Just sitting here sweating tonight at almost 11:00 pm (23.00 hours) and realized I love this type of heat. Hot, muggy, lots of sun. It makes me feel alive.
It's probably because I grew up in this type of heat each summer in Missouri, but it is a wonderful feeling to have some of this type of weather in the normally rainy, cool, lower Rhine valley in Germany (think Seattle).
Showing posts with label Gardner. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gardner. Show all posts
Friday, July 9, 2010
Friday, September 11, 2009
An amazing discovery - Phrasal Verbs
On Monday Spencer received a D+ on an English quiz. He was heartbroken. I felt sorry for him and thought it's a good thing I don't have those problems. Little did I know.
On Wednesday I found I have some English problems of my own. I spoke to a colleague on the phone in English this week and asked him to do something. I asked: "Would you free up that document for me?" The colleague, a native German speaker basically said, what the heck are you talking about? I had to translate my shortened sentence into a full English sentence. Something like: "Would you close the document so I may open it for editing." As you probably know, even on a network only one person can edit a document at a time. He had the document open and I needed to open it and edit it.
I was a bit frustrated. Why can't the people here understand me? I thought.
I turned to the colleague sitting next to me and said, my English is often too complicated and people struggle to understand me. Why is that, I asked. He had overheard my phone conversation and said, matter of factly, "You're using phrasal verbs. That makes it difficult for a non-native speaker to understand the context of what you are saying."
I was astonished, partially because he knew instantly what the problem was, and partially because I had never even heard of phrasal verbs. I asked "what is a phrasal verb?" He explained it to me briefly and then I began scouring the internet for information about phrasal verbs. From English Page I found this definition: 1. A phrasal verb is a verb plus a preposition or adverb which creates a meaning different from the original verb.
That didn't help me to much because I couldn't remember what a preposition was. The examples I found helped considerably.
Phrasal Verb ==> actual meaning in real English
Fall behind ==> Make less progress than anticipated or planned
Discovering this has opened doors to better English and German. I found several websites which contain translations - phrasal verb into real English and then into German.
I realized that I was constantly using phrasal verbs and I was constantly thinking of them while trying to speak German. Whenever such a phrase comes to mind I would naturally try and translate my English sentences into German. But I would always struggle because "fall behind" is not truly what I want to say: make less progress than anticipated is what I want to say. I then realized it is much easier to translate the 2nd sentence.
It was truly quite a discovery for me.
On Wednesday I found I have some English problems of my own. I spoke to a colleague on the phone in English this week and asked him to do something. I asked: "Would you free up that document for me?" The colleague, a native German speaker basically said, what the heck are you talking about? I had to translate my shortened sentence into a full English sentence. Something like: "Would you close the document so I may open it for editing." As you probably know, even on a network only one person can edit a document at a time. He had the document open and I needed to open it and edit it.
I was a bit frustrated. Why can't the people here understand me? I thought.
I turned to the colleague sitting next to me and said, my English is often too complicated and people struggle to understand me. Why is that, I asked. He had overheard my phone conversation and said, matter of factly, "You're using phrasal verbs. That makes it difficult for a non-native speaker to understand the context of what you are saying."
I was astonished, partially because he knew instantly what the problem was, and partially because I had never even heard of phrasal verbs. I asked "what is a phrasal verb?" He explained it to me briefly and then I began scouring the internet for information about phrasal verbs. From English Page I found this definition: 1. A phrasal verb is a verb plus a preposition or adverb which creates a meaning different from the original verb.
That didn't help me to much because I couldn't remember what a preposition was. The examples I found helped considerably.
Phrasal Verb ==> actual meaning in real English
Fall behind ==> Make less progress than anticipated or planned
Discovering this has opened doors to better English and German. I found several websites which contain translations - phrasal verb into real English and then into German.
I realized that I was constantly using phrasal verbs and I was constantly thinking of them while trying to speak German. Whenever such a phrase comes to mind I would naturally try and translate my English sentences into German. But I would always struggle because "fall behind" is not truly what I want to say: make less progress than anticipated is what I want to say. I then realized it is much easier to translate the 2nd sentence.
It was truly quite a discovery for me.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Stockbrot
Stockbrot means bread on a stick. This is something the kids commonly do at school activities. Today I made Stockbrot for the first time. In order to make Stockbrot You take dough and wrap it around the end of a stick, then you place the stick over a campfire and let the dough cook.
Cooking bread on a stick has the same relaxing feeling as roasting marshmellows around the campfire. Your stick is too short, or too long, or too flimsey, and the dough, in this case, falls into the fire, catches on fire, or turns suddenly dark shades of black. You fight against he smoke, try to get the right angle so as not to singe your hair, and to still cook the bread. But if your lucky, things work out and you have an nice little piece of bread to eat at the end.
Cooking bread on a stick has the same relaxing feeling as roasting marshmellows around the campfire. Your stick is too short, or too long, or too flimsey, and the dough, in this case, falls into the fire, catches on fire, or turns suddenly dark shades of black. You fight against he smoke, try to get the right angle so as not to singe your hair, and to still cook the bread. But if your lucky, things work out and you have an nice little piece of bread to eat at the end.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Don't forget the Flowers
I came home tonight to find our new eight year old daughter Hannah. She seemed very excited about the day. I noticed that her foot was feeling much better despite here recent trip to the emergency room.
In my rush to return home for her birthday, a bit later than planned of course, I felt like I was forgetting something.
When I walked into the family room the first question Hannah asked was - did you get the flowers? I usually try to buy Tamara & our children flowers on the kid's birthdays. Cause I can't think of the kids without thinking of how much I love Tamara and how much of Tamara's personality is in the children I buy flowers for both. Unfortunately I totally spaced that one today
I've got one more day. The B-day party is tomorrow.
In my rush to return home for her birthday, a bit later than planned of course, I felt like I was forgetting something.
When I walked into the family room the first question Hannah asked was - did you get the flowers? I usually try to buy Tamara & our children flowers on the kid's birthdays. Cause I can't think of the kids without thinking of how much I love Tamara and how much of Tamara's personality is in the children I buy flowers for both. Unfortunately I totally spaced that one today
I've got one more day. The B-day party is tomorrow.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Harvard Day of Faith - The Mormon
I found this interesting and thought I would share. The other discussions were also interesting.
Day of Faith: Personal Quests for a Purpose - 3. Rachel Esplin from Harvard Hillel on Vimeo.
Day of Faith: Personal Quests for a Purpose - 3. Rachel Esplin from Harvard Hillel on Vimeo.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Pears!
I love pears! I love them even more hear in Germany. In Germany, the pears are larger and have a more robust skin. This robust skin seems to allow the fruit to grow longer without being damaged, making the fruit and its sweetness exquisite.
Tamara found some at the store recently and they were phenomenal. I've also had some at work that are shaped like apples. They are equally delicious.
Tamara found some at the store recently and they were phenomenal. I've also had some at work that are shaped like apples. They are equally delicious.
Friday, January 23, 2009
I can understand German
I noticed recently that I understand German conversations I overhear, e.g., in the bus, standing in line, without trying to understand them. I was wondering when this might happen.
I wish I spoke more German at work, but I have two "English only" members in the team. C'est la vie.
Tamara is out at a Tupperware party tonight. This is her first since being in Germany. Hopefully not the last. The older kids are watching the Disney classic - Robin Hood. I'm playing around on the Internet.
I wish I spoke more German at work, but I have two "English only" members in the team. C'est la vie.
Tamara is out at a Tupperware party tonight. This is her first since being in Germany. Hopefully not the last. The older kids are watching the Disney classic - Robin Hood. I'm playing around on the Internet.
Monday, January 19, 2009
A voice from the dust
I heard my grandmother's voice tonight for the first time. My mother sent over a recording on a USB stick. In which her mother spoke her autobiography. It was an eerie experience. I was not sure what to expect. Whose voice would I hear? Would I recognize my mother's voice in her mother's voice?
The quality of the recording - made prior to 1969 - the year of her death, was not great. Some moments were clearer than others. And, I could recognize my mother's voice and my aunts' voices in their mother's voice. She sounded very tired, so I am guessing it was near the end of her life.
Then the unexpected occurred - in the first story she told. I heard an amazing story about my grandmother's life that I did not remember, or had not heard.
She started at the beginning of her life on this earth, which occurred in the early 1900's.
She said she was born with the umbilical cord around her neck and did not scream directly after birth. The doctor was concerned and felt she would not live to see another day. Her parents named her and blessed her, while life was still in her, and presumably planned for the worse. But then, her grandmother, my great, great grandmother Ballard, began administering mouth to mouth, striving to save the young baby's life. It worked. Grandma Ballard heard a faint gasp for air and informed the doctor. The doctor began trying to help the child breath. It worked.
I was astonished and amazed at this beginning to my grandmother's life. I contemplated the events that take place to bring a person to their current situation in life. The fact that I was born to my father and mother at this time in the world at all is a miracle of epic proportions. I cannot name all the events that transpired to bring me to this place today, but I just discovered yet another amazing event that led to my life on earth.
The quality of the recording - made prior to 1969 - the year of her death, was not great. Some moments were clearer than others. And, I could recognize my mother's voice and my aunts' voices in their mother's voice. She sounded very tired, so I am guessing it was near the end of her life.
Then the unexpected occurred - in the first story she told. I heard an amazing story about my grandmother's life that I did not remember, or had not heard.
She started at the beginning of her life on this earth, which occurred in the early 1900's.
She said she was born with the umbilical cord around her neck and did not scream directly after birth. The doctor was concerned and felt she would not live to see another day. Her parents named her and blessed her, while life was still in her, and presumably planned for the worse. But then, her grandmother, my great, great grandmother Ballard, began administering mouth to mouth, striving to save the young baby's life. It worked. Grandma Ballard heard a faint gasp for air and informed the doctor. The doctor began trying to help the child breath. It worked.
I was astonished and amazed at this beginning to my grandmother's life. I contemplated the events that take place to bring a person to their current situation in life. The fact that I was born to my father and mother at this time in the world at all is a miracle of epic proportions. I cannot name all the events that transpired to bring me to this place today, but I just discovered yet another amazing event that led to my life on earth.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Winter is Here - Winter Tires coming Monday
Friday and Saturday were great days for weather. Not for our health, but I'll get to in a future post.
Friday night late it started snowing - really snowing. It stuck to the ground and everything. I love the smell in the air when it is snowing. With the shift in weather came quite a bit of wind. With this came damage to the electrical wires that power the trains. This resulted in delays. So at 9:30 p.m., when my train was 15 minutes late, it meant I would miss the 9:50 bus and have to wait until the 10:50 bus or have Tamara pick me up. I called Tamara and told I might need here. I would call her back after the train started moving.
