Some People

We tell friends and family that they are welcome to come visit and stay as long as they like......but really.....this guy's been here too long

Happy halloween

I am sooo goofy....I titled the last post.  Ahhh.....the holidays are here at long last......well, these are the pictures that should have gone with that post.   LOVE Halloween......yes I do.

Ahhhhh.....the holidays are here at long last

So, I haven't posted a thing in so long.  So everyone has adjust well, I think, to our move.  Emily is doing AMAZING at school.  AMAZING.  This weeks she is at Junior Leadership Seminar.  She will be gone for the whole week.  They are doing team building, leadership building exercises and touring.  She is doing really well in school and is very happy.  Great gaggle of friends.  She is Treasurer on the Student Council.  We are so proud of her.
Ethan is doing GREAT in school this year.  He is settled in, great friends, doing well in school.  Very active in ROTC.  Planning to go to A&M so, he is really focused on grades.
John is working at the PX on base 20 hours a week.  The golf season ended last week and he did really well.  He is starting to get a little nervous about graduating and moving back to the states without us there.  BUT he is going to do great.  He is so good at talking to people.  Strangers are not strangers for long.  He is thinking about joining the Coast Guard or going to TSTC in Waco, TX.  Stay tuned.
John is doing well at work.  Currently working for free due to the government shutdown.  Hopefully that will be ironed out soon.  He really likes his job and does an AWESOME job playing Mr. Mom when I am in the states working.  He dyed Emily's hair.  She wanted her tips blue, so we ordered the dye hoping it would come before I left this last time, but no luck.  When it came John didn't shy away from making his baby girl happy.  Her hair turned out really well.  It's cute.
Me?  I go to the states to work every so often.  I was there in August, came back to Germany for 2 weeks and then went right back for 2 more weeks.  That was rough.  And I hate it.  It's no fun to be there without my family.  Well.....not true....getting to shop is fun.  But, truthfully, I still hate it here.  HATE it.  And I really can't tell you why.  I think it's a bunch of little things.  I don't have a good option for working.  I don't really have any social outlet here.  It's always gray and rainy, and way too cold.  I don't really like this house.  It's not a warm, welcoming place.  And it's not MY house.  And I am going to really resent having to send John back to the states with us so far away.  I don't walk around all day crying, don't get me wrong.  I still love being a tourist here.  There are still a lot of things I want to do and see.  I have great joy in my family.

Emily on her way to Junior Leadership Seminar

The blue hair

Ethan trying to put Emily in the trunk instead of her suitcase

John, Ethan and best friend Dakota at Fort Hood this summer

The TSTC visit this summer

Me and good friend Tricia in Paris this summer

Emily at the Louvre in Paris this summer

Happy Valentine's Day

Again I was going through my drafts and found this.  I remember writing it, but can't remember what year.   Maybe I decided I didn't really like him that much after all  ;)

Ah, true love! How much sap are you guys in the mood for??? How much sap can John tolerate? Good thing he is out of town. And I don't think he knows how to delete posts.

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.....

1. He takes out the garbage.

2. He pays the bills.

3. I never have to be concerned with how much money we do or mostly DONT have.

4. He likes to cook.

5. He loads the dishwasher, vacuums, does laundry.

6. He makes me laugh.

7. He knows a little bit about everything.

8. I love the sound of his voice.

9. He always makes me giggle when I want to hurt him.

10. I don't want to hurt him very often.

11. He is kind and gentle with our children.

12. He doesn't chase me with spiders or bugs. And that's a big deal.

13. When we moved to Virginia, John flew to TX to drive the moving truck to VA. Ethan, Emily and I flew to VA. John left a soda and chocolate in the truck so it would be there for ME. THAT'S true love!

14. Once when I was pregnant and we couldn't afford to eat out, he went out in the middle of the night and bought me a cheeseburger. He didn't even ask me for a bite.

15. He knows what I'm thinking sometimes even before I do.

16. He's so handsome!

Ok, that's probably enough for now, even though the list is endless. Happy Valentine's Day!

Again with the tissues....

April 21, 2013--This is an OLD post I found in my draft folder, I didn't even know I had.  Don't know why I never posted it.  Actually, I found several in the draft folder.  So....going through those today and posting.

Awards day for the 7th graders. One special 7th grader in particular. Won every award they had except for math. Had the highest grades on his team. Which means, out of about 250 students, Ethan was among the top 8. Got one point away from a perfect score on his math SOL. We will have to wait until later in the summer to receive the other SOL scores. Why it takes them all summer to let us know the scores is beyond me. It is a computerized test, so you'd just think..... He really put forth a lot of effort this year. He studies every day after school (even when there is no homework) without being asked (for the most part). Plays football. Plays the PS3 (WAY too much). Loves history. Very level headed for someone his age. Still got a little bit of Mr. Magoo in him. Saying that he wants to be a surgeon right now. Or a lawyer. ???? Good to have choices. Heading off to the Junior High in the fall.

Happy Birthday Emily!

Present from BFF, Lauren, in Virginia.  It's a great present!  Can't wait for Emily to see what it is.  They are coming to see us in June.  Bought the train tickets for Paris this morning.  We ARE ready!  

The birthday mayhem starts in about 45 minutes......8 preteen girls and me.  The boys have taken the coward's route and left for the day.  Gone to Speyer to see the other Teknik museum.  We have tons of food and some games planned......and Twilight Breaking Dawn Part 2.  Blech!!  What is with young girls and this whole vampire craze?  Hopefully, they will not be too rough on me.  

What???? Snow?!??*#

Last week the sun was out for 5 days in a row.  We had highs of 60 degrees. It was glorious!  I....used...my.....sunglasses!  I thought Spring was here......but NO! It's not.......currently snowing  :(  It feels extra cold now at a whopping 33 degrees.

In other news....celebrating Emily's birthday this weekend.  She wasn't supposed to have a big party this year, BUT I am a sucker.  So, I'm going to say it again this year......this is the last big party.  Until the 16th party, I'm sure.  I have no backbone.

Found a new castle this weekend.  The Kusel Castle....Berg Lichtenberg.  No pictures.  I did not take my camera and my phone battery was almost dead.  We will go back though.  It will be a fun place to go hang out on a warm day.  Seeing these places that are so old always make me wonder about the people who lived there.  They must have all been very short.  The doorways were not very big.

I think that's about it.  The kids all have standardized testing this week.  We are looking forward to having Emily's friend, Lauren, and mom Tricia come see us in June.....92 days.  And then, the next week, we go to Texas.....105 days.  We love the countdown!

I did computer training to day for my volunteer job at the Family Practice clinic at the Army hospital.  Hopefully, will get to shadow a provider Wednesday and Friday and then start providing care next week.  NOW.......y'all are all caught up in Thompson news.