2010 Memories PART 3

 Moving to Germany

Well the proper military term for moving because of orders is PCS (Permanent Change of Station). But whatever the case, I FINALLY GOT MY ORDERS TO GERMANY! As soon as I got them through email, I went over to the Air Force base (Fairchild) here and scheduled  HHG (House Hold Goods) to be picked up and figured out where to take my Honda to have it shipped over to Germany as well. Then, scheduled Tubbles and I's flight and got tickets to Germany!
  I thought it would be smooth sailing! Boy, was I wrong! It was the WORST trip I have ever made! Its a long story but I wont leave you in the dark and at least give you the short version along with a few pictures! SO, got the tickets..got HHG picked up and on its way to Germany.. Everything was set. So When the day finally came, I had Tubbles in her carrier and suitcase all ready to go, said goodbye to my Mom and started our drive to Seattle from Spokane!

Ready to hit the road

Tubbles in the window of the the hotel we stayed at on our way to Seattle

   Finally made it to Seattle and found a motel right out side of Ft Lewis because I wanted to see the post since I have never been. Got everything dropped off and Tubbles out of her cage so she can roam around, eat something, use the restroom and just relax in general!
  Went and got to the front gate of Lewis-McCord and was notified by a rude gate guard that a Military ID wasn't enough to get on post and I needed to sign in! (every other post/base I have been to only required a quick look at the ID card). So I went and signed in to see Ft Lewis! LOVE IT!
  Got back to the motel room which was in Lakewood by the way, a little town out side of Ft Lewis that spoke no English.. only Spanish! It was so hard to find puppy training pads (for Tubbles cage for the plane) and there wasn't a Walmart to be found!
  So the next day I started off for my search to the Military POV shipping center! Took me two hours and a good cry to finally find it! Right when I thought I was completely lost, in the middle of nowhere, with no map or not know the first thing to do... there it was, it literally came out of nowhere.. I just looked up in mid sob and said thank you Lord, I knew that was you.
   Got the Honda shipped off and Tubbles and I took a cab with a really 'colorful' driver to the Seattle (SeaTac) Airport. That is a whole story by it self! But anyways got on the plane and off to Colorado I went!
  Got there and only had a few hour layover. Called my Mom to give her an update then pretty much right back on the plane to Baltimore.
   Got to Baltimore and was facing a 24 hour layover! 24 HOURS!!! I needed sleep and a shower, Tubbles needed to get out of her cage, I was just so upset! We literally spent 24 hours in a female public bathroom with her roaming around.. I had her puppy training pad out for her to use the bathroom on, even though she never did! I didn't sleep through the whole 24 hours.. But I made sure Tubbles did and that she was comfortable! She was my number one priority!

Coming on to Fort Lewis

Tubbles sleeping on my suitcase in the bathroom.

 When I had about 7 hours left until I started boarding the plane, I got a call from my cousin Nicole saying that she is going to come visit me at the Airport with my Aunt (her Mom) and her son Lucas and my other cousin Melissa's new born daughter Scarlet! They lived about an hour or so away from the Airport. I was overwhelmed with excitement! I was finally not going to be alone and better yet, see family that I haven't seen in a year or more and got to meet the newest addition, Scarlet, my sweet baby cousin! She is such a beautiful baby girl!