Then a miracle occurred. A neighbor (the dad of Hannah's best friend) was also in the train and he had a car at the trainstation in our city. He offered to take me home. Wow, that was great. I called Tamara and told her to stay at home.
On the wy home the neighbor said he hoped we would make it home as he still has his summer tires on his car. In Germany there is law regarding tires. In winter you must have winter weather tires (or all weather tires) otherwise in an accident, the fault will be yours.
We did make it home, but I remembered that we also still have our summer tires on our vehicle. Saturday morning I made an appointment - for Monday, and hoped it wouldn't snow too much.
The next morning there were a few snow flurries, but nothing really stuck. I was grateful for that because of the summer tires. Hannah, Ian and I ran some errands in Ratingen while Tamara, Shantal, and Spencer went to visit schools. Starting with the fifth grade (next fall), there are four type of schools students can attend - weiterfürhende Schulen is what the Germans usually say. I'll have to post about that later as well.
Anyway, walking around with Hannah and Emma was also great. The weather stayed cold, but it was sunny by that point. That is nice weather. There is a crispness in the air that makes me feel alive.
In the afternoon, the weather held - sunny and cold. This meant I could drive to our friends house and help them move. I took the seats out of the mini-van, vacummed (it was a bad one this time around) and was off. We met the missionaries there who helped carry the bigger stuff. The boyfried of my friend was not in great condition and I also can't lift too much. So it was nice to have the missionaries there. It was great to be out helping someone and working on such a great day. We got everything moved in two trips and had a nice dinner with my friend. Unfortunately, by that point my stomach was not too happy with me (later post) and I couldn't eat too much.
That is the weather that I miss the most - sunny.
Friday night late it started snowing - really snowing. It stuck to the ground and everything. I love the smell in the air when it is snowing. With the shift in weather came quite a bit of wind. With this came damage to the electrical wires that power the trains. This resulted in delays. So at 9:30 p.m., when my train was 15 minutes late, it meant I would miss the 9:50 bus and have to wait until the 10:50 bus or have Tamara pick me up. I called Tamara and told I might need here. I would call her back after the train started moving.
Then a miracle occurred. A neighbor (the dad of Hannah's best friend) was also in the train and he had a car at the trainstation in our city. He offered to take me home. Wow, that was great. I called Tamara and told her to stay at home.
On the wy home the neighbor said he hoped we would make it home as he still has his summer tires on his car. In Germany there is law regarding tires. In winter you must have winter weather tires (or all weather tires) otherwise in an accident, the fault will be yours.
We did make it home, but I remembered that we also still have our summer tires on our vehicle. Saturday morning I made an appointment - for Monday, and hoped it wouldn't snow too much.
The next morning there were a few snow flurries, but nothing really stuck. I was grateful for that because of the summer tires. Hannah, Ian and I ran some errands in Ratingen while Tamara, Shantal, and Spencer went to visit schools. Starting with the fifth grade (next fall), there are four type of schools students can attend - weiterfürhende Schulen is what the Germans usually say. I'll have to post about that later as well.
Anyway, walking around with Hannah and Emma was also great. The weather stayed cold, but it was sunny by that point. That is nice weather. There is a crispness in the air that makes me feel alive.
In the afternoon, the weather held - sunny and cold. This meant I could drive to our friends house and help them move. I took the seats out of the mini-van, vacummed (it was a bad one this time around) and was off. We met the missionaries there who helped carry the bigger stuff. The boyfried of my friend was not in great condition and I also can't lift too much. So it was nice to have the missionaries there. It was great to be out helping someone and working on such a great day. We got everything moved in two trips and had a nice dinner with my friend. Unfortunately, by that point my stomach was not too happy with me (later post) and I couldn't eat too much.
That is the weather that I miss the most - sunny.
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Almost Two Years
Hi All,
From what I can tell I last wrote when Tamara was recovering from her surgery in February. And so, first of all I must thank so many of you for writing and wishing us well at that time, and keeping us in your prayers. We were truly blessed during that time.
I neglected sending an update for some time now. I feel like our lives are so normal. But, I have received a few requests to send out an update on our family. I will now attempt to do so. As always, if your email inbox is already too full, or you prefer to simply read updates on the blog, just let me know and I'll gladly stop including you on the updates.
It is a good time for an update since Ian's B-day is tomorrow. In Germany it is considered bad luck to talk about such an event before it happens, but since I am still an American and it's almost midnight now, I will break with the German tradition and take the risk. Ian will be 2 years old, which means, as you probably know - we have been in Germany for almost 2 years. Ian was three weeks old when we left the U.S. Ian's age helps us keep track of how long we have been here.
We will have a little barbecue and B-day celebration with some friends from our congregation tomorrow. The couple we invited have been great friends to our family since arriving in Germany. They are definitely like surrogate parents to us and grandparents to our children. The wife has taken care of Ian during church services for most Sundays for the past 18 months. When she prayed last week in church, Ian was totally excited to see her come down from the stand. Her taking Ian eases our burden during the church services immensely, especially since I serve about once a month as a translator for the English speaking members of the congregation during the service and am unable to sit with the family on those weeks.
Catching up on our family. I would like to start by mentioning that Tamara is doing fabulous. She is still taking iron tablets every day and B12 shots once a week, but has tremendous amounts of energy. It is wonderful to see her full of energy and able to do things. In fact, she was doing so well that after Emma started going to pre-school last May (called Kindergarten here in Germany), Tamara started walking Emma to pre-school almost every day. She combined this with a change in diet to lose some weight before her trip to America this summer. She did a great job and still gets compliments on her new look. Tamara was able to take Shantal with her to America for 2.5 weeks. They had a good time. Tamara came back refreshed and full of even more energy. It was great to see.
With Tamara away I took time off of work and was able to be a "full-time" dad for the 2.5 weeks. Wow, that was a great experience. I almost cried when I was back at work I missed the kids so much. It was hard, but tremendous to be with them. I realized that Tamara does a tremendous job with the kids, and was grateful for her return. Spencer was also profoundly grateful. After her arrival, Spencer thanked Tamara for cooked meals for about four days in a row. He never does this. I guess the joy at having nice meals again was just so overwhelming that the gratitude just couldn't be contained.
Now that Tamara is feeling better, I can start to be sick***. I have been seeing the doctor for some stomach/digestive track issues as I have trouble digesting milk products or too much meat. The problems could be related to the pancreas (in German the word for pancreas is very cool: die Bauchspeicheldrüse. It means- stomach spittle gland). It could also be the thyroid. I have started receiving vitamin shots, and the doctor is doing blood work to test more stuff. I recently felt quite aged when I ran out of my antacid medication (related to potential pancreas problems I take these) - I can't live without my prescription!
We seem to have a normal life now here in Germany. School is back in session. Hannah is back in gymnastics and has set a goal to be on the medal stand at the next meet in November and really enjoyed gymnastics during the Olympic Games. She was in the paper today for being in the gymnastics program last year.
Spencer has returned to playing soccer and is playing well. He was complimented by the coach twice this week on his play. He plans to join the Boy Scouts starting tomorrow and seems to have found peace in the school.
Shantal is struggling in school. She feels like all of the kids (especially the girls) are mean to her right now - some of course more than others. We are working on that one with the other parents (especially with the parents of the extra mean kids), but it is slow going. On a positive note, Shantal will be in a play on Saturday - she went to a theater day camp in the summer and we are excited for the performance this coming Saturday. She is very artistically skilled and seemed to have really enjoyed the theater camp.
A big decision is coming up for Shantal and Spencer this year - we must pick a new school for them for next year. This is the last year of grade school and they start secondary school next year. The teacher makes a recommendation regarding what type of school they should attend. This is where the teachers assign the kids to a school system that will lead down one of three career paths - essentially, blue collar, mixed, white collar. Having never done this before, we will be asking our friends a lot of questions and praying quite a bit.
Emma is very excited to be in pre-school. She even went to a B-day party all by herself a few weeks back. This was a very bid step for her. She used to cry when being dropped off at friend's houses. Now she is excited. Ian is growing up. He is doing everything a two year old does - except talking. The doctor is concerned and gave us some tips for helping him progress - mainly reading with him. The doctor will check in six months and see how it going. We are not too concerned - he comprehends wonderfully, and Hannah approached speaking in a similar manner.
One last note. I had a wonderful opportunity to see one of my former scouts a few weeks back (Micai). He was visiting Germany as part of a school exchange program. His family will host a young man from Germany later this fall for a few weeks. What a great experience to walk around the Ems river with him and my two boys and talk about life, how things have changed since we left, and what his plans for the future are. When we first started working together 5 years ago in Wisconsin, me as scoutmaster and Micai as a young teenage scout, who would have imagined such a moment.
We often think of friends back home and miss our associations with you. May the Lord's finest blessings flow into your lives.
Cheers,
Gardner
From what I can tell I last wrote when Tamara was recovering from her surgery in February. And so, first of all I must thank so many of you for writing and wishing us well at that time, and keeping us in your prayers. We were truly blessed during that time.
I neglected sending an update for some time now. I feel like our lives are so normal. But, I have received a few requests to send out an update on our family. I will now attempt to do so. As always, if your email inbox is already too full, or you prefer to simply read updates on the blog, just let me know and I'll gladly stop including you on the updates.
It is a good time for an update since Ian's B-day is tomorrow. In Germany it is considered bad luck to talk about such an event before it happens, but since I am still an American and it's almost midnight now, I will break with the German tradition and take the risk. Ian will be 2 years old, which means, as you probably know - we have been in Germany for almost 2 years. Ian was three weeks old when we left the U.S. Ian's age helps us keep track of how long we have been here.
We will have a little barbecue and B-day celebration with some friends from our congregation tomorrow. The couple we invited have been great friends to our family since arriving in Germany. They are definitely like surrogate parents to us and grandparents to our children. The wife has taken care of Ian during church services for most Sundays for the past 18 months. When she prayed last week in church, Ian was totally excited to see her come down from the stand. Her taking Ian eases our burden during the church services immensely, especially since I serve about once a month as a translator for the English speaking members of the congregation during the service and am unable to sit with the family on those weeks.
Catching up on our family. I would like to start by mentioning that Tamara is doing fabulous. She is still taking iron tablets every day and B12 shots once a week, but has tremendous amounts of energy. It is wonderful to see her full of energy and able to do things. In fact, she was doing so well that after Emma started going to pre-school last May (called Kindergarten here in Germany), Tamara started walking Emma to pre-school almost every day. She combined this with a change in diet to lose some weight before her trip to America this summer. She did a great job and still gets compliments on her new look. Tamara was able to take Shantal with her to America for 2.5 weeks. They had a good time. Tamara came back refreshed and full of even more energy. It was great to see.
