Blindbooking-Switzerland!

I am all about blindbooking, it is a cheap fun way to see places you may not otherwise travel too.

Over Columbus Day weekend, my co-worker Carol and I decided to do a blindbooking and got Zurich, Switzerland. We had a wonderful time. We left on Saturday morning, due to our early flight we left home at 0430, so early... We got to the airport without any issues, by 0800, we were in Zurich. It was POURING down rain, we were pretty bummed, but we decided to make the best of it.



We got to the main train station and set out to find our hotel. On the way we got off the tram and went into a Starbucks, so American, but it was perfect in the rain. I had booked a hotel at hotels.com, and got the Crowne Plaza, it was a nice hotel, but they wouldn't let us check in early, so at noon, we were finally in our room.

We slept for a few hours, then went out to walk the city. Zurich is a beautiful city, even on a rainy day it was enjoyable. We wandered, had a traditional Swiss dinner and ended up at a little hole in the wall bar, Aelpli Bar. We met a nice Swiss couple, drank some special swiss milk with alcohol, we are still not sure what was in it. All they could tell us through their broken english was it was "this house only", so it was a special drink in that bar. It was not my favorite. Later, a group of younger guys came in, when one heard us talking he came over and told us he was raised in Texas, it was random, but fun.


The next day, from a suggestion of my cousin Johnny, we set out for the town on Einsiedeln, which is a beautiful town in the Alps with a very special Abbey with a Black Madonna. The Madonna was beautiful, you could not take pictures, it was amazing.

It was a great trip, Zurich was a beautiful, I would go back in a minute.


"Travel teaches toleration." ~Benjamin Disraeli

Old Friends and Good Times

The first weekend of October, I got a wild hair and wanted to travel somewhere. Aimee "Pang" a good friend of mine from Kwaj, just moved to Europe and is now a CDC Director in Stuttgart, Germany. On a Thursday night I was Skyping with her and told her I night come visit. I hadn't asked my boss yet, so I told Pang I would email her if I was heading that way. I asked my boss at about 12 pm, at 2 pm I bought train tickets, and by 4 pm, I was in Aachen Germany waiting for an ICE train for Stuttgart.


We had a wonderful time, drank good wine, saw the sights and just hung out. I really like Stuttgart and it was fun to hang out with Pang.


"I value the friend who for me finds time on his calendar, but I cherish the friend who for me does not consult his calendar. " ~Robert Brault

An Evening in Narnia

My backyard is commonly called Narnia. It is a very long, narrow, large, and somewhat overgrown. My landlords are suppose to care for it, but only do occasionally. What I love more is how is feels like nature just out my backdoor. One morning I just stopped on the way to the garage and listened to the birds in the trees.

The other night I had dinner and wine out on the patio, after rocking an awesome purple dress at work.

A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song.
Lou Holtz

Happy Chaos

This past weekend I watched Cameron and Alanna, while their parents enjoyed Sheryl's birthday weekend. We had a great action packed weekend.

We went to the Commissary and bought junk food, then went to the library to get movies. We changed into pajamas at 6 pm and watched movies all night long. We also ate ice cream in the middle of the day and pizza at night.

Cameron was asleep on the couch by 9 pm, but Alanna the night owl was up until 11pm when I made her go to sleep. They slept in my bed and I was on the floor. Last time they stayed with me, we all slept in my bed. They are like sleeping with a pack of wolves, so I opted for the floor. At 5 am they were up again...

We got up, and made a pineapple upside down cake or as Alanna would say an upside down pineapple cake. She also made a throne for her mom and decorated my eliptical. My workout was interesting with all the lacing cards hanging there. I love the happy chaos they make. (mess).

"Chaos in the world brings uneasiness, but it also allows the opportunity for creativity and growth."
Tom Barrett

What I want...

In life we all have a list of things we want, I think this list gets longer as all our "needs" are met. In human nature people tend to want more as the have more. The "better" or more a person has the more "things" become tangible and within their reach, the more they believe they "want/need" it. This of course is not true to all, yet in our materialistic society there is a lot of truth to it.

I am a very fortunate person, I am healthy, happy, have a good job, live in a nice house, have a wonderful family, supportive friends, I travel the world and do not go without.

