I bought my sewing machine! It's an amazing Pfaff, which is a big deal German sewing machine brand. It was actually created in Kaiserslautern just down the road, in the 1800s by a son in a family of instrument makers. The instruction manual is in German, but the instructional DVD has several languages! I also get lessons at the store, eventually when I have another day off. I started sewing my next quilt! I tried what I had originally designed with the log cabin strip placement, but what is mathmatically correct does not always work in practice. Now I know why I didn't find any patterns how I thought it should go. So I did a little trimming and completed my first quilt block with my new sewing machine! Yay!
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Our Little Slice of Heaven
Well, I decided half of the house was halfway decent and took a few pictures so I could show you where Chris and I spend our time.
Chris is working hard already today, he went in at 6:30. He found out that he will be helping out in the budget office through the end of the fiscal year so he's pretty much going to be doing at least 3 jobs through the beginning of October.
I have the day off, and I've decided to be lazy. I'm going to buy a sewing machine so I can make lots and lots of quilts!
I think we're getting our first taste of German fog, it was very foggy this morning. I am having the best August of my life, it was 51 degrees this morning and the high today is 72. I love Germany!
Chris is working hard already today, he went in at 6:30. He found out that he will be helping out in the budget office through the end of the fiscal year so he's pretty much going to be doing at least 3 jobs through the beginning of October.
I have the day off, and I've decided to be lazy. I'm going to buy a sewing machine so I can make lots and lots of quilts!
I think we're getting our first taste of German fog, it was very foggy this morning. I am having the best August of my life, it was 51 degrees this morning and the high today is 72. I love Germany!
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Pet Rocks or an Afghan?
Chris will be deploying to either Iraq or Afghanistan for 6 months in April. If he goes to Iraq, I will make him pet rocks. If he goes to Afghanistan, I will make him an afghan. He will be a pay agent, which means he will go out into the community to collect money from vendors. He will have pre-deployment training in March at the base in South Carolina, so he'll be able to visit his family before he goes to the Middle East.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Promotion!
Chris earned a promotion to the next rank, staff sergeant!!! The results came out on Wednesday, and he was specially selected to be promoted (along with 12000 others) because of his hard work and test scores, rather than just being in the air force for several years. He just put on his current rank, senior airman, in January and he did that six months early because he's so great! And now, a mere eight months later, he's selected for staff sergeant! I'm so proud. We went to the promotion party yesterday and lots of people from his office came to congratulate him and punch him on the arms where his stripes are. So in the air force when you get promoted, you also get beat up. He won't put on the new stripe until next summer, he has to go to some special staff sergeant trainings and schools.
The brand new aquatic center is opening on base the first week in September! I went this week to buy a year-long swim pass, and toured the facility, I'm excited to swim in the mornings after dropping Chris off before I go to work.
Our house is so big! I cleaned for hours yesterday and I don't even feel anywhere near done. But we love our place so much! I'll get it organized eventually.
I've had a lazy workweek this week, only 5 hours a day, so I've cooked dinner each night. Chris's tummy is very happy. It's getting easier to cook for him, I'm starting to get this meal planning thing all figured out.
It feels so weird to not be headed back to school this fall! This is the first year I haven't gone to school since I was 4 years old. I miss it a little bit, but I suppose that's what happens when you go to college for 4 1/2 years, you get used to it. I don't miss it enough to want to go back (to my undergrad days) but I am a little nostalgic. I think I even miss music a little bit, because this is the first chance I've really had the opportunity to miss it. Chris asked me if I miss it enough to pick up my flute, and I said no not the flute, but maybe I'll plug the keyboard into a transformer and see how it goes.
The brand new aquatic center is opening on base the first week in September! I went this week to buy a year-long swim pass, and toured the facility, I'm excited to swim in the mornings after dropping Chris off before I go to work.
Our house is so big! I cleaned for hours yesterday and I don't even feel anywhere near done. But we love our place so much! I'll get it organized eventually.
I've had a lazy workweek this week, only 5 hours a day, so I've cooked dinner each night. Chris's tummy is very happy. It's getting easier to cook for him, I'm starting to get this meal planning thing all figured out.
