Hi friends! Wow it’s been a long time since we’ve talked. I figure it’s beyond time to update you- and I’ll explain why I’ve been so inactive on here lately (not that I post super often to begin with…). Anyway, last time we talked Dan and I were celebrating 5 years of marriage and we were preparing for our move to Europe. Well, now we’ve moved and I can tell you how things went. 🙂 Don’t worry, it’s Dan and I, so there’s always some type of adventure in there- and this is no exception. 😉
So to begin, the pack-out (where they come pack our stuff up) was awful. I don’t want to go into too much detail because it makes me truly upset (especially after seeing almost all our stuff getting marked up, scuffed, stained, smelly and broken like never before). However, it took the movers over 12.5 HOURS to pack and load us- and one of them got drunk. Once that was over though and we cleaned the apartment, we were out of Virginia and off to PA for a day or two before we began trying to see everyone we could before our move.
Dan took a month of vacation and in that time we went to seven, yes, SEVEN states. Texas, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Connecticut, Washington D.C., Virginia, and North Carolina. To say we were exhausted after that is the biggest understatement I can make. To make matters worse, we still didn’t get to see everyone we had hoped to- we decided that saying goodbye is the hardest part of military life sometimes. We love all our friends and family but sometimes we can’t drive to them and it breaks our hearts. Anyway, once Dan’s vacation was up, he flew over here first. I was in a wedding (then went to Delaware and Maryland to see more family), so I stayed back for about two weeks.
When Dan arrived at our new home he had a lot to do. Ya’ll, he did amazing! He set up our address, bought and set up our cell phones, got us a townhouse, set up the wifi, set up household goods delivery, and got a car lined up for us. All while checking into the base and work. I’m proud of him- seriously, everything he has done is great.
If you’re curious, our townhome is 3 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, we have a one car garage with a large storage room, a mud-room area, open living room, dining room and a large kitchen.The strangest things about the home so far are: the master bathroom has the tub and it’s so deep that our shower curtain looks odd hanging up, we have a few motion censored lights which are highly sensitive and drive us crazy, there’s a lack of storage which is weird for military housing (which usually has an excess in storage), and I’m still trying to figure out how to use the appliances- which all but the stove are in German. However, I’ve only been here for about three days and I’m sure I’ll be able to figure it out or learn how to work them from someone else.
Dan and I are simply happy to be together once again. We’ve been working hard on the house trying to get settled- the housing office comes to take the loaner furniture away on Tuesday (which will help with making this place feel like a home). We also have a list of items that got broken/damaged in the move and things we need to get from Ikea (apparently it’s even more amazing here than in the US- but I’ll let you know). I’m sorry there’s not too many stories to tell as of yet- but like I said, I did JUST get here and barely have the lay of the land (I know where the commissary is, the exchange, and the post office…). I will say, we’re on a mountain and I know it LOL. There’s hills EVERYWHERE and they’re not little hills either. In fact, when we went to the housing office to request they take the loaner furniture back, we walked all downhill to get there, needless to say, walking back was a bit tiring (about a mile away). Regardless, it is BEAUTIFUL here despite being a little colder than I’d like.
For those of you who are praying for us and following our military journey, THANK YOU. We love you and we’re beyond grateful for you. I ask that you pray for us as we continue to settle. There’s a LOT of negativity here (everyone says they hate it here) and we don’t want to fall victim to that negativity. Also, please pray for me as I try to settle in and potentially find work and try to learn a language or two. Finally, I’m asking that you pray that God will use us while we’re here.
We love you all and wish you enough.
XOXO,
De