Sending lots of prayers towards the East Coast. Hurricane Sandy is really going to cause so many issues, I can't even imagine. Praying that everyone listened and evacuated. And for those that couldn't leave, that they will be safe somehow. I just read Lake Michigan is expected to have 20 ft waves? Lot's of prayers for everyone affected!
Monday, October 29, 2012
East Coast Prayers
Sending lots of prayers towards the East Coast. Hurricane Sandy is really going to cause so many issues, I can't even imagine. Praying that everyone listened and evacuated. And for those that couldn't leave, that they will be safe somehow. I just read Lake Michigan is expected to have 20 ft waves? Lot's of prayers for everyone affected!
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Blessing!
Remember just THURSDAY when we didn't get on Space A? I still am amazed at how God watches out for us, leading us if we listen. Had I tried to get on the next flight and kept trying, Avery and I would of been caught up in Hurricane Sandy pounding the East Coast. We most likely would not have been able to fly back out of BWI for days. The plan was to fly back today or Monday, had we gotten home. Just amazes me!
Seriously, counting my blessings today!
Seriously, counting my blessings today!
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Snow shot!
Those snowflakes decided to come this morning, the kids were very excited. Its just a dusting, but there will be more on the way..... Will get some more pics of the kids as the day goes on!!
Friday, October 26, 2012
Anyone notice this picture to the LEFT? I look very "bookish and writer like" don't you think? I am commenting on this picture only because of the cool thing I noticed in it. See the light blur on the right, what is that? Maybe my guardian angel? I tried to shade it out in photoshop, but this picture is as good as it gets in reducing that light. So, here is my blog profile picture, and along for the ride is possibly one of my angels!
No space
No space on Space A this week. It seems like it has consumed our week, trying to schedule, coordinate and actually get on a flight to Charleston. We were making a quick trip back to pick up some items from the house and get a few things done that we didn't get completed.
Seats on Thursday went from 100+, to 40 and then to 27. Avery was very disappointed, she wanted to see our friends in Georgia. And she had a super duper hope that Cali would be waiting at our front porch. Cali was Avery's 7th Birthday gift. She was a tortoise shell colored cat and had one pink toe. She disappeared about two months before we left for Germany and Avery's heart was broken.
I took this opportunity to talk to Avery about God's plan in our life. There is a time and place for everything, isn't there? No matter what our disappointment level might be, we have to give it God and trust that he has it all planned out. After explaining that none of us are truly in control of what happens, I think, inadvertently it taught her a great lesson on disappointment. When things don't go as we planned, it is our opportunity from God to reach out and take his hand. We take his hand so he can lead us to where we NEED to be, rather than where we WANT to be. And that faith is what makes us stronger in our lives.
So, even though Avery was disappointed, Eric was not. Later that night, he said he was so glad we didn't get on the flight, that he had alot of anxiety about "his girls" leaving. I break this down in "man" verbiage to mean that we have had way to many trips to the "goodbye" doorstep. Way to many times embracing, saying goodbye, and the feeling that your heart is breaking. It has been way to many times in this life time for us.......we have no space for goodbyes anymore.
On a lighter note, and to humor you all, Eric also did somewhat skip from the terminal and ask "soooo, whats for dinner since your not leaving"? Gotta love him, dinner is always on his mind:)
Seats on Thursday went from 100+, to 40 and then to 27. Avery was very disappointed, she wanted to see our friends in Georgia. And she had a super duper hope that Cali would be waiting at our front porch. Cali was Avery's 7th Birthday gift. She was a tortoise shell colored cat and had one pink toe. She disappeared about two months before we left for Germany and Avery's heart was broken.
I took this opportunity to talk to Avery about God's plan in our life. There is a time and place for everything, isn't there? No matter what our disappointment level might be, we have to give it God and trust that he has it all planned out. After explaining that none of us are truly in control of what happens, I think, inadvertently it taught her a great lesson on disappointment. When things don't go as we planned, it is our opportunity from God to reach out and take his hand. We take his hand so he can lead us to where we NEED to be, rather than where we WANT to be. And that faith is what makes us stronger in our lives.
So, even though Avery was disappointed, Eric was not. Later that night, he said he was so glad we didn't get on the flight, that he had alot of anxiety about "his girls" leaving. I break this down in "man" verbiage to mean that we have had way to many trips to the "goodbye" doorstep. Way to many times embracing, saying goodbye, and the feeling that your heart is breaking. It has been way to many times in this life time for us.......we have no space for goodbyes anymore.
On a lighter note, and to humor you all, Eric also did somewhat skip from the terminal and ask "soooo, whats for dinner since your not leaving"? Gotta love him, dinner is always on his mind:)
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
And the award goes too.....
