The things I forgot to blog from 2011

So amidst the husband deploying over and over again, many friends and family coming to visit, and going through a pregnancy/childbirth/newbaby, there are a few things I didn't blog from 2011 that I have wanted to.  So this here is a catch up blog of things that made me extremely happy in 2011.  We'll start off by finishing blogging about Lara and Steve's trip out to visit us....

I'm pretty sure I left off at Lake Bled in Slovenia.  Here's a pic of Matt and I by the lake. 

(disclamer:  I AM pregnant in all these pictures....so please excuse the fatness)

So Matt carried me up all 99 of these stairs (because it's a tradition) and this is him being suuuuper funny about it.

The church in the middle of Lake Bled.  It's super awesome.

Lake bled day was a mega ultra rainy day.  Didn't stop us, because we had big A umbrellas.

Check out this pizza....so wrong, yet so right.

So after Lake Bled we drove to Hallstatt Austria.  It's this really neat little town built right up out of the lake and up the side of a mountain.  And this happens to be a room in that town full of bones. Why not, right?

And THIS is the prettiest skull in the room. 

And this is Hallstatt.  Breathtaking.

I love this picture of Lara and Steve, you guys should frame it.

On our drive from Hallstatt to Salzburg we stopped and did a little alpine sliding.  We will never be too old for an alpine slide.

Ok, so when we got to Salzburg we went to a Rick Steve's recommended restaurant and our minds were blown.  So were our taste buds.  This was THE.BEST.MEAL.EVER.  No joke.  I plan on going back to Salzburg before we leave here JUST so I can eat there again.

You know what this is don't you?  I know, you're getting as giddy as I am just looking at it.  It's the gazebo from The Sound of Music and my sister Lara and I MAY just be throwing our arms back and saying "WEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" In this picture.  You know you would do the same thing and pretend that you were just kissed by Rolph after singing a duet and running in circles around on the benches.  You know you would.

I have no words for this.

Or this.

However I have MANY words for this.  They start with HAHAHAHA.

Sorry Lara, but I saw this picture and I started crylaughing here to myself.  This is Lara riding a cannon.  You know you would too.

Lara and Steve above Salzburg.  I really love this place....

On our drive back from Salzburg to our house we stopped in Stuttgart at the Porche factory to take a tour.  It was pretty neat...and the boys were in their happy place.

THEN, after a good night sleep Matt went back to work and Chase and I went with Lara and Steve to Brugges.  I don't remember a lot about this day, what does stand out though was Chase being a BEAST.  I think he was punishing me for leaving him for a 10 day road trip.  He was so bad that I nearly lost all control and strangeled him. 

But Brugges is nice.  :)

Heard of Belgian lace?  Well this is how they make it.

Ok, moving on.  A few weeks after Lara and Steve left my friend Megan came out to visit me.  Her and I bought tickets to Greece and went on a girl trip.  It was so fun to hang out with her and check out neat beaches.  We even took a day trip over to Turkey which was interesting (I would NEVER drive there).  I think even being a passenger in a taxi there is taking your life into your own hand.  haha.

Here's a pic from Bodrum, Turkey.   Pretty huh?

Laying out in Turkey, with my big preggo belly sticking up in the air, listening to my ipod.  Happiness.

We also took a day trip to another island in Greece (I can't remember the name of it) and went exploring.  Look how pretty this town is.

And we may have randomly come across some old ruins.

Then we came home and went to PARIS.  Such a fun city.

You KNOW I made her pose for this.  haha.  Worth it. Love this picture.

AND we went to Versailles.  And posed for these kinds of pictures.

And I made Megan take a million jumping pictures.

And sit in laps of statue men and pretend to be engaged in conversation.  I really loved having Megan come out to play.  She even had the honor of witnessing me puke on the side of the road from car sickness.  Now THAT'S special.

Another couple of months after Megan left, my BFF Kelly King DeVillers came.  I felt bad for Kelly...because I was literally DAYS away from having a baby and could barely waddle.  She was so patient though, bless her heart. We went and spent a nice, chill day in Monschau, Germany.

With Kelly being such a little person, and me being a few days away from giving birth and at my LARGEST....I felt like beast next to her.  haha.

Enjoying a little hot chocolate and apfel strudel.  YUM.

What's a trip to Germany without a weinerschintzel?

At the dome in Cologne.

Like I said...days away from delivering.  Just look away.

Sorry Kelly, but I just love this picture of you.  This is on a boat canal tour through amsterdam.

And here's little miss Hallie kicking up her heels on the boat tour.

YIKES I feel better.  Had those pictures looming over me for months and months.