To everyone who's been checking my blog, sorry about the really long time in between posts. April is gone and as usual, I'm not quite sure where it went.
Mom and my cousin Debbie came for a visit in April. Debbie got a welcome to Europe, Dahl style that started out with my being late to meet her at the airport. We had some freaky weather in March and the beginning of April. We had virtually no snow here all winter and then it snowed frequently throughout March and the beginning of April. The day before Mom and Debbie got here, it snowed, melted, snowed, melted and snowed, mostly melted and turned to ice. So the trip to the airport that usually takes between 2 - 2 1/2 hours took well over three. But we got there in one piece before anyone really started to worry.
I was using a GPS system to navigate, which refused to work at all near the airport so I had to find a parkplatz (rest stop) and turn the car off and on again before it would navigate. The recurring theme of my driving travels will resonate with at least one "Stupid GPS!!!" although I'm not sure that's exactly fair, because it's my brain that seems to stop working at all when we use one. Once I got it working again, I asked it to map us home and it always asks - fastest, shortest, or something else I never use (see what I mean about not using my brain when I use it?). I chose shortest since fastest hadn't worked out so well the last time I tried it.
So the GPS directs us to apparently take the back roads by the Rhine river. We stopped at the first town we saw, which was Rudesheim, and got out and walked around. I figured we were about an hour and twenty minutes away from home. So we all get back into the car and head for home, but the GPS keeps telling me to turn down streets that are less streets and more driveways, usually with cars parked blocking thru traffic. Grrrrrrr. Stupid GPS. We end up taking a ferry boat across the Rhine, which was really neat, plus we saw some incredible castles along the way, but at this point, it's been another hour and we aren't even close to being home. We left the airport around 1, it's now close to 3, and everyone is tired. So as the kids, Mom and Debbie are sleeping, I'm driving around in what seems like circles and getting concerned that we are going to run out of gas before we get back. So I reprogram the GPS to "fastest route" and realize that we are still over two hours away. What the heck?!?!?!?!?!? Stupid GPS.
We roll into base around 6, I've been driving pretty much since 9 am and we are all tired. So I sign in Mom and Debbie, we make a mad dash to the commissary, and all turn in early for bed. The next morning I have to have S to the doctor for her 1 year well baby visit by 8 am (what was I thinking!?!) and somehow manage to be there on time, plus get T to preschool by 9. Who'd have thought it possible? Not me.
Our European adventure begins with a trip to Luxembourg. We visit the town of Vianden but elect not to tour the castle. See Debbie for a most entertaining video of me on the town stage. Recommended retail value $20. Totally worth it.
Next we go to Beaufort, where we actually tour the castle ruins there -which I've been wanting to do since we first found them right after we moved here. T was tired and napless, so he was quite hyper. I put S into the Snuggli and put her on by back because I thought it would be easier to navigate the steps that way (which is was), but crossed the straps across the front of my chest, which from MY perspective made my boobs look huge (always a bonus and a goal of mine), but when I saw the picture Debbie took of me..umm.. well.. let's just say it was less about boobs and more about lumpy fat rolls. So..it must have accidentally gotten deleted. Shucks.
Saturday Debbie and I were off to Paris (there's a whole post just on that prior to this one so I won't repeat any of it.
Sunday T went to his first birthday party - too fun, and Happy Birthday to Justin! Monday morning began our normal weekly routine. Tuesday I dropped Debbie off at the airport for her trip to Scotland and picked her up on Thursday. Friday we all went to Trier and then Debbie and I hit the spring bazaar for the hour before it closed, where we met a lady from our trip to Paris who was actually worried about us - unlike the ITT escort, any of the ITT staff, and the third person in our party who apparently isn't as clear on the truth as I would prefer. Perception is reality and all that.. but I perceive that she's trying to save her own butt so she doesn't look like the witch she was that day. Harrumph.
Debbie and I were supposed to go to London, but when we got back from the bazaar and picking up some dinner, Mom was frantic that S had a fever and was feeling uncomfortable about having something really serious happen while we were in London. So, I decided not to go :( and Debbie was really understanding about it. So Saturday consisted of getting up at 2:30 to take Debbie to the airport for our, I mean her, trip to London. My cousin Jeff was in Frankfurt on business that weekend, so I called him and invited him over and begged him to take the train to Trier so that I wouldn't have to go to the airport twice in one day. Because he's thoughtful and understanding, he did, so he hung out with us over the weekend and T and I drove him back to his hotel Sunday night.
Monday I picked up Debbie at the airport, she came home and packed, and back to the airport we went on Tuesday. Mom and I were pretty low key for the rest of the time she was here and she left yesterday to return to sanity and quiet.
And that's my April!
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