World Domination Bowl Champion!

I DID IT! I won the World Domination Bowl Championship in our 13 man 1 woman Frenchie Rules Football League!!! This is my 5th year (I'm pretty sure) in the league. My first season I went to the bowl, but lost to Frenchie. The following 3 years I made it to the playoffs but was eliminated before the final game. This was my year! yaye!!!! I LOVE FOOTBALL!!

Chinese/German/American evening

My sweet sweet husband took me to Wan Bao tonight! It is Chinese food, in Burstadt! I've been wanting to try it for quite a while, but today when we were walking around town, we went by and grabbed a menu and took it home to look over. It came time for dinner, and since we really need to get some groceries tomorrow, he said, SURE, let's try it! He doesn't so much care for Asian food, but he went with me and had some chicken and rice. When we left the nice man gave us warm towels, and gifts! A calendar and a lipstick compact! They were so nice, and the food was good. No 35 bypass Jade Garden, but good. :) (what did Stacey use to call Jade Garden? Was it Wong Dongs? I can't remember!!)

At any rate, we will probably call in an order and pick up SB a pizza on the way home next time. But I really enjoyed going there tonight.

Christmas Day 2007

White Christmas!

It hasn't really snowed here, but it has been in the 20s/30s for over a week. This makes for some BEAUTIFUL scenery, without the icy and dangerous road conditions. There is just enough dew to freeze on the trees and make a white Christmas. I like how you can see in the super close up how some of the ice looks sharp, like thorns!

Husband's home, that's all I need for Christmas!

You Are a Minimal Christmas Tree

You're not a total Scrooge, but you feel no need to go overboard at Christmas. Less is more, and your Christmas reflects refined quality.

What Christmas Tree Are You?

Missing you

As you may know, I cannot access the blog at work. What you may not know is that Stephen is in Florida this week at a conference. He has the computer with him for homework. So, I am typing this message at my friend Marisa's. The library has also put the blockers on blogspot and all gaming sites. I had to come check out my line ups here for the Fantasy League as well.

Anyway, point is, it might be pretty quiet around here until next weekend. See ya soon~h

Ghosts of Christmas Past and Present

I'm not sure if you know or not, but the "Christmas Markets" of Germany are HUGE! It is THE thing to do to go every year to at least one, but many people go to several every year. We went to 2 or 3 last year. This year, just one. And after about 20 minutes, "yeah...I just don't get it." It is the same stuff over and over. Some of it is kind of neat, but it is over priced and seriously repeated in each market and year after year.

So we left, walked around downtown Mannheim a little while, ate at Enchiladas (MEXICAN FOOD!) and had a good dinner date. I should also mention that I was wearing my Baby As sweatshirt and ate a chimichanga. No match for Chuy's, but the Nutty Colada was AWESOME! :)

ps-these are last year's pics because I forgot the camera :( But like I said...same stuff different year!

Heather's Run

Heather, with her mastery of the "pizza" manuver, shows that she is on her way to Winter Wonderland! (Notice her close call with a punk snowboarder at the beginning of the video)

For Kathy

Reposted for close up access:

Happy Birthday Skiing!

Yesterday was Stephen's birthday, and we went SKIING! Outdoor Rec had a special pre-season trip, and for $25 plus lift tickets! They provided the ride up there and back, the where to go knowledge (so we didn't have to look anything up or find anything) and the boots, skis and poles!

I skiied the hill 8 times. The first time was painful. Emotionally and physically painful. I was frustrated, upset, and pretty sure I could not do it. But I was determined. This is something Stephen REALLY enjoys and I wanted to be able to do it. I can waterski, skate, and ice skate. And I skiied once as a kid. Shouldn't be too hard...right? WRONG. I fell about 100 times and every time was a GIANT struggle to get back up. I would get 1/2 way and my ski would go forward. It was terrible. FINALLY, when we got toward the bottom, it leveled out a little, and the snow was perfectly packed without being icy. I did really well on that part. So then I knew a little better how to control myself and the skis. The second trip was a little falling, but more up than down. By the third and fourth trips I was falling only once, and where I was falling was a REALLY steep part. Even he agreed it was a particularly steep part for the easy hill. The 5th and 6th trips...I DID IT! NO FALLS!

Then we ate lunch at the little restaurant, and went for the big lift. To this point we were riding the little rope pull thingy. You grap a disk as it's going by and put it between your legs, sitting on it like a rope swing. It pulls you along on your skis to the top of the hill. It was a lot like waterskiing and I liked this part! After lunch we got on the chair lift that went all the way to the top of the hill. Once was enough for me on this. It was much colder up there, a lot of wind, and VERY LITTLE visability which was a big problem for me. Also, the snow was very powdery and it is much harder to not fall in these conditions. It fed into the smaller hill we had been skiing all morning, and once we got to that part I was fine. Again only falling on the steep part.

