Alexander Family's Big Adventure: Finding our rhythm

I walked 19 miles yesterday. I hadn't set out to do that, but one thing led to another and there I was, walking and walking and walking and...

I'm very happy to report that the kids and Dave are doing well. They did NOT walk 19 miles yesterday, fortunately. I continue to be impressed with Dave and the kids. They're adapting to this change so well, I'm surprised by it. I dare say that getting out into the sunshine and walking around has been helping out a lot. I hope it continues!

Here, when we do something off-post (like grocery shop at a Rewe instead of the commissary, for example), they refer to it as "doing something on the economy." I have been without a functioning phone since we've been here because I wanted to get a phone plan on the economy instead of signing up for something at the Post Exchange. Yesterday, as I was almost halfway into town, I realized that I forgot to bring my tax exemption form (VAT) for my phone purchase. I desperately needed a new one, and I'm not even exaggerating. So I turned around to go back to the Lodge to get the VAT form. It would be a 19% savings, so it would be worth the trip.

I had to use a new gate, so I wasn't exactly sure how to get back in. It was okay, though, because we were going to take the kids into town later, and I needed to figure out how to get back in the new way (the old way was broken), which I did. Got the VAT form and went back into town. I was told about a great shopping area in Wiesbaden that nobody had bothered to mention to me before. (Why not?!) So I went there and it was indeed pretty great. I spent about 40 minutes getting a new phone from O2, and I got a GREAT deal on a Samsung S7. That was a good thing, because they didn't accept VAT forms, after all, which meant that my 2 mile roundtrip walk for the form was for naught. Oh well. I have once again joined the smartphone era. Woo hoo!

I walked back to the lodge. I rested for a little while and then we all went back to that shopping area. We had a less-than-mediocre dinner because we keep messing up our timing with the restaurants that close early here, and we took what we could get. We got the kids ice cream, and got to see the outside of the New Town Hall. Mind you, the New Town Hall was built in the 1880s. Pretty incredible! I guess I'll have to figure out where the Old Town Hall is and see if it's standing or not.

We walked back to the gate I had used earlier. The sentry would not let us through, and was an absolute jerk. (I'm filing a complaint, which will do me no good.) He had us go through the main gate, which I didn't know where it was, and he told us to go down the hill and turn left. (He was very rude about it, though. VERY rude.) So we did that and ended up Where the Sidewalk Ends. Not in a nice Shel way, though, even though I referenced it. The briers and brambles clued me in that we were not where we needed to be. So I downloaded the Uber app, which I am pretty much against. No Uber service where we were. So we walked back, and thanks to God, I recognized some buildings from my bus rides that I've been taking to and from work, and we found the gate. It was 11:20 p.m. We had been turned away a little bit before 10:00, which was already late enough!

Do I say this too often? The kids were SOOOO good! I got really mad, like blowing a gasket mad, when that man turned us away. I was so mad I was afraid I would yell at the kids when they didn't deserve it, so I just told them Mommy's really mad at that man and I need some quiet time to cool down, so I needed them not to talk. Well, they did their best, but they definitely didn't complain at all about it taking too long or about not having enough energy. (Livvy, poor thing, REALLY misses the van!)

And of course we made it back. I gave the kids a nice cool bath (for about 2 minutes), and got their jammies on, and they were asleep in 30 seconds. I figure they had walked about 7 miles, which was not the first time they did that, because they did it last Saturday too! All of them earned gold stars, which in our family means that they earned a new toy. However, in order to get said toy, guess what they will have to do? Yes, walk 7 miles.

Unless I figure out the bus system, which I've been trying to do and am getting closer and closer to doing. The kids ride for free. The stroller can come along, but some Germans will probably yell at us and tell us the right way to do the stroller the first time or two. (It's their way.) My difficulty is how to pay for it. I'll get there.

I've looked at two houses so far, and I don't think we can move into either of them. I have another house to look at Tuesday, but there's a different one which I'm hoping my housing office will give me the good news that the landlady is willing to come down in rent (by an enormous amount). It's possible, because the house has been vacant for 7 months, but I'm not holding my breath. Chances are that the house I look at on Tuesday will be it. Keep us in your prayers, please.

Other than that, Dave has a pretty good routine for him and the kids, and I am happy with my work so far. It's mostly reading and getting familiar with things, but it seems like it's going to be interesting. I'm so thankful that we're here!

Now for the pictures: