New Years Eve 2007 in Weiden, Germany

Well here we are almost to the New Year, but wait the celebration hasn't begun yet! We are going to a New Year's Eve party over at a neighbors house tonight! Chief went ot a local grocery store to buy fireworks. Germany reminds me of Louisiana (sort of), fireworks EVERYWHERE and drunk, crazy people just waiting to light themselves on fire-just no swamps! The kids are jumping out of their skin looking for a chance to shoot off some of them, so out they go now to make the dogs crazy! Chief shot off one of them earlier and Daisy bolted upstairs to hide underneath S's dresser.

Here are some pictures from the melee :)

Goodbye 2007

Welcome to the inaugural post for our new BLOG and updated website!!!

It has been a looonnngggg time since we were able to do anything with our family website (due to provider issues and military moves) BUT that is all about to change! Hang on tight while we update you on the last year or so.

When last we visited the Ahlers family they were hunkered down for a cold winter in Seoul, Korea awaiting a move to Kaiserslautern, Germany. As time passed Nick became more proficient on the piano, Robert acquired YET another guitar (see picture) and Shelby was nursing a broken wrist (darn Basketball practice!)

Fast-forward through the last 6 months and we finally left Korea on 13 June headed directly to Germany. Although we made many plans for our new life in K-town, the Army saw fit to redirect us to Grafenwoehr...a very pleasant change of plans! Graf is very rural, and located in the state of Bavaria, K-town is much more cosmopolitan and 1 hour from France. We were quite happy to come back to Bavaria since both boys were born in this state and we are quite familiar with it!

The last 6 months have been full of sad endings and beautiful beginnings! An old family friend who was Nicholas' God-mother, Dorie Kleis, passed away after a long fight with esophageal cancer. I don't think I can ever remember a holiday or family event that didn't include the Kleis clan! Nick had a hard time this Christmas, it has been hard for him to accept that both his God-parents are gone (but not really-what better way to watch over your God-child).

We ended up living in a small city 20 minutes from the post, our house is HUGE (well can we really be good judges...we lived in 800 sq ft in Korea) all 4 floors, we have so much room we can actually move around and not step on one another! The backyard is enormous, which is heaven for our 2 little creatures, Daisy-the long-haired dachshund and Taffy-our ever present always lovable apricot poodle! There is plenty of room to search for bugs-which pleases Robert and Nick to NO end. Shelby has even secured a job (no pay but so much reward) working at a stables nearby, actually she has become like one of the family up there. She is responsible for 15 horses and does a little bit of English-style riding on the side! A wonderful plus is that her fluency is improving every day!

This year we are going to participate in Project 365-where we are tasked to take AND post a picture a day . I hope this will get us into the habit of carrying the camera with us and better yet uploading them here so we can update the blog as things happen within our family!

That about covers all the high points of 2007. I hope you visit us again (and again) in 2008!

Blessings for a peaceful New Year!

The Ahlers Clan