Army families

I was just as guilty as any other non-military family until I moved here with Nathan, but it is unbelievable how many military families live under the poverty level and are continually stressed about the necessities of life. I am saddened how many families cannot afford groceries, essentially living off of WIC and food stamps, how many enlisted hold several part time jobs to make ends meet, etc. It also makes me mad how many military wives are denied jobs because employers know that they will be moving on within a couple of years, or if wives do find jobs chances are they will not get the same pay as their civilian counter parts. Yes, the military does come with its benefits such as free health care, chances to move all over the world, etc. However, the pay that the enlisted are paid, which makes majority of the Army, does not cover the necessities of life. Which brings me to my new point of I cannot believe the very notion of stopping military pay increases. These are the men who deploy for a year at a time so that the rest of the nation can be free, the men who die fighting for our country, and the women who try to hold their households together while their husbands are deployed. Michelle Obama recently gave a great speech about military families and I invite all to watch her speech, even if you are not an Obama fan please watch. Copy and paste the following into your browser-
http://www.livestream.com/twc2010/video?clipId=flv_b988639c-f1af-46fa-9a6f-b110230f3284
I consider myself blessed to be the wife of an officer in the Army. I am proud of my husband and everything he does. I know most if not all Army wives feel the same. We are all proud of our men, no matter what we have to put up with.

Port wine

More Porto photos

Thanksgiving

Due to having a couple of extra days off during the Thanksgiving weekend we decided to take a trip to Porto, Portugal. When we left Germany it was snowing, then when we landed in Porto it was about 60 and sunny! Our first day in Porto we explored the old part of the city and then took a river cruise. We then enjoyed a typical Portuguese dinner of lamb and fish. Our second day we took a tour around the city and then headed to start enjoying what Porto is really known for, port wine. We visited a couple of cellars, explored the caves that the big oak barrels are kept in, and then tried some wine. The grapes for the port wine are grown about 100 kilometers up river from Porto. There is a set of mountains that create a barrier for the grapes from the winds off the Atlantic. These mountains help create the perfect climate for the port wine grapes of dry summers and harsh winters. This specific climate creates a very thick skinned grape that makes perfect port wine. The grapes are then hand gathered, put in huge vats and crushed by people stomping on them. The juice is then put in large oak barrels, after three days brandy is added to the wine to stop the fermentation and create a sweet wine. It then continues to sit in barrels aging for 2 years, at this time the master of the wines tries the wines. If the master states that the wine is a vintage classic then the wine is bottled and continues to age in the bottles. Port wine is the only wine that continues to get better with age. When you open a well aged port wine you have to decanter the wine to get the particles out and let it breathe about 45 minutes, also as soon as it is open it needs to be consumed within 2 days so that it does not oxidize too much. If the wine is not considered a vintage classic it may be put into a large oak barrel to age up to 10 years more or it is kept in smaller barrels where as it ages it becomes a lighter or white wine as it oxidizes. Our last day in Porto we checked out the hall of music and then headed for home, where there was even more snow. We loved Porto, we cannot wait for our next trip.

You know you're an Army wife when...

I know that I am still new to the military but I have started a list of things that make me realize just how different military life is. So here is my list, I will add to it as I come up with stuff:
You know you're a Army wife when:

1. You stub toe on your husband’s Kevlar vest and boots on a regular basis and it no longer bothers you

2. Driving on post and your husband yells “soldier”, and you realize that a soldier is crossing the road. Reminds me of somebody yelling “deer” while driving.

