I looked at my blog today and realized my last post was Mid-March. Whoops. Again. I'm pretty sure I have more "catch-up" blog posts on this thing than regular posts. In my defense, Mid-March was the last time life was normal and I had some wits about me. So, here's the fast-forward:
PCS Adventures
April 1 kicked of PCS season for us. OCONUS moves are seriously the PCS gifts that keep on giving. They take forever and NEVER. SEEM. TO. END. We packed out our household goods on April 24th and kicked it Army-furniture style until June. We did this intentionally because we really wanted our stuff ready and waiting when we arrived in Kansas. It's much easier to borrow furniture and household items in Germany (from Army Furnishings or ACS and from friends!) than it is stateside and in a new location where you may not have friends with fully furnished homes! Shipping early paid off because our stuff arrived June 8th, before we had even left Germany! We were thrilled to book our delivery date so early and beat the PCS rush in Leavenworth. (Crazy happens there!) Our main household goods arrived July 2nd. We unpacked in 48 hours, no joke. It will probably stand as our family record until Soldier retires because we had Grammie on-hand doing crowd control. (She's AWESOME!) But, joke's on us because our shipment of stuff from storage arrived a week late. We hustled to get that put away just in time to receive our Unaccompanied Baggage. By that point, our enthusiasm for unpacking was about zilch. I'm still anxiously awaiting the arrival of my mommyvan...15 days, but who's counting?
Final Fling in France
We left Hohenfels on June 8th and headed to France for our final fling in Europe. We stayed one night in Verdun and checked out some of the battlefield sites and the cemetery. It's beautiful there and I wish we'd had a little more time to hike and wander the area. We spent the next four days in Normandy, at a tiny bed and breakfast near Carentan. The owners were a retired British couple and were just really, really lovely. They doted on our kids as if they were their own grandchildren. Whenever one of the kids ended up missing, I'd usually find them in the kitchen getting a chocolate biscuit from the owner or outside playing with the dog. We spent one day out at the owners cottage in La Fiere where they hosted a cook out and picnic for their guests. La Fiere was the site of the largest small arms battle of World War II. Paratroopers dropped there in the early hours of D-Day to secure a key roadway. We witnessed the commemorative drop. It was such a festive, joyful atmosphere. It was incredible to see how the locals really celebrate this occasion and the lingering sense of gratitude for the D-Day invasion. Sadly, due to sequestration, no Americans participated in the drop. The next two days were spent working our way down the coastline of Normandy. Really, I never imagined I would stand on Omaha beach and watch the waves crash on the rocks. But, we did. The American Cemetery was incredibly moving and I'm grateful for the opportunity to have visited. There were tons of fun museums along the way. Monster Boy was in Army Vehicle Heaven on this trip! Our next stop was Disneyland Paris, where we spent four days in a magical wonderland. The kids were great ages for this trip. Disneyland Paris is smaller than the mega Disney World in Florida that I'm more familiar with, but it was the perfect size for this trip and our kids. We also were there just before the peak summer travel season, so crowds weren't too bad. (And those early entrance hours for Disney Resort guests were MONEY!) While at Disney, we took a day trip into Paris. It wasn't the best experience, but I saw the Eiffel Tower and checked off another Bucket List item! Since we were pressed for time and looking for something easy and stress-free, we did a bus trip through the park. Bus trips are pretty much the WORST way to see a city, I've decided. It also poured rain that day, which was a bummer at the Eiffel Tower. The upside: we could have been walking all over the city with three kids and a stroller in the rain, so it's not all bad! In the end, we saw a teeeny bit of Paris, I stood in the Eiffel Tower and we stayed mostly dry. I'd love to go back one day and stay in the city to get a real Paris experience but that may be something for kid-free trip. (Someday, haha.)
Coming to America!
After France, we spent the weekend in Ramstein with friends we met at Ft Bliss. They graciously opened their home to us and it was WONDERFUL! After nearly two weeks in a hotel, the kids had playmates, toys, a backyard to run in and the most spectacular digging pit that ever was. I think we still might be digging sand out of their hair. We took the time to regroup, do laundry, repack and clean the van. After a roadtrip, it needed some serious help before we turned it in to be shipped back to the states. Our final night was spent on Ramstein AFB at the Lodging. It was relatively easy to get up the next morning, catch the shuttle to the airport and check-in for our flight. We spent the next week in VA catching up with family and made the final push to Leavenworth. Soldier drove our new-to-us Toyota Seqoiua to KS with by poor Father a trailer of furniture from my parent's house. (My poor dad...he keeps moving me out of the house. Over, and over, and over again.) I got the easy job and flew with the kiddos and Grammie! The final bonus from this PCS: we arrived in KS just in time to attend my cousin's wedding. I was beyond excited because we pretty much NEVER get to attend family functions thanks to Army-ness. It was a real treat for me.
So, that's it! We are now settled in our new home, all unpacked. I'm LOVING the Leavenworth life right now. I love our sweet little home, I love our neighborhood (seriously, awesome neighborhood!), I love the town, I love having some family nearby. Soldier is still on sham schedule since his class isn't in full swing yet, so we're getting lots of chores done and having fun together as a family.
Happy Thursday!
