Mom and Shelly convinced me to give facebook a try and I find I'm addicted to the games! It's crazy! My favorites are Vampire Wars and Farmville. Plus it's nice to be able to use facebook to catch up with old friends - you search for a name and if they're in facebook, they normally have a picture posted and you can immediately see it's the right person.
I spent the last two weeks in the states, first in Norfolk at a JFCOM conference and then in Tampa at a SOCOM conference. While it was handy to catch up on my shopping, two weeks gone, with days in the middle doing nothing, was just far too long! The weather in Tampa was HOT (lower 90's daily) with thunderstorms almost every day. You'd go into a restaurant or a store and come out to the sky opened up downpouring every where. It wasn't gentle drizzling rain like in Washington state, where an unbrella is almost optional (depending on how long you're outside), it was soaking downpours where you're dripping wet from just going to your car.
Both of my conferences went well. I went to the same conferences last year, where my lack of knowledge about my job had me fumbling along. This time I was in an entire different position and could argue the requirements from the get-go. Especially good since a couple of my support people met transportation problems and showed up hours late!
Brad is passionate about short wave radio and is listening to Radio Beijing, Radio Netherlands, etc., whatever he can pick up. We'll definitely be prepared in the event of any disasters!
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Mom's Summer Visit
Looking back at the summer, I think the busiest and most active time we had was when my Mom visited us. We went to Heidelberg and took the tram all the way to the the top of the town, as well as touring the castle. 
We drove around the Black Forest, as well as walking around the oldest Monestary in Europe. We watched a thunderstorm from the top of the Radio Tower and wandered toured the palace of Ludwigsburg.
We drove around the Black Forest, as well as walking around the oldest Monestary in Europe. We watched a thunderstorm from the top of the Radio Tower and wandered toured the palace of Ludwigsburg.
Summer Fest
Last Saturday Brad and I headed downtown to the Stuttgart Summerfest. We went to the flea market first and then headed over early to the Summerfest. The fest goes on all day but doesn't get crowded until after 6 p.m.. Brad and I lucked out and found a table right by a big pond and near one of the bands. Since it was a hot day, we were able to sit in the shade (of the table awning) and feel the breeze moving across the park. It was lovely.
Unfortunately Brad is sick. He's had a horrible cold with hot and cold flashes, aches and pains, and it's been going on two weeks. So this weekend we just took it easy and stayed at home.
My computer has also chosen to break. We think it's the power source because it won't even start or light up. One of the things that sucks about being overseas like this is it's hard to know where to go to get things looked at. Even if they did repair computers, would they have the parts for a HP computer we bought in the states? The only thing that worries me is I've decided to try my hand at writing a book, and the first 100 pages of the book are now inaccessible on my cold, dead computer...
Unfortunately Brad is sick. He's had a horrible cold with hot and cold flashes, aches and pains, and it's been going on two weeks. So this weekend we just took it easy and stayed at home.
My computer has also chosen to break. We think it's the power source because it won't even start or light up. One of the things that sucks about being overseas like this is it's hard to know where to go to get things looked at. Even if they did repair computers, would they have the parts for a HP computer we bought in the states? The only thing that worries me is I've decided to try my hand at writing a book, and the first 100 pages of the book are now inaccessible on my cold, dead computer...
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Catching Up
I was trying to think of what the important things were that happened in the last month, so I could catch everyone up on what's been going on in our lives. 
The highlights seem to be a good place to start:
- I had my birthday. Brad bought me a beautiful antique (1920's) aqua marine bracelet and necklace. After we got them, Brad was looking online and found that aqua marines used to be worn by ancient mariners because they believe the stones would bring them safely home (how apropos, isn't it?!)
- I had another Navy weigh in & physical readiness test (had to diet hard again, need to lose weight!)
- We had my birthday dinner at "Leonardo Da Vinci" - an excellent Italian restaurant.
- We went to the flea market every Saturday.
