Carter and Madelyn got to meet Santa today.
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Friday, December 7, 2012
Introducing...
It's a girl! Madelyn Margaret Stepp. Born 3:51pm 7lb, 12 oz. Mom and baby are doing great.
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Baby update
Well, it seems Paula and Kelly will not have babies on the same day again. Baby Stepp did not have any intentions on coming out on his/her due date. If nothing progresses this week, Paula will be induced Friday, December 7.
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
"I'll be home for Christmas"- next year.
So, our plans to be home for Christmas this year did not work out. In a perfect world, Baby #2 would be born around Dec 1st giving us 3 weeks to get baby's passport- landing us at the grandparent's door Dec 25th. After working with the passport office on base, the only way we can expedite the passport is via a Red Cross emergency. Since we are military, we have to process the 10-14 week application paperwork through the military office, no exceptions. Not even I can talk our way out of this one. Surprising, huh?
When Carter was born, we were able to work with the Embassy in Turkey because the base was much smaller. We got Carter's passport in about 4 weeks allowing us to leave the country while on Paula's maternity leave. Paula's plan for Baby #2 was to take 8 weeks off work, spending alot of her maternity leave in the States. Since it's not an option, she's considering taking 6 weeks off work, go back to work for about 2 months and then we'll fly home. Tentatively, we are looking at being home February 21-March 6. If 6 weeks is not long enough for maternity leave, we'll likely prolong our travel home until later Spring.
There's the short of it. It's been a long and frustrating couple weeks as we've been battling passport roadblocks, no potential job interviews, daycare for Carter when the baby is born, blah, blah . But, as Ellen from Christmas Vacation would say "It's the holidays- we're all in misery". Just kidding. Though we are completely bummed we won't be home this year, you all will simply have to buy your Christmas trees REALLY late and keep them up until February.
When Carter was born, we were able to work with the Embassy in Turkey because the base was much smaller. We got Carter's passport in about 4 weeks allowing us to leave the country while on Paula's maternity leave. Paula's plan for Baby #2 was to take 8 weeks off work, spending alot of her maternity leave in the States. Since it's not an option, she's considering taking 6 weeks off work, go back to work for about 2 months and then we'll fly home. Tentatively, we are looking at being home February 21-March 6. If 6 weeks is not long enough for maternity leave, we'll likely prolong our travel home until later Spring.
There's the short of it. It's been a long and frustrating couple weeks as we've been battling passport roadblocks, no potential job interviews, daycare for Carter when the baby is born, blah, blah . But, as Ellen from Christmas Vacation would say "It's the holidays- we're all in misery". Just kidding. Though we are completely bummed we won't be home this year, you all will simply have to buy your Christmas trees REALLY late and keep them up until February.
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Stuttgart Oktoberfest
When you live overseas, nothing makes you happier than seeing a familiar face. It brings a comfort of home, rejuvenating you to delay home sickness. My dad's cousin and his wife, Jim and Fran Poe, were attending a work conference in Italy and decided to come to Landstuhl, Germany. The main military hospital of Germany is located in Landstuhl- where Jim was born in 1954 and our son/daughter will be born in a few weeks. Though I can recall only meeting Jim and his family once, it was nice to meet up with them and feel the presence of family in Germany.
After meeting up at Landstuhl area, we spent the day with them at Stuttgart Oktoberfest, the 2nd largest annual fest in Germany. It was a great trial run to prepare for planning our '13 Munich Oktoberfest adventure. Thanks Jim and Fran for taking care of us!
After meeting up at Landstuhl area, we spent the day with them at Stuttgart Oktoberfest, the 2nd largest annual fest in Germany. It was a great trial run to prepare for planning our '13 Munich Oktoberfest adventure. Thanks Jim and Fran for taking care of us!
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Maastricht, Netherlands
Took us 9 years, but we finally returned to Maastricht, Netherlands. Maastricht is a city that had great impact on our lives. At 21, we truly became "adults" there- we learned what it was like to live in a foreign country, made many traveling mistakes touring around Europe, learned to survive without our immediate family/friends, and got engaged. Maastricht is a big part of the reason Paula joined the military, enabling us the opportunity to get back to Europe once again.
