Catching up

So life has been kicking it into overdrive since school let out for the summer in June. Yea yea... I know it's November. Got it! It's been friggin' crazy here though! Promise.

I guess I should start where I left off, summer.

I am going to try to summarize the events of this summer, but I might not get to it all and some events might probably could have their own post however it's old news so a summary will have to do. Suffice to say that I have been going going going since June 13.

We took the kids out of school a day or two early and flew back to the states. We had a great time staying with friends in Maryland and going to see my dad in NYC. Life was good and the kids loved being back with their friends!

Hubby and I got to hang with our friends and attend a vow renewal for some close friends of ours. We drank beer, shot the shit and had fun in the process!It was a whirlwind two weeks and talk about exhausting.

Did I mention expensive? Holy shit! Just car rental alone could finance a small village. Ugh

Either way here is a glimpse into our fun two weeks.

I loved our time in NYC!

Our friend's backyard oasis was exactly what we needed.

Only in Time's Square... for the record the two knuckle heads on either end were "mine."
The numb nut in the middle is the "weed" pleader. 

We even got to go to the zoo this summer. (And yes, I took this picture!)

We got back to Germany had about a week to recover and BAM! we were back at it again. My grandmother, uncle, aunt (his wife) and my cousin all came to Germany from Ft. Lauderdale, FL. They were our very first FAMILY VISIT!

What a different experience to see the newness of Europe again through someone else's eyes. To remember what I felt like exactly one year prior and be able to take them on the grand tour.

We had a blast taking my grandmother to castles, churches and other historic places. For an octogenarian she made her way around Europe like a teenager! There were a few nights we had to rub her feet and prop them up because they were swollen from all the walking, but she was no worse for the wear.

They were with us for a total of 3 weeks, and we made the most of those three weeks. (No granny was hurt in the making of these pictures.)

This is my 84 year old Grandmother!
She loved all the flowers in Germany.

Don't ask. I won't tell! ;)

She seems to have had youthful fun!

She cried when the security escort pulled away.
So did I. 

Grandma left and the house was quiet. Thankfully we weren't there long enough for it to matter. We have a week to recover before our LONG awaited Mediterranean cruise.

Yes. I just typed that. 

We took the kids with us on a 12 day Mediterranean cruise. And it was AWESOME!

It started in Barcelona, where we spent two days prior to the start of the cruise. We sailed to Marseilles, France then to Italy where we hits the ports of Livorno(Florence), Civitavecchia (Rome), and Naples. We then floated for a day and arrived in Croatia. BEAUTIFUL! Then off to Venice and then back down and around to Sicily. 

It was the most amazing vacation yet! The kids loved it! We loved it! 

Thanks Carnival Cruise Lines for an amazing time. Well worth the money. 

High water mark of summer....most definitely. 

View from ship of Marseilles, France

Battistero di San Giovanni

Vatican

Venetian "Traffic"

Italia!

Pompeii was beautiful and hot!

La Rambla, Barcelona

The streets of Barcelona are gorgeous!

Entertainment on the cruise *cough* for the kids of course. ;)

Arch of Constantine

Dubrovnik, Croatia

Adriatic Sea during our sea kayaking adventure. 

Arriving at the port of Venice. 

Messina, Sicily

As you can see it was a whirlwind summer full of adventure and great times. I could not have asked for a better summer. This is why I was radio silent over the summer months.

This only covers until August, when school started again. That my friends is a totally different kinda post..... the bitchy venting kind. 

Stay tuned. 

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