alone doesn't have to be lonely

Well, I've made it through Jerry's first week in the field. In our typical fashion, Jerry and I had a late night huge blowout over-the-phone argument in the middle of the week. Which I've been told is pretty common when soldiers are deploying or leaving for extended periods of time. After much needed sleep for both of us and a long sobbing conversation with my mom (thanks ma, you're the best!) for me, we both saw things differently in the morning and were able to set things right...whew.

In the field, Jerry is having to work tremendously hard. His days generally start before 6am and don't often end until after 9pm. There are no real weekends, just day after day of work. And very little privacy. I don't know how he does it.

My week has been a lot more fun than his. I took a weeklong orientation class for spouses and I'm so glad that I did. Not only did I find out a lot of useful information, but I finally had an opportunity to meet some other spouses. We also went on a few field trips together.

On Wednesday, we toured the two local hospitals. They were both beautiful and looked more like modern art museums than hospitals. The delivery rooms at the smaller hospital made me want to go out and get pregnant right now, just so I could deliver in one of them! (Don't worry...I'm not going to act on this impulse quite yet!)

On Thursday, we took a city bus to downtown Schweinfurt, having to purchase our tickets on our own and in German.

Our group leader took us to the place where we can get our international driver's license. In order to drive in Germany, we get special licenses through the military, but apparantly it's a good idea to also buy an international driver's license. And that's what it is: buying. There's no test or anything. They just need you to bring in two passport photos and 13 euro and you get one. Outside the building was a fountain:

On Friday, we took the regional train to Bamberg:

Though Jerry and I had gone to Bamberg before, we hadn't made the short trek up the hill to the the cathedral and Neue Residenz. Here's the cathedral:

This is a view of a castle from the Neue Residenz. I have zoomed in to get this shot...it's actually a bit further away than it looks. So we didn't walk out to visit it.

After touring the cathedral and the rose gardens of the Neue Residenz, we broke off into groups for shopping and eating. Our group of five spent most of the time eating. We had a leisurely and chatty lunch at a German restaurant, where I ate a delicious salad that didn't require me breaking any of my strict Phase 1 rules. Then we did a little shopping, visiting the only brewery in the world that makes smoked beer. There may be a reason that it's the only one...we've been told that it tastes a bit like ham. My mom thought that if it tasted like bacon, it would be some pretty good beer! I bought a couple of bottles for Jerry to sample when he returns.

At the end of the week, I got a few phone numbers and am making plans to work out and socialize with some of the women I met in the class. So it was a very good week for me socially! I've also been enjoying the time by myself. I've been taking long walks, long baths and indulging in watching the television series Felicity, which I've borrowed from the library. I also have a few crafty and organzational projects keeping my busy and content.

Finally, Phase One has been a success and I'm looking forward to beginning Phase 2 tomorrow. Which means that I get to start having fruit again! And get to start doing some serious work at the gym. I've lost about 11 pounds in the past couple of weeks, so it's been a great start to what I hope will be a longterm change in eating and activity habits. For the first time in a very long time, I feel like my weightloss goals are attainable. Which is a great feeling!