Today I finished putting our coats away and finalized the last of the cleaning.
We had to do a few last minute purchases: Marktkauf for plugs for the outlets (the ones from IKEA didn't work), coffee filters, and one last check for stove light. We also got a few puzzles for my grandson.
We had to exchange dollars for Euro at the base and decided to pick up the mail. Hooray...my Christmas movies and the preliminary episodes of NCIS on JAG came in. When we get home tonight...we'll watch some TV and then go to bed.
I'm so excited for them to be coming that I don't even know if I will be able to sleep!
Friday 11/20/09
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Day 241: Final building project
Today is a cleaning day and I'm also doing our laundry. I'm finally making up the guest bed in anticipation of my children's visit on Saturday.
The wardrobe took a bit longer than we anticipated. Poor Ted was tired from working all day but it cannot be helped. When we finally got the project done, he didn't like where the unit was placed so we moved it over to the other wall. I'm not too crazy about it either. Perhaps at a later date, I will move it into the guest bedroom even though our coats are in there. I'm just not sure right now.
Thursday 11/19/09
The wardrobe took a bit longer than we anticipated. Poor Ted was tired from working all day but it cannot be helped. When we finally got the project done, he didn't like where the unit was placed so we moved it over to the other wall. I'm not too crazy about it either. Perhaps at a later date, I will move it into the guest bedroom even though our coats are in there. I'm just not sure right now.
Thursday 11/19/09
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Day 240: Wardrobe is now done!
I decided that since this wardrobe was used and was sitting in a large warehouse, who knew how long it had been since it was cleaned. So out came my mother's staple...Murphy's Oil Soap and each door, wall and ceiling got scrubbed down. It was filthy. I'm so glad I did that.
Now to put the last of the hardware on the shelves (the rod holders) and the pins that hold the shelves. These darn shelves are 3/4 inch particle board with laminate on two sides and the front. They are extraordinarily heavy!!! I managed to get them all in with the help of my trusty little plastic step ladder I keep in the kitchen.
Now the fun part: putting away our clothes and cleaning up the bedroom once and for all!!
Ted gets two of the three sections because he goes to work everyday. I'll take the mirrored section because most of my clothes are in the chest of drawers. After all of the "stuff" was put away, the room looked terrific. I need to wash the mirror and bring in the pong chair that used to be in the living room but now is sitting in the office.
I still have to take stuff down to storage and boxes to the trash but that's later.
I also want to get the final building project (the hallway wardrobe) prepped for tonight so we can get that done too. It doesn't look like there's too many pieces. The hardest part is taking off the plastic wrap. I installed the hinges and the door handles. All that's left are the screws to hold the back in and the metal pins that hold the one shelf. Woo Hoo!! We'll be done in no time, tonight!!
Tomorrow is the final cleaning and getting the guest bed made. I can't wait to have it all done so that 1) I can enjoy my family and 2) I have everything done so all I have to do is concentrate on my TESOL, company work and blogging!!
Wednesday 11/18/09
Now to put the last of the hardware on the shelves (the rod holders) and the pins that hold the shelves. These darn shelves are 3/4 inch particle board with laminate on two sides and the front. They are extraordinarily heavy!!! I managed to get them all in with the help of my trusty little plastic step ladder I keep in the kitchen.
Now the fun part: putting away our clothes and cleaning up the bedroom once and for all!!
Ted gets two of the three sections because he goes to work everyday. I'll take the mirrored section because most of my clothes are in the chest of drawers. After all of the "stuff" was put away, the room looked terrific. I need to wash the mirror and bring in the pong chair that used to be in the living room but now is sitting in the office.
I still have to take stuff down to storage and boxes to the trash but that's later.
I also want to get the final building project (the hallway wardrobe) prepped for tonight so we can get that done too. It doesn't look like there's too many pieces. The hardest part is taking off the plastic wrap. I installed the hinges and the door handles. All that's left are the screws to hold the back in and the metal pins that hold the one shelf. Woo Hoo!! We'll be done in no time, tonight!!
Tomorrow is the final cleaning and getting the guest bed made. I can't wait to have it all done so that 1) I can enjoy my family and 2) I have everything done so all I have to do is concentrate on my TESOL, company work and blogging!!
Wednesday 11/18/09
Day 239: Building project #3
Ted took a personal day today so we could finish putting together the bedroom wardrobe. It has been an experience. One I would not want to repeat again for awhile! We proved we could get at least the two inside walls and the three backs installed yesterday. Now all we have to do is put up the sides, the tops, the doors, the molding and the rod and shelves. And we have to figure out what hardware goes where. It's definitely a challenge to our minds! Thankfully, the Lord has answered our prayers once again and He's helped us when our puny minds couldn't grasp how the wardrobe was put together. I neglected to take a photo of the darn thing when we bought it because I thought it was coming in three pieces. Silly me!
Since our aero bed is too small for the bed frame that came with the bed, we are buying two new mattresses for our guests. This means we have to go get the Euros, stop at Panzer to get VAT forms and then go get the matresses. But we want to at least get a good portion of the wardrobe completed and possibly do the hall wardrobe tonight when we return from shopping.
To start the day with enough energy, I made us our standard Juice Plus+ shake which will hold us until either a late lunch or early dinner.
Well, the two sides went in quickly and we tightened them down. Then we put the tops in. Two of the three tops went in quickly as well, the third we had trouble with. It took a bit of time to do that. After completing that, we started with the doors. We decided, because of the weight of these doors, that we would prop them up on books to line them up so we cold screw in the hinges. The first one took a bit of time but then we realized we could put the screws in and hook the hinges on the screws and then tighten them down. We were able to install four doors in an hour. The challenge will be the doors with the mirrors. They are so delicate and we don't want to break them. We managed to get them in too. I wanted to put the molding up too, but it turns out a piece needed to be glued so we decided to glue the piece and let it set while we did our errands. By this time it was noon and we needed to get going or we would be late in getting everything we needed from the base and from IKEA.
We stopped at Kelly to pick up the cash. Ted said LIDL had mattresses for a really good price so we decided to check them out. Well...the sale doesn't start until Thursday and we just couldn't take the chance that they would be out and we would be out mattresses at such a late date. Off to Panzer we go to get the VAT form and then on to IKEA for the mattresses. It turns out the mattresses were on sale and they are rolled up so we could easily fit two into the car. We also bought some fitted sheets, some felt furniture squares and some electrical plate covers so that the baby would not be tempted to play with the electrical outlets.
By this time it was almost four in the afternoon and Ted wanted to try out Le Rose restaurant at Patch base. He also wanted to check out the thrift store and the theater. I needed to use the rest room and Le Rose didn't open until 5pm so we were able to use the facilities in the conference room area at Patch.
We were second in line when the doors of the restaurant opened. One thing I miss about the U.S. is that you don't have to wait until a certain hour to have a meal. Here, they open at 5 or 6pm and close at 10. If you haven't eaten by 10, you are out of luck or it's fast food for you. (Yes, they have McDonalds and Burger King here....sad, but true).
We had our dinner and got home around 7pm. By the time we hauled up the mattresses and released them from their plastic confinements, it was 7:30. We decided to rest for half an hour (and read email) and then we would tackle the last of the big wardrobe project...the molding. When we finally figured out how the molding was isntalled and where the screws went, we realized the outside tops were not on the right sides. UGH!! So we had to remove both of them and switch them. We were concerned because the doors had already been installed and this would make the unit very, very shaky. It took a little bit of time to get them installed again before we could even think about the molding.
The one piece of molding is very long and very heavy. To get it on the top of the unit, took both of us to do. Once we got it up there, Ted screwed the screws in, while I positioned the molding. The first piece went in fine. Now the corners. Unfortunately, it was hard to see and the screws that needed to be screwed in were above our heads. We both tried and finally we were able to get the first one in. The second one went in a LOT easier. By this time it was after 10 and we both were exhausted and needed a rest.
We decided to treat ourselves to Cherry Quark (sort of like Yogurt only better) and an episode of NCIS.
Tomorrow I will finish putting the shelves in and putting our "stuff" away. I can't wait to have one room completely done!!!
Tuesday 11/17/09
Since our aero bed is too small for the bed frame that came with the bed, we are buying two new mattresses for our guests. This means we have to go get the Euros, stop at Panzer to get VAT forms and then go get the matresses. But we want to at least get a good portion of the wardrobe completed and possibly do the hall wardrobe tonight when we return from shopping.
To start the day with enough energy, I made us our standard Juice Plus+ shake which will hold us until either a late lunch or early dinner.
Well, the two sides went in quickly and we tightened them down. Then we put the tops in. Two of the three tops went in quickly as well, the third we had trouble with. It took a bit of time to do that. After completing that, we started with the doors. We decided, because of the weight of these doors, that we would prop them up on books to line them up so we cold screw in the hinges. The first one took a bit of time but then we realized we could put the screws in and hook the hinges on the screws and then tighten them down. We were able to install four doors in an hour. The challenge will be the doors with the mirrors. They are so delicate and we don't want to break them. We managed to get them in too. I wanted to put the molding up too, but it turns out a piece needed to be glued so we decided to glue the piece and let it set while we did our errands. By this time it was noon and we needed to get going or we would be late in getting everything we needed from the base and from IKEA.
We stopped at Kelly to pick up the cash. Ted said LIDL had mattresses for a really good price so we decided to check them out. Well...the sale doesn't start until Thursday and we just couldn't take the chance that they would be out and we would be out mattresses at such a late date. Off to Panzer we go to get the VAT form and then on to IKEA for the mattresses. It turns out the mattresses were on sale and they are rolled up so we could easily fit two into the car. We also bought some fitted sheets, some felt furniture squares and some electrical plate covers so that the baby would not be tempted to play with the electrical outlets.
By this time it was almost four in the afternoon and Ted wanted to try out Le Rose restaurant at Patch base. He also wanted to check out the thrift store and the theater. I needed to use the rest room and Le Rose didn't open until 5pm so we were able to use the facilities in the conference room area at Patch.
We were second in line when the doors of the restaurant opened. One thing I miss about the U.S. is that you don't have to wait until a certain hour to have a meal. Here, they open at 5 or 6pm and close at 10. If you haven't eaten by 10, you are out of luck or it's fast food for you. (Yes, they have McDonalds and Burger King here....sad, but true).
We had our dinner and got home around 7pm. By the time we hauled up the mattresses and released them from their plastic confinements, it was 7:30. We decided to rest for half an hour (and read email) and then we would tackle the last of the big wardrobe project...the molding. When we finally figured out how the molding was isntalled and where the screws went, we realized the outside tops were not on the right sides. UGH!! So we had to remove both of them and switch them. We were concerned because the doors had already been installed and this would make the unit very, very shaky. It took a little bit of time to get them installed again before we could even think about the molding.
The one piece of molding is very long and very heavy. To get it on the top of the unit, took both of us to do. Once we got it up there, Ted screwed the screws in, while I positioned the molding. The first piece went in fine. Now the corners. Unfortunately, it was hard to see and the screws that needed to be screwed in were above our heads. We both tried and finally we were able to get the first one in. The second one went in a LOT easier. By this time it was after 10 and we both were exhausted and needed a rest.
We decided to treat ourselves to Cherry Quark (sort of like Yogurt only better) and an episode of NCIS.
Tomorrow I will finish putting the shelves in and putting our "stuff" away. I can't wait to have one room completely done!!!
Tuesday 11/17/09
Monday, November 16, 2009
Day 238: Cleaning and organizing
I woke up with Ted and fixed him his healthy Juice Plus+ shake (for me too). And realized that we COULD put it together by ourselves. Ted had said yesterday to put the inside walls up first but I wanted to start it from the outside. It turns out, if we put the inside wall up first and add the back, it will be stable enough to stand by itself until we get the top on and build out. He plans ot take a day off of work to help me and go to IKEA to get mattresses and VAT forms.
We still have one more project after this and that's the hallway wardrobe. This has been a marathon building frenzy and we will both be pretty much exhausted by the time the kids get here.
I'm reorganizing the kitchen today. Some of the cleaning had been done last night before I went to bed. But I have to fold cleaning rags and find a place for them and cleaning supplies along with washing and putting away the new dishes I bought a few weeks ago at Ramstein AFB. I'm looking forward to FINALLY having a totally organized kitchen.
I also have to finish wash the linens and do regular laundry and company work today. So I'd better get household work done before the west coast gets up!
Monday 11/16/09
We still have one more project after this and that's the hallway wardrobe. This has been a marathon building frenzy and we will both be pretty much exhausted by the time the kids get here.
I'm reorganizing the kitchen today. Some of the cleaning had been done last night before I went to bed. But I have to fold cleaning rags and find a place for them and cleaning supplies along with washing and putting away the new dishes I bought a few weeks ago at Ramstein AFB. I'm looking forward to FINALLY having a totally organized kitchen.
I also have to finish wash the linens and do regular laundry and company work today. So I'd better get household work done before the west coast gets up!
Monday 11/16/09
Day 237: Building project #2
We got up early and went to church. The message was EXACTLY what we needed to hear today. Two of the building projects did not come with directions as they are used pieces of furniture (a wardrobe and bed). I wasn't too worried about the bed except the hardware for both pieces were combined in one package so I was a bit nervous about that and of course the wardrobe was BOTH of our worries. The gist of the message was to ask God for wisdom in ALL things...if that wasn't appropriate for today, I don't know WHAT is!!!
We stopped for lunch and then to the base commissary to pick up some goodies for my grandson when they come to visit next weekend. I also picked up coffee for my son-in-law who is a big coffee drinker. Since I didn't know what to get, I got a few varieties. It surprised me that I was able to get Starbucks. When we went to the check out, the person at the register asked for our coffee ration card. Ration card? I didn't even know we had one!!! Thank goodness Ted had just cleaned out his wallet and found the card. We don't drink coffee or alcohol so we have never used that card since we've been here!! Go figure.
When we got home, we were going to tackle the wardrobe, but lo an behold, a few of the pieces needed to be glued. Thank goodness for Gorilla glue. But what we didn't anticipate was that this glue would increase in volume four fold. So there was this Styrofoam type "glue" attached to the wood pieces.
While the glue was setting we put together the bed. It was easier than we thought...Ted figured out part of it and I figured out the other part. We make a great working team. At one point he apologized to me because he thought I was pulling the headboard and I wasn't but I wasn't about to argue with him. He figured out that that headboard had a life of its own.
We also figured out that the air bed was not big enough for the bed frame so we'll have to bite the bullet and buy mattresses. Something I didn't want to do but must. By the time we had completed this project and went back to the wardrobe, Ted was hungry so we went over to Mamma Maria's for Pizza.
When we returned we were both dismayed to realize that we couldn't put it together just the two of us. I was mad at myself and Ted watched a movie.
Sunday 11/15/09
We stopped for lunch and then to the base commissary to pick up some goodies for my grandson when they come to visit next weekend. I also picked up coffee for my son-in-law who is a big coffee drinker. Since I didn't know what to get, I got a few varieties. It surprised me that I was able to get Starbucks. When we went to the check out, the person at the register asked for our coffee ration card. Ration card? I didn't even know we had one!!! Thank goodness Ted had just cleaned out his wallet and found the card. We don't drink coffee or alcohol so we have never used that card since we've been here!! Go figure.
When we got home, we were going to tackle the wardrobe, but lo an behold, a few of the pieces needed to be glued. Thank goodness for Gorilla glue. But what we didn't anticipate was that this glue would increase in volume four fold. So there was this Styrofoam type "glue" attached to the wood pieces.
While the glue was setting we put together the bed. It was easier than we thought...Ted figured out part of it and I figured out the other part. We make a great working team. At one point he apologized to me because he thought I was pulling the headboard and I wasn't but I wasn't about to argue with him. He figured out that that headboard had a life of its own.
We also figured out that the air bed was not big enough for the bed frame so we'll have to bite the bullet and buy mattresses. Something I didn't want to do but must. By the time we had completed this project and went back to the wardrobe, Ted was hungry so we went over to Mamma Maria's for Pizza.
