Flower Power!

Being that this is our first full summer back in the States after living abroad for the previous three, I was super excited to get started on planting flowers for our deck, as well as getting my garden back to normal.  So, back in May, I spent one full weekend doing just that.  After spending hours digging, planting, replanting, dumping bags of mulch, putting up a small fence around the garden, and organizing everything just so, until I finally felt satisfied with the results.   All of that hard work definitely paid off, because since then, the plants and garden have really blossomed, making our backyard look and feel like a cheerful little oasis! :)  Now I enjoy sitting on our deck in the morning, drinking a cup of coffee, and soaking up the view of my little oasis! :)

A portion of my deck planters...

Another view of the deck... 

Getting ready to tackle the overgrown garden... Aiyiyi! :)

Vander wandered over to help... 

What a helpful little pup! :)

Apparently it was break time! :) 

The finished product... :)

More pictures coming soon! :)

Brian's New Toy...

Brian treated himself to an extra special treat this year for his birthday.  After our trip to the Detroit Auto Show this past January, where we came across some of the new car/truck models for this year, Brian has been itching to get his hands on one particular truck model.  So, for his birthday, he decided that it was time to sell this...

I loved this Jeep, and was so heartbroken to see it go. :(
We had so many great memories of the Jeep!

 ... in order to buy this!

Yep, that was Brian's birthday present to himself... A brand new, cherry red, 2012 Ford Raptor.  Needless to say, I don't think he's managed to wipe the smile from his face since he purchased it! :)  And, since he bought the Raptor, we've managed to make many trips up north for some off-roading adventures, such as the one featured below. (And let me preface this by saying that Brian is literally like a kid in a candy store when driving this truck off road!  His excitement is infectious! :))  

Off Roading in the Raptor from Kristin on Vimeo.

After Brian's birthday present to himself, Vander and I found it difficult to find anything to compare... I mean, really, what exactly can you buy a man who has pretty much everything he ever wanted?! :)  So, rather than go crazy trying to find him the "perfect" birthday present, I teamed up with the pup to wish Brian a very happy birthday in our own unique way... With a very cute puppy picture and a homemade strawberry rhubarb pie! :)  Ultimately, I think he had a pretty fabulous birthday! :)

Within seconds of snapping this picture, Vander chomped down on the sign, jumped up, and ran across the yard!  Once I caught up with him...

... this is what was left of our sign! :)

Vander Turns 9 Months...

On Saturday, Vander turned 9 months old!!  It's hard to believe how fast he's grown!  He's a happy pup and he fills our days with lots of excitement, slobber, and unconditional love! :)  We can't imagine not having this big, slobbery fur-baby in our life! :)

Master's Thesis Completed... Check! :)

After we returned to the U.S. last July, I re-enrolled at my university to finish my work on my Master's Degree in Reading.  Prior to moving to Germany, I was about half way through with the program, so once I returned to the States, I planned on finishing up the second half of it so that I could finally complete the degree.  Well, while I was away, the program's organization changed... Meaning that I now have to complete the second half of the program in reverse... Very odd!  So, this past year was spent completing the last two classes required in this program... My literature review class, which leads directly into Master's thesis class... Two very difficult and time consuming classes!

Needless to say, after not being in class for the past three years, getting back into the swing of things was quite challenging! :)  But, after many headaches, lots of stress, tons of tears, a couple of breakdowns :), and two semesters (almost 9 months) of countless hours spent researching and writing, I turned in my completed thesis!! :)  And, I'm happy to report that I passed with flying colors!! YAY! :)  

Let's just say, words cannot express how thoroughly thrilled I am to be done with that project, and the relief I felt after turning it in! :)  

Isn't she pretty?!  All 58 pages, printed and bound! :)
And, in case you're curious... The topic of this paper was on the difference in the educational systems in the U.S. and Germany... A topic very close to my heart! :)
Also, a huge shout out to Steph and Eva for all of your help with this project!! I couldn't have done it without you! :)

Now, only two more classes left (albeit, one class takes place over the course of two semesters this coming school year... bleh!) and I'll officially have my Master's Degree in Reading Education... Woohoo! :)  Can't wait until next May!!