Today I am going to start processing our claim for the damage in our HHG (house hold goods) shipment.
I can say this pack job has been officially awarded "WORST EVER".
We I have gotten everything put away.... Eric typically checks out around this time and then checks back in when the claim has been filed and payment awarded. He really likes to help enjoy the payment we receive and seems to get over his discernment of the unpack by this time. It is quite amazing!
Just kidding....well, kind of. He really does not enjoy the unpacking process and never has. Over the years he has become more of the box remover, constructor of the beds, and the awesome nail hanger. See how well we compromise?
As I first unpack, it is almost like Christmas....Wow, I forgot I had packed that, it will look really good over there, etc.
I also try to humor myself and turn it into a race.... How fast can I get this room unpacked and organized? Maybe I can be done with this room today?
Wait, where is Eric? hmmmm....
For the kids, it is the best time ever! It IS like Christmas to them, opening boxes marked as:
*Old boy
*Kid
*Girl
So primitive, yet efficient. You have NO idea what you are opening. Sometimes, you open a box of your sisters things and vice versa, the fun never ends! But the kids have always loved shipment day, they come home from to school to nicely arranged boxes in their rooms for their opening enjoyment.
Afterwards, packing strewn everywhere! And to me, it seems like Christmas because I am picking it all up, just like Christmas morning! (As a side note, I realize that we may have been missing the mark and it might be smart to plan our next move strategically over Christmas, and save ourselves some cash on extra gifts)
However, when everyone has ripped open their boxes, there is always complaints and work to be done. In other words, DAMAGE.
When Eric and I first came in the Army, you were paid a depreciated value for your items by the Military Claims office who then charged the moving company. This basically breaks down into Civilian terms, they screwed you over ....
An example of this would be a solid marble table that we bought while we were stationed in Italy. We traveled to Carrara, Italy and handpicked the table that had been mined in Carrara. It was unique in itself, a beautiful pinkish marble..... I will admit, possibly a little on the tacky side....
But, hey! We all remember the pastels of the mid 90's, I know you all do and you ALL participated!
From Cali to Colorado, the table broke in half. We were given a depreciated value of $90.00, for a priceless marble table from Italy. Maybe, just maybe I would of liked topawn give it to one of my kids as adults. Or, better yet, had lovely pastry boards made for them as a wedding gift, or some kind of massive paper weight?
The point is, they broke it! It was ruined, and to top it off, the poor trash men at Ft. Carson couldn't even pick it up from the curb, it was so heavy, possibly causing them pain and suffering! See the trickle down effect?
The military claims office got away with only paying a small percentage of its actual worth.... This may lead back to Eric's dislike of unpacking and the feeling of being screwed over. I will give him a pass for not helping unpack more because of the grief it has caused him and realize it is not his fault:)
Fast forward to 2009, and suddenly the Military listened to the Service Members complaints. This depreciated value scheme was benefiting the moving companies, not the Service Members. So they changed the policy, the Military got out of the Claims business and decided to let the Moving Company be solely responsible for damage. Now, the moving companies are much more willing to pack your items right, because if they do not, it cost them FULL REPLACEMENT VALUE.
It is their responsibility to hire good people, train them in packing and to know the rules of Government moves, especially overseas moves. However, the moving company in Atlanta missed the memo on this.
The damage to our HHG is worthy of its own post, and is somewhat comical.
But until then, I have themind boggling job pleasure of working on filing the claim.....
I can say this pack job has been officially awarded "WORST EVER".
Just kidding....well, kind of. He really does not enjoy the unpacking process and never has. Over the years he has become more of the box remover, constructor of the beds, and the awesome nail hanger. See how well we compromise?
As I first unpack, it is almost like Christmas....Wow, I forgot I had packed that, it will look really good over there, etc.
I also try to humor myself and turn it into a race.... How fast can I get this room unpacked and organized? Maybe I can be done with this room today?
Wait, where is Eric? hmmmm....
For the kids, it is the best time ever! It IS like Christmas to them, opening boxes marked as:
*Old boy
*Kid
*Girl
So primitive, yet efficient. You have NO idea what you are opening. Sometimes, you open a box of your sisters things and vice versa, the fun never ends! But the kids have always loved shipment day, they come home from to school to nicely arranged boxes in their rooms for their opening enjoyment.
Afterwards, packing strewn everywhere! And to me, it seems like Christmas because I am picking it all up, just like Christmas morning! (As a side note, I realize that we may have been missing the mark and it might be smart to plan our next move strategically over Christmas, and save ourselves some cash on extra gifts)
However, when everyone has ripped open their boxes, there is always complaints and work to be done. In other words, DAMAGE.