When we returned we were both dismayed to realize that we couldn't put it together just the two of us. I was mad at myself and Ted watched a movie.
Sunday 11/15/09
Day 236: Building project #1
Today is my dear brother's birthday. I let Ted sleep in a bit this morning and sent my brother an ecard birthday greeting from Ted and I. And I did the company invoice that my boss wanted.
I'm ready now to start on the building project: a storage unit for the living room. I need it for our CD's, serving platters, DVDs and books.
We started out fairly well but when we went to put in the drawers we realized the side pieces were not in the correct place...they were reversed and upside down. So we took apart the top and the back and reversed the two sides. By the time we got done with the project, six hours had passed and we were hungry.
Since I had no intention of cooking AND building furniture, it was off to find something to eat. When we returned we were both too tired to tackle anything else...let alone the other three building projects.
Saturday 11/14/09
I'm ready now to start on the building project: a storage unit for the living room. I need it for our CD's, serving platters, DVDs and books.
We started out fairly well but when we went to put in the drawers we realized the side pieces were not in the correct place...they were reversed and upside down. So we took apart the top and the back and reversed the two sides. By the time we got done with the project, six hours had passed and we were hungry.
Since I had no intention of cooking AND building furniture, it was off to find something to eat. When we returned we were both too tired to tackle anything else...let alone the other three building projects.
Saturday 11/14/09
Day 235: A little shopping
Today was a cold, dreary & rainy day.
We took the blown up TV to be pitched and went to MarktKauf to get oven hood lights. We bought a coffee pot and then went to dinner and shared "Kase Spaetzel" (cheese spaetzel). We stopped at Netto to get Quark Yogurt for dessert.
When we got home we installed the lights in the hood. We found out that the lights do not work.
Friday 11/13/09
We took the blown up TV to be pitched and went to MarktKauf to get oven hood lights. We bought a coffee pot and then went to dinner and shared "Kase Spaetzel" (cheese spaetzel). We stopped at Netto to get Quark Yogurt for dessert.
When we got home we installed the lights in the hood. We found out that the lights do not work.
Friday 11/13/09
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Day 234: Doctor overpaid
Today I figured out that I overpaid my doctor. Now I can go get some much needed acupuncture done. My back has been giving me fits and I really need to find a chiropractor too. That's next week's agenda. Right now I have to clear out any remaining "stuff" in the guest room and scrub down the floors.
I'm doing the linens today and they are taking forever!!!
Thursday 11/12/09
I'm doing the linens today and they are taking forever!!!
Thursday 11/12/09
Day 233: Veteran's Day
Somehow I lost a day this week!! I think I lost Tuesday because I thought today was Tuesday and I would have more time to work on getting the house in order before our furniture delivery on Friday. The only thing I got accomplished today was cleaning the kitchen and finishing last week's laundry. Now I have to tackle the linens for the guest room!!
Today was Veteran's day so the bases were pretty much closed but Ted still had work to do. Unfortunately, the eating establishments were also closed because of the holiday. So Ted invited me to go to lunch at Mamma Maria's...and we did!!
Later on in the day my daughter called to discuss their upcoming trip and to let me hear the baby (less than two years old) say his numbers!!! I was enthralled. I sure wish I could see him in person. Then I remembered Skype. She has an account and so do I. I called her back and asked if when Ted got home she could put him on Skype to say his numbers. She said he was going down for his nap at noon and would have lunch at 2 and then we could do it. Ted got home and I made "Roteswurst" (German Red Sausage) and roasted vegetables. Neither one of us cares for the white sausage that the Germans are so fond of!!
It was fairly late when we finished talking to the baby & my daughter so we just relaxed until it was time to go to bed.
Unfortunately...and this happens every once in awhile...I could not sleep. I didn't want to toss & turn and wake Ted up so I quietly got up and went into the living room to see if I could tire myself out by balancing my checkbook. By the time I got to bed and finally fell asleep it was well after 3am.
I'm going to be a wreck tomorrow...that's for sure.
Wednesday 11/11/09
Wednesday 11/11/09
Today was Veteran's day so the bases were pretty much closed but Ted still had work to do. Unfortunately, the eating establishments were also closed because of the holiday. So Ted invited me to go to lunch at Mamma Maria's...and we did!!
Later on in the day my daughter called to discuss their upcoming trip and to let me hear the baby (less than two years old) say his numbers!!! I was enthralled. I sure wish I could see him in person. Then I remembered Skype. She has an account and so do I. I called her back and asked if when Ted got home she could put him on Skype to say his numbers. She said he was going down for his nap at noon and would have lunch at 2 and then we could do it. Ted got home and I made "Roteswurst" (German Red Sausage) and roasted vegetables. Neither one of us cares for the white sausage that the Germans are so fond of!!
It was fairly late when we finished talking to the baby & my daughter so we just relaxed until it was time to go to bed.
Unfortunately...and this happens every once in awhile...I could not sleep. I didn't want to toss & turn and wake Ted up so I quietly got up and went into the living room to see if I could tire myself out by balancing my checkbook. By the time I got to bed and finally fell asleep it was well after 3am.
I'm going to be a wreck tomorrow...that's for sure.
Wednesday 11/11/09
Wednesday 11/11/09
Day 232: Long day for Ted
I did more laundry today and took more stuff down to the basement storage. I made Ted some fish and potatoes for dinner tonight but it was late when he got home from work. It was almost 9pm. It makes for a very short evening.
Tuesday 11/10/09
Tuesday 11/10/09
Day 231: Laundry day
I spent the entire day doing laundry, taking stuff down to the basement storage and cleaning since I didn't do anything over the weekend. It takes forever to do laundry these days but the alternative of going on base to do laundry is worse! So I am NOT going to complain.
I made meatball soup with orzo for dinner tonight because it was cold, overcast and rainy. Today was definitely a REALLY good soup day!!
Monday 11/09/09
I made meatball soup with orzo for dinner tonight because it was cold, overcast and rainy. Today was definitely a REALLY good soup day!!
Monday 11/09/09
Day 230: Day of rest
We got up early and I fixed Ted his favorite breakfast and we got ready for church. It doesn't start until 11:30 so it's going to be a bit late when we get home today.
The church was nice and the message was one that Ted and I needed to hear...however, it was confirmation that we are to remain at the church on base. We love our new Pastor (chaplain as they are called in the miliary). He's from Puerto Rico and he is an on-fire for the Lord, no-nonsense man of God. We love it!!
We went grocery shopping after church and then went home.
We really needed a day of rest.
Sunday 11/08/09
The church was nice and the message was one that Ted and I needed to hear...however, it was confirmation that we are to remain at the church on base. We love our new Pastor (chaplain as they are called in the miliary). He's from Puerto Rico and he is an on-fire for the Lord, no-nonsense man of God. We love it!!
We went grocery shopping after church and then went home.
We really needed a day of rest.
Sunday 11/08/09
Day 229: BIG Shopping day!
Today is a BIG shopping day for us. First we have to get the money to buy the furniture we are missing from the German Red Cross. So it's off to Panzer to get Euros. The dollar is getting weaker here so our dollars are not stretching as far as we'd like.
Then it's on to the German Red Cross. It turns out we can use our VAT form but we won't get the full 19% rebate, we'll only get 7%. I say 7% is better than nothing at all.
We found a wardrobe for our room but it turns out (and I didn't know this) that it comes with the bed and nightstands!!! How cool is that?? I wished we would have known that, we would never have bought our bed from IKEA. Anyways, we bought the wardrobe and bed (although it's a set, we're splitting it up because we need the wardrobe and the chest of drawers that match our bed. It will look a little bizarre but we know it's temporary. And now we have a bed for the kids when they visit in two weeks. They won't have to sleep on an expandable platform!!
We also found a grey leather love seat that is quite comfortable if not a little worn. We also bought two cabinets for the living room to house our videos, CDs and some kitchen stuff that I don't have room for in the kitchen. In addition, we bought a hall closet. Two pieces actually come unnassembled (along with the bed) and we'll have to assemble them next weekend.
They were not going to deliver the furniture until 11/18 which would have been 2 days before the kids arrive. I said they HAD to do better than that!! So the delivery is scheduled for Friday, 11/13/09. That will give me enough time to get the bed made up and "stuff" shifted around and put away. Some of the items have been sitting on the floor in our bedroom since we moved in!! I'm tired of looking at it. Not having closets is a REAL drag!!!
We went back to Panzer because Ted needed to buy another pocket knife for work because he left the other one somewhere and didn't remember where! Oh well! I told him he has to put a chain on it and put it on his belt!
We also went looking for the International Baptist church because we wanted to be sure we knew where we were going tomorrow when we visit the church.
We decided to have dinner at Amalfi. OF course, it's always good there. We went home and just relaxed for the rest of the evening.
Saturday 11/07/09
Saturday 11/07/09
Then it's on to the German Red Cross. It turns out we can use our VAT form but we won't get the full 19% rebate, we'll only get 7%. I say 7% is better than nothing at all.
We found a wardrobe for our room but it turns out (and I didn't know this) that it comes with the bed and nightstands!!! How cool is that?? I wished we would have known that, we would never have bought our bed from IKEA. Anyways, we bought the wardrobe and bed (although it's a set, we're splitting it up because we need the wardrobe and the chest of drawers that match our bed. It will look a little bizarre but we know it's temporary. And now we have a bed for the kids when they visit in two weeks. They won't have to sleep on an expandable platform!!
We also found a grey leather love seat that is quite comfortable if not a little worn. We also bought two cabinets for the living room to house our videos, CDs and some kitchen stuff that I don't have room for in the kitchen. In addition, we bought a hall closet. Two pieces actually come unnassembled (along with the bed) and we'll have to assemble them next weekend.
They were not going to deliver the furniture until 11/18 which would have been 2 days before the kids arrive. I said they HAD to do better than that!! So the delivery is scheduled for Friday, 11/13/09. That will give me enough time to get the bed made up and "stuff" shifted around and put away. Some of the items have been sitting on the floor in our bedroom since we moved in!! I'm tired of looking at it. Not having closets is a REAL drag!!!
We went back to Panzer because Ted needed to buy another pocket knife for work because he left the other one somewhere and didn't remember where! Oh well! I told him he has to put a chain on it and put it on his belt!
We also went looking for the International Baptist church because we wanted to be sure we knew where we were going tomorrow when we visit the church.
We decided to have dinner at Amalfi. OF course, it's always good there. We went home and just relaxed for the rest of the evening.
Saturday 11/07/09
Saturday 11/07/09
Day 228: Watching US TV Online
I did laundry and we stayed home and watched a downloaded episode(from Itunes) of season 7 of NCIS. How cool is that? We download it on the day it airs in the U.S. and then we watch it on Friday night. It feels good to have just a little taste of home!!
Planning our day tomorrow. It will be a HUGE shopping day!
Friday 11/06/09
Planning our day tomorrow. It will be a HUGE shopping day!
Friday 11/06/09
Day 227: Music at Mamma Maria's
We went to Mamma Maria's to have dinner and listen to music. I got up and sang "I can see clearly now" but I was a little upset because Gerry the lead singer told me he had the words and he didn't. UGH! So I was struggling with the words. We sang along with other songs and finished up the night with a duet to Nat King Cole's "Unforgettable".
We sat with another family. Benito was the father and he lives on the Amalfi coast with his Ukrainian wife. He speaks Italian and German. His wife only speaks Italian. His daughter, who is German born and raised (from a previous relationship), speaks Italian, English and German. Her husband (Paul) is from South Africa and he speaks German and English. It was quite an unusual evening to say the least! I didn't get the daughter's name. She was sitting next to Ted and I was sitting next to Benito and across from his wife. We were invited to their church on Sunday. The international Baptist church in Stuttgart right near Patch Barracks.
An Italian guy sent over glasses of champagne and then came and sat with us. It turns out he's working here in Germany temporarily and feels like Mamma Maria's is like family. We feel that way too!
All in all, it was a terrific evening with loads of interesting conversation.
Thursday 11/05/09
We sat with another family. Benito was the father and he lives on the Amalfi coast with his Ukrainian wife. He speaks Italian and German. His wife only speaks Italian. His daughter, who is German born and raised (from a previous relationship), speaks Italian, English and German. Her husband (Paul) is from South Africa and he speaks German and English. It was quite an unusual evening to say the least! I didn't get the daughter's name. She was sitting next to Ted and I was sitting next to Benito and across from his wife. We were invited to their church on Sunday. The international Baptist church in Stuttgart right near Patch Barracks.
An Italian guy sent over glasses of champagne and then came and sat with us. It turns out he's working here in Germany temporarily and feels like Mamma Maria's is like family. We feel that way too!
All in all, it was a terrific evening with loads of interesting conversation.
Thursday 11/05/09
Day 225: Slow Tuesday
Today I did more company work and continued to clean the office.
Tuesday 11/03/09
Tuesday 11/03/09
Day 224: Slow Monday
Today was a slow day. I cleaned the office and did some company work.
Monday 11/02/09
Monday 11/02/09
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Day 223: Quiet Sunday
Today is Sunday and we went to church. We listened to a great sermon from Chaplain Santiago about the Body of Christ and how we ALL have talents and gifts to give the community of believers. We had communion and there was water baptism today.
We signed up for Sunday School that starts next week. We think it's a beginner's class and if it is, we will graciously back out. If it isn't, great!!
We went to the BX/PX again because Ted had to fill his fuel card and check on a refund on our Terrabyte drive (it goes on sale on 11/6.
We bought a few toys for our grandson to play with when he's here at the end of the month (Of course, Grandpa is going ot have fun playing with them too!!!) The old lincoln logs and a great truck.
We decided to have lunch at the BX so we could go for a drive after lunch.
It was SUCH a glorious and beautiful day that we went for a ride in the ocuntryside (you don't have to go very far to get to the countryside here). There were TONS of people parking their cars and going for walks through the meadows fields and trees. At first I thought it was some sort of party or October fest but it wasn't.
We then went home and checked email and did a few things around the house. It's amazing. It was dark at 5pm and it feels like 9pm!!!
We had dinner of leftovers from Friday night. More reading and playing on the net, then to bed.
Sunday 11/01/09
We signed up for Sunday School that starts next week. We think it's a beginner's class and if it is, we will graciously back out. If it isn't, great!!
We went to the BX/PX again because Ted had to fill his fuel card and check on a refund on our Terrabyte drive (it goes on sale on 11/6.
We bought a few toys for our grandson to play with when he's here at the end of the month (Of course, Grandpa is going ot have fun playing with them too!!!) The old lincoln logs and a great truck.
We decided to have lunch at the BX so we could go for a drive after lunch.
It was SUCH a glorious and beautiful day that we went for a ride in the ocuntryside (you don't have to go very far to get to the countryside here). There were TONS of people parking their cars and going for walks through the meadows fields and trees. At first I thought it was some sort of party or October fest but it wasn't.
We then went home and checked email and did a few things around the house. It's amazing. It was dark at 5pm and it feels like 9pm!!!
We had dinner of leftovers from Friday night. More reading and playing on the net, then to bed.
Sunday 11/01/09
Day 222: Errands around town
We went to the bank to figure out some charges to our checking account. We finally got that hair appointment and I got my hair cut. The stylist said I didn't have an appointment when I obviously scheduled the appointment on Thursday. I even spelled my name. The person who took my name didn't understand either my spelling or my speech (I didn't know my voice and dialect was so bad!!!) She put me down as Carolyn!!!
We went to the BX / PX to get a few things including fabric softener.
We decided to go to Patch to have lunch and check out the thrift store, which was, of course, closed. UGH!!! They are open so few hours on the weekends and there's no way I'll get there during the week. Oh well...some other time!
We went to an electronics store Ted was really hot about. We looked at televisions,
compared the washer and dryers to what we bought (and convinced ourselves we made a good deal). I found these "dryer balls" that are supposed to soften your clothes and use 25% less energy because they assist in drying your clothes faster. I'm going to try them to see how they work. Anything that saves energy in a place where the energy is so expensive is worth it.
