~Flying High For The Fourth Of July~

~It wouldn't be a traditional July 4th without some good friends, food, and tent camping! Since we are not in America, we had to search to find a place that would be letting off fireworks on the 4th. We went 3 hours south to the Army base which is on the German/Austrian border and is surrounded by the beautiful Alps. When I look at this picture it makes me laugh... it reminds me of "tent city" in Portland. We had tarps covering every inch, because as far as I know, it wouldn't be a great camping experience without lots of rain. The firework show was amazing and it felt like it was right on top of us. God Bless America (& Germany)~

~This was the view from our campsite. We did get a couple of days with good weather, and the sunsets were spectacular~

~This is Kade and his new best friend Dakotah - a.k.a. "Yoda" ~ It was so cute to see Kade walking this dog all around the camp grounds. It made my heart melt to see how much love he had for this little hair ball. One day we will definitely have to get our boys a fluffy friend of their own~

~This is our group! We just got off of a train that climbed straight up the mountain and dropped us off at the top. To get to the very, very top we had to take a tram the rest of the way. The kids loved the adventure~

~We made it and we were able to get everyone to hold still long enough for a group shot. It was very cold up here, but the views were outstanding~

~I was screaming at Steve the entire time he was climbing up to this pole. He wanted to be able to say that he reached the very highest point in Germany. This is the very tip top of the Zugspitz peak. He skied here with his dad in January, but he obviously couldn't climb up to this peak in the winter. I was so incredibly scared for him.... mostly because everyone else around him had harnesses on and were roped in. Ughhhh! That is my billy goat husband~

~The highlight of our weekend was our Paragliding adventure. Steve just rode the tram up and was getting ready to fly like an eagle from the top of the alps~

~The scariest part was when the guide counted down and then told you to run as fast as you could off the side of the mountain~

~Up, up and away! It was such a beautiful day and the views were breathtaking! The guide was so friendly and they took all of the stress out and let us just sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride~

~The best was when they ask if you like roller coasters and then send you in a spiral! It definitely got your stomach jumping a little~

~Steve was able to get his entire ride on film, and it is so much fun to get to see it through his eyes. The smile says it all!~

~After watching Steve I could not wait for my turn to go Paragliding. We had to wait for the perfect wind so that we could take off. I ran as fast as I could, and then within seconds we were off and sailing through the sky~

~I wanted to stay up there for hours. It was the most peaceful experience. Not scary at all, just refreshing and fun. I now know what it feels like to be a bird. I will definitely do this again~

~We made a bumpy landing, and I just had to laugh. There is absolutely nothing graceful about me, and that apparently carries on to paragliding as well. I wanted to go again and was so sad that I wouldn't be able to do this again until next year. What a memory I made paragliding from the tops of the German alps~

~Cole & Kade were so cute while we were coming down. They were running through the fields and waving at us. It was so fun to be able to look down and see the smiles on my boy's faces. They were proud of their mom & dad. They wanted to go too - there were other 4 year olds going... maybe next year?~

~We had a great 4th of July weekend. We ate lots of treats, and the boys played so hard that they slept in later than everyone in their tents. We also had the chance to ride the local alpine slide a bunch of times. It was hysterical how tight Kade was holding on to my legs. He was giggling the whole way down! Steve had Cole and I had Kade - we raced our hearts out and we both didn't use the breaks the whole way down the winding slide. It was awesome! We were sad to have to pack up all of our stuff, but it was time to make our way home. This was what we saw as we were on our drive home. It is so beautiful here~

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Next Adventures:

Steve is currently in the states at a Dental Conference in Orlando, Fl. He was one of 3 chosen from Europe to get to go and represent the Army. I am a proud wife, so I will take this chance to brag about my man. He will make a pit stop in Georgia for 4 days to see his Mom and sister Sarah & her family. Sarah just gave birth last week to a beautiful baby girl. Yes, I am so jealous to not be with him. I have to try and stay busy so I don't go crazy.

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My mom & dad will be coming to Europe, and we will have them for 3 weeks. Our first week will be at a villa in Tuscany, Italy. We will then explore some areas of Germany that my dad served at during the war, and then we will be leaving the boys with our friends while we take my parents to Barcelona, Spain. We have some great things to look forward to.