Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Penn Foster

I decided to go to a trade school, I guess you could say. I couldn't decide what to go to school for. I was considering Photography, Beauty school and many others but none of them was something I REALLY wanted to do or really interested me.  Well, I kept searching and exploring different careers and finally decided on Veterinary Assisting. I am a HUGE animal lover and I just knew this was perfect for me. I was a little weary about actually starting, it has been so long since High School and I'm way out of shape academically.
   I talked to Steve about it and got his input and he wanted me to do it..  he said "If you decide to go to school for anything else, you will always wonder 'what if'" and he is 100 percent right!! I've grew up always having a dream to work with animals.
  Once I decided to go for it, I started looking in to colleges and programs. A few wives here on post told me about a great online school that they go to. Its called Penn Foster Career School.

I went to the site and started reading about the course, tuition, what they offer ect. I decided on them. I called the enrollment office yesterday and got tuition, enrolled, and got my student ID number all over the phone. They are a Military friendly school and they make everything so convenient.
   About my program- I am enrolled in the Veterinary Assistant Diploma program with Penn Foster Career School.. Its a one year course so I won't be getting a degree from this one program. Penn Foster has an actual College side also. There is Penn Foster Career school and Penn Foster College.  I have always wanted to be a Veterinary Technician and Penn Foster College offers an Associates degree but I am worried I'm not ready for that yet and decided on the Veterinary Assistant program instead.

Monday, February 14, 2011

TDY at Vilseck Army Post PART 2

We were able to finally go see Grafenwoehr Army Post which is about 20-30 minutes away from Vilseck Army Post. It has the largest PX in Bavaria Germany. With that title I was expecting something a little more large then what was there. It was still a nice place and bigger then the one we have in Schweinfurt but compared to Ramstein AFB's PX/BX, it was pretty small. (Ramstein is the largest PX/BX in the world).
 Yesterday the Hotel we are in moved us to another room. Where we were was on the top floor and we had to go up more stairs then necessary to get to our room.. We never complained but I guess they figured they would move us since we are here for another week and a bigger room on the second floor opened up, which was really nice of them.  Pictures of the new Hotel room...



At least they tried to speak English

Up before the Sun

Tubbles snuggled in bed
We have been here for about a week now and it is nice having a change of pace. Steve is enjoying his classes-He gets to learn about guns, takes them apart, puts them back together and such. He usually doesn't get back to the hotel until about 1800 (6pm) every night.. by then dinner is ready downstairs (we get cheap food for me and the Army pays for Steve's meals) so we eat, maybe watch some German TV [that we can't understand] then go to bed.   Ever since Steve started his classes/training, I have been going to the post with him every morning, drop him off at school, then just park at the PX until he has lunch then he takes me back to the Hotel, then he leaves and finishes off his day of school. You would think it would be pretty boring to sit in a car for a few hours every morning but I don't mind it.. I just read and maybe do some shopping sometimes when the PX opens. I just hate being at the Hotel when the maids comes everyday.. its so awkward [to me]. Plus I have been really enjoying the book I have been reading. I am HUGE fan of the show Army wives [since I can relate to them so much] -comes on every Sunday on Lifetime at 10pm (Season 5 starts March 6th 2010!!)
 Well, that TV show is based from a book called Under the Sabers by Tanya Biank. Normally I can't get in to a book easily and I end up just calling it quits and never really finish it.The first time I ever even tried reading Under the Sabers is when my Dad was in the hospital.. I never left his side and decided to pick up a book to keep me company and fill the time.. before I was even able to reach the first chapter, my father passed away and never really bothered to open the book again.. until now. I was at the PX at Vilseck and saw it sitting on the shelf kind of calling to me so I decided to buy it and I'm sure glad I did. Call me crazy but I get vibes from things...such as when Tubbles gave birth to a cat on Super bowl  Sunday (my Dad was a HUGE football fan) at my Moms house [when we were staying there before we moved to Germany]. I had a feeling that my fathers spirit was in that little kitten.. I was just so attached to it and as was my Mom and my Mom doesn't even like animals but she was so attached to this little cat. I'm just saying.. I was a weird feeling/vibe that I never felt before (call me nuts all you'd like).  Ive never shared that feeling with anyone..until now. I couldn't keep the kitten since we were about to move to Germany so I decided to give it to the local Spokane animal shelter. It really tore me up to give them Tubble's kitten and it seemed that it tore my Mom up just as bad.. She cried about it for days before and even went back to the shelter the day after I gave it up so she could go pick the kitten back up but it already was given a home!!


Isn't he handsome?


 Another thing to ponder on the subject- Cats give birth to many kittens at a time.. Tubbles gave birth many times before to many kittens but when she gave birth on Super Bowl Sunday, she gave birth to only one.. Coincidence? I think not.

Anyways, back to what I was saying (I tend to get off track easily).. I have been reading Under the Sabers by Tanya Biank and I suggest it to anyone!! I am almost halfway done and I can't put the darn thing down. I used to only read it when I was waiting for Steve to get on lunch but now I read it when I'm here at the Hotel.. It really pulls you in. Its a true story about four Army wives at Fort Bragg! 

Thursday, February 10, 2011

TDY at Vilseck Army Post PART 1

Steve has TDY (Temporary Duty) for SAM31 (Small Arms Maintenance) schooling here at Vilseck Army Post. Its so he can completely take over the Arms room and be the Havoc Troop Armorer (issues out weapons, takes care of the guns and what not). He is looking forward to learning all about the gun but this also means he will not be returning to C troop (where he was a Infantryman and on the front lines, literately). This makes it final, so he is a little heart broken too.
When we first got here, Steve did a few briefings about whats going on with his schooling, where we are going to stay, food, gas ect...
  Well we thought we would either be staying in the Kristal Inn on post or maybe a hotel right off of post (the Army chooses where we stay), well when we found out, turns out it is 20-25 minute drive away from post. We are staying in a 'Ma and Pa' Hotel as we like to call it. The first night we stayed here the heaters were off (the Hotel had to turn them on themselves and forgot) and we were very very cold.  The beds are not a big queen like normal hotels in the USA, we got two very small beds.
  A few hours after we arrived to the hotel after our long drive, we didn't have a kitty litter box set up for Tubbles and the PX was closed on post so we put litter on a couple of plastic bags.. it worked for an over night deal but in the morning litter was everywhere and the bags were tore apart. Tubbles was upset with us for not having an adequate cat box and as I was looking through my suit case that morning for something to wear, Tubbles jumped in it and I thought it was the cutest thing as I THOUGHT she was laying in it all cute like. I then was trying to get my camera to work to take a photo of it.. then I realized she was peeing-IN MY SUITCASE!!
 After Tubbles relived herself, Steve asked the front desk where we could do laundry... The woman at the desk did not speak very good English and asked "Whats laundry?" ..after some explaining, she told us to bring it down at breakfast and she will do it for us. I was kind of weary about it but we have no other way of getting our clothes clean.
   There also is no trash can in our Hotel room so Steve went down and asked where we can throw our trash at-as in where's the dumpster at outside.. and again, she asked "what's garbage?" and "what's trash can?" ... eventually Steve got it through and was told to put all the trash next to the door. So we bought our own bags and have been using that.  So far we have been here for 4 days, and it has been quite an experience.For those of you who were worried, we did get Tubbles her kitty litter box and is now happy as a clam. Every time we run in to a person who works here at the Hotel, they always ask "you has Cat, yes?" (German accent). She is pretty popular here. I guess not many people bring their animals to this Hotel.
Tubbles lounging in the back on our drive there

Reception desk

Second floor

Our hotel room

Tubbles loved the Skylight (window on the roof)


Smelling all the new smells

View of the small village we stayed in called Gebenbach.

The bar
A little view of the drive to the post

You know your getting close to  Military post when you start seeing Humvees

The main gate to Vilseck

Friday, February 4, 2011

Stairwell Coordinator

We live on an Army post, and here in Germany, not everyone gets a house. We get huge apartment complexes. Every building has a building and stairwell coordinator and soldiers who live in that particular building and stairwell are chosen  to be the coordinator.
  well Stephen was coming home from work and noticed a big sign on the main door of the complex stating the new building coordinator and sure enough.. IT WAS HIM!!!
 We now get the responsibility to 'be the A-holes of the building' as everyone puts it. We have to make sure everyone cleans up after their dogs potty outside, make sure the stair wells keep clean, clean the main door and laundry rooms ect.  Its kind of frustrating but hey, some one has got to do it, right?
Askren Manor. Our neighborhood.