We Interrupt The Regularly Scheduled Programming...

for a very important announcement!

There is someone with a birthday today! 

I'll give you a hint.

He's (oh, there is an extra hint!) bald.

You might have a guess now, but maybe that wasn't a good enough clue.

Here is another one.

He wears a boat for a size thirteen shoe.

Now do you have a good guess?

Okay, here is another one.

He is the father of all of my children.

Now I'm sure you know of whom I speak!

He is a wonderful dad...

a beach bum at heart...

up for an adventure...

spontaneous kisser (hence the laughter in the picture)...

by my side for important things...

and I think he's kind of cute, too.

Today I thank God for his life, and for our marriage and family.  I'm looking forward to this year with him, and many more.  Happy Birthday, Mike.  I love you.

Spaetzle, Lederhosen, and Squirrel Underpants

After a night of laughing our fool heads off (and a little bit of sharing and crying, too, as it goes with really close friends) we got up and took our time getting ready in order to take in some of the sights of the area. 

We drove to a little town called Leavenworth, where many years ago folks set about to save a dying town by turning it into a small Bavarian village in the middle of the state of Washington.  Apparently, it worked, and we joined many other tourists in order to sample a bit of German culture without the major jetlag.

Of course there were the shops, some of which were filled with trinkets and lovely things that conjure up images from The Sound of Music (yes I know that's Austria, but it's close, isn't it?).  (There was also plenty of stuff that was made in China and could be found in any souvenir shop in any tourist attraction anywhere-very generic.)

And there was food.  I ordered a beef roll for lunch, thinking it would be some kind of beef on a roll.  But...it was indeed a beef roll, filled with pickles, carrots, and bacon.  There were also red cabbage and Spaetzle.

I can't say that it was my favorite thing I ever ate...but it was an experience.  Right?  It was all quite tangy.

So, obviously when you are in mini-Bavaria you must do as the Germans do...these two were raising their beer mugs, minus the beer, offering a toast and a,"Cheers," and since I am a supernerd I wanted to take a picture of everything...

and because of my stellar photography skills I captured many a special moment...

as they humored me and clinked their glasses over and over and over...

until I finally got it!

Yes, we are dorks.  But only in a certain sense.

We look normal enough.

But you should not allow yourself to be fooled.

And this little one?  We hardly knew she was there!  She was content just to hang around and be cute as a button.  She was such a doll. 

Mostly, we had fun being together and enjoying one another and our little outing...

the just plain funny... 

the backdrop for all of our shenanigans...

the bear wearing Lederhosen...

the find of the day (yes, they are squirrel underpants)...

After laughing more than normal 35-ish year olds should in public, eating large custard-filled desserts, and flitting in and out of quaint shops, we left Leavenworth and headed back to our lovely cabin in the mountains for the night.

And these are the wonderful women who made the food that we ate.

I helped out so much.  I diced a very fine onion and took a lot of pictures.

I tried to get a picture of us before we left.  The wind made us freeze our booties off.  Well, I wish it had made us freeze our booties off...I think we all would have appreciated that.  It was pretty cold, though!  I didn't know it would be quite that chilly. 

One of the last things we saw there was a bald eagle soaring back and forth outside of our cabin.

It was a lovely sight...what freedom.

We were granted this treasure of a time, to have a break from, well, I'm having trouble finding the right words...Everyone knows that being a mom is fulfilling, satisfying, and demanding.  Working is fulfilling, satisfying, and demanding.  We wouldn't give up our roles for anything.  Yet, to be able to get together and talk, watch movies, have chocolate whenever we want, and laugh and laugh and laugh...was so refreshing.

We had to head back to Laurie's house for the remainder of the weekend, and for more adventures...so if you can stand it, stay tuned!  And don't forget...I brought a little something back to share.  So, you'll have to join me tomorrow to see what it is and have a chance to win it!

Getting Started

It somehow managed to get very late tonight, and quickly!  I so want to tell you about my trip, and there is something extra and fun that I want to share with you, too (read:  a giveaway!). 

