***sent to former fellow scouting leaders from Wisconsin
Hi All,
I am looking for some great advice - like I used to always get from you all when we worked together in the YM/Scouting program in Sun Prairie.
I am giving a presentation on scouting in america on Monday (yes in 5 days) to the local pack of cub scouts and a patrol of first year boy scouts here in our town. The presentations will all be on the same night. The effort is part of getting Spencer involved in the program here. I just found out last Monday that I will be do this, so time is short.
I am trying to think of an activity that goes along with learning the cub scout motto "Do your Best" and the boy scout motto "Be Prepared" or slogan "Do a Good Turn Daily". Or, anything else that might be fun for the kids.
If you have any ideas, please send them along.
Cheers,
Gardner
Showing posts with label letters. Show all posts
Showing posts with label letters. Show all posts
Thursday, September 11, 2008
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
Friday, August 29, 2008
Long Overdue Update
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 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 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. 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 the scout as a young teenager, 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 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 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. 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 the scout as a young teenager, 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
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Why Germany?
A post back to a friend who asked about our chosen place of residence: Germany.
Thanks for such kind words. My family is truly great. They've changed my life forever. I recently took vacation from work while Tamara and our oldest, Shantal, went to the U.S. Boy, did I miss the kids when I went back to work.
Why Germany is a question I ask myself pretty much everyday. It still seems like such a crazy thing to have done, as we have made a complete transfer to this country (we're not "expats" with paid trips to the U.S. every year, international schools, etc.). We are planning on returning to the U.S., but the when, how, and where do we land in the U.S. are all very open questions. We would like to return in the summer of 2013.
My desire to live and work in Germany started while I served as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (90-92). After returning to the U.S. the desire only intensified. The movie link at the end of the message captures pretty well the love one develops for the area where you serve.
The movie referred to is The Best Two Years, which captures a few months of one missionary's service and it's affect on his companion, himself, and those he taught.
Thanks for such kind words. My family is truly great. They've changed my life forever. I recently took vacation from work while Tamara and our oldest, Shantal, went to the U.S. Boy, did I miss the kids when I went back to work.
Why Germany is a question I ask myself pretty much everyday. It still seems like such a crazy thing to have done, as we have made a complete transfer to this country (we're not "expats" with paid trips to the U.S. every year, international schools, etc.). We are planning on returning to the U.S., but the when, how, and where do we land in the U.S. are all very open questions. We would like to return in the summer of 2013.
My desire to live and work in Germany started while I served as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (90-92). After returning to the U.S. the desire only intensified. The movie link at the end of the message captures pretty well the love one develops for the area where you serve.
The movie referred to is The Best Two Years, which captures a few months of one missionary's service and it's affect on his companion, himself, and those he taught.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Fatherhood
A Letter to some current missionaries from the youth program I worked in back in Wisconsin.
Hey we had a really good week this week. I am in my last two weeks of my contract at Tele2. I will start working for Vodafone on June 1st. I'm a little nervous about the change since I have worked at Tele2 since Oct, 2006 (we arrived in Germany in Sept, 2006). But I will rely on the Lord and trust that a way for success will be provided.
In trying to finish up my work at Tele2 we ran into some delays and had to work overtime - that meant working today on a state holiday. Since I wouldn't be working that long and there would only be a few people there I took Spencer to work with me. He is 9.5 years old now and loves the games at Lego.de. He found a cool elf-meter schiessen game (soccer penalty shot game). It is 2-player and I could play goalie while he shot (on the same keyboard) and vice versa. It was pretty fun.
Spencer also found that Playstation II is coming out with an Lego Indiana Jones game (like Lego Star Wars). It made me want to buy a Playstation. Ours is broken. The first problem with buying a playstation is that our kids are still young and will probably break this one as well (Ian 1.5 and Emma 3). The other problem for us living in Europe is that if we buy an American Playstation (cheaper) we can't play any games we buy in Europe. If we buy a European Playstation then we can't play any of our old games, but we could buy games here in Europe. Ah, the troubles of fatherhood.
Hey we had a really good week this week. I am in my last two weeks of my contract at Tele2. I will start working for Vodafone on June 1st. I'm a little nervous about the change since I have worked at Tele2 since Oct, 2006 (we arrived in Germany in Sept, 2006). But I will rely on the Lord and trust that a way for success will be provided.
In trying to finish up my work at Tele2 we ran into some delays and had to work overtime - that meant working today on a state holiday. Since I wouldn't be working that long and there would only be a few people there I took Spencer to work with me. He is 9.5 years old now and loves the games at Lego.de. He found a cool elf-meter schiessen game (soccer penalty shot game). It is 2-player and I could play goalie while he shot (on the same keyboard) and vice versa. It was pretty fun.
Spencer also found that Playstation II is coming out with an Lego Indiana Jones game (like Lego Star Wars). It made me want to buy a Playstation. Ours is broken. The first problem with buying a playstation is that our kids are still young and will probably break this one as well (Ian 1.5 and Emma 3). The other problem for us living in Europe is that if we buy an American Playstation (cheaper) we can't play any games we buy in Europe. If we buy a European Playstation then we can't play any of our old games, but we could buy games here in Europe. Ah, the troubles of fatherhood.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Hectic Lives
Here is a letter I sent to some former members of my boy scout troop in Wisconsin. Two are serving missions (one in Utah, and one in Denmark).
Well, we have had some crazy adventures here in Germany, that is for sure. Here's a quick list of items that happened in February:
1) Became Elders Quorum President in the ward
2) Tamara had a hysterectomy (removal of the uterus)
3) My mom came for a 2 1/2 week stay
4) We held a father-son "superbowl" for Spencer's class at school - and taught the boys and fathers some American football
5) We started paying the big kids for grades (they got 35 € and 47 €. Grades are very important in grade school here. And I wanted to let the kids know how much. If they had pushed themselves a bit more, I think they could have earned around 75 €. Just to let you know how much are willing to show them that this is important).
