MERRY CHRISTMAS!

It's Christmas Eve, and this little Heathen family would like to wish you a very Merry Chrismahannakwanzika. Feel free to throw any other religions in there. We're going to eat, drink, open presents, and generally be merry - and we hope you do the same. :)

The Crazy Cat Lady

Yesterday, I made some mango curd (just call me Martha Stewart).

To make mango curd, you have to puree mango (I would say 'duh' but that might make me seem a little obnoxious, since I don't think mango curd is on everyone's list of things-to-do....wait, did saying that just make me sound obnoxious?).

Anyway, I used frozen mango chunks to make the puree, so I basically ended up with mango sorbet. I only needed half of what I made, so I sat on the couch, half-watching Josh play COD (just shoot me), and eating mango sorbet straight out of the food processor, with a big wooden spoon.

Attractive, eh?

Well, at this point I should tell you that Rufus (the cat) loves loves LOVES anything fruity and cold. Fruit cups, pineapple, popsicles, yogurt - anything fruity and tart is a win with him. So, he comes running over to me when he senses what I'm eating.

So I do what any normal cat lady would do...

...I shared my sorbet with him. One spoonful for me, one spoonful for him, and on and on til it was gone.

If it makes it any better, I didn't lick the spoon in the same spot where he licked...

(yes, I know it's not really better, but please humor me so I don't feel completely loser-ish)

Conundrum

I have a slight problem, and I would like your opinion.

Do you know who Gabriel Iglesias is?



I think he's super funny. I would love to see his standup. Guess what? He'll be at Ramstein AFB this Saturday night, giving a free show.

Wonderful, right? And, it's the day after my birthday, so it's like a present. I assume the Air Force knew it was my birthday weekend when they were planning this show.

Here's the problem....Gabriel Iglesias is the opening act. For Daughtry.

If you don't know who Daughtry is, then you're awesome. I'm not going to post a video, because it's my blog, and I don't want to put that crap on here. Let's just say that I'd rather sit on a chainsaw than see Daughtry.

So, the logical thing to do would be to go see Gabriel Iglesias, and then leave before Daughtry starts.

But....that just seems in bad taste. I can't stand Daughtry, but I don't want to be RUDE. I know it's not like he's going to be searching the audience from backstage, shedding a tear for every person that leaves before he gets on stage. But, I can't shake the feeling that leaving early would be a giant faux pas.

Also, do I really want to be surrounded by tons of Daughtry fans? They seem like people I don't want to be surrounded by...

What to do, what to do...

Books Books Books

I consider myself well read, and a lover of books. There are many books I haven't read that I really should. There are no books that I've read that I regret reading. Not because I love every single book I've ever read, (I'm lookin' at you, Lord of the Flies) but because reading is reading is reading. The more knowledge you have in your little pea brain, the better. Plus, I think reading goes hand in hand with imagination and creativity. The more you read, the better adventurer you are. I've never met a person that loves to read that doesn't also love to explore new things in a non-reading capacity.

But, even I have a long way to go to be a true bookworm. Now, my brother's girlfriend - SHE'S a true bookworm. I aspire to be like her one day. She's aaaaalways reading. I get into moods where I read and read and read and read, but then I'll take a several week hiatus from reading. I'm ADD like that. But not Beth - she's a super bookworm (and super cool, too).

But I found myself being one of those people this weekend. You know, those people that are talking to friends about a book/movie/show, and the friends say something like, "Oh, I've never read/seen that," and then those people say, "What do you MEAN you've never read/seen that?!?!? What kind of person ARE you!??!!!!"

Yeah, well, I was out to dinner with friends - 4 of 'em (plus Josh). We were talking about Twilight (::shudder::) when Harry Potter came up. And no one at the table had read them, except for me and Josh.

:|

THE HORROR!!!! I think I may have slightly shouted, "WHAT?!". I couldn't help it. Then I realized I was being one of those people. So, I stifled myself as best I could, and just said, "Please, just read them." It was like my soul was on its knees and begging.

And, to be quite honest, I'm not even a Harry Potter-phile. The books aren't even good adult books - they are written for children. I love Harry Potter, but I'm certainly not obsessed.

I thought I had my those people vibes in check after that night. But then, I did it AGAIN last night.

Josh and I have a trip planned to Amsterdam in February. Last night, we were talking about how our hotel is within walking distance of the Anne Frank house.

