Digging Thru

The boys and I at Christmas in Edelweiss Lodge and Resort, Garmisch, Germany. This is where we will spend President's Day Weekend... minus the Christmas decorations I imagine! :D

Still digging thru the junk! I swear when David is around, he finds more stuff to put in "my room" ... isn't he just great in SHARING? We might be under weight after all!

David is doing his financial thing again today. "How much do we really use?" "Do we really need this?" He wants as much junk as I do and doesn't question his stuff. I should have known money would rear an ugly head again after being comfortable for so long. (by our standards LOL) I'm going thru my stuff thinking "how long have I had this and NOT used it" and pitching it. I can always go buy more when I get back to the states, but we need to downsize and spend less. We have a $500+ car payment starting March 1. Maybe he should have thought about this stuff BEFORE having me order a new Saab. We'll be ok... it's just a long weekend (he took Friday off and the boys were off yesterday) and it's too cold out to go do something outside, so instead we turn on one another. I love winter.

Our Saab... 95 sports combi... ordered in mid-November... told it would be here by January 15... notice me not going on and on about new European car... it's still on a boat! They SAY 10 days. I Won't hold my breath. I've become disillusioned with this experience. I need to have David double check on the fact of 30 days stateside count toward the 6 months we needed to have it to avoid taxes going home. Personally I think the salesman owes us when it comes time to go back and we find they will screw us - 10 more days puts us past the two weeks give or take he said when we ordered the car. This all reminds me I need to have David call USAA to get the insurance set up on the new car so we can go register it next week and when we FINALLY get the car from the Canadians, we can just take it and run. It's been paid for with a loan and part of our own money.

I'll have more to share today I'm sure... it's another day in paradise around here. I'll pass! :D

Travelling

Growing up with nomadic grandparents (Dad's parents) gave me the bug to want to see as much as I could before I die many years from now.

I've checked a few of those places off my list in 2006. We took a cruise in April that included a day in Rome. We were able to walk in St Paul's, walk the plaza in front of the Vatican, see the Colusseum and the Forum. Talk about WOWS! In October the boys and I marked London off my list. While we flew cheap and stayed relatively cheap, we certainly paid for the trip in other ways. The train ride into town (we stayed about 30 minutes out by train from mid-London) was about $30 for all of us daily. Then of course, the $ sucks big time to the British pound. Fortunately it was still >$2 a pound when we went. Today it's over $2! We got to go by Buckingham Palace (don't waste the time, it's one UGLY building and quite a disappointment when you actually see it in person), Tower of London (WELL WORTH THE MONEY TO GET IN!), Madame Toussad's wax museum (another one of those, don't waste the $100 for two people - Matthew was free), lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe, Harrod's Department store (minus the tacky display for Di and Dodi, it was a fine, fun shopping trip complete with Krispy Kreme donuts... most expensive ones I've had but by far the best since leaving the states - a dozen's cost? $25!), Westminster Abbey (an OK thing to see, wish I could have taken pics... the Basilica in Rome let you take as many as you wanted), Hyde Park, British Museum (Rosetta Stone is neat to see up close!). There's just one thing I really have to go back to London for and that's to get to Windsor Castle. That's the one thing we missed out on.

This year we have travel plans already to get going on. Since missing the Paris trip at New Year's, I'll be going on my own in mid-February. I can't wait! An overnighter without kids or David in a room to myself :D Worth the extra 75 euro for the single room :) Venice is still in the mix - want to see it before it sinks away one day. Berlin is something we're talking about for Spring Break this year. CG has mentioned going to Auschwitz - we're thinking of making it a long trip over Spring Break to hit it and Berlin in one swoop. No cruise this year. :( Maybe in another 4 years when we celebrate 20 years marriage, retirement (the following year) and getting one of the baby birds kicked out of the nest (CG will be 18 in 2011) and off to college. I still want to go to Madrid, just not sure if that'll happen. It's the one real big trip of MINE that I might not get to make. Naples is one other place we'd like to go to as Pompeii is there... we'll see if that one works out. Doubtful but I figure i can make a list for David to look at and let him prioritize HIS list and find how much time we can take off to get these trips in.

I'm off to stitch. Been sitting here and cleaning the other room too long this evening.
Later Taters!

Crazy!

Sometimes I have to think if my head weren't screwed on, that I'd forget it were there and leave it behind. Bless my friend for sending me a note saying another spot I'd set up for blogging was dead and dieing. "Set up one at this site instead." Lo and behold, imagine my surprise that I had one already LOL And that I'd not written on it but twice and that was last year. Gotta love it!

I am crazily packing or unpacking boxes in preparation for our move back to the states. I've already filled (most of the 2nd one) 2 huge moving boxes with PAPER RECYCLABLES alone. That doesn't include the other recycles stuff that has gone directly to the recycle can. I've got to go to the recycle center on post next week to drop those two boxes off and start the fun over again. I spent so much time in that room the one day this week that it nearly paid off, literally, and it felt like Christmas! I found $10 in a birthday card of one of my children from when they turned THREE YEARS OLD. Then I found a HUGE stash of overdyed threads that I have NO CLUE what project they're supposed to go with. At least I know I have some if I should want to do some serious stitching and can't get my order to Deb's in time to start it NOW. :D I've come to decision that I have WAY too much junk in my house. But I "need" it LOL Maybe having that one show come in and do my house would be good. "Clean Sweep" I think it is. My friend (above mentioned) always talks about it. I think tomorrow I'll drag out the Christmas stuff and start parting with it. We move this summer and were close to our weight limit COMING. I still need to buy a schrank and that's just a little bit heavy!

The boys are going to go skiing one more time before we go, at least. President's weekend we are off to Edelweiss again for a long weekend. I couldn't believe they weren't filled for the long weekend, but hey! I TRY to not look gift horses in the mouth most of the time. I won't be on the skis this time. NO need to find my way to the ER AGAIN this trip. I'll sit in the hotel and enjoy a beer or take a tour of Linderhof on Sunday before we leave. It would have been nice to be over in Garmisch this week because they were hit hard with snow. We had our own fill, which I will comment upon another day.

A funny from Matthew this past week...Ok, not a funny, but sometimes he just says something to amaze me. This week we walked to the backerei and metzgerei Tuesday night. On our way home, he talks about the parade coming. :) Matthew seems ready to celebrate Fasching! It's coming soon... can't wait to see the parade this year.