We're Moving!

So after lots of talking, lots of excuses not to, and a little whining from me, Eric and I have decided to move into on-post housing.  We really did not want to, it wasn't an easy decision, and I had to kick and scream a teeny bit, but after 8 months of talking about it and dragging our feet, it came down to two things:

1.) We miss our dog!  So badly!  Painfully!  Brew is in the absolute best home; he is getting spoiled and loved and we couldn't ask for a better foster family!  But, we are brokenhearted without him and had no idea we'd feel this way!  We are missing a huge part of our family and desperately want him with us.  But our landlord does not allow dogs and we do not have access to a backyard.  If we are going to get Brew to Germany, we need to move.

But ultimately, our decision to move came down to this:

2.)  Isabelle.  This kid is not happy unless she is in some type of social setting.  If she isn't with her friends, participating in a hundred after-school clubs, riding her bike and playing outside, she isn't living.  Her entire world is on-post; her school, the youth center, her friends.  There are no English speaking children anywhere near our apartment in Kindsbach and she isn't able to ride her bike.  All of the normal things she did in the States she can't do at our apartment, and this is tough for her.  She really wanted to move on-post. 

Even with our heartbreak for our dog, and our daughter's begging, It wasn't an easy decision.  Eric and I wanted an authentic German experience, we wanted Isabelle to have an authentic German experience, and we worried that we wouldn't get that by living on-post.  If there is anything that we are trying to instill in our daughter it is that there is an entire world out there, there are endless opportunities if she wants them, if she works for them.  We had hoped that by living on the economy, we were inspiring a little adventure and independence in her spirit for when she is an adult.  But after 8 months living here, traveling, and the initial adjustment, we don't think that she will miss out on anything if we move on-post.  Our experience is what we make of it, and we are making the MOST of it (regardless of where we live).

So the decision was made!  

There is an extraordinarily long wait-list to get a townhouse where we are moving to, so we expected it to be a few months, or even longer before our names came up on the list.  But, when Eric handed the lady our application she offered him a place that day!  We had to give our landlord 30-days notice as per our rental agreement, but the house was ours if we wanted it!  And you know me... it was meant to be!!  We get the keys next week and the movers come on Valentine's Day { <--- and of course, if you know me... it's a sign and obviously meant to be!)

While we broke our landlord's heart with the news that we are moving, we know it is the best decision in the long run.