And then, Josh hits me in the face.

Ok, no, he didn't physically hit me. But, his next words were like somebody knocked my teeth out.

"You know, I should probably read The Diary of Anne Frank before we go to Amsterdam."

WHAAAAAAATTT!????!?!?

And that's when I realized....I am one of those people. So I'm just going to embrace it. If you haven't read a book or seen a movie/show that I think is important, I'm going to make a big deal out of it.

Now, if you have a completely opposite opinion than me, that's ok. Kind of. If somebody said to me, "OMG, Nicolas Sparks is an amazing author," I would AT LEAST be happy that they are a reader. But I will totally judge you for loving Nicolas Sparks. Same goes for Twilight - it's a book for preteens and teens, and at least the series got them reading. But, it is ridiculous drivel that pooped out of the mouth of a woman who's mentality is straight from the '40s.

And - just so you know - I totally understand that sometimes I will be on the other side of this equation. Like, the other day at the same dinner with the Harry Potter hoopla. We were at a restaurant that had music going on in the background. All of a sudden, an Adele song comes on.

:|

Courtney: Oh my God, I HATE Adele. I cannot stand her.
Other 4: WHHHAAAAATTTT!?!?!?!?

If there had been rocks around, I think they would have stoned me to death.

Like, I get it. I get that Adele has a beautiful voice. But every time she opens her mouth to whine about another failed relationship, I want to throw her off a bridge.

If only I could put Adele & Stephanie Meyer on a dinghy, and push them out to sea. Let them go be weak women elsewhere.

The Loooong Weekend

Last weekend was Thanksgiving weekend. The loooong weekend. The holidays are important to my family because they're filled with food. The meaning behind certain holidays is certainly lost on us. Well, maybe not lost on us, we just don't care. We're not the most religious bunch, and half my family is Canadian, so they have their own Thanksgiving (in October). Also, ever since I moved away from Texas, Thanksgiving has really just filled me with dread and anxiety. Josh has to have a turkey. I hate cooking turkey. I am either filled with dread at the thought of having to cook a turkey, or anxiety at trying to find a place we can go that will already have the turkey taken care of, so I don't have to be near it.

This year, I am thankful that I didn't have to cook a turkey. Although Josh did make me buy a turkey breast that I was supposed to make him over the weekend so he could have 'leftovers'. (How the hell are they leftovers if I have to cook a damn breast just to GET the leftovers?!)

Since we're in Germany, the sense of community surrounding the holidays is much stronger than it is in the States, I think. Since all of us are away from our extended families, we all have to band together in order to have a traditional Thanksgiving. Josh and I went over to our friends' house for turkey genocide day, and all I had to bring was a pie, mashed potatoes, rolls, and tea bags. This was literally the easiest Thanksgiving I've ever been through, since being an 'adult'. (Yes, I put that word in quotation marks. I still don't feel like a grown-up)

This is why I hate having to deal with turkey:

This is why I love the non-turkey part of Thanksgiving:

FYI - vegetarians love Thanksgiving/Christmas. It laugh when people ask, "So, what can you eat? Do you have a hard time finding things?" You know what I ate on Thanksgiving?? Mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, rolls, green bean casserole, corn, mac & cheese, and while it wasn't on this table, most of the time I get stuffing, too (as long as it's made with vegetable broth). And once I was done with that, it was dessert time. And unless you're a hipster-baker that puts bacon in all of your food (really? do those brownies REALLY need bacon in them?? go be a hipster somewhere else) all of the dessert is vegetarian.

One year, I was a vegan over thanksgiving. That was not as fun....remind me to tell the tofurkey story at some point.

So back to this weekend...Everybody gorged themselves, then played the dancing game on the Kinect. Well, not this girl. I didn't even play that game at my cousin's house, and I'm sure as hell not going to play it in front of non-relatives. Call me a party-pooper - I care not.

At least Josh was a good sport:

So Thanksgiving was good. We were fat and happy. Friday was spent recuperating from eating 20 pounds of carbs & butter, just in time to go out to eat with one of Josh's coworkers that night. Kaiserslautern is the big town near the base, and they have a reallllly good brewery/restaurant. Plus, right outside was the K-town Christmas market. And, I'll have you know, I just got a salad. That was my detox from the day before....although the salad had about a pound of feta and olives....but that's healthy fat, right?

