Roller Coaster of Pain

Day 55
Thursday, February 24, 2011

Today I woke up groggy and in pain! I rolled out of bed at 0900 so I could call the doctor and try to get another referral for a second opinion on my back. I spoke with 3 or 4 people before a Tricare representative from Heidelberg, Germany told me I still had a referral in the system until April of this year but I needed to physically walk into the Tricare Office over on Patch and make an appointment. She told me it wouldn’t be a problem to see a different doctor to get a second opinion and then gave me a list of doctors who were available in my area.

I feel like this...

I waited until Matt could bring me the car (his is still being worked on) so I could drive over to Patch even though I wasn’t exactly in the best condition to drive. Once I arrived at the Tricare Office I signed in and took a seat. They weren’t busy at all so I was called into a room very quickly. This nice lady politely told me I was given incorrect information over the phone and that the referral was only good until the end of February but it was also only for the same doctor I had gone to before, the one who for whatever reason won’t return my messages (phone or email). She told me to make an appointment with a doctor here at the clinic to get a new referral and that once it hit their system I could come back in to the Tricare Office to make an appointment with this new doctor. Anybody confused yet? I know I am! I left a message with my doctor's nurse to have him call me when he got a chance so that we could tail about getting me a second opinion. There wasn't anything else I could do here today so I left the Medical Clinic.

I stopped by the Physical Therapy Clinic before leaving Patch, and made an appointment to meet with a physical therapist. I’ve already tried PT back in the States, but at this point I’ll take whatever I can get to keep from going paralyzed.

I ended the evening by popping another pain pill and drifting off to dreamland while my husband played Call of Duty in the living room.

The word "now" is like a bomb through the window, and it ticks.  ~Arthur Miller

Pain, Pain, Go Away

Day 54
Wednesday, February 23, 2011

I slept in until 1030 am because when my alarm went off at 0800 I felt too sore to get out of bed. I mopped the kitchen floor did some stretching and one more load of laundry before I was completely whipped out. I think I did way too much today and now I was paying for it. Unfortunately by the time my husband got home from work I was too sore to even make dinner and when I bent down to put something in the dishwasher, I injured my back so bad that he had to help me up off the floor. I was in tears and mad at myself for trying to do too much these past two days. I took a pain pill, emailed work (unfortunately I didn't have my supervisors phone number) that I wasn't going to make it in the next day, and went to bed.

 I hate when this happens, it makes me feel so helpless and depressed. I just want a normal life, one where I can play sports and be active would be great, but at this point I would just be happy to be able to do my regular house work without having to pop a prescription drug.

Every day of our lives we are on the verge of making those slight changes that would make all the difference.  ~Mignon McLaughlin

From Lazy Bones to Busy Bee

Day 53
Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Today I wanted to catch up on some house work so I cleaned the bathroom and did a few loads of laundry. I was feeling pretty lazy and thought I would take a nap but I got a phone call from our Generals wife asking if I could help her put together an Evite for the upcoming Marine Forces luncheon that the Marine spouses put on each year. Since our Marines volunteer to help set up tents for the annual Bazaar put on by the Stuttgart Community Spouses Club, we serve them a nice hot lunch.

I love this sort of thing so I said I would love to help and asked for some more details before getting down to business. A few minutes later I had put together quite an impressive electronic invitation with a sign up box for guests to bring something and volunteer to serve lunch. The Generals wife was pleased enough with my work to make me an “Admin” on our Stuttgart Marine Spouses Facebook page. I felt pretty accomplished by the end of the day; I even made two posts on the Facebook page. I love being able to inform people and it’s been a while since I've been able to do so since I’m still pretty new to the area. It was good to feel needed!

If we would only give, just once, the same amount of reflection to what we want to get out of life that we give to the question of what to do with a two weeks' vacation, we would be startled at our false standards and the aimless procession of our busy days.  ~Dorothy Canfield Fisher

A Whole Foods kind of Day

Day 52
Monday, February 21, 2011

Today I began the three day "Ease-In" for the Lemonade Cleanse and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I was able to eat all the fruit and vegetables I wanted.

Matt and I enjoyed some quality time together after returning his rental car. We rented a DVD, and bought a ton of fruit at the commissary. We went walking around the Böblingen City Center and headed to bed early.

