The Last Day (again)

Well, I'm here - back in hot, flat, brown, cactus-y Phoenix. :) I love it. I do miss the coolness of Germany, the rolling hills, the forests, the green-ness....but I'm glad to be home. And I'm BUSY already!! Dinner with friends tonight, orientation tomorrow, job interview and open house saturday, hopefully pre-church starbucks with a friend sunday, and school starts monday! WOO.

It's amazing how much things don't change...and how they do. Even though I was gone a whole lot less time this time, I feel like I was gone longer, now that I'm back. Don't know why. It's a lot weirder to drive my car, now that I'm so used to driving a stick - my foot won't accept the fact that there's no clutch! And Opie, the little starving kitty who was nothing but fur and bones when I left is now FAT. And heavy!!! Fiyero still loves me, though. :)

So, my last days in Germany went well. It was sad to say all my goodbyes at VBS. Lots of hugs, a couple tears. One of my little pre-schoolers cried that she had to leave me. :) Went home to pack (ugh) and managed to get both my bags under 50 lbs. (Don't ask about my backpack, though...it may have outweighed them!!) I thoroughly enjoyed my lunch that day - I had a BLT with the first of the ripe tomatoes from Mac's garden. It was delicious, and I'm really glad I got them because here, tomato season is already over.

After packing was finished, Brad and Debbie and I enjoyed a delicious dinner and watched a movie together. I really am going to miss them. They're so different from any other people I've ever met. They challenge you - you can't be around them and not think. They've helped me to grow in so many ways, and they are just so wonderful! I love them. Wednesday morning we left at 6:15 for Frankfurt, said goodbye, and I was on my way home. The long flight was fine - I was next to a guy from Spangdahlem, and beind a friend of Mac's from 1-35 stationed in Baumholder (I didn't learn that until we were in the 1st line for customs). Then I had a 6 hour layover in Detroit (boooooring), and my last 4 hour flight, which was miserable, cramped, loud, and FREEZING. But hey, it got me home! Dad and Elisabeth and Aunt Lauri and Uncle Terry were there to welcome me, and an hour later I finally had my luggage and headed home. Woke up at lovely 6:30 am this morning, and am all unpacked! Happy to be home, indeed - but part of my heart is still in Germany.

The Present is for Exploding Sodas and Eating

That's what Sara put on the inside of my goodbye-card. It seems like it should be one of those oddly profound kind of statements. :) We had another Super Sunday today, and after lunch it was also prayer time for VBS (which starts tomorrow!) and a goodbye for me.

I cried, I admit. I have grown to love all these people so much. This ministry is all about relationships, which is why I believe it is so wonderful - but also why it is so hard. Everything in Army life is transient; you meet new people all the time and it seems as soon as you manage to build that close relationship, someone leaves - whether because of a deployment, PCSing, ERDing, or, like me, just going home. I really am excited to go home and to start school and start working. But I am going to miss this place so, so very much. All my friends here are so wonderful.

Lisa made me a BEAUTIFUL cake. Sherry gave me a journal, and people signed it and wrote in it. I got a picture from our trip to the Maginot Line that everyone signed. (the people who signed it are not the people in the picture! haha) Sara and Erika made me the sweetest cards :) and gave me mentos! (They know me well.) Kristen even got me my faaaavoritest potatoe chips from the commissary. Everyone prayed for me, wished me well, hugged me goodbye.

I wondered when I came over here if this was the right thing to do with my summer. Throughout the months I've wondered if I've done any good, if I've had any impact on those around me, if I've really done something to further the kingdom of Christ on earth. Today I realized the answer - yes. I have built relationships with people, and in some way touched their hearts, and they have touched mine. I have grown this summer, both personally and in my walk with and understanding of God, and what it is to follow Him. I have learned more than I am able to articulate - and some things I have learned I may not even know yet. But I have grown, and changed, and loved.

As Sara put in my card,
"Goodbyes are not forever,
Goodbyes are not the end.
They only say I miss you
until we meet again."







okay....so, I just now got what she meant by the statement..."the present" didn't mean the present, as in the right now, but as in the mentos....it makes a lot more sense now. I was thinking more symbolically, you know? Like, eat, drink, and be merry - only more fun and laughter with exploding sodas and eating....oh well. I feel awfully silly now.

