23

Today is my hubby's birthday and sadly he has to work tonight so we couldn't celebrate hard core. We did go to our friend's house last night and we made dinner; grilled chicken, corn, mashed potatoes, and fried rice. We were all very stuffed afterwards with plenty left over- especially rice since I doubled the recipe per my hubby's request. So, today we have laid around the house with the dogs and been fairly lazy, also per my hubby's request. He did want fries pretty bad so ate hotdogs and fries before he went in to work at about 5, he will be back in the morning. :(

So I am working on a surprise cake for my hubby to have tomorrow and will post pictures of that soon but in the meantime let me share some other things with you about my hubby.

1. He loves to make me laugh, and has helped me mellow in the years we have been married. I know all men are really just little boys but with my hubby only being 23 I think this applies exponentially to mine! :) He loves to pick at me and make me laugh. I used to take things he said too seriously and get my feelings hurt. He has taught me how to not take life too seriously and find the humor in all kinds of different situations. I love him for that.

2. He loves to see me happy. I know my hubby gets such a great feeling when I am happy and therefore, he does whatever he can to make me happy. He is so thoughtful. I don't get flowers a whole lot, but when I do it is randomly and for no particular reason and it just fills me with such joy. Let me clarify for his sake not a whole lot does not mean I am disappointed in any way.

3. He brags on me. My main love language is words of praise and therefore this one means so much to me. My hubby loves to brag on me and I love it when I hear from someone else how he talks so much about me, and good things!! He brags on my cooking, my looks, and how I take care of him and our house. I love him so much for being proud to have me for a wife.

I think that is enough mushiness for now but let me leave you with this: my hubby is a wonderful man who I love spending my time with and look forward to growing old with.

Sea of Rocks

Ok so I have filled in on all the fun fall festivities. Well, the following weekend- the first weekend in November (yes that is how far I am behind!), we had a chance to go on a short overnight trip to the Sea of Rocks here in Germany. It was such a neat trip. We drove up Friday afternoon, it was a easy and short drive for the most part which was encouraging so hopefully we will have a place to take family when they visit. Friday evening we got settled in our quaint hotel room. In case you were wondering quaint is one of those words you use to politely say the place was pretty small, not to mention we had "German" style beds.**INSERT RANT ON GERMAN BEDS HERE: Germans must not like to cuddle up at night time because the biggest size mattress you will find here is a full size mattress which is pretty much considered a single bed. So as a result if you want a bigger bed their solution is to put two twin mattresses together. This may not be such a terrible solution if the frame for the bed was bigger, but nope- they just push two twin frames together...uncomfortable couple party of two!RANT ENDS HERE**

Our separate beds!

After settling into our quaint room we all met up for dinner at a restaurant down the road from our hotel. The food was certainly not bad- once it finally got there. Luckily we had good company to keep us entertained and laughing while we waited for our food. I had some sort of chicken pasta and pommes (aka fries). After dinner we met up with some of our group and enjoyed a game of poker. I usually only play poker for fun but I had an itch to play this night so the hubby agreed to let me buy in as well. Low and behold we came in first and second so we basically won the money we had spent on our trip back that night. :) Go Rupard's!!

Our winnings!

The next morning we met up for breakfast and then drove to our destination, the Sea of Rocks. This is a very interesting place to go and granted I have never been at a different time of the year I think when we went was the perfect time to go! The trees were absolutely breathtaking with all their magnificent fall-like colors. I thoroughly enjoyed looking around more than anything. It is kind of hard to describe exactly what this place is like other than to say that it is basically like climbing up a lot of rocks on your way up a mountain. I know that is not the best description in the world and it sounds dumb but it is actually kind of fun- just check out the pictures!

At the beginning of the climb before getting all sweaty! :)

Pretty trees

My handsome man!

Getting closer to the top

This was about the half way point- aka where I stopped

Jon continued conquering LARGE rocks!

The beautiful scenery on the path down

After a wonderful day together!

Justice League!!

Well, as usual I am way behind in updating you in what is going on. Yesterday was an off day for me and it was spent cleaning the house and grocery store shopping for the next few weeks. However, I need to do some updating and I will start where I left out, the weekend of Halloween.

