No Fee Passport and EFMP Screen- Check!

The Germany moving preparations have begun! I received my Command Sponsorship packet from our JAG Deputy via email and started the process. Yes, you have to be organized and have all the necessary paperwork ready, but otherwise, it was pretty simple.  Command Sponsorship is basically a screening process that you go through as a Dependent in order to be allowed to accompany your soldier overseas. They want to be sure medically you are okay and will not have any medical concerns during your tour that your host country may not be able to accommodate, etc.

First on the list was my EFMP Medical Screening. I called and made my appointment on post, filled out a DA form 5888, brought my shot records, military ID, civilian medical records, and my command sponsorship packet. After I gathered all of these items, I went to my appointment, went through the basic physical type screening, answered some questions, and check it was done. The doctor filled out some paperwork and verified me as okay to go to Germany!!! I do have to go get a TB skin test within 30 days before we leave, but otherwise that step was complete!

Next was my No Fee Passport. You need this in addition to your regular passport. This is more like a VISA to live overseas and stating you are living there with the US government's knowledge and approval. This was pretty easy as well. For this, you go to the indicated website to fill out the online application. There are instructions they give you for particular portions to ensure that it is free. Then you print out the application to take into the Travel office on post. Along with the completed application, you have to bring 2 passport photos. Of course I brought mine from 2010 and they denied them saying they have to no older than 6 months old. SO, I had to go to another location on post that does free passport photos. At least in this one I could smile, so I don't look like a spy (Ryan says I look like a spy in my current passport photo:)) After that was over, I could go turn in my passport application. You need to have your military ID for yourself and your spouse, a copy of your marriage license, your social security card, and a copy of your RFO (request for orders) or your official orders.  The form stated I needed my birth certificate too, which had with me; however, the lady said I didn't need it. Now, if my passport is denied we will know why! She said it should come within 4 weeks, so now we wait on that!

Within an hour we had my command sponsorship paperwork saying I am free to move to Germany with Ryan and Molly!

The Travel lady also provided me some pet information, which I haven't really started looking at yet, but that needs to happen this weekend. There are several things that have to be done in order to get Molly to Germany with us. She put a note on our file saying she had to book our flights with a dog IN THE CABIN on the plane. We will call early April to set up flights for July 8-10ish. We are still tentative on our plans. We have to get Molly into the vet and certified 10 days before we arrive, so this will cut into our time visiting Indianapolis before we leave. She also briefly talked to me about shipping our car. All I know at this point is we have to ship it from Dallas around mid-May, which means one of my friends is going to be the lucky one to drive down with me so I can get home. Unless, by some act of God Ryan gets home sooner than planned from deployment. Luckily, he will be able to set up movers from over there, so that is one less step I personally have to manage.

I also have started working on is separating things that will probably go to storage. Since Germany doesn't value closets or garage space as highly as we do here, we will likely store lots of our Garage tools, some kitchen things, my speech therapy materials, and china/antique dishes. I want to have room to buy Polish and Italian pottery, so we will downsize a little for the move. The Army will pay for us to have a storage unit here while we are overseas, so that will be really nice!!! I have got rid of some things we no longer need, but lots of my dishes I just can't part with. I love having all my kitchen gadgets and bakeware, so you could argue if I get by without it for 3 years I do not need it, but in my heart I do so it is sticking around!

Luggage shopping has also begun!!!! Each person gets 2 70lb checked bags and a carry on. We had some luggage, but we needed more and of course I wanted it all to match! I purchased a new set of Samsonite luggage from TJMAXX that I love. I had one of the carry ons and have loved it, so I decided to purchase another complete set for the trip! The only thing left is to find one more matching large piece and we will be set with luggage for the trip.

Lastly, I purchased a pocket English-German Dictionary that will be handy for our Travels! I am so excited to get there and start seeing all the sights!

This is definitely not a cheap move. There are several things we have had to purchase and still need to purchase to make this a smooth transition, but it will be all worth it!!!

Isn't that Pinteresting....

I, like many others, am a pinterest junkie at times. I am always finding new projects to work on, recipes, cleaning tips, everything really on pinterest. Here is the latest trialed recipe with some tweaks and modifications.

I love blondies and sweets but I wanted to change some things up in here to add a little more nutritional punch to my craving. Sometimes, it is nice to have an all out real sweet with all the bad stuff in it, but usually I try to clean things up a little bit and see if I don't sacrifice flavor.