6) I started writing down my thoughts on why I was motivated to move to Germany on an online blog for just my family members (It's such a crazy thing because we don't have a way back, yet. We knew that when we left, so why did we leave anyway?)
7) became really good friends with one of the families who watched the kids while Tamara was in the hospital (they are like grandparents to the kids here, which is really great)
8) took over a new role at work
9) Helped Spencer start playing soccer
10) I had a brilliant business idea (not sure if it will turn into anything, but trying to flesh out the idea is well worth the effort)
11) I had an endoscopy to see what is up with my stomach problems (that's the camera down the throat thingy)
12) We had a visit from a former missionary companion of mine (I haven't seen him in 16 years and now I see him again in Germany - crazy)
Anyone of the events (and there are more) has a great story behind it. I'll pick the story about Spencer playing soccer for some details because it fits for our fine missionary friends.
Spencer has had it very rough here in Germany. N, our 2nd exchange student, told us that school in Germany was much rougher than in the states. I didn't fully believe her, but I do now. One complication is that Spencer, of course, likes to fight back when people pick on him, and doesn't like to back down. This would otherwise be good, except that Spencer is not yet wise enough to know when to back down, and when to fight. He's a little short compared to the other boys, which also doesn't help his cause. And, on top of all that, Spencer was jumped by 5 kids shortly after joining his class in February of last year. Things have been rough since then, for us as parents, and of course, for Spencer. We are trying to pull out of the negative and look to the future and stay positive. One way to do that is to have Spencer play soccer (I believe this is thanks to A, our 1st exchange student).
When we went the first time, my goal was to look for the best player on the team, or one of the best players on the team and find a friend for Spencer, by inviting the boy over to dinner with his family. It took about two minutes to see which two players had the most respect. Then during the next 90 minutes I saw how the best and most respected player attacked Spencer and caused problems for him at every turn. Kicking the ball really hard instead of passing it, kick the ball at Spencer when he wasn't looking, tripping Spencer to get the ball away from him.
Afterwards I said, Spencer, be careful around that boy. He is dangerous and I thought we would invite the other boy over. I was a bit depressed, because I thought - here we go again. Spencer will be at such a disadvantage and not know how to find his way. I was heartbroken and unsure of how to proceed.
That night we read in the scriptures as a family. But before we started, we were all frustrated with each other and a bit in a bad mood. I looked around for someone to say the prayer. I knew I didn't feel like praying, and no one else was really ready either, we were all seething, except for my mother, who was still in town and helping with all of the work around the house. She said an amazing prayer. Pleading with the Lord for us, and mentioning all of the good things we do, and have done, and that the spirit of peace and love, the spirit of the Lord might be in our home. It was very comforting.
Short break for #13 on our month of February list
Back to the story. My mom's prayer really brought peace into the room, which was nice, and we started reading. We read the story about Ammon, a great story. And as we read I remembered that there were two brothers who went to preach the gospel to the Lamanites, Aaron and Ammon. Aaron had very little success because he went to normal everyday people in the land and tried to work with them. Ammon had great success. What he did is go right to the king and say I want to be a servant in your kingdom. Then he was the best servant in the court, even putting his own life in danger to defend the kings flocks. This impressed the king and he opened his heart to hear Ammon's words. Ammon's life was spared on several occasions and I felt great comfort as I read the following passage.
All the best to you and especially to the two Elders. May the Lord watch over you and bless you.
Gardner
Well, we have had some crazy adventures here in Germany, that is for sure. Here's a quick list of items that happened in February:
1) Became Elders Quorum President in the ward
2) Tamara had a hysterectomy (removal of the uterus)
3) My mom came for a 2 1/2 week stay
4) We held a father-son "superbowl" for Spencer's class at school - and taught the boys and fathers some American football
5) We started paying the big kids for grades (they got 35 € and 47 €. Grades are very important in grade school here. And I wanted to let the kids know how much. If they had pushed themselves a bit more, I think they could have earned around 75 €. Just to let you know how much are willing to show them that this is important).
6) I started writing down my thoughts on why I was motivated to move to Germany on an online blog for just my family members (It's such a crazy thing because we don't have a way back, yet. We knew that when we left, so why did we leave anyway?)
7) became really good friends with one of the families who watched the kids while Tamara was in the hospital (they are like grandparents to the kids here, which is really great)
8) took over a new role at work
9) Helped Spencer start playing soccer
10) I had a brilliant business idea (not sure if it will turn into anything, but trying to flesh out the idea is well worth the effort)
11) I had an endoscopy to see what is up with my stomach problems (that's the camera down the throat thingy)
12) We had a visit from a former missionary companion of mine (I haven't seen him in 16 years and now I see him again in Germany - crazy)
Anyone of the events (and there are more) has a great story behind it. I'll pick the story about Spencer playing soccer for some details because it fits for our fine missionary friends.
Spencer has had it very rough here in Germany. N, our 2nd exchange student, told us that school in Germany was much rougher than in the states. I didn't fully believe her, but I do now. One complication is that Spencer, of course, likes to fight back when people pick on him, and doesn't like to back down. This would otherwise be good, except that Spencer is not yet wise enough to know when to back down, and when to fight. He's a little short compared to the other boys, which also doesn't help his cause. And, on top of all that, Spencer was jumped by 5 kids shortly after joining his class in February of last year. Things have been rough since then, for us as parents, and of course, for Spencer. We are trying to pull out of the negative and look to the future and stay positive. One way to do that is to have Spencer play soccer (I believe this is thanks to A, our 1st exchange student).
When we went the first time, my goal was to look for the best player on the team, or one of the best players on the team and find a friend for Spencer, by inviting the boy over to dinner with his family. It took about two minutes to see which two players had the most respect. Then during the next 90 minutes I saw how the best and most respected player attacked Spencer and caused problems for him at every turn. Kicking the ball really hard instead of passing it, kick the ball at Spencer when he wasn't looking, tripping Spencer to get the ball away from him.
