Tchuss to Germany

Saying good-bye is never easy! These are just a few of the occasions (the ones I have pics of) that we enjoyed celebrating great memories and friendships before leaving Germany.

My sweet kiddos threw a going away dinner for me.

All smiles here...but by the end of the night they had me near tears. I sure hated leaving them before the end of the school year!

I stopped by Antik La Flair one last time for coffee with Susanne. Jason knew this pit stop wouldn't cost him b/c all our stuff was long gone on a plane, and nothing in the store would fit in my suitcase. Susanne and Pierre are top notch! They not only sold me some great antique pieces, but they became great friends too.

This right here is what you call trouble times two (notice the same shirt- just different colors)! We went out with Richie for one last schnitzel in Bann. Richie is one of Jason's best buddies. If the Air Force would let these 2 run things...it'd be one well oiled machine!

It was only fitting that our last dinner in Germany be at Il Capricio's, our favorite restaurant in K-town! Obviously the food was good, cause there's none left on the table!

The boys: Richie, Jason, Zac, and Mike

The girls: Lisa, Aspen, and Amy

Il Capricio is family run. Berbel (mom) and Rafello (son) are pictured with us. They always made us feel like part of the family when we came to Il Capricio's. We won't just miss the food...we'll miss their smiles and kisses as well.

On the morning we flew out I had breakfast with Ollie and Lisa. (Lisa...why didn't we get a pic of the 2 of us???) We didn't say good-bye...just see you later. A 12 hour plane ride doesn't get rid of me so easily after all. :)

Heather and Kelly drove us to the airport...which made the ride to the airport so much easier and fun (Jason was so outnumbered!). About the time this picture was taken, I was second guessing the whole "Japan" thing. So, I considered jumping back in the car and going back to Ramstein, but I did manage to make it on the plane with my hunny...what good would it be to stay in Germany without him?

We made so many great friends (as you can see above) in Germany and made some great memories (as the rest of the blog attests to). But after 6 1/2 years the air force determined it was time to move on. So, it was our turn to say "Tchuss to Germany."

It is better to have loved and lost

Dixie waltzed through my door in Valdosta back in 2000, and in no time at all she stole my heart. Not only was she a beauty, she also had quite the personality! Dixie had the best qualities of both lab and retriever. She was happy and playful...and the birds and squirrels were always wary of her (yes, she did catch a few). Also, she was loyal, genuine, and easy going. Dixie was one of a kind.

Unfortunately it seems that we never have enough time with the ones we love. Dixie died 2 weeks ago. She was happy and playful on Thursday, March 5th, but on Friday, March 6th she was very sick. We rushed her to the vet, and they did everything they could.

But instead of focusing on how lost we are without her, we decided to pay tribute to what she brought to our lives.

Almost no one could refuse Dixie, but as you can see NO ONE adored her like we did either.

You'd have thought that Jason put a ring on my finger AND Dixie's b/c she understood right from the start that the three of us were a family. She was "Daddy's little helper" and "Mama's girl." Most importantly, she expected us to understand that SHE was the hub of our family wheel. If Jason ever kissed me before petting her...he heard about it!

Jason and I didn't exchange gifts this Christmas. But we couldn't let Dixie go without. She got this new bed monogrammed with her name (yes, she was spoiled).

Dixie was a true Georgia Dawg. While Jason snoozed, Dixie stayed up with me to cheer on UGA (that's Mark Richt on the TV behind Dixie).
And I don't think it's possible for a dog to love toys more than Dixie did. She had an entire basket full of toys. She especially loved the ones that made interesting noises...like her duck that quacked. She often took her toys night-night too.

She may have started out as my dog. But it didn't take her long to wrap Jason around her paw too. He talked to her constantly, and although he has never serenaded me...he constantly sang to Dixie. I always loved the way she would lay her paw on your arm when you petted her. It was like she was returning the love.

She loved blankets and was masterful at stealing them from you.

My point exactly! Thankfully this particular time, she stole the blanket from Jason.

She was never allowed on the bed when I had just a double bed b/c she wasn't good at sharing! But now we have a king size bed. Dixie realized that after Jason left for work at o-dark thirty every morning, she could hop up in the bed and snuggle with me for another hour or two.

