Hey, all! This is "D-Week" a.k.a. the week I fly back to the states for our next assignment! Eek! So much to do, so I may be a bit scarce for the next week.
In the meantime, I found a new blog hop that I have decided to get in on the fun of. Won't you join me too?
Monday, June 20, 2011
Blog Hop!
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Reflections on home.
First, just a disclaimer that I am not knocking any other parts of the country. The Midwest is what I have always known as home, and I just really feel comfortable with where I come from. That being said...
I can't believe that the time has come for me to leave Germany. Seven years I have spent my life in this wonderful country. It has been my second home, as I (so far) have only lived in Indiana and here. I have loved my time in Europe. L-O-V-E-D it. All of the traveling, the experiences, the people, and the uniqueness of each and every nook and cranny of Europe. But, it never felt like "home." Sure, I have always had a roof over my head. But, I never felt very comfortable in my own skin here. The blue eyes and blond hair helped me fit in, and learning a bit of German made a world of difference, but there were still things I didn't understand and frustrations with things not coming as easily as they should.
In ways I can't really explain, I am so glad to be moving back to the Midwest. Sure, it isn't Indiana, but when I look at the area of our new home and the surrounding areas, it sure feels...comfortable. The farmers markets on the weekends selling fresh corn on the cob and going apple picking in the fall, Fourth of July fireworks in the park, the local county fair, horse stables, going to the local markets, mom and pop BBQ joints at every corner, and, probably one of the things I missed the most, a cold glass of sweet tea. NOT tea with sugar. It is nearly sacrilegious to call that sweet tea. I am finally getting a front porch again. With a yard. I am going to play catch with my dogs in the back yard and swim in our pool (that's right, our new place has a pool!) on hot summer days, have cook-outs on Sundays while watching football in the afternoons (well, if there's a season) versus the middle of the night. In the winter I will go look at the houses all lit up for Christmas and then go to my local Starbucks and enjoy a Peppermint Latte...the list goes on and on.
I have treasured my time spent overseas. I know I am very fortunate to have had such experiences and to have seen such things. But, for just a little bit, at least, in a matter of weeks I will be "home." You will probably find me on the front porch swing with a glass of sweet iced tea reading a book and listening to the sounds of the neighborhood, smelling the charcoal all around me. Sounds like home to me.
I can't believe that the time has come for me to leave Germany. Seven years I have spent my life in this wonderful country. It has been my second home, as I (so far) have only lived in Indiana and here. I have loved my time in Europe. L-O-V-E-D it. All of the traveling, the experiences, the people, and the uniqueness of each and every nook and cranny of Europe. But, it never felt like "home." Sure, I have always had a roof over my head. But, I never felt very comfortable in my own skin here. The blue eyes and blond hair helped me fit in, and learning a bit of German made a world of difference, but there were still things I didn't understand and frustrations with things not coming as easily as they should.
In ways I can't really explain, I am so glad to be moving back to the Midwest. Sure, it isn't Indiana, but when I look at the area of our new home and the surrounding areas, it sure feels...comfortable. The farmers markets on the weekends selling fresh corn on the cob and going apple picking in the fall, Fourth of July fireworks in the park, the local county fair, horse stables, going to the local markets, mom and pop BBQ joints at every corner, and, probably one of the things I missed the most, a cold glass of sweet tea. NOT tea with sugar. It is nearly sacrilegious to call that sweet tea. I am finally getting a front porch again. With a yard. I am going to play catch with my dogs in the back yard and swim in our pool (that's right, our new place has a pool!) on hot summer days, have cook-outs on Sundays while watching football in the afternoons (well, if there's a season) versus the middle of the night. In the winter I will go look at the houses all lit up for Christmas and then go to my local Starbucks and enjoy a Peppermint Latte...the list goes on and on.
I have treasured my time spent overseas. I know I am very fortunate to have had such experiences and to have seen such things. But, for just a little bit, at least, in a matter of weeks I will be "home." You will probably find me on the front porch swing with a glass of sweet iced tea reading a book and listening to the sounds of the neighborhood, smelling the charcoal all around me. Sounds like home to me.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Deal, Sandwich, and Herne Bay - England!
