Strasbourg, France

At the end of May we decided to squeeze in a trip to France before we flew back to the States. And by squeeze I mean we got back a day before we flew out. Luckily, Strasbourg is just across the German border and we were able to make the trip in under 4 hours. Strasbourg is the perfect balance of French and German influence with a mix of timber-frame buildings and gothic cathedrals. Surprisingly it was one of the first places we've visited where we had trouble finding someone who spoke English in restaurants. I assume it's because we were right on the border and weren't in a huge tourist destination. We ended up using the very little bit of German we knew to get by. This was also the first trip we took Zeke on and I really think Strasbourg was the perfect city for it. Strasbourg is a great walking city with lots of outdoor cafes. The one indoor restaurant we went to was very pet friendly and had no problem with Zeke being inside. He was able to eat every meal with us. The location of our hotel was also perfect. There was a park with lots of grass just a few blocks away so Zeke could take care of his business. ;) Hotel Regent Contades was very centrally located and La Petite France was only a 15 minute walk away. We also found the most perfect breakfast cafe right across the street. Cafe Michele had THE. MOST. AMAZING. CROISSANTS I've ever had in my life. All in all we had a fantastic time. It was a short trip; we only stayed two nights, but it was great to get a little taste of France and mark another country off the list!

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.  

Welcome to the family Zeke!

We welcomed our Alaskan Malamute into our home just a few weeks ago. He's the fluffiest, cutest thing you've ever seen. We're doing great potty training and he loves his crate! Our biggest challenge has been his timid nature. He is very wary of other dogs and is scared around strangers. I hope with a little more time and a little socialization work he'll warm up to new visitors. He's only 10 weeks old so we have a lot of time! In true Malamute form he's a talker. He sasses me when I tell him to come inside from playing, grumbles when he's unsure of someone new, and speaks up when I'm not giving him enough attention. It cracks me up and I must admit I don't feel as crazy talking to a dog when he talks back to me. ;)