The Furniture Craze & A Weekend Road Trip

NEW FURNITURE!!!!! Due to our house full of family coming in October, I've been given the green light by D to finally get the house in working order. This is our latest addition bought off Ramstein yard sales for a grand total of $75.00!!! I was pscyhed! Huge thanks to Alisha and her husband for hold things for us until we found transportation! and a HUGE thanks to Miranda Snyder for allowing us to borrow her Ford F150 (man, it made me homesick!) to transport the chair to our apartment! I have been dying to purchase an over-sized chair aka chair-and-a-half for our living room. We have one at my house in Garland and it's been my reading chair all my life. I badly wanted to continue the tradition in MY home. Now my wish has come true! I'd like for you all to know that this morning's 'cuppa coffee and reading session took place in this chair. It's also ginormous. I can sit with my legs out in front of me in a pike position and only my ankles hang off. SO EXCITED!!!! We also managed to purchase a queen bed, and got some freebie pieces from our PCS-ing neighbors. So I have my work cut out for me as far as refinishing goes. I'm thrilled! Next stop: Toom, Practikur, & the BX!

Last weekend the weather was gorgeous. And because D is solar powered we decided to take a drive and go on a mini road trip to the Bad Durkheim area. For those of you who don't know... this is SERIOUS wine country. I have NEVER in ALL OF MY LIFE seen so many vineyards. The rows and rows of grape vines as far as the eye can see. Of course in our driving adventures, we just go and wind up in the most random places and hiking up to monasteries for lunch. You know, just a day in the life... lol So here are all our pictures from our trip!

"Hey check that out! a random castle! I want to go! Wait..... how on earth do we get there? Wanna find out?"

This was the Abbey we were trying to hike to. We saw it from below, and made a command decision to get up there... Actually truth be told, we had a bet going. I bet Dana that this was the castle you could see from the Autobahn (the 6) and he bet me it was something altogether different. I lost. Sad day..... Limburg Abbey (as it's really called)is a ruined abbey near Bad Dürkheim, at the edge of the Palatinate Forest in Germany. In the 9th century, the Salian Dukes from Worms built a fortress on the Linthberg as their family seat. In the early 11th century, the fortress was converted into a monastery with a basilica. It existed until the mid 16th century. So old!!!!!

This was our view when we finally reached the top of the Abbey. I was speechless! It look like we were viewing Oz and the emerald city was in the back. This is where we stopped sat on a bench and ate our picnic in front of this amazing vista.

We decided that hiking all this way, we should take a peek inside... Apparently it's a venue for concerts and plays. They have events going on all summer long! There's a show with "The Five Tenors" coming up that we are going to try and catch.

The door on the left went up to the tall tower photographed above. It was locked gosh darn it. I REALLY wanted to go up to the top!!!! Clearly I need practice in breaking 9th century locks. Date night next week maybe?

When we first drove up to the area, there were lots of parking attendants. We figured something was going on, but low and behold, its a wedding! Can you imagine having your reception here??? Jesus. I can already imagine all of the chandeliers in the trees and twinkle lights... and candles... Thank goodness that ship has already sailed... whew! I managed to catch a papparizi shot of the bride & groom plus some of the wedding party with my point & shoot. It cracks me up how D and I always end up witnessing some random couples wedding.

I was so proud of D! He was actually taking pictures with my camera! It's not his thing, but he knows how important it is to me. I thought he did a pretty great job!

This was the outside/front of the building... makes me wonder how awesome it would have been back in the day. I can imagine riding up to this place at night on horseback and completely being in awe of it.

aaaaannnnddddd the castle again. I was absolutely fascinated. It doesn't look real to me. I still can't get over the history here and how far back it goes... which is completely evident in the architectural styles. Poor D, he has to deal with me diving head first into architectural lingo. He'll be an arch major by association soon! I just know it!

Random path signs along the way.... I'd love to see where these lead... maybe to the random castle?!?

