The past two weeks flew by in a whirlwind of activity. We ate, visited, shopped, swam, ate and visited some more, and pretty much ran around like crazy people during the entire trip. As you can see in this picture, the cats were thrilled to have us back in their lives, even if it was for a short time. Tink could barely contain her enthusiasm. 
Ashley informed me that she has been following our adventures on my blog, but wanted to know why there weren't more pictures of her and Tink on there. (I believe her exact words were "Churches, corn, amusements parks, blah blah blah...I want to hear more about me!") 
We had a wonderful time being spoiled rotten by all of the Grandparents. They took us to all of our favorite restaurants and stores that we had been missing so badly. We also reconnected with family members that we haven't seen in at least 5 years (pre-Alaska). While talking to family and friends, I realized what a nomadic lifestyle we've been living for the last 20 years. Being part of the military family, I've come to recognize that there are 3 categories of people: those who will always feel the place that they grew up in is the best, those whose "last base" is so much better than any place they've lived in (including their current location), and those who feel that wherever they are living is the best place in the world to be. We happen to belong to the last group. Each location we've lived in has been the most fantastic place to be. Granted, we've been very fortunate in where the military sends us, but still...home is where you make it. Before our trip to the states, I was missing the familiar. I missed being able to read everything, to understand every word spoken around me, to drive on wide roads and find all of the things I needed in one central location. I missed the ease that comes with being in a place where I actually know what's going on. And I missed family. Our two weeks back in the states, as hectic as it ended up being, was medicinal. It was a welcome break for a tired soul. But, that said, flying back into Belgium filled me with a feeling of coming home. Although I still miss my family, my home is now here, surrounded by all of the things that make this country so special. Yes, I might have to work a little harder for things here, but it's worth it. Of course, if someone wanted to put in a Walmart and Sonic in the neighborhood, that would be nice, too. I'm just saying.
Ashley informed me that she has been following our adventures on my blog, but wanted to know why there weren't more pictures of her and Tink on there. (I believe her exact words were "Churches, corn, amusements parks, blah blah blah...I want to hear more about me!") We had a wonderful time being spoiled rotten by all of the Grandparents. They took us to all of our favorite restaurants and stores that we had been missing so badly. We also reconnected with family members that we haven't seen in at least 5 years (pre-Alaska). While talking to family and friends, I realized what a nomadic lifestyle we've been living for the last 20 years. Being part of the military family, I've come to recognize that there are 3 categories of people: those who will always feel the place that they grew up in is the best, those whose "last base" is so much better than any place they've lived in (including their current location), and those who feel that wherever they are living is the best place in the world to be. We happen to belong to the last group. Each location we've lived in has been the most fantastic place to be. Granted, we've been very fortunate in where the military sends us, but still...home is where you make it. Before our trip to the states, I was missing the familiar. I missed being able to read everything, to understand every word spoken around me, to drive on wide roads and find all of the things I needed in one central location. I missed the ease that comes with being in a place where I actually know what's going on. And I missed family. Our two weeks back in the states, as hectic as it ended up being, was medicinal. It was a welcome break for a tired soul. But, that said, flying back into Belgium filled me with a feeling of coming home. Although I still miss my family, my home is now here, surrounded by all of the things that make this country so special. Yes, I might have to work a little harder for things here, but it's worth it. Of course, if someone wanted to put in a Walmart and Sonic in the neighborhood, that would be nice, too. I'm just saying. 
We started the year in our traditional Alaskan way...an 
Technically, I met these 
The new year in Alaska brought out all of the regular visitors. This 
March trotted in on canine feet, with the Last Great Race...
March held a couple of surprises for us as well. Not only did we have the normal amount of earthquakes, we also had some trouble from a cranky volcano. Mt. Redoubt decided to blow her top a few times, and one of the eruptions ended up with clouds of ash heading into Anchorage. That's not snow on the truck. That's volcanic ash. We were lucky that it didn't do any real damage. Other than bringing all traffic to a standstill (including the airports) and keeping all humans stuck indoors, you'd hardly notice anything was amiss. Well, 
In May, I was very fortunate to be allowed to meet the 
Todd Palin. Yep. Feel free to pause here a minute. No rush. I totally understand. Once again, you're welcome. 
A very sad occurrence happened at the end of April. Ashley and Tink boarded a plane and flew off to spend a very long "vacation" with Grandma and Grandpa. The Grandparents were kind enough to babysit them for us while we took a little detour overseas. For 3 years. Poor kitties. Well, poor me. The kitties are being spoiled rotten, and have both doubled in body size. Let's just say that Grandma is not adhering to the strict diet that I had the ladies on earlier this year. They are now both roughly the size of this ottoman.
May brought a big truck and a group of burly fellows who proceeded to pack up all of our worldly possessions and ship them off on an ocean liner. We had been trying to go overseas for our entire military career, and had pretty much given up. We were in the process of trying to decide where we were going to retire when the orders came through. Belgium. Go figure. 
Early June had us flying into the glorious country of Belgium. There aren't words enough to express how excited our whole family was about getting this opportunity to go explore Europe. I won't bother re posting pictures of our adventures here so far. Feel free to browse the blog if you care to. In the 6 months that we've lived here, we've traveled around Belgium, Germany, The Netherlands, Poland and Switzerland. We've explored castles, toured breweries, and visited amusement parks. We've experienced things that we'd only seen in books in the past. We're crossing some things off of our "bucket list" and are adding more all the time. I'd like to thank everyone who had a part in getting us over here. We really appreciate this opportunity, and are definitely making the most of it. 