My funny of the day. . . .

The IOC stunned the world this morning when they awarded U.S. President Barack Obama a gold medal for Men’s Skiing. Even though he's never skied an IOC spokesman said “Barack Obama is going downhill faster than anyone this year.”

I'm getting there. . . .

Maybe I'm NOT so cyber-challenged. I'm figuring out how to make my blog cuter! YAY for me! I love sprucing places up and re-arranging things. (And this one doesn't hurt my back! ha ha) I hope you enjoy the new look.
P.S. I discovered this great site called www.thecutestblogontheblock.com
They have tons of cute backgrounds AND ideas AND walk those of us who aren't as cyber-savvy, through the whole thing. I HIGHLY reccommend!

Reason for privacy

So, I'm sure I don't need to explain why I decided to make my blog private, but decided to tell you all anyways.
I should have been doing it from the beginning, but I'm not so great with technology and have been trying to figure this whole thing out. For security reasons, it's really a good idea too. We get lectured quite a bit about OP-SEC (operation security). It's a little "conspiracy theory", but also makes sense. And after all, we ARE living in a foreign country. I also try not to use my kids names, because I really don't want all their info out there.

But, I have a story to share, that I find quite entertaining, but really made me want to make sure some shared information was private.
So, hopefully, this will make you laugh.
I love facebook, and I love sharing little details. But I also have some "friends" on facebook, that I don't neccessarily want them to know too much personal info about me. BUT, it would be awkward to "un-friend" them, because they would notice. (And I see them regularly)
The other day I made a comment on my "status" that I finally got some of my lemon stuff up in my kitchen. (Not too personal, right?)
Well, one of these "facebook friends" stopped by my house two hours later to come see it!!! "I'm here to see your lemon kitchen!!" (Unannounced , of course).

I'm still unpacking, and the house was a mess, and I said so, (kind of as a tactful way of saying "no thanks") She just walked on in, and said "That's okay."
Who does that?!?!? I laughed about it later. Paul was completely baffled by it. But I'm afraid to post things because of her. I barely know this person and she talks to me like we are life-long friends, because she reads my info and knows stuff now. I'm sure she's a nice enough person. It just is a little much for me.

SO, though the story is entertaining, I would really rather share stuff with just the people I want to. (I'm stubborn like that). And if you are reading this, YOU'RE SPECIAL!!!!
Well, have a most wonderful day!!!

Funny Story

Today, TEB (my 3 1/2 year old) was waiting with me at an appointment. (FOR 45 MINUTES!!!). He was doing so good and just sitting and watching people go by. A pretty lady walked by, and TEB turned to me and said "That's a cute tooshy." He said it so matter-of-factly, it was HILARIOUS! I got the biggest kick out of that!

I'm going to laugh about this for awhile. :-)

In the last 30 days. . .

In the last 30 days, these have been some of the highlights. . .. .

1. AP (my oldest) got to take ski lessons IN EUROPE! (I know, we're probably going to be here a while. I still think it's fun to say though :-) He absolutely LOVED it and can't wait to go again.

2. My two girls got to go on a Daddy Daughter Dinner Date with their oh-so-amazing Daddy! I couldn't help smiling. I helped the girls primp and get ready (including a little eyeshadow and lipstick) They even got to borrow some of Mom's jewelery, and we painted their nails and picked out pretty dresses to wear.
The date was sponsored by the military post here. THey got to have a nice dinner and party favors and dance with thier Daddy. The girls and Paul even invented their own Daddy/ Daughter dance. When they got home, BK could NOT stop smiling. She was so happy. In the morning NF said "Mom, I just had SOOOO much fun last night." It was a magical evening, for all three of them. But I have to say, it was magical for me to stand back and watch. These are some of the moments that create immortal memories for a little girl
To go on a little more about it, I have to share a story. When I was buying the tickets, the lady who was helping me, said it was nice that the girls were young enough that they still WANTED to do stuff with their Dad. I said "Well, I hope they NEVER outgrow that! I still enjoy dates with MY Dad." And it's true. I really and truly do! In fact, I was able to tell her that two months previous, I HAD gone on a date with my Dad.
This same lady confided in me that her Dad was never worthy of dates. There was a lot of pain there for her.
At the moment I was reminded of how grateful I am for a Dad that's always fun to be around, and that my kids have the same kind of Dad. I always said I would marry someone like My Dad, and I'm so glad I did.

