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