A Weekend in Paris

Keeping up a blog has been a bigger task than I thought it would be. I guess taking 5 classes, working, quilting, and traveling has been taking up most of my time.







So this weekend we went to Paris, it was a whirlwind trip but we had a great time.
Some things I learned about Paris:
1. It is difficult to catch a cab at 2 AM in the Champs-Élysées district on a Saturday night.
2. Do not leave a bag unattended in the Louvre when there are bomb threats from terrorists. Security will FREAK OUT trying to find the guy who it belongs to.
3. If it is cold on the ground, it will be extremely cold when you go up the Eiffel Tower.
4. If pan handlers ask if you speak English, just shake your head no. They don't know any better, and you wont have the burden of reading their sappy letter about an uncle or cousin or step mothers second daughter being sick and needing money.
5. Apparently French people think Lady Gaga is the only pop culture icon right now, and will call you Lady Gaga to try and get you to buy their crappy Eiffel Tower key chains.
6. Escargot isn't too bad, but nothing to splurge on.
7. You must see the Eiffel Tower sparkle at night, beautiful!

Why I hate German doors

So today I have been feeling kinda icky and just sat around the house in sweats all day. Well, I decided I should take the dog for a walk because both of us can't be lazy allllll day. So we walked and got back home, I took him off the leash in the house and put it up. I planned on cleaning the kitchen next, so i go to take out the trash.

Well I closed the door behind me so the pup and cat couldn't escape and. . . jiggle jiggle. . . I was LOCKED OUT! German doors are tricky. They are either unlocked all the time or locked all the time. They have this little switch inside the lock to choose which option. There is no turning the door handle to open the door, you just push it open. Well we had our on the unlock option, which means you have to use the key inside to lock it. So I leave my key in the door on the inside so I can lock it when I come in. Well I left the keys in the door while I threw out the trash, and they somehow got turned a slight turn and the lock was engaged.

AHHHHHH. I spent an hour calling hubby, because he is at work and none of the neighbors that speak english are home. I tried putting screwdrivers in the lock, jiggling it, sticking wire through the mail slot to try and hook the keys. NOTHING! I then went to the backyard to the one window that was tilted open to try and get in. Hubby advised me I better not break the glass because that would be expensive. HELLO do you want me to sleep outside in the cold while dog and cat are inside? Well I tried to tilt the window back and jimmy the handle to pop it open. No success. Finally I got a screw driver and stuck it in the bottom of the window and pryed it open, breaking part of the window sill.

I may have broken the window lock, but at least I got inside! Now I am going to eat some ice cream and go to bed, I'm not even going to clean the kitchen at this point! Grrrrr German engineering sucks!

Dear Blog,

It has been a while! I am sorry for neglecting to fill you with wonderful words and pictures; but life has gotten in the way. A trip to Mainz for Bank Teller Training took up the last two weeks of my life, but at least it was a beautiful town. I will try harder this time to pay more attention to you, granted life doesn't get too crazy. Cheers!

Here is beautiful downtown Mainz, Germany. Enjoy.

As planned. . . An Update

Things have been slightly hectic around here. We got our household goods, and are still in the process of unpacking. I started a job at the bank, and we FINALLY have two vehicles. It was no fun waking up at 630 in the morning to get ready adn then go pick hubby up from work, or drop him off depending on the day, and then drive back home jsut to finish getting ready and head back to go to work 30 minutes later. Wheew, glad that is over.

We did get a dog.

His name is Rusty and he is a 2 year old mutt. Some cross between a yorkie, schnauzer, and poodle possibly. He is a great dog so far, hopefully he will stay this way.

Husband took him for a walk in the woods on Ramstein. Yes, there is a forest on an Air Force Base!


Other than that nothing too interesting has been going on. We are finally getting settled, and I have my sewing machine all hooked up so I am working on my first tutorial: The Amy Butler Weekender Bag. Hopefully I will have it done this week, so we will see how that goes.

IT'S BEEN TOO LONG. . .

Since I have posted anyting, my blog is getting boring I am sure. Tomorrow I will update everything, I promise.

Day 15 What I want

So I am halfway through this favorites blog, hopefully you have learned a little bit about me. This entry was supposed to be a "Fanfic" but I had no idea what the was, so I googled it (and still didn't know anything about it) so I am improving today. It's my blog, so I can do that.

As soon as our household stuff gets here (which is supposed to be tomorrow) I can finally start creating again. There are so many things that I want to do and make, but i don't have the tools to do so. I want my sewing machine so I can start an Amy Butler bag for Leslie, want to try and make some dresses for the neighbor's baby and my niece, work on a quilt center for an International Round Robin, and start a quilt for Kendra's baby.

Also, i want my kitchen stuff so I can cook properly. You never know how much you will miss pots and pans until you are trying to make soup in a tiny frying pan, or fry bacon with a plastic fork. The bacon tasted like burnt plastic, probably because the fork melted halfway through cooking the bacon. I have plans to try some new recipes. The first one being some Triple Berry Jam.

So look forward to some tutorials for sewing and cooking in the near future. If anyone has any requests for things I should try and make, or that they would like a tutorial on, let me know.

Day 14 A Non Fictional Book

The Glass Castle By Jeanette Walls is a great book about her life growing up with a nomad father that she thought could do no wrong. It is a book of adventure and realization, trust and confusion. I would recommend this for a short summer read.

Day 13 A Fictional book

I am a huge fan of Edgar Allen Poe. His writing style was so uniquely disturbing, and makes you think about what type of person would write things like this. "The Tell Tale Heart" is amazingly written, and makes you feel the insanity that the character is going through.

Day 12 Whatever tickles my fancy

Things have been a little hectic around here. However, they are finally starting to fall into place. I have my Jeep! It is so nice to be able to get around if I need to. I had an interview at the bank, and it is looking extremely promising (waiting on some paperwork). And we got a dog to try and keep our cat company, the cat is not convinced that they will be best friends eventually. Right now the dog is sitting next to me, and Rapcat is under the couch growling. If I didnt know any better I would have thought that there was a motorcycle in my front yard (he growls very loud with an oscillating tone). I hope this won't last long and they will be cuddling soon enough.

This last weekend we got out and explored our town some more. We heard from all the neighbord about this huge chicken festival. The village had been plastered with signs for weeks, and supposedly people come from all over to this chicken fest. So we drove 2 blocks down to where it was being held, we could hear the horrible renditions of Dancing Queen by ABBA from our house, so we knew it wasnt far. When we got near, we saw people parking and walking up this huge hill with a tiny road running up it. We dicided that since everyone else was hiking, the parking must be full and we should walk too. So we hike up the hill, get to the top expecting to see a plethora of food and rides an games. Well, we round the corner and see the "HUGE" festival consisting of 3 pop up tents, a stage, 1 kid ride, and ice cream truck, and a few chicken roasters. There was a contest on stage to see who coukd hold up a beer stein the longest (the winner won a few steins of beer). This huge festival was smaller than a block party. Just a bunch of people sitting around, drinking beer and eating chicken while their half naked toddlers swam in a dirty blow up pool. Moral of the story is, Germans like to party, not matter how big or small the occasion. The huge festival was a bust, but the chicken was Okay. Now Oktoberfest on the other hand. . . don;t think that will be a dissappointment.

Here are a few pictures of the latest happenings in our German journey:


Queidersbach Huhnfest "Chicken Festival"




Pictures of our little house. Notice Oscar the Jeep in the Driveway. That makes me happy.