Apple Pie and VBS

What says summer like those two things? Maybe not necessarily together, but that works too. Anyways, I feel accomplished - yesterday, I baked my very first apple pie! And it was GOOD, too! Under Debbie's expert tutelage, I peeled and chopped apples, rolled out crust, stuffed a pie, and fluted the edges. :) Top it off a few hours later with vanilla ice cream, and yum!!

VBS training and set up has started, too, since Baumholder's VBS (vacation Bible school, for those that have never experienced the fun of this acronym) is next week. For the two days I'm still here, I've volunteered to work with - guess - the pre-schoolers. Among regular duties, I'm doing Chadder's Theater, which is showing them the movie, doing a little science experiment (oh yeah, our theme is Power Lab so we're all a bunch of wacky professors), and reiterating the day's main theme and verse. However, Sherri (the director) asked me on Monday night if I'd be willing to lead the singing and teach the songs, too, since the lady scheduled to do that is still in the States. So, I've spent this last week learning the songs and the motions, and always having one of the 10 stuck in my head on constant repeat. :) I had to teach the main song to all the adult volunteers today, which was weird - in front of kids, no problem! But you have to do these things all different when your audience is older than 10.

So, for the first two days, I'm the first "professor" they see, so I get to kind of MC everything. Welcome, songs, skits (with my wacky scientist friend "Professor Wilma"), and the first mention of the day's theme and verse and story, and prayer. Cool! I'm really kind of excited for this, even though there's a lot of talking to do (I hope I can remember everything I'm supposed to say!) It's gonna be fun!

In Memory

The 2nd Brigade Combat Team based out of Baumholder, Germany, lost it's third soldier in this deployment this week. Sgt. James A. McHale of the 40th Engineers died on July 30th, and his memorial was today.

The ceremony is very formal, and very moving. Both the German and American National Anthems are sung. Up at the front of the Chapel is the fallen soldier's battle cross - a pair of combat boots, a rifle, helmet, and the soldier's dog tags, along with his picture and medals. Army lore indicates the helmet and identification tags signify the fallen soldier; the inverted rifle with bayonet signals a time for prayer and a break in the action to pay tribute to the dead; the combat boots represent the final march of the last battle.

Former comrades and commanders give tribute to the soldier, remembering his life, honoring his sacrifice. After a silent tribute, the 1st Sgt gives the final roll call, probably the most wrenching and awful moment in the memorial. He begins calling out names in the unit, and the men answer, until he gets to the fallen soldier, when there is silence. He calls the name again; still no answer. He calls the name a third time - but the soldier will never be able to answer roll call again. The rifle volleys fire, and taps is played. Afterward, everyone files out in pairs past the battle cross to pay their respects, soldiers saluting their fallen comrade.

Please keep our troops in your prayers. Whether or not you support the war, our men and women are over there fighting and dying for us. They give so much so that we can live the way we do - some, like Sgt. McHale, give their all. Remember their sacrifices. Honor them.

And please, God, keep them safe.

Long Weekend

Thursday
Thursday, Brad and Debbie and I loaded up the car and set off for Bamberg, to visit another Hospitality House while the carpets dried after their shampooing. Our first stop was Heidelberg, for some sightseeing. We hiked up to the castle (and it is a very steep hike!) and toured the ruins and not-so-ruins. After walking back down, we stopped and thoroughly enjoyed the elusive Starbucks - one of the few places here that will give you free ice-water! It was a very warm, sticky day, hotter than it normally gets here in Germany. After finishing our deliciously cold drinks, we got in the car and headed towards Wurzburg, where we stopped for dinner. We also walked around the gardens of the Residence there, which were quite lovely. After dinner, we drove to Bamberg and stayed up late talking to Matt and Tina Huisjen, the House directors there.

Friday
Friday-day Brad and Debbie and I went in to Bamberg to see the city. Bamberg is in Bayern (Bavaria) so the culture is a little bit different - I really enjoy the cities here. Friday night was Bible study at the Bamberg Hospitality House - it was so nice to be in a Bible study with so many people again! Bamberg is a larger base than Baumholder and has more than one brigade, so even though some of their soldiers have recently deployed, others have just returned or are even between deployments. The House was full, and we enjoyed good food, worshipping through music, a good lesson/discussion (lead by our own Brad), and lots of fun time in fellowship.

Saturday
Saturday was spent just enjoying time with the Huisjens. They have four children, ranging from 4 to 10 yrs old - Madeline, Jesse, Toby, and Bridget. We had a LOT of fun with them (and with the dog, Sandy). We took a drive out to a nearby lake to go swimming and playing with the inflateable rafts. Dinner that night was delicious - steaks and ribs and corn on the cob! Mmmm, it doesn't get much better than that!

Sunday
Sunday we said goodbye and headed back to Baumholder, with a stop on the way in Sinsheim at the Auto-technik Museum. We were checking it out for it's feasability (and desireability) as a Saturday trip for the House. It was fascinating - two huge buildings full of old classic cars and trains and planes, and a whole heap more outside. We climbed up to the cockpit of the Concord (or, since it was Russian, the sign called it the "Concordski"), and through an rickety old Bulgarian plane, and one like Indiana Jones flew on, and then slid down a kind of monster slide from the roof in a plane to the ground floor of the building below. We also checked out the IMAX 3D theatre there, and while it was pretty cool, I got rather motion sick. After leaving Sinsheim (the weather changed abruptly from bright and sunny when we went into the Concord to dark and stormy by the time we got back out), it was really very nice to come "home" and to sleep in my "own" bed.

Thinking about that made me realize - I only have a week left here!! AHHH. Then I really do get to go Home and sleep in my Own bed. Yay! I know I'm going to miss it terribly and wish I could come back (especially when I realize that Phoenix is a really brown and hot huge city and I start missing cool, green German countryside), but I'm very excited to start school again. Speaking of, please pray for me, that major decisions that have to be made SOON about school can be made - and according to God's will, even if not my own!

House Maintenance

I'm sore. Achey-brakey. But it's good pain! This morning Kristen and I met at the track after PWOC for an extra day of running! I've been doing about 2.5 miles three days a week. This morning we ran the straights, walked the curves for a mile, which is SO much more fun when you have a running buddy! After that, we did some laps of walking backwards, and we did about a quarter-lap of walking lunges. DANG but those hurt. Good gracious. We got up after them (we shortened them from "all the bleachers" to "this set of blue bleachers" and it STILL hurt) and our legs felt like noodles - really heavy, jello-y noodles.

So, add that to a day of painting and another day of carpet shampooing. The House is closed for repairs this week. Yesterday we painted the main-floor living room, a wall or two in the downstairs coffee-area, the main kitchen, and the Kinder room. Today, we removed furniture and shampooed the carpets in the up- and downstairs living rooms and the Kinder room. Now everything is clean and shiny, and smells citrus-y fresh. (which is particularly appreciable in the kinder room!!) We finished it all a lot faster than we thought we would be able to, which was nice. And everything really does look so much the better for it! We're headed out this weekend to visit another hospitality house, which will give the carpets time to get good and dry. The House looks really different with all its furniture piled higgeldy-piggeldy on the tiled areas.

Super Sunday 2

So, today was our second - and I think rather more successful - attempt at a Super Sunday. We had a whole lot of people, even some who've never been out to the House before. We grilled all our food, and I definitely ate too much. We played Koob, which is a game that really doesn't sound fun if you explain it, but is really a lot of fun to play. We played volleyball, sort of - it's hard to keep a volley going when most of your players are under five feet tall or the age of 10. But it sure is fun! The weather was nice - even 'hot' by Germany's standards, so we even had a water fight, and ate lots of popsicles, and laughed and generally had a good time.
And yet for some reason, I'm in a really bad mood right now, and therefore am unable to impart an accurate picture of how fun it was. Grrrr.

My Good Deed for the Day

Brad is off on a bike trip, and Debbie went out for lunch with a friend and then to go meet him in Trier, so I have today all to my lonesome. I did my cleaning yesterday, so when PWOC got done this morning, I was in no hurry to go home and sit around, so I decided to hang out with Kristen and Ashley and Jess and her mom. Little did I know where that would land me! We walked on over to the Hall of Champions, where there was a blood drive going on.