Monday night we had a company Halloween party with many festivities including a costume contest, cake walking, games for kids, pumpkin carving contest, and a haunted house. The kids had some great costumes from Mario and monkey to batman and spiderman.

Landon says, "Monkey see, monkey do!"

Let's not forget there were some creative and great adult costumes as well. Jonathan and I were a little too busy trying to finish decorating the cookies right before to think of any kind of costume idea so maybe next year! The adult costume winners were Sgt Johnson and her husband!

The spooky winners!

There were also a few carnival-type games for the kiddos that I unfortunately did not get any pictures of! Jonathan was chosen to represent his platoon, the Justice League, in the pumpkin carving contest. He did not win but he definitely should have because his pumpkin was awesome and very creative!! Check it out!!

Hard at work

Did this in less than 20 minutes!

I would love to tell you more about our party but I have to go get ready to go to the arts and crafts store with my friend Christina. We have some projects in the works that I will hopefully be able to post about soon! The project I am working on involves a canvas, ribbon, and paint...oh the suspense!!! ;)

Evaluation Day!!

Tomorrow is "Evaluate Your Life Day." I figured it had been a while since I highlighted a random holiday and this might be a good one to touch on. I know, I getting ahead of myself since this day is actually tomorrow but I wanted to let you know so that as your day goes by tomorrow you can evaluate the things in your life that are important and what means the most.

I have recently started a new job, as some of you already know. Teaching is a great joy for me and I missed it when I could not get a job upon arriving here last year. It is still tough with schools and bases closing here in Germany. So I did the only thing I knew to do, I tried to find a way to get back into the school somehow. I took a job as a teacher's aide in a kindergarten classroom. It is definitely challenging at times not being able to do my own thing and challenge the kids in ways I would like to but it has also been a learning experience thus far that I know will make me a better teacher in the end. So in evaluating that part of my life- I am so glad I have the opportunity to get back to what I love doing, even if it is a smaller way than I am used to.

A picture, bad one, of the school I work at.

In evaluating my life, I am also force to look at my role as a wife to my husband the past two years. Now granted, the first year my role took place from a distance but that does not mean that is was any less important. My husband is an amazing man who does everything he can to make my life better and more meaningful and I am so appreciative of all he has done for me. He truly makes me want to be a better person. I love doing my best to take care of him by cooking his favorite foods and trying new things. I enjoy challenging myself to be better and knowing how appreciative he is in response to that. I know I have a lot to learn as a wife and will fall short on numerous occasions but I am seriously giddy that I get to learn it all with this man by my side.

His current profile picture!

The final and most important part of our lives we all need to evaluate is how well we are letting the light of God shine in our lives. As I am aware of my short comings as a wife, I need to also be aware of my short comings as a Christian, as a disciple of Christ. There will always be more to learn and better ways to show His love. I pray that as the days go on that I will improve on this aspect of my life more than any other because I know if I am improving in this area of my life, the rest will fall into place as well. 

So on eval day:

Father,

   Show me ways in my everyday life where I can shine brighter for you. Guide me to people who are in need of your love and give me the strength to show that love- no matter what the circumstances may be. Help me to always be aware of my weakness so that I may call upon you for strength. Place in my heart the burning desire to know and love you more so that I may truly be a brighter light for you wherever you take me. Thank you for allowing me to be your child and for your never ending mercy and grace when I fall short.

Amen

How Fitting!

How fitting that today is friendship day as well as sister day. If you are as lucky as me you have a package deal! If you would have asked me when I was a little girl if my big sister was my friend I probably would not have hesitated to tell you, "no." Shocked? Haha. Don't get me wrong, my sister is an amazing person but being 6 years older than me I wasn't always the coolest accessory to my big sis. However, I would have told you even then that my big sister was my idol and that I wanted to grow up to be just like her! Perhaps, that is why we grew to be friends somewhere along the way- or so I thought. The reality is that we were friends all along. It happened without me even noticing it. I think it was somewhere in between coloring together to helping my sister take her adorable boys to the swimming pool for the day. I still look up to and admire my big sis more than I think she knows. I miss her more than I think she knows, and I have to stop right there before my keyboard becomes soaked in tears. My sister and I are friends and I am proud to say I can celebrate sister and friend day with one person...thinking about you big sis!! I love you!