Well, here comes another round of England photos! It was ages ago when I actually went, so as a little recap, I traveled to Kent, England, for a week to visit some of the historical sights that I read about in college. I heart England, and would live there in a heartbeat if I could. So, here is a recap of the first leg of the trip...in pictures!
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Deal Castle, a defense fortress from the time of Henry VIII. It was built in the shape of the Tudor Rose.        |
Sunday, June 12, 2011
The stress is kicking in...
This entire move, I have tried to be positive and not focus on the stressfulness of moving to a different continent, but today it all hit me. Hard. I have stuff in storage in Indiana that I need to get moved to Illinois and for over a week, the movers haven't been able to "find" us in their system, which means that we haven't been able to schedule our move. I have been living in our house with no furniture for a week, and Joel and I have been sleeping on an air mattress, which really means that there hasn't been much peaceful sleeping. I don't have my things, I don't have my car, and I still haven't gotten even one phone call concerning a job.
We are rescuing another sweet pug to be picked up after we arrive, and I want to be more excited but I am just stressed with the living conditions. On top of all of that, I am getting my application together to apply for my Master's Degree, which is due 1 July, and I haven't even been able to give it the attention it deserves. It was nice having that break yesterday with our trip, but I think that is when it hit me how stressed I really am! Once it was over, of course. I have to keep telling myself, less than two weeks and I will be in the states and it will all be ok. I just need a sanity check (or two) before then.
We are rescuing another sweet pug to be picked up after we arrive, and I want to be more excited but I am just stressed with the living conditions. On top of all of that, I am getting my application together to apply for my Master's Degree, which is due 1 July, and I haven't even been able to give it the attention it deserves. It was nice having that break yesterday with our trip, but I think that is when it hit me how stressed I really am! Once it was over, of course. I have to keep telling myself, less than two weeks and I will be in the states and it will all be ok. I just need a sanity check (or two) before then.
Saturday, June 11, 2011
One more trip?
I think so! That's right, I am up at 0345 in order to head my way to Lake Constance, Germany to viist the Island of Mainau and then to continue on to Stein am Rhein, Switzerland. Be back the same night, so I will be quite worn out!
Friday, June 10, 2011
Mil Spouse Friday Fill-in!
It's finally Friday! That means that I officially have less than two weeks before I am back in the states. I know, crazy, right? I will miss Germany so much! But, we hope to keep on traveling and I pray that one day we will be stationed back overseas. Stay tuned!
Thanks always to the awesome Wife of a Sailor for hosting my favorite Friday Fill-in. Well, here goes!
1. When you vacation what type of vacation do you like to take (beach, historic, adventurous, food oriented, etc.)? submitted by Megan Dub-Yuh
Umm...all of the above! My favorite trips include the Maldives for our honeymoon (totally a tropical paradise), my Tudor touring of Kent, England (for the history geek in me), Ireland (to hike in the Killarney mountains and go puffin watching), and Italy (with the best food I have ever eaten). I am an equal opportunist traveler, and other than extreme kind of sports things (skydiving...yikes!) I am up for anything!
2. What is your best memory associated with a song (you know we all have tons!)? submitted by Ramblings of a Marine Wife
God Bless the Broken Road by Rascal Flatts. Kind of cheesy, but it is Joel and I's song. Just reminds me that even though life can get tough, it straightens out when you least expect it.
3. If you had six months with no obligations or financial constraints, what would you do with your time? submitted by Married to the Army
Travel, travel, and more travel. I love it, and would go to the Baltic states, the Galapagos Islands, to see the fall foliage in the Northeast, viist Hawaii and Alaska, go to New Zealand and Australia...the list goes on and on.
4. What is one thing about you that people do NOT typically notice at first that you wish they would? submitted by Our Motto is Patience
Wow, this is a hard one! Umm...I guess it is the fact that I am not just an Air Force wife. We meet a lot of military folks, and no one ever asks what I do for a living or what I studied in school, just my husband. I just wish that they would understand that I am me, too, and not just a reflection of my husband.
5. It’s a summer of sequels, and if you had to live in one of each of the following “worlds” (there are three total) which would you choose and why? …. submitted by The Three Turners
–X-Men: Be a Mutant, what would your power be? Maybe Mirage. She was capable of casting mental illusions, communicating with animals, and sensing upcoming death.
–Harry Potter: Be a Witch or Muggle? Never seen it, so I have no idea.
