A Georgia Girl in Germany

I'm sure some of you noticed that I haven't posted our annual Christmas Quiz online yet. That's because I didn't have it finished yet. As much as I intended to get it done before the New Year, that simply didn't happen this year. For those of you who receive a hard-copy, it'll be in the mail soon, otherwise enjoy the quiz below. I'll post the answers in a few days. Bonus points to the first person to comment to this post with all the correct answers (before I post the answers, that is--smile).

Happy New Year!
I never expected that I’d be sending my annual Christmas letter out after the New Year, but, alas, the end of 2009 was simply too hectic and overwhelming for me to get it out before Christmas. Better late than never though, besides, I know at least a few of you look forward to our annual holiday quiz so I couldn’t skip the 2009 edition. Even though it’s late, my wish for you all is still the same: that this letter finds each and every one of you healthy, happy and enjoying life. As a reminder, there is more than one answer for each person...but not every answer is necessarily true -- it’s a multiple choice quiz with multiple correct answers.

Benjamin is a 6½-year-old 1st grader at Ramstein Elementary School, growing up way too fast, and:
a. was excited about visiting Disney World, and being old enough to remember it -- it was so much fun watching his excitement at all the rides, shows and magic
b. officially has allergies: birch, rye, grass, mugwort and cats ... fortunately, now that we know about it, we can keep it under control to fend off the allergy-induced asthma that he suffered this past spring
c. is following in his older brother’s scouting footsteps and is now a Tiger Cub, although he much preferred running with sticks and jumping off rocks at his pack’s Space Derby
d. is the most voracious reader in the family, knocking off 50-page chapter books in a single day
e. lost his first three baby teeth, but after pulling the first one himself is adamant that the rest be allowed to fall out on their own
f. told people that he fell off the Eifel Tower when asked how he broke his left arm (that’s a much more intriguing story than admitting he broke it jumping off a stool at the water fountain), and started 1st grade wearing a red-and-blue two-toned cast

MacKenzie is an 11½-year-old Cadette Girl Scout, a 6th-grader at Ramstein Middle School, and:
a. is quite a prolific artist, drawing and painting fashion designs as well as nature scenes that have won base-wide contests
b. was excited about visiting Juliette Gordon Low’s birthplace and childhood home in Savannah and seeing first-hand where the Girl Scout movement began
c. wants to learn to play the bagpipes after buying a miniature set when in Edinburgh, Scotland
d. stayed up late during a meteorite shower and was excited when she saw her first shooting star
e. enjoyed seeing the courtyard at Alnwick Castle where Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger wandered during their first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Zachary is a 14-year-old 8th-grader at Ramstein Middle School, still active in Boy Scouts, and:
a. is now a Life Scout, just one rank away from making the top 5% of scouts and earning his Eagle Scout rank -- his goal is to earn Eagle before turning 16
b. was intrigued while riding on a boat in Loch Ness, and kept an eye out for Nessie and/or the illusions that make people believe they see a monster in the loch
c. after reading 700-plus-page books in a single weekend, decided to create his own mystical book series of dragons, wizards and other magical creatures -- his working title is “Turtle Island”
d. After competing in school-wide Spelling Bees from 2nd through 7th grade, finally won and represented his school in the European Spelling Bee where he placed in the top third
e. participated in a tri-school, bilateral triathlon where he swam 50 meters, biked 2 kilometers and ran 800 meters against 41 other 8th grade German and American boys, and finished with an overall time of 13:30.70. Not bad for his first attempt at the sport!
f. was ecstatic when boarding a C-5 at Charleston AFB, S.C., for our return trek back to Germany and the pilot asked if he wanted to sit in the cockpit for takeoff -- and was even more excited that the crew allowed him to stay up there all the way to Bangor, Maine (it helped that he was wearing a C-5 shirt during the flight)