With Tamara away I took time off of work and was able to be a "full-time" dad for the 2.5 weeks. Wow, that was a great experience. I almost cried when I was back at work I missed the kids so much. It was hard, but tremendous to be with them. I realized that Tamara does a tremendous job with the kids, and was grateful for her return. Spencer was also profoundly grateful. After her arrival, Spencer thanked Tamara for cooked meals for about four days in a row. He never does this. I guess the joy at having nice meals again was just so overwhelming that the gratitude just couldn't be contained.
Now that Tamara is feeling better, I can start to be sick***. I have been seeing the doctor for some stomach/digestive track issues as I have trouble digesting milk products or too much meat. The problems could be related to the pancreas (in German the word for pancreas is very cool: die Bauchspeicheldrüse. It means- stomach spittle gland). It could also be the thyroid. I have started receiving vitamin shots, and the doctor is doing blood work to test more stuff. I recently felt quite aged when I ran out of my antacid medication (related to potential pancreas problems I take these) - I can't live without my prescription!
***By the way, it is totally normal to talk about one's health problems here in Germany. I seem to recall it being a bit taboo in the U.S. But, I like talking about health problems, b/c it detaches the problem from the person and makes the problem less personal, less hidden and scary. So, if you are grossed out, sorry - it was a German moment.
We seem to have a normal life now here in Germany. School is back in session. Hannah is back in gymnastics and has set a goal to be on the medal stand at the next meet in November and really enjoyed gymnastics during the Olympic Games. She was in the paper today for being in the gymnastics program last year.
Spencer has returned to playing soccer and is playing well. He was complimented by the coach twice this week on his play. He plans to join the Boy Scouts starting tomorrow and seems to have found peace in the school.
Shantal is struggling in school. She feels like all of the kids (especially the girls) are mean to her right now - some of course more than others. We are working on that one with the other parents (especially with the parents of the extra mean kids), but it is slow going. On a positive note, Shantal will be in a play on Saturday - she went to a theater day camp in the summer and we are excited for the performance this coming Saturday. She is very artistically skilled and seemed to have really enjoyed the theater camp.
A big decision is coming up for Shantal and Spencer this year - we must pick a new school for them for next year. This is the last year of grade school and they start secondary school next year. The teacher makes a recommendation regarding what type of school they should attend. This is where the teachers assign the kids to a school system that will lead down one of three career paths - essentially, blue collar, mixed, white collar. Having never done this before, we will be asking our friends a lot of questions and praying quite a bit.
Emma is very excited to be in pre-school. She even went to a B-day party all by herself a few weeks back. This was a very bid step for her. She used to cry when being dropped off at friend's houses. Now she is excited. Ian is growing up. He is doing everything a two year old does - except talking. The doctor is concerned and gave us some tips for helping him progress - mainly reading with him. The doctor will check in six months and see how it going. We are not too concerned - he comprehends wonderfully, and Hannah approached speaking in a similar manner.
One last note. I had a wonderful opportunity to see one of my former scouts a few weeks back (Micai). He was visiting Germany as part of a school exchange program. His family will host a young man from Germany later this fall for a few weeks. What a great experience to walk around the Ems river with him and my two boys and talk about life, how things have changed since we left, and what his plans for the future are. When we first started working together 5 years ago in Wisconsin, me as scoutmaster and Micai as a young teenage scout, who would have imagined such a moment.
We often think of friends back home and miss our associations with you. May the Lord's finest blessings flow into your lives.
Cheers,
Gardner
Saturday, July 19, 2008
My Peeved Pancreas
Well the doctor says my Pancreas gets a bit riled up when I eat certain foods. In German the doctor said the following to me: "Der Pancreas ärgert sich, wenn Sie gewisse Sachen essen!" Next steps are to monitor what I eat to determine what causes the pain, or what ticks off my pancreas. I need to keep a dietary journal so to say.
The doctor detected this via a blood test. The Amylase values in my blood are too high, which points to the pancreas. I am just glad to have received a diagnoses that fits with the symptoms. I have had trouble with digestion for a while now and have been to the doctor for the past six months for stomach problems. But the stomach (acid reduction) medication only improved the situation, or made it bearable, it did not resolve the issues.
One thing that puzzled me at the doctor's office was how often he asked me if I drank alcohol. I'm like - but doc, I told you I am a Mormon. I don't drink alcohol. Two minutes later - so, how is the alcohol consumption? I think I'll bring in a flier next time. After reading Web MD I realized why he kept asking - it's the number one cause.
I fear my case may have been caused by poor dietary habits as a wrestler. I had two seasons where weight loss or weight management was a real issue for me. But, who knows. I have it and am now keeping track of what I eat and what causes me the pain in my pancreas.
The doctor detected this via a blood test. The Amylase values in my blood are too high, which points to the pancreas. I am just glad to have received a diagnoses that fits with the symptoms. I have had trouble with digestion for a while now and have been to the doctor for the past six months for stomach problems. But the stomach (acid reduction) medication only improved the situation, or made it bearable, it did not resolve the issues.
One thing that puzzled me at the doctor's office was how often he asked me if I drank alcohol. I'm like - but doc, I told you I am a Mormon. I don't drink alcohol. Two minutes later - so, how is the alcohol consumption? I think I'll bring in a flier next time. After reading Web MD I realized why he kept asking - it's the number one cause.
I fear my case may have been caused by poor dietary habits as a wrestler. I had two seasons where weight loss or weight management was a real issue for me. But, who knows. I have it and am now keeping track of what I eat and what causes me the pain in my pancreas.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
A Sad Day for the Boy Scouts
I just saw that a tornado hit a Boy Scout camp in wester Iowa. Early reports indicate that four people died in the tornado.
That is a sad day for a former scout master. I pray for the families and the boys. Scouting is such a great program for boys and young men.
That is a sad day for a former scout master. I pray for the families and the boys. Scouting is such a great program for boys and young men.
Monday, June 2, 2008
Sweltering
I started on a new project today. It was a great start, except for one thing - the heat. I was so tired from the heat I was struggling in meetings in the afternoon. And, I had to dress up for the first day. It looks like every day is a bit dressier than at my last company. That is not great news. I think I need to buy some short sleeve dress shirts.
One piece of coffee information. This company does not have a machine in every kitchen. Of course, there are several thousand employees in several buildings. Our company provides a water cooler and a coffee machine. I'm not sure if the coffee is provided by the company, or not. But I think so. Here is a picture of the machine. It makes one or two cups at a time and you put little "pads" of coffee in the top and water in the bottom.
Someone brought some cakes today and they were placed at the edge of my desk for everyone to share. That made for a good day as I was able to meet several people who I otherwise wouldn't have met.
The heat is good for the kids, but man, oh man is it hot at work. There is one room with air conditioning. We had one meeting there and were soooo happy.
The other funny thing is that I am working with three of the same people from my last project. There was a hint of dejavu in the air as we met and discussed the project, strategy, how to work, etc. It was nice. All of us are on different teams, but still in the same project.
One piece of coffee information. This company does not have a machine in every kitchen. Of course, there are several thousand employees in several buildings. Our company provides a water cooler and a coffee machine. I'm not sure if the coffee is provided by the company, or not. But I think so. Here is a picture of the machine. It makes one or two cups at a time and you put little "pads" of coffee in the top and water in the bottom.
Someone brought some cakes today and they were placed at the edge of my desk for everyone to share. That made for a good day as I was able to meet several people who I otherwise wouldn't have met.
The heat is good for the kids, but man, oh man is it hot at work. There is one room with air conditioning. We had one meeting there and were soooo happy.
The other funny thing is that I am working with three of the same people from my last project. There was a hint of dejavu in the air as we met and discussed the project, strategy, how to work, etc. It was nice. All of us are on different teams, but still in the same project.
Saturday, November 24, 2007
The Holidays
Hi All,
When Tamara called me on Wednesday afternoon while I was at work and asked whether we would celebrate Thanksgiving, i.e., the American Thanksgiving, the next day (Thursday, 22nd of November), I was taken aback. This was only a day before the holiday and I had totally forgotten that the next day was the Thanksgiving Thursday. I still had it pegged as being a week later. Without the days off to remind me, I had simply forgotten.
The last few months have been filled with holidays and the associated emotions that come with them. The emotions of the holidays struck me a bit differently this year as we were away from home and experienced new holidays in our "new" country and some of the traditional American holidays as well. I thought describing some of those experiences would give some insights into our lives as expatriates in Germany.
It all started on the 30th of September with Thanksgiving, of all holidays. The German word is Erntedankfest and literally means harvest thanksgiving festival. It is on a Sunday and many choirs sing in their churches. People get together, but not in the major event type of way like the American Thanksgiving. It's also not a two day holiday, so it's just smaller. Our congregation held a potluck dinner after worship services and sacrament meeting on Sunday. It was very nice, but I can't wait for Ian to be able to feed himself. My parents were also visiting at that time and so it was a nice relaxing day. We took the kids on a nice walk in the woods near our house.
During the last week of September and the 1st week in October our children had the harvest holidays for school. I only experienced this in Idaho while attending Ricks College (now BYU-Idaho). The high schools and (I assume some of the grade and middle schools) in the area had from 5 days to 10 days off of school for potato harvest. For the our kids this was a great time. Grandma and Grandpa were there and dad was home most of the time. It was a good time to renew our family ties and get the kids recharged for school.
October 3 is the Day of German Reunification, marking the day when East and West Germany were officially reunited in 1990. According to one of my college German professors, the 3rd of October was chosen in part because it is the day on which a famous German statesman and Nobel Peace prize winner, Gustav Stresemann, died. The day of reunification is a lesser known holiday in the U.S. as I would say most associate the reunification with the day when the Berlin Wall came down - November 9th 1989.
For Tamara and I it was also a day of reunification as we got to get away for a night without the kids - thanks to grandma and grandpa. We attended the LDS Temple in Frankfurt on the Day of German Reunification, October 3rd as the temple was open for services that day. Tamara and I were sealed in the Salt Lake City Temple, lo these many years ago, and now to be in a temple in Germany together where we first met, was special. We stayed on the temple grounds in a family hostel and it was a wonderful overnighter together. It was very peaceful and helped us to renew our commitment to one another and our family. It also helped us realize that we can go to the temple more often. We can take our children and stay overnight at the family hostel and take turns going to the temple for worship services. We are planning a trip at Christmas time.
Then came Halloween on the 31st of October. This is also Reformation Day (Reformationstag) in some of the more Lutheran parts of Germany and marks the day in 1517 when Martin Luther placed his 95 Theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. Here it is not an official holiday, but people I work with reminded me of its significance. For Halloween, we got dressed up and went to the International School for Trunk-or-Treating. I dressed up as a hockey player and the kids were Darther Vader, a Witch, a Pumpkin, and a Green Bay Packers football player (Spencer had a slumber party and missed some of the Halloween fun).