–Twilight: Be a Vampire or Werewolf? This is so hard! As a vampire, it would be awesome to stay young and beautiful forever, but the whole drinking blood thing is a huge no-no. Maybe if they merged with True Blood and I could drink synthetic blood. But if not, I would have to pick werewolf, so I would always be warm and able to be out and about during the day.
Thanks always to the awesome Wife of a Sailor for hosting my favorite Friday Fill-in. Well, here goes!
1. When you vacation what type of vacation do you like to take (beach, historic, adventurous, food oriented, etc.)? submitted by Megan Dub-Yuh
Umm...all of the above! My favorite trips include the Maldives for our honeymoon (totally a tropical paradise), my Tudor touring of Kent, England (for the history geek in me), Ireland (to hike in the Killarney mountains and go puffin watching), and Italy (with the best food I have ever eaten). I am an equal opportunist traveler, and other than extreme kind of sports things (skydiving...yikes!) I am up for anything!
2. What is your best memory associated with a song (you know we all have tons!)? submitted by Ramblings of a Marine Wife
God Bless the Broken Road by Rascal Flatts. Kind of cheesy, but it is Joel and I's song. Just reminds me that even though life can get tough, it straightens out when you least expect it.
3. If you had six months with no obligations or financial constraints, what would you do with your time? submitted by Married to the Army
Travel, travel, and more travel. I love it, and would go to the Baltic states, the Galapagos Islands, to see the fall foliage in the Northeast, viist Hawaii and Alaska, go to New Zealand and Australia...the list goes on and on.
4. What is one thing about you that people do NOT typically notice at first that you wish they would? submitted by Our Motto is Patience
Wow, this is a hard one! Umm...I guess it is the fact that I am not just an Air Force wife. We meet a lot of military folks, and no one ever asks what I do for a living or what I studied in school, just my husband. I just wish that they would understand that I am me, too, and not just a reflection of my husband.
5. It’s a summer of sequels, and if you had to live in one of each of the following “worlds” (there are three total) which would you choose and why? …. submitted by The Three Turners
–X-Men: Be a Mutant, what would your power be? Maybe Mirage. She was capable of casting mental illusions, communicating with animals, and sensing upcoming death.
–Harry Potter: Be a Witch or Muggle? Never seen it, so I have no idea.
–Twilight: Be a Vampire or Werewolf? This is so hard! As a vampire, it would be awesome to stay young and beautiful forever, but the whole drinking blood thing is a huge no-no. Maybe if they merged with True Blood and I could drink synthetic blood. But if not, I would have to pick werewolf, so I would always be warm and able to be out and about during the day.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Recap
So the past month has been crazy! Just to recap, we took our week long trip to England, to include places like Dover, Canterbury, London, Leeds, and many, many more! I then came back, finished up at work, graduated from college (yay!), and then we left on our two week cruise to Italy, Greece, Turkey, and Croatia. We came back on Sunday, and now the movers are scheduled to arrive this week to pack up our stuff and ship it over the ocean because we are officially moving back to the states at the end of this month! Whew! That is a ton! Now you can see why I have been slightly absent for blogging. I lost a few followers along the way, which is sad, but I really appreciate all of you that stuck in there. I am very happy for you all! I love blogging, and would do it just for me, but I feel more connected to the world to know that I have actual followers, and I hope that I have posted about something that has helped you somewhere along the way!
So, without further ado, I will start on my English adventure! It was great. We started out the first night in London to see Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty's Theater. I have seen the show a few times, including in NYC, but it was Joel's first time. We saw Love Never Dies in London back in September, which was the sequel, so I figured that I would show Joel how the story began. It was good, but I wasn't too impressed with the woman that played Christine. I didn't think she could carry the role the way it needed to be carried. Oh, well.
So, we strolled around London a little taking the Royal Wedding in. It was a couple of days before the actual Big Day, but people were already camped out around Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey. Which, if you think about it, doesn't make much sense, because if they don't catch a glimpse of anything, there were no screens showing what was going on! It was really nice, though, because the Brits became so patriotic, and even though they swore they couldn't care less about the event on tv, everyone was talking about it.
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Chinatown, London Style Bangers and Mash  The Obligitary Phone Booth Picture  Joel has the fever!  So many great things in one shot!  |
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