Rewind to August

Here are some pictures of our visit to Angelbachtal during their annual Knight's Tournament the second week in August. We have been to this festival before and it has grown a lot since our last visit. We love to see the artisans and crafts folks working. Our favorite this year was a troup of musicians that was complete with jugglers. This is very much fun and interesting for all of us.

The Final Stretch

Sorry it has been soooo long since my last post. We have been without Internet for about a month. This was due in large part to the difficulty of communicating in German. Since my last post, the household goods have been delivered and the temporary furniture picked up. Everything arrived sealed and in good condition. We have yet to discover any badly damaged items. Bailey is missing a two dollar bill and dollar coin that were kept in her jewelry box. She had taped it closed, and the tape was gone along with her treasures. Oh well, I guess the woman that packed her room was really desperate. We have yet to find the binders that hold our collection of DVDs and Music. I am hoping they turn up. All that is left is the endless unpacking and sorting and finding the right places for everything. The living room is free of boxes though there are some living room boxes in other rooms. We purchased shelves for Bailey's room and it looks awesome though it is not quite all put together. The boys room has their beds and shelves put together, but all the stuff is stacked/piled up because they thought they would "help" unpack and dumped the contents of about 5 large boxes of toys in the middle of their room and played with everything. For a week and a half you could barely walk into the room. There is still much sorting and reorganizing to do in there. That's all for now, in the next few days I will try to post some family things we have been up to with pictures and such.

On the other side of the move.

We arrived safely in Germany about three weeks ago. We are staying in a two room accomodation on the post called Patrick Henry Village or PHV. There is one bathroom and a small kitchen with a little fridge, coffee maker, microwave, two stove burners, and a toaster. The kitchen is also outfitted with a set of dishes and some basic cookware and utensils. The past few weeks have been rough as far as transportation. Dave will finally pick up our van today. It has been 7 weeks. They have a lovely free community bus here that goes to all the little posts in the community and when that fails we know how to use the German public transportation. We rented a car last week and that made for more ease.

Let's see what else do I need to update you on? Well, there is housing. Dave attended the briefing our first week here and received the first two listings for us to view. The first was very urban, nice size and in good shape and close proximity to work, but no yard. I couldn't see myself staying very sane there, homeschooling the kids and the dog needing a little freedom also. Next was a big house far from work with an ok yard, on a really busy street, with mold in the basement. It was a no go, for allergy reasons. We had to wait a day to go back to the housing office and get more listings. Ms. Luney gave us one in Ketsch and one in Schlierbach. We made viewing appts for both. Our wonderful sponsor, Norm, worked with us to get us to see these houses as we had no transportation yet. The one in Ketsch was surprisingly nice inside and had a lovely garden out back. The layout was really neat, but the access to the house was difficult and it just wasn't quite right. We had a rental the day we went out to Schlierbach and the people who were supposed to meet us there failed to show. We waited for a while then made some calls and left a little disappointed, but intrigued. We liked it already. We got a call later the next day for another try at seeing the house. We loved it! The only bad thing is the commute for Dave is not simple or direct. It is by no means the hour one way he had in DC either. So Monday we told Ms. Luney we like this one and want to make a contract on it and we did. There is a tax assistance office where we signed up to have our utilities managed. They set up the accounts for us in our names and the automatic billing through our bank and we don't have to pay the 19% tax on our utilities.

So now what? Now we are waiting. We are waiting until the 31st when our temporary furniture will be delivered to the house so we can start living there. Our household goods have not arrived yet, nor do I know when they will arrive. They are also bringing some 22ov. appliances to the house as these are not furnished. In the mean time, there is new student orientation for Bailey and Mikey. They get to take "electives" like art, PE, music, Host Nation (German) at the Middle and Elementary school. We must decide on a phone carrier for a house phone, handi, and internet.

