CHUCKLEHEADS

Oh so happy!

noreply@blogger.com (Chuckleheads) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 09:26:00 +0000

Vilseck Tree Lighting

noreply@blogger.com (Chuckleheads) — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 18:51:00 +0000

This year commemorates the third year of the annual Vilseck Rose Barracks Tree Lighting Ceremony. And this year...as in the past two years its a disappointing affair where the tree has about 5 strands of lights going vertically up and down it and a big star at the top...but, being the optimists and the spirit of Christmas kind of folks we are...we continue to go each year to cheer on the lighting of the tree.

This year we walked up to the commissary parking lot, where the tree resides, with our neighbors...they are the BEST neighbors we've ever had...we love them. adore them. hope they travel around for the rest of our military career to be our neighbors for the next 7 years. :) Ok...maybe a little unrealistic, but we do like hanging out with them.

Plus...their daughter and Bella are the "bestest of friends."

So....as with the past years we had both Santa Claus and St. Nikolas show up to greet the children...

In my opinion this is themost exciting part of the tree lighting ceremony. They arrive in a firetruck with lights flashing. Its very loud and the kids can hardly sit still...and because we've now done this three times we knew EXACTLY where to stand so we were about the 10th people in line. YES.

So both my "kids" sat on Santa's lap and once again...the younger of the two asked for a "real puppy." Aiya. We may have a disappointed three year old on our hands Christmas morning. :)

Ugh...more rain. :(

noreply@blogger.com (Chuckleheads) — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 17:16:00 +0000

I'm sick with a bad cold and just grumpy. It's supposed to be SNOWING by now. We've had two mornings of sorta snow that turned into rain and its just miserable. Ugh...go away rain. You are depressing me.

Tis' the Season...

noreply@blogger.com (Chuckleheads) — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 18:35:00 +0000

Tis the season of hot chocolate...

Finding the perfect dress to see Santa...

Sitting on his lap and asking for a PUPPY.

Finding the perfect tree...(and teaching a 3-year old how to saw...)

Laughing with family and friends...and the man you are madly in love with...

Decorating...

Remembering why certain ornaments are around...

Teaching a 3-year old the story of Jesus' birth...

Letting that same 3-year old decorate her own tree (branch)...

And feeling happier than you have in a really really long time. Tis' the Season...

Pure joy...

noreply@blogger.com (Chuckleheads) — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 19:50:00 +0000

found in a pile of leaves. I recently raked up the backyard leaves...like I was supposed to have done during fall cleanup a month ago....whoops...

Anyhow...our little neighbor girl came out to play and before you knew it we had 2 hours of jumping in a pile of leaves fun. I remember those days...now I'm a big humbug...its too dirty...its too itchy...bah humbug.

Ok...maybe I did do a "hop or two" into the pile...but I made sure THAT wasn't caught on camera.

Puss in Boots

noreply@blogger.com (Chuckleheads) — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 22:38:00 +0000

I took Bella to see her very first movie in the theater this afternoon. Actually...she's been in the theater as an infant...we decided to see a movie...i don't remember which one...mostly because I spent the entire 2 hours in the hallway with a fussy baby. THAT was technically her first movie...

But...her first REAL movie that was enjoyable for me too...was Puss in Boots. We went to see it today at the Vilseck Movie Theater on a mommy/daughter date. It was great fun. She ate an entire bag of small popcorn and drank about a medium sized soda drink (rootbeer is her favorite)...I let her go all out because it was her first time in the theater...what fun for a kid...right?

When we left the theater to walk home she said, "Mama...that movie made my tummy feel full and wobbly."

Ya think?

Teamwork...

noreply@blogger.com (Chuckleheads) — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 23:28:00 +0000

John owns a shirt I bought him and sent him while he was deployed that says Teamwork...a lot of people doing what I say.

Apparently it was a BIG HIT with my nephew and so for Christmas I volunteered to make sure he got a similar shirt...only instead of buying him one (since I have no idea even where I even got John's) I made him one...I think it turned out pretty good. I hope he likes it!

Finally finishing up Christmas.

noreply@blogger.com (Chuckleheads) — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 23:24:00 +0000

Sad, right? Its the 19th of November and I'm almost done with Christmas...well, at least the Christmas that I am sending to my stepkids and inlaws and nephews on John's side. I always do their Christmas first because I have to not only worry about Christmas, but Eric and Lexi's birthdays are also in December so I like to send it all at once.

