Life in Germany: Final Edition

I've been trying to write this post for 6 months now. Organizing my thoughts and summing up my time in Germany is not easy as there are a lot of ups and downs (which I'm sure will be true with any post we are stationed at in the future). Many times I've felt like my life was on hold in Germany. I didn't feel like I really had to opportunity to do the two things I would be most happy doing; have a career or be a mother. The first was due to the limited job market on an overseas Army post and the second due to the fact that having a child overseas never felt "right" to either of us. I've had a major lesson on patience and prayer while being over here.  It may sound silly, but I've found it hard to find my personal identity under the parameters of being an Army wife. I know this is something that I'm probably going to battle with no matter where we go as long as RC is in the Army, but I feel like it will be a little more manageable on American soil. So with that hope I am very excited to be leaving Germany and going back to the States.

As with any move it's bittersweet to be leaving. Germany has given me so much. I have learned so much about myself, especially during our time in Schweinfurt. I was forced to create a life solely by myself and I look back on that forced independence with fond memories. Living alone with out my husband was excruciating, but having a little piece of Germany to myself is something I will cherish. RC left approximately 6 weeks after we arrived in Germany. Our household goods, our beloved possessions, boxes upon boxes of things came a day before he left. I knew only a handful of people and many of them decided to go back to the States during the deployment. I had no real friends yet, but for some reason I felt the need to stay. I can't really explain it, but I felt like it was where I was supposed to be. Grafenwoehr has been full of great memories as well. It's where we got Zeke after all, but Schweinfurt will always have a special place in my heart.  

I think perhaps one of the greatest gifts Germany has given us has been the opportunity to travel. It is without a doubt my favorite thing about being in Germany. Sure the culture is great here and I love the wine fests, volksfests, beer fests, and Christmas markets. Thanks to Germany I will be probably be such a food and beer snob when we get back to the States, but being able to travel so easily takes the cake. We have been to places I've never dreamed of going and I am so so grateful the Army has allowed us this opportunity. But everything comes at a price, right? We are here because of RC's job and his job requires a lot from him. He is in a fantastic unit, but they are kind of like the first responders for Europe and are tasked and trained heavily. We have forfeited many months of travel and precious time together. Close to half of our time in Germany we have been apart. Not only do I miss RC incredibly, but we are smack dab in the middle of Europe and so many amazing places are in sight, but just out of our reach. It's been so frustrating to see the time slip away knowing we are not going to be able to visit certain countries. I think I've had such a hard time letting go of the traveling opportunities because that has always been my  "reward". So when that "reward" is taken away after dealing with all the sucky aspects of living overseas I get a little frustrated. I know you're probably thinking I'm playing the world's tiniest violin right now, but I just wanted to show that living in Germany isn't so glamorous. The Facebook albums and Instagram photos may look it, but day-to-day life is definitely not. We are not galavanting around Europe all the time. In fact the majority of my time here has been at the gym or sitting at home with my dog. Not so glamorous! :)

Being on an entire continent away from our family and friends has been incredibly challenging. I hate missing out on seeing my nephew grow up, meeting up with friends, and just hanging out with my family. But if I'm searching for positives it has been great for our marriage. We have created such a good team and support system for each other. We are still learning new things about each other and learning how to live together again after each deployment, field rotation, and school. It's been almost 4 years since we got married and I can honestly say I am more in love with RC than ever before. Going through such crazy circumstances has made me so thankful God has blessed me with this man. I truly do feel like we are a perfect fit for each other.

So there you have it. I start to write one negative and it ends up turning into a positive at the end. I start to write one positive and a negative ends up taking over. But I think that's life and I especially think that's Army life. You have to try to make the best out of every situation. Once we've been in the States for a few months I'm sure I will start to feel a little homesick for Germany and so many aspects of the European lifestyle.

