My Travels with the in-laws

    Tyler's parents were just here. It was a nice almost two week visit. They arrived Thursday evening, and we left for Munich Friday early afternoon. You can read more about our Oktoberfest adventures here. In short...Oktoberfest is intense, epic and drunken. We went on opening day, so we saw the parade, and were in the tent where the keg gets tapped. I saw the mayor of Munich and apparently I saw major German celebs...who knew? We had the luxury of has a reserved table and tickets for a tent. Most people who go just walk around and try to get in a tent...but we were VIPS! It was all thanks to Tyler's parents friends who live in Munich. Thank goodness for them.

So many people!

Beer is served!

Our first beer! Excuse my crazy eye haha.

Inside the tent

The whole group!

Doing the YMCA...not kidding, they played it

     During the week, Tyler had work, so Tyler's parents had I traveled around the area. The next weekend, we went to Berlin. I LOVED Berlin. It's like a combo of SO many major European cities...it's amazing. I stood where Hitler was burned after he shot himself...I saw the wall...I saw Frederick the Great's Sanssouci...I saw the hotel Michael Jackson dangled Blanket out of (lol). The only downside, it smells like sewage when it's warm because it's built on a swamp.

Brandenburg Gate

At the wall...well, what's left of the outer wall anyway.

Memorial to the murdered Jews.

    While there, we took a walking tour of the city and had the BEST tour guide, Barnaby.  All the history, the cool buildings...oh man...love Berlin! On Sunday, when we wanted to go to Sanssouci. One problem, there was a HUGE marathon going around Berlin. Ok, so, the hotel we were in was in what used to be East Berlin, so it was like we couldn't get out of East Berlin. haha...kinda cool. At 10:45, there was a gap in the race and we could get out! woohoo! Sansouci was EPIC and AMAZING. It's a must see. Below, are pictures from different parts of the Sansouci grounds.

     His parents left on Tuesday and I hope had a great time. I know Tyler and I had fun.
   Other than that, I've been cleaning, job/apartment hunting for our move back to California and working on my cooking. Thrilling huh? Hope everyone is having a very happy Friday!

Fall Favorites

    Today, I'm linking up with Joelle for Fall Favorites. I know, I know, I rarely link up to things. I really should link up more, but ah well. Something to work on? I decided to do this one because I LOVE FALL, and Joelle is a dear friend of mine who I miss lots.
Anyway, here are some of my favorite things about fall...

Pumpkins...anything and everything Pumpkin...

Source: google.com via Beth on Pinterest

Source: annies-eats.net via Cristina on Pinterest

Source: foodsofourlives.com via Jill on Pinterest

Halloween:

Source: None via Beth on Pinterest

Source: onecharmingparty.com via Beth on Pinterest

Source: saraspartyperfect.com via Beth on Pinterest

Decorating for fall in general:

Source: marthastewart.com via Beth on Pinterest

Source: decorating-ideas.blogspot.com via Beth on Pinterest

Source: centsationalgirl.com via Georgia on Pinterest

Boots, sweaters, jackets, etc....

Source: ralphlauren.co.uk via Beth on Pinterest

Source: polyvore.com via Beth on Pinterest

Source: tillys.com via Beth on Pinterest

Thanksgiving:

Source: None via Tajuana on Pinterest

Source: reasonstoskipthehousework.com via Beth on Pinterest

Source: familyfun.go.com via Beth on Pinterest

My Birthday (hehe vain I know). I love the fall! It's the start of the Holiday season, there's a crispness in the air, the leaves change, you can dress up for halloween, spend Thanksgiving with family/friends...it's delightful. :) Happy Friday Friends!

Oktoberfest and Fall!

