Sometimes A Palace is just as sweet ....

Oh how royalty lived ...to walk through a Kings Palace and touch the stone walls...the old saying is if walls could talk and it is so true if these walls could talk what stories we would hear....

One of King Ludwigs other homes is named Linderhof Palace and it is very beautiful...even before entering the Palace you are impressed with the architecture and intricate details on the front of the building. 

So this was our first "castle" trip it is less then an hour from Edelweiss Lodge & Resort it's not expensive, they do an English speaking tour and better yet it is not a long torturous walk from the parking area...We went prior to the out buildings and gardens being in bloom so our main focus was the actual walk thru tour of the Palace...which is a really quick tour so you could easily squeeze this in on a day you have other things to do if you are visiting the Garmisch area...

At spring and summer this area is all a bloom from the pics I have seen it is a beautiful sight...

Excitedly awaiting them to start the tour...like I have said it's such an opportunity to be able to do this things...

This is an awesome quick family trip I would say if you want to give someone a castle like experience but don't think that they are up to the UBER trek up to a huge castle like Neuschwanstein or the 300 steps in the castle...ok so one thing I HATE is NO PHOTOS that sucks but y'all know me when they say No PICS it means just work harder to snag one lol
So here is a photo of King Ludwig's royal bed it was magnificent now when I say the bed is floor to ceiling we aren't talking a little room with 8 foot ceilings I don't even know how tall the ceiling is maybe 30 feet or more....a canopy of royal blue fabric....and gold tassels, gold decals

This is a must see place.....take advantage of being able to walk in the foot prints of a King...

All a girl needs to be a Princess is a castle....

Once Upon a time in a land not so very far away on top of a beautiful mountain stood a magnificent castle fit for a Princess or for a passel of princesses....With sweeping views of mountains and towns below for miles and miles around you could not ask for a more beautiful spot for a princesses castle to be.

  Neuschwanstein Castle I took this photo from Saint Mary's bridge it is a breath taking ~ awe inspiring feeling to walk out on to this rickety old bridge and see this majestic sight....if you have little kids you might want to skip the bridge it is old and didn't seem very sturdy or safe in all honesty the girls were a little scared on the bridge...this is one of the many Castles you can visit in Germany and is an hour away from Edelweiss lodge & Resort...

Where girls of all ages feel like a princess

This photo was taken on the way back from the castle ...my advice take pics on the way to the castle instead once you get closer to the castle it is impossible to get a photo with the castle in the back ground with people..lol also this is a huge castle tour with over 300 steps just inside the castle alone 3 or 4 floors up and down spiral staircases not including the trek to get to the castle ...it is not an easy jot so wear good walking shoes and allow yourself some meandering time to stroll up there before your castle tour..we rode the bus to the stop but it is still an excursion especially when you are bringing little ones with you...

The girls were amazed of the miniature replica of the castle in the glass case...it is absolutely beautiful and so detailed...

like I have said in other blogs it is so amazing this experience our children are getting to have...to be able to say they have toured real castles...castles of King Ludwig to know some history that there is so much more in the world then computers, cell phones, movies, malls, dating lol there is a big world out there full of interesting things to see and do....teenage princess....

How romantic it is to stroll like royalty through castles...to see how royalty lived...throne rooms, ballrooms, living areas and bedrooms that are fit for a king lol.....

sneaky pic of throne room...no comment lol

 A little princess who stopped to take one last look at her castle as we were walking away ....it's not just a fairytale .......

I might sound preachy at times when I say GET OUT & Explore but take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to learn, to see, to travel, to taste, to experience things that you might not of been able to do before getting Posted in Germany or any other country for that matter...

Edelweiss Lodge & Resort another Army perk for living in Germany

When we first got here I heard the words "marriage retreat" and thought pish posh we don't need to go on a marriage retreat there is nothing wrong with our marriage....however as always my opinions on some things change with time so we decided to take the girls and go on a marriage retreat...

Living in Germany is wonderful there are so many opportunities that are available to families being Posted here. 1 travel travel travel I don't think I could possibly say it enough ...being posted in Germany is amazing due to it's centralized location to every where...you are in driving distance to pretty much any country that you might be interested in visiting or a quick flight if you aren't into road trips. 