To find the original recipe go to this link:

http://www.topwithcinnamon.com/2014/02/banana-pecan-coconut-and-chocolate-chip-blondie.html

Sorry, I don't have a picture because I ate most of it already!! To me, it was that good!
Here is the recipe with my modifications:

Banana, Pecan, Coconut Blondies

6 tbsp  Earth Balance flax butter 

1/4 cup stevia

1/4 cup maple syrup or agave syrup

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 egg white 

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup mashed, ripe banana

1 cup oat flour

1/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1/4 cup pecan halves, roughly chopped

1/3 cup bittersweet chocolate chips (or Enjoy Life Vegan chocolate chips- I used mini chips) optional

Preheat your oven to 350 F.  Melt your butter in a separate bowl. 

To the bowl of melted butter, add the sugar, syrup, salt, egg, vanilla and banana. Beat the ingredients together and add the baking soda, flour, coconut, chocolate chips, and pecans. Fold in until evenly combined.

Pour the mixture into the greased tin and spread out in an even layer. Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown. Leave to cool for 5 minutes in the tin before slicing/scooping and serving.

Hope you Enjoy these goodies!!

A BIG Announcement......

I have a big mouth and can't contain my excitement about where we are moving, but for those that haven't heard where we will be PCSing (Permanent Change of Station) in June or July.... say "Hallo, Deutschland!!!!!" Yes folks, Germany will be our home for several years. We are still awaiting official orders, but for all intents and purposes this is where we headed!!! Initially, we were going to Baumholder, but recently this changed as a better position opened up for Ryan in Kaiserslautern. We are totally pumped. Look how cute and precious this little place is!

Yes, there are downsides to living overseas. Things in Europe are more inconvenient than we are used to here in the States, and I am 100% sure I will break down and cry at some point in frustration. However, it's all a small price you pay to live in Europe, travel, experience new cultures, food, and most of all meet fun and interesting people.

We have been trying to move to Germany since we left Fort Lewis. You can imagine or dismay when we got orders to Fort Sill, Oklahoma and not Germany. I was devastated, really. I was at work, with a patient and knew Ryan was going to be calling with the final verdict. He called and I excused myself and went to the Nutrition room to talk to him briefly. I literally lost it!!! All the  nurses thought someone had died. I think it was more the shock and it wasn't a place we even listed on our dream sheet. With all that said, I have to say God always knows better than us, after all he is sovereign. Ryan has family near here and we have had a chance to spend more time with them the last 2 years. My grandparents are in Austin now, so I am closer to them and get to visit also. Not to mention the friends we have made here JAG and otherwise are amazing. I think this was the perfect place for Ryan to start his JAG career after leaving the infantry. We bought a house, experience lots of ups and downs here, and both have been challenged in our careers. This wouldn't have happened overseas. I truly believe now we are in the best place for this kind of move and this kind of experience.

In the Fall of 2012 Ryan and I went to Germany for vacation but also a test run to see if it was something we thought we could do. Ryan's brother and our sister in law were living there are the time and so we went for a visit to see them and some sights.  I had never been to Europe before, but I planned our trip to the tee thanks to many websites and Rick Steves! I was pretty impressed that I was able to pull this off having never been before. We had an amazing time and got to see some pretty incredible things! Here are some highlights of the trip!

 Me in Prague, simply an amazing city and would totally go back!

 Ryan and I at the Nuremberg castle. Gabe took us because Tas was a little sicky!

 Berchtesgaden Hitler's Eagle Nest and we also went to Lake Koningsee. Amazing, but the views were cloudy so that just means we will have to go back!!

 Mirabell Gardens in Salzburg. This whole town is doable in a day or so but so beautiful and interesting! 

 One of my favorite parts! Real Italian food, especially the pizza. I think these were from Vienna. Absolutely to die for and I ate every last bite. I am crazing amazing Italian food soooo much!

 Hitting up the Vienna Opera, we did standing room only tickets for about $4 Euro!

 Berlin at the Reichstag building. We did a 9 hour walking tour and it was so worth it! We got to see so much and learn even more than we would have on our own. Berlin is so rich in history you don't want to miss it! We stayed on the northern end and outside out apartment was the real Berlin Wall still standing in some sections... crazy!

