Tom, Stephanie, & Skylar Condon

Our blog is moving one last time

2006-12-20T00:27:00.000+01:00

I have decided to create a new blog on our own domain (condons-aborad.net) because it will allow me to do some fancy things like add an interactive travel map (still a work in progress). I promise that this is the last time that our blog will be moving! Please update your links and RSS subscriptions. Our new blog can be accessed at http://www.condons-abroad.net.

Skylar's First Time Trick or Treating

2006-11-03T20:04:00.000+01:00

For the first time since Skylar has been born, he went trick or treating for Halloween. He dressed up in a Red Power Ranger costume that Grandma Pat gave him. He was very excited to wear the costume because he LOVES the Power Rangers! Stephanie was on Army Reserve duty that night so I took him to the Army base and met up with a coworker of mine and his kids. Most of the residences on the base had little trick or treating stands setup outside the residendial buildings so that the kids did not have to go inside and go door-to-door. This made it very easy to get lots of treats. After trick or treating for a couple of hours, Skylar and I met Stephanie for dinner at the Italian restaurant on base. Click here to see the complete set of Halloween pictures.

2006-10-11T22:00:00.000+02:00

This is a test of posting to our blog from Google Docs. Google Docs and Spreadsheets is like a free online version of MS Office Word and Excel. You can create documents, save them online, share them with other people, and save the documents in many different formats including PDF.

More Pictures from W&A's Wedding

2006-09-19T21:56:00.000+02:00

I finally got around to posting some more pictures from William and Aleksandra's wedding and the party at the Summer house the next day.

You can view the rest of the pictures here.

Pippi Longstockings and Tallinn

2006-09-12T13:12:00.000+02:00

Tom and I spent Labor Day weekend in the lovely Baltic Seaport of Tallinn, Estonia. We visited a friend and former co-worker, Pille Pakane, who generously showed us around town for three days solid. We ate some wonderful food, went to an outdoor museum, wandered through the city streets admiring the architecture and the incredible churches, and found lots of ways to spend our money. Pille even got me a birthday cake on my birthday, and we sat around that morning eating cake and watching Pippi Longstockings, which was playing in English on Estonian TV. What a cute movie!

Pille offered the guest room of her apartment for the duration of our stay, so we didn't have to find a hotel room. We ate traditional Estonian breakfast foods with her each morning, such as pickled herring, smoked and jellied eel, and raw salmon. Also oatmeal and the breakfast food they serve in Germany- tomatoes, cucumber, cold cuts, cheese, and bread. Estonia is not as expensive as Germany, but it's heading in that direction since it joined the EU. Once the EURO comes, prices will certainly go way up. Unfortunately, Estonian salaries will probably not go up nearly as much.

This will be our last adventure around Europe for a while, as Skylar returns to Germany in a week. It will be so nice to have him home again. Tom's mother Pat and her husband Pete will be here for three weeks, so it will give Skylar some transition time from being with them to being with us again.

Interested in reading more about Tallinn? Wikipedia has a good article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tallinn.

Bathing Like Kings

2006-09-09T18:58:00.000+02:00

For our anniversary, Tom and I spent the weekend in Baden-Baden, the legendary spa city dating back to Roman times. Baden-Baden is a town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located on the western foothills of the Black Forest, on the banks of the Oos river, in the region of Karlsruhe. To this day it remains one of the prettiest little cities in Germany.

We stayed at the Dorint Sofitel Maison Messmer which has it's own spa/pool/sauna, and had a health and wellness package for the weekend that included several spa services. Baden-Baden is only a little over an hour away, making it a convenient place to visit. There was horse-racing while we were there, and all the rich from all over Europe were visiting. Amazing hats, shoes from designers we couldn't begin to pronounce, and the nicest cars were in abundance. A nice, relaxing way to spend a weekend.

With this ring...

2006-08-21T13:56:00.000+02:00

William and Aleksandra's Wedding by Stephanie Condon

Saturday, 5 August, 1600: William and Aleksandra got married in a traditional Polish Catholic ceremony. Aleksandra wore a slightly off-white empire waist dress with short ballet-cap sleeves. William wore a nice suit, with a vest and a slightly off-white tie. The church is the church where Aleksandra grew up, so there were lots of her family and friends there. William's family included Daddy, Tom and me, and he had some friends from his college in Finland as well. Aleksandra's brother served as her witness, and I was William's. Most of the ceremony was in Polish, but some Bible passages and William's vows were in English. After the wedding, people lined up outside to wish the bride and groom well, and everyone gives flowers and throws small change, which the bride and groom have to pick up before departing the church. After the wedding, we went to a restaurant, and started the dinner party. Apparently a tradition is for the bride and groom to drink a glass of champagne each, then throw them over their shoulders and hope that they break all over the floor- it's bad luck if they don't break. Then came many courses of excellent Polish food, lots of Vodka, wine and beer, singing and dancing, that all lasted until the early hours of the morning.

