Today we saw our soon-to-be home. It is small, to say the least. I’ve seen single rooms that are as big as our entire apartment. Our hotel room is actually longer than our apartment is and probably similar in square footage. It is not just a step down, but a LEAP down. There are no American outlets, only European, bedrooms that I don’t even know if we can fit our furniture in, and no outdoor space, not even the balcony that the pamphlet promised we’d have. There are no washer and dryers in the unit, we have to lug everything to the basement. The hallway smells like something curled up and died in the corner and we have to go back to just having one bathroom….something I have not had to do since leaving Norfolk.
We are not even in the city of Heidelberg. There are two housing villages in Heidelberg, Patrick Henry Village – where we are – and Mark Twain Village – which is in the city, close to local shops and public transportation. Mark Twain is where I was hoping we could live, but since Heidelberg is closing they are not putting any new people on MTV, everyone has to live on PHV. We asked about living off post on the economy and they told us we are not allowed. I can understand living in a pint size apartment if you are in the city, but we are surrounded by farmland. People move to the country so they can have bigger houses, not live on top of one another.
Oh well, I guess there is nothing we can do about it. We could deny this one and look at a different one, but it will be the same size and probably look the same. There are no units with washer and dryers available, which is a real dissappointment.
It could be worse, we could be stuck in a two bedroom, which is what they originally had us down for. At least we are on the first floor and I don’t have to climb six flights with 2 little ones, a giant stroller, carseat, and whatever else I’d be bringing home. There is an outdoor play area close to our building, so when the weather is nice we can spend most of our time out there (if the weather here ever gets nice. I don’t think we’ve seen the sun since we got off the plane). It should also be easy to watch the kids since I can see every inch of the apartment from almost everywhere. As long as we don’t acquire any more “things” we should be ok. The city is just a short drive away, so we can still take advantage of all it has to offer without too much of a hassle, as long as we can find parking. (I wonder if they run a bus to the city from here? Something to look into...)
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Friday, January 7, 2011
traveling to Germany
It’s time for the big trip. We are flying out of St. Louis to Dallas, then from Dallas to Frankfurt, Germany. Total travel time is supposed to be around 14hours. We are so grateful that my parents were able to fly to St. Louis with me and the boys. They will be dropping us at the airport and driving the truck back to Ohio for storage. They have been so helpful through this experience and we don’t know how we would have survived without them.
Maddox and Carson were great on the plane ride from Cleveland to St. Louis, lets hope they are this good on the long flight to Germany. Carson sat with me while Maddox, Mom, and Dad sat behind us.
We arrive at the hotel with the double stroller and the luggage. When it’s time to head up the elevator we can’t all fit so we plan to meet on the 4th floor and head to our room. Me, mom, and the 2 boys get on first while Dad waits for the next one with the luggage. There is a housekeeper on the elevator already, we hit the 4 button and start heading up. We are laughing and chatting about how we don’t have any room and get off on the next stop. It was the 2nd floor. Oops. Mom hit the up button and when the elevator comes down she gets on. I yell to her because the elevator is going down, not up, and she starts to get off, but the door starts to close. I tell her to go down and ride back up with Dad, I’ll meet them up there with the boys. After a long game of musical elevators we finally make it to our rooms and Ben meets us later that night.
It’s 5:50am and my alarm rings. It’s time to get up, get dressed, feed the boys and get out the door. Mom and I hop on the shuttle to the airport while Dad and Ben put the luggage in the truck and meet us there. We were quite a sight going through the airport with 9 bags, 3 carry-ons, a diaper bag, 2 carseats, and a double stroller. Can you imagine what it would be like if we had 2 dog crates as well? While waiting in line to check in and check our baggage we realize that American Airlines is by far the slowest airline with the oldest people ever to work the ticket counter. They have 1 person working the first class line, 1 person working with self check in, and 1 person for regular check in. We got to the airport a little after 7am and did not get out of that line until after 8. After everything it was time for our sad goodbyes to my parents. Of course my mom cried, which made me cry and smear all my makeup. After I pulled it together we headed to security. They better not be as slow as the ticket counter people. Thankfully, they weren’t the slow ones, we were. We filled the conveyer belt with things to be scanned again. Ben was a little stressed out, but I reassured him that the first time going through with all this stuff is the hardest. The next time he will know what to expect and it will be much easier…even though it will still take forever.
We board the plane for Dallas, Ben and Maddox are sitting on one side of the aisle and I am on the other. Carson has his own seat next to the window, I am in the middle, and there is an empty seat next to me. Almost everyone was on the plane and I was getting excited that the seat would stay open, but then I see this large black woman heading down the aisle. She stops, looks at me, and sits down. Oh great, I have a carseat and infant on one side and a double wide woman on the other. This was going to be a long flight. She asked the flight attendant for a seat belt extension and we started talking. The plane was about to taxi out and she still didn’t have her extension, so she asked again. The flight attendant apologized and went to get it. When she came back she looks at me with sympathy, Carson crying in my arms, and asked the lady if she would like to move to the first row so she would have more leg room. There was an empty seat! She said yes and, even though she was a nice lady, I was so happy she moved. The rest of the flight was uneventful and the boys had no problems.
We had a two hour layover in Dallas. This was, by far, the biggest airport I had ever been in. It had 4 huge terminals that were connected over a freeway by a skyline. The plane had the longest onramp ever made. It seemed like we walked a mile before we actually made it to the plane. Once we boarded we were supposed to take off at 10:25. The plane was ginormous, with 2 seats on each side and 5 in the middle. There were TV screens on the back of each seat, pull out remote controls that doubled as a game controller, and a giant screen at the front of the cabin that showed the planes position on the trip. At 11:00 we still had not taken off. The pilot notified us that there were 9 dogs in the holding compartment, which was too many, and they had to move them around to different areas (once again we are thankful that we didn’t have the dogs). After an hour of waiting we finally took off. The boys were great for the most part. Carson slept a lot, Maddox played video games with me and watched Shrek.