Pam is still a lieutenant colonel working in the U.S. Air Forces in Europe Public Affairs office, and:
a. enjoyed a theatrical visit to London, including wandering through the replica of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, seeing “Wicked” in the theatre district and running into the actors who play Luna Lovegood and Neville Longbottom (from the Harry Potter movies) while on the Millennium Bridge over the Thames River ... yes, she’s still a Thespian at heart!
b. decided she wasn’t busy enough, so tackled being Benjamin’s Cub Scout den leader and MacKenzie’s Girl Scout troop cookie mom -- bring it on!
c. was excited about finally taking a cruise -- through the Ionian and Aegean Seas of the Eastern Mediterranean including stops in Venice and Bari, Italy; Katakolon (Mount Olympia), Santorini, Mykonos and Rhodes, Greece; and Dubrovnik, Croatia
d. found a few good deals at the Tongeren, Belgium, Flea & Antiques Market -- one of the largest such markets in Europe
e. after enduring a hard-drive crash, is learning all the intricacies of computer mechanics so she’ll never lose her important photos and files again

Our travels this year took us to Athens, Greece, for Spring Break, followed by Scotland and northern England when school let out, our annual trek back to the states to visit family ... with an added stop at Disney World, then on our first-ever cruise over Thanksgiving with stops in Italy (yes, we can’t stay away...we’ve made it there every year we’ve been stationed in Europe!), Greece and Croatia. Pam even managed an antique shopping trip to Belgium and a solo getaway trip to London in the fall.

This year we also bade farewell to Pam’s 89-year-old Granny Walker who passed away in early November after a long and full life. Once we learned the sad news, we packed up to catch a Space-A flight back to the states for the funeral. The trip took 37 hours total (aborted take-off, 2-hour delay on our flight to Baltimore, spent the night at the wonderful Baltimore USO, flight to Jacksonville and drive to Blackshear), but we made it to the farm one hour before the family gathered for the funeral. Yes, we were tired, but also very thankful for the angels watching over us to make sure we got there in time to be with family and say our final farewells to such a wonderful lady.

We’re not sure what 2010 holds in store for us, but we’re looking forward to the adventures and opportunities nonetheless. Of course, the kids’ hectic schedules will continue to keep us on the go with after-school activities, homework, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts and other odds-and-ends activities.

As always, you are all welcome in our home if you decide to make a trek this way. We even have a guest bedroom in our house that is just waiting to be used for something other than storage space. Our 2010 travel calendar is wide open, but I’m looking forward to filling it up...and welcoming any and all travel companions. We hope you’re all doing well and looking forward to the New Year. Take care, and please keep in touch!!

Labels: Benjamin, Christmas, MacKenzie, Zachary

Every year right after Thanksgiving, the Boy Scouts (and Cub Scouts) set up in a lesser-used parking lot on base and sell fresh Christmas trees. This was Benjamin’s first year as an official scout, so it was his first year to (attempt to) sell the trees. Fortunately, most folks who stop have their mind set on buying a fresh tree, so don’t mind if parents help more than the scouts. Good thing, since Benjamin wasn’t much of a salesman.

He was much more interested in searching for tree scraps. He found this tree-top and wanted to bring it home with us. He finally settled on bringing home a small chunk of wood that was cut from the bottom of a tree to make it sit level. Key word was SMALL.

Fortunately, Zachary is a pro at the Boy Scout Christmas tree sales. I figured with the younger boys running around, the parents would appreciate help from an older scout. I know I did!

Benjamin liked working the tree netting, even when there wasn’t a tree being netted.

Labels: Benjamin, Boy Scouts, Christmas, Cub Scouts, Zachary

Benjamin had a cute school performance just before the holidays entitled “Holiday Sounds from Many Lands.” His class represented Ireland so they all wore green and performed the “Christmas in Killarney Jig.” It was so cute to watch him dance an Irish jig!

