We Made it to Germany...Then Stopped Blogging

The whole purpose of our blog was to keep everyone at home up to date on what we are doing. So it is ironic that we finally made the big move, we stopped blogging. So I have been working on my time management and I do have time to blog...I just have to make the time! I have completed (and published) all of the blogs that were drafts just waiting to be published. Now I am going to post our 2009 Family Christmas Letter and start fresh for 2010. So anyone who gave up on our blog, and bothers to randomly check-in and notices that there has been a change, please come back!

Weihnachtsgrüße! Merry Christmas!

We are excited to announce that in July the Hendrickson’s went international and are now serving up good cheer in Heidelberg, Germany. Leaving the sweet tea of Georgia for the bier of Deutschland has had its share of cultural, linguistic and logistical issues, luckily bier costs less than water and is acceptable anytime of day. Everyone agrees the local pastries and chocolate are justification enough for the move, and provide relative compensation for our small military issue apartment. We are enjoying our new home that now includes a carefully selected Tannenbaum from the tree farm.

In reviewing the year we have to take the bitter before the sweet, and mention that in November the Rosenberger Family endured the loss of their beloved patriarch and Angela’s grandfather, Paul. He was a truly wonderful person and will be greatly missed by all who knew him. Ethel is in our prayers.

For the sweet, it has been a wonderful year of seeing and doing new things. We made a pilgrimage to the small Georgia towns of Plaines and Warm Springs over Presidents Day. We toured FDR’s Little White House, and heard Jimmy Carter speak about the accomplishments of his presidency. No one in the room had the heart to tell him that his recollection of his time in office was a touch distorted, but Rosalynn did correct him on some of the dates.

Graham and Angela had a full year of their favorite “extreme water sport,” fishing. For Mother’s Day we took a charter off on the coast of South Carolina. Graham caught flounder. His mom found the ugliest fish in the ocean called a clam cracker; it was promptly tossed back. Graham also caught his birthday dinner of 8 trout from a lake east of Heidelberg. True to his fishing form, Erik’s thumb was smashed in the mouth of catfish from a pond in Indiana, but he continues to persevere against his aquatic nemesis and will feebly continue to fish.

Graham attends the American school and loves his teacher Mrs. Peterson. He continues in Cub Scouts, Baseball, and has a new piano teacher, Ms. Corina. With the Scouts, he and Erik spent a weekend on the USS Yorktown Aircraft Carrier. The ship was amazing, but the staff denied Erik from the officer’s quarters, and he had a hard time fitting in a sailor’s bunk. We look forward to a scout trip this month to Belgium, where we will see re-enactments of the Battle of the Bulge. He will make his first communion, on Mother’s Day. All of this pales to the excitement over Grandma Suzy’s chickens. He is the “chicken whisperer” and if they wander too far, he asks them “Why did you cross the road?”

Tess is in a German kindergarten where she is picking up some of the language, and making many friends. She was Alice in Wonderland for Halloween, which was celebrated throughout our “gated community” with lots of tasty warm beverages, candy and even a bouncy house! Tess likes being in the children’s choir, dance, and is getting introduced to the piano by Ms. Corina. As we walk Tess to and from schule, she stops to visit the Kaninchengarten, which is a small fenced in yard, belonging to one of our German neighbors with two bunnies.

Angela continues to volunteer, and most recently began helping the Sisters of Charity in Mannheim. She is pursuing a Masters in Human Relations from the University of Oklahoma, is the Secretary of the PTA, substitutes, and joined a book club. Last summer she and Erik took part in Brookville’s Canoe Fest, Erik and his partner won the Bank Race. Ang and her friend Randi teamed up, only sharing with the other that neither had ever canoed minutes before the race. Depending on whom you ask, they may have won their race or finished in the top 20. They did great, the official who saved them from a rapid said so!

Erik has a peculiar fear of T’s kindergarten teacher Frau Noori, who is quick to let Erik know if he is even 1 minute late! He ran the Georgia Marathon in the spring, and his Fort Gordon team won the Marine Mud Challenge in the summer. He is a leader with the Cub Scouts. He is currently working with Administrative Law for V Corps, and is the legal officer for the 18th Engineer Brigade, and likes his work.

We wish you all a wonderful holiday and a great year ahead!