My Lovely Week

Yesterday was Valentine's day. While I was originally scheduled to spend it with a wonderful group of middle schoolers on a retreat this weekend some new meds from the docs had me feeling a bit under the weather so I ended up staying home. Rob and I woke up to snow on the ground. We took a walk to rent some movies and go out to dinner to celebrate the overly pink and hearted holiday.
Last week there was a dinner fundraiser to help pay the way for some of our high schoolers to go on a mission trip over spring break to the Czech Republic. The asked for volunteers to decorate the tables and my table (pictured above with a wine theme) won first prize. Beat that Martha Stewart! My prize vase is now sparkling on my dining room table holding a new bouquet of swirl colored roses that Rob also got me for Valentine's Day. (Isn't he a sweetie?)
Oh! There was also a dessert contest (in addition to the table decorating one at the fundraiser dinner) and though this spaghetti and meatball looking cupcake didn't win first prize it was just too cute not to share with all of you:

Jibble... Jabble....

Jibbitz!

It has been awhile since I last updated you on my Jibbitz status. I now have my winter (fuzzy) crocs decorated with Care Bears and my original summer crocs have some Winnie the Pooh characters and various summer critters.

Strange enough I wasn't crazy about crocs when they first came out. The shoes do look fairly odd. I think they are in the same boat as the little, big cross-eyed dog that lives downstairs- they are so ugly that they're cute.

Well, either way I am a croc girl now.

Birthday and Age Confusion

I love birthdays. Anniversaries are cool, too, sharing in the love you have for your spouse and all- but birthdays? Man, it's my own little holiday celebrating- ME!! and it is all, all mine.

But that brings me to my little dilemma- is today really my birthday? See I was born in Seattle- at 3:25pm Pacific Standard Time. Well, being here in Germany where there is a 9 hour jump into the future from Seattle, that would make it after mid-night. So is my birthday technically tomorrow by German standards? Or is it today, being a Washingtonian and all according to the tax people I will be seeing once all that W-2, 10-99 stuff comes in the mail? I guess I better embrace both my legal and technical place (and time) of residence and celebrate both, huh?

Whew, glad that's figured out.

Anyhoo... birthday happenings:

Went out for Greek food last night with "the girls". Having dinner with more friends tonight. (Should be a lot of fun.) Going to see the play "Thoroughly Modern Millie" in Heidelberg tomorrow night.

Oh, funny story: So the middle schoolers I volunteer with were trying to guess how old I would be turning this birthday. One of the girls had seen some of my friends shopping earlier in the day for my b-day gift (and these friends shall remain nameless since I've already been getting the evil eye whenever I tell this story.) Well, this girl said something to the effect of "Oh, I think I saw your mom at the PX today." How old did she think I am? Or how old did she think my friends are? Anyhoo... this made for great laughs last night at dinner and I now have another "mom". hehe.

Garmisch Time

I know I told you I would only be away 10 days and I've been home a whole week and haven't blogged.
So, anyway....
My friend Tiffany and I went to help watch kids during two different conferences at the Edelwiess Lodge in Garmisch- room and meals included. We decided to stay over and pay for our own room over the weekend linking the two different conferences. (Actually we stayed in a heated rustic cabin over the weekend-- at $30 less a night than a hotel room-- and rented "The Great Outdoors" from the library to watch since it was so fitting-- Great idea, Tiffany!)

While there:

Tiffany and I became friends (we had never gotten together before this trip- boy am I glad we got along so well!), I tried skiing for the first time (not my sport it turned out since the ski boots were killing me), we got hot stone massages and facials, banged my knee while doing cartwheels... in the snow... in flipflops ( I know, I know. But it was SNOWing!) , went shopping downtown, had an 80's night!, watched the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) Jazz Band preform, walked along a frozen river gorge, watched "Valley Girl", and drove to Vaduz, Lichtenstein and through St. Gallen, Switzerland with a stop at the Bodensee and Starbucks for a city/country mug from there. (We even went through a tunnel over 10 miles long-- GPS was out for that long at least!)

Anyhoo... enjoy the pictures. (Tiffany took most of them, so I may have more once we get around to swapping images.)

First Post of '09

Our New Year came in quietly- just the two of us at home. We got off on a productive foot and organized the closets, our storage room in the basement and labeled all our cables, cords and random wires for various electronics and computer items. (Thanks to the wonderful, new labeler my folks got us for Christmas.)

Today we went to Speyer where they have the only Christmas Market still going (unitl Jan. 6th.) Here you can see a slideshow of some of the things we saw there. It is a cute place and we need to go back and see: The Technology Museum with all the aircraft we saw people going into, the History Museum which is currently featuring a Viking exhibit, the SeaLife Aquarium (they have a smashed coin- yes, I collect these things like crazy!) and simply walk the parks and see all the churches.

On Monday I will be going to Garmsich for 10 days to babysit during some conferences- but then the rest of the time I get a free paid vacation and might even try skiing for the first time. So though I won't be back to blog for a bit- I'm sure once I do there will be plenty to share with y'all!

Happy Naughty Week!

Yes, you read that right- it is now Naughty Week. (Just wait, the idea will catch on. We all need to contribute a new movement or idea into the world and, oddly enough, this is mine... well, one of them.)

Anyway... HAPPY NAUGHTY WEEK!

See, Santa bribes us into being good all year to get gifts, right? Remember how he asks if you've been a good boy or girl this year? Well, on December 25th we all get our payoff from Santa for being so good. Now do we need to keep on being good right away to ensure us goodies for next year?- NO! I found the loophole as it were, next year is a whole week away. So come next December when the jolly man asks if you've been good all year- technically he is asking about the year 2009. I say if we have to be good 51 weeks of the year we should live it up like Fat Tuesday during Mardi Gras (just before the Ash Wednesday of Lent.)

So, give in to that 2nd (or 3rd) brownie.

Call in sick to work and play hookie.

Let the laundry and dishes pile up some.

It is our chance to be a little naughty!! (Yes, a little- I don't really need to go streaking in my underwear like the Santa pictured here.)

And let me be the first to officially wish you a Very Merry Naughty Week!

Have Yourself a Groovy Lil' Christmas

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Holt Clan Christmas

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

The Pickett-Holt Family Christmas

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Picture Updates

Rob had Tuesday off so we ran some errands- including getting some fresh milk at the place I mentioned in the last post. (Thanks Leslie for showing me this spot!) Rob says the Nalgee bottles will work for now but we need to find some of those old glass milk jugs soon.

Also: Here are some pictures from the Christmas Markets we visited and a picture of us at the Knights Meal at Auerbach Castle.