Auf Wiedersehen, Geldersheim!

As I mentioned in THIS POST we have left our quaint little German town of Geldersheim and are in the process of moving on post at USAG Grafenwoehr. We have so enjoyed living in a German town and I wanted to take a few pictures around Geldersheim to remember our time here. 

Our apartment in Geldersheim was perfect in so many different ways. We had the nicest landlord who was always very kind to us. He spoke a little bit of English, but when he felt he couldn't communicate something clearly he would use Google translate, print it out, and tape it on our door. The commute to work was short for Ross and we had beautiful views of the fields from our living room windows, which you can see from many of my Instagram posts (1, 2, 3, 4). Germany is absolutely beautiful when the weather is nice! A short walk from our house were bike trails that led to towns over an hour away. Many times after dinner we would walk along the trails. Especially on nights when the sun didn't set until after 9 pm. Tractors were a common sight and occasionally we experienced all that came with living in a farming town aka: the wonderful aroma of manure. 

I am so glad we were able to live in a private German rental our first year in Germany. 

I'm afraid I wouldn't have felt like I was really living in Germany if we hadn't. 

Another Move, Another Adventure!

USAG Schweinfurt is closing down so we're moving once again! Luckily it's just 2 hrs down the road.

We've accepted the offer for our new house, scheduled an inspection, and our movers are coming in 3 weeks!  

For our last 2 years in Germany we will be living on post. Something new for us! I'm really looking forward to it. Everything will be closer and RC will have a quick commute to work. We are on the 1st floor of a 2 story unit and have a great outdoor area. The inside hasn't been renovated and shows its age a bit. It has a really choppy floor plan, but we feel like the advantages definitely outweigh the disadvantages. We are gaining an bedroom & bathroom and I will now have a full sized American oven! The kitchen overall is bigger and like I mentioned earlier we LOVE that we will finally have a yard. We can also kiss transformers goodbye because on post housing has both 110 and 220 outlets! 

I'm sad to say goodbye to Schweinfurt, but I'm looking forward to making Grafenwoehr our home.

Here's to another move and another adventure!

Moving Mondays @ My Traveling Troop

Today I'm being featured over at My Traveling Troop for 'Moving Mondays'.

Kristina has a fabulous blog where she shares about her life as a Navy wife. 

Her family recently made the trek from Monterey, California to SINGAPORE.

Kristina is creating an incredible collection of tips and stories of military families living all over the world.
Getting the news that you're PCSing to another duty station can bring on all sorts of emotions.
 Excitement, but also fear of the unknown. There are so many questions running through your mind!
That's why having a database where you can go to read other spouses experiences is so beneficial.

So if you get a chance today stop by My Traveling Troop and read my Q&A session with Kristina.
We cover everything from the pros & cons of living in Germany to travel tips and my newest obsession: Crossfit.

If you're a military spouse be sure to bookmark her blog or add her to your Google reader because let's be honest...
none of us know when or where we'll be living next!

WE'RE MOVING TO GERMANY!

What I did when I first found out we were going to Germany:
1. Felt like I was going to throw up
2. Cried
3. Went to the gym
4. Called my parents
5. Found out RC's unit
6. Googled Germany
7. Calmed down
8. Got excited!
9. Googled the easiest/quickest/cheapest way to Paris.
10. Got scared again.

Above is a recap of my emotions on the first day I found out. To say it was a roller coaster of emotions is an understatement. I would start out with excitement. Then the reality of it all would hit and I would be scared out of my mind. Here we are two days from the announcement and now there's just excitement. This is an amazing opportunity for us! We are being put in an amazing position. Now traveling around Europe will be so much more convenient and economical. We will be able to actually live in the culture and experience day-to-day life in a foreign country. This is something we've talked about doing, but was never on our radar as a possibility. With all that being said, I'm definitely aware of how much we are going to be missing out on in our family and friend's lives. Within the next couple years my parent's will celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary, 50th birthdays, one brother will graduate high school, and the other will graduate college. Hopefully I will be able to fly home for a number of those occasions, but it will definitely be an adjustment!

What I'm Looking Forward to: During my junior year of college I was able to travel to London, Brussels, and Paris during Spring Break. It was an amazing trip and definitely gave me the travel bug! The whole time I was there, seeing all these amazing landmarks, I wished RC was there to experience it with me. Now we can! :)

If anyone has lived or visited Germany, I would love to hear your stories! I would really love to pick someone's brain about the differences of living overseas! :) Also, please keep us in your prayers as this is going to be a long and what seems to be tedious process. This is going to be a HUGE move and our first. We are going to need all the help and support we can get!

Georgia on My Mind

We're here! We've safely made it to Army Town #1. One Uhaul, one car in tow, and too many hours later we made it!

 The good news is everythings moved in. Now we just have to unload our many boxes and find new homes for all of our things. But that can wait until another day because our internet/cable tv are set up and the Braves are on tv. So RC and I are lounging on the couch resting after a long, long day. :)

Hope

Wow, this post, a true post, is long overdue. I have rarely updated my blog or checked any other blog for that matter, but I would not have had my Christmas Break any other way. By unplugging from the computer I was able to truly enjoy time with my family, old high school friends, and my love. It was so nice to not be tied to my laptop needing to checking email, Blackboard, Facebook, and Blogger. (okay, not so much NEEDING for the last two.)

But now I'm back. Back to school. Back to being miles away from my love.

Heading back to school was hard, harder than it has been in a long time. I'm hesitant to start my last semester because it will all be so bittersweet. I have so many things to look forward to... BIG things. I'll become a college graduate and a wife all in one weekend. I will have an amazing adventure ahead of me. The opportunity to live in another state with the man of my dreams. But while this adventure is exciting it's also scary. I welcome these changes with open arms, but also with the realization that change is never easy.

So I am reminded once again how little control I have over things and how important it is to rely on my loving Savior. He knows what is best for me and he GIVES me hope.

He intends for me to be optimistic. He gives me expectations for something good to happen. He instills a desire for good things. So why should I worry? God has a plan for me. His plan is the best. I could create nothing better. And not only does he create that plan for me, but gives me hope and an overwhelming sense of comfort that the plan He has for me while occur.

Now I am going to live a life full of HOPE.
A life with optimism of His plan; confidence in His will for my life; faith in His grace; trust in His word; belief in His power; conviction of His love; and assurance of His promise.