European Vacation, Volume 1....

Captain’s Log: Day 1

Just kidding. I’ve always wanted to start a blog entry like that, but I promise not to keep that up.
Hugh and I just got back from 17 days of awesome vacation-ness. We visited Munich,Germany; Edinburgh, Scotland; and London, England. I’m going to do several blog entries over the next few days and I’ll cover all of the highlights from the trip. Before I begin I just want to express that Hugh and I had an amazing time. We spent the most amount of time we’ve ever had together, and we enjoyed it. I was worried that we’d get sick of each other, but we didn’t. I think we laughed more than we ever have. We enjoyed the time we had together and consider ourselves extremely blessed to have taken this trip. We celebrated our first anniversary and my 31st birthday on this vacation....and it’s the longest either of us have gone without our cell phones since late high school.

Let me start there: Cell phones. Hugh and I had done our research and decided that we’d be taking his phone with us on the trip. I’d called Sprint a few weeks prior to our leaving and confirmed that we did have a phone that would work internationally and was told that all we needed to do was call prior to boarding our plane and simply add an international plan for the time that we’d be gone. Easy! Hugh called the number we’d been given as we’re boarding the plane and managed to talk to a not-so-bright individual that told him it was impossible to do. Since we were actually boarding the plane Hugh just hung up and decided that we’d be fine without a phone. We did well without it, since we had the iPod touch and free wi-fi at all of our hotels. We were able to email our parents that we arrived safely and keep in touch if we needed. I did have to use two different pay phones during the trip for reservations and I’m sure I got leprosy or herpes in the process. Ewww.

I made friends with a guy named Sebastian that sat next to me on our way to Germany. Hugh is quite used to me talking to strangers and making friends, so he was content to let me jabber away to someone else while he read. Sebastian was German, and he offered to stay with us as we made our way through customs. He was going the same direction we were so he helped us get our tickets for the train and explained to us how to get to our hotel from the train station. We were both very grateful to have met someone so nice and helpful.
Our hotel in Munich was called Hotel Uhland, and it’s in the middle of a beautiful neighborhood near the Oktoberfest grounds. Hugh and I were both very prepared for “European” style hotel rooms. We were very surprised when we checked in. Our room was very large, clean, and nice. The beds which had been described as “double” were actually two full size beds shoved together. This made what Hugh kept referring to as the “World’s Largest Bed Ever”. There were three large windows that opened up to the front courtyard complete with flower window boxes. The bathroom was quite large by European standards, and we were very impressed. The hotel included a full breakfast everyday and I loved it. I ate the German version of Nutella on toast for five days and drank some sort of juice that was delicious. Hugh ate just about everything they offered but he still kept looking longingly everyday as if his precious Raisin Nut Bran might make an appearance.

We ate better in Germany than anywhere. The food was delicious, no matter where we were. We discovered this small restaurant called Lenz near the hotel that was very popular with the locals. The food was HEAVEN. Hugh and I ate there three of the nights that we were in Munich. We couldn’t help ourselves. It was just that good. Other than Lenz, we ate at all sorts of places. The food was incredible. I won’t touch sauerkraut here, but the stuff they make there is incredible. Also, the bread in Munich is delicious. I do have to say this: It’s carbohydrate land. Meat and potatoes, potatoes and meat.

Hotel Uhland. Very nice! Our room was on the first floor, to the left. 

The big windows that were covered with sheers. Very modern decor.

 The huge bed. The headboard was interesting...

This was the chandelier over our bed, LOL.

 I loved all of the light that came through.

The view from our window. Flowers EVERYWHERE!

I’ll continue with some more later, but right now I need a break!

Thursday Thoughts....

• Off brand hand sanitizer smells like a cheap drink.

• Why on earth would anyone ever find themselves in a situation where they would need a pocket sized version of the U.S. Constitution?

• Rain is awesome, but the threat of rain followed by no rain is simply cruel.

• French fries will always be awesome.

