We're back from our 20th Anniversary Trip.
What an amazing, whirlwind!
Can I just tell you once again how wonderful my hubby is? Travel planner extraordinaire. Literally the only thing I did for this trip was pack (albeit adhering to his strict requirement that I may only take a carry on...and let's not forget about organizing our home and a business and leaning on the village it required to care for our 3 kids while we were away) but as far as the trip itself, he thoughtfully and carefully planned every detail to pack as much in as possible. I've learned to expect the unexpected in both good and some not so good ways when we travel together.
So very thankful for this time away with him and for all the things we were able to see and experience together. So.many.things. I won't be the obnoxious person who shares every single detail of their vacation, and honestly there is just too much to recap.
Long story short, we flew to Holland and spent 4 nights going to museums, the Anne Frank house (very emotional and am now reading her Diary again), tulip farms, windmill villages, and experiencing the phenomenon of Kings Day in Amsterdam (google it). Then took the train to Germany and spent 3 days sightseeing along the Middle Rhine (also google).
We utilized every single mode of transportation...planes, trains, subways, trams, rental car, ferry boat, river cruise boat, canal boat, and miles and miles of walking. The only thing we weren't brave enough to do was get on a bicycle in Amsterdam. You don't mess around on a bike in Amsterdam. It's fast and furious and serious riding through the crowded streets full of abrupt turns and merging and bike lanes vs. car lanes vs. pedestrian lanes. I was almost run over by a bike several times until I figured it all out. No thank you...we stayed on our feet there most of the time.
Here's a really quick photo dump of a few highlights...
Tulips in Keukenhof Botanical Gardens...
This phenomenon of millions of blooming tulips (so many varieties!) only lasts for 8 weeks every year. We happened to be there during the peak blooms. I can't even describe how pretty it was.
Selfies in Historic Bacharach, Germany.
I had no idea the amount of history we were going to experience in the Middle Rhine. I knew we would see castles but the magnitude of history dating back to the Roman Empire in this area is incredible. I loved learning about it.
We walked on top of this wall in Oberwesel Germany which dated back prior to 1200AD and there are remnants of 16 of the original 25 towers that were strategically built along the walled fortress of the castle.
You can see additional parts of the wall behind us in this pic. We were in Oberwesel on our last night for their Annual Wine Witch Festival where the town celebrates the naming of the new wine witch (don't worry she's a good witch) who's job it is to be an ambassador for the wines in the region for the following year. No idea why they call her a witch, because in all the other little cities they elect a Wine Queen, but for some reason in Oberwesel, its the Wine Witch. Again, another random thing we just happened to be in town for and got to experience. Not something we sought out or planned our trip around. We met some really kind and fun Germans there that we spent the evening with.
Along with all the great and unexpected things we did, we also had some heartbreak.
My Uncle Dennis passed away while we were gone. He'd been battling cancer for about 18 months. I'm actually not home yet and am writing this from my parent's house. We arrived back to St. Louis on Sunday. I sent Jeremy home on Mo X to relieve his parents who had been with our kids most of the week after my parents had to leave our house earlier than planned due to my Uncle's rapid decline. I hopped in our car that had been parked at the St. Louis airport and drove the rest of the way to Louisville to be with family for the Funeral which was earlier today. So as you're reading this...I'll be driving home on Tuesday.
I can't wait to see my kids!
MOTHER'S DAY ROUND-UP
A quick reminder of some Mother's Day gifts available this week for pickup anytime May 3rd - May 7th for your mommas.
Cookies...
Grab a Boxed set of M-O-M Cookies for $21.99 or one large MOM Cookie for $9.99. Laurel from Kiss Me Cookies bakes and decorates these right in our Plume Bake Shoppe.
Flowers...
Click on the Links below for more details and to PRE-ORDER.
And lots of Jewelry, TShirts, Mugs, Candles and so many other sweet gifts!
2022 Graduation Cupcake PRE-ORDERS! (these are pics from 2021, but we have 2022 decorations!)
We're ready to help with all your gifting needs...including FREE GIFT WRAPPING with any purchase.