Halloween was a lot of fun, but really made me miss America. I found it weird that Halloween, a mostly non-sentimental holiday, got me so choked up, but it did. Maybe it was my own memories of Halloween. Maybe it was the excitement of getting dressed up and trick-or-treating with my sisters as a kid. Maybe it was the tooth brushes my dad, a dentist, handed out at Halloween each year. By the way, although it sounds like an odd tradition, our neighbors lived by this tradition. I heard from several neighbors that they waited an extra month or so with an older toothbrush sometimes just for Halloween and the Wheeler toothbrush. Maybe it was the American celebration in Germany, which reminded me that I am a foreigner here in this "new" land. I couldn't put my finger on it, but I was definitely homesick.
On November 1st, All Saints Day, an official holiday in our area of Germany, we celebrated American Thanksgiving. That means that Tamara cooked a traditional thanksgiving dinner. And I have to say, Tamara has not lost her touch one bit, despite the year off. In the states she cooked thanksgiving dinners at least 3 times a year and this was the 1st thanksgiving dinner she has cooked since being in Germany. Me and my friend even watched football. Sure it was last year's rivalry game between BYU and Utah, but the Cougars won in miraculous, last play of the game fashion, and it made for a good time. Not to mention educating my German friend on the finer points of American football. And, in typical thanksgiving day fashion, Tamara kept asking if the game was over, and how much longer, and was generally tired of football even though we fast forwarded about 3/4 of the game not to mention all of the commercials.
Then, on the 12th of November came a great German holiday. Saint Martin's Day and the St. Martin's Day parade (Laterne Laufen). It is a bit hard to express how awestruck I am by this holiday and tradition. For me there is an impressive power that comes with this holiday that I truly cherish each year. Some here compare it to Halloween, because children gather candy by going door-to-door, but it is different than Halloween. The kids don't dress up usually, they just have their lantern to give them light as the walk around.
Here are some of things the kids do for St. Martin's, who was a soldier who took the time to help the poor. Kids walk about 6 km just following St. Martin on his horse. This is called Laterne Laufen, or a lantern/candle light march. Kids sing songs about caring for the poor while walking (Two bands played the music as we marched - one in front of the parade and one in the back). Once the march is over, the kids sing songs and act out a play about helping the poor on the school playground. When going door to door for candy after the festivities, kids sing the songs again before getting the candy. The next day in school, the kids give 1/2 to 3/4 of their candy away to those in need (there is a collection point in the school). For me, the holiday celebration in Düsseldorf last year was even more impressive. There were 6-8 horses instead of just one horse as it was in our village this year, at least two grade schools were involved, and entire city blocks, including street cars and buses, were shut down while we walked through the streets (Laterne Laufen) singing the songs. It was moving.
I really enjoy this German holiday tradition, walking through the streets and hearing the songs and music, and then hearing Hannah sing the songs for days afterward makes me very grateful to have been able to come over and live in Germany for a time. I feel that it is something we could not have experienced otherwise and it made me very grateful for the opportunity to be here.
I hope you all enjoy your Thanksgiving Day and have a great Christmas and New Year.
With Love,
The Wheelers
P.S. Tamara called me on Thanksgiving Day at about 5 p.m. (I was at work) and asked if I was coming home for Thanksgiving dinner. I said, that's not what we talked about. She said, but what if I wanted to surprise you? I was like, Oh phooey. I have to stay late at work and and Tamara cooked a turkey. Gratefully, she said she was kidding and just wanted to check in towards the end of the day.
When Tamara called me on Wednesday afternoon while I was at work and asked whether we would celebrate Thanksgiving, i.e., the American Thanksgiving, the next day (Thursday, 22nd of November), I was taken aback. This was only a day before the holiday and I had totally forgotten that the next day was the Thanksgiving Thursday. I still had it pegged as being a week later. Without the days off to remind me, I had simply forgotten.
The last few months have been filled with holidays and the associated emotions that come with them. The emotions of the holidays struck me a bit differently this year as we were away from home and experienced new holidays in our "new" country and some of the traditional American holidays as well. I thought describing some of those experiences would give some insights into our lives as expatriates in Germany.
It all started on the 30th of September with Thanksgiving, of all holidays. The German word is Erntedankfest and literally means harvest thanksgiving festival. It is on a Sunday and many choirs sing in their churches. People get together, but not in the major event type of way like the American Thanksgiving. It's also not a two day holiday, so it's just smaller. Our congregation held a potluck dinner after worship services and sacrament meeting on Sunday. It was very nice, but I can't wait for Ian to be able to feed himself. My parents were also visiting at that time and so it was a nice relaxing day. We took the kids on a nice walk in the woods near our house.
During the last week of September and the 1st week in October our children had the harvest holidays for school. I only experienced this in Idaho while attending Ricks College (now BYU-Idaho). The high schools and (I assume some of the grade and middle schools) in the area had from 5 days to 10 days off of school for potato harvest. For the our kids this was a great time. Grandma and Grandpa were there and dad was home most of the time. It was a good time to renew our family ties and get the kids recharged for school.
October 3 is the Day of German Reunification, marking the day when East and West Germany were officially reunited in 1990. According to one of my college German professors, the 3rd of October was chosen in part because it is the day on which a famous German statesman and Nobel Peace prize winner, Gustav Stresemann, died. The day of reunification is a lesser known holiday in the U.S. as I would say most associate the reunification with the day when the Berlin Wall came down - November 9th 1989.
For Tamara and I it was also a day of reunification as we got to get away for a night without the kids - thanks to grandma and grandpa. We attended the LDS Temple in Frankfurt on the Day of German Reunification, October 3rd as the temple was open for services that day. Tamara and I were sealed in the Salt Lake City Temple, lo these many years ago, and now to be in a temple in Germany together where we first met, was special. We stayed on the temple grounds in a family hostel and it was a wonderful overnighter together. It was very peaceful and helped us to renew our commitment to one another and our family. It also helped us realize that we can go to the temple more often. We can take our children and stay overnight at the family hostel and take turns going to the temple for worship services. We are planning a trip at Christmas time.
Then came Halloween on the 31st of October. This is also Reformation Day (Reformationstag) in some of the more Lutheran parts of Germany and marks the day in 1517 when Martin Luther placed his 95 Theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. Here it is not an official holiday, but people I work with reminded me of its significance. For Halloween, we got dressed up and went to the International School for Trunk-or-Treating. I dressed up as a hockey player and the kids were Darther Vader, a Witch, a Pumpkin, and a Green Bay Packers football player (Spencer had a slumber party and missed some of the Halloween fun).
Halloween was a lot of fun, but really made me miss America. I found it weird that Halloween, a mostly non-sentimental holiday, got me so choked up, but it did. Maybe it was my own memories of Halloween. Maybe it was the excitement of getting dressed up and trick-or-treating with my sisters as a kid. Maybe it was the tooth brushes my dad, a dentist, handed out at Halloween each year. By the way, although it sounds like an odd tradition, our neighbors lived by this tradition. I heard from several neighbors that they waited an extra month or so with an older toothbrush sometimes just for Halloween and the Wheeler toothbrush. Maybe it was the American celebration in Germany, which reminded me that I am a foreigner here in this "new" land. I couldn't put my finger on it, but I was definitely homesick.
On November 1st, All Saints Day, an official holiday in our area of Germany, we celebrated American Thanksgiving. That means that Tamara cooked a traditional thanksgiving dinner. And I have to say, Tamara has not lost her touch one bit, despite the year off. In the states she cooked thanksgiving dinners at least 3 times a year and this was the 1st thanksgiving dinner she has cooked since being in Germany. Me and my friend even watched football. Sure it was last year's rivalry game between BYU and Utah, but the Cougars won in miraculous, last play of the game fashion, and it made for a good time. Not to mention educating my German friend on the finer points of American football. And, in typical thanksgiving day fashion, Tamara kept asking if the game was over, and how much longer, and was generally tired of football even though we fast forwarded about 3/4 of the game not to mention all of the commercials.
Then, on the 12th of November came a great German holiday. Saint Martin's Day and the St. Martin's Day parade (Laterne Laufen). It is a bit hard to express how awestruck I am by this holiday and tradition. For me there is an impressive power that comes with this holiday that I truly cherish each year. Some here compare it to Halloween, because children gather candy by going door-to-door, but it is different than Halloween. The kids don't dress up usually, they just have their lantern to give them light as the walk around.
Here are some of things the kids do for St. Martin's, who was a soldier who took the time to help the poor. Kids walk about 6 km just following St. Martin on his horse. This is called Laterne Laufen, or a lantern/candle light march. Kids sing songs about caring for the poor while walking (Two bands played the music as we marched - one in front of the parade and one in the back). Once the march is over, the kids sing songs and act out a play about helping the poor on the school playground. When going door to door for candy after the festivities, kids sing the songs again before getting the candy. The next day in school, the kids give 1/2 to 3/4 of their candy away to those in need (there is a collection point in the school). For me, the holiday celebration in Düsseldorf last year was even more impressive. There were 6-8 horses instead of just one horse as it was in our village this year, at least two grade schools were involved, and entire city blocks, including street cars and buses, were shut down while we walked through the streets (Laterne Laufen) singing the songs. It was moving.
I really enjoy this German holiday tradition, walking through the streets and hearing the songs and music, and then hearing Hannah sing the songs for days afterward makes me very grateful to have been able to come over and live in Germany for a time. I feel that it is something we could not have experienced otherwise and it made me very grateful for the opportunity to be here.
I hope you all enjoy your Thanksgiving Day and have a great Christmas and New Year.
With Love,
The Wheelers
P.S. Tamara called me on Thanksgiving Day at about 5 p.m. (I was at work) and asked if I was coming home for Thanksgiving dinner. I said, that's not what we talked about. She said, but what if I wanted to surprise you? I was like, Oh phooey. I have to stay late at work and and Tamara cooked a turkey. Gratefully, she said she was kidding and just wanted to check in towards the end of the day.
Friday, October 12, 2007
One Year in Germany
Hi All,
well I thought I would try and get out our 1 year update before our 2 year anniversary comes around. We have been Germany for 1 year as of September 22nd. It is a good feeling to have made it to the one year mark. It's funny that such a milestone means so much, but it for us right now it does mean a lot.
It has been a blessed year for us. Our family has learned lessons that I think would have taken years for our family to learn in the states. It is hard to summarize the many ups and downs and joys and sorrows we have experienced since moving here a year ago. And our experiences it is not different from the lives we all lead. Our family is just leading a normal everyday life in a country that is not our original country. I don't know if there is anything extraordinary about living overseas away from your original home, but here are some of the noteworthy items from our lives this the last year.
