Our First Visitors

My parents just left yesterday after a week-long visit to our little place here in Clarksville. I was so excited to see them, and we loved finally having people to see/stay in our apartment. Now that we know we'll be moving soon, they'll probably be the first, last and only people to see it too! Here is a little photo session of what we did while they were here.

We toured some great places on Ft. Campbell. Air Assault Course, monuments, statues, etc.

We went to Nashville for a day and did all sorts of touristy things. We started our day at The Hermitage, the old plantation/home of President Andrew Jackson. We took a tour of his estate, grave site, and giant mansion.

After that, we went to downtown Nashville and did some window shopping. There is always live music in almost every little bar down there, so we wandered into one at around 3 in the afternoon and got QUITE the show. It made for some good laughs. We grabbed some food at a great little bbq place then headed further into town for an awesome show at the Grand Ole Opry.

We got to see rocking performances by Montgomery Gentry, Trace Adkins, The Oak Ridge Boys, and many more. It was so fun to be in such a famous and historic place. Although it took about an hour to leave the parking lot.

We also did some browsing in downtown Clarksville.

And my mom taught me to sew on the machine I got as a birthday present. I am seriously so addicted now. Eric better be prepared!

Look! I made this pillow all by myself! I was so proud.

This is what the men did while we sewed. Watched dumb movies and took naps.

All in all, it was a great week. We really had a lot of fun at the concert, playing cribbage, eating great food, etc etc. Thanks mom and dad for everything! We both enjoyed everything so much and won't forget it! See you for Christmas!

Willkommen!!

Well, by now we are sure you all have heard. Come January we are moving to Germany.

Honestly, we (especially Bridget) were in a state of shock when we heard the news. We definitely 100% did not want Eric to deploy to Afghanistan--which he had been scheduled to do this upcoming spring. However, we thought we'd be relocated somewhere in the US, and Europe sounded about as far away and random as the moon. But the pros completely outweigh the cons, and the horrible alternative.

After the initial surprise wore off, we decided to embrace it as the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that it is. After all, we'll be literaly getting paid to live in Europe for 3 years. How many people get that chance? So we rushed to the bookstore, grabbed as many guides and maps as possible, and started researching what would be our new home.

The more we read, and the more pictures we saw, the more excited we got. Germany, a country the size of Oregon state, was surrounded on all sides by places we could easily visit in a weekend trip. Valentine's day in Paris? Eric's birthday in Amsterdam? Bridget's birthday in Rome? Sounds like we are in for some exciting and wonderful times.

We want to experience and explore as much as we possible can while we're there, and we realize we will have ample time to do so. So get those passports people! We can't wait to add this adventure to our story and would love to have some visitors along the way.

US Army Garrison Hohenfels is located in southern Germany in an aread called Bavaria. Bavaria is like a state of Germany, but more the size of a county in the US. (Shaded in blue on the map.) We'll be located a little north of Munich. I drew a red circle on this map to give you all a better idea of where we will be living. (The red square to the north is Berlin-the capital.)

And here, some inspiring and incredible photos from Bavaria! If only the base housing was one of these places. Think they have rooms for rent?

Getting up to speed...

Well I created this blog a little bit ago, but haven't posted anything. So here is a quick summary to catch ya'll up on what we've been up to.

1. We moved in and filled our little place with lots and lots of boxes.

2. We finished unpacking and decorating. Well, Eric unpacked and Bridget decorated. (Pictures of our decorated apartment will come later.)

3. We bought a car. A 2000 Volvo named "Rita". (Ignore Eric's goofy pose.)

4. We have learned our way around Clarksville...and fallen in love with the countryside.

5. We have navigated our way to Nashville...and fallen in love with country music.

6. We went to the Riverfest. It was pretty much a big fair/festival, and a great place to people watch.
7. We got to go on a marriage retreat through the Army. We had so much fun, met new friends, and appreciated having a no-expense weekend in a nice Nashville hotel!

8. We officially converted to Tennesseers, and bought some authentic boots.

9. We have spent countless weekday mornings getting up at 5am, and driving Eric to work. Or letting him drive himself to work, then having him come back at 8am, dropping him off at 9am. Picking him up anywhere between 2 & 5pm. Or having him stay the night at work between 1 & 10 days. In other words, we have spent countless days having no idea what his schedule will be like.

10. We have missed everyone, relived our (incredible) wedding weekend over and over, become even closer, and have been anxious to come back to Washington.