tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17646397114083496022024-03-13T13:14:39.075-05:00Jay and GinaJay and Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05749884951473424752noreply@blogger.comBlogger300125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1764639711408349602.post-44721896935068157832012-10-29T14:21:00.001-05:002012-10-31T09:48:28.464-05:00October RecapWow! Time sure is flying! I can't keep up on the blog anymore! I'm not complaining though! I'm glad time is going fast. We are half way done with our current assignment down here in Ft. Benning. Jay is just finishing up his first phase of the class and will move on to the last phase in another week.<br />
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The month of October has kept us plenty busy. Over Columbus day weekend, we secretly flew home and met my parents in the airport. They loaned us a car for the weekend and we headed up to Manchester. We walked in the door to surprise Jay's parents. We came up for Jay's grandma's (Delores) 90th birthday party in St. Ansgar. We enjoyed spending the weekend with the family. It had been awhile since we had seen everyone, so it was nice to catch up. <br />
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I also stole my nephew for the weekend. I was really missing the lil' guy, so I asked his mom and dad if they could do without him for a few days. They were nice to me and let him come along! I had so much fun with him. We all went to the Mac Valley football game on Friday night, partied all day Saturday (especially in the leaves), and played farm on Sunday. The trip was quick, but it was nice to be in Iowa again.<br />
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Isn't he just so precious! I have this picture on my phone. Makes me smile every time! Be sure to click on the picture to make it bigger and get the full idea of cuteness!</div>
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Jay has been working really hard on his school the past few weeks. He'd had two huge presentations to prepare for and give. He is giving his last one right now. It will be so nice to have them over with! He also has been writing many papers, one of them being 10 pages. That long one is almost finished. Maybe by the end of the week. The last thing is a huge comprehensive final that's on Friday. Just like a semester test, it will cover everything they have learned so far. Once this presentation is over with today, that's the next thing he'll focus on. I'm sure we'll be reviewing a lot of notecards in the next few days. <br />
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I've been holding the fort down at home. We got everything unpacked in September and placed it where we wanted it. We didn't unpack much because it's all going back in boxes in a few months. We did finally put a few things up on the walls a couple weeks ago. We weren't going to, but it just didn't feel like home with bare walls. I have applied for two subbing jobs and have been hired on in one. I will begin subbing for the schools on post next week. I also have an interview next week to sub with the other school. I am hoping to get on both lists so I can be working nearly every day. We'll see what happens. It's been nice being home though. I have gotten several things accomplished that I have slacked on the past few years. The biggest thing has been scrap books. I still have a lot more countries to go, but I'm getting closer.<br />
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Not too much happening this month. Life is pretty calm when we stay home on the weekends and have work to do! We have lots to look forward to though. Jay's family is coming here for Thanksgiving, and then we get to go home for Christmas! Soon after that Jay will be done with school! Wow! It all goes so fast!Jay and Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05749884951473424752noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1764639711408349602.post-735540693043204852012-09-09T15:57:00.001-05:002012-09-09T16:01:26.866-05:00Settling InWe have been in Georgia now for a little over a month. Are we getting settled in.... barely! We haven't been able to do a whole lot since our house hold goods haven't arrived yet. Once we got to Fort Benning, we spent the first couple of nights with friends until we got our feet under us. Our first full day here was dedicated to surviving in the US. We bought cell phones, we looked for housing, Jay checked in on post, and I don't remember what else. Nonetheless, we were busy! We had two days to get things figured out before both of our parents were coming down. On Friday, we signed a lease for a townhome in a big housing complex off post. After attempting to get in contact with the housing office on post, we decided it would be easier to be off post.<br />
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We arrived to Georgia on a Tuesday and both of our parents arrived on Thursday! We had reserved two hotel rooms for all of us to stay in during the time they were here. Thursday consisted of shopping! We were looking for a couch and end tables. We ended up finding a sectional we liked and purchased it on Saturday! That was a big deal for us. Other than the car be bought in Germany, this was our first big purchase as a married couple! Yes, I know we've been together for nearly 5 years, but the Army supplied us with furniture in Germany. We also went to Target and bought $100 worth of cleaning supplies! We had to throw everything away that we had in Germany since they won't ship these things! That evening we enjoyed good ol' American food with our parents!<br />
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It took another week to be delivered. Here it is in our living room, filling up the entire room!<br />
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On Saturday, we were able to get the keys to our new place and move in! Well, the moving it part was pretty simple since we didn't have anything to actually move in! The ladies cleaned all day and the guys built a kitchen counter for us. There were hook-ups for a washer and dryer in the little kitchen. We decided more counter space was a better option for us. <br />
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We were able to enjoy our parents company on Friday and Sunday, with a trip to the Coca-Cola Factory in Atlanta and the Infantry Museum in Columbus. We didn't make them work these day! We'll see if they ever come visit again after all the sweat they shed for us on this trip!</div>
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Even though we had a house to stay in, we opted for staying in a hotel for the next 10 days. This way we had a bed to sleep on, a tv to watch, towels to use, the basics! Mom brought down most of the basics we needed to survive and we have borrowed the rest! We have made it work for a month and a half now with little to nothing in the house!</div>
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After our parents left, it was time for us to face the real world again! Jay had to go back to work, and I..... well..... really had nothing to do! I couldn't clean the house. I couldn't unpack. I couldn't work. Jay was extremely busy studying and working on projects. So, I decided I was going to go to Iowa for three weeks, hoping our stuff would be here by the time I got back! </div>
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My Iowa trip.... amazing! I sure do love that place. A quick brief of what I did...</div>
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Went to the Iowa State Fair with my parents! Tried out the fried oreos, which turned out to be delicious!</div>
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Drove three hours down to Kirksville, Missouri to visit friends that I haven't seen in a really long time! I met up with Jennifer and Samantha for lunch. Then we went to surprise Tristan at his baseball game! We spent the rest of the night catching up on life!<br />
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The next day, I drove six hours up to Sioux Rapids (where I taught my first year) to visit teacher friends! I stayed with Erica and her family and was able to go to the football game! It was fun to see so many of the kids I taught now half way through high school.<br />
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I went down to Nicole's for a night after leaving northwest Iowa. We hung out together, along with Amy and Michael.<br />
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The majority of my time home was spent playing with these guys, my brother's sons! I enjoyed being outside with them, watching them play on all their toys!<br />
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Over Labor Day weekend, my entire family (except for Jay) was together for a family birthday party and a family reunion. I hadn't seen these kids for a long time, so it was fun to see how tall they've gotten! This is Jacquelyn, my only neice.<br />
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And my lil' buddy Carson! This guy kept me entertained the entire time home! I can't wait to see him again, and the rest of them too!<br />
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After all that excitement, it was time to come back home. I was missing my hubby by then, and I think he missed home cooked food! <br />
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We got a call earlier this week that our shipment has made it to Georgia. They will be coming this Wednesday to deliver it! Hooray!!!! No more sleeping on a blow-up mattress! The bed is the first thing getting put together! That's what we miss most!<br />
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I'll be sure to put up pictures of the house after it's all put together. It won't take me too long because we aren't doing much to it. We have decided not to hang anything on the walls or do too much decorating since we will be moving out in five months. It's not worth it this time around!<br />
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Hopefully after this week, this will start feeling like home! We want to get settled in and be comfortable here. Jay and Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05749884951473424752noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1764639711408349602.post-79349225140914310472012-08-11T16:18:00.002-05:002012-08-11T16:18:44.473-05:00SloveniaI have some major catching up to do! I haven't done a good job of posting since.... well, really all year! Here is my attempt to catch up from June.<br />
My last day of school was a teacher work day on June 15. The students had a half day on the 14th and then were gone for the summer. That gave me the rest of the day on the 14th to pack out my room. Not only did I have to clear all of my personal items out, I had to organize what was left, and move it all to another room. One of the reading teachers wanted my room, so we flip flopped all of our things. Thankfully we had some soldiers to help out with the moving part! By Friday morning, I was pretty much done! I didn't want to go in Friday, knowing that I had to say goodbye to a job that I loved. My principal walked in to clear me and sign me out. Both of us were fighting back tears. After clearing, we said our good-byes, gave our hugs, shed a couple of tears, and out the door I walked. Jay came to pick me up, and we were on our way.<br />
