Our weekend

Today is one of the few dreary days we've had in Germany. From what we hear those are the norm around here, but we've had such beautiful weather since we arrived that it's hard to believe. Saturday was rainy as well. We planned to go to the flea market in downtown Stuttgart again because we had so much fun shopping there the last time, but since it was raining we decided not to. Instead we made a run to the PX and while there Stacy called and asked if we wanted to go to a sports store with them. We were up for the adventure so we met them at the Kelley hotel and we all piled into their car. This store, Decathalon, is huge and they allow you to try out what you plan to buy so there were kids (and adults) riding bikes, skateboards, scooters, etc all throughout the store. It was interesting.

We went to a Turkish restaurant for lunch. It's a challenge to find a place open after 2:00 in the afternoon on Saturday. Most everything closes down early. I couldn't tell you what I had, but it was pretty good.

Yesterday, we planned to try out an English speaking Baptist church outside of Patch, but Sam woke up through the night with a sore throat and a muscle in his neck and back. He was in so much pain that we didn't get up for church. Later he was up and started raking the yard, which he said helped loosen the muscles that were hurting him. So we met up with Stacy, Rich and Kelsey at the Panzer Bowling alley. I honestly can't remember the last time I bowled, but it must have been in my teens. We had a lot of fun with them though. Later in the evening Stacy and us went to see a movie at Patch.

I'm really impressed with the MWR facilites here. From what Stacy says they just recently renovated them and before that they were dumps. Sam and I checked out the gym yesterday. We're both saying that we're getting back to going regularly and we wanted to check it out. It's so much nicer than any we went to in Hawaii. All new equipment and very clean. The theater is brand new too, as well as the Bowling Alley. There's really not that many military here, but a lot of brass which allows us to have nicer facilities.

We know everyone is interested in seeing our new place, but right now it's just an empty house and looks very bare. So, once we get our household goods and get it put together we'll get some better pictures posted. For right now - here is a small glimpse.

Last night we cooked steaks on the grill. This is in the back yard looking toward the house. Door open on the ground floor goes into the guest bedroom (where we're currently camping out in). The second floor window is the living room and top floor is the master bedroom.

A small shed in the back yard.

Coming up the stairs, looking into the dining room. Living room to the left, kitchen to the right.

Living room

Looking toward the kitchen.

The kichen in the process of being cleaned.

Finally in our house

Free at last! I have my car!! I love having my freedom back.

We met up with Stacy at Panzer on Monday morning to sign over the title and get the safety inspection done. Before that, we met with Herr Muller at the Housing office to finish the contract for the house. Then we went to sign the washer and dryer over to us. The ones that are in the house belong to the Army and were in Stacy's name, so we just left them there and signed them over to Sam.

We also went to the telephone company to change the number at the house over to our name. What a fiasco that was! One would think it should be a pretty simple process, but not in Germany. Even though Stacy was out of the house as of 30 April, it will take the phone company 3-4 weeks to change the line over to us. On top of that, they were trying to push us to take a different (newer) DSL plan. In the end we didn't, because it wouldn't have worked with the modem in the house and it's not as simple as plugging in a new one. You can't even just buy a phone and plug it in. It has to be programmed. So, to save us the headache we stayed with the same plan Stacy had.

We went to Robinson Barracks to pick up our mattress. We tried to go a faster way and ended up lost for 2 hours. That was frustrating, but seems to happen to us a lot over here. Thankfully, the PX had a box spring on a truck that had just come in. So we loaded up and took the bed to the house. We won't have our household goods for awhile, but at least we have a bed.

When we got back to the Romerhof, we packed just about everything and loaded the car. Yesterday morning we got up early and took that load out to the house so I could finish the rest after Sam went to work.

I stopped by the PX to get some things to clean the house and to hold us over until our household goods get here. Even though I know Stacy cleaned the house before moving out, I still like to clean it all before I feel like it's been christened by me and it's ours.

I didn't expect Gabby to react the way she did when I let her out of her cage. She crept along the floor looking for a place to hide. She was so scared. I picked her up and she hid her face in my arm. I gave her a tour of the house and she was beside herself. It really is big and seemed even bigger after running up and down the 3 floors all day long. Yesterday I felt like I was running constantly, but didn't really accomplish much. I did get some laundry done and starting cleaning. I really am happy that we're finally in the house. I want to get some flowers planted in the pots for the balconies. I'm sure I'll keep myself busy.

