New Years Celebration in Finland

After coming home for Christmas to see all our family, we had to get back to Germany, as Matt had to fly the week after Christmas. Since we were back in Europe, we decided to spend our New Year's Eve in Finland. We flew from Frankfurt up to Helsinki and then caught another plane up to Oulu, a city that sits on the eastern side of the Baltic Sea. From Oulu, we caught a train up to Kemi, a city at the top of the Baltic Sea. We chose to go so far north because we wanted to venture up to the Arctic Circle and stay in an ice castle.

As advertised, the castle was built of solid ice and packed snow and sat on the Baltic Sea. The castle, located west of Kemi, is only open from January until the beginning of March due to the weather and is one of the most phenomenal sights the two of us have ever seen. Since the construction of the castle is solid ice, we had to bring 'special' cold weather clothing and accessories to sleep in at night. The castle supplied us with sub zero sleeping bags, reindeer skins, and sheepskins for warmth, but we were only allowed to sleep in thermals, socks, gloves, and a hat so that we wouldn't overheat inside the sleeping bag and start to sweat (which would cause us to get hypothermic and freeze). I have NEVER been as cold as I was after getting undressed into just my thermals and jumping into the cold sleeping bag! Did I mention that our beds were made of ice too? Since I can be 'special' at times, Matt sealed me up into the sleeping bag nice and tight and then undressed and sealed himself up into his bag on his bed. Here's a picture of me all sealed up--Matt thought it was funny. The only problem with being sealed up in the bag is that if you had to go to the bathroom during the middle of the night, you would have to un-seal yourself, put on your cold clothes (we were instructed to put our clothes under our sleeping bag on top of the reindeer skins so that our body would keep them warm-ish), tie up your boots, and head outside in the cold to the bathroom. Luckily, I had dehydrated myself enough so that I didn't have to go through any of that 'trauma!' Anyhow, as we fell asleep that night, we were nicely comforted by the thought that if there happened to be a fire while we were there, we wouldn't be burned to death--because there was a fire extinguisher in the hall to fend off the flames...or was it the fact that we were surrounded by ice and snow that gave us the peace of mind?

For dinner that night, the castle provided us with a traditional Finnish dinner. As you can see, the dining room and our table were made of ice as well, so that's why we're fully clothed, gloves and all. Matt thought it was cool that his beer actually got colder as dinner progressed--something that wouldn't happen anywhere else. In honor of Matt's sister, Casey, we had to take this picture of the milk sitting on the dinner table (it's to the right of the wine glasses). It was there when we arrived and remained there throughout dinner and stayed there after we left. We deemed it an exception to the 'milk violation' rule because the temperature inside the dining room was colder than a fridge and the table it sat on was a 6" slab of ice. See, K, we found one place on earth where leaving milk out on the table is semi-okay! The dinner that we were served was REINDEER. Seriously. I had an incredibly hard time trying to eat Rudolph, but Matt had no problems, so he eventually ate mine too. I did take ONE bite for the photo op, so that's why this photo is posted-the bite wasn't in vain after all.

Sleeping in the ice castle was one of the coolest things we have ever and probably will ever do. It was a one in a lifetime experience and we had a blast.

The following morning after our night in the ice castle, we headed to the Baltic Sea to go ice diving. We boarded an ice-breaker ship called, 'The Sampo,' that took us out to the deep waters of the sea. Once there, we had to undress yet again and jump into ice diving suits. Looking like astronauts, we disembarked from the boat and took the plunge into the Baltic. The crew tried to find a 'smaller' suit for me but couldn't find one...so it took me about 20 minutes to go from the bottom of the boat (up a ton of stairs) to the ramp that we had to go down to get to the water in a suit that felt like it was custom made for Goliath. The suit weighed about 15 pounds and was made like footed pajamas, so I kept tripping on the front ends of the feet and ended up waddling like a penguin (each time I picked up my foot to take a step, the footie part would go flying in front of me and my real foot would land on about the calf section of the suit). Matt said watching me was like watching a horrible train wreck...he didn't want to look but just had to stare in amazement. Of course this process was really easy for him because he had a diving suit that fit! Since the water is so cold, the human body becomes buoyant. We could feel the coldness of the water through our suits but it felt cool, not freezing, like the water truly was. We thought the ice castle was cool, but the ice diving was exhilarating! There's nothing else like it in the world.

