Bromley Eurotrip - Our 5-year-long Honeymoon (or something like that)

Well this sure has been a quick past five years. Before I start from the begining I have to take you through last summer. Last year at this time, I could not wait to get out of here, more than anything all I wanted to do was sleep until it was time to go back to the States. We had fulfilled our three year contract in Germany but we signed on for another three for many reasons. Lesson learned, When you're in a military family, I don't really recommend doing that, unless you're by family--especially if you have children. After a GREAT 3 years in this part of Bavaria, I suddenly had the turn of a lifetime into a twilight zone that I thought was going to bring me down. About a month after my husband returned from his 3rd deployment, A random outburst of Anxiety and Depression that would last an entire two months, felt like an eternity. No one could figure out what was wrong with me, or why it hit so hard, so random, and for so long. To make a long story short I got diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes as a result, because I hadn't eaten properly due to the mental condition that was tormenting my soul. I sought help everywhere possible, I got back on medication to treat the condition (I've been on and off because this does run in the family, but never has it been this bad). I saw therapists, I talked to family and friends every single day, sometimes more than once. I even went to the hospital, when I actually didn't really need to--I was just hoping I'd collapse so people around me would have no choice but to admit me, so I could get some sleep--and some valium. LOL! I prayed, and prayed and prayed. I went out on my patio almost every day, or if I was at work it couldn't even be held in, I cried, groaned and wore out my entire being, asking God what was happening to me. I'm quite sure the most random of people saw me in tears because there was no possibility of me ever holding it back. Kind of embarrassing but hey, it wasn't happening so I just let it flow! Panic attacks in the middle of the night, no sleep, constant sickness, not eating right, was NOT the kind of condition I wanted to be in to take care of my son who needs me at my best, every single day, and my husband too. He was confused, my family across the ocean were worried, and doctors thought I was anorexic. No, I just wanted whatever this is to go away and it wasn't, so it made me more nervous and as a result, I ate less. An entire 8 weeks into taking my medication, I finally felt better. I ate better again, and was able to finally rest. I was able to enjoy my surroundings again and performed better at work and be a better mother and wife. But man, was that bizarre! Turns out I DO NOT have diabetes Praise God! It made no sense for me to have it, nothing added up, except the fact that my lack of eating caused my blood sugars to spike because when we don't eat, our body compensates by producing more sugar. I was given a much better doctor after a huge debacle with the one who mis-diagnosed me, and I'll spare those details. This new Dr. sent me to get a 3rd opinion in the German economy and he found me to not be diabetic. Phew! The only explanation for any of that, I figured, was that the Lord wanted me close to him again. It has to be that because it was the weirdest, scariest time of my life and I can't imagine ever having to go through it again, I pray and pray still, that I never have to endure it. It was awful. I was outside of myself, I was not me. And even now, he's still tugging at me every day, reminding me of what he brought me through. I've still go such a long way to go. I never take a day for granted, I praise him for giving me life, health, my family and friends. Every single day that goes by where I don't feel like I did in the summer of 2011, I am so grateful. Sure the medication worked, but God created the people, with the brains to create such things, and until my body is perfect like his one day, I will need those medications that he's so readily provided for our temporary, imperfect bodies. So now to this day, I am back to being thankful, and savoring every day. I definitely grew here. I've experienced so many amazing things that I would never have if it weren't for my husband, for the Army. Thank God he led me in this way. As he created me an artist, so he allowed me to see the things where the profession all began. Back to the beginning, in the shortest of words possible: I arrived in this foreign land not knowing what was ahead. All I knew was that me and my husband were going to have a LONG honeymoon that we never had otherwise. Unfortunately he had to be deployed to Iraq 3 months after we arrived here. That was my 2nd experience with the deployment, but alone in another country. No big deal, I had this! I visited Berlin!

The Brandenburg Gate

When he came home on R&R we went to Italy for the first time, Lago Di Como to be specific, talk about a breath-taking view! and Milan:

Piazza Del Duomo--Art History class in front of my face, and it didn't stop there! I was blessed with a visit from my Dad and Step-Mother, where we got to see the Castle that Walt Disney was inspired by:

Neuschwanstein Castle in the Bavarian Alps! No Big Deal. And we had an opportunity to visit a piece of history that impacted the entire world before we were even born:

Dachau Concentration Camp. A sobering experience for sure. I met this girl!! Have you ever clicked with someone within the first hour of meeting them?! We did!!

