Holidays away from Home

or “embracing the suck”

It’s been about 15 years since I moved away from home.  Home being my Mom and the little house I grew up in.  Since then she has sold the Colorado house and moved to Florida but when I think of Christmas, I think of that house and how my mom would put the tree in the same place every year.  I think of gathering at my Aunt Janet’s house on Christmas Eve and torturously waiting for all the grown-ups to finish dinner so we could open presents.  (I swear Uncle Dan got seconds just to give him self a laugh at us kids expense)

Welcoming home my Solider!

I could tell you all about how awesome it is welcoming home that long awaited loved one after days and weeks of anticipation, but lucky for me, I hired an awesome photographer who pretty much captured it all.  I’ll let her photos show you how awesome it feels!

This is just me being silly with Shannon but it makes me laugh

A Year in Germany

well a little OVER a year… ‘cause I’m always late

I’ve made my second turkey for my second Thanksgiving in Germany, which means I’ve been here just over a year and my, how time flies!

An Epic Blur

of awesomeness

There aren’t many times in my life when I’ve agreed to do something totally fun, slightly illegal, and most likely out of my comfort zone/ fitness abilities.  But when my friend Megan and her visiting buddy Kirsten invited me on a week long trip that included climbing a mountain and primitively camping, I was ready.  Full steam ahead!

The cat is out of the bag

 

The news has officially been released and we could not be happier!  Cody and his unit are coming back home EARLY!

October Update

again with the not writing enough!

Boy these months are flying by faster than I can keep up with them!  I guess that’s a good thing while Cody is away.  It’s strange to think this time last year I was stressing about the whole process of PCSing to Germany.  A year can go by so quickly!

September came and went,

and I didn’t blog enough!
I hate it when I forget to blog!  I have actually been kind of busy so I kind of have an excuse… right?  Fall is also in full swing and the beautiful crisp weather has occupied much of my attention.

My New HBB!

or Home Based Business

I am super excited to announce that my application for an HBB got approved!  I am the newest, registered freelance makeup artist in the Bavarian Military community!

The long awaited dirndl!

and a brief history for those who are interested

A few days ago my personal photographer (ha!), Megan came over and snapped some photos of me frolicking in my new dirndl. I posted this photo on Facebook later.

Porn Star?

Nope!

I just found out there is a porn star named Sara Jay.  I’m not her.  I have an “H” in my name and my boobs are SIGNIFINTALY smaller.  So if you happen to be here for porn, you’ve come to the wrong place. Although her youtube video about fan etiquette is kinda funny.

What I do have, are a few more photos from the road trip. There were a lot of photos that I just did not get to fit into the previous blogs and I just have to share them!  It was such a photo heavy trip, but what trip isn't? 

A German road trip! Part three

The Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe in Kassel

Day three of our trip takes us to Kassel.  Megan actually found this place on Pinterest when a friend of hers posted it to a board.  After googling it and learning it was only two hours from Heidelberg, we added it to the itinerary.  Good thing too!  It is one of the most amazing places I’ve seen in Germany so far.

A German road trip! Part two

Heidelberg

A German road trip! Part one

Part One: Freiburg

I can’t remember the last time I went on a road trip, it’s been so long, but when the boys left for deployment my friend Megan and I decided we should occupy some of our newly acquired time with a bit of traveling.

A bit of Deutchland Sommer

The locals seem to love summer here, and who could blame them?  The weather is lovely!  With winter being so long and dark, Germans really squeeze every drop out of summer that they can.  Very much an “enjoy it while it lasts” mentality.  Part of that mentality is the garden.  Every where you look there is a riot of color spilling over the base of each window and every porch or balcony has planters brimming with blooms.

A Day At The Pool

The pool in our little town of Vilseck is quite possibly the most lovely, well kept, and clean pool I’ve ever been to. And when I went yesterday I brought my camera so I could show you all just how awesome it really is!

Preparing for the Worst

both physically and emotionally

Wow! Italy seems like a lifetime ago already!  The last two weeks of leave, we spent together, not doing much but enjoying each other’s company as we won’t be able to for much longer.  Lately we’ve been making plans for Independence Day and it’s really making me appreciate my husband’s presence even more.  It’s also made me think about the countless soldiers and their families who gave the ultimate sacrifice so our country can celebrate on the fourth of July, year after year.