After our day of ice diving, we headed back to the ice castle to pack our bags and head back to Oulu. We stayed a night in Oulu before venturing back to Helsinki to catch our flight back home. While in Oulu, we found an amazing Indian restaurant (who woulda thought?) and enjoyed the sauna our hotel offered. The Finnish are HUGE sauna (pronounce saow-nah!) fans and sit in them every day. The only thing that we can figure is that it's because it's so cold! Initially, we weren't going to try them out, but the hotel kept nagging us about it--so we gave in. Needless to say, it was a warm and sweaty Finnish experience.

This trip was one of the coldest yet best trips we've ever taken and one that we'll always remember.

Home for the Holidays

Well, we were really fortunate to get to come home for Christmas in 2005. Last Christmas we stayed here in Europe and went to St. Anton, Austria to go snowboarding in the Alps--so the last time we were home for Christmas was after we got married in 2003. On our way home to Texas and then Tennessee for Christmas, we stopped in New York City for a few days.

Matt had never been to NYC, so it was a great opportunity for us to explore the city together. My parents, Chuck and Sherran, flew up to NYC to meet us for a few days as well. We all had a great time in Manhattan visiting China Town, Little Italy, the Upper East and West sides, the Statue of Liberty, Ground Zero, and of course, Central Park. The food was amazing (as always) and we even managed to find a new favorite Vietnamese restaurant. One of the highlights of the trip was getting to see Spamalot on Broadway and also the Radio City Rockettes show. And, of course we didn't leave New York without doing a little shopping too. Here we are in front of the famous Christmas Tree at Rockefeller Center. The random people around us waiting in line to ice skate kinda mess up the shot, but you can get the gist of the look we were going for!

Grape Picking 2005

Well, it was that time of year again...the Columbus Day squadron pilgrimage to Ernie's to go grape picking. This year, Matt was deployed to Lithuania--but he was there picking grapes in spirit. You'll notice in the photo that we look a little wet and dirty. That's because it happened to rain that weekend and all the fields were muddy and wet. Regardless of the weather, grape picking is pretty messy since the grapes are 'organic' (a.k.a. dusty/dirty) and the juice gets all over your hands when you cut them from the vine. You can't really tell, but the field that we picked for 2005 was incredibly steep. I think everyone had only one sore butt cheek the next day due to the slope! The other two guys in the picture are 'Boose' and 'Stab.' Boose (on the left) is in Matt's flight and Stab (on the right) is in the flight we used to be in before Matt became A-flight commander. Both guys are tons of fun, and in the time we have been here, have been great travel companions.

Siauliai, Lithuania

At the end of September 2005, Matt was tasked as the project officer for a last minute deployment to Siauliai, Lithuania (pronounced like Chalet). The squadron was deployed to Lithuania for 3 months for NATO's Baltic Air Patrol, where they flew each day 'patrolling' the Baltic skies. Although the conditions weren't the most optimal (the runway was a disaster, as seen in the picture), everyone seemed to make the best of the deployment.

The most favorable part of the deployment was the great exchange rate (at the time it was about 4 Litas to the US Dollar), the surprisingly delicious food, and the Lithuanian vodka, Gera. The worst part was the water. Since the water in Lithuania is toxic to us Americans who haven't grown up (and immune to) drinking it, everyone had to use bottled water. From drinking and cooking to washing your hands and brushing your teeth, you had to use bottled water. Even boiling the water didn't sterilize it, as there was petroleum and other toxic agents that couldn't be removed regardless the sterilization/filtration process. We are both big bottled water fans, but the 'approved water supply' happened to be a mineral water that tasted like wet vitamins. It was gross. Here's a picture of the signs that were posted everywhere there happened to be a sink.