It feels so weird to not be headed back to school this fall! This is the first year I haven't gone to school since I was 4 years old. I miss it a little bit, but I suppose that's what happens when you go to college for 4 1/2 years, you get used to it. I don't miss it enough to want to go back (to my undergrad days) but I am a little nostalgic. I think I even miss music a little bit, because this is the first chance I've really had the opportunity to miss it. Chris asked me if I miss it enough to pick up my flute, and I said no not the flute, but maybe I'll plug the keyboard into a transformer and see how it goes.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Two Months
I can't believe we moved here two whole months ago! It feels like it has been longer than that, but not in a bad way. We've just come so far since the day we arrived and had squid in my spaghetti.
This weekend there was a medieval festival in a big park in Kaiserslautern, so of course I convinced Chris to go! It was fun. Lots of people dressed in medieval costumes, camped out all over the park. There was food, renaissance music, old-fashioned trade displays, and all kinds of stuff! We saw sword fights, kids riding donkeys, lots of knight armor and mail, ironically lots of marijuana stuff too, Chris wouldn't let me purchase the marijuana incense. We did buy a beautiful stone for our memory bowl, and a wooden ax! It will be perfect for halloween, and we've been pretending to chop each other's limbs off with it all afternoon. I thought about getting a medieval costume so I could take my recorder and play in the street for music, but then I decided I would just make my own costume, it would be cheaper and more meaningful. Chris doesn't think I would really go play in the street. But why not? There are always musicians playing different kinds of music along the cobbled streets of Europe, I can do just as good as any of them! I always thought that would be fun. My favorite stand that we saw had lots of money coins that the craftsman was turning into pendants by carving out the coin designs with a very fine saw.
So this afternoon Chris decided he wanted to play Risk with me. I have warned him many times that people don't like to play Risk with me, and now he knows why. I conquered the entire world, I had every single country in every single continent in my control. Chris wasn't too impressed with my military tactics when we began, but I blew him out of the water! I suppose I roll the dice really, really well. Heehehe!
This week will be a nice, lazy week. I work from 10:30 to 3:30 every day except Thursday, which I have off. That will give me plenty of time to get the brake lights fixed, and find a sewing machine so I don't have to sew ten million little strips together by hand! The holes in my fingers from the first quilt are finally healing. Don't get me wrong though, I loved hand quilting that quilt, and it's so rewarding to sleep under it each night and make the bed in the morning and know that I made that quilt, design, construction and all.
Yesterday Chris and I found the most wonderful furniture store! It's called European Country Living, and had lots of large wood pieces and felt very Tuscan. We fell absolutely in love with a couch and matching chair, this may be our birthday and Christmas gifts to each other this year.
Brother Chris may be coming to Romania for his work, so Chris and I are starting to plan a Romanian excursion! Transylvania, Dracula, and the most scenic country in Eastern Europe, we're excited!
This weekend there was a medieval festival in a big park in Kaiserslautern, so of course I convinced Chris to go! It was fun. Lots of people dressed in medieval costumes, camped out all over the park. There was food, renaissance music, old-fashioned trade displays, and all kinds of stuff! We saw sword fights, kids riding donkeys, lots of knight armor and mail, ironically lots of marijuana stuff too, Chris wouldn't let me purchase the marijuana incense. We did buy a beautiful stone for our memory bowl, and a wooden ax! It will be perfect for halloween, and we've been pretending to chop each other's limbs off with it all afternoon. I thought about getting a medieval costume so I could take my recorder and play in the street for music, but then I decided I would just make my own costume, it would be cheaper and more meaningful. Chris doesn't think I would really go play in the street. But why not? There are always musicians playing different kinds of music along the cobbled streets of Europe, I can do just as good as any of them! I always thought that would be fun. My favorite stand that we saw had lots of money coins that the craftsman was turning into pendants by carving out the coin designs with a very fine saw.
So this afternoon Chris decided he wanted to play Risk with me. I have warned him many times that people don't like to play Risk with me, and now he knows why. I conquered the entire world, I had every single country in every single continent in my control. Chris wasn't too impressed with my military tactics when we began, but I blew him out of the water! I suppose I roll the dice really, really well. Heehehe!