Phew. So glad its mostly done. Now, I'm boxing up my mom and Marlowe's little package to send to them...still have a couple of "items" that I need to get. I know they don't want STUFF, but I still like to send them a few items I think they will like...its not fair for parents to tell their kids they don't want anything. We like to feel generous and giving and show them how much we love and appreciate them and all that jazz and especially around Christmas.

Ok...off my soap box...

I wanted to show you my three favorite things that are from Bella to Lexi, Eric and Maddie...

Bella loves a show called Art Attack. Its a guy who essentially creates from random things...Well, one morning we were watching him create a pirate from a plastic bottle. Yeah...I know...crazy, right? Anywho...Bella says she wants to make one for big sissy. I ask which big sissy. She says both. I say what about Eric. She says, "Eric gets a platypus." I have no idea where she even learned that word. But...over the next couple of weeks Bella helped me create three Art Attack specials out of plastic bottles, glue, paper towels, newspaper and paint.

Tadum!

Bella picked the colors they were painted. I did the "design work." She loved them so much when we were done she didn't want to give them up. Especially the butterfly...I may be making another one of those...

Anyhow...we filled the insides with Haribo candies...

I've got them all boxed up and ready to send for Christmas. I hope they love them as much as the munchkin does. I'll be including a note explaining how these came about....regardless...we love them and I'm proud of my little girl for wanting to create something for her siblings for Christmas...even if mama did most of the work!

Good morning...

noreply@blogger.com (Chuckleheads) — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 21:31:00 +0000

HIYA!

I am the morning ninja and I am THREE today!

Do not mess with me mortal.

Let's Meltdown!

noreply@blogger.com (Chuckleheads) — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 21:15:00 +0000

We had Bella's birthday party on Saturday, November 12th this year. She has been madly in love with all three Ice Age movies for the past 4 months and so we decided to have an Ice Age party!

She invited 5 of her friends...4 girls and one little boy...(his dino print is missing because he wanted to take it home with him...) We started it off with playing games like balloon toss, nose to the balloon push and musical dino feet...

I told the kids that the night before a dinosaur had stomped through our backyard and laid eggs...and that we needed to go out and find them. I wish I could have captured the wide eyed wonder of these kids as they listened to that tall tale...100% sure I was telling the truth they raced for their coats and out the door they went...

Once all the eggs were found we broke the pinata...it was Manny the Mammoth from Ice Age...I'm sure you could tell that already based on my superior pinata making skills. :)

All the kids waiting in the "safety zone".

When everyone was sufficiently numb and freezing from the cold we headed back indoors where the kids did "cave man drawings" while I got the cupcakes and icecream ready to go...

Time to eat! We sang happy birthday and then before she could blow out the candles I asked Bella what she wanted to wish for. She wished for a new jacket. Huh?

We ended the party with opening presents. Bella got some great new toys. Everyone was so thoughtful and generous!

The party is over! But wait...its 3pm...TWO hours later...the kids are still playing with thier plastic dinosaur party favors (The best $3.99 I ever spent!) and the adults are winding down a two hour chatfest. It was fantastic!

Happy party day, little girl! I can't believe that tomorrow you'll be THREE. I sure do love you!
XOXO Mama...

You'll go BLIND!

noreply@blogger.com (Chuckleheads) — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 18:01:00 +0000

Remember when your mother used to make you sit at least 5 feet away from the television because if you sat too close you'd go blind? I've often wondered if anyone ever actually DID go blind from sitting too close to the television.

...and what do I do whenever I have a deep thought like that? GOOGLE!

And so without much further ado...I'm here to DISPROVE the myth that you'll go blind. What I did discover is that in the 60's GE sold some televisions that emitted incredibly high levels of radiation...but they recalled them and fixed them...so unless you are still using an old GE from the 60's television...you are safe from blindness.

And you must believe not because I found this on the internet, but because it came from Scientific American. Now that is a name you have to trust. So, to read all about it click here.

Regardless...I found myself laughing when I found this...

...and my first instinct was to make her pull her chair back as I found myself uttering those infamous words..."You'll go blind from sitting that close..."

