a really nice P L A C E

In a huge way, moving to a new part of the world has made the world a whole lot bigger for me. This world of ours is huge. It's also made me realize how narrow my thinking is and limited my understanding and knowledge are. Maybe I needed this move and living abroad to expand my mind and open up my thinking. Maybe.

We found out not long ago that Jim had this uncoming trip to Croatia on the calendar. It's kind of a huge deal and a privilege for him to be able to add to his list of accomplishments. Again, not one to normally worry- I've had a lot of unrest and that sick feeling in my stomache. I wasn't so sure it was a good trip.

Until this week, I didn't know anything about Croatia except there is a {UFC} fighter from the country. His name is Mirko or Mirkle {as Caden calls him} aka Cro Cop.

Not a lot of information on this little country- definitely not enough to form an opinion. But, I did.

As a first opinion, I assumed {dumb} that it wasn't safe, possibly hostile and way too close to lots of people who hate Americans. I felt as if he was walking in to a war zone based on what? Nothing but my lack of knowledge. It wasn't until talking to a friend last week that I leared people actually go there for vacations. It's supposedly a really great place.

Jim landed safely and is enjoying a luxury hotel with strawberries and chocolates waiting by his bed. The bottles of water in his room were glass rather than plastic.

He said the 1 1/2 hour flight there was amazing as they flew over the snow-capped Alps. Very, very impressed-  he said it was incredible. It's nice to know he's in the same time zone and more than that safe.

Again, I don't know what I'd do without Skype since we can see and talk several times a day.

After his trip briefing, Jim let me know it is in fact a very, very safe country. He's in Zagreb- the country's capital. Even more safe than a lot of US cities as far as hostility towards Americans goes. {I guess that might not be hard to beat}. With very few immigrants and the bulk of the population Christian, they are in fact very fond of Americans.

* Zagreb is the capital of Croatia on the Adriatic Sea- across from Italy

* Croatia declared independence from socialist Yugoslavia in 1991

* Croatia is a democratic parliamentary republic

* Croatia is inhabited mostly by Croats- almost 90%

* 88% of the popultion is Roman Catholic

* Croatia has eight universities

* A worldwide study published by Newsweek in August 2010 ranked Croatian education system on the 22nd place, to share the position with Austria.

* 49% of Croats speak English

Just a little reading and research and I already feel better. Wow- another life lesson.

Happy M O T H E R ' S Day

Happy Mother's Day!

I've known my entire life that I wanted to be a mom. A true believer in birth order, I know I fit the description tagged to the oldest child. My two brothers have never known life without a bossy older sister who always thought I was their second mom. It was all out of love {still is}.
I never played with real baby dolls, but being nine when my little sister was born, I had a real-life baby doll that I really thought was mine. I loved her from the second I saw her in the hospital. I think right then and there I wanted ten kids of my own.

Now, having four boys is absolutely perfect- I can't imagine my life without them. On the other hand, I can imagine a clean, organized house, but would it be worth it? No way.

I finished school and worked at different times because I've had to but have never been especially career-driven. All I've ever wanted to really do was play house while striving to be the best wife and mom I could be. There's no place I'd rather be {ever} than in our home with our family.

Having everyone happy and healthy is a nice bonus.

Being a mom, I love...
... that my boys {all} are still excited every day to tell me how their day went at school & practice
... that they all tell me every day that they love me
... that we have four boys with completely different personalities- adds to the excitement in our home
... movie nights that they still like to hang out with us
... that they're all sensitive but strong
... watching them as they learn and grow
... they wear me out but also keep me going and help me to want to do more and be better
... that they're mine {ok honey- ours}

In addition to being lucky enough to be a mom, I'm pretty sure I have the most wonderful mom around. I think she folds her towels the silly way {don't you agree, Starr?}, has some funny remedies, and irons way too much. More than anything, we all know there isn't a mom around who loves her kids {and grandkids} more and would do anything for any one of us.

Love you, mom.

clean S H E E T S

Clean, crisp sheets are on my top 5 {maybe top 3} very favorite things in life. Love them. Routinely, I change them once a week. Sometimes, I have to stop myself from changing them two times a week. Not that I'm looking for more laundry to do {trust me, I have plenty}, I just love clean sheets that much. Living in Germany, I'm going back to the basics and this is one of those finer things in life that I just absolutely love.