    Last I left you, I was preparing for Tyler's parents arrival. Well, they're here! In fact, they got here on Thursday night. Friday, we went to Munich to visit their friends who live there and go to Oktoberfest. After terrible traffic and getting re-routing by the gps...meaning, we went a crazy and long way...we finally arrived in Munich. We had a lovely evening with one of their friends, drinking beer (ugh already), catching up, etc. Saturday, we got up bright and early to go to Oktoberfest. We were all dressed in our dirndls and lederhosen and had tickets to a tent. That's right friends...we had a reserved table in a tent. In fact, we were in the one where the beer was tapped! It was really cool to see. Beer was served right after the tapping at 12 (not allowed to serve before that on the first day) and thus the festivities begun! It was INSANE, fun, but INSANE...side note, Tyler drank a bit too much, haha, happens to the best of us. So, we left earlier then planned. I was a little upset because I wanted to walk around more to see all the different tents and festivities. Ah well. Guess that just means I need to go back yeah? haha.
    Sunday, we had a relaxing day walking around Munich, watching tv, eating...ya know. Today, we had a relaxing morning, then drove back to our apartment. We've just been watching TV, made a wonderful steak dinner, then had some wine and ice cream. Now, we're just relaxing and watching a movie. Sounds like a good night to me!

    In other news, who's excited about fall!? This girl. I LOVE fall. Especially all the pumpkins and boots! LOVE THEM! I've already started to decorate the apartment with pumpkins, falls candles, other fall things and even some Halloween things. I can't wait to get more boots and fall clothes. :) hehe. Is anyone else as excited about fall as me?? :p

    As always, the pictures are coming...happy Monday friends!

Life, Love and Remembrance

Via

    Tyler came home Saturday!!! Yay! :) I made us a nice dinner of baked chicken, potatoes (which I boiled, then put in oil in a pan) and broccoli. It was delicious. Sunday, I made my first ever cheesecake from scratch. Wasn't half bad...meaning, it was lumpy but still tasted good. I took a look at a few different recipes and tried to make it my own. It was just your basic cheesecake (cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, eggs...crust with graham crackers and butter) with a sour cream topping. The topping consisted of sour cream, sugar and vanilla, and was really good!
    It's so great to FINALLY have Tyler back. I mean, I did deal with back pain (which is pretty much better), internet/phone problems (which is also solved as of Friday) and other things by myself, but I'm glad I don't have to do it alone anymore.
    Thursday, the in-laws will be here. Tyler and I are excited, but we would also like some more alone time before he has to go train again. Ah well. We have lots of exciting traveling ahead of us at least :).
    I guess I got to finish up my cleaning and stuff before they get here haha. Last night there was this really intense/cool storm, so there's all these leaves in the apartment. Also gotta fold laundry. ugh. I don't hate it, but sometimes it just takes so long.

 *****

    Before I go, I wanted to touch on 9/11. 10 years ago yesterday, I was in 8th grade...I was coming from band (we had band class before school started a couple days a week) to my classroom. I walk in the teacher and some of the kids that were already at school were fidgeting with the TV. I asked what was going on. "one of the World Traders was just hit by an airplane!" What??? What does that mean? I was so confused, and to top it off, I had no idea where the World Trade Centers were. Embarrassing? Probably. So, I ask and was told New York City. We FINALLY find a station that came in on the TV (not in Spanish haha) and start to watch. I remember sitting there, more people are coming in, but we're still all starring at the TV, trying to figure out what this means for us.

