Memories around the Table!

I am sitting here anxiously waiting our new dinning room table to be delivered. As I can hardly wait for it to get here, I am sad to see our old table go as it has a lot of memories. Our table is meant for two people. It is very small, however, in our last apartment it hardly even fit. We couldn't even have the little extensions out on both ends without rearranging all the living room furniture. Some of the great memories this table has had part in:
1. My parents helping me move back to TN and picking the table out with me. We pretty much got it because it was the only one that was small enough.
2. Kyle coming home from Iraq deployment number 2.
3. Thanksgiving dinner with 6 people around the table. (Kyle and I plus 4 single soldiers who didn't go home for Thanksgiving)
6. Fondue Nights with our Fort Campbell Friends
7. Moving to Germany
8. Dinners other every night with Lacey to help pass the time while our husbands were deployed. The table saw a lot of tears and laughter these past 14 months.
9. Kyle returning from his deployment to Afghanistan
10. Finally, the table is where Kyle and I gather together everynight and enjoy each others company and food!
While it is just a table, it still represents a lot of things. I look forward to our new table and many more great memories! I will put pictures up for the table once it is here. The benches and seating had to be ordered, so it won't be here for about a month, so I suppose I wait until it is all complete to share.
Finally I ask...Why are German's to cool to have air conditioning? I am dying here!

It's good to be together again!

I must say, it is great having Kyle back home. It feels surprisingly normal already to have him back at home. They say it takes 12-16 months for a marriage to normalize after a deployment. That is a really long time, and after 4 days things are already seemingly normal.
My parents came back to Germany Saturday night from their week in England and then we said goodbye to them around 4 am this morning. (we put them on a shuttle to the airport...haha, at least I hope it was the shuttle we put them on. The driver didn't speak any English, but was more than willing to take the money)
Kyle is working in the mornings, he has about 3 days left of reintegration and I am Captain Beth at Whipcrack Island Games for Bible School. My helpers in VBS are three teenage boys, talk about a crazy time and in 3 hours we see about 150 kids for games.
We are looking forward to his block leave from Aug. 1 - Sept. 1, I think we will be going hiking in Austria. This is the plan, however we haven't completely decided yet. I guess we will see. For right now, are busy in the morning and hanging out and enjoying each other's company in the afternoon.
I am including a picture of my parents here in Schweinfurt next to on of the pigs. There is also a not go great picture of Kyle and myself next to the old city wall here in town. I decided I would post it just to prove he really is home. I will have to get other pictures from my parents. They took a lot more of us downtown.

Back Home

Kyle is finally back home after a long 15 months. We are enjoying our time together. Kyle has 7 half days starting tomorrow for reintergration. It is so great to have him back safe and sound.
I really don't have any pictures. Just one of the guys entering the gym. Between the cheering, and 30 second cermony I guess I didn't take time to take any pictures. I was running on no sleep at 4 in the morning when he arrived. I still haven't gotten more than 2 hours of sleep. I guess I will sleep well tonight.

Kyle is on his way HOME!

I just got the phone call I have been waiting for. Kyle is finally on his way home!!!They are expecting him to arrive between 1 and 3am. I can hardly wait. The emotions are so overwhelming, it will be so great to be back in his arms!

Disappointment

Kyle isn't coming home today apparently. I am not sure why, there is a group of guys headed home that should be landing soon, but Kyle is not on the flight. It is pretty disappointing. I have been really anxious all day waiting to hear he was on his way. I guess I never got my phone call because he wasn't on the flight. I got an email a while ago confirming that there are no C Troop Soldiers on this airplane. So now I really have no idea when he is coming. I know it will be soon, it is just hard to wait!

Popcorn and a Movie!

Hopefully this is the last time for a while that I enjoy popcorn and a movie alone.
It is hard for me to believe that in about one day I will be a married woman again. Not that I haven't been married, maybe I will just feel a little more married. Kyle and I have spent more time apart in our 3 years of marriage than we actually have together. He has been deployed for 2 years and 3 months of our marriage.
Tomorrow Kyle should be returning, hopefully. Nothing is ever really certain until he is in the air...but hopefully in a few hours he will be on his final stretch home. I can't possibly explain all of the different emotions that I experience during this time. But mainly I am just plain EXCITED!!!
On a different and sad note, please continue to pray for our soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. As you may have heard on the news 9 soldiers were killed in Afghanistan. Please keep their families in your prayers. These are guys from Kyle's Brigade and they should have been headed back home within the next couple weeks. I can't imagine being in their families shoes right now, all I can do is pray from them to have the strength to get through this.

The End is Near!

I just finished taking my parents to the airport for their trip to England. I was suppose to be joining them and am dissappointed I was unable to go with them, but VERY excited for the reason I was unable to go with them.
KYLE IS COMING HOME! Kyle should be leaving Afghanistan soon and on his way home. I don't know exactly when he will be coming in, but I know it is this week. I can hardly wait!
My parents arrived on Tuesday. On Wednesday we took a 3.5 hour drive to Wolfsburg to visit Julia's (their exchange students) family. On Thursday we went to the AutoStadt and took a tour of the VW factory. We then drove home Thursday evening. Yesterday we drove to Wuerzburg and I took them to the Residenz and we enjoyed lunch downtown. IN the evening we enjoyed a dinner with my two best friends here Lacey and Fran. This morning at 5:30am we headed to the Frankfurt Airport. It was my first time driving there and we got there very smoothly, I was very nervous. On the way home I got stuck in a STAU (traffic jam) for quite some time. I thought about just pulling over and taking a nap. Now that I am finally home, I will nap this morning (it is to late to go to church now, I would be very late) and then after the nap go grocery shopping. I have had a great time with my parents and am sorry I don't get to spend more time with them, but the excitement of Kyle returning helped make it easier not to go with them. They will return on Saturday and head back to the States on Monday morning. But for now, I just wait for my phone call telling me Kyle is on his way home!

Suesse's New Hair Do!

I guess it's that time of the year. Everyone needs a good summer cut...even dogs. Suesse got her summer cut and is really back to looking like a puppy. I always say I like when she has a short hair cut because everyone thinks she is a puppy and then they just excuse her bad behavior and say "she's just a puppy."
Suesse is looking super pretty getting ready for Kyle to return. He should be back home within the next couple of weeks! I can't believe that this deployment is coming to a close! YIPEE!!!

Happy Independence Day

Yesterday with my friends Lacey and Fran we went over to Kessler Field and watched the USO Seven Dust concert. After the show we watched a few of the fireworks and headed home.
I am so thankful to have such great friends to go and do stuff with. This deployment would have been really difficult if not for them.

Is it REALLY July?

This is the month I have been waiting for!
This month Kyle is going to return, and hopefully sooner than later!!!
I can't believe that in about the last 14 months, I have only seen Kyle a total of 18 days. (14 months is about 430 days...talk about a long time) Before Kyle came home for his 18 days of Rest and Relaxation in May we had not seen each other in a year.
I look forward to his return and having at least a year together before he takes off again.
Please keep him and the other soldiers in your prayers as they prepare to come home...if I can excited I can only imagine how they are feeling!