Bah Humbug!

Feeling the holiday blues this year.  I just realized that I haven't mailed out our usual family news letter, my heart just wasn't in it.  I barely put up some Christmas decorations.  A small tree and a few garlands around the house.  The only thing that is keeping the kids and I in the holiday spirit is our Elf on the Shelf "Bill Elfinstein"
 
Danny has been away exactly one month and it's been a long and difficult month.  But we are all surviving.  There have been a few sleepless nights because the kids are worried about their dad.  There have been many comments from all of them about how they wish daddy had a different job, and how they wish Santa would bring him home.  All I can do is reassure them that he is alright, that he is safe and that Santa will grant them their wish a little late.

Right now we are all clinging on to the hope of being able to get on a military flight back to the states to spend the holidays with family.  I am fortunate to have made wonderful friends here in Germany.  They have been a wealth of support for me.  My friend, April has so graciously offered to take in our puppy Scout over the holidays.  I am sure that he will have such a great time with his friend Indy that he will probably not want to come home.  The kids and I made sure to give him extra belly rubs last night and this morning.  They already miss him!

All three of the kids are a little worried that if we do go back to the states that Santa might miss them.  I assured them that he will not miss them, he just might leave their gifts here and they will be waiting for us when we come home.  But if we do make it stateside, that is enough of a Christmas present for us, being able to spend it with family.  I talked to my friend and neighbor Kristen, and she agreed to help me out.  While we are away she will come over and place all of their gifts under our tree so they will have a HUGE surprise when we come.  Again, this all based on the hope that we make it out.

It hasn't been all bad.  Just after Thanksgiving we did a little shopping for toys to donate to Toy-For- Tots.  And as a reward for being selfless, I took them bowling.  Makayla participated with Girl Scouts in Project Rudolph, where she wrote letters, made ornaments and drew pictures for American Heros serving away from home.  They even had the chance to enjoy the snow.  Last weekend we all went sledding behind the house and then warmed up with a cup of hot cocoa, a warm fire and The Polar Express.

I hope that everyone has a wonderful holiday!  Hugs and Kisses from our family to yours!

And the family just got bigger...

Ladies and Gentleman we would like to introduce you to our newest family member:

Meet Scout

After much debate and long discussions...and the kids begging. We finally decided to add a furry puppy to our family.  Finding this wonderful little Mini Doodle has been an adventure to say the least.  Germany does not have pet stores where it's easy to walk in and purchase a little pouch.  And adoption from a Tierheim (or animal shelter) is close to impossible as a military family.  I guess too many Americans have made a name for themselves for adopting an animal and then later abandoning them when they get ready to leave country and so it makes things difficult for those who really want to give a fur baby a forever home.  So we decided to try a pet finder.  Ella, the woman we found after many recommendations was great!  She responded almost immediately with a few puppy options.  Once we told her what we were looking for (a hypoallergenic dog) she guided us to a breeder who was offering this little cutie.  Yesterday, we made a 2.5 hr hike to meet them and Scout and the kids wouldn't let us leave him behind.  The breeder was very kind, inviting us into her home and letting us know how to care for him.  And she even told us that if at anytime we have any questions that we can call her.  Just before we left she made sure we had plenty of food for him, his shot records, his last round of deworming medication (for prevention, of course) and she microchipped him for us too.  

Scout did pretty well riding in the car with us.  But after we stopped for lunch he started to get a little antsy...it must have been the smell of McDonald's that was driving him crazy.  We decided to stop at a local post in Mainz to look for a kennel (we brought a few towels, a collar and a leash "just in case" but nothing for traveling...Oops!) Just short of getting to the post he had a little accident in the car.  Poop in the car!  Oh there's poop in the car! Needless to say we found a spot to pull over and clean up, thankfully he's a small pup which makes for little messes. Ha Ha Ha!  He will, however, grow up to be about 30-40 lbs so he will be a sturdy dog to play with the kids.  Eventually, we made it home and Scout seems to be adjusting to his new surroundings.  