Aunt V, Scarlet, and Lucas

Cousin Nicole

Scarlet and I

 When it was time to finally time to board the plane, I went to the Military part of the Airport, not sure of the exact name, but it was where I was taking my Space A flight to Ramstein Airforce Base, Germany! Got up to the desk to check in and all of a sudden, I was being notified that I didn't have funding to take this flight. At this point I was so emotional and wore out that I was starting to cry but held it back as much as possible! I was on the other side of the United States by myself with Tubbles and now being told I couldn't get on the plane because there was no funding (The Army didn't pay for it). The man explained to me that the orders I had was not the orders I needed... He went on to say that he will do me a favor and write the flight cost off and let me board the plane. I was so relived, words were beyond my relief! I later went on to lose my Military ID card after I went through security at the Airport..just to add on to everything that has already happened!
   They required Tubbles to be under the plane which was really hard on me.. I didn't give her any tranquilizers which I wished I did after I got in Germany because she looked so bad! Her tongue was hanging out of her mouth and she couldn't even stand. I was so emotional, of course I started crying at this too! But I was so relived we were finally in Germany and no more plane rides.. Just a couple hour drive then we would be able to get some sleep!'
   Kyle, Steve's friend from the unit and Beth , Kyles wife came and got me from Ramstein. Without them I would have no way to get to Schweinfurt, I also had to look up and say a big thank you to the Lord for them, they helped me so much! They are such great people! They came and got me, put up with me and Tubbles, took me to the BX to get a kitty box for Tubbles and so much more.
  Apparently the unit had no idea I was coming, didn't have housing set up for me, and didn't have any transportation for me to get from Ramstein to Schweinfurt.. I can't thank Kyle and Beth enough! They let me stay at their home for about a week or so until I got my new ID card, got housing all figured out and finally got the right orders and real authorization to be there.  I found out I really didn't have the right orders and the Air Force base I went to shouldn't of gave me tickets yet because I really wasn't authorized yet! It was such a mess!
  I finally got a house on post and it was just in time for Stephens deployment homecoming!

Just got to Germany and trying to let tubbles use the kitty box

First glimpse of Germany.

Almost to our new home!

2010 Memories PART 1

Before & Beginning of 2010

I started this blog right when I moved to Europe and Steve had just gotten home from Afghanistan and I never really mentioned anything of life before Germany! So here is a post dedicated to life in 2010-.. and a few before 2010! Ill try to keep it all in order! Their will be 4  parts in it since there was so much that happened!

Just Engaged 

We got engaged in 2006 but I thought I would add in our engagement photos!

Elopement Weekend!

June 2009

 Stephen went to Basic training for the US Army early 2009. After he graduated he was given orders to be stationed in Germany. He came home for 2 weeks before he was shipped off to Germany and in that two weeks we eloped! Here are a few photos of those two weeks together! We visited the town I grew up in, Peirce Idaho, went camping with his family, and then took a road trip to Spokane WA to visit my Mom then got back to Clarkston WA just in time for our wedding.

 Trip to Peirce

Welcome to Pierce Idaho

Walked around the forest next to the town. So pretty.

 

Camping

Everyone just hanging out

Him and I

Beautiful day yet he prefers to play his DS. Boys!

Right next to hells Canyon.

 Trip to Spokane WA

 also a few in Moscow ID (town we stopped at on our way to Spokane)

On the Skyride at River Front Park

Garth Edmund De Forest

 Celebration of Life

The Veltri family and I

Aunt Jill, Grandpa Ralph, and I

My brothers, grandpa, and I

My good friend Stephanie. She sat with me through the whole service.

Spreading his ashes in the Oregon Coast. He loved it there and always wanted to take me there.

Life of a Military wife interview

I feel so famous to be asked to have an interview. Angela Caban is an Author who's expertise is in Military lifestyle and I was featured in her column Life As A Military Wife. I was honored and happy as a clown to do it. **note-This was back when I was still in WA waiting to come to Germany and Steve was still deployed.

 Life of a Military Wife: Crystal Cox

August 21st, 2010 | Published in Military Life

Written by, Angela Caban

Army wife Crystal Cox has been married to her high school sweetheart for one year, and would not change a thing about her life. About to experience her first Permanent Change of Station alone while her husband is deployed, Crystal has begun to build the courage and strength usually found only after years of marriage. In "Life of a Military Wife", Crystal shares her fears, strengths and tips on how she handles being an Army wife.

So you and your husband have known each other since high school, did you ever think that this would become your life?
Stephen was in JROTC (pretty much an intro to the Air Force) during high school. He always knew he wanted to be in the Military. I didn't really know much about the Military at all, or what to expect. I didn't even know what a base was.

What were your first thoughts when your husband told you he wanted to join the Army?
When the time finally came that he did join, he choose the Army instead of the Air force. At the time, I finally did know more about the life and to be honest I was scared. I didn't think I would be able to handle it and we decided to go our separate ways. We broke off our engagement, but I finally came to my senses and didn't want to live a life that he wasn't apart of so we got back together. We were married during leave right after basic training. I now wouldn't change my life for anything, I love this lifestyle.

