Finally... Right in time for Christmas

Once again it has been much too long since my last post but at least this time I have a good excuse! My paperwork has come back, I am now officially command sponsored and have been put on my husband's orders. Best of all, we FINALLY have our own apartment! We are on the top floor so we will definitely be getting a workout but we have a good view of the surrounding town and Riley seems to be at home. We just got our Internet up and running today and the movers dropped off temporary government issued furniture until our items arrive from the States. The furniture is not very pretty but its functional and Justin and I are ecstatic to be in our new home (for the next two years). Here are some pictures of our new place.

Our little Christmas tree and Stockings 

Kitchen, complete with Riley waiting to be fed

Bedroom (don't worry, a new comforter is on our list)

The first ornament on our tree

Adjusting to Army Life

As most of ya'll have noticed everything I have posted so far has been about places we have visited and experiences we have had in Germany, what I have not really talked about is my adjustment to army life. So here is a little preview into what I have been going through.  

I took the year Justin and I were apart (him stationed in Germany and me working in Austin) to thoroughly research what life was like married to a soldier. I watched every single episode of Army Wives, cried in almost all of them. It actually got to the point where Justin banned me from watching the show since every time he called I would be crying because someone else died, was deployed or had some other tragic army related experience. It didn't help that prior to watching them he told me that the show was pretty realistic... I read all of the army spouse blogs and let me tell you there is a LOT of those and I read through every Army related website. I knew that the army's infamous motto is "hurry up and wait" (which I would soon learn) and I understood that no matter what the Army comes first, family comes second. So by the time Justin came home on leave and proposed I was ready!

We were married the last Sunday that Justin was in town by a judge who was a former marine. He was very supportive and told us that life with a soldier isn't easy but if we were open with each other, communicated well and stayed supportive we would have a great marriage and would benefit from life in the army. The next day I put Justin on a plane to Germany.

The next two months were the most stressful months of my life. We were both working full time and with the seven hour time difference it was hard to find time to talk. Justin was frustrated because his commanding officers who were supposed to help him with the paperwork required for me to join him in Germany were not helping at all and I was frustrated because there was nothing I could do help. He was able to enroll me in DEERS and get my insurance set up within a week but after that things went down hill quickly. We had no idea what we needed to do and no one would help us. Eventually between the two of us and one awesome blog I found we were able to get the packet together. We turned the packet in and waited. A month later we still hadn't heard anything. After a serious discussion Justin and I decided to go ahead and ship my stuff, buy my plane ticket and hope that everything would be done by the time I arrived in Germany. So I arrive in Germany with my dog, no paperwork and head to the post. Since we still don't have paperwork (two months later) we can't get housing. Luckily Justin's buddy who he went through basic with let us stay in his extra room. The day after I arrive, Justin's idiot sergeant calls to tell us he lost the paperwork. At about this point I am about to flip out on someone so Justin doesn't let me go with him to the office to get everything figured out. They eventually find it a couple of days later, say we need to change one of the forms before it can get approved and then send it back to the battalion commander. It has now been 3 months and I just found out last night that our command sponsorship was FINALLY approved but they still haven't added me to his orders... So back to waiting...

We have no housing, I can't apply for a job, I'm still paying for my apartment and utilities back in Austin (can't get out of my lease until I have the orders) and for the first time in my life I am completely dependent on someone else. To say that I am out of comfort zone would be an understatement. Luckily I have the most amazing husband, who has been my rock through all of this nonsense. He is still the only one I know of that can calm me down and knows how to handle me when I am upset. The hardest part for me is understanding that I can't just go to the boss and handle everything myself. I am used to taking charge and getting things done. As most of you know I am not used to hearing "no" or encountering a situation I can't fix myself, not to mention I hate waiting. Ya'll will all be glad to know that I am respecting Justin and his job and not interfering with the paperwork no matter how bad I want to yell at someone...