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Jay was on our four-day weekend and I was done with school, so we hit the road to Slovenia! This was one of those trips that we were just winging it! We didn't know where we were going or what we wanted to see. We drove to the capital city of Ljubljana and found a hotel to stay at. It was a fancy hotel where many famous people had stayed. Some how we got a steal of a deal on it, paying about a fourth of the listed price! See, sometimes it pays to not plan ahead!! The best part about the place was this it was close to down town, allowing for an easy walk.<br />
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On Saturday, we spent the day walking around the town. The first thing we came across was a concert of local dancers. There were people of all ages dressed up in their country's attire, up on stage, dancing to ethnic music. We stood around for about an hour watching the different groups.<br />
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We also spent time in the market area, where many fresh fruits, vegetables, flowers, and homemade goods were being sold. <br />
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For the rest of the day, we followed our tour book's advice and did the number one activity to do in Ljubljana.... people watch! The town had such a relaxing feel to it. It was great just to sit around and watch the small crowds stroll by.</div>
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On Sunday, we drove to the town of Bled, which was the home of Lake Bled. It was a beautiful area with the crystal clear water and powering mountains. <br />
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We decided to have some fun and went rodelbahning down the mountain. This is the summer version of bobsledding. The first time was a little nerve racking, hoping that we won't go flying out of the cart. We picked up some speed the second time down. <br />
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We also took a lovely walk around the lake, getting a good view of the island in the middle, with a church centered on it. A climb up a mountain to reach the castle topped off the day.<br />
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We got back from this trip, did laundry and got ready for the next! </div>Jay and Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05749884951473424752noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1764639711408349602.post-9429440721584313892012-07-20T04:42:00.000-05:002012-07-20T04:42:04.654-05:00Clearing SchweinfurtWe are still around.... for four more days! Besides traveling for the past month, we have also been working on packing out our house and clearing the community. We have been in a whirlwind trying to get everything done, while of course traveling just a little bit more!<br />
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Quick catch up with more details to come.... eventually....<br />
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After my last day of school, we headed to Slovenia for three days. It was a great trip just to unwind a bit. The number one travel activity that our travel book told us was people watching! That tells you how much excitement there was! And that's basically what we did. We spent one morning watching local dancers in their traditional outfits. It was neat to see!<br />
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We went to China (Shanghai, Xi'an, Beijing, Hong Kong) the last two weeks of June. We really enjoyed seeing all the sites, our favorites being the Great Wall and the Terracotta Warriors. We struggled with the food and mostly stuck with Western restaurants. We were with a great travel group which made the trip more enjoyable to have people to go around with. We had a hard time with the Chinese culture. They sure do things different than we are used to. Their standards are much lower than ours are.<br />
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Once we got back, Jay spent the first week of July packing out the house. He had the weekend to prepare after coming home from China. The movers came on Monday and Tuesday. Then the Army came to pick up their furniture on Wednesday. Lastly, he met with the landlord and inspector to turn in the keys on Thursday! During all that time, I took a trip up to England to visit a good friend of mine one last time (at least until she comes back to the states). I felt bad for leaving Jay with all the packing, but he told me to go (and I didn't question him)! We had about 70% of the house already packed up, so he didn't have too much left to do. During my time in England, we went to London for a day and saw the production of Chicago. It was great just to hang out and relax a bit with Elizabeth.<br />
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On Thursday, once Jay turned over the apartment, he spent the rest of the day clearing different agencies on post. Meanwhile, I flew back to Germany and got into the airport around 6:00pm. Jay met me at the airport around 9:00pm. We went to eat supper, came back to the airport, and boarded our plane at 1:00am heading to Izmir, Turkey! Jay had the next four days off, so we were taking one last trip! We flew all night and got to Izmir by 8:00 the next morning. We went to our hotel, sat around for an hour or so until they could get a room ready for us. After not sleeping all night, we ended up falling asleep for most of the day. We finally went out around 5:00 in the evening to go walk the town. It was extremely hot as we walked through the market. We walked in every air conditioned store we could find, just to walk around. Jay would find a bench, and I would go browse the clothes. The more time I wasted browsing, the longer we could stay in the AC. <br />
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On Saturday, we took an early train ride to Ephesus, a city that is down to ruins. This was a very important city back in its time, being a big port city. It had a lot of religious history to it also. It was neat to walk around the area, see the sites, and listen to our Rick Steves audioguide about each ruin. We also visited the last home of the Virgin Mary. This is the place that they thought was her place of retirement, along with John the Baptist. We walked through the tiny house. Not much left but walls. We then went to the church of St. John. It was also down to ruins. We saw where he was buried. By then, it was time to hop back on the train to head back to Izmir. After being outside in the 105 degree sun all day, we showered up, rested, and then grabbed a doner for supper.<br />
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We took it easy on Sunday and Monday before flying back to Germany. When we arrived back into Schweinfurt at 3:00am, we had to go check into a hotel on post since we don't have a home anymore! We both fell fast asleep until the alarm went off at 7:00.<br />
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Jay had Change of Command on Tuesday afternoon. He gave up his command of HHC USAG Schweinfurt. It was a great job for him for the past 18 months, but he's ready to move on to something new! Since then, we've cleaned out his office, sorted through more of our stuff, gave a lot of things away, and continued to clear. <br />
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For our last few days, we are going to take one more trip on Saturday to Bamberg, hang out on Sunday, and get ready to leave on Monday. We jump on a bus in the middle of the night on Monday (actually Tuesday morning) and ride to Ramstein, where we will get on a plane. We will be to Columbus, Georgia by Tuesday night! Then we start improcessing and finding a place to live!<br />
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Did you keep up with all of that! My mind was racing just trying to remember everything we have done! The past month has completely flown by! And the next month will be the same! The hardest part of all of this is saying goodbye to our dear friends. We had to said goodbye to Jay's boss and his family a couple nights ago. That was a tough one for both of us! This is the part of the Army life that just isn't fun! But what goes along with the Army life, is that chances are we'll see them again sometime down the road. <br />
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Once I get to Georgia, or maybe on Sunday if we aren't doing anything, I'll try to go back through our trips and update with pictures. That's the fun part to see!<br />
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Hopefully Jay will be done with his meeting soon so we can head to the next place. I don't like having only one vehicle because I'm stuck with him for the day! If the hotel wasn't so far away, I would walk there and start packing boxes! We have a lot of stuff to mail to Georgia that won't fit in our suitcases!<br />
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Pray for a safe and easy move for us! Pray for contentment through the next week as we say good bye to our first home together and hello to our next home<br />Jay and Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05749884951473424752noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1764639711408349602.post-70484748804388735022012-06-11T16:03:00.000-05:002012-06-11T16:03:01.646-05:00IMCOM Softball TournamentThis past weekend we had our final softball tourament in Hohenfels. It was the IMCOM tournament to determine the European winner. We went into the tournament with high hopes. We hadn't lost yet all season, and were hoping to keep that it that way! <br />
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We left Friday night after school. It ended up taking us 6 hours to get there because we got stuck in a 3 hour stau (traffic jam). For the first hour, we made it a whole three miles. The last hour, we were at a complete stand still. I had the van turned off and the girls were out on the road playing tag. I'm sure the Germans thought we were crazy Americans, but we were having fun! We finally pulled in after 10:00.<br />
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On Saturday, we started our first game at 10:00. We won the first one, so played a second at 12:30. We easily won that one, so palyed again at 2:30. My girls were getting tired by this time! The last game wasn't as pretty! We got schooled by Stuttgart. That sent us into the losers bracket. Several of the girls, including myself, were in tears. This loss hurt. <br />
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On Sunday, we played our first game at 10:00 and won that one. It was a close one, but we pulled it off. Our next game was against Stuttgart again. This was the Championship game. My girls were ready to win! We played well, but just couldn't pull it off. We ended up losing in the fifth inning. I was devestated, but tried to put on my happy face. I took the equipment to the van, cried my tears, and then went back to the team.<br />