Saturday, it was time for the Rothenburg ob der Tauber Christmas market. Quick note - Christmas markets are HUUUUUGE in Europe, especially Germany. Those crazy Christians know how to live it up during this time of year. Tons of craft, food, and alcohol stands. That's a good combo for me.

At this point, I should mention that this weekend was Josh's bff Chris' last weekend in Germany. That's right, Little Foot was being shipped back to the states on Monday. (as for the nickname, let's just say that Chris should be wearing toddler socks).

So, the trip to Rothenburg was kind of a last hurrah for us all - we were in a 3 car caravan to Rothenburg - about 2 hours from Ramstein. Rothenburg is the oldest medieval city in Germany - it was really neat, because the old section was still surrounded by the original medieval walls. We definitely want to go back, maybe during non-Christmas time.

See? Lovely.

One thing that's the same at all Christmas markets - glühwein. It's a hot, spiced wine drink.

Yum.

One fun fact about all of the fairs and festivals around here - whenever you get a drink, they give you a real glass or mug to go with it. Let's say the glühwein is €3. Well, the first time you buy it, it will be €4.50. If you have more, then they go back to €3. If you want to keep your glass (most of the festivals have their own glasses with their own logos etched on them) then not a problem. But, if you don't want the glass, you just turn it in and get your €1.50 deposit back. Genius, eh??

We walked around alllll day. It was pretty crowded, but wasn't horrible. However, it was soooo cold. I actually had to buy gloves while I was there. But, if it gets too cold, you just pop into one of the stores and warm up for a bit.

I loved seeing all the Christmasey sites. Even though I'm a heathen, I really do love Christmas - who doesn't love decorations and presents?!

It was a really good time, but trying to wrangle a group of 9 people through the crowded and tiny streets of a medieval city is almost impossible. We were constantly losing each other.

I think we ended up leaving around 5pm or so. At this point, Josh, Lacie and I hadn't had anything to eat (except a few spiced nuts). And I should mention, Lacie is 38 weeks pregnant - how she managed to go all day without eating is beyond me. We had to wait until after we got back home to be able to go out to eat - our dog, and Lacie & Yahreen dogs HAD to be let out. But luckily, we found a super fantastic, reasonably priced restaurant not but 5 minutes from our house (Lacie and Yahreen also live right down the road from us). Oh, the food was so good - especially after not eating all day. I had a pizza, and ate the whole thing. I'm not even going to apologize for that.

Then Chris came over for a little while - a last little play date for him and Josh. Josh is really gonna miss the guy (and I might miss him a little bit as well). But, such is the military lifestyle.

Sunday, I spent the day being sick. I had been sick with a cold/cough the whole week before. Thought I was better. Apparently walking around Rothenburg in freezing weather reactivated my cough.

But that's ok, because it was totally worth it. :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving from the Aycock household!

Now, let's all go out and celebrate the beginning of the destruction of Native Americans by stuffing ourselves with the carcasses of millions of murdered birds.

But before I get too preachy, rest assured that I am a total hypocrite, as I am about to start peeling 10 pounds of potatoes for this hate-mongering murder-fest.

Quick joke before I totally ruin your holiday:

What did the Indians call the Pilgrims?

Undocumented aliens

Travel Tips

I'm a pretty worldly girl. I've traveled every kinda way a person can travel. Road trips in cars & motorcycles. Camping, camper-ing. Backpacking & hostel-ing. Ocean cruises, and river cruises. Fancy-pants tour groups, and not so fancy-pants tour groups. If there's a style of traveling I haven't done, I can't think of what it is.

Please don't think I'm bragging - I am REALLY not. Yes, I have been lucky - my grandma used to take me on trips with her All. The. Time. Hell, if she was still physically able to, she'd take me on trips now - in fact, the last trip we did together was a cruise in 2009. BUT - you so totally do not need a benefactor to take trips. Yes, it's nice to stay in 4 star hotels, and eat at nice restaurants 3 times a day. But, that's not what I think traveling is all about. The whole point to travel is to learn & experience new things.

And let me tell ya - it ain't always a 4 star experience. Travel life isn't 100% carefree and fun. But, it's worth it. If you're not a traveler by nature - please please please try it at least once. You may hate it (although, if you do, I don't think you and I have much in common), but it'll make you a better person.