This weekend has been a fun and busy weekend. Friday night Jonathan and I made a trip 30 miles to Ramstein to pick up some items, catch a movie, and get dinner at the Chili's on base there. It was our anniversary date since he will be working on the day of our actual anniversary, which I will proceed to post a mushy gushy post about tomorrow! ;) Anyhow, dinner was delish! It had been forever since I have been to a Chili's and it was particularly exciting to be going to one in Germany! Saturday we were able to plan a trip to the zoo in Heidelberg with a family that is our platoon. We have been trying to get together with them for a while and it finally worked out to hang out yesterday. We enjoyed walking around the "zoo." I put that loosely because this was by far, the most interesting zoo I have ever been to. I, by no means, claim to be a zoo expert but I still don't know if I would consider this a zoo. Half of the animals in the zoo were interesting typical zoo animals- i.e. elephants, lions, tigers, bears, monkeys, etc. Then we had goats, donkeys, pigs, and a bee exhibit! We agreed that the bee exhibit was probably the most ridiculous thing. I am unaware as to if there was ever more to this "bee exhibit" at some point in time, but when we happened on the exhibit we saw a lot of pictures and facts about bees on the poster and this fenced in area with wide open air! There was no roof, no beehives, none of that. So take what you will out of that. Here are a few of the pictures from our zoo trip.

We caught the tail end of the seals show!

Dumbo!

The flamingos that Isaiah wanted to take home.

Sleepy tiger!

This little guy really liked Jonathan.

We also were privileged enough to get an up close encounter with a couple of birds that we later discovered had escaped from their exhibit. They came strolling down the walkway and I snapped a couple of pictures. We thought it odd that those kind of birds would just be walking around. Well, about two minutes later we saw two employees- one with feed, one with a net. We then laughed and figured those birds must belong elsewhere. It was definitely an interesting day. Here is a picture of the escapees.

Tonight I have been busy attempting to make a delectable dessert for the first time, well let's hope they are delectable! I tried my hand at Oreo Truffles. I have not had a chance to eat one yet as they are chilling in the fridge but they sure do look yummy. Check out what we will be having as an anniversary treat tomorrow!

YUMMMM!!!

Junk in the trunk?

Junk in the trunk...no I do not mean what you think I mean. It is international junk food day!! So how much junk food do you find in your house? If your household is anything like mine, the amount of junk food seems to grow when my husband makes the trip to the grocery store with me. :) I wish I could say the healthy stuff outweighs the junky stuff but I fear I cannot lie. I think my favorite junk food would have to be chips- they are my junky weakness!!

Jonathan is out playing soccer as I am here at the house. I am glad that he has soccer to go to with friends because I know how much he loves it. I do miss him when he is gone but I love that he has a passion and is able to still enjoy that passion.

We are dog-sitting for a couple that will be gone for a little while so we are a two dog household for a little while. I have determined we are not destined to have two dogs for a while because it tends to bring out the worst in Cash. lol. He tends to be very selfish with his belongings and his mommy and daddy. Haha. He has gotten a little better since Lola's first night with us. Hopefully they will continue to get along so that we can have hope for getting Cash a playmate in the future.

Raspberry Cake...mmmm

I know I have been a little out of touch with the blog world lately and I greatly apologize! I have no valid excuses other than my own pure laziness. I appear to have chosen a delightful day to make my appearance as it is National Raspberry Cake Day. I, personally have never had raspberry cake but I am sure it is delightful and I might just make a point to try it soon and get back to you.

On the Rupard front, we have been doing very well. I have been working out and trying to manage the spoiled little daschund. He keeps me on my toes some days and just plain makes me laugh all the other days. Cash has been in my life for about a year and a half now and I am still so glad that I chose to be his mommy.

Jonathan has been studying for a promotion board he has coming at the end of the month. He is hoping to be deemed promotable so that he can make his Sgt soon and be a NCO, non commissioned officer. I may be biased but my baby deserves it!! I know he would make a wonderful NCO.