Alas, the dishes are wanting to be done and the laundry is yelling at me because it smells bad, the floors are crummy crumb-y and I didn't even eat a real dinner yet. 

Although I did remember that my brownie from Laurie's house was still in my purse, so I got it out.  Bad news:  It tasted a little bit like plastic baggie.  Good news:  I don't care and I ate it anyway.

Since I have some pressing matters to take care of (like ironing Christian's pants for tomorrow, oh ha ha hee) I'll give a brief introduction to my adventure, a pictorial travel guide, if you will.

The first leg of my trip was short, just to Houston.  But the second part was soooo long, and I forgot to bring a book or anything to do.  I sat and twiddled my thumbs for about four hours.  I thought of doing a post that went something like this:  A brunette walked into an airport.  You thought it was just blondes! 

And then I would have continued with all of the ridiculous stories just from my airport/airplane experiences that even amazed me at the level of stupidity.  From checking in and checking my bag, to switching planes and momentarily losing my license...there seems to be no end to my personal supply of goofiness.

Instead I will show you some of my favorite images from my flight, because I ended up buying a book, reading, and taking pictures the rest of the trip.

Sorry this is so scatteredy.  I told you it was late.

I flew to Oakland and saw the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz.  How exciting!

It was, of course, from the plane.  But what an awesome view!

The scenery I was able to take in while flying up the West Coast was amazing...absolutely breathtaking.  I felt like a kid in a candy store, or a little girl watching the ballet for the first time.

The sky...unbelievable.

The mountains...endless.

I took many pictures and fortunately the person sitting next to me got it...she didn't think I was too weird.  In fact, she wanted me to email her my photos. 

We neared Seattle and I had my eyes peeled for Mt. Rainier, but I hear this giant of a mountain is quite elusive.  I was not fortunate enough to lay my eyes on that particular beauty, but seeing the city was good enough, especially knowing that my sweet friends were waiting to pick me up and carry me off with them on a grand escapade.

The fun was just beginning! 

Tune in tomorrow for more.  This is where we ended up...

Beautiful

These are some of the women in my life that will always be there for me, no matter where they are.

We have gotten together (there are other women, but not everyone can make it every year) each year since our husbands left seminary.  For me, it seems like the visits get better and better.  We laughed harder (I believe the word riotous might apply here) than I remember laughing ever before.  Our time together was richer to me than ever before.  It might be because of the year that I've had, or because I had to miss last time...this get-together was that much sweeter.  When you have friends that know you, pretty much inside and out, and they love you anyway?  What a wonderful blessing. 

These ladies are hilarious.  And smart.  And genuine.  And beautiful.  The real deal in every way.  And I have the privelege of being called their friend.  It is a beautiful thing, indeed.

Just Thinking

When Eliana doesn't get what she wants after she's asked for it she will then cry out to me,"Please, can I?!?!"  It is a desperate and sad sounding query.

The only difference between her and me is that I supposedly have some self-control.  When things don't go my way I want to whine.  And fuss.  And cry.  And stomp my feet.  And eat a lot of chocolate.

Today, things did not go my way.  I was (am) sad.  But in the end, that is okay.  I made banana bread with Michaela and Eliana.  I got to pick Christian up from school, which he wasn't expecting (I was supposed to be on a plane right then).  I took Eliana on another walk while the big kids were in Bible study tonight, and it was a warm, breezy evening.  I may even get to clean (get to!) the bathroom downstairs since I have this extra time at home!  I made the choice to enjoy some of the moments that otherwise I would have missed.  That isn't to say that I was happy all the livelong day...but I did try to appreciate the time that I had at home rather than pine away miserably for something that just wasn't going to be.

There are sacrifices made, in everyone's life.  What it has boiled down to for me today is that there have been greater ones made before than any I have made.  More significant ones, and one in particular that dwarfs mine beyond belief.  Love makes all kinds of things possible, though, doesn't it?