What challenges have you faced since your husband has been deployed? How do you handle them?
When Stephen deployed, it had already been six months since we last saw each other. He left for Germany and wasn't able to get me command sponsored before he deployed. I was 19 and alone for the first time in my life. I didn't know there were spouse groups or sites like Military OneSource. The first six months of the deployment was the hardest. I had to be at my father's death bed alone, and since I was his only family and being only 19 it was very hard to be the one to make all the decisions. I moved to a new city a couple hours away from my home town once my father passed away to be closer to my mom. Her boyfriend and I don't get along, so i have been staying in a motel with my cat Tubbles. School has been keeping me busy and thank goodness for MyCAA or else I wouldn't have been able to continue my education.

So you will be PCS'ing to Germany soon, how stressful has this process been without your husband around to help?
It's been very hard, the reason that I am PCSing while Stephen is deployed, is to be there for homecoming and have our new home on post all set up for when he returns. I wanted to be up there as soon as possible since I am living in a motel and it seems like the command sponsorship process can't go any slower. There is always more paperwork to be done, more signatures needed.

What do you consider the biggest joy of being an Army wife?
I absolutely adore all the wonderful people I have met. It's truly an amazing bond that Military wives have and I wouldn't trade it for anything. I live next to an Air force base and I have had some wives from there add me on Facebook and invite me to go out for a coffee with them. It's amazing just how many great people there are in this world.

What is one common misconception that you see people have about military spouses?
I've had a lot of friends try to make me the match maker to set them up with some single soldiers in hopes for it to turn in to a relationship. Being a Military wife isn't a day at the carnival, its hard work and it will either break you down or build you up to be stronger. It may seem romantic to be married to a soldier and at times it is but with deployments, wondering if they are coming home, being assigned to new duty station, and having to say goodbye to all your friends, it is a down side and you must take the good with the bad.

What is something that people can do for military wives?
Support, I've always liked the saying "Be kinder then necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some sort of battle". Military wives are no exception, I've met a lot of great women who have kids and are dealing with their husband deployed also. I give major props to all of you; I can only imagine trying to survive this deployment with another life depending on me to keep it together.

http://www.veteranjournal.com/military-wife-crystal-cox/

Our Story

Here is our wonderful story of Courtship and Marriage!

 

Our Courtship- 
 It was the summer of 2005. I was 15 years old and just finished my time in middle school. Yep, eighth grade. It was time for me to learn to drive and so my father put me in the Drivers Education at the local high school, that I would soon be attending come Fall.
It was the first day of Drivers Ed. I sat in the back with the few people I did know but pretty much kept to myself. As class got started and the instructor began introducing himself, the entrance door that opens from the outside swung open. Light flooded in and then I saw a man walk through once my eyes adjusted from the room being semi dark. It was like a lightning bolt struck through me. I knew he would be apart of my life and I didn't even know his name yet.
Since coming in late, he sat in the back; next to me. I don't exactly remember how our first conversation came to be but we both recall that we were like magnets; drawn to each other. We did not spend any time alone and kept our encounters together to our Drivers Ed class.
The time came that Divers Ed ended and we did not see each other for the rest of the Summer, but I was smitten and thought about him often. I was now 16 years old and I was looking forward to high school not only for being in a new school but also to maybe see him.
We finally saw each other again when I was at my locker sometime in the first few days of my freshman year when Summer break was finally over. He came up from behind and put his foot to the back of my knee and gave it a little nudge to get my attention (learned later that this was his form of flirting). After that, we began talking more, learning about each other more and we knew that God brought us together for a reason. We started to talk about life goals and what the next steps were for reaching those goals after high school. He knew he wanted to join the Military and I was interested in working with animals.
Without really realizing it, we were making plans that involved each other within two months from laying eyes on each other. It wasn't until October 21 2005 that he invited me out to a movie, where we sat, not even holding hands, that we made it official. On our way home, he asked "will you go out with me?" So juvenile but look how young we were.

