was running in the new shoes) The one difference is that all my other problems were in my left foot, but this pain is in the right knee.

So, now I'm sitting here w/ my leg propped up w/ a bag of frozen bag of corn on my knee. I'm doing the ibuprofen and muscle cream therapy. And, now I have to do more research b/c I'm not an "experienced" and knowledgeable runner. I used to think I just had to get out there and run. Hunh, who knew?

Dipping toe in the blogging water

2008-04-10T16:58:00.000+02:00

Okay, so I've had this blog account opened for a while and there have been zero entries. I mean, what should I talk about, that I really want random strangers to know? Um, if they cared...I do not have a big ego so I really don't think that what I might say would be of any concern to anyone. LOL

Maybe I should blog about running? I keep saying that I'm going to run a half-marathon and, eventually, a full marathon, but I have yet to do so. If I blog about it then I'll feel more pressure to actually get it done. :)

Should I blog about my army wife life? Some days are interesting. Other days, not so much. LOL We'll be pcs-ing to Germany this summer, so maybe there will be more interesting stories and travels to share?

Maybe about books I read?

Regardless of what I blog about, at least I've finally stepped into the water.