I can't believe it's already July!

Hey Everyone!

Time is flying by here, next week we'll be in the middle of July already!! I can't believe I only have a couple more months left here. The past two weeks have been pretty crazy! We've been hit with Swine Flu! It's not as crazy as the news makes it out to be and it's not any more dangerous than the regular flu. Nicholas was home all of last week with it and Charlotte was home this week. It has been tough with the kids home, but I should count myself lucky since they weren't home together at the same time! Charlotte is actually doing a lot better and went back to pre-school today, which I am so thankful for, now I get to rest and get over it as well. I guess there's no way of escaping it when you're with kids all the time.

The 4th of July was a lot of fun. I drove up to Heidelberg to stay with my friends and I had a good time even though it was only for a couple days. I was stuck in traffic for about an hour on Friday when I left. It was pouring rain and when I got on the autobahn, traffic was at a dead stop. At least I had my ipod to keep me company. I left a little before 5 and got there at 7:30. It took longer than usual, it's only an hour and a half normally. The weather cleared about halfway and that was great! Driving in the rain with no glasses is no fun. I actually stopped to go to the bathroom at a German rest area.. never again! They are SO disgusting. I mean rest areas in the U.S. aren't the best either but these... oh my. When I got there, we just hung out and watched Bolt, which was hilarious. I might have laughed more than the kids :/ Saturday was pretty laid back too. All of the PX was opened even though it was the 4th, I was pretty happy. I got a few things there and then we went back to the house so the kids could play in the pool. We ended up watching Twilight and now they are hooked on it. We had to walk down to the festivities on post because Beka had to sing the anthem and God Bless America, all short notice. We came back, had some dinner, and then walked back for fireworks. We had great front row seats by the cannons and fireworks, so it was great. My favorite part is the end of the night when they play the Overture of 1812. James was pretty excited to see the cannons go off, they were pretty loud too. We came back and I watched a movie with Jake, and then I crashed. Sunday was also laid back. We slept in, had some breakfast and then went to the library. Beka was on the prowl for Twilight books and then we went to the commisary. I love going there, it's great to have American food. I bought a few things to last awhile here. I found a Cheesecake recipe online for Pumpkin Cheesecake. I hope it works out! If it does, I'll put the recipe here.

I'm excited because the family finally decided on a puppy! No backing out this time, like with the beagel. It's a blonde lab and she is so cute. Her name is Isa and she's still a tiny puppy. We're going to pick her up at the beginning of August. I'll be spending a lot of time with her too, the family will be going on vacation in September for 2 weeks, so if I go anywhere, Isa comes with. I might go to Paris for a day, I can walk the puppy around I guess. My friend Steve is coming to visit as well, I'm very very very excited! It'll be nice to spend some time with someone and venture out more. Well I'm going to get a few things done so I can relax. Have a good one!

Jess

Juni ist sehr gut!

Hallo Everyone!

June has been a pretty awesome month for the most part. The weather is finally warming up more, so we're able to go to the pool, flowers are everywhere, everything is green and traveling is better. The first couple of days of June, I stayed with my friends in Heidelberg. I'm really looking forward to visiting with General Ham when I go back. His daughter used to babysit my sister and I when we lived in Germany about 15 years ago. I feel bad for her, I put her through hell! He's a really nice guy though so it'll be nice! I love going to Heidelberg! It's great to have friends so close and it's like stepping into America for a little bit each time I go. I plan on going for the 4th of July weekend, so I'm looking forward to it. Driving there is a lot of fun too. I love road trips and this one is only 90 mins, without traffic jams. The Autobahn is really fun to drive on, at first I had a hard time keeping up with the traffic because it was so fast, but I got the hang of it and even caught myself having to slow down because I was going way too fast. The majority of the time I was just coasting around 100mph. It's so nice to have my ipod in the car too. I don't have to torture myself with German Radio and I can jam out with Robert Plant, Elvis, John.Paul.Ringo.George, Freddie Mercury, David Bowie and Kurt Cobain!

