Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Leavin' on a Jet Plane...

We are not all the way packed yet but we are sure ready to go. Philippines, we will see you soon!

I already have my list of things to eat:
- Lanzones
- Santol
- Fishballs (little balls of deep-fried fish on a skewer, then dipped into various sauces)
- Taho
- Green mango with bagoong

Goodness, my mouth is watering just thinking about all the good food I'll be able to eat again after a decade!

If you would like to know more about where we are going, here is an awesome website I discovered about the Philippines that is both beautiful to look at and full of interesting information: SeƱor Enrique's Blog. Seriously, I've never seen the Philippines through a photographer's eyes before, and I'd have to say, it's quite beautiful.

I'm not sure what my blogging schedule will be like over there, so this blog may go by the wayside for a few weeks. But before I leave, here are some recent pictures I've been meaning to share...



I'm a moviestar!

I took several photos of this event and she had the exact same expression each time.

Modeling Grandma Kathy's present. Check out my Modelface, yo!

One of the many beautiful buildings in Antwerpen.

Store front in Belgium (I'll have to find out the name of the town).


Crazy colorful half-a-dragon on the side of a building.

We'll see you guys later!

Saturday, February 7, 2009

Just to Clarify...

Germans call their home Deutschland.

Amsterdam is in the Netherlands, though if you ask anyone in Amsterdam, they'll tell you it's in Holland.

Even though Holland is a province of the Netherlands, people who live in Holland act as though it's a separate entity.

Everyone who lives in the Netherlands are called Dutch, but they're not Deutsch.

The Deutsch are the Germans.


*this has been your public service announcement*

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Tiny Dancer

For Christmas, Amelia's Aunt Christina gave her a cd full of songs to play in the car. This is what happened when we finally decided to break it in...

Wanderings: Denmark February 2009

Well hello there! We are finally back from our 4-day jaunt through Germany, Sweden and Denmark and boy, are we tired! Our butts are sore from sitting for so long, and our cheeks are chapped from the biting wind. The places were beautiful, but like we found in our London trip, sightseeing is no fun when you're cold and miserable. As it was, most of my pictures were taken out of a moving car, or quick little park-and-shoots. Also, the sun did not show herself the entire trip, which makes for really dark photographs!

Sunday, we left our little town in Germany and headed off to Berlin to stay the night...


A view of the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church. I loved the juxtaposition of a destroyed relic of the war and the brand new buildings.


Checkpoint Charlie, where once stood the gate through the Berlin Wall. Traces of the wall itself is no longer visible.


The Brandenburger Gate

After our tour of Berlin, we stayed the night in Malmo, Sweden. We had no real intentions of going to Sweden this trip, but ended up finding a slightly cheaper hotel there than in Denmark. But, as luck would have it, we ended up spending more because of the toll bridge ($50!!) between the two countries. To rub the salt in a little further, the four-star hotel was decorated sparsely... no carpet, small bed, tiny room, no fitness center. So beware of the Scandinavian Decorating Theory.

On Tuesday, we finally headed off to Copenhagen, and found that it was much too cold to do any walking. Such is the weather along coastlines, I suppose. So more photographs were taken out of a moving car.


A Copenhagen intersection with the "THE" store.


A city square


We did stop and park to find the very elusive Little Mermaid. She is well hidden and is actually pretty small for being "the Statue of Liberty of Copenhagen." Nevertheless, she is quite stunning and melancholy.


We stopped in Roskilde, which used to be Denmark's capital but was replaced by Copenhagen. We toured the Viking Ship Museum which was overpriced (as was the food in the museum restaurant) but interesting. I never knew a pile of rotten wood could be so thought-provoking.

Tuesday night, we stayed at the Mercure Hotel in Bremen, Germany. The area was pretty happenin' for 11 p.m. on a week night, but it was right next to a train station so it wasn't too much of a surprise. There was also a museum and a cinema within 2 minutes walking distance.

The train station in Bremen. Inside were many stores and eateries.

Thus ends our trip. So as for Lia's Country Count: USA, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Liechtenstein, Austria, Switzerland, France, England, Sweden, Denmark. Philippines, here we come!

Back From Wanderings...

