March Meeting

(click on the pic for a larger view :)

Spring has already sprung at AWGK! Our March meeting was a ton of fun, featuring a hilarious Purse Scavenger Hunt with Spring-themed prizes for the winners. Our programs committee provided beautiful floral centerpieces for the tables, and a few lucky raffle winners even got to take those home. It was a very relaxing evening of fun, friends, and food, and we can't wait to see everyone again next month for BINGO! -Amber Hudock (AWGK member)

Spotlight On: Tracy Jackson

I’ve been given the opportunity to share with AWGK a little about me and the Jackson house, originally from Atlanta Georgia. I am Tracy Jackson and my family and I have been in Geilenkirchen (Bauchem village) for the past 5 months. My husband, Jonathan, has been a member of the US Air Force for the past 21 years. Prior to coming to Germany, he was a Training Manager at Maxwell in Montgomery, AL. He’s currently at the Training Wing on GK as Registrar. Most of the flyers have been or will be acquainted with him. We have two sons: DeShun-12 and Joshua-1. DeShun is a 7th grader, attending school at AFNORTH and Joshua attends the School of Mom.

I love sleeping, shopping, and family time. Unfortunately, since Joshua came on the scene, I see very little sleeping time BUT fortunately, I see a great deal of shopping time! As long as I have my family, my friends, and my love for God I am relatively happy & totally complete. If I could click my heels together three times, truly there is no place like home. I really miss my family/friends, restaurants and conveniences. Ultimately, this Georgia Peach would be back there simply because its home. Not to mention my husband and I would stand a better chance in winning the Mega Millions or the Georgia Lottery! But my duty now is to be in Europe and experience life in a new way. We haven’t been to many places here yet. Bitburg & Spangdahlem are the extent of our European travels on this Assignment, but we are in the process of making family plans for trips & touring. While here, I also hope to earn my Master’s degree. I would have to say that the craziest thing that I have done is give birth to a baby at the ripe old age of 38! My body & my mind knows that it isn’t at all like it was a decade ago, but God knows that given the opportunity to do it all again, I wouldn’t change a thing. Thank you AWGK for allowing me to be one of your spotlights for March to celebrate my 40th birthday!!

Member Spotlight: Kerry Johnson

Hi! My name is Kerry Johnson. I'm originally from a small town in Iowa called Seymour but
moved to Anchorage, Alaska when my sister joined the military so I call them both my
home! I met my husband, Todd, in high school; and yes I'm one of the few who married
my high school sweetheart and we have been going strong for almost 16 years! I've been
a military brat my entire life. I have enjoyed traveling around the world, meeting new
people and experiencing new cultures! It's still hard to believe my husband has been in the
Air Force for 16 years! We have been stationed at Tinker AFB, OK; Kadena AB, Japan;
Davis Monthan AFB, AZ; Elmendorf AFB, AK; USAF Academy, CO and now here in
Geilenkirchen NATO Air Base, Germany. We have two boys: Logan (8), Landon (4) and a
baby girl, who will be making her grand entrance this March! In my spare time, I love to
cook, make cards and catch up on my TV shows. I'm currently trying to finally finish my
degree in Accounting. I'm hoping to be done with school by the end of this year.
in Australia. It’s one of those things on my bucket list that I hope to cross off in the
near future.
climb to the top of Notre Dame Cathedral 5 1/2 months pregnant and walk all over
Paris for 10 hours! It was worth it! :)
1. Eat at Il Genio’s in Birgden (doesn’t help that it’s down the street from my house)
2. Shop at IKEA
3. Shop at Rewe (I always seem to find the coolest new food)
4. Roermond (because my kids love the Toys XL up there and what makes them happy,
makes me happy)
5. I love to just drive and get lost. I find that is the best way to orient yourself in new
surroundings! Sometimes it may surprise you what cool town or village you may
stumble upon! :) Just make sure to mark it on your GPS!

Feeling the LOVE in February...

We enjoyed a great Valentine's Day themed program, during which our own Karissa Thacker displayed and discussed the more romantic items, such as massage oils and lotions, that are available through Partners in Passion. We had a lot of fun sampling lotions and cracking jokes. As always the food, friendship and door-prizes were wonderful!

-Amber Hudock AWGK member

:)

Rescheduled meeting...

