SUCCESS!

The largest number we could gather at once!

Illy doing layouts on her computer before she committed them to the page.

Miriam made this for her husband downrange.
Gail and Jody (with Kate's "constructive criticism!) scrapping away!

Queen o the crop! Tiara, earrings and feather boa courtesy of the Stuttgart ladies!

Erika, queen o the bling!

Kori, making the most of the cutters and stamps!

Shay filling out the feedback sheets.

Christina taking charge of her creations!

Cheryl creates, with Candace, Erika and Aimee in the background.

Aimee and Erika discuss layouts and embellishments!

Rochelle, Joan, Cheryl, Aimee, Erika, Candace Brenda, and Valerie with ALL THEIR STUFF!-Elizabeth way in the back talks shop with Heather W (just out of frame!)

Angela, Ashton, and Michelle scrapbooking like PROs!

Angela's first page ever! She's awesome! Renee and Deborah, hard at work behind her!

Erin organizing her thoughts, photos and supplies.

Anita gets some tips from Brenda on mixing and matching.

It looks like chaos, but it's really VERY organized!
Anita and Deborah survey the supplies...

Anytime you attempt to gather the masses, use a public facility, tables, chairs, supplies, etc for a 12 hour meeting of the creative minds, things can get dicey! But thanks to many cooperative efforts, including but not limited to: representatives of CYS, FMWR, DPTMS, & Primo's, Kori and Shannon, 44th ESB/CPT G and her mom and her mom's and her mom's friends' generosity, a food $ donation, the EOC Soldiers, a brief MP visit, the Stuttgart Scrappers, Heidelberg Craft Store, AFN, USAG-M PAO, ACS, gosh, this list is getting LONG! and yes, that is a ton of Army abbreviations and acronyms, sorry!

Anyway, they all helped in some way to outfit us with a room, tables, chairs, stamps, cutters, adhesive, marketing, participation, and cooperation. We had 30 people from 2 communities come for 20 minutes to 12 hours and all time durations in between to create masterpieces! We had mostly scrapbookers, a couple of knitters/crocheters (forgive me, I get them confused), and a couple of card maker/papercrafters. It was an incredibly great time, and by the feedback, it looks as though this will become a monthly to quarterly event!

Lasts.

Well...it has begun. The year of the lasts. Some of them are “Whew! That’s the LAST...” and some are “ That’s the laaaasst...” But all of them are signs that we are heading home inside of a year and that makes me smile.

In August, we both had our last unit organizational/family days. The 7th Signal Bde/72d Signal Bn one was the 15th, and the Garrison one was the 20th. That will be the laaaast one...

August 26 was Women’s Equality Day! The day women were given the right to vote (that should have been theirs all along!). This was Stephen’s LAST Women’s Equality Day event to plan and execute.

Last weekend will mark the end of our last August here, and Monday our last Labor Day.

So...since I had a few spare minutes on my hands at work today...I figured this out, using June 30 as my last day of work, and as our last day in Germany. So, give or take a few days.
Days left in Germany: 299--YES! under 300!--but remember, we are giving/taking a few days.
Work Days remaining: 206 (not counting any leave time)
Equal Opportunity Observances remaining: 7 (Stephen will not be responsible for all of these, only 2!)

The summer has almost gone, taking it's 5 days of really hot weather with it. However, I can't really pack up summer clothes since we'll use them next June/July. Pack? you say. Yes, pack. Yes, I'm already thinking about it.

June 10 and now again!

I got a treat this morning when I was taking out the trash. This little guy caught my eye.


Then I saw he had a friend with him...

They let me get pretty close to take these pictures. And then I left them to their nectar collection.

Here is another that was hanging out with me last Sunday when I was laying in the grass recouperating from the shopping trip.

and you may remember this guy from last year...June 10, 2007

While I was posting about the Farewell, Stephen said, hey...we have a butterfly! and I grabbed the camera and snuck up on it...

This picture doesn't really show how beautiful it was. Those little spots look like sunsets.

THE BIG NEWS

We (Stephen and I) attended briefings with our units yesterday to hear THE BIG NEWS. It really isn't news as much as it is specifics and confirmation of what we already knew.

Mannheim is closing and it is going to start next summer.

Here is the article http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=57046

KEY PART: Mannheim: Decrease of 1,131 Soldiers, 265 Government Service Civilian employees and approximately 2,094 Family members for an approximate total decrease of 3,490 U.S. personnel. There will be an approximate decrease of 73 Local National employee positions.

We will be of the lucky ones. Our date to move will coincide with the movement of my unit, and the downsizing of his. The one thing that impacts us directly will probably be access to PCS services like transportation (packing out and shipping our stuff) and possibly guest house availability. I almost HAVE to spend at least one night in the guest house since I have been singing this hip hop song that I made up, "livin the the guest house (I said) we're livin in the guest house (uh huh)..."you get the idea.

At any rate...in the coming months (probably starting the beginning of 2009), I will see a slow down in the family members I inprocess as they begin to be rerouted to Schweinfurt. I expect my job to change with the needs of the unit and it's families. That's always a good thing. Different things going on keeps a girl on her toes! :)

Sad Days in Mannheim...

