Saying Goodbye

I finally made it to the post that I never wanted to post about..but here it is. May 7th, the day Andy left for his deployment to the desert. We were able to spend some quality family time that weekend in between all the packing (as you can see below). Of course it is never enough time but we'll just have to catch up on that this fall :)
Fun time with Daddy after bath :)

Andy got to wake Tyler up...

...but he wasnt quite ready for pictures yet :)

Last family photo

Last picture before it was goodbye

The guys had a briefing before they left so all the ladies (and kiddos) went to the coffee shop on base to buy some time before we went to the tower to watch them take-off. This is how Tyler killed the time (well, at least for 2 minutes :)

View of the base

Waiting for the planes to taxi.

Each of us got to talk on the radio with our hubbies from the Tower...it was so special to hear his voice one last time!

Andy (in the middle) heading out to the runway

It's take-off time!

We miss you so much Andy! We couldnt be more proud of you and your sacrifice for our country. You are a part of our every day..Tyler is always kissing your picture goodnight, looking through photo books, and watching videos of you reading him stories. The best part of my day is getting a phone call from you and hearing your voice! This summer is already 'flying' by and we can't wait to catch up on some down time when you return. Always praying for you and love you so very much! -Tara, Tyler (& GA :)

Interlaken, Switzerland

Towards the end of April we took a 3 day road trip down to Interlaken, Switzerland. Andy and I both visited here YEARS ago (me for a college class and he for vacation after Academy graduation). It was about a 5.5 hour drive. We stopped in Baden, Baden Germany (known for their Roman baths...we went on a bike ride there before driving through the Black Forest. We spent the night just a bridge across from France and after a 2 hour drive in the morning we were in Interlaken! It was beautiful!! I think I am the only blogger who actually writes their captions 'above' the pictures; so I am going to go mainstream and try this 'below' thing...(hint: this caption belongs to the one of Tyler smelling the dandelion :)
Horse drawn carriage in Baden Baden...sorry you can't see the carriage and this happened to be the only pictures we took here...oh well...moving on...

Admiring the Black Forest

Stopping in traffic for nearly a half hour after crossing into Switzerland...the truckers got out and had some coffee :)

Here is where we stayed! Not quite ideal for a family with a toddler and a dog; but we did it cause it was cheap and we both stayed here about 9 years ago. So why the hec not!! Its rated one of Europe's top youth hostels with people from all over the world, many of which are either outdoor extremist (Interlaken is the Base Jumping capital of the world), or college students studying abroad. Andy, Tyler, and Georgia fell asleep around 9:30 so I went down and hung out with a bunch of 20 year olds...I've never heard more stories about "who broke up with who" and "I was dating this guy, but then I went overseas...and...and...like...um...." (you get the picture :)

I took the exact same picture back in the day...(yes I just used the term 'back in the day'...wow!)

We decided to take the train up the Jungfrau Mountain (the tallest in the Swiss Alps). Needless to say; it was insanely GORGEOUS!! Wait and see...

Same picture as last...just liked the sign in the back as "proof" that we were here :)

Such a handsome little man...I just love that smile :)

A glacier in the middle of the mountain if you can see it

Who actually lives up here!?! The only way up/down is via the train...

Georgia hunting for who knows what and loving the snow!

I absolutely love this last picture! Interlaken means a "city between two lakes" There are two main lakes that have a turquoise color just like this on the east and west side of the city. To the north and south are the mountains...it couldn't be more beautiful! Anyway, our last day here it rained so we took an hour and a half detour home to drive through Stuttgart and go to an indoor water park. It was such a fun end to our trip and they had the most incredible slide that just launched you in the air about 10 feet!!! There were markers to see how far you flew when you landed....andy and I were competing of course :) It was awesome...I wish I had pictures to prove it. We took Ty down some of the slides too (apparently Germans arent as crazy about height/age restrictions...maybe for good reason..hmmm), anyway he seemed to neither like it or love it which means he can easily be swayed into being a water park fan like his parents :)