Thursday, February 25, 2010

Thursday, Feb. 25 2010

My Birthday was a nice birthday, I wanted to go to Paris, but Dyllon said if I set our budget to only 40 Euros it was pointless so....I said another time, when we have money and I feel comfortable spending some, I felt bad even going out to eat for my birthday so it was probably for the best that we didn't go to Paris, but I think we might go this weekend or next to France (not Paris) and get fresh seafood, it is suppose to be cheaper there, It is close to $8.00, for two pieces of Salmon here and we are craving some good seafood. On Friday last week we went to the next door neighbors for drinks and cards, I really enjoyed it since at midnight it was technically my birthday and it was nice to spend it with other people than just Dyllon and I, they had people over from work and the other people from the Duplex over too. We stayed there till about 4am, slept almost all day Saturday and then went to Chili's for dinner. We have been blessed with the nicest people who live around us, all military too, couldn't ask for better people to live around :) Sunday we went grocery shopping, and this must be the day everyone else goes because it was ridiculously busy, truth was shown to the fact that certain days groceries mark things up and down, on Sundays a 3-pk of Lysol wipes is 4.00 and the next day when I get a coupon for them they are back to 10.00, go figure. Also, before I forget, thanks to Gloria and Grandma Betsy for the coupons, we both really appreciated it! Tuesday we got our International Driver's License (hence why we can go to Paris now), and we registered the car, still have electrical problems and the muffler strap is broke and so is the windshield wiper fluid hose, but in time we will get those fixed, we are just lucky to be living next door to a mechanic (see all is well :P) Wednesday, we spent time trying to figure car loan information, and bills, long story short the wrong number got typed in for direct deposit and was worried where the money would be going, we believe this is all taken care of now. We figured out the internet company we were going to go through was not able to come here and hook up so..... we have to wait another 6 weeks for the internet to be hooked up, but thanks to our neighbors they have allowed us to "borrow" their internet for the meantime so now I will be able to keep you updated. I am sorry I haven't been on in a while, Dyllon works till 1 am and I got tired of hanging out at the Library till 8pm, the Enlisted Club till 12am and then the Laundry Mat for an hour (when I have no laundry to do, and there is no internet, and it was really cold) But it should all be solved now, so I will be able to continue to keep you updated :) I have been studying a lot for my boards so if I do not answer your emails, or I am short, or I refer you to the blog please do not be offended I just need to pass this the first time, it is more expensive to take over here by like 150.00 dollars. We got invited to go the neighbors again tomorrow night, they are grilling out, (it feels like spring here), Dyllon will be at work but he will join us when he gets off, they are making steaks, I am bringing a covered dish, I think green bean casserole and pasta salad (Kim's recipe) but maybe I will make a baked dish too, I dunno we will see :) I am not sure what is in store for this weekend but I will keep you updated, also when I get time I will upload new pictures, again I have been just trying to focused on my boards. Still waiting to here from the Fischer House about their volunteer opportunities as soon as I do I hope to be busy with that too. I am not pursuing a job until my boards have been passed, one step at a time. Well I think I have caught you guys up with the latest and greatest in our world, make sure you return the favor! Also, thanks to everyone for the Birthday Cards and presents, for some reason going to the post office to check to see if I got one is more fun than getting them all at once. Mom no I didn't get yours yet, Nancy I did not gets yours yet and I just read your email, I am sure it will be GREAT! Well I love you all if you have any questions please be sure to comment on the blog or on my profile. XOXOXO Kristen

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Dyllon & Kristen Dekok
Rosenstr. 5C
66901 Schonenberg-Kubelberg Germany

This is the Address, sorry still getting used to writing it myself.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Tuesday February 16, 2010

