Part Seam-stress, Part Foreigner, Part Award Winner, & Soon-to-be Homeward Bound

Current Excitement:
There are three things in life that i will never turn down. Movie-theater popcorn, cupcakes, & ice cream. Imagine my surprise when D & I are driving home from base and we happen upon the ice cream man in our neighborhood! Here's where my brain went nuts... We're in Germany... buying ice cream from an Italian Ice Cream Man... who speaks German, Italian, & English... and he'll accept dollars & euro. I was positively tickled pink! So we flagged him down and D & I both got a Kugel. Which is 1 scoop. I got cookies and cream while dana had Stracciatella (Chocolate Chip). I was interested to find that the cookies for cookies and cream were not Oreos.... but some other kind of German chocolate cookie that tasted strongly of hazelnut and coconut. (: Talk about a wonderful surprise to the end of a hard day! The ice cream man even gave me sprinkles!!!

Part Seam-stress...

As April came to a close I have been in incessant wedding planning mode. Planning a wedding from another country is NOT even REMOTELY ideal. But, i'm trying to do the best i can when what i've got. Which means trying to get as many things completed while i'm here as possible. There's a ton of DIY stuff to do for decorations, but unfortunately i don't want to ship it all back home... which is why i'm headed home a month early to complete the various crafts and tasks before the big day. One of the projects to start while i was here is my flower girl's dress. Dana's & my niece Sophia is going to be our flower girl for the big day. I wanted her to have a fun princessy dress, and i didn't want to spend an arm and a leg on it. TA-DA!! Fairy-Godmother to the rescue!!! I knew Amy would be the perfect person to help me construct the perfect little dress. I met with her and explained what i wanted to do. She then drew up a sketch and we chatted about materials and construction. I was so excited when the day came to actually sew! The only part that's missing (and of course, it's the most important) is the tulle to form the tutu. Tulle costs 7€ a meter!!! Amy was smart in telling me to go home to Jo-Ann's and get it for $2 a yard. This way I can make the skirt as full as i want! All that being said, i'm REALLY pleased with the way the dress turned out. And I can tell Sophia that her dress was made with German fabric! (: 

Part Foreigner...

This is more of an update on everyday life things in Germany.... D & I have taken more walks... and seen more sights... and all around have been pleased as punch to live in a foreign country together. Our life, however, is not perfect.... so don't be fooled. But we try to take pleasure in the small things.... in hopes that one day, our current worries and laments will be no more. I snapped lots of random photos in the past week... Caught the German Postman on film... LOVE the yellow van. lol Captured more typical german houses... Even one with a beehive on the balcony! 

It was a really clear day.... and you can see the rolling hills... LOVE IT!

This is one of my favorite houses... 

Check out the beehive on the balcony... it's the green box.

Dana & I were at Globus (German Supermarket) and we found premixed  Rum & Coke. I know some boys back home who would LOVE this!

This was the day the fog rolled in.... everything is really starting to green up here. it's amazing!

This week we spent weds night with the Amriens and took them to the Asian restaurant down the street. Then came back for an intense game of Scrabble! here is the board results with Paula adding a "D" to "rezone" for the win! It was agreed before we started that German words were allowed. ha!

Dana & I took friday night for us this week as i am leaving soon to head back to the states. We hiked down the hill and across to a neighboring hill to see the castle in Landstuhl. There is a hotel near there called Schloss Hotel (Castle Hotel), so we stopped for dinner. AMAZING food. Highly recommend it to all those here in the area. We pulled out all the stops... both of us having drinks (since neither of us were driving!!!), entrees, THE dessert plate, & after dinner coffee. Not only was everything delicious, but it was beautiful weather... and i got to spend some quality time with D.

After dinner we hiked to the castle... which was surpisingly bigger than i thought it would be. We couldn't go in as it was closed for the evening... but there's a beautiful lookout point where you can see down on the town. So we look out over Landstuhl and what do we see? There's a CARNIVAL behind city hall!!! I was so excited!!! 

see the glowing lights? that's the carnival!!!!

Down the hill we hiked working our way through the maze of streets towards the carnival. I'm amazed at how unless you see the carnival, you'd never know it's there. The streets are so dense with buildings that they block out all the sounds and lights from anywhere around. Finally we made it and i felt like i was 8 years old all over again. This festival had everything from cotton candy to my FAVORITE sour ribbons... to bratwurst and waffles and sugar cinnamon almonds... there were rides and bumper cars!!! there were beer stands and of course fair games! We tried our best to do a bit of everything... including the bumper cars!!! I was most shocked to find my favorite sour candy. i haven't had it in 6 months (which is crazy talk for those that don't know me) and it was awesome to share it with D. His face when he realized how sour it was.... priceless. haha It was by far the most fantastic date night we've spent together in a long time. I felt so blessed that we were able to do this before i leave D for a month. 

Part Award Winner...

