Disneyland Paris: Take One.

J & I took a little trip to Disneyland Paris a few weeks ago. We really enjoyed it! Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant is absolutely, stunningly gorgeous! And, it's pink. 

I love me some Toy Story!

[Photos (c) Heather Castleberry Photography]

Tree on Ramstein.

Tonight, J & I went to see the lighting of the tree on Ramstein. The mayor of the village J & I live in was also in attendance and addressed all the families who came to the ceremony at the church and then, the lighting.

The base tree was a gift given to the American people and the base and planted, last year by the people of Ramstein-Miesenbach.

Did I mention, I love Germany?

Weisbaden Weihnachtsmarkt.

J & I and friends went to our first Weihnachtsmarkt in Weisbaden on Friday. Here are some highlights:

thanksgiving!

i hope you all had a wonderful thanksgiving!

j and i hosted lunch at our house.

we really enjoyed our company and the food was delicious!

how fun!

i think after the holidays, i will be ordering one (or two) of these! :)

thankfulness [11.27.2011.]

a random list of things i'm thankful for today:

my camera. i love capturing all the fun things we do out and about and at home.

our lovely little german house. we really, really lucked out. we live 5 minutes from j's job, which means 5 minutes from the gym & american food, too. :) it's so cute and when i wake up in the morning, sometimes i just lay in bed looking around and thinking about how happy this house makes me.


skype. it was wonderful to see my family at grandma & grandaddy's via skype. it made j and i feel like we were there. what a great feeling! :)

our real Christmas tree! jason doesn't really like doing real trees. however, this year, he wanted me to have a real tree, because he knows how much it means to me, so he suggested we get one. we found the most gorgeous, albeit a bit larger than it looked on the lot, tree. we love our pretty, little (big) red spruce tree!

weihnachtmarkts (german christmas markets) they are so fun and festive! i love the little booths and the lights. the food is also a big draw for us. :)

fun winter accessories. they make me want to dress up and still look cute when it's cold out. so, this year, i'm rocking the winter-fashion! or, trying. :)

thermal socks! 3 christmas markets in one weekend. 30 degrees at the highest, enough said!

fingerless gloves. because when you can't use your fingers, it's a little hard to use your camera correctly.

a little about living in germany..

living in germany is such an amazing dream come true.

when we first found out we might come here, i was very hesitant. i knew there would be amazing opportunities, but i wasn't sure how i felt about living so far from everything i knew. it wasn't my first time living away from all i knew, but another country? it was a bit overwhelming.

but, obviously i decided to come. and, i am so, so glad!

germany is so beautiful. we have seen a lot in the almost 4 months we have been here, but haven't even begun to see all there is to see here. 

most days i just can't believe i am here and that i am this blessed. 

it sounds a little crazy, but somehow, i feel like i am exactly where i am supposed to be and i feel so at home and at peace here. 

since j and i got married, we have spent probably half of our holidays away from our families. it is hard. of course we miss them. however, this is the first year that when the holidays started getting close, i didn't feel overwhelmingly homesick and sad. something about being here makes me so content and for the most part, so at ease. it's different here. people aren't all out for the next big thing or the most expensive this or that. people are content. it's amazing to see that play out. my american mentality is still see more, want more, because that's what our country teaches us. i love my country, but it is so refreshing to be in a place where it seems like people aren't competing for the biggest and best, but are content with what they have and having what they need to live a good life, not an overindulgent, extravagant life.

i'm falling in love with this country and am so, so thankful for this wonderful experience!

tschüss,

heather

Christmas Trees & New Moons.

J & I decided to get a real tree this year (yay!) So, we found the fluffiest, prettiest Red Spruce on the lot. We were able to support the local Boy Scouts, so we were happy about that, as well. If you can't tell, I was quite happy about our tree!

And, after our successful tree picking experience, J took me to see Breaking Dawn. Normally, we see the midnight showings of all the Twilight movies, but the base didn't get the movie until this week, so we made do. It was great to finally be able to talk to sister about my thoughts on the movie! The night she saw it in Texas, I called her as soon as it was over to get her thoughts..thank goodness for free long-distance from our home phone! I love being able to call my family and friends whenever and not having to worry about the cost.

tuesday lunch at the brit cafe..

today, j & i and our good friend enjoyed lunch at the brit cafe. of course, along with my turkey dinner at lunch, i also enjoyed a ginger beer. (it is actually completely non-alcoholic)

i love having so much yummy food at our fingertips! and, i cannot wait to indulge in some gluwein and stollen at the christmas markets this weekend! 

tschüss,

heather

brit cafe!

so, there is this little british cafe on base and i happen to be in love with it.  the food is amazing, but the atmosphere is even better. there are pics of wills and kate on the walls in all their royal attire. a little store next door that sells british goodies, and will order your favorite UK style magazines for you {eek!} the best part of all may just be hearing those lovely accents that remind me of a certain voyage on a certain ship that i fell in love with! :)

the ginger beer has real ginger in it. i love ginger ale, but this is no comparison!

and, lucky me, i'm going back for lunch tomorrow.

tschüss,

heather

a saturday at a bazaar!

just a little fun photo from one of the bazaar's j & i went to a few weekends ago. we spent the better part of the morning there. we went home with more gluwein from the same man we bought from at the ramstein bazaar in september. he makes a red wine gluwein, which is sweet and delicious, as well as a white gluwein, which jason likes. we also found some homemade jams and preserves. and, of course, i had to come home with a pretty. i found a gorgeous rose colored triangle scarf embellished with tons of rose colored sequins.

then, we took our finds back home. after a quick trip to globus for lunch, first. :)

tschüss,

heather

yay for saturdays!

frozen hot chocolate

today, j and i had a great day of shopping and time together.