The airline food was awful except for the tortellini that Ben had for dinner. We didn’t get much sleep during the flight but we survived. After 11.5 hours we landed, waited forever for the stroller, and headed to baggage claim. After getting our baggage off the carousel we maneuvered over to the military area. Ben pushed 2 full carts of stuff, I pushed the stroller, and pulled a train of blue bags behind me. The new light weight luggage my parents got us for Christmas definitely came in handy.
The reception guys who are at the airport put us in a line and told us to follow the leader as they take us to the waiting area. We get to an escalator and I stop. I tell them there is no way I am taking this double stroller up the escalator. The people looked a little confused and asked an old man who works at the airport to take me to an elevator. The old man tells me that he is not going up with me, but when I get off to make a u-turn and walk back the way I came. I get up to the second floor, start walking sweating bullets, and I don’t see anybody. They didn’t wait for me…what do I do now? I didn’t even have my purse or any of our passports. After walking around a bit I see a private in uniform. I begged him to help me find where I am supposed to be and he took us up another elevator and down a long hallway that I never would have found on my own. I found Ben and told him to never leave me alone in a foreign country’s airport again. They had toys for the kids to play with and Maddox made a new girlfriend.
We waited in the waiting area for a couple of hours before getting on the shuttle and heading to Heidelberg. We ended up getting here around 1pm, checked in to the hotel, and struggled to stay awake the rest of the day.
Maddox and Carson were great on the plane ride from Cleveland to St. Louis, lets hope they are this good on the long flight to Germany. Carson sat with me while Maddox, Mom, and Dad sat behind us.
We arrive at the hotel with the double stroller and the luggage. When it’s time to head up the elevator we can’t all fit so we plan to meet on the 4th floor and head to our room. Me, mom, and the 2 boys get on first while Dad waits for the next one with the luggage. There is a housekeeper on the elevator already, we hit the 4 button and start heading up. We are laughing and chatting about how we don’t have any room and get off on the next stop. It was the 2nd floor. Oops. Mom hit the up button and when the elevator comes down she gets on. I yell to her because the elevator is going down, not up, and she starts to get off, but the door starts to close. I tell her to go down and ride back up with Dad, I’ll meet them up there with the boys. After a long game of musical elevators we finally make it to our rooms and Ben meets us later that night.
It’s 5:50am and my alarm rings. It’s time to get up, get dressed, feed the boys and get out the door. Mom and I hop on the shuttle to the airport while Dad and Ben put the luggage in the truck and meet us there. We were quite a sight going through the airport with 9 bags, 3 carry-ons, a diaper bag, 2 carseats, and a double stroller. Can you imagine what it would be like if we had 2 dog crates as well? While waiting in line to check in and check our baggage we realize that American Airlines is by far the slowest airline with the oldest people ever to work the ticket counter. They have 1 person working the first class line, 1 person working with self check in, and 1 person for regular check in. We got to the airport a little after 7am and did not get out of that line until after 8. After everything it was time for our sad goodbyes to my parents. Of course my mom cried, which made me cry and smear all my makeup. After I pulled it together we headed to security. They better not be as slow as the ticket counter people. Thankfully, they weren’t the slow ones, we were. We filled the conveyer belt with things to be scanned again. Ben was a little stressed out, but I reassured him that the first time going through with all this stuff is the hardest. The next time he will know what to expect and it will be much easier…even though it will still take forever.
We board the plane for Dallas, Ben and Maddox are sitting on one side of the aisle and I am on the other. Carson has his own seat next to the window, I am in the middle, and there is an empty seat next to me. Almost everyone was on the plane and I was getting excited that the seat would stay open, but then I see this large black woman heading down the aisle. She stops, looks at me, and sits down. Oh great, I have a carseat and infant on one side and a double wide woman on the other. This was going to be a long flight. She asked the flight attendant for a seat belt extension and we started talking. The plane was about to taxi out and she still didn’t have her extension, so she asked again. The flight attendant apologized and went to get it. When she came back she looks at me with sympathy, Carson crying in my arms, and asked the lady if she would like to move to the first row so she would have more leg room. There was an empty seat! She said yes and, even though she was a nice lady, I was so happy she moved. The rest of the flight was uneventful and the boys had no problems.
We had a two hour layover in Dallas. This was, by far, the biggest airport I had ever been in. It had 4 huge terminals that were connected over a freeway by a skyline. The plane had the longest onramp ever made. It seemed like we walked a mile before we actually made it to the plane. Once we boarded we were supposed to take off at 10:25. The plane was ginormous, with 2 seats on each side and 5 in the middle. There were TV screens on the back of each seat, pull out remote controls that doubled as a game controller, and a giant screen at the front of the cabin that showed the planes position on the trip. At 11:00 we still had not taken off. The pilot notified us that there were 9 dogs in the holding compartment, which was too many, and they had to move them around to different areas (once again we are thankful that we didn’t have the dogs). After an hour of waiting we finally took off. The boys were great for the most part. Carson slept a lot, Maddox played video games with me and watched Shrek.
The airline food was awful except for the tortellini that Ben had for dinner. We didn’t get much sleep during the flight but we survived. After 11.5 hours we landed, waited forever for the stroller, and headed to baggage claim. After getting our baggage off the carousel we maneuvered over to the military area. Ben pushed 2 full carts of stuff, I pushed the stroller, and pulled a train of blue bags behind me. The new light weight luggage my parents got us for Christmas definitely came in handy.
