Nothing Special

Things around here have been pretty uneventful. The boys were out of school Friday. That evening we got a sitter and went out to dinner with a group of friends. We went to a Brazilian steakhouse. It was different. There really is no menu, just for drinks. There was a small salad bar and you were given unlimited fries. Throughout the evening they bring you grilled meat on a sword and serve it to each person. There was chicken, different cuts of beef, pork and veal. I liked the chicken the best. You can eat as much as you like and you can request any of the meats over again. We asked for the chicken a second time. I was completely stuffed. Needless to say I gained 2lbs.

Saturday Brian worked and then that evening we went to see Fast and Furious. It was pretty good and the boys loved it. Sunday was a day of work. Brian got the boys downstairs and had them clean their rooms and the playroom. He also had them vacuum the hallway downstairs. Brian then began to put together the desks we bought for each of the boys. Of course he opened up the first box and it was broken. We have to go exchange it on Tuesday. Luckily none of the other boxes were damaged. So E has a new desk in his room and he seems to like it. He actually did his homework downstairs last night. While the men were downstairs cleaning and working I was upsairs slaving away. I came to realize something, I really, really, really HATE housework. Now I know why I had a cleaning lady. Why did I fire her again? The sad thing is all I cleaned was the four bathrooms, the living room, dining room and kitchen. I did not touch any of the 6 bedrooms. It still took me hours!! I can hear all of you now, "you poor thing" I know I am such a baby!

Today I picked up the boys from school and when I got A home I took his temperature and it was over 100. He said he was not feeling well, but I was not sure if he was faking or not. I guess not! So no school for him tomorrow. I am on the countdown til my Vegas trip. I fly out in 16 days!! I am so excited! That's it for now. Til next time.

Oh what a week, and it's only Wednesday!!

This week so far has been hectic and by far the worst for allerigies. We purchased new couches last month and had them delivered on Tuesday. I just couldn't stand the dog pee smell anymore. We shampooed the carpet at least once a month and I washed all the couch cushions regularly but still the smell was there. We found out that the post housing was having a bulk trash day on Tuesday so Brian and I packed up the old couches and rug and drove them into Wiesbaden. It only took two trips, I was amazed!! The new couches are leather and we are not putting down another rug so I hope the dogs behave themselves. Since spring has sprung we have had no accidents in the house at all. It seems the dogs don't mind going out when the sun is shining, go figure. We are trying to keep the dogs off the new furniture, but we will see how long that lasts. I got up this morning to Cricket and Piper all snug on a blanket on the couch! Bella was in bed with me, of course. There are still a few things I want to get to finish off the living room. I want to get the coordinating pillows for the quilts I have on the back of the couches and mathcing valances for the big window. They even have a dog bed that matches!

Brian's allergies have hit an all time high. Yesterday he drove the boys to school and then couldn't leave the parking lot at A's school cause he could not open one eye and barely could see out of the other. He made it to the clinic where they turned him away because they had no appointments. Luckily I had a call in to have a Dr. call me to get more refill on my meds. When they called Brian was home and was able to get the meds he needed as well. I pray they help him. My allergies were worse yesterday also. I was having problems breathing. When I woke up this morning my chest hurt and I have a horrible headache.

Tomorrow I go back to the dentist to get my teeth cleaned. The tooth he filled last time is still super sensitive so I don't know what he will or even can do about it. I have to go in the morning then I have to drive back after school to take the boys. A had misplaced his retainer about a week after he got it. We searched high and low and just when I was ready to call the dentist to let him know, A found it in a pocket in is backpack. I looked through his backpack but I swear those things have at least 20 pockets!! I guess I better get off my butt and get this day started. Til next time.

Another Year Older

Today is my birthday. Wow, 36 years old. I am officially closer the 40 than 30. I remember 26 being a hard birthday for me. Thinking that 30 was right around the corner. I do not feel that way this year. Brian had to work today until about 1pm. I decided I wanted to go to Ramstein (a town about an hour away) to eat at Chili's. Unfortunately the dinner left much to be desired, but all was not lost. After we ate I suggested we head over to the PX to look for some shorts for Brian. His were getting way too worn and even had holes in some of them. I walked upstairs to look at the clothes and was VERY pleasantly surprised by a big display of Vera Bradley purses. They have never sold them here before and I love VB bags!! I bought two large bags that will work for my Vegas trip. They are big enough to use as a purse and still hold my camera and extra lenses or whatever.

Poor Brian has horrible allergies this season. His eyes are always bothering him, he has sinus pressure and even has to get up in the middle of the night to use his inhaler. After all this you would think he would go to the doctor, but not Brian. I think he likes to suffer.

Monday the boys are back in school. I have to say it was a nice week. Just kinda a lazy, relaxed week. I enjoyed it and would not mind one more!! But I guess it is back to normal life. You know TKD, dentist appointments and who knows what else.

I took this picture of me earlier this week. My camera has a remote control and I was trying to learn how to use it. It really is amazing what you can learn just by reading the manual!! Anyway it is me al natual. No makeup, blemishes and crows feet out there for all to see. I came to a realization this week. It is something that many people have told me and I knew it was true but I actually saw it this week. I do not lose weight if I don't drink water!! How simple is that? You 'd think I would be gulping it down by the gallon. Well I am now!! My weight loss completely stopped and I actually kept going up and down within a 2-3 pound range. Now that I started my water again I am back at my 9 pound mark and hope to add to that this coming week. That is about it for now. I am going to watch some TV with the guys. Til next time.