Even better than clean sheets- clean sheet that have been hung out to dry.

Ahhh... heaven.

I have two favorite sets of sheets for our bed that I change out weekly. If I get them out on the line early enough in the day so they're nice and crisp, I put the fresh ones right back on our bed. If not, I pull from the drawer. Even after a week folded up and tucked away- amazingly the new sheets still smell outdoor fresh. That's what we're sleeping on tonight. It's all about the simplicity for me- the small things in life right now. And the positive. Really, I'm trying.

The big boys are headed to the Netherlands tomorrow for a track meet. How cools is that? Holland is on the top of my list of places to go and my boys will make it there before me. If I'm a good mom, they might have clean, air-dried sheets on their bed waiting for them tomorrow night. We have a day trip of our own planned for tomorrow. We'll see how that goes. Trier- the oldest city in Germany.  I'm excited.

nice T A P

I can admit it now. I'm one of those people who never turn{ed} off the water when I brushed my teeth. I'd let the shower run {and run and run and run} until it was toasty warm and then some before jumping in. I never had a problem filling my whirlpool tub to the brim to enjoy the jacuzzi. Now, I can barely fit into our one tub, so that's one area solved.
I've been guilty of keeping the sprinklers on until flooding the yard/garden routinely. In addition to never recycling, I've always wasted water because... who knows? It was easy to? I never worried about running out. More embarrassing, I never made a conscious effort not to. 

Horrible, I know, but the first step to change is admitting it, right? As a whole, I believe our society is very wasteful. Living in this very green country, I'm more aware of it than I have ever been. I fall smack dab in the middle of wastefulness especially when it comes to water- until now.

Previously, being on a well we didn't pay a dime for water. Oh my how things have changed here. Water is SUPER expensive- enough to get my attention. We have yet to get our first bill and are very, very afraid. Our friends {family of five} figured out they paid an average of maybe $260 USD per month- just for water. Yikes, that's a lot!

With our neighbors on holiday last week, I told her I'd watch her yard and water her flowers if she needed. Grateful, she let me know she had water in the back. I had seen these buckets, but until we had a rain, I didn't realize how awesome their set up is. They have a tap right in their guttering, so all of the rain is collected from the house for watering plants and their garden. So smart.

They also save the water from boiling pasta or veges and use it for their plants. Why dump it down the drain- it's good water? They don't waste anything over here. I really want to be more like them in this way.

Free well water or not, I want this tap on our house guttering when we move back and are settled. I think it is the coolest thing.The water was gushing in to it filling the bucket to overflowing. I filled her watering pots up and moved some to the other bucket. It was SO much water- just from a quick rain.

I feel a little crazy, but I've started putting my little bucket in the shower to fill up {for my flowers} while waiting for the water to warm up for my shower. The other day- just in warming up I had almost four gallons. What a waste that would normally go down the drain.

I've also started turning the water off while brushing my teeth. Now, if we could get Ty to take a shorter shower... We're working on it.

in U N I F O R M

I'm normally not one to worry excessively about anything. That doesn't mean I don't get stressed out- that happens plenty, especially in the last six months. I am {and always have been} one who can usually pull things together at the last minute, sometimes that's when I work the best. Why worry for two weeks about an assignment or task when it can be completed in an evening? Not a great quality, I know.

I like to think I'm an optimist and rarely expect the worst to happen. I get worked up about certain things, but overall feel pretty calm most of the time even in the midst of the craziness and happy chaos in a family with four boys.

Yesterday, that wasn't the case.

Jim let me know he was going to stop at a German grocery store on his way home from work. I didn't think twice about it. At about 4:00, he emailed me to let me know he was getting ready to head out. I anticipated him to walk in the door by 5:00 at the latest. When 5:30 rolled around and he wasn't home, the anxiety kicked in. Within minutes, I was terrified. Terrified he wasn't home knowing he went out on the economy in his uniform. A little paranoid, maybe. However, this is the first time in my life I have experienced this kind of anxiety and paranoia. It's also the first time I've lived abroad.

