The diaries of a Noel lover...

Dookie assails my senses... Must be spring in Germany...

2009-04-14T07:49:00.000-07:00

Indeed, the beginning of spring has been marked by the unmistakable, undeniable scent of pig poo all around our lovely farm community of Ansbach, Germany. It's basically terrible. Jason and I went on a bike ride the other day and as we were enjoying the scenic countryside of Germany we found ourselves nausiated by the smell! It is so gross. It's weird, also, because somehow it is like an invisible line of dookie... One minute, it's safe to breathe, then next, you're about to vomit through your nose... We've decided that the lack of dookie smell was the best part about winter.

So Jason and I have been married for 1 year (and 4 days). The first year of marriage was awesome. Sure, we discovered some things about each other that we didn't fully know before, but all-in-all it's made us love each other more and realize how blessed we are to have each other. Jason thinks that we should have goals for our second year of marriage; you know, like what we want to have learned by anniversary #2. I asked him what he suggested and he said that he thought it would be good if -I- learned how to properly split food items. He maintains that 1/2 and 1/2 is not even... Who knows what he thinks IS even. *rolls eyes* But I love him, so I will sacrifice my portion of delectable treats. *sometimes even without a fight!* :)

We had a wonderful weekend though. We went down to Munich and saw a concert. Then on Monday we enjoyed the park/hunting grounds of Nymphenburg Palace. It's a beautiful place and we really enjoyed spending the day together, relaxing. Then on Tuesday we went for our bikeride (as previously mentioned) and went to visit the castle that is in our village of Lichtenau. It was fun and, against my better judgement, I am posting a historical video for your reference.... *sighs*

Here's a picture of the Lichtenau Castle, of which you are now thoroughly informed...

Just a small portion of the "approachable" castle of Nymphenburg. View is from the front lawn.

Happy us.

That's it for now folks. Hope everyone is doing well. :)

Counting Quarters...

2009-04-07T23:22:00.000-07:00

So yesterday, at work, I was going through all my currency and organizing it in order of dates (yes, I really did that and, yes, I really was that bored...) and I came across two quarters in my drawer from 1967. I'm going to keep an eye out and see if I can find another one older than that...

It's Not About the Coffee

2009-04-02T01:14:00.001-07:00

I'm sitting here reading a book about a well-known company... Crying and praying that the door would soon be opened for me to pursue my dream.

Prayer Request

2009-03-30T08:20:00.000-07:00

Would you all please pray for my good friend Jana Hendershot and her son, Nathan Paul Hendershot. I'm not sure of the specifics, but I know that baby Nathan was born approximately 10 weeks early...

Happy Birthday Sweetie!!!

2009-03-25T07:32:00.000-07:00

Jason's birthday was this past Sunday. We had a great day of celebrating - full of fun and good food! (If I say so myself...) I'll just chronicle the day for you with pictures! :)

The Birthday boy's table for breakfast

The presents.

It turned out to be a lot like Christmas morning... :)

Self portrait with all his presents. He was - well - excited.

The hat says "Birthday Prince". Pretty much sums it up.

The necklace does indeed match the sweatshirt!!!!

Opening his cards.

Being a "Puma". Inspiration=new sweatpants

His surprise present from me.

Him acting like like this is the first time he'd seen it... I try to hide things and they always get found!!!! At least he found it on his actual birthday...

Neiman Marcus Cake with SPARKLERS!!!!

All-in-all a great day together!

So sad...

2009-03-18T23:41:00.000-07:00

How sad.... Miss Natasha Richardson died after a fall while skiing....

Our "Falling" trip :)

2009-03-17T06:34:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Jason and I had a wonderful time going with the chapel on a "Snow Day" to Garmisch, Germany. It is in the German portion of the Alps, close to Austria. Truly beautiful!! Most people enjoyed skiing. Some enjoyed sledding. Jason and I went for the enjoyable art of "falling".

The Alps - one small speck of God's beautiful creation

On the lift, on the way up the mountain

Before all the "falling" began

The bigger they are, the harder they fall... :)

*happy Kate sigh*

God's creation always causes a man to ponder...

These were the skiers - the category of which we are not...

Our sweet friend Mary before we went sledding down the mountain

Our Chaplain - big 'ol dork that he is. I tried to get a picture of the side of the glasses - just trust me when I say they were - well - strange.

A little sun-burned, but happy after a day of "falling"

sunshine... sunshine...

2009-03-09T07:44:00.001-07:00

My sweet husband basically made my day this morning. He gave me a kiss and went to get ready for work. Just a few moments later, much to my surprise, he returned and gave me a back massage! What a wonderful way to wake up on a Monday morning! :)

This little piggy...

2009-02-21T03:58:00.000-08:00

He referred to my big toe as "obese"....