Afterwards I said, Spencer, be careful around that boy. He is dangerous and I thought we would invite the other boy over. I was a bit depressed, because I thought - here we go again. Spencer will be at such a disadvantage and not know how to find his way. I was heartbroken and unsure of how to proceed.
That night we read in the scriptures as a family. But before we started, we were all frustrated with each other and a bit in a bad mood. I looked around for someone to say the prayer. I knew I didn't feel like praying, and no one else was really ready either, we were all seething, except for my mother, who was still in town and helping with all of the work around the house. She said an amazing prayer. Pleading with the Lord for us, and mentioning all of the good things we do, and have done, and that the spirit of peace and love, the spirit of the Lord might be in our home. It was very comforting.
Short break for #13 on our month of February list
Ian is starting to get his molars. Every time Ian gets new teeth it is a major event. He is in so much pain with the teeth and wakes up every night for a few weeks. Then he goes back to being Ian again. I just finished hanging out with him for a while, gave him tylenol, a new diaper, a bottle and back to bed. He should sleep through now (it's about 10:30).
Back to the story. My mom's prayer really brought peace into the room, which was nice, and we started reading. We read the story about Ammon, a great story. And as we read I remembered that there were two brothers who went to preach the gospel to the Lamanites, Aaron and Ammon. Aaron had very little success because he went to normal everyday people in the land and tried to work with them. Ammon had great success. What he did is go right to the king and say I want to be a servant in your kingdom. Then he was the best servant in the court, even putting his own life in danger to defend the kings flocks. This impressed the king and he opened his heart to hear Ammon's words. Ammon's life was spared on several occasions and I felt great comfort as I read the following passage.
19:23 - Now we see that Ammon could not be slain, for the Lord had said unto Mosiah, his father: I will spare him, and it shall be unto him according to thy faith—therefore, Mosiah trusted him unto the Lord.After reading this passage I knew what we had to do - we have to go to the King of Fußball in Homberg. I told my wife, mother, and Spencer. We planned out a day, last Friday night with the family. When the family sat down I gave a little bit of an introduction. I told the boy what we did. That we looked for the players in the team who were leaders in the team. And, when I saw how much respect the other boys have for him, and that I knew Spencer would not succeed without him. It was a great moment. I think it was great for the boy as well. I hope it will be. He is also just a boy and who wouldn't love to hear that. Obviously, Spencer still has a long road, and lots to learn, but I think we have made a good start and I think Spencer is headed in the right direction. And that was especially important after we had had such a rough start a year ago.
All the best to you and especially to the two Elders. May the Lord watch over you and bless you.
Gardner
Friday, February 8, 2008
Tamara's surgery - all looks good
Hi All,
Here is a quick update on Tamara. I have been able to see her twice in the last two days and she is doing great. When I saw her on the first day she was much more spirited than I expected, both directly after the surgery and that evening. Today me and the older kids brought flowers. She looked very good today. She was dressed in normal clothes /normal pajamas and could move around a bit more. It looks like a great start.
On the home front all is going well, but mainly due to help from friends, neighbors, and the relief society, or women's organization, in our congregation. Every time I thought I couldn't go on, or was about to give up on something, they were there. Today I was uncertain about how to take the kids outside (because the weather was nice), finish Hannah's homework and get her off to a friend's house, give Ian something to eat, help Shantal make a cute dessert (which she has been dying to make), and like ten other things I needed to do. That is when brother and sister B. showed up. The husband said where is Spencer I've got a soccer ball for him, the wife started playing with the babies and feeding Ian. With Hannah out the door I got the babies ready and Spencer, brother B., the babies and I went to play some soccer. Emma was so happy to walk with brother B. to the soccer field. Spencer and brother B. had a great time, as did the babies. The babies were so cute in the muddy grass. It was a blast. That also gave Shantal some time to create a wonderful dessert. Hannah came back from a friends
That evening another sister brought in dinner and we had no worries. Wow, it was awesome. That is just one example of help from friends, neighbors, and members of our congregation. Naturally, one receives help often, but it moves one so much more powerfully in your moments of deepest need. I told the B. family that we shouldn't wait until Tamara gets sick again to get together. We could use their help more often. Our kids could use their help more often. I know Tamara could. They said the same thing. I hope that we will.
Thank you all for your prayers and thoughts. It was great to hear from so many about how they had experienced similar things and how life went on. My mother comes next week and I hope that Tamara's recovery will continue moving in a positive direction.
All the best,
Gardner
Here is a quick update on Tamara. I have been able to see her twice in the last two days and she is doing great. When I saw her on the first day she was much more spirited than I expected, both directly after the surgery and that evening. Today me and the older kids brought flowers. She looked very good today. She was dressed in normal clothes /normal pajamas and could move around a bit more. It looks like a great start.
On the home front all is going well, but mainly due to help from friends, neighbors, and the relief society, or women's organization, in our congregation. Every time I thought I couldn't go on, or was about to give up on something, they were there. Today I was uncertain about how to take the kids outside (because the weather was nice), finish Hannah's homework and get her off to a friend's house, give Ian something to eat, help Shantal make a cute dessert (which she has been dying to make), and like ten other things I needed to do. That is when brother and sister B. showed up. The husband said where is Spencer I've got a soccer ball for him, the wife started playing with the babies and feeding Ian. With Hannah out the door I got the babies ready and Spencer, brother B., the babies and I went to play some soccer. Emma was so happy to walk with brother B. to the soccer field. Spencer and brother B. had a great time, as did the babies. The babies were so cute in the muddy grass. It was a blast. That also gave Shantal some time to create a wonderful dessert. Hannah came back from a friends
That evening another sister brought in dinner and we had no worries. Wow, it was awesome. That is just one example of help from friends, neighbors, and members of our congregation. Naturally, one receives help often, but it moves one so much more powerfully in your moments of deepest need. I told the B. family that we shouldn't wait until Tamara gets sick again to get together. We could use their help more often. Our kids could use their help more often. I know Tamara could. They said the same thing. I hope that we will.