It's a very uncomfortable {putting it mildly} feeling to be in a foreign country and well aware that those around us are not always fond of Americans. Especially in light of the events this week, the world is not in harmony with decisions the US government has made. We're grateful to be in Germany {did I really just say that?} but it is still far from being on American soil.

I'm sure everyone in our village knows we are an American household. I have Willkommen on our front door, flowers in pots and hang laundry- doesn't matter. We just got a magazine delivered to our mailbox and the tag line reads, "the magazine for the American community..." Ok, they know. But, when hanging laundry, I still feel the need to turn the clothing with US flags, or Jim's uniforms to the inside or hidden a little so it's not so blatent. It's a strange feeling- I'm definitely not ashamed, but more concerned with hanging it all out there.

While grocery shopping in uniform in the US {as much as he hated it} Jim regularly had people shake his hand out of no where and thank him for his service to our country. Usually, it was the older couples who would stop him in the aisles- always a proud moment for me to watch.

Yesterday, he made it home just fine. He was held up in his office, but did say he got quite a few glares from other shoppers in the German store. Could have been the normal German stare, or more- who knows?

Even being late, he did walking in with flowers in hand and a wife relieved and happy to see him.

It doesn't make me feel any better receiving this alert today, but I do have a greater appreciation for the freedoms of living in the United States. Next month, he's going to a country that I can't even pronounce. I might be a little stressed again.

Worldwide travel alert

Due to current world events, U.S. citizens overseas are encouraged to limit travel outside their homes and hotels, and avoid mass gatherings and demonstrations. U.S. citizens should stay current with local media coverage and maintain awareness of surroundings at all times.

yellow patches of S U N S H I N E

Several people let us know as soon as we moved here, that Spring and Summer are worth waiting for. I think it was an attempt to help us get through the cold, long winter. Kind of a pat on the back that everything will be alright as soon as the seasons change. We also heard from those same people that there would be fields of yellow everywhere as soon as it warms up. We're in the midst of that warm up and these yellow fields have not dissapointed.

Both amazing and beautiful they seem to be around every corner, on hillsides and even along the trails and roadside. They're canola flowers- I'm assuming it is the plant that canola oil is extracted from.

I think more than anything, these huge patches of the the almost flourescent yellow flowers seem to add a sort of glow and warmth to the landscape. Individually, I think they look more like a weed. Collectively- a breath-taking sight. Huge spots of sunshine.

This week, I've continued in my efforts to enjoy and be more positive of where we are and the beauty surrounding us. Coleman and Caden both went to bed the other night and told Jim they hate Germany. I've really tried to mentally move on and get excited. I've been especially careful with what I say around them focusing and trying to be the optimist mom and wife that I know my family needs.

I think knowing that our house continues to sit vacant in a stagnent market has made it an especially difficult transition. Yes, the financial burden has been enormous, but it kind of feels like everything is just sitting there waiting for us to come back and continue on with our happy life. Crazy as it sounds, I think as soon as it sells, everything will feel more final. Without juggling two house payments, we're excited to then be able to start our travels and trip planning.

Obviously, we're all still struggling {five months later} but I have hopes that we'll get to that happy place again. Sooner rather than later would be nice. Yellow flowers help. 



I took this from our bedroom window looking to the side

no P A I N no G A I N

A very good day for a track meet. After a long night of flying back from Alabama {sitting next to a big, stinky man} Jim's shuttle dropped him off here at home and we hit the road to Heidelberg. The weather was absolutely beautiful- blue skies, warm rays. Even better than the weather- everyone was content.

Both boys had a really great day of competition- we're SO proud of them. Still not where he wants his time to be, Ty did both hurdle events. Ty's stinkin' shin splints just won't go away- what a pain, literally. In his four years of running track this is the first he's ever had shin splints and the pain continues to linger. As a parent, it is a helpless feeling not being able to figure out how to stop the pain. I told him yesterday as he headed to check in to his event, "No pain, no gain." He's not buying it. He'd prefer the pain go away.

I'm bummed this picture is blurred. I had my camera all set to go when two girls walked right in front of me, ugh. Hurdles are kind of hit and miss... you have to be quick. I told him he was just so fast he blurred the picture. He just rolled his eyes in response. He did come in first in his heat, which he was happy about. In Caden's eyes, his brother won.