- We went back to the Castle Hollenzollern with Ty Kopke, who was in town from Camp Lemonier, Djibouti
- We went to Castle Michelfeld
, which has been turned into a hotel & restaurant, for lunch and then went to Heidelberg
shopping
- We walked around Calw
- Found my lost bracelet
- Finished knitting my first sweater
- Found a cool basket, about ottoman sized that fits all my
yarn, bought fabric and recovered it
The highlights seem to be a good place to start:- I had my birthday. Brad bought me a beautiful antique (1920's) aqua marine bracelet and necklace. After we got them, Brad was looking online and found that aqua marines used to be worn by ancient mariners because they believe the stones would bring them safely home (how apropos, isn't it?!)
- I had another Navy weigh in & physical readiness test (had to diet hard again, need to lose weight!)
- We had my birthday dinner at "Leonardo Da Vinci" - an excellent Italian restaurant.
- We went to the flea market every Saturday.
- We went back to the Castle Hollenzollern with Ty Kopke, who was in town from Camp Lemonier, Djibouti
- We went to Castle Michelfeld
, which has been turned into a hotel & restaurant, for lunch and then went to Heidelberg
shopping
- We walked around Calw
- Found my lost bracelet
- Finished knitting my first sweater
- Found a cool basket, about ottoman sized that fits all my
yarn, bought fabric and recovered it
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Amazing Findings
Wow, I've let almost a month go by without blogging! I have some catching up to do!
I had something pretty amazing happen to me last week. Here's the story...
Brad bought me a diamond bracelet about 5 or 6 years ago for Christmas. I loved it, so I would wear it all the time. The Friday after Thanksgiving I had to work - because it wasn't a normal work day and because I didn't go anywhere else I remember the date clearly. Anyways, when I took a shower that morning I had my bracelet on. That day I walked the dogs, worked and nothing else. When I took a shower the next morning...yes, I know you can guess where this is going...my bracelet was GONE!!! We looked all over. I asked around at work - I'd only been two places. I kept looking for a while and asking but after a week I figured someone else had just found a nice gift for their sweetheart :-( So after a bit, I pretty much wrote it off and figured I'd never see it again, much to my vast disappointment - a $600 bracelet lost because I didn't stop wearing it when one of the two clasps stopped working - completely my fault.
Wednesday, Brad joined me for lunch. After having Subway sandwiches we walked over to the shopette (it's a small convenience store on base like a 7-11). The guy behind the counter was having problems with his computers and told me the credit card thing wasn't working. I said it was okay because I had cash so he rang me up. Brad commented that the cash register thing that shows you the total wasn't working - and being Brad he looked at the wires behind the computer on the counter to see if there was a loose wire. While looking, he found, hanging off a knob on the computer - MY BRACELET!!! Brad says "isn't this your bracelet?", I said "my god - it is", the cashier said "when'd you lose it?". After I told them I'd lost it months earlier, they let me have it. Someone had turned it in months ago - a while after I'd stopped asking around. I guess my bracelet was meant to be mine!
Easily the best day of my week!
I had something pretty amazing happen to me last week. Here's the story...
Brad bought me a diamond bracelet about 5 or 6 years ago for Christmas. I loved it, so I would wear it all the time. The Friday after Thanksgiving I had to work - because it wasn't a normal work day and because I didn't go anywhere else I remember the date clearly. Anyways, when I took a shower that morning I had my bracelet on. That day I walked the dogs, worked and nothing else. When I took a shower the next morning...yes, I know you can guess where this is going...my bracelet was GONE!!! We looked all over. I asked around at work - I'd only been two places. I kept looking for a while and asking but after a week I figured someone else had just found a nice gift for their sweetheart :-( So after a bit, I pretty much wrote it off and figured I'd never see it again, much to my vast disappointment - a $600 bracelet lost because I didn't stop wearing it when one of the two clasps stopped working - completely my fault.
