The Tulips and the Nice Quote

So lift up your heart to the heavens;
There's a loving and kind Father there
Who offers release and comfort and peace
In the silent communion of prayer.
-Anon.

I wish it's tulip time now. Happy weekend everyone! Keep warm especially to all friends in winter wonderlands.

These were the tulips in our garden last spring 2010.

Merry Christmas!

Merry merry Christmas
and Happy and bountiful
New Year to all!

The merry family gatherings -
The old, the very young;
The strangely lovely way they
Harmonize in carols sung.
For Christmas is tradition time -
Traditions that recall
The precious memories down the years,
The sameness of them all.

Helen Lowrie Marshall

True Friendship

Friendship is such a wonderful gift
and it is always a nice feeling
when we have good friends around.
Friendship does not mean that we need to talk everyday
but once in awhile it is always good
to hear thoughtful words from a friend.
Friendship does not mean
that we have to see each other everyday
but it is always nice to reminisce
some memorable moments
that we spent with friends.
I am very thankful that I have good
and yes, great friends around!
I felt truly blessed.
Thank you so much to all friends
who are always true and loyal.

Below is a rose that I am giving to all my friends out there. This is a rose from our garden flourished with love and care just for you. This was taken last summer time 2010. The saying below also came out to my mind some minutes ago. I just can't stop sharing it here.

"Friendship is not a competition.
It is a matter of give and take relation".

-Ruby Benz

I love roses especially from our garden!

Advent Candles

This year is my first time to make Advent Candles. I used to buy some the past years. Last Sunday, I finally did it. Hubby was asking me that morning what am I doing with that wooden box and all those pine trees cut from our garden. I told him that I will make my Advent Candles. He was surprised that I finally had one after around thirty minutes of making it. I finally lit my first Advent candle last Sunday. Christmas is around the corner.

Have a lovely December to all! Happy holidays too!

my home-made Advent Candles. Anyone wants to order? Just kidding guys!

Learning Photography

I always love to take pictures of anything that catches my camera. Images from flowers to trees, insects, scenery, buildings, places are only some of my favorite objects. I bought a new Canon DSLR with 550D model or EOS Rebel T2I around two weeks ago and I am quite happy about it. I want to learn more about photography and I hope to catch better images with this new DSLR camera. I believed I will learn more in the future. I also bought some photography magazines to have more tips and information about photography. Taking images with my new cam is another challenge for me. Who knows one day photography will turn into another career. I am just kidding! Goodnight folks. I guess I am getting sleepy now. It is time for me to slowly sign-off. The clock is ticking to midnight. Have a nice week ahead!

"Our God works to transform us
Till life on earth is done;
He uses trials and testings
To make us like His Son."

-Sper

A Lilium flower in our garden. This was taken last September 2010.
Now, they are gone and hope to see them again next year.

True Greatness

"Whether on the mountaintop
Or the valley down below,
True greatness is in serving
Wherever we may go."

-D. De Haan

the beautiful Autumn tree and the cloudy sky.
taken last September 2010.

The Fountain in Schlossplatz in Stuttgart

This is one of the fountains that can be found in Schlossplatz (Castle Square) in Stuttgart, Germany. Schlossplatz is the largest square in the centre of the city of Stuttgart and home to the New Castle which was built between 1746 and 1807.

taken during our visit last October 2010.

The Fountain in Cham

I love this simple but beautiful fountain in Cham, a district in Upper Palatinate, in Bavaria, Germany. I had been here once but we always pass this place by everytime we drive to Czech Republic.

taken during our visit last June 2009

It's Party Time

We did had a party again in a friend's house last Friday Oct. 29, 2010. It was Joy's advance birthday party and was held at Farah's home. It was another great time being with new friends. I believed everybody had fun during the party. The highlight of the party was the lunch time. It was a total blast celebrated until the evening.

Happy birthday Joy and wish you all the best. God bless you and your family!

Special thanks to Farah for the accommodation and to all good friends who brought with them some food and presents.

the yummy food during Joy's birthday party at Farah's

and the best one for me are the shrimps!

Yellow Mailbox

These are the yellow German mailboxes. You can see the black sign of the German Post on the side of each box. You can drop your mails here as long as they have the right stamps on it. If not, it will be returned to the sender and if I am not mistaken, you will pay for it.

The yellow German mailboxes in Cologne, Germany.
taken during our visit last August 2010.