Nooo, NNNoooo, NNNNOOOO Sing-song voice

2009-02-12T00:14:00.000-08:00

Ha, that simple phrase can bring smiles to my heart and face quicker than almost anything. You see, the special fondness for this simple phrase originated about 9 years ago. At that time, my baby sister was 2. For sisterly bonding time we would frequently watch the movie White Christmas (ok, ok, the BOYS would be there too, but we would pretend they weren't ;)...). Abby loved to sing and couldn't pronouce her s's. She and I would sing through the whole movie and dance along to our special song "Sisters". The best thing that came out of our sisterly bonding White Christmas time was the fact that it helped us understand to what Abby was referring when she said the word "no". If she just spoke the word "no" (or yelled it), then she was probably talking to her brothers. However, if it came out in the form of a tune, she was referring to the precipitation that was falling from the sky. It was funny also, because when she sang the tune, it would never just be any old song; with each "no", it would build in intensity and volume... Her mouth would open in a perfect O shape as she expertly belted out her favorite lyrics. Funny how some things don't change... :D

We got a few inches of snow last night... I think I'm going to be singing a certain song for the rest of the day! "Nooo, NNNoooo, NNNNOOOOO!!!"

"0-6-hundred... what does that mean? Oh my gosh it's early!" - Good Morning Vietnam

2009-02-05T21:33:00.000-08:00

Hey everybody.

Boy have things been busy around here lately!!! The last two weeks have been especially insane because Jason has had to go into work at 6 am. Since we only have one car at the moment, this also means that my eyes are seeing something that they HATE to see - a clock that reads 5 AM! *eek* It's been ok for the most part; I've just been reading and working out before I have to go to work.

Work is going well... I'm still getting used to the job and wishing I knew all the answers to the questions I'm asked. That's the Katie way, of course. I'm sure it will come with time (hopefully not too much time though!).

So my cousin Erica always used to say that only cool people have stalkers. Well, I am pleased (kinda) to tell you that my husband and I have arrived. We have a stalker. A very old, senile stalker. You see, my sweet husband offered to give this lady a ride one day as she was walking up the hill in our neighborhood. She declined, but asked if Jason was a soldier and if we lived in the area. Jason told her that we lived a few streets up and to have a nice day. About a week later some strange things started occurring on Martin Behaim Weg... There began to be packages delivered about every 2-3 days on our doorstep. The first day it was just a men's sweater laid over the fence. Then it was a couple women's sweaters and some used rags. Then it was a light fixture. After that was a whole bag full of sweaters, a beer glass, a stein and a wrapped bottle of cheap cologne. The final gift appeared to be a few more sweaters, but we left it setting on the doorstep over night and did not bring it into the house. The following day when we returned from work we realized that the gift from the previous day had disappeared. As strange as the gifts were, having one taken back was even stranger. A few days later, on Saturday, we had a visitor on our doorstep, instead of a gift. We invited Theresa in for a visit and coffee (that's her name, evidently). Over the course of about one and a half hours she told us about 6 stories... about 10 times each. She seemed very nice though. We invited her over for lunch this coming Saturday. We haven't received any gifts this week, which means that she could have forgotten about us or is just saving them all up for Saturday. Any thoughts on what I should make for lunch? In all seriousness, we're just hoping that we can learn some things from her and are able to give her some company - she seems very lonely...

On another note I have made a dire mistake: I experimented in the kitchen and made a good tuna melt sandwich. Why was this a mistake you might ask? Because now my husband is obsessed with them and we are having them every other day it seems. I like them and all, but seriously...

Also, we know about 15 couples who are expecting babies (including my dad and step-mother). If you could keep all those pregnant people in your prayers... Jason and I know a couple who had twin boys last week. The boys are doing well, but the mom is still in the hospital and has had some complications. We're hopeful that she will be released on Monday though. Their names are Justin and Grace (and Caden and Cameron for the boys). :) And no, I haven't been drinking the water....

So how are you all doing? It seems like forever since I've talked to most everyone.

Hope you all are well. Love & hugs,
KT

Merry December 26th...

2008-12-26T00:55:00.000-08:00

Hi.

I know, I know... Long time, no post. Sorry. "issues"... everyone has them, even me.

Speaking of "issues"... My husband has some too, clearly. http://zebrasnotpermitted.blogspot.com/

Otherwise, had a wonderful "first Christmas" with Jason. Looking forward to having some new friends over for games tonight. (Praying we don't play Monopoly....) Had a wonderful visit with mom. Miss everyone a ton.

And one final note... You know what they say about payback.....

Noel Poll

2008-11-19T12:06:00.000-08:00

And again folks, we have another dispute that needs your disagreement solving skills. Help me out, would ya please?

Is baked beans a traditional or commonly featured Thanksgiving Feast course? ( polls)

Pharm Tech Humor

2008-10-29T05:08:00.000-07:00

A quote from "House, M.D."

Dr. Whatshisname: "If you need some condoms, I have some I can give you..."
House: "Where did you get those? Your wife?"
Dr. Whatshisname: "No, a drug rep... Evidently they have antibiotics in them somehow..."

lol. Struck me as funny. :)

Chaplain Yarman...

2008-10-26T04:36:00.000-07:00

This one goes out to my darling husband...

A quote from Chaplain Yarman this morning:

"You can go to your college...
You can go to your school...
But if you don't know Jesus...
You'rejust an educated fool..."

Haha - I love Chaplain Yarman.

And now, HHEEERRREEE'S KATIE!!!!!!!!!! (Surprise everyone)

2008-10-05T07:46:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!

Sorry it's been so long since I've posted... Needless to say there has been a lot that's gone on in this past month. At the time of my last post I was keeping a huge secret from basically everyone I know (except my accomplices). You'll recall that my family was in Walt Disney World... Well, actually - I'll just tell you a little story... Disney style...

Once upon a time there was a princess who loved her prince very, very much.... (had to get that in...). She loved him so much that after they magically fell in love, got engaged in a parking garage, and got married, she couldn't wait to begin her life with the prince. He swept her off her feet and carried her away on a big, white, flying horse to Farawayland just to be with him. Being together was a dream come true and they were so happy to be well on their way to HappilyEverAfterLand. As wonderous as this was for the prince and princess, there were some in Originalland who were going to miss them very much. Indeed, many were downright sad and angry that the prince and princess had to go to Farawayland at all - they wanted them to stay in Originalland forever! But despite all the heartache that their adventure was causing, the prince and princess had no choice but to go to Farawayland to learn all that God wanted to teach them during their journey to HappilyEverAfterLand. Alas they arrived in Farawayland and were enjoying their new castle. The queen (For those who don't know - Stephanie literally means "crowned one"... She brings it up often...) was still sad that the prince and princess were in Farawayland, but she was learning to enjoy Originalland without the princess. Although she decided that a trip to the Magic Kingdom was certainly in order to help soothe her aching heart.

Then, one day, the place where the princess used to work had a dramatic dilemma. Dr. G - a healer of the land - needed the princess' help! He sent his faithful CA, Maiden Lisa, to request the princess to come to the rescue of GCC, island of Originalland. Maiden Lisa begged and begged and Princess Katie had pity on the lady. She sent her away and told the maiden that she would take the case to the prince. The prince and the princess deliberated about the dilemma of GCC, island of Originalland, and decided that the princess must help. But it was quickly determined that for this to be a successful, fairytail-esque rescue, not a single soul could be told.

After a week of preparations and pretending that life was normal in Farawayland, the prince began the journey with the princess. He could only take her so far; she had to cross GreatLake on her own to get to Originalland. Their goodbye was a bittersweet one. The prince knew that the princess was the only one who could rescue GCC, island of Originalland, but he was going to miss her very much in Farawayland.

So the princess traveled a long, long way across GreatLake all by herself. It was a long journey, but Maiden Lisa and Master Larry were eagerly waiting for the princess to arrive at the gate in Originalland.

One by one, Princess Katie greeting her loyal subjects of Originalland. They were all very surprised to see her, but they were glad that she came to rescue GCC, island of Originalland. The rescue mission took about 3 weeks. During that time the princess had many trials - some of them very, very sad... In the end, the princess was happy she was able to be there, despite the wicked wind that blew from the south...

She made the return journey to Farawayland and was greeting by a very happy prince. Her castle was laden with chocolates to celebrate her return. And the prince and princess continued their journey to HappliyEverAfterLand...

Not Nearly The End....

:) My wonderful prince just came in and called me a goofball. :) Goofball Princess - that's me.

I tried to have my camera ready to shoot some pictures as I surprised everyone. It was quite fun. You could basically just say "WHA....??? HUH???? WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE??" And you'd have the gist of the pictures. But, as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words...

Aunt Kimmie - pretty surprised, obviously...

Sister - just wanted a hug. No reason to ask questions - just give me a hug!!

Ben... huh???

Hey - has anyone ever told you that you look like my sister???

And the best of all - lol... Mom - saying hi to my Aunt Julie, who dropped me off...

When mom realized that I was standing in front of Julie...

Mom choking me...

Still choking me - We had plenty of time to take pictures - I nearly died. (I love Ben's smile here...)

Still choking me... and sobbing...

Dad was happy to see me too...

It took grandma a while to notice me - she was too busy spoiling Ginger, the dog. Ginger was even smelling me and jumping up at me and Grandma still didn't see me until everyone was pointing at me.

Then she was happy too...

Grandma and Ginger - BFF...

Poor Grandpa - came over to have his computer fixed... It didn't get fixed that night...

And I got to meet my Amy and my Abby at El Toro. Thanks to mom for working that out. Amy was a bit freaked out. :)

Abby recreating her shock...

And the 2nd Sunday of my trip, right before all the lights went out in southern Ohio, Abby was getting her ears pierced.

She was a bit nervous...

Paying close attention to what the girl was doing...

Checking the markings...

Breathe Abby...

