But then we found out my husband’s contract was ending and it was time to move. Again. We were moving back to America! With such a large move I had to take some time off from the marketing stuff too. That’s the super long story short. In that time we said goodbye to some amazing friends. We celebrated 6 years of marriage. We had a weekend getaway to Paris without kids. We got to visit family and friends in Colorado. We sold almost everything we own. And we had a few snags along the way. But that’s life, right?

It’s been quite the whirlwind.

But here are….

In Hawaii!

We are still living in a hotel (2 weeks and counting now). The first week was really fun and we were in vacation mode. Now we are going a bit nuts being in such small quarters together.  Our new home is small, but nice and new. Hawaii is pretty expensive so you HAVE to sacrifice somewhere unless you are making millions a year.  I’ll share pics of the new place once we get settled in.

Since we sold most of our stuff in Germany we are buying everything new here. It’s fun and overwhelming at the same time. Having so many decisions to make at once is hard. I know I should just give myself time to let the house come together, but we are going to have our visitors next month! So I want the house to be as together as possible by then.

I’m so excited to be back in America. Hawaii still has it’s limitations, but there are SO many more options. I have Home Depot and Craigslist here! I can’t wait to take on some on the pinterest projects I’ve saved. I’ll be sharing the projects here as well as all of our island adventures!

Lots of Aloha,

Becca

Yes, life is more challenging here. I have to plug in a clunky transformer every time I want to use my vitamix or steam mop my floors. Stores are usually closed on Sunday. I can’t pay at the pump for gas. A lot of stores don’t take credit or debit cards. Our trash can is about the size of a shoebox and the pickup for trash only comes every two weeks (not weekly like in the states).  There’s all kinds of idiosyncratic issues I have with living in Germany.

BUT….

Still…..

I don’t want to leave.

I just booked airfare for our family of 4 to fly to Barcelona. It cost 120 euro or about $160. Total. For all four of us to fly on an airplane to Barcelona! I mean that’s just amazing, isn’t it? I live 2.5 hours from Paris. I hear church bells ring every day. I’m surrounded by ancient history and a beautiful culture.

I love what I know of Germany. What I know of Germany is that food is more honest. That healthcare is more about finding solutions than masking symptoms. That kindergartens teach children how to behave and have responsibility as little members of society. That yards and streets are kept very tidy and clean. That the Christmas markets are magical experiences. That the beer and wine festivals are some of the most fun celebrations.

So this year one of my resolutions is to travel like a fool and also do a better job at documenting my experience here in Germany. I want to remember all the little moments. I bought a travel writing book on amazon a few months back and it has some wonderful exercises to help you better document your experiences and take your writing to a new level. I want to remember how I felt when I first saw the Eiffel tower. I want to remember the smells of the market place in Budapest. I want to remember the kindness we were shown by complete strangers while traveling to different countries. I want my blog posts to be little treasures to take me back to all the wonderful places I have been blessed to see.

Do any of you have resolutions to travel? Or do any of you have dreams bigger than that? Perhaps living in a new country? Let me know, I’d love to hear what you all have going on this year!

xoxo

Becca

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Lots of exciting things happened in 2012.  I moved from Bavaria to Ramstein, traveled to places I never thought I’d go to, I became a homeschool teacher and celebrated with friends. It was a year to remember.

Here’s why 2012 was a great year:

We Moved (again!)

We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.
-Walt Disney

We said goodbye to Bavaria and headed west to Ramstein. The move was one of the best things about 2012.

Little man with the big moving truck.

Our quaint little Bavarian village.

Downtown Velburg.

Velburg, Bavaria.

Our new neighborhood.

Friendships

A friend is someone who gives you total freedom to be yourself.
-Jim Morrison

I’m lucky to have people in my life who accept me for me. When you move as often as we do, it can take time to develop friendships and find people who you connect with. I really am blessed to have ladies in my life who encourage me, inspire me and make me laugh.

Sommer and I.

Said goodbye to good friends!

Partied with new friends.

Celebrations

The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.
-Oprah Winfrey 

Tapas and Sangria Girls Night

I love having people over. Especially silly, wine loving, karoake singing people.  The tapas and sangria party was a great way to welcome spring and celebrate friendships.

My daughter turned 5 and we kept the celebration very simple this year.

I had so much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. Infrared turkey, friends, games and yummy food.

The entire month of December felt like a celebration. Little Wright performed in the Nutcracker ballet.We built gingerbread houses. We had an elf living in our house.
We played in the snow. We drank hot cocoa. We went to Christmas markets.