The Perfect Day

It starts with the smell of crisp morning air filtering in my window. The smell of freshly brewed coffee calls from the kitchen. The sound of the shower running. The preparation of the day. Stretches to get the kinks out and get the blood flowing. Then time spent breakfasting with my love, making fun of the news or talking about plans for our nest vacation, or for the weekend, or the events of the day. We kiss and embrace as he parts to go then the bustle begins as the kids start to wake. Get up, get dressed, there's so much to do. Good Morning hugs and I love yous. Eat your breakfast we don't have all day. Let's go outside and play. The air is so fresh with the green grass smell. Sun is shining and the temperature is just right for a day spent together just living life. Dinner together with talk of the day, the new adventures, the people we meet, new things we can do. Everyday is perfect when spent living life.

Packing Out

It took four days for the moving company to pack everything in the house and load it into wooden crates. We survived the process. They packed the tv and dvd player last so we could still watch movies and play games. We have been finishing the pantry supplies and eating with paper plates and plastic ware. The rest we have been attempting to bless others with. I usually order food enough for my family and the crew of movers in the house. We had two or three packers there on days one through three and a crew of five on day four to load the crates. I spent some time on Friday cleaning the house and we took the weekend off and chilled at the Hotel. We have been cleaning the house and running assorted errands all this week. thankfully I have a crew of my own to help with the cleaning. Everyone contributed. Joey and Mikey were tasked with cleaning baseboards and sweeping. Bailey was sweeping, windows, kitchen cabinets, and bathrooms. Dad and I took care of the floors, oven, fridge, ceiling fans. The assignment of tasks helped to reduce the amount of whining and sibling annoyance. Today, the owner came for the walk through, and we passed. Yay!!!
Wednesday night, Mimi Donna and her kids decided to throw a kinda surprise going away party for the kids and it was sooo nice. We have moved so many times and haven't had a going away party really. It was awesome. We are going to miss the new friends we made here.
Tomorrow I have a few more errands to run, pack up the suitcases again. Saturday will be our last Sabbath here. It will be so sad. Then Sun. we will begin the new journey. I will probably be off line for a week while we adjust to the time change and get our bearings, but look for more on the continued adventures of our family.

Advance Baggage

This is the week before the week that will be most stressful. With that in mind, here is a sampling of the things that must be accomplished. Pack suitcases, get TX driver's licenses, hound the car dealer to make the payoffs on the cars we traded in almost 3 weeks ago, see if I can get physical appointments for 3 children, clean some more, sort and purge some more, set aside the advance baggage, and continue to empty the pantry, fridge, and freezer. Most of this is self explanatory to the non-military person except for that advance baggage. So what is it, you ask? It is a shipment of stuff. They give you a weight limit of 1000 lbs. You choose what goes in it and they come and pack it up in boxes and ship it air freight to your destination. We are shipping things like David's bike and fall clothes, and extra pairs of shoes. Also any equipment or reference material that will be needed on short order upon arrival. One time we shipped the xbox and games and a bunch of movies in the advance. Some people send pots and pans and a set of dishes or bedding. I can't remember our no later than date for receipt of household goods (HHG) in Germany, but I think it is in September. Imagine you had to pack your house up for a move and would not have access to your things for two to three months. You pack your suitcases and those travel with you. The advance baggage is like being able to pack a car trunk in addition. It will not travel with you , but you will have access to it sooner than the larger HHG shipment. OK? The first time we did this our HHG got stuck in storage for 3 months in South Dakota. When we in processed they missed an important step that would release the shipment for transfer to the new duty location. As a result, we went six months before our HHG arrived and the season had changed from spring to summer and into late fall. Oh and at the beginning of that move I had a two month old baby. It was interesting to say the least. So this week, I will try not to stress out too much and get all this done. Maybe, I will post as I complete certain tasks.

