Nuremberg, Germany

While Matt was in Iraq, he was browsing the net one evening and found a great weekend apartment rental in Nuremberg, Germany. Germany hosts a great many Christmas markets during December and Nuremberg hosts the largest (Christmas markets sell seasonal sweets, German food, crafts, etc). Not a couple to pass up drinking (Gluwein is served at these markets - even organic varieties - I prefer mine with a dash, or more, of amaretto) to make shopping with young children more pleasurable, he booked that apartment and we drove the two hours to check out that market in Bavaria's second-largest city.

Gluwein-How we make trips to markets more bearable with children

Despite the slush (Not Ugg-friendly, by the way) and cold, it was beautiful and we had a fantastic time. The apartment was fab and comfy. While Olivia came down with a stomach bug and got sick all over a lovely rug, she recovered quickly and we were able to carry on with the rest of our weekend without a glitch. We were even able to snag a baby-sitter one evening and, therefore, enjoyed our first date-night in six or more months. Divine!

Brewer's star near top of building

Before heading home, we toured a local brewery. There, we learned that the star on the building and in some medieval pictures we saw, was not the Star of David. It was the brewer's star (Same symbol, however, no relation to Star of David). During WWII, brewers stopped using it, for obvious reasons. Recently, some brewers have introduced it again. You can see it on the building above. Also of interest is the series of underground tunnels in Nuremberg (part of one in which we visited). When the city was bombed in WWII, casualties were low, compared to other cities, because residents were able to escape to the tunnels (previously used for beer brewing and then for pickling).

We had such a lovely time, we may go back again next year! Matt has decided that Nuremberg has the best brats and I've decided it has the best lebkuchen (gingerbread-type cookies). Those two food items, the gluwein, and beauty of the town may have us back again next year!

Welcome Home

The day after we moved into our home in Wiesloch, Germany, Matt deployed to Iraq. Surprisingly, everything went well while he was away. The girls started German Kindergarten, ballet/tap classes, gymnastics (Lila) and swimming lessons (Olivia). I took a day trip into France with friends and the girls and I embarked on a weekend trip to Belgium. I took three college classes (online) and somehow managed to keep it all together.

After four and a half months, we are so happy to have him back home! We hope to not see another deployment in our near future!

Language Explosion!

I’ve been waiting for it. Listening for it. Hoping it wouldn’t take too long. It seems it is happing a bit sooner than I thought it would.

At swimming lessons on Monday, I walked out of the locker room and into the entrance and overhead Olivia asking one of her friends where his mom was. In German. He replied as his mother walked in, telling him something about his Oma (Grandma). To which Olivia asked, “What are you saying about his Oma?” His mother (who speaks fluent English) then asked him to speak slowly to Olivia and tell her. After he did, Olivia said, in English, “Oh, his grandma is coming to visit. Why?”

My jaw hit the floor. She began German kindergarten nine weeks ago.

Yesterday, after I picked her up from school, and on the way to ballet class, she exclaimed, “Mom, I understood so much of what they said at school today.” She was beaming with pride. Self-confidence is starting to replace apprehension.

Today, I asked her teacher how she was doing. She told me that she’s starting to speak a bit of German with her friends, small phrases and sentences here and there. While she’s not Lila’s teacher, she has observed her too, and told me that while Lila doesn’t speak as much, she seems to understand quite a bit.

And, so it begins. My little Olivia, curious and having a need to let everyone know what she is thinking (and also needing to boss children around) is picking up German. Lila is right behind her.

I was recently sent an article on Mulilingualism and its’ benefits. Click here for the link. Even if your children won’t have the opportunity to learn another language at a young age, it’s a great read and explains why we have immersed our children in German schools.

I guess it’s time for me pull out the video camera and have it ready for those precious moments when I catch my girls speaking German!

More Love Than Hate

Snow has fallen here in Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany. The girls are thrilled. Olivia thinks that life here is so much more pretty when we have snow on the trees. They play outside at school each day and when I find a good deal, I'll buy them each a sled - each of which will become doll carriers, I'm sure.

In other news, Matt will be home from Iraq in just under two weeks. I have so much to do! Cleaning, organizing, planning out our winter trip (Italy - Florence, Verona, and, possibly, Sienna). I'm also trying to finish up classes for school. I finished one class weeks ahead, however, I have a final paper to write for one, a quiz and a final exam for another. It's so hard to focus on school with all the excitement of Matt's impending return!

I was explaining to Matt, the other day, that I feel as if his homecoming is like being in a car, and nearly home after a long drive. The girls know we're almost there and so start acting up. Very frustrating! Though, it comes and goes and we have more good days than bad.

The girls, in fact, are getting along beautifully as of late. Last week, Lila got frustrated with something Olivia did and said, "Livy, I don't like you anymore. I'm going to run away and live somewhere else!."

To which Olivia replied, "Mom, Lila's going to live somewhere else and I will be so lonely without her!"

Such agruements are short-lived. I hope they'll always be this close. Though, having three sisters myself, I know not to hold my breath! The above picture is testiment to how they are now. Later, when they go through periods of hating each other, I can pull out pictures such as these and remind them how they used to be...

"I Feel Older Now"

For about a month, Olivia had been asking if she could get her ears pierced. Matt and I had a prior agreement that she would not get them pierced until she asked. Soon after she started school, she started asking. Everyday. I was four when I got my ears pierced, 12 when I got a second hole and 32 when I got my navel pierced. I do not think piercing is a big deal. So, I was up for it.

Since I like to torture my mother - as in she must see someone in pain when she visits (she was there when I gave birth to Lila in the water), I decided that Liv could get her ears pierced the afternoon before my parents left Germany.

I wish I had great pictures of the event. However, I don't. The one good picture I have of her, shiny earrings and sleeping peacefully, is posted on Facebook. It's an Iphone photo and I don't know how to get it to upload here at full-size.

Anyway, here in Germany, they do not pierce both ears at the same time (We've since asked around and this appears to be true). So, as soon as Olivia got one ear pierced, she was done. She promptly started screaming, slid out of her chair, onto the floor and had a panic attack of sorts. I had to calm her down, and convince the man piercing her ears that she was okay enough to proceed (He was about ready to kick us out).

Now that all is said and done (it's been a little over a week now), I have to say that I am proud of her. The first night, one fell out (of course). She was brave while I put it back in the morning. She lets me clean them twice a day. She rotates them and checks to make sure the backs are secure before she goes to bed each night. She longs for dangly earrings.

What did she have to say after it was all over and she was in the saftey of her home, away from the horrible piercing man??

"Mom, I feel a little bit older now."

So do I, Olivia. So do I!

Kindergarten

Last week, the girls started kindergarten. Each morning, we walk to school. On rainy days, they walk in their rain boots and rain gear. On clear days, Olivia rides her bike. When they arrive, they have to take off their outside shoes and put on their house shoes (see Olivia's red ones above).

I spent the first day at school with them, as their teachers asked me to, to help them settle in. Lila was immediately impressed with their fish tank. Olivia now hopes that a fish will replace the dog we gave away this past summer.

At around 10:30 classrooms begin taking turns sitting down for a lunch - or more like a mid-morning snack. The school has a strict no sugar policy. The strawberry yogurt I brought in the first day was a no-no. Only plain yogurt with fruit, drizzled with a dab of honey is allowed. I love that rule, of course. I had just run out of homemade yogurt - so I bought some and, what do you know, I got in trouble!

At 12:30, they sit in a circle, in their respective classrooms, and eat what they didn't finish earlier, along with fruit and tea or water provided by the school. So, each morning, I make sure I pack a protein-rich lunch for them.

Olivia belongs to the yellow group. When she wants to go to another room, or outside, she must take her magnetic picture and put it under the picture that corresponds to where she is going. This helps the teachers keep track of where each child is and teaches them accountability. I was unsure of the open concept way of this school at first. However, I think it is going to work out well for them.

The girls play outside rain or shine. In rainy weather, they play in rain coats, pants and boots. They can ride bikes, swing, play in the sandbox and so on.

Olivia and Lila, despite the language barrier, love school. Lila cries when I come to pick them up each afternoon. Even though the school closes at 1400 and everyone is leaving, she can't understand why she can't stay.

Already, (Olivia especially) they are coming home with German words. So far, just a few each day. But, they'll catch on to sentances quickly.

They are delighted to be in school, making up to five friends a day (according to Olivia) and I am pleased to be able to watch embark on this journey!

Raw Milk Vending Machine

My family and I drink raw milk. In Kansas, we purchased raw cow or goat's milk from the Bryant Family Farm weekly. Every morning, I would skim cream off the top and add it to our coffee or my Teeccino (Delicious coffee alternative).