Wednesday, Brad joined me for lunch. After having Subway sandwiches we walked over to the shopette (it's a small convenience store on base like a 7-11). The guy behind the counter was having problems with his computers and told me the credit card thing wasn't working. I said it was okay because I had cash so he rang me up. Brad commented that the cash register thing that shows you the total wasn't working - and being Brad he looked at the wires behind the computer on the counter to see if there was a loose wire. While looking, he found, hanging off a knob on the computer - MY BRACELET!!! Brad says "isn't this your bracelet?", I said "my god - it is", the cashier said "when'd you lose it?". After I told them I'd lost it months earlier, they let me have it. Someone had turned it in months ago - a while after I'd stopped asking around. I guess my bracelet was meant to be mine!
Easily the best day of my week!
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
SIQ
So I could blog about how we spent Saturday (flea market with our friends Jeff and Jenn), or Sunday (flea market in Calw - beautiful little town on a river with SSgt Veronica Soto), or the dinner we had last week at a restaurant near work with a little pond while we sat on the patio eating salad and schnitzel, or I could blog about taking some time and going vegetable shopping with Brad at the Vaihingen market, but instead I'll blog about sickness...
Not swine flu, or the H1N1 variant as it's correctly called, thus not impacting pork sales - guess the pig farmers were protesting the title. But being sick. I have been so sick that I had to go to the clinic twice! The first time I went was last Wednesday - I had been coughing for four days and I had been told there were three people at work with whooping cough, a highly contagious disease, so I went to get checked out. The doctor, after making a big deal out of how it couldn't be "whooping cough" told me I had a respiratory virus and sent me home with some over the counter Muscinex and Motrin (why do they think everything can be solved with Motrin!!!????) After five days taking medicine and getting a sorer and sorer throat that couldn't be eased with all the Motrin, Tylenol, cough drops & cough syrup in the house, I went back. This time they gave me antibiotics, cough syrup with codeine, and a SIQ chit. SIQ = Sick In Quarters = and ordered me to not go into work Tuesday. So I spent one of the best Tuesday's ever, laying around the house doing NOTHING at all! With my wonderful husband! It was a great day :-) (and only the second time I've ever gotten a day off of work for being sick in 16 years).
Anyhow, I'm better now :-) I'll write about the spring festival we went to last weekend later...
Not swine flu, or the H1N1 variant as it's correctly called, thus not impacting pork sales - guess the pig farmers were protesting the title. But being sick. I have been so sick that I had to go to the clinic twice! The first time I went was last Wednesday - I had been coughing for four days and I had been told there were three people at work with whooping cough, a highly contagious disease, so I went to get checked out. The doctor, after making a big deal out of how it couldn't be "whooping cough" told me I had a respiratory virus and sent me home with some over the counter Muscinex and Motrin (why do they think everything can be solved with Motrin!!!????) After five days taking medicine and getting a sorer and sorer throat that couldn't be eased with all the Motrin, Tylenol, cough drops & cough syrup in the house, I went back. This time they gave me antibiotics, cough syrup with codeine, and a SIQ chit. SIQ = Sick In Quarters = and ordered me to not go into work Tuesday. So I spent one of the best Tuesday's ever, laying around the house doing NOTHING at all! With my wonderful husband! It was a great day :-) (and only the second time I've ever gotten a day off of work for being sick in 16 years).
Anyhow, I'm better now :-) I'll write about the spring festival we went to last weekend later...
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
My first sweater
I completed knitting my first sweater today! It came out pretty well also - I'll have to take a picture soon and post it here. The other cool thing that happened is Brad bought me for my birthday a spinning wheel so I can make my own yarn. He got it for a good deal at the thrift store here.
The other thing we've been doing is watching the Battlestar Galactica. Everyone has always said it's a good show, so when our upstairs neighbor loaned us season 1, we figured, what the heck, and started watching it. We're halfway through season one already!
The other thing we've been doing is watching the Battlestar Galactica. Everyone has always said it's a good show, so when our upstairs neighbor loaned us season 1, we figured, what the heck, and started watching it. We're halfway through season one already!
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