Hello Everyone,

We have rescheduled AWGK's general meeting for Tuesday evening February 9th at 18:30 at the GK chapel. We have lots of Valentines themed fun and door prizes planned. Free babysitting is available, so plan to join us for a well-deserved girls night out. (Bring a dish to share or a friend for extra door prize chances).

Hope to see you Tuesday!
Wendy

Spotlight on Kandi Hernandez

Hi, my name is Kandi Hernandez and I am from the great state of Texas! My husband and I met each other in middle school and dated in high school. We continued a long distance relationship during college and his first year in the Air Force. We have been married for 6 years and have two awesome little boys! Trey is three and Easton is one, they are full of love, hugs, and kisses. I am very blessed in life! Before coming to GK we were stationed at Tinker Air Force Base, OK. I love to read, exercise, shop, eat out, anything social and that keeps me busy. I love spending time with family and friends and I am thankful that I get the chance to do this often. In my spare time I would like to have more date nights with my hubby, travel more, and get a little more sleep.

Three things I need to be happy:
My Family
My College Roommates
Chocolate Chip Cookies
If I could be anywhere in the world, it would be...
The craziest thing I’ve ever done is...
The top 5 places I like to go or things I like to do around GK are...
Hi, my name is Kandi Hernandez and I am from the great state of Texas! My
husband and I met each other in middle school and dated in high school. We
continued a long distance relationship during college and his first year in the Air Force. We have been married for 6 years and have two awesome little boys! Trey is three and Easton is one, they are full of love, hugs, and kisses. I am very blessed in life! Before coming to GK we were stationed at Tinker Air Force Base, OK. I love to read, exercise, shop, eat out, anything social and that keeps me busy. I love
spending time with family and friends and I am thankful that I get the chance to do this often. In my spare time I would like to have more date nights with my hubby, travel more, and get a little more sleep.
here. I love the slow pace of life that gives me more time to spend with my husband and boys. I have more time to take care of myself spiritually and physically.
I have a long list but since I mentioned my college roommates I will tell one of those stories. My roommates and a few more friends decided that we would all dare each other to swim nude across the river that ran through a public park near our college in January. We had just had a nice snow and some ice so it just seemed perfect for our little outing! We all did it and had so much fun that we continued this ridiculous act every year until we graduated. It was even funnier one year when we got caught!
1. Sittard market
2. Shutterspark (we call it duck park so I am not sure that this is the real name)
3. TR&TA (good Sushi)
4. Aachen
5. the library

December Meeting

Here are just a few photos taken at the December meeting on monday. If you were unable to attend, you missed lots of delicious food and wonderful prizes...

There were many new faces at the December meeting!

Hope you had a great time and welcome to GK!

-Thank you to all who attended

(and Thank you Amber Hudock for the wonderful pictures)

Bazaar Highlights 2009

Thank You to all who volunteered at the 2009 Foggy Fields Bazaar! It is because of you that the bazaar was a success!

Here are some of the highlights of the bazaar--- Thanks to Amber Hudock! :)

Spotlight On: Busy Lizzy (Liz Osheim)

Allow to me to introduce myself, my name is Elizabeth Osheim, my friends call me Liz. My husband Terry and I have been stationed in Geilenkirchen since July of 2008. It is hard to believe that our three year tour here in Germany is fast coming to a close. I am what people often refer to as an “Army brat”. My father was in the service and I grew up only knowing moving around, although I call the Seattle area home. My husband also comes from a military family; he has two brothers who are both active duty Air Force and his Father retired from the Air Force. I am one of ten children and grew up in a loud, fun, loving, warm and generous family. We have no children, but between us we have over 30 nieces and nephews, we enjoy being the (mostly) favorite Aunt and Uncle.

Prior to GK, we were in Charleston South Carolina. I love the motto of a favorite costal town, Folly Beach……."Where land ends and fun begins." I have enjoyed all the different places we’ve lived and although it is hard to leave friends behind I am always looking forward to the next adventure.

If I had one superpower it would be to have a never ending pot of delicious soup with the ablity to transport into any town at any time so I could feed all the hungry people………my name would be something catchy like Busy Lizzy, here she comes! Most people who meet me get to know me very quickly as I am talkative, full of optimism and quick to laugh. My hobbies include cooking and any attempt to craft…..this is the first time in my life that I haven’t had a job and yet I manage to keep very busy. I even write a blog for family and friends to keep up with my stories of "Life with Liz”. People may be surprised to realize that I worked at Kennedy Space Center, helping launch the Space Shuttle, for 8 years! That is where I met my husband, while he was visiting his father, whom I worked with at the time.