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Hohenfels presented the awards ceremony. They began with us and called me up to give me the team trophy. I'm sure I looked like a wreck, but I was trying to smile. Then all the girls were given a medal. As soon as we were finished, they swarmed me and gave me a big ol' bear hug.<br />
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At this point, I lost it again! The tears were flowing! I'm going to miss these girls so much! They are so near and dear to my heart. I have been with several of them for four seasons of softball. These are my girls and I'm just not ready to leave them! <br />
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I'm so glad I had the chance to coach during my time in Schweinfurt. It was a great way for me to grow and develop. This is definitely a hard part when it comes to leaving!!!!Jay and Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05749884951473424752noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1764639711408349602.post-47883595644341868812012-05-14T14:33:00.002-05:002012-05-14T14:33:20.167-05:00The Time has Come... to PackOur time in Germany is getting shorter by the day! Are you tired of me saying that yet? You'll continue to hear it for the next two months! Jay and I looked at our calendars this past weekend. We have every single weekend booked from now until we fly! We have a couple trips that we are trying to squeeze in somewhere. I have asked for help with one of our softball games so we can get away for the weekend. We want to take a boat cruise on the Rhine and Mossel River. We'll see if we can fit it in.<br />
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The actual reason for the post.... the packing has begun in our lovely home! Jay had an urge to start the pre-packing process when he got home tonight. We cleaned out the backroom which was stocked full of boxes, boxes, and more boxes! This has been our storage room for the past four years. Because we have no closets in this house, it all goes into this room. Now that the room is empty, we'll start to pack boxes and put them back into the room. This will make it easier when the movers come. We can tell them to load the entire room.<br />
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As for our dining room.... it's going to be a mess for awhile. I'll look on the bright side! I guess this means I don't have to clean for a couple of weeks! We left about a two foot walk way to get to the living room.<br />
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We're hoping to get our orders to Ft. Benning next week. That will be three months prior to the date Jay starts his schooling. We are hoping to schedule the movers to come as soon as we get orders! We'll get this house under control sooner or later!Jay and Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05749884951473424752noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1764639711408349602.post-55046997780838119732012-05-07T13:26:00.001-05:002012-05-07T15:25:42.365-05:00Best & Worst of the WeekendIt was quite an eventful Saturday for us, but a quieter Sunday. I'll give you the best and the worst from the weekend.<br />
Saturday started early as I prepared for another softball game. This was our first home game, which is always exciting. I went to the field at 9:00 to watch the game before us. Our game didn't start until 11:00. It was another typical Schweinfurt Juniors Softball game, with a score more like a football score! In the first inning we had shut them out with zero points. We were running the bases and turned in 13 points pretty quickly. At this point I slowed my girls down and wouldn't let them steal. They hate when I do that to them and don't understand, but I remind them we need to learn some sportsmanship. We finally found our third out after 15 points. The second inning wasn't so successful. They scored a few on us, making the score 13-7. This made my girls mad, which was good. This is the most anyone has scored on us. The competitive side came out in all of them. We got back to the bats and scored another 7 points, making the score 20-7. We held them for the third inning, which meant it was time to finish the game. We needed 2 more points to finish the game (15 point split in the third inning). Well.... who wants to stop at 2. We ended the game at 29-7. The girls were still frustrated as this was our worst game yet, but they were still glad to win.<br />
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Will try for better pictures next time. It rained on us throughout the entire game! It was definitely not softball weather.<br />
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<br />After softball, I took one of the girls home with me to get her ready for the middle school formal in the evening. I curled her hair and put it in rollers. Then another girl came over and I curled her hair. They were taking turns as I worked step by step through both of their dues. They both ended up with a head full of curls with sides half up in a fun way. I finished their hair at 5:15 and the dance started at 6:00. It was then my turn to get myself ready. I told the girls to do their makeup while I jumped in the shower. When I got out, they said "Ms. Gina, we don't know how to do makeup." I told them to wait a minute while I thew jel in my hair. I then dolled up their eyes and finished getting them ready. I threw a dress on and out the door we went. They both looked beautiful!<br />
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Before shot</div>
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The dance was a hit! Jay was the all-star DJ. The theme was "A Night in Paris". The decorations were really neat and all the kids looked great! By the end of the night, we were exhausted! We don't have as much energy as middle school kids anymore.<br />
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The background painted by our art teacher</div>
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With two other teacher friends</div>
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So Sunday was our day of rest. We both slept in and took an easy morning. We cleaned up the house and did a few things that have been waiting for us at home. Laundry was one of those things on the list that needed to be done. We got everything put away except for the socks. This job stinks!! There is a reason I have mismatch socks. They really are easier to match! </div>
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</div>Jay and Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05749884951473424752noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1764639711408349602.post-59828737393233175842012-05-06T06:58:00.003-05:002012-05-06T06:58:56.106-05:00The Rest of AprilFinally taking the time to catch up on the rest of April. If you haven't noticed, we've been pretty busy lately. We haven't been home or finished supper before 9:30 the past couple of weeks. Which means little time to blog. Let's just say we are making the most of our time, as it's getting shorter and shorter!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So... to finish up our Spring Break trip. We spent the rest of the week in the Baltic countries, Latvia (Latvija), Lithuania (Lietuvos), and Estonia (Eesti).<br />
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After we got back from Nice, we repacked and reloaded. The next day we flew to the capital of Latvia, Riga. We toured around the city for the day, seeing the changes in the past decade. Latvia has had its independence for only a few years. They became their own country in 1993, gaining their independence from Russia. We could see the communist affects on the country, especially the capital. The buildings were very drab and run down. On the other hand, there were several new buildings, big, tall, and fancy. They didn't fit in very well with the rest of the city. They are definitely still in the rebuilding phase. The city wasn't one of the most beautiful ones we've seen, but learning the history was quite interesting.<br />
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Then next day we drove four hours up to Tallinn, Estonia. This city has a different story. Estonia has had it's independence for longer than Latvia. It wasn't quite as run down and had more up to date buildings. The capital city was quite beautiful. It wasn't touched by World War 2, so the city is still in its original condition. The wall around the city still fully stands, protecting the rest of the city. The small roads that run through the town were crowded with small shops, several of them filled with wool clothing. This was definitely my favorite place in the Baltic.<br />
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Part of the outer city wall.<br />
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Inside the city walls</div>
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As we were walking along the wall, I had to stop to build a snowman!</div>
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This is the president's home, placed right in the middle of the city. </div>
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We laughed about how it compares to the white house. Similar in size and style.... but this one we could walk right up the front steps!! I was going to knock on the President's front door!<br />
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We drove back to Riga the next day before heading to Vilnuis, Lithuania, a four hour drive south. This country wasn't much different from Latvia. It was also run down, but showing signs of rebuilding. We stopped to see a national park and castle on the way. <br />
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The least exciting part of the trip.... the four hour drives each day. There wasn't much at all to see as we were driving. The roads were lined with trees, but that's all there was to see. Also, the speed limit was 90kph..... which is a whole 54mph. To you Iowans, that prolly doesn't seem like a big deal. But we're used to driving 90-100 mph..... so this was super slow to us!<br />
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Over all it was a good trip. It wasn't the most exciting with the most beautiful things to see, but the history and the changes made it very interesting. We got back Sunday night, just in time to write lesson plans, check email, and get ready for work the next day.<br />
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Next trip for us coming at the end of May. By then.... school will be almost over, Jay will be close to giving up his command position, and our house will be being packed up! Lots of changes coming around the corner.Jay and Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05749884951473424752noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1764639711408349602.post-80787948079914340922012-04-09T15:37:00.001-05:002012-04-09T15:47:10.105-05:00Way Behind! But here's Spring BreakIt's been nearly a month since I've last posted, which isn't my normal. That means life has been rather on the busy side lately! Both of us have had many things going on that by the time we reach our chairs at night, we're plum tuckered!<br />