 My lovely friend and soul sister, Tasneem. They live in Vilseck (this was in Amberg) and will be staying in Germany for another tour, which means lots of fun and travels to be had with these awesome peeps!!! And she just had a baby, so I cannot wait to squeeze him!

Ryan is excited to move to Europe strictly for the Gelato. He wants to start a tourist business where you gelato taste, instead of wine and beer taste. Someone is going to see this and steal our idea. But several bystanders on the streets of Prague agreed that this would be a phenomenal idea!! He seriously had this at every place we went!! This was Lime Gelato in Dresden.

So with all that, I have started all the preparations for the move! I have to get a No Fee Passport and a medical screening in the next week or so. I will post more on how that is done and how it works, once I have gone through it. I have also started cleaning out the house, purging, organizing things that will be staying in the states in storage and what we will be taking with us to Germany. This move is definitely not a cheap one. Yes, the Army pays for the move, but there are several things we have to get like a new coat (thats really warm), snow boots, a pet carrier for Molly for the plane, and much much more. We are also saving up some money to buy a car once we arrive since we can only ship one car. You should see the series of lists I have going right now!! But this is probably the dream move for someone like me who likes lists and organizing. Its also an excuse to finally get some things organized as well. So in the upcoming months before we have more details on the move and different things that go along with an Overseas PCS, I will be posting on the how to's of this process. 

Here is the most exciting part: if you want to come visit...here is your invitation!!! Friends, please come visit!! Not only would it be nice to see familiar faces, but also an opportunity for you to use us as a home base for your travels if you were to decide to come. Let that marinate for a while and you can always shoot me a message about visiting, even if I haven't seen you in forever, really!! In this lifestyle we are living its impossible to see people regularly that I would like to, so if you will be in the area just holler!

Keep your eyes peeled for some interesting Army moving overseas how to's in the future! We are super excited and hopefully I will use this blog to narrate our travels all of Europe (and yes since I am list maker there is already a detailed list in the works of the places we/I would like to go) 

Life Since Deployment Began...

Well here it is! The first blog of hopefully many. This is just another thing I am trying to tackle, so I really hope I can keep up with it!  I decided to talk about everything that has be going on since the Hubs left for a deployment, so forgive me if its a little ADD at times!

Last October, word was going around the JAG office about a potential deployment. Not really knowing the circumstances, I quickly replied to the Hubs with a firm "NO!!" Most of our friends and family know that we've had some difficulties in starting a family. The last thing I wanted was a deployment to further put off a future little one. However, as we talked about it more I began to humble myself a little. The fact was someone had to go and it killed me to think about all the families here that would have to send off their parent for 6-9 months. We prayed about it for a week or so, wrote out the pros and cons, and decided that we were actually in a place to volunteer. Even though my selfishness wanted him to stay and be my partner in crime and keep working toward a family of 4 (including Molly our pup of course), I knew that this is where God was leading us.

Ok, enough of all the mushy stuff. I sent my love off in November. Yes, just in time to miss Thanksgiving, our Anniversary, Christmas, and most likely my 30th birthday.  This 'sounds' really terrible right? I mean yes, it would have been better to have him here for these things, but again God really knew it would all be ok. Before he left, our awesome friends threw him a Thanksgiving going away party, where we stuffed our faces and luckily we did because I didn't really get a traditional Thanksgiving this year.

Since he was gone, it gave me the opportunity to spend the holidays with family for a much longer time. We had not been home for any holiday since being married, so it was kind of cool to go home and spend the holidays with everyone. For Thanksgiving I drove up to Fort Leavenworth to stay with Ryan's brother's family. His parents came as well and we spent one day with my father in laws family in Missouri. Again, super awesome because due to the Army life I haven't spent much time with that side of the family! 

Pictured: me with Caitlin my only niece in Kansas, and my good friend Abby who is also an Army wife friend now living back home in Kansas City!

I also got to drive down to Austin for a long weekend. It worked perfectly, my Mom and Brother were going to be flying in to stay with my Aunt and Uncle. 2 years ago when we moved to Oklahoma we also relocated my grandparents to Austin. They were getting older and needed more assistance that my parents were struggling to provide since they still work full time. Sucks for them, but worked great for me, since I am only a 5 hour drive away. I've been able to get down there quite often to visit. Ross, my brother had also never been to Austin (not since infancy anyway-doesnt really count) so I got to show him around town, eat yummy food and support our cousin's new coffee business - Stouthaus Coffee PUB! They are awesome and if you live in Austin please support your local business!