So being stationed here in Germany our marriage retreats are at Edelweiss Lodge & Resort in Germany..

 Now let me tell you a little about the location it is on the Germany/Austria border in the Alps it has majestic views and adventures galore....

YES you seriously can brag that you hiked the Alps or went to the Alps to all those family & friends who are vicariously living through your adventures over here but even more awesome is you yourself or if you are blessed with children are having a once in a lifetime experience years from now when we no longer live here my girls will be able to say I have lived in Europe, I have been to x,x & x countries and I have hiked the Alps :D to me the sacrifices we make are worth the amazing adventures that we are having over here...

    Now as for the marriage retreat part we had a huge group class it was more like a mixer with couples and group table projects it was a lot of fun...I will say it was lot more fun then I thought it would be..I was thinking it would be more like being preached to, or therapy like or having all our marital details picked over and scrutinized lol but it wasn't any of those things in fact we watched Mark Grungor 's laugh your way to a better marriage seminar it was funny ...The retreat was wonderful and I could ramble on for hours with every little detail about our stay there and I will toss some key highlights ups on the bottom about the lodge...a little plug for things we loved or could of passed on lol
We ended our marriage retreat part of our stay by joining together with some friends and renewing our vows at the resort with the Alps as a back ground....a wonderful way to end out the retreat...

This is a photo of some of the family when we first arrived looking a little rugged from the long drive to the lodge...listening to the kids say " Are we there yet?" lol

We however chose to stay an additional day since we had made plans to go on another adventure...which I will detail in another blog :D

REASONS TO SIGN UP FOR A RETREAT:
FREE ROOM
FREE VACATION ONLY MEALS YOU PAY FOR IS YOUR LUNCH
PLAN IT RIGHT YOU CAN HANG OUT WITH FRIENDS LOL
MAKE NEW FRIENDS
SPEND SOME QUIET QUALITY TIME WITH YOUR SPOUSE
FREE CHILD CARE
CHANCE TO SEE A NEW PLACE

LODGE & RESORT POSITIVES
ROOMS ARE NICE
VIEW IS AMAZING
THE JAZZ BRUNCH ON SUNDAY AT PULLMANS IS AMAZING AND WORTH THE MONEY
THE BUFFET RESTAURANT THERE MAKES KIDS HAPPY SINCE THEY HAVE A LITTLE OF EVERYTHING
INDOOR SWIMMING POOL ADULTS N CHILDREN
HUGE HOT TUB OUTSIDE IS AMAZING
STARBUCKS BY THE POOL LOL
IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN BUYING A GARMISCH TSHIRT OR HOODIE BUY THEM ACROSS THE ROAS AT THE PX THEY ARE SOOO MUCH CHEAPER

Post with the Most...Making the Most of your Post

One of my biggest issues prior to coming here was all the negative feedback I was getting about our soon to be post and pretty much life on any Post in Germany. Nothing to do but beer drinking, domestic issues and cheating husbands so once I got here I was pleasantly surprised when things to me were not as described so I started blogging about my experiences and life on my post.
First thing about our post I noticed was that it is more of a little community which makes up a large family making life here so much more enjoyable. So I jumped right in and made it my home I joined our Spouse & Civilians Club, FRG, Battalion Coffees & PWOC. I made it a point to try to attend as many events, activities & get togethers as I can I truly believe that having good friends makes life better no matter where you are.
My biggest goal was that my daughters would make friends and really feel like this was home since this is their first time being Army Bratz. I think that it's important to research your post and see what it offers for yourself, your children and your family. In my case our post is small however they do have bowling alley, movie theater and a teen center all of these are really important for your pre-teen and teenagers. One of the biggest gripes that I noticed here was not enough activities, classes, events being offered at our post all of them were offered at our sister post 30 mins away ugh who wants to have to make that drive all the time, gas, time, ugh bad weather plus why should we have to go to another post when it could just as easily be offered at our post?
Something I advocate very vocally is if you want something offered on your post speak up attend your community meetings, grass roots meetings, fill out an Ice Comment for your post, inquire on your posts facebook page without people saying what's on their minds and asking for changes to be made nothing will happen. I truly believe that it's up to us to better what community we are in.  YES you might just be one little Army Wife in the cog of the Army Wife wheel but it only takes one voice, one idea, one dream to create a change...YOU COULD BE THE ONE TO BRING ABOUT CHANGE.
Well we are now in the process of making our post a Post with the Most SKIES, EDGE, MWR, BOSS, CYS have heard our roar and they are working hard to get us all the classes, activities and events we've asked for. Me personally I am working on bringing AWANA to our post I truly believe our kids should be able to enjoy all the activities just like they would if we were civilians. My challenge to you is to make the most of your post what can you do to better your experience and your families experience at your post..