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A recap on the month of March.... nothing too exciting. Jay has been working hard on planning a community celebration for May. It's a huge event that he's had a major hand in. I just finished up third quarter this past week at school. I had my grades in and finalized by Thursday night. Along with school, I'm coaching the high school track team which takes up every afternoon. After that is over, on Wednesdays and Fridays I dart over to the softball field to coach the middle school team! I said all winter that I wasn't going to coach so we would have time to travel! I even turned down both coaching jobs at one point. How I ended up coaching both..... it's because I have a big ol' stamp on my forehead that tells everyone I won't turn them down! But.... I love coaching both of them, so it's really not so bad! Jay took four days to go to Sicily with a friend he works with. I didn't have the days off, so the guys went together. He had nice weather and saw many sites. <br />
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</div>Now we are into April. That means the start of nice weather.... at least we hope! It also means SPRING BREAK! Today is actually my first day of spring break! I took Friday off so Jay and I could go on a long weekend for Easter. We left Thursday night and drove down to Nice, France, which is part of the French Riveria. On the way there, we left Germany, passed through Austria, Lichtenstein, Switzerland (where we slept in our car for the night), Italy, and finally made it into southern France. It was a nice drive, even though it was long. We toured Nice for the rest of the day on Friday. The Nice coastline...<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3IaUBIAAOoLcjHwplB9Yr6gmMMJoFlXHBUhHowS06u6_ieM4buAJ5Qc89AREkUOY6bZmbUUYxzxajAi1TzlzmMTrvi3WxleHc44apAP9cfOQWvGjjlQWQzBzTesjKwfOTnjkCE9-rWDM/s1600/B+%252831%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" nda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3IaUBIAAOoLcjHwplB9Yr6gmMMJoFlXHBUhHowS06u6_ieM4buAJ5Qc89AREkUOY6bZmbUUYxzxajAi1TzlzmMTrvi3WxleHc44apAP9cfOQWvGjjlQWQzBzTesjKwfOTnjkCE9-rWDM/s320/B+%252831%2529.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Monte Carlo, the main city in Monaco, is the home to the Formula 1 Race. Our tour guide took us along the whole path, but not quite at the same speed. Here is the start and finish lines.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjiQK0rz1HKJyQ_iX43OpIYw8fMfXB1d0Qh0jy0o6WXpKXJuOfsw_xE5-5SGZEKe2lF3_XXY3w8K6NE_rAaUPS-TJgdSYqBr8IBRmW4qWxU8c70sawcruLmZtjJSl3QuW3-_dYuhguYZM/s1600/B+(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" nda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjiQK0rz1HKJyQ_iX43OpIYw8fMfXB1d0Qh0jy0o6WXpKXJuOfsw_xE5-5SGZEKe2lF3_XXY3w8K6NE_rAaUPS-TJgdSYqBr8IBRmW4qWxU8c70sawcruLmZtjJSl3QuW3-_dYuhguYZM/s320/B+(1).JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWnLPQ4QlBJWC660FWIXS7sXMlXmLbaIWHNFK5pYzVxO3cYpDPf5hiIWjSbBL7-OdltnWkzUrKe_U902XLwT9yjxvM4IP0yx_Nbi-exP4SmRZuLYJN7xveUm0Y7Ic14ed4ug14mPjPnLE/s1600/B+(5).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" nda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWnLPQ4QlBJWC660FWIXS7sXMlXmLbaIWHNFK5pYzVxO3cYpDPf5hiIWjSbBL7-OdltnWkzUrKe_U902XLwT9yjxvM4IP0yx_Nbi-exP4SmRZuLYJN7xveUm0Y7Ic14ed4ug14mPjPnLE/s320/B+(5).JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Saturday evening, we got back to Nice and went back downtown. We ate ice cream with a mother and daughter that we met on the tour. Then we went to the casino with them. We looked around for awhile, then decided we better play a little bit. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlz9-pFs4gTCUvQ9-pu2MsCBNaBHDpF6mhiCElM5TRD9hnbxy3WmcA3t2ve5KR_34IW3Q2rpuXaUb5eyu2vOmV_Vwc30HsrGANwP5mpSjFRQ1jbTR2ktYigNf0MTopkcvnsFdtq1196ew/s1600/B+%252811%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" nda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlz9-pFs4gTCUvQ9-pu2MsCBNaBHDpF6mhiCElM5TRD9hnbxy3WmcA3t2ve5KR_34IW3Q2rpuXaUb5eyu2vOmV_Vwc30HsrGANwP5mpSjFRQ1jbTR2ktYigNf0MTopkcvnsFdtq1196ew/s320/B+%252811%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Jay gave me 20 euro to play at the Black Jack table. It was a little difficult at first because I don't speak any French. I wasn't really sure what people were saying. I figured out what worked best to communicate with the dealer. A tap on the table met hit me and holding my hand up meant to hold. Afer several rounds, I ended up losing all 20 euro. There was a minimum 10 euro bid, so I was lucky to make it more than two rounds. We walked around for a bit more, but then decided to play some more. Jay handed me another 20 euro. I sat back down at the same table, but in a different spot. I was beside an old man who had nearly a thousand dollars worth of chips in front of him and beside a woman probably in her thirties. Neither of them liked me, perhaps because I had a cheering crowd of three behind me. The old man yelled at me several times. I was hitting when he thought I should be standing. The lady beside me said many things in French that we couldn't understand, but she sure didn't like me! I played for quite awhile and was doing pretty well. I kept asking Jay if I should stop since I had made up the 40 euro we spent. He told me to keep playing! By the end, I had 100 euro's worth of chips! I took them straight to the counter and got my money! What a sweet way to end the night!<br />
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</div>On Sunday, we toured Cannes, which is where all the movie stars go. Another really rich town! We didn't quite fit in with our jeans and tennis shoes! We couldn't afford the 22 euro hamburger at the restaurants, so ended up at a McDonalds down the street! It was a beautiful city with a georgous beach! A nice way to end our trip in the south.<br />
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It was a fantastic and relaxing trip. This area certainly takes your breath away!<br />
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Tonight, we are refueling! The washing machine is going. Our bags are repacked. Camera batteries are charging! All to leave again tomorrow! We fly out in the afternoon to head to Latvia. We'll tour Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia for the rest of the week! We'll be back Sunday, just in time for school to start again on Monday!Jay and Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05749884951473424752noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1764639711408349602.post-31278952997654179862012-03-11T13:53:00.000-05:002012-03-11T13:53:11.428-05:00Love Letters to Girlfriends<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh9b8tf-SjyGQxCzH6wCQhfcpMObB11M6my8UKuDmSV8FQf9p9zO6Ih-nQx6j88BAy6g5VkBDUdjIRmH9t-gyWAUr5rFGdXBVnMqz0YjJ53PsSWb-jOODdXoW1a0wtCE3nH21q1zgGvDw/s1600/DSC_0089.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh9b8tf-SjyGQxCzH6wCQhfcpMObB11M6my8UKuDmSV8FQf9p9zO6Ih-nQx6j88BAy6g5VkBDUdjIRmH9t-gyWAUr5rFGdXBVnMqz0YjJ53PsSWb-jOODdXoW1a0wtCE3nH21q1zgGvDw/s320/DSC_0089.JPG" width="320" yda="true" /></a></div>It's like it came out of a movie scene.... writing a love note by candle light. <br />
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Jay has a girlfriend he writes back and forth to. She used to live with her family in Schweinfurt, but has since moved back to the states. She is a sweet seven year old. It's been fun to stay in touch with her and her family. Jay loves reading his letters from her to hear about all the fun she has. In tonight's letter, Jay told her how he used to be in gymnastics, just like she is. I love reading his letter before he sends them. I learn some new things about his childhood each time!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_pMMrmJfVXFrhFYZN45XsZWWly0qHSJUuw1DVfh8f0F6LSGMVkqvTADjUAP1eIF1uo-1sjoMJA0u2xaxj0bB5i7bsWArEdGymjDVFpOGg-jC92_OT8dVE9nVDzqnqxchIlGqIGpbkSu0/s1600/DSC_0088.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_pMMrmJfVXFrhFYZN45XsZWWly0qHSJUuw1DVfh8f0F6LSGMVkqvTADjUAP1eIF1uo-1sjoMJA0u2xaxj0bB5i7bsWArEdGymjDVFpOGg-jC92_OT8dVE9nVDzqnqxchIlGqIGpbkSu0/s320/DSC_0088.JPG" width="320" yda="true" /></a></div>Jay and Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05749884951473424752noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1764639711408349602.post-5515356193552157842012-03-08T14:11:00.000-06:002012-03-08T14:11:41.786-06:00Fruit & Flowers for Four Years<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT4QN2r4YfmAaJqRhf7Y0M4BR89jqTB86eYLfBCNEhURfjtTmB7z-HPQ-Dt44SC7P3jQ3fmvizl0HbZbhaoPetvuu1IVj23lxvMgGFurX7S95GQiIm4OyEeTo0MAQRmgPMzs_DzMs5Ksg/s1600/DSC_0078.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT4QN2r4YfmAaJqRhf7Y0M4BR89jqTB86eYLfBCNEhURfjtTmB7z-HPQ-Dt44SC7P3jQ3fmvizl0HbZbhaoPetvuu1IVj23lxvMgGFurX7S95GQiIm4OyEeTo0MAQRmgPMzs_DzMs5Ksg/s320/DSC_0078.JPG" width="320" yda="true" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I married my best friend four years ago. It was a great day with many great memories. I think back to our wedding day and it makes me smile!</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Jay and I decided to do the traditional anniversary gifts each year. They have been so much fun to think of! The first year gift was paper. Jay was heading out to the field the week before our anniversary. He left me a note on a piece of scratch paper to tell me how much he loved me. The second year gift was cotton. Jay was deployed in Afghanistan, so I sent him some cotton underwear! I'm sure it was just what he wanted! The third year was leather! I got Jay a leather baseball glove and Jay got me a leather bound scrapbook. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">This year, year four, was fruit and flowers. This was the hardest one to be creative for. This is what we both ended up with.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"> A basket full of fruit and my favorite flowers!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLxOKs41lQrTsIYOxKotq9w77QbZaKmZ1MnISy3mY_HyNxeWWs3uhMEvZ7W_0lkze0LZQj-Y0KeoaEfFcdpzAVgrmLJT8k_eCZZdseXe-bOJo9OGxMf_5GCfATcxGZhdpTHCMif4sZAHQ/s1600/DSC_0082.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLxOKs41lQrTsIYOxKotq9w77QbZaKmZ1MnISy3mY_HyNxeWWs3uhMEvZ7W_0lkze0LZQj-Y0KeoaEfFcdpzAVgrmLJT8k_eCZZdseXe-bOJo9OGxMf_5GCfATcxGZhdpTHCMif4sZAHQ/s320/DSC_0082.JPG" width="320" yda="true" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;">Jay got a bunch of fruit related treats!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP3zNn7z2J15HSt27V03psJJbY5b5eWunnD-0v05dL59IFQnesAttM9bgoRA7efu6sJkuc80MaVbDosqbUWhnW-kltKmwMPvIfkxMtiVPxsFEPd1mYlkdSf5zlXw-WgQCPVTdHmUcbbfo/s1600/DSC_0080.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP3zNn7z2J15HSt27V03psJJbY5b5eWunnD-0v05dL59IFQnesAttM9bgoRA7efu6sJkuc80MaVbDosqbUWhnW-kltKmwMPvIfkxMtiVPxsFEPd1mYlkdSf5zlXw-WgQCPVTdHmUcbbfo/s320/DSC_0080.JPG" width="320" yda="true" /></a></div><br />
We aren't doing anything special tonight, but hope to this weekend. We have learned not to take our anniversaries for granted since we've missed spending half of them together. We are perfectly content sitting in our chairs next to each other for the night!<br />