The more side roads you stop to explore, the less likely that life will pass you by.  ~Robert Brault

On the Road Again

Day 51
Sunday, February 20, 2011

Shari and I slept in until after 1000 and ate another delicious German breakfast before hitting the road back to the Stuttgart area. Lotty loaded us up with German cookies and some of her homemade marmalade and Onkel Helmut gave each of us a bottle of his favorite red wine from France. 

Erdbeere Marmelade

We left their house at 1215 and just before we left the little town of Sayn, we passed a castle. Sayn is just down the hill from Stromberg on the way to the Autobahn and the castle ruins are from the 12th century. I turned around and parked in a parking lot across the street from the entrance and we began our journey up the hill to the castle.

Once we reached the top, we saw the 800-year-old castle (Burg) of the Princes of Sayn-Wittgenstein. From here you can enjoy a beautiful panoramic view from the heights of the "Westerwald" across the Rhine valley to the volcanic mountains of the Eifel. The inner courtyard hosts the castle tavern "DIESAYN BURG", where weary visitors may pause for a rest. Since it was Sunday...everything was closed.

 After some exploring and some pretty good exercise, we drove home. Lotti packed us some sandwiches and bundt cake for the road so we didn't have to stop to eat but we had to stop once for gas, and once more so I could use the restroom. The weather was nasty, it started snowing, and the temp dropped to 31 degrees for the rest of the day. I was so excited to get home and see Matt after this long and super fun weekend.


If I could only remember that the days were, not bricks to be laid row on row, to be built into a solid house, where one might dwell in safety and peace, but only food for the fires of the heart.  ~Edmund Wilson

Deutsches Eck und Deutsches Essen

Day 50
Saturday, February 19, 2011

Shari and I woke up around 0900 and when we went down stairs the table was already set for breakfast and Tante Lotty was busy in the Kitchen marinating meat for dinner that night. I gave her a great big hug and actually had to bend down to do so, she's so short. She celebrates her 70th Birthday this July. 

Tante Lotty

We enjoyed a wonderful German breakfast of, fresh brotchens, homemade strawberry marmalade (made by Lotty), German meats and cheeses, and soft boiled eggs served in special holders just for these types of eggs.

Deutsches Frühstück

Shari and I went on an adventure exploring Koblenz while Tante Lotty attended a birthday party and Onkel Helmut taught a saxophone lesson to one of his students. We were told to be home by 1900 for dinner and after Lotty packed us a sack lunch with sandwiches and homemade bundt kuchen (bunt cake) we were on our way.

Deutsches Eck

Koblenz is only about 15 to 20 minutes away from Stromberg and even though the day was pretty darn cold and a little bit foggy, we still had a great time, like we always do. After visiting the Deutsches Eck (German Corner) which is where the Rhein and Moselle rivers meet, we saw signs for a castle which was closed for construction but we thought we could at least get close enough to take pictures. We asked three different people for directions and after an hour of driving around we finally gave up and headed back to the Beck house (Helmut and Lotty’s).

It was so nice to be back indoors in a warm home, and since I didn't eat my sandwich for lunch, I was starving. For dinner we had cucumber salad with french fries, and breaded pork cutlet that looked a lot like schnitzel but Lotty said it wasn't. We finished off dinner with pineapple slices and Melitta coffee. 

After dinner, Shari and I went over to a neighbor’s house and had some drinks and ate cheese and salami while speaking German. They wouldn't let me speak English, it was fun and a little funny considering my level of understanding, but I think everyone appreciated my attempts.

Our time consumes like smoke, and posts away;
Nor can we treasure up a month or day:
The sand within the transitory glass
Doth haste, and so our silent minutes pass.
~Rowland Watkyns

Road Trip Time

Day 49
Friday, February 18, 2011
I had to work again today and I was dreading it when my alarm went off at 0600. I hit snooze until 0625 but I never fell back asleep. I was looking forward to getting off work and hitting the road to Stromberg, Germany just outside of Koblenz, before traffic picked up. I had seven testers scheduled for this morning and thankfully only five showed up. I have nine available computers for testing but four were not cooperating today.

After the testers were all situated and things calmed down, I started writing myself a list of things to do before I left base and what I needed to pack. I wanted to make sure I remembered to check the oil so that was at the top of my list. I picked up a bottle of wine for my Mom's Onkel Helmut, and a bouquet of flowers for my Mom's Tante Lotti. I bought some drinks and snacks for the road and then headed to pick up my friend Shari who was making the trip with me to help me communicate with my Mother's German relatives.

