I'm Going to Post a Happy Post

Yes I am!  We have had some big highs and lows while here in Germany!  Nothing is ever easy, right?

*Starting before we even left Virginia--John had our furniture sent over early--like 5 weeks before we left--5 weeks--so it would be here waiting for us when we got here.........was it?  Was it?  Noooooooo!  Didn't see our furniture until mid September.

*My piano was destroyed in the move.  

*Everyone told me that I wouldn't have any trouble finding a job over here........BUT I did.  The military is drawing down their forces here, so the Army hospital doesn't have any positions right now.  But they were absolutely thrilled about the idea of me volunteering.  So, they got started on my credentialing.  I did manage to find a job doing physicals for servicemen leaving the military, but now I'm not able to do that anymore either.  But, I do still get to volunteer at the hospital.  At least I will keep my clinical skills current.  Looking into doing some temporary work back in the states.  

*We thought we were going to be able to see healthcare providers at the military clinics.  Nope.  We were told, ONCE WE GOT HERE, that we could only be seen at the military facility on a space available basis.  Guess how much space they have on any given day.  None.  Not once have they had "space available" to see us when we need medical care.  Frustrating!  On the up side, it is not too terrible difficult to be seen by a local doctor.  

*Emily broke her arm, saw a local physician who did not have a full cast put on her arm.  Wore a splint for 4 weeks, then had follow up x-rays and the bone was not set well.  We thought she was going to have to have surgery.  Saw a pediatric orthopedic surgeon at the Army hospital.  He decided it would be worse for Emily to have surgery than not due to her growth plates still being open.

*Ethan played football in Virginia.  But the football program here is not a very good program.  So, Ethan is going to take up golf.

*BUT, if we hadn't come here, we would have missed out of some wonderful experiences.  Such as:

*Seeing that HUGE rabbit at the farmer's market.  The "little" rabbit there is actually a normal sized rabbit.

*New and exciting ways to enjoy chocolate and sugar.  

*Beautiful scenery

*Family to share it with

*Santa Clause even comes to visit

*We have already had some fun times here and we still have 2.5 years left. Our list of things we want to see while we're here just keeps growing.  We have friends coming to see us in June.  Going to Munich, Garmisch, and Austria.  Looking forward to that.  Then, the very next week, we go to Texas to see family.  That's going to be a lot of fun.    

Three things I miss.......

My beautiful piano, Trooper, and Clyde.  

The house feels so empty......

I know, I know, you want Christmas pictures....and I have.....a few.  I was trying to be in the moment instead of capturing the moment and I didn't end up taking that many.  And besides, the kids are at an age where they do not want their Christmas morning hairdo posted on the internet, and who can blame them?

Dropped them off for their skiing trip a little while ago and now I am very uncomfortable.  The house feels extra empty.  Not just the kids are all at school empty.  REALLY empty.  Too quiet.  Makes you wonder if you are really going to survive empty nest syndrome.  But, as John pointed out, they don't all leave at once.  So, we will get used to it in measures I guess.  I hope they have a great time and don't break anything-----ya know--bones.  Can't wait to see their pictures and hear all their stories.  

We had a great day before they left.  We went ice skating.  John and Emily skated......well....Emily skated with a friend, John was ON skates, but mainly just flirted, Ethan drank hot chocolate and visited with the moms.  And I enjoyed watching them all have fun.  

The Best Christmas Ever....

from Emily

from Mom

from the fam

from John (JD)

from Dad and Ann

Sing it like Sponge Bob.  I got the BEST Christmas presents EVER this year.  And I know you're thinking you want to see pictures of the kids, but I just have to tell how loved I felt this year.  I love presents and these are AWESOME!  It incorporated all my favorite things.  And by the way, it's only 35 days until my birthday!  So, I will stop being selfish and post pictures of the kids later today.  Although, I'll tell ya, I took those pictures with my REAL camera and not with my phone and I am so dang lazy about uploading them from the SD card to dropbox.  LaZy!  I know getting a Halloween decoration for Christmas seems a little odd, but I love decorating for Halloween almost as much as I love presents.  It's not done much here in Germany, so I can only imagine what the neighbors think of us.  The kids really loved Scooby Doo when they were little and if no one is looking they will still watch it.  So, I will always love Scooby Doo.  And I LOVE chocolate!  No surprise there!  That box is already half empty.  I let the kids have whatever they wanted yesterday.  Today the box is hidden.  I'm so mean!

So, I heard Texas got snow this year.  It was, actually, pretty warm here.  In the 50s.  It's that--the sun's never going to shine again, rainy, dreary, grey kinda weather. The sun is shining inside.  We are all getting to spend time together.  Which is precious.  John will be leaving for the summer and when he comes back in the fall, it will be his senior year.  Sniffle, sniffle!  I miss him already and he's not even gone yet.   

