What a Week!

Monday: Nathan started school and I went with my sister to take some pictures of his first day and witness this little boy growing up.

Tuesday: The drama started. This was Nathan's first time riding the bus. Nathan has been wanting to ride the bus for years. He's see the other kids getting off the bus in the afternoons and ask everyone why he couldn't ride the bus and we'd tell him "Because you don't go to school yet. When you get a little bit older you can ride the bus." Anyway, my sis put Nathan on "The Green Frog" bus in the AM. However, he was not put on "The Green Frog" bus in the afternoon. Nathan was lost for a few. Thankfully, this brave little 4 year old boy knows his mommy's phone number and luckily there was a nice mommy at the bus stop who saw this scared boy and offered to help. My sister got a phone call from this nice lady saying that her son Nathan was with her in a completely different part of the neighborhood. Some foul up happened at the school and Nathan was put on the purple flower or some other bus route.

Wednesday: I finally went to Pinkberry which opened in Colorado Springs months ago. I'm kind of obsessed with the Pomegranate Pinkberry. mmm Cue mouth watering. Also visited Old Navy and DSW where I picked up some new shoes for our R&R trip to Vegas!
I tried a new recipe. Something I adapted from a friend. I pan fried some Pork chops with olive oil and some S&P. When they were all cooked up and happy I threw in a chopped red bell pepper and an onion and a large can of Diced Tomatoes, some more S&P and about half a tspn of crushed red pepper flakes. I put all of this into a baking dish and threw it in the oven at 375 for about 15 mins just to get all the flavors happy. I made some whole wheat rotini pasta on the side and proceeded to stuff my face.

Thursday: I visited my friend and forced her to watch PS I Love You, because she hadn't seen it yet- weird, right?

Friday: I got busy with a friend. We had some lunch and popped into JC Penney then saw The Change Up-- so funny. It was vulgar but hilarious. It's always nice to giggle. :) I tried another new recipe: I started with a marinade two tablespoons Dijon mustard, rosemary, parsley, S&P, olive oil and a lil water. Threw in some Chicken Thighs and let them marinade all day. I pan fried them with some olive oil and had some green beans on the side. YUMMM!!

It's officially been Saturday for 5 hours and 44 minutes 6 hours and 5 mins. For some reason I went to sleep about 1030ish and have been up since about 230. Saturday is off to a stellar start. This Am (in about an hour) I'll be heading over to Fort Carson for the Walk for the Fallen. This is the 3rd year in a row I've participated. It's always heartbreaking to be there. It's humbling. The last two times my husband had just returned home from deployment (the first time) and back from extended field rotations last year, so I was feeling especially grateful to have him by my side. This year he's on the other side of the world. I'll miss him. I'll be walking with friends and kiddos for a great cause.

How was your week?

Let me tell you guys...

Today was a long, long day. I was awake at 6 AM for the first time in a very long time. This is very significant for me. I LOVE my sleep. Anyways, I was up early because my nephew Nathan started school today. Today was his very first day of Kindergarten! I can't believe he's going to be 5 next month! I went with my sister to drop Nathan off at his first day. Elementary schools are darling. Everything is shorter, duh! It's made for the kids and they're short- got it, but it's still adorable.

After I realized my sister is now in the "Just 10 more minutes, mom" phase of life I had to take my mother to the airport. After I was done playing chauffeur I finally booked my return flight arrangement for Germany! I'm really excited. I'll be arriving back to Germany 11 Nov! 

Anyone travel to Paris? Anyone who has I want any and all advise you have! Hotels or hostels that you loved?? How difficult are the subways to manage?

Gripes

If you're not feeling like you're in the mood for gripes today than forego this post:

Gripe #2: Richard Spencer, former Marine Corp pilot. You may be wondering why Sam's upset with Mr. Spencer. Well here's why. Mr. Spencer told ArmyTimes that the current retirement system is "unfair, unaffordable and inflexible." Mr. Spencer led a DoD panel recommending a "corporate-style 401(k)" retirement plan versus the current pension based plan. Please visit the ArmyTimes story here to see how this would effect your soldier, their retirement and your future.