The reception guys who are at the airport put us in a line and told us to follow the leader as they take us to the waiting area. We get to an escalator and I stop. I tell them there is no way I am taking this double stroller up the escalator. The people looked a little confused and asked an old man who works at the airport to take me to an elevator. The old man tells me that he is not going up with me, but when I get off to make a u-turn and walk back the way I came. I get up to the second floor, start walking sweating bullets, and I don’t see anybody. They didn’t wait for me…what do I do now? I didn’t even have my purse or any of our passports. After walking around a bit I see a private in uniform. I begged him to help me find where I am supposed to be and he took us up another elevator and down a long hallway that I never would have found on my own. I found Ben and told him to never leave me alone in a foreign country’s airport again. They had toys for the kids to play with and Maddox made a new girlfriend.
We waited in the waiting area for a couple of hours before getting on the shuttle and heading to Heidelberg. We ended up getting here around 1pm, checked in to the hotel, and struggled to stay awake the rest of the day.
Ohio/Mass
PCS Leave was great. We spent a few days in Ohio before picking up Morgan and Susan and heading to Mass. During those days we got quite a snow storm and Grandpa showed him how to throw snowballs. He got quite a kick out of throwing them at Grandma.
Grandma and Papa took Maddox to see Santa. He ran out of the house really excited and kept saying "Santa! Ho, ho, ho!" Once he got to the mall he was a little reserved and took a while to warm up to the big man. Thankfully noone was waiting so they let him take as much time as he needed.
The drive to Massachusetts was long, around 11 hours. The six of us were packed into the truck like sardines, but we made the best of it, singing along with Christmas Carols on the radio and picking on Susan. Nancy had a big pot of turkey soup waiting for us when we got to their house. Famished from the trip we gobbled it right up while visiting with her and Tom. The next day Nancy had arranged for Ben's close friends and family to come over for dinner. We got to see all of the relatives on that side. I enjoyed getting to know them better, and the kids had fun playing with thier aunts, uncles, and cousins. Sadly, I forgot my camera so we didn't get any pictures. We relaxed for most of our time in Mass, the kids went sledding, Susan went horseback riding, and Morgan learned how to play Cribbage from his dad and grandpa. On our last day there we finally got up to New Hampshire to see Ben's friends Jill and Damon. They invited more of the crew over and pretty soon we had a packed house, filled with toys, and turned into a Barber Shop by Susan. Here are some pictures that Jill took that night.
The novelty of traveling had worn off and the drive back to Ohio seemed to take forever for all of us. We arrived the night of Dec. 23rd to a full house(14 people staying at my mom and dads) and a brand new niece! Alex and Kristen had a little girl on the 22nd and named her Destiny Christain. Christmas Eve and Christmas day were insane, as you can imagine with so many people and so many babies/toddlers staying in one house. As a teacher and military wife you learn to "embrace the chaos". As long as you stay calm, remember to breath, and know how to laugh at life's absurdeties you can get through it. Maybe someday I will write about the events of the Brininger Christmas of 2010, it would make quite a story.
Grandma and Papa took Maddox to see Santa. He ran out of the house really excited and kept saying "Santa! Ho, ho, ho!" Once he got to the mall he was a little reserved and took a while to warm up to the big man. Thankfully noone was waiting so they let him take as much time as he needed.
The drive to Massachusetts was long, around 11 hours. The six of us were packed into the truck like sardines, but we made the best of it, singing along with Christmas Carols on the radio and picking on Susan. Nancy had a big pot of turkey soup waiting for us when we got to their house. Famished from the trip we gobbled it right up while visiting with her and Tom. The next day Nancy had arranged for Ben's close friends and family to come over for dinner. We got to see all of the relatives on that side. I enjoyed getting to know them better, and the kids had fun playing with thier aunts, uncles, and cousins. Sadly, I forgot my camera so we didn't get any pictures. We relaxed for most of our time in Mass, the kids went sledding, Susan went horseback riding, and Morgan learned how to play Cribbage from his dad and grandpa. On our last day there we finally got up to New Hampshire to see Ben's friends Jill and Damon. They invited more of the crew over and pretty soon we had a packed house, filled with toys, and turned into a Barber Shop by Susan. Here are some pictures that Jill took that night.
The novelty of traveling had worn off and the drive back to Ohio seemed to take forever for all of us. We arrived the night of Dec. 23rd to a full house(14 people staying at my mom and dads) and a brand new niece! Alex and Kristen had a little girl on the 22nd and named her Destiny Christain. Christmas Eve and Christmas day were insane, as you can imagine with so many people and so many babies/toddlers staying in one house. As a teacher and military wife you learn to "embrace the chaos". As long as you stay calm, remember to breath, and know how to laugh at life's absurdeties you can get through it. Maybe someday I will write about the events of the Brininger Christmas of 2010, it would make quite a story.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Starting PCS Leave
For my non-military friends and family, PCS means permanent change of station. Before you PCS (or transfer) to another base you can take leave to visit family or take a vacation before you report to your next duty station and sign in. We are taking 4 weeks of leave.
The movers came to pick up our UB and HHG on December 3rd, 6th, and 7th. Thankfully, my mom came down to Missouri on the 7th to help out with the kids while we finished packing things up and got ready to move out on December 10th. We would not have been able to accomplish this feat without her. Once the movers left on the 7th I could not believe how much stuff we still had at the house. Part of that was due to the fact that we won't have a yard, garage, or basement in Germany so everything that was in those areas did not get packed up and shipped. We sold somethings, gave a lot of it away, and whatever was left (and in good condition) was loaded in a u-haul and brought to Ohio for storage (and when I say "loaded", I mean LOADED. That thing was packed to the brim. I really can't believe Ben and his brother fit it all in there). My brother in law, Pete, and his wife Cassie were also a huge help in us leaving Fort Leonard Wood without losing our minds. They came over several times and helped us by watching the kids, loading the u-haul, and taking some excess items off our hands. We are very blessed to have such wonderful family members who come to our aid in times of need.