Limburg from a distance. This is what we saw originally and wanted to get up there... although we were at the bottom of the valley.

All in all, it was a fantastic trip! Our lunch of cheese, fruit, hard-boiled eggs, and chocolate completely filled our tummies. It was after this adventure that we were supposed to head to IKEA, but we forgot we were out of VAT forms. I'm not about so spend excess money that I can save with a VAT form, so we turned around and came home. Thanks husband, for adventuring with me, even though I was wearing the wrong shoes, am a know-it-all, and take WAAAAAYYYY to many pictures. You're the best.

We are headed to IKEA this evening to pick up some wall shelving units. If you've kept up with the blog then you've been privy to my whining about us not having any storage more than you ought to. It is my goad to have these shelves remedy 75% of this problem. Coupled with our free furniture, we might be in great shape soon. I promise to take lots of pictures and before/after shots. Should be an adventure.

Tomorrow we are headed to a fireworks show/festival in town about two hours from where we live. It's Paula's birthday on tuesday, and since Brandon has to work, we wanted to celebrate with them this weekend. What better to make you feel like it's your birthday than the most amazing fireworks display EVER? So I'm really excited about that. I just pray that the weather stays as beautiful tomorrow as it has been all week. I'm kind of freaking out.... there's so much sunshine!

I wish you all a FANTASTIC Friday full of unexpected pockets of happiness. I miss you..... more than you could know! Lots of love!

A Little of This & A Little of That...

Last night I came home from an Otterberg Girls Night well after midnight. I can barely manage to keep my eyes open. So I jammed out to a 90's high school mix complete with the Goo Goo Dolls, The Atari's, Staind, & Incubus. Nothing like a little trip down memory lane to keep you awake. I stumble through the front door, arms loaded with stuff, and set the leftover cake down in the kitchen. I didn't quite make it back through the door without jamming my shoulder in the frame... yay for absentee depth perception. After the rest of my crap stuff falls to the living room floor, my eyes focus on the strange piece of furniture that now adorns our living room. Clearly this is what happens when I'm out of the house for the evening. My husband likes to perform magic tricks and overnight things happen and appear as if from nowhere. I am bewildered and intrigued. Where did this handy shelf/drawers set come from? What is it's intended purpose exactly? My next immediate thought "Can I use it to store D's massive shoe collection? Would they all even fit?" At this point I realized I was almost drooling due to fatigue and too many problem solving thoughts this late at night. Probably a good time for me to go to bed. As I snuggled next to my husband, I murmured a contented thank you for my free surprise furniture. While I still don't know the origin of this alien structure, looks like I have a new project! Thanks D! I love you!

The Sugar Queen's latest creation: Lavender Vanilla Bean cupcakes!!! I'd been craving these for a while now. The lavender came from a dear friend of mine in Cedar Rapids, Miss Erin Thomas. Thank you SO much!!!! This cake is a permanent addition to my company and was created in honor of you, Erin! I took them to Otterberg and Lily & Sam both ate their VERY OWN cake! Seriously one of the hilarious highlights of my week. Lily ate hers so daintily with one hand, icing first, then cake. Sam went to town with fist fulls of icing. Both children were licking the table when told they could not have any more. I'd call that success friends. They were a pretty big hit with the adults too!

Jess is leaving for the states for SIX WEEKS tomorrow. So Jen and I helped her out yesterday by watching the girls and making dinner so she could pack, stress free. One of those small but important luxuries when you're a mom of two. Jen also had to finish up a photo shoot with her, so I had the opportunity to play hair & makeup. Definitely taught myself how to french fishtail braid yesterday!!!! I was so pleased at the way it turned out! I even got to use fun shadows! I won't give away the theme, but we had a fantastic time! Girls night wouldn't be complete without a drink, and we indulged in a particular beer brought over by a friend! YUM!

