St. Bonifatius Church

One of the things I enjoy most about Germany is the amazing churches and cathedrals they have around almost every corner. While my friend Sarah and I were out yesterday, we stopped by the St. Bonifatius Church downtown and with it being such a gorgeous day I couldn't not take a photograph.

Isn't the church beautiful? The day was unbelievable! It was sunny and warm and the sky was a beautiful blue color. I love days like these in Europe, you can't help but spend most of the afternoon outside.

We are in for a great weather week and I couldn't be happier. It's finally Spring and it's time for Jon and I to get back into hiking. We need new hiking shoes and are planning on purchasing some Friday evening, so we can be prepared for several hikes this weekend. My friend Tara was so awesome to give us several maps which included all of the hiking trails in our area. I can't wait to start exploring more of this city.

Hope you all have a great Tuesday!

The Opel Zoo

Sunday we visited the Opel Zoo in Konigstein, Germany. This zoo was fantastic! We couldn't believe the exhibits; Jon and I were truly impressed. All of the animals had huge areas to live in and to roam around in, which always makes us super happy to see.

Here are our pictures.

Zebras in their beautiful area

Jon and Wildebeest.

The Giraffes exhibit was so nice. Very clean and they have a lot of room to walk around.

A Macaque

Biggest hippo. I've actually never been so close to one in my life. It kind of freaked me out because we stood right by his cage and he was able to come right up to the fence.

Definitely the best picture I captured all day.

These big guys are ornery!

A Wild Boar. We actually were able to touch and pat it. This thing was HUGE and COVERED in mud. After touching it and petting it, I looked over at the big mud pile and thought "oh, mud no big deal." Jon then proceeds to tell me, that is where the boar poos and pees, then he roles around in it! Ya, I just got done patting this thing for like 5 minutes, with no Purell in sight.
No wonder the Germans were looking at me like I was nuts.
"Crazy American."

This little Gibbon was so much fun to watch. He was just jumping around like crazy and swinging from his ropes.

De Brazza's Monkey.
He's got a little beard.
There was a really neat hiking trail through the zoo and of course Jon and I had to check it out.

Little Meerkat standing duty

After walking around the zoo for several hours we grabbed lunch at the zoo's restaurant.
Inside the restaurant.
Ah, Hefeweizen!

The view from the restaurant.

It was a beautiful day!

Dinner and a Day Trip

Friday night Jon and I spent our lovely date night having dinner at Restaurant Mykonos, where they serve amazing Greek food!

I love how small this restaurant is and how it is tucked away blending in with the apartments along the street.

For starters we ordered vine leaves. This consists of cooked rice and other seasonings wrapped in a cooked grape leaf. YummO! I had to capture a picture before they were all gone. They were fantastic.

Since it was our first time at a Greek restaurant (besides the Greek House, the best restaurant ever, in Norman) we decided to stick with our traditional Gyro that we love so much. The yogurt that they serve with the gyro is so delicious! Let's just say there wasn't a drop left on either of our plates.

After we had dinner we decided we might as well order dessert. Ok this is so hard to explain, our server even had a hard time telling us exactly what this is, but I am going to give it a shot....

Ok this is called Halvas. It is ground sesame, mixed with honey and cinnamon, carmalized. And it's delicious!! It has the strangest texture to it, but once you take the first bite you can't stop eating. They also topped it off with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, yum!

Our server was so nice, as he brought our check, he also brought us two shots of Ouzo. Thanks Mr. Server! He told us we needed it because it was a cold night outside. ;)

After dinner we took the short walk back home and found this fun little love seat on the side of the road. I've mentioned this before in our blog, but when the people here are done with their belongings they just put them on the sidewalk for others to take. So I thought I'd pop a squat to see how it felt. It was wet and gross from the earlier rain storm, but it made for a fun pic. And yes, that is a TV set!

Saturday morning we were up bright and early. I attended a baby shower for my friend Georgina who will be having her baby April 20! She's adorable! It was a lot of fun, minus the part where I had to scarf down a whole jar of sweet potato and turkey baby food! GROSS!

After I arrived back home Jon and I loaded up and drove to Mainz, about twenty minutes away from Wiesbaden. Here are pictures from our day trip in Mainz.

It was a beautiful day! The weather was perfect and the sun was shining! We couldn't have asked for a better day.

Sunday Today Jon and I went to a zoo about thirty minutes away from Wiesbaden. After the zoo we visited some castle ruins that were in the same town. Being the picture happy woman I am forgot to turn my camera off while we grabbed lunch and my battery died before we arrived at the castle. Needless to say I was not able to take any pictures of the castle. BUT Jon and I plan on visiting the castle again on Sunday so I'll be able to capture a TON of photos then.