This week will be a nice, lazy week. I work from 10:30 to 3:30 every day except Thursday, which I have off. That will give me plenty of time to get the brake lights fixed, and find a sewing machine so I don't have to sew ten million little strips together by hand! The holes in my fingers from the first quilt are finally healing. Don't get me wrong though, I loved hand quilting that quilt, and it's so rewarding to sleep under it each night and make the bed in the morning and know that I made that quilt, design, construction and all.
Yesterday Chris and I found the most wonderful furniture store! It's called European Country Living, and had lots of large wood pieces and felt very Tuscan. We fell absolutely in love with a couch and matching chair, this may be our birthday and Christmas gifts to each other this year.
Brother Chris may be coming to Romania for his work, so Chris and I are starting to plan a Romanian excursion! Transylvania, Dracula, and the most scenic country in Eastern Europe, we're excited!
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Busy!
Whew this week has been busy. We've worked hard, and Chris has tomorrow off! He's going to sleep, and replace our brake lights because a nice lady today informed me that they are burnt out.
The other day I dragged Chris to a local furniture store because I could not stand to look at the tv and it's accessories piled on the coffee table any longer. He picked out a nice tv stand, which was very difficult to put together! We finally ended up turning it upside-down and building it backwards, which was successful. Our experience at this lovely local store was so much better than at the evil German IKEA! Everybody we talked to spoke at least a little English (don't get me wrong, I do not feel like all the Germans need to speak English so that the Americans don't have to, it's just easier to communicate since we haven't had a chance to learn that much German in our short 2 months here). They were all friendly and helpful, and the store has pretty much the same products. Forget IKEA in Germany! We are still waiting for our refund, which we were supposed to receive in our bank account tomorrow. Well I had a phone call from IKEA today at work telling me they cannot directly put money in our account (which makes sense, they deal with euros and we deal with dollars, and the routing numbers and requirements are different) but she had mailed us a check, which had just been returned in the mail. She double-checked our address, which was exactly right, so she's going to send our refund again. I sure hope it gets here this time, this is the silliest thing ever.
Today I signed my contract for customer service! Ironically enough when I did so, I found out I have 10 days of paid vacation that I have to take before December 31, this job just keeps getting better and better! Today was really busy, because we were closed yesterday for all-day meetings, and tomorrow is payday but it is a family/down day on base so most people don't have to work. I'm ready for next week, I have the 1030 to 330 shift all week, yay!
I finally made it out to the big pet store and found Callie a fancy kitty cat water fountain. She loves it! Now maybe she won't always be in the sinks, or stand in the shower with me but on the other side of the shower curtain so she doesn't get wet but can lick the water.
This weekend Chris and I are just going to hang around the house and rest. I have some plans to update the organization of certain areas here and there, so maybe the house will be presentable enough for me to post pictures of it with furniture! I would like to start hanging pictures too. Our walls are stone, so I imagine I'll be much more successful with my collection of command hooks than trying to hammer a nail through stone. We do plan to venture out to the bakeries in our town though, we drive by two amazing bakeries every single day and have not yet gone in. I've been buying loaf bread and bagels, but recently I realized that is so silly when the Germans are such amazing bakers! Forget wonderbread, I'm going to the local resources! I must say we do most of our shopping at the commissary, but it's convenient, tax-free, and familiar, it's like a Hy-Vee. I have been in a few of the German discount stores, like Penny Markt and Aldi, and everything is very different, they have a different eating style. Chris definitely noticed this when we had breakfast in the Black Forest, the buffets always consist of breads, meats, cheeses, and jellies. He felt like he was having a sandwich for breakfast.
The other day I dragged Chris to a local furniture store because I could not stand to look at the tv and it's accessories piled on the coffee table any longer. He picked out a nice tv stand, which was very difficult to put together! We finally ended up turning it upside-down and building it backwards, which was successful. Our experience at this lovely local store was so much better than at the evil German IKEA! Everybody we talked to spoke at least a little English (don't get me wrong, I do not feel like all the Germans need to speak English so that the Americans don't have to, it's just easier to communicate since we haven't had a chance to learn that much German in our short 2 months here). They were all friendly and helpful, and the store has pretty much the same products. Forget IKEA in Germany! We are still waiting for our refund, which we were supposed to receive in our bank account tomorrow. Well I had a phone call from IKEA today at work telling me they cannot directly put money in our account (which makes sense, they deal with euros and we deal with dollars, and the routing numbers and requirements are different) but she had mailed us a check, which had just been returned in the mail. She double-checked our address, which was exactly right, so she's going to send our refund again. I sure hope it gets here this time, this is the silliest thing ever.
