JB/Timbo preview...

I feel like I haven't blogged in forever! And I'm still not going to today, but here is a preview pic of my visit last week with Mom & Dad!

After one cancelled flight and no luggage, we had a great week in Bamberg, Coburg, Nuremburg (above), arranging and decorating the apartment with my household goods, and finally seeing Jason!

More to come...

Let's share a laugh about this...

Okay, here goes a little post that is not about Jason or me, or Germany; but something that I was initially angry about, that I now laugh about, and that I want to share with you all...simply because I think it's too good not to. :)

A few weeks ago I thought, it would be nice to surprise my mom with some flowers to just let her know I'm thinking about her always and that I miss her terribly. So my first thought? Go to 1-800-flowers.com because 1.) they always have those pleasant commercials with the nice seeming founder convincing me they are some of the most caring people on the planet, 2.) I didn't really know another one to use, and 3.) I was kind of in a hurry. Then I thought, "Slow down, Kate. You should use someone local because they probably take way more care in making a beautiful arrangement", and because I try to buy anything locally when I can. Remember how a few posts back I said I am usually a little too positive though? I failed myself once again.

After googling a few places, I decided on the Flower Pot off Gay Street. Seemed legit. Pretty pictures. Okay prices. So how did it turn out?

Well, for starters, here is a pic of what I ordered:

Cute name - "How Sweet It Is", beautiful colors, it's a bestseller. How could I lose?

Here is what was delivered:

Mom sent me the picture, and I almost cried. I was so embarrassed that this is what she got! It looks like I spent $15! Nothing about it was similar to what I ordered. And once I told Mom that, she explained to me how she wasn't going to say anything, but a bunch of the flowers in the back were already dying/dead!

Cue Kate's rage.

SO, I calmly decided to call my friends over at the Flower Pot and explain to them my disappointment. But if you call the number on the website, it redirects to another location that cannot help with online orders. What? Exactly. I kept trying to call the rest of the night with no luck in reaching anyone that could help me.

Jason offered to try and call before he went to bed (he is better at this stuff than me, anyways). He finally gets through and explains the discrepancies, and they say, no problem! A new arrangement will be delivered the next day.

I'm satisfied...

Until this is what they deliver next:

What the heck is that!? Couldn't have been farther away from what I originally paid for. And did I mention when I ordered the arrangement that I un-clicked the box saying, "In the unlikely event all flowers are not available, I am willing to accept a comparable substitute"!?!?!

Are you ready for the icing on the cake? THEY ASKED FOR THE FIRST ARRANGEMENT BACK!!! I think Mom was in total shock. And any of you that know JB know she is the sweetest woman on the planet. Literally could not hurt a fly, and I swear she's never said a curse word her whole life. But I guess she let her opinion be known that day! The poor delivery man felt so horrible having to ask for them back, but he passed on our dissatisfaction back to headquarters (he probably has the secret phone number that goes straight to the lady in charge), and thankfully they called Mom to apologize. And even more thankfully, they credited my card.

I just couldn't believe all this hassle...all I wanted was to send my mom some flowers! But it's funny to all of us now. And she got whatever that is pictured above for free. I don't have a real goal in posting this. Except that I think it's hysterical. I don't want to shame the Flower Pot...I'm sure they make beautiful arrangements on occasion...and I'm sure it could have happened anywhere. But my goodness! I will never make that mistake again. Actually you know what - I do have a goal here. I think it's to get all of you to use 1-800-flowers from now on. It's settled.

When in Rome...

...EAT GELATO!!! It's 1,000 times better than the pizza or pasta and 100 times cheaper. And I'm not kidding. Ah-mazing!

Jason had some really great one-liners this past weekend on our 4-day trip to Rome (including "I know the name of this playlist. Songs over 6 minutes." in an Irish Pub playing O-Town's one and only album) but my favorite has to be, "What is it they say? You can't see Rome in a day?" After explaining to my little scholar that I think it is "Rome wasn't built in a day", we decided that it might be possible to see Rome in one day. Definitely two days. And luckily we had a little over 3 days. We got to see everything we wanted! Not to repeat myself every post, but we truly are so blessed.

