Last post of 2015

It's a cold and gloomy New Years Eve day.  No snow like Utah has, but the humid cold seems much colder.  We are going to celebrate New Year with the senior missionaries in Frankfurt tonight, and it seems like a good idea to review the past month  before we say good bye to 2015.

These are the Hawkins......Jackie and Denis.  We went to the Hessin Park Christmas Market sponsored by the Reve grocery store chain.  Many of the booths had their products at reduced prices.

We got some nuts and Milka Chocolates.  We paid 5 euros and got 10 euros worth of of deliciousness.

Every Wehnauctinmarkt we went to has a lot of the same booths.  Always lots of sausages available.

The one thing missing .......nativity scenes.....disappointing to this collector.

We did see this display.  I have heard that people who collect over here try to depict the entire city, not just the stable area.  

One new thing we did see was scorpions......too bad Corbyn doesn't collect them anymore!

Here is our dear friend, and co worker Marianna.  She always brings decorations from home to brighten up our office area.  She remembered that I collect carousels and brought this in just for me.

Just before Christmas, she gave me 4 horses to take home with me.  They will always be a sweet remiunder of this dear friend.

Advent Calendars are big over here.

This is what I gave to our co workers.....with the story of the candy cane.

Then came the best part of Christmas......spending time with LeAnn and Austin!  We picked them up at the Frankfurt Airport on Sunday, spent 5 wonderful days and took them back to the airport to catch a 7:30 am flight to Paris on Christmas morning.

On Monday we drove to Koln to see the famous cathedral and big Christmas Market.  This is my only picture from that day......I thought I had lost my camera, only to find it when we returned to the car.  

There is a "story" to go with that; but in the spirit of the season, I shall not get into that.......

I made up for lack of pictures that day by taking lots the next day in Frankfurt.

In reverse order.....my Babe, my baby sister and her baby.

Too big to bring home......        Lots of gingerbread and candy!    And one tiny nativity scene!

We took a double-decker bus tour of Frankfurt.  Then went to dinner at the Berliner, just down the street from our apartment.   Real German food ......lots of meat......and french fries.

This is Guido's......our favorite place to eat....especially with family and friends.

On the morning of Christmas Eve, we went to the castle in Bad Hamburg.....it was closed but we walked around the grounds. 

He was a good sport!      These "forsythia" shrubs are a lovely surprise in December !

We had a Christmas Eve Birthday Dinner......made more festive by the banner LeAnn brought!

A "gummy pizza" for Austin and chocolates for LeAnn........Frohe Wehnauctin!!

We tried to talk to all the Averetts, but only got Aubrey, Jeff, and Brayden.

Our kids had the annual Christmas Eve/Birthday Breakfast at Kaycee's this year and we got to see all but Scott's family.......but on Christmas night (our time), we visited with each family.  

It was so nice to be able to have them stay in the mission's spare apartment.  Your plants are still looking good, Sister Hanks!  But the apartment just isn't the same without you in it!

The location changes, depending on the comings and goings of the couples.  Right now it is the Hanks' apartment very close to us.  They took a walk one afternoon down through Friedsrichsdorf and over to the temple.  They also walked in the forest by our apartment.

I shed a few tears when we said good bye.  BUT......I will see LeAnn and Jim, and Kathryn in about 5 1/2 months when we join them in Amsterdam for our tour of Europe.....YEA!

Speaking of Jim ......his flight out of New York was delayed and he missed his connection out of Paris; so LeAnn and Austin flew to Saudia Arabia without him.  He caught up with them a day later.  I know they are having a wonderful time with Andrew and family.  Austin posted a sandman made on the shore of the Red Sea.  They will have great memories of a special Christmas.  As do we!

We had a lovely Christmas Brunch with the Senior Missionaries.  Very nice program, too.

2013 has been a wonderful year for us.  The time has not flown by, and yet we find ourselves thinking of things we need to do before May gets here.  Our replacements are Thomas and Ruth Rich from Sandy.  We are anxious to begin communicating with them. They will be here the first part of May and will be with us for almost 3 weeks of training.....including a trip to Madrid to meet and train AAAs from Spain, Portugal , and Cape Verde.

We wish you a Happy New Year and hope it will be the best one ever!

A Medieval Christmas Market

A Christmas Angel, Saint Nicholas, and me......in Ronneburg Castle.

This was a great day.  We went with Elder and Sister Castleton......and at least 10 more senior couples.  Around every corner we found either a medieval character or a missionary!

Sister Castleton called this "Missionary Stew".

The Kirks, Castletons, and Keith.

