We're Here!!!

Well we're here in fabulous Germany! It's gorgous! When we arrived on Saturday we had left a VERY HOT and HUMID Kansas (100 degree's and humidity that matched!) we stepped outside in shorts and had quite a chill all over our bare legs and arms. Luckily Chad had warned us it was pretty chilly (ok only in the 60's, but going from HOT-HOT-HOT to that it was chilly! LOL). We had warmer clothes at hand.

Our apartment is HUGE! IT's actually the largest next to Senior NCO housing there is on post! It's definately bigger than the HOUSE we just moved out of! Granted we don't have our own fenced in backyard, but that's ok. Our neighbors who are actually going to be moving in the next few weeks are leaving their outside toys and little blow up pool, and there's a very  nice fenced in park right across the street from us, that we've went to almost every day since we arrived! The boys love it.

The post is not big, and since we don't have a vehicle yet, it's nice to be able to truly walk every where without feeling like you're going to die when you get back. I think we've found almost everything on post. Sunday we walked off post and started exploring a bit, the city is really large, so we'll be exploring it a lot via walking, biking, and driving.

This Friday we're going with Chad and his class that he's been in this past week and going out to eat on the German economy, Chad will have to order in German :) and we'll be going up to the castle, and doing a little shopping if we want (yes we want!!!LOL All I will say is Chad is glad it's payday!). We're going to buy a little car to get us around at least until my van gets here and Chad heads off to Iraq. I may sell it when he leaves, since it'd just be sitting and you can get little cars like this for next to nothing anyways, so if we feel he MUST have a car, which I doubt we will, we can always get one when he gets back.

I don't know if I have shared, Chad will be going back to Iraq in a few months. We're of course not thrilled, but this is the Army life and complaining isn't going to fix it. I know we'll miss him like crazy, but we're going to keep busy traveling and exploring Europe!

 

We don't have internet at home yet, hopefully next week we'll have something and once we do I'll do more updating. I did weigh myself on Monday and I've officially lost 40 lbs! I think with the way I'm walking I'll have 50 off in the next month at the most 2 months. I really would like to have 60 off by the time Chad leaves for Iraq. I know it's possible. By the time he comes home, he's going to come home to a much smaller wife!!! I think I'm also going to use the daycare a couple times a week so I can go to the gym while Chad is in Iraq as well. We have a VERY,VERY nice gym here on post, I might as well use it, since they spent 12 million dollars on it, and NO POOL! Grrr! Oh well....I'll update more later!

 

God Bless

Counting Down The Days!!!!

Yes you read that right we are down to DAYS before the boys and I leave for Germany!!! I'm so excited I can hardly breath. We are leaving on Friday the 22nd to head to our new home and join Chad! Oh I'm so excited I can hardly stand it.

We'll be in Germany in less than a week now! I know to a dear fellow reader, she's going to be a little peaved at me for not emailing her instantly with this news, but it's the first time I've had a chance to be online and it's 1:20 am, Sunday morning/Saturday night! LOL So Kelly, forgive me! :)

The boys are so excited. We're very sad to be leaving our church and will miss our church family so much. My family lives relatively close 1 1/2 hrs from us, so we'll be spending from Tues-to Friday with them.

 

I'll update more soon.

 

God Bless

Update

Well I've been kind of MIA for a while. We had the movers come 2 weeks ago, and last week we cleaned and cleared housing. We cleaned the house ourselves and amazingly passed on the first inspection. We've never met anyone here that's done that so we're really thankful!!!

Chad left for Germany on Thursday, on Monday he'll head down to our next duty station and get inprocessed and get our names on the housing list. He's being told at Frankfurt that it's only a week or 2 waiting list for housing, so hopefully the boys and my passports will arrive in these next couple of weeks, so that we can get over to Germany with Chad.

 

Right now the boys and I are staying with a friend from church. She's never been married, no children obviously, just has her cat. She's the same age as I am, but we've very different and I'm seeing those differences every day we're here. She definately is not used to little children. She's a high school teacher, and a good one and close to her students, but it's a different situation when you have 3/4 of a family living with you.

My boys lives have literally just been turned upside down and inside out and I don't think she realizes that this is VERY difficult for them. I'm working on getting them back to their routine, and trying to make life as "normal" as can be when they're pretty well living out of suitcases, have a handful of their toys, a few of their books and movies, and we have a few of their outside toys here.