3. Parent Teacher Conferences are ALWAYS great for me. I have to say, I love hearing others tell me how great and smart my kids are. I love it even more when they point out little personality traits/ quirks that my kids have. It's then that I KNOW that they truly know my child. AP's teacher told me that he was only the new kid the first day, because after that he seemed like he had always been there. He made friends and jumped into it so smoothly. I loved that. He had stellar grades, and even had 2 A+'s!
IG and BK are in the same class. I love that. Their teacher pointed out how different they are. And it's true. They are. They both had perfect report cards too, and are constantly excelling.
NF loves showing what she can do. She has let her new school see a lot of her spunk too (in a good way) Her teacher said that one day, she was complimenting NF on how smart she was, and said, "Is everyone in your family as smart as you?" To which, my NF responded (with a twinkle in her eye) "NO. I'm the smartest one."
The teacher also told me that she wants to have a lot of kids (like 4), but her husband and her don't agree on it. He has told her that "You can't possibly give them the attention they need when you have that many. They will never be that well adjusted." Well, this same teacher said after the first week of NF in her class, she went home and told her husband that he had to meet NF, "becuase she PROVES that 4 kids are totally doable, because she is #4, out of five, AND she is an incredible and smart girl!" Yes, it was a very proud Mom moment for me.

4. TE is so smart. He loves Mommy time (he gets a lot more one-on-one then he has ever gotten). He loves being my helper with whatever, as long as I allow him car and building time. :-) hee hee. We also learned that he knows "Eye of the Tiger" by heart. HOW did he ever learn that??? (I blame older siblings a lot! :-) ha ha

5. I passed my german drivers test with a 100%. I'm officially a German endorsed driver.

6. We discovered the German dollar store!!! I realize this seems silly, but I have SOOO missed discounted items (The PX is NOT great about this kind of stuff)

7. OUR STUFF GOT HERE!!!!!!!!!!

8. Our stuff got here!!!!!!!!!

9. Our stuff got here!!!!!!!!!!!!

10. OUR STUFF IS HERE!!!!!!!!! (A quick funny: They told us they would be here between 8 am- 10 pm. (You gotta love THAT window). Well, they showed up at 7AM!!! (HEY, that wasn't the WINDOW! We were asleep!!!! It was a hectic way to wake up, but., . . .. OUR STUFF IS HERE!!!! SO yay!!!!

That's it for now.

I, once again, hope to update a little more frequently. Heck, if I think of more to add to this list, I will make sure to do so. In the meantime, Life is good!

3 weeks too long. . . . :-)

So, I have known for a while that I have a mild addiction to my computer (mostly the internet). I say mild, because it really CAN be controlled. I just choose not to, most of the time. :-) hee hee
However, I don't like it when it is COMPLETELY taken away from me! A little over 3 weeks ago, our laptop crashed. Completely dead and gone! There was NO recovery. I thought, "Oh. No big deal. My home computer is supposed to be here in days."
Well, it's true. It WAS supposed to be here. Yet, when I called a few days after the supposed delivery date, they had NO idea where our stuff even was, and didn't know for two more weeks. I honestly laughed, and thought "Well, of course silly. Why SHOULD you know where my stuff is???"
After two weeks without my internet connection to the world, I was going a bit batty though. Okay, okay, I was cranky. I thrive on my connection to family and friends. And with the time difference, phone calls don't happen too frequently. Snail mail is always a possibility too, but that takes WEEKS, and wasn't helping me during my two week withdrawal. FOr one of the first times, I was feeling homesick.
Well, a kind friend took pity on us after two weeks and let me use their laptop (I didn't kill this laptop. :-) YAY!)
And yesterday, MINE ARRIVED! Three weeks late, . . . . BUT, it arrived!
I've told a few people already, that our first few weeks here were good. It was like we were living in a large hotel room set-up. None of the furniture or belongings really were ours. Only the clothing and minimal personal items we carried on the plane. Our kitchen was bare minimum
After a few weeks, it got a little old. AND, I'll admit it, I got bored. I'm on break from classes til April. I had no stuff to unpack. No supplies to work on projects with. No library collection (though I did utilize the base library when I could)
Basically I cooked A LOT, and cleaned more than I have in a LONG time! It was getting old without my own stuff here. And I was SOOOOO missing the hung up pictures on my wall. I like turning a house into a home, and it's a lot easier to do with MY stuff. (yes, it's just stuff, but it makes it cozy)
Well, pictures and all sorts of fun have arrived!! We slept on our most heavenly bed last night (I like when a mattress moves a little when you sit on it, and doesn't feel like the floor). We used our blender last night! And tomorrow, I'm making pancakes on my large and wonderful griddle.
AND my piano is here and held up amazingly well in the move! OH, and get this, I had a whole 1000 lbs allowance LEFT that I could have used to get stuff here!!! (good knowledge for next time, I guess)
So where is this rant headed? Well, I feel at peace today, looking around my home. It feels like a home. THere are still a lot of boxes to unpack, but we're gettting there. My legs and arms are oh-so-sore today from standing for 14 hours straight yesterday, and moving LOTS of boxes. But this is SOOO worth it. Yay!