When we first moved to Germany, I thought it would be near impossible to find it. What, with the language barrier and all. How would I find it? I had seen pictures of milk vending machines across Europe online. But, surely, it couldn't be that easy to purchase?

I've been pleasantly surprised. Since I love to talk, I easily chatted up locals who were able to tell me where to find it. The vending machine above is the third one I've seen just in the Heidelberg area alone. Raw milk is hard to come by in the States and it's controversial. It is not here. There doesn't appear to be nearly the fear of raw milk here as there is in the States. Which makes me wonder if it's truly a food safety issue or driven by something else. Ah, but, I digress.

Just five miles from my house in Wiesloch, Germany, there are two farms selling raw milk. One is a goat's milk farm and another an organic farm where organic food, raw milk and produce are sold. The above vending machine is open 24-7. Milk sells at 1E/liter. Consumers must supply their own jars.

It comes out of the vending machine ice cold and tastes creamy and delicous! At $4.45/gallon, it's more than worth it!

And Now for a Little Whine

As you all know, Matt's in Iraq. You'd think I'd be a wreck because we moved to Europe, live on the economy and he left just as we moved in. However, this deployment is different than the last in that I'm handling it well. Maybe it's because it's short (five-six months instead of 12-16), maybe it's because I've lived overseas before and love life in Europe.

Mostly, however, I think it's that I grew up. I don't have a voice in whether Matt deploys or not. So, instead of worrying and spending my days anxious, I've pushed through and I'm happy to say that I'm pretty unaffected by the deployment.

So, when do I wish Matt was here? Well, always of course - in the back of my mind - he is currently the missing link in our family. But, when do I really wish he was here?

When I need a break. Lately, I've needed a break. And, blogging about it helps me put it in perspective and get over it. But, here's a list of my current complaints (I would have these complaints even if Matt was here - but, they are magnified when he's gone):

• Whining: For the love of God - what is up with the whining? Here's an example:

Olivia: "Mom, what does this page say?"

Me: "I don't know Olivia. What am I doing right now?"

Olivia: "You are driving the car."

Me: "So, when do you think I can read to you?"

Olivia: "But, Mommmmmmmm! I need to know what it says nooowwww! Pleassseeee! Try! I need you to read it! Can you pull over? Pleaaaasssee!"

• Then there's the crying. When do kids stop crying when something trivial is wrong? My kids break down and cry over everything. I tell them that this is a "no cry zone" and they are free to cry in their room. Stomping up the stairs and slamming doors ensues (or I carry someone up). Bike privilages get taken away. I should just take away everything that is important to them the instant they cry over trivial crap. But, then they'd be in my hair whining for something to do since I took everything away. It's a lose-lose situation.
• When will I stop having to run around everywhere? I'm so tired of it. I still have to get my international driver's license. I have to get school clothes. I have to find an internship, file damage claims, get back to the gym - because that hasn't happened yet and it shows. I don't know how many times I've thrown on a pair of sweatpants and a ratty shirt, hair all messed up, and run to the store for something and run into someone I know. Dressed looking like a dirty, smelly slob. Then, that one errand turns into a full day of errands because I can't find what I'm looking for as easily as I thought I would. At some point, the kids get hungry and I fill them with kabob - which is crap none of us should eat more than twice a year or less. I always refuse the fries, but still. It's crap.
• Then, there's the random crap. Toys everywhere, food snuck into the living room, water sprayed all over the bathroom room floor, a doll gone missing, someone didn't eat enough breakfast and is hungry two seconds after we drive off our street, getting into things that don't belong to them (Why do I still have to hide things? Will I always be doing this?).

Phew. I'm done. Well, I could whine about a zillion other things - couldn't we all. But, you all are probably more interested in the fun stuff I've been up to and I'll get to that next time!

Internet - What's That?

Just a quick not to apologize for not updating. We haven't had proper internet since we moved out of the guest house. We should be back up and running by Tuesday and I'll update more then. Here's a few quick tidbits of information:

1. I started German classes on Tuesday and Thursday nights. It's a simple class, taught mostly in German and I think I'll get enough out of it to get by at restaurants, stores and markets.
2. Matt deployed to Iraq. Projected to return in December. Will post address here when I get it.
3. I registered for two college classes and was sent information on contacts here for my internship. Lots of details to work out - but, getting it in order. Slowly.
4. We ordered a new Taggie for Olivia. Same exact one - just brand new. She asks for it daily and I'm not even sure it's shipped yet. Poor kid.
5. Completed the girls German school registration (minus their physicals) and entered them into Ballet and Tap class for the Fall.

