A Georgia Girl in Germany

Labels: Christmas, Pam's thoughts

December was a catch-up month for us. After being gone half the month for Granny Walker’s funeral and then our Thanksgiving cruise, I really felt behind the power curve getting ready for Christmas. No surprise, since getting the kids caught up with school was top priority. Fortunately, DODDS has a generous absentee policy (unlimited excused absences...and family trips/vacations are considered excused since they know military families typically like to take advantage of living overseas and that sometimes means parents pull kids out of school), but it also means there can be quite a bit of catching up on school assignments.

Sooo, since our focus was on catching up, we had less time to focus on getting Christmas decorations out, Christmas gifts wrapped and under the tree, Christmas letters (or rather, our annual Christmas quiz) written and sent ... you get the idea. Fortunately, our tree was easy to put up since we didn’t take it down after last Christmas. Instead, we simply moved it to the garage, with the lights still strung. I didn’t put a single ornament on the tree, so Benjamin and MacKenzie led that effort -- Benjamin even made a few miniature ornaments out of fast-drying clay.

However, I didn’t get the last of the presents wrapped until after we ate supper and attended the Christmas Eve candlelight service. The kids didn’t mind waiting to open their Christmas Eve presents, or even really staying up late. In fact, it meant that they slept a little later Christmas morning, which was a nice bonus for me.

By the time Christmas morning rolled around, they were all excited and ready to open their presents. MacKenzie absolutely loved (and still loves) her new Samantha American Girl doll. In fact, just this past weekend, she watched the Samantha movie while curled up on the couch with her Samantha doll.

The kids did real well at keeping a steady flow of gifts moving from under the tree to the appropriate recipient.

When the floor beside the tree became too crowded, the boys moved to the couch to open gifts. Benjamin wasn’t interested in clothes at all though. I had to point out when he opened a package containing “hoodie shirts” (his favorite), and even then he’d only give a miniscule second look. Fortunately, he now enjoys having those shirts to choose from.

Zachary was pleasantly surprised with what Santa gave him this year: an acoustic guitar. He’s pretty good at picking out a few songs using the instructional books that Santa also left for him, but we still need to sign him up for lessons.

Benjamin’s Santa gift was a set of Magna-Tiles, which are different shaped magnetic tiles (hence the name) that he can build with. He loves playing with them at his after-school program and can make some amazing creations, so I was pleased (and so is he!) that he now has his own set.

MacKenzie had been trying to save up her money to buy an iPod, but wasn’t making much progress with essentially just her weekly allowance contributing to her fund. Santa took pity on her and went ahead and gave her one, and she was ecstatic! As you can see, they all received lots of clothes, some wonderful games, and a handful of movies, a few books and other wonderful gifts.

Labels: Benjamin, Christmas, MacKenzie, Zachary

I’m fortunate to have a very convenient café in the basement of the building where I work. It’s run by two German ladies who are very energetic and funny. They also let their customers know when there’s something going on in the community that we may not otherwise know about. That’s how I found out that the Coca-Cola Santa truck was coming to Kaiserslautern.

We got there just before Santa climbed back in the trailer to leave, but he did step outside and check on a few more kids before he left. Benjamin was hesitant to talk to him, and seemed surprised that he spoke both English and German. Of course, I told him that Santa has to speak every language so he can talk to all children around the world.

MacKenzie, on the other hand, always enjoys having an audience with Santa.

Soon, Santa climbed back in the trailer and helped prepare the truck for departure to another town.

While we waited to see the truck off, we found my friends in the crepe booth. Jutta was taking orders and making a variety of crepes.

Naturally, Zachary and MacKenzie wanted Nutella-filled crepes. They like crepes so much that they only shared a single bite each with me.

Jutta, Jutta’s daughter and Sandra took a moment to step out of their booth so I could get their photo with my kiddos.

We stayed long enough to see the truck pull out and head on its way.

When we made it home, the snow flurries started falling. MacKenzie ran around the driveway with her tongue out trying to catch them.