Just last week my parents came to visit us and we had a very enjoyable time. The kids were so thrilled to have them here. Even Emma, who is only 2 and almost a half, fell back in love with grandpa and grandma instantly and there was a constant background noise of "grandpa/ma Wheeler, play . . ." . She played hours and hours of games with them, Shantal and Hannah put on shows for them and went shopping, and Spencer went running almost everyday with grandpa. Spencer also had an exciting adventure with grandpa at the dentist (you'll have to read the blog entry for that one, but it was a great story). Ian also was happy to have them around, although it took him a while to warm up to the idea.
Seeing my parents again after what seemed like such a long time, and seeing my children thrive with them here made me want to move in down the street from them. I didn't realize how much I loved them and missed them. I didn't realize how much I needed them prior to being so far away. The feeling of longing for sisters and brothers is also very strong. And, I have noticed that when tough times have come around, that I become particularly attune to such feelings.
On the other hand, we have been able to see people here in Germany we might not have otherwise seen in our lifetime, or who we may have seen many years later. We were able to visit with a former missionary companion and his family as well as our two former exchange students and our former aupair. Those visits were extremely rewarding and valuable. To see them again and to meet two of their families was awesome. It was a huge blessing to be able to see them.
Working in international business has been extremely rewarding for me. I can't put my finger on what is different from the states --> me, the business environment, or both. All I know is I am very happy at work. I am able to speak my mind and my opinion is valued. The work is challenging and interesting. The team that I lead is a lot of fun to work with. An interesting note here is that I am doing the exact same work I did in Denver, CO 6-7 years ago --> unbundling of the local loop for Telecom operators. This time the internet is faster (they are using VoIP technology (like Vonage), which was just a pipe dream 7 years ago) and I am working for the competitor rather than for one of the Baby Bells (Deutsche Telekom in Germany). The work, however, is very similar. It's fun to do it in German this and with Swedish business partners as well (the parent company is in Sweden and so I often work with the central project members in Sweden on the phone and in Stockholm - a very beautiful city).
We have been able to get to know the members of our church here more intimately. I loved the members of the LDS congregations when I was here as a missionary. As I have seen them live their lives and their faith over this last year I have been even more impressed and more filled with love for this great people. They are people of conviction and integrity who do great things and I admire them greatly for their faith. I also understand better some of the challenges they face and have had many questions answered that were still open from my missionary service here in Germany. I obviously understand their challenges better in part because I am older and also have a family now, but also because I have been able to live among them and experience their culture and traditions first hand and unique challenges that they face in Europe that we don't face in the Mid-western U.S. That has been a wonderful blessing.
We have made many friends here as well. The parents of other children in the kids school, and some colleagues at work have been an amazing help to us here. Our neighbors and landlord are also wonderful. The neighbors all built their houses about 30 years ago as younger married couples and have long since sent their own children out into the world. I think that has provided a bit of security for our children and for us. Additionally, the neighbors are constantly giving us gifts for the kids and helping us with various house and garden jobs. Some gifts we have spontaneously receive include: plums, colored pencils, raspberries, pumpkins, sea shells, chocolate and sweets, baloons, sidewalk chalk, to name a few.
I have also grown to love my wife much more than I thought possible. It has been very refreshing to renew our love for one another as we have returned to the country where we first met. I see my children in a new light as well. I admire and respect them more than I did before. They have been through so much and done so well. They do so much around the house and with the babies to keep are family functioning. I also can't begin to count the hours and pains my wife has experienced over this last year, but I know that she is an amazing woman who does much good and has faith to move mountains. I know this, for I have seen her move many mountains this last year.
As I stated above, these are the blessing and challenges that most are seeking for in life: love of family, love of friends, and an anchor or a faith to fill the soul. We appreciate our family and friends, especially those in Wisconsin, who helped us make this leap over the pond last year to a new life and adventure in Germany. We wish you all the best.
INFO: I am trying to gauge the interest in such an email update. Please let me know if you would definitely like to receive a periodic email update. Or, if you definitely do not want to receive a periodic email update. Tamara and I update a blog with details of our day to day lives on a regular basis and have recorded Podcasts to chronicle some of our experiences as well, but I would gladly write, or not write (depending on your preference) the periodic emails as well.
Cheers,
Gardner
well I thought I would try and get out our 1 year update before our 2 year anniversary comes around. We have been Germany for 1 year as of September 22nd. It is a good feeling to have made it to the one year mark. It's funny that such a milestone means so much, but it for us right now it does mean a lot.
It has been a blessed year for us. Our family has learned lessons that I think would have taken years for our family to learn in the states. It is hard to summarize the many ups and downs and joys and sorrows we have experienced since moving here a year ago. And our experiences it is not different from the lives we all lead. Our family is just leading a normal everyday life in a country that is not our original country. I don't know if there is anything extraordinary about living overseas away from your original home, but here are some of the noteworthy items from our lives this the last year.
Just last week my parents came to visit us and we had a very enjoyable time. The kids were so thrilled to have them here. Even Emma, who is only 2 and almost a half, fell back in love with grandpa and grandma instantly and there was a constant background noise of "grandpa/ma Wheeler, play . . ." . She played hours and hours of games with them, Shantal and Hannah put on shows for them and went shopping, and Spencer went running almost everyday with grandpa. Spencer also had an exciting adventure with grandpa at the dentist (you'll have to read the blog entry for that one, but it was a great story). Ian also was happy to have them around, although it took him a while to warm up to the idea.
Seeing my parents again after what seemed like such a long time, and seeing my children thrive with them here made me want to move in down the street from them. I didn't realize how much I loved them and missed them. I didn't realize how much I needed them prior to being so far away. The feeling of longing for sisters and brothers is also very strong. And, I have noticed that when tough times have come around, that I become particularly attune to such feelings.
On the other hand, we have been able to see people here in Germany we might not have otherwise seen in our lifetime, or who we may have seen many years later. We were able to visit with a former missionary companion and his family as well as our two former exchange students and our former aupair. Those visits were extremely rewarding and valuable. To see them again and to meet two of their families was awesome. It was a huge blessing to be able to see them.
Working in international business has been extremely rewarding for me. I can't put my finger on what is different from the states --> me, the business environment, or both. All I know is I am very happy at work. I am able to speak my mind and my opinion is valued. The work is challenging and interesting. The team that I lead is a lot of fun to work with. An interesting note here is that I am doing the exact same work I did in Denver, CO 6-7 years ago --> unbundling of the local loop for Telecom operators. This time the internet is faster (they are using VoIP technology (like Vonage), which was just a pipe dream 7 years ago) and I am working for the competitor rather than for one of the Baby Bells (Deutsche Telekom in Germany). The work, however, is very similar. It's fun to do it in German this and with Swedish business partners as well (the parent company is in Sweden and so I often work with the central project members in Sweden on the phone and in Stockholm - a very beautiful city).
We have been able to get to know the members of our church here more intimately. I loved the members of the LDS congregations when I was here as a missionary. As I have seen them live their lives and their faith over this last year I have been even more impressed and more filled with love for this great people. They are people of conviction and integrity who do great things and I admire them greatly for their faith. I also understand better some of the challenges they face and have had many questions answered that were still open from my missionary service here in Germany. I obviously understand their challenges better in part because I am older and also have a family now, but also because I have been able to live among them and experience their culture and traditions first hand and unique challenges that they face in Europe that we don't face in the Mid-western U.S. That has been a wonderful blessing.
We have made many friends here as well. The parents of other children in the kids school, and some colleagues at work have been an amazing help to us here. Our neighbors and landlord are also wonderful. The neighbors all built their houses about 30 years ago as younger married couples and have long since sent their own children out into the world. I think that has provided a bit of security for our children and for us. Additionally, the neighbors are constantly giving us gifts for the kids and helping us with various house and garden jobs. Some gifts we have spontaneously receive include: plums, colored pencils, raspberries, pumpkins, sea shells, chocolate and sweets, baloons, sidewalk chalk, to name a few.
I have also grown to love my wife much more than I thought possible. It has been very refreshing to renew our love for one another as we have returned to the country where we first met. I see my children in a new light as well. I admire and respect them more than I did before. They have been through so much and done so well. They do so much around the house and with the babies to keep are family functioning. I also can't begin to count the hours and pains my wife has experienced over this last year, but I know that she is an amazing woman who does much good and has faith to move mountains. I know this, for I have seen her move many mountains this last year.
As I stated above, these are the blessing and challenges that most are seeking for in life: love of family, love of friends, and an anchor or a faith to fill the soul. We appreciate our family and friends, especially those in Wisconsin, who helped us make this leap over the pond last year to a new life and adventure in Germany. We wish you all the best.
INFO: I am trying to gauge the interest in such an email update. Please let me know if you would definitely like to receive a periodic email update. Or, if you definitely do not want to receive a periodic email update. Tamara and I update a blog with details of our day to day lives on a regular basis and have recorded Podcasts to chronicle some of our experiences as well, but I would gladly write, or not write (depending on your preference) the periodic emails as well.
Cheers,
Gardner
Saturday, August 18, 2007
6 Months eMail from Gardner
Hi All,
I must first apologize for not writing sooner. I was planning on writing a note at about 6 months. But we have already been here Germany for almost one year now! How do I know that? I know because Ian's birthday is in two weeks, and Ian was three weeks old when we arrived in Germany at the end of September last year.
Well, here is the 6 months update, and a my excuse for not writing at six months.
Our time here in Germany has been wonderful. It has been awesome to be back where Tamara and I first met 16 years ago. I can now relate much better to couples who go out to eat, for example, at an out of the way pizza joint at the far side of town, because that was where they had their first date. It has been wonderful to get to know Tamara again here in Germany. It has been like getting to know her all over again.
Here's the short list of "new" things she's had to do since being here: how to be a mom to German school children, how to cook with new and exciting ingredients (I'll tell you one funny story about cooking below), how to relate to German teachers, neighbors, church members, etc. And she does a fabulous job. And it has been enjoyable to see her grow and succeed.
One funny example of the of the changes in cooking is the oven we have in our house. I remember when Tamara first went to bake something nine months ago. She pulled out our trusty American baking pans. They were pretty standard from what I remember as I saw them at several friends houses back home. She put the goodies on the pan and then put the pan into the oven, and was ready to go, except for one minor problem - the door would not close. So she turned the pan the other way. No luck, the pan wouldn't even go into the oven in that direction. She came up with a clever solution though, she uses 9 1/2" x 11" cake pan lids as pans. Those fit and we have used them for about 9 months now.
