Yodel-le-he-hooooo!!

We went to Switzerland last weekend and it was fabulous! The mountains and snow were gorgeous (even though it was gray and overcast)! While we were in Luzern fasching was taking place (the european equivalent of Mardi Gras), so there were lots of people in costumes, music everywhere, and bands parading around the streets. I'm really enjoying being in Europe and getting to see all of these wonderful places...I can't wait for our next official trip...Madrid, Spain!! Adria's birthday is the first weekend of May, so we're planning a trip to Madrid to celebrate :) Then, Mom and Dad will be visiting, so there will be some more excursions....Berlin (again), Munich and Dachau, Rome, Prague...and maybe a few more places :) Ahhh...this is fabulous!

Here are the pics from Switzerland: http://www.flickr.com/photos/29860485@N03/sets/72157614308584880/show/.

My time in the states and France/Luxembourg

Hello everyone!

I was in DC for 2 weeks for a training, so here are the pics (there aren't any descriptors b/c most of the pics are of my classmates during our "graduation"): http://www.flickr.com/photos/29860485@N03/sets/72157613017297398/show/.

Also, I went to France/Luxembourg this past weekend with 2 of my fellow trainees, so here are the pics from that: http://www.flickr.com/photos/29860485@N03/sets/72157612979377963/show/. Adria and Rachel are both here in Germany (Rachel is the one that went w/ me to Vienna for Christmas) and we are all enjoying traveling around Europe. While we were together we made out some more travel plans, so we're trying to get to Switzerland, Spain, Italy, and Ireland in the next few months :)

One holiday down and one to go

There was a really beautiful snowfall a few weeks back, so here are some pics from it: http://www.flickr.com/photos/29860485@N03/sets/72157611852638970/show/.

Vienna was fabulous :) Here are the pics: http://www.flickr.com/photos/29860485@N03/sets/72157611852629096/show/.

Rachel and I arrived early Thursday evening (Christmas) and walked around, doing a little window shopping and sight seeing, since everything was closed (BTW...Europeans celebrate Christmas on 12/24-26, so everything is closed for 3 days as these are national holidays). On Friday we went downtown and took in a few sights, went on a guided tour of Vienna's famous sights, and had some amazing food throughout the day. Then, on Saturday we went to the Schonbrunn Palace and the Belvedere Palace and then watched a performance of the Nutcracker at the Vienna Opera House. We got up early Sunday morning and headed to the Imperial Palace's Church, where we listened to mass and the Vienna Boys Choir. It was all really nice...but it didn't feel like Christmas. I wasn't surrounded by family and noise and chaos...man, I can't wait for next Christmas :)

I'm headed to Vienna!!

I'll be spending this Christmas in Vienna (yippee!) :) I'm headed to a party on Christmas Eve, then I'll chat (via webcam) with the family on early Christmas morning, and then head to Vienna for Christmas (Dec. 25-28). Rachel, one of the other trainees, asked this morning if I'd like to go, so we're making a vacation of it :) We're both away from our families for the first time, and don't want to spend the holidays doing nothing, so we're making the best of it. I'm so excited!!

Happy Holidays!!

It's that time of year again :) The smell of fresh baked cookies, the Christmas lights that line the streets, the sound of families rushing to and from holiday parties...ahhhh :) Such a joyous time of year. This is the first Christmas that I'll be away from my family, so to all those that have the opportunity to spend some time with their loved ones...enjoy it...savor it...for you never know what the future holds. Christmas was both of my grandpa's favorite holiday, which was passed down to me. Christmas is about families and friends spending time with each other, giving unto others and sharing, and celebrating all of the joys (and sorrows) of the past year. It's a wonderful, beautiful time of year, no matter where you are. I'm thoroughly enjoying my time here in Germany and wouldn't trade it for the world. It's opened my eyes to new cultures, a different set of people, and reminds me how blessed I am. So, in short...Happy Holidays! Merry Christmas! God Bless!

I'm not very good at this blogging thing...

Yeah...it looks like I'm not very good at remembering to post on my blog...sorry about that. I just got back from the states a few days ago, so I'm still a little jet-lagged. I was in San Antonio for about a week and half for a conference and training, which was really fun. I also got to see my family and friends while I was there, so that was great too :) We had an early mini-Christmas the first night I was there and then the last night I was there we had dinner with some family friends. Overall, it was a great time and I truly enjoyed seeing everyone and spending time with them.

Long needed updates

Good evening :) I finally got internet at my apartment, so I'm finally updating my blog (sorry for the huge lag time). Here are some pics of my trip to Baltimore for NRPA: http://flickr.com/photos/29860485@N03/sets/72157608986057342/show/. And some pics of my apartment: http://flickr.com/photos/29860485@N03/sets/72157608989879358/show/.

