Hohennagold Castle

Hohennagold Castle & trip to the Worlds tallest cathedral.  We have a family member & her friend visiting us for a couple days as they backpack through Europe. So we wanted to go to some fun places. Hubby(Zak) came up with a pretty good game plan. We drove from Stuttgart & first stop took about 1.5 hours to get there. We found a parking spot (possibly private parking spot), and headed off to climb a long steep hill. Of couse I am completely out of shape and was complaining & taking breaks every couple of minutes, but the sweat was worth it when we finally made it to the top. 

'The View halfway up this hill wasn't so bad :)'

So once we hit the top I sat down on the closest thing I could find, rested/de-sweated and started taking pictures and loved looking at the Castle.

This is the beauty you first get to take in.

The castle wall still standing

Zak looking Hot & posing for me!

This Castle was built in 1100 then they made it bigger in 1153 & 1162. Lots of destruction came to this Castle with the 30 year war & in 1945 a tower was destroyed then later restored to preserve this Castle as a ruin. 

Sadly this was the last picture taken at this beautiful place. We walked about 5,000 steps and was very excited to be walking downhill instead of back up. We grabbed a quick ButterBrezel in town and took off for our next destination.. So next blog will be about the tallest Cathedral in the world (yes we climbed to the top so come back soon for that)

Much Love,

Brianna

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Also new website coming soon... Check out what I have so far here:  RICHINS RANCH

Shopping Haul

Huge shopping Haul coming at you guys. I bought this stuff a few months ago, but I am finally able to write about it.  Some of these products have become my favorites so I will fill you in on what to buy & what to think twice about :)

A bag full of so many fun things from Victoria Secret, Sephora, Macy's, Target & Nordstrom.

I got Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb Perfume, and Marc Jacobs Daisy Rollerball Perfume. I had already bought the full spray version of Daisy, so I knew how incredibly delicious it smelled. I wanted the Roll on to stick in my purse to travel easily with me. The Viktor & Rolf was a recommendation from a fabulous You Tuber so I wanted to test it out. I can't even explain how beautiful this perfume smells. It does have a flowery sent, but it is not Over powering. Some perfumes can give me a headache so I was pleased to find these products and would recommend them to anyone. Make sure to test out before buying if your not sure. 

Love these LC Lauren Conrad Earrings. The Bows are so cute! When I wear earring I turn to these more often then not. 

Cute Hair Bands. Only issue with these is they seemed a little loose, & I even have a bigger sized head. 

One of my favorite hair products in long time has to be the Macadamia Deep Repair Masque. Anytime my hair feels dry, or lots of breakage or it needs a little love I condition it with this. It works wonders every time, and I couldn't be happier with my purchase. 

The Elf brushes were great to use a few times, but don't last like others. The Elf Liquid Liner dried up after first time I used it, and it also didn't work or stay on my eyes well. The Victoria Secret bag in the back is so cute and perfect size for traveling. The VS mints were good if needing a buck or two to use up a gift card. Rimmel Scandal Eyes are great & a great price for how well they work and stay in place.    Dior Addict Lip Maximizer & Addict Lip Glow are amazing & worth every penny. One helps heal dry/chapped lips and the other brings out your natural lip color. Age Rewind Brightener helps my under eyes when they look a bit tired. Clinique bottom lash Mascara is perfect & helps you coat every lash for optimal coverage & volume. I have yet to try the other products in the picture so I will review those later. Thanks for reading guys. I posted the links above where you can buy the products if you want to try them or check them out further. 

MUCH LOVE,

Brianna :)

FIND items above here on my Luvocracy:

Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb Perfume, and Marc Jacobs Daisy Rollerball

LC Lauren Conrad Earrings

Cute Hair Bands

Macadamia Deep Repair Masque

Victoria Secret bag

Rimmel Scandal Eyes

Dior Addict Lip Maximizer & Addict Lip Glow

Clinique bottom lash Mascara

Disclaimer: Some of the items above may be affiliate links. However I purchased all these products with my own money & I only recommend products I test and like. 

:) :) :) My Instagram could use some love:  @briannajkoch :) :) :)

Trip to Parma, Italy

Well Ladies & Gents it has been awhile yet again. I have yet to improve my weight situation since my last post, but that is a story for a different day. This post is about the adventures on our first trip since moving to Stuttgart, Germany. We will be here for at least 3 years and it has all been quite the culture shock, but I have finally started to get a few things down. I can drive around a bit (with GPS of course), and there are a few local thrift/ second hand & antique shops I dare to go in on my own. I still have yet to learn the language but I am hoping to take classes soon.

Not long after arriving we planned a trip to go see Zak's dad who works in Parma, Italy on occasion.  We headed out January 9th for a drive to Parma. It took about 6 hours to get there and we passed some awesome places along the way, including Switzerland. I plan to visit there sometime and will have more pictures for you, but for now here is a couple things we passed by.

After paying for a lot of toll roads driving through Italy, we finally arrived in Parma. We drove to the hotel Zak's dad got for us. It was called Hotel Farnese. They had such awesome people working there and they were more then willing to help out in anyway possible. They have a good Restaurant there and a killer breakfast. Here is a link to there Facebook & Website so you can check them out. 