Now to my excuse for not writing at six months, and another reason why my love for Tamara has grown since returning to Germany.
Tamara suffers from Anemia, which is a shortage of iron, B12, and folic acid in the blood. The doctors told her about this while she was pregnant with Ian and she thought that the problem would improve or go away after the pregnancy. This is why she stopped taking her vitamin tablets after the pregnancy. But the problem did not go away and the lack of vitamins and minerals in her blood led to Tamara getting very tired, easily frustrated, and not being able to function at a normal level. This downward cycle hit really hard in late winter and early spring.
As you can imagine, this would be difficult and challenging for anyone (always tired, frustrated, and worn down, and not seeing the connection as to why it is happening). But for a mom, with five children, in a foreign country, whose husband was in Sweden every 2nd or 3rd week, and hardly at home due to late hours the other weeks, whose children were struggling mightily with the adjustment to the new culture of German schools, whose two babies still wanted to eat and have clean diapers, among other things, this time was extremely difficult.
I remember being quite lonely and that we struggled mightily as family during this time. I didn't know why it was so hard. I remember thinking if we can just make it six months, then we will be alright, but the seconds just couldn't move fast enough to get to that mark. We probably would have had some of these same feelings no matter what our challenges, but the longing and struggle were magnified for us by not having Tamara's full abilities, spirit, and enthusiasm.
In springtime we finally came up with the brilliant idea to have Tamara go to the doctor. This came after we prayed and fasted for Tamara as a family. After praying for that weekend, Tamara felt she should look up some of her symptoms on the internet. Based on her research, she thought it was Anemia and decided to go to the doctor. The doctor determined that the source was, in fact, Anemia and was able to get Tamara the proper Vitamin and minerals combinations. She is doing much better these days, for which we are very grateful.
In short, I am very grateful for my wife, which I re-learned through this wonderful and challenging time. I am very grateful to be with her and our children in this wonderful country of Germany.
We think of you often and hope you are doing well.
With Love,
Gardner
I must first apologize for not writing sooner. I was planning on writing a note at about 6 months
Well, here is the 6 months update, and a my excuse for not writing at six months.
Our time here in Germany has been wonderful. It has been awesome to be back where Tamara and I first met 16 years ago. I can now relate much better to couples who go out to eat, for example, at an out of the way pizza joint at the far side of town, because that was where they had their first date. It has been wonderful to get to know Tamara again here in Germany. It has been like getting to know her all over again.
Here's the short list of "new" things she's had to do since being here: how to be a mom to German school children, how to cook with new and exciting ingredients (I'll tell you one funny story about cooking below), how to relate to German teachers, neighbors, church members, etc. And she does a fabulous job. And it has been enjoyable to see her grow and succeed.
One funny example of the of the changes in cooking is the oven we have in our house. I remember when Tamara first went to bake something nine months ago. She pulled out our trusty American baking pans. They were pretty standard from what I remember as I saw them at several friends houses back home. She put the goodies on the pan and then put the pan into the oven, and was ready to go, except for one minor problem - the door would not close. So she turned the pan the other way. No luck, the pan wouldn't even go into the oven in that direction. She came up with a clever solution though, she uses 9 1/2" x 11" cake pan lids as pans. Those fit and we have used them for about 9 months now.
Now to my excuse for not writing at six months, and another reason why my love for Tamara has grown since returning to Germany.
Tamara suffers from Anemia, which is a shortage of iron, B12, and folic acid in the blood. The doctors told her about this while she was pregnant with Ian and she thought that the problem would improve or go away after the pregnancy. This is why she stopped taking her vitamin tablets after the pregnancy. But the problem did not go away and the lack of vitamins and minerals in her blood led to Tamara getting very tired, easily frustrated, and not being able to function at a normal level. This downward cycle hit really hard in late winter and early spring.
As you can imagine, this would be difficult and challenging for anyone (always tired, frustrated, and worn down, and not seeing the connection as to why it is happening). But for a mom, with five children, in a foreign country, whose husband was in Sweden every 2nd or 3rd week, and hardly at home due to late hours the other weeks, whose children were struggling mightily with the adjustment to the new culture of German schools, whose two babies still wanted to eat and have clean diapers, among other things, this time was extremely difficult.
I remember being quite lonely and that we struggled mightily as family during this time. I didn't know why it was so hard. I remember thinking if we can just make it six months, then we will be alright, but the seconds just couldn't move fast enough to get to that mark. We probably would have had some of these same feelings no matter what our challenges, but the longing and struggle were magnified for us by not having Tamara's full abilities, spirit, and enthusiasm.
In springtime we finally came up with the brilliant idea to have Tamara go to the doctor. This came after we prayed and fasted for Tamara as a family. After praying for that weekend, Tamara felt she should look up some of her symptoms on the internet. Based on her research, she thought it was Anemia and decided to go to the doctor. The doctor determined that the source was, in fact, Anemia and was able to get Tamara the proper Vitamin and minerals combinations. She is doing much better these days, for which we are very grateful.
In short, I am very grateful for my wife, which I re-learned through this wonderful and challenging time. I am very grateful to be with her and our children in this wonderful country of Germany.
We think of you often and hope you are doing well.
With Love,
Gardner
Friday, July 6, 2007
Thoughts on Driving in Germany
>>>>to a friend who calculated our drive time to a certain location
I've never gotten to 120 m.p.h.. We have hit 100 m.p.h., maybe 105 m.p.h. It is extremely cool to drive 75 - 80 m.p.h with no concerns about cops. It seems so normal. I love Deutschland.
Cheers,
Gardner
I've never gotten to 120 m.p.h.. We have hit 100 m.p.h., maybe 105 m.p.h. It is extremely cool to drive 75 - 80 m.p.h with no concerns about cops. It seems so normal. I love Deutschland.
Cheers,
Gardner
Sunday, April 8, 2007
Some thoughts at 6 Months
>>>>some thoughts at 6 months. I never sent this out as a letter to friends. Not sure why.
Well, the end of March has just passed and that means our family has reached a milestone. We've lived in Germany for six months. This is a tremendous feeling. Why this is such a good feeling is what I will try and explain in this entry.
First of all it is quite natural to set goals in life and hope to attain them. The funny thing about this time line goal is that just surviving, just being alive at the end of the six months in this new and foreign land seemed to have been the goal.
How did we know that this would be such an important goal. Why did we have the feeling that if we make it to six months we might just make it. I can't really explain that. The only thing I can explain is what has happened to us during the six months. We've have some of the sweetest experiences and some of the most difficult experiences of our lives. My wife has documented many of these experiences very well in her Living in Germany blog. I will attempt to discuss of few experiences here.
I remember seeing my wife in a whole new light when we visited a sacrament meeting one Sunday in Mönchengladbach, Tamara's last city on her mission. That was cool. The Luchs family remembered Tamara and had invited her over for dinner that Sunday afternoon. When we arrived in church, brother Schuh, the current bishop of the congregation was so excited to see her, he started talking about the times when she was there and what happened to certain families in the time since she was last here. Then when he introduced the speakers for the day, he spoke with such conviction about the great spirit that Tamara had brought into the ward. I was filled with so much love and admiration for my wife on that day, it was great.
I next remember the Sunday morning in early January when Tamara and I drove to church in Düsseldorf when we both realized that it was 16 years earlier that Tamara and I had first met and that this was the spot on which we first met - in the church parking lot in Düsseldorf. That brief meeting in Januarary of 1991 came as Tamara was first arriving in Germany and then going to work in Dortmund with her first companion and I was leaving the mission office in Düsseldorf to work with a new companion in Duisburg. It was an awesome day, to reflect on our first meeting and feel so grateful that the Lord had brought us together.
On that day I truly felt that we were meant for each other. That Tamara was the perfect match for me. I thought back over the years together and about our first meetings here in Germany. Maybe other couples have the opportunity to return to the place of the first date or the first meeting and reflect on those first moments together and how they led to the rest of the enjoyable times together. For us, this opportunity was a bit more out of the way than your normal restaurant, but it was well worth the trip.
Working with the team that I work with has been great. I was asked to be the leader of a five person software testing team. All of the testers are inexperienced testers. One has training in business and a little bit of information technology background and is from Würzburg in southern Germany. The other four worked in a call center previously and are from the new German states (the former East Germany). The person who helped get me placed on the team is another American, Keith. He is the manager of testing and production support and I am his deputy manager of testing and quality assurance, so to say. Keith's wife is German and he enjoys living in Germany. We enjoy talking about life in Germany from an American point of view quite a bit and it was a huge help for my transition. Our team also works with Sweden and this has been enjoyable to work with the teams up there. The client manager is also very nice to work with. It's uncanny how well I fit in there. I hope that it will continue.
The challenging side shows up in the usual obvious struggles associated with moves, all of which were more difficult than expected, even for what we expected for our international move. These things include finding a house, shipping of household goods, establishing the kids in school, financing the trip, finding a car, working so many hours at a new job, and the obvious struggles my wife and children have faced finding their way in the new neighborhood, school, shopping styles, house, etc.. But, the things that made the transition most difficult are now seemingly so small.
I remember driving in the first week being incredibly difficult. I couldn't follow the street signs and instructions from traffic lights at the normal traffic speeds in a VW minivan and was constantly making wrong turns, because I was constantly trying to figure out what that sign two intersections ago, or two off ramps ago was trying to tell me. Well it was trying to tell me to turn left, but I missed that obvious point, and now I was stuck heading towards the Dutch border, not sure I would ever find my way back to my desired destination.
All of the fun of driving was topped off by attempting to fill up the VW rental with diesel in the first week. This relatively simple task required at least 20 minutes before I actually started putting diesel into to the tank.
First problem was the gas tank location. I'm not sure what genius in Volkswagen engineering came up with the idea to hide the gas cap, but whoever it was did a fine job of it. It took me roughly 10 minutes to find the gas cap. This consisted of 9 minutes of reading the manual (with no success) followed by 1 minute of asking a friendly gentleman at the pump. The gentleman just laughed as he recalled his first experiences with such a car, and helped me find the gas cap.
So what happened in the other 10 minutes before I started actually filling the tank with diesel? Well that was caused by the genius of the gas dispensing system in Germany. What I didn't realize is that there are three different types of diesel and hence three different types of pumps and nozzles. This prevents novices like me from putting the wrong type of diesel into one's car. The nice gentleman was still pumping his gas when I realized that the nozzle at the pump would never in a million years fit into the VW's gas tank. The gentleman explained the system and pointed out where the correct diesel pump was. I was at the medium sized truck diesel pump and needed to be at the car diesel pump (the normal one). I had to back up and wait to get into a spot at this car diesel pump. All told another 10 minutes had passed and then I was able to pump gas.