• WHY does my husband continue to use the same dry cleaners that not only returns clothes smelling like mildew, but they also have a weird pressed imprint on the front of the shirts? 

• When you buy a card from an actual Hallmark store, they give you this really cool gold sticker to seal the card with. For some reason this makes the card 500 times better than if you’d purchased it at Walgreens or Kroger. 

• Even though I’m in currently in the best shape of my life, and I’ve lost a substantial amount of weight; I still find myself constantly wondering why I can’t do better. Where is all the negative thinking coming from? It’s exhausting. 

• I’m already trying to tell myself that there’s no reason to be nervous with our upcoming flight to Europe. I sometimes get nervous on planes and it’s annoying me.

• Why do strapless bras always leave your boobs looking strangely distorted? 

• I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Mozilla Firefox compared to IE.

• I’m pretty sure our dogs think we love them less on the rare occasion when we make them stay outside at night.

• We truly have the best neighbors anyone could ask for right now. They’re awesome.

To be, or not to be....organized, that is.

Even though my mother would disagree, I’m a very organized person at work. At home I may have a hard time locating things or perhaps I might forget to take my shoes upstairs. Ok, and then there was that one time that I put the milk in the cabinet and the glass in the fridge. BUT, I’m very organized at work. My desk is always clean and organized, and even my computer has order. I don’t let emails sit in my inbox-they all have nice little folders where they live. Part of my job has me in different classrooms all the time. I’m in and out and sometimes in one place longer than another. I’ve been able to observe all different forms of organization. For instance, I’ve been in classrooms where I’ve realized that I haven’t even scratched the surface of clean and organized. We’re talking about rooms that put Martha Stewart to shame. AND then there’s the other end of the spectrum. I’ve been in rooms that are so disorganized that they could star in a show called, “Educational Hoarders: BURIED ALIVE”. It’s crazy. Bookcases overflowing, trash strewn about waiting to be thrown away, and the one odd thing: they always seem to have at least two staplers. Why two staplers? I was in one room where a teacher had a vast array of plastic cups all over the room. Why?? It’s a mystery.

I guess, from all of my ramblings that I’m more curious as to why it’s easy for me to be organized at work and yet it’s something that I struggle with at home? Maybe this is just another thing for me to wonder about……

Hugh's Photography

I gave Hugh a photography class as a Valentine’s gift. He just finished his classes this past week and he’s learned a TON of great stuff. I thought I’d share some of the pictures that he took that I’ve really enjoyed. According to Hugh, the class was fun and we need another lens ($$)! If you click on the pictures you will be able to see them with full clarity and resolution. :)

These are two of our neighbor's kids helping Hugh with a motion project.

Caught in mid-air!

This is called ghosting. The shutter stays open a long time allowing for the movement. I think it's pretty cool!

Light-writing: I'm the artist with a flashlight!

I had to write Hugh's name as well. You have to spell things backwards, and it's harder than it looks.

Flowers at Easter

Flowers at Easter, really close!

The fence.

Toby posing for a Rule of Thirds project.

Point of View image. Cassie's legs look crazy long!

The babies playing on the ground. Hugh was on the ground too!

Cassie just creeping towards the camera! Hugh kept trying to crawl backwards on his belly to keep up with her.

The Strand and Kemah!

Hugh comes from a small family. I know that when he first got a glimpse into the life I had growing up (and the number of people), he was a bit overwhelmed. In fact, after he managed to survive a Kazmierski Christmas party and a Frazier Christmas party during our first Christmas together, I knew he was a keeper. Anyone that doesn’t run away screaming from our loud, crowded, boisterous fun and actually STILL comes back is definitely a keeper in my book. J

One of the people that Hugh looks up to in life is his Aunt Ianthe. We call her Ianne or Aunt Anna. She and her cutie-pie husband live in Indiana and we’re always excited when we get to visit with them. Aunt Anna and Hugh’s dad Mac are brother and sister. Aunt Anna came in for two weeks with her sister-in-law Patricia to enjoy a girl’s vacation. We got to see them at Easter and this past Sunday we got to spend the day going to Galveston and Kemah. We had a great time, and even though it was a bit windy the temperatures were great! I never get tired of going down to the boardwalk or spending time relaxing at the strand. I know that we don’t have the prettiest water, but I always find something very relaxing about it.