Thank you all for your prayers and thoughts. It was great to hear from so many about how they had experienced similar things and how life went on. My mother comes next week and I hope that Tamara's recovery will continue moving in a positive direction.
All the best,
Gardner
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
A Request
We have a challenging event ahead of us. Tamara will be heading to the hospital for a hysterectomy next week. Her tiredness had not completely gone away after taking iron and getting B12 shots and so the doctors looked a bit further. They asked about her periods and if there was a lot of bleeding. There has been. She was referred to a gynecologist. He said since we have all of our children, the best way to go is to have the hysterectomy, because otherwise the heavy bleeding would continue each month and the blood levels would always be down. Tamara wrote down all of the details on our blog.
Life has so many twists and turns, this is just the latest for us. It also quite a challenging time for me as I have had stomach problems as of late, causing me to miss a week of work a few weeks back. I have pain when my stomach becomes empty which indicates that I probably have ulcers in the duodenum, which is just below the stomach in the start of the intestines. I have to watch what types of food I eat, each 4-6 meals a day, and take anti-acid medication to reduce the acid build up at the end of each day. It's not overly fun, but the lack of pain is very nice. I will have to have an endoscopy in the next few weeks to see what to do next.
The announcement of the surgery seems to have come so fast that it is confusing at times. But, the speed has actually been a blessing. Work is relatively slow for me right now, plane tickets are relatively inexpensive which means that my mother is available to come and help with the kids, which will be a huge help and bring a great calm and reassuring spirit to the kids as well as help ease our burden. Our congregation, friends, and neighbors have also been a great help. They have offered to bring meals and take the kids to activities and let them play longer at their house. This is a huge help.
The kids have also been a great help. They are real pros at caring for the two babies. Spencer has postponed his soccer career by a few weeks until mom is back in shape to support him. Hannah is excited that grandma will be on this side of the pond for her birthday. I hope this will help mom regain some energy and strength. We sure realize how much we miss her at times like these. She is already making plans for farming out the kids a couple of times a week and on weekends. She is only replaceable by two - seven people. I should tell her that more often.
Please keep us in your hearts and prayers, especially this week.
Cheers,
Gardner
Life has so many twists and turns, this is just the latest for us. It also quite a challenging time for me as I have had stomach problems as of late, causing me to miss a week of work a few weeks back. I have pain when my stomach becomes empty which indicates that I probably have ulcers in the duodenum, which is just below the stomach in the start of the intestines. I have to watch what types of food I eat, each 4-6 meals a day, and take anti-acid medication to reduce the acid build up at the end of each day. It's not overly fun, but the lack of pain is very nice. I will have to have an endoscopy in the next few weeks to see what to do next.
The announcement of the surgery seems to have come so fast that it is confusing at times. But, the speed has actually been a blessing. Work is relatively slow for me right now, plane tickets are relatively inexpensive which means that my mother is available to come and help with the kids, which will be a huge help and bring a great calm and reassuring spirit to the kids as well as help ease our burden. Our congregation, friends, and neighbors have also been a great help. They have offered to bring meals and take the kids to activities and let them play longer at their house. This is a huge help.
The kids have also been a great help. They are real pros at caring for the two babies. Spencer has postponed his soccer career by a few weeks until mom is back in shape to support him. Hannah is excited that grandma will be on this side of the pond for her birthday. I hope this will help mom regain some energy and strength. We sure realize how much we miss her at times like these. She is already making plans for farming out the kids a couple of times a week and on weekends. She is only replaceable by two - seven people. I should tell her that more often.
Please keep us in your hearts and prayers, especially this week.
Cheers,
Gardner
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
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
From Tamara at 6 Months
>>>from Tamara
Well, it’s hard to know where to start since I don’t know who knows what about me and my family. I have a blog that I keep up regularly and don’t know who reads it and who does not. So if you read something you already know, I apologize.
So, we have been in Germany for 6 months now. Time has gone fast, or so it seems. The kids are all in the German Schools. I wish I could say they each enjoy it. But they don’t. I think Hannah is the one that likes it the most. Which, if you knew Hannah and school last year, it is kind of shocking to hear. She really has come a long way in these past 4 months that she has been in the school here. Shantal ended up being moved from the 3rd grade into the 2nd grade due to differences in the American School System. Too many things in America that we learn in the 3rd grade where Shantal had not learned them yet where they learn them here in the 1st or 2nd grades. Plus, she struggles more with German than the others. Spencer, who used to love school, really dreads going everyday. I don’t blame him at all. He gets beat up on more occasions than not at school. My heart brakes for him. The teachers have come up with a plan to help with this situation during the recess times, as that is when it tends to happen the most. And then I have resulted in dropping him off at school and picking up him as well. Too bad as we don’t live that far away and walking was such a great option. We all just keep praying that things will go better and these boys at the school will stop picking on him.
Gardner ’s work is going great. He really enjoys what he does. He has recently been working in Sweden during the weeks. He just told me the other night that he might also end up going to Poland . I just hope that at some point while we are living here, I can go with him on some of his business trips. He can work while I see some sites.
Emma is real vocal and active. She has learned sign language. She is starting to actually speak words as well. She is speaking both German and English words. It is fun to listen to her. The funny thing is, we understand her words just clear as can be. But anyone else who hears her wonders why she is trying to say. It is one of those things of being around her all the time I guess.
Ian is also changing a lot. He is crawling, pulling himself up on the couch and just today, climbed up 2 stairs. I can not believe he is old enough to do that already. He is always hungry and just last week we started him on real food versus baby food. He had had bread, bananas, mashed potatoes, cheerios and crackers. He does not sleep through the night yet, as I wish he would. He still gets up once or twice a night to eat. I am still breastfeeding him. I have tried to change him over to formula recently, but he would have none of it. He refused to eat it. So it looks like I will be his main source of eating still for awhile. I don’t mind. Just liked the flexibility with the other with all my running around I have on a daily basis. We also just moved Ian’s crib out of my room and into Spencer’s room. He has slept pretty good the last 3 nights he has been in there. I am happy about that. And Spencer is happy to have a roommate!
The weather here is crappy to say the least. Seems like it one continual rain fall. We did get some sunshine yesterday and I hope it sticks around awhile. The kids all have roller blades so we spent the day on roller blades and playing at the park. It is sure nice to get outside again.
I have not kept up my scrapbooking as much as I would have liked. Seems like I have lost the desire to actually sit down and accomplish some pages. I did make some thank you cards this last month. Fifteen of them. So I am using my scrap supplies. Just have not scrapped any pages. I think that part of my problem is that everything is up on the 3rd floor. And by the time I get up there, it is so late. But then again, if it were some place else, I would find another excuse as to why I am not scrapping. I just need a weekend to go and scrap. That always works for me.
We are planning to do a little traveling over Easter break. We are going to Hannover to visit Sibylle, our Au Pair from a few years ago. Then we will be going up to Hamburg to visit an old missionary companion of Gardner ’s. I’m looking forward to seeing some sites, including some castles!
Well, you can always get updates from our family and see pictures of the kids on my Living in Germany blog.
Email from family and friends are always nice - especially for the kids.
Hope everything is going good for you and your family. I’d love to hear from you when you have time!
Tamara
Well, it’s hard to know where to start since I don’t know who knows what about me and my family. I have a blog that I keep up regularly and don’t know who reads it and who does not. So if you read something you already know, I apologize.
So, we have been in Germany for 6 months now. Time has gone fast, or so it seems. The kids are all in the German Schools. I wish I could say they each enjoy it. But they don’t. I think Hannah is the one that likes it the most. Which, if you knew Hannah and school last year, it is kind of shocking to hear. She really has come a long way in these past 4 months that she has been in the school here. Shantal ended up being moved from the 3rd grade into the 2nd grade due to differences in the American School System. Too many things in America that we learn in the 3rd grade where Shantal had not learned them yet where they learn them here in the 1st or 2nd grades. Plus, she struggles more with German than the others. Spencer, who used to love school, really dreads going everyday. I don’t blame him at all. He gets beat up on more occasions than not at school. My heart brakes for him. The teachers have come up with a plan to help with this situation during the recess times, as that is when it tends to happen the most. And then I have resulted in dropping him off at school and picking up him as well. Too bad as we don’t live that far away and walking was such a great option. We all just keep praying that things will go better and these boys at the school will stop picking on him.
Gardner ’s work is going great. He really enjoys what he does. He has recently been working in Sweden during the weeks. He just told me the other night that he might also end up going to Poland . I just hope that at some point while we are living here, I can go with him on some of his business trips. He can work while I see some sites.
Emma is real vocal and active. She has learned sign language. She is starting to actually speak words as well. She is speaking both German and English words. It is fun to listen to her. The funny thing is, we understand her words just clear as can be. But anyone else who hears her wonders why she is trying to say. It is one of those things of being around her all the time I guess.
Ian is also changing a lot. He is crawling, pulling himself up on the couch and just today, climbed up 2 stairs. I can not believe he is old enough to do that already. He is always hungry and just last week we started him on real food versus baby food. He had had bread, bananas, mashed potatoes, cheerios and crackers. He does not sleep through the night yet, as I wish he would. He still gets up once or twice a night to eat. I am still breastfeeding him. I have tried to change him over to formula recently, but he would have none of it. He refused to eat it. So it looks like I will be his main source of eating still for awhile. I don’t mind. Just liked the flexibility with the other with all my running around I have on a daily basis. We also just moved Ian’s crib out of my room and into Spencer’s room. He has slept pretty good the last 3 nights he has been in there. I am happy about that. And Spencer is happy to have a roommate!
The weather here is crappy to say the least. Seems like it one continual rain fall. We did get some sunshine yesterday and I hope it sticks around awhile. The kids all have roller blades so we spent the day on roller blades and playing at the park. It is sure nice to get outside again.
I have not kept up my scrapbooking as much as I would have liked. Seems like I have lost the desire to actually sit down and accomplish some pages. I did make some thank you cards this last month. Fifteen of them. So I am using my scrap supplies. Just have not scrapped any pages. I think that part of my problem is that everything is up on the 3rd floor. And by the time I get up there, it is so late. But then again, if it were some place else, I would find another excuse as to why I am not scrapping. I just need a weekend to go and scrap. That always works for me.
We are planning to do a little traveling over Easter break. We are going to Hannover to visit Sibylle, our Au Pair from a few years ago. Then we will be going up to Hamburg to visit an old missionary companion of Gardner ’s. I’m looking forward to seeing some sites, including some castles!
Well, you can always get updates from our family and see pictures of the kids on my Living in Germany blog.
Email from family and friends are always nice - especially for the kids.
Hope everything is going good for you and your family. I’d love to hear from you when you have time!
Tamara
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.
Monday, January 22, 2007
A Crazy Two Months
These last two months have been insane. All things seemed to converge at once. Just as one thing was starting to settle such as the paperwork for our new house (coordinating deposits, payments to the Rental Agent Company, getting registered with the city, etc.), the paperwork and documents for our new car ramped up it's intensity. As these storm began to ebb slightly a three week ordeal with port authorities in the Netherlands began, which is an entire story unto itself. I will only mention here that authorities searched our goods for about 7 hours and only by the grace of God did they stop searching and release our goods with no duties and in time for our move-in date. The authorities found some new clothes for Ian and some boxes of "unopened" cereal at about 4 hours in and decided to continue the search on another day.
This hectic time was naturally followed by moving in. Moving in is always a bit insane and after the third or fourth day of way too many boxes you always want to pull your hair out. For us, this normal mess was further complicated by three items: 1) the long time between packing our goods (May, June) and our move in date --> November 30th, 2) my work schedule which went from about 9 hours away from home to about 11 or 12 hours away from home just after our move-in, and 3) Christmas.