Ear two...

Growing up so fast... God help us all...

That's it for now folks. Hope you enjoyed the story. Love you all!

Kate

Busy week :)

2008-09-01T12:42:00.000-07:00

Guten Tag!

So how's everybody doing? I've gotten some updates from a few of you, but not all - just wondering how my loved ones are! :) I've got a few pictures here:

This is after my husband worked so hard to make me a storage thing for our bathroom... He was... "irritable"...

He did it out of love... I assure you. (clearly he loves me a lot! :) )

Working hard...

I took this picture on my walk the other day... I love these two buildings. They are in the courtyard of the castle in Lichtenau.

Just your average German restaurant. There are so many window boxes full of flowers! It's amazing because almost all the flowers have been in full bloom our whole time here! There's so much color!!

Jason also has some pictures posted up on his site (zebrasnotpermitted.blogspot.com). Some of the zoo and some from his dad's wedding.

The Carter Clan is in Florida this week... And I'm not there. Those of you who know me and how much I love Walt Disney World should know that it's not the easiest time for my heart right now. Jason got a long briefing on the glorious-ness of Walt Disney World during breakfast this morning... And while I was doing the dishes... And I had to stop myself before I completely drove him crazy. :D

Busy week this week! It's getting to be that way more often, which shows me that our lives are getting into a "pace" now, which is good. Jason's been really busy with school lately; he's working so hard - I'm so proud of the success he's having with it! College can be quite annoying though, especially when you're working, working in the military, and in a foreign country. He's doing good though - better than he thinks!! :D

Today we went shopping for a desk for our office. I'd seen a desk when I went out with our friend Michelle and today I took Jason back to the shop so he could see it. The SLIGHT problem was the language "thing". It is a ma-and-pop antique shop. The pop speaks zero English, the ma claims to be "learning English". LoL - It was a riot! The husband took us out to his workshop and he's just talking away to us in German. I am convinced that you learn a language very quickly in that setting. Just the two times I've been to this shop I've learned more German words than I knew before!

Tomorrow I start actually taking a German class on post. I'm excited. It's a two-week class and then, after that, I can go to Ansbach at their community center and take another class there. I'm hopeful that I'll be able to learn enough to help while shopping and ordering food at restaurants. One plate of "Parma Ham" is enough for me! **rolls eyes, don't ask...**

Also tomorrow starts the P.W.O.C. (Protestant Women of the Chapel) ladies Bible study! I've really been praying for this kind of Bible study for a long, LONG time and I'm so thankful that they have it here!! At first I didn't think they had anything like this, but evidently they were just taking the summer off. My new friend Christie told me that there are a ton of ladies who come so I'm excited to get involved with that.

Jason's posted some pics up on his site: zebrasnotpermitted.blogspot.com

Hope you all are doing well! Much love and many hugs to you all!

Kate

Change

2008-08-22T03:00:00.000-07:00

I've changed some things around here... Couldn't sleep. :(

Anyway, hope you like them. I also made it so anyone can post comments (Grandparents, friends without Bloggers, etc.) Please just tell me who you are by leaving your name in the comment so I don't have to wonder... I hate not knowing things. ;)

I'm feeling silly. Maybe that's hungry...? Maybe it's because I had another bad night of sleep without my hubby?

Silly Kate needs to go get some brunch. I'll take care of the hubby thing tonight! :D

What a wonderful world...

2008-08-20T15:25:00.000-07:00

Hey!

Well, we're back from our quick Texas wedding trip. It's now after midnight here and despite the 12 hours I slept last night, I must still be on central time. So to blogging I go... Jason had the camera with him (he's in Ramstein for training), so I can't post pics. (Sorry Amy ;) )

We had a lovely time in Texas - did some shopping, did some heavy eating, spent time with half of Jason's family, and most importantly - spent tons of stress-free time together. It was nice, considering my husband has been very busy with school lately. He was on break this weekend, which was liberating for both of us! God really blessed our trip - all of our travel plans were on stand-by and God allowed us to get to Texas ahead of schedule and we were able to leave the day we wanted to come home. Aside from having to buy an extra train ticket to get home, all worked out fabulously! Well, also aside from the screaming kid two rows behind us on the plane back... About 3 hours into his screaming fit Jason asked me: "So surely they can't cry for 9 hours straight... Won't he fall asleep at some point???" In case any of you were wondering - yes, kids can cry for 9 hours straight. And no - they don't always fall asleep when you wish/pray/plead/cry yourself that they would... And to top it off, we were in business class. We felt really sorry for the people who had paid the extra money for their ticket in hopes of a nice, comfortable flight. Oh well - at least there was free wine, right? I have a feeling even our non-drinking traveling companions were taking full advantage of the wine selection during the flight. So aside from THAT, everything was very wonderful.