I like to think I'm getting smarter. . . .

So, I'm obviously not the BEST blogger in the world.
Nor, am I the wittiest, or smartest, or most creative, blah, blah, blah. :-)
However, I like the idea of blogging, and really want to try and make it work.

In the last month I have packed up a house (for seven people), had 3 of my children's birthdays, shipped Christmas in boxes to a different continent, flew with five kids (and only myself as "adult supervision") to a different continent (arriving 20 hours later with the same 5 kids and 18 pieces of luggage in tow that I started with), took finals AND received straight A's (I will be stoked about that for awhile), and . . . . .well, that's all (I think), but I think it's a pretty good list.

Life is good. I say this a lot. But I truly believe it!

I've learned a lot on my journey to this point in my life, and the more I learn, the more I realize I have a whole heck of a lot more to still learn. NOW, if I have the brain capacity is the next question! ha ha

In the last three weeks, I have some especially good words of wisdom that I want to share.

#1: When there is a need to fly to your next duty station, it is a REALLY good idea to put kitchen utensils in your luggage. Can openers, spoons, spatulas, measuring spoons, etc., are all small enough to stow away, but really add up in cost when you have to buy them all, because it is still another 1 1/2 months before YOURS arrive!

#2: You will always miss your family and friends the most! But a good mattress is a close second! (I am counting the days til my lovely bed arrives with its sweet comfort. versus the plywood-sorry-excuse-for-a-mattress they "loan" you til yours arrives.

#3. Castles really are magical.

#4. Never underestimate the power a 3 year old can have over any GRANDMA (whether it's his grandma or not. And whether she speaks the same language or not.) In fact, lets change this to: Grandmas are ALWAYS awesome!

#5. Not all video games are evil (okay, okay, don't hold this against me. ;-) A Game that involves music AND my whole family playing, can't be all-that-bad.

#6. A smile means the same thing in ANY language! I may not speak more than 6 words in German, but I can smile at people and 9 times out of 10, they smile back.

#7. Technology is AMAZING! We would have been LOST while driving SOOO many times by now, if it were not for our lovely GPS that makes the journey with us each time and "recalculates" when we mess up.
AND, I love that I can call my family AND see them as we talk through an amazing thing called the internet, and skype, and a computer!

#8. There REALLY is a time difference between us and those back in "the states" It may be coming to the end of my day, but it is just beginning for my family in the Northwest. Weird!

#9. My husband will always continue to amaze me with what he can accomplish and what he's willing to do for me. (Okay, this is NOT a new revelation, but it's still important to point out often).

#10. Goodbyes ALWAYS suck. It doesn't matter how often I do them. I still cry. I still feel sad. BUT, it's also always fun to meet new people. There are good people EVERYWHERE you go!

#11 I LOVE German Bakeries. mmmmmmm. . . . .

#12. This list is longer than I expected it to be.

#13. There are good and bad to everything, INCLUDING military life. Yes, there are some downsides, but I definitely enjoy some of the perks.

#14. I miss Wal-mart. (and paying Wal-mart prices)

#15. Kids can adapt. They're amazingly resilient. They can be bounced back and forth and STILL come out smiling and happy and give amazing hugs.

#16. My Mom and Sister are sorely missed. Whenever we go exploring somewhere new in Germany, I can't help but think "OH wow! I wish mom and Rach could see this!" Don't get me wrong, I LOVE all my family. . . . . It's a mom/ sister thing.

#17. I'm so glad to have lived where I have lived and been to the places I have been. To quote a favorite singer of mine "I've been a lot of places and I've seen a lot of faces so I know, I must be going somewhere. . . ." (2 points to whoever can name the "quoted."

#18. Brain cells may be rusty at times, but can still work with the right amount of prodding.

#19. Einbahnstrasse is my newest favorite german word. It's just fun to say. Go ahead and try it. :-)

#20. I really do spend a LOT of time on the Computer and REALLY need to get off now.

Life is GOOD!