Taking life a day at a time!

Wow, I feel awful. I planned to use this blog as a step by step in the journey of this PCS, however... Like every other blog and journal... I want to write, but feel as though I am just repeating everything. Maybe instead of a every single day blog I will attempt to write once a week.I can't even count the number of times I tried to write a new blog since the last.  Alright. So, Bryce and I have been in Germany for about 20 days! In that last 30 days in town everything got insane... We booked our flight in June and there was no room for our pups... So they are at "Nana's house" until we can get them over here. We left Colorado Springs after I got to see my dearest friend marry the man of her dreams. Congrats Bethany! I can't even seem to figure out a way to describe how I felt driving out of Colorado Springs with the knowledge of no clue when I will return... It was scary...emotional. We headed to Grand Junction for the last few days before our two day journey to Wiesbaden. That weekend we were able to celebrate Bryce's cousin Marissa as she married the man of her dreams, as well as she family and friends before heading back through the pass to what would be the final good-bye. Bryce's parents also helped celebrate my birthday that Sunday, mind you it was my first birthday to not have my family around. It was sad. The following day we arrived in Denver, and celebrated this journey at none other then Casa Bonita! I love that place! Taco Salad....YUMMMM! It was tough.. Seeing family and knowing  that I was leaving.... But, the time I was able to spend with my mom, grandmother and cousins.... was amazing! I certainly miss them. The two day journey was just that! The flight out of Denver was not bad... Security took forever, but the lined moved quickly. It was a 3 hour flight into Baltimore... And that was were boredom sank... They couldn't pass our bags through to our later flight, so we had to stick around about 5 hours or so prior to being able to check them in.. Here is a tip... If you go to BWI... There is just about NADA prior to security! Anyways. Once checked in ( took about 1 hour of standing on line), we went through security to begin waiting! Yup.. Flight was to take off at 10:50 with a loading at 9:30... MY BUTT!!! There was a MAJOR delay... There were 2 dogs that got loose. Then catering was late.. We finally boarded at about 10:30. Once all were boarded we got to sit in the plane for another 30 before we began to move! We left about 12:30AM. That is an hour and half behind. The plane was so nice. bryce and I had business class. So... Our seats laid back and legs rests moved forward. Also.. We had TONS of space! It was nice.. they provided 3 meals and drinks. It was lovely! (I slept like 3 hours during the flight). We arrived in the afternoon, and waited about 1 hour for baggage and then another 2 or so to be released to buses to take us to post. We didn't arrive at post until about 9pm and into a hotel downtown after they gave our spot on post to another couple in the bus at 10pm... We stayed at the Crowne Plaza downtown. It was beautiful with  the most AMAZING staff and breakfast bar, but the tv sucked... I on a CNN strike... haha.. We got on post lodging a week later. I can saw that I miss being in town. I walked and looked at everything all the time. There are definitely perks of being on post. We are on a shuttle bus route ( not having to depend on someone to pick us up and end up being late). Our room is HUGE. We are in a suite with a separate bedroom and a little kitchenette. I still love Germany, I am in a bit of a blur when it comes to the language. It will get easier. Bryce loves his new unit, I do to. They made a great impression. Its a temp unit that is here to assist with the transition of its actual unit with the move from Heidelburg ( where we were originally suppose to be). Bryce feel he will fit in perfect. Now... Like I said.. We have been here almost a month.... and we have not been put in housing. Summer is a huge PCS season, which means a mass inflow of people. Our perspective housing is not going to be until October... Until then... we will be in the hotel... And maybe we will get a pet room sometime so we can fly our pups out. Bryce and I miss them. I know I would not be so bored with them. Right now, I am trying to stay sort of busy. I make trips to Bryce's post for lunch and to check the mail in hopes of receiving a package, and today be got 2. Yay! But, other then that keeping busy is tough. We have a 4 day coming up and we don't have a car... so that is pretty grim. It is a 20 minute walk to Downtown... Not bad... and then you can walk miles within Wiesbaden wandering without realizing it! Its lovely. I have been able to keep in contact with family.. It was tough at first, my family is 8 hours behind. So I feel like I am always receiving yesterdays news. My mom is definitely busy. My brother and his girlfriend welcomed a new baby boy, his first baby, into the world on the 26th. Yay! I know he will be a great father, and its also hard. I would have loved to be the first to have children. But God's plan is just that. My father, broke his ankle on my birthday so I was never able to officially say "See ya." He had surgery and he ended up getting sick. He is now battling a case of gout gone mad in his knee and  he has been in hospital. I am praying everyday for his recovery. I sent a get well card and a gift! So, we will see... My grandmother I have been able to talk to twice since we arrived and this last time was on her birthday. She is doing ok, taking each day as it comes. I know she is still hurting with the loss of my grandfather, but with the new great grand baby, maybe it will open a new joy and door for her. I miss her a lot. Same with my mother. I took advantage of the fact that I have always lived so close and sw her so much.  It seems weird that I can't see her or call when I want. Calling home is like a game of tag.. eventually you catch them at the right moment. Luckily for this app on my phone I can call and text for free. It is all via the internet. Yay.... Well, it is time to bid farewell to this insane chapter. Maybe this is proof that I should write more often.