Hotel Farnese Facebook: BWHotelFarneseParma

Hotel Farnese Website: INC Hotels BWFarneseParma

We decided to chill out after the drive and walk the dog. Meaning Zak walked the dog & I took a nap :)

When Craig arrived we went and did a little shopping and ate some killer pizza. I can't remember the name of the Restaurant but I will check it out when we go there again in a month. The next day Craig(Dad) had to work so we went to downtown Parma & did some sight seeing. There are so many beautiful places, statues, churches and etc. Majority of them I couldn't read the meanings or writing, but we still enjoyed the culture. 

Just thought the brick of this Castle was beautiful

Palazzo della Pilotta

Just thought this was Beautiful

Monument of Verdi , music & celebration

Not sure what was going on here ;) Think it was to do with the Arts & Culture event going on while we were there 

Baptistery 

Inside of Baptistery and or Church

Inside of Baptistery and or Church. Neat little door :)

Baptistery of Parma, Italy

Baptistery 

Cathedral in Parma, Italy

Clock tower remembering all that gave lives in Military for Italy 

Clock tower


Zak & I had a great day seeing all these wonderful places. Our day and night didn't end here, but this blog post does because it has gotten to be to long. I will pick up the next post with more pictures and stories of our trip. Plus the best food I have eaten since moving to Deutschland :)  So stay tuned
MUCH LOVE,  Brianna



(Blog & all my websites are going through a little construction and name change, but all will be up and running soon) I will put links below where you can find me.

Facebook Fun: for Brianna Babbles / OutdoorsGal
Twitter Here: twitter.com~~briannababbles
Instagram Here: instagram.com/briannajkoch
Pinterest Here:  for BriannaBabbles / OutdoorsGal

Im working on YouTube so I will let you know :)

Wet n Wild Spring

                                            

Just quick post today.  I was out and about the other day, & was shopping in little country grocery store. I came across these two Wet & Wild nail polishes and loved the colors. I thought they would be perfect for spring.  At 2 bucks total I figured I couldn't go wrong. This polish was so easy to apply,  it hasn't chipped or cracked yet, & went on smooth.  I am excited for spring and warmer weather and these polishes just made my week. If I can find a store selling it I will post the link below :)  Thanks all. Hope you enjoy your day and weekend. Stay safe. Lots of Love..........

Wet n Wild: 218A I need a refresh-Mint color found here: Mint Megalast

Wet n Wild: 213C  On a Trip color found here:     On a Trip Megalast

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Instagram is:  briannajkoch

Chanel Lip Gloss and Makeup Bag

I went into Nordstom during Christmas time and I came across a beauty package that Chanel had put together. Included in the pack were two colors of lip gloss, a lip definer, a sharpener and of course the cute bag.

So I had this bag in my purse for one week and had yet to use it and pulled the bag out and it looked as though I had been using it for years. It looked like it was worn and scratched up from the inside of the bag and it showed up on the outside. Parts looked scratched enough that made the bag look almost see through. So I took it back to Nordstom's and they had no problems with me returning it. Instead I exchanged it for a new bag. So far it hasn't worn like the first one did and still looks like bran new. So I might of got a mellon the first time. Anyone else buy this and have the same issue? 

So moving on to the goodies that were inside of the bag. The Lip Definer is super smooth and adds a nice punch to any color lipstick or lipgloss. The Definer color is Mordore - Nude and I would say it has a bronzy undertone to it. Lipgloss 04 is a berry type red. I found it to be the perfect red for me. It is not to bright and since it is a gloss it is easier if your needing to work up to wearing the bright red lip sticks. Lipgloss 119 has pinky-peach tone to it. It is a great nude gloss that will perfectly go on most all skin tones, and it helps makes lips look bigger then they are. So all in all if this is still available or you want to just try the lip colors then I recommend giving them a shot! 
Thanks all,   
 Lot's of Love

***WANT TO ENTER MY MICHAEL KORS, PEOPLE WATER, YOGA MAT GIVEAWAY? Then go here: CONTEST OVER!!

Butter London Style

                                           

So the other day I bought my first BUTTER London nail polish. I have thought about it time after time, but the price always made me think twice and I always put it back on the shelf. So I came across this beautiful color the other day and I could no longer resist. 

All I did to create this look was to put a undercoat  on which was 'Sally Hansen Mudslide'. It is a pinky undertone which can blend in well with your skin tone. Then I put one coat of the 'Butter London in Lovely Jubbly' on and I was ready to go. Don't forget to let it dry completely so you don't get any smudges or chips. 

This nail polish has no toluene, DBP Colour, and no formaldehyde. The polish won't ever stain your nails. So in reality it is a Great investment if you find a color you love and will use often . 
                                         
             
                       THANKS GUYS! Lots of Love :)


*Find Butter London Polish Here: Lovely Jubbly

*Find Sally Hansen Here: 

*Find me on Facebook here: Brianna Babbles

*Find me on Twitter here: @BriannaBabbles

*Find me on Instagram here: briannajkoch