Hello all. I have received messages from several of you asking about which coupons we need, so I have compiled a list of what we found to be the cheapest at the time that we bought these items. Know though that we are not partial to any particular brand, it is whatever makes the item the cheapest. The only item I am partial to is Tide laundry detergent. Oh, and do not worry about expiration dates...they are good for up to 6 months after the expiration date here. So here begins the list:
1.) Any Betty Crooker Potato
2.) Any Campbell's Soups both Cream Based and Regular
3.) Libby's Canned Vegetables
4.) Allen's Popeye Spinach
5.) Frito Lay Chips
6.) Doritos
7.) Sun Chips
8.) Clorox Bleach/Wipes
9.) Lysol Disinfectant Wipes
10.) Kleenex Tissue
11.) Presto Sandwich Bags
12.) Reynold's Parchment Paper/Foil
13.) Dawn Dish Soap
14.) Plastic Wrap (any type)
15.) Cascade Dishwasher Detergent
16.) Somat Dishwasher-Rinse Product
17.) Purina Cat Litters (Tidy Cat)
18.) Country Crock Butter
19.) Kraft Parmesan Cheese
20.) Totino's Pizza Rolls
21.) Michelina's Freezer Meals
22.) Ball Park Hot Dogs
23.) TastyBird Chicken/ Butterball Chicken
24.) Progresso Bread Crumbs
25.) St. Ive's or Irish Spring Body Wash
26.) Mt. Dew and Pepsi Coupons
27.) International Delight Creamer/ Coffee Mate Creamer
28.) Austin Crackers
29.) Tresemme or Herbal Essences Shampoo/Conditioner
30.) Stridex/Neutrogena Face Wash
31.) AquaFresh Toothpaste
32.) Johnson's and Johnson's for any bathroom products ie: baby oil, cotton balls, Q-tips
33.) Axe Deodorant (sometimes body wash)
34.) Gillette Razors Coupons (sometimes body wash)
35.) Shick Quattro Razors for me
36.) Bounce Dryer Sheets/Downy
37.) Tide
38.) Sue Bee Honey
39.) Hidden Valley Ranch
40.) Kraft Cheese
41.) Minute Maid OJ
42.) Red Baron/Tony's Pizza
43.) Funyuns
44.) Folger's Coffee/Millstone Coffee
45.) Purina Cat Food
46.) Domino Sugar/Brown Sugar/Powdered Sugar
47.) Baking Poweder (any type)
48.) Morton Salt
49.) Pam Cooking Spray
50.) Vanilla Extract (any type)
51.) Gold Medal Flour
52.) Musselman's Applesauce
53.) Dole Canned Fruit
54.) General Mills Cereal Bars
55.) Jell-O, jello and pudding
56.) Kool-Aid Mix
57.) Lawry's Marinade's
58.) Seasoning's (any brand)
59.) Coffee Filters (any brand)
60.) Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls/Cresent Rolls
61.) Kraft String Cheese
62.) VIP frozen vegetables
63.) Sea-Pak Seafood
64.) Bird's Eye Frozen Vegetables
65.) Pillsbury Toaster Strudel
66.) Jimmy Dean Breakfast
67.) Frozen Canned Juice
68.) Oscar Myer Lunch Meat
69.) Healthy Ones Lunch Meat
70.) Yakisoba
71.) Nature Valley Granola Bars
72.) JIF Peanut Butter
73.) Smuckers Jelly
74.) Blue Plate Mayonnaise (would rather have Miracle Whip though)
75.) Wesson or Mazola Oil
76.) Sunshine Cheese IT's
77.) General Mills/ Kellog's/ Post Cereal
78.) Oatmeal (any kind)
79.) Fiber One Pancake Mix/ Hungry Jack
80.) Del Monte Ketchup
81.) Plochman's Yellow Mustard
82.) Mrs. Dash Spices (or any kind)
83.) Country Kitchen Syrup
84.) Doritos
85.) Classico Sauce
86.) Roman Noodles
87.) Meuller's Linguine/Spaghetti
88.) Uncle Ben's/ Minute- Rice
89.) Hunt's Spagetti Sauce
90.) Crisco Oil
91.) French's Onions
92.) Swiffer Coupons of any kind
93.) Johnsonville Meats
94.) Hillshire

Ok...well I think this covers it all for now, as I think of things I will add them. We need some more dressing coupons, all we have is Ranch dressing right now, and more Spices since I did not save them since I knew our stuff would be in storage for a year.

