It Is Never Easy...

Grüß Gott, Lupburg.

While we will miss our little Bavarian village, 

we will yearn for the reunion of 

our friends-who-have-become-family.

"The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace." ~Numbers 6:24-26

70 Not Enough, 1498 Too Many

All it really took was about forty-eight minutes of waiting ...waiting ...waiting in a friend's van parked outside Building 322, Vehicle Processing Center.  Sitting alongside my eldest with her toes pointed up toward the windshield and calves resting on the dashboard soaking in the shy-sun-rays, I came to the conclusion that 70 days is not enough.  In 70 days she will be sitting alongside her father (probably in the same position) as they make the trek to college, and in 70 days the lights begin to fade on one scene and the action comes up on an entirely different stage.

With the shipment of our van, today marks the beginning of the end of our time here in Lupburg, Germany.

The next weeks will be filled with purging, sorting, locating the last PlayMobil sword and helmet, preparing for packers.  In the not-so-distant future, most of our earthly belongings will be swathed in brown paper, stuffed into boxes, and sardine-packed into crates lining the back of some big trucks.  

Destination: Fort Bliss, El Paso, Texas.

This evening's dinner conversation included a bit of travel-time-trivia, and this is when I realized that 1,498 miles will separate one family member from the other six.  Too Many Miles.  In the next months, I will become even more thankful for "smart" phones, Skype, and Southwest Airlines.

The benediction words ring through my busy-ness and overwhelm my discontent with numbers of days and number of miles...

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

In & Out

Here is small glance into the Lopez Life in Lupburg.

Come inside ... our door is the one on the right.

Upon entering and descending eight stairs, this is your first view of our main living area ...

a quick glance around the corner from the blue chair and behold, our dining area ... site of family feasts.

And through that door ... our kitchen (I miss our spacious Hawaiian one!).

The theme of our house is stairs, stairs, stairs!  We have four different levels and no need for a gym membership!  

And now for just a few highlights of life in

LUPBURG

Along the main road through the village ...

 
you will find the Backerei,

our convenience store, the nah & gut,

and this fun restaurant.

With the arrival of spring, I am sure that the explorations of and around our village will increase.  And soon this will become Home away from home.

Capturing a Bit of "Home"

This was our first glimpse of our new house ...

As you travel along Hohenfelserstrasse, you would catch this view of the back of our house ...

Hiking up the hill from our house, you would reach some castle ruins that overlook Lupburg ...

The next two photos capture the village of Lupburg from about three kilometers away...

 
and a bit closer...

Lupburg ... soon to be Home Sweet Home.



Information OVERLOAD

Did you know that ...

• while Germany is slightly smaller than Montana, it is divided into 16 Bundeslander, or Federal States?
• nine different countries share borders with Germany? Can you name them??
• there is a 19% sales tax on everything (except food purchased in grocery stores, 7% sales tax) in Germany, and it is the lowest rate in the European Union?
• we live in Bavaria (Bayern), the largest German state with Germany's tallest peak, the Zugspitze, located in the Bavarian Alps?
• Germans recycle EVERYTHING???

For example, a quick "We're living on pre-packaged microwaveable food in this small hotel room" lunch consisting of Bagel Bites, an apple, and a bottle of Coke would be recycled in the following manner:

1) The outer packaging of the Bagel Bites box = cardboard and would be recycled in the paper bin.

2) The inner packaging of the Bagel Bites = plastic and "layered packaging" and would be recycled in the yellow bag (if living in Lupburg, which we are!).

3) The apple core = food waste and would be recycled in the green "bio bag."

4) The bottle of Coke --- is it glass? is it hard or soft plastic? was it purchased on the Germany economy or at the Shoppette on post? is it labeled Mehrweg Flasche (return for deposit to any store) or Pfandfrei (no deposit, just recycle)?

Someone, get me a glass of water. But wait ... that water could be carbonated, slightly carbonated, mineral, still, or tap ...

Did you know that after just a little over a month of living in Germany, we still have so very much to learn?!?

First Glimpses

Over this past weekend we explored just a little piece of the Bavarian countryside. One stop was Regensberg. There is still so much to see, but here is our first taste ...

Saint Peter's Cathedral

The Streets & Shops of Regensberg

The children also explored the hillside behind the Sunrise Lodge -
our home since December 30.
That same hillside after just two days of a warming trend AND the sun ...

Bear's question ... "What time will it snow again?"

Guten Tag from Hohenfels

We arrived in Frankfurt on Wednesday, December 29 at about 7:30 AM after a mostly uneventful 9 1/2 hour flight--a little turbulence here and there -- but otherwise, just long. After customs and wrestling suitcases off the conveyor belt, soldiers from the Reception Center greeted us, along with five other fellow-servicemember-travelers. Having completed some initial paperwork, we loaded our 13 suitcases, 8 carry-ons, and 1 car seat onto four carts and made our way up (this involved two escalators ... yes, I said "escalators") to the Reception area for a brief and to store our luggage while we waited for the bus. While Patrick did a quick "I'm not on leave anymore" shave in the airport bathroom, the children and I made a trip to a little German market in the airport ... our first shopping trip with euros!

A few more soldiers arrived on later flights, and by about 10:15 AM we began pushing our carts through the airport once more ... this time toward the bus-loading area. There were five busses going in five different directions; we were on the fourth bus and finally boarded that bus at about 11:15 AM. We were the only ones going to Hohenfels, BUT there was also another family and two soldiers going to Vilseck (which is on the way to Hohenfels). So after stopping for lunch (McD's) along the way AND making a stop at Vilseck, we arrived in Hohenfels at about 5:00 PM Wednesday. This is not the end of the story!