He has a habit of sticking out his tongue to lick his bottom lip -- all at once. Unfotunately, it really chaps the skin below his lip. I caught him in the act during this photo.

Doesn’t he look like he’s having fun up there dancing? Maybe I should enroll him in the Irish Step Dancing class. He seemed like such a natural during this performance!

They even did an Irish line dance at the end. I didn’t realize how short he looks until I saw this photo. Even the girls are a good bit taller than him. Guess he is my little peanut. Sure hope he got some of the tall genes like his brother and sister...and that they don't stay dormant!

Labels: Benjamin, Christmas

We had to squeeze in a quick visit to Santa this year. The kids weren’t overly enthused about visiting him (Zachary didn’t even want to be in the photo), and none of them sat in his lap or told him what they wanted this year. Benjamin is becoming suspicious, and was adamant that this was NOT Santa because Santa is at the North Pole. On several occasions, he would remind me that Santa wasn’t real. He never indicated that someone told him that Santa wasn’t real, instead he kept saying the Santa we saw wasn’t at the North Pole so couldn’t be real. I think I convinced him that the “Santa” with whom he had his photo made was one of the real Santa’s helpers. He still eyed me rather suspiciously. Hmmmm.....

MacKenzie, on the other hand, is adamant that he’s real, and continues to ask for a photo of him so she can show her friends.

A few days after they had their photo made with Santa, they left boots out for Saint Nikolaus’ visit. They were all hoping for loads of treats, as is evident by the multiple boots and shoes left by the door for him. From left: Zachary’s hiking boot, MacKenzie’s hiking boot, MacKenzie’s homemade red construction-paper boot, MacKenzie’s homemade purple construction-paper boot, Benjamin’s rain boot, Benjamin’s sneaker and Benjamin’s crock. As always, Saint Nikolaus only filled one boot each with candy. Can’t blame them for trying, though!

Labels: Benjamin, Christmas, MacKenzie, Zachary

I’m waaaaay behind on updating the blog. Here’s a shot of Zachary with most of his birthday presents. Although he didn’t say anything, I could tell he was a little disappointed that he received mostly clothes. However, he REALLY needed them! Our morning routine had devolved into a conversation where I’d ask him to change out of his short-sleeve shirt and into a long-sleeve shirt, to which he’d reply, “I don’t have any.” Yup, he outgrew virtually all of his long-sleeve shirts from last winter. So, most of his birthday presents were long-sleeve shirts. Oh, he also received two movies and a graphing calculator for his Algebra class.

A few days later, he was in better spirits about his birthday presents since our Thanksgiving cruise was part of his present as well. He enjoyed the cruise -- and being pampered on the ship -- so that made up for so many long-sleeve shirts. I’m so glad he’s mature to realize it's not all about what's wrapped in the boxes -- I’m so proud of him!

Labels: Birthdays, Zachary

Zachary and MacKenzie both made the Gold Honor Roll during their first semester of this school year. They each had all “As” with one “B.” Very awesome! It’s hard to believe that the second quarter (and first semester) is almost over -- only four more days. That also means the school year is half-way over. Where does the time get away to?

Labels: MacKenzie, Zachary

After our last-minute trip to South Georgia for Granny Walker’s funeral in early November, we all really needed some “down time” with family. That’s the down side to living overseas: nothing is ever quick or easy when it comes to getting back to the States. After we learned of her passing, we packed up to catch a Space-A flight, waited at the passenger terminal for a few hours, made it onto the rotator to Baltimore, had an aborted take-off for maintenance, took off two hours later to Baltimore, missed the last commercial flights to Jacksonville (and Atlanta) that evening, spent the night at the wonderful Baltimore USO (free food, free internet, free place to sleep, free phones to coordinate the rest of our travels, and wonderful hospitality by the volunteers -- what a top-notch organization that cares for our nation’s servicemembers!), caught an early morning flight to Jacksonville, drove from Jacksonville to Blackshear, and made it to the farm one hour before the family gathered for the funeral. The trip took us 37 hours. I wasn’t worried about making it in time -- I had a peace knowing that things would work out, and was very thankful for the angels watching over us along our journey.

