Thoughts for November

Fall has definitely come to Germany. We started to have cooler weather in September without much of an Indian Summer - which was a bummer for me because it is one of my favorite times of the year. We live in an area of rolling hills, farmland, and lots of trees. The trees have turned beautiful colors! I know soon all of the beautiful yellows and oranges will fade to brown and fall to the ground... but for now it is just beautiful. I have loved driving to base this past week as the road is lined with trees. It makes for a pretty drive. Yesterday I went with a friend to an open-air history museum about "pioneer" (for lack of a better word) German life. Everything was in German, so we basically had no idea what we were looking at (aside from old houses and farm equipment). However, the day was gorgeous. There was lots of sunshine and the temperature was around 55 degrees. I got some great pictures.

The 1st of November... I have officially been in Germany for 4 1/2 months. It honestly doesn't seem like it has been that long (although there are  moments where it seems longer!). Being settled into our house has made this feel like "home" to me. Josh left on Sunday for TDY (for you non-military folks that means temporary duty). He is in Nice, France for a week (poor baby). I am happy for him as he deserves to have a lighter load and have a chance to explore/have some fun after working so many long hours. But... I really miss having him here. It sounds silly as he is only gone for a week, so it's really not that big of a deal... but it has been hard having him gone (and it's only Tuesday). He is a quiet, calming force to my busy brain and anxiety. He is an excellent support system. I do fine on my own - I did it for many years successfully. I just realize I've gotten used to having Josh around... and I like it. I don't like him being gone.

I was thinking on my drive home from base today (possibly thoughts stirred by the beauty of the trees) of how grateful I am, how lucky I am. I am so lucky to have Josh in my life - to have someone who is so patient, loving, and fun... to have someone who supports me in all that I do. I am lucky Josh has a good job. I am lucky he was only gone for one week instead of leaving on a six month deployment like so many other people around us are.... When I was on base the grocery store was crazy and the parking lot was overflowing with cars. I couldn't understand why until I realized it's the first of the month. All of the government assistance (WIC) checks are available and everyone got paid. I looked at the madhouse of the grocery store and realized I was SO happy I didn't have to go shopping today. I had more than enough food at home. It made me overwhelmingly grateful that Josh and I are at a point where we do not live paycheck to paycheck and are able to not just buy the necessities of food, but can buy "luxury" items... and buy presents for ourselves, and others. We are "rich"... not really saying that in the money sense (because we are far from rich), but we are rich in so many other ways.

The 1st of November also kicks off me working more. There is a hygienist who is moving, and to make a long story short they had hired another hygienist before me, but she hasn't started working yet due to government/paperwork things. The combination of one hygienist leaving and other hygienists taking vacation time means I have a lot of days to work coming up. This week I work Wednesday thru Saturday. Next week it is Monday thru Thursday, and the week before Thanksgiving I work a full Monday thru Friday. The paycheck will be nice... but it will be a busy few weeks. I will be happy about my paycheck. But... that being said... my blog may be a bit dull... and may be ignored for awhile. The good news (besides my BITCHIN awesome paycheck that will be coming) is that after this TDY Josh will be returning to day shift. After my marathon work weeks (how sad is it that working a "normal" work week is now a marathon to me? What can I say? I work medical office hours/shifts) we will finally be back on a regular schedule together. In the words of my mother "Praise the Lord and pass the wine."