After everything was packed and we had our final walk through with the property management (which was 20 minutes late because she forgot about us), we headed to St. Louis. Mom, the 2 boys, and I had tickets to fly to Ohio around 5pm and Ben was going to drive the jam-packed truck and uhaul up. Before we could head to the airport we had to drop the Dodge off at the Shipping grounds on the other side of the Mississippi River. The papers from Wells Fargo arrived with just 2 days to spare. Since there is a lien on the truck, the company that gave us the loan (Wells Fargo) has to give written permission for the vehicle to be shipped out of the U.S. We had been dealing with Wells Fargo for several weeks and were biting our nails waiting for it. The only reason we got the Dodge was to take it to Germany, otherwise I would not have traded in my paid off chevy (I was not looking forward to another car loan). If we didn't get the papers in time we would have had to send the truck and we all know Europe is not very conducive for large vehicles. The 3 of us caravaned down I40, Ben in front with the Ford, Carson and I in the middle with the Dodge, Mom and Maddox pulling up the rear in the rental car. As we did this I reflected on the time we had spent in Missouri and said a solemn goodbye in my head. I felt relief in knowing the 3 years of Ben being on the trail and me being a "married, single mom" were over, sad to be leaving the place where we became a family and made so many good friends, and anxious to see what this next destination has in store for us.
We dropped the Dodge off for shipment without any complications, sent Ben on his way, and headed to the airport. At the rental car return, it took what seemed to be an hour to get everyone out of the car, loaded into the double stroller, and arrange our bags in a way that we could carry everything to the shuttle without falling over. Maddox made friends with the driver and laughed when she would talk to him over the speaker. Once inside the airport the trip really got entertaining. While waiting to get through security Maddox decided to pretend to shoot all the people in line. He used his finger as a gun and shouted "boom, boom!" while pointing at all the strangers. Thankfully, most people found it humorous and no one took offense because Mom and I were both unsuccessful in our attempts to stop him. When we got to the xray machines we took up an entire coveyer belt full of tubs and held the line up for quite a while. We had to send our carryons, purses, shoes, coats, Maddox's shoes, the double stroller, and the car seat all through. My advice to anyone traveling with two small children: pack light and check as much as you can.
Things did not get any more calm once we made it through security. Poor Maddox had been stuck sitting down for hours, and we all know how much energy two year olds have. Once he was out of that stroller all he wanted to do was run. Mom was giving Carson a bottle, so I was stuck chasing him all over the airport. It was fine for the first few laps because he would stop and turn around when I told him to and I could keep up with him by speed walking. Soon he decided to test his limits. He wouldn't turn around or stop when he was told and kept running faster and faster. I was "that parent", chasing after her kid, darting around people half crouched down yelling "Excuse me!" while reaching out trying to grab him by the arm. He finally crossed the line when he raced through a gate and tried to get down the ramp. I dragged him kicking and screaming back to our gate and made Mom switch places with me. Maybe she would have more success at keeping him in line. I watched while she stood up and put something away in one of the carry-on bags. Maddox was backing up, getting closer and closer to the aisle while keeping both eyes on Mom. She saw him trying to escape and told him to come back here. He took another step backwards and Mom firmly said "Maddox Bradley", but the use of the middle name did no good. I saw him bolt around the corner and she took off after him.
They finally made it back just in time to board (which was also complicated because we had too many bags with us.) Once on the plane we convinced a woman to switch seats with us so I was not stuck sitting with both Maddox and Carson by myself. After take off we tried to get the DVD player out for Maddox to watch. We were counting on this to keep him in his seat for the hour flight, but the batteries were dead. At that moment I was relieved to be sitting with Carson and not Maddox...Mom would have to deal with him. Surprisingly, he was very well behaved for most of the flight and only tried to jump out of his seat a few times. Mom even had time to read some of her book.
We landed in Cleveland an hour or so later. Ben made it home a few hours after we did. Now it was time to relax before picking up Morgan and Susan and heading to Massachusetts.
The movers came to pick up our UB and HHG on December 3rd, 6th, and 7th. Thankfully, my mom came down to Missouri on the 7th to help out with the kids while we finished packing things up and got ready to move out on December 10th. We would not have been able to accomplish this feat without her. Once the movers left on the 7th I could not believe how much stuff we still had at the house. Part of that was due to the fact that we won't have a yard, garage, or basement in Germany so everything that was in those areas did not get packed up and shipped. We sold somethings, gave a lot of it away, and whatever was left (and in good condition) was loaded in a u-haul and brought to Ohio for storage (and when I say "loaded", I mean LOADED. That thing was packed to the brim. I really can't believe Ben and his brother fit it all in there). My brother in law, Pete, and his wife Cassie were also a huge help in us leaving Fort Leonard Wood without losing our minds. They came over several times and helped us by watching the kids, loading the u-haul, and taking some excess items off our hands. We are very blessed to have such wonderful family members who come to our aid in times of need.
