It's About Time!

For another post, I know, I know. Where does the time go?

There actually isn't much to catch up on here in Newport. My Aunt Kathy left yesterday afternoon after a five day stay with us. She came in on the red-eye from San Francisco, bless her heart, and she flew into Providence. Many thanks to her for being considerate and not making us drive her back and forth to Boston at ungodly hours of the day. I think she had a pretty good time. She visited the Breakers, went to the playground with me and the kids, had a visit to the JFK Presidential Library and had a picnic with us at Brenton Point.

And now, a public service announcement:
OK, folks, just so all of you know, if anyone is planning a visit to us, you need to (a) get arrangements made; and (b) call and OK dates with us. Actually, please do (B) before you do (A). We are doing a partial pack-out on October 15th, so the window of us having all of our belongings here is getting smaller every day. Please don't plan on anything after the third week of October, OK? It's not going to happen, unless you want to stay at a hotel and visit us in the Navy Lodge. Better to save your money and use it to come to Germany. And please, don't plan on coming to Germany until the spring.

Regarding Germany: we had a bunch of appointments last week, so we're making progress. We scheduled our moves, so that's taken care of (found out that our Navy neighbors less than a block away are also moving to Stuttgart). Applied for no-fee passports for Annika and Hans. We have our overseas medical screening on the 24th. It should be very easy--just a review of our records and updated immunizations to anyone who needs them. I guess that would be me, since Hans is undergoing a bunch of bloodwork, checkups and immunizations this week. Just normal, routine stuff. Your baby boy is very nice and healthy, Donna!

I have been listening to our German language CDs. I'm only through lesson three, but I have to listen to them a few times before I feel good enough to go on. So far, I know how to say things like:

I understand English/German.
I am an American.
Excuse me.
Good morning.
How goes it to you?
Very good.
Thank you.
Not so good.

I find it so interesting that so many of these little bits of German have floated down to me through the years through my family. For the three of you who haven't heard me boasting of my almost pure heritage, I am almost entirely German. And so, some German phrases and sayings have managed to stick with us through the years, though I'm finding that most of them are not being pronounced in a very Deutsch way. German is harder to pronounce than Japanese, that's for certain.

I'm going to put in some pictures. Josiah has been having a great time taking pictures. I'll include a few of the best ones. He has Grandma Thielhorn head-cutting-off syndrome. He's having fun though, so we're considering getting a digital camera for him. Believe it or not, Fisher-Price makes one.

Tschus!