My time in the states was really great. I met some amazing people, learned a TON, and got to do a little shopping :) I'm headed back at the end of Nov for another conference and training, which is in San Antonio, so I'll get to see my family and friends and have an early Christmas (yippee!!).

It's officially winter here in Germany (well, maybe late fall). The time has changed, the leaves are off the trees, and it's definitely cooled off. I can't wait to see what Christmas will hold for me, since this will be the first year I'm away from my family. I plan on going to a few Christmas markets in the area (and possibly one in Berlin), so that should be plenty fun, plus I might even go skiing the weekend before Christmas (wahoo!!). All-in-all, it should be interesting this year.

My truck should be arriving next week, which means that I'll have real transportation (no more waiting for the bus in the cold) and will get to do some shopping for my apartment. Right now the apt is pretty bare, but I'm trying to remedy that ASAP. My christmas present to myself is a couch this year, and I'll probably get some storage/cabinets and a desk before that. Ahhh...I can't wait until it's all comfy cozy :)

It might be a little while before another post....

Hey hey! Just wanted everyone to know that it might be another week before I post again b/c I won't have any internet (or phone service) at my apartment until after Nov. 4th. After that....it's all good :) I finally moved into my apartment and am working on getting furniture and other things...man, it's nice to have a place to call home! Alrighty...gotta get back to work :)

Orlando

Orlando was....sunny :) 2 weeks is a really long time to hard-core study special events...BUT, I learned a TON, met some really great people, and have some good ideas to take back to Bamberg. Sooo....here's some of the pics: http://www.flickr.com/photos/29860485@N03/sets/72157607969742863/show/. Hope y'all enjoy!

Beautiful Florida Sunshine

Ahhh...I love soaking up the sunshine :) I've been in Florida for a week and must admit I actually miss Germany a little bit. I'm still super excited to get back and really move in and live in my apartment. Although, it has been nice to meet new people and enjoy all the amenities here in the states (the shopping, dining, and leisure activities). Man, it's great traveling!

Munich

Here's some pics from Munich: http://www.flickr.com/photos/29860485@N03/sets/72157607435077854/show/. We had a TON of fun people watching and touring the city. AND....I signed the lease on my apartment today :) Yay!! I finally get to move in!! Now...I just need to hurry back from the states, so I can actually live in it :)

Fabulous Berlin...

I took my first real trip this weekend and went to visit an old undergrad friend in Berlin. It's definitely a bigger city and has a different feel from southern Germany (reminded me more of Houston...only Houston doesn't have NEARLY as much history as Berlin). Sooo...here's the pics (the link below will take you to a slideshow):

http://flickr.com/photos/29860485@N03/sets/72157606923691240/show/

There were definitely a few fun moments, such as my first time riding a train (and peeing on a train for that matter...harder than it seems), when we got rejected by the train ticket machine (yep...obviously it didn't like our money...or maybe it was just us), and then the various reactions we received when we asked "Spreichense English?" (one guy asked if we spoke Italian, French, or German...and then proceeded to speak perfect English when we said no to all the above). It was definitely one for the books. Next quest...Oktoberfest next weekend :)

I found an apartment!!

Yippee!! I finally found an apartment!! It's on the outskirts of Bamberg, so it's nice and quiet. It's right by a church, so I'll get to hear the bells going off when I'm home (which is usually a pretty sound to the ears). It's pretty big (by european standards...over 100 square meters), has a huge bathroom, a nice-size balcony, and two bedrooms (yes, I'll have plenty of room for anyone who wants to visit). The kitchen and living room are one big area, so it makes it's really open and has a nice feel to it. I'm super excited about moving in (granted, I won't actually get to live in it until I'm back from my TDY in the states) :) I'm meeting with the landlord next Thursday to go over the contract, so hopefully I can take some pics and let everyone know what it looks like empty. THEN, once I'm back from the states I get to go house shopping!! Yippee!! I've already decided that my first big purchase for the apartment will be a couch :) Something that I can come home, kick off my shoes, and lounge on with a good book. Plus, I'm hoping that once I get all the necessities out of the way I can buy a little table and chairs for the balcony. A small place to sit outside and drink hot tea or cocoa. Ahhh...I'm so ready for this :)

4th week....