Travels

“We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.”– Jawaharial Nehru

 I traveled to so many amazing new places this year. Places near and far and each changed me in one way or another. I love how traveling to new places gives you a glimpse into how others live. It’s fascinating that we are all on the same planet which the same requirements needed to live, yet each culture has it’s own ideas and methods for survival.  For me, seeing these differences allows me a deeper appreciation and understanding for other cultures and ways of life. Here are many of the neat places that helped me grow this year:

Bamberg, Germany

London, England

Palma de Mallorca, Spain

Burg Eltz Castle


Paris, France and Bayeux (Normandy) France

Metz, France

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Rothenburg ob der Tauber

Food Matters

“Let thy food be thy medicine and let thy medicine be thy food”  Hippocrates. 

After watching Food Matters early last year, we for the most part dramatically changed the way we eat. We diverted from our path a few times throughout the year, but for the most part have stuck to eating different. Eating better by choosing organic fruits/veggies and lean proteins.  And lots of smoothies!

Cleaning Eating

Homeschool

Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.
Nelson Mandela

One of the biggest adventures I embarked on this year was homeschooling our daughter. I learned that I love to hate it. There are days where I just want to get dressed up and go to work. But I have noticed in my spare time all I do is think about what our next learning lesson could be. It has become a part of who I am. Having a supportive husband and an amazing group of fellow homeschoolers (I think there are well over 100 homeschool families in the Kaiserslautern area) has made the experience doable. Learning about pilgrims and the Mayflower,  the artist Wasilly Kadinsky, how to write sentences and how volcanoes erupt were some of the favorite learning lessons this year.

Whew. What a year! I loved 2012. Full of blessings, love and happiness. I hope 2013 brings us just as much joy.

Frohes neues Jahr! Happy New Year!

Wishing everyone a year of good health, love and achievements!

xoxo

B

A sweet escape.

Take me Away.

This song sums up this part of the year for me. Germany is gorgeous and just down right awesome. But even with all the castles and beer, the grey winter dreariness can take it’s toll.

I miss bright sunshine. I miss feeling warm. I miss the smell of ocean air.

I miss this:

Beach near downtown Palma.

I think pictures are a powerful way to share the thrills of travel, so I want to share some of my favorite pictures from our getaway to Palma de Mallorca this past July.

The Cactus Bar restaurant.

Downtown Palma de Mallorca.

In front of La Seu, The Cathedral of Santa Maria of Palma.

My daughter and I at little cove right across the street from where we stayed.

Fresh seafood at a local market.

You know the infamous speedos worn in Europe? Yeah, this guy took it to a whole new level. He was part of what appeared to be a bachelor party.

Cala Magrana

Alcudia, Spain. On the eastern coast of Palma. This place really reminded me of Hawaii.

Coastal town of Alcudia where an awesome flea market takes place.

Tomato and pepper salsa, jambon and olives on top of crusty bread then drizzled with olive oil.

At the top of Cap de Formentor

Are you ready to plan a trip to Palma now? It’s a Ryanair destination (though we flew Berlinair), so getting there from Europe can be cheap. I’ll be sharing another post on the amazing apartment we stayed in, how we got around and our favorite parts of the island.

I hope you all had a Merry Christmas!

xoxo

B

BTW, if you’re on GOOGLE + FIND ME HERE or leave me your link in the comments so I can add you to my circle. I’m leaving FB and want to stay connected!

Mr. Wright said he didn’t want to go to any Christmas markets this year.

You read that right. Can you believe it?!

His reason?

Because it’s too cold.

The guy was born and raised in Alaska. What a wimp!

So instead of going as a family this year I went to the Rothenberg market with my girlfriends Natalie and Sunny (from Sunny by Design) It was really quite fun. Spiked hot cocoa.  Glühwein . Shopping. Girly talk. All in the medieval, walled city of Rothenburg ob der Tauber.

I live here? I LIVE within driving distance of here?!

Seriously. Just pinch me. Isn’t this place dreamy?

There were vendors selling all kinds of treasures. Ornaments. Lanterns. Pottery. Toys.

Many different trinkets to cherish for years to come. Except for these locks and tools. These were all made out of chocolate!

Can you believe these “tools” were pure chocolate?! They were made of chocolate. Too cute too eat!

One of the things you don’t get to experience with pictures are the smells; The heavenly, intoxicating smells of vanilla and cinnamon from the crepe stands and the smoky fragrance of brats and sausages being grilled on an open flame are just divine. Because there are so many choice and just not enough room in our stomachs, an idea popped in my head….”Let’s do a food crawl!”

And so it began….

This creamy, chocolaty madness could not have been healthy. At least all 5,000 ish calories were split 3 ways.

And what kind of Christmas market is complete without seasonal drinks??