From Germany to Franfurt to Germany in 96 hours...all to get Jello

The title is a little misleading I didn't fly on multiple planes, across an ocean and all the way across the great Ole US of A to Washington State just to get Jello...No this Jello is also known as my daughter mini me AKA Julianna Grace. The trip was planned quickly with a weeks notice and honestly I could of gone quicker heck I could of made the trip to and from faster if I wasn't coordinating her flights too. So I got ready to pack I pull out the big suitcase undo the zipper and yank out my back pack yep a back pack lol in goes my jeans, jeans, shirt, shirt, undies, undies, bra, bra lol you get the picture ....

 

Now flying here to Germany originally I was traveling with 5 kids, 5 suitcases, 5 carry-on's all by myself so me flying solo was sorta exciting ..I only had to toss my backpack on and grab my passport and it was liberating lol...I was excited and nervous at the same time since this is only my second time flying...now just an FYI I was repeatedly questioned by security people for not having luggage ...even though I explained I was only flying there and flying right back they couldn't grasp that I wasn't up to no good and OMG a women without too much baggage ...no way I blew their minds....

I was all about snapping photos of everything on this trip....I flew from Germany to Philly PA my only regrets are I wish that I had some layover time there I would of loved to be able to see my nana & aunt dee...and damn I wasn't hungry but I should of snagged a philly steak sandwich ...if you haven't fallen in love with one and then moved to another country you wouldn't understand the OH CRAP I SHOULD OF EATEN THAT EXTRA 2000 cal sandwich ...going back to the States is not when one should worry about there diet ..it's not like we can swing back by and grab one next time we are in the neighborhood...

From Philly I was off to Seattle...it was raining when I left to go to Germany and it was raining when I returned sorta felt like nothing changed lol

I left Germany Friday afternoon and landed in Seattle Washington Friday night...that always amazes me lol I dragged myself to the hotel and was off to slumber land...

I planned Julianna's flight as coming in Saturday afternoon so I wouldn't have to get up at the break of dawn to pick her up ....Jello has been retrieved :D it was wonderful seeing her face...we managed to grab her luggage and Salem our fat cat and made our way back to the hotel where we ordered dinner and I went back to sleep...this photo here represents what Julianna did all the way up until take off Sunday morning lol text text text.." BUT MOMMY MOMMA I HAVE TO TEXT NOW YOU CAN'T TEXT FROM GERMANY SO I GOTTA TEXT NOW" Our flight flew out Sunday morning from Seattle Washington to Las Vegas BABY..just an FYI Vegas is Vegas means nothing to me but we had a 7 hour layover there which wasn't too bad because it took about 4 hours for us to finally get pointed to the right spot to stand to catch the shuttle to the terminal for international flights...there are slot machines in the airport...craziness lol

I left alot of other little details out this is more a quick over view on the fact that I went and got my Jello and she is home with her sisters where she belongs...now my family is whole and complete ...I couldn't be happier and I am very thankful for all my friends whose prayers kept us safe and sane during this trip....

Our 1st Christmas in Germany Army Style

Christmas Eve is when we always do our big cooking family dinner well this year we decided to invite the gang from Thanksgiving and a few others even though some of our friends didn't make it we had an awesome turn out and our Christmas eve was amazing..nothing better then spending the evening with great friends and our family...it's not a party unless Santa shows up...