Since Benjamin didn’t want a crepe, he convinced me to buy him a tri-color light-saber. He had a blast playing with it and swirling it around to watch his self-made light show.



After a few minutes, he decided to copy MacKenzie and try to catch a few snowflakes as well.

Labels: Benjamin, Christmas, Germany, MacKenzie, Zachary

The long-awaited answers to our 2009 Christmas Quiz are finally here. How did you do? Did any of the choices stump you this year? Be sure to study for the 2010 holiday quiz by keeping up with the Cook Clan’s continuing European adventures right here at A Georgia Girl in Germany. Amplifying details supporting this year’s answers are also available on our blog ... or rather, will be soon (yes I’m still behind on updating our travel posts).

Correct answers:
Benjamin: a, b, c, e, f
MacKenzie: b, c, d, e
Zachary: a, b, d, e, f
Pam: a, c, d

Labels: Benjamin, Christmas, MacKenzie, Zachary

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

The next time Santa asks me if I think the kiddos would enjoy Silly Putty in their stockings, I will tell him, “Thanks, but NO THANKS!” While Benjamin absolutely enjoys playing with Silly Putty, I have found it stuck to too many things that it is not intended to be stuck to, such as coins, Lego people and the TV remote. Do you know how difficult it is to get Silly Putty un-stuck from the tiny rubberized buttons on the TV remote? The Silly Putty attaches like glue since the buttons are rubberized. Trying to rub the remaining ball of Silly Putty over the buttons in attempt to get the concoction to stick back to the larger ball only makes matters worse. Fortunately, Zachary and I took turns freezing the Silly Putty off the remote (using ice in a ziplock bag), and it’s still in working condition... and no worse for the wear.

Unfortunately, the latest victim is Benjamin’s pajama shirt. I noticed he was holding his arms in front of his stomach last night before bed. When I asked him what he was hiding in his shirt, he replied, “Nothing,” and moved his hands away from his shirt to prove his point. Yeah, right -- the Silly Putty was tucked inside his shirt and stayed when he moved his hands. So, he fell asleep with Silly Putty tucked inside his shirt. Since he sleeps on his side and stomach, it caused the Silly Putty to warm up and wholeheartedly embed itself into the fibers of his pajama shirt (and on his sheets as well). Grrrr!

This is what’s left after MacKenzie and I managed to get the bulk of it off. We’ve tried using ice in a ziplock bag again, without nearly as much success as with the TV remote. We’ve tried putting his pajama shirt in the freezer, with the same minimal results. We’ve resorted to old-fashioned scraping. Not fun. It’s back in the freezer overnight, and we’ll re-attack again tomorrow.

Santa, no more Silly Putty, please. And while we’re on the subject of sticky substances used as toys, no more Play-Doh, Goop or Slime either.

Labels: Benjamin, Christmas

Labels: Benjamin, Christmas, MacKenzie, Zachary

We had a wonderful Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. It was nice to keep things quiet and simple, staying at home this year. I made a few last-minute trips to the commissary and post office Wednesday before we headed out for Christmas Eve church service. When we returned home, we baked up a few batches of cookies for Santa. I love this photo of Benjamin munching on a freshly-baked cookie while watching the next batch cook. Notice that he only has one sock on?

The kids were each allowed to open one gift on Christmas Eve. Usually I’m on the ball and pre-select which gifts they get to open ahead of time ... usually with a similar theme such as slippers or pajamas. Not so this year ... partly because Mom volunteered to help wrap most of my gifts to the kids when they visited a few weeks ago. Don’t get me wrong, I’m NOT complaining one bit. It just meant that I didn’t know what was wrapped in what packages, and therefore was just as surprised when the kids opened their gifts. Fortunately, I had pretty good ideas as to what was inside each of the gifts they picked out (after I vetoed Zachary’s first pick -- his largest gift under the tree!).

