Have I Told You Lately - August

 

Well - August is over and let me tell you, it feels like it passed in an absolute blur! I can't believe there are only four months of this year left (and I'll be a married woman for the last two).

Eating - This picture makes me laugh because two of the seven pictures are of me drinking something, not eating! Ryan and I went to the Warren County Fair the first weekend of August and we had some delicious BBQ while we wandered around the fairgrounds - thankfully it didn't come back up when we rode all the spinning rides later in the evening. 

We made an afternoon drive over to Tyson's Corner mid-month and I had a divine Summer Corn Flatbread for dinner at Seasons 52 - and every other picture is from our weekend camping, imagine that! We had dinner at the Spotswood Dining Room and I was reunited with my beloved Peanut Soup, we had blackberry ice cream on Saturday and all the meals we cooked over the campfire were divine!

Drinking - Honestly, I've mostly been drinking a lot of water and coffee. Those are the two beverages that I generally survive on and that hasn't changed much. However, Ryan ordered some hot chocolate at the Spotswood Dining Room when we had dinner and the sips I stole were delicious! There is something about a nice, warm mug of hot chocolate when the air is crisp and the sun is setting on the horizon! 

The only other drink that stands out to me is the once-in-a-blue-moon cocktail that I get when we go our to dinner! We had dinner at Sweetwater Tavern and I got a Mango Martini... made with Mango Rum, pineapple and Licor 43 - it was sweet and tropical and delicious! 

Reading - Well, I finished the book You're Invited by Amanda Jayatissa at the start of the month and while it took a wee bit of time to kick off, it had a great twist and ended really well! I thoroughly enjoyed it and would highly recommend it! The next book I picked up was The Clockmaker's Daughter by Kate Morton and WOW - what a read! This book was a slow read to begin with, but once things started to weave together - I was absolutely hooked! I have to say that it might be one of my favorite books I've read recently! 

I have bounced around from Get Out of Your Head by Jennie Allen and Fire & Blood by George R.R. Martin (y'all know that Westeros is back) and so I haven't fully started another book quite yet! But I have The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle by Jennifer Ryan in my bag for our travels to Germany!

Watching - House of the Dragon premiered on the 21st and I have just jumped right back into my love of all things Westeros-related! The show is like being in a place you love; that's changed some but still has echoes of why you originally fell in love with it! Isn't that so poetic? And all over a TV show, ha-ha! Ryan and I are still watching Alone.. slowly, but we're getting there! That's honestly the extent of our TV watching right now...

 

I saw two movies this month and I have to say - Where the Crawdads Sing was far better than Thor: Love & Thunder and I cannot believe I'm saying that! Where the Crawdads Sing was excellent; well-acted and the story was touching, at times hard but altogether heart-warming in the end. Thor: Love & Thunder was honestly silliness and ridiculousness and while the ending did make me cry - on the whole it was such a let down to me.

 

Ryan has now sworn that he doesn't think he can go see another Marvel movie in the theater because the last two or three have been such disappointments! 

Loving - Honestly, just life in general! This season of life truly feels so sweet and blessed. I am just enjoying taking in life as we count down these last two months before our wedding - spending time with Ryan, planning and dreaming for our future. Spending time with family and friends. Life is such a blessing and while I know that life will have seasons that aren't as sweet - I hope I can always remember what a wonderful time this moment in my life/our lives was.

Wanting - I would love for there to be no stress where all things wedding are related but I am learning that that isn't going to happen. I found myself trying to put out a bit of a fire today and it definitely has me feeling some stress! I absolutely want everything to go smoothly - and hopefully this bump will just be a minor one! 

Quoting - "Love is like a friendship, caught on fire." - Jeremy Taylor

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Y'all have a wonderful last day of August and let's all look forward to the coming Autumn! 

It's the Last Monday of August!

It’s Monday – the workday is halfway over, and I am less than five days from being bound for Germany for vacation! As usual, the weekend flew by but that’s nothing new, is it?

 

After a full work week, a doctor’s appointment, and quick stop at Wal-Mart – I was more than happy to be home on Friday! Ryan decided to pop open the grill and made us some awesome grilled chicken drumsticks and grilled veggies for dinner and I sat on the deck and kept him company while he grilled. Watson was VERY interested in what exactly was smelling so tasty in the backyard, ha-ha! We chilled for the evening because we both felt like we’d had a long week. It was nice to just be calm and quiet.

Saturday morning, Ryan and I attended the funeral for one of his co-workers – she sadly passed away after a short battle with brain cancer – the service was beautiful, and she was well-loved and remembered by so many people.