Easter 2012

We've spent the past three Easters traveling around Europe with either ourselves or surrounded by good friends (Easter 2009:  We traveled to Lago di Garda, Italy with friends; Easter 2010:  We spent the weekend in Prague with just the two of us; Easter 2011:  We traveled back to Lago di Garda, Italy with a great group of friends).  So, imagine how sweet it was to be surrounded by family on Easter for the first time in a few years! :)  The weekend was spent visiting with family, coloring Easter eggs with Kaden, having an Easter egg hunt, eating some yummy home-cooked food, and simply enjoying each other's company.  It was a great way to spend Easter weekend... Surrounded by the ones we love! :)  

Kaden and Vander are such good buddies! :)

Getting ready to color Easter eggs!

A mother/son moment. :)

Me and my little buddy! :)

Kaden with his favorite ladies! :)

This kid is too stinkin' cute! :)

Stacy and Randy at Na-Tah-Ka...

Brian and I being our usual selves at Na-Tah-Ka! :)
Yep... We're at Na-Tah-Ka!  No visit up north is complete without a visit to our one of our favorite watering holes! :)

Showing some sisterly love! :)

Two peas in a pod!
Brian + Jason = Dorks! :)

The one family photo that we were able to capture...
Everyone was SO happy in this picture! :)

The table is set for some yummy Easter dinner! :)

Sitting down for a feast! :)

Our delicious feast was courtesy of Mom and Dad!! :)
Thank you for everything!!

Vander wanted to help Kaden on his Easter egg hunt! :)

Kaden searching for some eggs! :)

Tulips, Tulips, Tulips! :)

Remember back in October, when I posted this little recap of our afternoon spent planting all of the tulips we brought back from our trips to the Netherlands?  I remember the day we planted those and how hopeful we were that the tulips would actually bloom...

Well, fast forward to April.  We returned home from our trip to Germany to find this welcoming sight...

So many tulips! :)  

They added the perfect splash of color to our house this spring! :)
Seeing them always put a smile on my face, and they brought back so many wonderful memories of our travels! :)

So pretty! :)

Of course, when we planted the tulips last fall, we didn't have Vander...  So, when we planted them originally, we didn't quite realize that they would get in the way during playtime between Vander and our neighbors' dogs, resulting in many trampled tulips!  Oops!  We quickly learned that we'll have to find new homes for those tulips this coming fall. :)

He didn't quite notice the tulips he was trampling over every time he ran along the fence line...

My poor, poor trampled tulips. :(

On the bright side, the trampled tulips did make for a nice floral display in our kitchen for most of April! :)

FN Holds a Piece of my Heart...

Hey all!  I'm back! :)  My poor blog has been quite neglected as of late (my last posting was almost two months ago... Yikes!!), but now that I'm officially on summer vacation and things have calmed down a bit, I'm hoping to get back to my blogging pasttime. :)  And since it's been almost two months since my last post, I've got quite a few things to get all of you dear readers caught up on.  Things like our trip to Germany, our Memorial Day weekend camping trip, Vander, trips up north, hanging out with friends and family, and all of the other things in between... There's definitely lots to fill you in on! :)

So, without further ado, let's get started with our trip to Germany back in March.  It was such a wonderful time and I loved every single minute of being back in good ole FN!! :)  I was so thrilled to be back that I don't think I stopped smiling the entire time I was there! :) The two weeks were filled with lots of visits with friends, trips to many of our favorite places, large quantities of delicious German bier, yummy food,  lovely views of the Alps and the Bodensee, and many memories of our three years spent over there .  The time flew by way too quickly though, and before we knew it, we were saying goodbye (again!) and heading back to the "real world". :(   Needless to say, it was hard to leave again... After spending so much time and making so many memories there, Friedrichshafen (FN) will always be considered "home" to me, and no matter how far away I am, it will always hold a piece of my heart.  But, the one thing I gained from this trip, was the knowledge that Friedrichshafen will always be there, and whenever I have the opportunity to go back to visit, I will always be welcomed back with open arms. :)

Now let's get started on the pictures of our two weeks in Germany! :)  Just an FYI... Be prepared to scroll through ALOT of pictures! :)

Welcome to Friedrichshafen! :)

Good ole FN... :)

The Saturday Farmer's Market in downtown Friedrichshafen...
Oh how I miss this!!

Wandering around FN...

The FN Tower at night...

German Bier... Yum! :)

We enjoyed an afternoon of strolling along the promenade by the lake and stopping every so often for a delicious German bier...
It's amazing how much we've missed being able to do this.