So in the last post, i wrote about Toppers... the Theater Awards Ceremony. This post is all about my husband and how proud i am of him. Dana recently was awarded the Tony Sturm Performance Award for the 86th Com Sqd. This was an award he was nominated for by his superiors and then was interviewed by a panel of high ranking brass where he presented his daily work agendas and answered their questions at the end. I attended the luncheon award ceremony where he was announced the winner. I have rarely been so proud. It is an incredible thing to watch someone you love shine so brightly and be revered by their peers. He was also coined again by his commander at the luncheon. (: I know how hard Dana works everyday and i am glad that he was recognized for his commitment and his work performance. i love you D!

Giving his speech after he was announced the winner. Did i mention he'd been out sick with strep all week? and missed the rehearsal for the ceremony... (:

Soon-to-be Homeward Bound.... 

I leave for Texas in 2 days. wow............... time really does fly. On one hand i feel like i've been here forever... and on the other i feel like i just arrived. I never expected i would be this melancholy to leave my life here in Germany. I know that i will be back sooner than i can blink... but being apart from Dana takes me back to a time where we had to wait at least 4 months to see each other again. So there's a knee jerk reaction that makes me feel as if we'll be apart for a LONG time... even though it's only for a month. 

The wedding is looming closer and closer. We skyped with our photographer the other day (geez the technology these days!!!) and I was thrilled!!! Chelsea is wonderful and holds all of our values close to her own heart. She is an amazing addition to the wedding and i am so glad we were able to book her. She and her husband will be attending the rehearsal dinner to meet the family and snap some photos! She even wants to get the wedding featured! Talking with her caused my excitement meter to go WAY up. I could barely contain myself not to start projects here that have to be started in the states. How did i cope? Why, Pinterest of course!

So now the packing is started.. and the lists are being checked off.... and i'm terrified that i'm going to forget something here that i need. I know the next month is going to be a blur. I'm trying my best to enjoy the moments as they come... for the wedding is a once in a lifetime process and i intend to relish in it. It makes me realize that when push comes to shove, the important thing is getting to celebrate with our family and friends... so if every tiny little detail isn't perfect, it's still okay. I am excited to see my family and our friends. It's been entirely too long... and part of me is comforted that this event will allow us to further tighten ties made with people we don't see very often. 

This is my last post here in Germany... so the next time i write i'll be in my kitchen in G-Town withering in the 100+ degree temperature heat index in shorts and a tank top (as opposed to jeans, a long sleeve shirt, house shoes, & a sweater). Look out Texas! KW's coming home!


my love and prayers to you all! see you soon!

Shoe Art, More Furniture Mayhem, & Kingdom Keys

Today's Excitement:

I have constructed, painted, and put up my shoe art!!!! "what on earth does this mean' you ask? Well, I'll tell ya. Dilemma #1,428 post move to Germany: Too Many Shoes & ZERO storage. oh what to do... what to DO!?? A while back in good 'ole Cedar Rapids Iowa, my friend and creative genius Erin Thomas sent me a link on an article that contains a DIY project for your shoes. I have an obsession with beautiful high heels, and the article suggests turning your shoes into wall art. They tell you to buy the frame shelves that are around $30.00 per shelf. HA!!! surely i can do better than this. So then i go a-hunting in the IKEA catalog. well.. well... well... Shoe racks (that resemble towel racks) for 6 euro apiece. well i want around 7 or 8 racks. which means 48 euro. Can I convince my husband this is necessary... NOPE. back to the drawing board. It was a this point that i was racking my brain as to how this could become a possibility. What is the construction of the shelves/racks? could i make it for cheaper? Then it hits me like a dodge ball to the face.... I could use crown molding!!! furthermore, i could paint it any color i wanted, instead of having to deal with whatever color the shelf/or rack came in. Turns out, crown molding = 8 euro for a 96" strip. PERFECT!!! And the project was formed. Never mind the borrowing of powertools, plugging them into a transformer because they aren't 220 (Dude, don't underestimate... it works), multiple drill bit adventures & finally success. I am ecstatic with the results!!! I should have taken photos of construction along the way... but i was just too excited! Here are more images of the results. Enjoy!

More Furniture Mayhem...

So the adventure continues with the gigantic wall shrank that we bought on Ramstein Yardsales. After careful scrutiny (and the helpful eyes of James Hopkins), we discovered that "the unit" (as d & i so commonly refer to it) does indeed come apart... much like that of the ever popular portable IKEA furniture. So became the project of saturday afternoon/evening. We started in the storage room... taking the thing apart... one piece at a time.

We had to take the back off first, which ended up being the largest pain in the ass....There are soooo many tiny little screws... and that space between the wall of the storage and the unit isn't very big. So who decides that he needs to be in there??? why my gigantic husband of course.

So we finally get the thing apart... and it's in pieces. except for one large piece that we couldn't break down any further and had to carry up 9 flights of stairs... see-sawing it all the way up because it's too wide to fit in the staircase. But we made it! I owe Dana big time for this one. Just so you all can see, this is how tiny the elevator actually is...

I think it took us two elevator trips and the one-time 9 flight walk up. whew! So this weekends project is to put the darn thing back together again. I thought about refinishing it and was seriously challenged. and the realized i have too many other things going on right now to finish the job properly. and it isn't horribly scratch up. Nothing i can't fix. (: Phase Two?? ACCOMPLISHED!