Now I have to admit, I'm not very good at researching the places we travel before actually getting there. Sadly, before we went to Florence, I didn't really have a clue what all was there. I'm more of a take-the-picture-and-find-out-what-it-is-in-depth-later traveler. Not the kind I want to be! But somehow we always get so busy before trips, and I always hate it when I get wherever we are going and can't fully appreciate it because I don't know the whole story. So this trip I decided would be different. I wikipedia'd Rome like you'd never believe. I read blogs about people's favorite things to do in Rome. I called my sister who was just there last March for her honeymoon. I talked to my German friends that had been there. I was convinced I knew exactly what everything was beforehand this time, and I had even written out an itinerary day-by-day based on proximity of attractions and hours of operation. OCD in full effect. And then we got there, and I never looked at it once. My very handsome personal tour guide, who also happens to be my husband, planned perfect days for us and recited all the important facts to me whenever I forgot what something was. I'm considering hiring him out to people as a European tour guide. He has impeccable sense of direction. And that's the only reason I married him. Well, not the only reason, but it's way up there.

Day 1 Itinerary:

1. Fly through Zurich on Swiss Air only so we can get free Swiss chocolate and see the Alps...check.

2. Walk around in circles (literally) until we find the McDonald's all the signs promised existed...check. (Bless his heart. After swearing I could carry my Vera bag and not need a backpack, Jason still carried it for me when I thought my arm was going to fall off my shoulder.)

3. Unexpectedly see almost everything after sunset that we wanted to see the whole trip in about 2 hours - the Colosseum, Arch of Constantine, Victor Emmanuel II Monument, Roman Forum, Piazza Navona, Pantheon, Spanish Steps, etc. etc. BUT of course we wanted to see them all in the daylight and be able to go inside, so this was just a preview. :) [To see pics of the first night, check out my Facebook album. There are just too many to post on the blog!]

Day 2 Itinerary:

1. Go to the Colosseum. Be amazed...check.

2. Go to Palatine Hill but not fully understand what it was used for...check. (Bonus: take an inadvertent tour of Augustus's house that ENTHRALLED Jason. Ask him about it sometime.) BTW - I wikipedia'd Palatine Hill today. I get it now.

3. Walk through the Roman Forum because you can't buy a ticket to the Colosseum only. A packaged deal that actually turned out to be not so bad! Word to the wise though - don't trust the exit signs. Or any signs in Rome for that matter.

4. Walk past the National Monument to Victor Emmanuel II. Try not to love it because the Romans hate it, but end up loving it anyways...check.

5. Hit up the Pantheon. Be impressed by how beautiful the inside is, and get our minds blown by what happens when it rains through that open ceiling...check.

6. See the beautiful Piazza Navona in the sunlight...check.

7. Walk to the Piazza del Popolo, where there was a fancy Chinese festival going on we didn't know about...check.

8. Take the back way out of the Piazza above to the top of the Spanish Steps. Be grossed out by the terribly unique smell there...check.

(contrary to how it appears, I did not ask this man to pose for my photo)

9. See the Trevi Fountain. Appreciate it's splendor but be a little disappointed at how crowded and touristy it is...check. What else did we expect though?

10. Become regulars at the Gelato shop right next to the Fountain...check. DELICIOUS!!

11. Go back to the Scholar's Lounge for dinner (where we also ate lunch that day) to enjoy a cider and watch the Vols lose a very painful game to Kentucky...check.

Day 3 Itinerary:

1. Walk to Vatican City...be absolutely in awe of St. Peter's Basilica...check.

2. Get blessed by the Pope...check.

3. Double-check to make sure the Vatican Museums are really closed on Sundays. Find our way easily thanks to these clearly-labeled signs...check.