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Four years..... who would have guessed that we would have accomplished so much and have been to so many places! On our wedding day, I could never have told you where we would be right now! Both of us have worked some great jobs! We have been to some amazing places! We have grown so close, learning lots about each other. Even though it's been hard to be away from our family, spending these four years alone has forced us to create our own foundation. When something challenges us, we have to rely on each other and God to get through it. This has been a great way to start our life together.<br />
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Four more years from now.... who knows where we'll be or what we'll be doing. That's the fun part of the Army. You go with the flow and you love it! I can't wait to see what God has in store for Jay and me.Jay and Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05749884951473424752noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1764639711408349602.post-19650412573812465772012-02-28T10:55:00.001-06:002012-02-28T10:56:19.955-06:00Bringing a piece of Germany home<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikNqGL3Q5K7kzMI2NHaoJYR3tVybMkzGX7iaVB6iepDjd-twFp1v70SrYvedHUj71AZC37RY-hKDQ3JNNBBLYB7S4GtsmbFYYlQuDVz3lqjb5gkeCRzBm1I6E9U1ihmw9gcaX4iJVu13A/s1600/418882_3334694284063_1169738852_33389846_826103058_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikNqGL3Q5K7kzMI2NHaoJYR3tVybMkzGX7iaVB6iepDjd-twFp1v70SrYvedHUj71AZC37RY-hKDQ3JNNBBLYB7S4GtsmbFYYlQuDVz3lqjb5gkeCRzBm1I6E9U1ihmw9gcaX4iJVu13A/s320/418882_3334694284063_1169738852_33389846_826103058_n.jpg" uda="true" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">This weekend Jay and I ventured out to a flea market. We debated about going because that just means we will spend money! There was a hutch there that we saw on the internet and both really liked. We debated about if we really needed it or not. We definitely don't need it over here as our house is too small. We have no room for it. But.... in just five short months we'll be moving out and heading back to the states. It would look great in a house somewhere! We decided to go check it out. We both still liked it once we saw it face to face. The hard part was deciding if it was worth that much money. So many questions went through our minds. Could we find a cheaper one? Should we just wait until we get back home? Would Slumberland be able to sell us something similar? We couldn't decide, so we ended up going for a walk in the small little village. We couldn't wait too long otherwise it would be gone. This stuff sells fast! After several blocks, we decided to go for it! Even if this piece cost us a bit more, it has character and a story behind it! I think we're really going to like it! From now until July, it may be sitting in the middle of the dining room, but someday it will have a good home!</div>Jay and Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05749884951473424752noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1764639711408349602.post-66058022471364704002012-02-12T12:12:00.000-06:002012-02-12T12:12:57.447-06:00It's My Sister's BirthdayToday my "little" sister turns 32 years old!<br />
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Wish I was around to join in on all the celebrating! Sounds like she's making a whole weekend of it! Nicole, hope you have a great time with your friends! Eat some cake for me please!Jay and Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05749884951473424752noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1764639711408349602.post-38185871724037781082012-02-12T01:51:00.000-06:002012-02-12T01:51:12.229-06:00Hidden ProfessionOn Friday night, my middle school held a Valentine's dance for the kids. Those in charge asked me about a month ago if I knew of anyone who would be willing to dj. I told them I would check and get back to them. Well, a couple days later I found two great guys that were willing (and even exited)!<br />
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Jay and John (youth ministries guru) decided this would be a fun gig for them. They had way too much fun all evening. John was on the mic keeping the kids excited. Jay was on the dance floor half the time keeping them all moving. He even did the dance contest with them and lasted nearly to the end! They dressed up for their job and pulled out the headphones (even though they weren't plugged in to anything) so they looked 'cool'!<br />
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These guys definitely have a heart for dealing with teens! It was exciting to watch!Jay and Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05749884951473424752noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1764639711408349602.post-75751721127149829082012-02-01T23:42:00.000-06:002012-02-01T23:42:44.297-06:00Ironing for the Lt. Gen.<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirfdMwhhuQxSVanpM_qTUA2A-qlxGxJCAP-a-AgFIGWXOPGl6kodqmEm_4jEkDLlLBt2hB3Pp6bco9f6_fk8Gt85APLE1sui8_LmKr-J-oOetHdH1q3lG-E70fyCGIibVlbr65mdItsm4/s1600/DSCN4912.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" sda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirfdMwhhuQxSVanpM_qTUA2A-qlxGxJCAP-a-AgFIGWXOPGl6kodqmEm_4jEkDLlLBt2hB3Pp6bco9f6_fk8Gt85APLE1sui8_LmKr-J-oOetHdH1q3lG-E70fyCGIibVlbr65mdItsm4/s320/DSCN4912.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>It's not every day that you 'get' to iron for the Lt. Gen. of the Army in Europe! He's coming to Schweinfurt today to have a community forum. Jay and his guys have been prepping all week for his arrival. He has his own flag, which hasn't been used for awhile, so it needed some attention. I spent a lot of time working on three flags, ironing out all the creases. I will suggest when they are done with them this time that they aren't thrown into a ball until the next time!!<br />
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We thought the purpose of the visit may be to tell us if our post will be closing soon or not. Unforunately, Lt. Gen. Hertling said that won't be the topic of his visit. He simply wants a question and answer session with the community. Hope he's ready for a lot of questions about the closure!! I'll be interested to hear how it all goes at the end of the day!Jay and Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05749884951473424752noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1764639711408349602.post-49972498755714576522012-01-22T01:25:00.002-06:002012-01-22T04:24:28.232-06:00A Weekend in the AlpsLast weekend, Jay and I went down to the border of Germany and Austria to do some skiing! This was our first chance to go this winter, and we were anxious to hit the slopes! I was nervous getting started because I'm not very good yet! The first time I skied was our first winter over here. I learned in the Alps, which isn't like your normal bunny hills. I've been slow to learn, but finally got the hang of it this time. Skiing once a year for four years hasn't given me much time to practice. Jay, on the other hand, is an old pro. He skied several times growing up and hit the slopes with no problems! <br />
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</div>On Saturday, we went up to the top of the tallest mountain in Germany, the Zugspitze. It was bitter cold and windy up there, but we still had a good day of skiing. Jay stayed with me down the first run, but then he was on his own! He went to the hard hills and I stayed on the easier ones. After lunch, I ventured out and tried a red hill, after being on blues all morning. I met up with Jay later in the afternoon and we went down a couple reds together. It was nice to be able to ski with him, and he not be totally bored!<br />
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On Sunday, we decided to rest our legs. We did some hiking instead of skiing. Sounds restful, doesn't it! We started at the edge of town and hiked our way into the mountains. We took a beautiful snow covered trail up to a gorge.<br />
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We saw so many picture perfect scenes as we walked...<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The snow covered trail.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-v2V_Dp54Qdw/TxsXgkFlhJI/AAAAAAAAmq0/zv3WT9rW1rE/s1600/DSC_0036.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" nfa="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-v2V_Dp54Qdw/TxsXgkFlhJI/AAAAAAAAmq0/zv3WT9rW1rE/s320/DSC_0036.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Straight out of a fairy tale!<br />
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</div>We then started in through the gorge. It was absolutely georgous! Even though it was super cold, the freezing water created some amazing sites!<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Inside the gorge</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VTAk9245R1A/TxsXjiiXDII/AAAAAAAAmrE/zWIcICpSCuo/s1600/DSC_0044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" nfa="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VTAk9245R1A/TxsXjiiXDII/AAAAAAAAmrE/zWIcICpSCuo/s320/DSC_0044.JPG" width="212" /></a></div><br />
It was a little chilly with icles all around!<br />
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The amazing view once we exited the gorge on the other side.<br />
