We've arrived in Germany

Well, we made it. We emptied our house with three kinds of moves (unaccompanied baggage for the stuff that will fly over, the shipment that will go by boat , then the storage). We sent the dog and cat to new families for love. We painted walls and cleaned for our hope-to-have-soon new renters. We had a fantastic going away party. We hugged our friends goodbye. We flew from Colorado Springs to Chicago to London to Stuttgart. We are here and we are tired.

The kids were great on the trip, and they really enjoyed the upgrade to business class on the long leg, thanks to Dave's frequent flyer miles. We almost didn't get it, as there was a system gltich, but at the last minute it worked out. And were we ever glad! There was a large selection of new movies on the personal TV that each of us got with noise-cancellation headphones. The huge comfy seats had adjustable leg and head rests and even a massage feature. There was inflatable lumbar support, an over-the-shoulder craned book light, and real ceramic dishes with our meals. We each had a little refreshing bag with eye mask, ear plugs, a toothbrush, toothpaste, lotions, face cleanser and socks. Our kids have become even more spoiled. And with all of that, none of us slept. It was kind of like being in the hospital, being checked on every few minutes.

So when we got here, we were exhausted. Dave's boss's wife, Michelle, met us at the airport and took us around to check our mail and sign in on base. Dave's boss is out of town for the week, and since he is our sponsor, he has assigned her and others to show us about in his stead. She also let us borrow her minivan for a day or two since the Army won't pay for a rental car. So generous and trusting. Perhaps too trusting.

We had a reservation at the Marriott in Sindelfingen, where Dave had stayed before and had a good experience. Plus, it was in the right zone for the schools we were interested in. But then the Army said we had to stay on any base that had rooms available, which meant Robinson Barracks 45 minutes away from where Dave would be working. We were really bumming, especially when we got there and realized it had no pool, no breakfast, and nothing nearby. But when we went inside, we were told that because we are civilian, those rules didn't apply after all. So back to the Marriott. We were so excited.

But then as we were backing out of the parking space in the rain, Dave hit a little VW parked directly behind us in our blind spot. Well, actually, with three months' worth of suitcases in the back, the whole back was a blind spot. And the VW was the only car parked on the street behind us. An MP just happened to be rounding the corner when it happened and he saw the whole thing. So we spent an hour or so filling out papers and filing a report. They didn't give us a ticket. The kids were asleep in the back seat (finally) and slept through the whole thing.

The good news is that the van had no damage. The bad is that the VW had a dent in the door. Michelle was really sweet about it. We just hope they don't get in trouble for letting us use the car. So to put it in perspective, Dave hit a car with his boss's van before he even met the man. Crazy.

Okay, so Dave just walked in with Chinese take-out that he ordered in German from across the street. More tomorrow.