Goodbye Air Force

Jan 26: a date on our calendar for close to a year.   Could not be more proud than I am today.   Paula's been accepted to the Pediatric Dentistry Residency at University of Tennessee-Memphis.   Her acceptance exemplifies her dedication and awesome skill set as a dentist.   Wow, God is good. 

See you all this summer!

  

A little late...2013

Since I last updated this, 2013 proved to be an awesome year. 

 

Black Forest with Alicia

 

London with the Styskals

 

Palma de Mallorca, Spain

 

Family meets Madelyn

 

 

Germany Tour with the Gross Family

 

Paris

 

Brussels' Beer Fest

Wine Fest with the Bristow's

Munich Oktoberfest

Garmisch

Belagio, Italy

Madelyn's 1!

Home for the Holidays

 

This past year reflects how amazing our time here in Europe has been with blessings of kids, careers, family and friends, and unforgettable travel experiences.    In December 2003, Paula and I boarded a train in Maastricht, Netherlands to begin our departure back to the US at the end of our study abroad program.  Since that time, our ultimate life goal was to somehow find a job that would get us back to Europe and introduce the world to our future kids.   We're here.  We're living our dream...now what?  Paula's commitment with the Air Force ends August 2015, a mere year and a half away.   We're at a roadblock as we are faced to figure out the future that God has planned for our family. 

As much as I'd like to say 2013 was perfect, it definitely had challenges for some of those around us.  We weren't put in Germany to live the good life, but to also reach out to those who were battling sickness, enduring  long military deployments, and prison sentences.  We learned so much from these families how they handled these situations and happy to have been part of their journey.

We had the opportunity to go back home to St. Louis for the Holidays.   Work brought me back to Germany and Paula to Alabama in January.    We made the decision to leave Carter and Madelyn in St. Louis for 5 weeks.    They would spend the weekdays at Grandma Stepp's and weekends at Grandma Schu Schu's.   As crazy as people thought we were, I wouldn't change our decision.  Our international kids know their cousins, aunts and uncles, grandparents, and family friends more than just a picture on the wall.  Not to mention the amount of American greatness of Grandma's cookies, hockey games, endless amounts of ketchup, TELEVISION, and non-existent bedtimes.   For all you did for Carter and Madelyn those 5 weeks, thank you.   

On Valentine's Day weekend, the Schomaker's met Paula in Nashville, TN to drop the kids off.  They all spend the weekend in Nashville with Paula bringing the kids back to Alabama. 

Looking back at 9 weeks without my family-  I completed two 10-day training classes for work, showed my friends the great college life in Maastricht, almost broke my neck on 2 incredible ski trips in the Swiss Alps, a red wine trip to France, and drank too much Belgian beer.   All seems selfish; who chooses a break from their family?  In spite of all the fun I had, I'm now basically counting down the hours until their return to Germany this weekend.    This time alone has given me opportunity to back away from just being a dad these past few years, to ensuring I'm back on the right path with God and our marriage- both of which allow me the best dad I can possibly be.  Paula is an incredible wife.  I am in love with her now as much as was when I proposed to her in Europe 11 years ago.  'No matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love.'   Can't wait to have you home: 2 days, 8 hours, 49 minutes….

Happy Mother's Day

We didn't get any Hallmark cards sent out this year for Mother's Day, but we did just book our tickets home which should make the moms happy.   Grandmas will be able to meet Madelyn and see Carter the evening of May 29th. 

Paula and the kids will stay for 2 weeks and I will leave STL for Washington, DC June 3rd.  America, here we come.

London- Big Ben

Spring weather is almost here.

As always, we’re moving and grooving over here since the last post.   A couple pics:

Madelyn turned 3 months

and now 4 months today

Carter's 2nd Birthday Party at the pool

Madelyn’s Dedication at church. 
Not as cool as being baptized in the Jordan River, but she’s still a member of God’s family.

Easter

We couldn’t figure out while Carter kept skipping over all the eggs.

Then we looked in his basket—he was only collecting the Yellow ones! 

a. Glad I’m back working again so he doesn’t pick up any more of my type-A traits.
b. Paula and I have never “encouraged” yellow things.  However, it’s funny his favorite color is yellow considering he was known as the Yellow Man throughout his life in Turkey.

When are we coming home?  It’s always up in the air with us, huh?  To date, both Paula and my vacation has been approved for Christmas to return to STL.  No exact dates yet, but it’s on the books that we won’t be at work for 2 weeks over the holiday season.  Nothing has changed regarding our plans to return in June.  I’ll be in Maryland for the month and Paula is planning to catch the military flight into Baltimore and take the kids to STL the 1st 2 weeks. 

With me starting a new job and Paula having little flexibility in working in a HUGE office, we’re running into roadblocks regarding travel plans in October.   Some of you are planning to visit in September/October.   Paula’s office is undergoing an “every 3 year” inspection in October.   Just happens that 2013 is the year.   As of right now, no military in her office is authorized leave during September and October.   So family, until we get the final answer from her boss, Paula can’t take off during the week.  We will have to modify Oktoberfest plans/reservations if you still want to visit.  If not, it looks like we are going to have to postpone until next year.   Just more time to save for those cuckoo clocks, right?  Sorry for the notice, but there’s not much we can do.

