Happy Updates

Since we know we only have a little while left here, it's been a lot easier to make some plans.  So we bought plane tickets for our last adventure.  Where, you might ask?

To Kos Island in Southern Greece!!!!!  Omigosh we are both super excited!  We will be there for 3 nights and 4 days, on a small island close to Turkey.  Although it's not going to be hot this time of year, it's still significantly warmer than it's been in Eschenbach lately, and since it's not top-tourist time, we've found good deals on everything we'll want to see/do.  We're both super excited for all that Greek food too!  So yup, we leave on the 18th and couldn't be happier about it!

Eric's job is pretty much nonexistent now.  The 2 replacements for him are there already and he's practically considered a civilian at work.  We took his newest soldier, and his wife & daughter, to Nurnburg with us last weekend which was a lot of fun.  It's hard making new friends when we know we are leaving soon, but we still had a great time together.  I gave my 2-week notice at work on Monday, which was bittersweet.  I seriously love those little guys and it's going to be sad leaving them.  The school had a parade a week ago for Fasching (German Mardi Gras), and our class made costumes to dress likes the Elves & the Shoemaker.  They were so dang cute!  Eric came as a volunteer during the parade--and the kids love him--so he pretty much just ended up having to hold hands with 5-year-olds all afternoon.  So cute!  I think on my last day we will have Eric bring in some cupcakes for all of them.

One of the main reasons we're excited to be home is that we know we won't be missing out so many more BIG things.  We couldn't go to Brett (Eric's best friend) & Kayla's wedding this last summer, and that was really a bummer.  Speaking of weddings...my dear friend Char just got engaged to her boyfriend Jordan--one of Eric's best friends--and they're planning their wedding soon.  They were both in our wedding and so it will be so special to be home for theirs too.  And BY FAR the MOST exciting update is that Eric's brother Chris and his wife Jaime are expecting a baby this summer!  We set our alarm for 130am so we could wake up and call them right after their appointment yesterday.  And we found out they are having a little boy.  Eric could not be more excited--he's been counting on having a little nephew for quite some time.  Congrats Chris & Jaime, we are so happy for you!  And we are so anxious to become an aunt & uncle!

Yesterday, as some of you may know, was Eric's 24th birthday!  His 2nd birthday in Germany!  We had a good night: great food at his favorite restaurant, Tortugas, and a few gifts from me!  Today we might go on a day trip somewhere, but it just depends on the weather and our motivation.  We both kind of have a cold right now so we might just spend the day here.  

Whew, ok, is that all the updates?!  I hope so.  I'm sure lots of photos will be coming soon from our trip, but until then...

Remember Me?

Welcome Back!  I haven't written in way too long!  At first it was for lack of anything interesting to talk about, and then life became so hectic that I didn't have time to give updates.  So let me try now...

January went by without much of a hitch.  We were still just waiting for Eric's paperwork to come back, still both working a lot, etc etc.  

Eric started feeling sick in about early February, and sadly had to spend another 7-days in the German hospital.  He lost a lot of weight, was covered in spots, was too weak to walk anywhere further than across a room, couldn't eat...he was miserable to say the least.  It was another really frustrating experience at that hospital, especially when we showed up at the emergency room and had to wait an hour before an English-speaking person arrived.  It made us all the more ready to be back in the States where we belong.  It wasn't until after he got out of the hospital, and met with an American doctor, that we found out he had had Scarlet Fever!  This of course drastically affected his Diabetes, and then everything snowballed into him being very ill.  He is healthier than ever now, and gained back a lot of the weight he lost.  I bought him Arnold Schwarzenegger's Encyclopedia of Modern Body-building for Valentine's Day (a day we celebrated in the hospital lobby) and he's been using it to work out twice day.  I've been so impressed at how quickly he's bounced back.  He has a better grip on his blood-sugar too, even though he eats a grotesque amount of food every day, haha.

After all that craziness was over, we were more than ready to get out of Germany and get back to the "real world".  Eric's paperwork came back this past Monday and we were thrilled.  The decision made by the board in DC far exceeded our expectations.  Eric's being medically retired from the Army, and this only means good things for us and our future.  We don't have our exact date we leave yet, but it shouldn't be further than a month out.  We were ecstatic to get, and share, the news...and let the countdown begin!