First Day Of School!

August 31st was the first day of school for the kids. And, although Spencer keeps denying it, I think they were both excited to be back in the classroom.

Spencer's teacher is Ms. Brown. When we got there, she asked Spencer, "Are you ready for 4th grade?". To which Spencer responded with, "I guess??". So Ms. Brown (who was talking about herself in 3rd person the whole time that I wasn't even sure it was his teacher) looked him dead in the eye and asked "well are you or aren't you because we don't have any in betweens in this class". So Spencer answered yes. But, it must have gone alright because he didn't shut up for at least 3 hours after school ended about all the things in his new notebook, this project he has that is due Thursday, the friends in his class....buzz, buzz, buzz. So we're excited for him because he truely hates school and he showed some excitement about it all today.

Emily started middle school yesterday....yes, tears. She didn't even want me going to the front door. She wanted to do it by herself. She was buzzing when she got home too because she has at least 1 friend in each class. One friend she had was one of her best friends from Arizona that just moved here and she is in three of her classes. What a great surprise! She got band, which she really wanted. They don't get their instruments until the 18th (yes, the school provides the instruments). Emily played the clarinet in Arizona, so she should do great in band...I just hope she doesn't get bored as the rest of her classmates will just be getting started.

Soccer season is upon us as well. Emily has her skills assessment tonight so teams should be starting for both within a couple of weeks.

I hope your back-to-schools have gone or will go smoothly for those of you with children. Let us know all the juicy details!

Gartenshau - Kaiserslautern, Germany

Tuesday I had an appointment at the Landstuhl Regional Medical Clinic (A US Hospital). We decided to make a day of it and Stacey's friend found a neat garden place to go visit in Kaiserslautern which is about an hour away. So, since my apppointment wasn't until 3:00 PM, we decided to check out Gartenshau. Gartenshau is a garden place that has dinosaur statues all over the garden. Even in the little stream there were little miniature lizards and things to constantly be looking for.

Spencer got one look at the big dinosaur in this display area and couldn't resist making it look like he was running for his life! It was a great picture that I just couldn't help but share! Then we saw this outdoor chapel that was absolutely beautiful! I could imagine getting married (or at least renewing our vows) there. It was made up of these trees tied together to form a dome. Overall, we had a fantastic time in the short amount of time we had there.

Afterwards we went to my appointment and then headed to Ramstein Air Base where they have more restaurants to choose from. So, we got to eat at Chili's again and it was so yummy!

As far as my health is concerned, this appointment was for Psoriasis which many of you may have noticed while I was home. Well, it has spread into my fingernails and the doctor said when that happens, usually Psoriatic Arthritis occurs. So, I walked away with a referral for Rheumatology. One more thing to carry on with.

Also a few months ago I was diagnosed with a Prolactinoma, which is a tumor on the pituitary gland. I saw a specialist a couple of weeks ago and all they are going to do is put me on contraceptives to get my hormone level back up. The tumor is too small to operate on and there are no pills to shrink it. So, I take the pills until I'm like 45 or something. So, no worries. The spcecialist said it could be the current medication I'm on, so maybe I'll see if I can get that changed.

Well there's you're update...took me less than 5 months this time! :o) School starts next week, so I'm sure there'll be plenty to write about then. Chiao!

It's Been Way Too Long!

Okay, it's been way too long. I got lazy, couldn't find anything interesting to write about and just gave up on the blog. So, here I am, back at it. I included some pictures above of our trip to the states. We got to go camping, go to the beach, visit with friend and family and eat at a million different restaurants we've been missing. We had a great time and only regret that it was over so soon!

Our vacation made us even more overweight, so we're trying to lose those pounds again! They are coming off slowly but surely.

Stacey starts up on his schooling again today. He's excited because this is his last class for his associates degree! :o) With how busy he's been, this is a great acomplishment! He is also going to Graf again at the end of September. We're just hoping the appointment for his eye surgery happens soon. He's getting the laser thing done and he has to have it done by October because you have to be here for a year after the surgery and we PCS in October 2010. Everything will work out!

The kids start school on August 31st. Spencer will be in 4th grade and Emily in 6th. 6th starts middle school, so this should be a fun year for her.

I hope everyone is doing well! Sorry it's been so long! I'll try and write more often even if the information is not that interesting, deal?

Luxembourg Or Bust!

Well we finally got out to a destination and I'm finally getting around to blogging about it! This past weekend we went to Luxembourg on a USO tour. It wasn't what we were expecting, but it was an adventure to say the least! We took a bus first to the German War Cemetary. There were 4 names per headstone there. There was also a huge granite cross where there were names of the missing. It was quite impressive. It was from World War I I think. From there, we drove down the road to the Luxembourg American War Cemetary where General Patton is buried. It is always a humbling experience to see all those crosses laid out on the field like that.