Christmas deserves an explanation. I love Christmas, but with the other two items, having three different Christmas parties for the kids on three different days, a congregation Christmas party on a fourth day, along with all of the usual preparations around the house, I felt like a bit of a scrooge. All events were amazing, but since I generally just wanted to fall over and even missed two of the kids Christmas parties due to work, it seemed only to add to the stress for me.
This brings me to my main point of this entry. I don't think we would have made it as a family if it weren't for our little Ian. You might think that a baby would add so much stress to the move that it would have been unbearable, but just the opposite was the case with Ian. When everything else was falling apart there was Ian needing some cereal in a bottle or needing to feed from mom. Those quiet moments brought a peace that we couldn't find all around us and brought us back to the core of why we are here on earth at all - to care for each other.
On top of that blessing, Ian is an amazingly happy child. He is always glad to see people. The nice moms and Grandmothers in our congregation who naturally say Hi to babies including Ian each Sunday, always stay and talk to Ian because he is so friendly. He lights up and smiles almost every time someone talks to him. He has done the same for our other children and for us. Everyone enjoys taking care of Ian. It is relaxing and enjoyable to be around him. Naturally he cries when he is hungry or uncomfortable, and the nursing is very hard on Tamara, but on the whole he has been a huge blessing during this move.
I will keep this short and wish all a happy new year. Thank you for your support and prayers.
For more details regarding the day to day events of our lives here in Germany, i.e., the real story, please check out Tamara's Blog. She has some great stuff, including photos, posted at this site: http://tamaraingermany.blogspot.com/
This hectic time was naturally followed by moving in. Moving in is always a bit insane and after the third or fourth day of way too many boxes you always want to pull your hair out. For us, this normal mess was further complicated by three items: 1) the long time between packing our goods (May, June) and our move in date --> November 30th, 2) my work schedule which went from about 9 hours away from home to about 11 or 12 hours away from home just after our move-in, and 3) Christmas.
Christmas deserves an explanation. I love Christmas, but with the other two items, having three different Christmas parties for the kids on three different days, a congregation Christmas party on a fourth day, along with all of the usual preparations around the house, I felt like a bit of a scrooge. All events were amazing, but since I generally just wanted to fall over and even missed two of the kids Christmas parties due to work, it seemed only to add to the stress for me.
This brings me to my main point of this entry. I don't think we would have made it as a family if it weren't for our little Ian. You might think that a baby would add so much stress to the move that it would have been unbearable, but just the opposite was the case with Ian. When everything else was falling apart there was Ian needing some cereal in a bottle or needing to feed from mom. Those quiet moments brought a peace that we couldn't find all around us and brought us back to the core of why we are here on earth at all - to care for each other.
On top of that blessing, Ian is an amazingly happy child. He is always glad to see people. The nice moms and Grandmothers in our congregation who naturally say Hi to babies including Ian each Sunday, always stay and talk to Ian because he is so friendly. He lights up and smiles almost every time someone talks to him. He has done the same for our other children and for us. Everyone enjoys taking care of Ian. It is relaxing and enjoyable to be around him. Naturally he cries when he is hungry or uncomfortable, and the nursing is very hard on Tamara, but on the whole he has been a huge blessing during this move.
I will keep this short and wish all a happy new year. Thank you for your support and prayers.
For more details regarding the day to day events of our lives here in Germany, i.e., the real story, please check out Tamara's Blog. She has some great stuff, including photos, posted at this site: http://tamaraingermany.blogspot.com/
Friday, December 22, 2006
Funny German Phrase about Going to the Dentist
>>>>sent to my father, a dentist. I learned the phrase from some colleagues after going to the dentist for the first time in Germany.
German Phrase:
Mama, Mama, Mama! Der Zahnarzt hat gar nicht gebohrt!!! Der hat gleich gezogen.
English Translation:
Mom, Mom, Mom! The dentist didn't do any drilling, he just pulled the tooth instead.
German Phrase:
Mama, Mama, Mama! Der Zahnarzt hat gar nicht gebohrt!!! Der hat gleich gezogen.
English Translation:
Mom, Mom, Mom! The dentist didn't do any drilling, he just pulled the tooth instead.
Sunday, December 17, 2006
BYU vs. Utah Follow-up
Yeah, that was an awesome ending. I could hardly believe it. I was totally wishing we were together for a huge party. A party at Bishop Nelson's would have been even better! ;- )
Well it's rainy and cold, or just cold here. When it stops raining, I'm so happy and don't care how cold it is though. Life is good here, pretty normal, which is the craziest part. Spencer got in a fight at school today. Two kids jumped him and he held his own. I guess that's good (that it took two kids). Then he had a Christmas party this afternoon. Work is crazy busy getting ready for testing that is supposed to begin tomorrow and I'm talking in German various forms of English (Swedish, German) all day. Shantal hates school and homework and fights with Tamara everyday about it. Tamara is stressed out about kids, household, cooking, etc. Hannah and Emma are sick. Ian has some reflux thing, so he spits up pretty much all the time, but he smiles all the time too. It's pretty much the standard day to day problems, but they seem a bit more overwhelming here.
I'll try to write more later. I have to run to choir. I was just setting up the internet here at home.
If you have a cheap calling method like Skype or something, Tamara would love to hear from your wives of course and it would be cool to talk as well.
Cheers,
Gardner
Well it's rainy and cold, or just cold here. When it stops raining, I'm so happy and don't care how cold it is though. Life is good here, pretty normal, which is the craziest part. Spencer got in a fight at school today. Two kids jumped him and he held his own. I guess that's good (that it took two kids). Then he had a Christmas party this afternoon. Work is crazy busy getting ready for testing that is supposed to begin tomorrow and I'm talking in German various forms of English (Swedish, German) all day. Shantal hates school and homework and fights with Tamara everyday about it. Tamara is stressed out about kids, household, cooking, etc. Hannah and Emma are sick. Ian has some reflux thing, so he spits up pretty much all the time, but he smiles all the time too. It's pretty much the standard day to day problems, but they seem a bit more overwhelming here.