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We had one more day to ski on Monday. We drove into Austria to try out a different area. As usual, I started on the blue hills. This was a great area where I could get all the way down the mountain without any trouble. I was doing the blues pretty darn well, so we went for a challenge! We tried out the reds!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WatjN6sv9Hc/TxsXwtrxh8I/AAAAAAAAmsM/w8_07ChiH6U/s1600/DSCN4846.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" nfa="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WatjN6sv9Hc/TxsXwtrxh8I/AAAAAAAAmsM/w8_07ChiH6U/s320/DSCN4846.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UCUPizNmoYY/TxsXzcIUebI/AAAAAAAAmsc/lxyJQkrCdVQ/s1600/DSCN4855.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" nfa="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UCUPizNmoYY/TxsXzcIUebI/AAAAAAAAmsc/lxyJQkrCdVQ/s320/DSCN4855.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">And I was successful! I made it down every red hill on the mountain... and without falling! Jay skied behind me the entire day, making sure no one was coming behind me to take me out! He was my eyes so I could concentrate on staying on my feet!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p9PP0ba2FIU/TxsX0m_r0WI/AAAAAAAAmsk/0IXxWIXuJLk/s1600/DSCN4858.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" nfa="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p9PP0ba2FIU/TxsX0m_r0WI/AAAAAAAAmsk/0IXxWIXuJLk/s320/DSCN4858.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Here is a video of me heading down the red hill. Remember.... I'm not very good yet, but I got down the hill in one piece! Don't judge me on my style! Eventually I'll make those s-shapes smaller, but for now, I need to take up the whole mountain to get down!</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwurAP6AHhiV8KeMhZ5r37i4ylqx4uEIvzp1wfxN3ROl_lONDngO1Su-3Xu_oqs5hqIUu7w2wPJsISTLYuw4Q' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">In this next video, don't worry about watching me ski. Instead, look at the beautiful scenery we get to admire while going down the mountain!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxros66wF9MTHByWgUKLxXUMttlTfanbYL72TrsXHumHAg6KEflu5BAI4uGd0YBb3HIlPdmxzSWu8c7jqEDjA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">If you're wondering who is the amazing skier who can ski down the mountain while holding a camera and keep it relatively steady..... yup, that would be my studly husband!</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">And now for Jay, skiing down a black run. Don't mind the extrememly awful video, even though I was standing still at the bottom of the mountain. I forgot you can't flip videos and I lost him when he went behind a hill! I was having more fun actually watching him instead of remembering I should be looking through the camera. I'll do better next time! Sorry folks!</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dy8_ZfA_ceotHqA2IdLM981b3UYh0xH2IQ02YVnpHMyxwImLoCjDBfigOm1iOQsJW2tQuSY8HrHDwX6Z4WQVA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">It was a great weekend for us! It made me excited to get back on the skies again. And Jay was excited because we could actually ski together from now on! It's just not as much fun skiing alone all day! We have another trip set for the end of February. It will probably be the last time we'll be in the Alps, so we better make the most of it!</div>Jay and Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05749884951473424752noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1764639711408349602.post-22230296443815177062012-01-06T12:45:00.000-06:002012-01-06T12:45:29.297-06:00All our FamilyWe saw so many people in our two weeks home for Christmas! Here are a few of our family pictures! We were so lucky to spend time with them all. My heart was so content when I got to sit around and rock my boys, especially this one! <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilb4kzaB0wvsiElWAWw3UFoXETyJWoKCOPeEbNeRY9pYe2pvNJMH1g5u3JWXJ_e8RpcnFdYxMNxyNGF3e667v3lGFhS1sjJEc-Y4e8CrVACJ1b561X7kslQpyiSNgtJfRau9aLdhvk8Bo/s1600/DSCN4822.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" rea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilb4kzaB0wvsiElWAWw3UFoXETyJWoKCOPeEbNeRY9pYe2pvNJMH1g5u3JWXJ_e8RpcnFdYxMNxyNGF3e667v3lGFhS1sjJEc-Y4e8CrVACJ1b561X7kslQpyiSNgtJfRau9aLdhvk8Bo/s320/DSCN4822.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">With Jay's family</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicg9tgPzlveAsn1UpIjyAu4PCZXw6r6FxV9Ko47hTbEJnBo0x4lPAidvWs8vJkikkZpv0Up2KoTlASD9DGfdGr-L3YhIR_me4cywGXWBYYo4oYyHiFpkZn8bne9Z093gRDeCcW_ePguDM/s1600/DSCN4793.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" rea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicg9tgPzlveAsn1UpIjyAu4PCZXw6r6FxV9Ko47hTbEJnBo0x4lPAidvWs8vJkikkZpv0Up2KoTlASD9DGfdGr-L3YhIR_me4cywGXWBYYo4oYyHiFpkZn8bne9Z093gRDeCcW_ePguDM/s320/DSCN4793.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> With Grandma Feldt</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvCkU4zjNwejqRN9Q4TORweSKvGv-AyXISPhrUr0SRl4uahfa8PkYtr8KwistaxMbJgmVm0JtPVv-AdTMtqIt0toI3PKLhlVU8OOJb1diw02_LDakmZwJyKVNyGKw70ri5_Pml37hq_gY/s1600/DSCN4829.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" rea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvCkU4zjNwejqRN9Q4TORweSKvGv-AyXISPhrUr0SRl4uahfa8PkYtr8KwistaxMbJgmVm0JtPVv-AdTMtqIt0toI3PKLhlVU8OOJb1diw02_LDakmZwJyKVNyGKw70ri5_Pml37hq_gY/s320/DSCN4829.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Jay, Heather (his cousin), and Justy (his brother)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3U1-XlCbdKaspSy9B4asur_C0r4JzP83KLF8IzqFb2aV9rXZuzdsRUpJ5so5_tVgpkh7lkcHZQR4gOkXL7YmXkYIxJF1-ol4pvYJN5HeqOTl0A4CX0dvrZjL9DA71fnesS-SvirBFA7o/s1600/DSCN4831.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" rea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3U1-XlCbdKaspSy9B4asur_C0r4JzP83KLF8IzqFb2aV9rXZuzdsRUpJ5so5_tVgpkh7lkcHZQR4gOkXL7YmXkYIxJF1-ol4pvYJN5HeqOTl0A4CX0dvrZjL9DA71fnesS-SvirBFA7o/s320/DSCN4831.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">All the Feldt Cousins (except for two)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHTtKvcyRPsuDDKRM9X0qpMVGcP3YuyuFMT1Wt14qQ6CVB3bl-DtwgaDZZNu6uTLMFbMx68x8qVQJbNuuA4PVBHzgM5vMQCr66PVuWk3ZG12mJ4oziBxe-6aQ_mgxH51bs0SvajbJ8jU8/s1600/DSCN4830.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" rea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHTtKvcyRPsuDDKRM9X0qpMVGcP3YuyuFMT1Wt14qQ6CVB3bl-DtwgaDZZNu6uTLMFbMx68x8qVQJbNuuA4PVBHzgM5vMQCr66PVuWk3ZG12mJ4oziBxe-6aQ_mgxH51bs0SvajbJ8jU8/s320/DSCN4830.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The Nechanicky Family</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF8zIK85hV8IyTY0KzxYkiDux4K_h8wTXxNtT_gBxTkwLaEFhSQJ2y1Md_KESg3bdnooFkZYHd01OUuH3ajPvIJ8TNrHMAifQqgcmkXjFwsuvKwD9KdK3o2Tqpd-oBMHXRJ2KD9DKDrZo/s1600/DSC_1050.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" rea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF8zIK85hV8IyTY0KzxYkiDux4K_h8wTXxNtT_gBxTkwLaEFhSQJ2y1Md_KESg3bdnooFkZYHd01OUuH3ajPvIJ8TNrHMAifQqgcmkXjFwsuvKwD9KdK3o2Tqpd-oBMHXRJ2KD9DKDrZo/s320/DSC_1050.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">My parents with all the grandkids!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAYzA2bAXZACAOP8zDS6wNJm32QU_T6n-xlB6HL_C3ZQt5m066CVrHuwU94LKBpwbBDjbyoDxw9DkLA4hYWgRHEZeHprcL4MibgO1K-bCMTVTv10L92KE2UW2JsvpDP2xCCx63GxvGQgE/s1600/DSC_1057.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" rea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAYzA2bAXZACAOP8zDS6wNJm32QU_T6n-xlB6HL_C3ZQt5m066CVrHuwU94LKBpwbBDjbyoDxw9DkLA4hYWgRHEZeHprcL4MibgO1K-bCMTVTv10L92KE2UW2JsvpDP2xCCx63GxvGQgE/s320/DSC_1057.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Some of my favorite boys watching a movie on New Year's Eve! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtMENwvEWlCdb8aAwn7V04IaLKg5E7LWuv5nw1_sXx8hf0Vv-A7M5oesLuEgDuwmt09Wa_Bh-O0tiTjOFBQE4V4Kr-7QerQaVwgCuGhBLhxl7mqXMsbB7EEITqubEj1PsMuNzlfTxrQtA/s1600/DSCN4834.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" rea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtMENwvEWlCdb8aAwn7V04IaLKg5E7LWuv5nw1_sXx8hf0Vv-A7M5oesLuEgDuwmt09Wa_Bh-O0tiTjOFBQE4V4Kr-7QerQaVwgCuGhBLhxl7mqXMsbB7EEITqubEj1PsMuNzlfTxrQtA/s320/DSCN4834.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
I miss everyone oh so much!!! Before we went home, I didn't mind staying in Germany and wasn't in a hurry to get back home. But once we got back to Iowa, I was reminded how much I LOVE being around my family! They all mean so much to me and I want to be able to be with them more! It was SO HARD to leave them and come back here. I had to keep reminding myself that it will be for only 7 more months. I have never had a bad attitude toward Germany, but it's here now! I just want to be home! I love living here and being able to travel, but nothing beats family! Ever since we got on the plane to come back here, I've asked Jay every day to let me go back home! I know the next few months will go fast. I have to finish the school year, which will keep me plenty busy. By then we'll have our orders and will be ready to pack out our house! Time will fly, but right now it seems a long time away!<br />
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Family.... thanks for spending so much time with us at Christmas! Thanks for taking time out of your working lives to be at the farm! Even though the kids got most of our attention, I was sure glad to have all of you there! Mom, thanks for making all of my favorite foods! You spoil me rotten, and I love it!!!Jay and Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05749884951473424752noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1764639711408349602.post-84750368315675329932012-01-04T15:42:00.000-06:002012-01-04T15:42:25.672-06:00New Do for the New YearI've been waiting for months to get home for Christmas so I can get my hair cut! Only one person touches my hair with scissors and that's my mamma!!! It had been two and a half years since my last big hair cut! It was definitely time.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bJd6Ytxppy4/TwTGxQcxIUI/AAAAAAAAmns/KSZN28wPIcw/s1600/Hair+1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" rea="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bJd6Ytxppy4/TwTGxQcxIUI/AAAAAAAAmns/KSZN28wPIcw/s320/Hair+1" width="212" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">After measuring, we went with 11 inches to put into the ponytails.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-I5TzInHKq8s/TwTG4NHxtCI/AAAAAAAAmn4/v7lKVW68wmw/s1600/Hair+2" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" rea="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-I5TzInHKq8s/TwTG4NHxtCI/AAAAAAAAmn4/v7lKVW68wmw/s320/Hair+2" width="212" /></a></div><br />
The sound of the scissors cutting through my thick hair is grueling! It's almost enough to make me cry!!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-22Rsfqvk17I/TwTG5KTneNI/AAAAAAAAmoA/-ASxDf8QK_Y/s1600/Hair+3" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" rea="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-22Rsfqvk17I/TwTG5KTneNI/AAAAAAAAmoA/-ASxDf8QK_Y/s320/Hair+3" width="320" /></a></div><br />
After we cut the 11 inch ponytails, mom took off another 2-3 inches to make it look nice and give it some layers!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-D2UtM0jE08k/TwTG6d5_LEI/AAAAAAAAmoI/7AZhszyMCDA/s1600/Hair+4" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" rea="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-D2UtM0jE08k/TwTG6d5_LEI/AAAAAAAAmoI/7AZhszyMCDA/s320/Hair+4" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Finished product.... didn't get any pictures of that. You'll have to look at the Christmas pictures instead!Jay and Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05749884951473424752noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1764639711408349602.post-80580820574071157712011-12-30T15:36:00.000-06:002011-12-30T15:36:54.544-06:00More of our VacationHere's more of what we've been up to the past few days...<br />
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Cuddling with my youngest nephew!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cLPR4s307xM/Tv4sb8oJ2wI/AAAAAAAAml8/Yel_SpmKNEc/s1600/IMG_5125.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cLPR4s307xM/Tv4sb8oJ2wI/AAAAAAAAml8/Yel_SpmKNEc/s320/IMG_5125.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
Building castles with the kids!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X2VjdBjQw_g/Tv4tk_jvtQI/AAAAAAAAmnA/ArgpsIaBCHM/s1600/IMG_5134.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X2VjdBjQw_g/Tv4tk_jvtQI/AAAAAAAAmnA/ArgpsIaBCHM/s320/IMG_5134.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9iaICDg5h3Y/Tv4tysHkaGI/AAAAAAAAmnM/m6SuTae15_A/s1600/IMG_5143.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9iaICDg5h3Y/Tv4tysHkaGI/AAAAAAAAmnM/m6SuTae15_A/s320/IMG_5143.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Having a slumber party in our footie pajamas! <br />