After that, we went to Luxembourg City which is the capital city. Right away when we got there, we had 3 hours for lunch (yikes! We don't know what to do!) We had lunch and looked around and then got a map from the tourist office to check out some of the local attractions. When we met back up with the group, we got to go on a walking tour of the city and learn a little history. We also got to see where the official residence of the Grand Duke is (the equivalent of their king). It was quite a long journey, especially for the kids, but we learned a lot.

Lastly, after the walking tour, we got more free time. We decided to go to a historical museum both to keep warm and entertain the kids. They had these neat layouts in each room depicting Luxembourg City from 1000 AD forward as it changed. It was pretty impressive and quite friendly for English speakers. They also had this room where you could walk in and it was an optical illusion. Emily and Spencer really liked that room!

Well, that's about it for that! It was a different experience for us all, that's for sure! :o)

A Taste Of Home!

Well, we finally drove somewhere this weekend, though it wasn't to an exciting European destination. We were told there was a Chili's on the Ramstein Airforce Base about an hour south of here and we just had to go check it out! We haven't been to a sit down restaurant since Dennis and Avis cam to visit last year, so this was a real treat for us! The kids almost forgot how to behave in a restaurant as they were so fidgety and all. One thing here in Germany that you don't get when you go out is ice in your drink or free refills. So, when we went out and got ice and refills we were in heaven....I know, simple, but it was all it took!

On Sunday, Emily had her Girl Scout Thinking day which is a day where troops get together and talk about how girls to scouting throughout the world. Each troop from Daisies to Seniors do a country and they do a round robin. Emily's troop did Japan. Afterwards there was a potluck with international foods to share. She's just finishing up cookie season and is busy at work finishing up some patches that are keeping her busy so we'll see what life has in store for her the next couple of months.

In other news, I am officially on the payroll at the tax center as of February 17th!! Funding and approval all came through and right on time. We have a couple of other people who were trying to get hired who gave up and found other jobs (who can blame them?). So, we are short some preparers now, but all will work out in the end...it always does.

So that is it for the Blasingame household for now! We hope all is well with everyone in your world!

It Still Is...What It Is...

I hope this blog finds everyone in good spirits and happy times! The last couple of weeks have been stressful in the Blasingame household as Alicia is yet to be on the payroll at the tax center. I am currently beginning week number 4 of volunteer duty. I was told today that I have not yet been "Selected" for the position (which is a matter of a technicality). Once personnel selects me from a list of candidates, which will hopefullly be this week, then it is supposed to take two weeks to get on the payroll. Now, I don't mind the work, and I don't even mind volunteering. The problem is that we are paying for childcare and not getting paid and that hurts. It is about $100/week for after school care and no discounts for volunteers. So, we'll see how long this lasts. If it goes on much longer, I may go down to part time and leave early to go get the kids from school instead of paying for care.

Our little IRS problem was a pain, but our 2008 tax return was more substantial than we thought it was going to be. So, the IRS will take their cut and we'll still have enough for vacation. So, thanks for the prayers...they seem to have worked out! :o)

Other than that, we are just trying to survive cabin fever. We are looking to go on a couple of outings once taxes get here...maybe drive to Bavaria or Luxembourg...We took the kids to Tobolino (an indoor kids gym) this past weekend to ease their pain of staying inside but we know they're a hankerin' for more!

Write and let us know how you're doing! We love to hear about our friends and family and all their adventures!

It Is What It Is...

Well, it's that time of year again! I went back to "work" on Monday and it has been a turbulent week of tax training to say the least. There was a problem with getting the pay approved, so our first week of training was on a volunteer basis and we won't actually be on the payroll until January 20th. So, it is what it is and everything will be back to normal by next week!

Tax training week is always stressful! It's tough having to get used to getting up at an earlier hour and actually having to function, having the kids on a new schedule, shuffling around everyone's schedule with only one car, etc. But, add on top of that the 30+ hours of droning on of tax topics and then the 10+ hours of testing. It does get a little stressful!

To make matters worse, in the middle of all this tax training, Stacey and I got a letter of our own from the IRS with a hefty bill for $1700. Evidently I forgot about some income in Oregon when filing last year and we have to pay the back taxes plus penalties and interest. Phrase of the week? It is what it is... This comes one week after our computer just about croaked on us and we had to buy a new one. Our vacation fund is slowly dwidling away, so please put in as many good words as you can with the big guy that finances stablize (aka stop getting one disaster after another) so we can make it home to see our family and friends!

Well, that's about it! Just keep on, keeping on.....