Today I signed my contract for customer service! Ironically enough when I did so, I found out I have 10 days of paid vacation that I have to take before December 31, this job just keeps getting better and better! Today was really busy, because we were closed yesterday for all-day meetings, and tomorrow is payday but it is a family/down day on base so most people don't have to work. I'm ready for next week, I have the 1030 to 330 shift all week, yay!
I finally made it out to the big pet store and found Callie a fancy kitty cat water fountain. She loves it! Now maybe she won't always be in the sinks, or stand in the shower with me but on the other side of the shower curtain so she doesn't get wet but can lick the water.
This weekend Chris and I are just going to hang around the house and rest. I have some plans to update the organization of certain areas here and there, so maybe the house will be presentable enough for me to post pictures of it with furniture! I would like to start hanging pictures too. Our walls are stone, so I imagine I'll be much more successful with my collection of command hooks than trying to hammer a nail through stone. We do plan to venture out to the bakeries in our town though, we drive by two amazing bakeries every single day and have not yet gone in. I've been buying loaf bread and bagels, but recently I realized that is so silly when the Germans are such amazing bakers! Forget wonderbread, I'm going to the local resources! I must say we do most of our shopping at the commissary, but it's convenient, tax-free, and familiar, it's like a Hy-Vee. I have been in a few of the German discount stores, like Penny Markt and Aldi, and everything is very different, they have a different eating style. Chris definitely noticed this when we had breakfast in the Black Forest, the buffets always consist of breads, meats, cheeses, and jellies. He felt like he was having a sandwich for breakfast.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Schwarzwald
Chris and I spent a lovely weekend in the Black Forest! Saturday morning we drove to Freiburg to explore the open market. There are streams running through the streets of Freiburg, they were used for running water back in the day. The open market was great, there were stands with fruit, vegetables, meats, cheese, bread, flowers, wood crafts, porcelain, marbles, and toys set up in the square surrounding the beautiful gothic cathedral in the altstadt. We ate crossants from the bakery for lunch, and then Chris had a bratwurst and we shared fresh blackberries from a fruit stand.
In Todtnau we walked to a grand waterfall which was very soothing! we walked from the falls to the glasblauhaus, meeting some friendly goats along the way. In the glass blower's house we explored the beautiful glass blown creations and watched a glass blowing demonstration while enjoying the warmth of the hot ovens.
At Lake Titisee we walked along the lake, ate dinner at a restaurant on the lake, and played mini golf. For dinner we had black forest trout, it was very good. The mini golf experience was impromptu, and very entertaining. The course was a random set of 18 holes that looked like they had been plunked in a backyard. The nature of the holes was quite difficult, lots of traps and slants. There was even one hole where we were supposed to fling the golf ball into a net suspended in the air! Neither of us were successful. The holes were not lined with a nice turfy material, they were plain cement, and not flat either because the golf balls would never stay still. We laughed the whole way through!
Sunday morning we ate yummy bread at the hotel breakfast and ventured outside to play life size checkers and chess! I don't even like to play checkers, so I just started sacrificing the poor guys. There were two cute British kids that had been playing checkers with their family the night before who came out to help us with our game. After Chris beat me at checkers, we moved on to chess. I like chess, but I don't really have a strategy, I just know how to move the pieces. Chris had me in checkmate in only four moves! He says he perfected it in middle school. We played again, and I held out much longer the second time. A German family came to watch us, and I'm sure they thought I was crazy when I hugged my king after he was checkmated again. We decided to move on with our travels and let the family play chess.
We drove to Furtwangen to the Deutsches Uhrenmuseum, about the only thing open on Sunday in the little town. The museum was neat, it had displays of astronomic clocks and the development of clocks through the black forest clockmaking career. There were also pocketwatches, quartz clocks, and atomic clocks. A room was devoted to mechanical musical instruments, made with the same technology as the clocks.
