Rabbit Rabbit

Rabbit Rabbit!

Happy September!

Some things I am looking forward to this month:
*Rosh Hashanah- the Jewish New Year starts on Wednesday night. We are ordering kosher bagels from a bakery in Berlin and I am making sugar cookies and challah and some dips/spreads to take to our congregation for a communal meal after services.
*Terry's birthday- my husband is turning 29 this month. He asked me not to get him anything and to instead take him out for a really nice dinner in Paris, but I have to do at least something. Plus, a newly married friend and her husband will be in Frankfurt on his birthday. We were not able to make it back to the States for their wedding, so we are excited to see the newlyweds in person!
*Jimmy Buffett concert- September 26th, Jimmy Buffett is performing a concert in Paris and we were lucky to be able to get tickets. We both love Jimmy Buffett and even danced to his music at our wedding (but that is a story for another day). I saw him once in concert in Virginia and T has not seen him perform at all so we are both over the moon excited for this! Fins up!
*Of course it just wouldn't be a trip to Paris without some of this:

Looking at their website, it looks as if there are two new flavors that I simply must try- Pink Pepper and Gingerbread in addition to my beloved Salted Caramel macarons. Also I had one of the tastiest (and not to mention priciest) salads of my life at the Ladurée in Paris and London. A salad topped with smoked salmon and caviar y'all. So tasty. There will of course also be a trip to the top of the Eiffel Tower and lots of baguette and croissant eating.

In addition to everything that I have going on this month, today marks 6 weeks until I get to watch my best friend say "I do" and become a Mrs. I am so thrilled for her and her fiancé and can.not.wait. (And no, I do not yet have a bridesmaid dress.)

I managed to plan out my trips so well that right after I get back from Paris, I have precisely two days to unpack, work, do laundry, and repack before G-d willing getting standby seats on a flight to the States. Oof.

Wishing you lots of luck and fun and excitement for the month of September!

What are you most looking forward to this month? And dear G-d, please don't mock/tempt me by saying Pumpkin Spice Lattes.

New Blog Feature- Donnerstag in Deutschland

This is a weekly email that I send to T's parents about our slightly mundane and uninteresting lives. (Some weeks are more interesting than others.) It started out slightly as an inside joke in the family and now we've all taken it a bit seriously. I thought it might be fun to post these on the blog as well. Enjoy. (I most of y'all are not in Deutschland, but feel free to post about your weeks and your Donnerstags, Thursdays.)
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Currently as I write this, I am sitting on our patio drinking a fruit beer from Belgium and eating a banana ice cream treat that has an edible peel. A. May. Zing. G-d bless German engineering. Overall it's been a pretty quiet week over here. Tuesday, Terry's squadron had a Commander's Call and since I'm Key Spouse I got to go. It was pretty boring especially since I speak Civilian and not acronym. He was nominated for NCO of the Month but didn't win sadly. (I was totally ready to take 101 celebratory pictures with my iPhone.) Wednesday, my boss was out sick and since I've worked there the longest pretty much, I got to be in charge. It was fun letting my bossy side out. We booked our train tickets to Paris but still have to figure out how we are getting back. By taking the train from a border town in France instead of Kaiserslautern, we save about 70-75€. Also Vera Bradley had a 59% sale yesterday so I was able to buy the travel bag I've been wanting for my trip in October for super cheap. Score. Today Terry took leave which means he gets to enjoy a 5 day weekend. There was a Stolpersteine laying today in front of 8 homes in Kaiserslautern so we went to that along with our Rabbi. It was very nice and touching but we missed most of it since it was mostly in German and we could only make out key words such as Nazi, Gestapo, Auschwitz, etc. For two of the homes, the children survived and their children came from France and the U.S. to witness it. Very moving. In total, we walked about 6 miles (and got a 15€ parking ticket in the process. Oops.). Afterwards, we got lunch and iced tea downtown and went to the grocery store. (The place we ate lunch in had a Hello Kitty gelato flavor and I asked for a taste. Hello Kitty apparently tastes like yogurt with a strawberry ribbon and white chocolate shavings. Wonder how they came to that conclusion.) Dinner tonight was salmon filets in a garlic sauce on the grill and rosemary-garlic potatoes on the grill. Terry is going to lose to me in a round of Jeopardy while we finish our beers then we will most likely head back inside to watch Royal Pains.

x's and o's,
-Masha


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Loving Lately

Here are a few things I'm currently loving.