Day 11 A Photo of Me Taken Recently

This is probably the most recent picture, other than ones that I have already shared. The day before we left the states, we took a trip to New Orleans with the Riveras. Well, after a few drinks and walking around Bourbon Street, it started to POUR. I am talking flash flood! We tried to brave the storm but ended up getting drowned, so we stopped in the nearest open store to try and dry off. Well what better to do in a cheezy souvenir shop than. . . to play dress up? Ooh NOLA I miss you already.

Germany update: in pictures

Church tower in Queidersbach


This is the view walking down the street in our village of Queidersbach. It was a gorgeous day for a walk to the local market to buy a bottle of wine.



The city of Landsthul from a hilltop. We went to pick up an old cash register that a girl was giving away, and found a hole in the fence to where we could hike down and see the town. It was beautiful.

Day 10 A picture of me from more than 10 years ago

Isn't it lovely! I believe it was the first day of school for 7th grade? I had such a great fashion sense! And my sister, with her blonde hair and floral dress!

Day 9 A Photo I Took

Bonfire on Biloxi Beach a few years ago. Good times.

Day 7 A picture that makes me sad

BP has ruined a place that I enjoyed for 3 years. All the wildlife that has been injured from this makes me extremely sad.

Day 7 A Photo that makes me happy

Him coming home from deployment!

Day 6 Whatever tickles my fancy

It's been a while since I had internet, so I'll use this day as my update.

We found a house and moved in with our suitcases and airmatress, and the next day Shawn started work. You never realize how much you depend on technology until you are in a house in another country where English isn't the first language, have no car, no internet, no tv and no phone! I almost went crazy!

I did however manage to go for a long walk and got attacked by a killer fly. This was no normal fly, he was on a rampage. I tried swatting him away, and that just made him zoom around to my other side. I tried walking the opposite direction, and he followed my path. Finally I sprinted up a hill and he lost my track! I have never ran from a bug for so long in my life. It had to have been at least 5 minutes of swatting, changing directions, kicking, swatting some more, and finally running before I felt safe from the monster fly. The Germans driving by were probably wondering what sort of crazy ritual this American girl was going on the side of the road. I finally was able to breathe and turned around and walked the rest of the way home.

It's sad when that is the most eventful thing I have experienced after being a foreign country for 2 weeks. But once I have my car, I am going exploring!

Day 5 Favorite Quote

Simple. . .

Day 4 Favorite Book

The one book that I can read over and over is:
Night by Elie Weisel


Though this book is extremely sad, it gives a first person perspective to the Holocaust from the point of view of a young boy. He tells of the trial and tribulations of losing his family and living in a concentration camp all the way until he was freed.

Day 3 Favorite TV Show

This one is a toss up. I am going to have to say it is either:
True Blood, though I dont have HBO



Or Army Wives.

Day 2 Favorite Movie

This is a hard one. If I had to choose just ONE movie it would have to be. . .
THE BREAKFAST CLUB


I love a lot of movies from the 80's, but this one is awesome!

Recently I saw Letters from Juliet and it was a great movie as well. I might have to add it to my list of favorites.

Day 1 Favorite song

I LOVE all differnet kinds of music and have plenty of songs i could call my favorites; but if I were foced to choose just one, it would be:


THREE LITTLE BIRDS BY BOB MARLEY

No matter what kind of mood I am in this song makes me smile. I even use it as my alarm in the morning it is hard to be angry with Bob Marley playing in your ear.

