Holiday | The Frandrup's

If you click the link below in blue you will get the PDF Holiday letter.

It was a hard one to write this year since we are in the process of moving again. We have no start date, or in fact, no specific job. But we are envisioning that we will be leaving Germany in the next six months or sooner. We would love to stay. Of course it is all very nostalgic for us now as we attend our last Christmas Markets and prepare for our last family ski trips in the Alps. We part ways with our European experience with heavy hearts. But it has been a year in the making. Landstuhl Regional Medical center seems to be falling apart around us. The joke is that CJ has been playing the violin on the titanic now for a year. We just adore his colleagues and it is so sad to know we will all be scattering to the four corners of the world.

But I guess these are the stakes when you play big like we have been in life. It would have been so predictable to stay in one place. I know it is never easy, whether you stay in the hometown you grew up in, or if you are like us and travel the world. But I can tell you that moving every three years is exhausting! I am getting pretty good at setting up a house. I can get it all unpacked, art on the walls, curtains hung and looking like a home in about six weeks. That is six weeks of NOTHING else though. It is torture.

So, wish us luck as we prepare again for a major move. Hershy and Aly will be in their little cat carriers for a long flight home, under our seats hopefully. Everything we own will be boxed and crated. Vehicles sent on a ship, plants given away, basically anything that has dirt on it, tossed or given away. It is always quite a project. You really have to respect our military folks who do this all the time! God bless those families. It is much work, loss and expense with restarting and rebuilding homes.

With that I am off to bake my last Christmas cookies in this house in Germany. The upside to knowing it is your last season in a place is that you don’t take anything for granted!

Cheers to you and yours!Holiday letter3 2013

Easter Season has come and gone and with it’s arrival the sunshine has finally returned to this grey cold land. Winter seems to have been unbearably long for so many this year. We are ready for rebirth, renewal, and healthful sunshine. We embraced winter; don’t get me wrong. We played, went skiing, sledding, drank from the fountains of hot chocolate that kept flowing in our sunless kitchen. The cobblestone streets of sunnier places welcomed our weary, sore throats and runny noses. Rome filled us with a sense of spring to the point that we ate gelato like it was June in the tropics! Porto, Portugal teased us with its white Port and tonic, chilled with sliced lemons as street performers sang and strummed. Do you sense a theme here? SUNSHINE, we are so glad you are back. This has been the longest grey period in Germany in years. Lucky us, we got to be here for it. Alas, brighter days are coming.

Before I jump to the days ahead though, I want to just take a minute to reflect on how blessed I feel. At this time of year I have such fond memories of Easter traditions. The Sullivans were always making a feast of lovely foods, throwing great Easter Egg hunts and my mom always had us in our Sunday best for Easter Service. It was a special time and I think back on it so fondly. Thank you to my aunts who made those childhood memories so happy for all of us. This Easter was so fun for us as Gloria and William are at great ages. They enjoyed a terrific Easter party at school where they decorated eggs, had an egg hunt and created numerous art projects. When home on Easter morning, they got right to work finding their Easter baskets and discovering all the treasures. Gloria found Liam’s and brought him right to it, saying “look Liam, look Little guy, it’s your basket.” Then before running to find hers, she meticulously went through all of his treasures beaming with excitement over his new puppy jammies and his new camera and his chocolate bunny. She was a true cheerleader and little mommy.

Of course hers was equally amazing, filled with yummies and treasures. The afternoon was a happy one of lounging, skyping family, eating cinnamon rolls from scratch and just being at peace. We wish you a peaceful, sunny spring. Breathe in that fresh air and get outside. We are heading there now!