2 dogs, 1 kid, and 1 kid on the way- Needless to say, our time visiting Maastricht this past month was much different than years before. Despite the rain, it was awesome to see all our "hot spots" and travel back in time of our college years.
Maastricht is 3 hours from our home in Germany. We decided to drive home at night and unfortunately got rear ended. 9 o'clock at night we're trying to figure out (1) how to call the police internationally? (2), how to communicate with the other driver who doesn't speak English and is convinced I was was "backing up" at a stoplight (3), how do we notify our insurance. Luckily, a Dutch lady stopped and helped us tremendously regarding our communication barriers and how to fill out the appropriate international forms. Though there was damage to the rear, we could still drive home. En route, we found out that our gas card does not work outside of Germany and it is common for gas stations to close at 10:00pm. It's midnight and we're driving around these small German towns looking for a drop of gas. We learned alot that night--especially how frustrating it can be living overseas and the need to always be prepared!! Regardless, everyone's ok and glad to have made it back home.
2 dogs, 1 kid, and 1 kid on the way- Needless to say, our time visiting Maastricht this past month was much different than years before. Despite the rain, it was awesome to see all our "hot spots" and travel back in time of our college years.
Maastricht is 3 hours from our home in Germany. We decided to drive home at night and unfortunately got rear ended. 9 o'clock at night we're trying to figure out (1) how to call the police internationally? (2), how to communicate with the other driver who doesn't speak English and is convinced I was was "backing up" at a stoplight (3), how do we notify our insurance. Luckily, a Dutch lady stopped and helped us tremendously regarding our communication barriers and how to fill out the appropriate international forms. Though there was damage to the rear, we could still drive home. En route, we found out that our gas card does not work outside of Germany and it is common for gas stations to close at 10:00pm. It's midnight and we're driving around these small German towns looking for a drop of gas. We learned alot that night--especially how frustrating it can be living overseas and the need to always be prepared!! Regardless, everyone's ok and glad to have made it back home.
Friday, September 28, 2012
New job
Alot has happened over the last month. We are still getting familiar with our new German life, just finding the time today to sit down and respond to emails and update the blog.
Most of my emails I need to respond to somewhere include "Curt- did you find a job?". Short and sweet- No. Before we left Turkey, I was diligently applying for jobs weekly. Many of them were the same type of job I was doing in Turkey- routine and less than challenging. I have since pulled my application for many of the jobs and searching for something that better suits me and my desire to have my own career back. Though the job was fine for Turkey, it just isn't going to work for Germany. As most of my friends know whose spouses are in the military, many jobs offered for us are just that- jobs. Something to keep us busy and out of the house. Since Paula is in the military, I get a 1-time "Military Spouse Preference" to be used to apply for a government job while in Germany. Since I can only use it once in our 3 years, I have decided to wait and only apply for jobs that relate to my interest and where I can potentially build a career. Time will tell, but for now my life is a full time Stay at Home Dad.
Let's first change that title "stay at home dad." For anyone who knows me well, knows that I can barely sit through a 30 minute TV episode without getting antsy. Staying at home probably isn't the best option for me. In the 1st month of my new job, I've developed quite the schedule. May not last as the days are getting colder (and Carter's probably getting sick of being on the go).
Paula works with over 30 other dentists. In that mix, I was sure to find some dads to hang with and get Carter some time with other kids. Our first "dad" meeting was at the Kaiserslaughtern zoo.
On Tuesdays and Thursdays, Carter and I meet Paula at the pool on base for lunch. The pool is awesome and Carter loves it. He is very independent in the water and goes down the big waterslide in the kid area all by himself. It's also a great break for me to swim some laps.
Most of my emails I need to respond to somewhere include "Curt- did you find a job?". Short and sweet- No. Before we left Turkey, I was diligently applying for jobs weekly. Many of them were the same type of job I was doing in Turkey- routine and less than challenging. I have since pulled my application for many of the jobs and searching for something that better suits me and my desire to have my own career back. Though the job was fine for Turkey, it just isn't going to work for Germany. As most of my friends know whose spouses are in the military, many jobs offered for us are just that- jobs. Something to keep us busy and out of the house. Since Paula is in the military, I get a 1-time "Military Spouse Preference" to be used to apply for a government job while in Germany. Since I can only use it once in our 3 years, I have decided to wait and only apply for jobs that relate to my interest and where I can potentially build a career. Time will tell, but for now my life is a full time Stay at Home Dad.
Let's first change that title "stay at home dad." For anyone who knows me well, knows that I can barely sit through a 30 minute TV episode without getting antsy. Staying at home probably isn't the best option for me. In the 1st month of my new job, I've developed quite the schedule. May not last as the days are getting colder (and Carter's probably getting sick of being on the go).
Paula works with over 30 other dentists. In that mix, I was sure to find some dads to hang with and get Carter some time with other kids. Our first "dad" meeting was at the Kaiserslaughtern zoo.
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| Colton, Carter, Gaige |
On Tuesdays and Thursdays, Carter and I meet Paula at the pool on base for lunch. The pool is awesome and Carter loves it. He is very independent in the water and goes down the big waterslide in the kid area all by himself. It's also a great break for me to swim some laps.
Our last few months in Turkey were primarily spent saying goodbye to our friends we made. We did little but go to each other's houses, have dinners, etc. With no traveling or no other Turkish stuff to buy, I saved almost 4 months of my blow money and bought a new Kona bike and bike trailer for Carter. It is quite the ride. 2 days of the week we hit the bike trails and come home exhausted and usually muddy. There's a horse ranch in our town we stop at that has 50+ horses. Carter particularly likes Pinocchio and feeds him hay. Donkeys, chickens, goats, ducks, turkeys, and sheep also graze the ranch area. Carter's really learning his animals- I was proud he was able to say his animal sounds to Grandma Schu Schu the other day on skype.
To Paula's disgust, we made our 1st mini-van purchase. It's nice to have 2 cars again- some days, Carter and I take out with the GPS and just explore the neighboring towns. He's probably more interested in Elmo playing on the DVD player, but it still makes for a good ride. We have taken the van to a couple weekend festivals- now we just need some of you to come visit and fill this van up!
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| Wine Festival in Bad Durkeim |
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| Pumpkin Festival in Hitscherhof |
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| CeCe enjoying the dog bar |
Monday, September 10, 2012
Almost there...
Sorry we have not been in touch with anyone. This move was much more stressful and challenging than previous moves. When we moved out of the hotel, we found our house in a complete disaster. The previous tenants were supposed to move out on a Monday, leaving the landlord a week to get everything ready. Needless to say, when we were moving in the following Monday, the landlord arranged for 3 dumpsters to come and haul away the previous tenants trash/leftovers. It was exhausting.
One week later, we are moved in and the house is put together in record time. I'll post pictures soon. Our internet/phone/TV is scheduled to be turned on today so for now we are using our friend's internet. Almost there...
One week later, we are moved in and the house is put together in record time. I'll post pictures soon. Our internet/phone/TV is scheduled to be turned on today so for now we are using our friend's internet. Almost there...
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Bernkastel-Kues
We Found a House!
We won't move in until September, but we are the proud new renters of a house in Katzweiler, Germany. It is about 15 minutes from the base and 2 hours to the closest Turkish kabob shop (just kdding). With 50,000+ Americans living in the area, when you see something you like- you get it. The house was listed on a Monday night. My friend and I checked it out on Tuesday morning and told the landlord I'd be back with Paula and the contract in an hour. Our patience in this hotel room is running out.
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Thursday, August 2, 2012
So long Turkey
So, the Blog hasn't really work for us. I’d like to say it was because we were too
busy, didn’t have anything to write, or didn’t want people to know what events
were going on in our lives—none of which were really true. When looking at the last entry of the blog,
we were preparing to go back home. What
an awesome trip we had. We were able to
introduce Carter to our family and friends, spend time in California with
Paula’s parents, and celebrate my parent’s 40th wedding
anniversary. After 29 days in the
States, I remember boarding the plane with Carter and simply feeling mad. I was mad to leave my family and friends,
mad to go back to a job I didn’t like, and mad to go back to a country where
the food was just horrendous. One year
in, I was DONE with Turkey life. As
with all things, you get over it and move on—after all, we chose this life,
right?
Yeliz
Ok, so now I can say Yeliz is my 2nd favorite part of our Turkey experience. What an awesome woman. Yeliz became Carter’s nanny when he turned 6 weeks old. For a year and a half, she cooked for him, taught him Turkish words, did his laundry, played with him , held him, cut his nails (of which Paula and I have only done once), changed his diapers, took him to the market, and so much more. Sure, I say she improved our marriage because she did the cleaning, cooking, laundry, etc for us too. With time away from these chores, we could truly spend our time with Carter every night after work. To sum it up, we were spoiled. But, these acts of service were not the things that prepared us to accept Yeliz as simply Carter’s nanny, but a member of our family. Here we are- 29/30 year old Americans-supporting her family of 4 on a monthly take-home paycheck of $500. We have visited her family many times at her home in Adana. Each time we drive home through the pot-hole streets, avoiding men steering donkey drawn carriages and kids trying to sell tissues on the side of the road to make money, I look at Paula and say “Remember this.” There we sit in this no-frills black Ford Escape outside her home and people look at us as if we are the newest celebrity making our debut in Hollywood. How fortunate are we to have this car, our education, our home---all of which Yeliz and her family will likely never have.
Israel
Wow. How can I talk briefly about Israel? Carter had just turned 1 and we were en-route to the Promised Land with 23 other Americans. Growing up in the church, I always believed in the Bible and its teachings. This trip, however, allowed the Bible to fully come alive. We travelled in the footsteps of Jesus for 9 days- starting in Bethlehem and ending with our baptism in the Jordan River. One particular image that will stick with me forever is seeing the Valley of the Shadow of Death as written in Psalm 23. The valley is hidden along the southern border of Jerusalem and depicts exactly what the Bible references in the Old Testament. As Christians, we tend to recite this Psalm at virtually every funeral- putting a sorrowful thought in my mind about the verse. When I saw the Valley, I was able to understand the hope that God has prepared for us- for He is present, guarding, and leading us in our daily lives. This was just one of the life-changing experiences we had on this trip that answered many questions about our faith and re-focused our commitment to Christ.
Moving on
We packed our
household goods and shipped our car early, leaving us in the hotel on base for
47 days. As I anxiously countdown the
final days until we leave, it surprises me how much I have learned and grown from
our tour in Turkey. Though I am more
than ready to move on to our next adventure, nothing can replace the
experiences we have had right here in this Muslim nation.
Carter
One night at the Stebbins’ house, we were all asked to guess what our spouse would say would be his/her favorite thing about our time in Turkey. Paula’s, of course, was “Giving birth to Carter.” How did I not choose this? Why did I say “Having Yeliz for a nanny?” Of course Yeliz made our lives and marriage wonderful. But, having our 1st son born in Turkey was just phenomenal. Though we didn’t speak the same language as the nurse staff at Acibadem Hospital when Carter was born, they all shared the love Paula and I immediately felt when we met Carter. This blonde haired baby became the talk of the hospital, having nurses and staff from other floors come and check him out. Traveling throughout Turkey, Carter soon became known as the “Lemon Man”. We soon learned Turkish people absolutely LOVE kids. I cannot remember a restaurant we ate at, airport we traveled from, or hotel we stayed in where the locals did not hesitate to pick Carter up and simply kiss his hand and cheeks and offer him some sort of Turkish present. What a change from the U.S. where people are irritated when they dine with kids at restaurants or annoyed with that family of 4 going through security at the airport. I wish Carter could remember his life in Turkey- if a child ever needed to feel special, Turkey is the place to be.
