Ringin' in 2015

It's New Years Eve. Our last here in Germany. Like Christmas, it's bittersweet. Usually my husband and I stand at our front window and watch the fireworks from there. They usually last over an hour. It's fun to reminisce over the past years and make new resolutions even if they do get broken sometimes. I think my resolution for this coming year will be to be more creative. My resolution last year was to be happier and stress less. I like to think overall, I did good. It can be very stressful living so far away from family and people who care most about you. Which brings me to my next point; things I have learned from this past year.

I learned not to trust so easily. People can be so conniving and they will stab you in the back first chance they get. That doesn't go for everyone. Finding new friends that you can trust is a blessing. They don't come by often. If you do have friends that you can trust, hold on to them. If they are basically family, then you're one of the lucky ones. I also learned that stressing over things that can't be changed is pointless. I know, I know, it's hard to take something out of your control and NOT stress about it. Trust me. I know. The thing is, take a step back, look at the situation, count your blessings, and tell yourself that it will work out. Not because it should, but because it has to. It really helps me to think that way. It makes problems seem smaller. Another thing is hold close to your family. When no one else is there, they are. Next, do things worth while. Don't go through life saying "what if".  Grow old saying "I shouldn't have done that", rather than saying "I wish I would have". Be the center of your own story. Be happy, read books, live your life. Be safe and love yourself and the ones you care about most.

Winter Wonderland

We didn't have a white Christmas here in Germany, but we did wake up to the over excited screech of "Mommy! Daddy! Its snowing!" from our little one. It hasn't snowed like this in two years and then it decides to dump a good 8 inches on us within one day. We bundled up in our warmest, waterproof gear and headed outside. It continued to snow all day, and is still currently snowing. Coming from the south, we don't see snow.. and I am ok with that.

the boys took the sled to the little hill in our backyard. Then decided to make a snowman and have snowball fights. I managed to get blindsided in the side of the head by the little one. Very cold. 

view from my window

I hope you guys continue to be safe wherever you may be! 

Merry Christmas from my family to yours!

It's our last Christmas here in Germany. It's bittersweet. It's been a long three years here, but getting to travel has made most of it fly by. Now it's time to move on to bigger and better things.

They say that Christmas is always fun when you're a kid, but it's even better when you have kids. I couldn't agree more. Seeing his face on Christmas morning brings tears to my eyes... or maybe it's because I'm pregnant and emotional. HA! Either way, it's more fun. Next year, it will be twice as fun!

His Ninja Turtle and Power Ranger obsession is filled. 

Merry Christmas! 

Schwartzwald- The Black Forest

We recently took a trip to the Black Forest here in Germany.

Worlds Larest cookoo clock. It really works. 

put 1 euro into the wall and it plays. 

On our way back home, we stumbled upon this little beauty of a ride. 

And the Video. Please excuse the deep southern accent and the occasional shriek. I was holding onto the camera instead of the cart and it literally felt like it was coming off the rails. 

A few of my favorite modeling shots

Over the past year or so,  I have been doing a little modeling. Well, trying to anyway. I wanted to share a few of my favorite shots. Obviously not all of them, but if you wanted to see more, feel free to check out my facebook page here.

These three were done by an amazing photographer and a great friend of mine. You should check out her website to see more. Renee Marchelle Photography.

Ahhh, the one that made it to Vogue. How exciting!

Labor Day in Prague

Copied from my facebook page:

Prague. Beautiful Prague. One of my favorite cities so far. The people were nice, the city was clean, and the food was amazing. They even have a TGI Fridays, a treat I have certainly missed. We stayed in a really clean apartment just outside of town and rode the trolly in to see the sights. One of the main attractions was Prague’s oldest bridge, and one of its most iconic structures, is Charles Bridge, which connects Old Town with Malá Strana. Dating to 1357, it was originally called the Stone Bridge, or Prague Bridge, before being named Charles Bridge in 1870, after its founder King Charles IV. Just off the side of the bridge was a little medieval setup where they made some of the Czechs finest dishes. We chose to get the cabbage, bacon, and potato dish. It was amazing! 

Charles Bridge

Flanking the entrance to Charles Bridge on the Vltava’s left bank, the Malá Strana Bridge Towers form an important part of the Lesser Town’s landscape. The towers were built about 200 years apart, and they served quite different purposes. Today, both are accessible to the public, and their uppermost levels offer good views of Charles Bridge and Malá Strana.

Statues on the Charles Bridge. There were so many different ones all down each side of the bridge. Amazing detail. 

Popular Czech dish. 

Then came the most gorgeous Church I have ever seen. It was called "Knights of the Cross". Inside had the most beautiful detailed sculptures and paintings. 

