A Georgia Girl in Germany

We’re on week one of a new experiment in the Cook household: everyone age 10 and older is responsible for cooking supper one night a week. Of course, while lenient with food selections I retain parent’s prerogative and can wield ultimate veto power. MacKenzie took a turn Monday night, and opted for chocolate-chip pancakes. I can agree to this sweet-but-good breakfast-for-supper on occasion, but won’t approve it every week.

MacKenzie made the batter (and Benjamin helped stir it), got the hang of pouring it into the pan, added chocolate-chips to the cooking pancakes (without being overly generous) and even flipped them better than me at times.

They turned out delicious, and MacKenzie was proud that she chose and cooked the evening’s meal.

Benjamin even joined in by setting the table. He’s been reluctant to do so at times, but he’s slowly making progress and helping at suppertime more often.

Thursday evening, I went out to dinner with some co-workers and two visiting Polish Public Affairs officers, so Zachary had the helm in the kitchen. His menu of choice: angel hair pasta with Ragu sauce. He had it cooked and on the table before I had to leave since I didn’t want to leave the house before he was done cooking. I kinda like this idea!

Labels: Benjamin, Cooking, MacKenzie

“Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”
--Matthew 11:28

Emma has been very weary lately.

Early this morning, while at Disney World courtesy of the Make-A-Wish Foundation and after four surgeries, weeks and weeks on 7 or 8 different types of chemotherapy, a bone marrow transplant, radiation and all the ideas of the best medical minds focused on pediatric cancer, Emma Therese Jordon traded her feeding tube and central line for angel wings.

Please keep Stephen, Elena, William, Zachary, Samuel and the rest of the Jordon family in your thoughts and prayers as they grieve and their hearts ache over their loss -- and Heaven’s welcoming -- of their dear Emma.

Labels: Pam's thoughts

I remember how much fun my brother and I had playing with empty moving boxes every few years. The best times were when we moved to Springfield, Va., and Doylestown, Pa., since we had huge basements in those houses where we could create massive box mazes. So, I figured it would be just as fun for my kiddos to have their own experiences with moving boxes.

Unfortunately, we don’t have a basement, but we do have a loft playroom. So, most of the larger boxes found their way upstairs as they were unpacked. Egads, we have a lot of boxes!

Of course, the #1 favorite thing to do with the boxes is to crawl inside them. Zachary’s the primary architect, and often would inspect the seams when he crawled through them.

Benjamin is the quickest one through the boxes -- I barely snapped this photo before he rounded the corner.

Here comes MacKenzie after navigating her way through one of the two tunnels.

MacKenzie also enjoys playing school with her Webkinz animals. She lined them up in order of age (how long she’s had them), then also spent time “one floor below” during class.



Zachary tried to hide when he saw me set up for this photo. Doing so has almost become a game in and of itself with him.

MacKenzie’s doing a good “Kilroy was here” impersonation -- minus her nose sticking over the edge of the box.

Can't you hear the “Brady Bunch” theme song when you see this photo? I can!

More maintenance required on the tunnels!

MacKenzie even made a television set. Afterward, she crawled back under her Webkinz animals, and they all watched TV for a while. (BTW, we still don’t have TV connected here, and I’m kinda liking it!)

Benjamin often does his own thing -- with or without the boxes. Lincoln Logs are a hit!

Hmmm...I don’t think Zachary saw Benjamin create this hole in one of the tunnels.

I originally told the kids that the boxes would have to go out tomorrow with the cardboard recycles...then I checked the recycle schedule and discovered that cardboard and paper is picked up only once a month. That means they have another two weeks of fun with the boxes. As much fun as they're having with them, I’ll be glad when the boxes are gone and we can really start organizing the playroom! All in due time, I suppose.

Labels: Benjamin, MacKenzie, Zachary

Zachary and Mackenzie are getting back into scouting now that the school year has started. The weekend after school started, MacKenzie’s new Girl Scout troop went on a Volksmarch. They’re working on earning the Volksmarching activity patch, and this was their first march as a troop.