One night at the Stebbins’ house, we were all asked to guess what our spouse would say would be his/her favorite thing about our time in Turkey. Paula’s, of course, was “Giving birth to Carter.” How did I not choose this? Why did I say “Having Yeliz for a nanny?” Of course Yeliz made our lives and marriage wonderful. But, having our 1st son born in Turkey was just phenomenal. Though we didn’t speak the same language as the nurse staff at Acibadem Hospital when Carter was born, they all shared the love Paula and I immediately felt when we met Carter. This blonde haired baby became the talk of the hospital, having nurses and staff from other floors come and check him out. Traveling throughout Turkey, Carter soon became known as the “Lemon Man”. We soon learned Turkish people absolutely LOVE kids. I cannot remember a restaurant we ate at, airport we traveled from, or hotel we stayed in where the locals did not hesitate to pick Carter up and simply kiss his hand and cheeks and offer him some sort of Turkish present. What a change from the U.S. where people are irritated when they dine with kids at restaurants or annoyed with that family of 4 going through security at the airport. I wish Carter could remember his life in Turkey- if a child ever needed to feel special, Turkey is the place to be.
YelizOk, so now I can say Yeliz is my 2nd favorite part of our Turkey experience. What an awesome woman. Yeliz became Carter’s nanny when he turned 6 weeks old. For a year and a half, she cooked for him, taught him Turkish words, did his laundry, played with him , held him, cut his nails (of which Paula and I have only done once), changed his diapers, took him to the market, and so much more. Sure, I say she improved our marriage because she did the cleaning, cooking, laundry, etc for us too. With time away from these chores, we could truly spend our time with Carter every night after work. To sum it up, we were spoiled. But, these acts of service were not the things that prepared us to accept Yeliz as simply Carter’s nanny, but a member of our family. Here we are- 29/30 year old Americans-supporting her family of 4 on a monthly take-home paycheck of $500. We have visited her family many times at her home in Adana. Each time we drive home through the pot-hole streets, avoiding men steering donkey drawn carriages and kids trying to sell tissues on the side of the road to make money, I look at Paula and say “Remember this.” There we sit in this no-frills black Ford Escape outside her home and people look at us as if we are the newest celebrity making our debut in Hollywood. How fortunate are we to have this car, our education, our home---all of which Yeliz and her family will likely never have.
Air Force
When we lived in Biloxi, Paula happened to work on an Air Force base. We spent very little time there, enjoying most of our weekends in New Orleans, Florida, or livin’ the southern Vegas strip. Then, we moved to Turkey- surrounded by barbed wire on a Turkish military base. Everything became military- TV, housing, work, friends, grocery store, weekend events, our words speaking that crazy jargon, restaurants- everything. I hated it and started to resent our decision to move to Turkey. In time, I started to understand the military life (somewhat) and realized I am married to a soldier. Sure, Paula’s “just a dentist”, but it took our experience in Turkey for me to understand that this is a big deal. Our friends on base became our family. If we weren’t traveling with them, we were spending our weekends at each other’s homes. Then our friends started to deploy. Some of the most memorable days in Turkey were spent going to the airport terminal and celebrating with our friends when their husband/wife returned home. I could not be more proud of our military friends and Paula. They exemplify the true American hero and allow us to freely live in the greatest nation in the world. Period.
When we lived in Biloxi, Paula happened to work on an Air Force base. We spent very little time there, enjoying most of our weekends in New Orleans, Florida, or livin’ the southern Vegas strip. Then, we moved to Turkey- surrounded by barbed wire on a Turkish military base. Everything became military- TV, housing, work, friends, grocery store, weekend events, our words speaking that crazy jargon, restaurants- everything. I hated it and started to resent our decision to move to Turkey. In time, I started to understand the military life (somewhat) and realized I am married to a soldier. Sure, Paula’s “just a dentist”, but it took our experience in Turkey for me to understand that this is a big deal. Our friends on base became our family. If we weren’t traveling with them, we were spending our weekends at each other’s homes. Then our friends started to deploy. Some of the most memorable days in Turkey were spent going to the airport terminal and celebrating with our friends when their husband/wife returned home. I could not be more proud of our military friends and Paula. They exemplify the true American hero and allow us to freely live in the greatest nation in the world. Period.
Financial Peace
In October 2010, our friend Jordan Clark introduced us to Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace. We started cutting up credit cards and establishing a budget, with the ultimate goal of leaving Turkey in 2012 debt free (besides our rental home in Illinois). For nearly 2 years, every incoming and outgoing dollar to our name had a purpose. Financial Peace not only gave us the guidance to get us on the right track regarding our monthly budget, but to fully understand the necessity of additional giving. Paula has committed to supporting our friends Lindsay and Michael King with the establishment of their Youth for Christ mission, an organization serving Air Force teens across the world. Following my mission trip to Uruguay, I have had the opportunity to sponsor a student studying at the Bible Institute in Montevideo, Uruguay. We are blessed to see how these organizations are progressing each month and look forward to years of giving with them.
In October 2010, our friend Jordan Clark introduced us to Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace. We started cutting up credit cards and establishing a budget, with the ultimate goal of leaving Turkey in 2012 debt free (besides our rental home in Illinois). For nearly 2 years, every incoming and outgoing dollar to our name had a purpose. Financial Peace not only gave us the guidance to get us on the right track regarding our monthly budget, but to fully understand the necessity of additional giving. Paula has committed to supporting our friends Lindsay and Michael King with the establishment of their Youth for Christ mission, an organization serving Air Force teens across the world. Following my mission trip to Uruguay, I have had the opportunity to sponsor a student studying at the Bible Institute in Montevideo, Uruguay. We are blessed to see how these organizations are progressing each month and look forward to years of giving with them.
On July 25th, 10 days before our departure from
Turkey, we sent in our final payment to National Education Student Loans. Dave Ramsey- we are Debt Free!
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| Valley of the Shaddow of Death |
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| Carter's Baptism in the Jordan |
Wow. How can I talk briefly about Israel? Carter had just turned 1 and we were en-route to the Promised Land with 23 other Americans. Growing up in the church, I always believed in the Bible and its teachings. This trip, however, allowed the Bible to fully come alive. We travelled in the footsteps of Jesus for 9 days- starting in Bethlehem and ending with our baptism in the Jordan River. One particular image that will stick with me forever is seeing the Valley of the Shadow of Death as written in Psalm 23. The valley is hidden along the southern border of Jerusalem and depicts exactly what the Bible references in the Old Testament. As Christians, we tend to recite this Psalm at virtually every funeral- putting a sorrowful thought in my mind about the verse. When I saw the Valley, I was able to understand the hope that God has prepared for us- for He is present, guarding, and leading us in our daily lives. This was just one of the life-changing experiences we had on this trip that answered many questions about our faith and re-focused our commitment to Christ.
Moving on
As I write this in our last week in Turkey, I think of all
we missed these past 2 years. Many
times, it was easier not to call back home as it just made us upset. Seems every weekend, we were missing a
birthday party, a friend’s birth, a wedding, a boat ride, or a Sunday breakfast
with the family. Despite all these things we missed, would I do
it again? I'll say this: In 2 years, living in Turkey truly provided
Paula and me the foundation we needed to raise our own family- financially, culturally,
and spiritually. We have attained by 30
what many strive to achieve their entire life- contentment.
Thank you to our friends and family back home for supporting
us. And thank you to the Balskus,
Bristows, Clarks, Kellihers, Kings, Marrons, Paltes, Stebbins, Weisses, and
Yeliz for loving Carter and being our Turkish family. It was an unforgettable 2 years and glad to
have shared it with you. Until we meet
again…..Love, the Stepps
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