Today, a couple of workers came to do some repairs around the house. I needed to leave so I left Gabby shut in the room downstairs. She should be fine, but I always worry about her.

Bills are paid differently here and no one will accept cash or check. Everything is wired through bank accounts. So, we set up an account on base in order to pay our rent and utilities. Since the bills have to be paid in Euro, we had to get a local account.

We got an email yesterday saying that our house in Hawaii is finally closing on Friday. We can't wait to get that over with. It's been a headache, but we're thankful that it sold. Especially after hearing that the market is declining there.

Well, no pictures for today, but maybe tomorrow I can post some. I have to finish our last Temporary Quarters paperwork and get that turned in by tomorrow, so I better get busy.

We finally have our own vehicle

Someday I will learn to save my posts as I go. I had just spent awhile typing and ended up losing it all. AAARRRRRHHHHH!!!!! Soooo..... I'll try this again.

Our truck has finally arrived! We didnt' expect it for another month. Last Friday we went to pick it up at Panzer. Unfortunately it didn't pass the safety inspection. It needs all new tires, which Sam knew but just hadn't gotten around to ordering yet. So, we have temporary plates until then. Tomorrow, the tires should be in and we'll drop the truck off in the morning to have them put on.

Our new landlord, Herr Mueller, called and wants to meet with us on Sunday to hand over the keys. We'll probably move in on 1 May since that's when our contract begins. It's going to be so nice to have a place of our own again. I'm not sure who will be happier....us or Gabby. She's going stir-crazy in the hotel room.

Speaking of Gabby... I think she may have terrorized the housekeeper yesterday. I don't know for sure, but there are some signs that the housekeeper may have left in a hurry. I usually stay home on the day the room is to be cleaned (one day a week). I take Gabby out on the balcony until the cleaning is done. Well, yesterday I had to go to work with Sam to get our reimbursement paperwork done and turned in. We left a note on our door saying that our cat was in there and to be careful she didn't get out. (Sam wrote the note in German, so I can only assume that's what it said) Anyhow, when I came home later, the room wasn't as clean as it usually is and the bed was only partially made. The sheet was just draped over the bed and not tucked in and the nightstand was moved out of place. Gabby usually hides under the bed if someone comes in and I'm thinking she may have gotten nasty and given the housekeeper quite a scare when she started to make the bed. I'm almost afraid to ask. I just hope she didn't leave any marks.

Last Friday evening Sam worked at the SAS Lock-in and didn't get off until 8:00 Saturday morning. He slept most of that day, but that evening we went to eat at a Chinese restaurant here in Vaihingen. The food I got did not set well with me, so we didn't go to church on Sunday. Later in the day when I was feeling a little better we went for a drive. We wanted to find Robinson Barracks, which is mostly military housing, but also has the furniture store. We got pretty lost, but took some nice pictures along the way. The one above is just driving into a village. I think we were lost at this place, but we stopped and took some pictures of these old buildings.

An old Bavarian style building. I love the old style buildings here.

An old barn beside the road

A vineyard on the way to Robinson Barracks

We did finally make it to Robinson and this is looking down the hill from the furniture store

Because of working all night Friday, Sam had Monday off. So we took the train to downtown Stuttgart. It's so beautiful down there. So many beautiful old buildings. Pictures really don't do it justice, but here are a few from Monday.

An old castle like building in Stuttgart city center

Ivy growing up the side of this old building

Me standing in from of a fountain at the city center

Sam with the city center in the background Like I said, the pictures really don't do it justice. There is so much detail on the old buildings that you just can't see in a picture. Well, that's about it for now. Sam will be getting off of work before too long and I want to go to the commissary before that, so I better get busy.

Sunday in Germany

Today is our 3 week anniversary of being in Germany. This morning we took the housing contract to the housing office for approval. Our landlords had to fill it out then we take it to housing for approval, then we sign and it becomes official. Well, there were a few things that need changed on it, so we'll have to go back to sign, but it's nice to be moving on toward getting our house. We only have about two more weeks at the Romerhof. It hasn't been a bad place to stay and the people there are very nice and helpful, but it will just be nice to be in a place of our own even though we won't have furniture for a couple of months after that.

