Friday, December 26, 2008

My first Germany Christmas!!

Life is pretty good here, though I would LOVE to see more sunlight I am getting along just fine. Christmas was fun, I worked both the 24th and 25th. The shifts went smoothly and I was glad to spend it with what is now my new family while I live here my new team!!! Here are a few pictures of the night
Some funny gifts





My team and me




Love ya all!!!
Rachel

Just an average day

Sorry for the delay in keeping y'all updated. I have not done much lately besides sleep, work and see one or two Christmas markets, no much really. A girl on my team named Rhoda went with me and here we are toasting to those back home!






Love you all!!
Rachel

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

It's coming on Christmas in Rachel's house

Sorry I have been lacking in getting these post done with any consistency. Work is going pretty good I’m getting into more of a routine now with work and free time. Meaning I have less paper work that has to be filled out ALL the time. I am starting to really adore my home and neighbors whom have been so very kind to me. One in particular the Westerns have had me over for dinner last Sunday which was a real treat. They also have checked in on me and are a big help with my 101 questions about home care. OH and they mowed my lawn for me so I don’t get arrested here in Germany. So over all they are just wonderful people.
I have started to explore more German stores and shops. Found some cute little ornaments for my little fake tree that just lights up my life these days, no joke it’s a like a cute little night light!!!! I attached a picture below.



And with the lights on




I have finally worked through the red tape and now have my housing allowance on my pay check!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This really is a big deal since it just takes so long. So this means I can now start adding things to my house, like tables, chairs and other items that will make it look far less bare here. I went shopping at the German equivalent to Dillard's here today. Found some A-mazing boots to wear around town as well as a cute little change purse for my euros , so I can stop digging around in my wallet for the smaller coins!!!!!! Shelley was so kinda as to go with me (mentioned her in a post before), she has been here over a year and has been wonderful at showing me the ins and outs of shopping around here.

If you are reading this then I most defiantly call you friend and therefore need to know if you want anything for Christmas from Germany!! I have the Matt and Vic Stovall family done, all but Maggie so I need ideas. I need to know if anyone else wants anything, working on Russell too so a wee little help from Haley would be WONDERFUL! I love you all and hope you are having a wonderful holiday season with friends and family!!

I am keeping all of y'all in mind this holiday season by the ornaments I have collected when I have been with you on trips or just visiting, here are a few:


A trip to remember in New Orleans


A trip out to the west coast to visit a dear friend with another dear friend!!


And of course TN, got this up on Signal Mt.

This is how I am making sure each and everyone of you stay close to me!!

Love ya,
Rachel

Sunday, November 30, 2008

Girls just wanna have fun

So as many of you know I once had a bad "incident" if you will when I had my hair colored. Since then I have been VERY cautious about dyeing my hair. Well all good fears at some point need to end. So I crushed this one this weekend!!! I dyed my hair....Kate helped me but I feel it turned out really good.






Just thought y'all would want to know.

love ya
Rachel

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Kate came to town

So as many of y'all know Kate my BFF came to share some love this holiday season by visiting me for Thanksgiving. I picked her up in Frankfort, I did pretty good driving FYI, and then we went to Heidelberg to drop off Kate's room mate Anna. Since we were already in town Kate and I walked around town and took in the sights.

ENJOY and HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!




I miss y'all and hope you are each having a wonderful Thanksgiving!! I just would like to say I am very very very thankful for each and every one of you. With out my good friends I would not have been able to take such a leap to this new job. I feel so supported and loved by all my family and friends.
Thank you
Thank you
Thank you

YOU *points* are what make me thankful this holiday season.

Love ya,
Rachel

New home, new friends and a Christmas market


So I was waiting on a flight down in the ER and I started talking to a nurse down there. We started talking and come to find out she used to work in the ER at UC....yes the same hospital I used to work at!!!! Her name is Shelly and I have decided to call her friend now.









Here are some pictures of a Christmas market Shelley and I went to!! It was a ton of fun!!

Love y'all
Rachel

Snow falling on Germany

So it snowed in Germany.....here are a few pictures.

ENJOY!!!



Saturday, November 15, 2008

Just a heads up

I am doing well at work, they think I am this amazing nurse which I get a kick out of since I am the youngest one there! On a serious note there is no way I would have this honor of moving here if it had not been for the amazing nurse who trained me! I owe them more than I can express. Each and every one of them had so much knowledge and lets not forget patients to train me!! I will write more on this subject later when I can collect my thoughts better and give them the attention they deserve.


I have discover how to use my web cam for evil.....


So whats going on in the Rachel hood you ask? I work nights these days...that is to be re-evaluated come Dec/Jan. I am looking into day trips to take coming up. Especially for the Christmas markets that are all over Germany that people keep raving about. Tomorrow I am going to check out an auction on base for some furniture. As you can see from the pictures I don't have much so I am looking for a few good items. I will let you know how it all goes.

I have to get some sleep but I just wanted y'all know I am doing well and things are moving right along.

Love ya!!

I have color!!!!

So my goods came (thank goodness) so I now have a splash of color in this gray and white house.



















As you can see I still have plenty of unpacking to do. I need to build some shelves so I can hang my cloths and get them out of the boxes and suite cases that I have been living out of for two months. All in all things are going pretty good. I still have a few things to get worked out but its all good. In the end it all comes down to the pure wonderful feeling to be in my own bed for a change!!

Love y'all

Thursday, November 6, 2008

And she is off...

I have managed to see some new cities so far. One happens to be Heidelberg, which is about 45 min or more away from where I live. Here are some pictures of me and my new friend Maggie as well as the castle that Heidelberg is known for.









Will take more pictues next time!! I was just looking around so much I forgot to take but these few!!

Saturday, November 1, 2008

Moving on UP!!!

Hello to EVERYONE!!! I am happy to report that I am no longer going hotel room to hotel room. Packing up my few belongings each morning. As well as taking my little bag of food in with my each night so I had some cran juice to wake up to and a nice bowl of Cheerios so I could start the day off right. Below are the pictures of my little piece of Germany that I can now call my own.


The front oh my home


The back of my home with my little German rental car, named Monty (no idea why but its just how I roll)


The view out the windows to the front (top floor)


The view out back of my house (once again top floor but all the floors below have the same view since as you can see there is no house behind me)


The bath tube, ie why I took the house.


The den with the fireplace!!





My goods come in the am (FINALLY!!! FYI the Army had lost them for a spell and it make me kinda angry...kinda) so once they are here I will take more pictures so y'all can see a better "view" with all my things.

Love each and every one of you and thank you for all your kind words of support!!
Rachel

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Volksmarch

So I had a wonderful weekend last week (not this past one...I was at work and loved it) when a few of my fellow nurses invited me to go to a Volksmarch. This is something Germans like to do on Sat or Sun. There are the 5k, 10k and 20k. They each are followed by a small town festival with the usual fair. Well the one I went to on Saturday was followed by a bus ride and a wine festival. I had soooo much fun and bought a bottle of wine that is now sitting in my car for me to drink some day.
It was an all day thing and I had so much fun. The extra wonderful part was that the weather we nice and it was a truly beautiful day!! Here are some pictures!









Then on to the wine festival. We were on the Mosel though I can't recall the town.









Had a wonderful time and look forward to doing it again. Oh and another bit of news. Just this last Thursday I found a house. I will be getting the keys come Friday so I am hoping to get those up over the next week.

Love ya and will keep you updated!
Rachel