Merry Christmas!

Hello Everyone! We hope you are all enjoying the Christmas Season. We just wanted to tell you all how truly blessed we feel to have such amazing family and friends. Although we can't be there, we can feel your love all the way in the Netherlands. Thank you so much for your love and support! We love and miss you all. Have a wonderful Christmas celebrating the birth of our Savior!

Take our word for it...

So we made our trip to Amsterdam. We live in The Netherlands, so of course we had to see Amsterdam. For the last two weeks I had been reading up on the museums, canals, architecture, stores and restaurants. There is a lot to see and we had our day planned. We took a train (about 2 hours) to Central Station in Amsterdam. My travel book said that pickpocketing runs rampant in the train station so we should make a beeline to the exit, which we did. Next came downtown Amsterdam. Joe and I have experienced many big cities including Chicago and Atlanta. Both pretty busy and crowded, but not in comparison to Amsterdam. We were trying to follow the map, fight the crowds, not get mugged and stay out of the red light district! Well, we failed. The red light ended up being our first stop. We of course got the heck out of there, but what we did see was pretty sad. And it was only noon! Outside of the red light it wasn't much better. Once we got out of the crowds in the downtown area we were able to see some areas that hadn't been contaminated too badly. The canals and architecture are beautiful and the museums are amazing. We were able to visit the Anne Frank House which was the best part of our trip. It gave an interesting perspective on the holocaust and the war that we don't often see. Overall, we had a really great day, but our suggestion...look at our pictures, read about the museums and call it good. Don't put Amsterdam on your list of cities to see in Europe.

We're Back

Ok, ok, ok... we are back in business. Sorry for being inattentive to our blog. We have actually had quite an eventful month. Kay is no longer in a deep depression. Her favorite owner is back home. Joe successfully completed his Warrior Leader Course and his souvenir was a black eye and a scabbed up nose. He took a combatives course which now allows him to train other soldiers in hand to hand combat. The final exam consisted of getting punched in the face several times. Hence the black eye and banged up nose. Joe of course thought that it was the coolest class he'd ever taken. The pictures are from WLC. Just an example of some of the things he was doing. Soon after Joe left as most of you know, I found out that I was pregnant. We are SO excited...Joe included. Don't let him fool you! He's been talking about "his son" non-stop. We have an appointment this week to take a look at the little bundle of joy that has been keeping my head in the toilet. : ) Joe has been saying if it is a boy he will name him Melchizedek and if it is a girl, Sabitha. So right now I am just praying that I am fully awake and conscious when it comes time to fill out the birth certificate! He's just joking....I think.

Starting the countdown...again

Well, this picture sets the mood for the Dillabaugh house today. Kay and I had to send Joe off to Warrior Leader Course (WLC). It is a school that every soldier is required to go to after they become sergeant. He will be off in Germany for a month doing soldier stuff. We have gone through separations much longer than this one, but it is still never an ideal situation. This time I'm not going crazy with school and work, so it will be a challenge to keep myself busy. At least I have the comforts of home... poor Joe is the one always getting sent off to sleep on the ground and eat questionable food! By now though, we know what to expect. Over the next month, I will start conversing with the dog, Kay will perk her ears up at every car door, and we will just be counting down the days till Joey comes home....27.

Breathtaking

Joe had a 4 day weekend so we took advantage. Friday we went to Cologne, Germany to see the enormous cathedral that it is famous for. We had heard that it was a beautiful sight, but nothing could have prepared us. It is by far the most intricate piece of architecture we have ever seen. We took loads of pictures but they do not do justice. If you want to check out more pics of Cologne, click on our album to the right of the page. Also check out the link to the info on the city. It is full of rich history. In addition to seeing the cathedral, we had a fun filled day of trying to navigate through Europe. We couldn't have done it without "Leah" the lady who lives in our GPS. Although quite bossy, Leah knows her way around, and without her, I imagine it would have been a little more stressful. Joe on the other hand says he would have been just fine. : ) He particularly enjoyed this road trip because he got to take the Grand Prix out on the open autobahn. A little disappointed though, he found out that it has a governor set at 109mph. And we were getting passed at that speed like it was nothing!

