Strasbourg, France is THE place to be!

Neeley and I were very fortunate to tag along on a USO trip this week. On Wednesday, we loaded up the bus and headed over to......

Strasbourg, France!!

I am really trying to take advantage of these opportunities with the USO while Ronnie is gone. It's much easier to travel in a group and with someone else driving, and the trips are usually fairly inexpensive which is even better.

We had the best time! Enjoy these pictures from our trip. It was an exhausting day trip but so well worth it!

We met the bus around 6:45 that morning...


And we got all settled in to our seats...


German bus drivers are required to take a break every so often so, even though Strasbourg is only about 2 hours from here, we stopped in Baden Baden for breakfast... Here is Neeley showing off the toy she got in her Kinder Egg. Yes, I let my child have chocolate for breakfast that day and don't you ever forget it! :)


Next to our eating spot was this neat pyramid church and some neat statues...



We boarded the bus again and headed on in to Strasbourg. Beautiful is all I could say!



Yes, even in May, it was FREEZING there and we had to carry our heavy coats once again.


There were lots of places with good yummies to choose from.


We got to see lots of the half timbered houses from the good ol' days.


This is the oldest cafe there...


This is still a hotel even today.


Beautiful waterways! See that spaceship looking thing? Yep, that's a boat and we rode on one of those. More to come on that story later...



The 2nd through 4th houses in this picture are now one big historical museum of the area.

And Ta-Da! We came upon the Strasbourg Cathedral, a Notre Dame Cathedral.



This is the entrance to the cathedral.

Inside the cathedral...



Funny story about this little guy. This cute little puppy was on the pulpit in the cathedral. The story goes that if you see him, you have to rub his cute little head for good luck.


BREATHTAKING!!


The clock that we loved.

But we didn't love having to wait for the darn thing to chime.


After viewing the inside, we made our way around the back of the cathedral...




Nearby was the past residence of the archbishop.


And right next to that is what was once a royal palace. These next two pictures are inside the courtyard area of the palace.



Here is our group looking like typical Americans walking down the streets with our cameras in hand and our goodies in tow.


This neat little place had the most delicious looking desserts and things, almost too pretty to eat. We were stuffed after lunch or we would have had a kugel or two.


More half timbered housing. LOVE these!


This is actually the oldest half timbered house there...


All the buildings in the middle of town have these signs on them stating what they were when they were originally built. This was originally a "new fish market"...



Cafe Rohan had the best 1/2 Cockerel & Pommes... 1/2 rotisserie chicken and french fries



Neeley amongst the grapes. Here is the decorative barrel that is usually the scene of the wine festivals they have during the summer there in Strasbourg.



Soon to be some yummy grapes...


Not sure I would want to ever eat at a restaurant called The Pigeon, but apparently they have the world's best sakerkraut...



This is a neat university right in the downtown area...


And alas...we came upon the channel...




We decided to take a little ride on one of the fun spaceship looking boats...


We got to learn a GREAT history lesson and actually heard it in English...



We had a boat full...


On the boat tour, we got to see some of the fortifications used during the days of war...


And this is the French version of their Justice Department...


Next to it was another cathedral...


During the ride, we passed by some of the more modernized housing...


And we also got to see the headquarters of Arte, a French & German news station. Guess they've learned to work together after all. :)


Next to it is the offices of the European Council


And this lovely little lady was there to take your picture as you got off the boat if you wanted. Actually, apparently she studied you really well before you ever got on the boat because when we got off, she had these hand painted caricature type pictures painted of everyone.


And this was our last view as we headed back across the border on the bus...



We enjoyed the bus ride back home too. Well, we only stayed awake for maybe the first 5 minutes. I have never heard so much snoring in my life. There were 50 of us on the bus and I think we all slept on the way home. People.......get some Breathe Right strips!!



What a fabulous day! We are so appreciative of our USO. I hear they have some exciting upcoming summer trips to our local theme parks planned.

Batter Up!

There's no doubt about it that we are a spring and summer sport kind of family. And there's no doubt about it that we LOVE us some softball! Our season ends June 12th and it is a bittersweet thing for us, that's for sure.
Heading to the field with hydration in hand...

Monkeying around in the dugout...

Neeley is #1 heading out to Right Field...

Playing Right Field with her legs crossed. She gets thoroughly bored in the outfield...

Play ball!

Batter up! Pick ya out a good one, girl!

My New Best Friend

Introducing...............

My New Toy!!

