All Is Well! :)

I first have to thank all of you who have written me lately, asking how things are, telling me that you miss my posts & hope that I'm doing alright -- you all are wonderful! In fact, I am doing more than all right! Life is so good that being on the computer has been the last thing on my mind, & I do apologize for that!  But sometimes, it's nice to take a break & focus entirely on what's truly important ♥

Don has been home now for almost two months!  WOW!  Two Months Already?!!  Time certainly does fly when your worries are behind you :)  It's been so easy transitioning back into our regular routine together.  Although we were apart for 11 months, we just got right back into the swing of things once he came home!  I love it :)  Plus, we've been doing some great traveling!

We went to a town here in Germany called Baden-Baden, which is famous for its bath houses & thermal spas.  What a relaxing weekend that was!  And we also made it over the border to Strasbourg, France.  Add another country to my growing list!  I think I'm at 27 countries now!

And lastly, we just got back from Tanzania, Africa!!!  What an adventure!!  We spent 7 days at the beautiful Saadani Safari Lodge, & oh my goodness was it breathtaking!  Gorgeous beach, lovely people, delicious food, romantic setting, wonderful bungalows!  Plus, game drives, snorkeling, river safaris...  You wouldn't be surprised to know that we took about 2,300 pictures during this trip!  I'll post some of our faves for you to see :)

Next up for us?  Istanbul, next week!!  So the pictures will keep on coming!

Thank you all so much for your sweet notes & emails.  It means a lot that you were checking up on me!  And now that Don is getting back to work {boohoo!}, you'll most likely be hearing from me more often!

Boy, is it nice to be all put back together again ♥

I Heart Hanalei!

I've been there many times. I've also been to other beautiful places in Hawaii. I've even traveled Europe & seen some of the world's most beautiful & popular sights. But there's no doubt about it: I love Hanalei, Kauai!  Of all the places I've visited & explored, this "lost in paradise", full of personality, drop dead gorgeous town is certainly one of my favorite little corners of the world.  When I dream of a true tropical hideaway, this is it!  There is no new construction going on, no shopping malls or high-rise hotels, no McDonald's or Starbucks...just Hawaiian charm, local surf shops, art galleries & handmade jewelry stores, & delicious restaurants housed in charming buildings such as Hanalei's old Schoolhouse.  This is Hawaii.  The Hawaii that will not change for tourism...but will gladly greet its visitors with a friendly "Aloha!".

A view of one of Hanalei's "shopping centers" :)

Breathtaking Hanalei Bay

I'm so glad we'll be in Hanalei again tomorrow!  And you can be certain that I'll have my bikini on under my beach dress so that I can lay on the beautiful Tunnels Beach or take a dip in the ocean while my eyes continue to return to the spectacular views of Bali Hai & the Na Pali Coast ♥  LOVE!

"Bali Hai is calling!"

Far Off Places, Adventurous Lands

I usually go through phases of wanting to stay at home & wanting to go out & explore the world! Lately, with Don being gone, I've typically been in my "stay at home" phase. Traveling just isn't nearly as much fun when he isn't with me!  But now that the end of the deployment is in sight, we've been throwing around lots of different ideas about where to travel when he comes home!  A safari in Africa {I'm dreaming it to be Out Of Africa style!}, perhaps a cruise across the Black Sea...or even an Historian themed tour through Romania & Bulgaria!  {Have you read the book The Historian, by Elizabeth Kostova?  Ooh, it's a quick page-turner about a modern day search for Vlad Dracula!  Mwahahaha!!  Okay...I admit...there were a few nights of reading it while Don was gone that I had to put it down!  Too scary!  But I couldn't stop!  And a tour to see the places mentioned in the book would be oh so cool!  Don's idea :)}

Bulgaria's Batchkovo Monastery

Romania's Sighişoara

Ooh, the sights to be seen from the deck of a Black Sea cruise!

The beautiful Chiawa Camp in Zambia, Africa!

Again at the Chiawa Camp in Zambia -- yes, please!

So many incredible places to see, so little time!  And not enough money...grr.  Want to donate to our travel fund?!  :)

What is your favorite place you've traveled to?  And if you could go anywhere in the world,  where would it be?  Would you want to see the elephants in Africa with me?!! 

Back in Germany, Hello Jet Lag!

I'm back in Deutschland!  And after passing out last night around 7:30, I've now been wide awake since 3 AM!  Uuuggghhh, jet lag.  Do I get up this early or try to go back to sleep?!

My flights were easy & I even was able to sleep for four hours on the long one!  This was a big deal for little old me who usually can't catch even a wink of sleep on a plane!

The excitement started when I hopped in our old Beamer to go pick up Layla & Lucius.  It was dead as a doornail after not being driven for almost two weeks while sitting out in the bitter cold.  I tried to jump it, but the thing is goooone!  Needless to say, I hopped into the Mini {which needed a fill up on gas} & went to get the dogs.  You should have seen me in there with my two Great Danes!  Goodness gracious.

I had such an awesome time at home with my family!  If it weren't for the dogs, I'd have no reason to come back here.  I would have stayed until May!  But it would cost an arm & a leg to ship them to the States...or to board them here for that long!  So back to Germany for me, missing my family & my sweetheart.

The key is to stay busy.  Like I've been doing for the past 5 1/2 months.  And I'll be back in Colorado in a month for Christmas!!!!!!!!  It's so nice to have things on the calendar :)

I'll be posting regularly again now!  Thanks to all of you for your patience!  I hope you've been doing GREAT!  ♥

Back From R&R, Ready For May!

Don & I had such a wonderful R&R together, a lovely two week break from his year long deployment in Afghanistan. We cherished every minute, spent every waking moment together, & prayed for God to slow down time for us.  I wish He could transport us to next May so that we could have all of this behind us...  Our two weeks together went by too fast, of course, but we made many wonderful memories!  We spent a lot of time here in Germany at our home, then took a nice warm trip to Portugal & Spain!

