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!