Let me just pause and say, being the mother of three girls, the military was never a part of my dreams for their futures. \240Especially Amanda. This is my child who holds family so close to her heart, and was reluctant to go to ASU because at a 3 hr drive, it was too far from home.

Anyway, another hour in the car, and we made it to her adorable house in Ramstein. Since then, we’ve spent the time relaxing, and trying to get over jet lag and time change. (The struggle is real; I’m writing this at 2am because I can’t sleep.) 😐

We’ve done a little exploring: I had my first real German beer outside a castle last night and today, we walked around town, and even picked up a few things at the \240local grocery store while they worked.

Shopping gave me a new level of appreciation for the every day challenges my daughter faces living in a place she doesn’t speak the language.

I went in to buy some yogurts for breakfast and instant mashed potatoes for dinner. Found the potatoes with no problem, but the yogurt proved challenging until I whipped out my handy dandy phone and used google translate to save the day. It came in handy again when I used it to translate the directions for the potatoes. And I had to consult my phone once more to convert the measurements, which were metric. None of this was a big deal, but I realized even mundane tasks take more time and effort. And there’s always this little fear of the unknown lurking in the back of your mind.

Amanda told us a story of how a few days ago, someone she’s never met, but assumes is a neighbor, knocked on her door. Even though Amanda politely said several times “Ich spreche kein Deutsch” (I don’t speak German) the woman continued to talk emphatically for several minutes. She said the only words she managed to pick out were dog, barking, and police. Needless to say, Amanda was pretty rattled. And later, kind of ticked. There are several dogs in the houses around her. Boone is not by himself often. The gentleman who works in the apartment below her said he’s not heard him. But she is taking this very seriously and is doing everything she can to ensure it’s not a problem.

But now there is this fear that the police might show up at her door to address this complaint, and she won’t even be able to understand them.

For those who don’t know Amanda, her dog Boone is the most adorable maltipoo on the planet, and could not be loved anymore than he is by her. I have no doubt whatever might happen, she will figure it out. She always does.

Which brings me to the point of this blog: in the short time we’ve been here, this trip reinforces things I already know and love about her.

She is a strong, brave, adventuresome, kick-ass nurse with a tender heart, who is living her life to the fullest. I am so proud and so happy to be able to spend this time with her.

And God help anyone who tries to mess with Boone.