Happy Valentine's Day from Deutschland!!

This year, we are posting our Valentine’s card on our blog. After experiencing the mail service between Germany and the States, we’re taking the easy road. Perhaps at the top of our list of learnings over the last 11 months in Germany is to adapt.

Indeed, 2008 was a year of NEW adventures…

1. Moved the family to NEW country…endured 16 hour trip with 2 children under age 4 and 27 bags of luggage…lucky to have Catherine, John’s sister, living with us much of the year as personal chef and nanny – have never eaten so well…moved into new house and took 6 months to unpack…ate lots of bratwurst and drank real bier…searched without success for Cheerios at the grocery.

2. Sent kids to NEW schools…Jack to Frankfurt International School and Luke to Kids Camp…new friends from all over the world… new language…new customs…new teachers…new fun.

3. Explored NEW places…4 hours from Paris (why go anywhere else?!)…holiday with LA friends in various European locales - the best of both worlds…visits to Amsterdam, Sweden, Greece, France and Switzerland.

4. Started NEW jobs…Gail at Mattel GmbH…John at Microsoft Europe…new teams…new responsibilities…new challenges…new labor laws…new travel…new nanny.

5. Made NEW friends… from all over Europe, Asia, South Africa, the UK and (our favorite) the US…often brought together through our kids, who love to play in our “fun zone”…while the grown ups enjoy a game of darts and a good bier or a Caipirinha in the pub.

6. Headed home for the holidays…another long flight…but good to see our friends and family once we arrived. There’s no place like home.

We wish you happiness, good health and lots of love this year – oh, and great schnitzel.

Stop by if you’re in the neighborhood.

Much love,

The Carpenters…John, Gail, Jack and Luke

Winter Wonderland

November 2008

In late November, I headed to work early one morning, through a beautiful winter wonderland. Growing up in Texas, and having lived 15 years in California, never had I driven through such streets headed for WORK, only the ski slopes.
Shortly after I took this photo, I called my boss, hoping we might be having a “snow day.”
:-)
We weren’t.

P.S. Note the pile of snow on the car hood...

The Hellers Gekommen!

October 2008

Karen Heller Morrison has been my best friend for (could it actually be?!) 26 years. We met my freshman year at university when my upperclass roommate kicked me out of our room so her boyfriend could spend the night, and I was told to sleep next door...in Karen's room. That was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Karen's mom, Inge, grew up in Germany, and returns annually, with husband Roger, to visit the relatives. This year, John and I were lucky enough to be included in their Germany plans.

We spent a lovely evening with them, dining at one of the local restaurants, the Bayerishof, after taking an embarrassing number of routes to search for the place. (We don't go out much.)



After dinner, the boys went to bed, and we stayed up until midnight drinking wine and talking about Germany, culture, politics, and life in general. Who knew your best friend's parents could be so...FUN?!!



Roger & Inge, we hope you'll stop by again next year. We truly had a wonderful time.
With love,
Gail & the Boyz