So, back to our “down time.” When we visited over the summer, the kids didn’t have an opportunity to drive Uncle Sam’s tractor, so they were very excited about being able to climb in the cab and go for a spin this time. Benjamin was ready to go, and ran to the tractor so he could be the first to have a turn. I don’t think Zachary and MacKenzie minded, and it made Benjamin’s day!

Just look at the smile on Benjamin's face as they drove off! That’s the look of pure joy!

Of course, MacKenzie and Zachary weren’t going to miss out on their turns.

Hmmm, minor adjustment when it was Zachary’s turn -- he had to sit in the seat instead of on Uncle Sam’s lap. They both were tickled about that! On a side note, Zachary recently commented to me that when we move back to the States he wants to live with Uncle Sam and Aunt Gail so he can graduate high school in Georgia and go to college on the Hope Scholarship. What 14-year-old thinks of these things!?!! I told him that living on a farm meant that he’d have to work on the farm. His reply: “That’s OK, Uncle Sam said I’m a natural at driving the tractor.” I had to explain that there’s much more to working on a farm than simply driving a tractor.

While we were there, my cousin’s school held its annual fundraising event -- a fall festival. It was a great evening for everyone, with tons of different activities for all ages. Best of all, the rides, games and treats were very reasonably priced -- as in one or two quarters each. Now, tell me, where else can you play games, ride horses, play with animals, etc., for mere quarters!?!! I can see how it’s the school’s biggest fundraiser, with prices that reasonable, you’re more inclined to stay longer and keep contributing those quarters!

The horses were the first thing the kids saw when we arrived, so naturally MacKenzie and Benjamin immediately headed that way.

There was a petting zoo with a cow, chickens, a turkey, a goat, and a rabbit. Zachary stayed with Owen as he approached the different animals, and MacKenzie helped Olivia with the rabbit.

I think all the kids really enjoyed their time with the animals (except Benjamin, who wasn't interested at all -- he stayed on the playground climbing and jumping).

Uncle Sam’s favorite part (aside from watching his grandkids, grand-niece and grand-nephews) was the cake walk. After a few walks, most of the kids were walking along with him. No one in our clan won a cake, but they all seemed to enjoy walking around to the music and trying to take a seat when the music stopped. Here’s Zachary, Claire, Olivia, Ava, Benjamin and MacKenzie waiting to see if they won on this go-around.

MacKenzie decided she wanted a henna tattoo while we were there, and finally settled on a turtle. This photo shows the henna still on her arm before we wiped it off to reveal the tattoo. It actually lasted a good week before it slowly faded away!

As we left the festival, Ava had to ride the horse one last time (so did MacKenzie and Benjamin).

We were in Georgia just before Veterans Day, and there were gourde-men dressed up and on display around the town. I liked this soldier saluting and holding a flag. Very patriotic!

Before we packed up and left the farm for our trek back to Germany, I had to get a photo of the kids with Nana and Papa. Benjamin’s the only one standing on a rock ... yes, Zachary and MacKenzie are each that tall!

And the final shot of Nana and the kids walking down the dirt road. I suspect that Zachary will be taller than Nana next time we take this photo!

We headed to Charleston to catch a C-5 flight back to Germany. We had a super-early show time, but fortunately the kids were able to catch a few zzz’s before time for us to board the plane. Nana loved that they all wanted to cuddle with her.

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

We were down to the wire preparing for Halloween this past October. By down to the wire, I mean we finally headed out the door en route to the local pumpkin patch shortly after 3 p.m. Halloween afternoon. Yup, a mere four hours before the official start to trick-or-treating. Welcome to my life of late.