Via

I remember seeing the second plane hit the second tower live. I remember watching people jump from the towers, wanting to die from that fall rather than burning or being crushed. I remember watching both of the towers collapse live. I remember the Pentagon being hit live. I remember the other flight crashing in to the Pennsylvania field. I remember not really having class that morning. I remember finally "having" class in the afternoon, but not really because the TV was still on in the background and some kids were taken out of school by their parents. Once I went home, I learned that even certain buildings in Dallas were evacuated just as a precaution. I remember people scrambling to call their friends, family and loved ones in the New York area. I remember people also trying to get in touch with those they knew who worked at or near the Pentagon. I remember Peter Jennings trying to get in touch with his son and crying on air. I remember this day, and will never forget it.
    This morning, Tyler and I were watching CNN International before he went to work. There was a segment about people in Afghanistan not knowing about 9/11. Everyone seemed so shocked, but if you think about it, why would they know? How would they know? They live in a world that's basically in a different time. What was shocking to me however, was the fact that interpreters for the US military forces and the Afghan Army did not know what 9/11 was . I feel like that would be an important thing to tell the people who are helping you. What also shocked me was this, why has it taken 10 years for this to be a thing? Why has no one tried to explain this to them before? Maybe some have and we just don't know about it.
    This was a terrible day for America that will clearly never be forgotten. I hope those who were directly affected have found some peace, and know that their loved ones did not die in vain (military included in this)...their lives/service will never be forgotten. 

   

Why are some weeks so frustrating?

    So if you read my last post, you know about my current back situation. Ugh. It's so frustrating. I just want to get back to working out, cleaning the house and doing things the way I normally do. Sunday and Monday, I'll only took the meds twice a day, and from Tuesday on, I've been taking them only at night. I could finally drive on Tuesday! woohoo! Only thing is, I think I've been pushing myself too hard these past couple days, because today my back like freaked out on me and kinda hurts...not too bad, but it's letting me know, "hey don't do that!" Sigh. Aren't I too young for this?
    Tyler's and my internet company, O2, a few days before my parents came, decided to give us a letter telling us that after Aug. 31st, we would no longer have service with them. In short, they're dropping us. Side-note: its in German so we had to google translate the whole thing haha. But seriously, WTF!?!  What's the deal? We weren't sure if this was for real or not, so we try to call. Of course they're gone for the day/not answering. Just our luck. The next day, Saturday, we go in and confront them. The guy looks us up on the computer, sees nothing, so he calls. They talk to Tyler, then talk to the guy. They look it up and see nothing. We have no flags, no missed or late payments...nothing. All it says it that they're closing our account and there's nothing they can do. WHAT>!!?!@!? Grrr...so we look around and everywhere we go wants a contract for like 2 years...uh sorry we can't do that. The only places we know don't do contracts are O2 and TKS (the one on base). ugh. Then we do other errands, buy my dirndl and his lederhosen (not gonna lie, we're gonna look great), and by the time we were done with that, the other internet/phone place we were gonna go to was closed. Of course it was. Some places close early on Saturday. Early meaning by 4 to 6 (sometimes 2 or 3!)...Ugh. Everything is closed Sunday (except some stuff on base, restaurants and tourist stuff), so we can't do anything. Then Tyler gets super busy at work and my parents come. Naturally we don't deal with it and push it to the side.
    Tuesday, I went to return the modem to O2 and the guy was like, "nono we don't take those here"
"why?"
"don't have place/box for them. call costumer service"
"uh ok. And what will they do"
"they take it"
"so, they come get it or do I have to mail it?"
"they get it."
"Okay...well, thanks?"
"you're welcome. have a nice day ma'am"
UGH! I was soooo pissed at them. Here's what I was thinking Tuesday and Wednesday: "If they make me mail it, they either pay for it or I'm ripping them a new one. Already getting a letter. You messed with the wrong family lol."
     Well, today, my  friend Jessica came over. We wanted to get together anyway to catch up, but bonus, she was going to call O2 for me! woohoo! We borrow a neighbor's phone (thanks Casey!) and she starts going off in German. She sounded angry at one point and I was like oh no! Ok, so, O2 is basically like a broker for Deutsche Telekom...so, when O2 does better business then Deutsche Telekom, they start dropping people, like us who have the "we can cancel every month" contract, because they know we can leave at any time basically. Deutsche Telekom is supposed to then ask if we want to go to them, but they didn't. I honestly just wish O2 could've told us this in the first place. I would've been mad, but not as mad...more like upset yet understanding. Now all I have to do is wait for a sticker from them so I can mail back the modem to them for free. Woohoo! 
    Also, this week I had to deal with running around trying to find people (for one of the things I volunteer for), deal with things being unorganized/last minute AND something being put on my plate which was a total surprise to me. Ugh. I hate when events and things are unorganized and last minute. But more on that later...