You know, I was thinking as we were in Texas just how much I love my husband. I'm not trying to be silly or sweet or oooy-goooy, but I really do love him. We have now been married just over 4 months and I realize more every day that I made the right decision in marrying him. I'm aware that not everyone has the blessing of having that knowledge, so I am very thankful for God's leading us together and leading our relationship over the past 3+ years. Jason is an amazing person and an even more amazing husband. I'm not just his "princess" as I had longed to be, but his "queen". He values me above what even I had hoped and prayed for and finds ways to show it - often. I'm so grateful for him and the love we share. I'm looking forward to the next 100 years - enjoying the challenges and blessings each day brings. I love you Jason!!

Fall is right around the corner - my favorite season. Today the air smelled like fall - I wish I could capture that scent and put in into a candle.

We were suffering from a gnat infestation right before we left **shudders**. I am happy to report that I have only seen two survivors! If you're looking for the most enjoyable way to kill gnats, may I suggest Lysol... Not only does it give you a more comprehensive killing arena, it also doesn't kill them right away so you are fully able to enjoy their suffering as they try to swim out of the toxic poison. :D Muahahahahaha!

Please pray for my puppy, Lady. She's not doing well... :'( And for my Momma and the family there...

Olympics are pretty amazing. How 'bout that Michael Phelps? And I have a question - Does football or soccer play in any Olympics??? I was thinking about that today because basketball and softball do... And who chooses what sports are played? Also, do the champions get any monetary prizes? And if so, how much does the gold medal earn them? And if so, who pays for that?? Just wondering...

I better go to bed ya'all. Love ya!!!!

Kate Out

Preliminary Pics...

2008-08-13T08:29:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!

Well, we are one week into having all our things. I must say, I'm quite enjoying it even though it's exhausting opening box after box and climbing the stairs over and over! These are the two most completed rooms in our house - the kitchen and bathroom. I suppose if you're to have two rooms done, those are the two...

Observe our kitchen... Full of glory, but not full of storage space! I love my tea kettle! Also, prominently displayed above the cabinets you will see the loverly ice cream cups from my dear Lisa & Harmon gang and also the "I do... Me too..." mugs from the Goffes! Make me happy every time I look at them so I decided to put them front and center!

Our pretty tub... Jason wanted the bath pillow...

Towels displayed at the other end of tub... These are the "pretty ones" that we can't use! :)

Our cabinet... The first item we bought for our home and my wonderful husband was gracious enough to put it together for me! (that was... enjoyable... right honey?)

I would also like to say that I love my husband! He's a super great guy!! :D

That's it for now... Amy can stop pouting. I'll have some more for next week. Right now we're getting ready to dash to Texas for a quick wedding appearance, then dashing right back across the ocean!

Love to all!!

Cheers!

2008-08-07T03:13:00.001-07:00

Our stuff is here! Yay! I'll post pics soon. :)

Recycling

2008-07-21T11:25:00.001-07:00

Here in Germany there is this amazing custom concerning recycling - it is mandatory. Now I, coming from the States, was not accustomed to this. Recycling there is, to my knowledge, largely optional. Sure there are some who are really zealous about their recycling (I still don't know if I followed all the prompts on Uncle Bud's trash bins correctly), but for the most part Americans simply "don't get" recycling. For example, at my parents house, there are 4 trash cans and 1 recycling "bin". The trash cans each hold 4-5 bags of garbage at least, while the recycling bin holds maybe 2 pizza boxes and 2 milk cartons. However, in my current kitchen I have 3 trash cans and a cardboard box. The cardboard box holds all glass and metal and the 3 trash cans hold paper/cartons, plastic, and garbage, respectively. Not only that, but out of the bins that are put out on collection days, the "garbage" bin is the smallest. Amazingly enough, after you recycle paper, plastic, metal and glass, there really isn't a lot left over.

You may be wondering why in the world I am talking about recycling on my blog... No, I'm not "that" bored - I've just been thinking a lot about recycling and how much that relates to other real life situations. I've come to the determination that there are 3 major kinds of recyclers - the uninformed, the compliant, and the passionate.

The Uninformed: These would be the "casual" recyclers. Those who will toss the green bean can in the recycling bin, but are not sure if the egg carton counts or not? And what about those pesky Styrofoam plates - do those get recycled? Ahh, forget it - it's only a few plates... It won't make that big of a difference. Still yet, even the uninformed can make a correct deduction and properly recycle when the big blue container with a 5-inch circle says "cans only"... *Most* uninformed know that the CocaCola can goes there... So the uninformed aren't entirely uninformed, but are content with the status-quo.

The Compliant: These are the civilly responsible recyclers. They have read the recycling bin instructions and properly place the newspapers in the paper sack. They tear off the labels of the green beans, assuring that the tin is in proper recycling condition. Some compliant recyclers even go as far as to keep a handy bag in their kitchen and inform guests in their home to just leave the CocaCola cans on the counter because "We recycle!!" Such a person also has been known to look for the "made from 100% recycled products" at Staples to ensure that they are doing their part. The compliant recyclers likely make up the majority of us, I would say. Not ignorant that recycling helps save the planet and surely doing "their" part.