Sunday, 6 August, 1600: Garden party at the summer house, about 20 kilometers outside of town. This would have been a lot more fun if it hadn't been raining like crazy the whole afternoon. It cleared up once or twice, but the rain was a steady companion. We got to meet other members of Aleksandra's family who didn't make it to the party after the wedding. Daddy and Aleksandra's father got along really well, even though there was a marked language barrier. There was lots of great food, cakes, Polish sausage, etc… William and Aleksandra got some nice gifts, including a complete set of dishes and a very nice set of cookware.

Monday, 7 August, all day: We all drove home from Poland. William, Aleksandra, and Daddy drove my car, and Tom and I were in his car. It ended up being a 14 hour trip home. Still, better than flying with all the stuff we had to bring up and back, and all the craziness and cost of the airlines. We even got back in time to put in four hours of work on Monday.

Baptism and Marriage

2006-08-02T13:41:00.000+02:00

On Sunday, July 30, William was baptized at the post chapel on Patch Barracks. It was a nice small ceremony, witnessed by his wife Aleksandra, and by Tom and me. William and Aleksandra will be getting married in a traditional Catholic ceremony on Saturday, August 5, in Poland.

Mild German Summers...

2006-07-27T17:12:00.000+02:00

The summer is going by so quickly. We've moved into our new house, but we have a long way to go before everything is in order. Tom went to the States last week, and won't be returning until this coming Saturday- about two weeks away from home. He could be trying to avoid the fun of moving furniture and hanging pictures… Hmm… He took Skylar with him, and Skylar stayed behind to spend a few weeks with his grandmother in Charleston. He'll take swimming lessons, some martial arts, and get to spend time with family that he doesn't usually see. It's great for him, but I miss him already.

In other news, it's HOT!! Whoever said German summers were mild was obviously mentally deficient. Our days are in the upper 90s (yesterday it was 99 in the shade) and no one has AC. It drops to the 80s at night. No rain in weeks. I think my brain is boiling. Needless to say, it's hard to concentrate at work when you are covered in sweat and can't even turn on the lights because it adds to the overall temperature, and you know that going home won't help since it will be just as hot there. Don't get me wrong- I'm not longing for winter. But, I will be happy when the temperature drops just a little.

Next week my dad comes and we all go to Poland for William and Aleksandra's church wedding. This will be his second trip to Europe this summer. Amazing! I never thought he would leave the country. William and Aleksandra moved out last week, and now Tom and I have our house to ourselves for the first time since we moved to Germany. It's very nice, but the quiet will take some getting used to.

Well, back to work for me. Think cool thoughts, and send them our way!

Ole, Ole Ole Ole,.....Ole Deutschland!

2006-07-08T22:54:00.000+02:00

Germany just beat Portugal 3-1 in the World Cup Semi-finals!

Pictures from Kindergarten Photo Shoot

2006-07-05T12:52:00.000+02:00

Check out these great pictures that they took at the Kindergarten! I can never get Skylar to smile so nicely! Can you believe he is only 4 years old here!

Ah, Spring...

2006-05-10T12:02:00.000+02:00

Ah, spring in Europe. The days are longer, flowers are blooming, the trees have leaves, the birds are chirping outside, and I'm still going to work in my coat because it's only 50 degrees outside (at noon)!! At least it's not raining... The pollen this year is worse than anything I've ever seen, even when I lived in Atlanta. I think since we haven't had much rain, it's just staying on the ground- and everything else. Unfortunately, Skylar has bronchitis and some allergies, and has been coughing like crazy for about two months. The pollen is definitely not helping. He's on antibiotics and an inhaler, and it's starting to get a little better. We go back to the doctor in another week to check on his progress. Tom has had some similar problems due to the pollen. I'm so glad I don't have any allergies.

Our move is coming along slowly. We have until the end of May to move out of our current house, but I'd like to be living in the new house by next Monday. We have so much to do, but I'm sure we'll finish in time. Unfortunately, Tom is going to Annual Training on Saturday, and will be gone for two weeks. We could really use his help at home moving things, but we don't have much choice. Perhaps we'll post some pictures of our progress when we have a chance to take some.

My Beautiful Wife in Rome

2006-05-03T15:35:00.000+02:00

DSC02866
Originally uploaded by tom_condon.

Here is a good picture of Stephanie taken from inside the Roman Coliseum this past December.

My New Nephew in Living Color

2006-05-02T18:29:00.000+02:00

I can already tell Kostas is quieter than Skylar was!

Snow pictures from March

2006-04-30T23:14:00.000+02:00

I finally got around to posting some pictures I took from the snow we had this March.