Removing the 50% retirement, which lets face it, isn't that great for us enlisted folk considering it's based off base pay only and averaged off of  rank held the last 3 years of service is unfair Mr. Spencer. The majority of career (at least 20 year) soldiers I know today are planning to stay in based on the retirement benefit. To remove or drastically diminish that option because you couldn't hang in for 20 years is unfair. You, Mr. Spencer had the same options as those who chose to stay in and earn the retirement and chose not to. The Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) is available to today's military. Invest in it and press on with your life. Don't take away from those who earned more than you based on their service.

One portion of Mr. Spencer's plan I actually agree with is the options to "increase contributions to give more money to troops who deploy frequently, accept hardship assignments or serve in high-demand jobs."

Gripe #2: People who act superior to others. Guess what you're no better than me and vice versa. Wise up.

Gripe #3: People who act like the Army is beneath them. Get over yourself. It's honorable and involves more sacrifice than most other careers.

Gripe #4: Carbs. I love them. They are my arch nemesis.

Gripe #5: Family. At the end of the day Family is life's greatest blessing-- bottom line. However, sometimes they are a burden. Don't lie, you know it's true. Whether you're pressured to show up very Sunday for a 6 hour Dinner at Gramma's or constantly loaning a long lost cousin money or racing to beat your siblings to the best baby names... sometimes it's just easier to throw your hands up.

Let me reiterate I'm simply frustrated I'd never turn my back on any member of my family.

Gripe #6: Disrespectful people. Check it:



Well, there's my Friday afternoon gripes.

Something bugging you today? Where do you stand on the retirement debate?

Christmas

Yes it's July and I this girl is already blogging about Christmas! In fact, I was already Facebooking about Christmas on June 29th! I am usually pretty stoked about Christmas under normal circumstances, but Christmas 2011 isn't going to be normal. It's going to be extraordinary! Kevin and I will be spending this Christmas at the foot of the Bavarian Alps at Edelweiss Lodge and Resort!!!

{source}

I really don't think there is a more fitting place to spend Christmas. (although it literally just occurred to me that this will make 2 Christmases in a row spend in a hotel... hmmm) 
When Kevin and I spent the night there a few months back first thing I thought when we walked in, is that this would be the best place to spend Christmas. Well, as you can imagine they are pretty popular around that time of year. We asked the desk and they said they have a lottery for rooms; you had to request a room starting May 1st and wait to hear... So that's what I did and we found out two days ago we got chosen! In fact we got two rooms! We're excited at the possibility of having my in-laws there with us! Nothing better than a Bavarian Christmas spent with family!

I'm not sure I've blogged with more exclamation marks in all my life. Or said "excited" or "stoked" more. haaa

Change of Plans

About four days after I arrived home to Colorado my moms neighbor (who is a realtor and takes care of all of our realtor related needs) calls and says that the commissary on Fort Carson is hiring for stockers at night which pays like $20/hour. So I figured, "what the hell" I can at least apply and see what happens- nothing saying I'm actually going to get it. So I applied and turns out I got it. Yesterday I was a mess about the decision. My place is in Germany. But I feel like it's time to contribute where I can; sadly there aren't job opportunities for me in Germany. Staying here for the next 7 months will allow for my husband and I to start the next chapter of our lives completely debt free. Sacrificing my independence, missing my bed and my things is worth it in the end.
For the record I know how this will be perceived, I know that it'll look like I just can't hang with the deployment... but it just so happened that this opportunity came my way- why would I pass it up???

I'll miss Germany and Baumholder, and the opportunities to travel... on the other hand we'll have two more years there and TOGETHER!

I want it Wednesday...

I know everyone has missed knowing what I'm currently wanting every Wednesday out of life... so I figured I'd clue everyone in this week.

I want....

I had a stand-mixer, a cheapo-one but a standmixer none-the-less. It did what I needed it to do without spending $300 on it. So I was pleased. Well, something weird happened to it in the packing/shipping process (in our PCS to Germany) because now it only has one speed and that's super-duper FAST. So now I'm thinking I should just bite the bullet and get the Kitchen Aid!

