Thanksgiving

Things I am thankful for:
1. My Lord and Savior who gets me through good times and bad. I am so thankful to know Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior because there have been numerous situations I would never have been able to get through on my own.

2. My husband. The Lord knew who the right man was for me and I can honestly say that man has made me a better woman! He truly is a gift from God. I am amazed at how well he knows me sometimes and how he still treats me like a princess! He is my true prince charming!

3.My family, inlaws as well. I have been blessed to be born and marry into a group of some of the most loving people you will ever meet. Sure they drive you crazy sometimes but what family doesn't? :) The thing that matters most is that they love me with an unconditional love. My eyes blur with tears knowing I will not be there this Thanksgiving season to hug them and remind them that I love them. Thank you for understanding and I pray that the Lord keeps you all well this season of thanks!

4. My pups. It may sound silly but Cash has provided me so much joy and laughter, especially while Jonathan was gone. He has given me a taste of what it is like to have something you take care of that loves you no matter what. Lilly is newer and while she drives me crazy right now because she is still getting used to how things work around here, she makes me feel loved when she comes and puts her front paws up on my lap and just wants to me love on her!

5. Friends. I am thankful for friends that have seen me through all my life as well as friends that say me through a season. Each one of those people had a purpose in my life and I will forever be grateful for the parts they played. I am extremely thankful for new friends we have made thus far that make this transition to Germany seem a little less daunting. They are truly our family here!

Promotion Pictures

As promised, here a few pictures from my baby's promotion ceremony.



Baby standing with some other soldiers getting promoted.

Getting his promotion certificate.



After the ceremony standing with some of the guys that received awards or were promoted.

I am one proud army wife!!

Lilly in the Morning

Cash and Jonathan playing

So most of you look at updated pictures on facebook and notice that Jonathan recently got "his dog" an all white german shepherd named Lilly. She is already a few months old so is already trained which is great I must admit. Cash and Lilly love playing together. Lilly loves playing a little more than Cash and often Cash runs and jumps on the couch to attempt to escape for a little break. Both of the pups are protective of what they believe is "theirs" but that is very typical. In general, Jonathan and I love that Cash has a playmate now so that he is not constantly begging for attention from us! Haha. Here are a few pictures from Lilly's first few days with us. She took a while to get used to us but she is a sweetheart. It is nice to have a little pup who can sit in your lap and a pup who can only fit their head in your lap. :) 

Lilly bonding with Landon, our friend's son.

A few days before Lilly got here Jonathan was playing with Cash and all his toys. It was quite humerous and while the video I managed to get was not as funny as when they first started, it is still worth a good watch. 

On a human note, Jonathan got promoted on the first of this month. He is now Specialist Rupard. He is working a lot now and his shift is from 2pm-10pm but he has to be there earlier for PT so we do not get to do dinner together very often. :( So my cooking adventures have been put on hold. I did manage to make chicken and rice Sunday night and it was sooooo yummy. Jonathan loved the rice. He kept saying just make the rice, without the chicken! He is a rice fanatic. Anyhow, the pictures from Jonathan's promotion are not uploading right now so I will try to post a couple of those soon.

Versatile Chain

My sweet big sis tagged me in this versatility chain where I have to tell seven things about myself so here goes nothing:

1. I remember going to a circus as a young girl and watching my daddy ride in on an elephant and thinking he must be the coolest dad ever. I also remember my siblings and I getting to ride around the ring on an elephant. I remember riding up front because I was the smallest and having its ears flap against my legs. Perhaps I watched too much Dumbo but I told my mother when I got off the elephant that its wings kept hitting my legs. :)

2. I took gymnastics for about 7 years as a little girl and loved it. I lived for those early morning rides with mom to the meets and her braiding my hair and getting to spray that glitter hairspray in my hair. I was not a huge fan of the neon pink, blue, and purple leotards we wore but you can't win them all! My favorite part was the awards at the end. I know what you might be thinking, I am conceited. However, the awards ceremony was not my favorite part for the reason of being awarded, for all my brightness- I was not the greatest gymnast in the world. I could hold my own but I have much more red and white ribbons than I do blue ones! Anyhow, the awards was my favorite part because unless we were at my home gym the announcer always mispronounced my last name and my teammates always yelled out at the top at their lungs the correct way of saying it! They always had my back! :)

3. As much as I love watching the kids at church put on their musicals I loved more when I was a part of them. I loved learning all the songs. I am sure my parents, and my siblings, LOVED being forced to listen to me singing the songs at the top of my lungs in my room all up until the big day and most of the time even after the big performance was over. I must admit I think we gave WFBC some of its finest performances! I am sure my sister would beg to differ but we all have our own opinions!

