Be Careful What you Wish For...

So... the move On-Post hasn't exactly been what I hoped for.
Some of the neighbors are downright unfriendly. I have never seen that on an installation before. It feels rank related, but who knows?
A few are friendly-ish. Not sure if they will become actual "friends" or not. We'll see!

K has made a good friend - Also a new kid on the street,but she's older so they don't get to see each other at school, and next year she will be at a different school.
BC has made a friend as well - another new kid on the street, but he's kind of fickle and is sometimes mean to him. BC doesn't care and is very defensive of him because he's the first, and only friend, he's had in awhile.

The other kids on the street? Yeah - that's been the downside. They have a "clique" they formed because they all arrived here about the same time, or their parents work together,etc, etc... They were nice at first, but have decided Twinz don't fit in and now they just pretty much torture them.
Every day is drama, drama.
Yes, the parents are aware and in actual conversations about it - have basically said 'Oh well. Some kids just don't fit in'.
Seriously.

We are enjoying the closeness and convenience to everything. Twinz love getting to sleep late every morning and get home earlier in the afternoon. We see Steve more, and that's nice. Sort of...

The size of the house is sorta driving me nuts and I don't think THIS house will ever get unpacked either!
LOL...

Aaaahhhh....

It's amazing to me just how much more money we have now that we only put gas in the cars, like, once a month. :D
And while I thought I would miss shopping in Pegnitz and Nuremburg - I have quickly learned to LOVE Sulzbach and Amberg. Plus, they're close and I save gas... which leaves more money to shop - it's a win/win! LOL.
I've become lazy, though...

Before - I used to just jump in the car and drive all those hours everyday, all over the Garrison without a second thought. Because I had to. Now that I live here? I barely leave the house. It takes some serious motivation to get me Off-Post or anywhere besides Amberg and Sulzbach.

All this time at home - and i'm still not close to being unpacked. I have no idea where anything is?

But life is good. Twinz are happy. Steve didn't get sent for vacation to the Ukraine - but he did get tasked out for 30 days an hour away. That part sucks.
He hasn't spent more than 10 days in actual Command of his soldiers.
I'm adjusting OK, though. I have a bit of a mess to clean up in our Family Group, but everyone I have met has been fantastic and I think we will all be back on track soon!

Can't wait for school to start! I'm so ready for "me" time!!!!

We Did It!

We moved to Post.

Steve made the promotion list, assumed Command, went to the Ukraine, and we moved ourselves to Post - all within a 3 week period. Holy. WOW!

Never again.

Move ourselves, that is. What a nightmare! Steve's job gave us 5 days to move out of Auerbach, into the new house and then clear the old house. My plan was - to paint the new house first, then move things in room by room. All nice and organized! Yeah - right.
Got SOME painting done - thanks to my friend and painting fairy, Jennifer, who came over during the nights and did the downstairs for us. I still need to finish the kitchen and the kids rooms...someday.
A few things got moved over and in their place, but for the most part, Steve went with the trash bag method - Laundry(clean and dirty mixed!)was stuck in white trash bags, real trash went into black trash bags, everything else went into blue ones.
Plus a lot of plastic storage totes he bought.

A few boxes were used, but that really upset me. Steve insisted we keep our moving boxes from when we came over so we could use them if he ever talked me into moving - yet he claims it was too much trouble to put them together again...One more thing that must be taken care of!

Honestly? If this house ever gets unpacked and put together, before we move again, it will be a miracle!!!

The new house is OK - Smaller than the current house and no storage. BUT - there's no 4 hrs on the road every day. Steve can pop in from work. There are yards and playgrounds and kids for Twinz to play with! Neighbors who speak to me and check on us. The school is,literally, out the back door....

I think this is going to be a good thing!

Bad Blogger

Yes. I totally know how out of date this blog is....
No good reason - LOTS of excuses, though.
The biggest being a severe lack of time and too much to tell...

However. We are moving soon! Yeah, yeah - we DID just move 15 mos ago and NO - I haven't totally unpacked yet, but this time it is On-Post. So, sometime next week , we will be saying Tschuss! to Auerbach and GruB Gott to Vilseck...And I will be getting about 4 hrs in my day back.