When Eric and I first came in the Army, you were paid a depreciated value for your items by the Military Claims office who then charged the moving company. This basically breaks down into Civilian terms, they screwed you over ....
An example of this would be a solid marble table that we bought while we were stationed in Italy. We traveled to Carrara, Italy and handpicked the table that had been mined in Carrara. It was unique in itself, a beautiful pinkish marble..... I will admit, possibly a little on the tacky side....
But, hey! We all remember the pastels of the mid 90's, I know you all do and you ALL participated!
From Cali to Colorado, the table broke in half. We were given a depreciated value of $90.00, for a priceless marble table from Italy. Maybe, just maybe I would of liked to
The point is, they broke it! It was ruined, and to top it off, the poor trash men at Ft. Carson couldn't even pick it up from the curb, it was so heavy, possibly causing them pain and suffering! See the trickle down effect?
The military claims office got away with only paying a small percentage of its actual worth.... This may lead back to Eric's dislike of unpacking and the feeling of being screwed over. I will give him a pass for not helping unpack more because of the grief it has caused him and realize it is not his fault:)
Fast forward to 2009, and suddenly the Military listened to the Service Members complaints. This depreciated value scheme was benefiting the moving companies, not the Service Members. So they changed the policy, the Military got out of the Claims business and decided to let the Moving Company be solely responsible for damage. Now, the moving companies are much more willing to pack your items right, because if they do not, it cost them FULL REPLACEMENT VALUE.
It is their responsibility to hire good people, train them in packing and to know the rules of Government moves, especially overseas moves. However, the moving company in Atlanta missed the memo on this.
The damage to our HHG is worthy of its own post, and is somewhat comical.
But until then, I have the
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Backyard Friends
I figured I would jump on here to post some pictures I took a while ago. I am drowning in unpacking and need a break!
This is our backyard, and the apple tree sits to the left of the little pond.
Directly behind the pond ledge, you can barely see a green fence. This is where our "friend" lives.
We fed him quite of few of the apples from the tree and he was loving it......
This is our backyard, and the apple tree sits to the left of the little pond.
We fed him quite of few of the apples from the tree and he was loving it......
so much so, that he came back at 3am whinnying and stammering for more.
If you can imagine a groggy and somewhat irritated Eric mumbling "whats that horse want from us?"....... uhmm, probably more yummy apples, after all it is 3am and he needs a snack!
Pretty humorous, but it wasn't that night, or the next night, or the next.
I have to admit that its alot better than the Autobahn we used to hear when we lived in Mannheim, so no complaints from this sister! As a plus, it's good to know he is up at that hour, keeping watch over the backyard! Try to find the positive in every situation, right?
Back to unpacking.....
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Here is a great picture coming down the hill from our village. This hill slows Eric's hooptie down to a slow crawl in attempt to drive up the hill. It's now a family joke if we are in "Red" that we should all stick one foot out the doors and "Flintstone" it up the hill, it is that slow!
We haven't been on the blog in a couple of weeks because we finally:
* moved out of the hotel* moved into our house* picked up our Tahoe* received Government furniture at the new house (yuck)*five days ago received our household goods.
Needless to say, everyday has flown by with unpacking, accessing damages, putting together furniture, etc.
Here is our contact information:
Our mailing address here is: CMR 479 Box 716 APO AE 09263
(do not put Germany in the address, CMR is Community Mail Room)
We live at Kiefernweg 9, Stelzenberg 67705
(not that anyone would need this, it is just cool to say it in German)
The best way to reach us is email, because we get it on the Iphone/Blackberry at all times
I hope you enjoy the picture! Fall is brewing fast and I am sure we will have snowflakes soon! One of us will try to post each day as we start getting more organized.
We haven't been on the blog in a couple of weeks because we finally:
* moved out of the hotel* moved into our house* picked up our Tahoe* received Government furniture at the new house (yuck)*five days ago received our household goods.
Needless to say, everyday has flown by with unpacking, accessing damages, putting together furniture, etc.
Here is our contact information:
Our mailing address here is: CMR 479 Box 716 APO AE 09263
(do not put Germany in the address, CMR is Community Mail Room)
We live at Kiefernweg 9, Stelzenberg 67705
(not that anyone would need this, it is just cool to say it in German)
The best way to reach us is email, because we get it on the Iphone/Blackberry at all times
I hope you enjoy the picture! Fall is brewing fast and I am sure we will have snowflakes soon! One of us will try to post each day as we start getting more organized.
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