We had spiked hot cocoa. Warmen Weißwein mit Preiselbeeren (warm white wine with cranberry),  glühwein , a warm caprihana and I think I’m forgetting something. Needless to say, we had fun.

The markets are the most beautiful at night don’t you think?

What is your favorite Christmas market? I thought it was Strasbourg, but Rothenburg was so charming I’m not sure now. I have one more weekend to hopefully squeeze one more in!

BTW are any of you on google +? I’m leaving facebook Jan. 1st. I’d love to stay connected. I’m going to stick to google +, pinterest and instagram. Those are my faves

GOOGLE +

Pinterest

Instagram

Frohe Weihnachten! (Merry Christmas!)

xoxo

B

Man, parenting is a lot like politics. It seems like there are sides for everything. Lately I’ve read a lot of blog posts of parents who do not tell their kids about Santa being real. And I just read a few more blog posts about families who won’t ever have an elf on their shelf.

*scratching head*

I guess we all interpret the meaning of Christmas differently, but I really love the joy our elf gives our family.  The Elf on the Shelf just isn’t that deep. Really. It’s just a fun and silly tradition. I think people read way to much into “the philosophy of the elf.”  It’s completely innocent and harmless. We are big time goofballs. We are joksters. The Elf on the Shelf is perfect for our family.

There’s a reason kids only believe in Santa or the Elf on the Shelf for so long. It’s because kids grow up. They gain knowledge and logic and reasoning. They learn to not only ask questions, but the right questions. Believing in Santa as a kid doesn’t damage us and neither will an elf. I believe it empowers our imagination. The magic of believing simply creates wonderful childhood memories.

We don’t resort to our Elf to instill good behavior and we really don’t emphasize that he is reporting to Santa each night. If that were the case that dang elf would be on the shelf year round. Our daughter doesn’t consider him to be just a big influence on her day to day life because he isn’t. We as her parents are.  With us it’s really a fun game to see what our elf has been up to each night. Little Wright LOVES waking up and searching for him each morning.

I guess technically we are lying about the Elf. Oh well. I am ok with it. We teach Little Wright lessons everyday that encourage good character and responsibility. I am not concerned at all about her “not trusting us when she finds out Santa or the Elf aren’t real.” I have faith that our family unit is strong enough to get past such trivial things. I believe she will know she was loved and will cherish having two parents who gave her lots of laughter.

Bernard the party animal.

Now I will say one thing I am going to change about or elf. Instead of him just be a naughty little dude I want his actions to incorporate a little bit more substance. A few of the anti-elfers made a good point: you’re sending an elf to monitor your child’s behavior on Santa’s behalf, yet each night he does things that are either ill-mannered or naughty.

Good point.

So Bernard, our elf, will be a little more focused with his nightly antics from now on.

And honestly we never spend more than maybe two minutes moving the elf each night. It’s not a chore or some kind of inconvenience. It’s pretty simple and actually fun. And my husband is involved with the elf. It’s not just mom in this house

What do you all think? Are you pro elf or not?

Warmly,

I was shopping a few weeks ago and saw some plastic planters like this one below in the garden section and an idea popped into my head.

What if I spray painted these red?

They turned out just how I imagined.

You can easily make these too for about $15-20 per tree!

You’ll need:

Spray paint primer (I used restoluem)
Glossy red spray paint (I used restoluem)
Plastic planter bins
Artificial or real 2-3 ft trees
Ribbon
Hot glue gun if you want to wrap the ribbon around the planter (it will stay on better than if you just tie it alone)
Mini clear Christmas lights (if you want for night time)

I gave the planters two coats of primer and two coats of spray paint. The glossy finish actually makes the posts look more like clay or ceramic. I put some rocks in the planters to keep them weighted down a bit.

And that’s it! Not too shabby for $30 huh?

Love and Blessings,

And heartbreaking because the children in the orphanges she is supporting have close to nothing.

Not only is this the area to prepare the meals, but it is also the water catch for rain water for drinking and cooking. Sad part is that the water has dead flies and mosquitos in it, but it is cleaner than the river water to ingest.

These pictures make my heart hurt. If I could have any wish in the world it would be that children get to have a fair chance in life. That children don’t ever have to starve or fear for their lives or suffer. I’m not even there and I’m already emotionally attached (for better and for worse). I just want to scoop those sweet children in my arms and take them home. I want to give them love and an education and the things in life that make this world a better place.

I can’t though.

But what I can do is HELP. I can help this amazing soul of a friend help these children.

She is putting a lot of heart and effort into supporting two orphanages during her time there. It’s actually one of the most inspiring and positive things I’ve ever seen or been a part of; so many people coming together to support a friend in her efforts to make life better for many children.