I think its time for Tyler to come home already. Le sigh.

Pictures, travels and life

Well, my mom finally put the pictures up from their trip to Germany! If you'd like to read about their trip, you can do so here. There will also be a recap under the photos...enjoy :)

Bamberg. LOVED this city. :) It was a nice fun day with the parents and Tyler.

Buchenwald Concentration Camp. So cool, intense and emotional. They also had a very interesting, cool and pretty memorial. Unfortunately, Tyler had to leave earlier that day, so the rest of our travels were just my parents and I.

On Monday, we drove to Munich. First stop BMW Weld (world) and Olympic Park. Isn't this motorcycle cute? I would never ever buy one, but i couldn't resist getting on haha. Unfortunately Munich was really hot and humid. Ah well. Still a great trip.

at the Haufbrauhaus drinking some beer.

clock where the glockenspiel is

On Wednesday, after two days in Munich, we made out way to Heidelberg! Such a beautiful city. I'm standing under the Elizabeth Gate at Castle Heidelberg. Very appropriate I think :p

HUGE Wine barrel. And guess what? There's an EVEN BIGGER one. It's insane.

view of the castle from our river tour Thursday morning.

Friday we relaxed at my apartment, and then Saturday, we went to Wurzburg. I love going to Wurzburg. In this picture, my parents are standing in front of the Wurzburg Residenz. LOVE it there. 

back of the Residenz in the gardens. So pretty

The gardens :) (Yes I am wearing my Dirk Nowitzkishirt...had to...)

Sunday we had a late breakfast downtown with my neighbor and her precious little girl. :) Aren't we just a happy family haha. 

   Sunday night, we went to a German restaurant for their last meal here. I noticed my back was hurting a little but really thought nothing of it. Monday EARLY morning, my parents and I headed to Frankfurt Airport. My dad drove there, so he could get his last little bit of driving on the autobahn, and I drove back. That's the longest I've driven in Germany! woohoo! My leg kinda hurt when I got back, but again, thought nothing of it because my back wasn't bothering me anymore. Tuesday, my back was KILLING me. What?! How random. I was like, well, we did drive a lot, walk a lot, eat a lot, I wasn't doing my normal workouts (think I've also gained weight back ugh), and Wednesday night I slept on the floor of the hotel...I think my back had had enough. Wednesday it was feeling a bit better, but Thursday, it was getting worse, and in the evening my butt and legs started to tingle...uh oh. In fact, later that night I called Tyler crying. It was some of the worst pain of my life. Friday morning I got up early to call the clinic when they first opened to see if they could squeeze me in. I called a minute or two after 7, and they could see me at 8! Sweet. Thank goodness my neighbor Casey was awake and could take me...I had no idea what kind of tests they would want to do. Well, I went in and she did all sorts of poking, moving my legs around, asking questions...I had strained a lower back muscle and it was pushing on a nerve. Ugh...great. I am now on muscle relaxer and prescription strength ibuprofen. wooo? I feel all sorts of loopy and tired. But hey, I think its working!
   Unfortunately, Friday night was our neighbor get together (just the girls since our hubbies are gone), and I couldn't even drink with them. I also kept zoning out and almost fell asleep at one point...about the same as being drunk right? haha. Still had a great time though:). Today I've been such a sloth, slept in, took a nap, been on the computer....that's basically it. It was so nice and warm today too, but I could not concentrate enough to go outside or do things. Ah well. I blame the meds. haha. Oh yeah, and for dinner, I made green beans, and as I went to drain them, I burnt myself with the boiling water. Ugh, of course I did. it got the side of my palm and some of my arm. I'm ok though. Oh me.
   How's everyone else doing?? Have a great Saturday! Hopefully you're more productive, and less medicated then me! haha