Life on "post" is a whole other world. It is like a little tiny town that I can walk across in 20 minutes. There is a little grocery store, movie theater, electronic shop, craft store, fast food eateries and a couple of bars. You have to have your ID to do anything, surprisingly I haven't lost mine yet and I haven't gotten used to everyone being in army uniforms (ACUs). I still can't function in military time and I got in trouble one time for not stopping when the bugle played at 6pm (I didn't know I had to stop). There are also all sorts of rules on proper behavior while in uniform. For example I have walk on his left side so when he needs to salute he won't knock me in the head, you can not have any public displays of affection and you are not even allowed to hold hands. The have abbreviations and acronyms for EVERYTHING so I constantly have to interrupt Justin to ask what the heck he is talking about. I have made a few friends although my conversations with other army wives are about deployments, what base we will be moving to next and how frustrating the regulations can be sometimes.

Germany has a high deployment rate and Military Police is the third most deployed MOS so that is constantly at the back of my mind and despite what most Americans believe the US is still deploying many troops to Afghanistan and now with tensions between Israel and Palestine rising there is always a chance of deploying to those areas. There is a lot of gossip that goes around the post about deployments and its impossible to know what is actually true until some formal announcement is made.

My first experience with an Army base was right after Justin left and I had to go to Fort Maybry to get my military ID made. The first thing the sergeant making my ID says to me is that the Army wives are full of drama and are constantly cheating on their husbands while they are deployed. Awesome. Thank you random stranger for the positive generalizations. Well then I came to Baumholder and while not all of the wives are cheating, it definitely is happing a lot more than I would have thought. The wives that I have spent time with have all been really nice and drama free so I am lucky so far but I've only been here a couple of weeks.

I am constantly learning and I really am starting to feel more comfortable with the completely different army lifestyle although I don't think I will ever get used to how good my husband looks in his uniform (total stud muffin!) And living is Germany is a blast! I welcome any tips you guys have about army life or living over seas and wish us luck in getting this paperwork figured out! I am off to study for my driving test, the german driving laws are ridiculous... Love you guys and I miss all of ya'll tons.

* If you ever find yourself having to PCS ONCUS (move over seas with the army) this is a must read blog. It helped me out tremendously: http://livingthearmylife.com/preparing-to-move-overseas/

The German Grocery Store, McDonalds and Another Christmas Celebration

I finally went to my first local grocery store, I was way more excited about it than I probably should have been but oh well, they have so much more available than the grocery store on post! A wide variety of meats, fresh produce, funny gifts and best of all alcohol. They had a huge section of beer and what you do is "rent" a plastic carton full of bottled beer and then you bring back all of the bottles and the carton and just pay to refill the bottles. Simply genius, I have no idea why this concept has not caught on in the US.

Carton after carton of beer

Justin's favorite beer, it has a slight lemonade taste 

So I woke up the other day feeling just a tad bit homesick and craving something "American" to eat, so naturally Justin took me to the McDonalds in town. Boy was I in for a surprise. I was expecting the typical American McDonalds, trashy, dirty and full of obese kids and angry obese parents. This was nothing like what I was expecting. It was clean, modern decorations, a refrigerator full of beer and even  a nice bakery section with fresh pastries. No obnoxious children, everyone was very friendly and best of all I learned that most of the meat is provided locally so it actually tasted really good! Apparently in the town about 15 minutes away they have a two story McDonalds that has karaoke on the weekends. Now that is something I must see...

Later on that night we had a tree lighting on post. Santa came on a fire truck escorted by the military police and the school children all sang carols and made christmas decorations. We stayed about 20 minutes before I decided the event was mainly geared toward the kids... 

Love ya'll! 

Christmas Markets!

So it has been brought to my attention by multiple people that I have been slacking on my blog posts which is very true. I would love to come up with some brilliant excuse but honestly I have just been lazy! So here you guys go:

Whenever Justin has a day off we have been going to some of the local christmas markets. The Baumholder market was really small but fun. I drank delicious "Gluwein" and Justin ate some native German dish that consisted of some type of meat, mashed something and applesauce (we decided it was best not to ask what was in it).

