July 2009 Archives

As Loki grows up, he has earned more of a run of the house.  Now that I don't have to worry about him roaming through the house, he tends to sleep wherever he drops.  He does still tend to prefer the floor under my side of the bed, but he will periodically go take care of the rest of the flock. 

Some nights he will insist on sleeping in Morgan's room.  Other nights you can find him right between the beds in the boys' room.  When the boys are gone, he seems to prefer Max's bed for both the cuddly toys, scent and the view.  He'll talk to us from the window if we're all outside. 

The other morning, I woke up to discover the boys had fallen asleep on the couch while watching a movie.  Loki decided he'd keep a close eye on the situation. 

On the 24th of July, we attended a Marriage Retreat at Saurland-Stern Hotel Willingen.  It was a nice and much needed getaway for all of us! 

They had a whole indoor water-park with plenty of fun for all! 

On July 25th, 2009 - The world lost a Hero.  A Soldier.  A Marine.  A Son.  A Brother.  A Friend. 

Killed in Action in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, PFC Wayne Vincent gave his life in service to his country.  You, me, our fuzzy friends. 

I only had the pleasure of meeting Wayne in person 1 time.  He was a bright young man with a smile that lit up a room and is strikingly like his sister, Julia's.  But his light shone brightly through the words of his family and the shared pictures and updates on his accomplishments. 

Wayne, you will be forever missed and loved.  We thank you for now watching over us all. 

This doesn't really need any explanation.  Two of the most beautiful creatures I know and does the Fuzzy One ever love that Teenager...

On our way to Legoland, we stopped in Nurnberg.  I found this great shop with some shoes that I just *had* to have.  Now, you guys know I'm not really an "OHMIGOD SHOES!" kinda gal, but I really did like these. 

When I went to look for the right size, I caught something out of the corner of my eye and my heart just stopped.  I mean, you'd be hard pressed to find Mountain Dew in Germany.  Nevermind MY personal favorite. 

Behold.  The LiveWire!  *bows before the orangy goodness*

I was having a "Let The Crock Pot Do It" day and I had this great recipe for Pulled Jerk Pork Sandwiches.  However, I just couldn't find any good jerk seasoning here, so I made my own!

• 2 Tbsp. Dried Minced Onion
• 2 1/2 Tbsp. Dried Thyme
• 2 tsp. Ground Allspice
• 2 tsp. Ground Black Pepper
• 1/2 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. Cayenne Pepper (I crushed up my own peppers - About 5)
  
• 1/2 tsp. Salt

Three years later, Kris & I return to Legoland with the kids.  This time we have 2 days and we are staying in the Legoland Holiday Village. 

The last time we were here, the Village was just a large square of sand with the inklings of construction brewing.  Now, it's a Racer, Adventurer, Pirate or Knight Cabin! 

We stayed in the Adventurers Cabin which was adorned with portraits of Indiana Jones made of Legos  and a loft for the boys. 

It has been determined that Pigs are Flying, The End of the World is Nigh' and Hell has ABSOLUTELY frozen over.  Why?  Because in some bizarre reality:

•  ALL of my children rode roller coasters
  
• My Teenager was sweet and kind and happy for 2 days straight!!!

Hey guys, be patient with me.  I do realize some of my entries have offset photos and it's screwing up the text.  I'm working on fixing it! 

Today we took The Reza to the airport.  When we said our good-byes, I actually cried. 

I had been asked on the fourth if I was looking forward to getting rid of the extra family member.  I guess most people would be, but not here.  She was a lovely guest and it was great for her and Morgan to be together. 

During the time she was here, she kept a journal.  Rene' made it for her and they dubbed it the "Ribbon Journal" because there were ribbons tied to the spiral bindings.  I transcribed a copy and eventually want to have it bound for both the girls. 

With The Reza here, we made some memories of a lifetime.  We even had the pleasure of including her family in some of them.  The Shaw family is a great bunch.  This was the first time I got to really spend time with them as the first time we met, I was home on R&R from Afghanistan and just breezing through.

These are the people who loved and nurtured Morgan while I was deployed.  Rene' became "Nother Mother" and Jenny became the little sis Morgan's never had. 

I will forever remember the things they did for my daughter while I was away and now I've made 4 new friends that I will cherish for a lifetime. 

Thank you guys and thank you for sharing your Reza with us for a month. 

On the 4th, we had a BBQ and despite some rain early in the day, it was lovely. 

We enjoyed good food & games with our neighbors.  If you haven't tried the game "Apples to Apples", I highly recommend it.  It's hilarious and really fun with a large group. 

During our brief period with the sun early in the day, it decided to make the most of it and shine relentlessly down on us.  The kids and the dog enjoyed it!

We decided to take a trip down to Nurnberg go visit Tiergarten Nurnberg.  All the kids got to take the train for the first time and we saw some really neat animals!