I will post pictures of our zoo trip tomorrow. I'm off to cook dinner and not move from the couch.

Hope you all have a fabulous weekend!

Pizza Night

Last night was definitely a pizza night. You know those nights when you DON'T feel like putting a lot of effort into a recipe, DON'T want to dirty a lot of dishes, and definintely DON'T want to clean up afterward? That was our night. So we decided to make our own pizza.

We bought all of the fixin's: pepperonis, grilled chicken, a package of Kraft four cheeses, marinara sauce, and mushrooms. We also found pizza crust from Pillsbury that was super easy to make and had a recipe on the back. Since Jon doesn't like mushrooms we made half of the pizza with mushrooms and chicken (and a couple pepperonis) and the other with just chicken and pepperoni. We added Italian seasoning, garlic powder and oregano. Then topped it off with tons of cheese!

We baked it for 15 minutes and VOILA....
A cheesy, mushroomy, chickeny and pepperoni masterpiece!

I always have a side of marinara because I just can't get enough.

TO DIE FOR! It was so dang good! There wasn't any left after we got a hold of it.

This was seriously the easiest thing I've ever made! Maybe not even close to most healthy of meals we've made, but is sure hit the spot!

Tonight is DATE NIGHT! Woohoo. Jon and I have not been on a date since I can remember.
Wait, yes I do remember, that was the night that I walked into the men's bathroom and it took me several minutes to realize I was actually in the men's bathroom. Hopefully I won't make that same mistake tonight.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Let's hope it doesn't fly by like last weekend ;)

Spring in Germany

Today is the 4th day of spring in Germany and look at the lovely weather we are having!

Aw well, it's really not that bad. I actually enjoy snow, I think it's really pretty. But I do not enjoy the cold temperatures, nor do I enjoy driving when it's snowy. I am sure it won't stick for long, since we have had several days in the 40's/50's.

It's so strange how we had some sun and I captured a picture of a rainbow that I posted about yesterday, and now it is snowing. I feel like I am back in Oklahoma where the weather changes at the drop of a hat. Kind of feels like home ;)

I was tagged by Anniebannanie at This Momma's Musings! This was so funny and I enjoyed doing it! Thanks Anniebannabie! I had to go into Google and type "my name" and then the word "needs" into Google search engine. Then list the first ten responses that make sense.

So here's what "Steph needs...."

1. Steph needs some help.
(So true if someone wants to come help me do my dishes and laundry, well actually all my housework, that would be a BIG help.)

2. Steph needs someone to control her.
(Because you know how wild and crazy I get..... not)

3. Steph needs to go to the bathroom real bahhd.
(that's just gross, why would someone put that on Google.)

4. Steph needs a prince.
(Already found mine!!)

5. Steph needs another new start.
(No, thank you, I just had a brand new start about 7 months ago. I think one brand new start is all I can take for at least another three years.)

6. Steph needs a makeover to get Eric back.
(Who's Eric?)

7. Steph needs hug
(I sure do)

8. Steph needs a new pair of pajamas.
(Who doesn't need new pajamas? My pajamas usually consist of Jon's boxer shorts and a tank top.)

9. Steph needs to buy us all tivo's.
(If I could I would.)

10. Steph needs rhinoplasty surgery.
(Ugh, now that hurts. I didn't think my nose was that bad.)

I'm tagging....

Jenny Lee
Christy at Confessions of an Impulsive Addict
Allison at The Displaced Texan
JLC at French Kiss
Kebi at Hanging by a Thread
Erica at just a girlfriend is just fine with me
d.a.r. at Just Another Day in Paradise
Lindsey at Learning to be a Wife
Shannon at More Wine Please
Melissa at New Girl On Post
Mrs. Guru at Off the Beaten Path
Abbie at Satisfy My Soul
Chase at Taiwan Drift
And last but definitely not least Young Traveler!

Enjoy......I think it will be funny to see what everyone comes up with!

It's Wednesday, two days until Friday!
Have a great one!

I Guess I Have a Green Thumb

I realized after I had planted several things that I did not label each planter correctly. Due to this, I have no idea what herb is in what container! Way to go Steph. So today I went to the base, bought three tan pots, painted them different colors and labeled them in big letter so I know exactly what I've planted. Good idea....... I think so. As for my other planters, I will just have to wait until my herbs/vegetables are fully grown to know what I will be eating ;)

My new pots
I planted hot peppers and two different types of lettuce today.

It's like Gardening 101 up in here!

Isn't it so weird when it's sunny and raining at the same time? I experienced this today and was lucky enough to capture a rainbow. It's super hard to see but if you look closely it's there. It was there only for a short while, I'm so glad I got to see it.

Happy Tuesday!