This year was another year of change and growing. We started out the year in Virginia while Lady Hiva and I studied German. The two Muggles loved their schools and their friends. It was hard to leave. We ended the year in Germany. We have grown to love it here too. It is amazing how you can find loving people wherever you go. We have been lucky to be surrounded by people who lift us and make our lives brighter.
Many things that happened during the year were unplanned. But that was a beautiful and adventurous aspect of our journey. We stressed and we cried. We disagreed and annoyed each other. BUT. We had more times we were laughing together or making memories. We visited family and friends. We had family and friends visit us. Looking back it seems like it was such a short year, but when we see all that we did during the year, it makes us realize we are so lucky.
Both of the Muggles have grown SO MUCH taller this year. We were surprised when we got out the measuring stick and saw how many inches they both grew over the year. No wonder we have a hard time keeping them in pants that fit!
Here are some monthly synopsis:
JANUARY
We rang in the New Year with one of our favorite places in the USA--Walt Disney World. It is a place we have so many memories and something we can all talk about and share. We love to ride the rides, eat the food, and most of all find small activities that we can do as a family. It is those activities we find we talk about and reminisce about throughout the year.
It was also the month that Koala Bear was baptized a Member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Lucky Dragon was also ordained a Deacon in the Priesthood so he can serve in an official capacity on our congregation. We were lucky to have Papa and Pluba join us. Leni and the kids also came. It was cold and blistery in Washington, DC, but we wanted to make sure they experienced all they could. We did a whirlwind tour of the city with them!
FEBRUARY
February was a cold and quiet month. Dust did another two rounds of chemo, so learned German via zoom for the two months. We celebrated Valentines Day and found ways to enjoy the cold weather.
MARCH
March brought so much happiness. Nature was in full bloom. We loved seeing all of the colors of spring start to appear all over the city. Each week seemed to awaken a new set of flowers and colors. Lady Hiva and I still love the Dogwoods and the Eastern Red Buds the best.
We snuck away to Utah for a few days for Fatai's wedding. It was so good for us all to see family. We spent as much time as we could with both sides of the family in the short hours we were there. We played games and laughed and talked until we were all too tired to continue. I took the photos for Fatai's wedding and Koala Bear did a traditional hula she had learned over a few months. She was so scared of all the people watching, but she did well. I was proud of her.
APRIL
In April it was still a bit cold, but we did not let that stop us. We explored more of Washington, DC. The two Muggles are learning about US History at school and DC is the perfect place to visit museums and other historical places to discuss history. We went to Hersey, PA with some really good friends and rode rollercoaster and ate chocolate together.
We wound up the month with Easter celebrations. It is always fun to do an egg hunt with the Muggles. Although we all agreed it is more fun to have cousins to do it with.
MAY
May we started to realize our time in the US was quickly coming to an end. We made a mad dash to see and do as much as we could during the month. We went to Deep Creek Lake, Maryland with some friends. It was a blast. (REALLY COLD, but we did not let that stop us). We also spent a week on Lake Anna, Virginia. It was so good for all of us to be out in nature and just spend time with each other.
We made one more trip to Walt Disney World to use our Annual Passes while we could. We also changed our residency to Florida! That was a big change, but a necessary one. We drove through the southern part of the USA and saw things that none of us had seen before. Savannah, GA was a highlight. And Buc-ee's--we all love Buc-ee's. IYKYK
JUNE
June was our last month in Virginia. The Muggles finished classes and said goodbye to their friends. Summer activities were starting up and nearly every night they were at one party or another saying goodbye. We were so proud of them for playing at their concert. They both grew so much on the piano this year. We were proud of them.
Dust did another round of cancer treatments. Dust and Lady Hiva both finished their German tests!
We ended to month at a family reunion in Hawaii. It was SO good to be there and see the family. We all love being on the island and just spending time with the beach and cousins.
JULY
We did a road trip through the Western part of the USA. We realized that our two Muggles see things from all over the world, but have never seen some of the iconic parts of the USA. We started in Utah, drove to the Oregon-California border to see the Redwoods. We drove down the coast to San Francisco and Los Angeles. Then we drove across Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and back to Utah. We saw some breathtaking places.
We celebrated 4 JUL with family and the city of Provo. We spent more time with cousins in Beaver. Our Muggles were content to just be outside digging in the sand pit or chasing frogs. Such simple activities, but provided endless amounts of fun.
We arrived in Germany in mid July. The Muggles started at their new school. We are always so thankful for kind children who are willing to welcome the 'new kid' into their friend group. It makes for an easier transition to a new place. We celebrated Lucky Dragon's birthday and explored the area around our home.
AUGUST
We tried to see as much of the area as we could. Germany is a fascinating place. We find ourselves wandering the aisles of grocery stores--and there are so many to choose from. Each weekend we chose some place that is within driving distance to go see. All of them are unique and it is so fun to see!
SEPTEMBER
We were able to move into our permanent housing and all our stuff from India arrived. Papa and Pluba were here visiting and they helped us clean and sort the whole time they were here. We have TOO much stuff!! (I say that EVERY TIME WE MOVE). We always get rid of so much, but there is always more .
The end of the month brought the beginning of autumn season and we found ourselves visiting stores and pumpkin patches.
OCTOBER
We are really diving into all that Europe has to offer. Papa and Pluba came to visit again and visited a medieval Castle and then celebrated Reunification Day with them and a bunch of locals. It was a special experience. We then went on a road trip to Normandy. It is a place we have always wanted to go, but never had a chance to go. We saw D-Day memorials (something that touched us all) and we explored all the local areas. It was such a magical place to be.
We ended the month in Paris. We always love Paris and this time did not disappoint. We were excited to see all the ways that the community celebrated Halloween. Between all the Americans in the area and the Germans who adopted the practices, we were in Halloween mode for weeks on end!
NOVEMBER
Papa and Pluba came for Thanksgiving. We had originally planned to go there and see them, but with work schedules they ended up coming to see us. We did a tip to see the Christmas Markets in the Western portion of France. The whole experience was magnificent. We had some friends over to eat Thanksgiving dinner with us. Dust did another two rounds of cancer treatments this month.
DECEMBER
In December we filled our evenings and weekends with Christmas. We watched Christmas movies, we ate good food, and we went to many, many Christmas Markets. We did big markets, small markets, flashy markets, and traditional markets. Lady Hiva's cousins flew in for a few days to have a girl's trip. It was so much fun to have them all here!
Christmas was a special time. We had the day with just the four of us. Then Papa and Pluba met us in Munich and we stopped in Dachau on our way back to Frankfurt together. What a beautiful way to end the year!
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