Photo Entry

Look at this. You probably thought I would never post another entry. I had some very unhappy readers, come to find out. So....maybe I'll give it another shot. Spread the word, as I'm sure lots of people gave up checking the site!

As everyone knows by now, I'm back in Iowa (though not for much longer). I thought I would make this a photo journal, so to speak, of what I've been up to. A lot of you have seen these on Facebook already..... you'll just have to wait for the next entry to see new stuff. At the rate I've been going, that'll be....September 20th.

My trip started at Ramstein Airforce Base. I decided since I had the time, I would take a military hop home and save some money. It turns out every flight leaving for the states got pushed back or canceled. For quite some time. The USO was filled with the same people every day, starting at 2:45 a.m. and leaving at 11 p.m. You just never know when a flight might come in that has seats available, so nobody really leaves the terminal until they have to! Our lucky break finally came, and there was a flight leaving to Maryland. All the active duty soldiers got on that one, so instead of waiting in line to see if I would get a seat, I hopped over to the next line, which was a flight leaving for Dover, Delaware. I got right in, and it turned out we left before all those people who wanted to go to Maryland. The only catch was that we had to stop in England for the night. Aw, shucks! An hour later we were in Mildenhall, U.K. The weather was gorgeous and nobody minded the one-night layover. The next morning I climbed up into a cargo plane for the ride across the ocean. I sat next to my forgetful friend, who was an 86 year old retired flight surgeon. He had lots of stories to share, including The Plan of Salvation that he intricately drew on the back of my box lunch. That took up about 2 hours of the flight, and after about 75 minutes I finally realized we weren't discussing Greek mythology, but Mormonism. Oops.

We got to Dover in the afternoon, and I wasn't really sure what I was going to do next. I had priced tickets from the Philadelphia airport (an hour away) and thought I could get something to DSM for about $200 bucks, so I was going to try and make my way that direction. My new friend Bjarne saved the day when he saw me standing in the customs line with a puzzled look on my face. It turns out he had a cargo van there at Dover that he was driving back to Minnesota, and offered to drop me off in Coralville, Iowa. So I hopped in the back along with another couple that we dropped off in Ohio. I was treated to a seafood dinner somewhere along the way (Maryland?), and slept for most of the rest of the way to Iowa. It was a very nice gesture on Barney's part, and we still keep in touch through Facebook.

Barney and his Van

The next part of the story is just in pictures. Enjoy!

Sam & Tex

My fat boy, Grover

Matt, Kara, Me, Liz, & Ross at Liz's Graduation Party

Sam

Summer

Liz & Fred at a show on Memorial Day

After the Storm

Sweet Cori

Here's one from Ted:

Red Air

Okay. That oughta do it for now! Maybe I'll write a story or two later. One step at a time! ;)

Hello, family. I'm back.

First of all, I'd like to say thanks for all the packages and letters I picked up from the post office today! I had to check the calendar and make sure it wasn't my birthday....

My Army course went well. I came out in one piece and did everything I was supposed to do. Mother Nature was kind enough to send snow and plummeting temperatures for those two weeks. And for those of you who worried I wouldn't make it off the land navigation course in three days, let alone three hours: I made it just fine. Granted it was probably the easiest land nav course in military history.... but that aside, I am confident that given a map and a compass, I can find North and walk in that general direction. And that aside... Lets be realistic. I won't be doing anything crazy, like leaving my GPS at home. They invent modern conveniences and market them to people just like me for a reason.

After today, Mother Nature and I are on good terms once again. I ran outside in SHORTS for the first time this year. I could've kept running all day (if I wasn't so out of shape). Only one person was blinded by the glare of my white legs, so I consider the excursion a success, overall. The thermometer says it is currently 61 degrees. I've been watching it like a hawk all day. At one point it said 82, and even though it was a false reading, my heart did a happy little flip-flop. I think you'll all agree with me that it has been a LONG winter. I just hope it's really over.

Today was also the day I had to start the four-wheeler so it still runs when Ted gets back. Okay, easy enough. Luckily for me, with the choke open it started right up and stayed running when I closed it. Since everything was going so well, I thought I should just take it for a spin. I kid you not, people lined up on the side of the street to laugh at me. Apparently I don't really know where the gears are. I made it back to the garage in one piece, and went upstairs to put my helmet away. I went back down to close up the garage, and somewhere in that short period of time, I lost the key to the quad. I would say don't tell Ted, but he reads this, too. I'm sure it'll turn up, but honestly- I'm starting to wonder about my current state of mind.

I was frantically searching the garage for that stupid key when Karl decided to make amends for yelling at me the last time we spoke. He's still creepy, but I had a normal conversation with him. For the first time. Ever.
I called it a conversation, but really there was no dialogue. I think I make him nervous, because once he opened his mouth it was like he's been waiting to talk to me for the last 15 months and finally got it out. Now I know his son goes to school in Weiden one day a week, is a mechanic the rest of the time, and just got his driver's license. Little Andreas looks like he's twelve, but he's always been nice to me, and maybe the little squirt will find the key to the quad and save my butt. Karl has a new car coming in April, because it was cheaper to buy a new car than keep the old one. I could go on and on.... He talked AT me for twenty minutes. I decided to be really charming, you know, batting my eyelashes, flipping my pontyail...
maybe next time we'll revisit the topic of AFN. And the leaky hatch window. And what he could do about that mustache.