We went to the village of St. Julian, less than an hour away, and walked through the countryside. We had lovely views during the entire 6-kilometer march. We started by walking up a hill (ugh!) and had a nice view of the valley below, then winded our way back down, along paths lined with apple trees, raspberry bushes and bales of hay.

MacKenzie picked flowers for her and me to wear behind our ears. I don’t know why she glares at me like this when I take her photo.

We even passed several turkeys. They were interesting -- there was a definite leader. Whenever he’d start gobbling, the others would chime in...but they wouldn’t make a sound until the leader did. They look like they’ll be ready in time for Thanksgiving, although I’m not sure if that’s what the German farmer has in mind.

We opted for the shorter variation of the march (six kilometers instead of 10 or 20), but MacKenzie was still tired out by the time we headed home.

Next Volksmarch: Oct. 25 in Kindsbach.

Labels: Germany, Girl Scouts, MacKenzie

Benjamin has been begging to watch a movie lately, but with the amount of homework Zachary and MacKenzie have had it hasn’t happened yet (it would be too distracting). Friday night, he began asking again, and I had to chuckle at the ensuing dialog.

Benjamin: “Mommy, can we watch a movie this night?”

MacKenzie: “But you haven’t been good.”

Benjamin: “Then we’ll NEVER get to watch a movie!”

Yes, Benjamin had a few not-so-stellar moments this past week, and I had to chuckle at MacKenzie’s astute observation and his reply. Hopefully the homework beasts will subside and Benjamin’s attitude will improve so we can cuddle and watch a movie soon. I think we all would enjoy it!

Labels: Benjamin

It’s hard to believe yesterday was the three-year anniversary of when we first arrived in Germany. Yes, I’d been to Germany before (a month at Rhein-Main supporting Operation Joint Endeavor in 1996, and a week at Ramstein en route to Southwest Asia for Operation Enduring Freedom in 2001), but living in Germany is so very different from simply visiting.

We’ve come a long way in the past three years! I can still remember feeling very overwhelmed moving across the Atlantic (and seven time zones) solo with three kids (ages 9½, 7 and 2!) and 18 pieces of luggage (9 carry-on and 9 checked). It didn’t take long for us to get settled and to start exploring our host country as well as neighboring countries. To recap, we’ve visited many places within Germany as well as Italy, France, Luxembourg, Belgium, the Vatican, England, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and the Netherlands. I’ve also snuck in solo trips to Scotland (well, a few flight layovers), Iceland, Czech Republic, Poland, Russia, Slovenia, and Israel. I haven’t decided what will be next on our travel itinerary, but am slowly starting to narrow down our travel wish-list.

I don’t think I’d trade any of our experiences during the past three years! Sure, we’ve had our ups and downs, but overall the experiences have been wonderful. I’m also very thankful that we’ll have another three years to explore Europe. As always, our home is open for visitors -- just let me know, and we’ll gladly host you!

Labels: Germany, Travel

Nana and Papa’s garden is teeming full of tomatoes. Nor surprise when they have more than 50 plants of multiple varieties. Zachary was in seventh heaven, and munched on many of them for a morning, midday or evening snack. However, it was impossible to eat everything that came from the garden. So, Zachary got to help juice the extras one evening for tomato juice. Nana and Papa will be well-stocked with canned tomatoes and tomato juice to last the upcoming year.

He did pretty well and didn’t need much help or guidance from Papa. MacKenzie didn’t want to get in on this action -- she was too busy eating freshly-boiled peanuts. My vote’s with her on that choice!

One afternoon, Benjamin saw a bowl of pear tomatoes sitting on the counter and commented that there were a lot. Then he added that there were even three “really big ones.” I looked in the bowl trying to see which ones he was talking about.

He turned around and pointed to three yellow squash sitting on the counter behind him. Yup – squash and pear tomatoes are similarly shaped! What an astute observation!