Yesterday, Sam and I had a really nice day. We checked out the chapel on Patch Barracks and really liked it. The Protestant service is at 11:00. The people were very friendly and we were happy with the service. We were done with church at about 12:00 and decided to go for a drive. To me, that's still a daunting proposal. I'm getting pretty comfortable driving to Patch, Panzer and to the Romerhof, but going further is still a little intimidating. Anyhow, we drove toward Sindelfingen (I think??) and took a road there that led us to this little village. We ended up stopping and having lunch at a little Italian bistro and ate outside at tables set up on the cobblestone sidewalk. We really enjoyed that. It felt very European to us. Sam said he felt like he was in an American Express commercial - ha, ha But we did really enjoy it.

Later on, Sam wanted to see if we could make it to Plattenhardt, where we will be living. This was our first time on the Autobahn, but he did great. We got a little irritated with each other and it took us awhile to find the house, but he did. We had no problem finding the village, but then there are so many little road that it took awhile to find the road that the house is on. It's very hilly in Plattenhardt and the roads are narrow. It's a really cute little village.

Someone at Sam's work let him borrow two bicycles, so we took a ride and found which path led to Patch Barracks. Sam road his bike to work this morning. There are beautiful bike/hiking trails all over the place here. It's really easy to be outdoors and we've been having wonderful weather. It was probably in the 70's yesterday. From what I hear we better enjoy it because sooner or later the rain will return. Something that I've noticed here that is beautiful is the flowers. Even in people's yards there are tons of little flowers. It's really beautiful. Daffodils, poppys, tulips, pansies and lots of other small flowers. These pictures were taken in a park we were walking in, but even in private yards you see a lot of flowers.

Daffodils along side a fence

Flowers in a park

Well, that's about all I have for today. More later.

We're in Germany!

Hello from Germany! I've finally been able to get to a computer long enough to give an update of our new life in Europe. Even signing in to this blog has changed. When I signed in to do a new post, all the links came up in German, so hopefully I can figure it out enough to get a post done. (To the right, I am standing in front of the Romerhof hotel. Our room is in the building to the left on the second story. You can see our two windows inside the balcony.)
What a difference a couple of weeks makes! The last blog I posted was the day before the movers were to arrive and pack all of our belongings up. It was bittersweet. I do miss Hawaii, just not the heat. And I have even missed that a couple of days when it's been cold and rainy here. I was terribly sick the whole time we were packing and flying to Germany. Thankfully, 3 weeks later, I'm finally getting over it.
We left Hawaii on Thursday, March 22 and flew to North Carolina to spend a couple of days with Kristy and the kids. We really had a nice time with them. It would have been great if we'd had more time there, but we made the most of it. We really enjoyed Kristy's cooking :) I think she's close to the best cook ever. I aspire to be like her when I grow up ;o) It was nice being with the kids again. Of course, neither one wanted to leave Uncle Sam alone, as you can see in the pictures. Even Hadassah had to be like him and put her hat on.

Hadassah was in a her bathrobe stage when we were there. It was so cute! When Kristy came to get us at the airport there she was with Hadassah walking beside her in her bathrobe. I guess she just discovered how snuggly it is.
Sam and I took a coconut with us from Hawaii to show them what a natural one looks like. Sam worked at getting into it one night out on the back porch. I think they all really enjoyed that. I wish I would have felt better, but we had a really nice time with them.
We left Fayetteville on Sunday, March 25. Since it was going to be a long trip, we gave Gabby a pill to help relax her. I know these long trips are even harder on her. The pill had a strange effect on her. She was acting a little loopy and then bit me really hard, so I just closed up her cage and left her alone. I think she was feeling strange from the medicine. The flight over wasn't as long and hard as I expected it to be. We really had a wonderful experience flying with Delta. They actually still serve meals and the flight attendants were very nice.

Flying into Germany was really interesting. Even the layout of the land was different than the United States. Flying over large cities in the states just looks like the city goes on for miles. On the contrary, flying into Stuttgart you could just see lots of small villages everywhere. Lots of open countryside and small villages spinkled here and there. It looked exactly like what I invisioned Germany would look like.