There were hundreds of similar experiences over the course of the first six months. All were similarly frustrating because I felt like I was missing something that everyone else knew already. These include, getting a cell phone, signing up for health, renters insurance, finding phone service for the house, applying for services, gas water, buying oil to heat the house, getting a monthly bus pass, opening a bank account, getting a loan for a car, getting the kids into school and into the correct grade, signing up for pre-school, finding bikes for the kids and Tamara, going to the doctor, finding a parking place for a minivan. All of these experiences have a story similar to the one above with the gas tank.
My wife would tell you the same thing I believe. For me it simply seemed like my judgment was constantly being clouded. I wasn't open to new ideas when I should have been. I relied on my own genius, when I should have asked for help. I asked for help, when I should have trusted my own judgment. And so things were just hard, like wading through water when you wanted so badly to be walking on water. For us the fact that we have made it thus far is very fulfilling.
Well, the end of March has just passed and that means our family has reached a milestone. We've lived in Germany for six months. This is a tremendous feeling. Why this is such a good feeling is what I will try and explain in this entry.
First of all it is quite natural to set goals in life and hope to attain them. The funny thing about this time line goal is that just surviving, just being alive at the end of the six months in this new and foreign land seemed to have been the goal.
How did we know that this would be such an important goal. Why did we have the feeling that if we make it to six months we might just make it. I can't really explain that. The only thing I can explain is what has happened to us during the six months. We've have some of the sweetest experiences and some of the most difficult experiences of our lives. My wife has documented many of these experiences very well in her Living in Germany blog. I will attempt to discuss of few experiences here.
I remember seeing my wife in a whole new light when we visited a sacrament meeting one Sunday in Mönchengladbach, Tamara's last city on her mission. That was cool. The Luchs family remembered Tamara and had invited her over for dinner that Sunday afternoon. When we arrived in church, brother Schuh, the current bishop of the congregation was so excited to see her, he started talking about the times when she was there and what happened to certain families in the time since she was last here. Then when he introduced the speakers for the day, he spoke with such conviction about the great spirit that Tamara had brought into the ward. I was filled with so much love and admiration for my wife on that day, it was great.
I next remember the Sunday morning in early January when Tamara and I drove to church in Düsseldorf when we both realized that it was 16 years earlier that Tamara and I had first met and that this was the spot on which we first met - in the church parking lot in Düsseldorf. That brief meeting in Januarary of 1991 came as Tamara was first arriving in Germany and then going to work in Dortmund with her first companion and I was leaving the mission office in Düsseldorf to work with a new companion in Duisburg. It was an awesome day, to reflect on our first meeting and feel so grateful that the Lord had brought us together.
On that day I truly felt that we were meant for each other. That Tamara was the perfect match for me. I thought back over the years together and about our first meetings here in Germany. Maybe other couples have the opportunity to return to the place of the first date or the first meeting and reflect on those first moments together and how they led to the rest of the enjoyable times together. For us, this opportunity was a bit more out of the way than your normal restaurant, but it was well worth the trip.
Working with the team that I work with has been great. I was asked to be the leader of a five person software testing team. All of the testers are inexperienced testers. One has training in business and a little bit of information technology background and is from Würzburg in southern Germany. The other four worked in a call center previously and are from the new German states (the former East Germany). The person who helped get me placed on the team is another American, Keith. He is the manager of testing and production support and I am his deputy manager of testing and quality assurance, so to say. Keith's wife is German and he enjoys living in Germany. We enjoy talking about life in Germany from an American point of view quite a bit and it was a huge help for my transition. Our team also works with Sweden and this has been enjoyable to work with the teams up there. The client manager is also very nice to work with. It's uncanny how well I fit in there. I hope that it will continue.
The challenging side shows up in the usual obvious struggles associated with moves, all of which were more difficult than expected, even for what we expected for our international move. These things include finding a house, shipping of household goods, establishing the kids in school, financing the trip, finding a car, working so many hours at a new job, and the obvious struggles my wife and children have faced finding their way in the new neighborhood, school, shopping styles, house, etc.. But, the things that made the transition most difficult are now seemingly so small.
I remember driving in the first week being incredibly difficult. I couldn't follow the street signs and instructions from traffic lights at the normal traffic speeds in a VW minivan and was constantly making wrong turns, because I was constantly trying to figure out what that sign two intersections ago, or two off ramps ago was trying to tell me. Well it was trying to tell me to turn left, but I missed that obvious point, and now I was stuck heading towards the Dutch border, not sure I would ever find my way back to my desired destination.
All of the fun of driving was topped off by attempting to fill up the VW rental with diesel in the first week. This relatively simple task required at least 20 minutes before I actually started putting diesel into to the tank.
First problem was the gas tank location. I'm not sure what genius in Volkswagen engineering came up with the idea to hide the gas cap, but whoever it was did a fine job of it. It took me roughly 10 minutes to find the gas cap. This consisted of 9 minutes of reading the manual (with no success) followed by 1 minute of asking a friendly gentleman at the pump. The gentleman just laughed as he recalled his first experiences with such a car, and helped me find the gas cap.
So what happened in the other 10 minutes before I started actually filling the tank with diesel? Well that was caused by the genius of the gas dispensing system in Germany. What I didn't realize is that there are three different types of diesel and hence three different types of pumps and nozzles. This prevents novices like me from putting the wrong type of diesel into one's car. The nice gentleman was still pumping his gas when I realized that the nozzle at the pump would never in a million years fit into the VW's gas tank. The gentleman explained the system and pointed out where the correct diesel pump was. I was at the medium sized truck diesel pump and needed to be at the car diesel pump (the normal one). I had to back up and wait to get into a spot at this car diesel pump. All told another 10 minutes had passed and then I was able to pump gas.
There were hundreds of similar experiences over the course of the first six months. All were similarly frustrating because I felt like I was missing something that everyone else knew already. These include, getting a cell phone, signing up for health, renters insurance, finding phone service for the house, applying for services, gas water, buying oil to heat the house, getting a monthly bus pass, opening a bank account, getting a loan for a car, getting the kids into school and into the correct grade, signing up for pre-school, finding bikes for the kids and Tamara, going to the doctor, finding a parking place for a minivan. All of these experiences have a story similar to the one above with the gas tank.
My wife would tell you the same thing I believe. For me it simply seemed like my judgment was constantly being clouded. I wasn't open to new ideas when I should have been. I relied on my own genius, when I should have asked for help. I asked for help, when I should have trusted my own judgment. And so things were just hard, like wading through water when you wanted so badly to be walking on water. For us the fact that we have made it thus far is very fulfilling.
Sunday, February 25, 2007
The Risers are Gone
I will long remember the day that I found out the Risers were leaving. We had been in Germany for a few months and I was at the Riser's house yet again, this time to pick up a bed and dresser. It was a cold day in late November or early December. Spencer was with me. While loading the items in our car with Wade Riser, the dad, he informed me that his family would be returning to the States in early 2007, maybe even as early as January 2007.
As I got in the car and we were driving away I told Spencer the news. I cried for several minutes as did Spencer.
The Risers are an American Family that have lived in Germany for the past three years. The father works for Siemens as an engineer. Eva, the mother has generally about one or two extra kids at her house and is always doing nice things for other people. They have two boys (15 and 17 I think) who have lived in the States since the beginning of the 2006-2007 school year. They have three younger children, Sarah 12, Nathan 9, and Sandra 6 who live in Germany still.
Our kids love the Riser's kids. On our first Sunday when I saw Spencer playing soccer in the gymnasium with Nathan after church I thought Nathan was a German boy, because he spoke generally in German (Spencer did fine because you don't really need to speak any German to play soccer, although I've heard it helps). They have since become fast friends and Spencer loves being with another boy his age.
Hannah and Shantal play on a rotating basis with Sarah and Sandra. Just when one set is getting tired of playing together (say Sarah and Hannah), then the other set is ready for a break and they just naturally switch. Sarah is older, but enjoys being a big sister to our two girls (dress-up, make-up, arts and crafts, etc.).
All the kids play with Emma (our 18 month old daughter) or let her roam around their play areas and so she doesn't feel as left out at the Riser's either.
They have a great spirit about them and were a tremendous help to us when we first arrived. Their were so many people who did so much for us when we arrived and moved into our house, Sister Doris Klein, the Andre, Kraft, Crapo, Harzheim, and Grueneveld families among others helped make Christmas for our kids possible, cleaned our house when we were moving in, and did many amazing things for us. The Risers were among those who helped us, but since our two sets of children fit together so well, we ended up spending lots of time with them.
They spoke in church at the end of February 2007 and then there was a dinner held in their honor. It was such a strange feeling to see them go. They not only symbolically represented all of the help and support we have received since arriving, but were very literally the hands of God that reached down to us and made our transition into life here in Germany possible, especially for our kids.
The questions that kept going through my mind was how can we live without this same level of support that we had at the beginning of our journey? How will our children survive? Naturally had the Risers stayed we would not have seen them as much and our paths would have crossed less frequently and we would have mapped out our own lives here in Germany, but them leaving seemed to draw such a firm line and indicate so strongly that the time had come to move on from the "move to Germany" to everyday life in Germany.
As I got in the car and we were driving away I told Spencer the news. I cried for several minutes as did Spencer.
The Risers are an American Family that have lived in Germany for the past three years. The father works for Siemens as an engineer. Eva, the mother has generally about one or two extra kids at her house and is always doing nice things for other people. They have two boys (15 and 17 I think) who have lived in the States since the beginning of the 2006-2007 school year. They have three younger children, Sarah 12, Nathan 9, and Sandra 6 who live in Germany still.
Our kids love the Riser's kids. On our first Sunday when I saw Spencer playing soccer in the gymnasium with Nathan after church I thought Nathan was a German boy, because he spoke generally in German (Spencer did fine because you don't really need to speak any German to play soccer, although I've heard it helps). They have since become fast friends and Spencer loves being with another boy his age.
Hannah and Shantal play on a rotating basis with Sarah and Sandra. Just when one set is getting tired of playing together (say Sarah and Hannah), then the other set is ready for a break and they just naturally switch. Sarah is older, but enjoys being a big sister to our two girls (dress-up, make-up, arts and crafts, etc.).
All the kids play with Emma (our 18 month old daughter) or let her roam around their play areas and so she doesn't feel as left out at the Riser's either.
They have a great spirit about them and were a tremendous help to us when we first arrived. Their were so many people who did so much for us when we arrived and moved into our house, Sister Doris Klein, the Andre, Kraft, Crapo, Harzheim, and Grueneveld families among others helped make Christmas for our kids possible, cleaned our house when we were moving in, and did many amazing things for us. The Risers were among those who helped us, but since our two sets of children fit together so well, we ended up spending lots of time with them.