This is as huge a smile as we ever see on Justin's face. He couldn't stop grinning. He placed third in both disc and shotput, but more importantly has a new personal best for his shot with a throw of 40 feet, 4 inches. Early on in the season, he qualified for Europeans in disc and has been working on his distance in shot. Yesterday, he finally did it. Only the fifth boy, he's now qualified {for shot} for the European Championships, he's jazzed.

I can't forget Coleman and Caden. They had their own kind of track meet as well, hurdling over their daddy's legs the whole afternoon. Even wiping out {Caden} a few times, they couldn't stop laughing.  

witches N I G H T

Yikes, just read this warning from the base...

Ramstein Air Base, Germany

German youth will be observing "Witches Night" Saturday and Sunday. Young people usually play pranks on their neighbors to celebrate, but more hazardous behavior is possibile. Use extra caution driving after dark to avoid possible drunk drivers, darting children and objects in the streets. Park your car in a garage if possible, and bring small items into your home to keep them from becoming prank material.

Moved our trash and all of my flower pots in to the garage. Jim's moving the cars to the back concrete slab. Ugh... hopefully, nothing happens. Our one-car garage is just a little bit too small for a vehicle even when it's completely empty.  Just another one of their crazy holidays! So happy to have my husband home... we'll all sleep a little {a lot} better tonight.

Update: Yes, the teens made their way around the village with cars parked on our street all hit with eggs. Relieved Jim parked behind our house, I would not have had a happy husband today if we were hit as well. We all know how he is with vehicles. 

this mama's P A T I E N C E is gone

I'm relieved to have the weekend in sight. It wasn't the worst week of my life, but I'm so happy it is ending. I started out on Monday starting a pot of potatoes to boil then LEAVING my house to go for a run. Yes, it wasn't until I was gone for two hours {of course, not running that entire time} that I realized I left the burner on- luckily turned down to 4. But, still.

Talk about an adrenaline rush- not the good kind, it was horrible anticipating what I would be walking in to. To my surprise, there was still water in the pot- covering my little potatoes even. I was shocked and had convinced myself while racing home that it was going to be a horrible disaster with smoke alarms sounding as the charred pot remained. 

Today, I'm most grateful to have made it through the week and avoided burning down our {rental} house.

We're ready for our daddy to come home- things haven't been the same without him...

* The little boys' average bedtime has moved from 7pm to closer to 9pm-ish... Their daddy is just so much better at sealing the deal on early bedtimes. I haven't figured out how to do it, yet. We're all tired.
* The car and the van both have garbage and belongings in them... something that never happens when Daddy is home.
* I had to actually fill up the vehicles with gas- something I normally never do. Call me spoiled.
* Dinner has been a little less than planned... we didn't have any cereal nights, but not the best menu either. We ate hamburgers cooked on the stovetop instead of the grill- something we rarely do.
* The mail hasn't been checked since Monday. It's a pain going to the Post Office on base- I dread it. Of course, the mailbox attached to our house stays empty most of the time- it's German!
* We actually {accidentally} left the garage door open for a whole night. Oops, at least it was only once. Luckily, the regular doors lock automatically when you shut them, so we haven't had to make sure they're locked at night. Guess I'm not too worried about safety.
* My bed is cold, I've had to sleep in head-to-toe pj's and miss my heat source.
* This mama's patience is about gone and it's only been two weeks.
* We're all ready for him to be home.

I finally had a little visit with our landlord this evening. I need to take note and maybe I won't do it {the build up} again. I really hate building up scenarios in my mind {in this case, for days on end} and obsessing over it only to confront the issue then wonder why in the world I stressed out. I don't get why I still do this to myself from time to time. It's as if I feel I need a little extra stress and worry in my life and bring it on myself- how stupid.

Our chat went well. Speaking with our landlords really the only time that I am forced to dig deep and use a little German. I actually think I like it, believe it or not and I always walk away wanting to re-learn it. Today, every conversaton in my head was in German preparing for the real deal. Also, there's nothing like a little motivation to clean house knowing I'd be asking him to come in and take a look at our problem areas. Maybe he thinks I always keep a Pine-sol fresh home and am on top of things. I can dream.

