wack/wonderful Wednesdays

wack

1. This ridiculous rash that is all over my face, neck, & arms. Luckily, the bumps are extremely small and the color of my skin, so it's not super noticeable. But it's driving me insane, especially since I can't figure out the cause.

2. Our car started making this awful grinding noise this afternoon.We're in the home-stretch (exactly 20 days until we move) and are trying to sell the car before we leave, so I really do not need it to start acting up now.

3. Speaking of moving, this brigade and its contracted moving companies are so incompetent, I can't even. Our household goods pickup (aka: the day the movers come) was scheduled for 6 June. They called today saying that date is no longer available (?!) and the only dates they have are 9 June and 15 June. Which would be fine, except for the fact that those dates fall on a Friday and a Saturday and we will be in Portugal and then Switzerland. I'm trusting Zack to take care of it before I go PsychoLiza on them. I'm pretty placid (or passive-aggressive..) when it comes to confrontation, but this is messing with our last two weekends in Europe and I will just not have that.

wonderful

1. Getting paid to have imaginary tea parties with children.

2. Chocolate milk. I got the fiercest craving for it today while in the commissary (which was another 'wonderful' by the way, because one of my most favorite activities is grocery shopping) and submitted to the urge to buy some. I savored every last drop.  

3. Gorgeous Polish pottery that the teacher I work with gave me. She went to Poland this past weekend, and bought it for me while there. So thoughtful and unexpected- I love it! I really did want to get into the whole Polish pottery craze while in Europe, but I just never did.

4. I decided to experiment with something I saw on Pinterest- using Greek yogurt instead of eggs + oil in cake mix. Well, I used .99 cent brownie mix and too much water and the batter was looking awfully soupy, so I was about to abandon ship. But I figured I'd try to salvage it by adding flour and chocolate chip morsels, and cooking it for a little bit longer than suggested. The result? Bliss. I should've known Pinterest would never let me down.

5. Dining al fresco this evening. Tilapia, spinach, corn, the aforementioned brownie, & sparkling white wine while overlooking our jungle of a backyard. Just lovely.

Holland

One dark and early morning, we loaded a packed bus with 50 other people and drove 5 hours into Holland. Our first stop was the Keukenhof Tulip Gardens, which was unreal. I knew it was going to be a lot of flowers. But this...this was...a.lot.of.flowers. (32 hectares, 4.5 million tulips in 100 varieties if we're getting technical.) Our good friends Nick & Jamie went, so it was obviously a blast. (Pretty sure we could have a blast in an empty, padded room with them, though...)

I couldn't help but think how much I would have absolutely dreaded something like this when I was little. It brought me back to late summer afternoons spent roaming muggy greenhouses with my Grandma Sharpe & Mommy. Or going to garden stores with them and spending what seemed like a decade to my little girl mind, up and down the aisles of meaningless (to me) things. So I found it amusing I was choosing, on my own free will, to spend an entire day in one of the world's biggest flower gardens.The beauty of it all made my eyes mist over a few times, especially thinking of my Grandma. She would have absolutely been in Heaven there, and I like to imagine that's what her Heaven is. 

 Pictures will do it far more justice than I ever can with words. 

After seeing more flowers than a human being could ever possibly need to, the tour bus drove us to Clara Maria Cheese Farm. It was a really adorable little farm, run by a Dutch man, his American wife, and their four children. We got to see how wooden clogs are made, and the cheese-making process. It was fascinating, but obviously my favorite part was the sampling of the different cheeses. They had so many to choose from, it was sort of like Christmas morning. (That's an exaggeration, but still, it was awesome.) Zack & I went a little crazy with the cheese we bought. Nut, "Farmers Flame" (a spicy blend), whiskey, aged cheddar, & a really heavy smoked cheese. 

We bought so much, and because we're moving so soon and knew we couldn't possibly eat it all, we threw a wine & cheese party a few weekends ago to help get rid of it. 

We still have far too much. 

But I guess there are worse problems to have.

Memorial Day

I thank God for my life
And for the stars and stripes
May freedom forever fly
Let it ring

Salute the ones who died
The ones that give their lives
So we don't have to sacrifice
All the things we love

My heart is so thankful this Memorial Day. Thankful that there are men & women who were so brave & loved their country so much, that they died fighting for it. And thankful for a selfish reason, too. Thankful that my soldier came home to me- safe, sound, & sweeter than ever. I know many other families were not so lucky. I can't pretend to understand their grief, but I hope they know my heart aches for them, and I will forever be grateful for that ultimate sacrifice.

"True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost." 

I think of all the wars America has seen, and all of the lives lost. I think of the soldiers presently in the Middle East, continuing to fight. They don't want glory, they don't want fame. They do it because they love this country, they love people in this country, and their hearts told them it was right. "Thank you" seems so small and so clumsy, such an inadequate way to express what I feel towards those who lost their lives fighting for mine. But it is all I have, and I offer it to them with sincerity, love, and reverence. 