And, hopefully, time to get everyone caught up here with our Craziness!

Chelle

Rest in Peace, Precious Angel...

God Bless Elizabeth Ann Stafford - Born May 1, 2009.
3 LBS, 11 OZ.
Died May 1, 2009

Please grant peace and comfort to her loving parents - Johnna and Jeremy. And to the rest of their family and friends in this time of sorrow.

www.ourjourneywithbabystafford.blogspot.com

God Bless Them All and Give Them Peace...

I've had babies on my mind a lot lately...
As with most deployments - in the months after there is a bit of a "baby" boom. One of my neighbors recently had a precious new little one and the neighbors on each side of me are expecting. I'm excited for both of them, but just a bit more for the one who is expecting twins...
I SO remember those days! Hearing her news has found me reminiscing quite a lot about that time. One day I even found myself feeling a bit envious - at which point I thought I needed a psych referral because really? No way! could I ever go through THAT again...Especially not at my age.

Anyway. The past few weeks I have been talking to another friend about infertility. She already has a daughter but very much wants another child and it's not going so well for them. Having been through it not only myself, but having been through it here in Germany ,specifically, - she has a lot of questions for me and I hope I am able to help her as she goes through this process. It's a very difficult and emotionally draining journey that I wouldn't wish on anybody - but that I hope works out for her and her family.

You know - you read the news and the hear the stories. If you didn't know any better, you might think that becoming pregnant and having a baby is a simple thing. It's SO not. And just because you DO get pregnant - doesn't mean you always get to bring home a baby. And THAT is the hardest of all. I was blessed to bring home 2 of 4 - and I love them more than life itself - but it is the two we didn't get to bring home that I frequently find my heart aching for...
If you get a chance - check out the following blog: www.ourjourneywithbabystafford.blogspot.com

This couple and their enduring faith is just incredible! It is the blog of Johnna and Jeremy from my hometown. Johnna is pregnant with their first child. This is a much longed for pregnancy that has become heartbreaking. During an ultrasound it was discovered that Johnna's baby is missing some vital organs that will not allow it to survive outside her womb. The baby is thriving inside her, but the most they can hope for is a few precious hours together after delivery. Or a miracle.
Johnna and Jeremy believe in miracles. They have made many hard decisions over the past few months. The biggest, though, is their decision to leave it all up to God's will and to "parent" their baby as much as possible during the pregnancy.

During pregnancy - we long for the day of birth so that we can finally meet and hold the life we nourished within. Remember all the hopes and dreams we had for our unborn babies? The plans we made? I don't know her personally - but my heart breaks for Johnna. Can you imagine dreading your baby ever being born? Knowing that so long as that precious angel is inside your body - it is alive and well, but the day it is born is the day it will die?

This blog post today came about after reading Johnna's latest update. I started crying not too far into it - when she is telling about how she and Jeremy didn't like the caskets they had to choose from when they were planning the baby's funeral, so Jeremy has decided to make one himself for their baby.

It's so hard to comprehend - While my expectant friends and neighbors are all planning nurseries and putting together cribs - Johnna and Jeremy are making funeral arrangements and Jeremy is putting together a casket...

This family is amazing. And brave beyond belief. Their faith is SO strong....Please pray for them and think of them. Follow their story and offer any support you may feel called to give. And while you're at it? Keep all the other expectant parents in your prayers also - pray for safe, uncomplicated deliveries and healthy babies and Thank God for those blessings as well!

Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it snow.....

I didn't get my "White Christmas". The one I have dreamed of since I was old enough to even understand what that phrase meant... Last year, I got a White Easter and a White Thanksgiving - but Christmas was denied me.

I was a good girl - but apparently Santa didn't think I was good ENOUGH...That's OK, though. GOD loves me and answers my prayers -

And I Got SNOW!!!!!

Off and on throughout January , but then it would melt...NOW - lots of it for most of February! What more could a Southern girl ask for her birthday?! :D

My friends and neighbors do not appreciate all of this frosty beauty. They are tired of it and crave heat and sunshine. I think they would appreciate it more if they lived in Alabama for, say, 10 years or more....

