Mom and Beans trip to Europe- Welcome to Germany!

What a better way to get back into blogging then to write about the wonderful experiences I get to share with my mom and sister while they are visiting us in Germany! They started their long journey from Chicago on May 30th with a layover in Philly that resulted in a 2 hour delay. As you may know, delays are no fun for either side of the situation. Mom and Beans ( aka, Jessica- we started calling her beans when she was about 3 years old because she loved to eat jelly beans so much) had to sit on the plane for an hour without air conditioning and had to listen to a man gripe and groan about it to the flight attendant the whole time. I on the other side, I couldn't sit still and re- cleaned things that had already been cleaned, just to make time pass until Dan and I could go pick them up from the airport. When they came out of the doors from baggage claim, I couldn't fight back my usual sobbing tears of joy, as I was just so happy to have them finally be here. We have been talking about this trip ever since we moved here over two years ago, and it is happening- I just can't believe it. After the airport we came back to our house to drop bags, exchange goodies, and of course to meet Hanna Banana. Her and Beans had an instant bond, and Hanna thinks it's now ok to sleep on beans air mattress with her! Later in the evening we decided to take a drive to Neustadt, which has beautiful rolling hills and winery after winery.We also stopped at a local grocery store and bakery to get a taste of German coffee, treats and some different grocery items. On the way back we stopped in Bad Durkheim which is a "wellness city" with the salt works structure that helps to cleanse the air for miles around. Although we were all feeling a little tired at this point, you can never be tired enough for a trip to a Gelato store in Enkenbach! Today the weather is overcast and a little chilly- which has put a change on plans for the day. More to come tomorrow, until then- Tschuss for now!

Mom and Beans on the drive home from the airport. Mom was super tired from a long flight, Beans on the other hand was ready to go even after no sleep!

                                                               Back together again!!

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 =)

The Hiding Place

Last night I finished reading the" The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom. If you are looking for an extremely inspiring and moving read, I would highly recommend this book! Corrie and her family hid Jews in their home in Holland during the war, and were turned into the German police by a fellow dutchmen. After being taken away to prison camps...it was only Corrie and her sister Betsie who remained of their family. They were put through pure torture from camp to camp, fought through disease, fleas and filthy living conditions... yet, they always thanked God for everything, even the fleas that infested their cot! Their amazing faith to God really opened my eyes to realize how grateful I am to live the life I am living right now. It taught me that no matter how hard life may seem at times, God is always with you through it all. Though Betsie passed away, Corrie survived the holocaust and spent the remainder of her life traveling the world to share their amazing story of faith and love. Corrie passed away on her birthday at the age of 91. How I wish I could have seen her speak and tell her what an amazing person she was! Maybe I will bump into her in heaven one day =)

Trip to Spain, visit to Morocco!

About a week and a half ago, Dan and I packed our bags and took off for Sunny ( and outrageously windy!!) Spain. We flew into Jerez, then made our way down to Rota, which is on the Atlantic ocean in the south western tip. There is a navel station in Rota, so it was nice to have access to the base commissary to relieve us of paying in euro for a few meals (man, that gets to be expensive after awhile!). The next morning, we drove in our little Panda ( manufactured by Fiat- pretty much the official car of Spain) down the coast to Tarifa ( the very southern most tip of Spain). Tarifa is known for their wind, kite and surfing in general...they have over 50 kite schools on the main stretch! notice earlier how i said extremely windy-- i could have sworn there was going to be a hurricane when we were there! It was so windy, that even the wind surfers wouldn't go out! So this kind of put a bummer on a few of our plans, since we wanted to ride horses along the beach, and dan wanted to wind surf so bad.. but that can be saved for another time. We stayed in a beach front bungalow- that was super fun, because our room opened up to the ocean- so pretty! Finally, on the last day of our trip, the winds subsided and we were able to go forth with the much anticipated part of the trip--a day in Tanger, Morocco! We took a ferry, which advertised it only took 35 minutes, but it was more like an hour and 35 minutes...not even close..way to false advertise!! While boarding the boat, we met a family who was also stationed in Ramstein, so we ran around morocco the whole day together. The culture was for sure one to see! There were over a million people set along the coastline, it didn't seem possible! We drive through palaces, then to went into complete poverty in less then 10 minutes time. There is no happy medium in Morocco- it's either you are filthy rich, or dirt poor. After riding on a super sketchy camel in a parking lot- we spent the remainder of the day in the "old city" which consisted of run down buildings, and back markets. Our guide weaved us in and out of alley ways, and through peoples way of life. We followed him like little dogs, who wouldn't dare to stray away! At the end of the day, we were followed back to our van by street beggar children who took the last of the money we had left in our wallets. All in all, it was an awesome adventure, and yet another great story to tell!
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