This is life changing stuff.

Aside from necessary donations like food, clothing, pots/pans and those kinds of things she has put together a secret santa list for both orphanages.  We are supporting a 17 year old girl and a two year old girl for the secret santa. I’ve been thinking really hard about a gift (s) to give these girls.  I want to give them something that could maybe give them hope or inspiration or happiness. I really want to give them a home and an education, but I can’t do that. What I can do is give them some comfort. Some happiness.

I thought about what makes me feel happy. Maybe the simple pleasure in my life could also make them happy? A good nights sleep. A hot shower. Coffee. A hug from a friend. Laughing. How do you gift these things though?

Well I had to compromise a bit, but here’s what I decided to send:

For the 17 year old girl: a comfy pillow, a tooth brush and some body lotion

For the two year old girl: a board book of colors and animals, sidewalk chalk and a ladybug pillow pet.

I know it’s not fancy to us, but the pillow I think will be a nice upgrade from sleeping on a cement floor. The toothbrush is a simple gesture to feel a little better. Because who doesn’t feel better when they are clean and fresh? And the body lotion is another gesture for her to just feel good. These are supposed to be Christmas gifts and not necessarily life changing gifts (because hopefully we are able to help provide them an education via donations and that will be life changing). But this is for Christmas.

Christmas is special. It’s love. It’s magic. It’s showing people the good that exists in an often times chaotic and negative world.

I don’t know these girls. I may never meet them. But I’m thinking of them and hoping they can have a better life.

Thanksgiving is next week. I’m thankful to be in a position to help and care for those in need.

Tis the season and spirit of giving.

xoxo

Becca

Note* if you would like to help support the Congo Orphanage Outreach Please Contact me via email or Facebook!

The castle is tucked away far into the woods and looks every bit the part of a fairytale castle. From Kaiserslautern it is about a 2 hour drive, give or take how fast or slow you drive

Going with young kids is doable, just be prepared. After paying for parking (cost is 1.50 euro) we took the 15-20min walking trail to the castle. It is a beautiful and scenic walk, but I wouldn’t suggest pushing a stroller UNLESS you have something like a jogging stroller or phil and teds because it’s very rocky terrain.

I think there is a shuttle that will drive you to the castle as well, but we didn’t know that was an option until we got to the castle Either way, if you can do the walk you should.

As soon as we saw the castle Little Wright said, “but it’s not pink!”

Little Wright and Mr. Wright

The castle has two restaurants and a gift shop.

View of the restaurant located on the castle grounds.

You can buy tour tickets at the gift shop and the english tours start in the courtyard about every 10min.

Courtyard inside the castle.

Another inside view of the courtyard.

The tour is about 40 minutes and is an intimate and quiet atmosphere. Within 5 minutes we realized it would not be a good idea to continue the tour with an explosive two year old, so my husband asked the guide if he could head back with our little guy. The guide was very grateful because he said a lot of times people continue the tour with their screaming kids and it ruins it for everyone else and makes it really hard for him to speak and concentrate on what he is saying.

Little Wright and I went through with the tour and I would recommend either taking turns with your spouse if you have a small child or just one person do the tour. I am more into the history stuff than my husband is, so he didn’t mind stepping out. Besides the castle grounds are really pretty and again there are two restaurants nearby. (BTW photos are not allowed to be taken of the inside)

After spending some time at the Burg Eltz we took a short 20min drive to the town of Cochem.

Cochem, Germany

Situated along the Mosel river and inbetween hilly vineyards, Cochem is in my opinion, one of Germany’s quaintest towns.

The Cochem castle looks down from high above and sets the tone for the medieval ambience.

Another view of Cochem castle. I love the vineyards that surround this castle. They must have had some lively parties here

Cochem is known not only for it’s charm, but it’s wine. Several family owned vineyards cascade around the town and along the river. There is no shortage of cute little restaurants and cafes for sipping local wine and eating local treats.

The enchanting streets and buildings of Cochem are truly intoxicating and will leave you feeling smitten with the German culture.

If you have a weekend or day to spare in Germany and haven’t explored the Mosel region yet, I’d highly recommend Burg Eltz and Cochem. Hope you enjoyed these images as much as I enjoyed sharing them!

Haben Sie ein schönes Wochenende!
Have a wonderful weekend!

Becca

I got the Turkey Family idea from Miss-Kindergarten.com

We’ve been doing a problem of the day also. This one comes from the Thanksgiving Fun Unit that we also used for Language Arts this week.

We’re also working on calendar, telling time and beginning addition.

Anyone else use math journals?

Click here to see what we did in Language Arts/Phonics this week

Have a good weekend friends!

xoxo

Becca