Dutch Headstart 2007 Graduates

Five long grueling days, but we made it. We graduated from Hilda's Dutch Headstart. We learned enough Dutch to get by, but it is hard to use it because most people here will speak English. Hilda, who is with us in the picture, takes her class and her graduation ceremony very seriously. She even gave us a diploma. Joe got two of them and Hilda said he had to hold both of them up for the picture because, "he earned them." Needless to say Joe made teachers pet.



On our Dutch Headstart class field trip we went to an area where Germany, The Netherlands, and Belgium all meet. Joe and I are standing right on that point. We are in all three countries at one time. All three countries signed a treaty to keep the area a park. It sits on top of a large hill with amazing views of all of the countries around it. Pretty cool place.

Congratulations Sergeant!!!

On Tuesday July 31st, Joe was promoted! While we were in the process of moving over here his name was put on the promotion list and we didn't even know it. We only found out because one of Joe's friends from Atlanta saw it and sent Joe a congratulations email! Joe told his unit and they held the ceremony just a few days later. It was quite a pleasant surprise. His job will not change much here, but now he is held to higher standards. Be sure to tell him Congratulations. Becoming a Non-Commissioned Officer is a big deal!

Random Pics

Here are just a few more pics that were taken on a bike ride through the area we live in. There is so much beautiful countryside here. We are loving it! I have had a lot of time on my hands while Joe is at work, so I take the bike and the camera out investigating. This particular trip I found some pretty fields and some chickens just hanging out in a flower shop. Of course, as I was trying to be super savvy photographer, I took a trip through the field to take different shots and I managed to lose my house key! Haha. Leave it to me. It took me about 17 times of backtracking but I found it!

A Soggy First Day

So this was our very first day in our house. It rained about 3 inches in 30 minutes and obviously our street was under water. We were lucky because we didn't have water in the house, but the people at the end of the street did. Our neighbors had just bought a car and came home to find a foot of water in it. We moved in on Friday, even though our stuff hasn't arrived from Atlanta yet. The government gave us some furniture to use until our shipment arrives. We moved to a village named Amstenrade. Which is in the small southern Limbergh Provence. Things here are very simple and is really a farming community. There is a cattle farm near our house, and Jen names the cows something different every time we pass them. It is funny to see the farms here, because the largest ones I have seen are about 20-30 acres, and it is pretty common to see a small corn field of about 1 square acre.

Third Time is a Charm!

Well, with some effort, we passed our driving test. Yes, we are now able to drive in a country where we cannot read the words on most... no any of the road signs. Dutch drivers beware! It did take one of us, who we will not name, three times to pass the test. :) The other one of us, who actually studied (hint hint), passed the first time. :) You can guess who that was. Anyways, some of the driving rules here are crazy. The questions on the exam sounded more like opening lines to a joke. An automobile, a horse, and a tractor all come up to an intersection at the same time. Who has the right of way? It's pretty strange.

We're Here

Well, we made it here and are starting to settle in. Once we got past the jet-lag and stress of making it here in one piece (along with Kay) we found a beautiful country, very friendly people, and plenty to do. We are currently staying in a dutch hotel right in downtown Brunssum. They call the downtown area the Centrum. So we are right by the Centrum which basically consits of shops and restraunts. We have been able to get by pretty easily here because most everyone speaks English. Most restraunts have English in the menu, but boy when they don't it is sure hard to order. They do prefer if you at least attempt Dutch though, so we are working on it. We have learned the important words like Please- Alstublieft, Thank You- Dank U Wel, and I have learned to recognize the word Verkoop- which means Sale ;) Kay-go-gi is adjusting to the new smells here and likes the attention because they don't have many beagle muts here. Really no muts at all. They mostly have the tiny dogs that you can fit into your purse. Anyways, we are all doing well and it seems like we will really like it here...but still, there's no place like home.