She has definately went above and beyond the call of friendship, and I feel horrible for feeling the way I do. This is my journal though and I'm going to share and vent a little. If you think I'm horrible, selfish, etc please just keep your opinions to yourself, because I really just can't handle reading negative words right now. At the same time I am not and don't expect pats on the back.

Ok so....the other night we all went on a walk. We walked up to the park and by the swimming pool. On the way back Jacob had a melt down. He was throwing a HUGE temper tantrum. Eventually he got himself so worked up and just plain angry that he actually kickeda phone poll (OUCH I know!) but I figured if this is the worst that he's going to do, he can do it. He's not hurting anyone, put possibly himself/his foot, and he's getting his frustration out. I knew when we got back to the house and he calmed down he'd talk things out with me. She made a comment that he could kick the poll (as if it was her decision if he could or not..ugh) but that if he kicked or hit something in her house she'd be the one to spank him. Yeah...to say the least I was truly speechless. NO WAY is someone other than myself or Chad going to disipline our children in that manner. NO ONE. I do spank with the hand at times, we have discovered we do more swats (1 hand swat is all it normally takes when they're VERY VERY VERY naughty), otherwise time outs work beautifully.

I talked to Chad on Friday and told him and he said she better get that idea out of her head, that he was putting his foot down and that she was NOT allowed to touch our children.

Ok, now please don't think she's bad or anything, because she's anything but. She just obviously has not had much contact with children this age and I honestly think she's just so comfortable with our family that she feels we're all family. What she doesn't understand is that my own flesh and blood brother is not allowed to spank my children, much less someone who's only a good friend.

Ok. So that vent is out and I'm thinking I've probably made people think we're staying with someone who's not kind. She is. Like I said though, we're different. As hard as it is for some to believe there are just times when I'm speechless and that was definately one of them.

I have just really been feeling like she feels really put out with us staying here and well it makes me feel like dirt. She invited the boys and I to stay with her, and I know I'm anything but perfect and without a doubt I let the boys do things she doesn't approve of, but I pick my battles. I can't make them live on eggshells, they're little boys you know.

You just definately see a new side of people when you live with them. She's definately a strong personality and strongly opinionated, which is part of the reason I like her as much as I do, but it makes it hard to live with, even if it's just for a few weeks.

On a happy note though, in I believe 2 or maybe it's 3 weeks she'll be gone for a week. She has a conference out of state to attend. She's teaching school I believe next week, then has a week off then she leaves for a week. Then when she returns I believe she'll be preparing to start school again, so hopefully we can all just live in harmony and get used to each other over the next 3 or 4 weeks. We have 1 week down now, so hopefully by the first week of August we'll be getting on a plane flying for Germany!!

I'm sorry that this post has been pretty well a full vent. I promise next time I'll try not to vent at least not so much!

Hey Kelly, I think I should come up and stay with you at the beach house!! You have kids! LOL

 

Favorite Journals?

Ok, so tell me a few of your favorite journals, other than MINE obviously! ROFL!! If you have a journal yourself, make sure you share that too. Give them a pimp on your own journal as well, and link it back to me in the guestbook!

 

 This Letter of Apology was written by Lieutenant General Chuck Pitman,
 U.S. Marine Corps (Retired):
 I am sorry that the last seven times we Americans took up arms and
 sacrificed the blood of our youth, it was in the defense of Muslims
 (Bosnia, Kosovo, Gulf War 1, Kuwait, etc.).

 I am sorry that no such call for an apology upon the extremists came after
 9/11.

 I am sorry that all of the murderers on 9/11 were Islamic Arabs.

 I am sorry that most Arabs and Muslims have to live in squalor under
 savage dictatorships.

 I am sorry that their leaders squander their wealth.

 I am sorry that their governments breed hate for the US in their religious
 schools, mosques, and government-controlled media.

 I am sorry that Yassar Arafat was kicked out of every Arab country and
 high-jacked the Palestinian "cause."

 I am sorry that no other Arab country will take in or offer more than a
 token amount of financial help to those same Palestinians.

 I am sorry that the USA has to step in and be the biggest financial
 supporter of poverty stricken Arabs while the insanely wealthy Arabs blame
 the USA for all their problems.