A holiday get together is not complete with out video games according to the boys...yes that is more then one tv you see there I believe they had 3 tvs running on Christmas Eve honestly the techno gaming is not my thing so I am not sure what they were playing but they sure had fun lol

Love comes in all forms, all shapes and sizes...this is what Army love is about Avila, Maddie and Charlie all smiles. I can not tell you how much the girls love Pachenkos battle buddies these guys aren't friends they are our family...there is not anything I wouldn't do for them...

Friends, food, laughter these are the things memories are made of...those good times together where you share the small things that mean so much.. some of us are away from home for the first time..some of the boys are missing Christmas away from home for the first time so it was important to me that they had a place to be to have the home & family feel for the holiday...and I think we succeeded...families aren't always conventional, life isn't always how we planned but we roll with what we got..and what we have here is pretty special our post is a community we are family.

Our daughters see daddies battle buddies as big brothers yes...Charlie is really sharing her toy with Topete...

I was a little sad this holiday season Julianna is still back in Montana and honestly I have never been apart from any of my daughters on a holiday...except for when I was pregnant with the twins, on lock down in the hospital on bed rest but at least the girls were minutes away and Pachenko brought them to see me..but in this case Julianna is like 5000 plus miles away and thousands of dollars away.  I came to the realization that this is why I am so attached to the boys they are away from their moms & families so there moms can't take care of them and Julianna is so far away from us..so in my thinking I can take care of the boys the way I'd hope some one would take care of my daughters.. The photo above is Gilly and my babies Maddie felt sick so Gilly wrapped her up and held her so she still could be in the photo...

Girls getting ready to say good night to the boys picking out the perfect cookies for Santa Claus takes a minute or two though...then it was time for a big group cuddle hug with the boys and one last photo of the night for the girls 

A perfect ending to a wonderful holiday with family and friends...I hope everyone had the opportunity to spend there holidays with the ones they love..

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays from our family to yours..

Cookie Swappin with some friends

Well my friends were smart they made their stuff ahead of time and came over had some snackies and hung out while I whipped up cookies..like every other time we have gotten together it was mostly just laughing and having fun. Unfortunately Kelly B was stuck at work and poor Laura C got sick but like always she was awesome enough to send cookies over..
I had a complete brain freeze while the gang was here and didn't snap any pics of the girls hanging out...but Ashlie P, Kaitlin O and Rachel G were here and of course like always they just cracked me up...I did manage to snap pics of everything they brought though...

Ashlie P, her kiddos and I believe Laura C's kiddos made like a 1000 cupcakes...I loved all the different colors she also made rice krispie treats with sprinkles..

Rachel G. made these cookies with the Hershey Kisses I think that these were one of the first ones to disappear...I think she also made Oatmeal Raisin cookies...

Kaitlin O made Chocolate sprinkle covered pretzels you can honestly never go wrong with pretzels and chocolate as far as I am concerned...these were awesome...she also made chocolate chip cookies...

These were the yummy cookies Laura C sent over gingerbread I believe...

Left the cookies on the table and everyone swapped out....sent some cookies to the barracks and a couple other places with some 3rd Bat Delta girl labels ...last thing I wanted was a bunch of tempting cookies sitting around for too long...I just love a reason to get together with the girls...

3rd Battalion Winter Ball Quick Strike Storck Barracks Illesheim Germany

Never far are the memories we share with our friends...The ball was very nice I so would of enjoyed myself more if my tail bone wasn't killing me thanks to falling down the stairs 2 weeks prior to the ball I  broke my tail bone ...so long periods of sitting on hard chairs was wreaking havoc on my tail bone...ouchie however it was a wonderful night and I had a great time..beautiful local, everyone dressed up, good food, great laughs and wonderful memories to be shared..

The boys looked all Snazzy dressed up absolutely dashing gents and for the most part they were on their best behavior...

The table settings were impressive however the napkins were so big that they sort of got in the way no one really knew what to do with it when you took it out of the wine glass...one of the guys sat on his to squish it so it would lay flat on the table...inventive ...lol

My friends looked beautiful all dressed up I am glad they had a good night they all deserved it...Laura C, Ashlie P and Kelly B..the prettiest friends a girl could have..