Onkel Helmut, Me, Tante Lotty

We were on the road by 1700 and after a couple of hours of drinking Sugar Free Red Bull and snacking on Oreos we were ready to stop for dinner. An hour later we arrived in Stromberg and were so tired, we said our hellos to Onkel Helmut and hit the hay. Lotty was already in bed because she wasn't feeling well.




In theory one is aware that the earth revolves, but in practice one does not perceive it, the ground upon which one treads seems not to move, and one can live undisturbed.  So it is with Time in one's life.  ~Marcel Proust

Manufactured Sunshine and Natural Sweetness

Day 48
Thursday, February 17, 2011
I slept in until about 1030 today and I felt a little guilty but I knew I needed it, again. I jumped right in the shower and got dressed to go run some errands before heading to the gym. I needed to make an appointment to get a hair cut, stop by this shop in the exchange that sends rings out for cleaning to see how much they charge, and check our mail box. I also bought a new shower curtain; I bought one made of fabric because my husband thinks a fabric one will fly around less than the plastic liner that keeps annoying us in the shower.

After I finished my errands on base, I went looking for an organic store in the City Center of Böblingen called "Reformhaus." I was in search of organic Grade B Maple Syrup, organic lemons, and organic peppermint tea. I didn't actually find the Reformhaus (I gave up after the GPS took me around the same block twice) but I knew of a German grocery store on the bottom level of the City Center called REWE so I thought I'd give it a try. I ended up finding everything there and I left a very happy customer. I needed all of these odd ingredients because on Monday I'm starting the Lemonade Master Cleanse.

German Maple Syrup

I stopped by the Sonnen Studio (tanning salon) on my way home and got a little color on my face. I don't tan very often anymore, but every now and when it's a dreary 35 degree day like today, I need a little sunshine, and tanning does the trick.

Bed 14, my Favorite

After tanning, I dropped my groceries off at home and headed to the gym for a great workout. When I got home I showered, made some dinner, and watched another chick flick called "You Again."

I really didn't want to leave the house after my movie, I was so warm and comfy but I knew I needed to return these DVDs by noon tomorrow and since I had to work in the morning, now was the only possible time I could do it. I put on my coat and shoes and headed to Patch. I went ahead and filled up the gas tank for our road trip and vacummed the car out so we would be ready to go after I got off work.


Begin doing what you want to do now.  We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our hand, and melting like a snowflake.  ~Marie Ray

Thank God for Precious Moments

Day 47
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
I'm pretty sure I caught up on some sleep this morning that I didn't know I needed. When I woke up, I could hear the birds chirping outside of my window and I decided to just stay in bed for a few more minutes and listen to them. I thanked God for this little moment in my life and got out of bed to do some cleaning and take a shower before heading to the gym for a nice long workout.

I got home from the gym at about 1500 and after showering and grabbing a high protein lunch, I began working on my 20 page paper for my Family Systems class. My paper is called: Alcoholism: The effects on Marriage. I wrote about five pages before calling it a night at 2000 to make myself some dinner and watch episodes of Glee on my laptop in bed.




When your life flashes before your eyes, make sure you've got plenty to watch.  ~Author unknown

Life as I know it

Day 46
Tuesday, 15, 2011

Matt left early this morning for Hohenfels, Germany to shoot a training exercise; he'll be gone until Sunday. He is a Public Affairs Marine and is really good at it, if you ask me. I had to work all day at the testing center and by the time I got off work I was pooped. I went to the Shoppette and rented a couple chick flicks to fill my night with lighthearted fun. I called my Mom and caught up for about an hour before watching a movie. I was able to talk to Matt just long enough to say "I love you" and then the we lost our connection. Being out in the field sucks for communication but I'm sure he is enjoying it a lot less than I am.

I had to call my Mom’s uncle (Onkel) Helmut to tell him my friend Shari and I would be there around 1900 or 2000 on Friday night to visit for the weekend. He and my Mom's aunt (Tante) Lotty have been asking us to come visit since we moved here and when we finally picked a weekend that would work, Matt ends up leaving...just my luck. Thank goodness for great friends who don't mind giving up their entire weekend to take a road trip to visit family.

Me & Shari

I poured a glass of wine and watched the movie, "Life as we know it," until I was too tired to keep my eyes open.

If you wait, all that happens is that you get older.  ~Larry McMurtry

Happy Valentine's Day

Day 45
Monday, February 14, 2011

I took my recumbent Bike out of the laundry room and enjoyed a nice long ride in my living room while watching "Maid of Honor."