Now I was ready to take a break. So Stephen went back up the chair lift about four times and I sat and people watched a bit. There was a beautiful black lab that was much thicker than Dude, and was sniffing all around the snow and getting snow on his face, too cute. Another dog was chasing his owner down the sledding hill barking and running all around. That was pretty funny. I was AMAZED at the children. There were a few that were 4-6 yrs old all cruising aong on their skis like it was nothing. I even saw a toddler with a pacifier dressed in a tiny snow suit toddling along in the snow. She wasn't skiing, but I saw her parents held a tiny sled. My first thought was "that seems a little young to be out here", but then I realized that it is all in what you are use to. This is their life every year, so just like we take kids to the beach before they can walk, these families are on the slopes from birth. Snowboarders are an interesting bunch. It looks much easier to get up from a fall, but you definitely fall a LOT from a snowboard. You can't just stand on it like you can skis. If you are up, you are going. So if you have to stop, you have to sit down. Some of the snowboarders were even going to the end of the hill and then doing tricks (like skateboard tricks) off the snowbank at the bottom.

After about 3o minutes I decided I better go one more time because it was going to be time to board the bus soon. I got on my skis and went up as we had been doing before. Again, I did great all the way down until I hit that steep part. But I went for it. I got going REALLY fast and when I wiped out, and it was major. I slid probably 15-20 feet (although I later told Stephen 50 yards) and a lady from our bus happened to be coming by, "are you okay??" yep, I said, I'm use to this part! I got back up and finished the hill. Stephen and I met back at the bus. He had a good time, and got a little crazy. When he came back to the bus he was covered with snow, inside and out of his suit. He had done the top of the mountain 4 times, and the smaller one another 3.

I think it was a successful trip, we will definitly go again. Once my body stops hurting ALL OVER. a couple of places (neck, back, knee and ankle) hurt from falls and twists, and the rest hurt from using muscles I don't have (arms-front, back all of them, chest, legs, butt, hands, etc!)

Off to take some more Advil...

Heather's Office

This is my office. The door looking out from the desk on the left is Dan's office, and there is one to the right that is Alice's office. These are my bosses. I don't have their pictures...but will soon! :)

USAG Mannheim Holiday Party

CSM Seay and LTC Fletcher




The Hollenbach Feast (Frau Hollenbach is famous throughout the community for wonderful catering.)







LTC Fletcher and Mrs. Coleman sing for the crowd.





Today was the Garrison Holiday Party. It was a lot of fun, and it is always good to visit with the people SB works with.

I love this song.

http://www.andiesisle.com/didsheknow.html

A day at home

Well, I woke up with a headached, but I think I might have jinxed myself. I've been saying for a while I need to take a sick day. So I didn't go to work today. Once I felt better (about 8:30), I could have had Stephen come home and get me, but I decided to take it easy. Instead, I cleaned the entire house (including hanging some things on the wall, and mopping the floors, my most hated chore). I sat down for a total of about 2 hours (one of which I was creating a wall hanging from my 72d Sig Bn throw) and the rest of the time I was cleaning. It feels SO good to have a spotless house. Now no one can eat, use the restroom, shower, take clothes off, or track in anything for...well, forever! I don't want it getting messed up!

Greetings!

http://www.kvue.com/video/greeting-index.html?nvid=198055

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!
Love,
Heather and Stephen

Eating and driving...thats about as handy as skiing and doing your taxes.

People complain all the time about people who drive and eat or talk on the phone and drive or whatever. I know that is more dangerous, but it is just as annoying (if not more) to see people standing and/or walking and eating! It's a way of life around here.

If someone asked you to name 3 things about the mall, not 3 stores, 3 things- what would you say? I asked S to do this, using Baybrook Mall as the example. He said, "uh...it's big...(he was just getting started) it has that sunken little play area or whatever kind of in the middle over there...and...the food court."

Exactly. The food court. There are a lot of places to get food at the Rhein Necker Zentrum (mall right by post) but NO WHERE TO SIT! You could try to squeeze 1/4 of a cheek on a crowded bench with 10 other people, some who may or may not have DOGS with them, but really most everyone is just standing around or walking with their pizza slice, fish/fries, sandwich, etc. There are a few places to sit at tables, but they are restaurants. You can't just get a slice of pizza and sit there. You have to order from the restaurant. How silly is that?

People love to look down on Americans for eating on the run and not sitting still long enough to enjoy a meal, but don't let 'em fool you...Germans do it, too!