I think all the fun finally wore Benjamin out! While the rest of us were trying to gather our gear to pack back up for our return flight to Germany the next morning, Benjamin found a comfy spot to settle down -- and soon fell asleep. Fortunately, he adjusted to the time change back in Germany with relative ease -- I’m not sure if it was jetlag or simply being on the go so much that threw him for a loop in the evenings. At least his body knows when it’s time to go to sleep and he doesn’t fight it too much.

Labels: Benjamin, MacKenzie, Nana and Papa, Stateside visits, Zachary

Nana has many hobbies, but her favorites seem to be gardening, rubber-stamping, sewing and quilting. Every now and then, Nana will send the kids a seasonal-themed pillow case -- filled with love -- for their beds. So, it was no surprise when MacKenzie asked Nana to show her how to make them...necessitating a trip to the local fabric store to pick out appropriate fabric.

After washing and cutting the fabric, Nana showed MacKenzie how to pin the pieces together and she mastered the technique magnificently.

After successfully completing her first masterpiece, Zachary decided he wanted a specially-made pillowcase. So, they went off to the fabric store once again. This time, however, the proprietor showed them another technique to make the pillowcases without any rough seams. Of course, they had to give this new method a try.

Yes, the new method worked! No rough seams inside Zachary’s new pillowcase. I love how this photo captures everyone doing what they enjoy -- Nana and MacKenzie sewing, Zachary and Benjamin playing on the computer, and me behind the camera.

MacKenzie easily mastered Nana’s sewing machine -- often with the help of her tongue gracing her top lip. I guess that move helps improve concentration!

MacKenzie has a good eye for coordinating fabrics, and would have raided Nana’s fabric project closet to make even more pillowcases as long as someone even hinted that they wanted one. (Notice Zachary and Benjamin still at the computer!?!!)

In only a matter of hours (and with supper thrown in the midst of the evening), MacKenzie had knocked out five new pillowcases, in addition to the two that she made earlier in the week. Two of them are even miniature pillowcases for her American Girl “Kenzie.” She found those fabrics in Nana’s scraps and cut them freehand. They turned out just as nice as the larger varieties!Net production: three pillowcases for her, one each for Zachary and me, and two miniatures for Kenzie.

Labels: Benjamin, MacKenzie, Nana and Papa, Stateside visits, Zachary

Nana and Papa spend quite a bit of time tending to their garden, and this year they added pumpkins, sunflowers and a teepee to their repertoire. Nana liked creating a hideout for the kids at the far end of the plot. Benjamin liked being able to quickly disappear in the hideout.

Nana even had to join him in the teepee and helped him smell the flowers that the vines produce. I think she’ll try to coax an even taller teepee out of the vines next year since this one was a bit too short for her.

Labels: Benjamin, Nana and Papa, Stateside visits

I don't know how many of you have followed the link at the right to Emma Jordan's CaringBridge page, but if you haven't visited it lately you may not know that Emma is losing her battle against cancer (which began a year-and-a-half ago with a Wilm's tumor, a rare form of childhood kidney cancer that afflicts approximately 500 children a year). Her parents' journal entry on the site Aug. 27 gave an indication of such, and I was hoping and praying that she could beat this horrible disease. But her parents' words, "Though our spirits have sagged at times as we have lost sight of the end for now, we know that God is with us in bringing our angel on earth peace and comfort," were very difficult to read and gave insight into what they've been dealing with lately.

Monday's post (which I saw Tuesday with the time-zone difference) is even more heart-wrenching with talk of recent highs (Emma's 7th birthday and her Holy Confirmation) to the deepest lows (taking her off any and all chemo and talk of hospice care). Please keep Emma and her family in your thoughts and prayers as they navigate the rough waters ahead.

Also, September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and I know that the Jordans have been very active in engaging Congress and others to help fund research to find a cure for childhood cancer. Check out these stats...