Moving: POV

I decided that I should blog about moving since I do it so much. I thought perhaps it might give a little insight to those who; 1. Don't move, 2. Have never moved across an ocean, 3. Non military.
I am starting with the POV (Privately Owned Vehicle). There have already been other things in the works before this, but this is the most current. Shipment of one POV is allowed for our family. Now if we were active duty, we would be allowed two unless they have cut back all around. We owned two cars, so we had to decide what to do with them. Ship one, store the other; ship one, sell the other; trade them both in on one new vehicle and ship that one? Well, we chose the last option. My van was getting up there in miles and we are short on time to sell Dave's car so we traded them in on our first ever brand spankin' new car. We have had to work closely with the dealer and the bank to get the necessary paperwork for shipping on short notice. We bought a 2009 Chrysler Town and Country. It rocks! Monday we started the trek with the borrowed car and our shiny new baby to Dallas. When we left the house we still did not have all the paperwork needed from the bank. We drove to Killeen and dropped the kids off for the day with their Auntie and printed the paperwork out that we finally received from the bank. Paperwork in hand we set out again with the two car caravan heading North. At this time with no delays we would reach the shipping yard by 3:30 PM. Did I mention the office at the yard closes at 4PM everyday. We made pretty good time until we hit Dallas. A sign at the side of the road blinked, " Accident ahead, two lanes closed on I35EN." I attempted to route a detour with the new GPS gizmo in the new van and we ventured off the freeway. I don't really trust GPS devices and this routed us in a direction that seemed to be taking us back to a point on the freeway just to dump us back in the wait. Some how we got around all the traffic and back on the freeway. We arrived at the shipping yard at 3:51PM. As I pulled in I noticed people cleaning off their cars. One inspector was checking the car next to mine. I asked if the car had to be clean on the outside. The inspector assured me the vehicle must be clean inside and out and the engine compartment must be sprayed down and the wheel wells. My heart hit the ground and bounced back up as tension built in my chest. I asked if they have bucket or hoses there to use for this and he said no you have to go to a car wash before you come. I told him I just drove 6 hours to get there and how am I supposed to have a clean car after that. He directed me to the car wash down the road about a mile. By this time, Dave finally caught up to me. He had fallen behind in traffic and pulled into the parking lot at 3:56PM. As we walked into the building to begin processing I told him I didn't think they would accept the vehicle dirty. While we waited for our turn I removed everything from inside the van. Then, I went in and asked if Dave thought I should take the van to the car wash down the road. He said yes and I left immediately. I used the GPS. It took me down the road. I spied an Exxon with one of those automatic wash things so I went for it. There was no line, but someone was just ending their wash cycle. Dave called, they needed some information off the van. He said just clean the dust off. The green light came on and I pulled forward. The other car pulled out. I pulled up to the place where you are supposed to and then the alarm went off. It told me to back up. I did. All the way back in fact and nothing happened. Then, I pulled back in and drove all the way through and around to the entrance again. It was clear the stupid thing had malfunctioned. I paid my seven dollars and had no time to wait for an attendant to come reset the car wash. I left. When I got back to the shipping yard the only info they had needed was the mileage. I was preparing myself to have to come back in the morning with a clean car. When they inspected my van the guy said don't worry about it I can see there aren't any defects or damages. It's a new car! UGGHHHHHH! All that anxiety!!! I called to check on the kids. They were fine. We decided to spend the night in Dallas and have a date night. The kids stayed with Auntie and Dave and I found a hotel, had dinner out and sang Karaoke. It was just what we needed.
Now our brand new car is on it's way to Germany. We will be able to pick it up there next month sometime before the 25th. Now, the focus changes to the Advance baggage, HHG, and Non-temporary storage. More on that later.

Conversations From Here to There: Who Said That?

