Springtime Fun...

Ok, I admit... I've been a little MIA lately... I have to apologize for that. But, in my defense, I haven't been blogging because I've been so caught up with doing things outside and taking advantage of the great spring-like weather we've been having! :) Brian and I have been occupying our time, when we're not working, with bike rides, walks along the beach and the many hiking trails in our area, grilling out, gardening (yep, I've already started getting our balcony ready for summer... yay! :)), meeting up with friends for coffee at the many outdoor cafes along the lakefront, and simply spending time outside soaking up the sunshine and warmer temps... It's been great! :) And, of course, while we're doing all of those things, Brian is snapping pictures like a crazy man... So, without further delay, here's a peak into what we've been up to over the past couple of weeks...

Last weekend, Brian and I (along with our friends, Maciej and Cornelius) decided to go for a bike ride... We were given two options... We could ride to the top of one of the smaller mountains in the area (called Gehrenburg) or we could take a more relaxed ride through the many bike trails that offer more picturesque views... Of course, I'm sure you can guess which one I opted for... :) But, being that I was outnumbered by three guys, we ended up biking to the top of the mountain... Grrr!! Let's just say, after what seemed like days of pedaling uphill (in reality, it only took about 2 hours... but, it was a VERY LONG 2 hours!), and many stops to catch my breath along the way, combined with some emotional outbursts of "I really am not enjoying myself here!" and some additional cursing at the guys who were much faster than me and truly enjoying the pain caused by pedaling uphill for this long (I honestly don't think I'll ever understand men... They really love to feel alot of pain when working out... I mean, I love working out and all... But, not quite to the point where I'm doubled over in pain... Men! :))... After all that, we finally made it to the top... yay! And, I have to admit, the view was pretty nice after all of that work to get there! :) And, the ride back down was definitely better than the ride up, as we found a great mountain bike trail to take back down... My mountain biking techniques aren't all that great, but I had quite a bit of fun during the ride down! :)

I made it!! :) This is shortly after we got to the top of Gehrenburg... Whew! :)

We stopped for a short break at the top... And, of course, we had to take some pictures! :) I'm loving Brian's helmet hair in this one! :)

The four of us at the top of Gehrenburg...

During one of the walks through our neighborhood... The farmer sells homemade schnapps out of his barn. :)

The English speaking theatre group that I'm a part of is gearing up for their spring performance, which starts this week... So, I've been busy helping with hair and make-up and Brian's been snapping pictures of their rehearsals... They're a great group of people to work with! :)

So pretty! :)

The trail into town is getting greener every day! :)

Taking a break to soak up the sun while walking along the beach... I love living so close to the lake! :)

Someone made this cute little heart on the beach... :)

I love these flowers!

I love the fact that during our walk through the neighborhood, we can stroll past the cows grazing in the meadow... That's something you definitely don't see too often back in Livonia! :)

Here's my newest addition to the balcony... I saw this little guy and just had to have him! :) He goes so well with my two potted geranium plants which are sitting on the table on our balcony... Isn't he cute?! :)

Ok, so now it's time to finish cleaning and grocery shopping... And then it's off to meet Eva for some coffee and "girl talk" at our favorite outdoor cafe... Time to soak up the sun and the gorgeous view of the Alps and Bodensee! :)