Each of the kids wrote their annual note for Santa to leave out with his snacks. Zachary folded his up into a self-contained envelope. I think he just wanted to see if Santa could (1) open it and (2) refold it after replying. How sneaky! He knows that these envelopes completely stump me! Fortunately, Santa is much more talented than I am! He even told Santa, “Benjamin was good all year; when he wasn’t being a devil.” I don’t think any of them wanted to see Benjamin get more coal in his stocking this year (although Benjamin had a positive attitude about it, and was ready to save any newly-acquired coal to use as a snowman’s buttons).

MacKenzie wrote a short novella to Santa. Actually, she wrote two drafts, updating and perfecting each version until she copied her third and final version onto Christmas stationery. Look at the detail she included in the note! She even asked for “Benjamin to play games correctly, nicely, and not [cheat], Zachary to be nicer and play with me, and Mommy just not as strict but still strict.” Such honesty!

Benjamin did well with his letter too. He wrote the first two sentences, then had me write the third (long) sentence before he signed his name. He’s using his fingers here to leave a space between two words. He usually only uses two fingers to measure the space between words, but was adamant that he wanted to use four fingers this time. The little puppy beside him was the gift he had just opened minutes earlier. Zachary and MacKenzie were trying to convince him to name the puppy “Rascal,” but he keeps insisting that her name is “Benji.” Yes, it’s a girl dog, and, yes, her name is Benji.

They all worked together to set out Santa’s goodies: three cookies, five carrots for the reindeer, a cup of milk and a cup of eggnog. I love it when they get along so well. I suppose having a common goal and purpose really helps keeps things running smoothly.

The last thing they did before heading upstairs to bed was to check Santa’s progress online. They watched him travel from Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Bulgaria, Montenegro, Greece, Turkey and into northern and central Africa before they called it a night. Zachary had his geography textbook out so they could see how close each of the countries was to Germany. Fortunately for them, Santa visited Eastern Europe then diverted to Africa before heading to Central Europe! Benjamin came down a short while after they all turned in for the night (more like only 5 minutes later) to ask me why I wasn’t taking my shower and getting in bed yet. Geez! I still had to tidy up the kitchen a bit. By then Santa was in Italy, and Benjamin quickly asked, “Is that close to Germany?” When I told him it was very close to Germany, he high-tailed it back to bed! I was soon upstairs in bed with him (it was his turn to sleep in my bed).

Christmas morning seemed to arrive much too early ... except for Zachary, who claimed he awoke at 4:30 a.m. and couldn’t get back to sleep. I asked him if he got out of bed and peaked downstairs, and he quickly, and sincerely, replied, “No! I lost your trust last week for doing something I shouldn’t have, so I want to earn your trust back. I’m not going to do anything I shouldn’t now!” When 7 a.m. rolled around (the appointed time that they were allowed to wake up each other -- and me), he first woke up MacKenzie, then came to get Benjamin and me. Benjamin didn’t want to wake up, even after Zachary and I gently rubbed his back for a good minute or two. The first words out of his mouth were, “I didn’t sleep long enough.” But, within a minute or so, he realized there were presents waiting for him downstairs.

I love this wrapping paper from Nana! It is so appropriate! Even the boys got a kick out of the paper and agreed that it matched their general behavior.

I didn’t take many photos of them ripping into their stockings or presents, but did get a kick out of watching Benjamin sit on the stairs to open a few presents. Apparently, as we were coming to the end of presents, there wasn’t enough room left on the floor in front of the tree for his liking. After he opened this present (“Oh, it’s clothes,” he said as he quickly stood up to get another box), he moved up three more steps to open his next gift.

We had a very wonderful day. The kids are getting to be pros at tackling Christmas. They took everything out of their stockings one-by-one, yet without dawdling. Since they know we don’t open presents from under the tree until after breakfast, they each quickly ate a single donut then proclaimed they were full and planted themselves in front of the tree. The last gift was unwrapped by 8:40 a.m., and the playing began. They played DS and Gameboy games, set up their profiles on the new Wii and Wii Fit (thanks to Santa!), watched a movie and selected a few games to play as a family. I’m still surprised that we’ve made it three full days without a single significant argument or disagreement! Wow! That was not the case just a few days before Christmas (I was beginning to doubt the sanity of my decision to stay home this past week with them, but am thankful that I did now ... it gave me the opportunity to gradually get everything ready for the big day and not be overwhelmed by doing so after work each day).

