Independence & Funnel Cake Go Hand in Hand

The 4th of July brought very little "independence" for Jerry and Caleb since they were kind enough to volunteer to work the Funnel Cake booth for Jerry's shop. They signed up for 4 hours of schlepping flour, breaking eggs, measuring sugar and stirring thoroughly- and they didn't even get to take a bite of the fried goodness! Not to worry, Michael and I did, and we can report that it was positively scrumptious! What's 4th of July without Funnel Cake? I'm not sure, you'll have to ask Jerry.

Just as the big boys were crawling home from their shift at the House of Dough, our German/American neighbors began an amazing, permit-requiring fireworks show in their backyard. We were magnetically drawn up the street and spent the rest of the evening getting to know all the other Americans in the 'hood. You'd think we would somehow already know all the Americans, but there were way more than we realized! Some were contractors, some worked for DODDS, and very few were actually active duty, so I guess our paths don't cross too often.

I hope you all enjoyed your independence on Friday and that you didn't give up on the Funnel Cake booth just because there was a long line. It was totally worth the wait.

Jetting to Italy & Other Quick Trips

Jerry's jetting to Italy as I write. It's just an overnight work trip, but it still counts as a first visit to a new country for him. We're all green with jealousy and the weak protest that he didn't even want to go in the first place only makes it worse. Really? You don't feel like going to Italy today, dear? I didn't feel like having my teeth cleaned today either, but not only did I go through with it, I opted for the additional fluoride treatment, thereby precluding me from eating or drinking for the next thirty minutes.

The one trip we've taken recently that proved to be fun for the whole family was visit to the emergency room at Landstuhl Army hospital. Michael's latest living room acrobatic maneuver went terribly wrong and the coffee table softened the landing. He ended up putting his tooth through his lower lip. On the way to the hospital Michael made me promise that I would inform the doctor that he had already determined that he did not want to get stitches. So, while the doctor was totally welcome to give us a second opinion, it had already been determined we would not be requiring any actual medical services and, just between you and me, I'm not really sure why we're even here. Dr. Michael was overruled and here's the result: