If I had the chance... Waverly Hills Sanatorium

If I had the chance I would love the opportunity to do an overnight tour of the Waverly Hills Sanatorium.

Background info/ facts:

* Waverly Hills was a Tuberculosis hospital.

* It is rumored the death toll was in the tens of thousands

* The rate of death was so high that a tunnel originally created for supplies was converted into what is known today as the body chute, a underground tunnel for fast removal of bodies

* Location behind the horror film "Death Tunnel"

* Twice featured on Ghost Hunters

* Considered the most haunted building in America

* A ghost known as Timmy a small boy is reported to dart across the halls and move balls, both caught on video

Why it interests me:

I have always been fascinated with paranormal activity. Now I am not one to say it does or does not exist or to argue the validity of either sides, all I know is it scares the heck out of me, and I love being scared. I first found out about the place after watching the movie Death Tunnel. Now this was not the best movie, actually it was plain junk, but it sparked my interest about the historical building. I later saw the building featured in Ghost hunters. After a bit of googling I found out that they not only offer tours of the place you can spend a hundred buck and stay the night. I thought this was the greatest, until I saw you are alone in the building... dun dun dun. Now the place terrifies me it truly does, but it fascinates me so much. Given the chance I would stay the night in a heartbeat. I would just prefer to have a tour guide stay with me * )

Maybe it is the fact that so much has happened there, so many people have seen strange things, that it makes the unimaginable actually conceivable. I think regardless of wether the place is haunted or not (shhh I think it is) I would love the chance to go inside and see it. TO see the old hospital rooms. I love comparing original photos to what things look like today. 

Remember that old show on MTC where they put normal people in supposedly haunted places and watched them get the crap scared out of them. Oh it was so great. I wish they would bring that back. 

For more info visit:

The Official Waverly Hills site

Wikipedia Page 

So if you had the chance, to go any one place, or do any one thing what would it be?

For more information or to participate in if I had the chance please read here

If I had the chance.....

For a while I have played around with the idea of creating my own blog activity, and after toying around with different ideas I have finally found it. We will call this "If I had a chance".

Concept: Think of the things you would if given the opportunity jump at the chance to do. Something you find interesting for example my first post will be regarding the Waverly Hills Sanatarium, which conducts overnight visits (post to come later) Do a bit of research, and post about what you found and why you want to do it.

I have not yet created a graphic for this, but I will in the near future, and once I have you are more than welcome to use it. 

Rules:

1. Find a place or activity you want to do. Be specific and include links. Something you find interesting. But not broad. No I want to go to Paris, or Africa. You are really free to choose what interests you here, I only ask that is be a specific tangible place other people could research if interested.  

2. Create a blog post talking about what it is you would do if given the chance. Post relevant links, or photos, and even background info or facts, and most important why it is of interest to you. 

3. A new post will come out every Thursday, but you are welcome to participate any day of the week.

4. Use the blog title "If I had the chance" plus you info. Example If I had that chance I would stay overnight in the Waverly Hills Sanitarium. 

5. Please include a link back to this blog. Feel free to post your blog link in the comments or mrlinky.

6. And last but not least lets keep this clean. I am very open to various ideas and interests, but nothing adult  or explicit in nature. 

Feel free to contact me with any questions at Lostintranslation_08@yahoo.com

Twilight Barbie Dolls

Many of you know I am a big fan of the Twilight series. I do realize it is not for everyones taste, but I enjoyed it. 

So any who I was rather excited when I came across this site . Apparently Mattel with be making Edward and Bella barbie dolls.

Now I have collected Barbies for years. But in my older age I have sought more unique styles, be it vintage, special edition, or just all around fun unique ones (think barbies of the world, or movie designs)

So I am rather excited. I know I am a nerd. But it makes me happy. 

On a side note to my family readers: I do not recommend the Twilight series for young teens. While I realize that is the targeted group. I personally find a but too adult theme based for me to pass on to that age group. So as always I suggest parents pre-read the material they allow their kids to read. Unless you want to start answering questions. Twilight does address issues of intimacy, intimate tension, as well as contain a very graphic and disturbing child birth scene. As an adult reader I enjoyed the series. Maybe not a Pulitzer prize winner, but a good read. 