We joined my parents for a drive over to the Fairfax area and went to the Udvar-Hazy Air & Space Museum, an extension of the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum. It’s filled with airplanes and gliders and spaceships and rockets and all the air-travel related things. I’ve been a couple times before, but this was Ryan’s first introduction and he thoroughly enjoyed exploring all the displays. We also discovered earlier in the day that portions of Transformers II were filmed at the museum – and Ryan thought that was great.

Our final stop before leaving the Udvar-Hazy Center was the observation tower where we watched planes coming and going, landing at Dulles airport nearby – we even saw a 747 coming into land (and snapped some selfies with it) before we made our way to the gift shop and then on our way! We stopped at Sweetwater Tavern for dinner – it’s a favorite of the family but the closest locations are in Sterling and Fairfax – so we can’t eat there too often! I had a lovely cocktail and a delicious burger; everything was really tasty – we all enjoyed our meals!

We made a final stop on the way home at Duluth Trading Co. – this store is a favorite of both Ryan’s and my Dad – and Ryan has been looking for a good pair of khaki pants for work. He tried on a few pair and while he was doing that, I found a beautiful raincoat! Our trip to Germany could involve some rain; it’s common in the Fall in Germany, and while I have a Columbia jacket that is somewhat waterproof – it is not a true raincoat. The coat itself was a bit pricey but it’s an investment piece and is a coat I can have for a long while. So, with our new pants and coat in tow – we finally headed home!

Sunday started nice and calm – I was able to sleep until almost 7:30 and then just take time to wake up, have coffee and be chill. We went to church and some sinus issues caused me to feel pretty crummy by the time the service was over, but thankfully after taking some medicine and having lunch – I was feeling much better.

Ryan and I moved some more of my things our house and I retrieved a suitcase to begin packing in… I did several loads of laundry, made three loaves of banana bread, began packing for Germany and in general got ready for the work week ahead! Ryan and I finished The Hobbit and we joined my parents to play a new game called Everybody Knows – and I won. Ryan said I probably needed to be drug-tested (sore loser) but I celebrated my win nonetheless! After watching the newest episode of The House of the Dragon – the weekend came to a close!

Friday Favorites

It's the last weekend of August - can ya'll believe that? Time is absolutely flying by and it's almost September! This week is a short little post but then again, I've posted every day this week and that's almost unheard of! Y'all might be tired of hearing from me.... 

Home Sweet Home Town - I just wanted to share some snapshots from around what will be my hometown once Ryan and I are married (in just 78 days). It's a lovely small town with sidewalks down Main Street, flowers blooming along the sidewalks and cows that will meander over to the fence and visit with you (or maybe stalk your dog).

 

I know we'll be really happy living in our new little home town and I can't wait to experience it in every season, with Ryan by my side.

Autumn Decor - I know, I know... it's not September yet! But I am leaving on the second of September and I wanted to make things look Autumnal, so I did! I'm sure Ryan could care less but I made my way over to our house, put out our "L" pumpkin door hanger and Autumn flag... and also... the best thing ever...

That's right - it's an Autumn gnome holding an L and I absolutely love it! I don't know that Watson is 100% convinced on it, but Ryan named him Nolan and now we are all set for Fall! 

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That's all I've got this Friday! Y'all have a good weekend! 

Germany - The Itinerary

"Learning German is what eternity was made for.." - Mark Twain

 

I am less than ten days from flying the (hopefully... prayerfully) friendly skies across the pond and to the land of bratwurst, strudel, lederhosen and a legacy marred by WWII. I cannot believe how unbelievably blessed I am to be getting to go to not one but two more European countries!

Travel is such a gift and seeing other countries and getting to experience life that's lived different from yours allows you to appreciate other people, other cultures and appreciate the world around you more. I wanted to share a little look at what our ten-day trip around Bavaria will look like!

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Days One & Two (Friday & Saturday) - The first two days will truly be all about travel. We are leaving Friday evening and flying overnight to Germany and will spend a portion of Saturday getting to our resort, getting checked in and settled for the week ahead. Let me just share a few pictures of the town we will be staying in - because y'all, I'm stunned. In the best way possible.

Please excuse me while I go softly sob in the corner - are you kidding me?!? The beauty! I honestly have to say that while Germany has always been on my travel list, it wasn't high - but I think I need to rethink that after seeing these pictures! 

Day Three (Sunday) - Zugspitze; the highest peak in the country of Germany, is our destination on Sunday! The Zugspitze sit at 9,718 feet above sea level and has three glaciers along it's flanks... two of which are the largest in Germany.

