Coming up for air in Germany

Hello people. I know it's been a while. After my brief summary I think you'll understand why I waited a but to write. To make a long story short, Gabe and I arrived on the third but, due to Army Corps HR mixups, we didn't get our official overseas ID cards until Friday the 14th. That's basically 2 weeks without ID cards. For the uninitiated of you, that means we can't shop at the BX or commissary, can't open a bank account, can't get a driver's license...basically we were trapped on base and had to walk everywhere for two weeks. It was VERY frustrating. Luckily my sponsor was really nice and drove us places so we didn't feel so much like caged hamsters. Plus, Gabe and I got two weeks alone without the dogs....that was a bit of a vacation in itself.

Speaking of the dogs and the cat, they finally got here a week ago after a slight mix-up with Lufthansa. They are now at a kennel in the next town while we settle in for a few days in the new house.

Ahh, the new house. What can I say? It's big and it's really nice. Gabe and I are living comfortably on just the fist floor right now. There is an entire second floor and a finished basement as well. It's about 2800 sq feet - way too big for us but hey, we may as well spend that housing allowance. Anyways, there's plenty of room for lots of guests...and I mean lots. It's out in the country in a little town called Neunkirchen. Quite a change for this suburban girl, but Gabe is loving the peace and quiet. You've already noticed the pictures I'm sure. We don't have enough furniture to even fill half the house, but I think we'll be able to accomodate as many people as would like to visit.

Gabe passed his driver's test on the first try and is driving a borrowed car right now. I'm embarrassed to say that I missed it by 2. However, the test is 100 questions long and it's actually quite difficult. I pulled a Meghan and didn't really study. I have to retest on Wednesday morning but I'm studying this time :) Gabe's picking up the car today so we'll have the Passat soon! Plus, he's found a car to buy over here - it's a 1986 Porsche 944 and he's absolutely drooling over it.



Dad came for a visit this past weekend on one of his massive trips to Europe for work. We had a nice time exploring and eating at good restaurants. His car had a GPS unit in it and I've decided that's what I want for Christmas. That way, I can explore to my heart's content and always find my way home!

So, it was a rough first few weeks mostly because there was so much we wanted to do but really couldn't. It was weird to be in Germany but trapped on a military base and forced to eat Taco Bell 8 times in 2 weeks.

Hope everyone is doing well! We should be able to hook up our DSL in the next week or two and then we can turn on our Vonage phone. Woo hoo!

Much love to everyone....
~Meg and Gabe