Christmas Letter 2017

Dear Family and Friends,

Best of the best for 2017: I have gotten to know my sister Sue and her husband Mark and my nephew David and niece Julia thanks to Facebook.  Art Shurlock is in his 17^th year with the heart transplant, if you received letters from us in 2000, when Clark was born you know of what I speak. The sad of 2017: my brother Tom (Tucker) passed away and my beloved Sean is deployed. 

When December rolls around, it is always a month with a lot of activity; 4 birthdays and Christmas assure us of that.  Yet, this December, has a hole in it with Sean being deployed, again, to Africa for 4 months Sept – Feb.  While it is not as long as other deployments, it is still a difficult time to be without him.  Fortunately, we are blessed with a lot of friends and busy lives to keep us distracted. 

Sven and Mindy continue to be the most constant members of our extended family here in Germany; providing unconditional love and patience throughout the year.  The residents and medical students who rotate at LRMC also provide a rich tapestry of diversity in our lives and then we are fortunate to have our tight knit Landstuhl hospital family, who are always here for us. 

  Russell and Clark are getting their driver’s licenses: 28 hours of classroom instruction to be followed up by 100 hours of actual behind the wheel time with an instructor.  Hopefully, this will make it safe to be on the roads with them.

Russell, Clark and MJ continue to have tennis lessons and matches, keeping me on the go 4-5 nights / days of the week.  This year Russell is a senior and played for the HS tennis team, winning the 2^nd spot on the varsity team and making it with his doubles partner to the European finals.  While they didn’t make it past the first round of play, it was a real honor to be selected.  Not every team even sent a doubles team to the finals, the competition was fierce and Russel played with sportsmanship and grit, going after every shot.  He also won the coaches award at the end of the season for Most Improved Student-Athlete; it was great to see him achieve in tennis and academics.  Now to finish up the year and on to graduation - 7 Jun.  Doesn’t seem possible!

While, Clark continues to play tennis; his real passion is still on the academic frontier – he has discovered computer programming and is not just using it in the classroom, but also creating programs to do other tasks (mostly related to D&D, so I am not able to explain well).  He is still looking at a future in physics and or math; having gone to 2 physics symposiums this year, (and yes, all of the talks are in German). 

MJ has spent many hours working on drawing utilizing a drawing pad hooked up to a computer, thank you Aunt Jean.  She can never claim that she can’t work hard at something, her art skills have improved tremendously in the past year and I think it will be exciting to see how she integrates art into her future.  She still plays tennis, but not as seriously as the boys do; however, now that she is 5’7” (yes, Mom is the shortest person in the house) her game is improving by leaps and bounds. 

Sean has been picked up for ILE (it is a leadership course and yes, it is impressive he was selected to do it in residence in VA) and will attend that course in Jan – Apr 2019; another 4-month stretch without him, but at least we will have him here for December 2018.

Mayland continues to volunteer through the Red Cross taking care of trainees that come to Landstuhl.  It is a good outlet for the extroverted energy she has pent up. 

This year’s travels were not as diverse or plentiful as in the past, nor were the visitors.  2016 wrapped up with a trip to Rome, Pompeii, and Dubrovnik Croatia with the Eyer family (surg resident from Keesler); Sean came home at the end of January and he and Mayland made a getaway weekend to Würzburg (castle); February we spent a weekend to the Bavarian Alps an skiing and in April we returned, with Sean, to Spain for a week of tennis.  Russell had to head home for school, but the rest of the clan explored southern