we took our time getting out of the house this morning, came back home for a shopping list that one of us already had in our pocket, started on our way to the mall for a second time, and finally made it to our destination.

we went to the nearest tk maxx. i finally found some cute black dressy boots that will go with jeans and dresses. and, true to form, they are also super unique with fun etched patterns and scalloped edges on the tops of the boots. i also found some other fun stuff, including a fun red, rhinestoned beret! love! and, also a fab fossil tote, complete with their fun keys that adorn their newer collections.

after our fun at tk, we headed back to base and had a yummy lunch at the sports grill in the kmcc.we shared fried dill pickles with a dill batter, i ordered pulled pork with a side of their chipotle sauce to put on the sandwich as well (i was thinking of cripple creek, i have been CRAVING it!), and j ordered a reuben. :)

then, we did our thanksgiving food shopping. i usually avoid the commi on the weekends, but as j just got back from a work thing, it was unavoidable. we needed a turkey! :)

so, we made one last stop at the local german market near our house for some brie and a fresh loaf of bread.

and, we finished off our day with homemade pumpkin soup with the pumpkin seed oil and seeds from the pumpkin fest we went to a couple of months ago, along with grilled brie and pear sandwiches with drizzled honey. yum!

and, the yumminess you see at the top of this post, is frozen hot chocolate, a likeness to serendipity 3's. from what i remember, it tastes very much the same.

i hope you all are having a great weekend!

tschüss.

heather

um, love!

just one more reason i love zooey!

tschüss,

heather

just a short list of things i am thankful for..

right now,

i am thankful:

for my husband. there were times where we really struggled and fought so much. i am so glad we didn't take the easy way out, we stuck it out. i can honestly say that j is my very best friend and i am so blessed to share my life with him.

little baby dog, dublin. this dog makes me laugh, scream, scares the mess out of me, & ticks me off sometimes, but i am so happy that he is our 'little boy' and my sweet little buddy, always ready to give loves. he is such a sweet, loving little dog.

for great friends, new & old. i am constantly amazed at how amazing & genuine people really can be. i am so thankful that i have connected with old friends that i have missed very much and for new friends that have already shown me the meaning of true friendship, without jealousy or judgment.

to live in such a wonderful & beautiful country. it is wonderful to be able to do all that we do. we have already seen so much in 3 months that i never in a million years thought i would ever see.

to be able to see, touch, hear, learn & understand. some people don't have those abilities. i am constantly amazed by everything around me. life is such a blessing, not to be taken for granted.

for age. sometimes i ponder how amazing it is to still be alive and kickin'. i mean, if you really think about it, if you are sitting here reading this, you are already doing better than some. growing old is a blessing, don't let it become a curse. you are blessed to grow older, it means you have been given more: more time to enjoy, more laughter, more love, more hurt, more pain, but any way it goes, you have been given more than some, don't waste it.

for my dad. no, i didn't have him as long as i wanted. and that is definitely an understatement. there are days the pain is so intense, it feels like it was literally yesterday that he was taken from us. there are days when i honestly don't know how i function(ed), or how i made it to where i am. the pain of the loss is so incredibly searing. the loss of my dad taught me what really matters in life. and, it sure wasn't the things i thought mattered at the time. i honestly believe that when you go through any sort of loss, of life especially, it changes you. it changed me for the better and it is still changing me. i am thankful to have had such a wonderful person that i still miss so, so much. i was blessed to have had a dad who loved me and that made all the difference.

for my family. i have a mom & a sister who are two of my closest friends. we have laughed, cried, fought and lost together. we are stronger as individuals and as whole because of what we have been through together. my brother is such a big teddy bear and i am so proud of the man he is becoming. and, for my in-laws. i have been blessed with some fab people to love and call family.

for people who hurt me. they make me stronger and show me what i don't want to become. they help me to treat people with love & respect, because i know what it is like to be hurt and abused.

photography. it is my passion! i love creating a memory in a frame of a camera. i love editing photos. i love sharing them. i love learning and growing and improving them.

for fashion. kate spade purses. lysgaard scarves. converse shoes. heels. french lace. skinny jeans. cowboy boots. pretty little dresses. blazers. bright blue pea coats. hats! neon. glitter. sequins. just a few of my favorite things. :)

for european food. speculoos. gluwein. beer. brats. wine. marzipan. nougat. macarons. fresh bread. belgian waffles. stroopwaffels. loose leaf tea from globus. cheese. 

for texas! i love my homestate. so much history and so much beauty! i love it.

travels. i just realized how many amazing places i have been able to visit! nyc. paris. boston. uk. los angeles. hollywood. santa barbara. santa monica. luxembourg. belgium. france. germany. dc. dallas. austin. san antonio. new braunfels. san marcos. shreveport-bossier. i love looking back at my photos and reminiscing on the places i(we) have been. simply amazing.

health. i have been able to and had the means to literally bust my butt and lose almost 45 pounds. knowing that i could accomplish what i have makes me feel strong and has carried over into other areas of my life. i feel much more confident in my abilities and what i am capable of. and the answer to that? anything i want!

my life. i am and have been so blessed. i pray that i remember to never, ever take that for granted.

a bit of catch up!

I am so behind on everything! I have so much to blog and I never seem to have enough time. I hope I can catch up, soon! :)

I arrived in Germany on August 5th, via the Queen Mary 2 with sister.

The car that we 'created' and spent many hours discussing was finally ours. We picked it up at the BMW Showroom.

We have visited festivals, castles, cities I never thought I would see. We have eaten amazing food! We have discovered Radlerweizen and Colabier. We love all the fresh baked goods. We love having so much at our fingertips. We just love being together again, really!

I hope to post on my cruise and our trip to Paris very soon! :)

Tschüss,

Heather

Bows, bows, bows!

How gorg is this silk scarf? 

Love!