After everything was packed and we had our final walk through with the property management (which was 20 minutes late because she forgot about us), we headed to St. Louis. Mom, the 2 boys, and I had tickets to fly to Ohio around 5pm and Ben was going to drive the jam-packed truck and uhaul up. Before we could head to the airport we had to drop the Dodge off at the Shipping grounds on the other side of the Mississippi River. The papers from Wells Fargo arrived with just 2 days to spare. Since there is a lien on the truck, the company that gave us the loan (Wells Fargo) has to give written permission for the vehicle to be shipped out of the U.S. We had been dealing with Wells Fargo for several weeks and were biting our nails waiting for it. The only reason we got the Dodge was to take it to Germany, otherwise I would not have traded in my paid off chevy (I was not looking forward to another car loan). If we didn't get the papers in time we would have had to send the truck and we all know Europe is not very conducive for large vehicles. The 3 of us caravaned down I40, Ben in front with the Ford, Carson and I in the middle with the Dodge, Mom and Maddox pulling up the rear in the rental car. As we did this I reflected on the time we had spent in Missouri and said a solemn goodbye in my head. I felt relief in knowing the 3 years of Ben being on the trail and me being a "married, single mom" were over, sad to be leaving the place where we became a family and made so many good friends, and anxious to see what this next destination has in store for us.
We dropped the Dodge off for shipment without any complications, sent Ben on his way, and headed to the airport. At the rental car return, it took what seemed to be an hour to get everyone out of the car, loaded into the double stroller, and arrange our bags in a way that we could carry everything to the shuttle without falling over. Maddox made friends with the driver and laughed when she would talk to him over the speaker. Once inside the airport the trip really got entertaining. While waiting to get through security Maddox decided to pretend to shoot all the people in line. He used his finger as a gun and shouted "boom, boom!" while pointing at all the strangers. Thankfully, most people found it humorous and no one took offense because Mom and I were both unsuccessful in our attempts to stop him. When we got to the xray machines we took up an entire coveyer belt full of tubs and held the line up for quite a while. We had to send our carryons, purses, shoes, coats, Maddox's shoes, the double stroller, and the car seat all through. My advice to anyone traveling with two small children: pack light and check as much as you can.
Things did not get any more calm once we made it through security. Poor Maddox had been stuck sitting down for hours, and we all know how much energy two year olds have. Once he was out of that stroller all he wanted to do was run. Mom was giving Carson a bottle, so I was stuck chasing him all over the airport. It was fine for the first few laps because he would stop and turn around when I told him to and I could keep up with him by speed walking. Soon he decided to test his limits. He wouldn't turn around or stop when he was told and kept running faster and faster. I was "that parent", chasing after her kid, darting around people half crouched down yelling "Excuse me!" while reaching out trying to grab him by the arm. He finally crossed the line when he raced through a gate and tried to get down the ramp. I dragged him kicking and screaming back to our gate and made Mom switch places with me. Maybe she would have more success at keeping him in line. I watched while she stood up and put something away in one of the carry-on bags. Maddox was backing up, getting closer and closer to the aisle while keeping both eyes on Mom. She saw him trying to escape and told him to come back here. He took another step backwards and Mom firmly said "Maddox Bradley", but the use of the middle name did no good. I saw him bolt around the corner and she took off after him.
They finally made it back just in time to board (which was also complicated because we had too many bags with us.) Once on the plane we convinced a woman to switch seats with us so I was not stuck sitting with both Maddox and Carson by myself. After take off we tried to get the DVD player out for Maddox to watch. We were counting on this to keep him in his seat for the hour flight, but the batteries were dead. At that moment I was relieved to be sitting with Carson and not Maddox...Mom would have to deal with him. Surprisingly, he was very well behaved for most of the flight and only tried to jump out of his seat a few times. Mom even had time to read some of her book.
We landed in Cleveland an hour or so later. Ben made it home a few hours after we did. Now it was time to relax before picking up Morgan and Susan and heading to Massachusetts.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Orders!
We are 3 weeks away from when our PCS (permanent change of station) leave is scheduled to start and we finally received our orders! There's nothing like waiting until the last minute, especially when you are about to make a life altering move. I should ad that the Army usually isn't this slow in getting things to you. Apparently we had orders with Ben, Maddox, and myself on them, but since Carson was born on October 21st this caused the delay. All of Carson's paperwork had to be completed through the EFMP (Exceptional Family Member Program) office, then sent to Germany, then come back to the US in order for him to get added and get the our final orders.
Now that we have them here is a list of things that we can finally take care of:
1.) Get our passports and tickets - The Army has purchased all 4 of our tickets, but won't give them to us until Carson's passport comes in. I think we will be in Ohio by that time, so they will have to mail them to my parent's house. At least they are purchased and we know what day we are leaving the states. We originally thought that we would be flying out on the 9th since our report date is the 10th, however, I have quickly learned that the Army rarely follows your plans. January 9th is a Sunday and you are not allowed to fly in on a weekend. Ben must be there by the 10th to sign in or he will be in BIG trouble, so they scheduled our flight for January 4th. I am a little bummed because that cuts out 4 days of family time that I had planned for, but I'm slowly learning to live with constant changes and disappointments.
2.) Arrangements to fly the dogs - We are still trying to find homes for these two dogs, but I doubt we will be successful. In today's economy people are giving up their pets left and right. I posted an ad for them on craigslist and I was shocked at how many ads get posted in one day. I've called Guardian Angels for Soldier's Pets along with other military affiliated foster programs and none seem to be able to help us due to the fact that we will be gone for 3 years. They are specifically designed for people who are deploying for a year or less. Don't get me wrong, I think it is a great program, but I just wish there was some kind of assistance for people in our situation. I've also called no-kill shelters (which are all full) and rescue organizations (which are all breed specific and won't take our lovable mutts). I put them on petfinder, but I'm afraid these guys are too old to compete with all of the puppies and pure bred pooches that are out there.
Several people have mentioned just taking them to a shelter, but these dogs are my husband's babies. He's had them longer than most of his children and I understand how heartbreaking it would be to do that because, in all honesty, we know they will not get adopted. A few people have emailed me about the craigslist ad saying they would take care of them, but when I write them back and ask for their phone number so we can make arrangements I never hear back. Why would someone answer an ad like that if they weren't serious? I get my hopes up that they will be taken care of and then I am disappointed again.