We were received by some great folks at the In-Processing Center who told us that we would NOT be doing any paperwork that evening and that our rooms were ready at Landhotel Scholl in the nearby village of Hormannsdorf. Sooo, off the bus came our 13 suitcases, 8 carry-ons and 1 car seat ... to be loaded into a van ... and off they go. "They" being most of the luggage, Patrick and a couple of soldiers. The children and I waited at the In-Processing Center for trip #2. I think we finally made it to the inn around 6:30 PM and then waited while Patrick went with a SGT from his company to get some dinner (over an hour - no fast food restaurants nearby!). Bedtime came about 10 PM ... almost 32 hours after hopping out of beds in Kansas City. Guten Nacht!

Micaiah captured some of our first views of Germany:

The village of Hormannsdorf

Landhotel Scholl

SNOW!!!

What Is That Whirring?

Quietness ... with just one day left on island, I am sitting in our two-bedroom apartment at the Hickam AFB Lodge and listening to the whirring of the air conditioner, a sound that will become very unfamiliar very soon! Bear is napping, the older three are enjoying one last visit with friends, and Patrick has some final paperwork to take care of on Schofield Barracks. So it's me and the whirring.

Over the past few weeks we have been drinking in all our favorite sites on O'ahu and fellowshipping with some of our favorite people. While it is difficult to say "Good-bye," it has been a blessing to celebrate the friendships that have grown over the last three years. God has truly provided for us in every way.

In just a few short hours, we will turn the page and begin the next chapter as we travel to Kansas City to spend the holidays with family and friends there before heading to Germany. The sense of feeling overwhelmed can be a constant companion during the packing-and-shipping-and-flying-and-"transitioning." So I am thankful for moments like this when the whirring is ONLY the sound of the air conditioner. Then I am reminded again to "Be still." God has given me this day to live ... not the next 28. And just as God has provided in the past, "He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those who are with young" (Isaiah 40:11).

Quietness ...

Aloha Furniture

Or should I say, "Aloha, furniture." Either way, we are living on some functional pieces of plastic-covered bamboo for the next few weeks while our furniture is heading to Europe on a boat.


After two days of mounds of boxes, piles of packing paper and tape, and swarms of flies (thanks to the open front door), the moving truck, with the wooden crates labeled "Lopez" loaded on board, left.

With the arrival of the Aloha furniture, we enter into a simpler time. Less stuff = less time spent on tasks = more time spent with people. We are also aware of the true beginning of the end of our time here in Hawaii. Just 24 days left. While there are still some tasks to be completed (shipping our mini-van, shipping our unaccompanied baggage, cleaning and clearing this house, and Patrick taking care of all the final work details of leaving this post), we are looking forward to enjoying these last days with dear friends. Bittersweet.

It is so much easier to say "Aloha" to the furniture.

Ahhh ... Sweet Release

Purge: to cleanse or rid of impurities, foreign matter, or undesirable elements

This is the word that quickly came to mind when Patrick shared the news that we HAVE ORDERS!! Although I have yet to set my own eyes upon a copy of these orders, I am still making lists of all the areas of this house that will have a complete purging ... and soon.

*I envision post-it notes with labels of "KEEP," "SELL," and "TRASH IMMEDIATELY" on most everything ... inanimate.

*I fantasize about the mounds of unused, unwanted, and unnecessary toys and stuff that will finally be released from the bonds of this family with the help of this loving mother's commitment to purge.

*I contemplate the pros and cons of Craig's List versus Yard Sale when it comes to selling the big items that must be "purged" so that all the books may travel to Germany.

*I imagine the day when Maintenance will make their final visit to fix whatever is ailing this lovely house we've called home for the past two years.

*I dream of the day when the HHG (Household Goods) will be neatly and clearly separated from the UB (Unaccompanied Baggage) and awaiting the arrival of the TSP (Transportation Service Provider).

After the purging ... when simplicity reigns ... then we will (or at least we "should") rest and revel in the relationships that God has blessed us with here in Hawaii until it's time to say "Aloha."

A New Adventure Begins...

Our time in Hawaii is coming to an end. We have grown to love this slice of paradise and even more so the incredible people who have become dear friends, a family far away from home. But now, a new adventure begins.

Just a few months ago we learned that we would be traveling from the middle of the Pacific Ocean, across the continental United States, and over the Atlantic Ocean to our next duty station ... Baumholder, Germany. (There will be a 3-week break in that trip as we spend Christmas in Kansas City, Missouri!) To say that the Lopez family is excited about this new adventure would be stating it mildly. While, once again, we will be very far from friends and family, we are imagining the incredible opportunities to "walk through history" while our children (and mom, too!) read about that history.

We have completed the first step of this journey ... medical appointments for the entire family (which is another story all by itself!) and the completion of DA Form 5888 -- Family Member Deployment Screening Sheet. Now, before we can take any other steps, we must wait ...wait for the official orders to be cut. Upon receiving those orders, the clock really begins ticking and the final four months that we have here in Hawaii will be filled with (but not limited to) flight arrangements, acquiring passports, vet appointments to prepare Riley for international travel, a huge yard sale, scheduling movers, shipping the vehicle, moving out of our home, and oh yes ... SCHOOL all along the way.

As Bear would say, "I want to go to Germany ... that's in Europe." If I left it at that, he would seem pretty bright for a 3-year old ... but then he adds, "Let's go in the van."