Then of course we were witness to a fantastic sunset in Otterberg. Makes me with our windows face due west.... Because moments like this in life are rare!

It was a combined team effort for dinner that night. Home-made chicken pot pie with an appetizer of watermelon and feta cheese (who knew how amazing THAT is. With full bellies we put the girls to bed and resumed adult time downstairs. We indulged in nail painting, jen's music, and you tube videos. And best of all, Jess got to relax and not worry about the packing! Mission accomplished! Thanks ladies!

So last week for date night D & I went to this charming place in landstuhl called Gabriella's. It was warm enough out side (crazy... this is the end of July people!) so we were able to eat on the patio. I have to give this restaurant two thumbs WAY up. The food is fantastic, the service is very friendly, and they give you a free apple shot on the way out the door. Our only qualms was the number of Americans at the restaurant. I think it was due to us going at prime time, on a beautiful night... but we have become so used to not being able to hear other people's conversations, it was a hard adjustment to not be nnoyed at the sheer volume of the english speaking tables. The prices are awesome though. D & I ate with full bellies for only 29 euro, with dessert! Dinner was on "dot" last week as I had saved enough in my coin purse to take us out. Kind of like emptying the piggy bank. Definitely a great night!

In Other News...

Tomorrow I have plans to make pillow covers with Paula and Thursday we're having Crystal over for dinner! I cannot tell you how amazing it is to be surrounded by such fantastic people! I'd be lost without you all!

We received dates this week on when we're going to be invaded by the Wollschlager/Ndjerareou clan!!! I am SO excited!!! Mama & Papa W, Sarah, Nate & Sophia will all be staying with us for THREE WEEKS starting from October 17 through November 5th. Oh the possibilities!!! It will be wonderful to have a house full of family, not to mention a small child running around... although every time I see her she's not so small! So a huge shoutout to my W family for taking the time and resources to come and visit us here in our small town in Germany. We can hardly wait!!!!!!

That's all for today faithful readers! There are some fun projects ahead and I'm excited to share them once they're complete! Love you guys!

Frohe Ostern (Happy Easter!), Birthday Shenanigans, & Daily Surprises...

Today's Excitement Last Week's Excitement:
Dana and I almost never eat on base if we can help it. It's been a tradition for both of us whenever we're overseas. One night last week, we double dated with the Amrein's at Macaroni Grill. I do adore me some italian food! Ironically enough, that isn't the excitement. We had the most amazing waiter i have ever had the pleasure of encountering. To protect his identity in this story let's call him "Philip". Now, "Philip" was cheerful right from the start.... he made us feel like it was just his luck that he was able to be our waiter for the evening. This is so rare. But on top of the amazing service, he gave us table trivia... and told us if we answered correctly we would win a "free" dessert (by which we would compensate him in the tip of course.) The Amrien's had a question and so did we. They were written on the paper table cloth in crayon as follows:

1. Steven Spielberg had many critically acclaimed films in his life. For which of the following did he receive his first Academy Award?
a. Jaws
b. ET
c. Jurassic Park
d. Saving Private Ryan
e. Schindler's List

2. How many million miles is the earth away from the sun?
a. 30
b. 42
c. 73
d. 93

Unfortunately Dana and I missed our question, but the Amrein's got theirs right... (1. d , 2. d) which mean, free brownie ice cream dessert! YUM! But i digress... the excitement... During the meal, "Philip" had brought over the customary gigantic pepper grinder that the waiters at the Mac Grill use. I commented on how cool they were and told dana that we needed to get one ASAP. "Philip" then commented that he had a customer once tell him how she had stolen a pepper grinder from another Mac Grill location. D & I were in awe. and yes, stealing did cross my mind. But before you go and think we're criminals (and stupid ones at that as i'm posting this on a blog) let me finish the story. At the end of the meal, "Philip" came over to take our plates and had a pepper grinder in his hand. i still had my plate in front of me and he said "Sooooo, i'm going to leave this hear for you as i am SURE you're going to need lots of pepper with your meal. PLEASE feel free to use as much as you like." i then realized he was setting us up to allow us to take the grinder home! He then came back with all the meals packaged and a large carryout bag. "Philip" - "Here, allow me to pack this up for you... " (in goes the pepper grinder) "wouldn't want you to forget anything... You folks have a great night!" i was ecstatic! Turns out "Philip" is more than a regular Joe. We chatted with him for a while after that and he used to have a pretty prestigious career back in the states (of which i won't mention to further protect his identity). All this is to say that between the Amrein's and ourselves, we were pleased as punch with the oh-so-friendly service. We even filled out comment cards to praise "Philip" on a job well done. Here's the fruit of our success....