Well...I have been avoiding this subject for a while. But here it is.
Saturday, August 9, our phone rang at 4:30 in the morning. Stephen had to go in his Class As to inform a wife with a 6 month old son (named Steven) that his father had been killed in Iraq.
Here is a link to the news story.
http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=63946&archive=true

This past weekend, the same battalion (different company) here in Mannheim lost another Soldier. The memorial is next week.

We had been here two years before we had a Soldier killed in action. And now we have had two in one month. It is not an easy thing, and I didn't know either of these young men. The FRSA at 28th Trans Bn has been in her job 3 months. I cannot imagine what she is going through. Her husband is also deployed.

Please keep these brave men and women, Soldiers and their Families in your prayers.

"For Serious Shoppers"

That is what the USO tour book said. It was an 8 hour bus ride, shopping from 4am-5pm (could have been 7pm, but we had all agreed we were shopped out!) and then the 8 hour bus ride back. It was pretty hard on this old body, but it was a lot of fun, I got some nice pieces, showed my newness to the world of Polish pottery, and will need to supplement with Holiday Bazaar, internet or return to Poland purchases!


Me shopping when it's still dark

shelf after shelf of candle holders, plates, platters, containers with lids, etc Giant pottery pieces in intersection centers
I LOVE this pattern. But not for dishes, more for art!the never ending pottery...
too cute!World of Clay parade and celebration

What is IN that water?

So, this is the YEAR OF THE BABY! I hate missing these exciting events, but I love that they are here! :)

I was going to go through this whole riga-marrow of organizing them by date and people and whatnot, but here they are. just all random like. I have to go before I change my mind! :)

Wyatt and Logan. (Kathy and Jeffs's and Amy and James's, respectively)


Stylin' Wyatt!

Wyatt C

Trevor (Kimberly and Ryan's GIANT! Hes's the oldest and technically was born at the end of 2007) and Kaylee (Kristy and Dan's lil gurl)
Trevor sitting up!
Silas, just came home in May with Jill and Marshall.

Avery, Aimee and Rob's first!
Justin and Peterson. I know that they are not technically home yet, but they are home in the hearts of Greg and Cara. And I trust that they will be physically home VERY SOON!!

Brand NEW Kaylee
Tiny Logan

New Do...

I decided I needed a change. And when in Germany...









You color your hair!
At least I don't have any facial piercings, jewels glued to my teeth or too crazy hair color! They do love to put the streaks in it, though!

Your Gonna Miss This...

That’s what they say.
When I mention that we have only one year left of our tour in Germany, everyone is certain that I am going to return home and pine for all things German. There may be a little truth to this, but right now, I’d commit a slew of crimes to secure some REAL Mexican food. The closest my husband and I have come in our search is a little Mexikanisches Restaurant in Frankfurt called Rodeo. Google it, it’s pretty easy to find. Another thing that would drive me to the dark side is the prospect of real live gut fillin’, finger lickin’ Texas barbeque! If you have any information that may lead to the location and capture of said delicacy, I am posting a reward of one brisket sandwich!
Lest you believe I wrote this when I was hungry (that is beside the point!), I would also give a healthy sum to someone who could locate a Kohl’s, Target, or Hobby Lobby that accepts the lowly dollar and will let me take home my merchandise TODAY! Oh America. I miss you! And don’t get me started about friends and family or there will be tears. I’m not going to even look back!

And they just might be right.
Schnitzel and beer. Traveling with ease in and around many countries on short time and a realistic budget. Oooh, and Italian eis cream. There are things I have decided I will miss once we return to our homeland. I’ve never known anyone to make a beer/lemonade drink called a Radler in the states. It goes without saying, but I think I will go ahead and say it...I have made friends here that I will miss terribly. I will stay in touch via email and phone. I do it now with my stateside friends, so I know it can be done! I have loved meeting Soldiers and Families, learning from them and passing knowledge to the next. My husband and I have also made local national and German friends that will be missed. Every Halloween we will fondly remember German kids practicing their newly adopted tradition of trick-or-treating. Every New Year we will reminisce of the three spent at our Bürstadt bar with the local people and their never-ending non-regulated fireworks.
I will cry when we leave. I cry during sad radio songs. But I might just have to admit that this place, these people, this three year tour and everything that goes along with it has become a part of me. I’m going to spend the next year soaking it all in, and then I’m gonna miss this.

I wrote this for our newsletter. Thought I'd share it here, too.

This breaks my heart...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26153578/

Milli Vannilli (sp?) all over again. But this time, it's little girls.

BEIJING - One little girl had the looks. The other had the voice.
So in a last-minute move demanded by one of China’s highest officials, the two were put together for the Olympic opening ceremony, with one lip-synching “Ode to the Motherland” over the other’s singing.
The real singer, 7-year-old Yang Peiyi, with her chubby face and crooked baby teeth, wasn’t good looking enough for the ceremony, its chief music director told state-owned Beijing Radio.

There is more at the link.

Sad sad day.:(