4. See Castel San't'Angelo...check.

5. Figure we have extra time on our hands - take a siesta, and then head back to the Scholar's Lounge after dinner for nachos, nauturally...check.

Day 4 Itinerary:

1. Experience muscle failure from walking 45 minutes to the Vatican Museums, 45 minutes back to the hotel, and another 30 back to the train station...check.

Had we spent 1 more minute in the Vatican Museums (we power-walked through to the Raphael Rooms and the Cistine Chapel), we would have missed our bus back to the airport. We flawlessly calculated a 4-minute trip to McDonald's into the itinerary on the way back as well, as if you weren't impressed enough already! We made it to the airport in time to check Terminals 1, 2, and 3 for our departing gate...and then back to Terminal 1, the first place we went to find it really was our terminal. Go figure. 

All joking aside from this blog, we had the most amazing trip. It was nice for it to just be the 2 of us, especially before Jason left for the field (today). I miss him already. Spending time with the ones you love and taking it for granted might be one of the worst offenses to commit. Now I just keep looking at all our wonderful pictures and planning our next big trip to cross off our European bucket list!

Help out the Stewarts!

As you know, I publically declare my love for Jason & I's wedding photographer, Julie Roberts, on pretty much a bi-weekly basis. Not only does she take beautiful photos, but she is so fun and easy to work with! No doubt we made the right decision there. AND she is doing something really cool right now! She is giving away a $200 print credit to the bride/groom who get the most people to comment on her blog post (link below)! Obviously, it would be amazing if we won, so if you have just a minute to help us out, we'll love you forever (and chances are, we probably already do)!!!

http://www.julierobertsphoto.com/blog/304

Just remember you have to leave a comment with my name in it & we only have until Saturday!

THANK YOU! xoxo

St. Barb's Ball

I have to confess, I don't really know the history of St. Barb's Ball...but if you are interested, ask Jason. He actually had to attend a mandatory meeting on it. Seriously.

What I do know is this: it is a really big party, it was ridiculously expensive (in my eyes, but I'm a major cheapo) to go, and it was 100% impossible to find shoes appropriate enough to wear with my dress within a 15 mile radius of Bamberg. BUT! Nonetheless, after Jason was a major shopping trooper, I settled on a pair that were pretty cheap and I actually will wear again. So we had mild success there. We had major success at the ball though. It was so fun!! I was lucky to have held on to a dress that I wore my sophomore year of college to recycle for it. And honestly, I think I liked it a lot better the second time around! You really see all kinds of dresses and hair at something like this. I think that's what surprised me the most! Maybe I just have attended St. Barb's Ball class with Jason, because man, I tell you...there were prom dresses and updos to match all over that place! But I applaud them. There were more of them than me, so clearly I was under-done. Everyone did look great though, and I think everyone had a really great time, too. At least we did! :)

Here are a few pics...

We are getting pretty good at self-timer pics over here at the Stewart household. But not every one of them is a win...what can I say?

After regrouping, we had success!

With Emily before dinner :)

My favorite! At our table.

Place card :)

Jackets off. Party time. Jason's besties: Justin, Jeff, Mike, Jason.

I told you it was a big party!

My first military ball is in the books. And all I know is it will be hard to top this one!

On a clear day!

Okay, this is going to be a short post, with just pictures mainly. But I was so excited one day last week to have a GORGEOUS day here in Bamberg, that I just had to get out and take a few pics (some builidings/places you've already seen) but this time, in DAYLIGHT!! And they look completely different. I was on the phone with my mom while I walked around, and I was telling her you just have no idea what a sunny day does to the spirit. It was only the 2nd day since I've been here where I've seen the sun. And it was probably the best I'd felt. I'm wishing all of you the brightest days back home...oh my Lord, do they make everything better!

A beautiful church right behind our apartment. I've got to find out about it!