It's okay if you have the day off of work and are splashing around in a pool with a cold beer in your hand. It's okay to laugh and smile and enjoy the company of loved ones. The fallen soldiers would want that, I think. They fought to keep this country what it is, and fought to keep the American people out of harm's way, with their biggest worry on a late day in May being their tan lines. But as you're grilling out, or napping on the beach, please do reserve a corner of your thoughts & heart today for the courageous souls we've lost along the way. Because all that's left of them is a corner of green grass, a white marble cross, and our profound gratitude.

 Memorialize them. 
They died for you.

Dear Italia,

I know we’ve had our share of ups & downs. (Well, the down was basically me ODing on you if we’re being honest here.) But I just wanted to let you know I’ve seen the error of my ways and I am here to beg forgiveness. The times we spent together were some of the best of my life, and you will forever hold a bellissimo spot in my heart. I can still hear, feel, and taste you, even though our last rendezvous was ages ago. I am ready to dive head-first back into our love affair, if you will have me. Accept my apologies for being such a thoughtless, blasé lover. You are everything, mi amore, and we will be together soon enough.

But let’s keep rather mum on this, as I’m in the fledgling stages of a little somethin’-somethin’ with France and she’s a jealous one. Oui? 

Baci,
Liza

wack/wonderful Wednesdays

Wack

1. It was 75 degrees today, and you would have thought I was on the dunes of the Sahara the way I was carrying on. I was miserably hot- sweating like it was the end and fanning myself rather dramatically. In my defense, our black car has no AC and it’s at least 10 degrees warmer inside the car than out.
2. Being so sore from an exercise class Monday that I have to ease down into seats and walk like I have a slight deformity. Also, not being able to run & play with the kids at recess without wincing pathetically. It hurts, okay?!
3. Nosy German neighbors. Pretty positive it's none of your concern if I want to drive the wrong way down our one-way road. Well, maybe it is...but you don't need to shake your head and yell something at me. Especially when I know for a fact you spend your days listening to Johnny Cash and smoking weed. I wonder what "glass house", "stones", and "throw" translate to in German?      
   

Wonderful

1.  Zack came to visit me at work today, and ate lunch with the children. It was adorable in every way.  (I was just glad today’s lunch was macaroni & cheese and not some unidentifiable brown meat, as is rather typical.) 
2. Wearing a chiffon maxi skirt that flows like water. Instead of walking, I swished & swirled everywhere today. 
3. Making myself go to the gym after work. I know it sounds stupid and insignificant, but this is kind of a big deal. I am able to talk myself out of pretty much any type of physical activity, I will literally find anything to do besides work out. Once I sorted all of the coins we have in our house to avoid the Insanity workout of the day. It's a problem.
4. Dinner (Greek!) with some gorgeous girls at one of my favorite restaurants- Poseidon. So much giggling and fun stories, it hurts my heart to know I'm leaving such wonderful people so soon. 

Apparently somewhere along the lines I was possessed by a demon. But that's not the point of the picture.

(belated) Beelitz

Zack: "Hey, would you want to go explore an old, abandoned hospital?"

Me: (blank state, insulted beyond all reason he would even ask me if I was interested in such a thing.) "Is the sky blue?"

Obviously when Zack first told me of Beelitz Heilstätten Sanitorium, I was hooked. If you know me at all, you know I have a borderline freakish obsession with abandoned buildings. So the prospect of getting to explore an old German hospital was almost too much for my little heart to bear.

 It worked out perfectly, as Beelitz is only about 45 minutes outside of Berlin, smack-dab in the middle of our Spring Break path. We stopped around 3PM, thinking it'd be a quick pop in & out. 

How wrong we were. We quickly found out Beelitz is a complex comprised of 60 buildings. The majority of the buildings were in great condition, except for one- the women's ward. It was bombed extensively during WWII, and was basically just a shell- dim and heavy with silence . Compounded exponentially by the fact that I found out later it was the building in which the "Beast of Beelitz" (an area serial killer in the 90's) took his victims. Had I known that, I'm not sure I would have tramped around so blissfully. (Who am I kidding? Of course I would have.) 

The women's ward was also the building that gave me the most uncomfortable feeling. You'd think one would feel uncomfortable in most all of the old hospital, but I was not only at ease during our explorations, but high with excitement. The bombed out building had a different feel though, a saturated ache that seemed to weigh the walls down and a sadness that floated around each corner. I'm not sure if it was actually occupied with women (and babies..) during the WWII bombing, or the Nazis had completely taken over the complex at that point. Regardless, I felt strange while listening to my boots echo the halls. My voice sounded small and too high when I called out for Zack, nervous because I was alone. The fact that I found a room filled with burned down candles in a circle, and a huge pentagram drawn on the wall did little to quell the tightness that was beginning to constrict my throat. 