We both knew what we wanted. We picked out my engagement ring together before we were even engaged. One year exactly from the day we made our courtship official (October 21), he asked me to Marry him on one knee with a box that had the beautiful ring nestled inside. I said "YES!"
We had a long engagement; nearly three years.

Military Ball I attended with him for JROTC in High School.

After he graduated high school, he left for Basic Training for the United States Army. It was then we started getting serious about wedding planning. We knew that after he was done with training, he would be going to where ever he was stationed and starting his Military career. We wanted to start our lives together as well and so we knew it was time to end the engagement and start our newlywed life. We were scheduled to marry on his two weeks of leave after Basic Training, before he left for his first duty station.
During Basic, He called me to notify me that he got his orders to his new duty station; Schweinfurt Germany (Bavaria). I knew I was working my last months at my long time job at Taco Bell. I could hardly contain my excitement since I knew what was right around the corner; Newlywed life, living in a foreign country, and starting my career of being a Homemaker. We established from the beginning, when we knew we would marry, that he was going to be the provider and I the Homemaker. We are both traditional and felt that to be the calling God was giving us in our roles in our soon to be marriage.

Flew down to visit him for Family Weekend with his Mom (my soon to be Mother In Law)

Our Wedding-
A few weeks after my 19th birthday, He graduated Basic Training and AIT as an Airborne Infantryman and came home for his leave before going to his new duty station in Schweinfurt Germany.  We had our wedding planned. I had a beautiful white dress, invitations made and sent, had a friend hired to be our photographer, his church was set to marry us in a week.. yadda yadda. I got my first taste of Military life and how plans are always changing when his orders were changed and he had to leave on the day of our original wedding day. We moved the day up two days and ended up marrying in our local courthouse. I decided not to wear my white dress and save that for renewing our vows one day in a church. I went out a bought a yellow sun dress instead. We had just family there to witness our union and had a BBQ at Chief Timothy park where others came to celebrate. We spent our first night together in a hotel. It was wonderful. I was finally a married women and so excited for what was next in our lives.

The Kiss.

Entering Military life: Two days after I made the best decision of my life, I sent my new husband off to Germany. We said "see you soon" thinking I would be following him up there in a few weeks once the Army knew he was married and the paperwork was done.
The paperwork to have me moved over kept getting lost by the Army and four months after he left for Germany, he called to notify me that he was deploying to Afghanistan in two months. I remember when I was when I got the devastating call like it was yesterday. I was in Kmart in Lewiston Idaho. I almost started crying but managed to leave my stuff, ran out of the store, got in my car, and let it all out right there.
He deployed to Afghanistan for a year long tour with the 173rd Airborne Combat Team. That was one of the hardest years of my life. I lost my father to lung cancer and had to make such hard decisions alone at such a young age while worrying if my new husband would be coming home to me alive.

On patrol in Afghanistan.

On mid tour leave, we were so happy to be together again. I got to cook him his first meal as his wife and we shopped and picked out furniture for our first home together in Germany. I didn't want those two weeks to ever end. We decided to start the paperwork once again to have me Command Sponsored (move because of Military orders).

We had a real struggle with it but weeks before he was due back in Germany for Deployment Homecoming, we got my orders! I had weeks to get my stuff shipped, car shipped, my cat's veterinary clearance to fly, and to get myself and Tubbles (our sweet fur-kid) on a plane. We had a really rough time getting to Germany, you can read that story here.
But we finally made the 5008 mile trip across the ocean, got housing on post, had major culture shock but was so excited, and did my best to make our new house a home before he came home. I met our new neighbors and clicked with them right away. They were all young wives as well and I loved having friends that knew all that I had gone through and could relate.

Sitting in our new home in Germany, anxiously waiting for my new husbands return from war.

Then the day finally arrived. After two years of being apart (with the exception if his two week leaves for getting married and R&R leave from Deployment) we could finally start newlywed life. That is when I started this blog! It captures our newlywed life, Military life, our adventures of living overseas, and everything in between. It also follows us as we leave the Military lifestyle and move back to the US, to a brand new place once again..

Together at last.

...So grab some popcorn, and a cold beverage. Lets start from the beginning.