Spotlight On: Shannon Maris

Hi, I'm Shannon Maris. I'm from the East Coast originally, but being a Marine Corps brat we moved around a lot. I met my hubby in Fl right before our senior year of high school. We dated, fell in love and married two years later. We have two daughters, Emily is 8 and Autumn is 6. We just moved here to GK in May from Brooks City-Base in San Antonio, Texas. It was really hot there and I can't wait for it to be really cold here. In my spare time (when I have it), I like to read, watch movies, and just hang out with family and friends. I'm currently working on getting my Bachelors in Business Management so that takes up a lot of my time!

Living here in GK has had it's ups and downs...the second week we were here, I got really sick and was taken to the ER. I had a massive Kidney infection. I stayed in the hospital for 5 days while they poked me and took blood, and I had to take really nasty medicine. Then I developed allergies to Hay which gave me really bad sinus infections. So, I love Germany and all it's beauty, but I don't think Germany loves me!!

One fact that is not commonly known about me is I grew up loving Opera. I love playing the flute, and I love Opera and Classical music. I love anything and everything written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and The Phantom of the Opera is my all time fav!!

If I was a super hero, my name would be "SuperMOM" and my power would be multitasking and getting everything done that needed to regarding my girls. (With enough time to spare for a nice, quiet night with my hubby! )

Spotlight on Amber Hudock

My name is Amber Hudock and I have lived here in Germany for about 8 months. My husband, Patrick, and I are both from northern Virginia and grew up right around Washington D.C. We met in high school and then he attended the Naval Academy while I went to the University of Virginia to earn degrees in Anthropology and Archaeology. We began dating near the end of college and have now been married for 5 years and have a 2 year old son named Brennan. We also have two long-haired chihuahuas; Bexar and Rocky. We were lucky to have been stationed at beautiful Whidbey Island, WA for the last three years and have also been stationed in Texas and Florida (twice!). We are enjoying living in Europe and the time is already going by too quickly. My hobbies include reading, playing the French horn, and running.

Name 3 things you need to have to be happy.: books, music, peanut M&Ms
If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you be and why?: At Gere-a-Deli in Anacortes, WA because I am in sandwich withdrawal here and theirs are the best!

Spotlight on Laura Valle

My name is Laura Valle and I cannot say I am from anywhere. My father was in the USAF all my life and we moved every 3-4 years. If I have to nail down a place I claim New York, where my father's family is from as my mother's father was also career USAF and her family is spread out throughout the United States. So, basically, I am a nomad. :-) Since this is all I know (and love!), I also married a man in the Air Force and we are currently residing in Germany after meeting, marrying and living on Tinker AFB in Oklahoma. We do not have children as of yet as we are trying to do and see all that we can before we settle down and have a family. We both love to travel and learn new languages, so in our free time, we visit as many places as we can in Europe. Now that we are on a countdown of having only 1 year left in Germany, we are trying to squeeze every thing in. We cannot believe how many places there are still to see. It seems like the list grows after each country we visit! Besides traveling and learning new languages, my other passions/interests are Ashtanga yoga, my dogs, cooking/baking, reading, organics, green living, integrative medicine, vegetarianism, meeting new people and helping others. Between travels, I can be found at home working on my Master's in Midwifery and providing birth support to those in the local Triborder area.

The 3 things I need to be happy are:
1. Coffee
2. My yoga mat
3. The internet - in order to keep in touch with great friends and family and do my homework!

If I could live anywhere in the world right now, where would I be and why?
I would be in Paris, France. Why? The food, the language, the people, the ambiance, the dear friends I have made there through yoga... It is my most favorite place to be at any time of year! I definitely wish I could live there year round.

The craziest thing I have ever done is...
Hmmm.... there are so many. Ha ha! Probably sky diving was the craziest thing I have ever done (and scariest!)