Since today is Valentine's Day, the AFN Movie Channel was playing romantic comedy's all day long, which just so happen to be my favorite genre. I probably could have stayed glued to the TV all day long but I had some things to do today so I got dressed and headed over to the Patch Clinic once again, to have my PPD shot read. I guess I was in the clear because the nurse let me leave :) and I finally had the paperwork (1 of about 25) I needed for the Red Cross.

Sadly, my husband had to work until after 1700 today and I still needed to do some last minute laundry and he needed to pack and do a homework assignment before his trip to Hohenfels in the morning. I have no idea why he waits until the last minute to do things sometimes. We decided to stay close to home this year because of the time constraints so we went to Dinner at Bella Italia in Böblingen. We both had Bruschetta, Spaghetti Carbonara, and Chianti for dinner.

Bruschetta

Spaghetti Carbonara

After Dinner we walked over to a local Gelato shop where they make everything from scratch, even Ice Cream (Gelato) Cakes. Matt tried a scoop of both Hazelnut and Chocolate, and I tried Stracciatella for the first time and I'm in love!

Gelato

Not a bad Valentine's Day! Next year I really hope we make it to France, we are only about an hour and a half away from Strasbourg.


Most of us spend our lives as if we had another one in the bank.  ~Ben Irwin

German Hot Chocolate, Fresh Flowers, AND Chinese Food...This could be Heaven

Day 44
Sunday, February 13, 2011

I was so tired from last night and I really didn't want to be around anybody but Matt today. I had spent all of last night with people and one of my friends spent the night so she was there when we woke up this morning and didn't leave until about noon. Not that I don't love my friends, but Matt leaves early Tuesday morning for the week, and tomorrow is Valentine's Day but he has to work late so I really just wanted to hang out with him today.

Kate's favorite Church

After my friend left, I gave myself a Mary Kay facial before taking a shower. Then Matt and I got dressed and went over to the Commissary on Patch to do some healthy food shopping. As we were coming back to Panzer, where we live, we saw our friends Kate and Gio driving in behind us. Kate called Matt's phone and since he was driving I answered it. She invited us to go to Downtown Stuttgart with them and walk around , people watch, and eat some Chinese food. I didn't feel like doing any of that but after Matt called me an "old lady" for not being able to handle going out the night before, I said "sure."

Hot Chocolate

It ended up being a great time and I experienced a new side of Stuttgart. We walked around for a bit, stopped at a beautiful church and took some pictures, and then Kate and I grabbed some hot beverages while the guys went looking for Cigars. I honestly thought everything would be closed since it was Sunday, I had never thought about all the restaurants, coffee bars, and sidewalk entertainers that still need to make money on a Sunday.

Me at the Cafe

"Statues"

The guys were gone for a little longer than we expected so Kate and I began planning trips we could take before she and Gio move to the states in May or June. I sipped on the most fantastic hot chocolate while Kate enjoyed a Coffee. We did some people watching and just as we were about to call the guys, they showed up with flowers for us, it was so sweet.

Man on Unicycle juggling fire

Gio & Kate

The guys ordered coffees and we chatted for a few more minutes before deciding to go each at "Rice Man," this amazing Chinese food buffet that I had never even heard of and was actually really affordable, unlike most things in Germany.

On our way back to the car we found these things to play on...

Me

Gio

Matt, Gio, Kate

What a great way to end the weekend, I am so glad I decided to take a chance and go hang out with friends today!



We die daily.  Happy those who daily come to life as well.  ~George MacDonald

Ladies Night Out

Day 43
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Since I have several girlfriends who are either single or are going to be alone on Valentine's Day because their husband is away, I decided to host a "Ladies Night Out" Valentine's party for us. We started with dinner at "Hacienda," a Mexican restaurant in Stuttgart that makes amazing chicken tacos. Since it was Friday night, they had a Mariachi band and a lady dacing on stage.

We talked about our drink order and who wanted to split pitchers. I had been looking forward to an original margarita on the rocks and since my friend Suzi agreed to share, we ordered a pitcher. For some reason they only had them frozen, and the original (lime) margaritas were blue instead of yellow/gold in color, but they still tasted great. Two other girls ordered a pitcher of Sangria which arrived with a sparkler...it was so pretty.

