Randomness

So the sun has finally peeked out a little. It even got up to 50 degrees yesterday. The rain is still around, but the weather is certainly improving. Here is a pic of what we woke up to on Easter...


On an unrelated note, it has been over a year since we got Reagan! I was looking back at pictures and I realized he came to live with us last February. I thought it would be a good time to share the story of how he came to us!

When I taught first grade, one of the important things was to teach letter writing. I did lessons with my kiddos on the format and contents of a letter. Of course, they needed a topic. I figured, what better topic than a cat?! So, my students wrote 20 of the cutest letters to Jordan asking for a cat for me. Some even included pictures of how sad I was without a cat and how exhilarated (yes, they used that word) I would be if I had one. The letters were given to Jordan to no avail. The begging continued. I talked about how great it would be to have a cat often, and my kids asked him about it EVERY time he came into the classroom. Finally, in February he relented. That weekend I judged dance tryouts in Beaumont and then rushed home to Petco to pick out a cat. (Every weekend they have rescue animals for adoption.) Right away I saw this cute little guy with part of his left ear missing. He was very sweet and mild mannered. His name was Bert. Jordan and I had bought most of the supplies already, so I put him in his carrier and took him home! He warmed up to us pretty quickly. Now, he is all over us all the time! We love it when he sleeps with us. So that is how our little Reagan came to be! We couldn't imagine not having him around. (Especially this summer when I am all alone for 3 months!) Here are some more pictures for you to ooo and ahh over. :)

He has quite an outfit collection. Doesn't he look so little here?

Thanks for the comments on the last blog :) I said 3 people read this, and 3 comments were left. Only, 2 of them were from the same person. Dang.

I'm so over it...

Dear Friends (all 3 of you who read this),
I am so over winter. I am tired of snow and bulky sweaters. I want to wear flip flops and skirts. I want to walk outside without a coat. Seeing the sun would also be a nice bonus. Please send some Texas weather (and Mexican food) our way immediately!

Also, Reagan said he would like to see some birds and bugs. He is ready for them to come out of hibernation so he has something to bark at from the window.

And, to those 3 of you reading, leave us some comments! Let us know someone actually cares about my weekly update.....

Your favorite Texans in Germany,
Jordan and Casey (and Reagan too!)

Reagan's First Bath

So Jordan and I kept noticing Reagan's fur getting dirtier and dirtier. (We are sure it has to do with his love of the fireplace.) Anyway, he seems to like water, so we decided to try a bath. He did really well! His heart beat fast at first, but he calmed down, and didn't seem to mind it. Once we were done he let me dry him with a towel, and then just started walking around shaking his paws. After a little bit he jumped up in bed with us and took a nap. He is like his Dad- he gets over stuff quickly. I thought it would be funny to take a few pictures of the little guy while he was still wet. :)

An action shot of the leg shake.

Rothenburg

This last weekend was another Saturday trip with the USO. My friend Nicole and I have taken on the job of coordinating tours for the officer spouses club. Our April trip is to the medieval town of Rothenburg. We decided to take a trip prior to taking the ROSC group down so we would be familiar with the town.
We really enjoyed it!

Here I am at the Medieval Crime and Punishment Museum, one of our favorites parts of the trip.

Shrine of the Holy Blood- the gold cross in the middle is said to contain 3 drops of Christ's blood.

So, as you can see we were able to see some neat things. We really enjoyed ourselves, well, at least at first. :) On the way home we stopped at a rest stop for dinner. I even ordered all in German! When we got back on the bus to leave, we were told the bus was broken! Ahhh! So, we spent 2 extra hours in a rest stop on the side of the Autobahn. We met new friends and tried new things. Who would have known I would like red wine and coke?!

No making fun of the picture allowed! We had to entertain ourselves somehow!

On a personal note- Today I officially accepted the job as CASF USO Manager. Hooray!

Love you guys!

Let it Snow?!

Snow?! In March?! Sure enough! We woke up this morning to snow and frost. It's snowing even harder now. Pretty strange. We had snow a few times before Thanksgiving, then not much until now. It is supposed to be turning to Spring! Thank goodness for tanning beds.

Lt. Dan!

Where I work for the USO is a staging facility for wounded troops heading back to the states. Because the mission is so high profile, we often have celebrities and other distinguished visitors come through. My first celebrity visit to be a part of was Lt. Dan (Gary Sinise) and Cliff (John Ratzenberger). The visit also included a retired admiral and 2 medal of honor winners. Very cool!