Smile tho' your heart is aching, smile even though its breaking

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge.
There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together.
There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by.
The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....

Author unknown...

Smile

tho'

your heart is aching,

Smile

Even though it's breaking,

When there are clouds in the sky- You'll get by,

If you

Smile through your fear and sorrow,

Smile and maybe tomorrow

You'll see the sun come shining through- For you.

Light up your face with gladness,

Hide ev'ry trace of sadness,

Altho' a tear may be ever so near,

That's the time you must keep on trying,

Smile- What's the use of crying,

You'll find that life is still worthwhile,

If you just smile.

   O Lord our God, we come before You this day in sadness.  Rudy, who brought us so much joy in life, has now died.   Her happy times in our family’s embrace have come to an end.  We miss Rudy already.

            Help us, O God, to remember the good times with Rudy.  Remind us to rejoice in the happy times she brought to our home.  Let us be thankful for the good life we were blessed to give to her. 

            We are grateful to You, God, for creating Rudy, for entrusting her to our care, and for sustaining her in our love for a measure of time.   We understand that all that lives must die.   We knew that this day would come.  And yet, O God, we would have wanted one more day of play, one more evening of love with Rudy.

            O God, as we have taken care of Rudy in life, we ask that You watch over her in death. You entrusted Rudy to our care; now, we give her back to You.  May Rudy find a happy new home in Your loving embrace.

            As we remember Rudy, may we love each other more dearly.   May we care for all Your creatures, for every living thing, as we protected the blessed life of Rudy. May her memory bless our lives with love and caring forever.  Amen.

A bird does not sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song. ~ Chinese Proverb

"Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened. "

(Anatole France)

Bargain Meal of the week

This week in honor of the fourth of July and the great American food sale at Aldi Sued, here is my fourth of July dinner.

Note: I had planned to include Spare ribs but the husband couldn't wait and annihilated those last night the cost was 4.95 E for 3-5 rib racks

Hotdogs: 1.59 E for 6 on sale

Buns: .89 E for 4 (regular brotchen for the other 2) on sale

French fries: .99 

Fresh Green beans: Gift from the Landlord

Dessert: I intend to try baking some Chocolate chip cookies. I sweet lady from TT

saw a thread I posted about having trouble baking with German ingredients and send me chocolate chips, baking soda, and baking powder. How sweet.

Total cost for meal: 3.47 E or 4.84 USD

Wedding video Uncut

My apologies for some reason it is not giving me a code that allows me to imbed the video. Perhaps I made a mistake in my upload to you tube. 

Any who here is the link 

A few notes: Now this is very raw footage. The cool thing is you can hear the actual ceremony in English and German, and see some clips that were cut out of the previous wedding video. But do note, there are fluctuations in volume. There are three segments with music and that comes across a lot louder than voices, so if you turn it up be forewarned you might get blasted. Also it is choppy as it is just that unedited raw video. 

I hope you enjoy the video. It gives a better view of marriages in Germany. 

A few facts about weddings in Germany:

1. Wedding are civil unions. One cannot be legally wed in the church. One must have a civil ceremony (which is the legally binding marriage contract) before getting married in the church. But it is still a lovely ceremony. Not what we think of with court house civil marriages in the US. This wedding is the German civil wedding. We plan on doing the religious ceremony with my family in the US. In order ti have a ceremony in a church in Germany you must be registered under that religion and paying the state mandated church tax. 

2. One cannot just decide to get married and go sign a paper like in the US. It is actually a legal process here you must go to meetings with a court officer, submit legal papers, and fees, and then await court approval. It takes up to 3 months. 

3. A few wedding traditions: everyone honks their horn when they see newly weds, newly weds cut a wood log with a old hand saw (you can see this in my original video, they also eat bread with salt and drink water( also in my other video). I need to look up the history of these traditions. 

Life in Germany

I realized that I had become so wrapped up in posting photos or partaking in blog activities that I have overlooked just random updates about my life in Germany. I need to work on creating more of a balance. 

