Major Keleher

September 1st marked a big day in our house as Captain Keleher became Major Keleher. There was a ceremony on base to make it official and then we hosted a party that night at our favorite local restaurant to celebrate with friends and family. We were thrilled that Bill's parents could come all the way from Connecticut for the promotion.

We could not be more proud of Bill for this milestone. He has worked so hard and sacrificed so much over the years to get to this point. It's a demanding job, which makes this recognition just a little bit sweeter. I know two little kiddos that think the world of their Daddy. Congrats Major!

Waiting for the ceremony with Grandpa.

What made the day extra special was that Bill's former boss, and our good friend TJ, officiated the ceremony. He made us laugh, he made us cry, and he gave a one-of-a-kind speech that we will never forget. Thank you TJ! 

You can see what Jacob thought about his Daddy getting promoted.

But once he realized he was getting a football and his very own pilot's patch out of the deal he changed his mind. 

"Wow, thanks Mr. Courtney! Does that football say CHOKE?"

TJ has clearly learned a thing or two from his 20 years in the Air Force as he promoted me to "honorary" Lt. Colonel so that I will always outrank Bill. Smart man TJ.

John and I pinning on his new rank. 

Oath of Office 

Proud Mom and Dad. 

That night we rented out a room at our favorite restaurant in town, Ratskeller. We are now regulars; the food never disappoints and they are always so good to us. Not only were we grateful to celebrate with wonderful friends, but thought it was pretty unique to have friends and colleagues of 5 different nationalities represented- German, American, Dutch, Norwegian and Turkish.

Our favorite waitress Ellie.

We ate until we felt sick, but the food was phenomenal!

Our friends Liz, Jill, Dan, Thomas and Vanessa.

Probably the world's best neighbor and good friend, Beate. 

The guys enjoying some nice Belgian beer.

My gym girls- Jill, Cathrine, Torhild, Vanessa and Tine.

And some more girls- Jill, Maria, Jenny, Missy, Torhild and Sam. 

Diz, Tiz and Wifey take Deutschland

We were so excited to host some great friends in August. Our friendship dates back 20+ years and there is never a dull moment when we are together. It was so much fun showing Sara and Courtney where we live and some of our favorite places in the area. Jacob, Bria and Casey also loved having their "aunties" in town. The photos don't do justice to the amount of laughing, eating and indulging that we did that week, but here is a recap of the week:

Day 1: Courtney arrives from London. Jake makes her breakfast.

Day 2: After 3 flights and a train ride, Sara arrives safely and on practically no sleep. We pick her up and explore Aachen a bit.

Day 3: After staying up for 2 days straight we thought Sara was due for a good night of sleep so in the morning Court and I went to the lake for a workout.

And Bria came along for the run as well. 

"The Better Chip" at Lago Laprello. 

That afternoon the girls and I headed out for a little adventure. I wanted to take them to the beautiful Burg Eltz in Germany. I have been there several times, but for some reason rather then taking us the direct route to the castle parking lot, my GPS decided to take us on the "scenic route." We ended up in the middle of the forest, on trails not intended for car travel. We finally pulled over and parked and hiked the remaining short distance to the castle. This was definitely "not the procedure" so we were met with a lot of quizzical German looks. We thought it was hysterical!

Just parking the car.

Burg Eltz

Next stop was the quaint town of Cochem along the Mosel River.

Cochem Castle

 Sampling some of the local wine. 

 Proost!

Day 4: Took the girls to Cologne to see Kölner Dom, the largest Gothic church in Northern Europe.

 Sar and Court even climbed the 533 steps to the top. 

This is a good look on Court.

And we finished the evening with a little tapas dinner. But before heading to bed we were able to meet the newest member of the WeHa family-

Sweet baby Clara Rose Nabel and her awesome Mommy and Daddy.

Day 5: The weather was perfect for another morning run at the lake. 

That afternoon we left the kids with Bill and had a girl's night away in Bruges, Belgium. Bruges is one of our favorite little European cities, and with great chocolate, waffles and beer, what's not to love?  

 The Bell Tower

 This is me on every trip. 

 Had to visit one of Rick's recommendations to sample some of the best Belgian beer. 

 Loved the company, and sorry we didn't get a picture with our new Irish best friends. 

 The girls sampled some of the famous mussels for dinner. 

Bruges at night.

After dinner we made a quick stop to hear some live music. While we were there, we found this on the wall. Guess you can't argue with that logic....

Day 6: Spent the next day exploring more of Bruges.

First stop of the day was the De Halve Maan Brewery for the tour. 

 A great view of the city from the roof of the brewery.

And then a canal boat tour of the city....

And of course you can't leave Bruges without trying:

 Waffles,

 Beer,

 and chocolate! 

Goodbye Bruges. (Market Square)

And we returned home so Court could snuggle with her buddy one last time...

Day 7: With sad hearts, we dropped Courtney off at the airport and said our goodbyes. We knew Court wouldn't want us to sit around being sad, so we headed to the town of Monschau, Germany for our final day of exploring. 

A view of some of the historic half-timbered houses that Monschau is famous for. 

And one final dinner in Sittard, Netherlands before having to say another sad goodbye. 

What a fantastic week with some of the best friends I could ask for. I know we will file these memories away along with the other twenty-five years of good times!