I showed him the moldy wall{s} and got down on the floor for him to feel the horrible warping on the floor. I also showed him the water damage {more warped boards} by our sink, so he knows they're all messed up. He said {rough translation} the drain that he fixed in our bathroom is good and it's just from the water that leaked before he fixed it. 

He then said it is absolutely not our problem. We've known this all along, we just needed to make sure he felt the same. The fact that it is dry now is good, I need to keep the windows open {he did give me props for keeping them open}. When we move, he'll have to rip it out and re-do it, or something like that. Honestly, he doesn't even slow down for me. Maybe he thinks I really do speak and understand German well. Again, I can dream.

For now, I won't worry about it- any of it.

I'm now even more convinced than ever that mold is just a German way of life. They're used to it and it's not a big deal. To us, it's disgusting. For now, I'll set that worry up on the shelf and forget about it. Life goes on.

Not only are the flowers over here absolutely beautiful, the trees are gorgeous. So many varieties have flowers on them. Kind of a two-for-one deal.

As tiny as most of the yards are here, they do with what space they have. Perennials, baskets and window boxes are abundant and stunning. I'm really trying to take time to enjoy the scenery.

I think these purple blooms are so dainty and so pretty. Love driving past them every day.

R E N T I N G is rough

Renting. After owning our own home, going back to a rental is rough. Beyond rough. The space, the freedom, the joy of ownership.

Giving up my Deluxe Whirlpool front-loading super capacity washer/dryer duet set for a small base loaner is just the tip of the iceburg. If I think too long about it, I get really, really sad. This week seems to have been another bump in the road for me as I've really struggled to keep my head up.

But, I'm in this incredible place with so many opportunities- I know I'm supposed to be happy. Some days, it just isn't that easy. Today is one of those days.

We discovered new mold. Not today or even yesterday. It's been there for a while now. We had a shrunk on the wall covering it and moving it exposed the rotten wall right outside our bedroom on the adjacent wall to our shower. Every day, more and more of the plaster falls off the wall to the floor. My friend was over and smelled the mildew just walking in to our bedroom. No doubt, it's making us sick.

I'm not sure why I have to work so hard to get up the courage to approach our landlord, but I do. I've faced and dealt with so many challenging scenerios and people in my life- why is this so difficult? I keep telling myself, he's just a German-speaking Russian Grandpa. Shouldn't be that difficult, should it? He asked me the other day if the rooster cock-a-doodle-doodling all day bothered me. He sings while he works in his yard and I listen as I hang my laundry out to dry. His chickens are his happy thing and he claps and talks to them all day, every day. Sounds easy enough. Not when it comes to his house.

Not getting any better... this has been there for a few months

Landlords here are a different breed. I truly don't think they know how good they have it with us as renters. Payment is direct deposited every month without question. A $4000 deposit- seriously. But, they think their houses should stay in perfect condition and do not take normal wear and tear in to consideration.

They set the demands, they get what they want. We are at their mercy for housing, so we comply.

I let him know a couple weeks ago that we have three doors that are still scraping on the laminate flooring due to warped boards, of course.

Previously, his solution was to add washers on the hinges to raise the doors up, so he knows darn well there's a problem. This time, he told me that Jim could take the doors off and saw 2mm off the bottoms- fixed. Nice. While Jim can fix anything and everything I don't really think we should be responsible for doing this. How to convey that back in German is another story. In the meantime, they continue to screech each time the doors are shut making me cringe and stress every time. Before too long, we're afraid they're going to find us responsible for replacing the flooring.

Every day this week and last, I've said I'm going to let him know we have a problem and show him this new spot of mold. Then, I back out thinking I have to have the house completely clean before he comes in. Am I crazy? He knows I have four kids, but I still think the women here clean ALL the time and keep up on everything. I feel like I have to do a complete overhaul every two weeks.

While walking, I saw a woman down our street the other day with a bucket and scrub brush washing the tiles on the outside of the house. Yes, the OUTSIDE. I couldn't help but wonder if it was the maid or the actual owner.