Surreal Reality.

Bryce and I have a little over 30 days until our life heads to a new chapter. In the past two weeks we have received my passport as well as booked our flights. We leave DIA at 8:30 am on August 7th. Wow. It seems real as I hold our flight schedule in my hands. On top of that amazing news, we will be vacating our apartment on August 1st. That leaves 6 nights left to see our family and friends. Wow. Our biggest problem as of this moment is our pets. What are we going to do? Well, Bubba, my turtle, Emily and Cholitha, the kitties, will be moving in with my mother. I am sad that we can't have them with us in Europe, but I know that they will enjoy the life of living in a big house. They will have fun. The pups, will be going with, will have to catch their own flight out, as our MAC flight from Baltimore to Germany is booked pet-wise. That is alright, though because United has many flights a month that are non-stop from DIA to Frankfurt, so my mom will be able to ship them out to us. It will definitely be weird not having them with us, but it may help when it comes to settling in. It will give us time to get accustomed before we have have to customize them to the time change and new place. Now, the list shows packing and preparing for the move as #1. Bryce and I are slowly getting all of our clothes freshly laundered before we pack 'um up. However, I am having the hardest time deciding what attire may be needed in Germany from August through September. It looks as though we will get our shipment in mid-September to the end of the month. Surprisingly, I will have a lot of space, about 150 lbs of luggage space not to count my " personal carry on." I should be set. Well, as thing progress into madness I will keep you posted on this adventure of our first PCS.

Less then 60!

Wow! I can't believe that I have less then 60 days left. Wow... There is just so much to do in the remaining time. I put in for my official passport a month ago, so hopefully in the next two weeks we get it back so we can book our flights. Which would help me plan the remaining of my summer...Haha! This move has thrown us a curve ball, the bank that our car loan is through said we were able to take our vehicle to Germany then when Bryce called to get the paperwork and they said no... Joy. Now we are in the situation of having to sell three vehicles. Fun Fun... We still have to get our tourist passports in as well as get the dogs micro-chipped       and kennels to travel. It is crunch time. If we don't start getting things done, when we are able to book our flights we will be over stressed. GaH!! On a positive we did receive our orders in May, so I am clear to go! Yay.

The clock will continue to tick.....

Things are slowly becoming more prominent in the journey to Germany. Lately we have been checking things off the "Do before we leave" list. our countdown in now at 85 days to report date. Wow. We receive his orders next week, the ones with my name included. I turned in my passport application, the one that will get me to the base. Now, all we have to do is sit and wait until it comes back.
  I have begun to look around and think about growing up here in Colorado Springs, I had always wanted to marry into the military, see something new.  Well, I knew it was a way to become comfortable with change. I never in a million years knew that I would and I would actually have to force myself into. I hate change... the slightest change to certain aspects of my life will just throw me off, not stuff like they discontinued my favorite Starbucks drink sort of things. I realize that in the years I talked with my best friend about wanting to leave CO and move somewhere new, somewhere different, That I have actually created a completely comfortable cave like life here in the Springs. I am terrified of having to say good-bye and begin to place roots elsewhere. The thing is that I know that I have to allow God to decide on where and how my family will grow. I know that what ever happens will be for the best. The question I face is " Have I gone too far to find sanctity in my dreams? Should Bryce and I have started with a simple move across a few states before completely diving into a new country?" I am nervous that once I arrive I wont actually reach out to find friends, I won't want to try to meet people. I am trying so hard to learn about all the family member opportunities on base so I won't have an excuse to not try but, will I go? I look at the time that is left here in the good 'ol USA, there is not much. We have to BE THERE in 85 days, which mean we could leave in 75 or 80. Wow, that is less then 3 months. If it was up to me I would stay until 4 days prior. That is not up to me. That is up to a man in Family Travel. A man that does not care if my best friend is getting married on the 3rd of August, a man that does not care that my birthday is the 5th of August, a man that does not care that my Grandmother would like to attend a family reunion at the end of July, a man that does not care when my Parent-in laws plan to return from vacation. He holds the unknown. His job... to get us there when the time is convenient for the Army. Will I be ok with that? I guess I don't have a choice. It is not that man's fault, how would he be getting anything done if he worked around everything that everyone wanted? I begin to teeter thoughts in my mind, how much will I miss in three years? Will my friends remember me, are they still  going to talk to me? What can change while I am gone? What will they miss? All I can do is thank God for the amazing people in my life her in Colorado Springs and pray that they, and me, will forever hold each to our friendship.
I guess that it is time for me to branch out, to truly become me. The U.S. Army has become my family, everyone learns to depend on each other, because only then we will make it through alive.
  I have begun to pick back up the amazing German language. The Army has provide an amazing learning program online, it is free and I can learn many languages. It might help to take a few units in each as Bryce and I want to travel. I actually remember a decent amount considering. The program is directed toward tourists, with important saying you should know. The challenge I believe in this situation will be getting Bryce to start taking it, I think he believes that I will be his translator. Nope, not going to happen. Haha. I defiantly will needing flash cards... The one I am struggling with is " das Amerikanische Konsulat" It is the american consulate, pronounced das Ameri-kaan-ish-a Con-sue-lot. Now try to say it 10x fast... haha.. Luckily, I had a teacher who taught us how to build sentences correctly.
  Well, that is all for today, I have to head back to the grindstone on this learning, and retaining, German thing...Tschuss!

