We write to taste life twice

Lance ordered the Kindle! He won't let me have it until Christmas, but I have actual books to read until then, so that's fine.

YAY! I'm so excited! A few months ago, I would've refused to even consider getting an e-reader, but now I can see the value in getting one. This doesn't mean I'll stop reading real books. I still love the feel of a book in my hand and the smell of the pages.

And I already have a book I can read on it when I get it. I'm currently reading this book via the Kindle app on my phone.

Speaking of books...I think I'm now addicted to this GoodReads app. I've been going around this evening scanning Lance's books into my GoodReads list. So if any of you are friends with me on GoodReads and you see some updates from me with some book titles that seem a little odd, that's probably because they're Lance's books. I haven't touched any of his computer books in the office, but I might do that tomorrow if he wants me to.

If I hadn't already taken photos of our entire movie collection, I would check to see if there was an app that allows me to scan all the DVD and VHS cases. But I don't really need to do that now. What we do need to do is fire up the old camcorder that's been collecting dust for 7 years and record our appliances and electronics to show that they're all in proper working order.

I need to figure out what my task will be for tomorrow. I know we have to start tackling things in the garage, but a lot of that stuff is Lance's. Still, I should probably photograph our bikes. And here inside the house, I should take pictures of our furniture. Or...since we still have pictures from the house listing, I probably already have that taken care of. But I'll look at the pictures and see if we missed anything.

There is snow in the mountain passes today. On Twitter, I've seen posts about accidents and spinouts and jackknifed semis on Snoqualmie Pass. Of course, this is the EXACT route we're taking when we leave Seattle in 8 weeks, and even with traction tires and snow chains, we can't be guaranteed of total safety. It's the other drivers that worry me, and it's obvious from all the problems today that people still drive carelessly in bad weather.

Frankly, this is the part about moving that scares me the most. Well, it's the only part that really scares me, honestly. If only we could be making this drive any other time of year, but it's not possible.

But that's two months from now. I'll try not to worry about it until we leave. For now, I'm going to try to focus on the upcoming holidays and all the tasks that need to be completed before the movers get here.

Speaking of holidays - Thanksgiving is in 10 days. It's always been my favorite holiday. I'm anxious to start cooking already. It's too early yet, of course, but I'll probably start my food prep next Tuesday. I usually make the cranberry sauce a couple days in advance. This year is a bit of a bittersweet holiday for me, for more than one reason. I keep thinking that next year, I should be able to get home to Ohio. We'll be so much closer, and I'll be there for more holidays...more special occasions. That might very well be the best thing about moving.

I got quite a few text messages last night on my new phone...even one from Germany! (Thanks, Sarah!) I texted my brother in Los Angeles and he called me right back. Welcome me to the 21st century! *grin*

Anyway, obviously we got phones yesterday. We went to the Verizon just outside the base, and Lance was in uniform, and the saleswoman (who was awesome) is (was?) also military (or a military spouse)...she said she was stationed at Wiesbaden. So she gave us tremendous service and a military discount and a really good deal. I even have a bluetooth headset! Lance got free activation on his phone, although we had to pay for activation on mine. He didn't mind too much though.

I have a pretty burgundy phone. Lance's is dark gray. We played with them most of the day yesterday.

So yesterday was made of win. Lance got a lot of his inprocessing accomplished, and I didn't do much but follow him around as he went from office to office and sat and read a book while he took care of business. We worked our way toward a cafe called Cafe Lancelatte (HAHAHA) so I stopped there and got beverages while he took care of some more business.

(As an aside...oh my God, emmabovary - the woman working at this cafe could've been the long lost sister of your boyfriend. The entire cafe was a shrine to Prince, and she had purple fingernails with Prince's symbol painted on them and a Prince symbol tattoo).

We went to the medical center and visited Flight Medicine and Tricare. Guess what?! I AM ALLOWED TO SEE A CIVILIAN DOCTOR!!!!!!! Woohoo! A Tricare rep. helped me pick out a local FEMALE doctor near our house. I already knew I had a civilian dentist, but knowing I don't have to drive all the way down to McChord for medical care is just awesome.

We had our final walk-through yesterday. The only damage from the severe rainstorms almost 2 weeks ago was that one of the boards on the privacy fence snapped in half...an easy fix. This was the first time we saw the house without furnishings...and we went around and checked all the windows to see if they opened. Only one is stuck and won't open. But it seems that the lady who lived there never opened the windows at all, and there is all manner of gross things between the windows and the screens when you open them up.