France and the cave paintings that are over 14,000 years old.  It was a wonderful week of history!  Russell turned 18 on Cinco de Mayo and had his first Margarita (he likes those; not a fan of wine /beer).  Mayland took 2 trips on her own – in May to visit BFF Elizabeth Sagehorn and her guys!  Having a chance to reconnect was one of the highlights of the year.  There are few people in life that you pick up just where you left off and Elizabeth is one of them.  Thank you to Mrs. Sagehorn for being the most gracious hostess. Then in June she took a girl’s weekend to Marrakesh and got a taste of the African heat; not a big fan, but loved traveling with LRMC friends.  Clark had a class trip to Hamburg and enjoyed the miniature train display, which took hours to get through (Myers –we think you should make a trip just for this!).  July was a return to the states to help Cindy and Rich (Sean’s parents) celebrate their Golden Anniversary.  We gathered with family in VA to help celebrate the 50 years that have gone before and wish them another 50!  It was wonderful seeing Uncle Buddy and meeting Sandy; Aunt Harriet and Uncle Walter made the trip down from MA and Aunt Jean and Uncle Bob came in from NJ and Mayland’s Mother came down from PA.  Of course, Susie, Peter, Janicia and Kevin all made the trip up from Roanoke.  We also had a chance to visit with our dear friends in MD Barbara and Lincoln and MJ was fortunate to discover her friendship with Ariana will be one that stands the test of time.  We must find ways to get those 2 young ladies together again!  Our last trip before Sean deployed was hiking in the forest of Germany/France and castle ruins.  Sept. Sean deployed and only a few short weeks later Cindy and Rich came to visit.  Clark and MJ were their guides and translators for 10 days traveling from Stuttgart to Paris to St Sornin Lavolps, Limousin Region, France.  Russell and Mayland did a quick weekend getaway to Sofia Bulgaria.  We stayed put until Thanksgiving when we had the chance to meet with Bekah Troutman (the kid’s 2^nd cousin) in Paris.  We had a great time enjoying the lights, chocolate and Giselle’s dinner.  Our December trip was back to sun in Palma de Mallorca (Island of Spain) with another surgery resident from Keesler, Chris. 

Ok, so maybe we did travel some, but really, that is not as much as we normally do.    So, we really need family, and friends to come and visit.  Give us a reason to get out and explore even more.  We are blessed beyond measure and grateful for the amazing life we are living.  Our love to one and all, may 2018 bring you more good memories and an opportunity to reconnect with friends and family; to live without regrets.  No one has ever regretted not working more, but some regret missing out on time with those they love; I want to continue my life without regrets when it comes to my relationships.

Love, Peace and Happiness,

 Sean, Mayland, Russell, Clark, and MJ

Christmas Letter 2016

Merry Christmas!  Happy New Year!  Fröhliche Weihnachten! Alles Gute in neuen Jahr!

Dear Family and Friends,

The photos that go with this letter are here in this PDF 

Eight years ago, I sat to write my Christmas letter that ended the year letting you know that Sean was about to deploy to Iraq; this year, I sit down to write letting you know that Sean is deployed in Africa.  About 160 days from Sept. – March.  The holiday season is just a little less festive knowing he is not with us,but knowing that Spring will bring new life and my beloved home makes it easier.  Having teenagers with whom I can share my heart and mind makes it much easier.  Russell, Clark and MJ are truly a blessing to me as their lives are busy and full, but now it is not just me doing everything for them – we are able to do things for each other. 

Sean had a very busy year – from San Diego for a medical conference to Korea in March for a training exercise, promoted to  Lieutenant  Colonel in June, learned of deployment in July, which led to training in preparation for deployment in San Antonio and Alabama for 6 weeks; home just after the kids started school.  It wasn’t until September that we were able to take a family weekend and see more of the Alsace region in France; followed by a long weekend for just 2 in Split, Croatia before getting on a plane to go to the US to fly to Africa.  Every week in between was full of patient care and administrative duties.  Everyday that I go into the hospital someone asks me how is he doing and when is he coming home, they all miss his smile, positive can-do attitude and leadership.  Cindy and Rich – you should be very proud of your son, I know I am eternally grateful that you molded such a wonderful man to be my husband.  Thank you!

Russell is interested in everything and loves life with a passion.  Even on the most difficult days he can muster a smile and good word, just like his Mother,Tasha.  From the little kid we visited in Rye CO to the young man he is today he has always brought a smile to my face and heart.  Russell  keeps realizing that he true talent is in the physical world.  He started playing tennis this summer in a more serious manner and already made the school’s tennis team.  His dad, Dave was also a tennis player in high school and loved the sport – it is good to see that passion living on in the next generation.  The summer was spent visiting with family  in Tennessee and Colorado, going to camp and learning more construction skills from Uncle Craig.  He has started his junior year here at Kaiserslautern high school.  Doesn't seem possible that he only has 1 ½ years of school left.