I was able to fly up to Siauliai one weekend to see Matt, which was really nice. He showed me around the town (which wasn't very big) on the day he was off, and I got to hang out with the other pilots there while he was sitting alert. They sat alert for 24 on- 24 off, so they didn't have too much time to entertain themselves. The single guys were in heaven, as the women in Lithuania and Latvia were some of the most beautiful women I have ever seen in my life. When I went shopping (remember the great exchange rate!), I was pretty much in the 'short fat kid' section because the main sizes there were 24x36! 24" waist with a 36" inseam...seriously now, that's ridiculous! At night, the Lithuanian MTV station would air commercials with a Green card Lottery for girls to enter--that's how badly they all want to get out of Lithuania/eastern Europe. Needless to say, all the beautiful girls were crazy about all the single American pilots and the other military guys!

On the day that Matt showed me around town, we were able to go to the 'Hill of Crosses,' an incredible hill on the outskirts of Siauliai covered with crosses. People come from all over the world (even Pope John Paul II has been there) to this hill to pray and leave a cross. Apparently the story behind the hill is that it was created several hundred years ago to represent the Catholic Lithuanian's resistance to oppression. After several take overs by the Soviets and the Germans, Lithuania was finally independent in 1991. During the times of Soviet rule, the Lithuanians would visit the hill and bring crosses as a symbol of Lithuanian nationalism. Because of this dedication by the Lithuanians, the Soviets repeatedly removed the crosses, burned them or turned them into scrap metal, and even leveled the hill several times to turn it into a garbage dump. Despite the Soviet's efforts, the Lithuanians continued to visit the area and bring crosses. In 1985, the Hill of Crosses was left in peace and has grown to house hundreds of thousands of crosses. In true tradition, I had to buy a cross, write our name on it, and leave it there.


On Saturday night, a group of us drove up to Riga, Latvia for dinner. Riga is a completely different place than anywhere in Lithuania. It is a booming city full of beautiful architecture, great restaurants, and of course, beautiful women. The only down side to Latvia is that they have pegged their Lita to the British Pound (they are trying to show the EU that their currency is strong so they can join the EU), so everything was twice as expensive than in America...and 8 times more expensive than Lithuania. Here we are on one of the bridges in Riga...with our $4 'to-go' coffee in hand.

Baden-Baden, Germany

On November 12-13th, 2005, Matt and I jumped into the BMW and headed 3 hours south to Baden-Baden, Germany. Baden-Baden is famous for its original therapeutic Roman baths and we wanted to see what all the talk was about. The outside of the Freidrichsbad is on the left.

So, we ventured into the Freidrichsbad to take part in the 'healing' and rejuvenating baths. What we found and actually took part in was a nude 3 hour bathing experience. When the ladies asked me for my bathing suit and towel at the entrance, I thought I was going to die...but I quickly got over my personal 'naked fears' and handed both the towel and my bathing suit over to remain standing there in my birthday suit. I got over my 'naked fears' once I saw the rest of the population inside the baths...and trust me, even the nastiest of people would have looked like beauty queens inside there!

The baths were segregated by sex up to about the mid-point (there were 14 different stations/steps of the bath) at which both guys and girls can meet up at a communal thermal bath. After that point, the baths were back to being segregated. When I made it to that half-way point, I ran and jumped into the communal pool like I had caught on fire...because nothing was as uncomfortable as walking around in the buff. Matt was waiting for me in the pool and the first words to come out of my mouth were, 'Are you uncomfortable being naked?' He said NO, because he thought it was just like being in a locker room. That was news to me because I thought the idea of a bunch of naked guys would give him the 'homo-hebie jeebies.' Apparently, guys walk around locker rooms naked...completely opposite of girls in a locker room (all you girls know, we're all wrapped up in towels hoping no-one is looking at us!) . Anyhow, as I learned, the Europeans are very open with their bodies and being naked isn't a big deal. If you act wierded out, they look at you...if you act non-chalant, no one looks at you or even really cares. There's an unspoken rule here that you just don't look at people when they're naked...it's just a body.