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and is looking forward to a wonderful new year!

Labels: Benjamin, Christmas, MacKenzie, Zachary

Benjamin was very excited when he came home the last week of school with a new ornament that he’d made for our tree. Hmmm, it looks an awful lot like half of an egg carton to me!

Benjamin had to find the perfect spot for it. Fortunately, it’s so large that the only open space left was on the back of the tree. He carefully maneuvered himself behind the tree and found an opening right at his eye level.

Yup, we have half an egg carton resting on our tree. Merry Christmas!

Labels: Benjamin, Christmas

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

I hope this letter finds each and every one of you healthy, happy and enjoying the holiday season. We’re enjoying a bonus assignment here in Germany -- after moving two hours north to Ramstein where we’ll be for three more years. I was excited about our assignment to Stuttgart, and am even more excited about our bonus time here. Plus, we’re back on an Air Force base, so I can get “re-blued” after three years at an Army post (it made me really appreciate the Air Force)! However, Stuttgart had a small military community, so we knew quite a few people there, whereas Ramstein is MUCH larger so I’m not feeling quite as in-the-know as I did there. Oh well. It gives us more time in Europe to travel, explore and enjoy...and host any visitors who’d like to trek across the Atlantic. Once again, it’s time for our annual holiday quiz. As a reminder, there is more than one answer for each person...but not every answer is necessarily true (I think I stumped several folks who actually thought I had run a marathon after reading last year’s quiz).

Benjamin is a 5½-year-old Kindergartener at Ramstein Elementary School, is a very smart young man, and:
a. is on the verge of reading, sounding out words in books, on signs, in movie credits...and anywhere else
b. climbed 700 steps to the second level on the Eiffel Tower and running around to see all of Paris from there
c. was bound and determined to climb past the warning sign so he could climb to the TIP-TOP of the Zugspitze (at 9,718 feet above sea level is the highest peak in Germany)...I have no doubt he could have made the climb, I just didn’t like the possibility of falling more than 5,700 feet!
d. played t-ball and was invited to join the next-older league because of his natural running and sliding abilities
e. loved seeing and touring inside the “pinwheel houses” (windmills) in Zaanse Schans, Holland

MacKenzie is a 10½-year-old Junior Girl Scout, a 5th-grader at Ramstein Intermediate School, and:
a. had her hair stand straight-up when visiting the Kehlsteinhaus (aka the Eagle’s Nest, Hitler’s mountain-top retreat) as a lightening storm began rolling in...we made a quick dash for the building!
b. earned her Girl Scout Bronze Award after working on a “Brownie Stress-Busting Roundup” for younger scouts
c. enjoyed playing soccer another year, especially while playing offense (her preferred position) and goalie
d. was on the edge of her seat at the Blue Man Group performance, especially when one man walked across our armrests and stopped above her to stare at her for a few moments before continuing on his high-altitude trek
e. made her acting debut in the Youth Center-sponsored production of “Jingle Bells Jury” performing as the Innkeeper’s Wife during Young Jim Dandy’s trial to determine whether his Christmas Spirit is still alive

Zachary, is now a teenager(!), a 7th-grader at Ramstein Middle School, a First Class Boy Scout, and:
a. became an unofficial junior tour guide when we visited the Anne Frank house in Amsterdam, explaining what he’d learned in school about the Frank family...I was very impressed with his level of knowledge and interest!
b. is doing well with his swimming lessons and progressing nicely through the various skill levels
c. is an avid bicyclist, logging 30 miles a day after school twice a week, and 50 miles a day on the weekends
d. after a tremendous growth spurt is now looking Pam in the eye, much to her dismay ... guess it’s in the genes!
e. still enjoys camping, including excursions this year to Garmisch, Heidelberg, Normandy (with 3,000 campers!) and Bastogne...including significant historical hikes at Normandy and Bastogne

