Still MORE Celebrating!

What a beautiful cake!!!

Thanks Ellen.......hahaha.....this was BEFORE Ellen tried to sneak the biggest strawberry....

Now Ellen's off trying to find the best pants....while Amy explains some serious information

Whatever it is, Nancy thinks it's hilarious! It makes you want to laugh just looking at her

Whoa Terry! That's quite a collection of wine you've surrounded yourself with!

Whoa! Rosetta has her own collection of wine bottles. Beer too! No wonder Rosetta is smiling

Caughtcha! Lorie has got to have some of that wine! Haha, sorry Lorie, it's just too funny!

Chris has a funny story to tell........Jessica thinks it's a good one

Fighting for the very last bit.....Carol has given up and it looks like Kathy is winning

Aaaaaahhhhhh.........Deb's enjoying the glow.....

More Celebrating!

Woohoo, Deb is ready to celebrate. Turning 50 is a GOOD and fun thing.....

Jessica tells the tale of trying to work the surprise......but no one inside is paying attention. Oh dear!

Selina supplies words of wisdom, yummy food, and a warm atmosphere.....

Kate's listening to a good story....lookin' good, Kate!

Marcy tries to hide behind Nancy.....

Haha, gotcha!

Amy and Sue matched so well they had to stick together all night.....

Kathy comes ready to rumble with a big grin on her face.....Kathy, you look like FUN ready to happen.....

Yeah Margie, you're a smilin'.....happy times, happy election, happy celebrating!

The three Muskateers......loving the bash......celebrating it all. (Sorry 'bout the closed eyes Ellen, but we know you're having a good time even with your eyes closed)

Long Overdue Celebration Commeration

Wow Deb, you're lookin' good for an antique person!!

Ah ha! The secret to Deb's youthful preservation is in the wine.....and celebrating at every chance......and having Silly Parties......and going to coffee.....Deb has lots of tricks!

While Deb expounds on the Secret of Staying Young, Ellen tries to steal the biggest strawberry!

Oh Sharon, you always bring something beautiful, and you always look so fabulous. You must have a secret of Youthful Living too.

Oh yippee! Sue came! Hooray, all the way from Lancaster! In the cold dark night! We love it when you make the trip!

Carol is celebrating Deb's Youthful 50th....and also the election results....

Chris, Julia, and Margie share a laugh.....we're so glad you all made it!

Awwww......aren't these ladies looking good?! Nancy and Terry musta found that fountain of Youthful Living also.

Like kids in the kitchen, Nancy, Kathy and Carol lick the plate. That was some good cake! When you eat that cake you get younger....a couple of years for every bite. Let's have some more!

What a great cast of characters. Shouldn't we start celebrating birthdays at every five years rather than ten?

Chocolate Makes You Happy!....My Neighbor's Shoes

We all know this......of course!

A smelling station at the Ritter Sport Chocolate Museum. Push a button and the smell comes out. How cool is that!

Ritter Sport makes the best! Something like 31 flavors. These displays are everywhere...grocery stores, drugstores. This is on the paper-goods floor of a variety store.

The selection at the Ritter Sport Museum......a really, really cool chocolate AND art museum.

Found at a Beitigheim quilt exhibit.....a quilt made from Ritter Sport wrappers.

One panel of the quilt.....

What happens when Ritter Sports Chocolate Bars go on sale!

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I think I mentioned about moving my 12-year-old next door neighbor's shoes around. His family's shoes were lined up between their door and the elevator which was next to our door in the apartment we lived in. I can't tell you how much fun this was. Small simple thing, big happiness return.


I would move the chocolate brown, high-topped, fur-lined sneakers about in the hall, or tip them in a funny way, or mix them in with his other shoes. Since, originally, the shoes were all lined up perfectly, pair by pair in the hall, the resulting asymetry was quite obvious.

At first I was a little cautious about doing this. I didn't want to cause mayhem to the order in the hall.

But then my neighbor started moving his shoes in funny places and tipping them in funny ways too.....sort of in answer to my gesture.

I once met him in the hall and we exchanged huge grins....we both knew what was going on.

Steve and I had a chair with a little cushion on it out in the hall, and a mat to put shoes on. I'm not sure why, but we never left our shoes out there. I guess that's the American way, there really was no reason, although now I wish we'd done that to give him more raw material to work with.

A week before I left, I noticed, though, that our chair had been moved onto the mat. I can't tell you what a thrill this was to get this little "hello-back-at-cha" from my young neighbor. A couple of times the cushion rode up funny in the back of the chair and I always got a smile to my day from this little "hi".

Once we were coming out the door and our neighbor was there with his girlfriend and they jumped a mile.....almost caught in the act of moving our chair we think.

Now that I'm home, I'm sad to have no shoes to move around. This was great fun, trying to play a little trick on someone I didn't even know. And then having them reciprocate.

I did leave him a note with his shoes when I left, telling him how much fun I had and how I was glad that he took up the game too.

Oh, and I left him a couple of Ritter Chocolate Bars too, one on each of the toes of his shoes. I know he'll like that, cause, yeah, chocolate......and moving your neighbor's shoes around.....these things make you happy.

My favorite kinds......

Oh My Goodness! More Scali-WAG Fun.....

Holy Cow! These women look so PROPER!

Sitting calmly at the table....

Sharing fun times......

Selina hosts many a fine occasion.....

A little bit of rowdy.......

Nothing like free clothing to get the ladies up out of their seats.....thank you, Amy!

Haha! What have we here......

Coffee when the weather is fine.....don't shoot me Robyn, we know you don't always go around town in your workout clothes......

Guhwhaaaa.....I dunno!

Our Fearless Leader! Can you believe this is the person who first blogged in video?!!

Why It's Time to Come Home....

Yes, it's time to come home....and here are the reasons why......

10. The "fireworks" trees that were such a cool wonder on the Konigstrasse have been cut back so their branches are ugly and warped stubs. I know, I know, it's for spring clean-up and they'll be fine after the leaves appear, but I can hardly bear it now.



9. My favorite coffee shop went out of business just the other day



8. They took away my favorite Chinese-Take-Out-Seating area, where you could hang with all the other Take-Out lovers and replaced it with manaquins to sell more clothes.



7. I've started running for the train just like everyone else



6. Everytime I come home, I now consider using the elevator instead of the stairs



5. I've run out of steam



4. I'm sick and tired of all my clothes



3. Funf, Hoo-lay, and Alles are just not enough words...



2. I miss my sweet doggie....



1. I miss all my great and wonderful friends.....

Oh wait.....that's not them!

That's not them either.....

I don't see anyone here that I know......(The Nareen Festival.....The Fools Festival! Ha!)

Oh, oh, here they are!!!!