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

January 2015: Merry Christmas! Happy New Year! Fröhliche Weihnachten! Alles Gute in neuen Jahr!

Dear Family and Friends,

Munich x-mas 2013

Ah, the start of a new year and the promises that it brings.  The one promise is that this letter will finally get written, as I have started our Christmas letter many times in December; however, the Christmas joy was overshadowed by the cycle of life coming full circle this year.  In October Mayland’s 1^st cousin on her Father’s side, Joseph Peter passed to be with his parents and Father.  Then, on 1 Dec. Tasha (Mayland’s 1^st cousin on her Mother’s side with Leukemia) passed on to be with her beloved Grandmother and Father in heaven due to an infection.  The days of December were full of contradictions of Christmas birth and memorial service preparations.  Gratitude of seeing family and friends tinged with enormous sorrow that the one who brought us together was only there in spirit.   The blessing that Grandma Reilly was here to watch the kids while Mayland traveled to Denver and Sean did his military training in Texas.  This year, more than most, I am grateful that we don’t partake in the materialism portion of Christmas; all gifts are given on Birthdays, because our Christmas this year was spent fully present in each other’s love in a sleepy town, Neuburg an der Danube, reading the Sermon on the Mount and taking a long walk to discover a little café that was open and serving a delicious lunch followed by an evening of board games and more conversation. I’m pretty sure that my kids are being really nice when they say they don’t mind the Christmas sans presents, but I’m hoping that 20 years from now they will appreciate the love and see that time was the best gift we could really give them.

Our favorite stories from the year: we agreed to host a resident who also happened to be a new Mom at our house so she could do the medicine rotation here at Landstuhl.  This involved her parents coming to watch her 8mo old son.  Well, we had also gotten Tatzie by this time (May) who was about 4 months and very active.  Alex, (baby) was crawling and every time he tried to crawl away from Grandma, Tatzie would go and pick him up by the diaper or shirt and pull him back.  She already understood, babies gentle.  Now, when the toddlers come to visit she follows them everywhere.  Turns out that one little boy, ~3 yo, in particular enjoyed this immensely and would go to all of the adults asking for crackers, hot dogs, etc. His Mom and Dad were excited about how much he was eating, until they realized he wasn’t eating any of it … every piece of food was hidden until he had Tatzie right next to him, then out it would come.  She soon realized if she sat or lay down there were lots of goodies waiting for her.  Honestly, I could fill a page with Tatzie stories; she is a total and utter goofball.  A 90lb lapdog who thinks people are the very best.

The fall trip was to Lyon France, Turin and Milano Italy.  While in France Clark came to realize that his French teacher was not helping them with travel French at all, but while he was a bit frustrated it was ok because he could understand much of what was being said.  In Italy however, he was relegated to just being able to read the Italian (3 years of Latin makes it easy to read).  The problem, he couldn’t speak it and really couldn’t understand what people were saying at all.  When we arrived back in Germany the first words out of his mouth -  “It is so good to be able to eavesdrop on conversations and understand what they are saying.”

Renaissance Faire Sept 2014

The other day Clark was mentioning that he just couldn’t believe he is 14, as tall as Mom and well, a teenager.  That got me to thinking about the fact that Sean and I have been married for 16 years.  Which reminded me that every year we have been so very richly blessed to host people who were acquaintances, at best, on day 1 and friends by the end of the stay.  As I have spent more time thinking about the cycle of life this season, I am reminded that 14+ years ago, we hosted Alice in our home in Philadelphia so that she could spend her days by the side of Art Shurlock (gymnastics coach from UCLA) while he was hospitalized at HUP (Hosp. of Univ. of PA) awaiting a new heart.  Then we had a young dog, Hanna, and Clark was only known as a bump in Mommy.  Art received a new heart in Sept. 2000 and the doctors at were hopeful he would live 5 years.  Art surpassed all hopes and is still going strong and starting his 15^th year as Clark starts his.  Prior to the summer of 2000, Art was a legend and someone Mayland admired.  After the fall of 2000, Art and Alice became some of our dearest and most beloved friends.  It would have been easy to say we were too busy (Sean in Med school, Mayland working, going to school, pregnant) or it wasn’t convenient (guest room vs nursery).  Instead, we listened to the small still voice of God and said, please, our home is your home.  If ever any of you need a home or just a vacation from the hectic pace of daily life – there is always a place here.  We will never be too busy to welcome you, include you and deepen the ties that bind.

The most amazing part of life is that even though life here on earth is short, we can still count our blessings that truly make every day worth living to the fullest.  Looking at the photos, we traveled to new places, met new people, made some amazing new friends, strengthened relationships with old friends, and remember to thank God every day for the blessing of being able to help others, be kind when it is easier to be selfish and make time for relationships.  May your 2015 be a year for richer relationships.

Peace, Love, and Happiness,

  Sean, Mayland, Clark, and MJ

Rome x-mas 2013

Burg Richtenburg, Kusel Germany - Lunch

 Amsterdam for Spring break - we didn't make it to the tulip fields, but we did stay on a houseboat.

May – Rothenburg ob der Tauber

Walking along the wall of Rothenberg

Dressed for Alex's wedding!

Thanks Uncle Bob and Aunt Jean for hosting us this summer!

 Aug / Sept - Ireland: Dublin (PSU football game) and Westport with Mindy and Sven!

 

 

Yup, the kids really are that tall!

 Fall break - October - Lyon France

Turin Italy (winter olympics here)

On the roof of the Cathedral in Milano

Tatzie 10mos old - 90 lbs and loving the snow