 

 

 

 Fortunately, all of the other buildings were much more fun to explore and we did just that until the sun began to set, and we lost our light. (Stupidly, we did not bring flashlights.) It was so much fun trying to figure out what each building was used for, as well as the different instruments and objects we saw in them. I know I probably annoyed Zack to the point of madness with all of my inquiries. "What do you think this room was for?" "Why is there a table in the middle of this room?" "Where do you think the emergency room was?" (As if he would know any better than I.) 

If you're as much of a freak about this kind of thing as I am, you can read far more about Beelitz here and here. (Seriously- even if you're a normal person, this is fascinating stuff.) 

 

 

 

wack/wonderful Wednesdays

wack

1. I wore jeans, a long-sleeved blouse, riding boots, & a trench coat today. And I was still cold. It is May 16th. How is that okay Germany? Also, hailing with blue skies? I'm so very confused.

2. Skipping TBX (the exercise class I typically attend on Mondays & Wednesdays) to instead eat buttered popcorn, eat Jolly Ranchers, & Pin my little heart out. I really don't know why I get so agitated at the scale...it's no one's fault but my own.

3. Expensive RyanAir flights. RyanAir is a budget (and I do mean budget) airline that we have always flown with to hop around Europe. Typically you don't pay more than 50€ for a round-trip flight. Seeing as we only have four weekends left to travel, it's balls-to-the-wall travel time and we are looking to book up the weekends. Unfortunately all the places we want to go, the flights are 150€+ per person. Y'all need to get out of here with that mess, RyanAir. You know you aren't worth that- quit trippin'. But I guess we will suck it up & pay it, because who knows when we'll be back 'round these parts again.

4. Spargel (white asparagus.) It's everywhere here when it's in season and it's just awkward. 

wonderful

1. Zack & I were going to have a little dinner date at one of the little German restaurants in Idar-O, but we were both so tired after work, we said forget it. So we had a very random dinner of brats, salad, & leftover guacamole. Dessert? Ritter Sport bars, strawberries, and Reddi-Wip. 

2. The mother of one of the students in the class I work in had her reenlistment ceremony at the school, so our class got to be a part of it. It was really adorable, her children held the flag in the background while she took her oath. Plus, I got a sweet goodie bag filled with sweet candy out of it. 

3. I think we found the vehicle we're going to buy once we get to Missouri. It's just a compact SUV...nothing amazing, but it's probably going to feel like a Maserati compared to what I'm driving now.

4. Wine. Wine is always wonderful.  

muttertag

  

"A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie."  ~Tenneva Jordan

Happy Mother's Day to all the mommies out there. You make this world a softer, sweeter, and more lovely place. 

I am sending all of my love across the Atlantic Ocean today, hoping it lands directly on my own beautiful mother. There aren't enough words of thanks to say for all you have done for me the last 25 years of my life. By teaching me how to be a good, kind person, giving me a magical and creative childhood, sacrificing so much of yourself to give me everything I could ever want, and loving me (although maybe not liking me!) through every stage of my life. I look forward to the next chapter of our lives together, as not only mother & daughter, but as friends. I love you so very much.

Also, it became very clear to me the other day that I am indeed turning into my mother- I realized I go through a jar of peanut butter in a week too. But she's got killer cheekbones, a sense of grace that leaves people in awe, and knows a ridiculous amount about flowers. So it's probably not such a bad thing.

weekend

Yesterday was supposed to be one for the books, in the best way possible. It was not. 

 

Today is very much needed- for me, for him, for us. Because I've been to Brussels three times now (First World Problems..), we decided we're going to stick with Belgium, but go to Antwerp. I'm not researching things to do or see there, I'm not bringing our travel books, I'm not stressing myself out with trying to take pictures of every thing I see. We are going there with no agenda other than to stuff as much chocolate, waffles, and trappist beer as possible into ourselves. That, and remind ourselves me that life is good, our love is great, and the sun will rise tomorrow, no matter how stressed things seem. 

Tot ziens world, see you Monday.  

wack/wonderful Wednesdays

wack

1. I am almost positive at least three years have come off of my life thanks to Zack scaring me when he got home from work. I was in the shower and he started banging the door shut. Naturally, I assumed this was an evil presence and I was going to die naked & cold on the bathroom floor.

2. The weather here is more bipolar than I am. When I got off of work, it was overcast and as soon as I got home, it began pouring. It is currently blue skies and sunshine. I think I'm going to offer Mother Nature a Lexapro.

3. Waking up to the news of Amendment One passing in North Carolina. So completely unnecessary, hurtful, and bigoted. Truly makes me sad to know I call that state home. 

wonderful

1. Baked apple chips. So easy, so wonderful, so delicious. Just thinly slice some apples, sprinkle some cinnamon on them, bake at 100° C for two hours, and voilà. I might have had an entire pan to myself...what of it? 

