Busy, busy, busy ...

We are less than a week away from our big move! I have barely packed a thing, but I work best under pressure ... so I'll get started in a couple of days. We are driving to Grafenwoehr on Wednesday to pick-up our keys, and then we will return to Schweinfurt because the movers are coming on Thursday. Friday morning Vic will need to do a final out-processing, and we'll be on our way!! This move cannot come soon enough for poor Roscoe. We had to re-paint the living room, and have started to move some stuff around in preparation to be packed ... which has thrown him into anxiety over-load. He is driving me absolutely crazy. I took him to the vet for his yearly shots, and he has gained 15 pounds since we moved here :( ... hopefully the new yard, and bigger house is just what he needs to get his life together.

So we get to Graf on Friday, and will have to go the weekend without our stuff (it is being delivered the following Monday), but after surviving without it for three months - it will be a piece of cake. Plus, we will be plenty busy exploring the new town and surroundings.

I am supposed to start work on October 22nd, but with the way things are going with daycare, or a lack-thereof, my start date may get pushed back a few weeks. The daycare on post is full, and there are no in-home providers available ... so, that's making things a little stressful at the moment. I'm sure it will all work out though ...

Anyway, stress = baking (and then eating all of what I baked). I mentioned a couple weeks ago that I attempted what appeared to be a recipe for Mimi Sue's Coffee Cake. Well, she kindly sent me the real recipe from my Big Mimi ... so I gave it a shot, and it turn out pretty well for my first try!!! It didn't taste exactly like Mimi's, but pretty close!

Side note: a couple people asked for the recipe for the no sugar, no oil banana bread ... here it is ... http://www.skinnytaste.com/2008/11/makeover-banana-nut-bread-3-pts.html ... delicious!

My kitchen helper ...

The finished product ...

I also threw a baby shower for our neighbor Kim, which turned out great (this picture was taken after the food had been eaten). I love a good baby shower, but I can't stand playing the corny games. Lucky for me, we had a small group of fun girls ... who seemed fine with just lounging around, gossiping (Army wives can gossip all day-it's fantastic), and drinking wine (except for the pregnant girl - no wine for her).

Eli Has started to crawl, and he cannot be contained. He's everywhere, and into everything. I've been trying to get a good video, so stay turned for that.

It's getting cold here! We went on a long walk last weekend, and forced Eli to bundle up ... clearly he wasn't excited about it ...

Vic scaling an old scary wall during our walk ...

I stepped into the bedroom for no more than a minute, and Eli had made his way from the living room to the kitchen!! Scary stuff ...

We have a serious teething problem on our hands, and of course, he refuses to use any of the toys designated for teething. I thought Eli was quietly 'reading' his favorite book - when I realized he was being a little too quiet. I went over to investigate, and saw that he ATE a chunk of the book!! Like, he ingested it! The irony of the book he chose to eat is just too much ...

He is also getting better at standing/pulling himself up. It's been a busy week for ol' Eli ...

Today we had to go to the doctor to test his iron levels ... just a routine test ... nothing to worry about. He did great, and even got this elaborate band-aide. He milked the situation for a good hour ... he's very dramatic ...

In other news ... since coming to Germany I have been attempting to make the most of my free time by getting my Master's degree ... after researching my brains out - I was coming up with nothing. Either the program wasn't accredited, or just seemed like a scam. I even visited the Education Center here on post, and the guy looked at me like I had three boobs when I told him I wanted to get my Master's. He handed me a couple pamphlets on Computer Science, and basically told me to get lost. Well, a few weeks ago I received an e-mail from my alma-mater Ball State University. Usually I immediately delete these because they are often asking for some kind of donation ... seriously, I already owe you guys twenty grand ... call me in the year 2035. Anyway, something caught my eye, and I decided to open it. Apparently they have started a whole Distance Education program, and their Master's in Educational Administration is exactly what I have been looking for. I e-mailed the Department Chair with my current situation, and she got right back to me saying they have dealt with plenty of military wives stationed overseas. That sealed the deal for me. I start classes in January, and will be done by the time we leave Germany. All I will need to do when we get stateside is sit for the Principal's Exam in Florida! Woohoo! It is going to be a lot of work, but it will pay off huge when we get home. Lucky for me I have a very supportive family (morally and financially) to make this whole thing a little easier. I'm really excited to use my brain again ... it has turned a little mushy this past year.

That's all that is going on around here. Tomorrow we are headed to a little town about an hour away - they have an awesome outlet mall with American stores, and we need a couple of things for the brutal winter that we're about to face in Grafenwoehr. The town is also home to the largest stone castle in Germany, so we're going to check that out as well!!

Hopefully I will have time for one more post before our phone and internet is shut off on the 9th ... unfortunately, there's no telling how long it will take them to get it set-up in our new place. If you don't hear from me for awhile that's why!!