Our first year in Germany

It is hard to believe that we have already been here a year. And what a great year it has been! We quickly found how to have some comforts from home like Hulu for stateside TV and Magic Jack allowed us to keep in contact with family and friends. Then the house hunting adventures kept us in the TLA for more than a month. But once we were settled in our new home we were ready to find all the great things living in Europe had to offer. Here are some of the things we experienced during the first year:
We made some new friends.
We sampled German cuisine and quickly found our favorite resturants.
We learned how to manage the German economy. We can shop, eat and see a movie!
We visited many castles...Nanstein, Hohenecken, Oberstein, Grafenstein, Berwarstein, Neuleinigen, Falkenstein, Lichtenburg,Frankenstein,  Altdahn, Grafendahn, Tanstein, Madenburg Fortress, Homburg, Spangenberg Cliff Fortress, Hardenburg,  and Limburg Monastry.
We went to the Gartenschau to see the tulips.
Tina got a job at The Children's Learning Academy!
We went to Trier.
We took the kids to a fest in Kasierslautern.
We spend an afternoon in Speyer.
Lichtenburg castle had a medievel fest that was loads of fun!
Korey turned 21!!
We spend a day in exploring the castle in Heidelburg.
Aley was asked to nanny for a sweet lil girl.
We rode the Kuckucksbanel for Doug's birthday.
Another day spend exploring Heidelburg.
Brett started his senior year in high school.
Wine fest in Bad Durkheim.
HitscherHof Farm Fest was a blast! We sampled yummy food and experienced a German corn maze.
A trip to Koln where we saw the most amaing catherdal and ate at Hard Rock Cafe.
A fall afternoon spent in the garden of Ludwigsburg Palace.
Wrestling tournaments.
We enjoyed Christmas Markets in Kasierslautern, Trier, and Saarbrucken.
We wrapped up the year with day trips to Bad Wimpfen and Rothenburg.

Wow, what a FUN first year!! We cannot wait to see what the next year is like.