Needless to say, we both survived the Roman baths and left that evening pruny and exhausted from sitting in saunas, pools, and showers. The red and green building in the picture is the hotel where we stayed while in Baden-Baden. It was a lovely hotel with a great location adjacent to several well seasoned pubs and restaurants.

Since our first visit in November 2005, we've actually been back once already--it really is relaxing!

Sneek, Netherlands

The weekend following Matt's return from the States (from S.O.S), the two of us jumped into the BMW and headed up to Sneek, Netherlands to visit our friends, Cheech and Andrea McDaniel. Matt and Cheech were both in the 55FS at Shaw and we all became great friends while in South Carolina together. Cheech and Andrea moved to Holland this summer (2005) for Cheech to be an exchange Weapons Officer with the Dutch Air Force and shortly before moving, welcomed their third little girl, Jackson, into their family.

We had so much fun playing with Payton, Addison, and Jackson--not to mention doing as the Dutch do--riding bikes everywhere. Although Cheech attended language school in Washington D.C. before moving to Holland, Payton has far surpassed his Dutch language abilities. She started Dutch kindergarten there in September, 2005 and is completely fluent in every aspect of Dutch--so much that she'll occasionally act as the family translator.

We hope to get up to Sneek sometime this spring to visit Cheech, Andrea, and the kiddos. They are fantastic friends and when we all get together, we have nothing short of a fantastic time.

These pictures are of the McDaniel's house in Sneek. They live in a neighborhood with a pond/river in the backyard.

A-Flight Commander

On November 4, 2005, Matt became the A-Flight commander in the 23FS. In this role, Matt took on the responsibility (and OPRs) of about a dozen pilots, not to mention a lot more queep (paperwork and desk work). Lucky for him, the majority of A-flight happened to be (and still is) single. So, along with Matt's job came my new 'job' as a 'big sister' to the flight. I was so thrilled that the flight Matt was to command was full of single guys (and as of last summer, one girl!). Over the last 14 months, I have had the "responsibility" of keeping them well fed, nicely dressed, highly entertained, and exceptionally travelled...and of course I've gotten the opportunity to insure that their houses are nicely furnished! I've loved every bit of getting to bake goodies, make dinners, plan A-flight trips, and be the 'big sister' to everyone in the flight--so it will be a sad day when Matt has to give up command of the best flight in the 23FS.

These pictures are of Matt on the day of his change of command on November 4th (he had to give a little speech and talk about how 'excited' he was to be the new A-Flight commander).

Croatia and Hungary

We were very fortunate to be able to have Matt's parents, John and Laura, come over for a July visit. Despite being underground inside the subway during the London subway bombings and dealing with the hectic and frightening events that ensued, the Garrison's managed to straggle into Frankfurt unharmed and in good spirits.

After their long plane trip getting here, we didn't give them much time to relax, as we stuck them on another plane headed to Budapest, Hungary two days later. Mom G and Amy were unsure of flying on WIZZ Air (come on now, the name doesn't give the most reassuring vibe), but everyone managed to make it to Budapest in great condition. Budapest was a beautiful place and we were able to learn a bit about the are while there--quick tidbit: Budapest is not one city, it's actually 2...Buda and Pest (looking at this picture, Buda is on the left of the river and Pest is on the right). The Danube River separates the two, however, the area is most commonly referred to as one, 'Budapest.' These first 3 pictures are of Budapest. The top two are of the 'Chain Bridge,' a famous bridge that connects Buda and Pest together over the Danube. We took a river cruise on our last night in town, so the second picture captures how beautiful Budapest and the Chain Bridge are at night.

After a few days of eating some of the best and most international food in Europe (believe it or not) in Budapest, we hopped onto another plane and eventually stepped off to meet a driver who held a sign with our name on it in Dubrovnik, Croatia. Strangely enough, that was a highlight of Amy's trip--henceforth the picture. Although once a war-stricken nation, Croatia has become one of the biggest hot-spots in Europe for coastal relaxation and recreation. The beaches ranged from rocky and full of shells to soft sand. Luckily, we were all able to catch some rays and enjoy the waterfront views. Amy tends to get a little darker than Matt in the sun, so that's why she's about 10 shades darker than he is!