Auf wiedersehen, Deutschland! I can't say I wouldn't be happy to visit you again! Keyword: VISIT. :)

Merry Christmas from the Leighs

2014 Leigh Family Christmas Card

Everybody knows a turkey and some mistletoe help to make the season bright. 

Tiny tots with their eyes all aglow will find it hard to sleep tonight. 

They know that Santa's on his way. He's loaded lots of toys & goodies on his sleigh.

And every mother's child is gonna spy to see if reindeer really know how to fly.

And so I'm offering this simple phrase to kids from one to ninety-two

Although it's been said many times many ways, Merry Christmas to you!

2014 Squadron Ball

Well, our second military ball is in the books. I would have to say we've learned quite a bit in our few years in the military and I think one of the most important things is always. eat. first. Whether it's a Hail and Farewell or a Squadron Ball, never go hungry. You're just setting yourself up for failure... and grumpiness. These things always run a bit behind schedule. Since I helped set up this year we booked a room in the hotel attached to the venue. After setting up we ordered room service to munch on while we got ready. Ordering pizzas before the ball was probably the best decision we made all night. 

We had a great time at what will probably be our last ball in Germany. We sat with some of our favorite people from RC's troop. The Grog Ceremony was hilarious and it's always an entertaining night when you pack soldiers in a room with copious amounts of alcohol. I loved my dress and RC looked just as handsome as ever. I definitely had the best looking soldiers in the room. :) All in all it was a great night! 

Photos courtesy of Susanna Avery-Lynch. You can visit her Facebook page here. 

Partnach Gorge

Two weekends ago we went down to Garmisch for a Strong Bonds Marriage Retreat. Strong Bonds Retreats are for married couples to grow closer together and develop healthy communication skills. I think they are a great resource for service members and their spouses. Military life can be hard and it's nice to have some time to reconnect. It was a perfect getaway for us as RC was able to get off two days from work and we were able to have a free day from the marriage training to go and explore. 

I have always wanted to visit the Partnach Gorge, but there are so many amazing things do in the vicinity of Garmisch-Partkirchen that this just seemed to fall by the wayside. By our third visit to Garmisch we were finally able to hike the gorges and we would not have asked for more perfect weather. The Partnach Gorge is one of those frustrating places where pictures just don't do it justice. It was an incredible experience. Luckily it didn't end there. The gorge empties out into a few hiking trails that show off how beautiful Germany is in the fall. 

Highlights of the Month :: July

I'm going to attempt to do a highlights post for each month. It's fun and exciting for me to post travel pictures, but there are still day-to-day happenings that I want to remember. Life isn't all travel over here-- sadly.

• Let's start things off with the Girls Trip to Cinque Terre, Italy. I went with three of my favorite girls in Germany and had an absolute blast. We really bonded during the 2012/2013 deployment and I'm so thankful for their friendships! You can find posts recapping our time in each of the five village in Cinque Terre HERE. 
• RC's unit is currently in the Baltics participating in a multi-national training exercise. In mid-July we reached the 1 month mark of "the boys" being gone. It's always fun to reach milestones when RC is gone for an extended period of time. i.e., 3 months. You can find pictures of the 173rd in the Baltics HERE. 
• In other Army news, RC made the captains selections list! This means that after an extensive selection process he has been recommended for promotion. Although he won't actually be promoted until sometime in the Spring of 2015 I am incredibly proud of him! It's getting tougher and tougher to be promoted these days. 
• I also got to have the most incredible experience of watching Germany in the final of the World Cup. Let me just tell you- this country went INSANE! I'm not a huge fan of soccer, but when you're in Europe and the country you reside in lives and breathes soccer and then makes it to the finals-- you can't help but drink the koolaid! After much yelling and cheering as time ran out I realized I needed to capture this moment. Here's a quick video from a bar in Regensburg where we watched the game. It's been something like 14 years since they've won the World Cup. So you can just call us Germany's good luck charm. ;)

Oh, Hi There!