This past week was BUSY. I've been looking for an apartment, so I went to look at 4 different places this week, which took a bit of time, but I found a place that I REALLY like. Now, I just have to submit some paperwork (there were a lot of people looking at the place, so they'll have their pick for who they want to occupy it) and wait to hear back from them. It's a REALLY nice place near downtown (right near the Bamberg Symphony Concert Hall) and it's a nice spacious 2-bedroom. So....I'm keeping my fingers crossed and HOPE that I get it. If not, then it's back to the drawing board. On another note, Juergen gets back to work tomorrow, so I won't be doing anymore online classes (wahoo!!). I'm not sure what all I'll be doing, but I'm trying to get as much facetime training with him in the next 3 weeks, because after that I'm going stateside for 3 weeks. I'll be in Orlando, FL from Sept. 27-Oct. 11 and then in Baltimore, MD from Oct. 11-Oct. 18. Ah yes....and I'm going to Berlin this weekend to visit a friend, plus we're going down to Munich the weekend after for the opening weekend of Oktoberfest :) Yay!! I'm finally going to get to travel!!

3rd week....

Well, it's my third week here...and I still love it :) Work is going well (although I'm a little tired of online classes right now...can't wait to get back to REAL work). I have one major thing to do this weekend...find a place to live. I in-processed with a lot of soldiers that were coming back from deployment, so we're all looking for a place to live at the same time (which means apts are going FAST). The newspaper should put out all the new posts tomorrow, so I'm going to try and check some of those out (hopefully they speak a little english). I could also go through an agency/realtor, but that requires a little more money. They usually want 2 months for themselves, plus there's the usual 2 months rent for security deposit (equals 4 months of rent that I have to come up with...my LQA doesn't cover security deposit OR an fees for a broker). Soooo....we'll see what happens. I just know I'm tired of living out of a hotel. Plus, I'm probably going stateside at the end of Sept for 3 weeks (trainings and a conference), so I DEFINITELY need to have something in place before I leave. While I'm gone the transportation office can deliver my stuff, so when I get back I can unpack and settle in (yippee!!!). Alright, it's time for bed, so I'll try and write more later. Good night!

Some pics

I'm still trying to figure out how to put a slideshow on here, so in the meantime, here's a few pics. Hope y'all like them!

Okay, try this link for some more pics: http://www.flickr.com/photos/29860485@N03/show/. Let me know if it works :)

There's a first time for everything....

Today was a pretty nice day :) The weather was beautiful (sunny, slight breeze, warm temp), so I went with Terri and her husband (Terri was for MWR) to a restaurant's opening in a neighboring village (the restaurant wants to be a sponsor for MWR, so we went to check it out). The food and beer were good and everything was going great....until I got stung by a bee on my leg :( I've never been stung by ANYTHING before, so I wasn't sure what to expect, but in the end it wasn't a big deal and we enjoyed the rest of the afternoon walking around the village. There is a cave at the top of one of the hills there, so we went up to see it, but it was unusally packed (b/c of the restaurant opening). We sampled some local schnapps and then headed back to Bamberg. Christian (Terri's husband) wanted to take a different route home, so we went for a scenic drive on the way home. All in all, I would say it was a pretty nice day :)

1st day in Germany

Okay, I think I'm in love...with Germany! Everything here is so green and open and everyone is really nice. The temperature is great and there seems to be just the right amount of breeze in the air (nothing too hard, but just enough to keep the air flowing). The food is absolutely AMAZING (I think I had one of the best dinners I've had in awhile tonight at a beergarden) and the beer is definitely worth spending money on. There was a little gathering tonight with all the trainers, trainees, some other MWR people, and some of the previous Management Trainees (we're going to buddy w/ some of them, so that should be pretty cool). After the dinner we walked around Heidelburg taking in some of the sights, sounds, and smells (and burning off a little of the chocolate mousse we ate :) ). The environment is unlike anything I've experienced in the U.S. and I'm ready to get to Bamberg and start training/learning and traveling. Alright, the jet lag has definitely caught up with me, so I'm off to bed. Good night!

First Training Day

Today was the first day of training, and I'm already worn out! We sat and listened to all our benefit options and then had to fill out a bunch of paperwork, which isn't that bad, unless you have to get up really early like we did. There were definitely a few times when some of us were having trouble keeping our eyes open :) I finally met my trainer, Juergen, and I think I'm going to enjoy working with him. He's very nice and seems to know a TON about MWR and the people in it, so it should be a true pleasure to work with him and learn from him. There are 10 trainees in the program and everyone seems to be nice. There are 5 of us that are staying state-side and 5 of us that will be going to Germany. I've made friends with a few and I think we're going to go into DC to do some tourist things this weekend (the Smithsonian, some of the national monuments, etc.), so we should have a good time. Alright, I'm tired, so this is the end of this post. Good night!

3 more days....

Ahhhhh....only 3 more days! I'm soooooo ready, but there's still so much left to do! Okay, I just have to remember....breathe, breathe, breathe. I'm ready for this next step in my life and it has been absolutely wonderful to visit with my family and friends these past two weeks. I truly hope some of them will come to Germany and visit me and checkout any other places that I may travel to. This is going to be AWESOME!!!!