Recently, my best friend forever turned sister was visiting for the Fourth of July. Her and her eldest daughter came down for the weekend. The arrived Wed. night, so on Thursday we took all the kids to the zoo for something to do. After all what is the use of having yearly passes if you only go once or twice. While at the Zoo, our Auntie bought us all ice cream which was most welcome in the afternoon heat of 100 and something degrees.
Now I must confess, every once in a while, I tell my children they are growing entirely too fast and I would like them to slow down or stop altogether for a while. One of these conversations sprang up as I was trying to convince the children that I had heard of an experimental program that the government was working on to aid parents who would like to keep their children a certain age. It was called Operation Neverland. Parents would be able to contact an operations center and request the desired age for their children to stop growing up. Then at night when they are sleeping, they would shine a special light on them and they would stay that age until the parents put in a request for the aging to begin again. The light could also be used on adults, but there are side effects. Some adults turned into bad tempered pirates. Joey listened and enjoyed his ice cream while Bailey, Mikey, and Auntie added colorful details to this tail. Then he stopped and put his spoon down and asked,
"What, did Obama say that?!" And we all started laughing. I assure you that I did come clean and told my little one that we were telling a tail; that there is no such thing as Operation Neverland; that there is nothing anyone can do to stop him growing up, but I do so enjoy him and his brother and sister right this very moment that I wish I could make it last just a little bit longer.

All VBS All the Time

It is over, finished, completed, done. I should have been blogging through the whole experience, but there was just no time. I am so exhausted from the experience I can't even count the amount of hours I put into this project not to mention, my kids, and my Mom who is on vacation. There was an enormity of work and few who were really dedicated to the project. Add to this the fact that David was gone to VA for two weeks during the bulk effort to prepare. However, the results were awesome. I had some people tell me how great they thought the theme was this year. I heard stories of kids who woke in the morning asking if it was a Crocodile Dock Day or "Is it time yet?" all day long. That is what counts. I was just doing a job following a format. Trying to keep people working together, making sure they had what they needed when they needed it. I think it will be a very long time before I attempt directing again. Truly, it took all the fun and joy out of VBS for me. It was far too much for me to take on at this time. I had initially been cautious, because I am so new here and didn't know wether the people here would work for me. My insight was right. Should I ever attempt this again I will be sure to know the people I will be asking to work much better.

Playing around.

I am taking a break from everything VBS and playing with the bloggy thing here and Bailey is over my shoulder as I type this. So she is responsible for the new look of the blog. It's nice i thought we can try it for a while. What do you think? Pretty snazzy huh? I am still getting the hang of all this stuff. As for the rest of my life right now, we are officially on summer break and have been running around getting supplies for VBS. The theme this year is Crocodile Dock and it is supposed to be swampy. Well, we are swamped alright. Thank goodness for the volunteers who have been helping. VBS is in one week and there is way too much to do.

The Beach

For the record, I have never been a big fan of the ocean, any ocean. Every time I went to the ocean as a little kid something terrible happened. Well, our family went on our first ever camping trip on the beach. We drove 2 1/2 hrs to Mustang Island State Park only to find it was full and they would not even let us in the gate. We decided to drive around and explore the island a little. In the mean time a small thunder buster rolled in and most of the people who were in the park just for the day left. When we returned to see if they were still turning folks around we found not only that we could get in, but we were able to camp on the beach as well!

So we set up camp....

As we had dinner and roasted marshmallows another storm began to blow in to the South and to the North. There was nothing directly over us though. It was like the Lord split the storm just so it would go around us. When it got so far out to sea it came together again and made the most amazing and spectacular light show out over the water. It was absolutely beautiful. Then we all climbed into our tents and went to sleep. Sometime in the night, Bailey and I got up to go potty and the sky was completely clear and you could see soooo many stars. Awesome.

The next morning, we woke up and went swimming and then ate breakfast. We hung out and the kids ran around the beach on sand dunes and then we all played in the sand making a sand castle.

It was great fun hanging out and playing in the sun together. We had some yummy snacks and packed up the tents before we went out to play in the water again and try to get some of the sand off of us before making the trek home again. Nothing bad happened and as you can see from the last picture I think the kids had a blast. Mustang Island gets a five star rating from this crew.

PEACE, DUDES!