We have kept busy with BBQs and having friends over whenever we can. A few days ago we bid goodbye to one of Jonathan's NCOs. His wife and he will be moving on to a different location. This particular outgoing NCO decided he wanted to have a water fight at his outgoing BBQ, because you know all men in the military are really just little kids. Needless to say, the kids (old and young) really enjoyed this BBQ. Here are some pictures from that fun day.

Landon says, "Freeze or I'll shoot!"

Frisbee time!

Yummy food!!

Surprise attack on Sgt Bebe

Time for smores!

While I have been away from blog world we celebrated the 4th of July in Heidelberg so I will include some pictures from there before I leave for the day.

Human fusbol!! The coolest inflatable ever!

Lots of great music!

Relaxing at our picnic spot in the shade.

Andrew and Isaiah waiting to hop in a bumper car.

Snails anyone?

Okay so it has been a while. I have been keeping myself a little busier over the weekend. Of course, the day I return to my blog I learn someone crazy made today "National Escargot Day." GROSS!!! I am not real sure why anyone would want to celebrate snails, much less eating them! YUCK!!

So anyhow, Saturday was the Marigold Festival in the little town of Winterville, where my parents grew up and where we went to church growing up. It is an event I looked forward to every year when I was younger and as I grew up. My dad was the announcer for the parade because he is just that awesome. Of course it is always fun to walk around the different booths that are set up in the park from the staple sand art to the surprising booth with huge turtles! Of course the day was not complete until dad and I had split a cup of delicious boiled peanuts and each of us wrangled our own share of homemade ice cream in different flavors. I managed to get away with a new book for a buck! Here are a few pictures from the festival, the rest will probably get uploaded when I get back to Germany. :)

Ok, well it is only letting me upload one picture for some reason! Saturday I also got to spend the afternoon with my old college roomie, Bray, at her baby shower. She is expecting her first, a baby boy, in July but will probably not last until July because the baby would be around 9 pounds if she waited. Bless her heart, she is ready! It was so good to see her and be able to celebrate with her at this exciting time in her life!

Later on Saturday we got a chance to celebrate my cousin, Tiffany, graduating from high school with some family. I know this is an exciting time in her life and we are proud of her. She is still unsure as to what God's plans are for her so please be in prayer about what her next step might be.

Sunday I spent the day with my mother-in-law's family. We went to church, had lunch, and just spent time together. Meme, Jonathan's grandmother, was not having a great day. Her throat was bothering her a lot so please continue to pray for her as she undergoes chemo treatments.

Monday and part of today was spent with Laura and the boys at her house and then we all headed into Athens Monday afternoon so Laura and I could meet up with my big brother John for a Giles siblings only dinner. It was a lot of fun to get together just the three of us. I can't think of the last time we have done that. It was definitely a nice treat on the visit home. Jonathan will get here Saturday afternoon so obviously I am very excited about that! We are looking forward to our time together at home before heading back to Germany.

What a Beautiful Day

*Disclaimer: This is the post for March 6th*

Today I had to go to the commisary, aka grocery store- for you non-military lingo'd folk, to pick up a few things for pasta salad Sunday. It was such a lovely day that I broke out a sundress from the closet and dressed it up with a jean jacket and my new favorite pair of boots. I must admit I was proud of myself for assembling such cuteness and now wish I had a picture to show it, maybe next time. Anyhow I decided to let the sunroof back so I could snap a picture of the beautiful skies God gave us that day!

Okay, the second one I actually got out of the car for but I am sure operation security will find nothing peculiar about a woman in the grocery store parking lot standing outside her car taking pictures! ;) Our good friends, Jim and Chrystal, decided to have people over for a cookout later in the day. Jonathan was, as always, the human jungle gym for the kiddos.

My little James decided he could not wait for all the food to be done and therefore would help himself to whatever he could get his hands on.

No worries, the pan was no longer hot so he was in no grave danger as I watched on. Speaking of my sweet James he has now come to associate me as "Meme." This almost brought tears to my eyes the first time he called me that and ran and gave me a hug because this is what my precious nephew Jack started out calling me before he worked his way to "Emmy." This little boy makes me heart soar sometimes and makes me miss my sweet boys back home. Here are a few other pictures from our grilling night!