Going through the German customs was a little intimidating to me actually. When we stepped off the plane, suddenly everything was written in German and I couldn't understand any of it. I was definitely relying on Sam to get me to where we needed to be. The customs guard asked if we were here on business or pleasure. It went very smoothly. No one asked to see any paperwork on Gabby. We mentioned her, but they just waved us on.
Sam's new boss, Jackie and Stacy (who has been a life saver to us here) were at the airport to pick us up. Stacy left to get a litterbox and litter for Gabby, while Jackie took us to the Romerhof, where we were going to be staying. Jackie said she would be back in 1 1/2 hours to pick us up for in processing. There's nothing like being up all night flying, then having to go right to work when you arrive. I didn't get a shower because I didn't have the right plug to use my hair dryer or curling iron, which was a little frustrating. I hadn't thought about needing that right away.

When Jackie picked us up, we went to NAF(which is at Kelly Barracks) and I sat in on the in processing because the information they were going to tell us pertained to me as well (living quarters allowance, driver's license, ID cards, etc.). They didn't seem to like me going in with him, but Sam wanted me there as well, since he was so tired. He wanted me to take notes for later.

I've felt really bad for Sam because from that first day on, he really didn't get a break. The next day, Stacy picked us up and took us to get our ID cards and we went by her house as well. We were so impressed with her place. The pictures they sent while we were still in Hawaii did not do the house justice. It's so nice. We were incredibly fortunate to have it fall in our laps like it did. We plan to buy her car when they leave too. That one will be mine to drive and Sam will have his truck. I sold my truck in Hawaii just a few hours before going to the airport. I had a hard time selling it. I loved my truck.

Monday was our two week anniversary being in Germany. It seems like we've been here so much longer than that. I'm adjusting, but really miss America, my home, familiar places and English speaking people. I miss going to a restaurant and being able to read the menu, having water with my meal and ice in my soda.
Something that's been hard to get used to is people staring at me. The Germans blatently stare. Especially when I wear my flip flops (slippers). I guess no one wears open toed shoes here. Walking down the sidewalk, I see them look at my feet then up to my face. It really does get a little annoying, when I don't care to be noticed anyhow. Everyone tells me to just stare back. People don't smile at you here either. They stare, but don't smile.

The toilets are quite different too, but I won't get into that here :) I do like American toilets better though. I think Gabby's getting quite bored in our hotel room. She has nothing to chase. She misses her roaches, geckos, spiders, etc.

Here are a few other things that I've noticed are different than America -

* I guess they don't use wash clothes here. In our room and in stores, all I see are bath towels and hand towels. Hmmmm

* The security at the Military posts is very strict. Our ID cards have a barcode that the guards scan and it shows a picture of the ID card holder.

* You can't get water with your meal without paying for it. And you have to specify if you don't want bubbly water. Most times, if you don't say otherwise, you'll get bubbly.

* German's don't serve ice with their drinks. If you ask for it, they look at you like you're crazy. One evening Sam asked for ice in my soda and when it came I swear it looked like they went to the freezer in the basement and chips some ice off the freezer walls. I'm giving up on asking for ice unless I'm at a restaurant on post.

* Going to grocery stores on the economy is a little daunting to me still. Everything is in German, as you would imagine. So, I can't read any of the labels.

* Stores close very early here. One night around 8:00, Sam and I were bored so we took the bus to the Swabien Gallery (small mall). Everything was closed, except for Kaufland which is a grocery store. I guess they have approval to be open until 10:00.

* Very little is open on Sunday. I've seen a few stores open around the Bahnhof (bus/train station), but that's about it.

* You can't wash your car here. You have to go to a car wash. I guess so soap doesn't get on the ground???

* They don't have normal beds here. Our bed is two twins pushed together. They keep slipping apart and they're hard. Needless to say, we're not sleeping too well these days. We have a new matress bought, waiting at the PX for us to more into our house.

* I don't know what this is about, but they have the oddest hair colors here and bright pink seems to be a big trend. Seriously, we were at the store the other day and I saw this very distinguished older lady. She was dressed very nicely and looked very put together, then she turned and I saw she had streaks of bright pink throughout her gray hair. I just don't get it. I haven't seen true red hair here, but lots of burgandy and bright orange.