I went against my gut and ordered what I thought was a "tuna taco salad." The menu said "thun fish" and Sari ("The German") even said that it meant "tuna." I also added cheese which I assumed would be shredded.  My salad arrived with triangle cheese slices and tasted like tuna fish out of a can. I should have ordered the chicken tacos again!

We ended the evening by dancing all night long at Club Village in down town Stuttgart. This was be far one of the best ladies nights out I have ever had!

Gather ye rose-buds while ye may;
Old Time is still a-flying;
And this same flower that smiles today,
Tomorrow will be dying.
~Robert Herrick

Eat, Pray, Love, Live...in the Moment

Day 42
Friday, February 11, 2011

Today I had to go back to the clinic to get my PPD shot. This is the last immunization I'll need for a while, I have to come back in six months for two more Hepatitis shots and then I should be done for several years.

I still had that DVD "Eat, Pray, Love" to watch and since it was due Saturday before noon, I had to watch it today. I pulled my bike out of the laundry room, inserted the DVD and began my workout.

The movie was so moving. I loved the theme of "Eat, Pray, Love" and how Julia Robert's character visited such differing cultures exploring new things as she moved from place to place; all the while, seizing the day.

Her time in India made me think of one of the first graduate classes I took with Dr. Brewster called, "World Religions, Post 9-11." In this class we studied: Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, and Primal Religions. Most of these religions were completely new to me before I took this course. I entered with an open mind and when the semester was over, I had found a new appreciation for differing beliefs and thier religious customs. I didn't need to compromise my own Christian views to do this either, like so many people warned me about before signing up for the course. I think if more people had an understanding of the world outside of their tiny bubble they would do more with the precious time they have.

After my movie was over I took a shower and enjoyed some delicious wine from Montepulciano, Italy.

Vino Nobile

I held a moment in my hand, brilliant as a star, fragile as a flower, a tiny sliver of one hour.  I dripped it carelessly, Ah!  I didn't know, I held opportunity.  ~Hazel Lee

This is how I roll

Day 41
Thursday, February 10, 2011
I don't know about you, but I love going to the dentist to get my teeth cleaned. It's like a spa day...for your mouth!

I had a dentist appointment this morning at 1030 and since this was my first trip to a German dentist I didn't really know what to expect. My reliable GPS helped me to arrive just on time but like usual, there is never anywhere to park in Europe. I had to park a block away and walk and then I couldn't figure out how to open the door to the dentist office. I'm not kidding, the door was locked and when I rang the bell, no one buzed me in. I heard footsteps and talking on the other side of the door so I thought maybe they were coming to let me in. It turned out just to be some people leaving the building but thankfully when they opened the door to leave, I walked in. I was a little shocked at first to see only walls and a staircase but I climbed the stairs and that's where I found the check-in desk. I was looking forward to learning some new words in the dentist office but the dental hygenist ended up being an American who had just moved here two months prior and knew almost zero German. At least I got to speak a little German with the dentist, Dr. Winkelmann, when he came in the room to check my mouth. He told me I could stand to eat more sugar because my teeth looked so healthy. I politely told him that the reason they look this way is because I do not eat much sugar.

After my dentist visit it was warming up outside and since my poor car was so filthy, I decided to drive straight to Patch Barracks and give it a good scrub and vacuum at the car wash. I knew the line would be really long and I was pretty hungry so I stopped by the Commissary to pick up something for lunch and buy some car cleaning supplies. While waiting in line at the deli to order a sandwich, I politely allowed the gentleman in uniform who was standing behind me to move a head of me in line so he could get his lunch and get back to work. He was so thankful for this simple act and he mentioned how often he notices the lack of courtesy around here. I felt really good for this tiny act of kindness, I only hope somebody else would do the same thing for my husband one day.

While waiting in line to use the ONLY car wash on base, I ate my sandwich, pumped up the jams, and then started cleaning the inside of my car with the supplies I had purchased. The temperature rose to about 50 degrees and after a couple of hours, my car finally looked clean again. I was very excited to show it off when I picked my husband up from work.

Tonight I had plans to eat dinner with my friend Michelle before we headed to play Bunco (for some reason they spell it "Bunko" here) with the Stuttgart Marine Corps Spouses group. We enjoyed some chinese food at Bao Jing just outside of base and had my husband drive us to Bunco so we could have a drink or two if we wanted without having to worry about driving.

Contemplation often makes life miserable.  We should act more, think less, and stop watching ourselves live.  ~Nicolas de Chamfort