Deutschland and the Frandsens

We had an excellent visit with the Frandsen girls in Germany. We started out nice and easy and ended running our tails off. The first few days were spent adjusting to the time change and just hanging with Leslie and her girls enjoying movies, spa nights, and home cooked meals.

First up, Leslie and I took a German Baking class offered through the air force base near by. It was a lot of fun seeing all their excellent and efficient tools like the torte ring, cake cutter, and cake lifter. Not to mention the delicious desserts Mandarin Orange Cake, Poppy Seed Almond Roll, and Berliners.

Next, we had a few days of shopping we bought some shoes, some chocolate, and Easter decor. They had the cutest Easter/Ouster decorations. My Mom and I had a lot of fun gazing at all the chocolate Easter Bunnies, eggs, and wee trinkets.We also went swimming. The base nearby has an excellent facility. Both McKenna and Ellie surprised us with their bravery. McKenna turned a new leaf that day and began to get her face wet and dunk herself all the way under. While Ellie couldn’t get enough of the little slide she was so excited she would clench her teeth and shake her fists.

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Then our big adventure and truly the the highlight of the trip was a weekend spent in the town of Rothenburg.  Rothenburg is a Medieval city with a wall dating back to the 1400’s that surrounds the old town square. It was a beautiful city with so much preserved we were very impressed. We took a Night Watchmen tour there as well and learned some more interesting facts about living in that time and the crazy history of Rothenburg. The next day we visited a Toy Museum and the Christmas Museum where Leslie and I picked up the classic German Christmas candle light windmills.

The next town we visited is Strausburg, France. A town just across the boarder of France that has a good mix of German and French culture. First we hit the Cathedral. It was mind blowing with all the detail both inside and out. Some of the stained glass was dated back to the 1300’s and it was one of the tallest of the Cathedrals built in this era. Strausburg has a historical section of the city called “La Petite France” where we found classic half timbered architecture and a classic European feeling with quaint narrow streets and shops.

We enjoyed a boat tour through the cities canals as well and finished the day off with crepes.

Finally we spent one day enjoying the walkplatz in Kaiserslautern the main town near my sister. They had a farmers market that morning which is always a good thing to check out anywhere you go… The day ended with some sunshine to enjoy once we got home.

So overall it was a fantastic trip. Leslie and her girls were awesome hosts and we really enjoyed the time spent with them I loved watching Ellie play and get to know her cousins they are very special girls. I hope that we helped bring a bit of joy and distraction to them as they pass the time while their Dad is out working so hard. Thank you Leslie, Mark, Bailey, and McKenna! We love you and already miss you so much.

Gary V. Hanna

The Marcoccia’s front pond is primed and ready for skating. Gary shoveled it off after a snow storm so it would be smooth and glassy. Everything came together for the right conditions so he found his old hockey skates and got after it. All the dogs wanted a part of the fun as well. Especially the St. Bernard Hanna. So Gary slapped the puck around with her the other morning. Gary said she made a good goalie. I think he won because she eventually just laid down on the ice and took a break.

Settling In

Well we have united with the Marcoccia clan and are settling in. Tuesday was one of the longest days of my life. I think we put in about 12 hours in the truck. When we crossed the boarder into Pennsylvania Ellie went into hysterics crying and screaming so we pulled into a rest stop so she could get out of the car seat and calm down. Once we were all settled and on the road again my hormones and exhaustion kicked in and I started crying I was really trying to fight it back, but the tears flowed for a few minutes. Gary was good and soothed me back to a calm reasonable person. When we crossed into New York state I felt much better it was like we could see the light at the end of the tunnel. I was getting butterflies in my stomach when the roads and towns started to look familiar. We had had enough of the loud over bearing semis, wet and snowy roads, stressed out dogs, and interstate freaks.

It’s good to be at Gary’s parents they are taking good care of us. Linda had a pot of her homemade marinara sauce with fresh tomatoes from their garden, meatballs, and sausage ready to go for us. Our room was set up so nice and cozy and Grandma Marcoccia was prepared with a huge box of toys for Ellie’s enjoyment as well as open arms to hold her with all night and give momma a nice needed break. Ahhh the luxuries of home.

Ellie is a little out of sorts what with the time change and a new environment to get used to. She has been fighting sleep and has found her scream. Yesterday we had a ruff time of it, but today so far so good. She did reach some milestones though, while we were on our trip she had her first real giggle and laugh. Aunt DeeAnn got to see and hear it. She has been trying hard to roll over from her back to her belly she kicks her leg and turns her head, but can’t quiet get around her shoulder and arms, but I think she will do it any day now.

We are still trying to get our wireless router set up so we can access the internet via the lap tops so until then the post may be few and far between. Hopefully we will get it sorted out soon. Wish us luck…