Back home but still enjoying the fun times

This past Monday morning, E.H.B., Captain America, and Princess Ballerina started back to school after a two week spring break. 

After tearful goodbyes, I boarded the plane and headed home.

But before I left, we were able to make some great progress on our To Do List.

**Fashion Show**
Everyone was getting new clothes. Some enjoyed the shopping experience more than others. But everyone had fun wearing their new clothes. 
Originally, we were going to have a traditional fashion show, but came up with a more exciting idea instead. We made a Fashion Show video. 

This is the first trip that I took my laptop with me. Throughout the visit, we have been having fun playing with Photo Booth and looking at videos and photos I have saved. It also created the opportunity to make the photo video.

We did several photo shoots of some of the new outfits. 

Be sure to notice the cool side knot in Princess Ballerina's shirt. 

Then E.H.B. used iMovie to create a photo video with music from the group The Digital Age. She included text and transitions and also learned how to use the Ken Burns feature to give the photos motion. It turned out great. I would love to show it to you, but it includes all of our names and I promised I would not give away our secret identities. 

**Cooking Lesson**

To earn our cooking lesson check mark, I taught E.H.B. the way that I make hard cooked eggs. Everyone does them differently, so International J and I decided this was a good lesson for her to learn there is usually more than one way to do things.

We cooked 30 eggs and then used them to dye Easter eggs. I think there were approximately 20 hard cooked eggs still waiting to be eaten when I left. We were all egged out!

**Lunch on the deck in the sunshine**

We do not take sunny days for granted during the Spring. Anytime the sun would pop out between the rain clouds, we would rush outside, or move near the windows and turn our faces toward the light. 

We were all thrilled when the weather started truly feeling like Spring and eating on the deck was a huge highlight. The first couple of times we ate on the deck, some of us wore our jackets or were wrapped in blankets, but we didn't mind because the sun was shining.

**Work in the garden/work on a house project**

One morning ...... oh my......I don't think I have ever formally introduced you to International J's husband....he doesn't have a blog name. Hmmmm......I think he would prefer I just call him K.

One afternoon, K and I ventured out to run errands. One of those errands involved one mad Italian and one very happy Italian and one of the many times I had to explain that I don't speak German. Funny story, but not part of our To Do List. The main part of our errand running time was shopping for flowers to plant in their flower boxes. 

We spent a couple of hours the next morning, enjoying the sunshine and sprucing up the flower boxes. I can't wait to see pictures of them in full bloom.

**Have a game night**

This item got checked off the list multiple times. There were several nights we played Mexican Train Dominoes. One night we invited friends to join us. My language barrier provided additional entertainment.

**Have a picnic**
** Go on a hike**

These were part of my day of birthday celebrations. 

**Explore a town none of us have been to**
This is one of my favorite things to do, no matter what part of the world I am in. I usually refer to this type of adventure as a roadtrip. 

This roadtrip led us to Bad Munstereifel. It was a lovely town with great shops and interesting buildings.

We had a great day seeing the country side, exploring the town, shopping, taking photos, eating a great lunch, and ice cream.

**Ride a merry-go-round**

When brainstorming the original list, I included several items that were a little off the wall. But this one surprised us all when we were able to accomplish it. This hand powered merry go round is located right inside the city gates at Bad Munstereifle. Captain America and I enjoyed a short ride and then Princess Ballerina took my spot.

I need my friends to help me remember what else was on the list. The list is in the guest book at their house. Jet lag and missing my friends is making my brain fuzzy.

In the mean time, I am going to ask all of the blog readers to help me remember to tell you about the guest book, describe how each of my co-bloggers told me goodbye, show you the photos we took using Photo Booth and show you my favorite photos from this trip. 

Happy Weekend
~A