I want...
My nephew to come back to his house so I have someone to hang out with! Remember how I told you guys that I was back home in Colorado for about a month? Well the downfall to surprising everyone is that they don't plan on you being there... (duh) so lil' Nathan had plans to stay at his Gramma's for about a week and since he loves it there and as so much fun I couldn't insist that he stay home just to hang out with me! that'd be selfish.

I want...
My husband to be here with me in Colorado. It's more fun when he's around.

Now you know what I want.... What do you want on this lovely Wednesday??

Busy come of days!!

My busy (I say again, BUSY) weekend started at 6AM Thursday (Central European Time). "Why was I up so early?" you ask. Well, I had to get up to Frankfurt for a 1030 flight!! I purchased a plane ticket Monday to come back home to Colorado for a visit. My youngest nephew was having his first Birthday party on Saturday and that job fell through so I figured if I would be coming home for a visit during the course of this deployment now would be a good time.

The fun part: it was a total surprise to my family!! Lauren was supposed to pick me up from the airport in Denver but some jerkoff hit her person with his car! Thankfully my friends Lauren and Erin enlisted Erin's momma to come up to Denver and get me (to keep the surprise intact). Thank the Lord for Erin's Momma!! :) I finally made it back to Erin's house about 9 PM on Thursday (Mountain Standard Time). I was at least 8 kinds of exhausted (hello dark circles-- eeeek) so I hit the hay after a much needed shower!

After two nights at Erin's house it was time to surprise the family at Logan's Birthday party. I showed up a little bit early and my sister was completely SHOCKED, then as my parents showed up they were also so shocked and happy! It was such an amazing surprise! :)

I'll be in Colorado for about a month just spending some quality time with friends and the family! The only thing that could make this time better would be my hubby! I wish he were here with all of us. I miss him.

Bad News

Being so far away from home definitely has it good moments and it's BAD! We're the kind of family that is  (sometimes overly) involved in each other lives. We gossip about each other (in the best way possible, i mean we're only trying to find out if everything is ok or if so-and-so really did that to her!), but we also love each other. when I was out of work for almost 2 years I built very strong relationships with my sister and her kiddos. When my brother-in-law was deployed I was her surrogate husband during her pregnancy with Logan and was there for everything. I loved being able to be there for the ultrasounds and for the scary bits and last minute ER runs. I like to think of my self as that go-to person. I loved it. I really like to help my family out when they need it the most. With that being said our baby (yes, he isn't just 'theirs' he's Ours- as a collective) Logan has been in the hospital for 4 days now.

Isn't he the cutest? (little boobies and all) We like our babies chubby (no offense to the skinny ones ou there). My sister emailed me this picture two days ago. I cried. I can't believe under his little tear-drop eyes is a nasal cannula! 

Logan has been diagnosed with RSV (so far they are waiting for the doctor to review the chest x-ray to see what else is going on). He was admitted because his oxygen levels were in the 80's (should be 100). We're worried about possible Asthma or pneumonia at this point. (fun fact: I was in and out of the hospital as an infant with asthma related complications.. was not a fun time to be or my mother- only difference is, I don't remember it. Thanks mom!) 

Many prayers and thoughts are needed!! 

I Want it Wednesday...

I know I haven't done this in a while... and everyone misses knowing exactly what I want at any given moment. Well here's a Christmas Edition of "I want.." for ya:

I want....

Jack Wolfskin- Ontario Parka for Women. In Black please!

I want... More than anything our apartment to be ready on post. I want... to unpack our dishes, pots and pans. I want... to make my bed and climb into it at night. I want... to cook- I miss my pasta. I want... to be in a different room than my husband, not only because he's at work but because I have the option.

I still want... diamond earrings I asked for last year.

I want... my sister to start using her camera, because it's virtually band new and never been used before. Also, because (hut-umm) I'm half-way around the world now but still want to see what's going on (for example, the kiddo's at the Zoo for Christmas fun!).

The Guilt and the Moving On

The Good-byes have started. Yesterday my dear, dear friends, Lauren and Erin hosted my "Bon Voyage" party. They're so great and I'm so blessed to have met them and to still call them great friends. They put together a very creative menu (and shin dig all around): Black Forest Ham, Kaiser Rolls, Strudel, Muenster cheese, Brats and German Chocolate Cake! Everything was delicious!

I thought this was such a great idea:

Address Book- For all attendees to write in so that I can keep in touch!