Schloss Schwetzigen

Matt will be deploying very soon. Which, couldn't come at a worse time because Olivia is having some pretty serious behavioral issues related to the move. So, we're trying to spend as much time as possible together as a family. It's not always easy to remember to remain in control of our emotions in front of the girls when the housing situation has been difficult (We do have a house - the one we wanted. That has been a great relief. We move in on Friday. However, I'll refrain from talking about it further until our lease is signed on Thursday).

I had wanted to drive into France this weekend. There is a pottery shop over the border, about an hour away. Not that I need any pottery - I really only wanted to take a quick peak at the pottery and then head to a grocery store to pick up some French wine. But, it was forecast to be rainy and we decided to head to furniture stores for playroom/family room furniture instead (Ikea had the only reasonably priced items).

Today, the weather was cool and pleasant and so we drove a few miles to Schwetzigen, Germany to tour the Schwetzigen castle (more like a palace). It reminded me a little bit (just a little) of Versailles in France. Our tour guide gave us the best tour of a castle I've been on in quite some time.

The tour was especially nice because Olivia and Lila were exceptionally well behaved. Hardly a peep out of them. Olivia, in fact, was quite interested in the tour. She wanted to know where the family slept and why the beds were so short (they slept sitting up during that time period due to superstitious reasons-laying down reminded them of the dead. Many also believed they could get sick if they didn't sleep sitting up).

We learned that Mozart and Casanova spent time at Schwetzigen. In fact there was a Mozart celebration at the castle this evening.

Obviously the guardian of Schwetzigen Castle

Checking out the animal display at the castle - there was a garden scene in his stomach

Liv checking out the wolf display

Daddy, Lila and Liv looking at the fish and swan

This coming week sees us wrapping up some lose ends (picking up my car, deployment paperwork, signing lease, setting up delivery of appliances that the Army lets us borrow, etc.) before we move into our new home. There isn't much to see of our home yet, as yard work is being done and, therefore, it's quite a mess. I do promise to take pictures as soon as it's looking better and post them here and on Facebook.

Wake Me Up When It's All Over

Before I forget, here's a couple of pictures from the zoo. We went over the weekend. The girls really deserved some time doing something just for them. Staying in a hotel, looking at houses, and dealing with all the in-processing items we've had to take care of, has taken it's toll on them both. They especially loved grooming the pregnant goats and the park. Matt especially loved drinking beer (in a glass) while the girls were playing at the zoo park.

So, here's where it all starts to go wrong (Admittedly, I am being a bit dramatic. But, what's new). On Tuesday, we went into Weisloch (the town we'll be living in) and drove by our house. The front walkway still needs brick laid down. The backyard needs a fence and seed. Neither done. The kitchen, however, was put in over the weekend. Move in date is 1AUG. We shrugged our shoulders and decided to bring it up when we signed our lease - we were waiting for our housing rep to call us back with the time and date to do that.

In the mean time, we swung on over to the kindergarten across the street from our house. Surprisingly, they were still open (school holiday is coming right up) and even more surprising was that they had slots for our girls. We did the preliminary sign up; I walked out feeling relieved that that was over. We proceeded to celebrate by going into the town square (really cute) and having lunch.

Later, as we walked around looking for a park, housing called. The landlord wants 7,000 euro as a deposit. Up from 2,700 euro. This sounded suspicious. Our housing rep told us we should start looking for another place and that he would gray list the landlord so he could not rent to Americans.

Did I throw a fit? You betcha. A ginormous one. We were so done looking at houses. This house is cute, in a great location, kindergarten in walking distance to our home, the town is very very cute, and there is even an organic store where I can buy organic wine, beer, brats, etc. - things not often found at local markets (not that I've found yet anyway).

Today is a new day. Another American family (friends of ours) is interested in the other half of the duplex. His housing rep is not as concerned about the huge deposit (we will get the deposit plus interest back - and we will get that interest back as it is the legal obligation of the landlord to do so). Matt, the landlord and the other family interested in the house will meet today and try to negotiate a better deal and feel the landlord out. If all goes well, we'll sign on the house and move in in a week or so. Positive thoughts, positive thoughts.