Kingdom Keys...

Here's something random that i've come to consider normal while living in Germany. When we moved into our apartment here, i noticed that there were keys in every lock on every door of EVERY room. I asked Dana if one key unlocked multiple doors. He said nope with a smile. So we have nine keys to our house. ha! I didn't really think much of it as we don't really lock the doors.... But then i was at Amy's house on Monday working on a project and I wandered into the laundry room to throw my handkerchief in the dirty clothes. And low and behold, there is a rack of what seems like 100 keys. Because in her house, when every door has a different key, it's a good many more doors... considering they have three children and a basement apartment. So this image was my comic relief and my happy place for the entire rest of the day. Mostly because of how organized it is. (:

March comes to a close...

These were the last couple of images taken in March. I had made a fabulous dinner the other night for Dana and I. It turned out so delicious i had to photograph it. even though it's simple... it's one of my favorite series of dishes to make. Curry Salmon Cakes with Aioli, Sauted French Green Beans, & Baked Pomme Frites. YUM!

So I finally got around to cleaning the kitchen the other day... and i figured, it's probably the perfect time to photograph it... and let you all see my favorite room in the house. Thanks to photoshop's PhotoMerge effect, you can see the WHOLE kitchen. This shot took seven photos to compose. Even though there are a few errors, it definitely gives you the overall picture. (: Enjoy!

This Weekend:

is a three day weekend... not to mention a holiday... Easter, how DARE you sneak up on me like that! We have a couple of things that could potentially happen. Dana and I both just finished reading The Hunger Games (highly recommend it!!!) and we are dying to see the movie! Then there's "the unite" Phase Three: Operation No Extra Parts. All in all, if the weather cooperates, we could have a pretty nice holiday in order! Hope everyone is having a wonderful week and we wish you all a marvelous Easter Weekend!

"Oh shock and disbelief!!!"

Today's Excitement:

Well, it was actually yesterdays... i went to the post office with a finished wedding invitation to check the postage. i wanted to make sure there was enough stamps to send the thick book. I asked the woman behind the counter, she weighed it and told me i had plenty of postage. I was so thrilled i grabbed my things to leave... and she tells me that unfortunately, i need a customs form to mail it. my eyes got huge and my heart sank. i proceeded to reply that these are my wedding invitations and i have around 94 to send out. (in case you're bad at putting two and two together... that's NINETY FOUR CUSTOMS FORMS.... dana, i love you, but your last name has entirely too many letters for me to write it NINETY FOUR times.) i asked her if she was serious and she told me that i could chance it and send them without, but if they came back it wasn't her fault. so. instead, i am preparing all of them with the appropriate stamps, putting them in a large box, and shipping them to my father so that he can mail them stateside. yet one more hoop to jump through when planning a wedding from another country while residing on a military base. *sigh*

i know i haven't written in a while... but the wedding has been taking up an enormous amount of time. hand making all of the envelopes and all the trimmings that come with a wedding invitation is way more time consuming than i would have imagined. it's a blast though. if i could ever have the buisness of my dreams it would be to create custom wedding invitations. complete with the envelopes, seals, and calligraphy. it's my happy place. and my mad scientist lab table (aka the dining room table) proves it. the image below reminds me of studio... those were the days!

D and i have also been busy helping out with the ramstein community theater production of "The Somewhat True Tale of Robin Hood" a hysterical comedy that's somewhere between monty python and men in tights. Check out their Facebook page that lists dates, times and ticket prices. I highly recommend the VIP seating, as there are couches and they're way more comfortable! it's fun for the WHOLE family. Your kids are going to love this. So come out and support your local Razz-MaTazz Community Theater!

So yesterday i made a trip to Otterbach to visit Jess at her AMAZINGLY fantastic home and i won't lie i was a bit nervous to drive out there by myself. German navigation is insane. tiny tiny roads that you wouldn't think two cars were supposed to fit on, more or less three... and i was leaving base after the post office debacle and i was supposed to get gas before i went home. for those of you who aren't familiar, if you get gas on base, you pay american prices. You can get gas at any Esso Station and pay with your prepaid card to get the amercian prices also, but i am NOT familiar with the locations of the Esso stations anywhere outside landstuhl. so i stupidly forgot to get gas because i was so frazzled by the invitation incident and left for Jess's on less than a fourth of a tank. Luckily i remembered before i left and jess kindly directed me to the nearest station close to Globus. I had less than two notches worth of gas and after running out on the highway in iowa, i am terrified of it happening again. so i prayed the whole way. as my luck would have it i made it. but i did take a pictures of the totals on the meter. because this is what we would pay if we bought gas on the German economy instead of using American rates. that's 83.97 EURO. which currently is $110.60. to fill up a 15 gallon tank on a honda accord. Crazy huh? you could go broke just trying to keep gas in your car!

well, that's all for now. i've got a million invitations to finish! Love you guys! i'll try to write more often even if it's sans pictures.