Condoms

I was doing homework just now (sigh), and through my marketing class found this site.

Is this not the funniest condom ad you've ever seen in your life?

Heaven

I'm still obsessing about that bank in Smith Center. And the town itself sounds like heaven to me:

Uniquely centered at the heart of the country is Smith Center, Kansas. We're a hometown-kind-of-place halfway between metropolitan Kansas City and the ski slopes of Colorado. We're a community where people wave to each other and you know your neighbors. We're a place where people still have backyard picnics and main street parades and you feel safe as you take an evening stroll. It's a lifestyle rooted in raising crops, nurturing families, building our communities, and enjoying the open spaces. Natives and visitors alike enjoy the fine fishing and hunting here. Our farm ponds and nearby lakes offer bass, walleye, crappie, and catfish. Our farm fields attract hunters of pheasants, turkeys, ducks, geese, and deer. People take time to stop and smell the sunflowers.

Vilseck

Kelly and I went downtown this weekend to take pictures of Vilseck; since I'm not planning on ever coming back, I figured it would be nice to have some.

I love how some people have cigarette machines in their front yards - I've always wondered who actually makes profit from them:



I think this could quite possibly be the prettiest building in town:



This is my cute little German bank:



I've noticed that in every piece of artwork I've seen of Vilseck, this is the structure that is used to depict the town:



And this is the view from the Catholic church:

I Want It

There's been this old bank I've been eyeing for about a year now.

I seriously can't get it out of my mind. I dream of it being a great yarn store, or a coffee shop (although one already exists in this town of 2,000 people). I keep trying to figure out a way to work it out, although buying property from Germany is close to impossible. But I think I've talked Scout into looking at it on our drive from Washington to Texas.

Business opportunities in Smith Center may be slim, but at the very least I want to own and restore this Smallville-esque building - I obviously have a weakness for old things in need of a little love.

Being an Adult Rules! Yesss!

You're looking at my current mode of transportation:

On Friday, Scout and I took our Explorer in for a brake inspection and a "check noise in engine" inspection.

$788.76 (in parts) later, we walked out of the Car Care Center wondering if our hoopty was going to make it home.

See, two months ago, I took the truck in for a mandatory inspection so that I could renew the registration. It passed with flying colors. However, I let the inspection expire - so Scout had to take it back in a month later - the truck passed inspection again. No mention about brakes or the ungodly noise in the engine. In fact, when I took it in, the guy said, "I don't hear a noise in the engine. It's ok."

So now we have 0% brakes (well, 10% brakes on one side) and we were told not to drive the vehicle. We have to wait until June 29th for our appointment. Niiiice. Oh, and the timing chain has to be replaced (which, we've found out, is going to be about 400-600 euros for the labor).

It's actually kind of funny when I think about it. My thighs will thank me later, I'm sure.

Scout

I can't tell you how many times someone from my husband's work has said something like, "Yeah, I found your wife's website the other day when I googled 'Steak on a Stone'."

So I've decided that I'm changing his name to Scout to protect his identity - not because he necessarily cares, but because I don't ever want him stuck in a position where he feels he has to defend himself (or me) about something I've said.

In fact, his former First Sergeant found my site (Lord knows how). Not cool.

I just didn't want you guys to think that I got a new dog or anything - Scout is my soldier.

But who knows - maybe it won't make much of a difference...I'll try it anyway.

Amberg

On Saturday, we were invited to go to Amberg with some friends for an advertised flea market, but it wasn't there. We had a great time anyway; the produce market was there, which is always pleasing to the eye:

This was a sign outside of a tattoo shop; I think it's interesting to see the cultural differences in attitude towards nudity.

And this is the church on top of the hill in Amberg. I can't remember what the name of it is, even though I've been there a million times. Does anyone know? Leave a comment if you do:



And this is the gorgeous view from the hill. I'm going to miss all the red-roofed buildings:

Knitting Again

I got some great yarn in Amberg yesterday:

What can I say? Self-striping sock yarn just makes me smile:

Pottenstein

Reality has set in that we won't always be here; we have less than three months left. So everywhere we've gone this weekend, I've been sure to get plenty of pictures. On Friday night, we went to one of our favorite restaurants, which we've always known as "Steak on a Stone." We've gotten to try some (what we call) exotic food - kangaroo, bison, and ostrich. But we never worked up the nerve to try the crocodile.

The drive to Pottenstein is always breathtaking, but this is the first time I've attempted to capture the beauty on my camera (please excuse my lack of photographic abilities):

And here is Scout, enjoying his favorite German beverage - Hefewiezen:

Reason Number 10,944 I Love Lewis:

He's an excellent sleeping buddy.

Final Bird Update

All of the baby birds have left the nest; one left on Thursday, five left on Friday, and the remaining four left on Saturday. It was super exciting to see each one of them wander to the edge of the nest and build up enough courage to fly for the first time. All ten of them initially flew to the tree in our front yard, but they've since scattered. And I was able to find out what happened to the eleventh egg: it just never hatched (I'm assuming that it never even fertilized to begin with). Anyway, I wanted to be able to show you guys how small the eggs were (it's sitting next to a dime):

eBay

When I lived in Kansas, my dad asked if I could be at his house to sign for a delivery. He didn't tell me what it was for, and I didn't ask. When I pulled into his driveway on my way back from class, I saw a semi-truck parked on the street with a Porsche on the back of it. Yeah, I had to sign for a Porsche. Later, I chuckled when Dad told me he ordered it on eBay. I thought he was freakin' losing his mind.

However, I think I've inherited the eBay gene that my dad has. I love eBay. Seriously. I mean, did you see the Jeep I bought on eBay? Maybe I'm losing my mind.

Of course, I won't be making a habit of buying vehicles online, but lately I've been really into vintage pie carriers (all of which I've seen on eBay):


It helps that it's pink (which is a rule I apply to everything I covet), but vintage pie carriers are so fun. Why don't we have stuff like that anymore? I think I'm going to start collecting them. Yeah Scout, you should pay attention to that.