As you can see in this picture, Skylar loves to shovel snow!

See the complete set of pictures

Kostas Condon

2006-04-25T13:33:00.000+02:00

Migle and Jim are proud parents of a baby boy. He was born at 8pm on Sunday. He Weighs 3.1 Kg (6.82 Lbs) and is 52.35 cm (20.45 in) long. Both Migle and the baby are doing well. They gave him a Lithuanian first name - Kostas. Read more at Jim's Blog

This is amazing!

2006-04-25T13:28:00.000+02:00

Migle's Fruchtwasser

2006-04-22T18:04:00.000+02:00

My Mom called and told me that Migle's water broke (or fruchtwasser in German - this literally translates to "fruit water" in english) this morning at 1am! Good thing we didn't stay out late last night! They might induce labor today or tomorrow.

Read more at Jim's Blog: The First Step

Boys Night Out

2006-04-22T09:46:00.000+02:00

William, Skylar, and I met my brother Jim at the Stuttgart Spring Fest last night for a little boys night out. It's like Octoberfest but in the Spring. Stephanie had to do Army Reserve duty in the EUCOM Network Operations and Security Center (NOSC) from 5pm to 5am. Migle had been at the Fest all day with a friend of hers. We met Jim at the French Quarter area of the Fest which is an area that is decorated like a little French town and sells all French food and drinks. It even has a little Eiffel Tower. We wanted to go to one of the traditional Fest tents for a little while to have a beer and listen to the music but it was already too crowded and smokey at 7:30pm. So we skipped that and went to the French Quarter. William, Skylar, and I ate some Flammkuchen and had a little beer and Apfelschorle. Skylar had the Apfelschorle of course :) Skylar wanted to ride all of the rides but we did not have time this night. He even wanted to go on the Free Fall Tower! He is fearless. We sat and talked for a while and then realized that it was already 10pm so we parted ways with Jim and took the train back home. We got home about 1115 and Skylar promptly crashed in his bed.

The PfP Conference Icebreaker

2006-04-16T00:05:00.000+02:00

The icebreaker was great. We all dressed up and brought our significant others along to the top floor of the hotel- the Panorama Bar. We had a lovely view of the entire city. Skylar was a riot, dancing to all the music. The food was traditional Croatian fare and very good. We did a mini baby shower for Martina with a card, flowers, and some baby presents. (She’s due in two weeks, and I’m sure the pressure of putting together a conference couldn’t have helped any. She was on her feet all the time, and never seemed to get a break.) I got a bit of a surprise when they presented me with flowers, too. It’s not every day your co-workers spring for roses! Monday was also Tom's birthday. He turned 35! I can hardly believe I'm married to someone so old!!

Even though this was a work event for me, Tom managed to find something work related to talk about with the two PIMS people- Mark Southerby and Chris Romig. He can’t go for more than a minute without bringing up collaboration or knowledge management...

Swimming with Skylar at the Westin Zagreb

2006-04-15T23:59:00.000+02:00

Well while in Zagreb, Croatia we stayed at the Westin Hotel which was very nice. Good thing that the Government is paying for most of the hotel cost. We have to pay for the weekend days of course. The hotel had a nice pool so Skylar and I decided to go swimming while Stephanie worked on Monday. Skylar was a little nervous to go swimming at first since he has only been swimming outside the bathtub about two other times in his life, but he started to have a great time after a few minutes. One of those two times was when we went to the coast of Croatia this past Summer. We could not find any floaties so I had to hold Skylar the whole time except when he was sitting on the steps of the pool. Finally after about 30 minutes I talked Skylar into going all the way under the water to get his head wet. He did not want to leave but I was starting to get pretty tired and we had to get ready for the PfP Icebreaker later that evening.

PfP Conference in Croatia

2006-04-15T22:52:00.000+02:00

I had a Partnership for Peace (PfP) conference in Zagreb, Croatia, this week (April 10-14). Tom and Skylar decided to tag along, so rather than fly, we drove down on Saturday. Maporama.com claims it’s a seven hour drive, but by the time we drove through Munich, stopped for gas and snacks a few times, waited at the Croatian border for 45 minutes while the customs people were searching cars, and drove around looking for the hotel, it took us about ten hours. The next day we met up with my friend and co-worker, Martina Seni (the PfP coordinator for Croatia), and her family, and we went about 30 kilometers outside of Zagreb to this little town called Samobor. We had traditional cuisine prepared in the traditional way at a restaurant called Grgosova spilja, and wandered around the little town. Even though tourist season hadn’t started yet, the place was packed with visitors, and the wait to get a piece of kremšnite (a great kind of custard in a flaky pastry) at the best pastry shop was forever- but well worth it. Skylar played with her son while we sat in the sun and enjoyed the day, talking and drinking coffee. Our lunch outing turned into an entire day, but it was wonderful. Sadly, Monday comes every week like clockwork, and I had to go back to work. On Monday, I spent most of the day finishing up briefings, making sure the conference room was set up correctly, and preparing for the icebreaker. Tom and Skylar went swimming, but I’ll let him cover that part.