• Every day 46 children in this country will be diagnosed with cancer. That's two classrooms full. This number increases 1% every year.
• Every four hours a child will die from pediatric cancer.
• The average age of a child being diagnosed is 6, the average age for an adult is 66.
• Cancer is the number one cause of death by disease for children. It kills more children than asthma, diabetes, cystic fibrosis, congenital anomalies and pediatric AIDS combined.
• Pediatric cancer is cured about 75% of the time.
• It has been 20 years since any new pediatric cancer drug has been approved.
• Currently there are between 30,000 to 40,000 children being treated for cancer.
• Only about 20% of adults with cancer show evidence that the disease has spread to distant sites on the body at diagnosis, yet 80% of children are diagnosed with advanced disease.
• By 2010 one in every 200 teens and adolescents will be a cancer survivor.
• Most children are treated with smaller doses of adult drugs.
• Three out of every five children who survive cancer will be diagnosed with another cancer, a chronic illness or another life-threatening illness before they are adults.
• This year for the first time ever a day has been designated as "National Childhood Cancer Awareness Day," Sept. 13.
• If you are interested in donating to Wilm's research, you can donate through Curesearch by clicking on this link: http://www.curesearch.org/wilmstumor and scrolling down the page to "Fund the Cure" then clicking on "Donate Now." Following these steps will ensure that your donation is directed to the Wilms Initiative.

Please pray for Emma and her family during the days ahead.

Labels: Pam's thoughts

The future of our nation is forever bound up in the development of air power.
-- Col. William “Billy” Mitchell, air power visionary

We better be prepared to dominate the skies above the surface of the earth or be prepared to be buried beneath it.
-- Gen. Carl A. “Tooey” Spaatz, first Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force

Soldiers can walk the battlefields where they once fought and Marines can walk the beaches they once stormed, but airmen cannot visit the patches of sky across where they raced while defending our country’s freedoms. As such, the U.S. Air Force Memorial was built as a place to honor those who served in the Air Force and its predecessor organizations. Construction began in February 2006 and was completed seven months later, with the memorial’s dedication in September 2006.

I’m sure many people know that the U.S. Army Air Corps and U.S. Army Air Forces preceded the creation of the U.S. Air Force, but there were several additional units that led to the path of U.S. air dominance: the Aeronautical Division of the U.S. Army Signal Corps was created in 1907, followed by the Aviation Section of the U.S. Army Signal Corps (1914), the Division of Military Aeronautics, Secretary of War (for four days in 1918), and the U.S. Army Air Service (1918). The U.S. Army Air Corps was created in 1926, followed by the U.S. Army Air Forces in 1941, and the latter fought in campaigns from Asia and the Pacific to Europe and Africa before giving way to the U.S. Air Force -- which celebrates its 61st anniversary next week on Sept. 18.

Here’s my favorite Airman -- my dad, retired Brig. Gen. Michael Quarnaccio and recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross for a mission he flew in Vietnam (which he is rather humble about when describing it). Notice that more than 10 years after he retired, he’s still wearing the Air Force logo on his shirt as well as an Air Force Association hat with the “Hap Arnold” wings.

The three spires of the memorial are designed to evoke the image of the Air Force Thunderbirds’ contrails as they peel back in the “bomb burst” maneuver. The Thunderbirds perform this maneuver with four jets, but the fourth spire is absent here to represent the Missing Man Formation traditionally flown at Air Force funeral fly-overs.

The west entrance to the memorial includes bronze Honor Guard statues standing watch over the memorial on Fort Myer, just south of Arlington National Cemetery. The south wall behind the Honor Guard details the combat campaigns of the U.S. Air Force and its predecessors as well as the service’s core values of “integrity first, service before self, and excellence in all we do.” The north wall bears the names of the Air Force recipients of the Medal of Honor -- from World War I, World War II, Korea and Vietnam, as well as two peacetime recipients.

MacKenzie and Benjamin cooperated for a photo at the memorial ... but Zachary opted to make a face when I snapped a photo. I have MANY photos of him with similar expressions!


