Safely in Germany

Whew! What a few past weeks! ALOT has happened in the midst of our move and then having limited internet connection inabled me to update our blog. So here goes the quick synopsis of the last few weeks...

The kids and I said goodbye to Mike on the 9th of June so we could visit family (Dad, Step-mom, and sister's family) in College Station and Houston, TX before flying to Baltimore. We had a great time there and celebrated Dasha's 10th birthday along with one of my nephew's. Right before we headed out to Baltimore, Mike called to say that he was not going to be able to make our flight to Germany with us. The timing of his training in Arkansas would not allow him to make his connecting flight with us. So now, not only were we flying to Baltimore without him, now we were flying to Germany without him too!

My Dad and my sister helped me get to the airport and get to security. What a HUGE help! A funny part was that I was carrying my cat as a carry-on and they had me get her out of the soft kennel I had her in and carry her through the metal detectors. You should have seen the look on her face as she peered at all the people going through security. And then you should have seen me as I was holding her and praying that she would not be scared enough to act like a cat while at the same time corralling my kids through the metal detectors after having stripped them of their shoes and backpacks. Thankfully everyone we encountered had mercy on us!

We made it to Baltimore and spent the weekend with my Mom and Step-dad and his family. It was a nice, relaxing time to catch up with them since I had not seen them in years! We also enjoyed Father's Day with them.

Finally, the big day came to fly to Germany. All those months of hearing, "Mom, are we going to Germany now???" was finally answered with a, "YES! We are!" The kids did fantastic (only a few minor behavioral hiccups) and the military greatly assisted me with the acception of one tiny detail. They told me I could not carry the cat as a carry-on! Even though I flew with her as a carry-on through Continental, they said NO! I was very frustrated, but thankful that God provided a hard kennel through the airport and we were able to check her in as luggage. After that ordeal, I took the kids to dinner in the airport and then got them all Starbucks at 9pm. I needed them to stay awake for our 1215am flight. They loved that they got "coffee". I am already getting them hooked on caffeine! My plan worked well because they all stayed up until just after takeoff and then slept for a good portion of the flight. That really helped us overcome jetlag.

We met our sponsor's wife and a friend at the Ramstein AB airport and quickly settle into our new temporary home. We are still living out of luggage, but know that we are even closer to getting into our own home. Mike joined us the next morning and now the adventures of looking for a home and a car have begun, as well as all the in-processing. I am praying that soon I can write and add pics of our new home. In the meantime, we are greatful that God has brought us this far. We are so blessed to have this opportunity to live in another country.

In the meantime, Auf Wiedersehen!
Melissa