My Sweetheart

Each of my children have term of endearment that I use to refer to them. My sweetheart is my middle child Michael. If you know him, you will know instantly why this is his moniker. He is such a mild and sweet, sugary, little guy. He is a charmer of girls and has been from a very early age. He prefers to hang with boys that are older than him, 'cause they are cool and inspiring I guess. When he was born we were expecting another girl. My first intuition was that he was a boy and my heart sunk when the Dr. told me it would be another girl. Two weeks later I was filled with joy at the prospect of having another girl who would be able to wear all the pretty dresses that Bailey had worn. Trivial, maybe, but I was just so sure it was a boy. So two weeks before he was born, a thought raced across my brain. What if it's a boy? Everyone was convinced it was a girl and my question was brushed off. I said, "shouldn't we pick a boy name just in case?" David didn't even want to discuss it. So, I started thinking of boy names just in case and came up with Michael James. Michael after my mother's father and James after Dave's mother's father. Whenever I broached the subject of the possibility of the baby's boyness it was as if it was just pregnant delusions. No one said yeah or neah about the name they didn't worry about it 'cause it was gonna be a girl. He picked the most perfect day to be born. He arrived at dawn on Easter Sunday, 2000 at our home in Bozeman, MT. Weighing in at about 11lbs or possibly more. When the midwife saw his obvious non-girlness she gasped and whispered, "don't say anything". When I beheld my son I sighed and said, "Oh, it's a Michael." This is how the love story between my sweetheart and I began.

This year for Michael's birthday we went to the zoo. We packed our lunches and headed out for a day of fun. He was sure to bring his binoculars to get a closer look at the animals. His favorite animal that day was the okapi which is like a cross between a giraffe an a zebra.

We bought nectar and fed the Lories. They are funny little parrots. One was giving Michael love bites on his ear.

We saw the baby ducklings. We got ice cream and then went to eat our lunches before...

riding the train.

Michael just HAD to sit in the last car. It was a wonderful time. After all this we ran some errands before we had dinner and fun at Chuck E. Cheeses. It was a day for him and I think we all enjoyed it. I love my sweetheart more and more as he grows.

Happy Birthday Mikey!

Conversations From Here to There: Roller coaster

The following occurred during the drive home from the movies last night. We were headed South on 410 and taking the interchange to 10 South. There is a huge ramp there that goes way up and over all the other roads.

Mom: Ooooh, this is the roller coaster ramp. I was planning on taking my Mom on it when she came. It goes so high and is just like a roller coaster.
Joey: Yeah, it's fun.
Mikey: I like this one.
Dad: Oh, yeah?
Mom: Yeah, it makes my tummy flip over when we go over this part.
Mom and three kids: Whooooooooaaaaaaaaahhhh!

Joey: That was fun, let's do it again backwards!!!!

Flowers, Feasting, and Fun!!

Easter has come and gone, and though most of the traditions are from ancient pagan rituals, we try to have a little fun and remember the sacrifice of Christ for us. We had house guests this weekend and it was great. Whenever we spend time with our adopted family, the kids are rambuncious. Then when the company leaves, they mope and cry and say how much they miss the company. We had a very relaxed Easter this year. Selina came down on Friday night and I put her to work right away helping to clean the church. Then we made Resurrection cookies as an activity for the children during the evangelistic meetings being held there. The cookies flopped and I had to remake them at home and bring the results to church the next day. Sabbath was good except that three of the Sabbath School teachers for the young classes were gone or home with sick or injured children. I helped out a little with the younger kiddos improv style. After Church, we headed down to the River Walk for a walk!

Sunday the kids were up and wanting to dig into their Easter baskets, but they had to wait till they finished the wonderful breakfast David made! Waffles, turkey bacon, and juice! We spent most of the day hanging out in pajamas, eating snacks, playing video games, or Farm Town.