It's getting better with the family too. We have a way of doing things now and it works for everyone. It took long enough though! Potty training with Charlotte is going well. She only wears a diaper at night, or if we're in the car or out and about for a long time. We don't even have to bribe her with candy. Now I hope we can tackle the bottle of milk situation. She's 3 and a half now and she still sued the bottle with the nipple and everything. She's going to have a killer overbite and her teeth are getting gross. Even though she's going to lose them, it's still not good. I brush her teeth 2-3 times in the morning just to try and get rid of the nasty spoiled milk smell, but it usually doesn't leave. Maybe they'll jump on that band wagon soon. Nicholas is doing well too. He's learning more English in school and he practices with me. I actually started teaching Charlotte English too. We made flashcards with colors on them and simple things like flowers, fruits, animals etc. She's getting the hang of it and it's not too crazy for her to remember them. I teach them funny things too, it's great. Charlotte can say "whatever girlfriend!" with a lot of attitude, and even a head bob and snap.

I'm getting pretty pumped up to go home too. I feel ready to move on and start the next stage of life. I miss being in school so so much. I'm glad I do too. Most people who end up taking a year off after High School usually don't end up going back for college. I'm still set on being a Labor & Delivery Nurse too. I learn a lot from Sven and it makes me even more excited to do it, struggles and all. I'm excited and scared about being in Richmond. I know I'll have good friends near me so I won't be completely alone. My Dad, Debbie and Darby will be in New Jersey and that's not a bad drive away either. Shelby and Cindy will be in Alabama, not sure where though.. maybe in a van.. down by the river. Just kidding. Cindy is actually with my grandparents for the time being until she decides what to do with her life after she gets out of this HUGE mess she made. Right now, Debbie is in Georgia finishing the house with Darby and Shelby. My Dad and the dog are in NJ already and I think the girls are meeting with him in the middle of July. My mom already left everyone and went to Alabama. I've finally simmered down some. I'm still very angry with Cindy. I haven't bothered to call her, there would be no point to it anyway. I'd end up losing my temper or she just wouldn't even talk. I used to call her when I got here to check up on her, let her know I was doing, blah blah blah. She just stopped wanting to talk to me after a while so I only called because I had to. I called her on Mother's Day and it was one of the most awkward conversations I had with her. It was like playing 20 Questions.

"Hey Mom"
-"Hi"

"Happy Mother's Day"
-"Thanks"

"How are you?"
-"Good"

"I'm doing pretty good too, so what's new?"
-"Nothing"

You get the idea of how the conversation went. It ended with her passing the phone to Darby passed it to Shelby, Shelby was too involved with texting on her cell phone to really pay attention. I probably would have had better luck talking to the dog on the phone than anyone else. She didn't call when I was in the hospital after my Dad called her and gave her my room number, and she wouldn't let my sisters call when they wanted to. I could go on, but I won't, they're all just more reasons to be angry. I was angry since I found out about what Cindy did. I saw how distraught my Dad was, and is. She lied to so many people and I cannot believe that my family is now in this huge mess. Everyone I've talked to feels disappointed and let down too. I already knew that our relationship was a downward spiral, but I did think it would get better once I left home and we had our space. It didn't and I'm okay with it, we've never been very close anyway so it's not a huge loss for me. I'm not losing anything and I can only have those "what if", thoughts and feelings about our relationship. I just worry about my Dad. I hope his job isn't at stake and I hope they make it through. Let's hope it all ends well!

I really hope to actually SEE Europe before I leave. I still haven't left Germany in 8 months!! I'm only 2 hours away from France, 5 from Paris. I HAVE to go before I leave for the U.S. Even if it's just for a weekend, I want to see it all. There are cheap flights all over Europe so I can make it through that way. I just worry about money. I have enough to do all of this, but I need to save it too. I don't get paid much so that's a bummer, but I can find a way I hope. I'd love to go to Madrid, Rome, Venice, Prague, and London before I leave too. I can fly for about 30 Euro roundtrip to most of these places, so I guess all I have to do is find time and grow a pair and travel alone! I hope I still feel ballsy when the time comes for it.

Well I guess it's time I end this lengthy blog entry! Hopefully you made it through all the rambling. Thanks for reading!

-Jess

The Best Things in Life Are Free

Money! Money! Money!

Money is everyone's problem. It's my biggest worry when I come home and now it's the biggest factor in my parent's divorce. So I do agree that the best things in life are free. Friendship, love, a beautiful view, a nice walk, summer storms, laughter, and so many other things

It's a Beautiful Morning!

Guten Morgen meine freunde!

Today is a pretty great Monday! My vacation is over and I was dreading today, but it's turned out to be a really great morning. The family got home yesterday evening and today is a normal day for everyone. Yesterday I was napping when they got home, and Charlotte ran upstairs and came in my room to hug me and she told me she missed me. It was pretty cute and I did miss her. This morning I set my alarm at the usual time and I was waiting in bed for her to start yelling, "Jess! Jess! Jess!", or "Mama! Mama! Mama!". She never yelled so I was surprised. Instead, she came into my bedroom and crawled in bed with me and told me about her visit with her Grandma (Oma in German). We talked in bed for a little while and then I told her I had to go to the bathroom, so she said she'd go with me and just talked and talked and talked while I peed.. it was funny. Then she had a surprise in her room that she wanted me to see. Her Aunt Raffaella bought her a cute pink castle tent, so they put it up yesterday and this morning, we both had to get in it, I felt like a dog getting through a dog/cat door haha. We played in the tent for awhile and then I got dressed and she let me dress her, which I was relieved about. I was expecting a tantrum or her wanting her mom to dress her since she hadn't been with her all week. Breakfast went well, the drive to her pre-school went well and so far it's been a productive Monday. I hope it lasts! I hope you all have a great week!

-Jess

June is here!!

Hello Everyone!

I'm so happy that it's June already! I have a lot to look forward to over the next couple of months. This week I have a vacation, so it's pretty nice. I had my first European roadtrip this weekend and it was awesome! My friends in Heidelberg were having a big birthday party Saturday night, so I left Saturday afternoon and drove up to Heidelberg. I had to take 2 different autobahns and it was pretty nice. I'm going to have a major speeding problem though. Going about 120mph is so fun and it's not as scary as I thought. You just keep up with traffic and you're good. I only had problems at night on my way home. No glasses makes a huge difference then! The signs got weird too. They were yellow with black letters, that's pretty hard for anyone to see I think. Anyway, I got home around 11:00 last night and all was well. I think I'll head back up to Heidelberg for 4th of July. I'm actually really surprised that the family pulled through and went on vacation. Well, Graziella stayed behind but that doesn't matter, I don't have to baby sit her! Well I have a mini-crisis on my hands right now, I got a few stains of hairdye on the linoleum floor.. so I need to go get those out! Later guys!

-Jess

A Different Post!

Hey Everyone!


Since I have nothing new to report, I decided to blog a little about an upcoming event I've been thinking about for a long time. I was scanning Amazon.com for a few books, and I ended up looking at Helter Skelter written by Vincent Buliosi (The Prosecuting Attorney in the Manson trial) and Curt Gentry. It is about The Infamous Tate-LaBianca murders that took place in Hollywood in August 1969. This year is a big year because it marks 40 years since the crime had been committed. Bugliosi pretty much put Charles Manson and a few of his followers from his cult, "The Family", behind bars. Manson himself never took part in the murders, he just gave instructions to go and "do something witchy". He did assist in binding the hands of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca because he thought his followers did a messy job at the Tate/Polanski Residence.

Anyway the killers are :

Charles "Tex" Watson

Susan Atkins
Leslie Van Houton
Patricia Krenwinkle

Linda Kasabian

All of them were sentenced to be executed, but conviniently, California abolished the Death Penalty after the trial, so they were then sentenced to life in prison. They are all still alive today and on May 28th, Susan Atkins is up for parole again. She is the only woman in California to be denied parole 17 times. This week will be her 18th attempt. She was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2002, and she was given 3 months to live, but she was denied parole once again in 2005. As of now, she can't sit up in bed and she has had a leg amputated. She has always been described as a "model prisoner".

After I read about this in the news I started thinking about it more. I know that she stabbed Sharon Tate to death while the actress was 8 1/2 months pregnant. Atkins was about 19 when she did it and completely brainwashed by Charles Manson and his crazy preaching. It still doesn't excuse her for what she did. I was starting to think she should be released, she has spent so much time in prison and she is dying. After I started reading Helter Skelter, I changed my mind. The book goes into great detail about the murders and the autopsies, even interviews with the Manson Family members at the time. Atkins was so disgusting and derranged. She showed NO emotion or remorse. She told the police that Sharon Tate begged for her and her son's life, and Atkins replied, "I have no mercy for you, you're going to die tonight".

In an interview with Dianne Sawyer a few years ago, she explains that she is a different person now and a born-again Christian. After nearly 40 years in prison, who wouldn't be a "born-again Christian"? Prison Facilities offer all kinds of programs to the inmates and some religious program is usually one of them. If that's all you have to keep you going, of course you're going to be like that. 40 years is a long time to sit and think about what you have done in your life, but does 40 years give justice to murder? Sharon Tate, Abigail Folger (the coffee heiress), Jay Serbring, Steve Parent, and Voytek Frykowski could have had 40 more years of their lives to live also. In the book, she would taunt the police officers and go on and on about Indian beliefs of Karma, always saying they would get what's coming for them down the road. Well I guess her karma beliefs came back and got her. She should be lucky she was granted life in prison and not executed like she was supposed to be. She's had a decent life in prison also, with a lot of privileges like wearing her own clothing, certain positions and duties and she has even been married twice in prison! Now the remaining family members of the victims attend the parole hearings and ask that the murderers be denied parole. In 1992, Sharon Tate's father passed away, but he wrote a letter to a judge before he died and said, "If Susan Atkins is released to rejoin her family, where is the justice?". I also feel so bad for the victim's families. Sharon Tate's father was a Colonel in the Army and left after she died. He grew his hair long and disguised himself as a hippie so he could go to their hangouts and try to find who murdered his daughter. Her mom lost her mind and her two younger sisters had to go through all of this. There is only one remaining relative who still plans on attending every parole hearing.



I'm really anxious to see what happens with this parole hearing. Vincent Bugliosi, who put her away, thinks she should be granted her compassionate release, but The Governator Arnold Schwarzenegger does not agree. You all know how I feel about it, what are some of your thoughts on the issue?

Craziest of Them All!!!!

Hey Everyone!

This past week has been the craziest week I have had since I've been here! So much was going on and it seems like it was awhile ago already. On Mother's Day I had probably one of the most awkward conversations with my Mom on the phone when I called. Most of you know I don't have a good relationship with my Mom, but it was still weird. I had to push and push for her to talk to me and to keep a conversation going. I am glad I called though, it would have been a different story if I hadn't. Darby started living with my Dad and Debbie last week. She's starting to live with them now so she can have a better idea of how it will be, just in case she changes her mind before they leave for New Jersey next month.

Sunday night I got zero sleep, I'm not sure why it was kind of strange, so I was a walking zombie all day. I made it though, so that was nice. Tuesday was a normal day and Wednesday was weird. I was at a stop light and there was a man walking along a sidewalk looking at the concrete and then he walked right in front of a bus. I'll spare the details, but it was pretty horrific. I gagged and cried, but I snapped out of it pretty fast. The more I thought about it, the more it got to me, so I didn't sleep well for a few nights. On Saturday, I went to the ER because I had a ton of pain in my side and lower stomach area, and it sounded like appendicitis. We got there and it went pretty fast, I ended up having a pretty bad UTI and all that fun stuff, but they still thought I could also have appendicitis, so they kept me for just under 2 days and they were going to operate on Sunday, but decided not to. I really hate the hospital here. It was SO boring! They had huge windows with no AC, so the sun was beating in the room all day and I was gross, sweaty and stuck in a hospital bed. Even though I was pretty much miserable, I remembered to be nice to my nurses, so it was alright I guess. I came back yesterday afternoon and now I'm just relaxing for a little bit. This week will be pretty easy and I'll dive back into everything next week. Anyway.. that's all I have for now! I'll have a better, slightly less depressing/whiny update soon!

Jess