At one point, I was talking to our agent's assistant (we are working with a team of 3 people from the realty) and she asked me what the purpose was of the big opening in the wall between the kitchen and the living room, which is located above our kitchen cabinets up to the ceiling. We were contemplating it, and then I got this absolutely amazing, brilliant idea. I can get a stained glass piece and hang it in that opening. With the light we get in the house, it would be gorgeous, and it would be a real focal point, both in the kitchen and in the living room. So now I need to find something that works, although that's not a big priority at the moment. And I'm sure it'll be expensive.

We went to Home Depot last night, looking at the washer and dryer we picked out. The washer is smaller than we expected, so Lance has serious doubts about getting it, but there are very few washers and dryers that fit in the tiny space that was designated for the laundry room. So we're going to check out Lowe's and Sears. While we were there, I picked out a color for the kitchen...a gorgeous sage green.

Our stuff is here! All of our stuff...and Lance's truck, which arrived yesterday. While we can pick up his truck right now if we want, our stuff can't be delivered to the house until the 20th. It was either that or the 12th, and the house isn't ours until the 14th. I hate that we have to wait that long, and it means we can't live in the house until then. Our hotel is only booked through the 19th, so we may have to buy an air mattress and sleep at the new house overnight on the 19th. But we won't have any furniture or anything.

Oh...and we checked out Winco last night, which is amazing price-wise, as far as the local grocery stores go. We got some stuff to make skillet meals here at the hotel for the next few nights. I think we're both sick of eating out. Still, we went to Subway for dinner last night, and they only slightly burned my personal pizza, and offered to make me a new one, but really, the pizza was fine. And they gave me two free cookies to apologize!

We're invited to Lance's office Christmas party on the 22nd. I'm supposed to bring a dessert. Heh. That'll be an interesting trick. I'm thinking I'll end up making something no bake...maybe my Mom's cherry stuff recipe, which is basically no-bake cherry cheesecake.

By the way, this is night #3 of severe jetlag. And I'm looking very rough since we got here...big dark circles under my eyes and splotchy skin. I need to get some sleep!

Whilst watching Animal Planet, in English with Dutch subtitles, we learned that the Dutch word for squirrel is "eekhoorn". What a fun word!

Nothing of substance to post, except to say that we are full of win today...because of what I mentioned in my last post and because Lance was able to get us different seats on our flight tomorrow. Originally, the flight was almost full and the only seats left were in the middle of the middle row. Ugh. Suddenly today, Lance discovered that a ton of seats have opened up, and got us a window and an aisle seat in the very last row of the flight...so while we'll be right by the lavatory, which is both good and bad, we'll also be the first ones on the plane after the first and business class passengers get on. And that will ensure that Lance can put his carry-ons in the overhead bin by our seats.

It pays to check the seating on the flight everyday. You just never know when you can change your seats if you don't like what you were originally given.

Anyway, I'm expecting this motion sickness pill to kick in at any time...it makes me drowsy, and I'm supposed to take one the night before we travel. I usually don't need them, but since I actually got very nauseous on our last flight to the US, I thought it best to take them this time as a precautionary measure.

Also...because I am awesome, I just finished filling my paper journal this evening. I've been keeping this journal for almost the entire time we've lived in Europe, and I just inked the very last page...I can start a new journal for the new chapter in our lives. I already have two blank journals packed up with my books.

We just got back a short while ago from Lance's office Christmas party at Paganini.

It was good, except for the service. Our waiter was kind of an asshole. He's always there at Paganini...I've seen him every time I've eaten there. But he never really rubbed me the wrong way until this evening. He just had a major attitude problem and he kept acting like we were in his way.

Anyway, overall the dinner was great, and I think Lance really understands just how useful he is at the office. Everyone gushed on and on about how wonderful he is and how much they will miss him. And our meal was paid for. :) I thought that was really sweet.

We had large antipasti platters to share around the table. We ordered our own entrees. I had tagliatelle with salmon and cream sauce. Lance had lasagna. I drank some Pinot Grigio. Lance and I split a tiramisu. Dinner stretched out to almost 4 hours, but it was 4 hours that went by too fast.

Now it's finally hitting me. We're leaving... and we are not coming back. Tonight made that absolutely real to me.

Well, I'm sleepy, so I'll be going to bed soon. Tomorrow we depart for Amsterdam, where we will stay overnight. I have a friend request on Good Reads...Traci, I'll add you back when I have the chance. We're running low on internet time now.

When we signed the lease on our house, we had dinner at Side Grill (a Turkish restaurant) to celebrate.

So we decided after the keys were turned back over to the landlord this evening, we would do the same thing.