Better Attitude

I'm so glad I posted that last post.  Don't know why I didn't do it sooner.  I think it helped.  I woke up Sunday morning with a better attitude.  Woke up thinking...so what if we don't live exactly the same life we led in Virginia?  So what if we aren't doing exactly the same things we did in Virginia?  So what if isn't playing football?  So what if Emily doesn't do dance?  We are still the same people.  Still the same family.  We are all together.  Still healthy.  We are trying new things.  Emily still loves drama and has a big part in the school play.  She is volleyball.  Ethan is in JROTC and Loving it.  I'm not sure he misses football.  He will either go back to it or play golf.  Those two just don't seem related, do they?  But...he has to do something.  

Why is my blog centering every line?  I don't know how to fix it.  No matter.....

Where was I?

We went to Heidelberg Christmas Market this weekend.  Fun Fun!  Didn't even buy anything.  It was just fun being there.  Hanging out.  People watching.  Trying new drinks and food.  Eierpunsch.  Good stuff!  It is an egg nog type drink with rum.  So sweet.  It's almost too much.  If only it were chocolate.  I let the boys stay home and as soon as we got there (took Emily) I wished I had made the boys come with me.  

The top picture is me and John at the Christmas Market in Heidelberg.  The bottom picture is Emily in Saarbrucken at the Europa Galleria Mall.  It is a fun place to shop.  Lots of good shops.  And a life sized Build-A-Bear.  What more could you ask for?     

Stressed out!!

So, I've been a little stressed lately.  That's why no one has heard from me.....except my mom.  I'm afraid not to keep up with my mom.  She can track us down and smoke us out better than any hunter I've ever seen on TV.  We are hiders....that's what we do when stressed.  The toll that this move has taken on the kids has reached epic proportions.  Ethan, who made  a perfect score on the Virginia  Standards of Learning Test after we had only lived in Virginia 3 months, in the top 10 of his grade last year, has experienced failing grades.  He is very conscientious of his grades and this has been tragic for him, but he can't seem to rise above because he has been so stressed out.  John has been really bitter about the move and just gave up for a while.  I'm not sure if I would cal it an "I'll show you attitude" exactly, but close, and it is going to take him a while to recover.  Ethan is really trying to recover, but because he is still so stressed he has become very forgetful.  Emily struggled, at first, but she seems to have it all sorted it out better than any of the rest of us.  She has a great gaggle of friends.  Don't get me wrong, she is still swimming in the deep end of the hormonal pool, but as far as school goes, she's got it all figured out.  She is in drama, got a really cool part in the school play, on the volleyball team....nonstop.  We have taken a hiatus from dance, for now, though.  She still misses her BFF , Lauren, very much.  Having a very hard time without her.  But grades are great.  She is involved.   She is in German I and we are turning into that family that you see in the states that uses the children for interpreters.  I am trying to learn German, but if I can't count for you or tell you what color an object is, I'm in trouble.  I do have a job, for that, I am thankful.  Do I enjoy it?.........no.  It's not really treating people or taking care of them.  Not really helping people learn better how to take care of themselves.  It's doing exams and reporting what I see.....nothing else.  I'm not being stretched.  Not learning or growing in my career.  BUT, that can't last forever.  Before summer, I hope to be volunteering in the ER at the Army hospital.  So, I have had a bit of a bad attitude lately, but I have a for the most part happy family.  We do have great times when we are together, when we travel, and when we are with friends.  Not every day is a tragedy.  John really likes his job and works with some very lovely people.  The man that works at the gate gives me chocolate, so really...what do I have to complain about....come on....free chocolate??  We do love being here and learning about a culture that we have not experienced.  Emily loves the weather, who'd have thunk?  She really digs the grey, cloudy, rainy, foggy days.  When I went to get her from volleyball practice the other day the fog was thick I felt like I could feel it touching me.  She loved it.  You just almost expected Shaggy and Scooby Doo to come around the corner at any moment.  That picture up there is what my insides feel like.  I feel so guilty for causing all this stress for my kids even though I know, in the long run, they will be better prepared for college because of this experience.  I feel like everyone sees "normal Kathy" when they look at my outsides, but I'm hanging by a string on my insides.  BUT, don't anybody order me a fancy white jacket yet.  This will pass.  We have only been here 3 and a half months.  It will get better.  The kids are already doing better.  And there is hope for my career.  I just have to wait it out.  And in the end, I'll be a better, stronger Kathy Jo for it.  Just wait.  

Hey, I'm not dead

Cracked frame

Cracked frame

REALLY???????  Honestly, this is how they packed it!  

The front was ripped off.  All the screws were bent that would indicate something traumatic happened here.

Sad, sad sad    :(

Just lazy....or really busy!  Really busy, of course!  Furniture day was great except that.....I joked and joked about my piano coming off the truck in pieces......and it did.  I cried like a baby.  I couldn't believe it!  It was one of those moments when you REALLY want to say, at least we're all still breathing, but it just won't come out.  You want to take the high, but it just ain't gonna happen.  My poor piano.  I haven't even been able to post pictures yet.  It looks like they must have dropped it before it even went into the crate.  The lid was ripped off the hinges, it has deep gouges in the sides.  The metal parts of the piano are broken in several places.  John bought that piano as a special gift for me.  Drove to Atlanta from Richmond to pick it up.  Heavy sigh!  It cannot be fixed and I'm afraid to even buy a new one here just in case it happens on the way home.  I will miss it so much!  It was one of my favorite presents......