I am terrified of needles.

But, somehow, Kristen and Jess talked me into it. I'm O neg, the "good blood," as the lady said. It's really hard to say, "No, I'm too scared of needles," when your friend is looking at you telling you how your blood could save her husband who's deployed to Iraq. So, I got guilted and cajoled into it, and I signed my name, filled out the paperwork, answered all their questions, and braced myself. I thought the finger prick was gonna be nothing, so I was glad no one told me ahead of time that that's the worst part! Got that done with - had high blood pressure, yay nerves. Then I got in my chair and held Jess's hand (she's a wonderful person!) while he stuck me. It didn't take very long at all till I filled up that little bag (ick...) and was on my way again. Poor Kristen was in the chair for probably 20 minutes. Gabe, Kristen's little 5 year old, held my hand as the guy (who had a terrible bedside manner) took the needle back out - he was great. :)

Frankfurt Zoo Trip

This weekend we took a trip to the Frankfurt Zoo with 23 people - lots of little kids! Train is definitely one of my favorite ways to travel, and the kids seemed to enjoy it, too, because they weren't constrained by seat belts and so could switch seats or stand up and walk around and have all kinds of fun. Sarah and her friend Sydney sort of attached to me and Mac all day, which was kind of fun. The zoo was actually a lot smaller than I thought it would be, so we saw all the animals within about an hour. Then came the downpour. Mac and Sarah and Sydney and I ran in search of cover and just so happened to end up under the same tarp as the rest of our group, whom we hadn't seen since arriving at the park. Once the rain stopped for a bit, we left the zoo and went to enjoy lunch at a rare and wonderful place - Pizza Hut! It was delicious, and gave us a chance to dry out a bit. (the waitress had looked at us askance as we came in dripping wet.) Once lunch was done, the four of us hung out by the fountain until it was time to meet everyone else, and we headed home. Well, we thought we headed home, but we were on the wrong train. But after that, we did head home and actually made it. :)

peektchures

Just wanted to show of the pictures of Kristen and my Dress-Up night! Golly, but it's fun to be a girl.

Fun day!

After PWOC Bible study this morning, Kristen (my running buddy!) came up to me and asked if I would like to go to Rammstein with her today. I felt a flashback to junior high asking, "Mom, mom, can I go to so-and-so's house to play? Pleeeeeease? I'll do all my chores when I come back home!" But instead it was, "Debbie, Debbie, can I go with Kristen to Rammstein? Pleeeeeeease? She'll bring me home before dinner!" And she said yes! So, off I went with Kristen - dropped her kids off at the daycare and away we drove!

Rammstein is an Air Force base not to far from Baumholder. We went to go shopping :) because Baumholder is NOTHING compared to Rammstein. They've got a huge foodcourt, and a pretty base, and nice barracks, and lots of shopping, a big chapel, a nicer BX, all kinds of wonderful ammenities. The joke (not really the funny kind, since it's true) where Mac is in Cleburg is, "why does an Army soldier have to get injured in order to be treated like the Air Force?" (in WTU [warrior transition unit, where all the hurt soldiers go] their job description is 'to heal,' which means they get spacious quarters, free internet and a DSN line, TVs, and allll kinds of things that the Air Force just naturally gives it's airmen.) Anways, we had fun shopping, then decided to head over to Vogelweh, another Air Force/Army base, where we had lunch and did some more shopping - Kristen bought a couple of cute dresses, so we're gonna dress up for dinner & discussion tomorrow night.

It was just so much FUN, talking and laughing and joking and just being girls. It made me miss my girl friends at home, but it made me so happy to realize I have a friend here. After lunch, she suggested driving over to see Mac at Kleber, since it's really close to Vogelweh. When we found him, he said he'd actually been trying all day to get to Baumholder so he could buy some tanker boots, since there's no armor on Kleber, so we loaded him into the car and headed back. Picked up Gabe and Josh from pre-school, then Kristen dropped us off at the Festaburg. We sat around on the balcony talking till Debbie came home, then she and I made dinner and the four of us enjoyed it. We got to sit around on the balcony again after dinner and just enjoy the absolutely GORGEOUS day that God made for us, until Kristen came by to take Mac home again. And I get to see them all again tomorrow! What a great place is this - and how great to have such good friends!Sadly, I didn't get any of me and Kristen, but I CERTAINLY will tomorrow when we're all dressed up and cute! And I don't know why this is written as a link like this...oh well.

