Love And Hope Thursday- Pass It On

Sharing A Smile

Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.~Mother Teresa

(Me, 2006)

Travel Tuesday- Audi In The Alps

Driving In The Bavarian Alps

There is nothing better than going on a scenic drive in the twisty mountains of the Bavarian Alps, in an Audi. It was GREAT!! I don’t have the time to share all the details about the drive, but it was stunning and so peaceful compared to driving in Italy.

The top picture is just before we left that morning for our adventure of exploring on our own. And, the bottom is Jayce helping load up the vehicle. The Audi was incredible. It’s going to be a tough decision for me when I have to decide on a new vehicle. It’s a tossup between the Mercedes Benz and the Audi…. (I’ll keep you posted).

Continuing on… I’ll be blogging about our northern Italy road trip even further within the next few weeks. I just have to get through this crunch of school and then I can dedicate more time and details to future posting.

Here is a quick picture to preview our trip to the Neuschwanstein Castle, which was the inspiration for the Disney castle. I will share more details about this trip later as well…

Monday Memories

For Laughs

(Gregg, Troy, BJ, and Mike)

Start It Out Right Sunday

Sweet and Simple

I intend to Start It Out Right by laughing and enjoying each moment with my family to the fullest!

How do you participate in Start It Out Right Sunday's? Please email The4Crow's, you'll be added as a reader then just play along.

Trust, Gratitude, Inspiration, Friday

Life Changes

Everyone goes through transitions in their life. I spoke earlier in this post on reflection and faith about fulfilling my purpose in life. I feel it’s important to reinvent ourselves and bring change. Everyone is capable of changing their life and their circumstances; it just takes courage and commitment to move forward. I have a friend, Lisa, that I met early on when I started back to college and we have a motto, “keep moving forward”. This motto has inspired us to keep going even during the tough moments as they are now…


But, we are almost over the mountain, the end is drawing closer and closer, and graduation is in sight!
I trust in God that I will fulfill this goal. I am thankful that God has provided me the strength to balance my life and still be a wife, mother, friend, and a kind descent person to others during all my recent life changes, such as moving to Italy, having our beautiful daughter, raising a teenager (my son) and returning to college.

My faith in God, support from family and friends, has made this journey all the more worth it! Soon enough we will be embarking on new careers, new home (back in the USA), new schools, and even more challenges.

I joke and say that I am CEO of the Keller household, but I know wholeheartedly that God will provide my husband with wisdom, strength, courage, and love to lead and protect our family as he always does.

I am looking forward to our “life changes” and all that God has in store for us!

Love And Hope Thursday

Yellow Rose of Texas

(You're the one I'm dreaming of)

The Cutest Fist Bump Ever!

Today, after school, I finally captured Lana on video giving her bro' the fist bump (pounds or knuckles), AKA some LUV and RESPECT! *smiles*

Travel Tuesday-Garmisch, Germany

Leisurely Stroll and Shopping

The weather varies one day to the next, (or even one hour to the next) in Germany during the summer months. This particular morning it was cool and raining, but that did not stop us from going on a walk through the town of Garmisch, as well as shopping. Along the way, we took random pictures of the town and each other.

The town was very quaint and not crowded with tourist by any means.

Most of the homes and some of the buildings had beautiful murals displayed on them.

We are goofy!

We stopped in this candy store to buy some chocolate (as we always do at each place we visit) and we had a nice chat with the lady who owned the store. She was very kind and generous. And yes, the chocolates tasted delectable!

Gelato anyone?

Lana was sleeping and the boys are resting from all the shopping! Oh, We bought the greatest rucksack made by Jack Wolfskin for BJ.. If you are an outdoor type person, then definitely check out their products.

Later, it became warmer and we went to dinner…..

Night, Night, All!

Sorry the video is a bit dark, but I just got Lana ready for bed, and before I decided to take her upstairs, I recorded this short video. Alas, the lights were turned down and I did not realize it!! I know I am biased, but she is the sweetest girl ever!!

My Best Shot Monday

( Lana, Rome Colosseum, September 2009)

Monday Memories

(April, 2007)

Troy, Erin, Delana, and BJ
Kim, Bill, Tatum, Teresa, and Jayce

Fashion Friday - Rome Shopping District

La Dolce Vita!

(The Sweet Life)

Rome’s shopping district does not compare to Milan or New York, but luxury goods can be found near the Piazza di Spanga on Via dei Condotti Street. Below are a few pictures that we took while site-seeing and walking to Vatican City. Though, I did stop in Prada to check out the new wallets. Very nice!