A recent conversation with a friend reminded me of this little ol' blog that I used to keep. It's been a while since I've updated anything on here and I know exactly why. I fall into the same rut when I'm not exactly content with life. I wrote a post on it back in 2011 about it. (Click here to read: "I Had to Ask Myself".) I am never eager to document life when life isn't exactly what I want it to be. RC has been gone a lot lately. Every month since December he has spent a few weeks each month away. He has done amazing things and accomplished a lot during the times he was gone and I am incredibly proud of him, but it does often make me feel like life is in a standstill again. Just waiting. Waiting for some resemble of our "normal" life to come back. I think that's something I am always going to struggle with as an Army wife. The never ending transition of being content as a couple to remembering how to be content and happy alone. So I'm reminded of the quote I found almost 3 years ago. 

"Your life is right now. It's not later. It's not in that of retirement. It's not when the lover gets here.

It's not when you've moved into the new house. It's not when you get the better job.

Your life is right now. It will always be right now.

You might as well decide to start enjoying your life right now,

because it's not going to get better than right now-until it gets better right now!"

-Esther Hicks

I will say that I have done a pretty bang-up job of enjoying life with my other half away. I have been incredibly blessed to have found an amazing group of women to work out with here at Grafenwoehr. Schweinfurt set the precedent and I'm just hoping every duty station from here on out connects me with motivating, WOD loving ladies. :) Being fit and active really is my saving grace. Every morning we work out, encourage, and embrace the suck together. We've also started a spouses volleyball league. So between practices and weekly evening games that has also helped keep me busy. Besides staying active there is one other thing that has kept me sane over these last few months. And that's my little fur ball. Only he's not so little anymore. At 5 months old he is already close to 50 lbs. Zeke really has been the best companion. He has just the sweetest temperament and follows me everywhere around the house. Even lays on the bathroom floor and watches me as I get ready. I love him to pieces and probably give him close to 100 kisses a day on his little nose. 

So there is somewhat of a summary of the last few months. We will resume our traveling next month with a trip to the States in May for a wedding and graduation. In July we are planning on visiting Malaga, Spain for a few relaxing days in the sun. Then fast forward to the Fall and after more Army training we should be able to visit Rome in October. I am so looking forward to getting back into traveling!

Life with Zeke

It's been over a month that we've had Zeke home with us, and already we've learned so much about his personality. He's kind of been a dream puppy which makes me scared for his "teenage years". We can't be THAT lucky to have an easy dog his whole life, right? He's a sweet puppy that hasn't gotten into any trouble and *knock on wood* hasn't had much interest in chewing. Plus he is incredibly handsome earning the names "panda bear" and "little black bear". Our biggest "problem" is his lack of trust with new people and being so standoffish! It's a curse, I tell you, to have such an adorable, fluffy dog who's scared of strangers. But overall we're feeling pretty lucky to have this one in our lives. :) 

Since being home Zeke has learned so many things! He stays in his kennel while I run errands and sleeps in it all night. He lets us know he has to go to the bathroom by sitting with his back to the door and staring at us intently. He's made friends with our neighbor's Husky and a 30 minute play session will wear him out for the rest of the day. The words "inside, outside, leave it, come, sit, eat, car ride, and walk" are all a part of his vocabulary although at times he choses to not hear a few of them. He has 100% found his voice with a wide variations of woo-woos, grumbles, whines, & occasional barks and he's teaching me what each one means. :) He's affectionate with us, but is still very wary of strangers. This has gotten better as each week has gone on. I'm hopeful this will eventually wear away as Malamutes are usually highly affectionate towards all.  