Saying Goodbye . . .again

Friday night we held our farewell for Andy, Jeroham, and Mac. Andy and Jeroham will be deploying, and Mac is finally headed to WTU and has PCS'd to another post in Germany before heading to Fort Bragg. So, all the families (the Eiflers, Lahmons, Stones, Todds, and ourselves) were here Friday night to say goodbye. It felt a little strange to say goodbye, since Andy and Mac were spending the weekend with us, and because the Army is the Army, they all may very likely be here for quite some time yet. But you don't want to miss the chance to say goodbye, and to do it right. We discussed the biblical way to say goodbye, like Jesus does with His disciples at the last supper. Basically, there are four parts: "be good," "see you later," "I love you," and praying together. So we talked and prayed and laughed and said our goodbyes, and generally had a great time, despite the tears.

Saturday PMOC / men of the chapel took a trip to Belgium to see some WWII stuff, I think it was (not having gone, I am unaware of the specifics). Debbie, Mac and I were left to run around and go shopping and enjoy lunch and ice cream in Idar. Jonathan, Brad, and Andy came back and joined us for grilling hamburgers, and we all adjourned to our beds or our computers. Up this morning for chapel, where we learned that "eating a carrot is like walking with Jesus." (It's a long story.) A friend of Brad and Debbie's came for lunch today, as he was in Germany on a business trip, and after lunch Mac and I took Andy back to post and went looking for enough people for a volleyball game, with no success. So, we all took a hike almost to the castle instead, and came home for grilled cheese and leftovers. Then, since he was headed Ktwon way, our visitor took Mac back to his new 'home' (and the word is used ever so loosely), and Brad and Debbie and I cleaned up and retired, getting ready to start the new week.

20th Birthday

I'm 20! It hasn't sunk in yet - not that 20 is such a huge step up from 19, but I'm no longer a teenager - I'm in my twenties. I'm more 'officially' an adult. It's kind of a fun thought. But it will take some getting used to.

Anyways, last night was my birthday celebration. Mac came over to the house and joined us for a dinner of Raclette, which is kind of a delicious cousin to Fondue. After dinner we opened presents: I got four books of a very wide variety from B & D, and a movie from Mac that he'd been trying to find for me since last time I was over here. I also got cards from home! And piano music that my wonderful mother sent me. :) Then there was the cake - Debbie made me a red velvet cake, and the recipe was actually one she got from my great-grandmother! And boy howdy was it delicious. I made my wish and blew out the candles - and actually blew one of the candles off the cake. I don't know if that enthusiasm means my wish HAS to come true, or if I blew all chances of that away. I guess we'll see! :) After enjoying our cake, we went downstairs and watched a movie, before Brad had to take Mac back to post.

It was a very fun night. I was especially glad Mac got to come, because he is headed back to the States very, very soon, and I am going to miss him something terrible.

Bike Trip and Birthday

WHEEEEE this last weekend was AMAZING!! We went on a 4th of July bike trip up the Mosel and Rhine Rivers with 20 people from this (Baumholder/Festaburg) House, the Spangdahlem Hospitality House, and the Heidelberg House. It was incredible!

Thursday
Thursday night we all met at Roger and Sheila's house in Spangdahlem, The Hanger. They bought an old Pension (like a little privately-owned inn) and fixed it up to be their Hospitality House - and it's amazing. There are 10 bedrooms! After everyone had arrived and had a chance to sort of get to know one another, we were given our rooms and went to bed so as to be well rested for the next day.

