Some favorite memories

So, I am supposed to share some of my favorite memories from my photo album and then tag a few people to do the same. It's actually kind of fun! So here goes:

This is my sister-n-law Rachel and I back when we used to run together. I miss these days so much! We ran just about every other day and then would run a race once a month. Brad was deployed at the time and she really helped me pass the time with running. By the way, she looks nothing like this picture anymore! She is a skinny-mini!

This of course is the first time I held Miles. What an emotional moment! After all that pushing I had forgotten a baby came out! Then they handed him to me. He was so perfect! :)

This is the first time Brad held Miles. He was sent home a few weeks early from Iraq and immediately hopped on a plane to Memphis. We picked him up and here he is meeting his son for the first time! Miles was a little over 2 months old.

Michigan is my all-time favorite place in the world! This is my parents lake house and we've been going here every year since I was a baby. Now Brad and Miles have joined in on this Baker tradition. It is the most peaceful place you could imagine. This is taken from the outlet. I am so excited for this summer!

Ok Ok , I know. We just got back from this place, but if you ever get a chance to go see the Pyramids, GO! It was just the most amazing site ever! Man fears time, but time fears the pyramids!

So, let's get this tagging part overwith. I just picked the first 3 on my blog list and it's:

Rachel Baker

Brittany Blake

Becki Grandstaff

All kinds of anniversaries!

Wow! Can't believe I've been blogging for a whole year now. Have I bored you guys to death yet with my silly jokes and boring blogs? I just read my first blog and I can't believe how far we've come. Here's a little trip down memory lane.  First Blog

Speaking of anniversaries, tomorrow is Brad and I's 4th wedding anniversary! Just think, next year we will upgrade to a "sapphire." I am looking forward to being married 30+ years like my parents or 60+ years like both sets of my grandparents. What great examples they have been to us! After only being married a short 4 years, I have a newfound respect for these couples and their love for God that brought them this far.

Divorce is too common and too easy these days and it saddens me. I am so thankful to have a husband who is committed to go all the way with me. 

Playroom

Brad and I finally turned our spare bedroom into a playroom for Miles. I had joined a friends playgroup where the house rotates every week. Next week is my turn so I had to get the ball rolling because there was no way 10 kids could fit into Miles little corner of the house.

Thanks to a couple trips to IKEA I think it turned out pretty successful. Thank goodness for IKEA! 

Here is Miles new playroom!

On a side note, I have had to find entertainment for Miles every night I cook. He is at that stage where he just hangs on my legs and I can't move! So every night I give him his own pot and spatula. Maybe he will be a fine chef one day?

School

Guess what? Both Brad and I are officially students at Liberty University again! We had been discussing this since we were married and it only took 4 years and a transatlantic move to get the ball rolling. We were the classical meet halfway through college, fall in love, so distracted I can't think, drop out case.
We both only have about 2 more years to go until we get our bachelors, although at the pace we are starting out at it may take longer! I know I am excited now but I can guarantee this will wear off shortly!

Brad's school right now is free (thank you Marine Corps) but mine is at $750 a class! Whew! Anyone have any secrets on grants other than Fasfa? My scholarship from LCA doesn't apply to the online courses! We are torn because we are aware there are cheaper, non-private schools but I have a lot of Bible classes that won't transfer, not to mention I don't want to deal with the transfers while in Germany. I'll stop rambling but if any of you are knowledgeable on this subject, please e-mail!

We're home!

We're back home now and it's back to everything German. We had so much fun on this trip! Thanks for all the comments and keeping up with our travels. Here are some more pictures from the trip. It was hard trying to pick 24 pictures when you have hundreds to choose from. 

They are in order from Rome, Athens, Ephesus, Cairo, and Malta.

Hope you guys enjoy!

Malta

Hello from Malta, our last stop.

This island is so beautiful. The cities are distinctly Mediterranean and I can't wait to show you all the pictures when we get back. If you are anything like me then you had no idea Malta even existed. It is this small island off the Sicily coast and recently became part of the European Union. They drive on the opposite side of the road and speak the unique language of Maltese. The island consists mainly of farms and fishing villages. We were driving around and had to stop for cows and sheep!

This place reminds me so much of Pentwater, MI (my family's annual vacation spot). Even though it's European it has that small town feeling and you can't go far without running into a marina. We love it here! It was a great way to end a fantastic cruise.

We are heading back to Spain tomorrow and will fly home to Germany on Sunday. It's been fun! Brad and I have crossed 3 places off our "bucket list" and have many more to go.

Thanks for reading about our journey!

Brad, Miles and I standing in front of one of Malta's many marinas.

Egypt

Greetings from Egypt!

We arrived at the port city of Alexandria and had to be ready to go this morning at death-o-clock. It was a 3 hours drive to Cairo and a 3 hour drive back. Yuck!
We finally arrived, and oh my gosh the pyramids were amazing! I know I've been using that word like crazy on this trip, but everything has been just that, amazing!

We were advised not to go in because it's extremely claustrophobic, less oxygen, pitch black, things like that. Not sure how that would have worked with a baby anyway! We learned so much about Egyptians history. They believe in a lot of magical things, worshipped cats, actually worshiped hundreds of different Gods, all kinds of things.

We also visited the Sphinx, the museum of Egyptian history, and a papyrus institute (where they make paper from reeds). The museum was awesome because it contained all the things taken from the pyramids so we were staring at the originals right there. I learned a lot about King Tut!

When we were outside the museum we heard the Muslim prayer go off. There is mosques on every block like there are Starbucks in the States. Their religion requires them to stop what they are doing and pray 5 times a day. It sounded like a chanting/singing voice. Kind of weird actually... Brad said he heard that all the time in Iraq.

Some things that I could have gone without was the horrible B.O. some man had on our bus. I mean, it smelled like he was sprayed by a B.O. skunk and we all had no choice but to breath B.O. air. Nasty.

The hagglers in Cairo, well, in all Egypt really are way too much for me. They are super aggressive and it's scary They get in your face, forcefully put things in your hand and follow you around. They do not leave you alone. There was one guy who sat on his camel and knocked on my bus window until our bus finally left! 
I was flabbergasted when Brad couldn't take this one particular guy anymore and just started to talking to him Arabic! He was actually carrying on a conversation with this guy! I guess that's what many tours in Iraq does to you. I was impressed.

I will write more about Egypt at home. We are here another day and plan on visiting the city our boat is docked at, Alexandria. Hopefully the hagglers will take it easy on us!


Brad, Miles and I in front of the Sphinx (foreground) and Cheops, the Great Pyramid (background).