30 days about me

I have seen this on a few peoples blogs, and decided to give it a try. I may not do it every single day, but I will try and keep up and mix in some other posts that are interesting along the way. So here it goes:
Day 01 - your favorite song
Day 02 - your favorite movie
Day 03 - your favorite television program
Day 04 - your favorite book
Day 05 - your favorite quote
Day 06 - whatever tickles your fancy
Day 07 - a photo that makes you happy
Day 08 - a photo that makes you angry/sad
Day 09 - a photo you took
Day 10 - a photo of you taken over ten years ago
Day 11 - a photo of you taken recently
Day 12 - whatever tickles your fancy
Day 13 - a fictional book
Day 14 - a non-fictional book
Day 15 - a fanfic
Day 16 - a song that makes you cry (or nearly)
Day 17 - an art piece (painting, drawing, sculpture, etc.)
Day 18 - whatever tickles your fancy
Day 19 - a talent of yours
Day 20 - a hobby of yours
Day 21 - a recipe
Day 22 - a website
Day 23 - a YouTube video
Day 24 - whatever tickles your fancy
Day 25 - your day, in great detail
Day 26 - your week, in great detail
Day 27 - this month, in great detail
Day 28 - this year, in great detail
Day 29 - hopes, dreams and plans for the next 365 days
Day 30 -- whatever tickles your fancy

We made it

We arrived safely in Germany on Tuesday after a very long flight. Since then we have been running around like crazy trying to get things taken care of so we can start to get settled.
Here are the things I have learned about Germany thus far:
1) The roads are EXTREMELY confusing
2) German people are fairly nice even if they have no idea what you are saying
3) TAXIS ARE EXPENSIVE!!!!
4) Iphones are cheap if you sign up for a contract
5) The BX is a teenager hangout all the time, not just on weekends
6) Milk tastes different, and the cows smell different
7) It stays light here until about 10:30 PM which totally messes with your mind!
8) AFN TV sucks
9) People are super crazy drivers, luckily my jeep will be twice the size of their cars so I can just run them over.
10) While looking for houses off base, take it even if you kinda like it because there are 15 other people that would take it while you "think about it"

Hopefully I will get a chance to take some pictures soon now that things are starting to settle down a bit.

Almost time. . .

Tuesday is the day that we set out on our adventure. It already seems like it is going to be hectic; I can only imagine how hectic it will actually be.

On a more positive note, we did our final inspection on our house and passed after having to make a copy of the patio key since my lovely husband threw it away months ago. Who finds a key and decides, "hmmm I don't know what this goes to so I'll throw it away"- yep my husband. But ooh well it only cost $1.87. So now we are homeless, but staying with some friends until the big day.

Soon we will be seeing this:
And hopefully sooner rather than later we will feel at home again.

Empty House

Our house is now empty. I had to eat breakfast with a makeshift table, made from a box, and of course from a plastic bowl with plastic spoon. Sleeping on an air matress is not as fun as you would think, especially if it has a small hole in it and loses air throughout the night. But we are making due. When you have no T.V. or internet, you find ways of entertaining yourselves, such as putting tape on your cat and watching him walk funny. I wish I would have taken a video of that. Only 15 more days and we are out of here.

And so it begins. . .

So yesterday started the final stretch for Germany. It was time to ship my Jeep. I will advise anyone moving overseas to not ship more than one POV. The one that the military pays for is fine and simple, but when shipping one at your own expense is a hassle! After doing all the paperwork, and my hubby so graciously paying all the fees, we drove 7 hours to Galveston, TX and dropped off my Jeep to wait for the boat.
Bon Voyage Oscar the Jeep, hope to see you in one piece at the end of this journey next month at Port Bremerhaven.
After that, we drove 7 hours back home just to go to sleep and wake up super early for the packers to come. They came, they packed, they conquered. Now it is just waiting for the carpet guys to come replace our cat pee corner (long story!) and then the truck to load all of our stuff is headed here Thursday. After that we will be nomads, living out of our suitcases for the next few weeks.

The Journey Is About to Begin

So in one week the movers will be coming to pack and ship our stuff. It is hard to believe that we will be headed to Germany in 3 weeks! I am crazy excited, stressed, sad, happy and amazed. So many emotions wrapped up into one.

It may take me a while to get used to this blog, but hopefully I will be able to use it to my advantage so ya'll (gotta give my 3 years in the south a shout out) can follow me and see my life and adventures. I hope to keep up with this and fill it with my pictures and projects and random thoughts.

So let's have fun and explore the world. Follow me and I am sure I will entertain you.