Love you and miss you.

Ash

Farm Fresh

Well, I got to it and made my chocolate cheesecake. It's out of the oven, cooling on a rack and everything. We'll see if it sinks or cracks or does some other thing I've never even heard of. I would take a picture, but there's a mysterious bubble right in the middle of my precious cheesecake. I'm trying to remember if I dropped something in the batter.

Now that it's made I'm just going to pawn it off on other people (pre-cut, to disguise the bubble....those that don't read my blog think I actually know how to use an oven and a spatula...I'm perfectly willing to keep up that false notion). I'm pretty sure the only cheesecake dessert I'll lick the pan over is the one my mom makes that has cherries on top. I don't know why I didn't try to make that one. I just got it in my head that a girl should make a chocolate cheesecake at least once. Just in case. Besides, whenever I try to duplicate anything of Mom's, I'm always disappointed.

I promise I'm done talking about cheesecake. Probably for forever. Wipe your tears, there's always layer cake, lemon cake, red cake, angel food cake... But for tonight I want to leave you with a pearl of wisdom I learned in animal science class. You can tell the color of egg a chicken will lay by the color of its earlobe. It's true. Brown or red earlobes mean brown eggs, and white means white. Look it up if you don't believe me. And this, my friends, this is how you know your eggs are Farm Fresh:

They come this way at the commissary now. Buyer assurance that this particular egg was very recently "nestled" somewhere else.

A Taste of Spring

Well, blogging isn't really my style lately, if you haven't noticed.

I'm not really sure what is, but I'll think long and hard about it and get back to you.

Really nothing has happened since the last time I typed a blog. I can either start making stuff up, or dig into the archives and tell stories, or just not write any more. We'll see.

Today when I woke up it was raining. I knew I wanted to go to the gym- mainly because I had a whole host of things I wanted to consume. I'm sure I would've been better off NOT going to the gym if that meant not eating all that junk... Hindsight is 20/20, you know.

I also had a hankering to make a chocolate cheesecake. Not really because I wanted to eat it. I just wanted to make it. This is generally not a good idea. Inevitably wanting to make it and wanting to eat it converge. Regardless, I am pleased to report that my prowess in the kitchen has reached an all new level.

Hang on a minute.

Okay, I'm back. I had to check to see if the eastern wall of the house had blown in. Never have I heard such a fierce wind in Germany. Which reminds me of what happened last night....

Last night I was dreaming. I was at Mom's house, and I was sitting with a few cowboys on a tube gate watching some horses in an arena. I remember them telling me I needed to get some new boots. It wasn't an unpleasant dream. The next thing you know, I was jolted from my slumber by a very loud siren. Before I could even open my eyes, I was up with a blanket and headed for the basement. Luckily I woke up enough to realize that the fire siren was going off next door, and there was no reason to be out of bed running around in the dark. In that split second between being awake and asleep, I was sure that it awas a tornado siren, which is interesting, because where I grew up on Rural Route 2 there is no such thing. Apparently if you're born in Iowa you just instinctively know what tornado sirens sound like.
Tornadoes and I have a bit of a history. It's a pretty uneventful history, especially since I've never seen one or lived through one (I contribute that to conscientiously seeking shelter each and every time Steve Karlin told me to). I have many memories of sitting directly in front of the television counting the counties on the news screen to see if ours was the one with all the tornadoes (it always was). Three up, five from the left. I was always the first one to the basement, too. Thank you kindly, Mr. Weatherman, you don't have to tell me twice. Of course, I would have preferred it if my family joined me there, but shoot, I sure wasn't going to blow away. If Mom sent everyone down, that's when things got serious. I made sure to set my supplies around me and holler weather conditions up the stairs at Mom every three seconds while Matt and Liz played legos as if the end of the world wasn't near. But if worrying could save us, I had it covered. It seemed the weatherman was always drawing a circle right over our house. Which is why I would not have been all that surprised to find myself in my pajamas in Karl's basement (possibly more frightening than a tornado).

Anyway, back to my prowess in the kitchen. That darn chocolate cheesecake got the best of me in step two. Pitiful, I know. I started those chocolate squares melting on the stove and went about making the crust. I was quite pleased with myself and enjoying some of the extra Oreos when I remembered the chocolate. Too late, of course. The odor of burnt chocolate will never be in Yankee's Spring collection, that's for sure.

Maybe that's a sign that there's no Earthly reason that I should be making a chocolate cheesecake. I'll probably try again tomorrow. If the kitchen burns to the ground, I won't be upset. What's that they say? No use crying over spilt milk. Or burned down pathetic excuses for kitchens.

