Some thoughts on Germany...

This entry may be a bit scatterbrained, but at least I’m admitting it up front. The past several weeks have been a complete whirlwind and I’ve loved almost every bit of it. Six weeks ago today we entered the Colorado Inn at Fort Carson since much of our stuff was in boxes and it was next to impossible to be comfortable in our house. We loved that place very much and hated to leave it at all, but with me being pregnant and the boys being, well, boys, we needed to get away from the boxes and on to a place that would house us. Staying at that hotel afforded us the chance to still be on post, near our friends, and among our familiar surroundings. We had a great view of our mountain and the boys had plenty of room to run around. After six nights there we loaded up our van and drove across the country. We chose a southern route in order to see new sights! We stayed in Amarillo and Dallas TX, Lafayette, LA, Pensacola, FL, and finally made it to Orlando a day early. We stayed in a non-Disney hotel for 3 nights before the grandparents arrived for our real vacation and we got settled in Port Orleans, Riverside for six nights. Great hotel with wonderful food, on site with a convenient shuttle bus system to take us back and forth to the parks. That trip was a dream come true, one we had waited and waited for. I so appreciate Disney for offering the Military Discounts that made the magic possible! The only disappointing part was Animal Kingdom but Matt and I had suspected that and, as it was our last day, all of us were pretty much ready to be done and none were too sad to leave the park early. (Not much on animals in the first place.) After we completed our stay at Riverside we moved into a hotel I had selected along with the help of our fabulous Travel Agent, Melissa Sims. It was within walking distance to the POV Processing Center where we were to drop off the van for shipping and it had a free shuttle to the airport. We spent 3 nights in this hotel waiting for our flight to Germany. I’ve written about our experience getting to the airport, about the flight, and our first night in the German hotel in this blog.

So I want to write a bit about our time here in Germany with some pictures I’ve taken of random things I have found neat or interesting.

I’m going to start with some things I noticed at my doctor’s appointment.

* When they had me drink the sugar water, it was not an “orange soda” kind of drink at all! It was 75 g of water that they had mixed up probably the day before with some serious sugar or something. It was just in a mason jar and the nurse poured it into a Dixie cup. I had to drink it all right then…no 5 minute window.

* There is only one chair for giving blood in the offices that I saw, so when they needed to take my blood and the chair was occupied, the nurse just took it in the lobby.

* When they take a vial of blood, they take it to the lobby and put it on the receptionist’s desk. You’d never see that in America. (Not saying there’s anything wrong with this, but it just doesn’t happen in America. Blood doesn’t come to the lobby for any reason!)

* They do an ultrasound at every visit, and the dr. does it herself. She was very quick and I’d say she was better at it than any technician I’ve ever had in America. Got a beautiful picture of Parker in just seconds!

(I took a picture of myself at the request of a few friends wanting to see the baby bump. Here it is at 25 weeks 5 days.)

Here are some random things I’ve experienced:

* Drinks in restaurants – they don’t give you ice in your drinks and since I was prepared for this, I just accept it. I don’t try to order ice, I just drink my coke as it comes. There are no refills so we tell the boys to go easy on it. There is a neat concoction that I had been told about before we came that my boys really like – coke mix. It’s a mixture of sprite and coke! The boys love to go to fountain machines and get a little of everything (GAG) so this is like a toned down version of that!

* It stays dark until 8:30 am and is dark again at 5 pm. I have heard that the summer is the opposite, with it light at 5 am and still a bit bright out at 10 pm.

* It rains almost every day. This leaves everything, sidewalks, streets, playgrounds, benches, etc, soggy and moist all the time. I am using a LOT of stain remover on their clothes and washing their coats all the time due to moss and mud. But at least they’re playing outside. We are currently borrowing a car from some friends and it is SPOTLESS. They don’t have small children with muddy shoes so we’re putting walmart bags on the boys’ feet before they pull their feet in the car. Works pretty well! (And, of course, they don’t get in with muddy clothes. We only get muddy at the playground and if we’re going somewhere in the car, they change into clean clothes.)

* The dollar is very weak. We had to pay 50 Euros for something and we can just use our debit card. The receipt always shows the Euros and the dollar amount, which was something like $76.00. (This pic is of our first ATM withdrawal of Euros - I blurred out important info...)

* The windows are strange here. There’s a handle on the side that turns ¼ of a turn to open the window like a door or ½ a turn for the window to crack open from the top. Odd, but effective

* There are water shut off valves on wall above sink and toilets in my house and they were in the hotel as well… strange placement.

* The houses around here are beautiful and very old! Most were probably single family homes for very wealthy people years ago and have been converted into multi-family apartments. (Wiesbaden is an upscale town, very wealthy. We have seen stuffed animals in store windows downtown that cost 700 Euro, and that is $1025.19!!!!)