Standing in one of my favorite places. :)

One Sunday afternoon was spent visiting with Katrina and Benjamin, meeting their new kitten, and enjoying a glass  (or two) of sekt...  :) 

Brian made some friends while there. :)

I spent one afternoon taking pictures of things that I missed about FN...
Here is one of the views I miss...
I would pass this cute little restaurant on my (almost) daily walk home from downtown.

I miss seeing bike path signs!
There is a bike path virtually everywhere within this country!
This is something that you just don't find here in Michigan. :(

I miss this view...
Taking the trail back to the apartment...
It's so serene and quiet, and it offers some amazing views of the lake (especially at sunset).

The view from the trail of the Schlosskirche in FN...
So pretty!

A view of the Bodensee and FN, with the Alps in the distance...
Gorgeous!

I spent one day visiting one of my favorite places around the lake...
Meersburg! :)

Cobblestone streets...
Oh, how I miss you!

Outdoor cafes are something that we just don't have enough of in Michigan.

I (heart) Meersburg! :)

Strolling along the promenade in Meersburg... :)

Enjoying a coffee (from Aran) by the lake with Eva and Kinga! :)

Our old apartment. :)

Thursday Breakfast reunion with 3 of my favorite ladies! :)

Saying "hi" to an old neighbor. :)

The English Stammtisch group...
Love these ladies! :)

Sunset over FN...
This view never fails to make my heart swell. :)

Deep thoughts by Brian... :)

Wandering around Friedrichshafen Stadt... :)

We were so fortunate to be able to spend one afternoon with our friends Cathy and Stefan...
Such a fabulous time spent with good friends! :)

Being that Cathy is French, she taught us how to make crepes...
They were absolutely delicious! :)

While Cathy and I chattered away, the boys had fun watching a movie with their 3D glasses. :)

Brian making his first crepe... :)

My crepe with nutella and banana filling... Amazing! :0

It was such a fun afternoon! :)

That evening was spent catching up with our good friends, Maike and Norbert...
It was so good to see them! :)

Our Sunday morning brunch by the lake... :)

I spent a day in Munich with Katrina and Kinga...
So much fun was had! :)

Heading in on the train... :)

Watching the surfers in the English Gardens...

The English Gardens never fail to offer some stunning views... :)

Such a beautiful place! :)

Later that day we headed to the Hacker-Pschorr/Paulaner breweries to partake in the Bock Bierfest...

After getting lost and wandering around the city for about an hour, we finally found the place. :)  And we passed this along the way... The storage lot for all of the empty bier bottles... It's huge! :)

I love the variety of window shutters that you can find throughout Europe! :)

Making friends with the Paulaner lion. :)

Brezeln! :)

Kinga's potential side job... A German bier maid! :)

An authentic Bavarian meal... Delicious! :)

My traditional masse pose. :)

Prost! :)

We loved the Paulaner lions that day! :)

And, of course, we had to get some roadies for the ride home! :)
The problem we ran into was trying to figure out how to open them... That's when Kinga found that the locks on our beloved George, Gina, and Lucy purses proved to be quite useful at opening bier bottles! :)

The train ride home from Munich...
Such a fun day! :)

Dinner with Steffi and Simon...
It was so great to see them again! :)

Visiting with Frau Beerbom! :)
 I so wish that we could have had more time to spend with her and Herr Beerbom...
Next time we plan to see alot more of them seeing as how they are some of our favorite people from FN! :)

Hanging out with Kim for the day... :)

Dinner at Spicy Burger...
Love that place! :)

While I was there, I helped to throw a baby shower for our good friend, Eva! :)

The shower was monkey themed...
So, of course, we had to have some monkey cupcakes! :)

The diaper cake I made for her... :)

What a beautiful mama-to-be! :)

I got to see my friend, Gayle, for a short time... Such a fun visit! :)

Chillin' at Aran with my girl, Tanya! :)
Just like old times! :)

Hanging out with Michelle... :)
This was actually my last day there, which explains the red, puffy eyes...
Saying goodbye really sucks! :(

Dinner at Kim's for our last night in town...
What a wonderful dinner she made!! :)
I miss these lovely ladies. :(

Saying goodbye to Denise... :(
I'm so excited to see her here in Michigan in August!! :)

Saying goodbye to FN...
Lots of tears were shed by this point. :(

On the ferry to Romanshorn, Switzerland to catch the train to Zurich...

The view of the Swiss countryside while on the train to Zurich...  :)

At Zurich airport waiting for our flight back home...


We are already looking forward to our next visit to good ole FN!! :)