Clark is interested in science, science and math; at least that is what it feels like, but then I step back and realize his language skills (in addition to German, French, and Latin, he is now in his 2^nd year of Russian and dabbles in Hebrew a few times a month) and growing knowledge of history and society and I am awed by the German school opening so many unique doors to him.  He continues to play tennis with a passion – 3 times a week and also in tournaments.  Still developing the skills of playing in tournaments; completely different mind set than playing with friends.  Next year the entire education process changes and it will be even more like college, with essentially declaring a major for the next 2 ½ years.  It looks like he will have math and physics for certain, still deciding on the 3^rd area of concentration (leaning toward history I think); then Chemistry and well, not really sure what else will round it out, except I know German remains a main subject.  These are hard decisions, because everything in science and engineering interests him and he can’t just do science.

MJ has found a passion in drawing.  She works very hard to improve her skills and sometimes loses sleep to work on shading.  School is not as interesting at the moment, not good in Mom’s book, but I have to remember she is only just turning 13 and still figuring out her passion.  Still says she wants to be a NeuroSurgeon, but every once in awhile will mention psychiatry.  MJ has also found a great deal of enjoyment in tennis and has increased her playing time to two times a week and is willing to think about some tournaments this coming spring.  We need to spend more time in France so she can improve her French and feel confident in her language skills.  It is interesting watching the difference of the boys vs girl in the adolescent stage – the boys have become more confident in who they are, while MJ is still figuring it all out.  I have a great confidence that by the time she is 16  she will be a real force to reckon with though.

Mayland continues to volunteer at the hospital running the GME program.  Picked up the position of interim director for the hospital in CME (Continuing medical education which is for physicians) while they did a search.  Fortunately, that responsibility will be short lived as being a director for 2 programs, Mom to 3 (4 if you count Tatzie our dog); and wife of a deployed soldier can feel a bit overwhelming at times. 

The new year will bring more changes, challenges and opportunities.  Take time to appreciate the people and world around you.  Don’t be a stranger, come and visit, please. 

  

Love, Peace and Happiness,

 Sean, Mayland, Russell, Clark, and MJ

PS – Sean will be deployed through Feb. 2017 (possibly March)

If you want to send a card / letter; please email me for the address

Pre-Deployment time: France / Croatia

My mind has been creating a new post for the past couple of months, but my heart has had a hard time with making me sit down and write.  Today, as I walked Tatzie and talked to MJ I realized that when I don't communicate the difficulty of deployment is harder.  So, even though my extroverted self prefers face to face conversations; my physical location requires writing.
This past summer was pre-deployment.  Sean was in TX / AL for 6 weeks while the kids were in the states (Russell - TN & CO, Clark and MJ - NJ, PA, VA).
Once we all returned home in last August (kids) and September (Sean) we took a long weekend together, including Tatzie in the Alsace region of France.  A great area, because Tatzie was able to be with us, as we took long walks and enjoyed time together.  We were on the wine route: Rorschwihr, Beblenheim, Orschwiller, Saint-Hippolyte, Kintzheim and Ribeauville.  Beautiful old half-timbered houses and soaring castles.  The most fun was feeding the monkeys, we were able to just stand there and hold out food, they would come up to us and eat.  It was great seeing my teens acting more like kids than teens.

The most unexpected find was the memorial to Audie L. Murphy - where he won the Medal of Honor, at Holtzwihr.  We continued walking after finding the memorial to see a memorial to some British who were lost when their plane went down (Memorial du Lancaster).
Photos from our time in France.

After we returned home from France, Sean and I took a few days just for the two of us in Split Croatia.  September is the perfect time to go - no crowds and beautiful weather.  I love Croatia.  Much of it had to do with the guide we ended up with too, Mr. Peter with Private Guides Croatia.  Absolutely, a man who loves his country, but more than that he loves to teach.  I was pretty sure that Sean and I would drive him crazy at first, but once we got to know each other, it was awesome.  Our 1.5 hour tour of the city turned into 4 hours.  Our tour of the waterfalls was extended by another 2 hours - he took us to the places that aren't for tourists - the houses that are still waiting to be rebuilt after the war of Croatian Independence (1991-95) and the fields that are still mine fields.  He taught us about sustainable fishing in the area.  He even found a slice of tomato to help take the pain out of a wasp sting.