The first night is always the toughest.  Scout isn't used to being in a kennel, and for a 9 week old pup, he's pretty good about letting us know when he needs to go out and use the facilities.  Unfortunately when it was time for him to go to sleep, he whined, A LOT!  Poor Danny decided that he would let everyone sleep and took him out of the kennel so he can curl up with and cuddle.  

Makayla is really taken with him.  She REALLY wanted a girl dog, but when we say his picture she was out voted 4-1 for this short-haired pouch.  So I struck a deal with her and said that if we all decided that he was the one for us that she could name him.  I helped her look up some boy dog names and before we left we were down to two...Scout or Patches.  When we met him, she said his name would be Scout, because he's seems adventurous, and because she and Joseph were in Scouts.  Gotta love how she thinks!  

Joseph on the other hand, is excited and happy to have Scout, but he is EXTREMELY paranoid that every time Scout moves, he has to go potty.  Michael...well he's Michael.  He's tickled to death by him and as a 4 year old kid, I'm sure he's going to drive this puppy nuts because he likes to run and when Michael runs...guess what? So does Scout! Then it turns into a game for both of them.  

This family is definitely in for a new adventure...!

Merry Thank-Mas?!

In two short months, Danny is due to go on a extended vacation with lots of sand and sun.  Unfortunately, it’s not Hawaii.  Meanwhile, the kids and I will be hanging back in Germany finishing out the school year and keeping busy with Cub Scouts and Girl Scouts.  

Upon finding out about his upcoming “trip” I have been steadily finding ways to keep myself busy and my mind from worrying.  I became a Brownie Scout co-leader for Makayla’s Brownie Troop.  And trust me, Brownie Scouts are keeping me busy and I LOVE IT!!  The kids have had some concerns about Danny leaving and we are trying our best to answer any questions and help them understand that sometimes daddy’s job will take him away from us, and that he is out there protecting our freedom as a soldier in the Army.  Yes, we all agree that it sucks, but we all understand and know that we will have to be strong and help each other get through it all.  Just like the Army’s motto: Army Strong.  We are all going to have to come together as a team and be there for each other when one of us is having a bad day and we will all have to be strong emotionally as we endure this long adventure separated.  

Since, Danny will be missing out on the holidays, we decided as a family to have a Family Merry Thank-mas!  It will just be us, around a Christmas tree exchanging presents amongst ourselves, with Thanksgiving dinner on the table.  The kids are really looking forward to at least being able to share this with him.  Of course they are a bit disappointed that he will not be here to celebrate their birthdays but I’m sure we will come up with some way to make it special for them.  

In the meantime, we are planning for the kids to write weekly letters to daddy telling him about their week and we are hoping to be able to use Skpe for video chats (of course this is all hoping that internet works).  Naturally we plan on spoiling Danny with packages of goodies, as a matter of fact he’s already made is holiday cookie list.  The kids will also be keeping a calendar countdown until his return and we are hoping that once he does return we will be able to go on a big family vacation!

Thankfully, the kids and I have made some really good friends in the last year, ones that not only understand our situation, but ones that we know we can lean on for those really stressful and/or emotional days.  Being that we live in a very small military community we know that everyone looks at each other as family.  We look out for each other and it’s a wonderful thing to not only experience and be apart of...but it’s especially something to be truly thankful for.  

Until next time...

It's a brand new year!!

The holidays are over and the kids are back in school!