In Triberg we walked to another waterfall and enjoyed it's beauty. We finally found a cuckoo clock house and went in to see the large inner workings, it was cool. We went downtown and toured the Black Forest Museum. It displayed clothing styles over the years, clocks, instruments, beautiful rocks and ore, and all kinds of good stuff. There was a display of the railroad through the black forest that Chris put 50 euro cents in and we watched the little train zip in and out of mountain tunnels. We stopped for lunch after the museum and had delicious venison and spaetzle. Then we meandered down the street exploring cuckoo clock and wood carving shops.
We made it home safely and are resting after our busy weekend, preparing for another week of work.
In Todtnau we walked to a grand waterfall which was very soothing! we walked from the falls to the glasblauhaus, meeting some friendly goats along the way. In the glass blower's house we explored the beautiful glass blown creations and watched a glass blowing demonstration while enjoying the warmth of the hot ovens.
At Lake Titisee we walked along the lake, ate dinner at a restaurant on the lake, and played mini golf. For dinner we had black forest trout, it was very good. The mini golf experience was impromptu, and very entertaining. The course was a random set of 18 holes that looked like they had been plunked in a backyard. The nature of the holes was quite difficult, lots of traps and slants. There was even one hole where we were supposed to fling the golf ball into a net suspended in the air! Neither of us were successful. The holes were not lined with a nice turfy material, they were plain cement, and not flat either because the golf balls would never stay still. We laughed the whole way through!
Sunday morning we ate yummy bread at the hotel breakfast and ventured outside to play life size checkers and chess! I don't even like to play checkers, so I just started sacrificing the poor guys. There were two cute British kids that had been playing checkers with their family the night before who came out to help us with our game. After Chris beat me at checkers, we moved on to chess. I like chess, but I don't really have a strategy, I just know how to move the pieces. Chris had me in checkmate in only four moves! He says he perfected it in middle school. We played again, and I held out much longer the second time. A German family came to watch us, and I'm sure they thought I was crazy when I hugged my king after he was checkmated again. We decided to move on with our travels and let the family play chess.
We drove to Furtwangen to the Deutsches Uhrenmuseum, about the only thing open on Sunday in the little town. The museum was neat, it had displays of astronomic clocks and the development of clocks through the black forest clockmaking career. There were also pocketwatches, quartz clocks, and atomic clocks. A room was devoted to mechanical musical instruments, made with the same technology as the clocks.
In Triberg we walked to another waterfall and enjoyed it's beauty. We finally found a cuckoo clock house and went in to see the large inner workings, it was cool. We went downtown and toured the Black Forest Museum. It displayed clothing styles over the years, clocks, instruments, beautiful rocks and ore, and all kinds of good stuff. There was a display of the railroad through the black forest that Chris put 50 euro cents in and we watched the little train zip in and out of mountain tunnels. We stopped for lunch after the museum and had delicious venison and spaetzle. Then we meandered down the street exploring cuckoo clock and wood carving shops.
We made it home safely and are resting after our busy weekend, preparing for another week of work.
Friday, August 8, 2008
Rain and Quilts
We've been having the most wonderful thunderstorms! It's cooled down the air, and I just love storms. I was very afraid of thunderstorms until my Grandpa Duke took me outside on the porch and held me during one, then I wasn't afraid anymore and I liked them (during the daytime, it took several more years to be okay with nighttime storms too).
Today was a fun day at work. I'm still needed as a teller with scheduling, so today I was on my very own with my very own cash drawer! I really enjoyed it, and I learned some new things. I processed over 35 savings bond redemptions, and I counted lots and lots of US and Euro coins. The dollar/euro rate keeps going up slowly but surely, this weekend it's .6415 euro to the dollar!
Chris is always so tired when we come home from work, he usually spends the evening watching DVDs of the TV show Numbers. I've got my quilting spread out on the living room floor and I work on that and watch TV with him. I have one piece of fabric left to cut into strips, then I'll be ready to sew! I still haven't shopped for a sewing machine, it will have to be next saturday or the next week when I have a day off during the week. German stores are typically open 10am to 6pm from Monday to Friday, and shorter hours on Saturdays. The economy is more family oriented, so shops open late and close early. I like that, it just means I have to schedule a time to go.