Merry Christmas! Happy New Year! Fröhliche Weihnachten! Alles Gute in neuen Jahr! Dec. 2015

Dear Family and Friends,    

I spent time re-reading our letter from last year, the final sentence read, “May your 2015 be a year for richer relationships.”  I can honestly say that we have had a chance to deepen relationships in this past year and hope you have too.  2015 also ushered in some major changes to our lives, the first, and the biggest, is that Sean and I are now the guardians to Russell Fleming.  Adding a 16 year old has offered up some challenges in the logistics department, but making him a member of the family has

been enriching and certainly increased the love in the home.  I’m not sure if you remember, but last December I wrote of the loss of Mayland’s cousin (Tasha to Leukemia) in Dec.; in a few short weeks Russell’s Dad went to the ER due to back pain that had been managed for years, but suddenly was crippling.  The diagnosis was Multiple Myeloma – advanced.  Dave left this earth to join his beloved Tasha in May.  His two children, Serena, adult child with a son and Russell, just turned 16, were left with a huge void in their lives and hearts.  Russell is a fabulous, enthusiastic, joyous and effervescent young man.  It is exciting to help him travel the road into adulthood.  He came to live with us in August, started school at the local DoD High School (American) in the 10th grade.  He definitely feels that living in Germany has opened up opportunities to explore the world more and he loves the food here, the major downside is that he can’t get the driver’s license, but neither can any of the other kids in his school. The other news, we will be staying in Germany through July 2019; yes, Sean got the extension.  So, if you have been thinking about a European vacation, there is still time.  What did the year look like?  January saw Sean return to the states for a medical conference, of which he actually attended only a few sessions due to having the flu; so why do I tell you this, because he did manage to recover enough to stop in Delaware for a short visit with his best friend’s mother, Mrs. Johansson, who passed shortly thereafter.  It is always best to see the person here on earth and know that loving words have been spoken then to wish we had made time.  After Sean returned home, we committed to carving out some weekends together, just the two of us; this year we managed 3; Paris in Feb., Budapest in Sept and Colmar, France in Nov. (yup, same weekend as the shootings in Paris).  February was an exciting time for Clark as his class took a trip to the

Berlin Wall

Austrian Alps for a week of skiing, yes, the teachers went and no parents needed.  I love a school where skiing is part of the curriculum. March brought spring break and we made our way to Berlin and then Portugal (Lisbon and Porto).  Upon our return home, we were asked if we could watch a couple of dogs for a newly PCS’d nurse, who would be  Family 2: Berlin Wall (March)    Family 3: Lisbon (March)    Family 4: Sintra, Portugal working at LRMC.  Of course we said yes, love dogs, Tatzie needs a friend; what could go wrong?  Oh, boy, turns out we said yes to 2 fully in tact female escape artists.  Within 24 hours of their arrival the 10-year-old momma mated while her 5 year old daughter found every weakness in our fence.   The next  70 days we spent shoring up the fence to only find a new hole, but the topper was taking momma to the Vet trying to save the puppies, alas, she was too old and the puppies didn’t make it.    In May, Mayland returned to Denver to say goodbye to Dave and to help Serena and Russell start to put their lives together.  She found that there was amazing love and support in Kenny and Carol Lang, Carol is Dave’s sister.  Truly a wonderful couple that we are thrilled to have as part of our lives now.  Upon return we made a short trip Belgium and explored the lesser-known places.  June was supposed to be uneventful; however, our dear friend Sven was driving Sean’s Alpha Romeo (dream car and