It's a Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W370 14.1 MP Digital Camera and I LOVE it!! It took such great pictures yesterday when Neeley and I took our trip.

Trip? What trip? Yep, we took a lil trip to a neighboring country. More on that later!! For now, I just had to show off my new best friend.

A Date with Miss America

Military kids are so fortunate for some of the opportunities they do have. I know we move them all over the world and they can be the most resilient kiddos ever, but seriously . . . I really try to make Neeley aware of just how blessed she is.

Neeley and I were hanging out in the food court of the PX the other night, having a snack after a softball game, when lo and behold who walks in to sign autographs?

MISS AMERICA 2010 CARESSA CAMERON!!!!

Caressa was so sweet to all the kids, and even stayed later than she was supposed to just to see each of the kids who had lined up to see her.

Neeley thought it was funny how, when Caressa was finished signing autographs and talking to the kids, she walked right over to Popeye's Chicken in the food court and ordered the biggest meal you could ever imagine and proceeded to sit right down in the food court and eat it among all the families. She was so naturally beautiful and really seemed to enjoy her time here.

Thank you to our wonderful USO for this fun evening!

Camera Knowledge & A Question

Ashley's gripe for the day:

My camera has bit the dust I think. Maybe you can figure this out for me. When I take a picture with it, I can see the picture on the camera. So I take the card out of the camera and put it in my computer to upload it and old previously deleted pictures appear instead of my new pictures. The same thing happens when I plug it in to the computer using the cord.

So what's up? I am supposed to be taking it over to a friend's place. She is a camera whiz but I just haven't made it over there yet...yes, I know she only lives one building over but still... Maybe she has an answer.

But we are now searching for a new camera. Or maybe I should say researching. Not sure what I want this time but I want something that allows me to get my stinkin' pictures off of it. Did I mention that I dropped this camera in to the snow in Garmisch and now the door that keeps the batteries in won't close? Yep...I did it.

So what camera do you have? What do you like/dislike about it? I am on a mission for a new one and I need it now. My baby girl's softball season only has another month and I need some action shots!

A Case Of Friendly Suffocation

Do you sometimes feel overwhelmed by your friends and/or having to be in constant contact with them? Sounds crazy, I know. But here's where I am these days . . . I have made some great friends here in Stuttgart. Some of them are fellow wives and others are just friends from the community. Right now, I have a friend whom I help as much as I can because her lifestyle is similar to mine and I just try to help when I can. I have now made a new friend who just likes to be surrounded by lots of people all the time. And while I love a good lunch full of laughter with friends since it does a body good, I am also up to my eyeballs in busy these days that I just don't even know where to turn. And I find myself having to make this and that and meet someone here and there for a meal or to let kids play or whatnot. Now . . . . . I have also started a kind of accidental personal fitness coaching business on the side that I hoped to one day get started just not this quickly. So let's add to my plate that part of the business too. Whew! I am constantly surrounded by people now. And yes I love my friends and I now have 2 new coaching clients but I am way out of my league here and feeling very suffocated. Do you ever feel that way? Yikes!

I know I can get through this, I am just begging for the end of May to get here quickly. My June calendar is looking very promising right now for some down time. How do you alleviate this situation in your lives? There are just some days I like to lay up and be a hermit, and some days I have a million and one places to be with running errands, and buying groceries and taking care of personal business and it quite honestly is about the only alone time I have when I have these days so I cherish them greatly.

Anyway, enough said . . . I am just having one of those days where I just hate to say no but I now realize I just have to, and way more often than I really want to. I have subbed in P.E. at Neeley's school for 4 weeks straight now and I am dying! LOL If I have to do one more push up or sit up I think I may have an even worse case of muscle failure. I know it is good for me, but add that to my own personal workouts and I am dead dog tired.

I need a week on the beach! We are back down in the 40's here temp wise and in the rainy season. It is constantly gloomy here and we are always waiting until the last minute to find out if our softball schedule is still on go for each day or if it will be cancelled. I don't like this time of year. I am ready for some sunshine!

That's all for now. Thanks for letting me rant a lil. I just said an extra lil prayer and feel uplifted. I know in due time my schedule will lighten and I won't feel so crazy but for now I can't even remember my own name!

Have a good one!!

To All Mommies

The Wrong Kind Of Busy Makes For Grumpy Bowden's

Same song, different day for us here lately. Do any of you ever feel that way? We have been grumpy and down and out at our house lately and I think I know why...