The sun came out this afternoon, right about the time I got done at the gym. I like to walk if it's not for exercise, so I figured this was as good a time as any to get some vitamin D. After the winter we've had, I could actually feel my face drinking it up. Being an Iowa girl, I know that first taste of Spring is usually just a tease, so I won't keep my fingers crossed. But my, if a little warm and sunny spot can't go a long way.

The snow has melted off the fields and the drainage ditches are running (and not frozen!)

Deployment Update

Here's a quick update on what's happening now:

Ted is at a way-station, so to speak, until he continues on to his final destination. The food is good, the weather is great, and he can call me from MWR every couple of days or so. He sent me this picture yesterday:


So, really, that's all the news there is to know about that.

I'm also doing well. The food is good (ha...ha), the weather is great (HA HA), okay, I'm just going to stop.


Here's what the world looks like over here. I decided last night that it would be okay if it started to warm up again. So, I imagine the thermometer will start rising at any moment now.

In a spare moment.....

Please go to the following site:

http://www.marcyvermeerreininghorses.com/

This is my aunt Marcy's website (my mom's younger sister). She is trying to get it recognized by Google, and lots of traffic is one of the fastest ways to get it there! Thanks for helping out!

FYI- if you are finding it hard to read, just give it a sec to finish loading the background. The text has a white backdrop that is slow to load with some connections.

Marcy, see you in Oahu for your February clinic. ;)

Photo by Kelly Carr

January

Well. It seems I have forgotten all about my blog. In truth, I haven't forgotten it. I have just been ignoring it! These things happen.
I don't even have much to say today-- I'm not sure if I even have any new pictures! I'm just going to try and share some "news" while I'm here.

1. Most of you know that Ted and I made a trip back to the states for the holidays. Some of you don't know, because you never even saw us-- and for that, I apologize! I tried hard, but after 13 months of being gone, it's hard to play catch-up. We had a wonderful time and can't help but wish we were back there!

2. Most of you also know that Ted is headed off to a....warmer locale at the beginning of the week. Keep him in your thoughts and prayers this week (and the twelve months to follow of course). He's got a big job to do, but those of us who know and love him know just how capable and courageous he is. As in everything he does--he's the best man for the job!

3. Our ration card is all used up. So I can't buy my liquor and cigarettes.
Send help soon.

Just kidding. No need to plan an intervention. The only blocks on the ration card we use are for coffee. Thanks to our Christmas stockings, we're all set until the replacement card comes in.

4. The green car is in an inoperable state again. Ted is currently outside trying to show it who is boss. I'll let you know how that works out. Keep your fingers crossed. We might be making a trip to the dump today.

5. I got a part-time job. It is at a Belgian furniture store right next to main post. I'm going to start February 1. Big thanks to the Paoli family for the tip!

6. I broke my laptop (out of pure clumsiness- big surprise) while I was in the states. I have yet to find a computer. However, today is the big day, because frankly we are out of time. You're kidding yourselves if you think I'm going to be without a computer for any amount of time.

7. It was Bob's birthday yesterday. Happy Birthday, Bob!

8. I might as well just end this. Lets face it- I'm boring today. It might take me a bit to get back into the "writing mood." Don't worry, I'll be back.

Until then....

I turned on my camera to see if there were any pics you haven't seen either on Facebook or on Mom's webpage. Nothing too exciting, because I haven't had my camera out at all since we've been back. Here's a couple:


This is Hank, my sister-in-law Kylie's dog. He must've known I'm a big softy, because when I came in the house he made no attempt to get off the forbidden couch. He was right- I didn't make him move.


This is my handsome husband. I came outside to "help." The only assistance I can really offer is holding the flashlight, which isn't all that necessary today. That's why I only stayed long enough to take a picture. It's cold out there! Gotta admire his dedication. I would have abandoned it long ago. Mostly because I can't drive it (but that's not a topic I want to get in to).

Here's a cute little squirrel. Much more adorable than the last squirrel that made an appearance in my blog. Ha.

Here's a beautiful cardinal. A bright spot on a winter day. We don't have those in Germany. Cardinals, I mean.

This is Gloria. Mom put her in the farrier's trailer in the hopes she might find a new home. Just kidding. She was only snooping- but check out that trailer! This guy has quite the rig. He does "hot shoeing", which means he can heat up the horseshoes and shape them right there in his trailer. I thought it was pretty interesting. So now you get to see, too. Only I added a cute kitten, in case you're not interested in the rest.

This is Kara, Matt's girlfriend. I put up this picture for two reasons: 1) She has never gotten to be on my blog, so this is her moment. 2) It makes me laugh really hard. That cat she is holding did something quite profane to my little brother on the car trip to Dad's house for Christmas. Twice. Let's just say Matt had to eat his Christmas dinner wearing a borrowed pair of green elastic sweatpants. Hahahaha. I'm going to buy them a cat carrier for the next major holiday. Happy Valentines Day-- Cage your Cat When you Travel! Love, Ash.

That's all. Keep in touch.