Ianthe and Mac

Patricia and Ianthe



Love,



Easter Fun

Whew! What an Easter day we had. My mom offered to host Easter dinner/Dad’s birthday this year. We had a big crowd and it was great. Hugh’s parents came, and so did his Aunt Anna and her sister-in-law Patricia. They were in visiting from Indiana so we were excited that they were able to join us. My Aunt Mary and Uncle Clifton came in from East Texas, and we always have a great time when they come and visit. The food was delicious and the company fun! We got to see Jackson, who decided to act adorable for everyone. Then, we all got to see my parent’s latest backyard visitor named Otis. He’s a baby great horned owl, and he couldn’t be more precious! Hugh did a great job taking pictures and I’m happy to share them.

Otis the Owl! He's about 9 inches tall.

Jackson and Uncle Brandon.

Jackson and Grandpa Kaz.

Jackson standing in his Easter Basket. I LOVE the basket liner that my mom found.

Jackson seemed to like the plastic egg more than anything!

It's always fun getting to spend time with family. We had a great time!

Love,



MS 150 Recap!

I know it’s been almost two weeks, so let me try and recall all of the fun.

A different start:

Last year we started at Conoco Phillips, which was one of the official race starts. As great as the experience was, it was very crowded and we started a bit later than we wanted. We decided to start at 6:45 at Bear Creek Park on our own. It was a great decision! The three of us started together and ended up freezing together. The cold cut right through you, to the point that when we finally stopped for the first time we were all shaking from it. We’ve all ridden in colder weather before, but this cold was vicious.

La Grange:

 Ahhhh, sleeping in a tent! Team HP (who we ride for) had a very large tent this year. The first thing we did when we made it in was stuff our faces with dinner from Lupe Tortilla, yum! After that we all stood in line at the shower trucks. Well, Mac and Hugh stood in line for about an hour and I got to stand there a while longer. I’ll never understand why some women feel compelled to shower and put on makeup to SPEND THE NIGHT IN A TENT ON THE GROUND. Makes no sense to me. When I made it back to the tent Hugh and Mac had our sleeping area staked out. We each have a sleeping bag, all side by side on top of a tarp. We “slept”, and I use quotation marks because there’s no real sleeping happening on the ground, and woke up at 5 a.m. to get dressed and line up to start the second day ride.

Austin-bound!

I had some complications with my asthma on the first day, so I decided that it wouldn’t be in my best interest to take the challenge route. I know that it was one of my goals for the year, but it will just have to be something that I continue to work towards. Mac and I took the Lunch Express route and we were FLYING! We set a very fast pace and were able to keep it up until we met up with Hugh at lunch. The lunch rest stop was packed, so we decided to get our lunch at a nearby Carl’s Jr. I think we were all just excited to use REAL bathrooms! We caught a great tailwind after lunch and were in Austin at 2:30.

The ride is great personal physical challenge, but it’s about so much more. I really enjoy being a part of something that is much greater than me. We’re helping people that need it, and there’s no greater feeling than crossing the finish line knowing that you’ve helped.

 Start of the ride!

 There was a bad wreck on day 1. There were thousands of riders waiting.

 Still waiting...

 This is inside the tent. Notice ALL of the people.

 Mac, waiting for the start on day 2.

 All of us waiting on the start of day 2.

 Me, sans makeup. Standing in front of two guys I slept by the night before.

 The BP hot air balloon!

 Hugh and I at the last rest stop!

 All of us at the last rest stop.

Finish line!!! Hugh and I didn't have the cool shorts that Mac did. 