If all does not go well, I will curl up into a ball, go to sleep and someone can wake me up when it's all over. I'm so tired of living in this guest house and so sick of looking at houses, the thought of doing it all over throws me into a depression. I know I'm supposed to be a strong military wife and embrace all that is thrown at me. But, one person can only take so much - especially with a deployment lurking right around the corner!

Tantrums, Heat, Repeat

First off: We found a house. It's one of the first places we looked at (a brand-new duplex). We drove by and chose not to call on it because it was under construction and it didn't look like it could be done in time. Also, it looked as if it wouldn't have much of a backyard. There were stones thrown about the back and I assumed that was it.

I was wrong. On a whim and desperate, we made an appointment to look at it. We were pleasantly surprised. It's three stories with four bedrooms and a finished basement (playroom, storage, etc). It has two full bathrooms (with beautiful jacuzzi tubs) and a half bath. It has a small, private balcony off of one bedroom (it will probably be the office/extra guest room). The kitchen is a lot smaller than I would normally put up with - but, we've only come across a couple places with big kitchens and I had to give up on the "dream kitchen." The landlord agreed to work with me on the kitchen. I can probably get more shelving put in and maybe some sort of breakfast folding table/chairs. I'll also probably get a kitchen storage cart (with wooden chopping block) and use that as an island of sorts. There isn't a single strip of carpet! It's really modern and the style reminds me of something out of Ikea.


We will have a fenced-in, grass yard. We also have a small garage and plenty of parking for guests around the corner. There is a kindergarten across the street from our house (let's hope there is no wait list and the school suits the girls' needs). The town is quite cute and even has an organic grocery store. The S-Bahn (train) is a mile from our house with a huge parking lot and bike racks. This will come in handy for our visitors!

Speaking of schools, we have decided to enroll Olivia in German kindergarten even though we hear the standards are not as high as American kindergarten. We'll have to do some supplementation at home. Beginning in middle school, German schools exceed American standards. Before that time, however, they are either at or below the American standard. I'm a bit apprehensive about having Olivia skip regular American kindergarten. However, she's a bright child and will catch up just fine in American first grade next year. This year, she'll become fluent in German (please realize that it is a fabulous brain exercise-one which many Americans, sadly, don't put enough value in) and she can maintain it next year by remaining enrolled in most, if not all, of her sport activities on the German economy, local parks, etc. This year, we will make sure she does at least one sport (swimming, we think) on post so she can make some American friends.

Lila will go to German kindergarten for two full years and, depending on how Olivia does with her transition from German kindergarten to American first grade and where she's at at the time, will either continue with German kindergarten or proceed with American kindergarten.

As far as school for me, I plan to start my Infant Maternal Health-Lactation Consulting degree in late August and also start taking German lessons twice a week. I have to at least commit to six weeks of German classes. If I can manage school and German classes, I plan on committing to six months of language classes. I hate being in the "dark" here and German's do not appear as eager to use their English as most Portuguese are.

As for what else is going on: NOTHING. It's a series of hot days (90's) in a hot guest house, with hot and cranky kids prone to frequent tantrums in which all control is lost. Who wants to travel in this heat? Not me. Thank goodness for my Itouch. I've been able to download a few movies and hook the Touch up to the TV in the guest house. We've seen Toy Story, Alice in Wonderland, and a few Eloise episodes. I don't usually allow the girls to watch this much TV (or eat out this much) but, we'll detox from all that fairly soon. Positive thoughts, positive thoughts!

Wanted: German Home, Close to Post

Matt and his girls take a rest at Heidelberg Castle

We have settled into our guesthouse, with internet only in a tiny corner of the house, right by the door - one reason why I haven't updated the blog very much. Here's an update, finally.

We spent one evening exploring downtown Heidelberg a bit. I will say that I like Cascais in Portugal a bit more - but, Heidelberg is certainly nice enough.

Downtown Heidelberg

The language barrier is much tougher than it was in Portugal. I've studied French and Portuguese. I "get" Latin languages. For the LIFE of me, I can't figure German out. I can't get my tongue around the words and I have a feeling sentence structure isn't going to make much sense to me. I have to sign up for a German class ASAP (must nail down a sitter first). Fortunately, enough Germans speak English - more so than Portuguese and that's helpful.

We met up with our great friends from Portugal, now stationed near Stuggart (just over an hour's drive from where we are). It was so nice to meet up with them again. We had a little BBQ made up of German food and fresh veggies and some great wine. Then, we walked down into their tiny town and walked around. The girls played at a park and then we went out to dinner.