2013: A Year in Review

My birthday month, January, began in Charlotte, NC where I rang in the New Year with Courtney and watched the Tigers pulled out a win over LSU. In February I flew back to Germany because in March Ross came home from deployment.  Best. Day. EVER. We didn't wait long to make up for lost time and traveled to Austria for a skiing/snowboarding trip. What an amazing experience to ski in the Alps. April brought Block Leave and back to the States we went to visit family and go on a Caribbean cruise. We fit in a Redeployment Ball, wedding anniversary, and trip to Amsterdam all in the month of May. We craved the sun and sand so Barcelona, Spain was the obvious choice in June. Another visit to a coastal city was in order in July where we lounged on Tirrenia's beaches and saw the Leaning Tower of Pisa. In August we said goodbye to our German apartment in Geldersheim and moved to our new home 2 hours away. With our new duty station being so close to the Czech border we ventured to Prague in September. I also went back to South Carolina that month to visit with family. I am so thankful I was able to spend time with my growing nephew and watch my youngest brother play in his senior year of football. We celebrated Ross' birthday in November and also flew to London where we ate plenty of fish & chips and tried tea & crumpets. They were delicious! December was full of Christmas markets, holiday parties, and family visits. We also got to meet our Alaskan Malamute, Zeke! We will be able to pick him up in just a few short weeks. With a new puppy on our hands and more countries to visit 2014 is going to be quite the adventure. :)

Merry Christmas from the Leighs

2013 Leigh Family Christmas Card

Have yourself a merry little Christmas, 

Let your heart be light. From now on, our troubles will be out of sight. 

Have yourself a merry little Christmas, 

Make the Yule-tide gay. From now on, our troubles will be miles away.

Here we are as in olden days, happy golden days of yore.

Faithful friends who are dear to us, gather near to us once more.

Through the years we all will be together. If the Fates allow.

Hang a shining star upon the highest bough.

And have yourself a merry little Christmas now.

Weihnachtsmarkts 2013 Edition

If we can't be in the States celebrating the Christmas season with family, Germany is a pretty good second place. In fact Christmas in Germany is pretty spectacular. The way they celebrate the Christmas season is one of my favorite things about Deutschland. A large part of their celebration revolves around Advent and they are pretty creative with the use of Advent calendars. One town nearby turns their beautiful rathaus (town hall) into a living breathing calendar with each window assigned a number. Every day the children gather around the window and wait for presents to be thrown out. Oh the life of a German kinder.

Shortly after the beginning of the Advent season Christmas markets // Christkindlesmarkt // Weihnachtsmark open all around the country. They are usually held in the town center, but sometimes you can get lucky and find one in a palace. The streets are lined with stalls showcasing beautiful handcrafted ornaments and delicious, traditional German food & drinks. This year I've made it a point to try and get an ornament from each market we visited, but I'd be lying if I didn't say eating and drinking was what it's all about. For food we normally seek out the bratwurst, schweinesteak, and my favorite the kartoffelpuffer (potato pancake). For drinks we've sampled a lot this year between gluhwein, apfelwein, and eierpunsch. The last wasn't much of a crowd favorite.  My iPhone pictures don't do the markets justice, but when you're surrounded by friends, eating good food, and soaking in the Christmas spirit it's a fantastic experience. 

Thurn and Taxis Palace in Regensburg

Nürnberg Weihnachtsmarkt

First Snowfall of 2013

Happy Thanksgiving 2013

It's official, Thanksgiving 2013 topped Thanksgiving 2012 by a long shot. Being separated and eating sub-par food last year, Thanksgiving just came up short on the holiday spirit. This year we went all out. A small Thanksgiving feast for two. :) And I'm happy to report that for my first Thanksgiving meal there were no disasters. Ham in the oven, turkey in the crockpot, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, and pecan pie were all a success. We enjoyed a nice Thanksgiving lunch together, lounged on the couch while the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade was on TV in the background, and rounded out the night with a few friends coming over. It turned out to be a really nice, relaxing day. We have so much to be thankful for.