I was so excited to see everyone who showed up. I had some really good friends who said they were going to come but either blew me off or backed out at the last minute. It sucks when otherwise good friends disappoint you. I suppose it's just a fact of life.

The other part of all this leaving is that I'm seeing tears in other people's eyes, and I don't like it. I feel like I am the cause (source) of these people's sadness and I hate it! I've mentioned this every same thing to a few friends last night and they told me it's just because they love you so much! I know, it is and as I said in the beginning I'm grateful to have such great friends in my world who do care about me so much. But I like to think of my leaving as something I have to do for me and my future (and family), but thankfully (again) I have built such great relationships and have some really awesome people in my life that I will see them again. Right? I know sometimes people just say things like that and it doesn't happen (especially with us mil-folks) but I am not a person who will invest in other people that I don't care to ever see again. It's just not my style.

The guilt is just something I never saw coming. I knew it wouldn't be easy-breezy to leave, but I didn't expect guilt for goodness sake!

I Want it Wednesday...

I want... Bristol Palin OFF Dancing With The Stars! It's ridiculous she's on this long. Can we just talk about how she was considered a "star" in the first place? She got knocked up at 16 or something and is the daughter of one of the most radical Republican/ Tea Party politicians ever. hmmm. Star. Right. I get it now. Is nothing sacred anymore? It's Dancing With the Stars for goodness sake! I think people forget it's a dancing competition not a political arena to pass you vote for underage pregnancies. Hello, Teen Mom I'm lookin' at you! If she wins the show, God help me I'll boycott! 

I want... whoever thought up my BF Jesse McCartney's newest music video wiped off the face of the planet. It's awful. But he's still friggin' adorable! 

I want... to get organized. I miss my own space... you know the idea of multiple rooms (living, bed, bath, ect) of my own. I'm kind of over this living in someone else's guest room. It's wearing on me. 

I want... everyone to know that my father has volun-told me to handle this year's Thanksgiving feast for ummm, a measly 16 people. Me and my 22 pound buddy, Turk, got this! Gobble Gobble!

I really want... to know WTF this is about:

Seriously?! ugh... Here's praying to God this is nothing more than a publicity stunt. I'm so sick of Taylor Swift. I'm happy for her success on some level. But, I'm not a fan of hers. I find her voice annoying. She's made a name for herself regardless of my lil' ol' meaningless opinion so good for her. But really Jake... oiy! 

I want... to know when the craziness will stop, Bristol, Jake and Taylor.... This world is a crazy place. haaaHA

Goodbye v. See ya' round

So we're leaving right? I mentioned the other day that this stage of our PCS is rather pre-deployment-esque.  Now, before anyone goes and gets their panties all in a twist, I know that no one is going off to part-unknown filled with danger. However, there are major "Good-byes" in my future. So what I'm referring to with the pre-deployment reference is that, I know it's coming, I know it's not going to be fun but for goodness sakes I just want to get it over with already. It's time. Sometimes it's best to just tear the band aid off you know?
With all of that said I am spending ever minute I have with my nephews and my friends. I am going to miss so much with everyone I know (LB's prego once again and I'll miss baby showers and births and shopping sprees and name discussions. Nathan starts basketball after Christmas. Logan will be crawling and walking before we know it. Have I mentioned that I'll miss Christmas? haa). At the same time I am not the kind of gal to build these strong friendships, move away and just never speak to people again- it's not my style. IF I'm going to take the time to invest in you and in your life, and invite you into mine I expect and want you to stay in mine.
The sad part of this is that it seems some of my bestest of friends have already cut their losses and pretend I'm already gone and semi-unreachable It sucks when people you care so much for disappoint you. Yet, you cannot make anyone a priority who only makes you an option.
Some people don't really believe in "good-bye" its always this "I'll see ya later" nonsense. To me, it's what you say when you leave a friend's house, or hang up the phone. "Good-bye" is simply a fact of life. I think it hurts more depending on the circumstances but it's always there. On the other hand, I love the idea of this "I'll see ya later" business. I just kinda think it's a cop out... some kinda of coping mechanism. All I truly and honestly know is that whatever I say verbally, I'm going to quite possibly balling my eyes out (literally) but it'll definitely be happening on the inside.

