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Yes, this blog is seriously out of date.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...

There's no place like home...

...and Steven is HOME!

it took FOREVER...

We left when we were originally supposed to. Got there a bit early. The buses were late. Made the kids sit in the dark in a parking lot to wait for them, not because we necessarily thought we could see him or he could see us - but because at THAT point - we would know he was actually HERE and how long a wait we would have before we could see him.

Vs. - just going to the meeting place and waiting and not knowing. Bryan was FURIOUS! He did NOT want to be wait in the car. About the time I decided to kill him and dump his body in the pond - we saw flashing lights and tall headlights coming at us through the fog.

THEY had ARRIVED! Relief, and tears, and adrenaline kicked in all at once. The only way to describe Bryan and Kailey was awed. They just had no idea it would be like that. And Bryan was glad we had waited...

We arrived at the meeting place after midnight and hung out until one of our neighbors made the announcement we had been waiting for - "Here they are!". The doors opened and in they came.

As usual - I had no idea which one was Steven - he looks the same as 85% of his co-workers. Usually, I just sit back and wait for him to find me...Not this time.
They came straight in, and when they turned to face us - he was right THERE! Directly in front of me , in the front row, not 5 ft. away....He looked up, directly into my eyes, and smiled! He NEVER smiles in formation...

And the Twinz went wild!!! Daddy was HOME!
Then. He was ours.

We got home just around 2 AM. I'm here at the computer while Father and Son are trying to build a wooden boat, without the necessary tools, for a Boy Scout race very early in the morning. Kailey has gone to bed, reluctantly, but tired. She also has dance rehearsal very early, but she knows she will get her "Daddy time" before the next time she has to go to bed...

We are all exhausted, but I think, for tonight, if we ever get to bed? It might not be a sleepless night at all.....

Can't. Take. Much. Mooore.......

AGH!!!!!

This whole "hurry up and wait" thing is just ridiculous...Even the 82nd wasn't THIS bad.

FIRST - the call came "Wheels Up - home in a few hours" - wahoo!
Stay up all night, panicking, getting ready...

THEN - the next call "bad weather, flight diverted to another country. Be here early in the morning..." Geezz...., but OK. More time to get stuff done and get some sleep.
(Could have slept later, except Bryan Colby woke up at O-dark-30 , came running into my room angry and screaming "You didn't go get Daddy!!! Why'd you leave Daddy!?!?!" Yes. I DID explain it to him at midnight when I woke him up, had him walk 2 floors up to go to the bathroom, change his clothes, and go to bed...)

NEXT morning - another call "Wheels up - they are IN the air! Home by lunchtime - be here". Um...sure. Good news, finally, and I have a bit more time to get a few things done...

Got myself squared away and dressed, got the kids dressed - which was NOT easy with Bryan Colby hollering " My Daddy's coming home" and bouncing off the walls. Was moving right along and about to walk out the door...

When the phone rang. Again - "Yeah, they never made it off the ground. Still in that country. Stand by indefinately, we may ,or may not let you know when to be here..."

Huh? Seriously? Now what was I supposed to do? I actually had a handful of errands that I needed to get done - but didn't want to get stuck too far away, just in case....Couldn't finish cleaning because I didn't want to get dirty. Didn't even feed the kids lunch until very late because I didn't want to have to get them undressed...

VERY....FRUSTRATING...

Then HE called...My heart smiled. He was in Germany ( finally!), but very far away to the North and they had to wait for transportation back down here. This was going to take several hours, but he hoped to be home by tonight. Yeeessss.....

Finally. THE phone call. They were leaving, be ready to meet up with them by 11:30 PM...

Thank You, Lord!!! It's almost over...

Not getting it done...

So tonight was the LAST night of craziness in my schedule with no Daddy help.

It was going to be tricky, time wise, but I had the schedule squared away down to the minute. The best laid plans....

Kids did not go to school, had to leave early for dance class because I had forgotten that I needed to bring food for Book Club. Thought I'd just grab it all during dance class...
ONLY - our Commissary isn't open on Wednsdays! UGH!!!

Had to book it Graf. to their comissary, which kind of worked out because I needed balloons for "homecoming" and Steven needed some new jeans that fit. Cool.

It would have been. If the Jeep had not decided to blow UP on me just as I got thru the checkpoint!!! Here I was - Kailey was in Vilseck and her class was only an hour, I was 30 minutes away in Graf. (with Bryan), the car is steaming/smoking and dead, I had NO cell. phone, no purse, and NO contact numbers...

*sniff*

I was rescued by a cute, young SGT who is a mechanic. He loaned me his phone, and kept me sane while I tried to figure out the game plan...He looked at my car, he followed me to the Car Care Center to drop it off, he took me to the rental place to try and get another car ( they were closed) and then helped me deal with the Car Care Center...

MY HERO!

I am a blessed girl. I just happened to have the numbers of a woman whose daughters are in Kailey's dance class. I also happened to have PTSA sign-in papers with this one number of a person who could help me out in Vilseck by calling another friend in the Book Club to give her a "heads up"....Did I mention that we only meet once a month and not only should I provide food as one of the facilitators, but I also had the keys to the bldg. where we meet?

AND! One of the spouses from Steven's work just happened to be coming thru THAT gate a bit behind me and stayed to help out. She THEN drove me to Vilseck just in time for my Book Club meeting....where my Angel friend, Nancy, agreed to get me and the kids home ....Also, My Book Club girls were just what I needed to soothe my stressed out soul. I knew they would....

The next morning my Angel neighbor, Natalie, took me back in to Post so I could get a rental - very nice, loaded Mercedes that I am quickly getting addicted to...Unfortunately, it took most of the day to get it all taken care of and so - another day lost.

I don't even CARE about the Jeep at this point!

Soon!

The Daddy will be home soon!!!

We are ready, house is NOT...Weeks of being unable to walk have left this house looking like a condemned building with vagrants living in it...
Not quite what I wanted my Boyo to come home to.

Not quite what ANYONE should come home to, really, but especially not after one of these vacations.

I have so much I have GOT to get done - so why I am I blogging?

Tschuss!

German Dr.'s are funny...

Who knew?

SO. After a summer of ignoring the injuries pretty successfully, I finally gave in to the ever increasing pain in my knee and went to the clinic. The clinic gave me something to help deal with the pain and referred me to a German Ortho/Trauma surgeon at a local hospital.

Very nice guy - for an Orthopod/Trauma God. Personable, friendly - doesn't spend much time with his American counterparts, apparently. Anyway... He sent me for tests to see what was causing me all this trouble, before we schedule me for surgery.

Yeah, right! Like I have time for that. I told him right away surgery wasn't happening until at least January because my schedule between now and then was just too busy. I think he thought I was being funny! No...

So the tests came in - bony debris and necrosis behind the patella and small tears along the ACL and inner meniscus. The ACL , if given a chance, can heal on it's own. The meniscus can't be fixed and won't heal, and the debris and necrosis could only be "washed out" with saline. The surgery would probably put me in more pain for awhile.

No thanks! So this Dr. has agreed to let me try and heal on my own. I now have referrals for pain management, physical therapy, and a brace. Which the U.S. Dr.'s will get around to getting for me...sometime.
The funny part? Herr Doktor says." And so - you must REST to heal. This you can do. You must do no running, no walking, no stairs. Just stay down for a few weeks - maybe by Christmas".

HA! Ha,ha,ha,ha,......Yeah. Let's see....between the 2 steep, narrow stair cases in my HOUSE, and the fact that, on-post, even HANDICAP parking is nowhere near the entrance to ANYWHERE - that's just NOT gonna happen! Even if my well-meaning husband DID say he would take care of everything, so I could stay in bed....Someday....IF and WHEN he ever gets home.....
BUT - it was a good idea, anyway.

Trick or Treat!!!

In our German neighborhood it's not just the classic greeting - they mean it!

The kids had the day off school for a teacher workday, so we got to hang out, decorate the 'yard', and carve pumpkins. This was the first year that Bryan and Kailey ACTUALLY carved their pumpkins themselves and I have to say - they did a REALLY good job! Very impressed. Now , if only they would learn to scoop the 'ick' out themselves as well - Mom would be even happier....

It took them weeks of on-line browsing to pick out costumes. Kailey - Miss "I don't do scary costumes or go in stores where scary costumes might be present" picked out a mummy costume, of all things. And Bryan picked a really neat "Man-eating Shark". Both were great. Bryan had a hard time keeping the shark mouth covering on because he was hot. Kailey's seemed too 'generic' so I spent the night before soaking real bandages in black tea to wrap her up a but more. They ended up trying to come unwrapped and trailing her - but somehow it made her seem even more authentic..

We put our candy out in a painted Halloween tub and as soon as it got dark, we caught up with our neighbors and off we went. Here in Auerbach - we have 30 townhouses that are American housing in a really nice, affluent, German neighborhood. Mom decided Twinz didn't need to explore this time and so we only went to our military neighbors houses.

The Germans LOVE Halloween, especially when there are American houses to go to because they like our candy better, according to a friend. We got swamped with kids! Little ones, Big ones....The little ones are precious - they get dressed up and try their English out. They are very polite and say 'danke'. The big ones? not so much....

The older kids don't wear costumes except for a rare few, one of who just put a party bag on his head. They carry around large tote bags for candy and watch carefully to see what and how much you put in. One boy didn't like the candy I had in my hand so he waited until I dropped it in his bag, to reach over and take more out of my candy tub....

They rarely said "danke" - just "tschuss" ( goodbye) if they felt like it.

One thing that was a first for me and it took me a bit to figure it out was the odd smell that began after a while...It was incense. Many of the kids carried it with them as they went around. I'm guessing it is a custom along the lines of warding off evil spirits, maybe?

Then the night became kind of scary...

My neighbors had warned me that the local kids "trick" the houses if you are not home or just don't answer the door - toothpaste, soap, eggs on doors and windows. This night they added throwing canned goods at houses and lighting firecrackers and "Black Betty's" and throwing them.

One kid threw a lit one at a door just before Bryan and Kailey got to it - they didn't even notice it lit on the grund, but Kailey walked right over it just about the time I remembered that the cloth bandages attached to her body , trailing on the ground - were flammable...

Her guardian Angels were on duty,though, so it was all good.

The noise was frightening for the little ones and very often you would hear crying and screaming as some would go off...

...and I can only imagine what the reactions were to the firecrackers going off in the neighborhood of 28 men who, in the past 2 weeks ,returned from 15 months in a combat zone...

I didn't turn out the lights or quit answering the door until almost 10 PM and made sure it had been quiet for awhile, first....Still, the next day my neighbor Jason said he ran off some boys who were trying to set fire to some decorative pumpkins I had put out next to the driveway.

Geeezzzzz......