Dixie always loved being on the couch. The problem was that she sheded horribly...and my couches have always been dark colors. In Valdosta my vet gave me a spray to put on the couch b/c it had a scent that dogs couldn't stand. Well, that would have worked if Dixie had known she was actually a dog! So of course she wasn't allowed on the couch when we were home. She just never understood that meant she wasn't allowed on it when we weren't home too. So, as tacky as it is...we always had to cover the couches when we weren't home. On this particular day, she thought I had left for work and was already nice and cozy on the couch. She was SO busted! (You can tell how much it bothered her.)

Dixie was always great with kids. Many people are nervous about dogs and babies. Well, since Dixie considered herself human, that wasn't a problem. She never once was anything but completely gentle. Above is Dixie and Christian.

Dixie sometimes provided extra seating when necessary. Reagan LOVED Dixie...and Dixie loved Reagan right back!

Dixie checked out Courtney (who was only weeks old). I'm not sure if she was more interested in Courtney, or if she just wanted to get some attention too...probably both.

Dixie was never a big eater. I never portioned her food b/c she never over ate, and she was always within the right weight range for her size. This last year she became very intrigued with the tub we stored her food in. Every time Jason would refill the tub she would sneak over and start eating out of it. I guess it tasted better since she got it straight from the container.Santa came to see her too. She LOVED a good bone (retriever roll). Not only were they good to chew on, but she liked to play with them too. She would often throw them around and pounce on them. She also loved to torment Jason by trying to take them outside. She knew he would never let her, but it must have been fun to try.

Dixie was such a trooper. When she had an infection on her leg, she had to wear this hood. It was so pitiful. But like anything else, she made it work...and was as upbeat as ever. I did manage to get quite a few bruises from that hood though (she didn't "drive" it well). Dixie was always by our side, literally. If one of us left the room, she followed. Here she patiently waited while we were doing something upstairs. Dixie gave nothing less than complete unconditional love. This is a picture of a happy family.

Even after 2 weeks, Jason and I both still look for Dixie. It seems unreal that she isn't here. We miss her more than most people understand and more than words can express. But we are so very thankful that she didn't endure a long illness and that she didn't suffer.

Our hearts haven't even begun to mend yet, but we are sure of one thing... we are so much better off having loved and been loved by Dixie, even if we have to go through the heartbreak of loosing her.

Carnavale in Venice

Although we have been to Venice before, we decided to make one last trek there for CARNAVALE! It was completely worth the trip! Carnavale lived up to all the hype. I took a gazillion picture (not an exaggeration). These are just some of the many pictures. To start with, below you can see us in St. Mark's Square.

Us outside of the Doge's Palace

Us inside the palace We weren't allowed to take pictures inside the Doge's Palace, but I put this picture of the entrance way on the blog...just imagine, if this is what the entrance is like, the palace was that much more beautiful.

Below is the "Bridge of Sighs." Once someone was convicted of a crime, he/she had to pass through this bridge which led them out of the palace (where the hearings were held) to the prison. It's titled the Bridge of Sighs because it's said that the criminal would take one last look of freedom and sigh in regret.

This window gave a convicted criminal one last look at freedom.

This is the view from the window in the Bridge of Sighs...a great last look at freedom.Us along the Grand Canal

Us with the clock tower

Venice boasts of having the first digital clock in the world (seen below).

The Realto Bridge

Along the many beautiful canals of Venice

The smaller canals are the most beautiful.

Can you imagine your front door opening to the water?

Jason is showing off his ice cream. Italy has the BEST ice cream (gelato) in the world. It's so creamy.

Can you believe that we weren't the only ones with the idea of spending Presidents' Day weekend in Venice? Crowded doesn't even accurately describe the amount of people on this small island!

Jason doesn't usually like crowds, but he was quite the trooper through the masses.

Of course, it's the costumes that everyone is here to see this particular weekend. The costumes run the gamut. Some are beautiful, others outrageous, and others questionable. Here are some of my favorites (from all the categories).

Some people in costumes are "professionals," and they know how to stage themselves in order to create a beautiful picture.

And some are just fun

The guy above made my day. I LOVE taking pictures, and I have gotten pretty good at it. But during Carnavale the real professionals come out (my nice big camera was put to shame). The "professional costumers" pass out business cards to the professional photographers. This guy was liking the pictures I was taking of him so much that he gave ME his card. He didn't know it was my birthday...but he certainly gave me a great present!

Even the dogs dress up!

I guess wearing a costume all day can get tiring.

These people in costumes look awfully sad...not at all what we were feeling during our last trip to Venice! I can't imagine living here for six years and never having gone to Carnavale. It was a trip of a lifetime!