We are back from our little jaunt to Sweden and Denmark! Pictures to come soon!

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Random German (or European) Fact

Spanking your kids in public will result in the police being called and your child being taken away. Not beating your kid, mind you, but spanking.

However, I have personally noted, it is okay to leave your infant in a sled at the side of a busy road rendered slippery after a huge snowstorm, while you shovel your driveway.

Leaving your kid in harms way – fine. But public displays of discipline – BIG no-no.

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Just a Theory...

If you're a mother, could you please do me a favor? Look at the skin between your thumb and pointer finger – that webby stuff – and tell me, is it calloused?

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Wanderings: Paris, France 2008

In May 2008, my youngest sister, Jeline, and her husband, Aaron, came to visit us in Germany. Unfortunately, we had just moved into our castle and our furniture had not yet arrived, so we were still bummin' it in rented furniture that was spartan at best. We were still waiting for our kitchen to be installed (it's common here in Germany for renters to move with their kitchen), and all we had for entertainment was a dinky old t.v. and a borrowed dvd player. I can't even remember what we did for entertainment at the end of each day, but I'm sure it was no better than thumb wrestling.

I swear, the next time you come to visit, sister, it'll be ten times better! Or at least, more furnished!

Their main goal was to visit Paris, but during our meanderings we found ourselves in:

Aachen, Germany

Auntie Jeline and Lia with her "shocked" expression


The Aachen Dom

Cologne, Germany

One of the Koln Dom spires

Amsterdam, Holland

One of the pretty canals


The view across the canal from the Anne Frank House

... and most notably, Paris, France

Parisian Landscape


Aaron in a bohemian reverie, with dreams of baguettes and cheese
(or actually just looking at a battery store)


Sister and me, hamming it up in front of the Louvre

A fun time was had by all, despite the rain that kept preventing us from going to outdoor markets. Eventually our household goods arrived and we managed to convince Sister and Aaron to help us unpack boxes and move large pieces of furniture (with the promise that the Wii was in there somewhere!).

Thank you Aaron and Jeline for coming to visit and, more importantly, for helping me out on moving day. I could not have done it without you guys! Come back soon, you hear?

Monday, January 19, 2009

Awww Sissy!

My sister, Jeline of OhMyGuiles, was on the front page treasury today!



Edit: Sissy's hubby provided me with a better screen cap, with fully loaded pics and everything. Dang fancy American internets!





Many a Mile...

This past year marked many milestones for our little family. In March, we moved from our little house in Alaska, stayed a little while with my parents in Oklahoma, then flew on over to Germany where we will reside for the next 3+ years. We dreamed and hoped and pushed for Europe to be our next duty station, and by the luck of the draw (and the help of a good friend), our wishes came true! Maybe there is some truth to the universe listening to your whispered wishes.

Two-oh-oh-eight also marked Amelia's first birthday. Unfortunately, Daddio was not present because we were in Oklahoma and could not find a flight home in time. But he was sorely missed and was surely there in spirit.

This year brought many firsts for our little Lia as she learned to smile, laugh, sit up, roll over, stand and walk! Every time I look at her, she seems older and wiser. Where did my little Droolie Badoolie go? She's been replaced by this cheeky, ill-tempered at times, cackling maniac!

We have also been lucky enough to visit many different countries this year: Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, France, England... with trips to Denmark and the Philippines on the horizon. Though we've traveled many a mile, our wanderlust never seems to wane. Some time soon I will post some pics and stories of our travels. I truly feel blessed to be able to explore the world.


Lia gallivanting around Paris

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Love, Love, Love!

During my search for art prints, I ran across the Etsy store of Jayme McGowan, called Roadside.

"Flight by Kite" by Jayme McGowan

As an artist and illustrator in California, Jayme creates these beautiful works of art and then sells them in print form for cheapskates like myself. At $15-$20 a pop, I think these prints are well worth the money for something so lovely and unique.

I am in love with these two prints, especially the "Flying Umbrellas" print (as seen below), and will hopefully be purchasing them in the near future!

"Flying Umbrellas" by Jayme McGowan

First and Foremost...

and so it begins once more
we've cleaned house
and started anew...

won't you be our guest?