Here is the address to send them to:

Dyllon & Kristen Dekok
Rosenstr. 5C
66901 Schonenberg-Kubelberg

I know this appears to be written weird but I promise you this is how you write it.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Thursday Feb. 11 2010

Hello all,

At the car dealership waiting on the car to get fixed. Everything is being taken care of. Not at all like the states where it seems people are out to get you at a dealership. They back up everything here, they are replacing the whole balljoints and bar, the electrical dashboard system, and all the lights so that it can pass the inspection. The car has been running great for us since we got it. Plus we have a 1 year warranty on the car, so all is well. Plus I am getting ready to refinance the loan and combine both car loans into 1 with a 5% interest rate! Hopefully will have both vehicles paid off by the time we get ready to leave and then trade them both in for whatever Dyllon wants, because since we are overseas, once Dyllon has been here for 30 days he can pick out whatever car he wants and get the best rate, plus it is tax free, they will either have it waiting for us back in the states or they will ship it here, we would rather have it waiting in the states so we dont have the hassle of shipping a car back. Plus we are saving now, I told Dyllon I didn't care what we got I just thought we should have at least 25 percent to put down in addition to what we got for the trade in of two vehicles or selling them that would but at about 50 percent of the car being paid for. I have been reading a lot of financial magazines lately and have found numerous ways to make money with the military, you just have to make the effort, like if you buy a house the military will pay the house payment for you, then we could keep the money we make when we sell, if we couldn't sell you can rent it out to military, so either way more income, there are so many beneficial programs out there, you just have to know about them, I plan on volunteering throughout, at as many different places as I can, just a day here or a day there, to learn about all the perks. A lot of ideas, not enough hours, days or weeks, just anxious to get something going. I would like to head up different fund raisers for organizations if possible, so I would like to know your ideas on what I should do, Dyllon would be the head of it, so that he could rank up faster, but we all know who would be the brains, just kidding. I do love it here, everyone is so nice, calm, and friendly, I have already met plenty of people. Hopefully we will be going out with some new friends Monday to Mienes, Germany for a festival. I think we are going to reschedule the day Dyllons stuff comes if we can, if not we can always meet up with them. Dyllon is getting pretty good at driving stick now. He is making friends, and he is surprised how fast I have adapted to here and how many friends I have met, I told him you just have to forward, compliment someone and start a conversation, everyone has something in common. Plus I really like to talk, we all know that, if it were possible I would converse with myself, I just need to learn to listen, I am not very good at that, but in all honesty I should get a break I only have 1 functional ear, haha. trying to understand the german keyboard, looks a lot different than ours, so forgive me on punctuation. SOOOO excited for the weekend, hopefully this weather lets up or we may not make it out of the driveway. Well, I could probably write all day, but I will spare you the lengthly letters of ramble, BUT COUPONS, COUPONS, COUPONS, you didn't think I would let you forget did you

Well love you all!!!!

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Wednesday, Feb. 10 2010

Hello,

We went on the tour today, it was freezing, plus we were very tired because we were up till 0245am, that is when Dyllon got off work and I pick him up since we have 1 car, and the tour started at 0845 today, sooo needless to say, very tired. But despite everything the trip was informational and we are excited to revisit the town on a warmer day. It is snowing here, and they say this is the worst winter they have had in 30 years, I am sure it is not as bad as what you have there, as I hear you have been getting quite a bit of snow. It is 18 degrees here today. I uploaded more pictures under the Germany Album. I am going to try to figure out which cellphone company we are going to go with today, and look into the internet/home phone today too, once we have a home phone we should be able to call back to the states unlimited.

Just to share a background on the many different fish pictures you will see here and in the future:

KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany — Something fishy’s going on in downtown Kaiserslautern.

On street corners, in fountains and hanging as shingles outside businesses, nearly 200 brightly colored, giant fish are floating about the city. The display commemorates the 725th anniversary of Kaiserslautern, which has the carp as its official symbol.

The reason behind the symbol is a real fish tale, USO guide Rose Davis said during a downtown historical tour Friday.

Legend has it that back in 1497, the Elector Philipp had a 20-foot-long fish weighing 385 pounds served for his dinner in Heidelberg.