2. I got to be a fill-in mommy at a Mother's Day tea at school. The little boy's mom couldn't be there, so I got to enjoy a precious presentation by the children, along with tea & biscuits. I had to bite the inside of my mouth to keep from crying it was so sweet, and I don't even have a child. I sometimes ache I want a child so badly- I miss her/him and she/he doesn't even exist. I know it's not the time, though. One day.

3. Debating between going to Stuttgart for a beer fest this weekend, or Belgium. I think when you throw Belgian waffles, beer, chocolate, fries & mussels into the equation...it's a pretty clear winner. Besides, Zack has never been to the Delirium Cafe in Brussels. And that simply will not do. 

Berlin & Dresden

I had high hopes for our long weekend out East. We rented a car (both of ours are beaters,) packed some car snacks, and set out. The 6.5 hour drive was not nearly as horrendous as we were anticipating- it was straight Autobahn the entire way. 

I have talked up Berlin to just about anyone who will listen, so I was slightly nervous for Zack to experience it. (I feared I would take it as a personal insult if he, or anyone else, didn’t share the same zeal for Berlin.) Unfortunately, he did not fall deeply in love with the city as I had two years ago. The weather definitely played a naughty part in that though, as it poured for one full day, and was blustery and chilly the next. Weather really does play a tremendous role in how you feel about a place, and the first time I went to Berlin, the sun shone the whole time that mild June weekend. 

We stayed in a hotel very close to Checkpoint Charlie, and we could even see a remnant of the Berlin Wall outside of our window.The hotel's saving grace was that view and the fact that they had the most amazing honey nut cheese and a cappuccino machine at their breakfast buffet. It certainly wasn't the staff, who spoke no English, and looked blankly at our attempts at German. 

On Friday morning, we set out against the chilly wind and crossed our fingers that the ominous grey clouds looming above would hold our for our walking tour. They did not. We spent the morning and afternoon eating cheap and delicious pizza, drinking wine from the bottle, and napping. Fortunately it cleared up enough that we were able to walk to dinner at Henne, a somewhat famous (famous by three different travel books standards, although I'd never heard of it) chicken restaurant. It was packed, the staff was curt, and they only had one meal to choose from on the menu, but it was delicious. I ordered the half-chicken (halb hähnchen) and all but ate the bones, it was so flavorful and perfectly cooked. Henne certainly gave the roast chicken man who sets up his portable shop below our house, a run for his Euro.

Saturday we took the Insider Tour, a roughly four hour walking tour covering the majority of the sites in Berlin. The first time I went to Berlin, I did the Brewer's Tour and it was by far the best tour I have ever been on. It was eight hours, but it could have been 19 hours and I still would have kept trekking on. It was incredibly fascinating and I learned everything I could hope to know about the city. So this time around, I knew most everything, and the dry tour guide did little to pique my interest any further. 

That evening, I noticed Zack had an aura about him (I am big into auras...I swear I can read peoples') that was uncharacteristically gloomy. When I asked why, he said he just felt down because so much bad stuff had happened in Berlin, and the city itself seemed sad. I felt a twinge of guilt because that was one of the reasons I loved the city so much. Not because so much horrible things happened there, but because of the deep and tumultuous history lying in plain view at every corner. Yet despite Berlin's rocky past, the city is alive, throbbing with acceptance, pleasure, and an eye set on the future. Only do the tourists seem to want to look back- the jelly donuts just keep moving forward. 

 

 

 

 

After Berlin, we were able to spend the remaining days of our spring break in Dresden. Dresden was hauntingly beautiful. The buildings seemed to ache with stories, stories they couldn't tell because the majority of them were replicas that were rebuilt after the infamous firebombings of WWII. 90% of the city was destroyed during the bombings, and it's estimated 25,000 people lost their lives. I couldn't imagine why the Allied forces would want to bomb Dresden, it is so pretty and has a skyline that is able of eliciting an audible gasp upon first glance. Then Zack told me Dresden was a large manufacturing and military hub during the war. Oh. 

 

 

We spent the day wandering the city and simply admiring the gorgeous buildings, despite the cold drizzle that wouldn't let up. Although I could have spent days more there, time ran out and Monday morning began calling. Before leaving Dresden, we had to stop and see the real slaughterhouse-five. Kurt Vonnegut was a POW in Dresden during WWII, and his inspiration for Slaughterhouse-Five came from his real-life experience. It was eerily cool to see the original complex. 

 

 

Spring Break 2012 was world's away (literally) from my hazy college spring break days spent in Panama City Beach and Myrtle Beach, but I'd say it was a sign I've grown up, and grown on. One can only accumulate so many plastic Pineapple Willy cups before their self esteem and morals begins to waver.