Kelly B at some point her husband disappeared it was funny because the guys were circling Johns dish of food cause he hadn't come to eat it yet...the guys are vultures never leave your food unattended lol
I love her smile

The Army might claim them as my husbands battle buddies but in reality they are just as much my battle buddies..I will forever love each and everyone of these guys...thank you boys for always having my back as well as Pachenkos

There is nothing better then ending the night in the arms of a man who loves you with his whole being...not a day goes by that I don't thank God for blessing me with a wonderful husband, healthy & happy daughters and amazing friends... At times being a soldier keeps us physically apart but when you have trust, love, faith no distance can take that away...

Rothenburg ob der Tauber Christmas Market 2010

Just another wonderful things about being posted in Germany for a few years nothing is too far away and there are a million things to see and do. This wasn't our first adventure to Rothenburg however this one was a lot more pleasurable. I honestly will say it was the friends that accompanied us this time who made it fun and light hearted the last trip was with a couple who argued the whole time. This trip we took along the boys Gilly and Hall plus our daughter Sophia  I really wanted to make another trip to a Christmas Market so we decided to check out Rothenburgs Christmas Market which was an adventure itself.

If you haven't checked out an authentic German Christmas Market then definitely add this to your to do list for next year leaving yourself all year to fill up your change jar with lots of Euros. However I will say you don't need a special occasion to take a trip Rothenburg Any time is a perfect time.
Living in Germany you should be prepared to stroll and shop so walking shoes and BYOB are in effect at all times no I do not mean "bring your own beer" since you can find beer every where in Germany that was BYOB in the "bring your own bag". Germany is green very earth friendly so when shopping if you are expecting a free plastic bag to carry your stash of goodies ummm yea not going to happen be prepared with your own bag or to purchase one a good sturdy reusable tote bag is a must have for Germany living.

Rothenburg has lots of parking areas but my advice is to try to park as close to the the entrance to the market square entrance as possible this way you don't walk 3 miles prior to entering the walls of Rothenburg a mistake we made our first trip there. Even though this time it was a little chilly with a dusting of snow on the ground and some icy spots the day was enjoyable and the weather didn't detract from the adventure in anyway. Strolling along the cobble stone alley ways makes you feel like time has stopped and your living in the old world of course you have the normal businesses that are open all year long bakeries, meat markets, cafes, coffee shops, restaurants, tailor, Christmas shops, shoe stores, linen shop, a shop that sells silver steins and other steins and glass shop.

Now with the Christmas Market in full swing the market square and alley ways are full of booths with goods for sale wood ornaments, nativity's, beads, doll house miniatures, candies, chocolate covered fruits, brats, pastries, glass ornaments, linens and knitted / crocheted goods like hats, scarves and gloves.

I was on a mission with this trip I really wanted one of these adorable wood cut out ornaments that said Rothenburg and of course I found one that was just perfect. I saw so many neat things that I would love to buy I need a euro lottery win lol. I stumbled into this fantastic linen shop with these lace wall hangings of Rothenburg I will definitely be going back to that shop again to pick up a couple more of them.

One of the many things I love about Rothenburg is that you can stroll around, shop, browse, eat and of course don't forget to enjoy some history. You can tour the church a major pilgrimage site of Rothenburg Germany is the gothic church St.Jacob. Its main attraction is the Heilige Blut Altar (Holy Blood Altar) carved by Tilman Riemenschneider, said to contain a drop of Christ's blood.
Learn about the Thirty Year's War by visiting the historical vaults of the Town Hall with dark dungeons and exhibitions or go to the Crime Museum, which shows the Middle Ages from the dark side with instruments of torture, execution items, weapons etc., walk along the fort wall remember to bring your camera,extra batteries and a tote bag to carry your goodies. Pass the Plönlein, that scenic fork in the road is the landmark of Rothenburg Germany and one of the famous pictures of Rothenburg. Head for the market place and climb the platform of the nice Town Hall to get impressive views. Then you shouldn't miss the idyllic Burggarten (Rothenburg castle garden).

While you are out and about make sure you stop by any one of the many bakeries and pick up a Schneeballen a fried dough creation that is heavenly do not pass this up. They come covered in different flavored sugars, nuts, sprinkles, peanut butter, chocolates and caramels. They are beyond yummy.

We ended the day with giant foot long weiner brats and of course the boys posed for some funny photos.