So, if we can't find a home in the next few weeks we will start calling the airlines to arrange for them to fly with us. I have a feeling it will probably be expensive, plus if the temperature outside is too cold they won't be able to fly with us. That means we will have to find someone to hold on to them until the weather gets warmer and get them back to the airport to fly to us. Cross your fingers that it is warm on the 4th, in both St. Louis and Germany!
3.) Arrange the movers - Our Unaccompanied Baggage (things we will need right away like sheets, pillows, towels, etc.) are being picked up on December 3rd. The rest of our Household Goods are being picked up on the 6th and 7th.
4.) Shipping the car - Since there is a loan on the car that we want to ship we need to get permission from the lien holder to ship the car. We couldn't get that permission until we had orders. Now we need to fax the orders and a request form to the loan company and wait for a letter that give us permission to ship. I guess we have to wait until after we have the permission before we can set up a date to ship it. Who knows how long this will take. At least it is shipping out of St. Louis.
5.) Change insurance companies - Nationwide does not cover you car internationally or while it is being shipped, so we need to change our insurance company. The easiest place to do that is USAA since they specialize in military accounts. We will cancel the insurance on the truck since it will be in storage.
6.) Cancel our cell phones - Since we are still under contract we need to fax our orders to Verizon in order to cancel them with no fee.
7.) Change our address on all of our accounts - We have no address in Germany yet, and don't know when we will get one, so I'm changing all the addresses to my parents house. Once we get an address I will have to change it again.
8.) Cancel Dish Network - We are under contract on this as well, so once again we have to fax orders to cancel it with no fee.
9.) Cancel Internet - this was the easiest - no contract and nothing to send in. Go Cable America!
10.) Cancel Utilities - I have to go in to the office to do this as well (pain in the butt)
11.) Clean the house and throw out anything we can.
12.) Get a U-haul for all the things that we can't fit in the tiny German apartments and send it to Ohio for storage. These things include our washer, dryer, kitchen table and chairs, extra end tables, Ben's grandmother's organ, my pottery (don't want it to get broken on the way), Ben's glass collection, our pub table and chairs, any of my school items that I'm keeping (I think I'll give most of it away)...
Well, I'm sure there's a lot more but my head is spinning just thinking of these items to take care of (maybe listing them on here wasn't such a good idea.)
Once this is all over and we are settled in our teeny tiny apartment in Germany I'm sure I'll enjoy it. I plan to dive in to German life and meet the challenges of living in a foreign country head on and with a positive attitude. It is an experience of a lifetime that I'm sure I will look back on with fond memories. (I just have to keep reminding myself of that to get me over these hurdles we are facing now.)
Now that we have them here is a list of things that we can finally take care of:
1.) Get our passports and tickets - The Army has purchased all 4 of our tickets, but won't give them to us until Carson's passport comes in. I think we will be in Ohio by that time, so they will have to mail them to my parent's house. At least they are purchased and we know what day we are leaving the states. We originally thought that we would be flying out on the 9th since our report date is the 10th, however, I have quickly learned that the Army rarely follows your plans. January 9th is a Sunday and you are not allowed to fly in on a weekend. Ben must be there by the 10th to sign in or he will be in BIG trouble, so they scheduled our flight for January 4th. I am a little bummed because that cuts out 4 days of family time that I had planned for, but I'm slowly learning to live with constant changes and disappointments.
2.) Arrangements to fly the dogs - We are still trying to find homes for these two dogs, but I doubt we will be successful. In today's economy people are giving up their pets left and right. I posted an ad for them on craigslist and I was shocked at how many ads get posted in one day. I've called Guardian Angels for Soldier's Pets along with other military affiliated foster programs and none seem to be able to help us due to the fact that we will be gone for 3 years. They are specifically designed for people who are deploying for a year or less. Don't get me wrong, I think it is a great program, but I just wish there was some kind of assistance for people in our situation. I've also called no-kill shelters (which are all full) and rescue organizations (which are all breed specific and won't take our lovable mutts). I put them on petfinder, but I'm afraid these guys are too old to compete with all of the puppies and pure bred pooches that are out there.
Several people have mentioned just taking them to a shelter, but these dogs are my husband's babies. He's had them longer than most of his children and I understand how heartbreaking it would be to do that because, in all honesty, we know they will not get adopted. A few people have emailed me about the craigslist ad saying they would take care of them, but when I write them back and ask for their phone number so we can make arrangements I never hear back. Why would someone answer an ad like that if they weren't serious? I get my hopes up that they will be taken care of and then I am disappointed again.
So, if we can't find a home in the next few weeks we will start calling the airlines to arrange for them to fly with us. I have a feeling it will probably be expensive, plus if the temperature outside is too cold they won't be able to fly with us. That means we will have to find someone to hold on to them until the weather gets warmer and get them back to the airport to fly to us. Cross your fingers that it is warm on the 4th, in both St. Louis and Germany!
3.) Arrange the movers - Our Unaccompanied Baggage (things we will need right away like sheets, pillows, towels, etc.) are being picked up on December 3rd. The rest of our Household Goods are being picked up on the 6th and 7th.
4.) Shipping the car - Since there is a loan on the car that we want to ship we need to get permission from the lien holder to ship the car. We couldn't get that permission until we had orders. Now we need to fax the orders and a request form to the loan company and wait for a letter that give us permission to ship. I guess we have to wait until after we have the permission before we can set up a date to ship it. Who knows how long this will take. At least it is shipping out of St. Louis.