Goden October is Here

Another season of the year is here!
The Autumn in golden October
Colorful surroundings you see
from yellow to red, brown and orange too.
It is simply the golden October
which makes a beautiful season of the year!

-Ruby Benz

This is the road where I always drive especially when I go for grocery shopping.
The beauty of golden October is truly amazing!

Random Image from Rome, Italy

It is a great experience visiting the city that is the dream of many including me. Rome which has been given a nickname, "Eternal City" is truly a wonderful place to visit. It's history spans now for around 2,500 years. It is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city.

Here is an image of Vatican City in Rome taken during our visit last August 2010. You can see the famous San Pietro or St. Peter's Square on the left side of the image.

taken as we where on top of the cupola of St. Peter's Cathedral in Vatican City, Rome.

Visit to the Oktoberfest 2010 in Munich

I believed most of you are very familiar about Oktoberfest known as the largest fair in the world. For others, Oktoberfest simply means Beerfest. It is usually a 16-day celebration held in Theresienwiese in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. It usually starts during the last week of September and ends sometime on the first week of October and is celebrated every year. Oktoberfest has been a part of Bavarian culture since 200 years. It only started as a wedding festival of King Ludwig I of Bavaria.

Without further adieu, here are some images taken during our third visit last October 19, 2010.

one of the beer tents in Oktoberfest.
Sometimes and even most of the time, all beer tents are always full during the festival. You better reserve your seats if ever you really want to spend time inside a beer tent.

another beer tent in Oktoberfest.

That is the Paulaner beer tent in the background and someone is striking a pose too!

Visiting Rome, Italy

I believed I am lucky enough to visit the domicile of the head of the Catholic Church. Visiting Vatican City especially Saint Peter's Cathedral is a great moment for me. It was truly a memory that I can keep forever. I am very thankful that I was given the chance to visit this beautiful city. It was a dream put into reality and it is just unbelievable. Here is an image of me and my friend during our visit last month of August, 2010.

taken in St. Peter's Square in Vatican City, Rome, Italy.

Hello Chicken!

I seldom see live chicken in Germany. Of course, I see a lot of chicken meat in the Metzgerei or butcher shops. Unlike in the Philippines, where my parents live, my father has a lot of chickens in the backyard. As we attended a friend´s birthday party last month, I saw that they have a lot of chicken. I already know before that they have chicken but I never see one. This time, I already saw a lot and I was amazed how big they are. Since I always have my pocket camera with me, I immediately took some pictures. Here is one of them.

My friend said that they don´t butcher their chicken. They only use their eggs for cooking. When they are dead, they just bury them.

Yellow Narcissus and the Beautiful Quote

"Fierce drives the storm, but wind and waves
Within His hand are held,
And trusting His omnipotence
My fears are sweetly quelled."

-Brown

these were the Narcissus that grew in our garden last spring time. I hope to see them again next year.

Begonia Flower and the Beautiful Quote

"Lord, teach me how to work each day,
That every deed I do
May not be driven by false pride
But render service true."

-Anon.

the begonia flower in our garden. Autumn time is coming soon and this flower will vanish again.

Goodbye Rome! Goodbye Nonna!

Another weekend is here! I can't believed that we are already on the last weekend of August. Time truly flies-by so fast. The Europe adventure that me and friend spent together is also over. We drove her to Nuremberg airport this morning for her trip back to the United States tomorrow at 7:00 AM. It was a great time with Nonna. I can't also imagine that I had seen her again after around 12 years maybe. I can't exactly remember but the last time I saw her in our home town was more than ten years ago. Me and hubby were grateful of her visit. We believed that she had a great time during her three weeks vacation here in Europe.

It is also time to say goodbye to Rome, the first city that me and Nonna did visited during our Europe tour. Here is an image of me in front of one of the famous sights and architecture in Rome, Italy, the Colosseum or Colosseo.

such an amazing work of Roman architecture and engineering!

Visit in Neumarkt, Bavaria

Hello folks! It seems that I was away for some days here. I had a Europe tour with a friend and now we are finally backed home but the tour is still not over. We still have around five days for sightseeing in some nearby cities in Bavaria, Germany. I am sharing an image of the first town where my friend and I had a sightseeing last August 9, 2010. This was in Neumarkt, a district in the Upper Palatinate of Bavaria. You can see the town hall and the church in the image I took below. More updates to come soon!

The white building is the town hall of Neumarkt, Bavaria