We rang in the New Year with a Pajama Party with our friends and family, complete with champagne, beer pong, fireworks and a ton of yummy food! The night can't be complete without a few rounds of Twister and Wii "Just Dance"  Good times! If you want to see pictures and even a video, check out my Facebook page. LOL

As a part of a New Year's resolution: I plan to be a better pen pal.  So don't be surprised if you receive an email, card or letter from me.  I also plan to keep up on this blog thing.  I have found that life can pass you by rather quickly and sometimes you just forget to keep in touch with people you meet along the way.  As a military family we move around so often and we meet so many people that have touched our lives in one way or another and as much as we want to keep in touch we let our day to day lives get in the way of sending a few short words.  Granted with today's technology (Facebook) there really isn't any excuses for being able to keep in touch...but it happens.

With that, what's your new year's resolution?

Missing In Action!

I cannot believe that it has been 7 months since my last post.  So much has happened and I’m not even sure where to begin.  Well I guess the biggest news is that we FINALLY made it to Germany!  Land of Beer and Bratwurst.  I say this as the country is gearing up for Oktoberfest!

The kids and I landed in Frankfort on a drizzly Friday morning (which is a huge change from the sunshine we left behind in San Antonio) and have been going non-stop since.  Believe it or not it only took us a day to get over jet-lag and adjusted to the time difference.  So the kids were a little apprehensive about the things they were seeing and hearing...Whoa! When did mommy learn how to speak German?! 

It has been over 17 years since I last stepped on German soil and so many things are familiar and yet so many things have changed.  We took a day trip to a little town called Rodalben, where my family roots are and where I spent most of my life growing up.  The house is still there, although it has changed from the color to the landscaping.  The hill that I used to play on, is over grown with tall grass.  The most amazing thing to me was how quickly I was able to find my way around town even with a new store here and there, the disappearing soccer field and a few new roads.  Being able to walk those streets and share that with my family was an exciting feeling (although I don’t think they found it to be THAT exciting) But the best part of that trip was walking into a local butcher shop and surprising an old family friend!  Finally. It felt like HOME!  Being able to see that familiar face and feel the warm welcoming hug from having not seen each other for the long years that has past.  

Later that afternoon we took a detour on the way home and drove through the old Army Post of Pirmasens, housing and Elementary/Middle school.  So much has changed, it almost brought me to tears to see how much it has changed.  The church where I spent many youth group meetings and lock-ins -GONE! The hill that EVERYONE would go sledding on -it’s been mowed over with a road in it’s place.  The PX and commissary is now a traffic circle. The movie theatre and bowling alley is now a stadium.  The saddest of all was looking at the housing, some are occupied but most are boarded up, empty abandoned buildings, with the spray-painted markings of the local youth...and to think that once upon a time my friends and I used to call this home.  OUR school no longer has the fancy playground with the log bridge the playground has been torn down.  But OUR school is now a German technical college so I am happy to see that it has not ended up in shambles and that it is being put to great use.  

Speaking of schools.  Joseph and Makayla started school on Sembach.  The school is small with less than 200 students overall (K-3) however it is a great little school that does everything it can to help keep the community together.  Makayla was really stressed out about school she was so worried that they would only speak German.  I have tried to reassure it that it would not be the case but it wasn’t until she walked in on that first day she finally felt at ease.  I was so proud of my baby girl, being new to the school and not knowing anyone she made sure to jump right in there and help out. The teachers were welcoming the students with a mini parade session into the school and Makayla noticed this little boy in a wheelchair and went right behind him and started wheeling him into the school.  

Joseph, being so excited about the first day of school and being able to ride the bus for the first time did the ultimate first day of school faux pax he forgot his lunch on the bus!Thank goodness we met the kids at the school to help them find their teachers and classrooms so we were able to give him lunch money.  I still can’t help but chuckle a little because I was just telling Danny on the ride to the school that I hope they remember the lunch boxes. Guess I jinxed him.  

So for now, it’s just Mikey and I at home, at least until I get my license to drive.  I’m thinking about putting Mikey into the German Kindergarten.  It would be an experience of a lifetime for him.  

Now that I have internet, I have no excuses to blog more often.  

Hugs and Kisses!