We all agreed that the food was much better in Budapest, since Dubrovnik offered mainly seafood (think shrimp, random salt-water fish, and sea creatures). After a few days, the idea of eating another bite of seafood became quite unmanageable. Mom G did do an un-forgettable thing one night and ordered a plate of 'grilled shrimp' (just picture Matt and me looking at each other in dismay with smirks on our faces since we knew what was to come). About 15 minutes later out came the waiter with -as advertised- 'grilled shrimp.' But, these weren't just your everyday average grilled shrimp...these were FULLY CLOTHED sea creatures complete with eyeballs, antennas, legs, arms, and every disgusting hair still attached. Mom G was a trooper and without a single complaint, managed to unpeel, decapitate, and de-vein her plate of shrimp (at this point just imagine Amy gagging, Matt laughing, and Dad G watching in awe).

On July 20th, it was time to head back to Germany and leave our fun vacation behind (although everyone, Matt & Amy included, were back to Frankfurt Airport that same week to fly to the States). Matt and I had a wonderful time in Budapest and Dubrovnik and we think Mom & Dad G had a great time too.

Micah and Auntie Mimi

This picture was taken in July, 2005 when I got the chance to go home to the States for a nice vacation. Although my trip got off to a bad start (my wallet was stolen from my purse inside the USO in Baltimore), the time spent meeting Micah for the first time, visiting with family, and learning that my brother, Brent and his wife, Julie, were expecting in 2006, made up for the rocky beginnings. Although Matt was 'sentenced' to SOS in Montgomery, Alabama for 6 weeks that summer, we were able to see each other for a weekend in Texas for Matt's 10-year high school reunion and then again for a weekend when I was in Tennessee visiting my parents. The picture here is of me holding Micah, who was about 2 months old at the time.

The American Cemetary

This was the only place where I cried in Normandy. There's just a feeling you get while there, walking by all the uniform and pristine white crosses, some with names..some without. It's a gut wrenching feeling, as I can't imagine being the family members of the fallen soldiers never seeing their husband, son, wife, daughter, brother or sister again in this world and knowing that they would never return home. If you ever go to Normandy you must go to this cemetary...it's a must.

Omaha Beach

Here is a picture from Omaha Beach. It's one of the most beautiful beaches and it's so amazing to think that over 60 years ago, there were bullets being fired in every direction where we were standing. Those were the days of utmost bravery.

German Cemetary

Here are pictures from the German Cemetary in Normandy. There were tombstones of kids who were only 15 and 16 who died on or around D-Day...it was unreal.

Macy and Luke

Here are some pictures of our 'adopted' kids, Macy and Luke. They actually belong to our best firends here, Paul and Janna Willingham, but we're around them so much that it almost seems like they're ours. When we moved here, Macy was 3 and Luke was about 8 months old. In these pictures, Luke is about 19 months old and Macy is barely 4.

In the first picture, we are inside the top of the monastery on Mont St. Michel. Macy happened to be playing in the window and I told her to quickly look outside so I could take a picture. Just as she looked outside, the sun hit the stained glass windows in the most perfect of ways, and I was able to get this shot. Nothing has been altered to make this photo look the way it does...it was just pure luck (and I think it was God's way of saying 'Hello'). This is the best picture I have ever taken and may be the best I'll ever take. Needless to say, I'm proud of it!

We had a blast with Paul, Janna, and the kiddos on our 'camping' trip and Matt and I both agree that it was one of the best trips we've taken while here.

Point Du Hac

Good on the USS Texas for the damage done here at Point Du Hac. The first picture shows the beach in front of Point Du Hac. Where the green foilage is, there is also a huge wall. We just couldn't believe that our soldiers actually scaled that enormous wall while being fired at. It's incredible!