We have softball 4 times per week - 2 for practices and 2 for games. And between Girl Scouts, dance, and trying to have a life otherwise, that only leaves Monday afternoons after school for some "down" time. Did I say "down" time? Because I must have lost my mind...I have no idea what "down" time is anymore.

That, and did I tell you that we are back in the cold wintry rainy yucky weather again? Yep, highs in the 40's and rain and hail that lasts for hours and hours. FREEZING COLD! And yes, we are moving in to the middle of May, folks! That and all the flowering blooming madness growing everywhere leaving the pollen floating madly leaves us all feeling an even better case of the blahs.

I have subbed in P.E. for the past 3 weeks. While I LOVE the extra money that brings, I am extremely exhausted and have no time for my own workouts. I come home and eat whatever I want and buy things like chocolate covered creme puffs - death in a box - just because I want to. And then I wonder why I feel like poo on a good day. :)

There is no rest for the weary right now...

And a girl can't ever be without her camera but mine has bit the dust. Along with my cell phone too. So I plunked some change for a new phone and bought one for lil miss too. Yes, I know she's only 8 y.o. but we've already used it tons with her busy social life. :) So it's been a lifesaver and not a hazard yet.

Y'all keep praying and thinking of us. There are possibly some new opportunities on the horizon for us and we are both excited and nervous and just know that we have to wait it all out and will receive the word "GO!" all in God's timing. I am ALWAYS a Nervous Nelly and want answers and a million dollars right now so this waiting game drives me crazy.

Want to know what else drives me crazy? The fact that I may have accidentally opened my mouth and volunteered to lead my very own Junior Girl Scout troop next year. Yep, all while a full time student with a deployed husband and an already active then 9 year old 4th grader. Yikes!

Wanna know where else we've been? Not only at the ball field 4 days per week - have I told you how proud of Neeley and the rest of my girls I am at their playing skills on the field?? Woot Woot!! ; I LOVE COACHING!! - but trying to make the most of our memories here in Germany, working on Science Expo projects, finishing up some Girl Scout projects and getting ready to bridge to Juniors (EXCITING STUFF!!), sharing the word of Beachbody and Shakeology, and just trying to stay sane in this crazy world. Now if only the laundry and cleaning fairies would please come bless my house.

This really is a whiney rambling mess but that's what I feel like our lives are right now, a whiney rambling mess. We wake up on Mondays, head to school or to run errands and spend all day trying to accomplish a ton because the rest of the days of the week are nuts. I have been trying to get together with some friends for lunch for weeks now and can't seem to be able to get there. But I do have a fun dinner play date planned for tomorrow night with a friend and I'm very excited. She's a new friend and our hubbies work together. They have 2 young boys who are cute as can be and I am very excited to really get to know her and her family and to have some fun eating disgustingly greasy food with them. Nothing like some good ol' Pizza Hut to make a girl happy.

Next on my agenda...finish registering for my next school semester which begins in just a few short weeks, finish getting Neeley registered for her summer camps (gotta keep this girl busy!!), make a decision on the GS troop, scheduling mani/pedi's for me and lil miss, along with dentist appointments and haircuts, and start planning Neeley's 9th birthday party. This year we are doing a joint part with a friend of hers. They have decided on a Talent Show and have already decided the two of them are going to dance to Skater Boy by Avril Lavigne. Oh my! Too fun! We moms have a surprise or two up our sleeve for the girls so surely it will be fun. We have the perfect place here on post to host it and we think we may even do a Fashion Show and a Parade and who knows what else we can get in to.

Will share more about our adventures later. I must go now and get registered for a fun USO trip I am going to surprise Neeley with. More on that later . . . but I will say we are headed to another country and I couldn't be more excited! Well, yes I could...hon, we could love for you to join us! That would make it even better!

And These Are The Days Of Our Lives............... :)

And, btw, if any of you are camera geniuses, perhaps you could help me with mine. Or give recommendations for a new one. So frustrating!!

You Know The Seasons Have Changed In Germany When...

...you hear those bells that are joyous to kids' ears . . . and parents everywhere are scurrying around for those 1 euro coins. And lil miss is relentlessly begging for one of these . . .

Why yes, that is a Wundertüte from the Eis (ice cream) man. A Wundertüte is the biggest waffle cone you have ever seen filled with 5 (oh my word - yes 5!!) scoops of gelato, whipped cream, and every other topping you could imagine. Yummy! Neeley would have one every day if we let her.