A Gadget Review

I really don’t consider myself a “gadget” person.  But after holidays I started to notice a lot of eReaders and I was wondering what was all the hoopla about eReaders.  I love to read, ask my husband, I can read through a stack of books like it was the Sunday paper.  One of the things I love about reading is holding the book itself, and turning the pages in anticipation of what will happen next.  Then I started looking around the house and realized with the stack of books I have piling up...”that’s going to be a heavy load to carry on the airplane!”  And so I figured what would it hurt to check into these eReaders.

So I jumped on the internet and started to look up the various eReaders that were out there and tried to figure out what was so “cool” about them.  In the process, I found out that my sister received a Pandigital eReader and she said it was pretty good, she was able to download books from Barnes & Noble (B & N), and since it had WiFi she was able get online to check her email and Facebook.  Sounds easy enough...but I couldn’t find it anywhere to check it out hands on.  

Then I stumbled on Amazon’s Kindle and B & N Nook and Nook Color and they all seemed pretty much the same to me so I did what any other person would do and I turned to my Facebook friends!  At first, it was a lot of back and forth Nook - Kindle Nook - Kindle.  But then a friend said that she liked her Nook because she was able to download books for her kids and they had the option to have the book read to them or they can read it themselves.  Hmmm...that sounds interesting especially since I think my daughter has inherited my love for books and before we left for San Antonio she was really getting into audio “read with me” books.  As much as I love reading to my kids, sometimes it nice to allow them to be able to “read” to themselves.  Not all of the kids books are “Read to Me” books but you can find a nice selection of them.

Finally I went out to the stores and started checking them out.  I liked the fact that the Nook Color was well, in color, duh.  I also like the fact that it was lightweight (perfect for traveling) and with the WiFi I, too can access the internet to check my email, Facebook.  It also came preloaded with Pandora (similar to a XM radio for the internet) along with Suduko, Chess, and crossword puzzles.  There was even a place for a USB to hook up to my computer to download any books that I might choose to purchase from other sites other than B & N and I can download photos.  With the Kindle, I was really turned off when the one I looked at was slightly bigger and the keyboard seemed small too if you wanted to do any typing and I didn’t see anything about audio book reading.

If you haven’t figured out by now I went with the B & N Nook Color.  I absolutely love it!!  I’ve had it about a month now and I’m still finding out some of the cool things it can do, such as sorting my books in my library by creating different shelves.  I can also lend & borrow books from friends on B & N, I can also borrow books from local libraries that offer eBooks.  Another thing I found out was that if you go to B & N with your Nook you can read a book for free (on your Nook of course) for an hour a day.  An automatic timer will turn on and shut off once the hour is up and then offer you the option to purchase the book.  I love how I can download samples of books with not obligations to buy especially since I’m not always so sure I will want to continue to read the story.  Nothing like getting stuck with a stack of books that you couldn’t get into the storyline.  What truly sold it to me was the fact that I can download the “Read to Me” books for my kids.  As much as I love to read to them, it’s been nice to take it with me to doctors appointments and click on a book and have them sitting around the tablet (like story hour or circle time) while they are listening and looking at the pictures.  

The ONLY thing I do not like about it is how B & N has set up their eBook purchase system.  You MUST have a credit card/debit card on file even if all you do is use their eBook gift cards in order to download any books.  I really don’t like having to do that.  I would enjoy it so much more if it were like iTunes and the iTunes gift card.  Once the the balance is too low you have to go out an buy another one or wait until someone gives you one...it forces you to budget yourself.  But with B & N if you have a eBook gift card on file then they will bill the gift card first and if your balance is too low then they will automatically withdraw the remainder from your credit card on file.  Seems simple, and easy to avoid getting stuck waiting until you get another gift card, right?  BUT when you check the balance of your gift card you have to make sure that you still have the card and pin number from the card otherwise there is no way to know how much you have left...AND the balance is NOT updated immediately.  I found that out the hard way.  I knew I was getting close to my balance on my gift card when I purchased a book and was looking to buy another one so I checked my balance on the gift card  (thankfully I kept my card normally once I load a card I toss it) and thought “Hey I can still get another book!” Wrong! The next day while checking my bank I saw a B & N charge.  “Dammit!” I know, “what’s the big deal?”  Well, I just find it somewhat of an inconvenience because I did the right thing and checked the cards balance before purchasing another book.  And I don’t understand why I HAVE to keep a credit card on file?  

