Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Memorial Day in Luxembourg



Yesterday we traveled to Luxembourg to visit the Luxembourg American Cemetery and Memorial.  It was so special seeing a memorial to American soldiers in Europe.  These men (and a female 2LT) died fighting in a war Matt and I have learned about since grade school.

It was especially meaningful that Matt had studied the Battle of the Bulge at Marion, and could explain everything to me - the battle, the Siegfried Line.  I loved watching him soak in the entire experience.  It was a special day for all of us.

 
 Matt explaining the Siegfried Line
 On the door of the chapel.  I absolutely adore this.

 General Patton's grave
 

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Memorial Day BBQ

Well, we actually celebrated a day early. But still, we had a delicious BBQ!


Matt loves to grill! Here he's tending to veggie kabobs and corn.


Of course, Patton and I had to help. So we took refuge under our blooming apple tree as I sipped a Guinness and Pup looked adorable.


The end result - yummy vegan burgers, veggie kabobs and corn. Yum! Who says vegans can't have an outstanding cookout? Delicious, healthy, and cruelty free!

But Memorial Day isn't all about food, though often times we confuse it for a weekend to party. The day is about all American soldiers who have served, and sometimes lost their lives, fighting for what makes our country so spectacular.

This Memorial Day I'm thinking of my grandfathers who were in the Navy and Air Force, as well as my husband who is one of the Army's best. And, thank you, to all of our friends and family who have served.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Saturday, May 28, 2011

Burg Nanstein


Saturday we all decided to head to Landstuhl and check out our local burg.  A burg is a castle that was used as a fort.  A schloss is also a castle, but typically used as a home.

It was pretty cool.  Small, but we thought it was actually more fun than Heidelberg's castle. 

Oh, and it was our anniversary on Monday, so happy ONE YEAR anniversary to us!!  As I tell Matt, one year down, 99 to go!

Here are some photos from the Burg Nanstein in Landstuhl:






Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Evidence

It has been speculated that my husband, Matthew Barrett Cole, cannot hold a baby. Lies! I have proof:



Here we find the MBC in his natural habitat. The little one in his arms is Jack Harvey Byrd, our favorite diaper wearer.




And this is me, in my oversized sunglasses and classy headwear, hogging Jack. I'm very good at this. He and his mommy and daddy are about to move to Ft. Hood. Tear :(

We love the Byrds and we will miss them (especially when Jack leaves us surprises at FRG events, wink wink Brooke).

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Monday, May 23, 2011

A Visitor

We have our third visitor, and the first family member. My mom is here!

She arrived Thursday, and since then we've shown her around downtown Kaiserslautern and been to Trier.

I think tomorrow we are going to Baden-Baden to partake in the traditional Roman bathes :)

Here are some photos:



Our favorite restaurant, Spinnrädl. Mom tried jäger schnitzel.






The Dom in Trier








No, I'm not pregnant. Nor am I fat. This is simply a wardrobe malfunction.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Puppin stuffin

Of course, the pup. Here he is snuggling with his beloved rope:




And with the daddy:




They are so fluffin precious! Gosh I love them!!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Monday, May 2, 2011

Good Riddance

I wake up this morning to Matt - "Hey, Britt. Osama bin Laden is dead."

Huh. That's an interesting way to start off your day. He is known for this though, as previously he has woken me up with news about the Toomer's Oaks.

So, of course, I whip out my iPhone and upload the CNN app. Sure enough, there were five articles on it already. I checked each of them out, then did my daily online news crawl to BBC, Al Jazeera and MSNBC. Before believing a story I check out all reputable news sources. You don't want to be misinformed, after all.

Turns out it's true. I was a little skeptical after reading that his body was buried at sea. A little suspicious? But then I researched and found it is actually a custom in Islam to be buried within a day of death. And he was given a Muslim burial. Kudos.

What I find most interesting about this is people going crazy on facebook about it all. "God bless America", "I miss George W. Bush" and slurs against Muslims?

First of all, I feel sorry for you that you miss W.  Just kidding (kinda), but really, where does that come from?  Odd.

And the two people talking trash about Muslims just happen to be people that profess Christianity as their faith. Jesus would not be down for that, folks. This fight has nothing to do with Islam.  Turn off that crazy "news" channel and read!

I mean, sure, it's a big deal, but I find it odd celebrating someone's death. He was a terrible guy, one of the most evil conspirators of our time. However, shouldn't we be thinking of the American soldiers and civilians lost during this ten year battle? And not just the Americans, but the Iraqi and Afghani troops, and countless civilians, that were killed in the process of finding this animal?

It gives me pause.

Instead of celebrating like it's the Fourth of July, maybe we should reflect on what makes our country so special. Why someone so evil and twisted would want to destroy that, and what we can do to make sure he doesn't continue to win.

Keep on keepin' on, Patriots.


Sunday, May 1, 2011

Hiking, Soccer and Night Life




So a few weeks ago, we went hiking in the Palatinate Forest, and I never posted pictures.
Matt overlooking Kaiserslautern
Patton and me taking a break

On Friday, Matt and I went to the FCK futbol game.  So much fun!!  We won 2-0 against St. Paulie.  Then, Saturday night we hung out with The Zimas, Ben, Sergio, and Brett's sister and her boyfriend.  The night started at the Journal Pub (with a pint of Guinness, YUM!), and the rest of the evening was spent at Markethal.  Markethal is the quintessential European club.  House music, fist pumping - I felt like I was in Jersey!
 Matt and me at the futbol game
At the Journal Pub

And that was about it.  A fun weekend at home :)