I am also excited to report that we have adopted the "Cook Family" tradition of post-Thanksgiving festivities. Black Friday morning we bypassed the crazies at the PX and headed off for breakfast at a local backeri (bakery) and a little Christmas tree shopping. We were not impressed by the trees we saw at the first place we stopped at and I was beginning to get worried that I would have to give in and buy a fake Christmas tree for the first time EVER in my life. Oh, the horror! ;) Luckily, on our drive back we passed by a somewhat hidden Christmas tree lot on the side of the road. Here we found our plump little tree that fit almost perfectly in the car. Only about a foot hung out of the window.  

Now that Thanksgiving has passed it's now "legal" to bust out some Bing Crosby, Dean Martin, & Tony Bennett holiday tunes and celebrate all things Christmas! The next few weekends are sure to be filled with tree decorating, present wrapping, and visiting Germany's many Christmas markets. Dare I even say, bring on the snow? A tiny part of me may want to experience a White Christmas... just once. 

Jump Day with THE Airborne CAV

A Quick Update

It's hard to believe, but we've been in Grafenwoehr for over 3 months now. Our first weekend we had record highs and the temperature rose to the high 90s. Now we're in the middle fall and winter is (unfortunately) just around the corner. The trees and a looking a little more bare and more & more frost/ice is appearing on car windshields in the morning. This winter will be an interesting experience as it will be the first full winter in Germany for both us. I'm praying God has mercy on us poor Southerners. Actually, I'm asking God sends extra mercy to me because RC claims that he is "made for the cold weather". So he doesn't need it. :)

Since our move I've traveled to Poland and we've traveled to Munich (again), Prague, and London.

RC's birthday was this weekend. The big 2-4. I love these few months where we are the same age. Doesn't make me feel so old. :) The last bit of big news is we've been talking with a breeder in the Czech Republic and we are on a waiting list for an Alaskan Malamute puppy. The liter is due in just a few weeks and depending on the number of puppies we could have our very own Mal come mid-January. We are both really excited about this possible new member of our family. :)

Munich, Germany :: Third Reich Tour & the Hofbrauhaus

Earlier this month we took the train down to Munich. Highlights of the trip? 

Third Reich Tour led by an Irish man. Dinner at the famous Hofbrauhaus. 

Stumbling upon Taco Libre- where we ended up eating TWICE in less than 24 hrs. 

 Don't judge. Good Mexican food is hard to come by in Germany. 

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 RC 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!

1-91 CAV Redeployment Ball

One of the many benefits of living overseas is that the your squadron redeployment ball can be held in a ridiculously beautiful venue. The German banquet hall, Regentbau, is located in the spa town of Bad Kissingen. The concert hall located inside is considered among the top concert halls in Europe.  AND THAT is where we had the privilege of eating, drinking, and dancing the night away. I'm sure there won't be many balls that come close to topping this one. 

One of the highlights of the night for me was the guest speaker, Major General James C. Boozer. As you look at his rank, award decorations, and position as former Deputy Commanding General of U.S. Army Europe, it's not hard to tell that he is well-respected man. But when we met at the receiving line and I found out he was a native of Charleston, SC I knew he was a GREAT man. :) His speech was one of the most spirited speeches I've ever heard. 

The formal portion of the night was brought to a close when Maj. Gen. Boozer announced that jackets were to come off and he revealed his fire blazing sleeves and "GIDDY UP" embroidering on the back of his dress shirt. It was hilarious and the guys went wild. At this point he challenged someone to bring him the largest beer they could find which he proceeded to chug. Then he stepped off the stage and walked up & down the aisles challenging each troop to yell at the top of their lungs "GIDDY UP". It definitely started the party portion of the night off right. I'm sure I will remember that moment for many years to come. The guys definitely deserved a night like that after 9 long months in Afghanistan.

All of the incredible pictures above are courtesy of Susanna Avery-Lynch. You can visit her Facebook page here for more incredible pictures of military families and her travels abroad. I'm so glad there were such a fabulous photographer because I was so concerned with having a good time that I barely took any pictures. MAJOR FAIL. 

The lone picture I have of the two of us.