Italy and all it’s wonders

or at least as many as we could take in, in a week.

Our vacation started off with a bang so to speak.  Not the exciting kind as one would hope for, but more of the shocking type that makes you worry that your vacation is now canceled.

Memories

 light the corners of my mind.

A couple of weeks ago I helped the on post high school with the production of their musical The Little Mermaid Jr.  I was their make up artist. When I started, I was worried I would be surrounded by whiney, drama and angst filled teens, but I’m happy to say that I could not have been more wrong.

Been a sort of Busy Bee

At least I suppose I’ve been busy, but there are surely LOTS of bees here in Germany.  In fact, there have been a lot more bugs in general than I had expected, since the weather warmed up.  I’ve had an ant problem and I keep finding increasingly larger spiders throughout the house.  I also, have bites all over my legs that are unlike anything I’ve ever had. They take a ridiculous amount of time to heal and itch something fierce!

Is there hope and humanity left in the world?

personal rantings that I just need to let out.

I live in a world where the media pounces upon and amplifies tragedy.  Where freedom of speech has crowed out the morals of courtesy and respect.  Where religious wars rage everyday in public forums in every corner of the web.  Where a whole community of teenager’s reality is so skewed, they view a rape victim as the runnier of the rapist’s lives. And as I am so desiring to have a baby, I can’t help but ask myself; is this the world I want my children to grow up in?

Frühlingsfest

AKA: Huge amounts of glorious flowers EVERYWHERE!

Last Saturday we went to our first Frühlingsfest (which means Spring Festival) and my first Volksfest. I was in awe of all the flowers!  Every other tent was full of fresh cut flowers by the bundle and beautifully arranged bouquets, for no more than 10EUR.

A Photo Update

Cause I’m too lazy to write right now and It’s been awhile since I posted photos.

In February we went to the Edelweiss Lodge and Resort on a marriage building seminar the army does.

Things that go bump in the night

and the day, we’re not prejudiced here.

You know when you watch a scary movie and the one person who is trying to let people know that this shit is haunted and we all need to leave get’s softly called crazy?  Well, I feel like that one person, and you all are going to think I’m loosing it over here in Germany.  I’m a little surprised at myself for even wanting to write about this, but here goes…

Gone to the Field

a first for both of us

So Cody is gone to the field for 3 weeks.  No contact.  What to do, what to do?

Motivation?

I forgot what that is…

There is SO MUCH SNOW on the ground, out tiki man has a flat-top!

Uuuuuuup Date,

from the slacker.

So here I’ve let a month go by with out blogging ANYTHING!  Shame shame Miss Jay! I guess I’ll catch you up to speed.

Day trip to Regensburg

where my camera died because I forgot to charge it.

This is the second time I’ve gone on a little day trip and I’ve forgotten to charge my damn camera!  But I did get some pictures, mostly of the amazing cathedral.  There was so much to do and see in Regensburg, and I didn’t get to do the thing I wanted to so most which was see the Domspatzen which is the boys choir, so I think we’ll have to go back in late spring early summer and go to a Sunday mass just to hear them perform.

To IKEA and back again

but first to Bamberg

IKEA.  I love it, it’s like my grown-up Disney land!  I’ve been looking forward to going there to buy our couch for over a year.  See, I’ve had my eye on the same sofa there for nearly two years, and I’ve been waiting and waiting to get get the damn thing!  We decided that we would go on a little shopping spree with our DLA money.

Happy New Year!

out with 2012, in with 2013

You ever have a time when you intend for something to be great and it just isn't?  You plan and get excited and pumped up for it.  It finally happens and it’s just so-so, or maybe even down right miserable?  That was our New Years Eve.

We had planned a night out on the town, the way we used to.  One last hurrah before we trade it in to stay in with little ones and toast with sparkling cider.  Out to the club drinks and dancing with friends.  And because the Germans do it all night, we decided so would we.  Boy did we.