Our first baby tomato!!

Look what has arrived!! Despite all of the rain and cooler weather we have been having here this little guy fought and won the game of ripening!! I know..a little crazy to get so excited about a tomato but for those of you who have never eaten a "home grown" jewel like this before you have no idea what you are missing..a completely different taste than the ones from the grocery store!

So..the sun has decided to come out a play a bit today, have put the dogs outdoors to soak up some Vitamin D and as soon as I get finished here will be doing the same..Have been working on Flip Flops..only 3 more locations to go..for those of you who are not familiar..started a second blog a while back for my travels..Have Flip Flops will Travel..have been doing a bit of exploring lately but got behind on the sharing of it all..so now is catch up time!!..esp seeing as we are about to add some new places starting next week!! For all of my friends who flow a plant based diet I HIGHLY recommend this magazine-I purchase it written in Deutsch but I am sure they have an English version out there too..super recipes and tips.Okay..time to take it outdoors..me, my magazine,  flip flops..and a cup of green tea!! I wish you all an amazing weekend, don't forget to share your smile and stay hydrated!!

It's raining like crazy here today!!

 Hi y'all..sorry..sorry..sorry..I know it has been a little more than a minute since I last posted..this online school thing and running around all over Germany..oh, and acting sort of kind of like a wife when I am home has been taking up a lot of my time..hence Fluffy and Have Flip Flops have suffered but my traveling shoes are really about to go a bit over board so I told myself today would be the day I get back on track with sharing my crazy life with all of you!!
I would love to report that the fluffiness is being worked on but well, I broke my little toe about 3 weeks ago..graceful is something I am so NOT!! and it still hurts like a bugger to put a closed shoe on so my flip flops are the only workout shoes I have put on for a while now..thank goodness of weights and ab workouts!! After being gone for a about a tick over 2 weeks this is what I found- plants bearing fruit and veggies..indeed that is our very first cucumber in the pic below..and a yard exploding with growth..so gorgeous, I know the plants need water to grow though so I am trying not to pout about the grey skies and rain which have taken over for the past few days..but it is still July here..even though it feels more like fall than summer now..


I was super happy to be back home with my hubby and 4 footed kids..miss seeing our youngest 2 footed one though!!..I get spoiled everytime I take a trip down south to see him for a few days..but am feeling a bit on the hectic side as I won't be home for long until I head out on my next adventure..trying to work ahead with my course so during entire days of traveling I don't get behind..feeling super blessed to have the opportunities that I and we have coming up..
Plus am so grateful to have amazing people in my life that have terrific things happening to them weddings, new jobs, family time and trips, relocations, and woohoo promotions are being produced like bunnies for my coworkers!! Proud of every single last one who is moving to the next rank!!

Okay..time to take a quick break and get back to work..Have an awesome, amazing Tuesday..don't forget to share your smile and drink enough H2O!!

Hillsong UNITED Oceans (Where Feet May Fail) Lyric Video

It's a pool, it's a mess..No wait..I think it will be a Patio!!

 Hello to all of you!! Wow..this summer is shaping up to be super busy..we have moved on from the first project of redecorating the Masterbedroom to the back yard..which will include a privacy fence along the back and an enlarged patio..we are knee deep into it..well, okay..to tell the truth..Matthias is knee deep into it.. as I give ideas and freak out about the mess and condensed space for the dogs...for those of you who know me personally and my slightly OCD tendencies you are probably nodding your heads in understanding..if not laughing outright. I find it interesting and a bit amusing that when we have a large task at hand such as firewood..or now the building of a patio.. that most of the materials seem to end up in the driveway making it impossible for it to be used. At any rate I am grateful that Matthias is motivated and the weather..though hot is cooperating so we can make some progress here ..We are looking forward to sitting outdoors in jammies and drinking coffee without scaring the neighbors so early in the day..I am speaking for myself here..in reference to bed head..one thing about having short hair..it looks like crap until it is washed and gets a smidge of product with a few seconds benefits of the hairdryer!! I have finally broken down and bought some of those stretchy headbands to disguise the mess until showertime..which ALWAYS comes after a minmum of 2 cups of coffee..;D !! As I arrived home from Kaiserslautern I was so suprised with the yard..all of the plants have absolutely exploded..the berry bushes, grape vine, strawberry plants..veggies..one thing about living where we do--plants of all kinds do really, really well.
Speaking of where we live..as most of you know..things have not always been so easy for me here but upon my return I came to the realization that my mind and soul have FINALLY settled in here and Ostfriesland has become home for me..even though I will always be an outsider to quite a few of the people I encounter here..I have slowly but surely built a life and found my way here..yesterday was Tafel Tag..where I do some volunteer work at a food distribution center and since the weather was so amazing I rode my bike..and enjoyed every second of taking the backway along some water ways and next to sheep, cows, and horses..

and could not help but thinking about how blessed I am..and we are..we found each other from worlds apart and have found a way to make it work though tons of stress, lots of red tape, and even some folks working against us..granted as the days, weeks, and months pass I sometimes feel like we are trading places..I am taking on more habits and traits that are considered to be German as Matthias is picking up habits and tastes that are considered to be more American....who would have thunk it??!! Interesting how things work themselves out! I had been told a couple of years ago that this transformation from thinking I will never accept this location at home to doing so would take about 5 years..and lo and behold..here I am this month at the 4 year mark!!..

Okay..time for me to get outdoors and help while I can before my travel schedule kicks off again next week..for all of my fellow Americans I wish you all an amazing and wonderful 4th of July!! and for all of you that serve, have served or will serve in the Armed Forces..a very special Thank you..as I know that those fireworks and the meaning of the day take on a completely different feeling once you have worn a uniform and developed families which are not blood related- but grown out of a sense of respect, trust, and belonging.. within whatever branch you serve in..God Bless!!!