William and Aleksandra's Wedding Pictures

2006-04-04T22:46:00.000+02:00

DSC02705
Originally uploaded by tom_condon.

Go here to see some pictures from the wedding.

The next Condon is on his way

2006-04-02T21:36:00.000+02:00

Jim and Migle are expecting a baby boy next month. They came over to our house today to pick up all of our baby stuff like clothes, toys, gates, and crib so that they do not have to buy everything new. This helps us out because it means we do not have to move the stuff to our new house next month. It was like a family meeting at our house with Jim, Migle, William, Aleksandra, and the three of us.

William and Aleksandra are back

2006-04-02T18:09:00.000+02:00

William and Aleksandra are back from getting hitched in Poland. All went well with the ceremony but they said it was very stressful. They made a CD with a video of the big day. Skylar was very excited to see Aunt Aleksandra again!

William & Aleksandra are getting married today!

2006-04-02T00:03:00.000+02:00

William and Aleksandra are supposed to be getting married today (April 1st) in Poland. They are holding a church ceremony in Bydgoszcz, Poland in August.

Family update from March 5th

2006-04-01T23:00:00.000+02:00

Here is what has been happening with the Condon family over the last couple of months.

Today is March 5, 2006, and spring comes in just over 15 days. However, with several feet of snow in our area and all over southern Germany, you’d never know it. It’s much worse in some areas. The last time it snowed this much was over twenty years ago, according to some Germans we know. To make things even more fun, the snow plough people have been on strike, and driving to and from work has been a challenge.

Otherwise, things have been pretty much the same as always, although we’ve had a bit of bad news. We’ve been informed by our landlord that he wants to reoccupy our house, and he’ll be moving in sometime this summer. We have to be out by the end of May. While there are some benefits to moving- such as getting rid of our crappy landlord and moving to a house where the heat always works and the circuitry for the lights is functional, we’ve invested a lot of time and money into making this house a nice place to live. We will be leaving great neighbors- the best ones we’ve ever had. At least we won’t be moving far away, and Skylar will continue to go to school at the same Kindergarten. He has the rest of this year and all of next year before he starts to school on base, and we didn’t want to make him move to another Kindergarten in another town. From that perspective, things have worked out well. The people who currently live in the house into which we will be moving are leaving because they don’t like the layout of the house- the living area is on the third floor. But, beggars can’t be choosers. The house is available, the right size, in the right location, and with seemingly better landlords. So, anyone coming to visit us after the end of May will find us in a new house.

December

Steve, Lani, and Rebecca (Stephanie’s family) came over for a Christmas visit.
The Brauns had the whole family down to her house in the Black Forest for a visit and yummy local cuisine.
William spent Christmas in Poland with his fiancée Aleksandra and her family.
Bryan spent Christmas with his girlfriend Emily and her family.
We went to Rome for a week, and spent Christmas morning listening to the Papal blessing.
Steve, Lani, and Rebecca spent New Year’s in Madrid, while we hung out at home.

January

We celebrated Skylar’s birthday at the Braun’s house in the Black Forest. They had us all there and cooked dinner and cakes, and we had a very nice time.
Tom and Skylar went to the States for Tom’s father’s birthday. They spent two weeks there while Stephanie remained in Germany slaving away at her graduate work.

February

Aleksandra visited for a week, and then William returned with her to take care of some legal paperwork for the upcoming wedding.
William got selected for a job as a computer tech for the Army and started back to work.
Our landlord decided that he’s moving back in, so we must move out of our house by the end of May.
We found a comparable house in the same town available roughly when we need it, and have agreed to move in sometime in May.
Stephanie did Army Reserve Annual Training in the Network Operations Systems Center at HQ USEUCOM as the Watch Officer (it’s not nearly as exciting as it sounds…I promise).
Tom did some reserve duty weekends at the same place.

Upcoming

Tom flies to the DC area for two weeks in March.
William and Aleksandra get married (officially) on April 1 in Poland.
Stephanie has a business trip to Croatia for a week in April.
Tom does Annual Training for the Army for two weeks in May.
We move to our new house during the last two weeks of May.
Bryan is due to return to the States around 18 May, hopefully to be starting Georgia Southern University in the summer.

First post to new blog

2006-04-01T21:58:00.000+02:00

Welcome to our new blog. This blog site is much better than Yahoo 360. Please let me know what you think by adding comments to any post in this blog.