From the storm-washed decks of the Mayflower ... to the present hour, woman has stood like a rock for the welfare and the glory of the history of the country, and one might well add...unwritten, unrewarded, and almost unrecognized.
--Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross, 1911

All of us must work at patriotism, not just believe in it. For only by our young women offering their services to our country as working patriots in the armed forces…can our defense be adequate.
--Helen Hayes, Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Service

Our last stop on our D.C. memorials visit was the Women in Military Service for America Memorial adjacent to the ceremonial entrance to Arlington National Cemetery. This memorial honors all women who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces -- and is the only major national memorial honoring and paying tribute to all women who have served in the U.S. armed forces from the American Revolution to the present day (and there are nearly two million of us!). The groundbreaking for this memorial was in June 1995, and it was dedicated in October 1997. Inside the memorial is a museum featuring exhibits on women in the military. The “heart” of the memorial is a computerized database of information about servicewomen who are registered -- a virtual, on-going record of history as it’s made. Approximately 250,000 of the two million eligible women have been registered thus far (note to self: I need to register at www.womensmemorial.org!).

The lower terrace, in front of the Hemicycle wall, is a reflecting pool and Court of Valor. The Education Center is behind the Hemicycle and includes the Hall of Honor, the exhibit gallery, a theater and the computer registry of servicewomen. On the upper terrace is an arc of large glass panels with etched quotations from and about servicewomen.

I liked this passage from one of the displays in the exhibit gallery, since it summarizes the passage of legislation allowing women to permanently serve in the armed forces ... effectively allowing me my career:

Sweet Victory
In both World War I and World War II, American women served the nation in the armed forces with distinction. At the end of World War II, the nation optimistically and rapidly demobilized. With the advent of the Cold War, however, there was a manpower shortage in the armed services. Women could fill the gap.

In 1947, military leaders asked Congress to authorize the integration of women into the officer and enlisted ranks of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force. However, many congressmen did not believe women should be permanent members of the military. Some did not like the idea of women commanding men. Senator Margaret Chase Smith and Representative Edith Nourse Rogers guided the legislation through contentious congressional hearings to its ultimate passage.

The final version of the Women’s Armed Services Integration Act of 1948 reflected contemporary attitudes toward women in the military. Nevertheless, the passage of the Act was a victory for women seeking careers in the armed forces and laid the foundation for future steps toward equity.

Arlington National Cemetery is just behind the memorial, and is serenely visible from the upper terrace.

It isn’t just my brother’s country, or my husband’s country, it’s my country as well. And so the war wasn’t just their war, it was my war, and I needed to serve in it.
--Beatrice Hood Stroup, Maj., Women’s Army Corps, World War II

The qualities that are most important in all military jobs -- things like integrity, moral courage, and determination -- have nothing to do with gender.
--Rhonda Cornum, Maj., U.S. Army Medical Corps, Operation Desert Storm

Let the generations know that women in uniform also guaranteed their freedom, that our resolve was just as great as the brave men who stood among us, and with victory our hearts were just as full and beat just as fast -- that the tears fell just as hard for those we left behind.
--Anne Sosh Brehm, 1st Lt., U.S. Army Nurse Corps, World War II

Labels: Benjamin, MacKenzie, Nana and Papa, Stateside visits, Zachary

“In grateful tribute to the men and women whose generosity, devotion, and leadership have brought Scouting to the nation's youth and to honor all members of the Boy Scouts of America who in days of peace and times of peril have done their duty to God and their country this memorial was authorized by the Congress of the United States and erected in recognition of the fiftieth anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America.”

I never know how Zachary’s going to react to the idea of visiting someplace that I think would have special meaning for him. I was pleasantly surprised when I suggested finding the Boy Scout Memorial near the Washington Monument and the White House.

He was excited when we found the memorial, which stands on the site of the first Boy Scout Jamboree in 1937. The two larger figures represent Manhood and Womanhood, with the Boy Scout leading them into the future. The Boy Scout oath is engraved on the side of the statue’s pedestal.

We had done quite a bit of walking thus far (but weren’t done yet), so Zachary rested on one of the benches near the statue. Even the benches bore the Boy Scout logo with the fleur-de-lis -- what a nice touch!

Labels: Boy Scouts, Stateside visits, Zachary