They spoke in church at the end of February 2007 and then there was a dinner held in their honor. It was such a strange feeling to see them go. They not only symbolically represented all of the help and support we have received since arriving, but were very literally the hands of God that reached down to us and made our transition into life here in Germany possible, especially for our kids.
The questions that kept going through my mind was how can we live without this same level of support that we had at the beginning of our journey? How will our children survive? Naturally had the Risers stayed we would not have seen them as much and our paths would have crossed less frequently and we would have mapped out our own lives here in Germany, but them leaving seemed to draw such a firm line and indicate so strongly that the time had come to move on from the "move to Germany" to everyday life in Germany.
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Beauty in the Craziness
Based some emails I received I must have been in a pretty sour mood when I wrote that last update. There were lots of tough times just after our arrival and within our move, but a lot of joy as well. Of course Ian who has helped all of us out like I mentioned last time, but also many other wonderful things happened. Here are a few of the joyous moments I remember.
For the real story, you must of course consult http://tamaraingermany.blogspot.com/.
Cheers,
Gardner
In the craziness there was much beauty. By craziness I mean the last two months of our lives. As you've probably read on Tamara's blog in addition to the general fun of moving, crazy work schedules, getting kids adjusted to new school, finding doctors, registering for a visa, etc. we've had head lice twice, Tamara broke her toe, and did I mention the work schedule?
This last week's weather would actually sum up the craziness in our lives and the range of emotions that come with such hectic.
Thursday (18 Jan) Hurricane "Kyrill", which pounded Europe killing I believe upwards of 50 people and knocking down 40 million trees in Germany with 25 million in North Rhine-Westphalia where we live. This knocked out the train I normally take to work for the entire week.
Tuesday (23 Jan) winter arrives. Up til now we have had very warm weather compared to averages. An extended Autumn so to say. Well anyway, I had to break out a 2nd coat so that I could stand at the bus stops (I was standing at a lot of bus stops for longer than usual due to that train not running all week).
Friday (26 Jan) the first snow came. In the afternoon, the kids played in the snow. The kids love the snow and so even though there was only a dusting they made the most of it. They made snowmen that were about 6 inches tall (15.24 cm - I'm in Europe now). By nightime it had snowed about an inch at our house.
Saturday (27 Jan) spring came again, or that extended Autumn I mentioned. Most of the snow had melted, kids were playing at the parks and many people were outside and life was back to "normal" again.
As I said in the beginning there was much beauty in all of the craziness of the last two or three months. Here is a quick list of a few of them:
- The kids prayers have been heartfelt. It is amazing to listen to and very moving.
- The kids speak German. For three years I have spoken to them in German and they have spoken English to me and so to hear them respond in German now is pretty cool.
- my parents visited us here in Germany. This was amazing, since my parents and I have shared a "Germany" connection all of our lives, but it was very enjoyable to share it with them here in this country. My parents first met in Germany and often told stories of their experiences here. They were both missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (often referred to as the mormons) in the early 1960's.
- We got to visit the Christmas Market in Düsseldorf. Always a treat, and not just because of the great food.
- Ian was blessed - This will likely be our last child and so it was a special experience. Tamara has changed her mind before, which is why we have Ian by the way.
- Tamara and I celebrated a special anniversary together. We first met in Düsseldorf in January 1991. It was very cool to think about our lives together and to think about how great she has been for me over the years. She is a doll.
- By the way - our second meeting was in Hagen in December 1991. Our third meeting was at the alter (O.K., just kidding about that, but I don't want to bore you with the details, although they are quite interesting to me)
- Spencer was baptized. This was very cool. After I confirmed Spencer a member of the church he turned to me for what I expected would be a traditional handshake. Instead he jumped into my arms. That was cool.
- Me and the kids watched the Star Wars trilogies together and played like 100 hours of Lego Star Wars for ps2 over the Christmas holidays. That was a lot of fun.
- Spencer went to Toys R Us with grandma and bought a toy with a significant percentage of his Christmas/Birthday/allowance money - A plastic "hockey table" (like a Foosball table [Kicker in German] except the table is designed for hockey instead of soccer). The one he bought sits on top of a kitchen table to help you an imagine it's size. He bought it because he wanted to spend more time with me and knew how much I like hockey (did I mention the crazy work schedule). Despite the hockey table's size it is a lot of fun to play and very moving to see your son do something so touching.
- A very special Christmas.
- The congregation here helped us have a wonderful Christmas. They bought a significant gift for each child and gave us several small gifts for the children as well. And on Christmas Eve the Bishop of the congregation came up to me and handed me a "special delivery" from an anonymous donor. The Card contained 250 Euros - the cost of the Visas for Tamara and the kids (I had already payed for mine just after our arrival in September, but we hadn't gotten to everybody else's yet), and we had to pay for them just after Christmas.
- We were short on money and time and so our Christmas was going to be extra small. The gifts were of tremendous value to us and especially to our kids.
- The kids first Nikolaus. That is December 6th when kids receive a gift in their shoes. In Homberg the shoes were dropped off at local businesses a few days in advance and picked up on the 6th. It was very fun for the kids.
- Hannah's Christmas party was very nice. The greatest part was that the person playing Nikolaus was caught in traffic. So the teachers improvised and told this story about how Nikolaus hit traffic and a fallen tree in the road and gave updates during the evening about the status (even Nikolaus has a cell). It was so funny that when the person arrived I thought they had planned it to be that way. They said no. The person was really lost or caught in traffic or both. I told them they should do it that way every year.
- Hearing German Christmas Carols again was very nice.
- Hearing my dad bear his testimony in German. He spoke twice, once at Spencer's baptism and once in Sacrament meeting after Ian's blessing. The Presiding authority invited my Dad on an impromptu basis to share his testimony with the audience. It made the day complete for me.
Our next challenge may very well be determining how to live normal everyday lives again. Wish us luck.
For the real story, you must of course consult http://tamaraingermany.blogspot.com/.
Cheers,
Gardner
In the craziness there was much beauty. By craziness I mean the last two months of our lives. As you've probably read on Tamara's blog in addition to the general fun of moving, crazy work schedules, getting kids adjusted to new school, finding doctors, registering for a visa, etc. we've had head lice twice, Tamara broke her toe, and did I mention the work schedule?
This last week's weather would actually sum up the craziness in our lives and the range of emotions that come with such hectic.
Thursday (18 Jan) Hurricane "Kyrill", which pounded Europe killing I believe upwards of 50 people and knocking down 40 million trees in Germany with 25 million in North Rhine-Westphalia where we live. This knocked out the train I normally take to work for the entire week.
Tuesday (23 Jan) winter arrives. Up til now we have had very warm weather compared to averages. An extended Autumn so to say. Well anyway, I had to break out a 2nd coat so that I could stand at the bus stops (I was standing at a lot of bus stops for longer than usual due to that train not running all week).
Friday (26 Jan) the first snow came. In the afternoon, the kids played in the snow. The kids love the snow and so even though there was only a dusting they made the most of it. They made snowmen that were about 6 inches tall (15.24 cm - I'm in Europe now). By nightime it had snowed about an inch at our house.
Saturday (27 Jan) spring came again, or that extended Autumn I mentioned. Most of the snow had melted, kids were playing at the parks and many people were outside and life was back to "normal" again.
As I said in the beginning there was much beauty in all of the craziness of the last two or three months. Here is a quick list of a few of them:
- The kids prayers have been heartfelt. It is amazing to listen to and very moving.
- The kids speak German. For three years I have spoken to them in German and they have spoken English to me and so to hear them respond in German now is pretty cool.
- my parents visited us here in Germany. This was amazing, since my parents and I have shared a "Germany" connection all of our lives, but it was very enjoyable to share it with them here in this country. My parents first met in Germany and often told stories of their experiences here. They were both missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (often referred to as the mormons) in the early 1960's.
- We got to visit the Christmas Market in Düsseldorf. Always a treat, and not just because of the great food.
- Ian was blessed - This will likely be our last child and so it was a special experience. Tamara has changed her mind before, which is why we have Ian by the way.
- Tamara and I celebrated a special anniversary together. We first met in Düsseldorf in January 1991. It was very cool to think about our lives together and to think about how great she has been for me over the years. She is a doll.
- By the way - our second meeting was in Hagen in December 1991. Our third meeting was at the alter (O.K., just kidding about that, but I don't want to bore you with the details, although they are quite interesting to me)
- Spencer was baptized. This was very cool. After I confirmed Spencer a member of the church he turned to me for what I expected would be a traditional handshake. Instead he jumped into my arms. That was cool.
- Me and the kids watched the Star Wars trilogies together and played like 100 hours of Lego Star Wars for ps2 over the Christmas holidays. That was a lot of fun.
- Spencer went to Toys R Us with grandma and bought a toy with a significant percentage of his Christmas/Birthday/allowance money - A plastic "hockey table" (like a Foosball table [Kicker in German] except the table is designed for hockey instead of soccer). The one he bought sits on top of a kitchen table to help you an imagine it's size. He bought it because he wanted to spend more time with me and knew how much I like hockey (did I mention the crazy work schedule). Despite the hockey table's size it is a lot of fun to play and very moving to see your son do something so touching.
- A very special Christmas.
- The congregation here helped us have a wonderful Christmas. They bought a significant gift for each child and gave us several small gifts for the children as well. And on Christmas Eve the Bishop of the congregation came up to me and handed me a "special delivery" from an anonymous donor. The Card contained 250 Euros - the cost of the Visas for Tamara and the kids (I had already payed for mine just after our arrival in September, but we hadn't gotten to everybody else's yet), and we had to pay for them just after Christmas.
- We were short on money and time and so our Christmas was going to be extra small. The gifts were of tremendous value to us and especially to our kids.
- The kids first Nikolaus. That is December 6th when kids receive a gift in their shoes. In Homberg the shoes were dropped off at local businesses a few days in advance and picked up on the 6th. It was very fun for the kids.
- Hannah's Christmas party was very nice. The greatest part was that the person playing Nikolaus was caught in traffic. So the teachers improvised and told this story about how Nikolaus hit traffic and a fallen tree in the road and gave updates during the evening about the status (even Nikolaus has a cell). It was so funny that when the person arrived I thought they had planned it to be that way. They said no. The person was really lost or caught in traffic or both. I told them they should do it that way every year.
- Hearing German Christmas Carols again was very nice.
- Hearing my dad bear his testimony in German. He spoke twice, once at Spencer's baptism and once in Sacrament meeting after Ian's blessing. The Presiding authority invited my Dad on an impromptu basis to share his testimony with the audience. It made the day complete for me.
Our next challenge may very well be determining how to live normal everyday lives again. Wish us luck.
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