It's a small world!

All my life this phrase never made a whole lot of sense to me... there really isn't anything small about this world... Well, there isn't until you move halfway across it- and see a familiar face in an unfamiliar place!

Last week I was waiting for my 3:15 swim lesson to show up at the German pool I teach at in Ramstein-Misenbach. I was killing time by swimming some laps and stopped to catch a breath at the end of the lane. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a woman looking at me- as if we knew each other. All of the sudden 4 kids came running up, with smiles that I would never forget...

It took me a second to make what was happening make sense in my mind- after all, it had been four years since I last saw the Hybl family in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

I met the Hybl's at the Cheyenne Mountain Country Club pool, which I managed back in the summer of 2007. Their daily swim was always the highlight of my day! Logan, Mallory, Liam and Aiden always kept me entertained with something new. We would play the card game "Speed" while hiding out in the guard office, waiting for the notorious 4pm thunder storms to pass by. When the circus came to town, I was invited to go check out the stunning acts with them. Monthly "lock in's" at the country club, and themed bbq nights were also a total hoot.
When word got out that I needed a place to stay for the summer- Sally's parents so graciously offered the lower half of their home for me to stay in.

All of these wonderful memories began to flood my mind when I saw all of their faces again... it just couldn't seem real! Here I was in Ramstein, Germany- waiting for my swim lesson ( that coincidentally never showed up) and was able to spend time catching up from the last four years. Oddly enough, they were on a vacation- and were stationed at Ramstein themselves back in the late 90's -and Logan learned how to swim at the pool I teach at!

So, it is a small world after all! Call it the right place at the right time, fate or just plain awesome...I was so happy to have seen the Hybl's again, and have a feeling that this won't be the last time we run into each other!

Reunited in Germany!

Guiltless Peach and Blueberry Cobbler crunch!

So earlier this week I decided to start eating "clean" as Dan would say...and around day 1.5, I started craving something sweet, so I came up with this super healthy version of Peach cobbler that you can gobble up all day long and not feel guilty about a thing!

What you will need:

Preheat oven to 350

5 fresh peaches, peeled and diced

1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

a few dashes of ground cinnamon

a nice sized hand full of cinnamon teddy grahams

another nice sized handful of natural granola

How to make:

Place the diced peaches on the bottom of a baking pan. Pour blueberries evenly over the top. Sprinkle cinnamon over peaches and blueberries. Take the handful of teddy grahams and crumble them evenly on top, and repeat with granola. Cover with tin foil and bake for 15 minutes covered, and 5 minutes uncovered. Enjoy this super healthy treat- and let me know what you think! =)

Ash

Summertime =)

Summertime
Countyline
In bloom
'til June.
Fresh vase
In place
Picked fresh
For you.

<3


love you mom, I miss going to countyline greenhouse with you in the summer.

Travel Recap!

Well, after traveling for way too long, I think it's about time I put my bags down and get back to blogging! =) The trip started back in the beginning of April, and began with Spain and Morocco. We got back on a Saturday, and by Tuesday I was back at it again taking a 13 hour bus trip to Vicenza Italy with new friends Lisa and her daughter Cara ( also living in Ramstein) I had made while in Morocco. A two day "quick trip" to Italy, suddenly turned into 5 when we watched our bus back to Ramstein pull out of the parking lot, right as we pulled into it. After a venture through Italy with no GPS, and not enough euro to get through the tolls, we finally made it back on a Saturday via a space available flight. By Wednesday of that week ( notice how I can't remember any dates) I was back at it again, but this time catching a space available flight back to my family in the good 'ol USA! After a wonderful stay at home filled with Easter treats, basketball tourneys and softball games, the 2 weeks went by far too quick and before I knew it, it was time to pack the bags back up and make the long trip back to Germany. Is it over yet? I am beginning to sound like my little brother and sister on the drive our family used to make to Disney World from Northwest Indiana almost every year... and my reply would be, no..not yet..we aren't even to the Kentucky border. While most people would be thrilled to go to Greece, the thought at this point in time was more daunting then enjoyable. Thursday brought me home to Germany, while Sunday morning at 4:45 took me and my infamous hiking bag to the island of Kos, Greece to spend some much needed time away with my hubby. Kos was unlike anything I could imagine. The closest beauty I had seen before this was in a poster that hung in my college apartment - crystal clear waters with lush white sand beaches. That to me just couldn't seem real! But it was, it stood right before me. I put my hands in front of me and framed the picture, if only it would have lasted! Tuesday came, finally time to shake the sand from our brains and get back to reality. Friday brought in Ashley Gora, my friend of 15 years- so the fun isn't over yet. On Saturday, we went on a wine tour with our landlords to try some of the best wine of the region. Enjoying time, and a day on the Rhein really made the trip special. The next weekend, we packed our bags for a "girls camping trip" to Belgium. First stop was Brussels to try a beer at the "delarium cafe" which serves 2004 different kinds of beer! Next was Brugge, or " the Venice of the North" with it's winding water ways throughout the city. Camping in Brugge was quite the experience as 4 girls dominated setting up a tent, all while wearing sun dresses. we were so posh. That night it sideways rained, and we forgot to put on waterproof mascara. Needless to say we were all a bit soggy in the morning. Finally a weekend to relax, and what do I want to do..? Let's go whitewater rafting in Austria! Thank goodness for wise words of a husband stepping in and saying no. Oh well, maybe next weekend =)