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October Celebrations

 Inspired By My Children

 Breast Cancer Awareness Month

As many of you know, October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. In recognition of this serious disease, my Bunco group put on a "Save the Ta Ta's" bunco last week. I was fortunate to obtain some promotional items from the base clinic and was able to pass out self breast exam cards that hang in the shower, along with pens, and informational dvds. The winnings from the night were all donated to breast cancer research, $259 in all! Way to go awesome bunco ladies! We had "boobie" cupcakes and cakes, special breast cancer awareness wine, and yes ma that is your fantastic handmade boob cup that contained the flatware! We all signed a squishy boob pillow for our dear friend who is leaving us next month for a new assignment. Miss you already Jerrie. We had a great time and it was also for a good cause.

Here in Germany it is also Oktoberfest! Jim and I went to one of the biggest celebrations around in Haaren. It's always nice to get a night out, especially if it's in a ridiculously large tent crammed full of people in costumes, drinking mugs of beer and eating delicious soft pretzels while screaming to be heard over the band. Livin the sweet life here in Germany...

 The pictures do not do it justice. It was a huge tent!

 This guy was getting married. He had some strange things written on his t-shirt and even stranger things stuck to his forehead.

 Brad with his Teacher Anika at his School's Oktoberfest Fruhstuck (breakfast)

American Idol

Okay, not only do I have this blog to brag about our phenomenal travel adventures to those left back home, but believe it or not, I am trying to record generally what happens in our daily lives for some future reader to be wowed or in disbelief about what life was like in 2010 and so on. Obviously you can tell this from my multiple political rants...NOT! Seriously I do try to stay away from that subject. Anyway, we all know that American Idol has been a popular show for quite awhile now. I don't know about you but I can't remember what I was watching on TV when I was 7, but Rhi and Brad love to watch it! (ok maybe I do too) The other night we were privileged to attend a show sponsored by the USO featuring Kris Allen, the winner of American Idol Season 8. He put on such a fantastic show and maybe I was a little more starstruck than I initially led everyone to believe. He has such a great voice and awesome talent with the guitar. I thought of Jim being up there in his place and what it would be like to have a rock star husband overnight. It was really cool to meet Kris and get our picture taken with him. Watching all those teenage girls brought back a lot of memories of a time when I just about died over New Kids on the Block, etc. I hope the kids read this someday when they are grown up and can remember little snippets of the coolness they got to experience, whether through travel or otherwise.

Day 3 Cinque Terre

Cinque Terre...the most beautiful place on Earth. I could see myself living there far in the future, with a small vineyard for my wine and a bar/restaurant with live music on the weekends that we run for the tourist and the locals. Maybe we'd even rent out a few rooms. The views are spectacular. The homes are old world and the villages are relatively isolated. Words can't describe this place... just look at the pictures.

We started off in Riomaggiore on the Via dell' Amore

 

The Villa dell' Amore is the "Walk of Love". People place locks all along the path in any place they find that is free and often write their names and dates on the lock. Some have even carved their names together in the cactus plants that line the path. As long as the lock remains, their love will sta true. How romantic!

Manarola

Corniglia

We had to climb 382 steps to reach this village! By far this was the best place. All of the homes are situated in the mountainside and just when you think you have reached the top...there is yet another set of stairs going even further up. We encountered a family while venturing into an alley beginning to crush grapes for wine. We snagged a few grapes from the buckets and they were the sweetest and most delicious green grapes I've ever had. It was incredibly peaceful way up there and such impossibly perfect views of the Mediterranean. This is where I want to live!

Monterosso

This village was mostly beach. The sand is very coarse and dark with lots of black color to it and lots of rocks. Monterosso is also reputed to have the best focaccia bread in the area. Yes we has some. Yes we loved it!

Vernazza

This was the last stop where we had dinner and enjoyed the most beautiful sunset. I think the pictures of the sun setting with the kids in silhouette are the most perfect thing about that day. We sat on either side of a couple from Utah and a family from Vienna. The couple from Utah were on a tour of the entire country. The kids played with the little boy from Vienna and his parents were really friendly with us. They had even been to Boston and Cape Cod last summer. What a small world!

Sigh...Arrivederci Italia.