Our Many Adventures

We have had some interesting adventures to say the least with our new found hobby. Sunday we went out geo caching near Brian's work. It is out near many orchards and back roads so we thought it would be a great place. We parked in the small parking lot at Brian's work and got the boys' bikes off the car. They rode around while we got the coordinates in the GPS and got the dogs ready. In this short time E took a horrible spill on his bike. We are not quite sure how it happened but he went over the top of his bike and has road rash on both arms and legs, a bruise on his chest and his helmet was broken in the front. I am such a believer in bike helmets now. If he was not wearing one I don't even want to imagine what would have happened!! We figured our day of fun was over before it started. We put the dogs back in the car and packed the bikes back up and decided to try to find at least one in the car. We ended up finding two and E was out there looking by the second one.

Monday Brian got off work early and wanted to go back out again and find another cache. We decided to head in another direction from our town and he found one that he said would be good. We took the dogs but thought we would leave the bikes at home for this one. It said that the last 100 meters were uphill. Yeah, right!!! The whole stinking thing was uphill! It ended up being about a mile and the incline just kept increasing the entire way. I was so exhausted. Luckily Brian thought to bring his walking sticks. He took one and I took one and they really helped! Once we got to the top the view was pretty good. You could see Frankfurt, but unfortunatly it was pretty hazing out. A was the one to find the cache this time, much to his brother's dismay.

Tonight I decided I wanted to go out to dinner. Brian agreed as long as we went to find a cache on the way. Can you say addiction!! Sure enough he found one online and we went looking for it. We looked for about 30 minutes in the general location and didn't see it. Finally I checked my Iphone for a hint and there was one in german. After a quick translation on my phone we found out that it was hidden in the wall. That was all it took for A and he found it in a matter of seconds.

This is the last week of my photography class. My assignment was on composition. We learned about different rules you should follow to make a photo more appealing. I used A as my subject again. The first photo of the collage is what I submitted for my class but I liked all three so much I wanted to put them on here. I guess that is enough for now. Til next time.

We're Hooked

Today we strapped the bike rack to the car and went and bought the boys new bikes. After telling them that this was their one and only Easter present and having a talk with them and answering a million questions they finally got the point. We got the bikes on the bike rack and went to find our first cache. Brian and the boys are definitely hooked. We put the coordinates in the GPS and it said it was 1.4 kilometers away. I was thinking okay that is do-able. We started walking with the dogs and the boys were riding their bikes. Then when we reached the 1.4 km mark it said to turn and it was going to be another 1.6 km. This went on for over an hour. I could have killed Brian. It must have been at least 3 miles one way! We could have parked the car, oh about 500 feet from where the cache was but noooooo, that would take all the fun out of it! I was exhausted. We did find it though and that was great. The boys were so excited. We are going back out tomorrow to look for more. The weather was absolutely perfect. It was in the high 60s with a little over cast. There was a nice breeze every now and then. We couldn't have asked for anything better. The dogs had a great time as well. They are getting really good at walking on their leashes. That is all for now. I better get some rest for tomorrow's excursion!!

Trying Something New

The boys are out of school Friday. All the teachers have an in service day to do grades. That just means one more day of Spring Break. I was kinda surprised to find out that the boys have TKD all next week though. Oh well, Brian has to work all week, so it was not like we were not going to be around. So here is my dilemma. Both boys need a new bike. I want to get them one for Easter, but I also want them to be able to enjoy them all this week since the weather is supposed to be nice. E's bike is completely trashed. The brakes are broke. I am considering blowing this lid off of the big bunny (and all other mythical characters) and giving the bikes to them as an early gift. E is going to be 12 this month and A will be 10 in August. I knew the truth WAY earlier than them. I just don't know though. Brian and I are still debating it.

We are going to try something new this weekend, geo caching. You are given lat. and long. coordinates and you go find them and there is a little container there that the boys can take out an item and replace it with their own. There are some sites very close to us. We are going to find one that allows dogs and try it out. Should be interesting. The website I was on ranks the sites for how difficult it is to find the item and how difficult the hike is. We are going to do an easy one first! If all else fails I should get some good outdoor pictures.

I went to the dentist today. I had a cavity just like I had suspected. He filled it and rescheduled my cleaning appointment. I really hate going to the dentist!! Hopefully now that I am off the sugar my teeth will not suffer as much.

This is a short one. I have to get to bed. Night!

My To Do List

When did I get so lazy? I know, I know, I have always been lazy. Why haven't I realized it earlier? Today I have a pretty full day and the thought of all I have to do just makes me tired. What would I do if I actually had to get up and go to work? How does Brian do it? He gets the kids ready and takes them to school, then goes to work and then after that comes home and helps me with whatever I need. He truly is a saint. Today I had to get up and take the boys to school because Brian is working a double. When I got home I cleaned the living room and dining room. I was really sick yesterday and spent most of the day in bed so I felt like I needed to make up for it. I still need to clean the kitchen and my bedroom. Then I need to get dressed and get the boys from school. After that I have to take the boys to get haircuts, check the mail and get them to Tae Kwon Do. While they are at TKD I have to go to the commissary and then hit the food court to get dinner. I can't believe that I feel overwhelmed. I know people who accomplish twice this much on a daily basis. The funny part is now that I am up and active I seem to have more energy than if I stayed in bed til 10.

I lost another pound today. YEA!!! That is 9 pounds so far. I am definitely guilty of pride right now. Spring has finally sprung and things are looking up! We are at day 3 of sunshine here in Germany and let me tell you what a power boost it gives you. Still cool, in the high 50's but I will take it. Brian got home from work last night and told the boys they were going to go exercise. They put up such a fight until they realized he wanted to play basketball. It was great to hear all the laughter and see them having a great time and exercising at the same time.

I know my blog must be extremely boring to most of you reading this. I have to say writing all this mundane daily stuff has helped me tremendously. I can't wait until a year from now and I look back on this and hopefully I have made even more changes in my life for the better. Well I better go get that kitchen cleaned. Til next time.