I am changed from my time in Iraq. The biggest change is the way I live my life from day to day. I am forever thankful for those who fight for our country and am grateful for the opportunity to wake up everyday and follow my dreams. I have always been thankful, but now it runs even deeper in my being.

When I think about these things, there is one big thing missing. What I really want in this life is a family. I come from a wonderful, mom and dad, who although are not perfect, they have showed me that perfection has nothing to do with unconditional love. I am the person I am because of them and of course my sister too.

This weekend, I had a lingering fever, so, I just stayed home. I made crockpot chicken and rice soup and angel food cake with cherry compote topping. Weekends, like this I wish my house was bustling with noise and faces to feed. After all, you show love by feeding people, right? I learned that from my mom. :)

For now, I will just cook and freeze, take good care of myself and embrace what each new day gives me. I am blessed, thankful, and loved, which is wonderful!

"Intense love does not measure, it just gives."

~ Mother Theresa

Spa Day

This title is deceiving. When you think of Spa Day, you think of a nice day in a low lit room, with soft music, wine, and treatments.

Well my idea of a Spa Day did not have all the glitz, but I enjoyed myself. Last Monday was Labor Day, I got back from Munich late the night before, so, I slept in and created a Spa in my backyard.

Brows, pedicure and a cold beer were on the menu and the price was FREE. PERFECT.

“Humor is a whisper from the soul, imploring mind and body to relax, let go and be at peace again.” ~ UKN

Emotions

This picture to me, is one of the most powerful pictures from my deployment. I like to call this picture Emotions.

Pure raw emotions are powerful, smoothing, and unsettling all at the same time.

Look close, you will see a tear in my eye, which is a tear that carries both joy and pain. In the reflection of my glasses, you can see the window of the Humvee, I was riding in. The chicken pox scar on my right cheek has been there since I was little. The brim of my helmet. My button nose. The powerful orange of my glasses. The blue in my eyes. The layer of grease and sweat that was always present.

Like many emotions, hard to see, hidden inside this picture, lies feelings of; thankfulness, happiness, fulfillment, togetherness, belonging, pride, and hope.

Emotions are not always easy to deal with, but they make us who we are.

"Feelings are much like waves, we can't stop them from coming but we can choose which one to surf." ~Jonatan Mårtensson

De La Hoya

One of the people I worked with was Oscar De La Hoya, the world champion boxer.

It was an amazing journey with De La Hoya and crew. We got stuck out at a small Forward Operating Base (FOB) Justice which is near the Kadhimiya Shrine in downtown Baghdad. Justice is Joint Base with the Iraqis, so it is relatively safe. Kadihimiya is a site with loads of history, look it up if you are interested. JSS Justice is a FOB with lots of great guys (and less than 5 gals) and one of my favorite places to visit. I miss the Just-Us Crew!

I did not sleep that night, because I was on the phone trying to figure out what time a helicopter could come and pick us up.

The pictures on this post were taken while waiting for the helo the next morning.

While waiting, Oscar turned to me and said something in spanish. He asked if I knew what he said. I said no?! He said "You have a beautiful heart." Exhausted, moved, and knowing my day was just starting huge tears came to my eyes. Oscar gave me a big hug and there was a true understanding of why we both were standing in Baghdad waiting on a helo. It was a moment I will never forget.

“For those with a big heart, even impossible tasks become possible.”

~UNK

Forever Changed

Okay, so it has been forever since I posted on my blog. I know many of you enjoy the updates even when they are sporadic.

I have been home from Iraq for about a month now. I will never be the same for the experiences I had and the friends I made while I was down there. I am so blessed to have been with such wonderful people everyday.

My Iraq Besties, CPT Morgan and SSG Foster

Sherwood, Nemo and the Beav (me) we all have aliases and fake beers

Toe pop, with Fetrow

Many people fixate on the fact my job was to escort entertainers and the other "famous" people I met.

For me the most "famous" people I met hail from small towns and cities throughout the USA, they are soldiers, selfless servants carrying out a mission only few are brave enough to do.

The boys of Loyalty

G1 Family

“Soldiers are dreamers; when the guns begin they think of firelit homes, clean beds, and wives”

~Siegfried Sassoon