Displaced.

It's been a week and 4 days since my house was packed up and loaded onto a truck and shipped away. I'm now without my favorite things; getting by with suitcases full of clothes and some toiletries. Seeing the house empty and moving on out was not a huge blow for me. It hit Kevin a bit harder. I love our place it's a great home... but I was never overly attached to it, you know? So we left our house and went to stay with my Dad. The plan was to be there until the end of Oct/beginning of Nov, then come to my mothers. Well, my dads dog (the dog our family had when I was in Middle and High School) is old, crotchety, and stuck in his ways. He was not a fan of my Brody! Then Monday AM he and my Dad's other dog attacked Brody twice within a minute. Brody's ok... a little bumped up but all-in-all he's ok, I think. I have to keep an eye on his eye... (haha) it's been blood shot since the attacks. Since that went down we knew we had to leave. So I packed, moved and unpacked all of our stuff twice within the span of one week. I'm exhausted.

Thankfully, we're settling into my mom's house. Brody is much happier here. I'm grateful to have both my parents here and to have options where I lay my head. It's not the same though. I wish I had my own home back, my own things. This kind of sucks. The sad part is I have no idea when it'll be any better. We finally received the amendment to Kevin's orders, which have my name on them. His orders also state that we're authorized "private rental housing." I got in touch with the housing office at Baumholder to verify that so we could start looking into our options out there. This guy was NO help what-so-ever. He just said that everyone E6 and below SHOULD be on post.... Yes our orders state otherwise- can you please clarify.... and NADA. So I'm still not sure whether we're be on or off post!

A perfect example of my distress: Today I went shopping with LB and we hit the Yankee Candle store. It's fall and there's plenty of great fall options! I really wanted to stock up with some great options... but then I remembered I have no end tables or dressers on which to put these candles! ={

I can't want to be settled into my space, be it on or off-post!

OH MY!

What a weekend!

Sooo much fun was had! So many memories made with the family. I had such a great time making pasta with my Grandmother. Taking Nathan bowling for the first time. Attending the 2nd annual 5k for the Fallen in Fountain with some fellow bloggers (and my hubby). We also went the Balloon Classic. Always an interesting parking situation there, but we got that sorted out and met up with the rest of the family.

We definitely had a jam-packed weekend. Yet, I still managed to squeeze in laundry, a dog walk, a few trips to Wal-Mart/Target, getting the cars cleaned AND some cleaning. I very conveniently "forgot" to clean bathrooms though. It'll get done today though. (in case you were worried about my potties)

Other than that Hubs should have his orders TODAY! woooooo! PROGRESS... thank the lord!
Keep your fingers crossed for more good luck!

Update

We're PCSing to Germany the end of November. Everyone knows this by now (I hope, it's HUGE news). It is kind of stressful. There is so much to accomplish in these next 2 and a half months (OMG... two, wow, 2 months eeek). It's so hard to get things accomplished with Kevin spending so much time in the field and given the fact that we don't have his orders yet. I've been to the EFMP, and HR on Fort Carson has done everything they need to have me added to Kev's orders. Now we're waiting on Baumholder to do their thing and send them back. Waiting game. This is, of course, not new to the Army. We all know 'how' to Hurry up and Wait. But LORD. You're moving me across the world people. We have responsibilities here, stateside. We have entire aspects of our life that hang in the balance. 

1. Our House! No one wants to buy it. Hell no one even wants to see it! :( boo. It's beautiful. But the market/economy sucks! So we have to rent it. Fine. So we know what has to be done. But we can get it done because we don't have Kevin's orders and can't schedule JPPSO to pack our shit. Since we don't know when we'll be out of the house we don't know when it will be available for rent.
2. Our cars! We have to get rid of one. We could pay to ship it ourselves but no. We don't wanna. We've decided the best course of action is to sell my truck. The roads are smaller in Europe, plus the Lender won't allow us to take my truck out of the country (even with Military orders- CRAP, I know). So we're taking Kevin's Jetta over. German made. So far we have info (whereismypov.com) on where the ship points are and what we have to do to get the car ready to ship. But we don't know when we have to drop it off... what's the time frame from when we fly out, report and can ship our car. Details people, we need details. 
3. Our Dog! Kevin and I decided that Brody would be better off with my amazing-life-saver mother and father-in-law in San Diego. We just felt that Brody would like life better in SD versus a 970 sqft apartment with no outdoor living space. I am very tore up over the idea of letting Brody go but we just really feel its better for all parties. (thanks mother-in-law!!). Our original plan was to drive Brody to SD drop in with our in-laws and ship the car directly from there. Seeing as though we have no details on anything; kind of hard to make that "the plan". 