Fortunately, we had a beautiful afternoon to wander through the pumpkin patch, and there were plenty of pumpkins still left for the choosing. In fact, the farmer had even cleared the field of all the vines, making it even easier to search out the perfect pumpkins.

Several times while wandering, each of the kids selected what they thought was the perfect pumpkin. Then, as they wandered and searched a bit more, they found others that seemed better than the previous selections.

After about 30 minutes of searching, they all settled on their picks. Fortunately, no one picked super-huge pumpkins that would have required a forklift to get home. I think they all made wise choices -- all three pumpkins were near-perfect shapes and had gorgeous color.

When we made it home, they all got right to work gutting their pumpkins. Amazingly this year, I didn’t have to stick my hands inside a single pumpkin! Wow!! All I had to do was cut the lids and set them to work. I like that they’re getting old enough to take care of business on their own! Plus, it left me free to take more photos.



Even Benjamin managed his (mostly) on his own. Zachary helped remove some of the guts, but he was a trooper and wasn’t hesitant about getting his hands dirty. He was also very adamant about keeping the pumpkin seeds so we could roast them for a snack later.

Once the pumpkins were gutted, the kids sketched their jack-o-lantern faces so I could carve them up.

Less than two hours after returning home with our pumpkins, they were all three appropriately carved, outside and lit jack-o-lanterns waiting to frighten trick-or-treaters. Oh yeah, we also ate supper and had MacKenzie and Benjamin decked out in their costumes by then too. Whew! These are Zachary and Benjamin’s jack-o-lanterns. Nothing too elaborate, but perfect for us!

MacKenzie made hers with droopy eyelids -- I guess he was a tired jack-o-lantern.

MacKenzie began working on her costume over the summer when we were at Disney World. She really wanted the Jack Sparrow hat from Pirates of the Caribbean, and decided she’d use it as part of her costume ensemble. She had a little help from my closet (my pants and shoes), but made a pretty good “Jacqueline Sparrow.”

Benjamin also decided to be a pirate this year. His costume was much easier to put together though (store-bought), although I did have to convince him to wear a long-sleeve shirt and jeans underneath his mega-thin costume. MacKenzie was disappointed that most people commented on Benjamin being a pirate but didn’t say anything about her being Jack/Jacqueline Sparrow. She even commented once that she put a lot of work into her costume and not just anyone could put together what she did, but that Benjamin’s costume was simple and easy. She had a point.

It was rather cold, so Benjamin had me carry his candy-laden pumpkin between houses so he could hide his hands in his sleeves. I don’t think it did much good though. He and MacKenzie were definitely walking fast in an attempt to keep warm.

Zachary opted to stay home and hand out candy again this year (since he didn’t plan ahead and discovered that his warlock robe from previous years was way too small to get another night’s use from it. At least he bundled up while waiting for trick-or-treaters.


My two little pirates finally made it inside and were able to warm up a bit while sorting through their candy. They were even nice to Zachary and shared their candy with him since he distributed our candy to costume-clad visitors. Our start-to-finish Halloween activities (pumpkin patch visit, gutting, carving, supper, trick-or-treating and back home) took just over four hours. How’s that for cramming everything into a single afternoon!?!!

Labels: Benjamin, Halloween, MacKenzie, Zachary

Benjamin started Cub Scouts this year now that he’s in the first grade. He doesn’t seem to be as “into it” as Zachary was, but he still seems to enjoy some aspects of it. Back in late October, his pack held its annual Space Derby. Since Zachary had experience with Space Derbies, he helped with the final touches on Benjamin’s rocket (attaching and winding the rubber band).

Benjamin was rather proud of his rocket, and was excited about watching it race.

However, the races moved along at a snail’s pace -- nearly two hours to fly 10 or so heats. Benjamin was nearby anytime his rocket was on the launch pad (in spot #2 here), but otherwise ran around with the other scouts chasing each other with sticks and jumping off large rocks...being boys!

Labels: Benjamin, Cub Scouts