August 2007 -- May 2008

So where was I hiding during this time? Besides trying to climb out of the tornado circling the drain that I seemed to be in over the long a$$ wait to get my baby -- I did some traveling with the hubby and some without him. Here's a recap and some pictures -- when I remembered to take them of our travels.

September 2007: We went to Chicago for about 4 or 5 days for our anniversary. The deal was Sonny would go see Wicked with me if I went to the all you can horf down Brazilian BBQ place with him. Well, Wicked was FABULOUS -- the all you can eat place -- ok. In fact, Wicked was so FABULOUS that we ended up seeing it twice. Friday night - our last night there -- it was pouring sideways rain. After going and buying a second umbrella and trying to make the best of it we gave in and decided to go back to see Wicked again -- this time in the cheap seats -- the very last row -- but still really good seats since the theatre was so small. So worth seeing -- I would see it again if I ever had the change.

October 2007: Sonny was in Germany for work in July and had to go back in October. This time I went too. Hey, who can pass up a free ticket -- with frequent flier miles and a free hotel. However, I've learned the hard way that flying isn't all that glamorous -- having the hubby fly business class while you have to depart 5 hours before him, take three different flights, fly coach, and arrive 2 hours before him in a foreign country isn't really that great. However, I am becoming quite the world traveler -- along.

So I was in Cologne, Germany from the 1st to the 5th. I shopped all day while Sonny was at work and then at night we hung out together. The best thing to do in Cologne is drink Kolsch beer and eat fried greasy German food....yum. Kolsch is the best beer I've ever had. And there are like 5 or 6 different kinds made there. And it's only made in Cologne -- or as the they spell it in Germany - Koln. One night we had dinner outside at this Italian place and their Kolsch beer tastes like Frito's -- really. It was even a little orange in color. Like Frito's the corn chips -- I really liked it. We had soup and a calzone there along with a few beers and it was great. (It really wasn't a few beers like at home - their beer glasses are .2 liters each -- so each beer is only a couple of sips...really... would I lie?) It was also raining that night -- why we decided to stop and eat there -- it was cold and dark out and we where wet and hungry and needed another beer. So sometimes now when I'm hungry and it's raining out I can taste that yummy corn chip beer. Makes me want to go back. Maybe some day. Since I dropped and broke the cuckoo clock I bought there -- well it's not broke -- the bird just pops out at quarter to the hour instead of on the hour -- I need to go back and buy another one. I tried to fix it about 18 times and can't figure it out. Of course, I did lots more shopping there too -- I carried many, many bags over that bridge. The hotel doorman must have thought I was nuts with all the bags every day. Getting everything home on the plane was fun.

Pictures -- 1) the view from our hotels side of the Rhine River -- that's the Dome in the background, 2) the bridge I had to walk across to get to the 'city' - it's a foot and train bridge -- by the way I HATE bridges I can't look down -- I'm afraid -- this bridge moves and vibrates whenever a train goes by -- at least 2 times by the time I could get from one side to the other, 3) the Dome up close, 4) window from inside the Dome -- it's very Goth and dark inside.

On Wednesday that week everything was closed in Germany for some holiday -- Sonny also have the day off from work -- besides a conference call he had to attend back at home. The guy Sonny was working with picked up us at the hotel in the morning and drove us to Bruges, Belgium for the day. I have no idea how long it really took to get there since I was sick -- got a terrible cold my second day in Germany -- plus is was really damp there -- so I slept part of the way there and most of the way home. I think it was about a 2 hour drive there and back. We spend about 8 hours in Bruges. A very nice little town. It reminded my of a spy movie -- like one of the Jason Bourne movies -- I think it was mainly because of the roads and how close the cars really get to you when they go racing by and you have no where to go but flat up against a building and pray. All the roads were bricks or some kind of stone so they also made lots of noise when the cars raced by too. Also a killer on the feet for 8 hours in 4 inch clogs -- but they looked really good. And that's all that matters -- right? We walked around, bought french fries, lots of chocolate and lace. Took a horse and buggy city tour and then a boat ride on the canal. Both tours were really cool -- got to hear a lot about the history of the town from people that lived there their whole life. The houses on the canal are very cool and kind of weird -- they are actually sitting in the canal. Just weird. Everything in Belgium was very green -- and this little stream or maybe the beginning or end of the canal was like a lime green color. Maybe that's where that Nickelodeon slim comes from. It was that color green.

Pictures: 1) the weird lime green water, 2) one of the streets we walked down, 3) Sonny and I - sitting on a bridge, 4) Canal houses, 5) I think this was an old church.

So I was home for a few days and then was off for a girls weekend the 11th - 15th to New Jersey/New York City with some us my China sisters (some of the chicks in one of my adoption groups). Other than still being sick from Germany -- we all had a blast. We always have a great time together. Susan wrote up a great post about our trip here:

http://slowboat-to.blogspot.com/2007/10/junesbugs-in-new-york.html so I'm not going to try and out do her writing -- besides I'm lazy. Go read her post and then come back.

November 2007: On the 3rd we drive and met Susan & Roger for dinner -- about half way between our houses. (the same Susan from above). The restaurant was wonderful!!!! But the company was even better -- I finally got to meet Roger, even thou I felt that I already knew him. It was a great evening and the guys finally got to meet. We really need to go back there -- it was really yummy.

January 2008: I spend the weekend of the 18th - 20th at Susan's house. In the middle of a snow storm I drove to her house. Now, I have lived in Michigan my whole life and I never, ever leave the house in the winter without my mittens and a scarf -- because I'm a wuss when I get cold. So I packed my clothes and jumped in the car for my drive into the snow. The trip was pretty uneventful and I didn't get lost and there was a nice toasty fire waiting for me when I got there. Then I realized that I forgot my boots, my mittens, and my scarf at home. I have no idea how this happened when they are all sitting by the same back door I left from. I think it must have been the excitement of seeing Susan or the visions of mall dancing in my head. Susan made me these great purple beer drinks and homemade pizza -- both were yummy. The next morning there was another 4 inches of fresh snow on the ground and a had the same cute 4 inch heeled clogs to wear. But that didn't stop the shopping trip. It was a great, fun and relaxing trip. A much needed break and a chance to do some more bonding over baby clothes. After all -- I was there for our 19th month LID anniversary. So we had to buy the girls something.

May 2008 -- The 16th - 19th Susan drove here for the weekend. We ate, talked, shopped, drank, ate, talked, shopped and drank some more. It was a great weekend.

So that's the travels that I didn't post about. No travel plans for this summer -- just working on the house.

I'll post on that later.

Until next time.