Bragging Corner: I went to the OKC Austim Conference, which my school so gladly sent me to! And who did I meet! Temple Grandin! I was paparazzi! She totally thought I was wacko!

Side NOTE: Hubs left- here is our Send Off!

I forgot this one of the Hubs flying first class and thinking he is hot stuff!!

Ok, back to the recap. So, back I went to working at the school, which keeps me busy for sure! It was really fun around the holidays because they were all in good spirits and the OT and I could do lots of fun things with them in therapy. We also had the JAG christmas party and ornament exchange!! My favorite time of year! I am so blessed here at Fort Sill to have such great friends. Another reason why I knew a deployment would be just fine, because my support system rocks!

I won the JAG ornament! YAY! This thing is highly coveted. You never think you are going to stand a chance winning this beauty!

Due to Christmas break, I was able to drive me and Molly out to Indiana for a long 2 week break. YIPEE! I bet lots of people aren't too pumped to go back to Indiana, but not this girl. I love home. I love Indianapolis. I miss my friends and family all the time (and the shopping, lets be honest Oklahoma City pales in comparison shopping wise) so sign me up I'm down to go home for a long break! I was so busy, seeing people, helping my parents with lots of stuff, and just relaxing!

Met up with some awesome friends and spent NYE with some great peeps as well! Overall, successful trip! 

 Christmas Brunch I made!

 NYE!

 Cousins and Brother

 My Drew Bear!

Me and cousin Brady!

Ryan had a pretty good Christmas overseas! The JAG group sent him a tree and they sent us some funny photos back! Jason- the paralegal has been great as a friend to the Hubs. They have bonded as workout buddies and bible study buddies. Another reason how we can see God working while he's been away. His wife has been awesome for me on this end too. We have so much in common and had we not taken this deployment, we wouldn't know these wonderful people! This girl in the short time Ive know her is someone I can call and ask to pray for me and I know she will! That is a true sister in Christ and I am blessed to call her my new friend!

When I got back home from vacation I took to my usual craziness and dove into some DIY! I've had a list of things that had to get done before we move, so I just plowed through! I repainted my old childhood desk with chalk paint and sealed with Polycryllic. I recovered some old chairs that my Aunt had given me before we moved to Fort Lewis. I re-finished and re-upholstered an old footstool of my grandparents that my mom let me bring back from Indy. 

I also had made some pillow covers before I left and love how they turned out! I used curtains from ROSS and made shams!!Never will I keep buying throw pillows! Just make your own!

We started school again and so I have been living on Pinterest finding more fun Speech Ideas. I've worked with adults for so long, some of the childhood stuff just seems more difficult to me. I know school speeches feel the same way about working the medical sector. But, the good news is, all that knowledge is tucked away in my brain somewhere and it slowly but surely has been resurfacing. I am not going to be Special Needs Speechie of the year, but I have been learning so much and loving these kiddos! I am really glad I took on this challenge because it will make me a better therapist and a great mom one day! 

Then I decided with my girl, Jennie, to take a Spin Certification course by Schwinn (the Best, duh!) in Dallas. We went, we ate, we learned, we worked out HARD! It was awesome. It was at the Equinox Gym in Uptown and it totally rocked our world. One of the best spin workouts I've ever had since I started in 2006! We are thinking of teaching on post for free to get our feet wet, but I'm a nervous wreck over that idea! Regardless, it may be fun to teach in Germany. And going back to the food in Dallas- way better than Oklahoma. I mean one would imagine! Here is some food for you! 

YUMMO! I also just attended my first Beth Moore study: James, Mercy Triumphs. My friend Mindy invited me and I LOVED IT!! Ive been craving church community, women, accountability, all of the above. I had such a good time and I'm glad to be growing closer to my friends through Christ. I am going to try out her family's church as well. We have been going to a church here. It is great, but we just have lacked motivation to get plugged in. Total fail on our part. So I am hoping that while Hubs is away I can get more connected. We've also started reading the One Year Bible since he left. Its been awesome and I feel like I am learning so much. While I was at bible study, the Hubs went fishing! He's been a great accountability partner for our devotions and thats just one reason why I love him!