Louis Vuitton (above)

A handbag from Hermes is definitely on my wish list! *hint, hint, BJ*

Fendi

Love And Hope Thursday

A Brother's Love

Jayce was very excited when Lana was born, so excited in fact, he was the first to hold her! He adores his little sister!

( March 2008)

Travel Tuesday- Road Trip

On The Go!

We recently went on a road trip to the Tuscany region of Italy. Wonderful! Wonderful! Wonderful! We really had a great time exploring Italy. More importantly, the food was amazingly delicious and we had many, many laughs. We did not encounter any delays in traffic or any problems what so ever; It was basically simple and super fun!!

Just before we left home for the long drive ahead...

Here we are getting on the Ferry to get to the mainland of Italy.

Here is a picture of the Ferry. It was not a long boat ride (maybe 45 minutes total)

Here we are checking the inside out. There was a small bar inside to get drinks and snacks.


Ocean view, beautiful!

My Best Shot Monday

(Jayce, Rome, September 2009)

Monday Memories

For The Love Of Reading

Jayce has always been an avid reader. When he was younger he would set up his tent in his bedroom, make room for Smokey, and spend his time quietly reading.

Start It Out Right Sunday

My old college roommate has created the blog post, Start It Out Right Sunday, so I thought I would join in. I like this concept because it allows me time to focus and collect my thoughts for the upcoming week. I am so thankful for all the blessings in my life. Sometimes everything seems too good and I want to ask my husband to pinch me to make sure I’m not dreaming. I enjoy the simplicity of life. I like things clean and organized as well as routine. Yet, I love to be spontaneous at times.

So, how can I start it out right this week? Well, I am in my last leg of observations at the school before I begin my thesis and I need to get at least 2-3 observations completed a week, which means I will be more than over tasked and it is going to take more of an effort on my part to keep things simple, organized, and routine for the rest of the family. I am going to keep myself focused and unstressed (laugh often) and remind myself everyday that in the very near future, I will be graduating!! It’s not always easy balancing college with my responsibilities as CEO of the Keller household. I feel I have managed it gracefully thus far and I pray that I can continue on for a few more months!! I cannot forget to embrace moments of spontaneity.

How do you participate in Start It Out Right Sunday's? Please email The4Crow's, you'll be added as a reader then just play along.

Lana Lookin' So Cute!

We arrived home yesterday from our road trip around Italy!! It was super great and I can’t wait to share the pictures… Until then, I thought I would post these photos’ I took of Lana in August. She is wearing her cute little tennis skirt and top along with some crocs. I love her hair in the pig-tails too! Girls are so much fun!

I see you!!

Lana is excited about seeing our cat (Smokey) lying in the chair. She is wanting to give her a kiss!

I guess one juice cup is not enough!

Travel Tuesday

Olympic Ski Stadium: Partenkirchen, Germany

The resort in Germany offered many things to do such as, swimming, rafting, day-tours, hiking, and biking to name a few. This particular day we went on a bike ride around the town and visited some sites including the Olympic Ski Stadium where they perform the ski jumps. It was a neat place to see and walk around, but considering it was an OLYMPIC stadium I expected a whole lot more in terms of upkeep, quality, etc.

This is the outside of the stadium. People travel from all around the globe to watch the ski jumpers.

The stadium seemed very small and I would have preferred for it to have more upkeep, but I must say, it was incredible to stand there and look around and absorb all the traditions and historical events that have taken place in the stadium. We got to walk all around the stadium and just feel the immense power of the great athletes as well as all the people that united to watch the Olympics.

Amazing view, huh? In the distance is one of highest mountains in Germany, the Zugspitze.


The stadium held its first events in 1936, and is still active today in the same manner.

The architectural structures are absolutely mind-boggling. It’s hard to wrap around the fact that in 1936 Adolf Hitler was sitting in the stadium and watching the Winter Games. And, we were lucky enough to have seen the stadium first hand, exactly as it was in 1936. INCREDIBLE!

Afterwards, the storms clouds started rolling in so we went ahead and put on our rain coats so that we could finish our bike ride through town and back to the resort.

Right after this picture was taken, by me of course, it started pouring down rain and it was the best bike ride ever!! It’s very invigorating riding a bicycle in a heavy shower and enthralling the scenic atmosphere of lush green trees and mountains galore!! By the way, don't they look cute in their matching red raincoats?