You don't even have to go very far. Chances are, you are living in a place somewhere, and not on the moon. (but, if you're living on the moon - can i please come visit you?) So - I guarantee there are things to do and see within a short drive from you. A trip doesn't have to be a plane ride, or 10 hour car ride away.

But, there are some things that can make your travel experiences easier. Especially if you're on the more frugal side of things.

These are in no particular order.

Tip 1: Plan the trip yourself. Yes, it takes a lot more work, but it will be worth it. While I think you should plan the trip yourself - take advantage of city bus tours!!!! Most touristy cities have those open topped bus tours. For 20 or 30 bucks a day, you can ride this kind of bus, and hop on/off at all the city highlights. This is WELL worth the money.

Tip 2: Bring stuff for lunch. Or breakfast, or even dinner. The point is - make your own meal once a day. Pick hotels that have free breakfasts, and then treat yourself to dinner. Bring a loaf of bread, a jar of peanut butter, a bag of chips/crackers, some fruit packs, nuts, beef jerky (although since I'm a vegetarian, I have to ask you not to bring beef jerky) etc. etc. etc. That way, you have breakfast paid for, you don't have to worry about lunch, and you really only have to pay for dinner.

Tip 3: Bring a pain reliever, and a tummy trouble reliever. You will go far with a bottle of advil & a bottle of pepto. Even if not for you - it's always a nice thing to be able to give a fellow traveler-in-need some relief. Trust me - even if you have a cast-iron stomach, that weird plate of tapas you ordered will rust a hole thru the cast-iron.

Tip 4: PURELL!!!! Yes, I am a germaphobe. But, even my anti-germaphobe husband always purells his hands when we are traveling. 10 million people visit Paris a year, and every single one of 'em have used that hand rail you're using at the Eiffel tower. Do you really want to lick the hands of 10 million people?? If that thought doesn't bother you, then I suggest you high-tail it to the nearest mental health professional. Or, at the very least, high-tail it to the nearest shower...and away from me.

Tip 5: Do NOT wear clothing with "USA" emblazoned on it. In fact, don't wear clothing with any state name plastered all over it. Or anything with the US flag. I hate to say it, but it's not the safest thing in the world to do that. Some people don't like us. Some people wish us harm. You don't want to be having a cocktail in a foreign bar, and have some drunk local want to pick a fight with you, all because you're wearing a "I'm a proud American" t-shirt.

Tip 6: Try at least one local dish. Something that the area you are traveling in is famous for. I'm not saying you have to be all Andrew Zimmern about it, but take a risk. You travel to experience other cultures, and there is no easier way to experience another culture than to try their food. I admit, there is a certain mental block associated with, say, escargot. But, if you can get over that mental block, your world will open up that much more. Also, if you have children, start them off early. I was eating fish eyes and frog legs when I was 3 years old. Even though I'm a vegetarian now, I'm so thankful that my parents' rule was, "You have to at least try a bite." It's ok if you don't like it, but at least you tried it.

Tip 7: This tip is in response to the most egregious traveling error. For the love of all things that are holy - bring extra batteries for your camera!!!!!! Or, a backup of some sort. Any sort. Josh has his nice, fancy camera that he always brings. He brings two rechargeable batteries, ALONG WITH the battery charger!!!! Also, if you're traveling in another country - BRING THE ADAPTER for the charger!! And, not only do we always bring two battery packs, the charger, and the adapter, but I always keep a small point & shoot in my purse. During our trip to Paris last weekend, at least 3 different families on that trip used up their camera battery 2/3 of the way in on the first day. That meant that any time we went to the next photo op, they either did without, or they had to run to the nearest gift shop and buy a disposable. Imagine going to the Louvre with a disposable camera. Yeah, not pretty.

Tip 8: Speaking of cameras - take the time to step out from behind the camera. Enjoy where you are. You may be on the most jam-packed, busiest trips of all time. But take a few seconds and recognize how awesome it is that you are where you are. You can have 50 pictures of the pyramids, or Christ the Redeemer, or hell, Mount Rushmore. But no picture is as important as the memories associated with your trip. So take the time to make some.

Tip 9: If you come across something you like, buy it. Do NOT "wait & see" if there is something else better down the line. Chances are, you'll wait too long, and regret not buying the thing you originally wanted to buy.

Tip 10: Have fun. That's the whole point of traveling anyway, right? Get out of your comfort zone. Get dirty. Get lost. Even if you come out of the trip saying, "never again", at least you have a story, right? At least you tried.