Then we worked at preparing a marvelous and wonderful feast! We made Salmon and Asparagus on the grill. Selina made her fabulous to die for macaroni and cheese, fruit salad, and garlic mashed potatoes. For dessert we had cake and my famous triple berry cherry pie. It was awesome and delicious.

We topped off the fun with an egg hunt for the kids and then spent the last moments talking and singing or watching Veggie Tales.

Conversations From Here to There: Encyclopedia Miketanica...

Bailey: Mom, have you ever heard of Chinese Dogheads?
Mom: What?
Bailey: Dogheads.
Mom: Chinese Dogheads?
Bailey: Yeah.
Dad: You mean like those scary dragon dog things in front of the buildings?
Bailey: No, they were people.
Mom: No, I never heard of them. Are they in your story?
Bailey: Yes.

Mikey: The Chinese Water Deer looks like a dog.
Dad: Thank you Encylopedia Miketanica.

The view from my back door.

We have been working to improve the view from the back door lately. When we moved here everything looked brown and hopeless. Here are some pictures of our latest attempt to bring something beautiful and green into our back yard. We noticed the birds getting drinks from a bowl I had placed under one of the downspouts and thought they might like their own special place.

Here are some pics of the kids helping move the extra dirt because we don't have a wheelbarrow.

Even before the edging and plants went in, Mikey commented, "Wow, it looks so nice, I could stand here all day and just look at that!" Everyone pitched in to complete the project.

With the edging, with the pebbles, and then we let the plants loose. I want to get some flowers too, maybe marigolds or something else.

So the view from my back door is improving day by day. Hope yours is too.

Hugo and Eleanor

Here is a smart little friend I made this afternoon. Isn't she a beauty? I turned on the hose to give my plants a little drink and turned around to find her sneaking in to get a drink from the leak at the faucet. I watched her look for just the right spot to get a drink. When she realized she was being watched, she scooted to the outer edge of the hose so she could make a hasty escape if needed. I dashed into the house to grab the camera as I wanted to catch her beauty for all to see. I began to snap a few pics and she told me her name is Eleanor and insisted that this was her good side. She turned and posed so I could capture all her splendor.

She returned to the inner part of the hose to get another drink when I noticed someone else on the fence. It was Hugo, her boyfriend. He was green with envy at all the attention I had given to Eleanor.

He said he was far more beautiful than she. He insisted I take his picture and even showed off his flashy red throat. He then stomped away with his nose in the air.

Eleanor apologized profusely for the rudeness of her boyfriend and thanked me for my hospitality. Then she vanished quickly around the side of the house without a trace. I am hoping to entertain them both again in the future. Hopefully, Hugo will warm up to us. Only one question remains in my mind, what kind of lizards are these?

My Hero

After spending most of the night with children who were suddenly sick in a projectile way, I feel like the walking dead. Usually, David gets up and prepares for his day, gives me a hug and a kiss before he leaves, if I am sleeping in, or we chat together in the kitchen before he leaves. This morning the only recollection I have of his morning routine is the front door closing and locking. Sometime later, I heard the door chime and thought, David left already, who is downstairs? Only one of us slept through the night long battle with yuck, Joey. So I was thinking what is Joey going into the garage for. Then I heard the lock. I was already in motion at this point to see what was going on. I checked the window and Dave's car was there. My fuzzy brain said, but I thought he left already. So, I leave the bedroom and look to the bottom of the stairs and who is there? My hero, holding a McDonalds latte for me. He had gone to work and returned to check on all of us and make sure we would be ok. He brought Joey and I breakfast. So I am taking the opportunity to brag about my man. Now if I could only think of a way to show him token of my appreciation...

If I write it...

Who will read it? I have tried blogging before on myspace and have little to no following so I am a little hesitant and don't expect much from this. I know I like reading the blogs of my friends. I find details from their day to day life that I miss out on because our lives have us far removed from each other. So, if you dare to read, then read. Here I am.

In the Beginning

This is the first message. More to come, I hope.