The Passionate: Ahh the passionate... We've all seen these "crazy hippies". These are the ones who actually even separate their garbage! Forget separating the recycling, these zealots actually have you put your banana peels in a separate container and compost them... Their glass is separated into divisions of clear, green, and brown. You'll see them take their recycling to the recycling center themselves; which is in stark contrast to the uninformed and compliant who couldn't tell you where the nearest recycling center is. The passionate recyclers are the "green" of society. You'll see them planting trees on earth day - trying to make up for all the damage our SUV society causes.

So I ask, what kind of recycler are you? An uninformed, a compliant or a passionate?

May I just say that I care about our planet, I really do... But I, by no means, classify myself as "green". As I've been thinking about recycling, I'm led to compare recycling with relationship questions that continually plague our society. Issues that seem to destroy us as a rapid rate. Are there different kind of ways to love people like there are different kind of recyclers?

Are we uninformed with our love for each other? Do we go out to lunch and talk about the weather, Big Brother 26, TomKat and oh my gosh did you hear than Angelina had her babies??? Or perhaps we gather around the TV on a Sunday and watch "the game"; Monday morning we find ourselves meeting at the coffee pot at work talking about the winning touchdown that happened with 10 seconds left on the clock in the 4th quarter... Sure we "talk" - but there's not much room or time to really invest in a conversation. "Yeah, I saw her last Friday - she seemed fine... What do you mean she's depressed?" Or during the greeting time at church we eagerly go up and down each pew counting how many hands we can shake and how many hugs we can get - "Don't you just love coming to church? It's so great to see everyone here this morning!"

We could be compliant people lovers... We've seen the Bible verse that talks about loving our neighbors as ourselves. We do our best to do that. When we go out to lunch, we ask our friends how they are. When they answer "Fine.", we're content with that. We asked; that's our obligation. If they didn't share, we can't make them. Still yet, the compliant people lovers will probably be the ones who will bring you soup when you're sick. Send you a card on your birthday. We'll be the ones who will know when you're going on vacation or be there to listen to you vent after your most recent fight with your parents/in-laws. A shoulder to cry on, should you ever need it. Just give us a call...

Or maybe we are the passionate people lovers. These are a rare breed indeed. These people do not accept "Fine." for an answer to the "How are you?" question. Oh no, these are the people who will know that when you are at home and aren't answering your phone, that means you're depressed... They hop in their car, break into your house, and force you out of bed. You couldn't do it yourself; they saw that and were there for you. The passionate people won't just listen, they'll cry with you. When they see you falling, they'll not only try to stop you from falling, but somehow cushion your fall. When these champions see you struggling, they will pull you into a hug immediately and pray with you right on the spot, knowing that the King of Kings is the best Healer of hearts. They'll think of you and shoot you an encouraging email because they know how hard Mondays are for you; or maybe just for fun a "Yay! It's Friday!" ecard... I've been blessed to be loved by some particularly passionate people-lovers. A few include my Mom, Lisa Harmon, Christi Salchak and Karen Maxwell. My mom, well.. yeah... won't go there but she rocks. Lisa encourages me with an email faster than anyone... Not to mention the lunches that made me hate going back to work; not because of work but because the lunch company was so wonderful. Christi, who pulled me into a prayer hug right in the lobby of my work because I was struggling with something. I've long since forgotten what I was going through at the time, but such a passionate example of loving people has impacted my life forever. And Karen, my massage therapist. Her massage-prayers and words of encouragement often left me in tears, thanking God for bring her into my life because I really needed her intercession to God Almighty.

Recycling... is it effective no matter what kind of recycler you are? And what of love? Is love still effective no matter what kind of people-lover you are? To take it one step farther, what kind of Christians are we?

Are we uninformed? Are we content with going to church most of the time? Do we find ourselves reading the Bible some of the time? Mostly on Saturday nights though, remembering that the challenge of last week's sermon was to read your Bible at least once this week... When someone mentions a prayer request, we promise to pray. Indeed we do pray... that night. A month later we ask, "so what ever happened with ___?" Do we show up to church and sing the songs and toss $5 in the plate every other week?

Are we compliant? The compliant are the "faithful" church goers. By golly, we are there every week for Sunday school! We know all the words to the songs and Hymn #378 is our favorite. The compliant are faithful with Bible reading and regularly attend Bible study in an earnest effort to learn more of God. We really love God and want to honor and serve Him. We allow our lives to get too busy, but doesn't everyone? But in our heart of hearts, we pursue God.

Or maybe we are passionate in our service to God? The passionate wake in the morning, remembering to thank God for the new day, honoring Him in the first thoughts and prayers and mumblings of the day. The passionate Christians are quick to forgive and diligent to pray for needs. They likely keep a journal of prayer concerns and follow up with others to make sure that the prayer concern hasn't changed. Strangely enough their relationships look a lot like the passionate people lovers of above. There's no condemnation, but plenty of encouragement. There's genuine concern and heart-felt love for others.