The next day Justin, a couple of his buddies and I headed to Eider for their christmas market. We of course got lost, attempted to get directions, walked for 30 minutes in the snow before finally getting into a taxi. It was pretty entertaining... We did eventually make it to the market and while most people were shopping Justin and I went to every stand that had food and tried EVERYTHING! The sausage is still my favorite but we also tried the waffles, a nutella filled crepe, turkey leg and of course multiple glasses of Gluhwein. We took a taxi to avoid getting lost again especially since it was getting dark and snowing but as soon as we got to our car in the parking garage the gates came down and we were locked in the garage. After some interesting attempts of communication with the locals we convinced someone to call and speak with the parking attendant who eventually let us out of garage, although he was not very happy about it. Lesson learned: From now on check what time a garage closes before parking there because apparently in Germany they close at 4pm...

The last market we went to was in Berkenstal and it was by far my favorite! It was the cutest town I have ever seen and even though it was absolutely freezing and raining we had a blast. We went with the couple we are currently staying with and another one of Justin's friends who is married to a super sweet German girl. She was a life saver and helped translate for us the entire night. Justin even managed to strike a sketchy backwoods deal for some redneck moonshine...(I had nothing to do with that deal) The night ended with the best German meal I have had so far, venison schnitzel with poached pears and a cold hefeweizen. I of course forgot my camera so we only have one picture from the night, luckily it was a good one!  

Everyday in Germany is an adventure and we are loving every minute of it! I promise to try and do better about updating all of ya'll. I also apologize for this blog post being predominately about food but I have not eaten breakfast yet and I am getting progressively more hungry. Love you guys!

It's Finally Winter in Germany

SNOW!!! It has been lightly snowing the past couple of nights but nothing has really stuck until just now when Justin's buddy came home and told us to look outside. It was so pretty, everything was covered in a layer of fluffy snow. Riley and I were beyond excited and quickly bundled up to go play in the snow even though it was 1:30am... He even wore his snow jacket! 

Other than the exciting snow, things in Germany have been pretty relaxed. Although the post office on the base was closed down twice yesterday for "suspicious packages", they brought in the bomb sniffing dog and everything. Luckily it was just a false alarm! 

Justin's squad had a little going away party for one of the soldiers who is leaving for a base in Hawaii so I finally was able to meet all the people he works with, plus a couple of other wives. Everyone has been really nice and helpful so far. My German speaking skills have not improved at all, luckily it has not hindered my ability to try the different German beers! 

I went to my first Christmas market today in a neighboring town with two of the other wives and it was so much fun. Germany has this mulled wine that is served hot, its called "Glühwein" and it has quickly become my favorite holiday drink. Plus drinking and shopping is ALWAYS a great idea and I had the best chocolate and toffee I have ever tasted! Justin and I will be hitting up a couple of the other larger Christmas markets this month and you can guarantee there will be pictures posted!

Riley has completely settled in and both of us are loving it here! Plus Riley apparently joined the Baumholder fire department... 

Love ya'll! 

MRE and a rainy German day

It was cold and rainy all today and since we spent most of it inside Justin decided that this was the perfect time for me to try an MRE (Meal Ready to Eat) these MREs are distributed to our soldiers out in the field who have no access to REAL food. He has been trying to get me to try one of the "meals" for the last week and today I caved...

Wow doesn't it just look delicious. According to Justin the Maple sausage flavor is one of the best ones.... ya right.

 Inside were tiny little packages: a muffin top, crackers, peanut butter and jelly, granola with dried fruit and dried milk (you are supposed to add water to the mixture), instant coffee and two pieces of gum. 

 Supposedly this is sausage. It smelled and tasted like canned dog food, so I gave Riley most of it. The muffin top however was edible and the granola wasn't as bad as I thought is would be.

Riley passed out after eating most of the MRE, poor dog, even he could barely handle it! Never again will I try anything Justin claims tastes good. Thank goodness I am not in the Army because I would probably starve and to all of those men  and women serving or who have served and had to eat these meals, kudos to ya'll and thank you for protecting our freedom! 

Turkey, Football and Army Paperwork

Happy late Thanksgiving family and friends!

I have now been hanging out in Germany for a little over a week and apparently I am still in denial because I feel like I'm on vacation instead of actually living here. Due to a few hiccups with the paperwork (it getting lost, offices being closed, people being unhelpful...) I still do not have my command sponsorship, you would think that after three months it would be done but that would asking WAY too much. With that being said we can not get an apartment until the paperwork is finished, luckily Justin's buddy and wife are letting us stay in their extra room. I also can not get a job until the paperwork goes through so I'm living life as a trophy wife.