Friday was a little crazy. Last week was a tough week at work. The layoffs happened last week and everyone spent the entire week on pins and needles. I got one of the dreaded emails from my boss that said, “Please come see me in my office.” YIKES!!! I sat outside his office trying not to puke up the pool water from my morning swim. He brought me in and told me that my job was safe “for now”. WHEW!!! I was very relieved, but the truth of the matter is; there is no more security in education. It’s gone. I realize that 99% of jobs don’t ever have security, but education has always been safe. There will always be children to teach therefore there should always be jobs. Unfortunately we’re in an economic downturn that is hurting education like never before. I’m truly worried about the future of education. Children are taught to pass tests so the schools can get their state and federal money. It’s more sad than anything. I’m no longer in the classroom, but I do see the changes that are happening.

I have to stop writing about this. It just upsets and frustrates me. I spent all last week with my stomach in knots about it.

I digress. It was Friday afternoon of an epically long week and I was waiting for the window repairman. He was supposed to be at the house “after 3:30” which apparently translates to 5:15 on Monday. I obviously have not been privileged to see the glass-man time table so I spent my Friday afternoon being frustrated. I cleaned the house like a crazy woman, couldn’t have a glass of wine because of our ride the next morning, and just stewed about the week. Sure enough, as I was approaching the emotional breakdown point Hugh walked inside the house with these:

Just because. I love him!



Doggie Photo Shoot

I had some time to play with the dogs yesterday afternoon before softball, so I decided that they wanted to have their pictures taken. Now, Toby and Cassie are very sweet and cute, but I wouldn’t exactly call them dog models. I think Toby has a fear of the camera and Cassie has this weird attachment to a miniature stuffed Chihuahua. I wonder if she thinks that it’s her baby? I don’t know, but she licks it and drags it around everywhere. Enjoy the pictures of the doggies playing in the sunshine!

Cassie's mohawk looks great here and I'm pretty sure Toby's laughing.

Toby rolling

This is Cassie and her baby. Notice they're posing the same way.

Cassie and Toby sitting pretty and smiling for the camera!





Jenn vs. The Plants

I’ve never been a green-thumb kind of person. When I first got into coaching and teaching there were occasions when I was given plants as thank-you’s. Since I have no ill feelings towards plants in general I gave those poor plants to my mom so they’d at least have a fighting chance at life. I just decided that plants weren’t my thing and I could be content with that being an area that I wasn’t successful.

Shortly after I moved in with Hugh we decided to redo the front flower bed. Hugh asked me to just go down the street to a small nursery and pick out some flowers. When I got there I had a great idea (or so I thought). Instead of buying a bunch of small flowers, why not buy four large hanging baskets full of flowers and then we have less work! While that might have worked out fine, I chose bougainvilleas. They’re gorgeous, but they have thorns. I didn’t realize they had thorns until we were trying to plant them and were getting cut to shreds. The made it until winter when we decided to chunk them in the trash. Hugh was so relieved.

I decided that I had to turn around my plant killing ways after my grandmother died. After her funeral my mother gave me a large Peace Lily, or “Closet Plant” that was given at her service. I took it home terrified of killing it. My grandmother was a very important figure in my life and although I realize it’s irrational, I felt that if I killed the plant I would somehow be hurting my poor, dead Mema. The first thing I did was research the heck out of that thing. I read article after article that explained how to care for the plant and what not to do. It started growing! Hugh and I went to Garden Ridge and agonized over a very large pot to transplant it to. Then, Hugh’s grandmother passed away six months later and we were given a plant from her funeral. I never realized that there could be so much guilt attached to a plant. They are both currently healthy and flourishing, but Hugh says that if we ever sell our house that he has no clue how my grandma’s plant is going to move with us. Even with both of us trying we can’t lift the pot.

Fast forward to three weeks ago. Hugh and I decided that we wanted to put some tomatoes and peppers in a few pots that we have outside. We went to the nursery and picked out several tomato varieties, pepper options, and even some herbs. We have them all planted and we’re now worrying like crazy about their chances of survival. If any of you have gardening tips please share!