A house with a view...

noreply@blogger.com (Chuckleheads) — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 17:53:00 +0000

My backyard this evening was gloriously orange....i just had to sit and watch it for a bit. Then I realized I was numb from head to toe and went back inside...but for just a few minutes I sat and watched something glorious.

Overwhelmed.

noreply@blogger.com (Chuckleheads) — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 19:45:00 +0000

Do you ever feel that way? I know I'm not the only one...but when it all just keeps piling and you are literally the only person there to handle any of it?

Its been crushing down for a couple of months...but I'm finally making headway on a few things.

1. My house has been rented! Woohoo! They seem like a nice couple who have adopted two children...one that is in college already and the other is only 6. I am thrilled to find people that I feel like I can (hopefully) trust this time around...that being said...

I'm still in the process of filing suit over my last renters. I have learned a hard lesson...one that will cost me some money, but one that I won't forget anytime soon. Unfortunately it was NOT about the good or the honesty or the integrity found in people. I am amazed at how quickly a moral compass can be forgotten when it no longer benefits what you desire. That being said...it was a good way to take a long hard look at myself and what I tend to "fudge the line" on when things aren't going my way...

2. Dejunking! Believe it or not...being able to get a couple more items of furniture has allowed me to dejunk and organize better than ever. I have realized I had a hidden burning passion for restoring furniture...upholstery, painting, etc. I don't have all the tools I need, yet...but I am excited to get a chance to remake some antiques that would otherwise be junked. My most recent acquisitions is an old 1950's cabinet/countertop that you would have found in a kitchen and the second is a kitchen table with a leaf that seats up to 8! Hoorah! Finally! I've been wanting one of those for quite awhile. Now I just need to find some charis...we are still at 2 chairs and 2 stools....Just not quite enough. :) Here are my inspirations for these two pieces...

The kitchen table...

The cabinet...(yes, I know this isn't a cabinet, but its the "look."

3. Birthday Party...for some reason this year's birthday party for Bella is overwhelming me. I have no idea why. Its not going to be anything giant. There are only going to be 5...maybe 6 kids here...so not an overly huge amount and most of its done and prepped, but I keep feeling like I'm forgetting something...Gaaaah! Its going to be super fun. I can't wait to post the "after" pictures of her birthday party. I hope the kids have as much fun as I plan on them having. :)

4. Holidays. Despite it just being the two of us since John is away for training...the holidays are turning out a tad stressful. Or maybe just lonely which equals stressful? I don't know...all I know is that in two weeks I'm bringing mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce to Thanksgiving dinner...I'll be looking for a superb cranberry sauce recipe...none of that straight out of the jar stuff...

Ok...thats about it for now, at least. I'm still trucking along. Maybe I just need more sleep? With that, I bid you adieu!

Soon to be Three Photo Shoot...

noreply@blogger.com (Chuckleheads) — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 19:34:00 +0000

Happy Halloween!

noreply@blogger.com (Chuckleheads) — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 19:48:00 +0000

Trick or Treat...smell my feet...give me something good to eat...

if you don't, I don't care....I'll pull down your underwear.

We had a great time trick or treating this year. On post trick or treating is allowed from 5pm to 7pm. We were ready to walk out the door right at 5pm...and so were our neighbors! We spent most of our time trick or treating with My Little Pony and Supergirl!

Bella showing off the beginning of all the loot she collected on Halloween...

It took her a few doors, but she got the concept down quickly.

The biggest problem is that she wanted to go into people's houses to get the candy!

There were a few really spooky houses. I loved it.

This one was "less spooky" but she was mesmerized by it all the same...

We finished our neighborhood and then My Little Pony just wasn't quite done yet so we had a potty break...emptied our loot buckets and went out for more...this is the start of round 2 of Trick or Treating.

Another door Bella found very spooooky!

This is right outside our house...thats HER pumpkin. She is still so proud of it!

Another cool Halloween setup...these pictures just don't do these houses justice.

Some of them really went all out in the decor. It was great.

Home at last! When we combined loot buckets from our first and second rounds of

Trick or Treating she had SO MUCH CANDY!!!

She's trying to decide which three candies she wants to eat before bed tonight.

Her first choice was a caramel. That made me laugh...

And then it was time for bed...she wanted to sleep in my bed and I said no. She got so upset and cried so hard that she promptly barfed up all the candy she ate.