5.) Change insurance companies - Nationwide does not cover you car internationally or while it is being shipped, so we need to change our insurance company. The easiest place to do that is USAA since they specialize in military accounts. We will cancel the insurance on the truck since it will be in storage.
6.) Cancel our cell phones - Since we are still under contract we need to fax our orders to Verizon in order to cancel them with no fee.
7.) Change our address on all of our accounts - We have no address in Germany yet, and don't know when we will get one, so I'm changing all the addresses to my parents house. Once we get an address I will have to change it again.
8.) Cancel Dish Network - We are under contract on this as well, so once again we have to fax orders to cancel it with no fee.
9.) Cancel Internet - this was the easiest - no contract and nothing to send in. Go Cable America!
10.) Cancel Utilities - I have to go in to the office to do this as well (pain in the butt)
11.) Clean the house and throw out anything we can.
12.) Get a U-haul for all the things that we can't fit in the tiny German apartments and send it to Ohio for storage. These things include our washer, dryer, kitchen table and chairs, extra end tables, Ben's grandmother's organ, my pottery (don't want it to get broken on the way), Ben's glass collection, our pub table and chairs, any of my school items that I'm keeping (I think I'll give most of it away)...
Well, I'm sure there's a lot more but my head is spinning just thinking of these items to take care of (maybe listing them on here wasn't such a good idea.)
Once this is all over and we are settled in our teeny tiny apartment in Germany I'm sure I'll enjoy it. I plan to dive in to German life and meet the challenges of living in a foreign country head on and with a positive attitude. It is an experience of a lifetime that I'm sure I will look back on with fond memories. (I just have to keep reminding myself of that to get me over these hurdles we are facing now.)
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Military Sisterhood
I was reading a discussion board on PCSing overseas and came across this post. As I got to the part about planting trees to never see them grow tall, and work on projects for the betterment of those who come after us, it made me a little emotional (which may be because I just had a baby and my hormones are still out of wack). We've been stationed here for over 3 years, been in 2 different battallions, saw one company get dissolved and another start up. I've said goodbye to good friends who have been like family, hello to new ones, developed a fantastic relationship with my brother-in-law and his wife, and experienced the birth of my 2 wonderful sons. I've lived in 2 different houses, taught in 2 school districts and worked very hard to use my experiences and knowledge to help the schools, principals, other teachers, and my students reach their goals...or at least help them get a few steps closer. I will not see the end results of so much that has been a part of my life. I will not see any of my students graduate, see my friends non-profit foundation grow, or the FRG transform into the the vision that I've been helping to work toward. As much as I have complained about Missouri, I am sad to be leaving all of the experiences here. I have learned a lot about myself through this duty station and am looking forward to getting involved in my next community even though I know that it will not be mine forever.
Here is the post:
I am a military wife - a member of that sisterhood of women who have had the courage to watch their men go into battle, and the strength to survive until their return. Our sorority knows no rank, for we earn our membership with a marriage license, traveling over miles, or over nations to begin a new life with our military husbands.
Within days, we turn a barren, echoing building into a home, and though our quarters are inevitably white-walled and unpapered, we decorate with the treasures of our travels, for we shop the markets of the globe.
Using hammer and nail, we tack our pictures to the wall, and our roots to the floor as firmly as if we had lived there for a lifetime. We hold a family together by the bootstraps, and raise the best of "brats," instilling in them the motto, "Home is togetherness", whether motel, or guest house, apartment or duplex.
As military wives we soon realize that the only good in "Good-bye" is the "Hello again." For as salesmen for freedom, our husbands are often on the road, at sea, or in the sky, leaving us behind for a week, a month, an assignment. During separations we guard the home front, existing until the homecoming.
Unlike our civilian counterparts, we measure time, not by years, but by tours - married at Knox, a baby born at Portsmouth, a special anniversary at Yorktown, a promotion in McDill. We plant trees, and never see them grow tall, work on projects completed long after our departure, and enhance our community for the betterment of those who come after us. We leave a part of ourselves at every stop.
Through experience, we have learned to pack a suitcase, a car or hold baggage, and live indefinitely from the contents within: and though our fingers are sore from the patches we have sewn, and the silver we have shined, our hands are always ready to help those around us.
Women of peace, we pray for a world in harmony, for the flag that leads our men into battle, will also blanket them in death. Yet we are an optimistic group, thinking of the good, and forgetting the bad, cherishing yesterday, while anticipating tomorrow.
Never rich by monetary standards, our hearts are overflowing with a wealth of experiences common only to those united by the special tradition of military life. We pass on this legacy to every military bride, welcoming her with outstretched arms, with love and friendship, from one sister to another, sharing in the bounty of our unique, fulfilling military way of life.
Here is the post:
I am a military wife - a member of that sisterhood of women who have had the courage to watch their men go into battle, and the strength to survive until their return. Our sorority knows no rank, for we earn our membership with a marriage license, traveling over miles, or over nations to begin a new life with our military husbands.
Within days, we turn a barren, echoing building into a home, and though our quarters are inevitably white-walled and unpapered, we decorate with the treasures of our travels, for we shop the markets of the globe.
Using hammer and nail, we tack our pictures to the wall, and our roots to the floor as firmly as if we had lived there for a lifetime. We hold a family together by the bootstraps, and raise the best of "brats," instilling in them the motto, "Home is togetherness", whether motel, or guest house, apartment or duplex.
As military wives we soon realize that the only good in "Good-bye" is the "Hello again." For as salesmen for freedom, our husbands are often on the road, at sea, or in the sky, leaving us behind for a week, a month, an assignment. During separations we guard the home front, existing until the homecoming.