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Meeting another of our nephews for the first time!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bemW28jPXHY/Tv4uUVSZ1SI/AAAAAAAAmnY/2GfjOIdB1rc/s1600/DSCN4783.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bemW28jPXHY/Tv4uUVSZ1SI/AAAAAAAAmnY/2GfjOIdB1rc/s320/DSCN4783.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Only a few more days left in Iowa! Our time has gone way too fast. I'm not ready to leave my family, especially all the lil' ones running around! They are going to be so big next time we see them!<br />
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We have one more Christmas tomorrow with Jay's dad's side. We'll spend New Year's Eve with both of our families and head to the airport the next day!Jay and Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05749884951473424752noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1764639711408349602.post-25352548074780676562011-12-24T13:41:00.000-06:002011-12-24T13:41:30.455-06:00First Week in IowaIt's so good to be home in Iowa for Christmas! Jay and I arrived to Cedar Rapids on Saturday and have spent the past week traveling back and forth between both of our parents' houses. This has been a pretty calm week, giving us time to catch up on sleep and relax!<br />
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Some of the things we've done so far... <br />
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We played with our nephews, Carson and Mitchell. Jay and Carson had fun building a tower, which was a new word that Carson learned how to say. Jay would build and Carson would knock it down! I don't think Jay appreciated that too much!<br />
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We also went to a UNI basketball game! It was fun to go back to our old stomping grounds. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9voHdFeebsg/TvYljkgIpRI/AAAAAAAAmlc/4li4v0rZQfQ/s1600/Gina+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9voHdFeebsg/TvYljkgIpRI/AAAAAAAAmlc/4li4v0rZQfQ/s320/Gina+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
One of the days, Jay, my sister Nicole, and I went shopping. We spent a lot of money, but all purchases were justified! Jay needed some new shoes and hit the jackpot on Christmas sales! I slurged on a couple of sweaters too!<br />
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Last night, I went out with my girl friends, Amy, Ashley, and Nicole. When we were planning our outting, I asked to go to someplace American. We decided that Texas Roadhouse would be perfect! We enjoyed our meal and then dessert at Scratch. This is a new cupcake store! I know the owner and wanted to stop and see her!<br />
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On our walk down Cedar Falls Main Street, we took in all the lights. We also stopped at Santa's Workshop, but he had already left to head back to the Northpole! We missed him!<br />
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Today is Christmas Eve and we're celebrating very quietly. We're making some last minute food and wrapping presents for tomorrow when the whole family will be together. Our ENTIRE family hasn't been together for 10 YEARS... so this year will be special! Jay hadn't seen 4 of his nephews, so he's excited to meet them! I can't wait to see all of the kids and be able to play with them! Tonight we'll go to the Christmas Eve service at my families church.I love our service, holding candles and singing Christmas songs! It just seems so magical!<br />
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We hope everyone enjoys time with all their loved ones this Christmas! It makes celebrating our Savior so much better!Jay and Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05749884951473424752noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1764639711408349602.post-41868708735144833462011-11-30T07:31:00.000-06:002011-11-30T07:31:33.140-06:00Thanksgiving in BudapestJay and I took advantage of another four day weekend over Thanksgiving! Thursday morning we jumped on a plane to Budapest, Hungary. The trip was meant to be more relaxing than we're used to. Budapest is known for it's spas. There are fresh hot water springs all over the city that fill into pools. <br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvvlP5ZLAHLaO8IR2hYsE6XjmS660JBlbJ2tAwXD1livVLqpywkxjr27qwE4ycu_j3ilLdRwMmSz07TumJUOClYZq0cxWO6airnqlcrjAcAT59eWYPJMOKIFertV8RzPZsRu2UFtafFc0/s1600/Day+1+%2528228%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvvlP5ZLAHLaO8IR2hYsE6XjmS660JBlbJ2tAwXD1livVLqpywkxjr27qwE4ycu_j3ilLdRwMmSz07TumJUOClYZq0cxWO6airnqlcrjAcAT59eWYPJMOKIFertV8RzPZsRu2UFtafFc0/s320/Day+1+%2528228%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>We took most of Friday to soak up the water. The spa complex that we went to had 15 pools in all. We made it into two of them and both of them were outside. It was FREEZING out, but the water was so warm! We had to keep ourselves under the water up to our shoulders in order to stay warm. But, the water was so hot that we had to sit out every once in a while. It was great just to sit and relax in the water. A good stress relief!<br />
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</div> These guys were fun to watch. This is a huge tradition in Budapest..... old guys playing chess in the water.<br />
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</div>The rest of the time we were in the city, we walked around to see all the beautiful sites. It was freezing out, but that didn't stop us. Well.... at least not Jay! On Saturday, I decided that I would rather stay in the hotel and spend the afternon there. Jay went out on his own to finish seeing the city. I had no troubles sitting in the hotel room, watching a movie, skyping with my family, and writing our Christmas letter.<br />
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</div>The BEST part of the whole trip..... we went to the Christmas fair every night! It got better and better each night we went as it didn't actually "open" until Saturday. Several of the booths were open on Thursday, but there were many more by Saturday. We got some great Hungarian food that hit the spot! My favorite part was splurging on a tea pot. I have started a small collection and this one was just awesome! Handmade and cutely painted! I was so excited to get it!<br />
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</div>We're home now for three weeks...... and then...... TO THE USA!!!!! I can't wait to be home!!Jay and Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05749884951473424752noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1764639711408349602.post-48254190780785154652011-11-23T10:22:00.000-06:002011-11-23T10:22:47.710-06:00Summing Up NovemberI decided I better make another post in the month of November before it's over! It went so fast.... BUT THAT'S OK WITH ME! That just means we'll be back in Iowa that much sooner!<br />
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Over Veteran's Day weekend, Jay and I took a trip to Turkey. We spent four days traveling around Istanbul. The weather was pretty chilly and rainy, but we still had a good trip. It was very interesting to see an entirely different culture! We were able to go into a few mosques and see their style of religion. In order to go in, we had to take our shoes off and I had to cover my head.<br />
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One of the full days we had in the city, we bought tickets for a hop-on hop-off bus. It wasn't the best of days, so a good day to be on a bus. We drove all around, getting off to see a palace and a few other sites. The best part about the bus trip was that it took us into Asia! The city of Istanbul is actually on two continents. The west side of the city is in Europe and the east side of the city is in Asia. The city is split by the Bosphorus Strait. We rode over a huge bridge and into Asia. The east side is much more Turkish than the west side, which is much more Westernized. I was excited to have the chance to be in Asia. That was my first time crossing over! <br />
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</div> This guy was just fun! And he was posing perfectly!<br />
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We really enjoyed the different markets that were spread around the city. We spent a lot of time and money in the Grand Bazaar. That is were most of our family will be getting their Christmas presents! They had thousands of rugs to choose from, but we have plenty from Afghanistan. I tried to keep my eyes away from all the scarves, as Jay has supplied me with lots of those too. We had to try out some Turkish delights. They are little gummy squares covered in powdered sugar. We bought a couple boxes to try out!<br />
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It was nice to be traveling again. We haven't been anywhere all fall because of my coaching gig. We had games every weekend, so were stuck in Schweinfurt. We were a little out of practice. We usually don't worry too much and just go with the flow. We had a little trouble getting back home. Our flight left Istanbul late because of thick fog back in Munich (Germany). Once we got to Munich, we had already missed out flight to Nurnberg, where our car was. We tried to catch a train, but being nearly midnight, there weren't any more left until morning. They couldn't get us on another flight until 8:00 the next morning. The hotels were all booked up, so we ended up sleeping on the airport floor. We took some cushions off restaurant benches to make a bed! They worked pretty well. I had to call in and take the morning off since we wouldn't be home in time. Our flight left a few minutes late the next morning, but we made it back at a decent time. Jay drove as fast as possible back to Schweinfurt to get me back by 11:15, when my half day started. We didn't even stop at home, Jay just dropped me off at the school door at 11:18.<br />
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This weekend, we are heading out to Budapest, Hungary. We fly out tomorrow morning and we'll be back on Sunday. It's really cold there, so won't be too fun to be outside. Thankfully they are known for their pools and spas! That's where we'll be spending our time!<br />
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We hope everyone has a fantastic Thanksgiving! We have so much to be thankful for this year! Things in our lives are just so wonderful. God has really blessed us beyond belief!Jay and Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05749884951473424752noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1764639711408349602.post-70614362875824554462011-11-06T11:33:00.001-06:002011-11-06T11:34:45.808-06:00Medical UpdateThere are times in life when God tests us, wondering how much he can give us before we fully give it all to him. Well folks, the past month has been a test of character for us. A lot has been happening that has kept us busy, made us worry, sent us to places we don't want to go, and challenged us, sometimes more than we care to handle. <br />