Here we're waiting for our husbands to come home from deployment! For our 2nd Anniversary we visited Rome.

where we ate things such as this:

We walked through the Sistine Chapel, where Michaelangelo painted the entire creation painting. You haven't lived until you've looked at the sistine chapel with your own eyes, in person. Amazing. It goes way beyond that powerful image of God bringing Adam to life with their fingers meeting each other... when you see it, you'll know each story happening and you'll know the sequence, if you have read it in the Bible. It's awesome, it tells the whole book of Genesis pretty much, just in pictures. GAH! Then me and the girl I pictured above, we went to see these guys in Frankfurt:

Childhood dream! One of the best days of my life!! HAHAHA! We totally DID ride a Gondola through Venice!

Guess who was two months pregnant in this picture?! And then Paris. Oh my Word, Paris...

Then we saw this guy at Festival in Belgium, where no one really knew of him that well. Ha!

More King Ludwig Castle visits

I even rode a cable car while 13 weeks pregnant, up to the highest peak in the Bavarian Alps, called the Zugspitze!

It was 32 degrees at the top, in July!! I was blessed to have one of my best friends Kristen and her boyfriend Jeremy to come visit me and do this trek with me! Then in the winter of 2010, February 1st to be exact, I fell in love for the first time, all over again.

Christopher James Bromley was born here! The littlest love of my life, the best thing to ever happen to me! And he grew...

This is him at the Schwimmbad, German word for Swimming Pool! I had a pregnant buddy while I was here, too. Our sons were born 3 weeks apart! She happened to work with me, and also enjoyed discussing things that are usually Too Much Information for most people. My kind of friend! ;p

And me and little CB kept waiting for Daddy to come home from his 3rd deployment

When he came home for this R&R we went to Ireland!

Cliffs of Moher. Absolutely breath-taking. I've never in my life seen anything like it. All the Irish people, were by far the nicest people I have ever met. We went to the German Christmas markets, like we did every winter. Something I'm going to miss, something awful. This is just ONE shot of all the things available there and the prettiness that adds to the joy of the Christmas season.

I'll miss the lights, and the Gluhwein. The brats and the brotchen. Germany is cool!! The boy kept growing...

and growing...

Daddy's home, safe and sound! Thank You Jesus!!

Great, people. Good kids they are.

Hot Husband

There's that growing again. Is he seriously mine?

This is at the Schwimmbad again (it was a two minute walk from our apartment) the following year from the first pic I showed of him at the schwimmbad! Canary Islands, Can we go back?!?!

Hot Husband in Canary Islands <3

The Bavarian Alps were only a 3 hour drive away!

Christmas Market in Rothenburg. By far one of the cutest Bavarian towns I've been to.

There's those delicious BRATS again (and the hot hubby)!

Bavaria has the coolest little OLD churches. They fascinate me.

and hiking trails, everywhere!

We were not far at all from Prague, Czech Republic!

The historical Charles Bridge, in Prague. Covered with vendors and photo ops! The field behind our house.

Got to see these guys too, a fun blast from the past!

My girl Claudia, one of the sweetest people I have EVER had the pleasure of knowing!

And here is that growing boy, swinging at the playground of our hotel, where we're waiting to leave for our flight back home.

He's two-and-a-half now. It's time to go get to know all his grand parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends! I'm going to miss the food here, the beer, the window shades that are installed on the OUTSIDE to block out all things whenever you want them to, my coworkers, it's been so wonderful to be blessed with such cool people to be around, when you have to be with them for most of your days. It's been a wonderful opportunity to work where I have... but it's time to move on and upgrade, if that's possible in this economy, but I'm certain God will work it out, just like he did when I got here, and THIS job fell in my lap. :D I'm going to miss Christmas Markets, Festivals, Oktoberfest, Munchen, Amberg, Cobblestone streets... German Chocolate, and so on. Not everyone can say they got to live in Europe on the Army's dime. I have been blessed, but now I'm blessed even more because it's time to go HOME!! I'd love to stay, it's been wonderful but it's just TIME. My Son will want to see where he was born I'm sure, and since you never know what can happen in the military life, we could be back for a number of reasons... but I'm sure we'll be back.