Lets get this ball rolling!!!

Wow! We have 91 days until our report date in Wiesbaden, Deutschland! Yay! I have completed my EFMP appointment last week, which means that I am going to have my NAME on Bryce's orders! Let's see him try to leave me behind now?! Haha, joking! The next step in our extraordinary long process is a OFFICIAL passport for me. I could wait until I have a appointment on June 5th, for a free photo, then wait till possibly July to receive my passport and then have one month to book flights, with the thought we might not get a good one with our pups.I was thinking, however, I can pay for one now and get it about 3 weeks sooner. That would opt better for us, especially since we will be busy in July shipping out our car and household goods.  Wow. that leaves about 3 months left to figure out everything. This seems like it is not yet a reality, but I know it is because as we complete all these things I become frustrated and anxious that nothing will go right and something will go wrong. I think that Bryce is on the fence about this whole Germany thing, still. He doesn't want to have to leave all of his BOY TOYS behind. That is ok, I think that everything will be more worth it once we have our feet on German soil. I am still completely thrilled about going, but I sometimes have trouble fathoming that thought of having to create a new life and say good bye to this one. Wait! What am I saying... I refuse to say GOOD- BYE. I will only let myself to look at this as a "See Ya Lata" event. I know what your thinking, it will be like a move while your a child. You know, the kind where you best friend moves to Kentucky or something like that and she keeps in touch for like a month and then its as though you never knew each other. I refuse to let myself do that. It will be a fight, but I WILL keep in touch with my closest and dearest friends. I have to. Well that is it for now!

Realization has not quite set in

Slowly things are coming to a checkpoint. our countdown for Germany is now at 119 days. That is barely 17 weeks. Wow!! Bryce and I have been still slowly been preparing ourselves for this move. We still have to do our EFMP appointment and passports. That is our plan for next week. Until we leave we are trying to live it up with fun and travel with the family. This week we are in spending time in Moab and Grand Junction with his family. The cold windy weather has seemed to follow us out to Moab. However, the trails on the atvs are fun, sandy and beautiful. It is very red though and amazing, definitely one of God's best works. Bryce had a amazing hunting trip planed for this week, but do to the rains and tornados down in Texas, it was cancelled because of flooding. We have a few more trips that we want to do before we take off in August. Hopefully things will continue to drag a bit. My family is still sliding by with the death of my granddaddy. We have made it through our first major holiday, Easter. It was a harsh realization of how he was gone, but he is in a better place. I am still feeling a little bad about leaving this year, and I just continue to tell myself I can't stay for comfort and push my dreams off as though they hold nothing. I know Germany will be well worth it.i think it will give me a chance to figure out exactly who I am, I won't have anyone, but Bryce to depend on. I think that is a good thing. We can make our marriage stronger.bryce is still not thrilled about going. He has to leave behind the things he loves, his camper, atv and hunting. I know it will be hard to go from being a extreme outdoor life to having to experience it in a different way. I think it will be fun to have to find a different way to satisfy our need for the adventure. I am looking forward to all the traveling and history that Europe holds, and on top of that we are extremely close to my brother- in law, sister- in law and nephew. So it won't be as we are completely alone. We will be able to visit decently often; plane tickets through Europe are extremely affordable. I will however miss the open, beautiful landscapes of the good 'ol USA.

Days go by quicker.

Well, the Countdown is now at about 139 days. Wow. It is coming all too quick. I still need to do my EFMP appointment so I can get on Bryce's orders. The weeks are few. Only about 19 left. I am so excited to live in Germany, even if we are on a base, but it will definitely be rough leaving Colorado Springs. I have always hoped to leave and see somewhere new, I can't believe it will be a different country. With The end of February being a rocky time with the passing of one of the greatest man, my grandfather, everything seems to be in a fuzzy blur. I know that I can't leave my dreams and my future in hindsight just so I don't have to fear missing a beat around here. Things will be different, but I think it will be a good thing to get away from the normal, and truly find out who I am. Anyways, I have been looking at housing, I think as long as we get an apt with a balcony we will be fine. How big are they though?! We really need to e- mail our sponsor. Well, until we check more of our list. Good-bye for now.