I'll try to write more later. I have to run to choir. I was just setting up the internet here at home.
If you have a cheap calling method like Skype or something, Tamara would love to hear from your wives of course and it would be cool to talk as well.
Cheers,
Gardner
Thursday, December 14, 2006
BYU vs. Utah
Wow, I just watched the BYU - Utah game last night - my dad sent it over on DVD. That was awesome. I knew BYU was victorious and that it was a close game, but I didn't know the details, so it was still fun to watch.
I remember saying Harline is the rock after he made that acrobatic catch early in the 2nd half. Then he made that sweet grab to win the game . . . amazing. He was all alone over there and Beck got him the ball, and he caught it. I wondered what was going through his mind when the ball was in the air.
Who do they play in the Bowl Game and what are they ranked? We still don't have internet at home and work is pretty crazy - testing begins on tomorrow.
Take Care fellas,
Gardner
I remember saying Harline is the rock after he made that acrobatic catch early in the 2nd half. Then he made that sweet grab to win the game . . . amazing. He was all alone over there and Beck got him the ball, and he caught it. I wondered what was going through his mind when the ball was in the air.
Who do they play in the Bowl Game and what are they ranked? We still don't have internet at home and work is pretty crazy - testing begins on tomorrow.
Take Care fellas,
Gardner
Monday, November 20, 2006
Letter to Customs via Moving Company
Mr. Monfils,
I am writing to request reconsideration of the customs officials, to release our goods.
The officials searched through our belongings for 5 hours at a very high cost and found two items that should be taxed:
- cold cereal in unopened boxes (my wife generally buys cereal ahead of time whenever it is on sale, so we always have a stock of 20 boxes or so on hand)
- new children's clothing (these items were gifts that we received from friends in May for our newborn son who was at that time not yet born - he was born 31 Aug 2006. Or, clothes that my wife bought last spring for this winter)
Both items are a normal part of taking care of a family with five children.
If we should be taxed, then tax us, but release our goods so that our family can live in our house with our goods. As of the 29th of of November we will be living in a house that is completely empty and we will be sleeping on the floor. Additionally, we will be living with no pots, pans, plates, glasses, beds, blankets, etc.
Please note to customs officials, that this extreme inconvenience for two items, comes after six months of living without our household goods - because, it should be noted, that we moved out of our house in the USA at the end of May/beginning of June - just about six months ago. We moved out of our house at that time because we were originally planning on moving this summer, but did not because the German health insurance companies said that due to my wife's "pre-existing condition" of being pregnant she would not be accepted by a health insurance company and therefore would have to pay for the entire cost of the pregnancy. We stayed in the US until our son was born.
But that does not change the fact that in May/June, my wife and children moved across the country to Utah to live with my In-laws and I moved in with friends in Wisconsin, and our household goods moved into storage. So for just about six months now our goods have been in storage in Wisconsin, or in storage on a ship, or in storage in the Netherlands. So, technically speaking everything we own has been in our possession for at least six months. Nothing that we own is new anymore, because even if it was new when we packed our household in May/June (like the gifts of baby clothing), it is no longer new, we have owned it now for at least six months.
Gardner
I am writing to request reconsideration of the customs officials, to release our goods.
The officials searched through our belongings for 5 hours at a very high cost and found two items that should be taxed:
- cold cereal in unopened boxes (my wife generally buys cereal ahead of time whenever it is on sale, so we always have a stock of 20 boxes or so on hand)
- new children's clothing (these items were gifts that we received from friends in May for our newborn son who was at that time not yet born - he was born 31 Aug 2006. Or, clothes that my wife bought last spring for this winter)
Both items are a normal part of taking care of a family with five children.
If we should be taxed, then tax us, but release our goods so that our family can live in our house with our goods. As of the 29th of of November we will be living in a house that is completely empty and we will be sleeping on the floor. Additionally, we will be living with no pots, pans, plates, glasses, beds, blankets, etc.
Please note to customs officials, that this extreme inconvenience for two items, comes after six months of living without our household goods - because, it should be noted, that we moved out of our house in the USA at the end of May/beginning of June - just about six months ago. We moved out of our house at that time because we were originally planning on moving this summer, but did not because the German health insurance companies said that due to my wife's "pre-existing condition" of being pregnant she would not be accepted by a health insurance company and therefore would have to pay for the entire cost of the pregnancy. We stayed in the US until our son was born.
But that does not change the fact that in May/June, my wife and children moved across the country to Utah to live with my In-laws and I moved in with friends in Wisconsin, and our household goods moved into storage. So for just about six months now our goods have been in storage in Wisconsin, or in storage on a ship, or in storage in the Netherlands. So, technically speaking everything we own has been in our possession for at least six months. Nothing that we own is new anymore, because even if it was new when we packed our household in May/June (like the gifts of baby clothing), it is no longer new, we have owned it now for at least six months.
Gardner
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
A Quick Update After 7 Weeks
Here is a quick update on our lives here in Germany. There is so much to tell of course and so little time. It seems that a year or so has passed since we left the United States, and we've only been here about seven weeks (since 22nd of September). Without internet access at our house, we are somewhat limited in communication. All the emails you have sent have been appreciated though. I've shared them with my wife and kids and it has been nice.
The first big update is that we have found a permanent house!!!
The house is extremely nice - there is a yard in the back with an apple tree with great apples and there is a large patio. It is a Row house or Townhouse and the couple who owns the house and will rent to us are very nice people and have been wonderful to work with.
The wife said she was a bit nervous to take on a family with 5 children and it required a lot of courage on her part. Because, for instance, if we, or our children, cause problems in the neighborhood, the neighbors complain to her and she must take on that responsibility. She was not sure she was making the right choice until she found out that we are Mormons. Then she felt at ease with her decision. She said that Mormons generally work hard to raise good children and are upstanding people. The wife was an exchange student in Southern California and was very good friends with a Mormon family there. I guess we came with good references. That was a huge blessing for us.