But first, we had to clean the house. We were there all day and I am thoroughly sore and exhausted. Lance did the basement and garage and spent most of the day going back and forth to base to throw out our trash and hazardous wastes. Even though we gave the landlord money to hire a professional cleaner, I still wanted to leave the house in good shape. So I spent the day scrubbing the bathrooms and kitchen and sweeping and mopping the floors. It was the cleanest I had ever gotten it, but it's pretty easy to get things clean when there is no furniture.

Shortly before 7, the landlord and his parents showed up. They signed the papers saying that there were no problems with the house...we actually left it in better shape than it was when we got it. We added light fixtures and left behind curtains and a microwave.

They gave us some cookies as a parting gift. We had a bottle of California Merlot for them (I wanted to get them a Washington state wine, but I couldn't find any).

After we left the house, we came back to the hotel to drop off some stuff, and then walked to Side Grill for our dinner. I had a huge plate of doner meat, salad, and fries (I asked for rice...oh well) and Lance had his usual - doner meat baked with cheese. We will miss our doner kebap. I wish I could get it in the States.

It's been a nasty day today...windy and rainy. And I feel like I've been hit by a steamroller. Off to bed with me soon...we're just finishing wrapping up some packages that need to be sent to our new home.

Two more days of living in this house. The phone and internet will be shut off sometime tomorrow, but the furniture won't be removed until Wednesday. Lance was going to arrange for us to move into the hotel tomorrow, but I figured there was no sense in us paying for the extra night (the military only covers 10 nights, and staying tomorrow night would make it 11) if we still had furniture here until Wednesday.

I wish I had thought this out better. I would give anything to be out of this house right now. Living here is making me miserable. I alternate between the laptop, a novel (which I finished last night, so I no longer even have reading material), and a variety puzzle book. Tomorrow, I won't even have the internet. Well, I might for awhile, but I don't know when they'll be shutting it off.

Two more days...and then we'll be living in a hotel apartment. We'll have a TV. We'll have internet. We'll have carpet and comfortable furniture and a kitchen stocked with dishes. I have never looked more forward to staying in a hotel in my life. Plus we'll be in the center of Geilenkirchen, so I can get out and do window shopping or take a power walk out to Burg Trips. It's a little less boring than being here.

Anyway, I started packing. I have two suitcases to fill and I'll have even more stuff than that, but whatever doesn't fit will be shipped to Washington. Thursday, we'll be here at the house clearing away trash (i.e., the household things that we plan to discard) and cleaning up. I don't plan to be too thorough about the cleaning though, since we're paying for the landlord to bring in a professional cleaner. She called me last night, and her rate is much much lower than we expected. Lance already told the landlord that he expected it to run about 200 euros (he pulled that amount out of thin air...neither of us has ever hired a professional cleaner, so we have no idea what it costs) and her rate is about half that.

Saturday, we turn the Crap-Mobile in to the junkyard (and they aren't giving us one single, solitary cent for it...bastards!) and get a rental car.

Two weeks from today, we'll be in-processing at McChord. Oh my god oh my god oh my god. Two weeks from today, we start filling our rental car full of stuff we'll be buying for our new home.

Today, Lance pulls our medical files from the clinic (now let's just hope neither of us needs to go there in the next couple weeks). Tomorrow, he turns in his NATO flight suit and chem warfare gear...and he goes back to wearing US Air Force uniforms.

We're in the home stretch now.

The insanity-inducing boredom rages on. Lance has the car today, so I'm housebound, although the weather is gross anyway, so I probably wouldn't go out even if I had the car.

Spent the morning job searching. That's lots of wasted time, seeing as how I seem to be qualified for nothing. But I have plenty of time to waste anyway.

I've spent intervals cleaning bathrooms and shredding papers. For the shredder is going with the movers on Monday, and we must get rid of the shred pile.

Now I am enjoying a tasty but nutritionally bereft lunch: a pre-made pizza crust baked with margarine, garlic powder, Italian seasoning and parmesan cheese...topped with some of this Fruschetta dip/spread that I have to use up (basically a bruschetta dip mix with mango added, mixed with extra virgin and water).

My grocery list for the coming week takes into consideration that I will be eating on my own most of the week, and using whatever I already have here...so the grocery list is short. At least we're saving on groceries in these last weeks.

Monday, they take away all my kitchen stuff, among other things. I have old pots and pans saved in the basement. I will have to get paper plates and plastic cutlery at the commissary. I can borrow stuff if I need it.