 Right around the corner from that was the iconic John Lennon wall. "After his murder on 8 December 1980 John Lennon became a pacifist hero for many young Czechs. An image of Lennon was painted on a wall in a secluded square opposite the French Embassy (there is a niche on the wall that looks like a tombstone), along with political graffiti and Beatles lyrics.Despite repeated coats of whitewash, the secret police never managed to keep it clean for long, and the Lennon Wall became a political focus for Prague youth (most Western pop music was banned by the communists, and some Czech musicians were even jailed for playing it).Post-1989 weathering and lightweight graffiti ate away at the political messages and images, until little remained of Lennon but his eyes, but visiting tourists began making their own contributions. The wall is the property of the Knights of Malta, and they have repainted it several times, but it soon gets covered with more Lennon images, peace messages and inconsequential tourist graffiti. In recent years the Knights have bowed to the inevitable and now don’t bother to whitewash it any more." 

After sightseeing, we went to eat dinner at TGI and then hopped on the trolly back to the apartment. The view at night was even more gorgeous with everything lit up. It truly was one of the best trips we have had here. Adding this to the list of places I'd like to see again!

Birthday in Paris

I spent my 26th birthday in sweet, Paris. However, unlike Italy, this city could've been better. Most of it was dirty and downright scary. Unless you stay by the Seine. Then it's beautiful and amazing. Thats where most of the attractions are. We went on to booking.com to reserve our hotel room. From the photos, it wasn't a 5 star, but looked quaint and comfortable. Upon arriving, we had to walk through the literal ghetto, past homeless people, beggers, and people trying to sell wigs from a box. I am sure they could smell my fear from a mile away. The hotel was down this awful alley and had a reception area of 5x5 ft. After traveling the 4 flights of spiral stairs, we found our room. A twin smoking room when I paid for a triple non smoking room. The window didn't open of course and there was a blood stain the size of my 5 year old on the comforter. There was mold on the walls and well as the bed. After freaking out, i regained my composer and demanded a refund. He told me I checked the "no refund" option and I stated that I didn't get the room I paid for anyway so I expected my refund. Needless to say, after a few choice English words, we left with no refund. I didn't lose hope, I contacted booking and my bank to try to file a fraud report. We paid $700 for that room, I wanted my money back. As we walked a few blocks in the rain around the ghetto of paris, we found a Best Western. We explained our situation and the manager offered us his best private room for half off a night what it should've went for. He even tried to help us get our money back from the other hotel. The room there was amazing. I actually felt comfortable breathing the air in there.

Notre Dame Catherdral. The line for this was hours long. No way we were waiting with a 5 year old. 

The Arc de Triomphe and the view from the very top! 

We added our lock to the love lock bridge. This thing was loaded with lots of love!

This is the City Hall. And a big screen going up for the World Cup game!

We happened to visit Paris the exact weekend they played Germany in the World Cup. It was interesting to be in the resteraunt and root for Germany (since we live here) and be around all the Parisians! They are serious about their futball! 

This one needs no introduction. Humongous. 

We all know this lady. And for those of you who haven't been to the Louvre, This is literally like an 8x10 photo. It was much smaller than I expected, but still, how many can say they've seen the Mona Lisa at the Louvre? Score!

Louvre. You go into the pyramid, go down escalators under ground, and it branches off into four separate wings from there. Which have their own separate wings and so on and so forth. We went two days in a row and still didn't see everything! 

Jarden de Tuilleries. One big gorgeous park!

By the end of the trip, I had a great time! The first part was a little difficult with the hotel, but the trip was amazing. Again, if you go to Paris, stay close to the Seine! 

Two Years and Counting.

This past May, Justin and I celebrated our 2 year anniversary. We celebrated with a trip to Pisa, Italy.  He had a softball tournament that weekend so we hit two birds with one stone. Pisa is beautiful.

Ben D'iddio's. The tiniest hole in the wall resteraunt but the best meal I have had my entire stay in Europe! It's literally right around the corner from the tower of Pisa so if you go, PLEASE go here! Our waiter who was also the owner, was the nicest and most sincere person. A true Italian. 

appetizer platter. to die for. 

A few Italian officers we stopped on their moped ride by. They too, were the absolute nicest. We are true tourists here! HAHA!

Mediterranean Sea. One thing I wasn't accustomed too, nude beaches and men in speedos. 

The Field of Miracles. The Baptistery of San Giovanni, Duomo, and Leaning Tower.

The Baptistery of San Giovanni

After our walk on the beaches of the Mediterranean, we found this little Pizzaria beachside. Now this is a calzone! He and I  are not shy when it comes to food. My pizza was twice this size and we ate every bit of both!

Italy was perfect. The best Anniversary present and a hard one to top ;). Everything I had dreamed it would be .