I love this holiday.

Happy Halloween!!!!

A picture worth a thousand laughs...

noreply@blogger.com (Chuckleheads) — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 19:12:00 +0000

After the Kirwa Festival

noreply@blogger.com (Chuckleheads) — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 20:37:00 +0000

Caramel Apples!!!

After the pumpkin patch...

noreply@blogger.com (Chuckleheads) — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 20:18:00 +0000

So there is a story about what happened AFTER the pumpkin patch last weekend. I know...who would have thought a day could be more thrilling than what I've already described?!!!

Well, poorly planned that it was...we headed to the pumpkin patch right at lunch time....without eating first. So by the time we'd picked our pumpkins and paid for them we were all starving. We stopped in a small town on the way back home and parked and ate. Well, we ate...Bella played (literally) with her food...

And then she took random photos of us....

Anywho...when we were done eating, playing and posing...we went to get in our car and discovered that a Kirwa Festival was going on. Perhaps you remember the Kirwa post from a few years ago? Its when they spend hours raising a huge 100 foot tree into upright position through the manual labor of the males? And girls flounce around pouring beer into mugs for the laboring fellows to drink from...

Well, yep not only did we find a Kirwa Festival, but the tree was blocking our car from leaving the lot.

FOUR HOURS LATER...I drove us home because John had decided to help raise the Kirwa tree thus negating his ability to drive (remember beer?)

And to top it all off...Bella had a potty accident and I didn't have any extra clothes so I wrapped her in my sweater and made them look like MC Hammer pants. Oh...you should have seen the looks us crazy Americans got on this cold day watching the Kirwa with a little girl in MC Hammer pants playing in the dirt with no shoes/socks. I truly felt like I'd grown up in the smallest of towns in Oregon...

Oh wait...I did.

Pumpkin Patch

noreply@blogger.com (Chuckleheads) — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 22:09:00 +0000

Remember last year's pumpkin patch photo? I stuck the girls inside the wooden box of pumpkins at the commissary? Well, this year I actually found a REAL pumpkin patch....

Bella at her first pumpkin patch...can you see it? If you squint and look really hard you'll see a strip of field with orange-ish forms on it. THAT is a pumplin patch.

I know...I know...its not your typical hay ride, apple cider, corn maze pumpkin patch...but it also isn't the box of pumpkins at the commissary!

Not only was it Bella's first pumpkin patch, but it was our friend Christina's first pumpkin patch too! How you get to be mid-20's and not have ever gone to a pumpkin patch is beyond me. She says its because there are none in SE Texas...

I BEG to differ...

Texas: Houston, south east Texas and surrounding counties Pumpkin Patches, Corn Mazes, Hay Rides and More

I'll be forwarding her this link for sure. :)

Anywho...back to the 2 year old's first pumpkin patch experience...first we went for a big walk and found a really heavy pumpkin.

Then it was a really dirty pumpkin...(see hamsey daddy back there looking on?)

Then we had to take just a short rest on a pumpkin from all that walking and running around...

Then Daddy found HIS pumpkin!

Which finally prompted Bella to find her pumpkin...isn't it so cute?

And if the photos weren't enough here is a short video clip of her finding the baby pumpkins...Oh, aren't they so cute?!

Brandenburg Gate

noreply@blogger.com (Chuckleheads) — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 21:21:00 +0000

And so the final chapter in our Berlin trip...its about time, right?

The Brandenburg Gate...here is what I know about it...

1. Its a well known landmark in Berlin that marks entrance into Berlin.
2. Its in East Berlin...or was...now its just in "Berlin." :)

And here is what it looks like...

From the front....

From the back....

My favorite shot of us with the gate. ha ha ha.....

And the big colums...they were giant. And yes, thats me geekily peeking out from behind it. We THOUGHT it would be a cute photo, but now I just see it was pretty dumb. As penance I'm including it in my blog. :)

Last, but not least...when I did some research about the Brandenburg Gate I realized that it...like so many other wonderful buildings, monuments, statues, squares, etc. are huge symbols of the East/West...The Iron Curtain...Communism...Liberation....hope....peace....and it really is overwhelming to think I had the chance to go and experience THAT...not just see the gate...not just take a picture of a well known monument. Makes one stop and say..."Woah."

From Wikipedia...