The Bible says this: "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind,' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"

As I ask myself what kind of recycler (of waste, love or God) I am, I pray that I've encouraged you as well. It's easy to go along with the status-quo. But what/who does it really benefit? I encourage you to go "Green" for Christ. Go "Green" with your love for others. And sure, go "Green" for the planet.

I encourage you, be a passionate "recycler."

Noel Poll

2008-07-10T04:05:00.000-07:00

Is leaving the toilet seat up and having a stray long hair in the sink on the same on the "no-no" level?

Option A - Absolutely not. Leaving up the toilet seat is a purposeful, willful and wantant sin that only uncivilized, baboon-eske men commit to deliberately anger women and make them look haggard. This is a conspiracy so that the male civilization (term used loosely) may over take the world. They must be stopped - MAKE THEM PAY!!!!!

Option B - Absolutely not! Unconsciously allowing your scalp to shed a hair is most certainly MORE disgusting! Females with long hair should walk backwards to ensure that if and when their scalp decides to remove hair from itself, they are able to immediately spot said hair, pick it up and vacate it from the premises. When females act appropriately and control their shed hair in such a manner, they will not see the toilet seat up at all, which thus alleviates both "issues". Clearly this is the wisest answer.

Option C - You mean the toilet seat can go DOWN? How come I didn't know this??

Option D - haha... wait, what? (Abby Answer)

Option E - You two newlyweds should just shut up and go make a baby - no one wants to hear about this...

Is leaving the toilet seat up and leaving a stray long hair in the sink the same on the "no-no" level? ( surveys)

Little 'ol questions...

2008-07-07T01:54:00.000-07:00

"Caught" from Emily...

1. What did you do 10 years ago?

1998? Hmm... played with my new baby sister. Made dinner. Danced. Moved into our home on "Firebird".

2. Five items on your to-do list today:

Clean the floors

Take a shower

Hang out with my new friends

Look for jobs online

Kiss my husband

3. Snacks I enjoy:

Currently? COOL WHIP Always? Chocolate (anything chocolate!!), coffee (the good kind), bread, SNICKERS!

4. What would you do if you were a billionaire?

Build my own home

Buy my husband some horses

Take my whole extended family (and some friends) to Walt Disney World - we would stay at the Grand Floridian! :)

Start my own business - Harmon/Noel Enterprises

Lotsa money for missions

Pay off my Momma's house (Wouldn't build her a house, she never wants to move. lol)

Take some dear loved ones to Hawaii

Adopt a child

Go on a cruise

I tag Scott and Mom

New Home!

2008-07-01T11:50:00.000-07:00

Wanna see some pictures?? Alright then! Hang tight to your panties, 'cause here we GO!...

This is our "new" car... Bless it's little heart... It is a '92 BMW. Great shape. Just a tad sad on the eyes. It drives really well - it was exactly what we had needed and had been praying for. Now we are just saving up to buy a new car. We're praying that this one holds on til then.

I told Jason we need a name for this loverly transportation unit. "Big Red" is too common. The "big rolling turd" was already taken... If you have any suggestions, please submit them below. :)

We had to borrow some kitchen supplies until our things arrive. We're hoping that our stuff gets here some time in August. This is the box of all our found treasures from the "loan closet".

And the lovely, albeit sad, loan closet. lol - Jason did a really good job at finding a lid to go with a pan! It was mighty hard I tell ya!!

He's just so handsome! :)

Us in our new home!

He talks to me pointing his finger at me... Gee, wonder where I ever got THAT before... hmm

Here's the view from our front door. Kitchen is to the right, great room straight ahead, bathroom to the immediate left, and stairwell is on the left, before the great room.

Potty!

Our landlord's wife came over to meet us when we got the keys. She brought me roses! It's a Germany custom to bring flowers to the hostess when you go to someone's house. It was so sweet - it was like her way of saying "welcome home!" I also found it amusing because our landlord reminds me so much of my Grandpa Herb. And then his wife brought me roses that she grew herself? haha, God's in the details, you know?

Here's our kitchen. Most kitchens in Germany are really small. We were praying that ours would be a nice size because we love to cook together. It is really big by German standards! There is limited cabinet space, however, so we are going to get a corner island to go where I was standing when I took the picture. (As you can see, we only have one drawer... It makes it easy to find the silverware though!)

And the dining room portion of the great room. You can see the kitchen just through the door. This is our borrowed table and chairs from the military - government issue - NICE, let me tell ya! lol

And the dining area looking toward the den.

From the den, looking toward our family room. (Military issue couch). Of course, being me, I put up some pictures and candles first thing. :) Thanks for the frame Abby darling!! Makes it feel so homey!

And leaving the family room, looking toward the front door...

And now we shall travel up the spiral staircase... :)

I seriously love our bathroom - it is so spacious!