* Most of the cars are SUPER small! They look hilarious to me, considering I have 4 kids and these cars often don’t even have a back seat or any storage at all.

* There are few bathrooms in public, if any, and those you run across might require a fee to be able to use them. This picture was taken in a restaurant we ate in. The sign says that if you are a customer of the restaurant you don’t have to pay, but if not, place 50 Euro Cents in the box.

So, to wrap up the past few weeks since arriving in Germany:

We got here on the 25^th of NOV and had Thanksgiving with friends we had met in Columbia a few years ago. We spent 9 nights in the American Arms hotel, ready to be home. We had no trouble sleeping the first several nights after just being so exhausted. But then the time change caught up with us and we needed to “help” our systems adjust so Benedryl became our friend. (I even had to give the boys some two nights… wide awake at 11:00 pm is not my idea of okay, but their systems thought it was somewhere between 3-5 pm…not sure if their body’s were on Mountain time or East Coast time). I also started having my annoying issue with hives again, though until this past Sunday they were not severe. During the time in the hotel Hayden felt Parker kick, and was the first one other than me to feel him. Matt felt him a few hours later. Bailey asked the funniest question: (he's 5 years old) "When Parker comes out, are you gonna love him?" Me: "Oh yes, I will love him so much." Bailey: "If he's not our color, you'll still love him." Me: "I sure will." (But if he's not our color, I'll have some serious explaining to do to Matt!)

And we purchased iPhones after waiting years for them. Very pleased with our purchases and haven’t regretted it for one moment!

We moved into our house with just the things we flew here with on 4 DEC and have felt at home ever since. The Army had placed beds, couch and chairs, and a dining set in the house for us to use until our goods come. A friend in Matt's new unit loaned us enough bedding and linens as well as some curtains to tide us over, and CH Kesling loaned us a TV and DVD player. My what a blessing! Since I can’t purchase coffee yet (must have a ration card for that) Heather gave me some from her house. I think Matt and I would have been growing beans out back if we hadn’t had that gift given to us! He’s going to try to find out about getting our ration cards tomorrow, his first official day on the job.

Our Unaccompanied Baggage (that we had shipped 7 OCT) was delivered 10 DEC and I put our tree up right away. (Our Unaccompanied Baggage in front of our Colorado house being packed for shipping.) (Our baggage being unloaded here in Germany.) Found out that night as I was putting lights on that half of them were out. Matt bought more the next day and we’ve had a beautiful tree up since then! We are lamp people, using overhead lighting very seldom. Being in this house without our belongings, however, has caused us to have to use overhead lights. Now that we have the tree up we can turn off all the rest of the lights and watch TV by the light of the tree, which gives a much more homey feel. LOVE those moments! Oh, and I had asked my facebook friends to pray that my sentimental ornaments arrive unharmed… they did! Not a single one damaged! These are so special to me as Matt and I have been collecting them since we met.

We have had one crying spell with Hayden (8 years old) because he misses his friend, Jeremy. It breaks my heart but at the same time, I know this is part of the experience. He’s learning hard lessons and how to handle them well. He’s written several notes and now I just need to get them stamped and in the mail. We have a trip planned to visit our great friends, the Baileys, for New Years. Stephanie is one of my closest friends and our kids are close as well. I have missed her since she left Colorado ahead of us back in the summer. We’re only 2 hours apart and once I get my van (and driver’s license) it’ll be MUCH easier to visit. For now, we’re excited about getting to see them soon!

I failed my one hour, then my 3 hour glucose tests, so I have to go to a diabetologist. Never heard that word before, but I’m going to see one.

Love the milk… Army milk and its organic. Who knew?!?

Carson lost his 3^rd tooth and he says, “I have an “L” in my mouth!”

I got my internet and phone turned on yesterday and feel SO much better. Access to the outside world and the ability to type with both hands makes me happy! It’s the little things in life…

Well, I’ve been under the weather for the past 4 days and the boys have had to fend for themselves for the most part. I think I’m feeling better so we may attempt a walk around the neighborhood. Tomorrow I go to WAAF (the Army post where Matt works) to schedule my diabetologist appointment and to see if I can get my glucometer. Yuck. Glad to be feeling better!

Merry Christmas, my friends and family! If you celebrate a holiday other than Christmas, then Happy Holidays! (But I must say I'm a bit annoyed that so many TV stations are ignoring that this is actually a Christmas Season and refuse to say that word. I don't mind if they want to add the other Holidays to their well wishes to their viewers, but I wish they would recognize my holiday!) At least they're still showing movies that say Christmas, like 'A Charlie Brown Christmas.' Off my soap box for now!