4. I remember moving to a private school in sixth grade and being very nervous because all the other kids had known each other for so long. I remember being so excited to be able to play volleyball that fall and how that helped me find my niche at PAC. Even though we were allowed to play as sixth graders on the JV team we were not allowed to go to away games because we were so young. However, we for some reason or another (I don't remember why) we were allowed to go to one away game. I remember being the only sixth grader that started that game and they annouced the starters and their grade level and I remember wanting to sink into a hole when they announced my name and said sixth grade. Haha, I remember thinking, "Did you HAVE to say what grade I was in!"

5. It was around 1000 days ago that I got a text message from a cute red headed boy asking me if I wanted to go to dinner around 8 this weekend. I replied by answering, "Yes, I would be the one wearing the smile when he came to pick me up." A few weeks later he asked me to be his girlfriend, again I said yes. A year later he got down on a knee on the front porch of my apartment and asked me another question. I initially responded by saying, "Are you kidding me?" But rest assured said yes after the initial shock wore off. 6 months later I got to say "I do" to that cute red head but then a week later had to tell him goodbye. I got him back a year later and have not let him go since. I love my life with him and love the adventure we are on together. I love learning new little things he likes and dislikes. I can't wait for forever after!

6. My parents sweetly deprived me of having a dog my whole life so earlier this year in March I decided to get my own. Cash was born two days after my birthday! Must have been a sign. I love my little cuddler!! I love that he gets jealous when I am on the computer and there is no room for him in my lap. I love that if you leave him in the apt to do laundry he whines after you close the door behind you and is waiting on the rug sitting like a good dog when you come back. I love that he waits patiently while I am cooking until I drop something and I love that I don't have to worry about cleaning it up! He is the perfect lil pup for me and he has made a great addition to our little family.

7. I know teachers complain about their jobs sometimes but trust me we truly love what we do. I miss having little ones that depend on me. I miss getting to touch little hearts in a special way that only teachers can. I sincerely hope that sometime over the next three years I get a chance to teach at one of the schools here in Germany because I think it would be a real net experience.

Well, those are my seven random things. I hope you enjoyed reading my little bits and pieces.

Things I Miss the Most

Okay so I have been formulating this post in my mind for quite a while now and am finally taking the time to put it in writing!

1. Family & Friends: Obviously family and friends back home are what I miss more than anything. I hate that I can't just call someone up. I have to first do some basic math to figure out what time of day it is back home then decide whether it is important enough to pay the cost. I can't wait until our home phone gets set up and that second factor goes away. I think something I miss more than others is hanging out with my super cool nephews. I mean how many of you have an almost 3 year old nephew who pees on the Florida gator and sings Justin Beiber!?!?!? I am willing to take a guess that there are not many of you out there! I just hope my sweet nephews do not forget me and understand I still love them even though I do not see them as much.

2. Having a vehicle: Okay this is a temporary state but still, try going without a vehicle of any kind for two whole months. Believe me your patience will be tried!!! Jonathan and I are looking for some type of small SUV to drive mainly because the insurance is a little cheaper and we would feel safer! lol. In the meantime we do have Jonathan's scooter when we have to go run a quick errand but I am entirely reliable on my dear sweet friend Chrystal when it comes to grocery shopping. She allows me to tag along!

3. American ambulances: No, you did not misread that last one. I miss the sound of an american ambulance. I have attached a brief youtube video of an European police car going down the road. All sirens sound like this here! Mannheim is a fairly busy city so I can only say that I wish I could count on one hand the number of times in one day I have to listen to this awful sound!!! I never could have imagined wishing to hear an american siren!!

4. Walmart: Yea I said it! I miss Walmart. I miss being able to do all the shopping I need to do in one place! Even at its worst Walmart was still the most convenient place to go whenever you needed something.

5. Mexicali Grille and Chik-fil-A: My two favorites have been on the brain lately. You want to know how badly? I had a dream one night that I discovered that we had a Chik-fil-A on base and I was mad that I had not discovered it sooner!!! Yes, in my dream I was not delighted to have one but angry that I had not found it sooner!! I miss the cheesy beef quesadilla from Mexicali like crazy!!! In fact I must stop talking about these establishments before I go crazy!

6. Teaching & Coaching: Lastly, I miss having a classroom full of little minds to love and learn about. I miss the amazing teachers I worked with and how they made that place my second home and took care of me for two years and were with me when my baby was gone and encouraged and supported me all along. I also miss all the wonderful students I had the honor of coaching in volleyball and tennis. I got to know some amazing young people who are incredible people who I genuinely enjoyed spending time with! And not to forget the awesome coaches I worked with!!

Germany is different and I am glad we have the chance to be here but there will always be things about home that I miss and these are just a few of those things.