Friday
Friday morning we ate breakfast at the Hanger, then loaded up the vans and trailers and set out for Wittlich Bahnhof, where we unloaded the bikes. Debbie and Gloria were driving the chase van (which didn't really chase us, as it beat us to every destination) with the trailer. The Spangdahlem folks didn't join us the first day, since they had a 4th of July bbq planned, but would meet up with us the next day. So, away we went! We had gorgeous weather, sunny but not too hot. (I managed to get rather spectacularly burned, but fortunately it turned to tan by the end of the trip. However, I do have a white strip down the middle of my back from my braid!) We rode from Wittlich all the way to Cochem, with a couple stops along the way for water or ice cream. In total, we road 85 kilometers on Friday in about 6 1/2 hours (that's 52 miles!). My bike battery lasted the whole way, which was AMAZING! It's supposed to last only 40-60 km in a day. :) The only problems we encountered were with Jonathan's bike, which seemed determined to break repeatedly, though each time we were fortunately near a town that had a bike shop. At the end of the day, we set up camp in Cochem, then Vincent and Jonathan and I went off to go swimming, which was a wonderful end to the day. I shared a tent with Brad and Debbie, and I froze. It was SO cold. I was in a mummy bag, on the ground, and normally I'm fine, but I didn't hardly sleep at all because I was so darn frigid. But it was great to be sleeping in a tent again!


Saturday
Saturday morning, Diane saved us all from Brad's idea of breakfast. Instead of dry rolls and jelly, we had fresh, crispy bacon, wonderful hashbrowns, and cheesy, bacony eggs. After our morning devotion and packing up camp, we set off again. Our ultimate destination today was Koblenz, a slightly shorter ride than the day before. Along the way, we stopped to hike up to Burg Eltz, which had most of us panting by the end. Once we regained our breath, we took the tour and ate lunch atop the castle. Back down the hill to our bikes, only to discover that we had several inexplicably flat tires (probably just from over-inflation after sitting in the sun). Change the tires, set out again on our journey. A while later, Jonathan's bike broke once again, but some kind man at a gas station drove home, got some tools, and fixed it for him. Tragically, it was not long after that that my bike broke - and not so reparably. The handle came off - the handle which controls the throttle and the battery. There was still a little bit of assist left, but an 80 lb bike is hard to ride up hills. I did make it to the next meeting place with the van, thanks to Brad pushing me for a while. Once we got there, my bike was loaded into the van and I rode the last 15 km to Koblenz with Debbie, Gloria, and Brad (who was driving in order to negotiate the impossibly narrow and steep ways.) We got stuck once, but Brad is skilled at backing a trailer down narrow, curving alleys, and eventually we made it to our hostel - which just so happened to be inside a 19th century fortress.


After showering, we all felt much more alive and headed over to the nearby restaurant for a delicious dinner. We ate outside, enjoying the view overlooking all of Koblenz, including the Deutsche Eck, where the Mosel and Rhine meet. When it got too cold, we moved inside for dessert and coffee. Slowly people headed back over to the hostel for bed. Vincent and I took the opportunity to take some really cool night shots of Koblenz. Then it was off to bed, to be ready for the very last day.

Sunday
Sunday morning dawned cloudy, but not threatening rain, and still pleasant temperatures. Since my bike was not functioning, I was a little sad about having to ride in the van, but riding with Sheila and Brittany was fun. Before we left, though, everyone sang Happy Birthday to me. I'm 20 years old!! I'm finally not a teenager anymore! So, the bikers left, and we took off down the hill to meet them at the next stop. When we did meet them, they were exhausted from riding against a vicious headwind for most of the way. We set off again and met in St. Goar, under the shadow of Burg Rheinfels, my favorite castle. We ate lunch and wandered around a bit, until it was time to leave. However, the clouds looked a lot darker, and Jim decided that the Heidelberg group was going to get on a train here to head back to Wittlich instead of waiting until reaching Bingen, the original end of the trip. Not quite ready to give up, the Festaburg and Hanger crews decided to ride for about another hour until we got to Bacharach. My wonderful friend Jonathan even let me ride his bike so that I could finish the trip. We set off, and I survived riding 'the demon bike' as it had come to be known for all it's breakages. It didn't break this time! We made it successfully to Bacharach, where we loaded up the vans to head back to the Hanger so the trailers could all get the right stuff loaded into them. Steve was the only person to ride the entire trip - my bike broke, Jonathan gave me his for the end, Brad had to drive the van in tricky spots, Spangdahlem joined a day late, and Heidelberg stopped early. Only Steve went the whole way - and he'd been on a bike the least! Go Steve!!