 I am sorry that our own left wing, our media, and our own brainwashed
 masses do not understand any of this (from the misleading vocal elements
 of our society, like radical professors, CNN and the NY TIMES).

 I am sorry the United Nations scammed the poor people of Iraq out of the
 "oil for food" money so they could get rich while the common folk
 suffered.

 I am sorry that some Arab governments pay the families of homicide bombers
 upon their death.

 I am sorry that those same bombers are brainwashed thinking they will
 receive 72 virgins in "paradise."

 I am sorry that the homicide bombers think pregnant women, babies,
 children, the elderly and other noncombatant civilians are legitimate
 targets.

 I am sorry that our troops die to free more Arabs from the gang rape rooms
 and the filling of mass graves of dissidents of their own making.

 I am sorry that Muslim extremists have killed more Arabs than any other
 group.

 I am sorry that foreign trained terrorists are trying to seize control of
 Iraq and return it to a terrorist state.

 I am sorry we don't drop a few dozen Daisy cutters on Fallujah.

 I am sorry every time terrorists hide they find a convenient "Holy Site."

 I am sorry they didn't apologize for driving two jets into the World Trade
 Center that collapsed and severely damaged Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox
 Church - one of our Holy Sites.

 I am sorry they didn't apologize for flight 93 and 175, the USS Cole, the
 embassy bombings, the murders and beheadings of Nick Berg and Daniel
 Pearl, etc....etc!

 I am sorry Michael Moore is American; he could feed a medium sized village
 in Africa.

 America will get past this latest absurdity. We will punish those
 responsible because that is what we do.

 We hang out our dirty laundry for the entire world to see. We move on.
 That's one of the reasons we are hated so much. We don't hide this stuff
 like all those Arab countries that are now demanding an apology.

 Deep down inside, when most Americans saw this reported in the news, we
 were like - so what? We lost hundreds and made fun of a few prisoners.
 Sure , it was wrong, sure, it dramatically hurts our cause, but until
 captured we were trying to kill these same prisoners. Now we're supposed
 to wring our hands because a few were humiliated?

 Our compassion is tempered with the vivid memories of our own people
 killed, mutilated and burnt amongst a joyous crowd of celebrating
 Fallujahans.

 If you want an apology from this American, you're going to have a long
 wait!

 You have a better chance of finding those seventy-two virgins.

 Chuck Pitman
 Lieutenant General
 US Marine Corps (Retired

 

Why Is It We Have To Speak English! (God Bless AMERICA)

A U.S. Navy Admiral was attending a naval conference that included admirals from English, Canadian, American, Australian and French Navies. At a cocktail reception, he found himself standing with a group of half dozen or so officers that included personnel from most of the countries.
 

Everyone was chatting away in English as they sipped their drinks, but a French admiral suddenly complained that, whereas Europeans learn many languages, Americans learn only English. He the asked: "Why is it that we always have to speak English in these conferences rather than speaking French?"

 

 
Without hesitating, the American Admiral replied: "Maybe it's because the Brits, Canadians, Aussies, and Americans arranged it so you wouldn't have to speak German."

(Some of my personal hero's!)

 

Teacher and Child

 

Teacher and Child
 
Anyone who has ever dressed a child will love this one! Did you hear about the Texas teacher who was helping one of her kindergarten students put on his cowboy boots? He asked for help, and she could see why. Even with her pulling and him pushing, the little boots still didn't want to go on. Finally, when the second boot was on, she had worked up a sweat.
 
She almost cried when the little boy said, "Teacher, they're on the wrong feet." She looked and sure enough, they were. It wasn't any easier pulling the boots off them it was putting them on. She managed to keep her cool as together as they worked to get the boots back on--this time on the right feet.
 
He then announced, "These aren't my boots." She bit her tongue rather than get right in his face and scream, "Why didn't you say so?" like she wanted to do. And, once again she struggled to help him pull the ill-fitted boots off his little feet.
 
No sooner had they got the boots off than he said, "They're my brother's boots. My Mom made wear'em." Now she didn't know if she should laugh or cry. But, she mustered up the grace and courage she had left to wrestle the boots on his feet again.
 
Helping him into his coat, she asked, "Now, where are your mittens?" He said "I stuffed'em in the toes of my boots."
 
Her trial starts next month.