Respect

Apparently I've been riding around on my high horse thinking I'm someone special lately, I didn't realize I had been but that's the only reason I can think of for why I was taken down a peg today. It was a beautiful warm day in Germany today and we had been invited to join some other people from church at the pool in Wittlich. Reese and I were happily playing in the kiddie pool with some other people when a lady informed me that there was a bee on me. I didn't freak out I just kind of wiggled my body to get it to fly away. Unfortunately one shake was not enough because she told me it was still on me, I shook again, this time with a little more spirit and what do you know the (insert expletive here) stung me! The last time I was stung by a bee I was probably five so I don't remember the pain whatsoever but let me tell you, IT HURT! However, despite the pain that was blazing through my skin where the little jerk had stung me I had a sick sense of satisfaction in knowing that there he lay in the pool and soon he would be dead. What kind of moronic creature chooses to commit suicide by stinging me instead of just flying on his merry way back to his friends and family. It's not like I was infringing on his territory and he felt the need to teach me a lesson, though I am glad that he took his suicidal tendencies out on me instead of Reese, that would've been a nightmare for sure. Right after I got stung I was a little gun shy of the other bees, he'd dropped me down a peg and I knew my place, but now that I've thought more about it let the bees come I'll be standing tall they'll be worm food.

Busy Beavers

Reese and I have been keeping very busy since we got back to Germany, we've really gotten into our routine here at home and while we of course miss Nate it's nice not to have that feeling of sitting around and waiting for him to return. I promised myself when he left that I wouldn't sit by the phone or spend all my time worrying about when he was coming home and I've kept that promise. I have to admit that my friends here in Germany have made it a lot easier to keep busy, we're on the go constantly and when Reese and I are home we've been working on a few projects around the house that I wanted to get done before Nate gets home. I figured since I was sitting here on the couch on a Sunday night with nothing to do I'd go ahead and update everyone on what we've been doing since the Tour.

On our way home from France after the Tour we stopped in Reims and saw the cathedral there. It's built in the same fashion as Notre Dame which basically means it's an amazing cathedral, and the best part was that we must have went at the perfect time because there was hardly anyone else in there. It also happens to have a statue of St.Jean Baptiste de LaSalle who was the founder of my high school whom we prayed to daily so I gave his statue "the nod" when I walked past.

In the weeks after that we went to Heidelberg and toured the castle and wandered around the town. There was actually three women in our group, two of us had young children and the third was pregnant, and oddity of oddity we all got hit on by an odd old Turkish dude who proceeded to wander around town with us despite our informing him that we were all married. Luckily he was actually funny not really creepy stalkerish so it just makes a great story to tell.

We've been to the Daun wildlife park a few times which is so freaking awesome that you can't imagine it. This place could not exist in the states because people are to sue happy, but basically you go in a giant monkey cage and you get to just walk down this path and look at monkeys, the monkeys are literally right next to you. My friends kid actually had a monkey come up to him and swipe his little baby food right out of his hand, she hadn't thought about him having food when we went in so she totally admitted it was her fault that the monkey got so close but in the states I'm sure it would've been an ordeal. The wildlife park also has an amazing playground that Reese loved, so much cool playground equipment that I've never even seen before. There were huge trampolines and weird swinging teeter toter things, it was crazy fun, my friend Robyn and I were probably having as much fun as the kids.

Last weekend we went to Bad Munstereifel, which is just a random town near us, and wandered around inside the city walls and then we proceeded to go hiking in the woods around the town. I think the highlight of the hike was the weird fire colored slugs that we saw along the path, that and Reese constantly needing to give high fives to people which makes her leaning weight just a little awkward to carry in the backpack.

Finally, I think our last exciting trip was to Koblenz this past week. We've been to Koblenz a zillion times but usually just to go to Ikea, this time we went to the fortress that overlooks the Rhine and then we went and spent 4 hours at Ikea. The fortress was actually kind of a bust because they were restoring parts of it so all the inside stuff was closed off, but Ikea was fun so the trip wasn't a complete burn.

Now Reese and I are getting ready to have my college roommate Sharon come stay with us in a little over a week and we're trying to squeeze a trip to Prague in between when she comes and when Nate gets home. Oh and I should also mention that Reese finally started full on walking a few weeks ago. Walking is now her main method of getting around and she's very good at it. Yesterday I was on the phone with my parents and she was following me around with the other phone pressed between her ear and her shoulder just like Mommy holds the phone, what a cutie.