One Week in Germany

We have now been a week in Germany and wow, there's so much to share. I have been so incredibly busy so there's been no time to blog. However, I'm making the time to do a quick post since so many have asked how it is going.

We arrived last Tuesday after a 6 hour flight. It actually was not a bad flight. We gave the kids some meds and they slept almost the whole way. Abby struggled and cried a bit but finally gave in. When we landed, the kids and I rushed to the bathroom. In Germany, the toilets sit higher off the ground, which makes it hard for little kids. Also, there's not a handle to flush, but a button in the wall you push. The toilet is connect directly to the wall, no tank or anything like that shows. Kind of cool.

We got assigned our hotel room in temporary lodging and our friends and Jon's sponsor loaded all of us and our 15+ bags into their 3 cars and took us to the hotel room. The room is really nice. A full kitchen with dishes, some pots and pans, full fridge, washer and dryer, two rooms, one of which has 2 twin beds. It's really nice. Upon arriving, we learned there is no a/c here. We haven't really needed it thankfully. It's been a crazy roller coaster of weather, one day in the 70's, one in the 50's.

There are a lot of things different here. For example, the tub is higher, so the kids need help getting in. The shower hose is in the middle of the shower instead of on one end. The washing machine is SUPER small, so I'm literally constantly doing laundry. There are quiet times here, like on Sunday afternoons. Also, you can't do lawn work or wash your car on Sundays.

On Friday evening, our friends who have been stationed here for 2 years took us to a local German restaurant and festival. We all tried various forms of schnitzel and it was delicious. Then we walked around the festival, the girls got some wine with fruit in it, the kids all rode some fair type rides, the kids got ice cream and adults shares some nutella crapes. In the distance above the town with the festival, you could see a castle. We were/are so thankful for our friends who were willing to drive there and back twice to give us a ride.

On Saturday, the large park on base had a family day with bouncy houses, games, etc. We met our friends there and had a good time, playing on the playground afterwards.

On Sunday, we were going to go to mass on base, but there are only 2 masses, 9am and 5pm. We woke up at 7:30am and could not fathom waking the kids up when they were still trying to adjust to the time changes. Plus Jon and I were feeling a little sick, so we didn't go. I had already made plans to go with our friend in the evening to a free concert. The USO (Thank you USO!!!) put on a FREE Trace Adkins concert for Sept. 11. We went, standing for several hours, and had a blast. I also decided to have a beer and actually liked it, for a beer! It was an Eichbaum. Maybe I'll be able to enjoy some beers while here, since that's the drink of choice in Germany. ;-)

We have been blessed in that our hotel is equal distance to everything really. We have walked and walked and walked. We've walked to the commissary, the post office, playgrounds, appointments, the library, Jon's office, and so much more. Thankfully we ended up checking our small stroller on the plane, so that's been helpful. However, the older two kids were having a really hard time keeping up and walking so much, so we bought a red wagon for them the other day. It has made walks soooo much easier.

We are apparently number 1 or 2 to get a house, so we have to keep checking back to see if one is available yet. In the mean time, I dont mind being in the hotel because we have all we need here, where we wont with a house until our stuff arrives.

That is about every going on right now. We are loving it, enjoying being together just the 5 of us in our own little space. Jon is loving getting to cook again. Thank you for thinking of us and asking about us. Auf Wiedersehen

Jon's cooking again-homemade bread, yum!

We took the kids to see their first movie in a theater on our second day here- Cars 2.

This is how we roll now :) They LOVE it.