3. You are constantly doing laundry and setting up uniforms

4. You are no longer referred to by your first name, you are now Schill’s wife, Robinson’s wife, etc.

5. When the sight of uniforms, sounds of tanks, trucks and choppers, and artillery in the distance are the soundtrack to your life

6. It no longer shocks you to be called ma’am

7. When your life revolves around PT and final formation

8. You have more camo in your house than any other gear or clothes

9. You use hooah appropriately and on a regular basis

10. You don’t have to stop and think what time 2130 is but you may have to stop and convert 9:30 PM to military time

11. When you’re already planning a better way to pack for the next move, and you’ve just barely arrived at your post

12. You can recite the Soldier’s Creed

13. You know your husband’s social security number better than yours

14. Your address contains all letters and numbers and no actual names, i.e. CMR, APO, AE

15. You know what AER, ACS, PCS, LES, ACU, TDY, etc. mean

16. When talking to other wives you use more acronyms than you do words

17. Your husband’s work and dress clothes cost more than any of yours do, including your ball gowns

18. You have been at your new post for 4 months and you are one of the old kids on the block

19. It doesn’t bother you when asked what your husband does you refer to his MOS and then asked where he works you refer to his company; for example 21A (and you don’t say A you have to use the phonetic alphabet and say alpha) in the 502^nd

20. You cannot do anything on your own without a power of attorney

21. You have jewelry that represents your husband’s branch or unit

22. The sight of the flag and the sound of any patriotic song make you very emotional and proud

Paris pics 2

Paris pics

Have some catching up to do!

I cannot believe how long it has been since I last posted, I guess I have just been very busy. Oops! Since my last blog we have been to Mainz for the beginning of the Fasching season and the announcement of the theme for this year. We have also taken a day trip to Paris.
I will begin by talking about Mainz and the Fasching festival. On November 11 at 11:11 AM each year the mayor comes out and announces the theme for the carnivals and parades for each year's fasching season. Most festivals don't start until the beginning of January and last through Easter, with most of the festivities starting the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday and lasting til Easter. We made it up to Mainz in time for this years announcement, which is music. I am thinking along the lines of musicals, etc. Not entirely sure. We decided to go to Mainz for the announcement because it is considered one of the three powerhouses for Fasching festivals, the others being Cologne and Dusseldorf. Fasching is said to have started from one of two ideas: the first being that the King used to give the people one day to say whatever and bash the government leading to the idea during Fasching of whatever you do goes. The other idea of origin comes from the time that farm workers would go from house to house collecting different food items for festivities while wearing masks and making lots of noise. Personally I think its a mix of both. Fasching is often referred to as the fifth season here and there is still an idea of whatever you do or say goes. Another aspect of Fasching though is all of the carnivals, balls, music, etc. that occurs. I am not exactly sure how to explain it but maybe a mix of Halloween and Mardi Gras. I look forward to seeing the festivities and parades to follow.
The surprise trip that I planned for Nathan was a day trip to Paris, which by the way he figured out about a week before the trip. We left Baumholder around 2 AM and arrived under the Eiffel Tower about 9 AM. We had to stop for about an hour to let the bus driver rest, plus there was some traffic coming into the city. We arrived just in time for most of the museums, shops, etc. to open. We did arrive in style, some of the friends we went with provided the group of us mimosas on the bus as we were driving into Paris. We immediately started to walk along the river to the Louvre after taking some pictures of the tower. Spent the morning looking at all of the art, yes we did get to see the Mona Lisa. There is no way we could have seen everything that the Louvre had to offer even if we spent a whole weekend there. It was far larger than either of us had ever imagined. We then walked towards a eating/shopping district more for locals than for tourists, but we had some of the best food there! We ate with a group of people so plenty of dishes were sampled including various types of fish, duck, various cuts and cooking methods for beef and some amazing produce. I tried the duck and loved it, when we go back (which we will be going back) I am going to get the duck. In the afternoon we took the subway to the Notre Dame cathedral that everybody thinks of when they think of Notre Dame. It was simply gorgeous! We then had some crepes and headed back towards the Eiffel Tower on the subway. We were able to see the tower all lit up and then we headed back for home. We arrived back here in Baumholder shortly before 2 AM.
We are getting excited for our upcoming trip to Portugal for Thanksgiving. We hope all of our family and friends a safe and happy Thanksgiving! We love you all.