Froe Ostern!!!! (A Germany Easter)
I don't know how this happened, but Easter completely snuck up on us this year. What the french toast? Dana calls me one day to tell me that there's a three day weekend and i about fell out of my chair realizing the extra day was good friday. Oops. I was sad to realize i hadn't done any holiday decorating this year. No dying eggs, or painting wood cutouts. The only festive thing i had done was buy a seven pound bag of easter peanut M&M's (don't judge. you know you wanted to do it.) So collectively dana and I decided that we would cook a nice meal for sunday night dinner. We went to church on easter morning and heard a really good message. Although the song & dance broadway musical wasn't quite my style. We went to Barbarosa Backerei for lunch and had some amazingly yummy snacks!

I had no idea easter was such a big deal in Germany. When i went to Globus with Amy while running errands, i was astounded at the amount of unique easter chocolate delicacies. I have never seen such gourmet chocolate bunnies, eggs, ladybugs, kinder eggs, etc. It was a regular foreign holiday candy smörgåsbord. I wish i would've gotten a picture, but i was slightly embarrassed to pull out my camera and look like a tourist (shame on me! i know..). On my walks about our neighborhood, there were also signs of easter everywhere! Dana and I managed to have a wonderful holiday complete with an amazing dinner of angel hair pasta with sauteed cherry tomatoes, sundried tomatoes, lemon & tuna plus garlic bread from fresh bakery bread. YUM! 

Birthday Shenanigans

Dana's 28th birthday was on April 10th. I have been prepping a birthday surprise for him for the past two weeks!!!! I couldn't have done this without the help of Amy Hopkins, my fairygodmother. While surveying the contents of Amy's garage with her she mentioned that she was getting rid of the rundown teak wood patio set sitting there. She told me if i wanted it, i could refinish it and have the set! She was happy to get it out of the garage. I of course jumped at the chance and the project. She has a small amount of mineral oil but i knew i would eventually need to go out and get more. So after one coat was on the table and part of a chair, off i headed. I was super excited to get to Toom without using the GPS... all the way from Weilerbach! Then i was saddled with an altogether different problem... i knew what kind of oil i needed, but i keep forgetting that wherever i go, all the products/groceries/supplies are in german. i-phone to the rescue.... well sort of. I sat there for an hour translating different types. and I was terrified of getting the wrong one. Actually, i was more terrified of over paying for the right stuff, when i could have bought the generic version for soooo much less. don't forget, it's all in euro on the economy. so $20 is more like $35. I really wanted to get teak oil... but it was going to be around 56€ . ($73... ouch) So I finally i broke down and asked for someone who spoke english. I ended up talking to the nicest German girl and she was SO helpful. Products in hand, i raced back to Amy's to finish the first coat. The table and chairs ended up having three coats of oil apiece and turned out gorgeous! I was shocked at the difference. Here's before and after photos so you can see for yourself. 