So, back at the Hanger, we unloaded Heidelberg's stuff from our trailer, had a few minutes overlap with them after they arrived from the train station, we said our goodbyes, and headed off for home. The trip was really, really great. Nothing went drastically wrong (although a bee did get stuck inside Laurel's sunglasses and manage to sting her), and everyone really seemed to enjoy themselves. We got to make new friends, or make old friends closer, and get to know people in relatively the same situations, just different locations. We saw Germany at its most gorgeous, and just overal had an amazing time. It is certainly my most memorable birthday!

My New Best Friend

So, Brad and Debbie are home now - yay! I met them at the airport, we came home for lunch, and they both took a nap to get the worst edges off the jet-lag. After waking up, though, Brad was ready for a bike ride. Since we have a 4-day Bike Trip coming up this weekend, I thought it might be a good idea to get some practice in, so I went with him. Whoooo! 10 miles! I cannot remember the last time I rode 10 miles on a bike. Yay me! Or actually - yay my [[Debbie's]] bike.

This bike is amazing. It's got a motor (which means the bike is 80 lbs heavier than normal), so it will assist you, as long as you're peddaling. However, if you get too tired (which, with these hills, is often!) you can switch modes, pull on the throttle, and off you go! It was AMAZING. Although, I must say Brad is even more amazing, because he made it up those terrible hills under his own power. Dang. But it was so much fun!!! I can hardly wait for the trip now. It's gonna be like 40 miles a day (YIKES!!) but it won't be as hilly as what we did today. Whee it's gonna be FUN!

Woah...June is OVER!

Where did the time go? When I got here, I was kind of sad that Brad & Debbie were going to be gone for almost a whole month - so long without them! But now, they're coming home tomorrow and I cannot believe that the whole month of June is gone already. It's the Forbes' last night! I'm crushed. I'm going to miss them so much. I'm going to miss Blaire's talking in the third person. ("Blaire didn't hit her - that's good." "Blaire wants to pray!" "Blaire will do it.") I'm going to miss Graeme's mathematical mind and his cool lego inventions - but not so much the sneaky tickle-attacks. I'm going to miss Paige, who comes and curls up in my lap, or running-leap-hugs me, or drapes herself around me, or just cuddles with me. And Duncan and Suzanne!! They were the perfect couple to fill in for Brad and Debbie while they were gone. I'm really going to miss Suzanne - she reads my mind ;) and is so easy to talk to - about literally anything. I can't remember last time I made such a close friend so fast, or found such a mentor. That's definitely one I'm going to keep in touch with.

As for what's been going on here, let's see. This last weekend we went to a chapel-wide barbeque on post, then loaded up the van and headed off to K-town to visit Fred and Diane Stocks, who run the K-town Hospitality House. (K-town = Kaiserslautern) They took us to 'their' castle, which I have to admit is in some ways cooler than Brad's castle. It's all in ruins, but there are a great many random walls left, and lots of fun places to climb up in and play spiderman. There's even a dungeon! (Gated up, can't get in. Sad.) After that (oh, I do like Brad's castle better because I can sing in it, and the hike isn't as killer!), we went back to the K-twon House and had Chinese food for dinner. I think the funniest part of the afternoon was right after the hike, seeing all of our people spread out on all the couches and most of the living room floor - sound asleep. How nice of the Stocks' to let us come over and crash!

Let's see what else. Brad and Debbie come home TOMORROW! I'm excited - even though I'm terribly sad to see the Forbes' off. I'm driving with them to Frankfurt, chilling at the airport for a while (babysitting the van), then driving back with Brad and Debbie. This weekend we're going on a bike trip up the Mosel Valley - now THAT will be cool. The next few weeks may be sad, though, as some guys are waiting to deploy - again - and some are hoping to get orders even this week sending them back to the States. That's the sad part of military life - all the goodbyes. But the friendships are worth it.