We went to OBI to buy the new fawcett and to return drapery hooks that did not work. They had Christmas decorations out and beautiful pine arrangements.
I finally managed to get a shot of the straw man outside the base.
The above three photos are of the pine and fall arrangements at OBI. I want to go back and get one.
I also saw a six drawer wood console that would work perfectly in the office. It was relatively in-expensive so we bought it.
Ted fell in love with this Christmas Menora. It was so unusual that I said go ahead and get it. (I'm saving my purchases for the Christmas markets in late November and December)
We spoke to the guy downstairs who left his keys in his door from yesterday afternoon. (we were worried something was wrong so we had the caretaker check on him.) He would have been robbed or worse...killed if that were to have happened in certain neighborhoods in the U.S.
We brought up our packages but the console was too heavy so we got the folding hand truck (which I absolutely LOVE and has paid for itself, over and over and over again) to bring up the console and the fawcett; both of which were heavy.
We watched a downloaded movie from I-tunes "The Day After Tomorrow" with Dennis Quaid. One of my favorite movies.
Ted wanted to go see the big Halloween party going on at the SI (a hotel/condo near the base) but he didn't want to go at 8:30. He said it was too early. And I was done for the day. He had left the car in the guest parking and he went to go move it to the garage after the movie.
When he didn't return as quickly as I thought he should have, I realized that he must have gone to check out the party. he finally came home and told me the party had already dispersed (it was only 10:30 or so). Now THAT wouldn't happen in the U.S.
Saturday 10/31/09
We went to the BX / PX to get a few things including fabric softener.
We decided to go to Patch to have lunch and check out the thrift store, which was, of course, closed. UGH!!! They are open so few hours on the weekends and there's no way I'll get there during the week. Oh well...some other time!
We went to an electronics store Ted was really hot about. We looked at televisions,
compared the washer and dryers to what we bought (and convinced ourselves we made a good deal). I found these "dryer balls" that are supposed to soften your clothes and use 25% less energy because they assist in drying your clothes faster. I'm going to try them to see how they work. Anything that saves energy in a place where the energy is so expensive is worth it.
We went to OBI to buy the new fawcett and to return drapery hooks that did not work. They had Christmas decorations out and beautiful pine arrangements.
I finally managed to get a shot of the straw man outside the base.
The above three photos are of the pine and fall arrangements at OBI. I want to go back and get one.
I also saw a six drawer wood console that would work perfectly in the office. It was relatively in-expensive so we bought it.
Ted fell in love with this Christmas Menora. It was so unusual that I said go ahead and get it. (I'm saving my purchases for the Christmas markets in late November and December)
We spoke to the guy downstairs who left his keys in his door from yesterday afternoon. (we were worried something was wrong so we had the caretaker check on him.) He would have been robbed or worse...killed if that were to have happened in certain neighborhoods in the U.S.
We brought up our packages but the console was too heavy so we got the folding hand truck (which I absolutely LOVE and has paid for itself, over and over and over again) to bring up the console and the fawcett; both of which were heavy.
We watched a downloaded movie from I-tunes "The Day After Tomorrow" with Dennis Quaid. One of my favorite movies.
Ted wanted to go see the big Halloween party going on at the SI (a hotel/condo near the base) but he didn't want to go at 8:30. He said it was too early. And I was done for the day. He had left the car in the guest parking and he went to go move it to the garage after the movie.
When he didn't return as quickly as I thought he should have, I realized that he must have gone to check out the party. he finally came home and told me the party had already dispersed (it was only 10:30 or so). Now THAT wouldn't happen in the U.S.
Saturday 10/31/09
Day 221: Auto insurance
Ted worked from home today because his company is refurbishing his section's offices and he has no place to work. We went to pay our auto insurance because it was due. They told us they could not accept payments online but they would gladly access our checking account once a month to take out the payment AND happily charge us a service fee of $2 a month. I said, "no way....we'll pay quarterly, thank you and save ourselves $2 a month."
We went to dinner at the first place we ate when we moved to Germany. It is under new management and is now called "La Fortuna". It was a pretty good meal.
We went home and downloaded "The Proposal" with Sandra Bullock. We watched the movie and then I read some more.
Friday 10/30/09
We went to dinner at the first place we ate when we moved to Germany. It is under new management and is now called "La Fortuna". It was a pretty good meal.
We went home and downloaded "The Proposal" with Sandra Bullock. We watched the movie and then I read some more.
Friday 10/30/09
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Day 220: More cleaning
I had to get up really early to go with Ted to take the VAT forms to the dealership. He wanted me to translate for him. When we got there, the service guy was busy so we didn't get to talk to him but the lady at the "Kasse" (pronounced Casa) or Cashier was also Italian from the same region as the service guy. She not only spoke German but also Italian and English. I was totally impressed!!!
We completed the necessary forms and saved ourselves 60+ Euro. I was a happy camper. Ted then took me home and he went to work.
I was totally cold when I got home and bundled under a warm blanket and fell asleep. The sun came out and it's beautiful out. It could be Spring and not Fall...however, I know as soon as the sun goes down it gets cold.
I have been rearranging the office and taking more boxes down to storage. Today I'll wash the dish towels and the rags I use for cleaning. It's a bit disconcerting going into the office. The construction next door is now level with our floor. Soon they will have another floor done and more walls up. We cannot believe how much rebar goes into these buildings!! But it makes sense since all of the floors are made with concrete. We think we know where the entrance to the basement garage is but it looks SO small!!!
I can't wait for that crane to be gone but I know it probably will not be gone until next year sometime.
I decided it's such a nice day that I'm leaving the sliding door in the living room open and the window in the bathroom open. Later in the afternoon before the sun goes down, I'll close them both.
Day 220: Thursday 10/29/09
We completed the necessary forms and saved ourselves 60+ Euro. I was a happy camper. Ted then took me home and he went to work.
I was totally cold when I got home and bundled under a warm blanket and fell asleep. The sun came out and it's beautiful out. It could be Spring and not Fall...however, I know as soon as the sun goes down it gets cold.
I have been rearranging the office and taking more boxes down to storage. Today I'll wash the dish towels and the rags I use for cleaning. It's a bit disconcerting going into the office. The construction next door is now level with our floor. Soon they will have another floor done and more walls up. We cannot believe how much rebar goes into these buildings!! But it makes sense since all of the floors are made with concrete. We think we know where the entrance to the basement garage is but it looks SO small!!!
I can't wait for that crane to be gone but I know it probably will not be gone until next year sometime.
I decided it's such a nice day that I'm leaving the sliding door in the living room open and the window in the bathroom open. Later in the afternoon before the sun goes down, I'll close them both.
Day 220: Thursday 10/29/09
Day 219: Car is repaired
I spent the day reading. I had no energy to do even the most mundane chores. Although I did manage to get a few loads of clothes washed and a few of the floors scrubbed.
The sun is shining and it's a beautiful day and when I looked out the sliding glass door, I was appalled at how dirty it was. So I got my handy-dandy sqeegee and a small bucket with Dawn dishwashing liquid and went to town. I couldn't believe how dirty they were. And the inside was dirtier than the outside. It looks like black greasy soot. Dawn does the trick, though. And they are sparkling clean once again. Unfortunately when I was on the balcony, I dropped the bucket and spilled most of the liquid on the balcony and on my pants and slippers. I was mad at myself and started to get cold. But I hurriedly washed the window and decided that I also needed to do the one in the bedroom but that's going to be for another day!
Ted came home because he forgot his work phone. I sent him an email but I don't think he got it. He came home around 1pm and asked if I wanted to go to lunch. I asked him where and he said across the street to Mamma Maria's. I'm not turning down the chance to have a mushroom pizza at Mamma Maria's!! So off we went to have pizza and salad. He left around two.
Later on Ted called and said the car was ready and he wanted to take the company car back to the office. He said the noise in the car is gone and the heater is working great. He absolutely loves that little car. I would never have believed it but he does. It's an older model but it's in such great shape we are going to check into having it prepped to bring it home. We have a very small loan on it that will be paid off in the next 6 to 8 months so we are loathe to part with it.
He forgot the VAT form to save us the 19% tax so we will have to do that tomorrow.
We drove to the dealership and picked up the loaner car form the office, then dropped it off at the office and moved all of Ted's stuff from the loaner back into our vehicle.
The dealership was great! They even washed the car without charge!! I was totally impressed. They also swept the inside of the car as well (but that I understand because they were working under the dash.)
We then went to the Rewe (pronounce Rev-a) in Bonlanden to get the Ja!(pronounced Yaw) mineral water that Ted loves so much and while we were there got some Ja! yogurt that Ted wanted to try. We thought we would stop and get some ice cream but they were closed until the 31st. We were totally disappointed.
We went to get gas becasue Ted said the gas mileage would probably improve. We went home and I spent the rest of the evening reading and Ted was working on company stuff as well as his home computer.
Day 219: Wednesday 10/28/09
The sun is shining and it's a beautiful day and when I looked out the sliding glass door, I was appalled at how dirty it was. So I got my handy-dandy sqeegee and a small bucket with Dawn dishwashing liquid and went to town. I couldn't believe how dirty they were. And the inside was dirtier than the outside. It looks like black greasy soot. Dawn does the trick, though. And they are sparkling clean once again. Unfortunately when I was on the balcony, I dropped the bucket and spilled most of the liquid on the balcony and on my pants and slippers. I was mad at myself and started to get cold. But I hurriedly washed the window and decided that I also needed to do the one in the bedroom but that's going to be for another day!
Ted came home because he forgot his work phone. I sent him an email but I don't think he got it. He came home around 1pm and asked if I wanted to go to lunch. I asked him where and he said across the street to Mamma Maria's. I'm not turning down the chance to have a mushroom pizza at Mamma Maria's!! So off we went to have pizza and salad. He left around two.
Later on Ted called and said the car was ready and he wanted to take the company car back to the office. He said the noise in the car is gone and the heater is working great. He absolutely loves that little car. I would never have believed it but he does. It's an older model but it's in such great shape we are going to check into having it prepped to bring it home. We have a very small loan on it that will be paid off in the next 6 to 8 months so we are loathe to part with it.
He forgot the VAT form to save us the 19% tax so we will have to do that tomorrow.
We drove to the dealership and picked up the loaner car form the office, then dropped it off at the office and moved all of Ted's stuff from the loaner back into our vehicle.
The dealership was great! They even washed the car without charge!! I was totally impressed. They also swept the inside of the car as well (but that I understand because they were working under the dash.)
We then went to the Rewe (pronounce Rev-a) in Bonlanden to get the Ja!(pronounced Yaw) mineral water that Ted loves so much and while we were there got some Ja! yogurt that Ted wanted to try. We thought we would stop and get some ice cream but they were closed until the 31st. We were totally disappointed.
We went to get gas becasue Ted said the gas mileage would probably improve. We went home and I spent the rest of the evening reading and Ted was working on company stuff as well as his home computer.
Day 219: Wednesday 10/28/09
Day 218: Car repairs
Ted took the car in to get the fan fixed and to figure out what the awful noise is in the car. I had to drive the car to Ted's office and pick him up and drive to the dealership to drop off the car. It turns out the man in charge of service is, you guessed it, Italian. So I was able to translate what was happening with the car. We already had an estimate from them for the fan. It turns out it's the wheel bearings and while not inexpensive to fix, it needs to be done. The tires are also worn because of it. However, it's getting close to winter time so we will put the winter tires on the car for now and worry about getting all-season tires in the spring. That will give us a little bit of time to put away the money needed for that purchase.
The service guy is a native Sicilian but has lived in Germany since he was a little boy. There are a LOT of Italians in Germany. It's amazing how handy having a second language has become. Ted is even starting to pick up some words based on the conversation and hand movements, he's starting to understand the gist of the conversation. Good for him!!!
He tells me I love it when I can speak Italian...and he's right.
It wasn't too late in the evening but Ted had a hankering for Pizza so we went to Domenico's for Pizza. He seems to like it better than Mamma Maria's but I don't care for the waitress there as she seems too phony for me. And, for me, the food is not all that good.
We went home and I continued to read. I think I"m now on the fifth book of the Left Behind series.
Tuesday 10/27/09
The service guy is a native Sicilian but has lived in Germany since he was a little boy. There are a LOT of Italians in Germany. It's amazing how handy having a second language has become. Ted is even starting to pick up some words based on the conversation and hand movements, he's starting to understand the gist of the conversation. Good for him!!!
He tells me I love it when I can speak Italian...and he's right.
It wasn't too late in the evening but Ted had a hankering for Pizza so we went to Domenico's for Pizza. He seems to like it better than Mamma Maria's but I don't care for the waitress there as she seems too phony for me. And, for me, the food is not all that good.
We went home and I continued to read. I think I"m now on the fifth book of the Left Behind series.
Tuesday 10/27/09
Monday, October 26, 2009
Day 217: Monday cleaning!
Ted left early to go to the dealership to schedule the car maintenance. Luckily there are people there that speak English! We really DO need to get on the stick and get back to learning our German.
The phone ringing woke me up at 7:30pm. I was confused because I didn't recognize the ring. It sounded like Ted's cell phone but it wasn't. By the time I got to the phone in the Living Room, it stopped. I checked and Ted had not shut off the internet last night. It's a good thing we didn't get any of those darn phone solicitations in the middle of the night!!
I have a lot of work planned for today. I need to finish taking stuff down to storage, do laundry, put up the rest of the drapes, clean the master bedroom, sweep and scrub the floors. I also want to work on the blogs and get those caught up, iron Ted's collars on his new shirts that I washed on Friday, and do some TESOL work. I don't know how much I'll get done but I'm going to try!!
Monday 10/26/09
The phone ringing woke me up at 7:30pm. I was confused because I didn't recognize the ring. It sounded like Ted's cell phone but it wasn't. By the time I got to the phone in the Living Room, it stopped. I checked and Ted had not shut off the internet last night. It's a good thing we didn't get any of those darn phone solicitations in the middle of the night!!
I have a lot of work planned for today. I need to finish taking stuff down to storage, do laundry, put up the rest of the drapes, clean the master bedroom, sweep and scrub the floors. I also want to work on the blogs and get those caught up, iron Ted's collars on his new shirts that I washed on Friday, and do some TESOL work. I don't know how much I'll get done but I'm going to try!!
Monday 10/26/09
Day 216: Movie night!
We got up and went to church. The regular chaplain wasn't there but his substitute did a great job with the sermon. We ran into Ted's boss in church and Ted explained that he would have to go to the dealership in the morning. It turns out that Ted's boss speaks Italian. So whenever he sees me, he speaks Italian.
We stopped at the BX/PX and I stayed in the car and read. I didn't need anything in there, Ted did.
Then we went to Patch to finish up the grocery shopping (things I couldn't get on the economy like cereal and crackers and soups). After we were through there, we went home and I made Ted his favorite breakfast of bacon and eggs, English muffins and German Potato puffers.
After breakfast we did some emailing and I read some more. We decided to go back to Patch to see a movie at 7pm.
We left for the base at 6pm and got there at about 6:45. We went in and bought our tickets $5 each (cheaper than in the states) some popcorn and a drink. What impressed me was they played the national anthem before showing the movie and had everyone stand. I thought that was REALLY cool!! The movie was "The time traveler's wife". Neither one of us liked the movie because it was a downer. We like light and "feel good" movies. This one wasn't.
We got home around 9pm and I called both girls, my best friend and my mom all in the states. The only person I reached was my best friend. After talking to her and leaving messages for everyone I finished up the third book of the Left Behind series: Harvesting of Souls. On to book four and the next book of the series: Apolyon.
It was way past bedtime and I stopped reading and went to bed.
We stopped at the BX/PX and I stayed in the car and read. I didn't need anything in there, Ted did.
Then we went to Patch to finish up the grocery shopping (things I couldn't get on the economy like cereal and crackers and soups). After we were through there, we went home and I made Ted his favorite breakfast of bacon and eggs, English muffins and German Potato puffers.