The house is in a little village called Ratingen-Homberg, which is just north of Düsseldorf. The children can walk to school for the next two or three years and I can take a bus/train to work. There are many farms in that area - even some cows like back in Wisconsin, but we are not too far from the cities of Ratingen and Düsseldorf, which have shopping, groceries, etc.
I have been assigned to a project at work. I am working at a company called Tele2 (Swedish, with business in several EU countries, including germany). They are a phone company that is working on some adding some internet offerings. I am testing software that will support ordering the new internet products in Germany. Since the development and much of the project management/coordination takes place in Sweden, I have travelled to Sweden once already. I may go again, but infrequently if at all. I was there for two nights and it was pretty weird at the end of the trip to say to myself - "I'm now going home to Düsseldorf, Germany."
The kids (Shantal & Spencer) have been placed in a grade school down the street from our current apartment in Düsseldorf-Derendorf. The school had limited space and so both children were placed in the same class together - 2nd grade with Mrs. Lehnen. Normally Shantal is in the 3rd grade and Spencer is in the 2nd grade. This has worked out for a good start to their German schooling and their German language experience. Tonight for instance the kids just kept speaking German to me all night. It's still quite a shock. I still think their German will be better than mine in about six months, at least regarding their accent, and ability to speak freely, etc.
We will move out of our furnished apartment in Düsseldorf at the end of November (lease ends then). We can move into our new unfurnished house in Ratingen-Homberg as of the 15th of November. We hope that the Customs Officials in the Netherlands have blessed our furniture and allowed it to pass through customs by the 30th of November so that we will have furniture once we move in. Otherwise we will have to sleep on air mattresses and borrow some dishes.
Our adventure continues in many ways. We must transfer the kids to the new school in Homberg, look for a pre-school for Hannah, find several items for the new house, lights, throw rugs, and most importantly - electric appliances - especially the big ones as it is not practical to bring over the 110W appliances from america. The owners were kind enough to provide a fridge and dishwasher and the house had a stove and and several closets, but there are several items still on the list. Not to mention that work is a bit busy right now ramping up to testing, so my days are long and not too flexible there. We'll just have to keep going for now.
The little kids are doing well too. They are pretty happy with very little. Food, sleep, clean daipers, and love. Emma likes to run around a bit of course and loves being outside - Ian doesn't run much yet. He smiles a lot though and it's amazing how great you feel when he smiles at you. Your wouldn't think that someone smiling at you with slobber and spitup running down their face would move you so much, but it does.
And of course, Tamara is amazing. She has continued to coordinate things very well here. We have a schedule and the kids get their homework done everynight, and laundry gets done, and we are all eating. It's phenomenal really.
The first big update is that we have found a permanent house!!!
The house is extremely nice - there is a yard in the back with an apple tree with great apples and there is a large patio. It is a Row house or Townhouse and the couple who owns the house and will rent to us are very nice people and have been wonderful to work with.
The wife said she was a bit nervous to take on a family with 5 children and it required a lot of courage on her part. Because, for instance, if we, or our children, cause problems in the neighborhood, the neighbors complain to her and she must take on that responsibility. She was not sure she was making the right choice until she found out that we are Mormons. Then she felt at ease with her decision. She said that Mormons generally work hard to raise good children and are upstanding people. The wife was an exchange student in Southern California and was very good friends with a Mormon family there. I guess we came with good references. That was a huge blessing for us.
The house is in a little village called Ratingen-Homberg, which is just north of Düsseldorf. The children can walk to school for the next two or three years and I can take a bus/train to work. There are many farms in that area - even some cows like back in Wisconsin, but we are not too far from the cities of Ratingen and Düsseldorf, which have shopping, groceries, etc.
I have been assigned to a project at work. I am working at a company called Tele2 (Swedish, with business in several EU countries, including germany). They are a phone company that is working on some adding some internet offerings. I am testing software that will support ordering the new internet products in Germany. Since the development and much of the project management/coordination takes place in Sweden, I have travelled to Sweden once already. I may go again, but infrequently if at all. I was there for two nights and it was pretty weird at the end of the trip to say to myself - "I'm now going home to Düsseldorf, Germany."
The kids (Shantal & Spencer) have been placed in a grade school down the street from our current apartment in Düsseldorf-Derendorf. The school had limited space and so both children were placed in the same class together - 2nd grade with Mrs. Lehnen. Normally Shantal is in the 3rd grade and Spencer is in the 2nd grade. This has worked out for a good start to their German schooling and their German language experience. Tonight for instance the kids just kept speaking German to me all night. It's still quite a shock. I still think their German will be better than mine in about six months, at least regarding their accent, and ability to speak freely, etc.
We will move out of our furnished apartment in Düsseldorf at the end of November (lease ends then). We can move into our new unfurnished house in Ratingen-Homberg as of the 15th of November. We hope that the Customs Officials in the Netherlands have blessed our furniture and allowed it to pass through customs by the 30th of November so that we will have furniture once we move in. Otherwise we will have to sleep on air mattresses and borrow some dishes.
Our adventure continues in many ways. We must transfer the kids to the new school in Homberg, look for a pre-school for Hannah, find several items for the new house, lights, throw rugs, and most importantly - electric appliances - especially the big ones as it is not practical to bring over the 110W appliances from america. The owners were kind enough to provide a fridge and dishwasher and the house had a stove and and several closets, but there are several items still on the list. Not to mention that work is a bit busy right now ramping up to testing, so my days are long and not too flexible there. We'll just have to keep going for now.
The little kids are doing well too. They are pretty happy with very little. Food, sleep, clean daipers, and love. Emma likes to run around a bit of course and loves being outside - Ian doesn't run much yet. He smiles a lot though and it's amazing how great you feel when he smiles at you. Your wouldn't think that someone smiling at you with slobber and spitup running down their face would move you so much, but it does.
And of course, Tamara is amazing. She has continued to coordinate things very well here. We have a schedule and the kids get their homework done everynight, and laundry gets done, and we are all eating. It's phenomenal really.
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