I am back

The laptop has come back so I have the Internet again !!!!!! however we are still waiting for all of our household good ....... We have moved into our new house ( expect future posts with pictures, from our first home buying experience) I will have more to post later and hopefully pictures......
I am just happy to have the Internet back !!!!!!

Suitcases and Purple toes.....

It has been 16 days since we came to San Antonio..... new adventures have come..... hot weather and sunshine......lots and lots of suitcases are strewn around..... remember the pictures.... 14 suitcases 6 carry on bags...... now imagine that with 6 people in 2 tiny rooms ( I can here the music to the twelve days of Christmas in the background).. the few toys all around..... clothes and suitcases.....kids everywhere..... We are waiting as patiently as we can to move into our first house ( that we will own)...... 5 am one little one..... was running a muck...... I tried to keep it contained the giggles and squirms..... the wild running about..... in an effort to slow the speeding noisy train of one P..... I tripped in the dark...... and then there was an ouch..... I now have a bright purple toe..... Sam says...." you like purple.. it is just a new way to accessorize"... right..... So we are still here waiting for our house ( 45 days of paperwork)... with suit cases and purple toes......

Freddie's

Is it wrong to be friends with the people you are buying a house from? I think not..... The family we are buying from could be us...we have so much in common including number of kids, and their son also has Asperger's.... The family is so wonderful and they have helped us find things here in San Antonio..... I hope we keep in touch I will miss them...... Melody has become a friend already and she is so kind and helpful in finding things ...including great resources for the kids ..... One hot tip for today..... bless her soul .... Melody stopped by with T-shirt's for Freddie's restaurant..... one for each of the kids....... with these magical T-Shirts you get a free frozen custard with a kids meal..... Of course this meant the kids and I were off for an adventure...... Sure enough... not only is this restaurant too cute from the outside..... it's inside has a retro kitch that melts your heart..... the best part..... ok the food is good.... the french fries are amazing...which is saying a lot because ( be prepared to gasp) I don't even like french fries...... they have this spectacular seasoning....... thin cut.. very cool.... But what will stop your heart...... the frozen custard...... yes, I know hard to believe that frozen custard can be found outside Wisconsin... I admit I was skeptical..... it isn't Kopp's... but it is frozen custard.. yes folks frozen custard west of the Mississippi...... they have chocolate or vanilla...( sorry no flavor of the day) But true.. Frozen custard...... yummy...... A smile.... a spectacular friend and 3 magical T-shirts..... and we had so much fun Thank you Melody !!!!!!!

Stll Moving......

I have not fallen off the planet although it seems like I have.....I am here in Texas getting used to our new base and the wonderful people here.....
Our stuff isn't here and won't be..... we are still in Temporary lodging or TLF ( think hotel room like extended stay)....

The kids are healthy.....going crazy well making me crazy..they miss their toys......
I have thought of several very witty and fun posts to put here... but I am sharing laptop time with Sam....... so I can't always get my stories here.....Next week Sam is gone on a new assignment and so the laptop will go too ( I swear this computer has a better travel life than I do) heheheheheh
I will be sad to miss out on posting stories.......I feel like I should post one of those signs you see at construction sites.....
" pardon our mess while we remodel"..... or " Coming soon !"Coming soon to a blog near you the new and improved adventures..... of the Bendet bunch full of mayhem and humor..... smiles and struggles.... and of course summer vacation.....
Texas is hot but the people are delightful.... such wonderful manners...... I am so excited.
I think that I will have stories and highlights from the area.. I also want to bring you a"deal or steal" of the week...... so stay tuned for new and exciting Texas sized adventures for this blog until late June I will be thinking of you..... but missing from this spot......Hopefully we will be in our new house then and our stuff on it's way and Sam home from TDY..... so until then ....... I will leave you with pictures from our last days in Germany and our move so far.....

Goodbyes....

Goodbyes are always so hard and I am so bad at them..... so instead I like to say until I see you again..... Because we really we don't know....
I have often run into people again at another base or another city.... We made so many friends in Germany. We will miss all of you so much !
Our last night in Germany we met our friends Pervin, Moses, Damien, and Danielle at the Irish pub at our hotel .....

There were lots of laughs good cider and promises for meeting in the future while off adventuring !
We Miss all of you in the picture..and all of our friends in Germany ( not pictured here).... coming and going themselves be safe !!!!
Pictures of Sam's going away party for work.... It was so wonderful his whole office came to say goodbye..... We miss you guys !!!!

Sam was also given an award.... Thank you Marika ..for getting it signed and planning things.... hugs to everyone !!!!

And The Zoo Too

Our last day in Germany ..... H had a school field trip to the zoo in Stuttgart. The zoo is very nice lots of beautiful gardens and pathways to walk. I loved the ornate tile work along the Moorish Village. There are the usual zoo animals and also some unique zoo animals. Like for instance this is a Cuban rat..... if the rats in Cuba in fact look like this then wow it brings a new meaning to the " we have a rat problem" The signs were in German and English so it was a lot of fun to learn animal names..... There were also signs only in German, yet I loved that you could still understand the message.... The weather was perfect and the kids from his class were good. It was a great day at the zoo..... and a very unique goodbye to Germany.
H's favorite was the reptile and bug house..... it also had an aquarium...
We went to visit the Asian crocodile 3 times..... the stingrays were his favorite......and the frogs drew lot's of attention.......

The Venezuelan Box....

While the movers were frantically running around the house randomly selecting goods to throw into a box....... I found this move hilarious....
1. They movers labeled nothing.. so any labels are my best effort to follow the movers around and label one item I might have seen. There are things in each box from each room...
2. the movers in an effort to be trendy with the "green" movement recycled boxes.... I had boxes from all over the states and the world with all kinds of names and tape......
Now while I am one for adventure I have to say I am worried about all of my stuff arriving in one place...and not Venezuela... for example.....

this box puzzled me.. it became the topic of many phone conversations and chats amongst my friends.... it is certainly an "exotic" box..... and something different....

I often sat and thought "who moves from Venezuela to Germany?" " this person has to be crazy"... however I have moved all over the US and people probably think the same of me... and after all we moved from the US to Germany...so "why not"......

Then I have to say the anthropologist side of me came out I wanted to meet these people ask questions catch up share experiences.....

Then worry came back would my stuff go to Venezuela or make it to the states???
The dwelling in possibility Heather shined through and I thought " why not" what fun to think about where the box had come..and if it would continue it's journeys around the world.....

I may have to have a contest now that the Venezuelan box has become so famous and talked about... as to who I will mail it too....

Yes.... when our house hold goods arrive..... and if this box has made it to our house.... I will open up a post... you will have to leave a comment I will have the kids draw a number and my Venezuelan box can continue it's journey... I will even put a goodie from Texas inside.....

Who knows my famous Venezuelan box might end up with a blog of it's own.....
OH maybe I will have you make up a story about where you would take the box or use it for....
It is fun to dwell in possibility and to think a simple box could start it all.......
Inspiration can come from so many unlikely places......