With the patio furniture, my idea was to give Dana "porch therapy" here in Germany. It's a concept his family developed in Iowa with their ginormous back porch with the beautiful view. I managed to pick up some cute spring-like cushions at Globus and a mini lantern for a candle. I knew i was going to cook him a ridiculous dinner and serve it on the balcony of our apartment. The day comes and it's so over cast.... but Amy and her  three little ones, help us load everything in the van and then bring it into the apartment. The table and chairs fit beautifully! I was so excited at how it was all coming together. It has taken EVERYTHING in my power to keep this secret. Not being able to blog about it was killing me. KILLING me. My menu for the night was the following: Pan Seared Marinated Rib-eye Steaks with a Merlot reduction sauce. Crab & chive cream cheese mashed potatoes. Sauteed french style green beans with shallots. & for dessert, his favorite, red velvet cupcakes. SO excited! Amy had helped me drop the car for dana back on base, so all i had to do was prep the house/meal/birthday presents for him when he got home! He was so surprised when he walked in the door! I had set up the table outside with a dinner for two.... with the piles of presents on the table. The best part was that it was raining. and because of the direction our balcony faces and the fact that it's covered, we could sit and eat outside in the rain, and didn't get wet at all!!! Enjoy the photos. (:

Daily Surprises.....
"Babe i just got coined!"
This was exclaimed to me over the phone the other day and i was clueless. just when i think i've got the hang of the military my husband throws some other seemingly arbitrary lingo my way. He then explained in an excited rush that he had just received the Sharp Award from the Cheif's group on Ramstein. The term getting coined comes from the superior's action of handing the airman a coin when he shakes his hand. It's a reputable honor. Dana was awarded for doing an outstanding job when he thought no one was watching. I was so proud of him. He even had his picture in the paper! (:

Date night at your neighborhood Asian restaurant...
Dana and I have been dying to try the Asian restaurant literally right down the road from us... across the street from LARMC the hospital. It was delicious! I had the best dim sum i've ever tasted. i swear they put crack in it. I highly recommend this place to anyone who loves asian cusine! (or asian beer). I took photos of my fortune that night because not only was it scary accurate, and made my husband laugh hysterically... i thought it was great that one side of the fortune is in english and the other is in German. I can honestly say i've never gotten a fortune that didn't have some type of japanese or chinese translation.

Spring is on it's way...
Dana and i have continued our walks as often as possible. I can honestly say i've never seen spring come in so slowly before... or perhaps i've never taken notice. In the states it always seems like one day you wake up and you're driving down the highway and all of a sudden you notice that the world has turned green again. Here i notice the budding and trees, realizing in a few days this one will be covered in gorgeous blooms... that the saucer magnolia will be beautiful.. and the streets are about to burst with a sea of color. It's also interesting to see flowers and plants i'm not used to dealing with. I'm counting on my dad to tell me what they are. It's been wonderful to see the scenery wake up from such a gloomy winter.

This weekend:

Since i'm leaving for texas soon, dana and i are trying to get everything in order here in Germany. Which means fun things like putting furniture together has gone by the way side.... it still baffles me how we can get through an entire week and feel like NOTHING got accomplished. because we were busy.... because life happens... sigh. My passport still hasn't come in, which makes us a little nervous. but I'm putting my faith in God. He'll make it all work out. I'm happy to be able to give Him something and worry about one less thing. Wedding prep is all over the place. I now truly understand what my girls meant when they would look at me with weary eyes and say "i'll be so glad with this is just over...". I'm extremely close to the point where i just throw my hands in the air and say "i just don't care anymore... my perfectionista attitude is not only driving everyone else nuts, but it's turning me into Mrs. Crazy-Pants." yikes. It's as if the world is saying, give it up K... can't win 'em all.

I was also shocked at the sudden realization that i wasn't ready to go home. dana's and my relationship consisted of talking through some sort of electronic or paper device for almost an entire year, and neither of us are eager to do that again, even if it is for only a month and a half. I'm also bummed to miss the rest of spring in Germany. There are so many festivals and wine tastings.... i'll be eager to get back. Well, that's all for now. It was a long overdue update. Wishing all our friends and family a wonderful weekend! Love ya!