Lila figuring out the pulley

The girls checking out the water system at the park. So cool!

Dinner with Anna and Chris! Reunited with them after 11-months

As far as the house situation goes - it's complicated. We are looking and it's a bit tougher than I thought it was going to be. The housing office on post has several listings in our housing allowance price range. However, the bigger houses, with storage and a room for Matt to brew, are a half hour away from post. The closer ones are more cramped. We found one town that we loved - but, the houses we looked at there didn't meet our needs. I absolutely don't mind a smaller place - but not if it doesn't have any storage. We left several of our things behind in the US (in storage). We do not have a lot. How the Germans get by with even less than we have now, is beyond me. They have big bike trailers to tow around their kids - where are they storing them

We have looked at listing on German websites and used a translation sheet to sift through houses (Matt is given all the credit here). Unfortunately, 99% of the houses listed require you to pay the realtor two or more month's rent!! We just don't have several grand to throw around on a house that we'll only be living in one-two years! So, we know we're going to have to settle. How much so, is the question...

"I Think I'm Going to Like it Here..."

We arrived in Frankfurt yesterday morning. I didn't sleep on the plane. It just doesn't work for me. The Benadryl I gave the girls kept Olivia up and knocked Lila out. Matt fell asleep on the tarmac on take-off and, pretty much, remained that way the entire flight. I had an allergic reaction to something I ate on the plane (a piece of fruit, I think) and had to take Benadryl soon before we landed. I had meant to take it much sooner - but decided to watch a movie instead. Taking it during the last hour was bad, bad, bad. Olivia finally fell asleep during the last two hours of our flight and screamed bloody murder as soon as we landed until we picked up our luggage. We love drawing attention to ourselves!

Our sponsor quickly helped us get ID cards taken care of and hit up the housing office before the long weekend. We do not have to live on post (this is good news)! Matt is at a housing brief this morning and we are hoping that we can spend some time today looking at houses. Though, I'm so tired, I don't know if that's a good idea.

Our guest house has no air conditioning and it is hot. We are on the top floor and, since heat rises, you can imagine how uncomfortable we are. We closed all the windows this morning, after letting it cool down last night and it's not working well. I'm going to ask to have us moved to the ground floor, if possible, as soon as a room opens up.

The guest house manager has been very helpful. She tells me there is a farm nearby where I can get raw milk and fresh fish weekly. She has also told me of three or four local markets. I just need to get their times and locations. She did, however, suggest going to the farm directly, as she does, because food picked up directly at the farm is less expensive than the market or the grocery store.

We did hit up a grocery store yesterday and I'm a bit overwhelmed. I need German language lessons STAT! I'll have to bring my little dictionary next time and start reading over common food items in my book right away. I know I will figure it out, as I did in Portugal. Therefore, I'm not nearly as anxious as I was when I first arrived in Portugal. Aside from essential items, as soon as I start making my own yogurt and bread again, I don't plan on needing much out of the grocery store all Summer and Fall due to the farms and markets.

So, I'm pooped, Olivia is bored ("When is our stuff going to be here already...this is the most boring place I've ever been"), and Lila is just along for the ride. Matt's trying to delay his deployment until we find a house, all of our household goods (HHG) have arrived and we either buy a car or find a cheap rental until my car arrives. I'd like him to stick around long enough to have us fully moved in and have schools for the Fall taken care of for the girls. I'm so jet-lagged that I can't even wrap myself around all of it, but I know it'll all come together and I'm able to remain calm.

We plan to walk around Heidelberg later today. I'll bring my camera and try to post pictures later. I'm really excited and I know I'm really going to like it here!

Army Love

The family in Germany - 2008

When our family visited Germany in May of 2008, Matt and I joked around about how cool it would be to be stationed in Germany. We fell in love with the country. In fact, Germany was our, surprising, favorite vacation destination during our two years abroad.

Matt's an outdoorsman through and through. His dream vacation or long weekend consists of hiking and climbing high peaks in the middle of winter and camping out overnight on the summit. And, while he's in grad school getting an MSA, I think his dream job after retiring from the Army would be forest ranger or something of the sort. Germany offers much more outdoor, deep in the woods, high in the mountains adventures than Portugal or Kansas. And, let's not getting started on the beer. Germany can accommodate both the brewer and beer snob.