* People drive crazy here! Fast and crazy. Sam and I managed to pass our driver's license a week ago Monday, but it's a little intimidating to drive. One of Sam's staff loaned him a car, so this morning for the first time I drove to Patch. I made it alright, but I have to really think about what I'm doing and keep German laws in mind and not revert to America.

Well, that's about it for now. It's hard to remember everything I noticed when we arrived because it's been a very busy two weeks. Here are a few more pictures from our time in Fayetteville and a few from here in Germany.

Hadassah holding the coconut

Working on getting into the coconut

Connor with a toad he found

Hadassah Ann

Coming in the hotel door, looking into the bedroom

Looking into the living room

Our "kitchen" is inside this closet

Our "kitchen"

Me standing beside a "Smart Car"

Not sure what this is. I don't think I'd take it on the autobahn though.

Sam standing out on the street by the Romerhof

This was last Sunday. We were walking to the Vaihingen Bahnhof to catch a train to Stacy's house for dinner.

Sam standing by a train as it comes in. The wind from the train is making his hair look funky

Last blog in Hawaii

We are deep into the process of moving and this will probably be the last blog for quite some time. Friday was our last day of work, which ended up being pretty sad for both of us. I know Sam is really going to miss Hawaii. Even though he's wanted to do a tour in Germany for awhile, he loves it here and it's hard for him to want to leave. We both were feeling sad about leaving Friday evening, but at this point we're just wanting to be done with it.
Yesterday and today we've been busy going through boxes getting things ready for the movers. We gave all the food to a neighbor and are finishing up bills and anything else needing to be done online. Tomorrow morning between 8-9 the movers will be here. I'm still playing with the idea of shipping the computer separately because otherwise we will be without it for 3 months. We have to check on prices yet.
Tuesday morning we have an appointment for Gabby. She has to get another microchip, German and American health certificates and a letter of acclimation to go on the plane. Poor little thing will be glad when this is over too. I'm really concerned about how well she is going to handle the trip, but she's probably more resilient than I think she is.
Thursday we leave for Fayetteville to spend a couple of days with Kristy and the kids. Then on Sunday we leave for Germany and are scheduled to get into Stuttgart at 9:00am Germany time on Monday morning. Well, I need to get busy again, but just wanted to let everyone know that there may not be any updates for awhile. This is a very stressful time for us, but hopefully once we get to Germany we can settled down and enjoy. Talk to you all later.

Our final week

Sam and I are getting so close to the end of our time here in Hawaii. It still seems surreal that we're actually going to Germany next week. This week has flown by. It's our last at work and we have so many things to finish up. We're slowly getting things checked off our list though.

We started the week off last Sunday by going to a party put on for Sam and his assistant director. The staff of HMR put it together and they really did a great job. There was so much food. It was a very nice time.

Today, the CYS leaders gave Sam a going away party at a local restaurant. I wasn't able to attend, but he said it was very nice. They gave him a signed football, Hawaii University jacket and hat. Since I wasn't at work last week for the going away party, Steve presented me with a plaque today during training. Of course he had me do a speech, but I kept it short and sweet. I really hate to be in front of a group of people. Well, that's about it for now. Here are a few pictures from today -

TAMC Workforce Management Division -
Steve, Rhi, Carmen, Me, Jeanne and Rhi's daughter, Maliya

Steve and Maliya

Lori, Me, Antrika and Sheryl

Mom's visit to Hawaii

Mom was here for the last week visiting us. She loves Hawaii and wanted to come for another visit before we were off to Germany. I'm really glad she was able to come. In reality we won't really be that much further away, but because it's not the United States somehow it seems further. She just went home Thursday night. We really enjoyed the visit, but it would have been more relaxing if we hadn't had so much going on. Just about every day we had to clean the house just in case someone wanted to come in with their realtor. It's getting very old living in a model home. I like to think we had a clean house anyhow, but knowing prospective buyers are coming in we feel an addition pressure to have it extra clean.