I'm going out as much as possible next week. I hate that Lance will be TDY. This is a horrible time for him to leave. It's not a big deal usually. But this boredom is already unbearable, and now I won't even have him to talk to.

All this moving stuff is starting to become a huge pain in my ass. Military moves are dragged out for eternity, especially when they are overseas moves. What I wouldn't give to just pack stuff up in boxes, throw it all in a U-Haul, and drive to our new home.

It'll all be worth it in the end, though.

Exactly one month...9th of December.

***

Anyway, last night I met up with Andrea at the Alliance Theatre on the NATO base in Brunssum to see their production of Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None." Andrea's husband is both stage and sound manager for the production. This was the first performance, and generally the least attended, so they could work out whatever kinks came up during the performance.

Yeah, there were some. And there were things that were unintentionally funny, or maybe it was just Andrea and I giggling over stupid stuff for the sake of giggling about something. We enjoyed ourselves, anyway. And I'm not familiar with Agatha Christie's canon, so I was surprised at the plot. I thought it was pretty well done, given the limited resources and the smallness of the theatre community here.

Andrea and are getting together tomorrow for the Da Vinci Expo in Brussels. Can't wait for that. And we'll probably be getting together multiple times next week...I've been invited over for movies and margaritas, and it's sweet of them to try and keep me entertained during Lance's absence.

Tea is my saving grace today...mmmmmmm caffeine. I'm SO tired right now. We were up at 7 this morning because Lance had to take the truck in for detailing, since it's being shipped off tomorrow. So I had to follow him to the detailer guy's house in Brunssum. We are scheduled to pick it up at 4 this afternoon. We were skeptical that he would get it finished by then, but when we drove by his house 2 hours after it was dropped off, he had already completed the washing and waxing.

Anyway, we went to Schinnen so Lance could get bulbs to replace the ones that burned out in his daytime running lights. But true to Schinnen form, they didn't have any in the size that he needed. Color me shocked.

But it wasn't a wasted trip. Since my only decent suitcase got busted on the flight back from Seattle last week, I had to replace it (the handle that pops out to pull it got jammed and would not pull out, so I had to carry the suitcase, and it makes things very difficult).

I'm telling you people, it's one thing to be thrifty (as I am), but some things are just worth splurging on. Luggage is one of these things. I've gotten through my years here in Europe on a 5 piece luggage set that cost me $99 at Target, but the suitcases are definitely showing their wear and tear. So now I'm throwing out the one that got damaged last week and I'm keeping the largest suitcase of that set just for this next flight back to the States...then I'm throwing that one away because it's torn up pretty badly. (We are both allowed 2 pieces of luggage each for our flight, and we're certainly taking advantage of this, since most of our worldly possessions that were not shipped will be stuffed in our suitcases.)

Anyway, my new suitcase is from Eddie Bauer and it seems good and sturdy and should last a good long time. It's not quite as nice as the Samsonite hard-shell that Lance bought a month ago, but the important thing is, I can pull it.

FIVE WEEKS FROM TODAY, WE ARE MOVING TO THE US.

I have fewer mixed feelings about this than I did 2 weeks ago. Buying a house helps. But it would also help if I actually knew some people in the area (not counting you LJ people that live in the area...although I've never met any of you in person). We were warned about this thing called "The Seattle Freeze," in which it appears that Seattle residents are standoffish toward new people in town (not unfriendly, but just not interested in becoming friends).

This article doesn't exactly fill me with hope:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/pacificnw/2005/0213/cover.html

So who knows? Kent isn't Seattle. But it's close.

In other news, we have a washer and dryer picked out now. The laundry room at the house is so tiny that we had to measure the depth and width of the space in order to find ones that will fit. Some of them are too big. We also wanted an Energy Star compliant washer, and Lance was partial to the LG brand, but they cost upwards of $800. We found a GE one that has received great reviews overall, is still Energy Star compliant, and cost less than $600. And the corresponding dryer is less than $500. And they fit in that room. And the washer is front-loading, which I need because I will have to put shelves above both the washer and the dryer in order to store my laundry supplies (either that, or get drawers to go underneath them, which are sold separately and are not cheap). Still working on picking out a fridge, but I got the choices narrowed down to 2: one at Sears and one at Home Depot. We're still hoping the fridge will be left at the house when we move in, but it's not supposed to be (our agent asked if we could have it as a consolation prize for having to pay $5K more than the asking price for the house). All other appliances are included, but the microwave and dishwasher are as old as the house (1989). They are under warranty for a year after we move in, so I'm hoping they both break so they will be replaced without expense to us.

Our agent gave us the honor of putting up the Sold sign on the house.