To say the least, life is good for us in Germany.  We are blessed to be working (without furloughs), no deployments, and have improving weather.     While we are enjoying our time, it is hard to see some of our close friends (Army) going through deployments.   These families sacrifice more than I could ever imagine.   As summer picks up and life gets busier, remember to say a few prayers for our American men and women who continue to leave their families behind and work crazy long days for months in the desert.  We need to continue to support them and their families- regardless of our political stance/views/whatever.

Family / Friends-  It's my (Curt) night for kid duty so need to keep this quick. 

Madelyn started daycare mid-February.  At the last moment, our friend helped us find a lady named Jenefiel who just received her childcare license in her home.  Her husband deployed to the desert last week so she only accepted Madelyn for right now until she can get everything situated in her home.   Madelyn had a rough start, but she is doing great and we could not be happier with the care she is receiving.  Her passport also arrived on Valentine's Day!

Carter is still in daycare until March 30.  He is number 3 on the list for a permanent spot.  If he doesn't get in by April, we are hoping he can go to Madelyn's provider.  We'll cross that bridge later.  He is a learning machine.  This month he has done awesome with colors.  He can line all his trains up into perfect rows matching the colors.  Will he be type A---of course.  He's still in love with puzzles and can complete most of the ones we have all by himself.   

Paula is still on the AM shift at work.  They are doing construction in the clinic so they have to rotate dentists on AM/PM shifts.  She goes in early and can usually get out early enough to have some time at home to walk the dogs, do house stuff, pack for the next day, etc.  She is slotted to attend a 2-week course in San Antonio, Texas in August.  To date, the funding is still available and the class is not cancelled. But, that could always change I'm sure. 

I started my job Feb 11.  I'd like to say I love it, but I'm overwhelmed and too early to have an opinion.   My supervisor is very fast-paced and trying to get me up and running as quick as possible.   I usually just stare at her like a deer in the headlights.  Regardless, I am blessed to have a job that challenges me and forces me to learn everyday.  I was informed I was the last person hired in our unit due to Government hiring freezes- so, the timing could not have been better.  I am already scheduled to attend my "basic training" in June.  Depending on furlough, budget cuts, blah blah, I'll be in California, Maryland the month of June. 

Six + months in, we are now somewhat "settled" in Germany.  We've got it down to a science on how to get our cars buried out of the snow and still get the kids out the door by 6:45.  With my new job, daycare uncertainties, and our training in June/August, we are still trying to figure out when we can come back to STL.  My training is about 1 1/2 hours from Baltimore.  It is likely Paula and the kids will take the military flight to Baltimore in June, stay with me a couple days, and then they will get a flight to STL. Still in the planning stages, but that's where we're at.  

Time to put Madelyn to bed.

 

This month-

Where to begin? Alot has happened this past month over here in Germany:

Christmas came and went.  As much as we wanted to be home, it was a perfect holiday season for us.  We were able to wake up in our own home, play with toys all day, and simply relax and appreciate all God has done for us. 

 

 

 

 

New Years was crazy.  We went to Strasbourg, France for the day and returned home late that evening.  As we hit the pillows at midnight, fireworks throughout our entire village started going off.  They lasted until 1am and we enjoyed them right from our door. It was awesome. 

  

Carter started daycare and loves it.  His teachers call him the "Dancing Man"- I guess a better name than "Yellow Man" as in Turkey. We just have the spot until March 8. Then who knows?  

 

Madelyn turned 1 month on January 7th.  She is a much different baby than Carter and I need to stop comparing the two.  She's a girl- she has more needs, that's all (written by Curt). 

 

 

Before Paula goes back to work, we wanted to take at least 1 trip.  Last weekend, we took the train to Berlin.  How people travel with 2 kids under 2 is a wonder to me.  A bus, 5 train connections, and a few fits (and mom/dad fights) in between, we made it home.  Overall, it was a great trip- just not sure how often we'll be traveling as much as we dreamed.

Tropical Islands Water Park

   

 

Asleep- Pina Colada time

 

Paula goes back to work in 6 days- yikes.  I'm starting to get my stay-at-home dad routine down to a science.   Anyone visiting would be impressed with my abilities to get Madelyn to calm down.  Let's just say I don't need to spend much time in the gym between squats, overhead lifts, baby bicep curls, running in place, etc.  Did I previously mention that Madelyn has a few more needs?   

With that said, I received notice yesterday that I got a job! The position is with the Air Force and in the contracting unit that I've been waiting/hoping for.  5 months of patience.  I start February 11, giving us 3 weeks to get daycare situated. 

Thank you all for the Christmas cards/gifts, phone calls, and emails.  It's been a crazy month and appreciate all your love.   

  



Santa's in Germany

Carter and Madelyn got to meet Santa today. 

Introducing...

It's a girl!  Madelyn Margaret Stepp.   Born 3:51pm 7lb, 12 oz.  Mom and baby are doing great.

 

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. 

"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.  

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!

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. 

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.  

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!

 

Wine Festival in Bad Durkeim

Pumpkin Festival in Hitscherhof

CeCe enjoying the dog bar

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...

Bernkastel-Kues

Almost 2 months without our car = time for a drive. Took our first day trip to Bernkastel-Kues which is a beautiful vineyard region.

                 

I think I'm going to like it here...

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.