~Jennifer

From Disney World to Germany

So I pick up where I left off... Animal Kingdom. I could go back to Disney World and never enter the gates of Animal Kingdom again. Matt and I had been there years ago and we told ourselves that the main reason we didn't like it then was because it was so new and very few attractions were open. Nope, just don't like it. Hayden enjoyed Expedition Everest, but his favorite ride of the week was the Rockin' Roller Coaster at Hollywood Studios. We all enjoyed the Nemo show, but not enough to make us spend a day there just to see it. So, when we take Parker in 5-6 years, we'll do 2 Magic Kingdom Days, 2 Hollywood Studios Days, and 1 Epcot day.

We had half a day left on our tickets after Animal Kingdom and had planned on going back to Magic Kingdom for a few hours, but we decided we'd rather go back to our hotel and prepare for our flight the next day. We stopped by Target and got a few odds and ends before returning to the hotel. Matt took the car to be cleaned and the boys got settled in with their Legos while I began the serious task of packing our stuff. It looked like we were going to need to purchase another duffle bag to fit the expansion of our belongings. I had done this before we left Colorado and ended up with a couple too many, so I gave those extras to my mom. I was determined that I was not going to have to re-purchase bags... it was the principle of the matter! The next day as I was able to get serious and pack things for real (meaning I could pack everything since we had already showered and put on new clothes) I was able to get all our things in the suitcases we had.

When Tuesday came we were given a measly 2 hour extended check out. We would have appreciated being allowed to stay in the hotel until 3-4 but the manager was not very giving. I was quite nervous about what to do with the boys for 7 hours in the airport so we drove the three miles to check it out. Matt dropped me off at the correct departing airline gate and I walked in and looked around. I found this airport to be MUCH more conducive to waiting with children than the one in Charlotte. In Charlotte, as soon as you walk in the door, you're faced with the baggage check desks. There is nowhere to go other than the desks, then through security. This would be fine if we were within 3 hours prior to our departing flight, but since we were getting there 7 hours early we couldn't check our baggage yet. BUT PRAISE THE LORD, the Orlando Airport is mostly open to all visitors and you don't have to check your bags or go through security to get to the restaurants and stores. While I was scoping it out I saw there were many groupings of chairs and tables which gave me so much relief! I left the airport knowing that while the specific prayers I had prayed were not answered the way I had asked them to be (for there to be someplace to store our luggage, etc) the prayers were answered in a different way.

After we went back to our room Matt left to drop off our van. It will arrive in Germany no later than 8 Jan. Oh, I do hope it's before then! While he was gone I inventoried our luggage. This was for my own peace of mind in case we arrived in Germany missing something. I wanted to easily know which piece was missing and a general idea of what was inside. As I rearranged stuff to fit and to hopefully be under the 50 lb mark, I wrote a number on the luggage tag with a Sharpie. After I numbered each bag and listed the contents, I put neon green curling ribbon on the top. Down in lobby I took a picture of the boys in front of the mountain of luggage. Quite funny!

After being dropped off at the airport, we rented 3 of those carts and filled them as full as we could. Here's our breakdown: 10 checked bags, 7 carry-0n bags, 3 car seats, 3 kids, 1 stroller, 1 dad, and 1 pregnant lady. HA! It was a sight! But we found a great place to turn into our mini home for a few hours.

We took turns running for food while the other parent stayed with the luggage and kids and ate lunch pretty late, around 2. (During the day I splurged and had 3 of my favorite Fast Foods: Starbucks, Chick-fil-a, and Krispy Kreme! YES, they had KK in the airport!!) The boys played with Legos, they colored, they played UNO, and for the most part, they did just fine. During our time waiting Matt took a few of the heavier pieces of luggage to the scales and found that only one was over weight, and by only 5 lbs. So he rearranged it and all the bags were within our limit. At around 5 pm we went to get in the massively long line of people flying to Germany and it only took about 20 minutes to get through the line to the desk where we checked our bags. Then it took about another 15 minutes to get our stuff handed over. We returned our carts, receiving $0.25 back for each of them out of the $4.00 per cart we had spent. Oh well. They were a necessity.

Then we were off to security. The nice lady saw our posse coming and sent us through a new line and with relative ease we were cleared to go through the gate. After picking up some Burger King for the boys we sat and waited for our flight. I got to speak with my brother, my mom, and Anna before we boarded the plane.

Our flight was long, 9 hours, but pretty painless, I guess. The food was gross so I'm really glad someone suggested we feed the boys something before we boarded. Our first taste of Germany was the water... one of the boys wanted water with their dinner and they got "bubble water." Plain soda water, which is gross! I tried several times during the flight to just get plain water, which I knew they had because I had seen it when the flight attendant walked by. I ended up slightly dehydrated since I hadn't eaten since 2 pm and was only able to get about 3 small glasses of plain water all evening. I felt parched and worried that the dehydration sickness I had experienced before was going to kick in. I think it was starting to toward the end because I started feeling queasy, which is rare for me. I found my Seabands and that helped me make it through the rest of the flight.