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Let's begin in the middle of October, since that's the last time I posted. Nothing too stressful to report, just the usual. It's just that our usual is quite full! I was in the middle of my volleyball season, majorly struggling to build a team (that's for another blog). Jay was doing his usual things at work, keeping himself busy. We watched the Houston's a few days while mom and dad were trying to recoop. During the week, besides not finishing up with our day's work until 6:00 in the evening, we have activities every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. All of this we could deal with. It's our normal life routine! But there's more to add...<br />
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One of our best friends here in Germany has cancer and is going through chemo. We've been trying to help out the family as much as possible. Jon has been recovering, which means sleeping a lot. Angie got sick herself and ended up spending the night in the hospital also. We took the two little boys for a couple days, got them to school and a babysitter, and then back home to mom and dad. We can't do a lot for them, but we try to do what we can. They are special friends to us and we want to be there for them! On October 21st, I get an email from Jay in the middle of the day to tell me that Jon went to the ER because he couldn't breath. Come to find out he had a collapsed lung. He was going to be hospitalized and would be in for a few days. Jay said in his email that we should go see them that evening, after volleyball. I was at volleyball late because I had to get two gyms set up for a home tournament the next day. Being a new school, we had to make shift a few pieces of equipment to make things work. We got it all figured out thanks to a lot of duct tape!! Jay and I both parked our cars in front of the house at the same time once we were both done at work. I got out of my car and jumped in his to head to the hospital. We called Angie once we got there to ask if we could come up for a few minutes. She was just getting ready to leave for the night, so we quickly went up to say hi. Jon wasn't in a good state, so we gave him our love and walked out with Angie. She had already called for someone to come pick her up, so had to wait for her ride. We walked outside the hospital and were standing on the sidewalk waiting. Jay, Angie, and I were all standing there when all of a sudden Jay fell to the ground. He had his hands in his pockets and fell just like a tree. His chin was the first thing to hit and he bounced. Angie and I both looked down and at first, thought he was joking. It took us 2 seconds to realize that something was wrong. I quickly rolled him over and held his head. Wade, our friend that was coming to get Angie, jumped out of the car and came alongside Jay. He found Jay's pulse through his entirely tense body and started unzipping his coats. All I could do was stay at Jay's head and keep it from hitting the ground. Angie ran inside to get someone out there, who was out there within the minute. They quickly got Jay stabalized and onto a stretcher. They took him straight to ICU, where he stayed overnight and into the next day. That first evening was really rough. Jay had no idea what happened and why he was in there. I had to keep telling him over and over again. On Saturday, Jay was moved to the stroke unit. There they had him hooked up to a heart monitor at all times. We aren't quite sure why they put him in the stroke unit because he didn't have s stroke. It was a seizure instead. Jay was stuck in bed for the next three days, with cords hanging all over him. He wasn't allowed to leave his room, let alone the floor. He wanted to go visit Jon on the floor below us, but the nurses didn't like that idea. After multiple tests, his brain was cleared. He was then taken down to the cardio unit. After another day full of tests, Jay was finally released. All of the tests came back negative, showing no reason for what happened. Since then, Jay's been doing well. His face was pretty beat up for quite a while, but has since healed. The sidewalk definitely got the best of him.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsO9tHX18b2soY2hkfexphHVAsvuK95y41wscSOYj0J-1JSWR8zjcsRHELKcfu4aQrMRsm7XDyIRUu6KtS9pmevxib7QkffoZGhRwx5TEjNW-MJdgWVNVX1FI8UwdRzkZG5S9z3CZkog0/s1600/DSCN4266.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsO9tHX18b2soY2hkfexphHVAsvuK95y41wscSOYj0J-1JSWR8zjcsRHELKcfu4aQrMRsm7XDyIRUu6KtS9pmevxib7QkffoZGhRwx5TEjNW-MJdgWVNVX1FI8UwdRzkZG5S9z3CZkog0/s320/DSCN4266.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Bruised shoulder...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixNNV7bPcaNhvLK7Qcr7qPrg-Blh7k1ubU77qIJCHSYhXw1FdYoL39FoN9r9vU82RY2exR76s6vJZ5bwJSO8M4yJCHxs6VZse1kpKd46VzuQ8BUH31x7_yVZ4g2GQrp1sG3iwV8mnA3sE/s1600/DSCN4267.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixNNV7bPcaNhvLK7Qcr7qPrg-Blh7k1ubU77qIJCHSYhXw1FdYoL39FoN9r9vU82RY2exR76s6vJZ5bwJSO8M4yJCHxs6VZse1kpKd46VzuQ8BUH31x7_yVZ4g2GQrp1sG3iwV8mnA3sE/s320/DSCN4267.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>We still aren't convinced that something isn't wrong. We continue to pray that all is well with him. Jay took a blood test last week and we're waiting for results. From there, we'll decide if we need a second opinion. Time will tell!<br />
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To change gears, I had my blood tested two months ago based on a doctor's request. I never heard back from the clinic with any results, so I made an appointment to check it out. All was clear, except for one thing! I have been diagnosed with hypothyroidism. Not a big deal, just means I take a little pill for the rest of my life! I can deal with that! I looked at all the symptoms and so many of them made sense! Hopefully things will get better for me now!<br />
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We're still two very healthy individuals, just with a lot on our plate! But don't think that any of this will make either of us slow down! I certainly know that's not going to happen!! Too much to live for!!<br />
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Enough health news! Let's move on!Jay and Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05749884951473424752noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1764639711408349602.post-11454291130624601072011-10-10T03:11:00.000-05:002011-10-10T03:11:41.922-05:00Victory!Just had to share three more pictures of our victory! I think they were a little surprised they did so well!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVQ1AJmrBaXlcqRWYXHwatF1j-urtu83zTvIrwoYfmphqoYQ76_ELBh1ymN8mjE9DIQl-wRZCaIhP2Cqa1CkEBDABFD8fzEN7f1SykKafcU48uYeHzNEoRWIls4QB_j4G-fq6PGLAUhek/s1600/Volleyball+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVQ1AJmrBaXlcqRWYXHwatF1j-urtu83zTvIrwoYfmphqoYQ76_ELBh1ymN8mjE9DIQl-wRZCaIhP2Cqa1CkEBDABFD8fzEN7f1SykKafcU48uYeHzNEoRWIls4QB_j4G-fq6PGLAUhek/s320/Volleyball+3.jpg" width="227" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQG1Eoh7U7yB3dAVy2sze5lRpRnIvmggfK_OZM5Q5ou_rPin_tWLHXn_ipn-RLKwI6Xhzgxdm85q_ZflnwaIiGN-2eJsOkZJJBcgOqHcjhhsDrvMNwmELte71MUmiwSP0Qk0A2HHphM1k/s1600/Volleyball+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="233" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQG1Eoh7U7yB3dAVy2sze5lRpRnIvmggfK_OZM5Q5ou_rPin_tWLHXn_ipn-RLKwI6Xhzgxdm85q_ZflnwaIiGN-2eJsOkZJJBcgOqHcjhhsDrvMNwmELte71MUmiwSP0Qk0A2HHphM1k/s320/Volleyball+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Team pictures after our first win!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1V5nL4Hga0O-XmcXaLFMHfcmd92Tuw-iCy8lge8PhAj6N6XjDnUN557P9RjhckksFX6cVHnxXcwGTCFtmvGcA9Crm3yWuBaCF8S7OSBlp8_tgLt_jujLdSuXgUfo5vIt0PVHI81FM3-8/s1600/Volleyball+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1V5nL4Hga0O-XmcXaLFMHfcmd92Tuw-iCy8lge8PhAj6N6XjDnUN557P9RjhckksFX6cVHnxXcwGTCFtmvGcA9Crm3yWuBaCF8S7OSBlp8_tgLt_jujLdSuXgUfo5vIt0PVHI81FM3-8/s320/Volleyball+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Jay and Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05749884951473424752noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1764639711408349602.post-44607174605317740832011-10-09T08:15:00.001-05:002011-10-09T21:00:40.591-05:00SHS VolleyballI am coaching the Schweinfurt High School volleyball team this year. We are half way through our season and slowly making progress. I was real nervous the first week of practice. We had a lot of new girls that had never played before. We spent the first couple of weeks working on fundamentals. We really had to drill them into them.<br />
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I'm still getting used to coaching high school girls. They have a lot more attitude and mood swings than I'm used to. I can't keep track of who's fighting with who and who are best friends. Some days they are fighting with each other and the next day they are playing together. They are just typical high schoolers.<br />
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</div>All of that has made it difficult to join our team together. We have decent skills, but we aren't playing as a family. We're been working really hard on that. I've tried to be nice, I've tried being mean, I've tried playing games with them, I've tried yelling, I've tried everything. This week I let some of the girls act as the coaches. I wanted them to get a taste of what we deal with everyday. By the end of practice, they were so mad and frustrated. They then made the comments that they see what we have to deal with. It worked perfectly! They saw how stressful our job is because of the way they act. They turned themselves around. Our past couple of practices went really well. <br />
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</div>Yesterday we had two games in Ansbach. We WON BOTH GAMES!!! I was so excited and so happy for the girls! They all played together and played very well. It was very fulfilling for me to see them do the things we drilled during practice. We worked really hard on coverage and they did it very well!<br />
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</div>We have three more Saturdays to play and then Europeans the first weekend in November. I hope we keep getting better and peak at the end of the season.<br />
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Coaching this season has been a great learning experience for me. It has been very difficult, but I'm sure glad I did it. I have really grown in my coaching skills. The high school principal is trying to talk me into coaching track. I'm still debating. If it weren't for all the weekends we would miss of traveling, it would be a no brainer. But I know we don't have much time left over here and we have more places to see! I have two more days to think about it before I have to make a final decision!Jay and Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05749884951473424752noreply@blogger.com2