If I ever get to the point of my life that I have the inside of my house completely clean and I'm looking for more cleaning to do, I'm pretty sure I won't be hand scrubbing outdoor tiles. Oh, at least I hope not.

I should have things super clean by Friday, so I'll have to call the Grandpa in. We'll see if he has another band-aid or an actual fix. Jim's pretty sure the entire plumbing system is messed up. I'm pretty sure if it was, they'd never admit to it. Wish me luck. I might need to look up some German words in my dictionary tonight to help me out.

Enjoy the scenery... enjoy the scenery... enjoy the scenery... I have to remind myself.

enjoy the S C E N E R Y

You know those days that you feel like you've been running around all day long, but looking back you have nothing to show for it? I feel like I've had one of those weeks- completely unproductive. Worse yet, it's only Tuesday. In a way, this week has been even harder than the first waiting for my other half to return home.  

My mind is consumed with thoughts about him making it almost impossible for me to focus on anything else. I am smitten.

It's not as if I don't have plenty to do- the projects are bountiful and cleaning is unlimited. But, I may as well wait until closer to the weekend to clean so it stays clean for when Jim gets home. Right? Cleaning today would just be a waste. Instead, I spent an hour looking through the 5,000 pens and pencils for a skinny dry-erase marker. I know I've had tons of them, do you think I could find one? No. What a waste of time.

Not long ago, while at a friend's house I noticed she had a white board displayed in her kitchen with all of her emergency numbers. I had a really strong feeling that I needed to do that as well.

There is no 911 over here, instead it is 112. Seriously, 112. If a real emergency were to happen, I can't say I'd remember those three numbers in that order in a moment of panic. I finally know our home phone number, but under stress I'm sure it could easily slip my mind as well.

These numbers over here are LONG.

Yesterday, a police car or some type of emergency vehicle buzzed past and reminded me I need to get this up just in case anything were to happen. 

Today, that's about the only thing I accomplished. My white board is up. Being the vinyl addict I am, I added a calendar and also wanted a new quote to add to the top of my white board as well. I found this one and felt I needed it in front of me daily as a reminder. It's now displayed where I can see it every day. Maybe it will help.

Not only has this last week been difficult- this time of my life feels like a huge detour.

A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery

on a detour.

I hear these sirens {and they're LOUD} and still feel like it's coming from a movie rather

than racing down our street. Truly Europe.

opening D A Y

It's another German holiday today- Easter Monday. What the heck? Another Monday without garbage pick up and I'm not sure when they'll make it up. Hopefully, tomorrow.

I took a small bag of garbage with me on base this morning and dumped it in a parking lot garbage. I might need to start doing this every time I head to the base- what a pain. I have no can to put it in. Better yet, maybe I should sent it with Justin and Ty to school to dump- think that would fly?

I'm thinking I should take a holiday as well- it was a busy weekend. At one point in my life {a long, long time ago} there was a time that I longed to be a single mom. I just wanted to take my boys and run as fast as I could- I couldn't wait to be on my own and out of the miserable dysfunctional {to put it lightly} relationship I was in.  

Anyone who has gone through that horrible process can maybe understand the desire for freedom and a fresh start.

Now, being in a fabulous marriage with a husband as not only my partner but my best friend- I can't ever seem to get enough of him. On my own this week, I've had a little reminder of what it is like to be a single mom and I don't like it- at all. On the home stretch this week, I can't wait to be together again.

This weekend was quite busy with four boys needing to be in four different places on Saturday. Luckily, they were close and I was able to juggle them all. Coleman and Caden had opening day of baseball season.

They had a parade, the national anthems {German and English} and first pitch was thrown out to start their season. Both boys then had their first games- very exciting.

Justin and Ty had a home track meet and both did very well.  Justin placed in both shot and disc although he wasn't as happy as he would like. Extremely competitive by nature, he really wants to do well.

Ty made it through both of his hurdles events even still struggling with shin splints. He placed well in the 110 hurdles, but knows his time was faster. He'll get there. He was on board to run a 4x400 but pulled out at the last minute.

Hopefully, they just keep improving... he's ready to run! They just found out this week that not only do they get to go to England for a track meet, they also have a meet in Holland. Very cool for them.