Here’s another thing that I found to be odd about the B & N set up, you cannot reload your eBook gift cards.  If I have to keep the dang thing in order to check the balance then why can’t I just keep it and keep reloading it?  It would make Greener sense don’t you think?  And that would solve the whole keeping a credit card on file.  (Just saying)

Also, if you receive a plain ole B & N  gift card those can ONLY be used in-store or online.  However, if you receive an eGift card you can use it for in-store, online or eBook purchases. Or you can just get an eBook gift card which is for eBooks only.  Another thing I found out that if you are a B & N member ($25 annual fee to save 20-30% of your purchases) it does NOT apply to eBooks for their Nooks but I hear they are working on changing that.  

WOW I’m starting to sound like I work for B & N. I truly do love my Nook Color and I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for an eReader, I just don’t like how they are handling their gift card/purchase system.  However, I’m sure I’ll change my tune about having to keep a credit card on file when I’m overseas, but hey I’m a mom of three and I like to budget myself!!

Skydive San Marcos

The greatest experience of a lifetime!! Danny and I went tandem skydiving this past Monday.  I was waiting for the DVD and pictures before I blogged about it.  OH. MY. GOSH!!!  If you ever thought about going skydiving, even for a millisecond, I say GO OUT and DO IT!! It is the most exhilarating thing to do...

After signing a 4 page waiver, "In case you are injured or die, you cannot sue.  In case you are injured or die your family cannot sue, etc. etc. etc.."  Initial here. Sign there. Gladly.  Once the PA called our names we met our instructors in a separate room where we dressed into our jumpsuits, were harnessed in, and were given brief instructions as to how to exit the plane.  Crouch down at the door, Ready, Set, Arch (Arch your back, and try to kick the instructor in the rear...belly to the earth) Lean back and enjoy the ride!

Once we loaded up on the plane, taking off to our exit height of 10,000 ft.  Danny, who is afraid of heights was sitting right next to the door, I'm still amazed that he didn't puke on the ride.  Ha Ha!  As we climbed and my instructor finally strapped me to him (Um...yeah kind of important when I'm not wearing a parachute but he his)  I realized that I was shivering, I'm not sure if I was shivering from nerves or because it was freezing cold...I'll just say it was because I was cold.  I wasn't nervous at all! This is on my Bucket List.  A once in a lifetime opportunity!  Then the cargo door opens and...well here's a video clip of me jumping...ENJOY!!  NOTE: I had a hard time uploading the video and recently discovered that there is no sound...I'm hoping to figure it out sometime this decade.  Sorry folks. 

Here are some Facebook Photos of the jump!

FAQ

What was I thinking? It's something I've always wanted to try.

Would I do it again? Hell Yeah!!

How was it? It was the ride of a lifetime, 45 sec free fall and then soaring in the sky just watching the world and taking it all in.  It really makes you feel...ALIVE!

How was the landing? It was smooth, soft landing...especially since the ground was muddy from the 2 days worth of rain we had a few days before.

Were you nervous? No, I was pretty calm actually.  I think it was because I was preparing myself for the worse, but I knew I was in good hands, these guys jump anywhere from 3-20 jumps a day.  I think everything was so surreal, almost as if I couldn't believe that this dream was coming true.

What's next? Accelerated Free Fall (jumping out on my own) is now in bold type on my Bucket List, next to Bungee Jumping and Zip-Lining...guess we'll have to wait and see where the wind take me!