My world is beautiful right now. Clean, white and pristine....Each flake exquisite in it's uniqueness and HOW amazing that God can create such infinite designs?

Also - All of this icy bounty also means it is not HOT in this house and that is the BEST present of all! :D

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Sorry!

Yes, this blog is seriously out of date. I have no good excuses...
I DO have about 12 updates in the "drafts" folder going back to October that need to be finished and posted and I WILL get to that. Someday.....

Hopefully, soon!

The Times-They are a Changin'!

And I believe this is going to be a good thing!

It's time for reset, both at Steven's work and in the community. Change can be difficult and,sometimes, un-welcome. I have much hope that this won't be one of those times...
As a matter of fact, It's been a long time since I have felt THIS hopeful . This excited about a new year!
So - come ON ,change, already!!! Let's get a move on and get this show on the road! OR
from our former life...

Stand in the door, Airborne!
:D

Garmisch Holiday, December 2008

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Winter Holiday

Steven went on leave and we needed downtime - so off to Garmisch to the Edelweiss Resort we went...
Probably wouldn't have been my first choice for our last vacation as a whole family this year, but it was one of those places the kids and I have been that Steven hasn't and so it's where HE wanted to go...

We originally had a second trip to London arranged, but with my knee injury - slushing around on foot in rain, snow, sleet, and ice going from place to place and using the underground - didn't seem like the healthiest thing to do.

Edelweiss was beautiful! Lots of snow and it continued on through the week. The Resort was decked out for Christmas - so perfect! We couldn't have asked for anything more...
Finally! We got to rest - sleep in late, go swimming, hang out in the jacuzzi, and play in the snow. We ate too much, shopped too much, and enjoyed the scenery. We took a horse drawn carriage ride thru Garmisch one night and got a chance to see some of the older neighborhoods and all the Christmas lights downtown. Steven even got to go to the Spa and get a much needed massage...

The day before we left, we took the train up to Zugspitze. Steven hadn't ever been there either, and Twinz and Mom had only seen it during the summer...
The train up during Winter is a different journey - no scenic stops. It was also VERY crowded with skiers - I thought it was neat that they use racks to hang their skis on the OUTSIDE of the train. We arrived at Sonnen Alpine with several dozen skiers and snowboarders. Where during the Summer - it was all walking trails and you could explore - NOW it was one big slope and we had to watch out to keep from getting skied over...

It was SO, breathtakingly beautiful! A world of snowy peaks as far as the eyes could see... We walked around , but kept sinking into the snow. Needed to take some pics because I wanted one as our Christmas card. I approached the first skier that looked friendly and asked "Sprechen sie English?" and got a "Nyet! Russky..."and a big smile.
Um ok...New one for me. Time to try sign language...she got it and even managed to take 2 pictures for us. Luckily, Steven has worked with enough Slavic troops that he was able to thank her in Russian and say Goodbye...

I didn't like the pictures she took all that much, though, so later I approached a lady who had ridden the train up with us ("Sprechen sie Deutsch"? THIS time...) - she DIDN'T speak German, but she was from Cyprus and spoke perfect English. She also took good pictures and I was able to return the favor.

We stayed for quite a while climbing,playing, sliding,and freezing...Then we took the cable car up to the peak. It was a great view of all the ski action going on down below! Once we got up top - we grabbed some postcards to send from the peak and then went up the stairs to go outside...

HOLY. WOW!
You could barely get the door open because of the wind - Bryan Colby actually got trapped when the door slammed back on him. It was SO cold and SO windy - you couldn't take a breath. Kailey weighs next to nothing and we were kind of afraid we'd lose her...

BUT- the VIEW! INCREDIBLE....We had only been up there when it was cloudy and this day? Not a cloud ANYWHERE....There's just no words to accurately describe it - thank goodness for photos. Literally? It felt like we were on top of the world. We spent time on both the German and Austrian side...
Finally, half-frozen, we went downstairs to the cafe for Cake and Cocoa...yum! Then it was time to catch the cable car (from the peak this time) for the descent back down to the car . As usual, a breathtaking view, only this time with the lake frozen and sunset as well...