After breakfast we did some emailing and I read some more. We decided to go back to Patch to see a movie at 7pm.
We left for the base at 6pm and got there at about 6:45. We went in and bought our tickets $5 each (cheaper than in the states) some popcorn and a drink. What impressed me was they played the national anthem before showing the movie and had everyone stand. I thought that was REALLY cool!! The movie was "The time traveler's wife". Neither one of us liked the movie because it was a downer. We like light and "feel good" movies. This one wasn't.
We got home around 9pm and I called both girls, my best friend and my mom all in the states. The only person I reached was my best friend. After talking to her and leaving messages for everyone I finished up the third book of the Left Behind series: Harvesting of Souls. On to book four and the next book of the series: Apolyon.
It was way past bedtime and I stopped reading and went to bed.
Day 215: German Red Cross
We have a lot of errands to run today. I'm still on the third book of the Left Behind series because of all of the stuff that had to be done yesterday.
Our first stop is Kelley base to get Euros for the weekend. This doesn't take too long and we are on our way. Interestingly, they have this GIANT straw man at the entrance. It's made out of the rolls of hay and bales of hay and has pumpkins around it. It's so cute! I'm going to have to take a picture of it!!
Second stop is ATU (the car place) to find out about the car's fan and the door lock. Ted bought WD-40 and applied it to the lock. It still sticks. We'll have to deal with that another time. When we got to ATU, the place is packed and we are having a tough time finding a parking spot. We finally find one and I sat reading while Ted went inside. They told us we would need to go to the dealership because this is a special part that only the dealership could install. The dealership is right around the corner but by the time we got there, it was closed. That means Ted has to schedule the appointment to get the car fixed early Monday morning.
Then on to the German Red Cross to scope out the remaining furniture we have to buy (entertainment center for storage and for TV, wardrobes for the master bedroom and the hallway and a love seat). We also have to hit the Base thrift store at some point but not today.
When we get there, there's a tent with "flamkuchen" and of course, Ted wanted to eat first. So we stopped and got two of them along with two glasses of Coke. Flamkuchen is this unleavened bread with ham and onions and cheese with some sort of cream as the sauce and they are baked in an oven. It was good as usual.
We went inside and found out that they only accept cash (no credit cards) and they would store the purchases for one week for free and then 10 Euro per item per week after that. They also deliver and it was somewhat expensive so we decided that we have to buy everything at once and then have everything delivered at once.
We looked at wardrobes and sofas and entertainment centers. All of them were nice and I wish we could have bought them right then and there but we are not prepared to do that this week. We have to get the car fixed and funds were earmarked for that this week. We can do this in two weeks when we've saved enough to take care of it all. Ted and I were at odds with one another. He wanted a TV stand and I said, absolutely not! We need the storage because there is none right now and we have stuff that needs to be put away and no where to put it. I told him we have a plan and we need to work the plan.
We decided to take a side road back to Reutlingen (we have to go get the rest of the drapery hooks). It actually was a beautiful drive and a beautiful day for it!! While the trees are turning colors, they aren't the brilliant reds, oranges and golds of the Ohio valley but it is beautiful. And the trip was shorter than trying to go on the autobahn even though it was only a two-lane road.
When we got to Reutlingen and Rieters (the store), we found they had already put up Christmas decorations (they wouldn't have Thanksgiving...so no decoration for that). It was a nice display and we walked around looking at Christmas stuff. Ted wanted to know if I wanted anything. I said no I was going to wait until we went to the Christmas market in Nuremburg sometime in December.
We finally found the hooks and Ted wanted another tieback for the Living room drapes so we got the last one they had. We weren't sure if it was the same one but we bought it anyways.
He also wanted to go to the store across from Rieters. I thought it was a supermarket but it turns out, it's the discount version of the Rieters store. We went inside and looked at furniture (just to verify that the prices were all higher here than at the Red Cross) and of course, they were!! There was at least one item that if we cannot find it at the Red Cross we will be back to get it. It's the hallway wardrobe. It was 118 Euro which is about $175. If the Red Cross doesn't have one, we'll get it there. We also picked up an iron for 14 Euro which is about $21.
I was done shopping but we still had to go to the German grocery store today since I kept putting it off all week long. We went home first to get my "granny cart" and some bags and we took the few purchases that we had upstairs with us.
We went to LIDL instead of to Netto because Ted had to recycle plastic bottles that we had been accumulating for the past few weeks. It turns out we had 4.50 Euro (about $7.75) in refunds that will apply to our LIDL purchases. We shopped and got everything on my list then we went home.
We had a dinner of leftovers and then sat and watched Snow White (another Disney movie I'd never seen and that Ted felt I was deprived of). Although they are classic Disney movies, my all-time favorite Disney movie will always be the Beauty and the Beast.
Saturday 10/24/09
Our first stop is Kelley base to get Euros for the weekend. This doesn't take too long and we are on our way. Interestingly, they have this GIANT straw man at the entrance. It's made out of the rolls of hay and bales of hay and has pumpkins around it. It's so cute! I'm going to have to take a picture of it!!
Second stop is ATU (the car place) to find out about the car's fan and the door lock. Ted bought WD-40 and applied it to the lock. It still sticks. We'll have to deal with that another time. When we got to ATU, the place is packed and we are having a tough time finding a parking spot. We finally find one and I sat reading while Ted went inside. They told us we would need to go to the dealership because this is a special part that only the dealership could install. The dealership is right around the corner but by the time we got there, it was closed. That means Ted has to schedule the appointment to get the car fixed early Monday morning.
Then on to the German Red Cross to scope out the remaining furniture we have to buy (entertainment center for storage and for TV, wardrobes for the master bedroom and the hallway and a love seat). We also have to hit the Base thrift store at some point but not today.
When we get there, there's a tent with "flamkuchen" and of course, Ted wanted to eat first. So we stopped and got two of them along with two glasses of Coke. Flamkuchen is this unleavened bread with ham and onions and cheese with some sort of cream as the sauce and they are baked in an oven. It was good as usual.
We went inside and found out that they only accept cash (no credit cards) and they would store the purchases for one week for free and then 10 Euro per item per week after that. They also deliver and it was somewhat expensive so we decided that we have to buy everything at once and then have everything delivered at once.
We looked at wardrobes and sofas and entertainment centers. All of them were nice and I wish we could have bought them right then and there but we are not prepared to do that this week. We have to get the car fixed and funds were earmarked for that this week. We can do this in two weeks when we've saved enough to take care of it all. Ted and I were at odds with one another. He wanted a TV stand and I said, absolutely not! We need the storage because there is none right now and we have stuff that needs to be put away and no where to put it. I told him we have a plan and we need to work the plan.
We decided to take a side road back to Reutlingen (we have to go get the rest of the drapery hooks). It actually was a beautiful drive and a beautiful day for it!! While the trees are turning colors, they aren't the brilliant reds, oranges and golds of the Ohio valley but it is beautiful. And the trip was shorter than trying to go on the autobahn even though it was only a two-lane road.
When we got to Reutlingen and Rieters (the store), we found they had already put up Christmas decorations (they wouldn't have Thanksgiving...so no decoration for that). It was a nice display and we walked around looking at Christmas stuff. Ted wanted to know if I wanted anything. I said no I was going to wait until we went to the Christmas market in Nuremburg sometime in December.
We finally found the hooks and Ted wanted another tieback for the Living room drapes so we got the last one they had. We weren't sure if it was the same one but we bought it anyways.
He also wanted to go to the store across from Rieters. I thought it was a supermarket but it turns out, it's the discount version of the Rieters store. We went inside and looked at furniture (just to verify that the prices were all higher here than at the Red Cross) and of course, they were!! There was at least one item that if we cannot find it at the Red Cross we will be back to get it. It's the hallway wardrobe. It was 118 Euro which is about $175. If the Red Cross doesn't have one, we'll get it there. We also picked up an iron for 14 Euro which is about $21.
I was done shopping but we still had to go to the German grocery store today since I kept putting it off all week long. We went home first to get my "granny cart" and some bags and we took the few purchases that we had upstairs with us.
We went to LIDL instead of to Netto because Ted had to recycle plastic bottles that we had been accumulating for the past few weeks. It turns out we had 4.50 Euro (about $7.75) in refunds that will apply to our LIDL purchases. We shopped and got everything on my list then we went home.
We had a dinner of leftovers and then sat and watched Snow White (another Disney movie I'd never seen and that Ted felt I was deprived of). Although they are classic Disney movies, my all-time favorite Disney movie will always be the Beauty and the Beast.
Saturday 10/24/09
Day 214: News from home!
I had a to do list as long as my arm. I never got the appointment to get our hair cut and I really need to do that next week. It's a pain to have to schedule a hair appointment. I'm just so used to going to one of those "walk-in" places in the US that having to make appointments is very frustrating!!!
I did company work most of the morning and then cleaned the apartment and took some stuff down to the storage area as well.
My daughter and I spoke on the phone for about an hour or so (interrupted by the baby falling with glass measuring cups and pinpricking his tiny, little fingers - but he's fine! I reccommended that she keep anything glass out of his reach).
We discussed their trip at length. When they would come in, the auto logistics, the bed for the baby, what to see and do. I promised her I would research the various places and get back to her with the results via email. It took me the rest of the afternoon to do the research and get PFDs made of the various information not to mention the URLs of websites she might want to look at. So of course my "to-do" list went right out the window!!
She also told me that my other daughter was in an accident. She said she was fine but of course, Mama worries. I'll call her when our conversation is through because it's early there and she said to let her sleep a bit before I call her.
I called my youngest daughter after I spoke to my eldest daughter and she told me the whole story. God was with her!!! She's banged up and bruised but has no broken bones or internal injuries. It's a bizarre story though...A police golf cart was being loaded onto a truck and somehow the mooring broke lose and it rolled off the truck and into the crowd. Before the police could stop it, it had run over my daughter and dragged her some distance as well as hitting other people. They took her to the hospital and kept her overnight and then released her in the morning. She's home and resting but is very sore and has an appointment with the orthopedic doctor just to make sure.
Ted and I decided we wanted to go out to the Haubenbrau in Bernhausen. It was cold and rainy. We were able to get a parking spot near the place. We shared a salad and Spaetzel. There was an Italian family sitting opposite us. They were on vacation.
We came home and watched the newest episode of our favorite television series NCIS whichwe were able to get on I-tunes! How cool is that??? After that Ted had me watch Sleeping Beauty. I had never seen it as a child and he felt I was deprived so he bought me that and Snow White. What a sweet guy!!!
After that it was time for bed!!
Friday 10/23/09
I did company work most of the morning and then cleaned the apartment and took some stuff down to the storage area as well.
My daughter and I spoke on the phone for about an hour or so (interrupted by the baby falling with glass measuring cups and pinpricking his tiny, little fingers - but he's fine! I reccommended that she keep anything glass out of his reach).
We discussed their trip at length. When they would come in, the auto logistics, the bed for the baby, what to see and do. I promised her I would research the various places and get back to her with the results via email. It took me the rest of the afternoon to do the research and get PFDs made of the various information not to mention the URLs of websites she might want to look at. So of course my "to-do" list went right out the window!!
She also told me that my other daughter was in an accident. She said she was fine but of course, Mama worries. I'll call her when our conversation is through because it's early there and she said to let her sleep a bit before I call her.
I called my youngest daughter after I spoke to my eldest daughter and she told me the whole story. God was with her!!! She's banged up and bruised but has no broken bones or internal injuries. It's a bizarre story though...A police golf cart was being loaded onto a truck and somehow the mooring broke lose and it rolled off the truck and into the crowd. Before the police could stop it, it had run over my daughter and dragged her some distance as well as hitting other people. They took her to the hospital and kept her overnight and then released her in the morning. She's home and resting but is very sore and has an appointment with the orthopedic doctor just to make sure.
Ted and I decided we wanted to go out to the Haubenbrau in Bernhausen. It was cold and rainy. We were able to get a parking spot near the place. We shared a salad and Spaetzel. There was an Italian family sitting opposite us. They were on vacation.
We came home and watched the newest episode of our favorite television series NCIS whichwe were able to get on I-tunes! How cool is that??? After that Ted had me watch Sleeping Beauty. I had never seen it as a child and he felt I was deprived so he bought me that and Snow White. What a sweet guy!!!
After that it was time for bed!!
Friday 10/23/09
Day 213: Music night at Mamma Maria's
I did more company work and now I'm on the third book of the Left behind series: Harvest Souls (and yes, I'm a fast reader)
I did another load or two of laundry and cleaned as well.
Tonight is music night at Mamma Maria's and of course dinner too! We got there late so we ended up in the next room. I had my favorite mushroom pizza and Ted had salmon which he loved. We have decided that in two weeks (the next time the band will be playing, we will be there much earlier...like at six pm!!
I talked to Joe about what he charges for voice lessons during the break. It's not all that expensive...just 25 Euro for an hour to an hour and a half. That's a pretty good deal. I'm still thinking about it but Ted said it was OK for me to do this. It's something I've always wanted to do and never had either the time or the money to do it. I want to get my TESOL out of the way first then I'll think about when I want to start the lessons.
Halfway through the night we moved into the other room (because people left) and listened to the music. We closed the place down and came home at almost midnight! But it was fun listening to music from the 60's and 70's. While I never liked the song Hotel California, these guys have their own arrangement for it and it's beautiful!!
When we knew the words, so we sang along. It was fun. Jerry, the lead singer, a throw back from the old James Brown days...sat at our table and asked us to bring a list of songs with us the next time. He wanted us to sing with him. That should be fun!
Thursday 10/22/09
I did another load or two of laundry and cleaned as well.
Tonight is music night at Mamma Maria's and of course dinner too! We got there late so we ended up in the next room. I had my favorite mushroom pizza and Ted had salmon which he loved. We have decided that in two weeks (the next time the band will be playing, we will be there much earlier...like at six pm!!
I talked to Joe about what he charges for voice lessons during the break. It's not all that expensive...just 25 Euro for an hour to an hour and a half. That's a pretty good deal. I'm still thinking about it but Ted said it was OK for me to do this. It's something I've always wanted to do and never had either the time or the money to do it. I want to get my TESOL out of the way first then I'll think about when I want to start the lessons.
Halfway through the night we moved into the other room (because people left) and listened to the music. We closed the place down and came home at almost midnight! But it was fun listening to music from the 60's and 70's. While I never liked the song Hotel California, these guys have their own arrangement for it and it's beautiful!!
When we knew the words, so we sang along. It was fun. Jerry, the lead singer, a throw back from the old James Brown days...sat at our table and asked us to bring a list of songs with us the next time. He wanted us to sing with him. That should be fun!
Thursday 10/22/09
Day 212: Plans for the weekend
Ted keeps asking me what we're doing this weekend. I have plans for us but we are not going out of town. It will be all in-town errands that we need to get accomplished before the kids come in November.
I did more company work and more reading. I really do need to work on my TESOL. I need to get to Netto for groceries but I keep putting it off.
Wednesday 10/21/09
I did more company work and more reading. I really do need to work on my TESOL. I need to get to Netto for groceries but I keep putting it off.
Wednesday 10/21/09
Day 211: More Reading!
I had more company work to do and also did some laundry and cleaned. I finished Left Behind and now am on the second book in the series: Tribulation Force.
Tuesday 10/20/09
Tuesday 10/20/09
Day 210: On a reading spree!
I had some company work to do. And I decided with all that is going on in the world, I wanted to re-read the Left Behind series. The first book of the series is "Left Behind".
We have the two Left Behind movies but I wanted to read the series again. We also have books one through eight on CD. I will listen to those at some point but for now, I want to read.
I made chicken soup as it's cold and rainy outside.
Monday 10/19/09
We have the two Left Behind movies but I wanted to read the series again. We also have books one through eight on CD. I will listen to those at some point but for now, I want to read.
I made chicken soup as it's cold and rainy outside.
Monday 10/19/09
Day 210: Brunch at the Offcer's Club
We got up, packed our stuff in the car and went to the officer's club for brunch. There was a big selection at the brunch and we met up with some of Ted's co-worker's who drove from Stuttgart just to have brunch.
The brunch was good. There was anything and everything you could think of...from freshly made eggs and omeletes to waffles to salads to crab and shrimp to deserts. Anything you could possibly want and then some. We were shown to "our" table. You pay for your meal and they give you a table number. We found our table and was served water and juice. We then went to get our food. I stood in line behind an officer in fatigues. He didn't say anything to me but he got his omelet and then I got mine.
I found out later that he was the commander of Ramstein. Fancy that...me being right behind the commander. I didn't know his rank because I don't know the military ranks all that well. Ted, I'm sure, would have known.
After brunch, we left Ramstein with the proviso that we would come again but not stay on base. There are all kinds of hotels outside of the base compound and we didn't need to be on base.
Traffic was rerouted due to construction and "Julie" was confused. There was no way she could have known there would be ramp closings. This two hour drive turned into three with the traffic and the detour.
We were glad to be home but now we had to lug all of that "stuff" we bought upstairs to the apartment. We parked in the "besucher" (Guest) parking and I took up as many bags as I could. I grabbed the folding hand truck to bring up the dishes. Ted brought up the suitcase and some other things and I loaded the dishes and the heater onto the handtruck and trudged them up the stairs. I then went and got the wine. I didn't want to break the bottles as the vendor did not pack them so they wouldn't "clink".
We spent the rest of the afternoon and evening putting stuff away. He even put together the heater! We checked email until bedtime.
Sunday 10/18/09
The brunch was good. There was anything and everything you could think of...from freshly made eggs and omeletes to waffles to salads to crab and shrimp to deserts. Anything you could possibly want and then some. We were shown to "our" table. You pay for your meal and they give you a table number. We found our table and was served water and juice. We then went to get our food. I stood in line behind an officer in fatigues. He didn't say anything to me but he got his omelet and then I got mine.
I found out later that he was the commander of Ramstein. Fancy that...me being right behind the commander. I didn't know his rank because I don't know the military ranks all that well. Ted, I'm sure, would have known.
After brunch, we left Ramstein with the proviso that we would come again but not stay on base. There are all kinds of hotels outside of the base compound and we didn't need to be on base.
Traffic was rerouted due to construction and "Julie" was confused. There was no way she could have known there would be ramp closings. This two hour drive turned into three with the traffic and the detour.
We were glad to be home but now we had to lug all of that "stuff" we bought upstairs to the apartment. We parked in the "besucher" (Guest) parking and I took up as many bags as I could. I grabbed the folding hand truck to bring up the dishes. Ted brought up the suitcase and some other things and I loaded the dishes and the heater onto the handtruck and trudged them up the stairs. I then went and got the wine. I didn't want to break the bottles as the vendor did not pack them so they wouldn't "clink".
We spent the rest of the afternoon and evening putting stuff away. He even put together the heater! We checked email until bedtime.
Sunday 10/18/09
Day 209: Shopping at the BX/PX at Ramstein
Both of us were extremely tired from the trip, the very dark night, the struggle to find the building and room, strained both of us. The fan makes an incredible noise and that didn't help the trip much. He was supposed to get that fixed last week but couldn't get an appointment. Hopefully it will be fixed soon.
As a result of that incredible tiredness and having stayed up a few hours watching television, we awoke late in the morning. By the time we were showered and dressed it was 11 and just about time for lunch. We decided to go to Chili's for lunch because not having had dinner the night before both of us were starved!!!
But before we could go to Chili's, we had to get gas. The tank was nearly on empty. We filled up on base and Ted used his fuel card.
We ordered burgers and I finally got a glass of honest to goodness Iced Tea. Instead of leaving tonight (Ted was loathe to drive in the dark as the roads were incredibly dark and the markings on the roads were only faintly visible). We decided to stay since our room was paid for until tomorrow and we'd leave after breakfast. We were told by some of Ted's co-workers that the officer's club had a fantastic brunch so we decided to go there for brunch in the morning.
After lunch we went straight to the BX/PX. The place was packed and we ended up parking behind the BX/PX and walked around to the front. It started to rain a little but it was not as cold as I thought it would be.
We got inside and started looking around. By the time we left the BX we had bought dishes (I didn't bring any from the US because all I had were really old dishes that needed to be thrown away and my really good dishes and I didn't want to risk breaking the good ones, so they were stored) We also bought a terabyte disk drive to back up the laptops, clothes for Ted (long-sleeved shirts and two pairs of pants) and an oil heater for the apartment for this winter along with some movies.
We spent more than I wanted to spend but aside from the movies, it was all things we needed. The BX/PX was like the anchor store in a Mall and there were a lot of little stores along with a huge food court with American and German fast food places. We also bought some Reisling wine since we were in the Rhein valley and I love the Reisling wine.
We looked at shoes and the Christmas store but since one of us had to stay with our purchases, we traded turns going into shops. When I got tired of doing that we both took the purchases out to the car. When we returned, we looked in more stores; from jewelry stores back to the shoe store and a pottery store. It was fun but shopping can be tiring. We stopped at the Ben & Jerry's ice cream stand and had some ice cream. Their selections were limited and I was not impressed by them. I'm not sure if it was because they were out or just didn't have it. Ted said that's the way it is on base...when it's gone, it's gone and you have to wait for another shipment. We don't know how good we have it until we don't have it anymore. I sure do miss the convenience of getting what I want when I want it. That's what free enterprise does for you!!!
Neither of us were terribly hungry so we decided to buy one salad from Chili's and take it back to the "apartment" and watch one of the movies I bought. So that was the plan.
I waited about 20 minutes for the salad to be ready and then off we went to the "apartment". We munched on the salad and watched the movie "Knowing" with Nicholas Cage. We both were disappointed by the movie because it was somewhat of a downer and because we know the truth of God's plan.
By this time both of us were really tired from the long day of shopping and walking so we went to bed.
Saturday 10/17/09
As a result of that incredible tiredness and having stayed up a few hours watching television, we awoke late in the morning. By the time we were showered and dressed it was 11 and just about time for lunch. We decided to go to Chili's for lunch because not having had dinner the night before both of us were starved!!!
But before we could go to Chili's, we had to get gas. The tank was nearly on empty. We filled up on base and Ted used his fuel card.
We ordered burgers and I finally got a glass of honest to goodness Iced Tea. Instead of leaving tonight (Ted was loathe to drive in the dark as the roads were incredibly dark and the markings on the roads were only faintly visible). We decided to stay since our room was paid for until tomorrow and we'd leave after breakfast. We were told by some of Ted's co-workers that the officer's club had a fantastic brunch so we decided to go there for brunch in the morning.
After lunch we went straight to the BX/PX. The place was packed and we ended up parking behind the BX/PX and walked around to the front. It started to rain a little but it was not as cold as I thought it would be.
We got inside and started looking around. By the time we left the BX we had bought dishes (I didn't bring any from the US because all I had were really old dishes that needed to be thrown away and my really good dishes and I didn't want to risk breaking the good ones, so they were stored) We also bought a terabyte disk drive to back up the laptops, clothes for Ted (long-sleeved shirts and two pairs of pants) and an oil heater for the apartment for this winter along with some movies.
We spent more than I wanted to spend but aside from the movies, it was all things we needed. The BX/PX was like the anchor store in a Mall and there were a lot of little stores along with a huge food court with American and German fast food places. We also bought some Reisling wine since we were in the Rhein valley and I love the Reisling wine.
We looked at shoes and the Christmas store but since one of us had to stay with our purchases, we traded turns going into shops. When I got tired of doing that we both took the purchases out to the car. When we returned, we looked in more stores; from jewelry stores back to the shoe store and a pottery store. It was fun but shopping can be tiring. We stopped at the Ben & Jerry's ice cream stand and had some ice cream. Their selections were limited and I was not impressed by them. I'm not sure if it was because they were out or just didn't have it. Ted said that's the way it is on base...when it's gone, it's gone and you have to wait for another shipment. We don't know how good we have it until we don't have it anymore. I sure do miss the convenience of getting what I want when I want it. That's what free enterprise does for you!!!
Neither of us were terribly hungry so we decided to buy one salad from Chili's and take it back to the "apartment" and watch one of the movies I bought. So that was the plan.
I waited about 20 minutes for the salad to be ready and then off we went to the "apartment". We munched on the salad and watched the movie "Knowing" with Nicholas Cage. We both were disappointed by the movie because it was somewhat of a downer and because we know the truth of God's plan.
By this time both of us were really tired from the long day of shopping and walking so we went to bed.
Saturday 10/17/09
Day 208: Trip to Ramstein AFB
I made reservations for new hotel on Ramstein AF base. I thought it was in Frankfurt but it turns out it's more than an hour west of Frankfurt. So all of the planning I did yesterday for the trip had to be shelved for another time. You hear about Ramstein in the news all the time and it's incredibly HUGE...a small city really! What I didn't know was that it was once two separate airbases that were combined into one. I don't remember the exact year that this occured but I think it was sometime in the 70's.
It was an incredibly dark night and Ted had trouble seeing the road because the lines in the road were so faint. That and the fact that the windshield was terribly dirty...he finally let me use the rainex wipees on the windshield while we were waiting in traffic on the autobahn but it just made it worse. I wanted to stop but I was not about to say that to him. He was already angry that it didn't clean it too well.
We were within 10 km of the base and we saw these HUGE lights. I thought it was some kind of stadium. Ted said, "No, that's the runway. I'm sure of it!" Those lights bursting through the inky darkness were amazing.
I was disappointed that Ramstein wasn't in Frankfurt and a little perturbed that Ted didn't tell me. I had plans to see certain sites while in Frankfurt but that was a bust because of the location. We will just have to visit Frankfurt another time. I thought we were staying on base at the new hotel there. However, upon check in we were informed that it was first come, first serve and we get whatever housing they have available. We can't beat the price, though. We were put in officer housing: sitting room, kitchen, bath & bedroom in an older location. But we had to find it. The map that the clerk gave us was of the entire base. I had no idea how big this base was. It was SO incredibly dark we had difficulty finding the building that we were staying in.
We drove around aimlessly trying to find the building and apartment we were assigned and both of us were testy. I decided the best thing to do was to keep quiet and let the driver (Ted) do what he wanted to do. Even with the map, I couldn't get our bearings because Ted just kept going and didn't stop to look at the map to see where we were. It was incredibly frustrating and we were low on gas.
We thought we'd be there early enough to have dinner on base. Luckily we brought cookies and water because by the time we got to the base, it was late (after 10) and all of the base restaurants were closed. We were disappointed to say the least.
When we finally found the building after stopping and asking directions twice! We realized we were on the third floor with no elevator. So we trudged our one piece of luggage, coats, blanket and bag of water & cookies up those steps.
Before we could trudge up those stairs, we had issues with the key to the car. It was stuck in the door and Ted could not get it out. We worked it and worked and finally after about 10 minutes we finally got it out. Then Ted had trouble locking the door from his side. When he finally was able to lock the door, we were able to go up to the room. What a night!!!
Ted was thrilled to be able to watch television but didn't like the accommodations. He said he felt he was back in the military. No kidding! Ted called the housing "ability" whatever that means...and was thinking he wanted to go back to Plieningen after we saw the BX/PX (which was just built and is the largest BX/PX in the world!!!)
I was so tired that all I wanted to do was sleep. I watched TV with Ted for awhile and then fell asleep. This room had the one thing I can't stand: a TV in the bedroom. Ted was in his glory because he could watch TV and be in bed too.
The other goal (he had) was to get an honest to goodness U.S. American hamburger at Chili's on base. His co-workers suggested it. And while we were supposed have done that tonight, we will do that tomorrow.
Friday 10/16/09
It was an incredibly dark night and Ted had trouble seeing the road because the lines in the road were so faint. That and the fact that the windshield was terribly dirty...he finally let me use the rainex wipees on the windshield while we were waiting in traffic on the autobahn but it just made it worse. I wanted to stop but I was not about to say that to him. He was already angry that it didn't clean it too well.
We were within 10 km of the base and we saw these HUGE lights. I thought it was some kind of stadium. Ted said, "No, that's the runway. I'm sure of it!" Those lights bursting through the inky darkness were amazing.
I was disappointed that Ramstein wasn't in Frankfurt and a little perturbed that Ted didn't tell me. I had plans to see certain sites while in Frankfurt but that was a bust because of the location. We will just have to visit Frankfurt another time. I thought we were staying on base at the new hotel there. However, upon check in we were informed that it was first come, first serve and we get whatever housing they have available. We can't beat the price, though. We were put in officer housing: sitting room, kitchen, bath & bedroom in an older location. But we had to find it. The map that the clerk gave us was of the entire base. I had no idea how big this base was. It was SO incredibly dark we had difficulty finding the building that we were staying in.
We drove around aimlessly trying to find the building and apartment we were assigned and both of us were testy. I decided the best thing to do was to keep quiet and let the driver (Ted) do what he wanted to do. Even with the map, I couldn't get our bearings because Ted just kept going and didn't stop to look at the map to see where we were. It was incredibly frustrating and we were low on gas.
We thought we'd be there early enough to have dinner on base. Luckily we brought cookies and water because by the time we got to the base, it was late (after 10) and all of the base restaurants were closed. We were disappointed to say the least.
When we finally found the building after stopping and asking directions twice! We realized we were on the third floor with no elevator. So we trudged our one piece of luggage, coats, blanket and bag of water & cookies up those steps.
Before we could trudge up those stairs, we had issues with the key to the car. It was stuck in the door and Ted could not get it out. We worked it and worked and finally after about 10 minutes we finally got it out. Then Ted had trouble locking the door from his side. When he finally was able to lock the door, we were able to go up to the room. What a night!!!
Ted was thrilled to be able to watch television but didn't like the accommodations. He said he felt he was back in the military. No kidding! Ted called the housing "ability" whatever that means...and was thinking he wanted to go back to Plieningen after we saw the BX/PX (which was just built and is the largest BX/PX in the world!!!)
I was so tired that all I wanted to do was sleep. I watched TV with Ted for awhile and then fell asleep. This room had the one thing I can't stand: a TV in the bedroom. Ted was in his glory because he could watch TV and be in bed too.
The other goal (he had) was to get an honest to goodness U.S. American hamburger at Chili's on base. His co-workers suggested it. And while we were supposed have done that tonight, we will do that tomorrow.
Friday 10/16/09
Day 207: Laundry and storage runs
Another day of company work and up and down the stairs to do some laundry. I also took more stuff down to the storage area. Having to go to the laundry room (which is on the same floor as the storage area) makes it convenient to carry down a small load of clothes and stuff that has to be stored. Already all of the luggage has been brought down to storage and now I'm working on the remaining broken down boxes!
I also managed to plan this weekend's trip. I made reservations and we are planning to leave tomorrow night after Ted gets home from work.
Thursday 10/15/09
I also managed to plan this weekend's trip. I made reservations and we are planning to leave tomorrow night after Ted gets home from work.
Thursday 10/15/09
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Day 206: Another cold day
It was a slow day but I did manage to do some company work today. I didn't leave the apartment since it's been cold and rainy.
Wednesday 10/14/09
Wednesday 10/14/09
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Day 205: Cold October day
I can't believe the October is almost halfway over! It seems to have flown by! I guess that happens when you get older. The days just seem to disappear into one another.
It's very cold today and I have my flannel jammies and a heavy sweater on and I'm still cold. Ted has to find out when the heat will be turned on.
I made hot chocolate for Ted to take with him to work this morning. But I spilled some on the cooktop when Ted distracted me with his questions. The stove was hot so of course the hot chocolate burned on the cooktop. I'm going to have a hard time getting it off without damaging the cooktop! In fact it took me almost two hours to get the cooktop clean without damaging it. It turns out, I had some special cooktop cleaner that I brought from our house in Rocklin so that was a good thing. Ted is NOT getting anymore hot chocolate in the morning before he goes to work. I will, however, make his favorite Chai Tea since that only involves water and the tea kettle.