I watched 2 movies and 2 TV shows, thankful to have the ability to pause, rewind, and select what I wanted to watch. I didn't sleep at all because I was afraid my boys would to do the stranger next to them what the toddler next to me was doing to me. She was completely asleep and sprawled on her mom with her feet facing me. Every now and then she'd try to stretch out (who wouldn't?!?) and her feet would land on my stomach or arm. At one point she kicked so hard I grunted and it actually made the mom pay attention. I'm not sure which I disliked more... the kicking or when she'd lay her head on my arm rest, getting all in my personal space. I eventually stuck a pillow between us so at least there was some layer of distance between us. I was terrified my boys would do this to some poor stranger that I stayed up watching. Bailey slept upright the entire time, and Carson and Hayden, who were seated next to each other, slept with their heads sharing pillows on the same arm rest. For the most part they weren't a bother. Around 2 am (east coast time) Hayden yelled out, "WE'RE HERE!!" I was so glad he didn't wake anyone and that he went right back to sleep.

I enjoyed watching the flight on the map. I tracked us all the way across the ocean and into Frankfurt. It was a lot like watching a pot of water boil so I tried to focus mainly on the movies. I had packed a lot of stuff for the boys to do and had planned on getting my pictures from Disney edited while on the flight, but the space was so limited and the bags were stored in overhead compartments, so we just made do with the TVs. No one complained and we arrived at 5:15 am (east coast time) after eating a breakfast around 3:30 am...that was strange. Local time was 11:15 am and we made it through the passport guy with ease. All our luggage arrived and our Sponsor was waiting for us as soon as we walked out the door.

Our ride from the airport to the hotel was uneventful and we were able learn from Matt's Chaplain assistant, who has lived here for much of his life. (Dad was Army, mom is German.) We're fortunate to have someone who is so familiar with Germany to work with! Matt had to ride on a charter bus to do some serious in-processing so the assistant and our Sponsor brought the boys and me to the hotel. While checking in the hotel clerk said someone had dropped off some stuff for us. The hotel gives a bag to each guest that has paper towels and a few snacks. Our bag was stuffed to the brim with juice boxes, poptarts, popcorn, oatmeal cookies, nutrigrain bars, and more. There was a card on it and it was signed by another Chaplain and his wife! How thoughtful! It was such a treat to have someone think of us and have something ready for us the moment we arrived! Our Sponsor has been super and has gotten us well set up. AND, on top of all that, we received in invitation from Matt's Brigade Chaplain to spend Thanksgiving with them. As it turns out, we had met this family at Jackson several years ago so they aren't strangers! And our Sponsor and his wife will be there as well as the Chaplain and wife who gave us the treats at the hotel! We are amazed and blessed and we have only been here 24 hours.

Last night we ate dinner in the hotel downstairs which was pricy but it turned out to be a really good meal. Plus, we have a fridge and microwave so our leftovers will be consumed sometime soon! After dinner we walked to the PX. It's probably about a mile and a half away, and after a week at Disney, seems like nothing. We purchased a few things that will make hotel-living easier: adapters so we can charge our computers, laundry detergent (since I accidentally left mine at the Disney hotel), and a huge rubbermaid box with lid for the massive quantities of Legos the boys got from the grandparents for Christmas.

(Oh, cool, I'm hearing a police car outside and it's so "European." I've only heard that sound on TV before!).

Between our hotel and the PX is the hospital I've been told that I'll have Parker at so it was neat to see.

When we got home we got the boys settled in "their room" and that is a beautiful thing! The last time we had 2 rooms was the 8th of NOV in Colorado. It didn't make much sense to spend double the money for suites or two rooms when we were traveling, but now that we're parked for a while, it becomes worth it. We set them up with popcorn, juice boxes, and headed to bed. I think I was asleep before 10 and our entire family slept until 8:30. We had to get up then and rush downstairs for breakfast. I'll laugh at that 6 months from now because I'll know of so many pastry places that will blow this place out of the water, but for now, I just want something close and free. Breakfast ended at 9 so we got moving.

Now the boys are in their room watching a movie with Matt while I update this journal. If I don't do it every few days, I'll forget and will regret not taking the time.

As today is Thanksgiving I am reminded of how much I have to be thankful for. I'm extremely thankful that even though we're not with our family on this day we are still part of amazing families who will think of us and are praying for us as we start this new adventure. I'm thankful that God has ordained our steps and that this Thanksgiving was planned years before I was even born and he set in place the very people we are to be with today, some of whom I've never met. I'm thankful for a Country worth defending and for the chance to see other parts of the world as a result of my husband's obedience to the Lord. I'm thankful for Benedryl that clears itchy hives even though it makes me want to take a nap. And I'm thankful that it's Thanksgiving, a day made just for napping!