Ferris Wheels & BBQ
We officially have word from the movers! They will be delivering our goods on Monday!!!! Of course I have been emailing them for weeks and they finally get back to me today saying they can deliver tomorrow!!! TOMORROW!!! YAYY!!!! Well OF COURSE that doesn’t work for us. Literally the ONE weekday in the last month and a half that I actually cannot change our plans. I will be in ENGLAND and Michael has a super busy day at work so I actually have to respond and request a LATER date. Who would have thought? So Monday it is! Monday, September 19th- Ceci Christmas 2016.
Last weekend we were off to yet another wine fest! But this time it was a 600-year-old, LARGEST wine fest in all of Europe! Bad Dürkheim. It is a HUGE carnival with rides and games and prizes. Then there are massive tents that resemble something out of Oktoberfest but with wine (and a little beer). Another section hosts courtyards of small tables with umbrellas where you can purchase wine by the glass or bottle to enjoy. Then there are smaller tents for various vineyards where you can purchase their wine and sit on the longest, narrowest, and closest placed picnic tables you have ever seen. Top it all off with food vendors that will serve you German fest food on real plates with real silverware and you have yourself quite a festival! For the first half of the festival we were joined up with our neighbors who are also a squadron family. We enjoyed seeing the festival through the eyes of their 3 small children. I even got to ride the swings with their daredevil of a 2-year-old who only laughed louder when the swings went higher and faster. Needless to say I had a death grip around her since she was tiny enough to slip straight through the little seat flying 50 feet above the ground. The last bit of the day we were in the large tents enjoying some VERY interesting German entertainment! They were singing songs, conducting chants with the crowd, playing instruments and walking through on the tables getting the crowd involved. The drive home was absolutely beautiful- golden sunlight streaming through the trees, the roadway following a winding valley with the land rising up high on either side. Eventually the land gave way to rolling hills with sprawling villages tucked within.
Sunday we enjoyed a backyard BBQ with our neighbors, Brittney, CJ, their 3 children and Gwen and her son William. It was a “BYOC” BBQ- Bring Your Own Chair, due to our current limited supply. The Thomsen’s were also gracious enough to let us borrow their grill so we could cook some BBQ chicken and hotdogs! They also brought over their 2 dogs- Joey and Lucy who had a BLAST playing with Ryder. 5 adults, 4 children and 3 pups made for a lively evening! The kids loved running around and exploring the yard- especially the apple tree! It started off quite warm, but as soon as the sun set behind the hills, it was instantly wonderfully cool.
One thing I have realized, and truly appreciated during this move, is the overwhelming generosity of the other military families we have befriended. The constant invites to social occasions and trips to get us out of our empty house and allow us to explore our new home- EUROPE! Krysta and Chris allowing us to borrow their TV, DVD player and DVD’s until we were able to get our own. Gwen and Brandt having us over for a delicious BBQ at their house. Numerous people volunteering to help us when the movers come should Michael or myself not be able to be there for it. Mutual commiseration for the lack thereof or even suggestions on how to speed up getting internet at home. People opening up their homes and offices so I can use THEIR wifi. The list goes on and on. I just want to say a special THANK YOU to all who have befriended us, reached out, offered up help or just said hello and welcome. You have made the almost month and a half we have been in Germany significantly easier and a lot more fun than it would have been otherwise! It is true what they say about the military community really banding together to help one another, and we have experienced nothing less.
Tonight I am off to England to stay with Katlin until Saturday! Yet another first visit to a new country, and I am so excited! I have not seen Katlin since they left Mississippi last fall- so we are in for some long awaited girl time! Hopefully Michael and Roo can hold down the fort. They will be furniture-less over the weekend since the FMO furniture we are borrowing has to be picked up before the movers get here Monday. I still cannot even contain my excitement to finally unpack our boxes, make our house our home, and feel settled. Cheers to a new adventure this week and getting settled the next!