Mezzo Mix Lip Smacker-

Mezzo Mix is this amazing tasting German soda that is a mix of Cola and Orange soda. When a friend posted this on her facebook, I knew I had to have it. I bought this for 2€ at our grocery store and I can't get enough of it! I may have to buy a whole case of these before we leave Germany.

J. Crew Factory Warmspun Intarsia Hen Sweater-

How cute is this?

Vera Bradley Grand Traveler-

I am finally heading back to the States in October (can.not.wait) and since I am flying solo this time and don't have a husband to schlep all of my things for me, I have been looking at getting a spinner suitcase and a travel bag that functions as a large carry-on that has a trolley sleeve. I am borrowing a suitcase from a friend and will be purchasing a Vera Bradley Grand Traveler for myself before my trip.

Lego Salt and Pepper Shakers-

Our first winter in Germany, Terry and I spotted these in the Lego store in Frankfurt. I love cute, quirky, fun salt and pepper shakers and fell in love with these. I mean, you can stack these two! And they were only 5€! My husband being the party pooper said no and that maybe he'd get them for me for Hanukkah. By the time Hanukkah rolled around, they were sold out in every single freaking Lego store in the whole entire world. Way to drop the ball on that one. He frantically tried scouring eBay but they were going for obscene amounts on there. I can not justify paying $25-30 for something that originally cost $5/5€. I randomly decided to go on the Lego website recently and I discovered that they are back baby!!! Can't wait until they get here.

this adorable Ibis commercial-

Ibis, a European budget hotel chain, put out this commercial recently. They put 30 bunnies in a room on the top floor of their London hotel and filmed them just being cute and doing bun-ish things on top of a fluffy bed. I dare you to watch this without saying "awwwwwwwwwwwww." It really does make me want to stay in an Ibis now.

New York State Necklace from Prep Obsessed-

When I first saw that Prep Obsessed started carrying state necklaces, I knew I had to have one. In case the Lilly Pulitzer New York city Murfee scarf and bangle and New York Yankees baseball cap didn't make it blatantly obvious where I'm from, I had to get this as well. Can't wait to get mine. (If you would like to get one of your own or anything else from Prep Obsessed, you can use coupon code PGMW for 10% off your order.)

Monogram Salt & Pepper Shaker set from C. Wonder

I'm pretty sure this was designed specifically with me in mind.

What are you loving lately?

not a Viking

I posted earlier this month about participating in the Viking Challenge. It is an annual event held here on base. It is a 24 hour team walk to raise money for the Fisher Houses.  Since I first heard about it, I wanted to participate. For various reasons (travel, inability to find a team with empty spots in it, etc.) I couldn't participate the past few years. When a friend of mine posted on facebook that she was organizing a team, I jumped at the chance to join! I got so happy and excited. I fundraised as much as I could and I even got my mother-in-law to send us decorations and fun accessories for the day of. I could not wait to participate.

This past weekend, Terry and I went to Nuremberg for the weekend. On Saturday, I woke up with both of my feet swollen and developed a rash that started around both ankles and went up my legs. It was so painful and hard for me to walk that we ended up having to cut our trip short and didn't get to see all of the World War II sights that we wanted to. After seeing my doctor on Monday, I was told to rest and keep my feet elevated and to stay off them as much as possible. I was hoping that by tomorrow, I would be well enough to at least walk a few laps. The rash has thankfully gone away but unfortunately, after being out today, my feet have started to swell up again, and I had to come to the painful realization that I just can not walk tomorrow.