Vehicles and pedestrians could travel freely through the gate, located in East Berlin, until the Berlin Wall was built, 13 August 1961. Then one of altogether eight Berlin Wall crossings was opened on the eastern side of the gate, usually not open for East Berliners and East Germans, who from then on needed a hard-to-obtain exit visa. On 14 August West Berliners gathered on the western side of the gate to demonstrate against the Berlin Wall, among them West Berlin's governing Mayor Willy Brandt, who had spontaneously returned from a federal election campaigning tour in West Germany earlier on the same day.

Under the pretext that Western demonstrations required it, the East closed the checkpoint at the Brandenburg Gate the same day, 'until further notice', a situation that was to last until 22 December 1989.

The Berlin Wall

noreply@blogger.com (Chuckleheads) — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 20:37:00 +0000

Good grief...I've got to catch up or before I know it October will be over and done with and I still won't have even posted our pumpkin patch photos!

So...back to Berlin...and the wall. Actually...better said as The Wall. With capitals because when you talk about The Wall people always seem to know what wall you are referring to...

So...I got to touch it. See it...touch it...kind of experience it...

The most surprising thing about it was how short it was. Short as in "not tall" as opposed to the length...because that wall went on FOREVER. When I saw The Wall for the first time it was not intimidating at all...not even a tiny bit. I imagine way back when there was razor wire and stuff on top maybe? It might be time for another history lesson.

From Wikipedia...

"The Berlin Wall (German: Berliner Mauer) was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic (GDR, East Germany) starting on 13 August 1961, that completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin.

The barrier included guard towers placed along large concrete walls, which circumscribed a wide area (later known as the "death strip") that contained anti-vehicle trenches, "fakir beds" and other defenses.

The Eastern Bloc claimed that the wall was erected to protect its population from fascist elements conspiring to prevent the "will of the people" in building a socialist state in East Germany. In practice, the Wall served to prevent the massive emigration and defection that marked Germany and the communist Eastern Bloc during the post-World War II period."

Ok...so no razor wire...but the "death strip" sounds and looks pretty daunting from pre-fall of the wall photos.

And now for the big reveal of MY experience at the Berlin wall. I'm starting with my absolute favorite photo from that day...

And then looking down one side of the wall....

And then the other....

And me touching the wall. :)

And then just some interesting other works of art on the wall...

And in the infamous words of Arnold Schwarzenegger..."I'll be back."

Checkpoint Charlie

noreply@blogger.com (Chuckleheads) — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 22:59:00 +0000

Imagine waking up to the announcement that your city was divided in half and during the night 6 foot high barbed wire fences were erected to stop you from going to work or visiting your family or friends...and even more troubling was the fact that it stayed that way for 30 years.

That is essentially what happened to the people of Berlin on August 13, 1961.

Its also one of the reasons I really wanted to go to Berlin and see first hand some of the remnants of the cold war era...and the division of the beautiful city of Berlin.

One of our first stops on our tour was Checkpoint Charlie. Named "Checkpoint C" - the Charlie came from the phonetic alphabet and it has forever been the best-known Berlin Wall crossing point between East Berlin and West Berlin during the Cold War and the only crossing location for Allied troops.

I was a little surprised at how "insignificant" Checkpoint Charlie looked at first. I think it was less "impressive" because it was lacking the East Berlin guard tower...the rows of barbed wire and blockades and the heavily armed soldiers...instead I saw this...

That little white thing that looks kind of like a trailer? Yeah...thats Checkpoint Charlie....and a little closer view... (can you see John standing there in the front?)

These "soldiers" are actors and you pay them to take a photo with them...

Now interestingly enough...I learned in my research of this place that the original guard shack is located in a museum and is significantly larger than this little replica. Plus...just for full disclosure...it also didn't have those sand bags in front of it. It looked more like this...

Photo borrowed from here

Photo rights and permission here

Apparently there was also an eatery there called the "Eagle's Nest" that allowed the allied forces to peer over the wall into the border area of East Berlin. Now they've since transformed it into this newer more modern restaurant that doesn't feel the need to be secretive about their customers...

Just kidding...but it did make John and I laugh when we saw the name of this restaurant.

Back to more important things....This sign is also a replica of the original. I guess they wanted to make sure everyone knew that there was no friendly American faces once they crossed over...

And while walking around I got to see and touch pieces of the Berlin Wall. I found these absolutely fascinating...

But...I'm just putting these here as a little teaser...I've got a bunch more to say about the Berlin wall. Meanwhile...stop and think what you'd want your family to know if you couldnt see or talk to them for the next 30 years and maybe make a phone call or write an email today...? Just thinking outloud here...

How could I not...

noreply@blogger.com (Chuckleheads) — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 08:37:00 +0000

...be totally in love with these two?

Berlin

noreply@blogger.com (Chuckleheads) — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 08:27:00 +0000

This weekend I took an MWR (Morale, Welfare, Recreation) trip to Berlin. I took the MWR bus for two reasons.

1. Someone else got to drive the 5 hours to Berlin.
2. There was a tour of the major sightseeing spots.

We left at 3AM from Rose Barracks one one of those plush seat buses...here is what they don't tell you about those buses...they are WORSE than airplanes. The seating, I mean. The lady in front of me put her seat back...because the lady in front of her put her seat back and so I had to put my seat back because there was less than a hand span between the seat and me if I didn't.

Lets just say it was pretty uncomfortable for the 5 hours of driving...but luckily leaving at 3AM means I got to sleep through most of it.

Anyhow...

Berlin...giant town. I was glad we had the initial bus tour even though we got way too little time at each of the major parts of the town. I consider this trip my "Berlin primer."

I'm going to blog seperately about the Berlin Wall and Checkpoint Charlie and the Brandenburg Gate...all the rest of my Berlin experience will go here. Are you on the edge of your seat yet? If not...let me entice you with this list of 10 things we saw other than the major sights I just listed...in no particular order...

I call this the "drive by" photography. Remember I was in a bus looking through the window so please forgive the quality of photo...just enjoy the sentiment behind them...

10. The existence of the 3rd Reich. It wasn't super obvious...but little pieces like this were all over the city. I found them extremely disturbing and interesting at the same time. This little gem was on the side of the original Berlin Airport. Located directly in the city center it was supposed to be the largest building in the city and from the sky shaped like an eagle with outspread wings. The construction was never completely finished...but there is still a massive building completely shut down right in the center of Berlin.

9. The artwork...from buildings to statues...

I fell in love with this old lady face statue. I totally want it in MY garden. Seriously.

And then some nameless statue that we found significant at the time...but I can't, for the life of me...remember who it is. I suppose someone is very disappointed in me. Either way...now you get to share this completely insignificant moment with me.

Plus we were excited to find some "punk" for which Berlin is famous for....this is about as close as we got to finding it...

8. Sex shops. Yep...they are on ever corner...kind of like Starbucks or McDonalds. I was pretty amazed at how...errrr....busy? they were. People coming in and out of these stores nonstop.

And if that isn't enough...my dear Nacho Libre had to pose on the steps to the World of Sex. The stairs kept listing exactly how much further until you reached their nirvana. Its a little disturbing...

7. Men's Pissoir. This made me laugh. That is a bathroom....unfortunately...women were not given the same consideration way back when the iron curtain was up. I guess we were expected to go before we left home...?

6. The difference between buildings in the west and east parts of the city. Buildings in West Berlin are ornate...decorated...flowing with flowers on the balconies...

Buildings in East Berlin are stiff steel construction with no imagination. Build like a cubicle...considered efficient and ugly.

5. American influence. Quite a few of the memorial sites or significant buildings were designed by American architects, scultptures, etc. This is the holocaust memorial. We tried to run back to get better photos, but alas...our tour guide was on a schedule and it didn't allow for John and I to run all the way back to this in time to get something other than the drive by shot...

And, of course...always know where your embassy is...

And your PX...

4. The palace(s)...Their queen Charlotte had her regular palace and a summer home palace all located within Berlin city limits. I suppose if you've got the money why NOT have a winter/summer palace....

3. Dunkin' Donuts. We couldn't resist this little taste of home.

2. Little Safari cars...because you know its a jungle out there.

1. Spending time with my honey bunny at Captain Shillows where I ate the best perch EVER...on a boat.

I'll bet thats the side of Berlin you never thought you'd see... :)

Look, Mom!

noreply@blogger.com (Chuckleheads) — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 23:20:00 +0000

A proud mommy moment...her first macaroni necklace. **sniff sniff**