Mom was really tired when she got here so we didn't do much the first couple of days. We went to Dole Plantation several times. We love their Dole Whips :) I had never gone through the Dole maze either, so we did that on one of our trips there. We had some rain most of the afternoons, but the mornings were pretty nice. Everything is more fun when family is here to experience it with you. As much as I've not like Hawaii at times, I know I'm really going to miss it. There is a relaxed atmosphere here that you don't find other places. For as different as they are, Alaska and Hawaii are alike in that way.







Here's a silly picture of Mom as a hula pineapple girl

Mom and I enjoyed feeding these birds out back of Dole Plantation. Mom would hold out a piece of her waffle cone and they would hover like little hummingbirds and eat from her hand. They were so quick that I missed most of the pictures. This one finally caught it.

Of course Mom and I had plenty of beach time. Sam and I have been to many beaches on Oahu, but one of our favorites is called "Snails n Trails". This was the beach I took Mom to most often. It's very private and really beautiful.

The first day we went there, we laid out for awhile and then went down to the water to cool off. Some young guy came running over and asked us to go back up on the beach because they were filming a TV show further on down the beach and we were in their shot. Well, of course we didn't want to be on TV, so we complied. I asked which TV show and he said it was 'Lost'. Sam and I have seen several sets for 'Lost' around the islands, especially when it first started. I have to admit that I've never watched the show, although it probably would have been interesting seeing places we know on TV.
Driving around the island one day we saw three sea turtles (honu) on the beach. Volunteers come and put ropes out around turtles to distract people from getting too close and bothering them. It's pretty awsome to see them up close.

Another picture of the sea turtle. The volunteers know them all by name and the different characteristics they each have.






Mom and I spent a nice day at the North Shore in Haleiwa. We went to the beach that morning and then afterward got a shave ice at Matsumoto's. Here they put vanilla ice cream in the bottom of the paper cone then shave ice on top covered with your choice of syrup. Neither one of us like the shave ice that much, but it's a tradition and I thought Mom should have the experience. Mom bought some beautiful shells at this stand along the road. We didn't think we got too much sun at the beach, but then walking through town gave us a little burn. We really enjoyed the day though.

The last day Mom was here we went to a really private beach near Kahuku on the North Shore. You have to walk through some woods to get to the beach. Mom loved it.

There were lots of crabs on the beach. I crumbled some pretzels and threw out toward them. The crabs came right up close to get the food.

We found lots of coconuts in the woods. We took a few with us. I think a lot of the locals take the coconuts to sell by the road. So that is a brief look at our week with Mom. Of course it was too short. There's never enough time and so much more we could have done, but I'm glad we had the time we did. Here are a few more pictures of the week.

One day we stopped by a shrimp truck for lunch

Mom and I at an overlook on the Kolekole Pass. This road goes through the Waianae Range from Schofield Barracks to the west side.

Sam and his mom down by the ocean after having dinner at their place on Sunday

Snorkling at Hanauma Bay

The new Sherpa cat carrier we bought for Gabby. She'll be riding with us in the cabin on the way to Germany.

More Germany plans

We are finally getting the details of our trip to Germany nailed down. Last Friday, Sam and I went to Transportation at Schofield and got our packing day set up and the packets we needed to ship the POV and get our plane tickets. We have decided our last day at work will be March 16th. The next Monday, the 19th, the movers will be here to pack us up. Our household goods won't arrive in Germany until the end of June, so I guess we'll see how simply we can live.

We held off on getting the tickets because there was some confusion as to whether we needed the official passports to enter Germany, but Sam spoke to NAF over there and they said it wasn't necessary. I did just receive my new birth certificate though, so we'll be able to get the official passports ordered soon.

Today, after work, I met Sam at Transportation again to get our tickets. We've decided to fly out of here on March 22nd and go spend a couple days with Kristy and the kids before going on over to Germany on the 25th. I still have to call Delta Airlines though and get Gabby's reservation set.

There is just so much going on every day that the time is flying by. Mom will be here on Thursday evening and I'm so excited about that. There's so much for me to finish up at work, but at the end of the day I can only do so much and the rest will have to be left for someone else. Well, I have drug testing in the morning and in order to get the night shift workers I have to be there at 3:30am. Whoo-hoo!! So, I need to get finished so I can get to bed soon.