I have some company work to do today along with some laundry and phone calls. And I'll put up the sheers if I have enough hooks. It turns out I have enough hooks for one panel but I have three panels left; one in the living room and two in the second bedroom. I dislike dragging this project out but there's nothing I can do. No car and not knowing which store may or may not have those hooks is a pain. We'll have to schedule some time to go get those hooks!
Tuesday 10/13/09
It's very cold today and I have my flannel jammies and a heavy sweater on and I'm still cold. Ted has to find out when the heat will be turned on.
I made hot chocolate for Ted to take with him to work this morning. But I spilled some on the cooktop when Ted distracted me with his questions. The stove was hot so of course the hot chocolate burned on the cooktop. I'm going to have a hard time getting it off without damaging the cooktop! In fact it took me almost two hours to get the cooktop clean without damaging it. It turns out, I had some special cooktop cleaner that I brought from our house in Rocklin so that was a good thing. Ted is NOT getting anymore hot chocolate in the morning before he goes to work. I will, however, make his favorite Chai Tea since that only involves water and the tea kettle.
I have some company work to do today along with some laundry and phone calls. And I'll put up the sheers if I have enough hooks. It turns out I have enough hooks for one panel but I have three panels left; one in the living room and two in the second bedroom. I dislike dragging this project out but there's nothing I can do. No car and not knowing which store may or may not have those hooks is a pain. We'll have to schedule some time to go get those hooks!
Tuesday 10/13/09
Monday, October 12, 2009
Day 204: Sheers are up!
Ted is exhausted so he stayed hom from work today. I did three loads of laundry. I still have whites and towels to do but they are going to have to wait until tomorrow. I put up the sheers in the master bedroom. They look terrific. I just wish I had all of the hooks I needed so I can get the other sheers done and up.
I did some company work this afternoon and wanted to work on my TESOL and personal finances but I found myself working on the blogs. I had almost three weeks to catch up on.
I also forgot to make a call for next weekend's trip. It's about time we left this apartment for a weekend. I'm tired of being cooped up and tired of trying to get things accomplished that I can't get accomplished.
I decided that it was cold enough (and rainy enough) to make hot chicken soup. Ted is happy about that. He loves my chicken soup and I'm making it with his favorite pasta (Orzo).
The rest of the evening I blogged and folded clothes while Ted worked on his German. The winter time will be a great time for us to buckle down and learn the language!
Monday 10/12/09
I did some company work this afternoon and wanted to work on my TESOL and personal finances but I found myself working on the blogs. I had almost three weeks to catch up on.
I also forgot to make a call for next weekend's trip. It's about time we left this apartment for a weekend. I'm tired of being cooped up and tired of trying to get things accomplished that I can't get accomplished.
I decided that it was cold enough (and rainy enough) to make hot chicken soup. Ted is happy about that. He loves my chicken soup and I'm making it with his favorite pasta (Orzo).
The rest of the evening I blogged and folded clothes while Ted worked on his German. The winter time will be a great time for us to buckle down and learn the language!
Monday 10/12/09
Day 203: Cold and blustery Sunday
We went to church this morning and the message was riveting! Chaplain Santiago let it be known that his job was not to be tolerant but to get us to heaven. I'm sure he stepped on some toes and made some people squirm but we couldn't have agreed with him more. And it turns out, the message was very appropriate for something that had happened earlier in the week to Ted.
We went to the BX / PX because Ted needed something and we ran into Ted's boss (who I found out speaks Italian) and his wife and three children. On the way out, we ran into Chaplain Santiago. We told him how much we enjoyed his message. It's one of the few times Ted didn't fall asleep in church. He says he feels so peaceful there that his eyes just close on their own! LOL!
We then went to the Commissary to pick up a few things and have some lunch. We then went home. It was very cold and windy and we wished we had a fireplace now. The trees are staring to lose their leaves but they are beautiful.
I took down the curtains in the Living room on the sliding door and replaced them with the other two panels that I put the hooks in. I put the hooks in the sheers that were to go in the master bedroom. But it was late and I was tired so I didn't put them up. I will need to do that tomorrow along with the rest of the laundry.
Sunday 10/11/09
We went to the BX / PX because Ted needed something and we ran into Ted's boss (who I found out speaks Italian) and his wife and three children. On the way out, we ran into Chaplain Santiago. We told him how much we enjoyed his message. It's one of the few times Ted didn't fall asleep in church. He says he feels so peaceful there that his eyes just close on their own! LOL!
We then went to the Commissary to pick up a few things and have some lunch. We then went home. It was very cold and windy and we wished we had a fireplace now. The trees are staring to lose their leaves but they are beautiful.
I took down the curtains in the Living room on the sliding door and replaced them with the other two panels that I put the hooks in. I put the hooks in the sheers that were to go in the master bedroom. But it was late and I was tired so I didn't put them up. I will need to do that tomorrow along with the rest of the laundry.
Sunday 10/11/09
Day 202: More household shopping!
I figured out I need 486 drapery hooks to put up all of the sheers. UGH!
We were going to go downtown to the main department store (suggested by the lady at the craft store on base last week). We had planned to drive to the train station and take the train down to Koenigstrasse (It's the big Stuttgart shopping street. But the word itself but because it was cold and raining, we decided that it would be more prudent to go to Ruetlingen to get what we needed. We decided to go to the store where we bought our mattresses because they had underground parking and we wouldn't be out in the rain. (One would actually think we didn't want to get wet!)
I was bummed out when we got there for a couple of reasons: 1) their drapes were less expensive and 2) they only had 350 hooks. This means I will have to make another trip at another time to get the other 136 hooks I need to finish the job. It is SO, SO frustrating. The clerk, who didn't speak much English, even checked her stockroom. It was a no go!
I wanted to find out if they had a tieback and I had NO idea what the word for tieback was. So I took the clerk to the drape samples and said "Haben si ??" (do you have ??) and I made the motion for a tieback. She knew exactly what I wanted. Ted was amazed and proud of me for thinking on my feet and showing her what I wanted. She took us to the place where the tiebacks were and they had a black and white circle but I wanted the wood one. I asked if she had a "brun" (brown) one. She looked in the stock room and she said only Schwartz und Weiss (black and white).
Ted had to use the restroom so I wanted to look at European pillows (they are square) and I have European pillow shams for our bed. They were on sale (15% off because the company has been in business for 30 years!). As I was looking for the pillows (I didn't want expensive ones, just something to put into the shams), I found a comforter that was SO soft! It was microfiber cloth and the interior was down and feathers. The clerk showed me what it was stuffed with and it was completely washable (although not at home because a home washer isn't big enough).
I was using the savings from the 19% VAT tax to buy what I needed. Ted wanted place mats so we got those as well. I let him pick them out. Lucky for me, I liked what he picked! LOL!
We also got a bread box because it was on sale as well. I was tired of seeing plastic bags with bread in them laying on the counter...not that the counter top is busy enough without it. Too much stuff on the counter right now. As soon as we get our entertainment center from the German Red Cross, then I can rearrange everything so that there's not a lot of "stuff" on the counter.
We decided to go see the guy that sold us our mattresses and tell him how happy we are with them and thank him again for selling them to us. We sleep SO well with them that we don't want to get out of bed in the morning! LOL! So we decided to put our "stuff" on the holding counter and go see Klaus.
It turns out Klaus was injured and had a broken hand. We stood and talked with him for about 10 minutes. At this point, we were ready to leave.
We decided that it was time for dinner and that we were going out again but this time we would go to Amalfi's for dinner. I'm glad we got there when we did because it was SO busy within 30 minutes of us getting there! Finally they had the broccoli and sausage Pizza that I had been wanting to try. It was on the menu but the sausage comes from Italy so I had to wait until it was shipped to them. Ted had fried calamari (his favorite) and a beer. I had water.
By the time we got home, I was totally ready to relax.
Saturday 10/10/09
We were going to go downtown to the main department store (suggested by the lady at the craft store on base last week). We had planned to drive to the train station and take the train down to Koenigstrasse (It's the big Stuttgart shopping street. But the word itself but because it was cold and raining, we decided that it would be more prudent to go to Ruetlingen to get what we needed. We decided to go to the store where we bought our mattresses because they had underground parking and we wouldn't be out in the rain. (One would actually think we didn't want to get wet!)
I was bummed out when we got there for a couple of reasons: 1) their drapes were less expensive and 2) they only had 350 hooks. This means I will have to make another trip at another time to get the other 136 hooks I need to finish the job. It is SO, SO frustrating. The clerk, who didn't speak much English, even checked her stockroom. It was a no go!
I wanted to find out if they had a tieback and I had NO idea what the word for tieback was. So I took the clerk to the drape samples and said "Haben si ??" (do you have ??) and I made the motion for a tieback. She knew exactly what I wanted. Ted was amazed and proud of me for thinking on my feet and showing her what I wanted. She took us to the place where the tiebacks were and they had a black and white circle but I wanted the wood one. I asked if she had a "brun" (brown) one. She looked in the stock room and she said only Schwartz und Weiss (black and white).
Ted had to use the restroom so I wanted to look at European pillows (they are square) and I have European pillow shams for our bed. They were on sale (15% off because the company has been in business for 30 years!). As I was looking for the pillows (I didn't want expensive ones, just something to put into the shams), I found a comforter that was SO soft! It was microfiber cloth and the interior was down and feathers. The clerk showed me what it was stuffed with and it was completely washable (although not at home because a home washer isn't big enough).
I was using the savings from the 19% VAT tax to buy what I needed. Ted wanted place mats so we got those as well. I let him pick them out. Lucky for me, I liked what he picked! LOL!
We also got a bread box because it was on sale as well. I was tired of seeing plastic bags with bread in them laying on the counter...not that the counter top is busy enough without it. Too much stuff on the counter right now. As soon as we get our entertainment center from the German Red Cross, then I can rearrange everything so that there's not a lot of "stuff" on the counter.
We decided to go see the guy that sold us our mattresses and tell him how happy we are with them and thank him again for selling them to us. We sleep SO well with them that we don't want to get out of bed in the morning! LOL! So we decided to put our "stuff" on the holding counter and go see Klaus.
It turns out Klaus was injured and had a broken hand. We stood and talked with him for about 10 minutes. At this point, we were ready to leave.
We decided that it was time for dinner and that we were going out again but this time we would go to Amalfi's for dinner. I'm glad we got there when we did because it was SO busy within 30 minutes of us getting there! Finally they had the broccoli and sausage Pizza that I had been wanting to try. It was on the menu but the sausage comes from Italy so I had to wait until it was shipped to them. Ted had fried calamari (his favorite) and a beer. I had water.
By the time we got home, I was totally ready to relax.
Saturday 10/10/09
Day 201: Oktoberfest or Dinner out?
We had tickets for the Oktoberfest in Stuttgart. The tickets were courtesy of Ted's company. They were very specific in that we had to be there by 4:30 to ensure seating in the tent. We would get 2 liters of beer each (or the equivilant of somethine else to drink) and a half a chicken.
Ted came home late because of work and said a co-worker was saving us seats. It was almost 5 when he got home. He had to stop at the office for something and to get directions on where we were going. Of course, he couldn't do that earlier in the week. Of course not.
His co-worker told us to take the train. Since we had NO idea where we were going and she gave us directions (and an address) to the place next door, we weren't taking any chances on getting on the wrong train and ending up in Timbuktu.
With traffic being what it was (a Friday night and Oktoberfest) it took over an hour to go 13 km (about 5.5 miles). We came to a large area where there was an amusement park. Ted seemed to think this was it...but I had my doubts. I reminded him his co-worker said the place we were going to was right next door (now he tells me nearby) where we were supposed to be. And Julie was telling us it was over 2 km away!
There was no way I was walking, in the cold and light rain, for 2 km!) It turns out that co-worker gave us totally BAD directions. What a jackass! When Ted FINALLY broke down and asked for directions, we were told it was 2 km back where we came from. It was indeed at the amusement park area. I told Ted, why in the world did she not tell us, "when you get to the amusement park, you're there." But NO, she gave us the address of this off-the-wall location and we're supposed to guess? NOT.
By this time it's almost 7pm and I really didn't wnat to go, not to mention if we DID go, there was no guarantee that we would be admitted because of us being so late regardless of the fact that a co-worker was saving us a seat.
And I was getting cranky so he needed to make a decision fast. So we decided to can the whole thing and go to dinner somewhere else. I know he would have liked to go and there always is next year!
We decided to dinner in Bonlanden. It's a restaurant that's right across the way from the Cafe Venezia where we get the wonderful gelato. It was a little more expensive than I would have liked compared to free beer and free chicken. But to fight the crowds and to get there and not even know if we'd be admitted, was not an option.
Ted decided to go another way. To take the 14. It turns out the majority of the time we were in tunnels under Stuttgart. It was very interesting but I was getting nauseous with all of the exhaust. I couldn't believe they had on and off ramps underground not to mention stop lights! If it hadn't been for going downtown, we would not have had an opportunity to see this.
Dinner was fabulous of course! We had stuffed zuchini flowers for an antipasto and Ted had sole and I had gnocchi. We topped it off with splitting a panna cotta. And I was cold so I had a latte cafe (which I never do). The waiter said cappuccino? I said no...more milk than coffee. He made it perfectly!
By the time we got home it was almost 11pm! The Europeans really DO believe in taking their time with dinner. They savor it and have a love affair with it!
Friday 10/09/09
Ted came home late because of work and said a co-worker was saving us seats. It was almost 5 when he got home. He had to stop at the office for something and to get directions on where we were going. Of course, he couldn't do that earlier in the week. Of course not.
His co-worker told us to take the train. Since we had NO idea where we were going and she gave us directions (and an address) to the place next door, we weren't taking any chances on getting on the wrong train and ending up in Timbuktu.
With traffic being what it was (a Friday night and Oktoberfest) it took over an hour to go 13 km (about 5.5 miles). We came to a large area where there was an amusement park. Ted seemed to think this was it...but I had my doubts. I reminded him his co-worker said the place we were going to was right next door (now he tells me nearby) where we were supposed to be. And Julie was telling us it was over 2 km away!
There was no way I was walking, in the cold and light rain, for 2 km!) It turns out that co-worker gave us totally BAD directions. What a jackass! When Ted FINALLY broke down and asked for directions, we were told it was 2 km back where we came from. It was indeed at the amusement park area. I told Ted, why in the world did she not tell us, "when you get to the amusement park, you're there." But NO, she gave us the address of this off-the-wall location and we're supposed to guess? NOT.
By this time it's almost 7pm and I really didn't wnat to go, not to mention if we DID go, there was no guarantee that we would be admitted because of us being so late regardless of the fact that a co-worker was saving us a seat.
And I was getting cranky so he needed to make a decision fast. So we decided to can the whole thing and go to dinner somewhere else. I know he would have liked to go and there always is next year!
We decided to dinner in Bonlanden. It's a restaurant that's right across the way from the Cafe Venezia where we get the wonderful gelato. It was a little more expensive than I would have liked compared to free beer and free chicken. But to fight the crowds and to get there and not even know if we'd be admitted, was not an option.
Ted decided to go another way. To take the 14. It turns out the majority of the time we were in tunnels under Stuttgart. It was very interesting but I was getting nauseous with all of the exhaust. I couldn't believe they had on and off ramps underground not to mention stop lights! If it hadn't been for going downtown, we would not have had an opportunity to see this.
Dinner was fabulous of course! We had stuffed zuchini flowers for an antipasto and Ted had sole and I had gnocchi. We topped it off with splitting a panna cotta. And I was cold so I had a latte cafe (which I never do). The waiter said cappuccino? I said no...more milk than coffee. He made it perfectly!
By the time we got home it was almost 11pm! The Europeans really DO believe in taking their time with dinner. They savor it and have a love affair with it!
Friday 10/09/09
Day 200: No music tonight!
All day long I was looking forward to going to Mamma Maria's for pizza and to listen to the live music. But it turns out, I was TOTALLY disappointed because they had the live music on Wednesday night (I thought I had heard music but I didn't think it was Mamma Maria's because he said Thursday.
I did, however, get to use the Washer & Dryer for the first time today. It took 2 hours to translate the instructions. UGH. And I can only put in 10 pounds of clothes at a time and it takes an hour to do one cycle!
With the water pipe leaking, I had to put a towel around the pipe and I'll have to close the water valve every time I use the washer until it's fixed. Water is way too expensive here to waste.
Thursday 10/08/09
I did, however, get to use the Washer & Dryer for the first time today. It took 2 hours to translate the instructions. UGH. And I can only put in 10 pounds of clothes at a time and it takes an hour to do one cycle!
With the water pipe leaking, I had to put a towel around the pipe and I'll have to close the water valve every time I use the washer until it's fixed. Water is way too expensive here to waste.
Thursday 10/08/09
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Day 199: Washer & Dryer delivery
WOW! What a gorgeous, gorgeous day!! It's sunny and mild out. Now I have to get my short sleeves back out again. I walked to the store to get a few things and took some photos of things I thought you might like to see along the path to the store.
Hotel on the way to the store
Domenics Pizza on the way to the store
This is the exterior of Netto Market where I go grocery shopping on the economy
Here are some interior shots of the grocery store:
The meat case
The yogurt case
The soda and water aisle
The produce aisle
The checkout aisle. The round cylinders above the cashier is where they keep cigarettes. The Germans smoke. A LOT!
The building next door is going up quickly and I get distracted by the crane moving back and forth. It's moving big steel girders and cement slabs. I feel a bit vulnerable even though I know they do this all the time...it's just that I'm not used to it!
What you are looking at is the walkway to our apartment complex front door. The construction is literally inches away from the walkway. The wooden barricade that you see is actually on the retaining wall that separates our walkway from the construction!
I opened the windows as well because it is so beautiful out today. There won't be too many days like this left so I want to take advnatage of it while I can!
The doorbell rang at exactly 7:30pm. It was the delivery man bringing us our washer and dryer!! Hooray!! He brought them in quite easily with a hand truck. There was a lot of packaging (styrofoam and bubble wrap - which I kept).
He was a really nice guy and tried his best to speak English. He said it had been years since he used his English. He put the water hoses in and unlocked the washer drum. He explained (at least what we understood with his broken English) is that when the washer is transported, the drum has to be locked).
It turns out this is one of his two moonlighting jobs. He works for Deutches Post (The Post office) driving truck and on the weekends and nights he either does deliveries or drives a taxi. What a hard-working man! I asked him when he sleeps. He said very little and that he works 7 days a week.
He did say that he and his family (wife and three children) go to Greece. He said they used to speak German ten years ago. Now all they speak is English.
We went to turn the water on and the pipe before the meter leaks. We're going to have to get Gilgen (our building maintenance guy) to get it fixed.
I can't wait to use it BUT I'm going to have to translate the cycles first! UGH!
Wednesday 10/07/09
Hotel on the way to the store
Domenics Pizza on the way to the store
This is the exterior of Netto Market where I go grocery shopping on the economy
Here are some interior shots of the grocery store:
The meat case
The yogurt case
The soda and water aisle
The produce aisle
The checkout aisle. The round cylinders above the cashier is where they keep cigarettes. The Germans smoke. A LOT!
The building next door is going up quickly and I get distracted by the crane moving back and forth. It's moving big steel girders and cement slabs. I feel a bit vulnerable even though I know they do this all the time...it's just that I'm not used to it!
What you are looking at is the walkway to our apartment complex front door. The construction is literally inches away from the walkway. The wooden barricade that you see is actually on the retaining wall that separates our walkway from the construction!
I opened the windows as well because it is so beautiful out today. There won't be too many days like this left so I want to take advnatage of it while I can!
The doorbell rang at exactly 7:30pm. It was the delivery man bringing us our washer and dryer!! Hooray!! He brought them in quite easily with a hand truck. There was a lot of packaging (styrofoam and bubble wrap - which I kept).
He was a really nice guy and tried his best to speak English. He said it had been years since he used his English. He put the water hoses in and unlocked the washer drum. He explained (at least what we understood with his broken English) is that when the washer is transported, the drum has to be locked).
It turns out this is one of his two moonlighting jobs. He works for Deutches Post (The Post office) driving truck and on the weekends and nights he either does deliveries or drives a taxi. What a hard-working man! I asked him when he sleeps. He said very little and that he works 7 days a week.
He did say that he and his family (wife and three children) go to Greece. He said they used to speak German ten years ago. Now all they speak is English.
We went to turn the water on and the pipe before the meter leaks. We're going to have to get Gilgen (our building maintenance guy) to get it fixed.
I can't wait to use it BUT I'm going to have to translate the cycles first! UGH!
Wednesday 10/07/09
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Day 198: Delivery notification
I waited all day for the call from the delivery company. It appears that most companies here farm deliveries out to independent companies. It was late when we got the call. Ted was already home from work and we had already eaten dinner.
It turns out the person who called is the niece of the man who will be coming to deliver the washer and dryer. She had lived in Washington D.C., Philadelphi and New York City. She said she decided to return to Germany because she felt safer on the streets at night here in Germany.
She offered to teach me German. I may take her up on that. The software is great but it would be wonderful to have someone who is a native assist with local usage.
I can't wait for the washer and dryer to be delivered tomorrow evening between 6:30 and 7:30 pm.
Tuesday 10/06/09
It turns out the person who called is the niece of the man who will be coming to deliver the washer and dryer. She had lived in Washington D.C., Philadelphi and New York City. She said she decided to return to Germany because she felt safer on the streets at night here in Germany.
She offered to teach me German. I may take her up on that. The software is great but it would be wonderful to have someone who is a native assist with local usage.
I can't wait for the washer and dryer to be delivered tomorrow evening between 6:30 and 7:30 pm.
Tuesday 10/06/09
Day 197: Buying a washer & dryer
Ted came home a little later than I would have liked. The weather was nice so I fixed a nice salad and we ate quickly because MarktKauf closes at 8pm.
I took the money and the VAT form (to save us 19%) on the sale price of the washer and dryer (over $100). The paperwork is a drag but the money is not ;)
We got there and the clerk didn't speak English. She recognized the VAT form and explained to her co-worker how to complete it. She called her boss to see if he was still at the store. He was and it turns out, he was the same guy that had answered our questions on Friday night.
His English is good enough to answer my questions. We wanted the tubed dryer but it turned out there were no dryers in stock or in the warehouse that had the tubes so we ended up getting the condenser unit. All things being equal I went for the Whirlpool washer and dryer as they were less expensive than the hoover.
The manager talked to the clerk and he rang us up and took our information for the delivery. We specifically asked for someone who spoke English.
I checked for the hooks and they were still out. That meant that I would have to wait until Saturday to get the hooks. This is really ridiculous but it is what it is. I can't wait for it to get done but it's a drag to have to wait.
We also bought a portable clothes dryer for those ocassions when the dryer doesn't completely dry clothes (like jeans). It will be in the second bedroom until it's occupied.
By the time we got home it was after 9pm and I was more than ready to go to bed. It's getting dark at 7:30 now and it's only Octoboer!! What will it be like in November? I'm not sure when Germany does the time change but I know they do it because we changed the time when we were living in temporary housing.
Time will tell.
Monday 10/05/09
I took the money and the VAT form (to save us 19%) on the sale price of the washer and dryer (over $100). The paperwork is a drag but the money is not ;)
We got there and the clerk didn't speak English. She recognized the VAT form and explained to her co-worker how to complete it. She called her boss to see if he was still at the store. He was and it turns out, he was the same guy that had answered our questions on Friday night.
His English is good enough to answer my questions. We wanted the tubed dryer but it turned out there were no dryers in stock or in the warehouse that had the tubes so we ended up getting the condenser unit. All things being equal I went for the Whirlpool washer and dryer as they were less expensive than the hoover.
The manager talked to the clerk and he rang us up and took our information for the delivery. We specifically asked for someone who spoke English.
I checked for the hooks and they were still out. That meant that I would have to wait until Saturday to get the hooks. This is really ridiculous but it is what it is. I can't wait for it to get done but it's a drag to have to wait.
We also bought a portable clothes dryer for those ocassions when the dryer doesn't completely dry clothes (like jeans). It will be in the second bedroom until it's occupied.
By the time we got home it was after 9pm and I was more than ready to go to bed. It's getting dark at 7:30 now and it's only Octoboer!! What will it be like in November? I'm not sure when Germany does the time change but I know they do it because we changed the time when we were living in temporary housing.
Time will tell.
Monday 10/05/09
Day 196: Peaceful Sunday!
We went to church today and that was about it. We rested for the rest of the day. We decided to forgo going to the base to do laundry since we will be buying the washer and dryer tomorrow and having it delivered the next day or so.
I'll have a bit of catching up to do but the flip side is that I can do my towels and linens without having to carry all of the linen AND the clothes to the base!
I'm a happy camper!
Sunday 10/04/09
I'll have a bit of catching up to do but the flip side is that I can do my towels and linens without having to carry all of the linen AND the clothes to the base!
I'm a happy camper!
Sunday 10/04/09
Day 195: More shopping!
Today we went to the BX/PX to get the safety pins to put on the sheers. We also needed to stop at the bank and get the cash we needed to buy the washer and dryer on Monday as well as get the German routing number so we could get our electricity refund. They don't do checks here, only direct deposits and transfers.
The BX/PX didn't have safety pins. Some things are compartmentalized on base. So much so that for one item, you have to go to to a totally different store. So off we go to the craft store at Patch. (I really wanted to go there anyways ;) I bought 100 small brass safety pins (because they won't rust out in the wash) but they were incredibly expensive!! I couldn't believe it cost me $7.50 for this purchase. But...it is what it is. And they do have to bring them from the states so, I guess I have to be quiet about it!
We decided to have lunch at Subway on base. I haven't had Subway since we left the states. Ted has it mostly every day as it's the most healthful food the base has for his lunch. I want to make his lunch but he doesn't want it.
The hooks we bought last night at MarktKauf worked on the rails we have but they only had two small bags (25 in each) I bought both of them with the intention of getting more and hoping their stock would be replenished on Monday. I hung the sheers in the Living Room but they look awful because I didn't have enough hooks. I'm going to have to go get more. It's really frustrating to have to wait an entire week to get the things I need to complete this curtain project. If I had been in the states it would have been done already. No car and nothing open on Sundays really cuts down on the things you can get accomplished.
All I know is that this apartment has to be completely done before my daughter and her family come to visit in November!
We also needed to check the laundry room in the basement to see if we needed the condenser type dryer or the dryer with the hose that goes outside. Luckily our apartment is new enough (2003) that each unit had its own opening to send the steam out of the building via that big accordian-like tube.
Ted seems to think that the Hoover dryer was the kind that requires the tube. Having said that, I'm still debating over the Whirlpool and the Hoover. We'll see.
Saturday 10/03/09
The BX/PX didn't have safety pins. Some things are compartmentalized on base. So much so that for one item, you have to go to to a totally different store. So off we go to the craft store at Patch. (I really wanted to go there anyways ;) I bought 100 small brass safety pins (because they won't rust out in the wash) but they were incredibly expensive!! I couldn't believe it cost me $7.50 for this purchase. But...it is what it is. And they do have to bring them from the states so, I guess I have to be quiet about it!
We decided to have lunch at Subway on base. I haven't had Subway since we left the states. Ted has it mostly every day as it's the most healthful food the base has for his lunch. I want to make his lunch but he doesn't want it.
The hooks we bought last night at MarktKauf worked on the rails we have but they only had two small bags (25 in each) I bought both of them with the intention of getting more and hoping their stock would be replenished on Monday. I hung the sheers in the Living Room but they look awful because I didn't have enough hooks. I'm going to have to go get more. It's really frustrating to have to wait an entire week to get the things I need to complete this curtain project. If I had been in the states it would have been done already. No car and nothing open on Sundays really cuts down on the things you can get accomplished.
All I know is that this apartment has to be completely done before my daughter and her family come to visit in November!
We also needed to check the laundry room in the basement to see if we needed the condenser type dryer or the dryer with the hose that goes outside. Luckily our apartment is new enough (2003) that each unit had its own opening to send the steam out of the building via that big accordian-like tube.
Ted seems to think that the Hoover dryer was the kind that requires the tube. Having said that, I'm still debating over the Whirlpool and the Hoover. We'll see.
Saturday 10/03/09
Day 194: More company work!
I'm still scrambling to get company work completed and worked all day to get it done before the weekend.
Tonight we're going to scope out the Washer & Dryer again because we really need to get this accomplished before bad weather sets in. And since we had to wait for the washers at the base when we did laundry this week, I am MORE than ready to shell out the cash to get the washer and dryer.
It turns out they have two types of dryers: an Uplauft (much like the US version of the dryers with hoses out to the outside) and the condenser type which gathers the extracted water into a basin and you have to empty it every time you do a load of clothes.
The issue is what brand do we want to get. The most these washers will do is 10 - 12pounds of clothes in a cycle. This means I will be doing laundry pretty much every day. And the laundry room is two floors down (7-8 steps on each set of steps and two landings). Oh well...the steps will do me good! ;)
We were able to speak to the manager of Marktkauf (the store) and he spoke English. He told us that they could do the delivery for us and we explained that we would be back on Monday to purchase the units.
There were two brands that we recognized: Hoover and Whirlpool. We haven't yet decided on which brand to buy. We'll think about it over the weekend.
Friday 10/02/09
Tonight we're going to scope out the Washer & Dryer again because we really need to get this accomplished before bad weather sets in. And since we had to wait for the washers at the base when we did laundry this week, I am MORE than ready to shell out the cash to get the washer and dryer.
It turns out they have two types of dryers: an Uplauft (much like the US version of the dryers with hoses out to the outside) and the condenser type which gathers the extracted water into a basin and you have to empty it every time you do a load of clothes.
The issue is what brand do we want to get. The most these washers will do is 10 - 12pounds of clothes in a cycle. This means I will be doing laundry pretty much every day. And the laundry room is two floors down (7-8 steps on each set of steps and two landings). Oh well...the steps will do me good! ;)
We were able to speak to the manager of Marktkauf (the store) and he spoke English. He told us that they could do the delivery for us and we explained that we would be back on Monday to purchase the units.
There were two brands that we recognized: Hoover and Whirlpool. We haven't yet decided on which brand to buy. We'll think about it over the weekend.
Friday 10/02/09
Day 193: October days!
It's the first day of October. And it's still nice out! The trees are just barely showing signs of changing colors. I'm sure within the next week or two the trees will be changing colors. I didn't realize how much I missed that aspect of our beautiful Ohio autumns. What I don't miss is the cold, snow and ice but I'm about to get that again, here in Stuttgart!
I really didn't expect to have to do company work until Monday but my boss fooled me! So I'm scrambling to get company work done. Nothing else is going on!
Thursday 10/01/09
I really didn't expect to have to do company work until Monday but my boss fooled me! So I'm scrambling to get company work done. Nothing else is going on!
Thursday 10/01/09
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Day 192: TESOL and Drivers test
I cannot believe it's going to be October tomorrow. It was overcast and cool today. And I have still more company work to do today. I hope to be able to get some personal finance stuff done this week.
I completed unit 5 of my TESOL and got that submitted. That puts me at 1/4 of the way through the course and I have until February to get all of the units completed.
I REALLY need to study for my drivers test and pass that darn thing. Ted won't let me drive without it and I'm not insured so I have to get that accomplished as soon as possible; hopefully within the next week or so. I was supposed to do that this past week but I've been working quite a bit. Not a lot of hours, just every day.
Wednesday 09/30/09
I completed unit 5 of my TESOL and got that submitted. That puts me at 1/4 of the way through the course and I have until February to get all of the units completed.
I REALLY need to study for my drivers test and pass that darn thing. Ted won't let me drive without it and I'm not insured so I have to get that accomplished as soon as possible; hopefully within the next week or so. I was supposed to do that this past week but I've been working quite a bit. Not a lot of hours, just every day.
Wednesday 09/30/09
Day 191: Insurance claims
Another beautiful sunny day and MORE company work today.
I called the insurance company today in California. The person I was dealing with is no longer there as a result six claims submitted the first week of August were never were processed. I finally got someone on the phone that found them and escalated them to the next level for me.
Hopefully, we can get our money back quickly as I have another claim to submit!
Tuesday 09/29/09
I called the insurance company today in California. The person I was dealing with is no longer there as a result six claims submitted the first week of August were never were processed. I finally got someone on the phone that found them and escalated them to the next level for me.
Hopefully, we can get our money back quickly as I have another claim to submit!
Tuesday 09/29/09
Day 190: Another work day.
Today was a beautiful day outside and I didn't get a chance to go out and walk around because I did company work all day long.
Monday 09/28/09
Monday 09/28/09
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Day 189: Pleasant Sunday
Chaplain Santiago gave an amazing sermon today at church. He talked about John 5 regarding the pool of Bethsaida. It was awesome!
We then went to the BX to get batteries for my mouse. We also found Windows Office 2007 at a great military price! So of course, we bought it.
We then went to Patch to buy staples. Afterwards, we went to lunch at the Golden Leaf. It's a hotel restaurant near my husband's work. We were not impressed. We then went home to relax.
Laundry will be done tomorrow night!
Sunday 09/27/09
We then went to the BX to get batteries for my mouse. We also found Windows Office 2007 at a great military price! So of course, we bought it.
We then went to Patch to buy staples. Afterwards, we went to lunch at the Golden Leaf. It's a hotel restaurant near my husband's work. We were not impressed. We then went home to relax.
Laundry will be done tomorrow night!
Sunday 09/27/09
Friday, September 25, 2009
Day 188: Household Shopping!
Today was a big household shopping day. We finally decided to buy drapes / curtains for our apartment. I don't plan on putting drapes or curtains in either the third bedroom or the bathroom. The third bedroom which is very small is being used as an office and with the shields, it's really not necessary. And the bathroom window is opaque so no one can see through it anyways so why bother?
So off we go again to Reutlingen but this time we're going to another super department store called Rieger. I have the sizes of the windows written down in my handy-dandy Lil' fat notebook and I'm ready to go.
We get there using our friend "Julie". For as many times as we've been there, we should know the way but it's tricky when you get into town. It's only about a 30 minute drive from where we live so it really is an excursion!
The store is lovely and we park under ground and take an external escalator up to the entrance (which I found to be very weird). Why not have the escalator or elevator INSIDE where the parking garage is? Oh well.
We find a store clerk to help us but unfortunately, she does not speak English. She calles one of her colleagues that does and we ask her about the drapes. The first thing we got were these really cute curtains for the kitchen. There are three windows with rods and I want the curtains to go half-way down the window. It turns out the ones I really wanted, you have to sew. That isn't happening here in Germany. I don't have a sewing machine and even if I did bring mine, I'd have to use a transformer and it's incredibly expensive so it's not happening. Anyways, I settled on these curtains that are white-on-white blocks with triangular-shaped holes where the rod goes. What's really neat about them is that they are cut to size width-wise. The way they are constructed, every block has a double set of closely sewn together zig-zag stitches that allows the clerk to cut them according to the widt the customer wants. I had to get them just a wee bit bigger but who cares, they are cute. What I didn't realize was how expensive these curtains were!!! They were close to $40!! But they are cute and I like them. And if I can't use them when I return, I'm definitely going to make pillows out of them because they are so cute!
Next are the bedroom and living room drapes. They are INCREDIBLY expensive!! I went to the sale table and got our bedroom sheers(six panels in a brown and white vertical stripe) and the second bedroom sheers (2 panels in green with a little design)and they were STILL expensive! The Living room sheers (four panels in a horizontal stripe) I didn't buy on sale because they didn't have anything on the sale table that would match our living room. All of them are nice but more modern than I'm used to. No matter though, they could come in handy back in the states. The rods that are in the apartment are these narrow rails. The sheers have these tabs at the top which we found out afterwards, we cannot use. The clerk suggested I cut them but I was reluctant to do so because I may want to use them in the states. So I pinned them down and it just looks like they are supposed to be there!!
The clerk explained that the drapes are U-band drapes...whatever that means. She brought the hooks but for the life of me, I couldn't figure out how they are attached. Then she showed me. Voila! They are plastic safety-like pins with these round balls that probably go in the groove in the rail. She showed me that there is a clear strip sewn at the top of the sheer (where the tabs are) and that strip is sewn vertically at intervals. You put the plastic pins through the U-band and hang! Very simple!
She also showed us some tiebacks. We got one that looks like a circle and two knitting needles. She showed us how it works and we bought one. She also showed us another set that use magnets which is also cool and we bought those for the bedroom.
Unfortunately, though we didn't have enough cash on us to buy everything. And since they don't take VISA we asked her to hold some of the stuff for us. She never asked us for our phone number or a deposit or anything. Just our name. Go figure. She was incredibly nice and helped us ever step of the way.
On the way out, we noticed they were having a sale on rugs. We found a nice 5 x 7 rug for our living room. Again, it's more modern than I like but it's nice and the pile is very thick. Again...even with the sale, it's more money than I would normally spend.
We decided to go to the Geldautomat (ATM)and get the rest of the money so we could buy the rug and the rest of the stuff. We didn't know when the next time would be that we could come back. And unlike that nice clerk in the drapery department, the guy in the rug department would not hold the rug for us. So off we go to the geldautomat to get more money to buy everything we needed.
It was back to the store and we purchased the rug and the rest of the stuff we left with the clerk in the drapery department.
Now it was time to stop at Obi (like Lowes or Home Depot) because Ted needed a tool. While we were there I wanted to check out a new faucet. I'm tired of buying water to use to drink and to cook. They were more expensive than I imagined but it's going to have to wait. I already blew this week's budget on the household stuff! While there, I also checked into other types of hooks for the rails. I bought 6 or 7 packs to see how they worked. And if I don't like them or they don't work out, I can always return them.
We decided to go to the Flying Ship for dinner because it was just down the street from OBI. We also thought we would eat outside because it was SUCH a beautiful day and we didn't know how much longer it would be before we would have to eat inside all the time until next spring / summer.
Of course, while sitting there waiting for our food a group of people came out of the restaurant and sat at the table next to us and started puffing away. It turns out they were Italian (doesn't surprise me because the restaurant is Italian). They puffed and puffed and I hated it because I had to smell that awful smoke while I was trying to eat. They finally went back inside but by this time, I was already done with my dinner and we were ready to get our check and leave. By now the sun had gone down and it was getting cold. I'm glad I brought my sweater along.
When we returned to our apartment we toted all the "stuff" upstairs. The first thing I did was to put up the curtains in the kitchen. They went up without a hitch. I'll take photos when I have all of the rooms completed.
It turns out I don't have any safety pins. That means another trip to the store and it won't happen until Monday because there are no stores open on Sunday. So the sheers are on hold until I can get the pins. There's not much more I can do with this.
Today is my eldest daughter's birthday. I called to wish her a Happy Birthday but I only got her voice mail. I will certainly speak with her tomorrow or next week for sure.
We spent the rest of the evening playing on the computer.
Saturday 09/26/09
So off we go again to Reutlingen but this time we're going to another super department store called Rieger. I have the sizes of the windows written down in my handy-dandy Lil' fat notebook and I'm ready to go.
We get there using our friend "Julie". For as many times as we've been there, we should know the way but it's tricky when you get into town. It's only about a 30 minute drive from where we live so it really is an excursion!
The store is lovely and we park under ground and take an external escalator up to the entrance (which I found to be very weird). Why not have the escalator or elevator INSIDE where the parking garage is? Oh well.
We find a store clerk to help us but unfortunately, she does not speak English. She calles one of her colleagues that does and we ask her about the drapes. The first thing we got were these really cute curtains for the kitchen. There are three windows with rods and I want the curtains to go half-way down the window. It turns out the ones I really wanted, you have to sew. That isn't happening here in Germany. I don't have a sewing machine and even if I did bring mine, I'd have to use a transformer and it's incredibly expensive so it's not happening. Anyways, I settled on these curtains that are white-on-white blocks with triangular-shaped holes where the rod goes. What's really neat about them is that they are cut to size width-wise. The way they are constructed, every block has a double set of closely sewn together zig-zag stitches that allows the clerk to cut them according to the widt the customer wants. I had to get them just a wee bit bigger but who cares, they are cute. What I didn't realize was how expensive these curtains were!!! They were close to $40!! But they are cute and I like them. And if I can't use them when I return, I'm definitely going to make pillows out of them because they are so cute!
Next are the bedroom and living room drapes. They are INCREDIBLY expensive!! I went to the sale table and got our bedroom sheers(six panels in a brown and white vertical stripe) and the second bedroom sheers (2 panels in green with a little design)and they were STILL expensive! The Living room sheers (four panels in a horizontal stripe) I didn't buy on sale because they didn't have anything on the sale table that would match our living room. All of them are nice but more modern than I'm used to. No matter though, they could come in handy back in the states. The rods that are in the apartment are these narrow rails. The sheers have these tabs at the top which we found out afterwards, we cannot use. The clerk suggested I cut them but I was reluctant to do so because I may want to use them in the states. So I pinned them down and it just looks like they are supposed to be there!!
The clerk explained that the drapes are U-band drapes...whatever that means. She brought the hooks but for the life of me, I couldn't figure out how they are attached. Then she showed me. Voila! They are plastic safety-like pins with these round balls that probably go in the groove in the rail. She showed me that there is a clear strip sewn at the top of the sheer (where the tabs are) and that strip is sewn vertically at intervals. You put the plastic pins through the U-band and hang! Very simple!
She also showed us some tiebacks. We got one that looks like a circle and two knitting needles. She showed us how it works and we bought one. She also showed us another set that use magnets which is also cool and we bought those for the bedroom.
Unfortunately, though we didn't have enough cash on us to buy everything. And since they don't take VISA we asked her to hold some of the stuff for us. She never asked us for our phone number or a deposit or anything. Just our name. Go figure. She was incredibly nice and helped us ever step of the way.
On the way out, we noticed they were having a sale on rugs. We found a nice 5 x 7 rug for our living room. Again, it's more modern than I like but it's nice and the pile is very thick. Again...even with the sale, it's more money than I would normally spend.
We decided to go to the Geldautomat (ATM)and get the rest of the money so we could buy the rug and the rest of the stuff. We didn't know when the next time would be that we could come back. And unlike that nice clerk in the drapery department, the guy in the rug department would not hold the rug for us. So off we go to the geldautomat to get more money to buy everything we needed.
It was back to the store and we purchased the rug and the rest of the stuff we left with the clerk in the drapery department.
Now it was time to stop at Obi (like Lowes or Home Depot) because Ted needed a tool. While we were there I wanted to check out a new faucet. I'm tired of buying water to use to drink and to cook. They were more expensive than I imagined but it's going to have to wait. I already blew this week's budget on the household stuff! While there, I also checked into other types of hooks for the rails. I bought 6 or 7 packs to see how they worked. And if I don't like them or they don't work out, I can always return them.
We decided to go to the Flying Ship for dinner because it was just down the street from OBI. We also thought we would eat outside because it was SUCH a beautiful day and we didn't know how much longer it would be before we would have to eat inside all the time until next spring / summer.
Of course, while sitting there waiting for our food a group of people came out of the restaurant and sat at the table next to us and started puffing away. It turns out they were Italian (doesn't surprise me because the restaurant is Italian). They puffed and puffed and I hated it because I had to smell that awful smoke while I was trying to eat. They finally went back inside but by this time, I was already done with my dinner and we were ready to get our check and leave. By now the sun had gone down and it was getting cold. I'm glad I brought my sweater along.
When we returned to our apartment we toted all the "stuff" upstairs. The first thing I did was to put up the curtains in the kitchen. They went up without a hitch. I'll take photos when I have all of the rooms completed.
It turns out I don't have any safety pins. That means another trip to the store and it won't happen until Monday because there are no stores open on Sunday. So the sheers are on hold until I can get the pins. There's not much more I can do with this.
Today is my eldest daughter's birthday. I called to wish her a Happy Birthday but I only got her voice mail. I will certainly speak with her tomorrow or next week for sure.
We spent the rest of the evening playing on the computer.
Saturday 09/26/09
Day 187: Cleaning Day
I did company work most of the day but also found time to sweep (with my handy-dandy German canister sweeper) and scrubbed the floors. The sweeper is pretty cool because I can adjust the amount of suction on the floor with a dial on the canister. And I love the mop I have. I bought it at OBI (the equivilant of Home Depot). The mop part is a flat plastic piece that folds in two with a button. It comes with a very soft cloth that fits nicely on the plastic piece of the mop. It's SO easy to work with and cleans incredibly well. I usually use white vinegar and a cap full of Pine Sol. It does a GREAT job on the floors!
I then made dinner. After dinner I worked on my TESOL. Then Ted and I went to Kelly to get our mail and get money for our shopping spree tomorrow.
Finally, we stopped at Venezia Ice Cafe to get Ice Cream! When we returned to the apartment, Ted spoke to his friend, Wayne, in California.
Friday 09/25/09
I then made dinner. After dinner I worked on my TESOL. Then Ted and I went to Kelly to get our mail and get money for our shopping spree tomorrow.
Finally, we stopped at Venezia Ice Cafe to get Ice Cream! When we returned to the apartment, Ted spoke to his friend, Wayne, in California.
Friday 09/25/09
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Day 186: Music at Mamma Maria's
I took another trip to the local store to get bananas and a few other things. I had to buy more water. It's hard to believe that I cannot find celery here. How do they make soup???
I did more company work and it is definitely an Indian summer. I pulled out my shorts to wear and have all of the windows open. I guess I won't be taking that fan to the storage area quite yet!
We had a light supper of salad and corn on the cob. I didn't remember that tonight wa the first night of Michele doing music at his restaurant. I had forgotten that otherwise we would have had pizza! But we will be going to Michele's because I had promised him we would go. We went over there at about 7:15 and stayed until 11:30. Around 9pm Ted and I split a mushroom pizza.
Michele's group consists of Michele on the keyboard; Gerry, the lead singers; and Joe, the guitarist. Joe, a Neopolitan, sang a truly Neopolitan song, just for me. He was amazed that I speak the Nopolitan dialect even though I was born in the U.S.
They sang a lot of old songs that we knew and we sang along.
It turns out Gerry, the lead singer, is origianlly from Sacramento! It truly IS a small world. He went to American River College and has been all around the world but decided to retire here.
At the end of the evening, I found out that Joe has been trained operatically and teaches guitar and voice. I've always wanted to take voice lessons...perhaps this is my chance.
Thursday 09/24/09
I did more company work and it is definitely an Indian summer. I pulled out my shorts to wear and have all of the windows open. I guess I won't be taking that fan to the storage area quite yet!
We had a light supper of salad and corn on the cob. I didn't remember that tonight wa the first night of Michele doing music at his restaurant. I had forgotten that otherwise we would have had pizza! But we will be going to Michele's because I had promised him we would go. We went over there at about 7:15 and stayed until 11:30. Around 9pm Ted and I split a mushroom pizza.
Michele's group consists of Michele on the keyboard; Gerry, the lead singers; and Joe, the guitarist. Joe, a Neopolitan, sang a truly Neopolitan song, just for me. He was amazed that I speak the Nopolitan dialect even though I was born in the U.S.
They sang a lot of old songs that we knew and we sang along.
It turns out Gerry, the lead singer, is origianlly from Sacramento! It truly IS a small world. He went to American River College and has been all around the world but decided to retire here.
At the end of the evening, I found out that Joe has been trained operatically and teaches guitar and voice. I've always wanted to take voice lessons...perhaps this is my chance.
Thursday 09/24/09
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