So theres the update. I'm all scheduled to get my No-fee passport next week so at least that'll be done. Funny, that doesn't make me feel any better. All the same Kevin is out of the field for a couple of weeks (at least) so hopefully we'll make some headway. Here's to hopin'! 


Hope all of you out there enjoy your long Labor Day weekend! Get out and do something fun, we'll be spending quality time with the family... 

Saddened

I'm sad dear readers!

Remember that exciting day when I announced that Kevin and I were PCSing to Germany? I was sooooo excited to learn that my sister and her family would be joining us there also! I know that people do it all the time without their sisters and nephews, but I was just so excited to experience this with them. Sadly, we found out that Levi (my bro-in-law) 's orders were canceled! We aren't exactly sure why, but regardless he isn't going.

I know that it will be exciting for Kevin and I to be just the two of us; have a fresh start; concentrate on our own little family. This will be a really great step for us. I'm just really super sad people! Kevin and I tried for these orders, we wanted them. We also never in our wildest dreams thought that my sister's family would be there at the same time, at the same post. So, in the beginning I knew that it would be hard on me to be that far away from my family, from my nephews. Not for nothing,  I didn't have to think about going to Europe without family, missing birthdays and holidays. But now I'm smacked in the face with that reality.

It sucks.

Family

I am a person, who believes very strongly in family! I believe you should never openly (more specifically on social networking sites) put your family down. Busting your husband, sister, brother, mother, cousin, nephew ect,out on Facebook isn't cool. It's simply unnecessary and immature. What bugs me even more are the passive aggressive Status updates/Tweets. Just come out with it... hell if you insist on airing your dirty laundry at least do it in a way that everyone reading can actually understand.
I digress.
I can't control other people or what they choose to put out into the universe.

All that I know is that family is precious. I have learned that people, even sometimes the BEST and greatest of friends let you down or dump you.* I know it, you know it, we've all experienced it. The way I was raised, family is forever. Whether you like them or not, or even love them today or not, simply does not matter. You always have their backs and know that no matter what they will be there for you.

It saddens me when I see things on Facebook from members of my family that diminish their relationships within the family. I will never understand this? If you really have that little respect for your ______ (whatever: husband, sister, brother, mother, cousin, nephew ect) you should (in my humble little opinion) figure out what is broken within your situation and fix it. I am a reasonable person, people. I know that life is not this black and white. I know that all things cannot just be fixed, just-like-that.

I am also a person that believes very strongly in respect. If you no longer love or respect your _____ (whatever) than respect and honor what you once loved and respected about that person. What was once good about it.

Sorry for being "preachy" today. I had to get this off my chest though!

*this post is not meat to, in anyway diminish the GREATEST and BEST of friendships, so don't take it that way.

TGIF!

Something else I MUST add, since I'm bitching about social networking sites is WHY, WHY do people Tag themselves in YOUR pictures? Does this bother anyone else BUT me? C'mon... seriously, I know it can't be just me. Now in the big scheme of things, is this a big deal? Absolutely not, but it does aggravate me! 

BREAKING NEWS!

BIG HUGE News coming your way people!

So remember wayyy back in the 8th when I first told you all about the possibility of going to Germany?

And I teased on Wednesday about off-post housing in Germany. Well its official we're headed here:

 Baumholder, Germany!

Wait... that's not ALL the news. Some of my long-time followers know that my sister, Katie also married a soldier (her high school sweetheart actually) and they are currently stationed at Fort Carson. Well yesterday she calls me on my cell, while I'm at work. I text her back because I can't be on my cell phone at work and ask her what's up? She replies "CALL ASAP." Ummm ok... My first thought was what about the kids? eeek!