Today is the fourth of July, I always find the American holidays to be the hardest. That is not to say I do not miss my family and friends during Christmas and Easter, but I still see the holiday all around me. But it is the strictly American holidays when I truly realize how far away from home I really am. I am looking forward to talking to my family (my mothers side) tonight on video chat. I have not seen them since Thanksgiving. 

As for me I am doing well. I am about 1 month into my government mandated integration course. That is 6oo hours of German language instruction, and 45 hours of history and culture. My German has already improved significantly. I would say Rosetta stone is good for teaching vocab and basic understanding of the language, but highly lacking in the grammatical approach. I have learned more in my few weeks in the class then a year with Rosetta stone. I am able to at least have basic conversations now.

In other news I am not looking forward to having dental work done next week. I have a cavity under a filling so I have to have the filling extracted and replaced. Yuck. 

I am getting more used to the food. But I still miss my American food. I was super excited to find an American food sale at our local discount chain, I will be posting a blog about that later.

I am finally getting out and meeting people. I have one friend in Heilbronn I have gone in and had lunch with, all by myself yeah me you can read about that here.

I also finally got a chance to meet up with the group of English speakers in Heilbronn and attend the Bad Wimpfen Talmarkt, more to come on that as well.

T is doing well. He is doing great at work. Actually solved a very significant problem with the digital system between the hospital and the German retirement agency (who pays patient bills). They had said if the problem was not fixed they would stop making referrals. A email was just forwarded to the head of the hospital congratulating T on a job well done, and stating that the Retirement agency can now move forward with the digital system they have been trying to implement for a few years. 

He is also currently blinded as we are waiting to go pick up his new glasses. He is getting new classes set into the old frames so he has been walking around blind as a bat for the past three hours. Rather amusing I think. 

Well that is all for today. I will work on posting more regular updates in between my barrage of photos.

Keep an eye out for the following upcoming blogs:

American food in Germany

Talmarkt

Castles (I know you have been waiting a while)

5 favorite things

Signs you have been in Germany too long 

To my friends and family: I love you and miss you. Enjoy some of that awesome BBQ for me. 

Happy fourth of July.

Happy 4th of July. I may be far away, but I will never forget where I come from.. I wish I was home to celebrate with you.

Friend Making Mondays- 4th of July

I am a bit late this week, as I have been contemplating what my plans actually were, if any. 

What are you doing this July 4th?

No big plans, but in light of the fact it is also American food week at Aldi, I would really like to have a small BBQ. We can by disposable grills (though I hear they aren't great), just need to get landlord approval. We found spare ribs, rib eye steak, hot dogs w/ buns (thats right not brotchen) and a bunch more. I think it would be fun to do a american food day. I am even tempted to invite a friend. But I doubt that would work with one days notice. Oh well maybe next year. So I will aim for a small BBQ with DH. 

What is your favorite dish to pass when attending a 4th of July party or summer barbecue?

My favorite dishes hmm, rather than focusing on what I have here how about things I miss. I miss Johnsenville brats with my dad. Fresh corn on the cob. American fluffy sponge cake with sickly sweet frosting. Angel food cake with strawberries. Oh I could go on....

Do you have any July 4th traditions?

Not really. I usually go to my dads and we BBQ. I guess you would call that my tradition. I miss my dads BBQ, he is the lord of the grill. Oh the man can grill. A few times I also went to my mom's farm for a BBQ. Last year I went with my family to see fireworks. I guess the one thing I will miss most this year is fireworks. 

Share your favorite July 4th picture.

Unfortunately I do not have any on hand. I will have to add some from this year. 

Finally I will leave you with a little Are You Smarter Than A Fourth Grader? 

1. How many stars are on the American Flag? 50

2. What do they stand for? The states

3. How many stripes are on the flag?14

4. What do they stand for? The original colonies

5. How many stripes are red? 7

6. The first stripe is which color? red

7. Who sewed the American flag? Bettsie Ross

HOW DID I DO?

I look forward to seeing your answers and I would love a few new recipes for Saturday!

Have a wonderful and safe 4th of July!

For more FMM fourth of July visit Seriously Shawn