Cologne (Koln)

Another Saturday= Another Trip :) Some of my friends (Beth, Brooke, and Amanda) and I headed to Cologne one weekend with the USO. Gotta love those employee discounts! We saw the cathedral (2nd tallest in the world) and the chocolate factory. We spent the rest of the day shopping and eating.

Supposedly, this case holds the skulls of the three Magi.

Munich

I had the chance to head to Munich and Dachau concentration camp with our friend Jen on a USO tour, so I took it! Munich was a beautiful city, and I hope to go back with Jordan soon. Dachau was a sobering place, and I was glad I was able to see it.

Glockenspiel

Dachau- "Work Shall Make You Free"

Paris

Jordan and I were able to spend a WONDERFUL belated Valentine's in Paris. We had 3 days to squeeze it all in, and I think we did a good job! We were able to see the Lourve, Eiffel Tower, Versailles, Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame, d'Orsay, and lots more. We used the Metro and bus system all 3 days. We figured it out pretty quickly. I absolutely LOVED Paris, and I can't wait to go back! However, I hope next time we don't watch a guy throw up in our subway car. :)

Switzerland

Two of Jordan's friends (Thomas and Jonathan) came in for a week at the end of January. We decided to take the ICE train to Switzerland, and stayed in a wonderful apartment in Interlaken. It was breathtaking to be in the middle of the alps. From our balcony we could see the Jungfrau, the tallest mountain in Europe. Ooooo, and how could I forget? On the train to Switzerland, we watched the guy behind us sniff cocaine off of a magazine! Good memories!

Christmas Market in Koblenz

My parents were also able to experience a German Christmas market during their visit. We had a great time walking around the town, drinking Gluhwein and hot chocolate, and seeing what the market had to offer.


We also had our friend Jen over for Thanksgiving during my parent's visit.

Heidelberg

My parents came to visit the week of Thanksgiving, and the first place we went was to the university town of Heidelburg. It was FREEZING, but we stuck through it and visited all the main site including the castle.

Amsterdam

In October, a few weeks after Strasburg, we headed to Amsterdam with our friend Jen. We spent 2 days in Amsterdam and were able to see the major sights such as the Rijks Museum (pictured at bottom right), Van Gogh Museum, and the house where Anne Frank hid with her family (pictured at top left).

Strasburg, France

One weekend we decided to head to Strasburg, France with our friend Jen from Jordan's work. Strasburg was wonderful, we really enjoyed seeing everything. We saw the cathedral, ate flamkuchen, went on a boat cruise, and enjoyed the town! We think it's great to be able to just drive over to France!











The interior of the cathedral.

Worms

We learned to ride the German trains by going on a USO tour with our friend Windy. We learned a lot about riding the train and buying tickets. We have taken many train trips since then, and we are grateful for the training. Imagine getting on the train and trying to figure out where your stop is and what side the platform will be on, all in German!

The oldest Jewish cemetery in Europe.

Jordan standing where Martin Luther stood to defend his thesis.

Landstuhl

A view of the town from the castle.

In this town there is a castle (ruins) on the hill. One day we hiked up to the castle and even though it was closed, we enjoyed seeing the exterior.

The castle, Burg Nanstein

Trier

Our first day trip was to Trier, Germany, one of the oldest towns in Europe. We just drove a few hours using the GPS. We were able to see the cathedral, Roman baths, the Porta Nigra, and some other sites around the town. The picture to the left is the Porta Nigra, or black gate, part of the original wall around the city. We had great weather, enjoyed our visit, and even got the chance to go to a Roman festival at the Roman baths.

Daily Life

The entrance to our apartment. Ignore the trash, that is a source of anger at the current moment. :0)

We are often asked what it's like to live in Germany, so here is a little bit of info on our day to day life and what we are up to now...

We live in Landstuhl, a German town near the base (Ramstein) where Jordan works. Our apartment is on top of a store, and is about 3 times as big as the one we had in Houston. We really like that you can see the castle in our town from our top balcony.
(for more pictures of everything, including the apartment, check out http://www.picturetrail.com/jordanandcasey)

We have a furry son named Reagan, whom we love to spoil. We got him in the Spring of 2007 after much begging from my students. :)

Jordan is working at the base on the flight line as a duty officer. I am currently teaching dance (on base, American kids), working for the USO, and volunteering with the ROSC (spouses club).

We absolutely LOVE living in Europe. We feel blessed to be able to see so much early on in our lives. We miss things back home (like closets and mexican food!), but we are enjoying the experience here.

The view from our top balcony.

We hope to see all of you soon!