So I call IMEDIATELY.

She says, "So we're going to Germany too."

I said, "SHUT UP. No you're not."

You see my sis and her family have/had no desire to go to Europe. She was excited for us to have the opportunity to travel and see more of the world but please believe she laid the guilt trip on THICK when I told her we had orders (but at the time didn't know to which post in Germany).

She says, "No, seriously we do have orders. Levi called branch to see what his options were and they told him he has to report February 2011.

She also was able to tell me which post they were going to.

I was puzzled, as Kevin and I actually tried and pursued our orders and were told they didn't know specifically, to which post we were headed.

Well, as I'm on the phone with my sister and Levi is on the phone with Kevin, telling him the exciting news!

Kevin found out at that same time that we were headed to Baumholder!

Oh did I forget to mention where my sister and her family are going?

Yes, you probably guessed it: BAUMHOLDER!

Kevin and I were looking forward to being just "Samantha and Kevin" for a while but I know that my sister and my nephews and even Levi being there will make the transition a 1000 times easer.

It was really just crazy how the whole thing worked out! But I couldn't be more excited.

Wait... I have approximately a million things to accomplish before 10 December:

SELL HOUSE

SELL a car (can't decide which one)

SHIP a Car

PACK and SHIP our household possesions

Get Brody Squared away to take him with us

Germany drivers license

Living on or off-post???

(kevin insists that we have to live off-post... because on-post they have apartments. Evidently he's beneath apartment living at this stage of his life. I tried to remind him that it's Europe and it's not like we'll find a single-family home with a huge yard. But what do I know?!)

That's just to name a few.

I have to get everything organized and ready to roll in a mere 5 months. I'll be contacting a real estate agent this weekend! Hopefully we can get the ball rolling on that FIRST!

So that's the BIGGEST news. But I also VERY excited to announce I won a bloggy make-over from Mrs. Muffins, via Shepdogg: One P, Double G!

It will probably be a week or two in the making.. since I'm fickle and indecisive.

Stay tuned for all the exciting changes to come...!

HAPPY FRIDAY Readers!

Mother's Day

What'd you today? How'd you celebrate your mom and the other moms in your life?

I was volun-told yesterday that I would be making breakfast this morning for my momma and the rest of my family. I was semi-overwhelmed because I didn't have anything in the house and I had to get over to Erin's for her birthday shin-dig. All's well that ends well. I made Baked French Toast with Praline Topping (courtesy of Paula Dean- who I really can't stand but that's another topic for another post), scrambled eggs, bacon, and Potatoes O'Brien. I should have taken a picture of the spread but I forgot! Boo... Here's a picture and link to the  French toast recipe:

Paula Dean's French Toast Casserole

This was such a hit! Everyone absolutely loved it. I'm sure it was because it was really healthy and contained no calories- at all. I did take the advice of one girl and use 6 eggs instead of 8, and 2 butter sticks instead of 4 in the Praline topping. 

PS: Anyone else see Betty White on SNL!? 

CLASSIC. 

HILARIOUS.

that's all I have to say about that.

So I'm thinking...

... that I'm the only Army wife right now who isn't pregnant and/or doesn't have a kid already. 

Maybe that's a slight exaggeration but everywhere I look I see Army Wives and babies/kids. 

On top of which everyone I meet and already know asks me when I'm going to have a baby. I guess it's the thing to do these days. Don't get me wrong- I understand why they ask but... well I'm just not quite there yet. 

Then this morning my nephew, Nathan was supposed to have is very first soccer game on post. (I say "supposed to" because it's pretty cold and rainy today so they canceled the lil' kiddos' games) Well, I get my groggy behind out of bed and drive down to post. Since this was the beginning of the season they had a kick-off ceremony prior to the games. Picture it: A gym filled with mommies and daddies and babies galore. 

Then ME! :) haha

That's when it hit me: I'm the only person on this post without a baby. Have to be. 

(yes here I go exaggerating again; but that's truly how it felt and looked.)

I love being an Auntie right now and I do generally enjoy kids/babies and I'm good/comfortable with them also so it works out well, even though I'm literally the ONLY person I know without a child. Otherwise.... I'd be pretty damn lonely.