Yeah, I got that by now! First when I read Rob I thought: cool, another one for the gentlemen here on the forum (they're a bit underrepresented)! But when I read about your husband, I knew that the ladies got another reinforcement. 
Was your brother with the Army in Germany? And where did he live? The bead scene here is very small. There are a some very talented bead artists, but there are no big shows or magazines only for beaders, like in the US. That's the reason why I joined this forum and why I write my blog in German and English. Sometimes I'm surprised, where the people come from that read my blog.
The possibilities to get beading supplies raised very much with the internet. Now you can get everything from online shops all over Germany or elsewhere. That's great! And with the internet it is no problem to communicate with people from all around the world. Sometimes it's more fun than talking to people, who live "next door" (I mean Germany/Europe compared to the US, Australia or Asia). That's what I really enjoy being on this forum, besides seeing the work of all these creative folks or getting inspired by the free projects. Hope you enjoy it here!