My favorite building in Bamberg! The Wedgewood blue one in the background.

On our side of the river. That's St. Mike's in the way background, and Little Venice is the right part of this picture.

My favorite buliding again!

And there's a better view of little Venice.

I love this one! Altes Rathaus. Pretty much the landmark building of Bamberg. I only say that because it is on ALL the postcards.

So beautiful. On the big bridge.

I love all the little streets here!

And finally our building, in sunlight! That is our door in the bottom left corner. Let's hope our couches actually fit through it!

I can't remember where I stole this one from, but it was just too gorgeous not to share! Our little home...for now. :)

I'll be honest, my goal with this post is to get you all to visit. Did it work? Are you on kayak.com yet? Fly into Frankfurt or Nuremberg, and I'll be there to greet you at the gate!

A New Year

I know I am almost an entire week late on this, but Happy New Year to all of you out there!!! I hope this first week of 2012 has been treating you all well. :) I've been reading a lot lately about how people are "so ready" to move on from 2011; how they want/need a fresh start, complete with big resolutions and life-changing plans. And they are NOT looking back. To those people, I say, good for you! But I'm not one of them. 2011 was an incredible year - I've got no complaints, and I want to look back and remember everything that happened. There are so many beautiful memories! Now, was it always easy and uncomplicated? No. Planning a wedding to man who lives thousands of miles away was a bit of a stressor last year! But there were so many positives last year that outweighed the negatives. My sister got married (and I was so blessed to be here MOH), I got to travel Europe (I still don't think it's hit me how lucky I am for that one!), I got married to my best friend of 10 years, moved to Germany, spent some much needed time with my closest friends from all over the States, and finally got my hair back to a semi-normal color after mistakenly dyeing it black on the eve of 2011. If those aren't major highlights of a year, I don't know what are. I'm so lucky.

So how did the Stewarts ring in 2012, you ask? Well, for starters, not in Berlin, like we had somewhat originally planned. Several of our friends were traveling up for a couple nights, and we really wanted to go. But we also wanted to go when we have plenty of time to see the city and not be in freezing rain the whole time! I can't lie...we were, and probably still are, a little jealous of the amazing time everyone had there, but we had a nice little NYE here in Bamberg. We didn't do anything fancy, but it was such a fun night! It started out at Casa Italia, a little restaurant up the road, with a few good friends. Here's a pic of Jason and I at dinner. p.s. I cannot believe how long my hair is!!

And look at these cute napkins they had!

Adorable. After dinner, the 5 of us headed back to our apartment for a little champagne and beer for the boys. Here's a pic of Emily and I. She just got here a few weeks after me, so it's definitely nice to have someone that is just as new to everything as I am! p.s. we share a love of Justin Bieber (Lindsay - I showed off my JB singing toothbrush to everyone). I knew I liked her from the start. :)

Yes, we still have our Christmas tree up. And yes, I am leaving it up for 2 more weeks. For 2 main reasons. 1) That sucker will never get used again in our apartment, and 2) my parents will be here in just over 2 weeks, and I really want them to see it! I do think I'll take the rest of our decorations down though. It's time. I just love Christmas so much, it breaks my heart to see it all go back in a box!

After splitting ways for the rest of the night, Jason and I headed to our other friends', Jae and Stacey's, for more food, fireworks, and more champagne.

Here are a few pics of us right at midnight with sparklers and a perfect view of the fireworks being set off downtown!

beautiful Stacey! (and baby!)

And for the fireworks...

I know the quality isn't great, but you get the picture! I took all of these on my phone...and really almost every picture on the blog. It is just so much easier to pull out my phone (which I almost always have with me!) then to remember to bring my camera everywhere.

So that was pretty much our New Years! And actual NY day was spent in our PJs watching an 11-hour Dexter marathon. Seriously, we are addicted. And that's also the reason I will end this post here. We've got to go watch the season 2 finale!

Happy New Year! Cheers!