The top 5 places I like to go or things I like to do around GK are:
1. Walking our 2 dogs through the farm fields in Hongen
2. Going to Aachen for Starbucks and a casual stroll around town
3. Visiting Maastricht monthly for the Aveda salon, shopping and lunch/dinner
4. Shopping at the bioladen and DM in Gangelt (or the bio store in Maaseik, Belgium - it's a good one too!)
5. Finding vegetarian restaurants around Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. Our current favorite is an Ethiopian restaurant called House of Lalibela in Leuven, Belgium. It's beyond scrumptious!

Laura

Spotlight on Leah Hess

Leah Hess, from Houston, Texas. My husband and I met and married in Tennessee, so we call it "home" now. We came to GK from Tyndall AFB in Panama City, Florida, where we had been for a very sunny 18 months. We have a son, Wilson, who is 1 and are expecting our second child in May. I imagine if I had spare time I would make artwork (that is what my degree is in). But, in lieu of creating masterpieces I do manage to take photos, scrapbook, and send letters to family and friends (the real kind, on paper, in an envelope).

1. Three things I need to be happy are: Family, Friends, a church to call home
2. If I could be anywhere in the world I would be in: Florida, I miss it on these cold, rainy days!
3. The craziest thing I've ever done is: move to Germany
4. Five things I love to do around GK: take walks, work out with my hot Mama Hawcs!, eat doner durums, go to AWGK functions, and...hmmm... can I say "take walks" twice? There are just so many good places to walk around here!

Spotlight on Kelly Alderson

My name is Kelly Alderson and I spent most of growing up years in Seattle Washington. I graduated from Central Washington University with my Bachelors in Public Health and still hoping to eventually use it! I’m a former army brat so moving a lot is not new to me! Ben, my husband, and I were stationed at Tyndall in Panama City FL where he started his training as an Air Battle Manager. The only children we have right now are our two cats, Luc and Rockie. They need constant attention; I feed them and clean up after them. Sounds like children, doesn’t it? I’m currently working at the Bookmark at Schinnen and am enjoying making reading suggestions and espresso drinks. Though if something with a more m-f schedule came along, I may change directions. I’m also taking German classes through JFC Brunnsum and I’m finding out I’m not very good at it… It meets Monday nights, hence why I haven’t been to a few meetings lately. Spare time for me is spent reading, watching movies, or exploring the surrounding area of GK. I’m hoping to do lots of traveling while I’m here with the hubby and make lots of new friends along the way.

Name 3 things you need to have to be happy...
· A partner in crime (or husband)
· Something to drink (alcoholic or coffee related preferred J)
· A sense of adventure

If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you be and why?
In Europe (oh wait, I’m already there!)

(Finish the sentence) the craziest thing I’ve ever done…

Getting married (I know, not that crazy but you haven’t heard the whole story yet…)

Name 5 places you love to go to around GK.
Sittard market either Thursday or Saturday
Heerleen
Try near by coffee shops/restaurants
Explore other areas near GK
Hanging out with friends in nearby areas.

Spotlight On: Erin Ferguson

Hello!!! I am Erin Ferguson and my home is the beautiful state of Colorado!! I love being outdoors and enjoy running, cycling, and skiing! We have lived in Germany for about 6 months now and are really enjoying all the travels and adventures that come with living overseas! Still need to hang pictures on the wall, but I have three years to do that- right!? We were in Panama City, Florida before we came to GK. We are kid free and hope to keep it that way for a while, although we have tons of nieces and nephews that we love to spoil! To keep myself busy over here I am work-ing on my MBA as well as having a job at Schinnen! I love to scrap book and make cards when I have the time! When I am not studying or working and Alec is home we love to go for long bike rides or take day trips to new places in the area!
I look forward to meeting each of you and getting to know you over the next three years!!!

Three things I need to be happy:
Running Shoes
Cards to write in and mail
Girlfriends/Family

If I could be anywhere in the world, it would be...

In Orlando, FL chasing my beautiful nephews around with my sister!!! Or in Colorado skiing with my dad!!

The craziest thing I’ve ever done is...

X-rated… Sorry!
[I have to say… now we’re all just curious and likely to ask you about it! :) ]

The top 5 places I like to go or things I like to do around GK are...

1. Going on bike rides around Tuddern with my hubby
2. Eating at Dolly Dimples in Sittard
3. Going out in Maastricht on the weekends
4. SnoWorld
5. Going to Kik to see what I can get for €1