Lisbon Portugal

 owned for 1 year) through town when a lady decided that the yield sign didn’t apply to her and she side swiped him totaling the car.  Fortunately, the car was well enough made and had lots of airbags that deployed, so while Sven suffered a jolt, there were no lasting injuries. July brought a wonderful gift, Mayland’s cousin Cindy with her family (Steve, Andrew and David).  We all traveled to Paris together and the kids had a great time remembering why cousins make the very best friends.  Andrew was particularly taken with Germany since he was able to order beer and wine, he learned about how they go with foods and not about being sloppy.  Yeah!  Sean and the kids returned to work and school, while Mayland traveled on to Normandy and finally got to see the Bayeux Tapestry, this is truly remarkable and something everyone should do.  We also took a tour of the beaches and spent time at the WWII museum in Caen, France (another must do!).  Despite many potential issues with traffic, Mayland had the backup plan (train) and we made it home right on time.  Of course, no trip is complete here without a stop in Trier, why you ask? 

Sintra Portugal

Well come visit and you’ll find out.     August was crazy – Clark and MJ finished with school, Clark took off for the French Riviera and tennis camp; MJ and Mayland took trips to the US, MJ got a quick visit in with Grandma in NJ and saw cousins, Mayland made her way to Denver and the court, in the meantime Sean prepared for his 2 week tour in Korea.  Tod, Mayland’s friend from Westtown, did manage to pin her down for a wonderful, but too short, visit just days after Patty (Russell’s aunt) and Russell had arrived in country.  During the traveling activities, the practical things like putting in a new bathroom, rearranging the house (boys bedroom is in the basement) – did I mention it is like Oscar and Felix down there? Tennis lessons, hosting residents and medical students, volunteer activities at the hospital, singing on

Russell in his AF JROTC

the praise team at chapel, hosting our dear friends the Smiths (resident with Sean back in the day) and their wonderful family while they transitioned to life here in Germany and taking care of the totaled Alpha Romeo Spider were also fit into the schedule.   Mayland fit in two trips in Sept. the one to Budapest with Sean and then another to Chartres France with Patty (Russell’s Aunt) and Paris.  Sean and Mayland decided that the whole family needed a get-away and so the first weekend in November we jetted to London for the Jet’s game.  There seems to be something about London and Mayland that just don’t connect.  While it is a great city, things just don’t go well, for example – pre-purchased those Jet v Dolphin’s tickets and had them shipped to the house only to forget them at the house.  Yeah, you read that right, tickets forgotten.  We even had our neighbor go and take photos to prove we had them, no dice.   The second set of tickets was less expensive and better seats, but still, argh!  Mindy and Sven came with us, and the girls ditched the game in favor of London theatre.  We all enjoyed “Gypsy” and the girls also fit in “Matilda The Musical” while the guys went to the game.  The end of October was fall break for Clark and MJ and so they took off with Sean to DisneyWorld to meet with the Reilly family, while Mayland stayed with Russell before heading the World Gymnastics Championship in Glasgow

Patty & Mayland in Chartres

Scotland with Mindy.  We had a great time seeing the new gymnasts and Mayland had a chance to introduce Mindy to some old friends like Fred Turoff and Abie Grossfeld; the irony was that Mindy found out that her Uncle Joe Kotys who liked gymnastics was on the Olympic team with Abie in 1956.  I knew there was a good reason to bring her.  Our final guests were the McCarver’s, good friends from a few years back (and who better return soon) and then Sean and I had our get-away in Colmar.  December has been busy as always with Mayland’s birthday starting off the season, and another Holiday Ball, followed by MJ turning 12 with her friends at LaserTag.  Serena, Adam and Cameron will fly in this weekend, and then   Sean will turn 43 before we get on the train to visit Prague for Christmas and Vienna for New Years.  There is so much more that happened, but those are definitely the highlights.  Hope you enjoy the pictures here too. We miss our friends and family in the states very much.  Please, please, consider a trip to Germany.  It is a beautiful country and we are starting to actually know our way around.  May the peace of the season be manifested in our lives and each day be lived in the moment because when we wait until tomorrow we miss the most special thing about today – being here, being together and having an opportunity to make a connection – forge relationships.  Thank you for being in relationship with our family.   Love, Peace and Happiness,

Farthest point to the West in Europe

Tatzie in her element

Budapest 

Porto Portugal

Lisbon 

Daddy and Tatzie