And our tub and shower!

Jason's really happy he fits in the tub!

And I'm just happy!!

This is what will be our guest bedroom (as soon as we get some furniture!) So all those planning a visit - we have room for you!!!

What will be the office... when we buy office furniture. Right now it's the bookcase room... lol

My wonderful husband putting away his clothes... (our room)

Our room from the other angle...

And our favorite discovery - the laundry chute!

And downstairs in the basement there are a total of 4 rooms. A storage room with the water heater, heater, and cleaning supplies. A huge laundry room - which is nice. The laundry takes FOREVER to do though - seriously like 2 hours in the washer and 2-3 hours in the dryer. I love doing laundry, so I'm pretty stoked about that. :( There are two additional rooms downstairs. We could easily use them as guest rooms. *wink wink*.

All in all, we love our new home! I spent all day yesterday cleaning and getting stuff to feel more "homey". We had really prayed over a house and God, as always, was faithful. He really used the house and car issues as a learning experience and to really show us that he is in total control. Praise God for that!! :)

I hope you all are well. Hugs from Germany!

~ Kate ~

Posting already... GEESH...

2008-06-30T08:20:00.000-07:00

Hio!

SOME people say I need to post again - I was thinking we'd do a whole "weekly" post kind of deal... Maybe that's not enough? I don't know...

News you can use (or loose):

Jason now has a blog: http://zebrasnotpermitted.blogspot.com/

We move into our new house TOMORROW!!

Jason's nipples do, in fact, look like little cute fishies from the side... here fishy, fishy...

AND... I'm hungry, going to go make some dinner.

PS - For those of you who have suffered through my "issues" associated with brushing my teeth in a dirty/shared sink (examples include Blizzard, Camp, and, my personal favorite, West Virginia Mission Trip...) you will be thrilled to know that I am able to share a sink (and even spit at the same time) with my husband - without getting grossed out and feeling like I have to puke! Ahh, the joys of marriage. :) ;) The few times he has used MY toothbrush, however, have not been pleasant - for either party. Common now, I'm not going to get carried away!

2008-06-25T07:51:00.000-07:00

HEY EVERYBODY! I know, I know... Long time, no post. Sorry - been a busy girl!

Well we are in Germany and are loving the area! We've been staying in a hotel on base. We have a kitchen and a nice little living room, but we're ready to have our own place. Jason's started at work. His co-workers seem really nice - especially Mike and Mai. Mike was the person who had been giving Jason some information before we got here. He met us at the airport and drove us back to base. He and Mai, his wife, had us over to dinner and we really felt at home.

I must just also tell you that God has really blessed us. Obviously I had some fears about moving to Germany seeing as I had never lived outside of the suburbs of Dayton, Ohio before. It's really like God has expressed to me "Yes, you left Ohio. And Yes, you might have some fears. But let me just SHOW you that I am in Germany, just as I am in Ohio. And I am going to take care of you, just like I always have in Ohio." God is good - spread the word! :)

He's found us transportation in a car that we'd been specifically praying for - all the details we were hoping for as well. It's an early '90s BMW - excellent condition and just the right price. He also prepared the way before we got here for our home. The old tenants actually moved out the day our plane landed in Germany! Our new home is WONDERFUL. I'll post pictures later (I accidently deleted them). It's big, compared to German houses and the landlord reminds me of my Grandpa Herb - which is comforting!! All in all, I'm so pleased with our home. We move in on TUESDAY!

Jason's wonderful! (Just had to get that in!) We're having so much fun getting to actually spend TIME together. It's nice to depend on him and see him everyday. My greatest blessing from God, of that I am certain.

If you would like to see any wedding pictures just go to www.crosslightphotography.com. Go to the "client" section. Find the "Kate and Jason" log-in. The password is KateJason41208. If you want any pictures you can order them from there as well. I'm pretty proud of the Newport ones too.

I promise to update with pictures of our home as soon as possible. Love to all!!

2008-04-27T16:52:00.000-07:00

Just starting this site... here we go!!!!

The diaries of a Noel lover...

Dookie assails my senses... Must be spring in Germany...

Counting Quarters...

It's Not About the Coffee

Prayer Request

Happy Birthday Sweetie!!!

So sad...

Our "Falling" trip :)

sunshine... sunshine...

This little piggy...

Nooo, NNNoooo, NNNNOOOO *Sing-song voice*

"0-6-hundred... what does that mean? Oh my gosh it's early!" - Good Morning Vietnam

Merry December 26th...

Noel Poll

Pharm Tech Humor

Chaplain Yarman...

And now, HHEEERRREEE'S KATIE!!!!!!!!!! (Surprise everyone)

Busy week :)

Change

What a wonderful world...

Preliminary Pics...

Cheers!

Recycling

Noel Poll

Little 'ol questions...

New Home!

Posting already... GEESH...

Nooo, NNNoooo, NNNNOOOO Sing-song voice