The Army rarely grants dreams two times in a row. When we moved to Kansas this summer, I began to prepare myself for a less than desirable duty station. That's only fair, right? We got "ours." Our time was up. It was time to get back to the reality of normal military life. I was okay with that.

I wasn't okay with the Army holding out on us for six extra weeks (we were supposed to find out in mid-December). I wanted to start looking at school districts for the girls. I wanted to get Lila on wait lists for preschools. I had plans, you know!

I've been on edge for days, knowing the announcement was eminent. Yesterday afternoon, while Matt and I were out, he received a text message from a friend telling him to check his email. We hopped in our Prius, raced home and eagerly waited for Matt's computer to boot up and his email to open. I stared at him but didn't read over his shoulder (he hates that). He clicked on the email, scanned it over quickly, slammed himself back into the couch cushions with a, "Hrmm. Hrmmm. Ok." Shug, shrug.

I thought, "Crap!" and yelled, "What? Where?" He didn't speak; only pointed to the screen, where my eyes jumped past the, "Congratulations" and planted themselves on the only word that was important: "Germany."

I know this isn't fair. I'm not a mean-hearted person. I know there will be families who hated their last duty station and who got more bad news yesterday. They'll read my blog or my Facebook updates and hate on me. There's even a small part of me that thinks, "Wow. We need to trade with a family less fortunate. This is totally unfair." Then, there's the part of me that's like, well I do have Meniere's disease. Someday, I may not be able to travel much or at all. This may be my time to see the world. Who knows. It is what it is. Fair or not. Right now, I'm feeling the Army Love.

Now, we wait a couple more weeks to find out where in Germany. Then, we make decisions.

• Do we get rid of our dog? We spent $1,500 bringing him back from Portugal just a few months ago. Getting him back over will be close to another grand (or more). In three years time, we'll have spent over $4,000 in kenneling and shipping the dog overseas and back. He's turning into the most expensive, over-bred Spaniel ever. And, he's horribly behaved and terribly annoying.


• School for the girls: This decision was made during the visit to Germany in 2008 and etched in stone when Olivia became fluent in Portuguese. Our children will go to German schools. Olivia will be a bit behind to start off as kindergarten starts earlier in Germany than in the US (I believe). But, she's bright enough to catch up quickly (we hope) and has enough language mapping ability to catch on quickly (again, we hope). Being immersed in a language is nothing new to Olivia. If Lila has similiar langauge ability as Olivia did at her age in Portugal, she'll be fluent in German 4-5 months into the school year.

I can't wait to begin researching the area in which we'll live. I'm excited and anxious and seriously feeling bad for the families who didn't get the duty station they wanted. Matt has warned me to, once again, keep my excitement contained as to be fair to those families and I'll do my best!

We've still got a few more months in Kansas and we're going to enjoy, embrace and not rush this time we have with the very dear friends we've made here and who we'll have to leave behind in June!

Germany Highlights

I don't even know where to begin! We created so many memories during our Germany trip. We didn't do much shopping on this trip (especially with the U.S. Dollar so weak). We hiked, went on walking tours found in guidebooks, dined at numerous beer houses and enjoyed wonderful, hearty Bavarian food.

Matt and I really enjoyed the time alone to explore while the kids were in "school." We hadn't realized how much that time alone was needed. We are so refreshed!

I will share one funny story: On Friday evening, when we picked up the girls, an employee told us that Olivia had finally "opened up" the prior afternoon. Apparently, our little smartie, decided that she was a baby again. For two and a half days, she pretended that she could not speak and could not feed herself. The kids were so excited, on Thursday afternoon, when she began to talk non-stop, that they circled around her just to listen to her. We all know that Olivia is NOT shy and has been begging to go to school for months. Why she acted this way is a funny mystery!

I don't have enough time to write an in depth post. Therefore, I'll leave our readers with highlights. For more information about the places we went, please double-click on the highlighted words. Feel free to ask questions and leave comments!

Matt and Olivia entering Partnach Gorge

View after exiting gorge

Carillon in the tower of the New Town Hall (Munich)

Viktualienmarkt in Munich

Matt and I enjoy a beer and lunch in the Viktualienmarkt

Inside of Hofbrauhaus. World famous beer house and where first Nazi party meeting was held in 1919.

English Garden: The beer garden in the Chinese Tower

View during our 7.5K hike around Lake Eibsee (hours before we flew home)