"Can you see a carp weighing 385 pounds?" Davis asked a group of servicemembers and their families on the tour. "I cannot. But this is the legend."

carp714c.jpg (32310 bytes)
A fiberglass fish with shiny scales made of compact discs appears to be jumping out of a fountain in downtown Kaiserslautern.

The fish had been caught at the Emperor Barbarossa’s lake in Kaiserslautern. The city is named so because the Lautern River ran through it [the river now flows only underground] and it belonged to the Kaiser. Thus, Kaiserslautern.

Around its head, the fish had a ring with an inscription reading: "I am the first among all the other fish that has been put in the lake personally by the Emperor Frederick II, on Oct. 5, 1230."

After the 30 Years War, fought in Western Europe between 1618 and 1648, Kaiserlautern’s leaders replaced the two small fish on their city seal with one mighty carp.

That’s what the school of fishes in downtown Kaiserslautern represent in the whimsical display called Fishing For Fantasy.

The city sold a basic version of recycled glass-fiber fishes for 1,400 German marks — about $650 — to merchants, schools, sister-cities and even foreign nations such as Bosnia and Herzegovina. Each has decorated its catch with its own signature. There’s a fish with a pig on its back; one whose shiny scales are actually dozens of compact discs, and another, outside St. Martin’s church, has a Biblical theme.

Well thats all for now, love ya,
Kristen

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Tuesday February 9 2010

Okay.....well, got a lot of misc. items for the house, towels, dishes, cookware and such from the Airman's Attic today, which is a place on base that gives items away that people donate. Dyllon broke my appetizer tray, which if anyone seen this they knew it was my pride and joy, didn't get to use it yet, and went to the trouble of packing it in four separate suitcases so it wouldn't break on the way here, but you should have seen his face I couldn't be mad, he looked like he felt so bad, and he apologized profusely, plus he was wiping the counters down with antiseptic wipes for me so I couldn't be too mad. I still have the tray and the iron stand, I just need the bowl, so I am just going to try to find a bowl similar in size to replace it. Dyllon is getting better at driving stick, I don't think he likes it yet though. Tomorrow we get to go on a tour of Kaiserslautern. I am excited about that. Thursday morning the car gets fixed. I am going to make myself start studying for my boards today, I have kinda been avoiding that. Oh by the way I will probably remind all of you about this every time you read here, but please send coupons, our broke butts need them :)

Well I will try to post pictures to Facebook tomorrow. Love you all- Kristen

P.S. Our Home Address should be written as follows:

Dyllon & Kristen Dekok
Rosenstr. 5C
66901 Schonenberg-Kubelberg

LOVE YA!

Thursday, February 4, 2010

The latest and greatest

Okay....back by popular demand is the famous note blog about what is going on with us.

1. We got a car today, 1994 BMW 318
2. We got our house keys today our address: Rosen StraBe 5c Schonenberg-Kubelberg GE 66901, I believe this is how you write out the address, but until I am sure please only send items to PSC 1 Box 3567 APO AE 09009
3. FMO brings loaner furniture tomorrow to the house, our furniture is still on its way
4. We are keeping both vehicles, it is hard to get to and from bases without a vehicle and Dyllon and I will be working at different bases (eventually when I get a job)
5. Any questions please write them here that way everyone can see the answers
6. We have a German Driver's license but not a International so we will not be going to Paris for Valentine's Day as planned, the train to get there costs 200 Euro per person which is approximately 350.00 dollars per person.
7. We have not been anywhere, we have not had a car or the time to do anything yet, but things are slowing down and hopefully since we have a car we will do something this weekend, when we do I will post pics
8. I will post pics of the car this week
9. I will post pics of the house this week
10. I will possibly be able to get a job as a nurse but it will be a little while due to 1. haven't taken boards yet and 2. it is difficult to get a job here because there are more wives than there are jobs, and I don't speak German
11. I will not be letting anyone know when I am taking my boards or any further information regarding the issue until I pass, so please do not ask.

This should sum everything up in a nut shell on what is going on with us. Please feel free to treat these posts as emails and respond with what is going on with you as well. Thanks love you all.