We spent Thanksgiving with some friends of Justin. It was the perfect homemade thanksgiving meal, seriously the guy who cooked should consider changing careers to being a chef. It was that good! I am getting hungry all over again just thinking about the meal... We ended the holiday watching the ridiculously long Texans game, thank goodness they won!

Yesterday we finally had some time to explore the town outside of the base. We ate some delicious German sausage from a guy grilling randomly on the street and I finally got to drink my first German beer! The town is super cute and everyone was really nice. I'm attempting to pick up the language but its definitely slow learning, too many "i", "e" and consonants.  I've posted some pictures below just so y'all know I am still alive!

Last but not least, JOHNNY FOOTBALL FOR HEISMAN!! Thanks and gig 'em

First German beer!

 Sausage on the street

The lake in the middle of the town

Riley makes it to Germany... Finally.

After a rather uneventful 7 hour flight into Frankfurt, I managed to get myself, two carry on bags and two huge checked bags out of the terminal where my wonderful husband was waiting to greet me! I finally made it to Germany!! Now let me start by saying that I LOVE my dog, Riley, but I NEVER want to go through the hassle of shipping a dog overseas again... First his carrier wasn't big enough, I bought him the biggest crate available, the next size up was for Saint Bernards! Luckily the nice people at United figured out a way to rig his crate with 2x4s so it gives him the three inches of clearance required for international flights and he finally got all checked in about an hour before his flight thanks to my awesome Dad, Step mom and sister. Once I landed (3 hours before Riley) I walked all over the airport asking where the animal pick up was, after attempting to talk to about 4 different Germans we were handed a map to the "animal lounge". We drive over the animal lounge and they tell us it is going to take an hour to process my dog after his plane lands... Ok, well now we have about two and half hours to kill before I can attempt to get my dog, So on to sight seeing in Frankfurt! It is such a interesting city, really pretty and I love the cobblestones. I am sorry but I didn't take any pictures, after 15 hours of  traveling I looked like a hot mess and was not about to take any pictures.

We eventually headed back up to the airport to get Riley. First I had to check in and get a security card and then pick up my paperwork from one office and take it to another, after they processed it we had to take it to customs and get it cleared and then head back to the original place for the vet inspection. Now normally this would be done before I picked him up but as the German animal handler told me my dog "is not happy and does not like him." So I get suited up in a sterile gown and booties, and head over to the horse stall they had quarantined Riley to. The vet kindly asked me to put the leash on my dog and hold him so she could look him over and scan him for a microchip. She asked me about three different times if I was sure I could control him, I explained to her that I used to work for a vet and I think that set her mind at ease, at least a little bit. Finally about an hour and half later we have Riley and start our two hour drive to the base. The German countryside is so pretty, rolling green hills, adorable little houses and happy cows dotted the landscape. Riley and I finally made it to our new home!

Oh Canada.... Let me start by saying that Air Canada is AWESOME! Plenty of leg room, my own personal TV where I watched the new batman movie and comfy seats. The Toronto airport is interesting and the customs guy did not appreciate my cheeky american humor or my excitement over him adding a Canada stamp to my passport but my defining Canadian moment had to be when I walked into the terminal and the bar to my left was showing only hockey games and to my right was an oversized stuffed animal moose. Right now I'm only slightly concerned that the tv monitor does not display my gate OR even my flight but I have two hours to figure it out... Next stop Frankfurt. Hopefully. Now I'm  off to the bar!

Hey guys! So Justin and I decided to start a little blog about all of our over seas adventures. I am currently sitting in the Houston airport after successfully checking TWO overweight bags, oops, waiting for the first part of my flight to Toronto to start. I have bravely chosen to fly "Air Canada" so hopefully all will go well! We better board soon because I am in desperate need of a glass of wine (yes I am aware that it is only 10:30 am). Riley, our little black lab is on a direct flight into Frankfurt and will be leaving later on tonight, spoiled rotten dog... I love all of you guys, thank you to everybody who helped get me to the airport on time and somewhat organized! I will update y'all when I make it to Germany!