Christmas...

We are as set up as we can be.  We are really excited to get our furniture.  I think in the mean time we might paint a little bit as it's really white in here.  We downsized before we left Washington so now we are having to purchase new furniture.  We have already purchased a queen size bed which will be our future guest room bed and now we are looking at a couch.  I would really like to buy some great chairs on the German economy so we will just have to patient with those.

Rick and I had an okay Christmas.  It will be nicer next year.  We didn't have all the spices that we needed to make our favorite dishes and they don't carry them here at the CX (Combined Exchange).  We played some scrabble.  We didn't get to cribbage last night but our hope is to get to it this week (thanks Mom).  I missed my family this year; it's my first Christmas without them.  It's tough starting new traditions but we all knew it was coming!

We have some really loud neighbors.  Since we live in a stairwell (apartment style living) we get to hear them walking up and down and it sounds like they are rearranging their furniture all day long.  I always say that nothing is perfect and that would be the downfall to this awesome housing.

Today we decided to go get some groceries and we walked down to a little German restaurant right outside the base.  They had a beautiful view of Stuttgart.  We were under the impression that it was a little casual restaurant.  Man, we were wrong.  Number one, everyone was dressed up excluding Rick and I.  The entire menu was in German so they translated it for us.  Number three, they don't take mastercard or visa unless it is linked to a German account.  We weren't sure that we would have enough in Euro so we were just going to cancel the order and leave, but the staff was so nice and said just come by tomorrow and pay.  WHAT?  How awesome was that?  Needless to say Rick and I were super embarrassed not only did we stick out like underdressed Americans but we can't even pay our bill!  Ughhh!  We were really impressed with how understanding and kind they were at the restaurant.  As it turned out I did have enough Euro to pay our bill... I should really start wearing a cape!

Hopefully New Year's Eve will go a little more "smoothly."  We are going to be having some of our new friends over.  Wish us luck!

Here is the picture of the sunset as we were walking back to our house... gorgeous!