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