Saying goodbye late this morning at the airport was heartbreaking.  We have almost 5 months of this deployment behind us, 6 to 7 still ahead of us.  But we kept smiling, holding hands, wrapping our arms around each other...  Then crying, saying short prayers, & not wanting to let go.  I watched him go through the security line, blowing kisses whenever he looked back, my nose & eyes red from tears.  I drove home in a fog & have been that way pretty much ever since.  The house is just a building again, not a home.  Empty, quiet, no arms to hold me.  But I'm so thankful for each minute that we had & for the incredible relationship that we share!  This deployment is a team effort, & we are sticking together like glue!  We've got this, baby.  And the next time you come home, you won't be going anywhere for a while!!!  :)

I miss him like crazy already, & I certainly am not looking forward to crawling into bed alone.  But I'll keep my cell phone right by the bed, & I'll pray until I'm calm enough to sleep.  And I may even let Layla & Lucius up to snuggle with me :)  I miss you, sweetheart.

I'll get back to my regular posting tomorrow with another Saturday Around The World!  And I'll feature two blogs this week, one from tomorrow's blog party & the other from the last that we had while I was out!

Hope that you all have been doing great!  ♥

My Heart Is Oh So Ready!

You probably won't be hearing much from me for a while starting pretty soon! Don't worry; it's for a very {very very very VERY!} good reason.  Alright, I can't hold it in.  If you want to know where I'll be, here it is: I'll be in the arms of my sweetheart!  ♥  And we'll be together in Portugal!  Ooh, I cannot wipe the grin off of my face!  Four months of this deployment are behind us, which is quite a milestone!  But it's the longest we've ever been apart, & I'm so anxious to have him home again, by my side, back where he belongs!  Now, I wait by my phone  ♥  I am the happiest girl in the world!  And the most excited!  Oh, I'm going to be pacing while I wait for him at the airport!!!

I may post once or twice here & there, but I can't make any promises! While I'm away, I hope that you all have wonderful days & fabulous weekends! If you get lonely, remember all our lovely bloggers from Saturday Around The World!  {And you still have over 24 hours so participate this week!  Join in on the par-tay!}  Go to them for your blog fix! But don't forget about me! :)  I promise I'll share photos & stories when I return!

My nails are painted, the house is clean, my heart is oh so ready!  I will talk to you all later!!

Don't forget to enter your blog in my new Saturday Around The World listing for a chance to be featured here on {Amanda & Don}!  You can enter until Tuesday @ midnight EST.  We're having fuuuun, aren't we?!  My lovely readers around the globe have the best blogs!

Travel Reviews: Beautiful Salzburg, Austria

Salzburg, Austria. What a beautiful place! Known most as being the backdrop for The Sound of Music & also as the birthplace of Mozart!  Tourists flock to this lovely city, which feels more like a big town, to experience these two things, whether it be a Mozart concert in the Old Town or a ride on the Sound of Music Tour bus!  But no matter where you stroll, you will feel the presence of both ♥

I forgot to do my weekly "Travel Tuesday" post yesterday, so here it is on Wednesday! This will be the last city review of the trip I took with my brother when he was here last month! We went to London {including Stonehenge & Windsor Castle!}, Munich, & finally Salzburg. I'd been to this last city before, on a very rainy day the previous year. It was wonderful to return again when the weather was nice & we could do more exploring on foot! Also, I was able to find my way around quite well, walking directly to places I wanted to see again, including a lovely little jewelry store :)

My brother & I spent two days in Salzburg, staying at the incredibly beautiful Hotel Salzburg Auersperg.  What a find!  Large rooms, delicious breakfast, walking distance to all we wanted to see, & even a rooftop sauna & steam room!  How fun & relaxing!  Outside of the hotel, though, we did so much that I will have to write two posts about Salzburg!  This post will be about the city itself, & the next will cover the Sound Of Music Tour that we took!  How fun it was singing the movie's songs on the bus with our tour guide & the rest of the group!

I really like Salzburg.  The hustle & bustle of a major city can't be found in the Old Town.  It has been replaced with people strolling down the cobblestone streets looking into the cute little shops or listening to the many trios & quartets playing the music of the city's beloved Mozart.  And all the while, the enormous Hohensalzburg Castle peers down from the hilltop above.

The first time we visited Salzburg, Austria, I found a beautiful amber ring.  Don told me he would get it for me, but I said I didn't really need it...  And then I thought about that ring for the next year!  I went back with my brother recently & Don told me I'd better buy my amber ring this time :)  Thank you, sweetie!  I wear it all the time & think of you ♥

Thank you all so much for your participation in the first Saturday Around The World blog hop!  Twenty-one of you entered your blog, which is great for the first time!  It was a lot of fun to see all of your comments & to know that you're receiving new followers!  How great!  Let's do it again this Saturday, shall we?!  And tomorrow's post will feature the blog of one of the participants, chosen at random!  So come back tomorrow & see if it's you!

Travel Tuesday: Munich & Beer!

Oh, München!  The city of delicious beer & beautiful buildings!  Here you'll see me at the Hofbräuhaus, the 1 Million Dollar Pagani that we saw on the ridiculously expensive street of Maximilianstraße, a photo of a lovely window boxed building downtown on the Marienplatz, a fresh fruit stand, the famous Glockenspiel, the inside of one of the many gorgeous churches, & a photo out the window on our drive to Salzburg, Austria -- which is next up!  Enjoy!  Oh, & don't mind my hair!  We had just arrived back into Germany from London & it had been a busy travel morning :)  Mmm, I think I'm craving a Radler now.  Or better yet, a Russen!