We told them they had the best costumes.....and after taking several more pictures, he asked Keith to email our pictures to them.

The sign on the left caught my eye....can you see why?

What an interesting couple.   And such costumes!

Here's another interesting couple......the Jarrards live two or three houses away from Lorin and Cleo in West Jordan.  They are a new couple and are serving in the Frankfurt Mission.  We really liked them because he introduced us as his neighbor's younger and better-looking brother!!

While I was looking at the donkey, I should have bought that pretty cape.....and trimmed it with fur.

Actually, all I purchased were some plastic knights to remind us of all the castles we've seen......and some lunch.  Dessert was deep fried battered apple slices and vanilla sauce.  

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There it is....real live Mistletoe. 

This was a wonderful experience.  Different than any of the other Weinachtenmarkts we seen.

Not a nativity scene to be found.......oh well, we're going to Hessin Park next week.  Maybe I'll have better luck there.

We attended the Area Office Christmas Devotional last Thursday.  We had our monthly interview with Elder Johnson, then sang in the "Traditional Senior Missionary Choir".  I couldn't remember last year's choir, but apparently one year there was.....and maybe there will be one next year.  All I know is, we'll miss it if there is......we will be home!

The Area Presidency spoke.  We have grown to love and admire these men so much.  Elder Johnson's wife is my friend Beverly Hind's niece.  Elder Dyches read the story about the Christmas Pagaent and the little girl who held her sign ( an M ) upside down and the audience read Christ was Love.  President Kearon told about touring a refugee camp with Elder Ballard in Cyprus.  It was a wonderful Devotional and really started the season off right.

The Johnsons.   The Kearons.    The Dyches.

And the catered meal was wonderful, too.  And cute decorations on each table.

One more picture......this is Andrew and Sue Mason.  They are a charming couple from England.

Andrew works in our building and Sue spends one day a week volunteering at Family Search just down the road from us.  We took them to lunch at our favorite Italian place, Guido's.  You see, Keith got another ticket and Andrew is our "banker" and handles the payment.  It makes it easier for him to pay the fine and we reimburse him.  They have lived here a little over 2 years and he has gotten 3 tickets.  We have been here 17 months and have gotten 3 tickets.  We have gotten the last 2 in the same place.  The speed limit goes from 70 to 50.....apparently they set up the camera right there.....Andrew got 2 of his tickets there, too.  Our most recent one came with a picture of Keith looking over to the passenger side of the car.....just when I said, "I wonder what that box is?"  We know now what it was!!

Sending love to you....again!

It's beginning to look a lot like Weihnachten.....

Out with the fall decor........

.......in with the Christmas decor......it took about 3 minutes.  Usually takes me 3 days!

This is the package we sent home to our family......lots of typical German candy.  Believe me when I tell you it cost more to mail it than it cost to buy it!  But when I wrestled with myself about the cost, I won!  Hope it gets there for the Saunders party on the 26th. 

Before we move on to Christmas, let me tell you about Thanksgiving.  It was wonderful being with our missionary family.......a truly wonderful group of people.  Thanksgiving is just a regular day here, but we didn't go into the office.  Dinner was in the Frankfurt chapel at 13:00 o'clock........or 1 p.m.  Our assignment was a veggie tray,  but I was truly thankful for the others who brought turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, homemade rolls........and pumpkin pie.  Just like home!  Delicious!

Elders Riggs, Bausman, and Carasena were in charge in the kitchen.

Sister Castleton provided a vegetable turkey again this year.  And she found some pickled beets.....I was so excited!

The young missionaries joined with us this year.  Can you pick out Corbyn's doppelgänger!

My favorite pie.......I usually start enjoying them about Halloween, but having just one piece this year was a real treat.

Another treat was the musical number by Elder and Sister Sharpe.......dear friends now!

All in all, it was  a memorable day......and next year we will be home.....but who's counting!

Christmas in Germany means Christmas Markets.  We went to the one on Bad Homburg on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.  It was set up in the area around the castle.

I had a kase and shrinkin crepe.....cheese and ham, and Elder Saunders enjoyed a brot.

The day started out rainy, but it cleared up for our adventure; but we heard it was going to snow that night, so we brought our garden inside.  Only one planter survived a wind storm a couple of weeks ago, and it looks nice in our apartment.

And this is what we woke up to the next day........brrrrrrrrrr.......

Wishing you a Merry Christmas.......full of joy, peace, love, family, and friends......and most of all, may the season we celebrate our Savior's birth bring us all closer to him.

Love to all.....

Elder and Sister Saunders/Dad and Mom/ Grandpa and Grandma.....all titles we cherish