Pam is now an Air Force lieutenant colonel, working in the Public Affairs office of U.S. Air Forces in Europe, and:
a. is still on the go, with trips slated to Georgia, Poland, Romania, Lithuania, and the Czech Republic in 2009
b. enjoyed tagging along on Zachary’s Normandy camping trip, adding a few extra days to visit St. Meré-Eglise, Utah Beach, Point du Hoc, Mont Saint-Michel, Omaha Beach, Arromanches, the Bayeux Tapestry, and the Omaha-Normandy American Cemetery
c. worked hard and played hard on a 2-week trip to Israel, working long hours but making full use of her time off to tour Jerusalem, float in the Dead Sea, visit Masada, walk through Nazareth, circle the Sea of Galilee, visit the Golan Heights and stroll on the hillside where Jesus gave his Sermon on the Mount (a very MOVING experience!)
d. started tutoring others in journalism and photography, and showing them the basics of sharing their talents via the internet
e. is learning how to recycle in Germany -- separating among biodegradable, paper/cardboard, light refraction and “restmüll” (residual waste)...anyone living on the economy needs a PhD in recycling to figure it all out!

Our travels this year took us to Italy (again, we just can’t seem to stay away), Holland, France and Austria, as well as Garmisch, Oberammergau, Berchtesgaden, Lake Eibsee, Ulm, Bad Wimpfen and Stuttgart in Germany. And yes, we met our travel goals for 2008: Keukenhof Gardens, Paris and Normandy. Other than exploring the local sights around Ramstein, we’ll have to start traveling by air to tour more of Europe since we’ve done just about as much as we reasonably can within a day’s drive from home.

This year we’re sticking close to home again for the holidays, looking forward to spending some down time together as a family. After our hectic post-move schedules juggling school, after-school classes, homework (yes, even for Benjamin!), Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, play practices, swim lessons (times three) and other odds-and-ends activities, we really need to relax and rejuvenate at home with each other before diving into 2009.

As always, remember that 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. Our 2009 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 2009. Take care, and please keep in touch!!

I’ll post the answer key in a few days so you can see how well you kept up with the Cook Clan in 2008. :-)

Labels: Benjamin, Christmas, MacKenzie, Zachary

Since our schedules were so hectic this year, and the best opportunity for the kiddos to talk with Santa was when Zachary was camping in Bastogne, Zachary decided before he left that he didn’t have to talk to the Big Guy. {Oh my!} I was a bit sad, but also relieved that it gave us flexibility with our visit to Santa.

Santa was waiting in the lobby outside where MacKenzie and her cast performed “Jingle Bells Jury,” so it was easy for us to get in line after the performance so she and Benjamin could have a chat. Yes, MacKenzie is still wearing her makeup from the play, hence her extra-rosy cheeks.

Benjamin was very animated when Santa asked him what he wanted for Christmas, and MacKenzie patiently waited (and waited, and waited) while Benjamin explained that he wanted a Nintendo DS, games for the DS, games for his GameBoy and 100 Webkinzes. Whew!


When MacKenzie had a chance to speak, she asked for Webkinzes and a “real puppy” (no surprise there!).

I suppose they don’t have to wait much longer to see what the Big Guy delivers. I’m sure they will enjoy whatever it is, though.

Fast forward to our up-to-the-minute update:
We’re just about done with cleaning up from dinner, then will open one gift each, check Santa’s progress at http://www.noradsanta.org, leave out treats for Santa and crawl into bed for the night. The kids have each asked me if they can sleep on the couch so they can try, once again, to spy the Big Guy. My answer this year: NOPE. I think they’re all wondering how he’ll get inside tonight since we still haven’t found the “Santa Key” that Benjamin misplaced after Saint Nikolaus visited a few weeks ago. Hopefully they all fall asleep quickly and sleep soundly. Cross your fingers.

Good night to all.

Labels: Benjamin, Christmas, MacKenzie