We will also be dining at Panorama 2962, a restaurant at the summit of the Zugspitze - I'm certain it will be the highest I've ever been while dining. No pun intended! 

Day Four (Monday) - We will be making our way to The Eagle's Nest on Monday; it's about an hour from our lodgings and of course, a huge location in history and WWII in Germany. The Eagle's Nest is also known as the Kelhsteinhaus and was used by members of the Nazi party as a meeting house and social gathering spot - Hitler visited the location at least 14 times. 

The Eagle's Nest is now a restaurant with indoor seating and a beer garden outside - but naturally is heavily visited because of it's historical significance. Can you imagine? Sipping a beer where Hitler hung out during the war?  After our visit to the Eagle's Nest, we will be crossing the border to Salzburg, Austria! 

Salzburg is the fourth largest town in Austria and is bordered by the Alps! The town is one of the best-preserved city centers north of the Alps and is also listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city is the birthplace of Mozart and the filming location for The Sound of Music - and it looks to be incredibly stunning! I cannot wait to see a little bit of Austria!

Day Five (Tuesday) - Oberammergau is a small town in Bavaria that is known for it's passion play. Legend has it that after the town was spared from the Bubonic Plague in the 1600's, they made a vow to perform a retelling of the life of Christ as thanks for being spared - and they've done just that. The Passion Play has been performed annually and then every ten years since 1634! The play was meant to be performed in 2020... but I think we all know what happened in 2020.

The play involves over 20,000 people - all of whom are residents of Oberammergau and is done in two parts: the first act is performed, then you break for a meal and watch the second act afterwards. The town of Oberammergau is also known for it's wood carvings and it's beautifully decorated buildings - and I have to say; based on the pictures below, it looks like a perfectly stunning Bavarian town!

Day Six (Wednesday) - It's a free day on Wednesday but we do have our notes section marked to drive over to Lake Eibsee, which is only about a 12 minute drive from our resort (Edelweiss Lodge) and is called the most stunning lake in Germany! I think if the picture below captures even the half of the beauty of Lake Eibsee - it will be well worth the short trip to see!

Our resort is lovely and will have plenty of things to do on site - and I'm also looking forward to taking in the small town where it's located - Garmisch-Partenkirchen. I'm sure after taking in so many sites, a little bit of down time on Wednesday will be nice!

Day Seven (Thursday) - This day will no doubt be a bit of a heavier day as we will be going to Dachau Concentration Camp, the first camp to be built by Adolf Hitler as he spread his swath of destruction across Germany and the rest of the world. The camp was also in operation the longest, opening in March of 1933 and closing in April of 1945.

I'm sure the visit to Dachau will certainly weigh on my mind and my heart - but I am a firm believer that we must remember our history so we do not repeat it. I also think it's important to pay respect to those who suffered these cruel fates at the whim of one man who thought his way was the way to make a perfect world.

Day Eight (Friday) - Perhaps Friday will be one of my favorites days because we are going to Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangua Castle(s) and if Neuschwanstein Castle isn't the most perfect fairy tale castle - I don't know what is! The castle was the inspiration for Sleeping Beauty castle at Disneyland and I can certainly see why! 

Hohenschwangua was the childhood palace of King Ludwig of Bavaria and Neuschwanstein was the palace he built once he was an adult - although he sadly only lived there for 172 days before he died. Both castles survived World War II unscathed due to their remote locations and I cannot believe I get the chance to see them both in person so very soon!

I couldn't resist one more picture of Neuschwanstein - because it's just so stunning. *sigh*

Day Nine (Saturday) - The ninth day of the trip will signal the beginning of the return homeward, via Munich! We will be leaving behind our lovely resort in Bavaria and heading for the big city of Munich for the last full day of our time in Germany! Munich is the capital city of Bavaria and the third largest city in Germany and will be our final stop as we make our way around Germany's Bavaria and Austria!

The city was heavily damaged during WWII and this rebuilt according to meticulous plans when the war was over - keeping the same street grid as the pre-war city. I'm not sure what all we will be doing as we explore the city but we are having dinner at Hofbrauhaus - the oldest tavern and beer garden in Munich, built over 500 years ago! 

Day Ten (Sunday) - Sunday will be the flight home and I will be reunited with my love, Ryan! Hopefully the travels will be uncomplicated (which I hear is not super likely these days) and we will have uneventful trips to and from the lovely country of Germany!

I can't believe this time next week - I'll be a day away from heading for Germany!