Doner F R I D A Y

I'm going to count this week as done... just a little more than one to go until Jim returns home. I can't wait. In spite of being able to Skype and talk to him on the phone two or three times a day- I still really, really miss him. We need him home and absolutely hate him gone. I often tell the boys that hate is a really strong word- don't use it too often. In this case, it applies.

Today, I headed to town to get a couple last minute Easter things {including Easter grass} only to find that all of Germany is shut down. Good Friday and everything is already closed for the weekend. Even Johannes isn't working out in the backyard. Must be a holiday. For the umpteenth time... these Germans love their holidays. No Easter grass at the BX either- guess we'll live without it this year. It's a pain to vacuum anyway and always seems to stick around forever!

In Justin's world, all is good. It's Doner Friday today. Seniors and juniors are allowed to leave the school for lunch. Ty hates that he has to stay back- I keep trying to let him know it's just part of being an underclassman. His days will come soon enough.

We haven't ventured out and tried the German cuisine {yet}, but we have found something that we all {excluding Coleman, but he doesn't count because he pretty much picks at anything} love. Doner Kabobs.

Jim first took me there for my birthday. Now, the whole family loves them. They're from Turkey, and oh, they're so yummy! In Ty's opinion, they're probably the best thing over here. I keep letting him know that will change as soon as we venture out a little.

Seared meat that he shreds straight off the bone then placed in a wrap or pita and loaded with shredded cabbage, lettuce, tomato, yellow peppers and the most wonderful white sauce. This new place we found has a little dill in their cucumber sauce- you can't help but love it.  

Jim and I ate at a shop {our new favorite} last week before he left. Once we sat down, I asked the serving lady for ketchup for our fries. They had a bottle on another table, but she brought me over two packets. I don't know why that seems so strange to me. I like how they plate the fries- it's all about appearance.

Happy Anniversary to my wonderful parents today... hope it is an enjoyable day for you! It is Good Friday, you know? xo

26 E U R O per month

Just when I think I'm starting to get the hang of things here, I have these little reminders that I'm not in Kansas anymore. Garbage. I never imagined garbage could take up so much of my time thinking. It's ridiculous- just ridiculous. Mondays are our garbage day- easy enough? As I've mentioned before, one week is recycled bags {gelb and blau} then the rotating weeks is our mini-black can.

No matter what, Monday's the day. If we forget which trash to put out- we simply look at the Germans to help us out.

This Monday, I stuck out the trash {our nasty wet black can with all trash that can't fit in any of our other three recycle bags} and they  n e v e r  came to pick it up. Normally, this wouldn't be too stressful except where am I supposed to throw out the trash for the next T W O weeks? It's difficult enough that they only come twice a month. Now, I have to figure out what to do with a whole month's worth of the worst kind of trash.

It wouldn't be quite so bad if it was paper or even our plastics. We pay 26 Euro per month for garbage- that's between $38 and $40 per month which makes me most frustrated. That's a lot of money to miss our collection and cause so much stress. More than anything, I really don't think garbage is supposed to stress a person out. Aren't there more important things in life to have to worry about? Ugh.

They have trash bins on base and a big recycling center as well. After waiting six weeks or so, when we realized no one was {ever} going to pick up our glass, Jim took it on base to recycle it there. They turned him away. Honest, I couldn't believe it. The "trash police" or whoever was working there that day said in order to recycle on base, you have to show a house key as proof of residence on base. The fact that we want to live on base and can't doesn't matter. One bag of glass and they seriously would not take it. That's when we found the glass bin in the next village over.

As Tuesday afternoon rolled around this week and I came to the realization that no one was going to pick up our garbage, I asked our German neighbor why they didn't come. She let me know that because of the Easter holiday this week, they did their collection last Saturday. Of course, why didn't I know they'd pick it up early? Who does that? Easter is on a Sunday. It's not like Christmas or any other major holiday falling on a weekday to mess up their schedule.  Oh, these Germans do love their holidays.

She asked if we missed it, and I let her know yes... but, one of these days, we'll learn. She then let me know that they will be on holiday for the next week, so if we needed to put our garbage in their can- that is ok. Wow- how nice is that? She's coming around, or maybe it's me that's coming around. Why is taking that first step sometimes just so difficult? Another life lesson.