Tired and half frozen, we went back to the hotel for dinner and more time in the pool,watched TV, and just enjoyed a peaceful last night. The next morning, we enjoyed our last buffet breakfast, checked out, and headed off downtown to shop and enjoy the Christmas Markt...

Which was tiny and disappointing. But we had a GREAT time shopping elsewhere in town! I found Kailey's Christmas dress at this neat store that had a slide the kids could use to get from the main floor to the children's section - it ended in a ball pit. Unfortunately, it started to rain and we got soaked a long way from where we parked the car. So we were all kind of miserable. We were hungry by then to and the only place open for dinner was Pizza Hut. The pizza was 'ick' but the place was warm and dry and that's what mattered...

We left and drove down thru Innsbruck, Austria. It was dark - but beautiful. One of the most scenic drives we've ever done.
We took that route to Stuttgart for a wedding we had been invited to.

The plan was to blog the details of THAT nightmare - but - I have already told this story SO many times - I just can't anymore.
The ending to the story is that we spent almost a thousand dollars to go stay in Stuttgart overnight in the worst hotel ever, plus expenses for special wedding clothes and what not....and
DID. NOT. GO. TO. THE. WEDDING....

Just spent a miserable night and drove home the next day.

And that's how we ended our Winter vacation!

Time flies...

When you're on the "Crazy Train...aka "Our life"!

Poor Steve! Guy comes home and literally drops right into the schedule that the Twinz and I keep...and he's tired! Turns out it's a bit much for him...

He got home at 2AM that morning and hasn't hardly slept since. The Boy Scout Regatta ( Colby won at least 1 race!), Kailey's dance rehearsals, then the dance recital, karate, school, then basketball, re-integration, back to work, Thanksgiving,etc, etc....

BUT - in a few days we're off to Garmisch for a winter holiday, so he can sleep then!

From my side of the house - I got a WHITE Thanksgiving! Wahoo!!! I have been waiting forever for the snow, it seems. It's so beautiful!!! We had our fabulous dinner at Cindy's and that weekend - we were invited over to our next-door neighbor's for some social time. It was SO great! They are very nice and it was great to finally meet them.

Kailey's recital went really well, snow and all. I only took a few pics, because the lighting on stage was out, so you couldn't really see...
There were professional pics done - and they are breathtaking! But no disc available so I can't put them up, just yet.

Maybe soon!

Thanksgiving

NORMALLY? My LEAST favorite holiday....
However, Steven just got home and Twinz wanted to have a 'family' dinner like on TV and the movies.
OK. FINE. I bought all the ingredients for their favorite foods.

Then my friend Cindy invited us to come over and have dinner at her house. WAHOO! That was a first...I didn't think Steven would go for it, but he was excited, so that was the plan. I told Cindy I would get the turkey if she would cook it - I would cook the rest.

Only... I got sick. REALLY, really sick...well Kailey got it first, then Bryan Colby. I was hoping it would pass me by - I can handle almost anything except vomiting and nausea. No luck. I not only got it - it stayed for a few days.
Thanksgiving morning - I told Steven how to cook some of the easier dishes, and he prepared to take the Twinz and go to Cindy's alone...
Later on, I had an energy spurt and some domestic demon took over - so I got up, went downstairs, and ended up cooking the rest of the food.

We made it to Cindy's, although JUST in time for dinner and had a WONDERFUL time! I didn't eat anything, but noone minded. Twinz ate enough for about 4 people! I DID swipe one of Cindy's addictive chocolate brownies...Couldn't help myself - they're to die for!

After dinner, we took Twinz and went to see Madagascar 2 - if anything it was even funnier than the first. The perfect end to a pretty good day...
Steven home safe, wonderful time with new friends - we are very blessed indeed.

Now, if only I just felt better.
:(

Welcome Home!

Photos from the night Steven (finally!) made it home. YES - they are on the blurry side...In my defense, even the image stabilizer couldn't handle how badly I was shaking!
LOL...