Unlike our civilian counterparts, we measure time, not by years, but by tours - married at Knox, a baby born at Portsmouth, a special anniversary at Yorktown, a promotion in McDill. We plant trees, and never see them grow tall, work on projects completed long after our departure, and enhance our community for the betterment of those who come after us. We leave a part of ourselves at every stop.
Through experience, we have learned to pack a suitcase, a car or hold baggage, and live indefinitely from the contents within: and though our fingers are sore from the patches we have sewn, and the silver we have shined, our hands are always ready to help those around us.
Women of peace, we pray for a world in harmony, for the flag that leads our men into battle, will also blanket them in death. Yet we are an optimistic group, thinking of the good, and forgetting the bad, cherishing yesterday, while anticipating tomorrow.
Never rich by monetary standards, our hearts are overflowing with a wealth of experiences common only to those united by the special tradition of military life. We pass on this legacy to every military bride, welcoming her with outstretched arms, with love and friendship, from one sister to another, sharing in the bounty of our unique, fulfilling military way of life.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Carson Thomas is here! = new complications
I had my new baby Carson on October 21st. Unfortunately Ben has been in school and was unable to get the paperwork needed to get Carson's passport started until after his graduation. We finally made it to the office on November 9th and had to submit his birth certificate with application. The passport takes 6-8 weeks to get back and they won't issue him a plane ticket until they have the passport back. This is going to be cutting it really close, so I'm just crossing my fingers that it gets here in time.
After the passport we go next door to find out if we can fly to Germany out of Cleveland or Pittsburgh since that is where we will be on PCS leave at, instead of flying out of St. Louis. They told us we could but they will only reimburse us the cost of the govt flight out of St. Louis. When they check the prices they tell us we will be out about $1200 after the reimbursement. So looks like we will have to find a way to fly out of St. Louis. We just have to figure out how we are going to get the truck back to Ohio for storage.
We go upstairs to register Carson in DEERS and TriCare and we need Carson's birth certificate. Thankfully we did this on the same day we got his passport and not the day after or we would not have been able to register him. Ben had to run down stairs, get the birth cert., and come back up. At TriCare only 1 person could go in the office and the rest of us had to wait in the waiting room. After Ben went in to register him Carson started crying because he was hungry, so I stood up to try to calm him. Maddox took that as a sign that it was time to run around the hallways. I couldn't let him do this because the car seat and bag were left sitting on the floor by our seats. Maddox got halfway down the hall and I stopped him and took his hand to lead him back toward our stuff. He decided to fall on the ground and throw a tantrum, which escalated Carson's crying. I dragged Maddox back to our seat and unsuccessfully tried to get both kids to stop crying. Thankfully a nice lady came out of the office down the hallway and brought Maddox a Snoopy stuffed animal. That calmed him down for a little while, but I still had the little one crying his eyes out.
Finally, Ben is done with the registration. We still don't have our hard copy orders because we had to enroll Carson into EFMP then wait for him to get added to the orders and wait for the new family travel authorization to get back from Germany. So we can't schedule a date with the movers or get any tickets until that is done. Ben said he doubts his report date will change even if his orders take a month to get here. So we went ahead an gave our Rental Managers our 30 day notice on the house. If the movers can't get here by the 10th of December I guess we'll have to talk to them about changing our move-out date. I hope they are understanding.
We head home and in addition to all this, Ben tells me "By the way, you might have to come after me if there is not housing available." Are you kidding me??? I'm just imagining flying to Germany with a 2 year old, 2 month old, 2 dogs, and all of our luggage....by myself. My mom better be saving her frequent flyer miles so she can come with me. Ohhhh, the stress....
After the passport we go next door to find out if we can fly to Germany out of Cleveland or Pittsburgh since that is where we will be on PCS leave at, instead of flying out of St. Louis. They told us we could but they will only reimburse us the cost of the govt flight out of St. Louis. When they check the prices they tell us we will be out about $1200 after the reimbursement. So looks like we will have to find a way to fly out of St. Louis. We just have to figure out how we are going to get the truck back to Ohio for storage.
We go upstairs to register Carson in DEERS and TriCare and we need Carson's birth certificate. Thankfully we did this on the same day we got his passport and not the day after or we would not have been able to register him. Ben had to run down stairs, get the birth cert., and come back up. At TriCare only 1 person could go in the office and the rest of us had to wait in the waiting room. After Ben went in to register him Carson started crying because he was hungry, so I stood up to try to calm him. Maddox took that as a sign that it was time to run around the hallways. I couldn't let him do this because the car seat and bag were left sitting on the floor by our seats. Maddox got halfway down the hall and I stopped him and took his hand to lead him back toward our stuff. He decided to fall on the ground and throw a tantrum, which escalated Carson's crying. I dragged Maddox back to our seat and unsuccessfully tried to get both kids to stop crying. Thankfully a nice lady came out of the office down the hallway and brought Maddox a Snoopy stuffed animal. That calmed him down for a little while, but I still had the little one crying his eyes out.
Finally, Ben is done with the registration. We still don't have our hard copy orders because we had to enroll Carson into EFMP then wait for him to get added to the orders and wait for the new family travel authorization to get back from Germany. So we can't schedule a date with the movers or get any tickets until that is done. Ben said he doubts his report date will change even if his orders take a month to get here. So we went ahead an gave our Rental Managers our 30 day notice on the house. If the movers can't get here by the 10th of December I guess we'll have to talk to them about changing our move-out date. I hope they are understanding.
We head home and in addition to all this, Ben tells me "By the way, you might have to come after me if there is not housing available." Are you kidding me??? I'm just imagining flying to Germany with a 2 year old, 2 month old, 2 dogs, and all of our luggage....by myself. My mom better be saving her frequent flyer miles so she can come with me. Ohhhh, the stress....
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