This weekend Chris and I are going to explore the Black Forest! We have a few different towns picked out to explore with some museums, and there are tons of outdoor activities with hiking, viewing waterfalls, and we're spending the night on Lake Titisee. I want a cuckoo clock! But I'm not going to get one on this trip.
Chris and I tried to sign up for a tour going to Brussels next saturday for the famous flower carpet, but it was full. I don't think we'll have enough gas liters for the rest of the month if we do the Black Forest and Brussels. The flower carpet only occurs once every two years, so we decided to just go when it happens again in two years.
Today was a fun day at work. I'm still needed as a teller with scheduling, so today I was on my very own with my very own cash drawer! I really enjoyed it, and I learned some new things. I processed over 35 savings bond redemptions, and I counted lots and lots of US and Euro coins. The dollar/euro rate keeps going up slowly but surely, this weekend it's .6415 euro to the dollar!
Chris is always so tired when we come home from work, he usually spends the evening watching DVDs of the TV show Numbers. I've got my quilting spread out on the living room floor and I work on that and watch TV with him. I have one piece of fabric left to cut into strips, then I'll be ready to sew! I still haven't shopped for a sewing machine, it will have to be next saturday or the next week when I have a day off during the week. German stores are typically open 10am to 6pm from Monday to Friday, and shorter hours on Saturdays. The economy is more family oriented, so shops open late and close early. I like that, it just means I have to schedule a time to go.
This weekend Chris and I are going to explore the Black Forest! We have a few different towns picked out to explore with some museums, and there are tons of outdoor activities with hiking, viewing waterfalls, and we're spending the night on Lake Titisee. I want a cuckoo clock! But I'm not going to get one on this trip.
Chris and I tried to sign up for a tour going to Brussels next saturday for the famous flower carpet, but it was full. I don't think we'll have enough gas liters for the rest of the month if we do the Black Forest and Brussels. The flower carpet only occurs once every two years, so we decided to just go when it happens again in two years.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Settling In
I think we are settling into our German life more and more each day. Since I've started working we've been building a routine. Speaking of work, I was promoted today! I will now be a customer service representative, yay! Chris and Callie are very proud, I've only been working there a week and a half.
Chris is at football practice with the guys from his office. He's fitting in really well and he's doing great with his new job. Now, if only I could get him to put his dishes in the dishwasher :-)
I started my next quilt this week! It's a green and beige log cabin, I'm cutting lots and lots of strips with my rotary cutter. Pretty soon I'll need to find a sewing machine, there's no way I'm sewing all those strips by hand! Callie likes to lay right on the cutting board while I'm working, and I have to be careful to move her and not cut her! She likes to walk all over me while I'm sleeping too, I'm going to have to do something about that.
The other evening Chris and I ventured out on one of the numerous surrounding bike/walking trails and it was so peaceful and beautiful. We walked past cornfields (and felt very at home), up and down hills, and watched as the sun was slowly setting. We are the luckiest people in the world, living in the most beautiful place! I always hear about people stationed here who don't want to be here and I feel sad because it's such an amazing experience and there's so many people who do want to be here yet never get the chance.
Here's the latest cutest photos from the Callie Cam, as she's about the only thing I've been taking pictures of lately. She likes to play in a big packing box with lots of packing paper, we left it out on the third floor for her to have fun in. She also likes to take naps with her mommy and daddy!
Chris is at football practice with the guys from his office. He's fitting in really well and he's doing great with his new job. Now, if only I could get him to put his dishes in the dishwasher :-)
I started my next quilt this week! It's a green and beige log cabin, I'm cutting lots and lots of strips with my rotary cutter. Pretty soon I'll need to find a sewing machine, there's no way I'm sewing all those strips by hand! Callie likes to lay right on the cutting board while I'm working, and I have to be careful to move her and not cut her! She likes to walk all over me while I'm sleeping too, I'm going to have to do something about that.
The other evening Chris and I ventured out on one of the numerous surrounding bike/walking trails and it was so peaceful and beautiful. We walked past cornfields (and felt very at home), up and down hills, and watched as the sun was slowly setting. We are the luckiest people in the world, living in the most beautiful place! I always hear about people stationed here who don't want to be here and I feel sad because it's such an amazing experience and there's so many people who do want to be here yet never get the chance.
Here's the latest cutest photos from the Callie Cam, as she's about the only thing I've been taking pictures of lately. She likes to play in a big packing box with lots of packing paper, we left it out on the third floor for her to have fun in. She also likes to take naps with her mommy and daddy!
Saturday, August 2, 2008
August is Here
We successfully survived another week in Germany. I'm happily typing this post on Chris's computer, we fixed it! Well, "we" didn't fix it, we went to Chris's supervisor's house and I held the 5 day old newborn while the husband replaced our power source. He was a sweet baby, but it is definitely not my time for one. I'm happy to hand them back when they cry.
I like my job! I caught on pretty quickly and worked successfully through busy payday yesterday. I'll be going to training school in Mainz the last two weeks in September, just as I've already figured everything out, oh well. Tonight we're going to a barbeque at one of my coworker's homes, I made fruit salad.
Chris had to work all day today, so I had the house to myself. I didn't even stay home, I went out and about in Kaiserslautern. I bought a few tops and a skirt for work, it gets very very hot without air conditioning and most of my clothes are heavier for winter. I also found pretty yarn, I'm addicted. I ventured to a furniture store for a clothes drying rack so I don't have to waste so much electricity running the dryer, yay! As I was browsing, I realized the furniture there was the same type of furniture at IKEA, so we'll either try the third time's the charm, or just go local.
The olympics start soon! Chris promised we would get an AFN decoder so that I could watch them, they will be broadcast on the AFN channels. I love the olympics. When I was little I pretended to be a gymnast and a diver.
I had a moment of panic about my job choice yesterday when I by chance met the middle school band director. He claims I'm more qualified than he is to teach band, he only has a music minor. But I don't have a degree in education. He told me to give him a call when school started, he's a brass player and I would be of good help to the woodwinds. It made me think why didn't I check with the schools?!? But I've convinced myself it's just fine. I wanted to move to Europe and do something totally different, take a step back from all the craziness and start over. That's just what I did. I have a nice job that allows me to work with all kinds of people, and at the end of the day I'm done and don't have to take work home. Maybe one of these days I'll figure out what it is that I want to do, I change my mind every week. How ironic that I've graduated college with a double major and I have no idea what I want to do with my life.
I like my job! I caught on pretty quickly and worked successfully through busy payday yesterday. I'll be going to training school in Mainz the last two weeks in September, just as I've already figured everything out, oh well. Tonight we're going to a barbeque at one of my coworker's homes, I made fruit salad.
Chris had to work all day today, so I had the house to myself. I didn't even stay home, I went out and about in Kaiserslautern. I bought a few tops and a skirt for work, it gets very very hot without air conditioning and most of my clothes are heavier for winter. I also found pretty yarn, I'm addicted. I ventured to a furniture store for a clothes drying rack so I don't have to waste so much electricity running the dryer, yay! As I was browsing, I realized the furniture there was the same type of furniture at IKEA, so we'll either try the third time's the charm, or just go local.
The olympics start soon! Chris promised we would get an AFN decoder so that I could watch them, they will be broadcast on the AFN channels. I love the olympics. When I was little I pretended to be a gymnast and a diver.
I had a moment of panic about my job choice yesterday when I by chance met the middle school band director. He claims I'm more qualified than he is to teach band, he only has a music minor. But I don't have a degree in education. He told me to give him a call when school started, he's a brass player and I would be of good help to the woodwinds. It made me think why didn't I check with the schools?!? But I've convinced myself it's just fine. I wanted to move to Europe and do something totally different, take a step back from all the craziness and start over. That's just what I did. I have a nice job that allows me to work with all kinds of people, and at the end of the day I'm done and don't have to take work home. Maybe one of these days I'll figure out what it is that I want to do, I change my mind every week. How ironic that I've graduated college with a double major and I have no idea what I want to do with my life.
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