More Skiing in the Snow

Before running down to breakfast we took a few pictures of the beautiful view from our room.


Downstairs for a typical German breakfast.



Once we filled up on a delicious breakfast we were ready to drive over to the slopes.


The guys bundled up and ready to go



The view from the gondola on our way up the mountain




After several hours of skiing we traveled into town to get dinner and explore the area.



Fun shops




Our restaurant that night, Techmers.....delicious

I wish that I had taken pictures of our food. I had an incredible ostrich burger with sweet potato fries. It was great!
Two very full and happy people
We had a wonderful time in Garmisch and look forward to going back again next year. It was the first time that I had ever been skiing and the first time that Phil had ever been sledding. So much fun!

Night Sledding Down the Austrian Alps

I am going to have to split this past weekend into several posts. We had a fantastic time skiing in Garmisch and enjoying the snow covered Alps.

We rented a large van and the six of us drove south to Garmisch. We arrived on Friday evening just in time to catch some night sledding just over the Austrian border. The sledding takes place at night with a 2.4 mile illuminated run.

Bundled up and traveling to the top.



We were able to get a few hours of sledding in before they closed. It was definitely a highlight of the weekend and a must do again next year.

It Has Already Been A Year

Over the weekend we relaxed, celebrated and supported some friends.

On Friday we woke up to a very chilly day. I was frustrated when I went outside to find that my bike lock was completely frozen. I guickly realized that I would be walking to the gym that day. It was on that walk that I was reminded of something that I am working on. I have realized that it is such a waste to not realize how much you are enjoying something until it is all over. This is true in relationships, children that grow up way to fast and for me, right now, during our time here. This is not to say that I am not enjoying our time here. I love it here! I also love celebrating life. I will look for a reason to celebrate anything, a birthday, an accomplishment, a Tuesday......anything. It just hit me while I was walking to the gym and thinking about what we had to accomplish over the next week. I can catch myself focusing on the frustrations of life instead of soaking up every minute of this incredible experience. Our travel schedule alone is enough to feel completely blessed and want for nothing. I am so grateful and do not want to be back in the U.S. and realize that I majored on the minor frustrations of life. So this is what the Lord is teaching me right now. Now on to celebrating every moment.

This evening we went the theater to watch a friend in, An Ideal Husband. He did a great job and we had a lot of fun and ended up bumping into more friends once we arrived. The best part of the night was getting on our bicyces and riding back home in the falling snow. It was absolutely beautiful. Although I am ready for the weather to warm up, especially when I see facebook updates of the warming weather in the Carolinas, it still warms my heart to ride in the snow.

The rest of the weekend was nice and relaxing. On Saturday we decided to celebrate our first year in Germany. I can't believe that it has been a year. We went to one of our favorite restaurants in Erlangen, Sax, and had a long, leisurely brunch. That night we babysat for some friends. Well, the child was already asleep so it was more like a little vacation in our friends living room with movies and thai food. Not a bad Saturday night. Sunday was filled with church, meal preparation for the upcoming week, searching for B and B deals for upcoming trips and more relaxing.....we have it pretty bad. ;)

Now it is off to the gym to continue training for our 10k in London and preparing for our ski trip on Friday.

Grateful for each day!

There is more to Salzburg than just musicals

For starters the city is full of beautiful buildings, Mozart's home, and fantastic restaurants and cafes.



Jay, Barb, me and two new expats/friends, Hannah and Billy from the States. Woo hoo, new traveling friends.




The beautiful scenery



Mozarts house


Chilly in the city


We had a great meal at this restaurant in the lower level of the Crowne Plaza.



We finished off our trip with some Nockerl, a popular Austrian dessert.

Searching for the Von Trapps in Austria

Over the weekend we traveled to Salzburg, Austria. Although the weather did not cooperate we still walked all over the place and fell in love with the beauty of Salzburg. One of the highlights of our trip was taking part in The Sound of Music tour. We learned a lot like the fact that although Hollywood filmed The Sound of Music in Salzburg in 1965 Austrians did not see the film until 2000. Being a huge fan of Maria and the Von Trapp children I loved every minute of the tour.

The six of us toured around on a large charter bus, which we had all to ourselves because of the drizzly weather. It was great.

On our way to the tour


The fountain where Maria and the children danced around singing Do Ra Mi.


The Gazebo. "I am 16 going on 17"


The Von Trapp house and the lake where Maria and the children fell in


If the weather was better you would be able to see the gorgeous Alps in the background. You will have to imagine.


The scene where the children are climbing trees and singing in their new clothing made of curtains.


The church where Maria and the Captain got married. Did you know that Hollywoods first choice for the captain was Sean Connery? They soon realized that they needed to keep looking.



After hearing the behind the scenes story of the taping of The Sound of Music, Phil and I are both excited to watch the movie again and remember our great time in Austria.

We're not in the US anymore

I am finally back in Germany after spending a month and a half visiting with family, staying with friends up and down the east coast, and gaining a sister at Disney World. It was a great time filled with really warm memories. I was a little sad to be leaving it all but also happy to be leaving with my husband after being apart for three weeks. Now to get over this jetlag.

After taking a long morning nap, since I woke up at 4 am with tons of energy, I decided to walk around my city. I wanted to surround myself with all that I love about our little town so that I did not focus on how much I loved being in the Carolinas. I walked down our main cobble stone street and saw a site that made me smile.

Ahhh, Starbucks. A little reminder of home. I should mention that I often walk into this Starbucks with every intention of buying a cup of coffee. I stand in line and then turn around and walk out. I still can't bring myself to pay 4 euro for a cup.

I then walked down to a trendy clothing shop and was reminded of another fun fact about this part of the world.

I love that dogs are allowed everywhere and are so well trained. I tried to snap a picture of two cute weiner dogs in the mall but the owner was not amused.

Seeing that this is probably our last year in Germany I hope to update you all with frequent posts and pictures of our travels this year. We have a lot to cram in including our trip to Salzburg next weekend.