I am proud of all of the work that I've done in fundraising and am very grateful to all of my friends and readers who have donated in support of me. I know that this was something that I could not have planned for and did not do on purpose, but I can't help feeling like I'm a failure and that I let my team down.

Sponsor Intro: Prep Obsessed

Today I am so excited to introduce you to one of my new sponsors- Prep Obsessed!

Prep Obsessed is a facebook jewelry, home decor, and accessories site that is run by two female friends- Corey and Nina.

how cute is this picture?

They operate via Facebook flash sales mainly on Sunday nights at 8pm EST and have special sales on items pop up throughout the week. Shipping is free and their items are so cute and reasonably priced- much better than any of their competitors! I purchased this Caitlin necklace on Sunday night for only $13.95!

I have seen this same necklace go for $20-30 at other companies, and Bauble Bar sells them for $36!

How fun are some of these other items that they have offered in the past?

anyone else singing "Red Solo Cup" now? just me?

In addition to their already low prices, Prep Obsessed is offering Preppy Girl Meets World readers 10% off any purchase with coupon code PGMW. Be sure to like them on facebook and show them some love if you don't already.

Walking My Butt Off

Hello friends. A bit of a shameless plug here:

Later this month I will be participating in the Viking Challenge on base. The Viking Challenge is a 24 hour team walk which raises funds for the Fisher House. For those of you who don't know what the Fisher House is, it is similar to the Ronald McDonald house for wounded servicemembers. Their families can stay in their houses free of charge while the troops are receiving care at a military treatment facility, sometimes for extended periods of time. A friend of mine stayed in one for about a month after her husband stepped on an IED in Afghanistan, and she was so thankful for the support system and to not have to worry about paying a hotel bill or anything of that sort.

Since this is such an important cause, we are trying to raise as much money as we possibly can for it. If you can afford to donate anything, even just a dollar, please do so here. If you can't, then just please think good thoughts for us as we walk on July 26th. :)

Rabbit Rabbit!

Rabbit Rabbit!

How cute are these bunnies? As always, all bunny pictures are from Daily Bunny.

Happy July! So excited for this month. It is my 30th (gulp) birthday this month and I am most definitely one of those girls who doesn't celebrate her birthday just once. Terry and I are planning a dinner just the two of us in Frankfurt or Belgium that I am so very looking forward to along with a birthday dinner locally with some friends. (I don't know the details of it, but I do know that it will hopefully involve funfetti cake. My favorite.)  I fell in love with this gorgeous sapphire and diamond ring and a little birdie (read: mommy) informed me that it is more than likely going to be mine.

how gorgeous is this? please ignore my un-manicured nails

A few other things I'm looking forward to this month:
*Working- I know it sounds weird to say, but I can honestly say that I love my job and I love working there and I love the ladies and starting today, I got a bit of a promotion. It's something I have been wanting a for a long time and am so excited to finally get it.
*Fourth of July- we will be attending our base's annual Rockin' 4th Celebration and in addition to the fireworks (which I seriously L-O-V-E), I am so looking forward to all of the food from the Booster Clubs (lemonade, funnel cakes, burgers, boiled peanuts, and the list goes on and on). Can you tell I really like to eat?
*The Tao of Martha- as soon as I finish reading my current book on my Kindle, I am going to start this one from one of my favorite authors, Jen Lancaster.
*Shake Shack!- One of my favorite restaurants EVER is opening in London on July 5th. We planned to go there at the end of a month for a short trip, but unfortunately, it looks like our trip will be postponed until August or September. Nonetheless, I am so excited to just be living this close to a shack finally.
*Polar Bears- I love love love polar bears. There is something so sweet and charming about them. Sadly, none of the zoos close to us have polar bears. We are thinking about going to either Nuremberg or Stuttgart the weekend of the 20th to explore the cities and visit their zoos. (Terry is a huge World War II history buff- shockingly enough you can get a lot of that over here in Germany- so it would be cool seeing where the Nuremberg War Trials took place.)

What about you? What are you looking forward to this month?



And just one more thing: