Christmas Greetings 2021

 Dear Friends and Family,

It is Christmas time, and the year comes to an end. Again, this year was more than unusual, but mask requirements and lockdown are probably words, to which one has become accustomed too and for the time being probably will continue to be part of our vocabulary. Nevertheless, we hope that you are well and healthy. From the bottom of our hearts, we wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

This year started off with an ice/ snowstorm that brought us a lot of sledding fun and a week off from school. It was great to have such freezing temperatures here in the South and enough snow to go sledding. Whether old or young, we were all out and about.

2021 also held some changes in store for us: Amelia and Elliot are doing great and despite several "school changes" (online to classroom, summer school, 10 days in the classroom, then 2.5 months a new online school and now back in the classroom) they have never complained and adjusted well. They are happy to be with their friends again and now that they are also vaccinated, normal everyday life is returning slowly. Amelia is our little artist and goes to art club once a week. Elliot is our tennis player and also competed in a few tournaments this summer and even came in 2nd place. They have also been spending a lot of time in the pool and the weekly swim practice is proving successful. Other than that, they both read a lot or play with Legos. Amelia would like to become an author and writes many stories in her spare time. Elliot can always be spotted with a ball in his hand or playing his Pokémon cards. 

This year was also very exciting for me as lots of changes occurred at my company. At the beginning of the year, the company was restructured, and several people were laid off, including my entire marketing team and boss, and I was asked to take over the marketing department. Thus, over the past 10 months, I have adjusted my work schedule and added new functions to my repertoire such as project management for our new locations in China and India, organizing and setting up tradeshows, webinars and working on other marketing functions next to my previous job functions. Thus, 60-70 hour weeks are quite normal. I enjoy the new challenges and thanks to a well-deserved promotion to Head of Marketing, it has been a professional advancement for me. To stay physically and mentally fit, I go running. I run 80-90 miles a month. This year, I finally took part in live races again and even won a 2nd place in the 15km and 5km race. I also “upgraded” to the master category (40 years +) this year but feel great and thankful to be able to be so active. 

For Derrick, this year was rather quiet professionally, as he did not have to travel due to Covid regulations and thus spent a lot of time at home with the kids until November. He fully supported me with my professional ambitions and thus helped a lot the kids with their online school and took over some of my household functions. Since November he is finally allowed to go on business trips again and I am flexible when I go to the office or work from home. Otherwise, there is always a lot to do in the house or garden. 

This year, we went to South Carolina for a few days at the end of May, where we visited Grandma and Grandpa and then spent a few days at the beach. Sand, sun and ocean were just the thing to unwind. In July we went to San Francisco, CA for 7 days, where we stayed with friends and explored the area. The weather was great: from cooler temperatures at the coast and in the city to afternoon heat and swimming in the pool at our friends' place. The highlight of the trip was our IFly experience in the wind tunnel. Children as well as parents enjoyed the individual flight experience, and we definitely want to repeat it again.

In November, we went on a rather spontaneous visit to Germany. Since my mother unexpectedly had a heart attack and there is never a right time in these Covid times, the children and I went for a quick two-week visit. It had been 4 years since the kids had last been to Germany and I was last time there 2 weeks. The visit went by way too fast and even though we couldn't see everyone, it was great to be back home. Especially in the Advent season that included one or two visits to the Christmas markets. And while we were there, our newest family member, my nephew Emil, was born and I was able to get some newborn snuggles in.

December called for one last tradeshow for me and we also celebrated Elliot’s 8th birthday on the 13th. We are looking forward to a quiet and low-key Christmas with just the four of us. The Christmas magic is still alive in our house, at least for this year, and so it is always a celebration of joy and sparkling eyes. Let's see what 2022 has in store for us. Our goal is still to move to Europe for a few years. And if that doesn't work out soon, then a move to the East Coast. We are ready for a change of scenery. A home is always where the heart is, after all. 

Merry Christmas!

9/11 - 20th Anniversary

Today marks the 20th anniversary of 9/11, a day the world stood still. We always will honor and remember those tragically lost in the 9/11 attacks and salute all first responders who went above and beyond for our great nation and who continue to do so every day. 

During the attacks in 2001, 2,996 people were killed, 19 hijackers committed murder–suicide, and more than 6,000 others were injured. Of those who perished during the initial attacks and the subsequent collapses of the Towers, 343 were New York City firefighters, 23 were New York City police officers and 37 were officers at the Port Authority. The victims ranged in age from two to 85 years. Approximately 75-80% of the victims were men.

At the Pentagon in Washington, 184 people were killed when hijacked American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the building.

Near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, 40 passengers and crew members aboard United Airlines Flight 93 died when the plane crashed into a field. It is believed that the hijackers crashed the plane in that location, rather than their unknown target, after the passengers and crew attempted to retake control of the flight deck.

Every picture, video or eye witness report from that tragic day brings back tears. Seeing the faces of firefighters, ordinary business men staring in disbelief at the burning World Trade Centers will forever be seared in to my mind. 

Where have you been that tragic day? I just arrived in the US a few days prior, watching in horror the events unfold on TV while babysitting, not really comprehending what that may mean. I will forever remember this day but also the next days/ months that came after that as the empathy, unity and public patriotism was striking and comforting. We all were Americans grieving the losses, frightened what else may come, turning to each for a hug and not caring what race, skin color, sexual orientation, political view or religion one held. 

Never Forget 9/11

Snow Much Fun!!!

Y'all, it snowed it Tennessee!

And I'm not talking about just a few flakes but a major ice/ snow storm hit us this week and we had several inches of snow and ice on the ground for an entire week. No school and we went out twice a day to play in it. It is such a rare treat here in the South (in Europe, we would be in the South of Spain) and probably won't happen again in the next 10 years. So we treasured every bit of it and had way too much fun. 

First came an ice storm thru and the ground was covered in a couple of inches of ice pellets. It was freezing and temperatures in the low teens and it felt like 2F/ -18C. This is not normal so far South and we were fortunate that our fireplace worked well and we did not have any power outages or burst pipes, unlike what happened in Texas. 

Nonetheless, we bundled up with what we had and enjoyed this seasonal weather to the max. 

And then on Wednesday morning, we woke up to multiple inches of snow. Everything was white and it looked so pretty. The cats weren't so sure of the snow though:

No, I did not run in the snow as it was too dangerous due to the ice underneath it and way to cold but I did get a quick pictures in after a good run on the treadmill. Jumping for joy...snow. 

Of course there was lots of sledding...first on our street, front yard, the neighbor's steep drive way and the perfect sledding hill further up in our neighborhood. It was a family affair and children big and small had a blast. Luckily, no one got hurt! 

When we got too cold, we went in for lunch...homemade soup was delicious and warmed us right up. 

After 7 days, we dug the car out and I ventured out of the neighborhood to go grocery shopping yesterday. The shelves were mostly bare as the delivery trucks were delayed but are starting to come in now. 

As the temperatures are finally above freezing, the snow started to melt today and we already miss the fun we had. One more day of no school until all the back roads are cleared and then we will resume with our "normal" quarantine routine. This past week was almost like a winter vacation and just what we needed during our 11 months "staycation" at home due to the pandemic. 

Today is a New Beginning

Over the past two weeks, we have hunkered down and hoped that the news would not be filled with  more reports of violence, hate and despair. We have prayed that the president would leave office quietly and that we can all have a smooth transition, going in to the new presidency with hope and decency. And today, the day came and it was great. 

The children and I watched most of the inauguration, pulling them away from their school work as this moment in history had to be seen so that we can all remember it. May our daughters' eyes grow wide with possibility, their imaginations run wild with visions, their hearts beat quicker with potential, and the blood in their veins thrum with equality. This is their future. The women of this country fought for this for centuries, they broke hard new ground, and our generation is creating a new standard for representation that our daughters will govern. Luckily our daughters will barely remember a day when a leading woman was not in the White House. 

As Jen Hatmaker said so well: "The day belonged to women of color. Dare I say, the day belonged to women." Thus, it is fitting that on Monday we celebrated Martin Luther King, Jr. and listened to his famous speech I Have A Dream. Certainly, dreams and hard work are paying off for Kamala and all the rest of the women of any race or color that will follow her. Thus, I am proud that my bi-racial daughter can witness this and know that she can achieve anything she dreams of and that she can be an equal to any man in this country. 

The 46th president of the Unites States, Joseph R. Biden Jr., will have a tough road ahead to unify the country, tackle the Covid-19 crisis, rebuild a decimated economy and repair international alliances. But he set the tone of what is to come and what we expect of him in his inauguration speech: "Politics doesn't have to be a raging fire destroying everything in its path. We have to be different than this. America has to be better than this. I will be a president for all Americans. I will fight as hard for those who did not support me as those who did." 

Here is to a new beginning!

A Sad Day in America's History

Today, my heart is heavy and it hurts looking at footage of the Capitol from yesterday's riots. There are no words (or maybe too many words) to describe what happened on Wednesday, January 6th, 2021 in the capital of the United States and I have no support or respect for the people and the people who incited them. Partially, I actually had to look away from the news. As an American, it is a disgrace and total embarrassment to watch and to know that the sitting president stirred those rioters on to break in to the building. It was the first time in recent history that the Capitol was breached and it took several hours to secure. The ceremonial counting of the electoral votes had to be paused and members of the  Congress brought to safety after the mob stormed the building. 

This is the first time in the USA’s history that the Confederate flag has appeared inside the halls of the Capitol. The image is significant because of what the flag stands for –– white supremacy and the social and political exclusion of colored people. This is outrageous and should not be accepted. 

Later in the afternoon, Trump called on supporters, who protested in his name and whom he had encouraged to march to the Capitol, to “remain peaceful” and “respect the Law”  but he also refrains from telling them to go home.

What is most shocking to me is the police respond to this riot when compared to peaceful protests by Black Lives Matter protesters in June at the Capitol. It took hours to get the National Guard mobilized yesterday but in June, protesters were met by National Guard members, armed and camouflaged. 

"When Black people protest for our lives, we are all too often met by National Guard troops or police equipped with assault rifles, shields, tear gas and battle helmets," the group (BLM) said in a statement. "Make no mistake, if the protesters were Black, we would have been tear gassed, battered, and perhaps shot." 

Once the Capitol was secured again, lawmakers returned from lockdown to the House and Senate chambers, to continue counting the votes nearly six hours after the crowd wreaked havoc on America's symbol of democracy. The House and Senate declared that Biden won the Electoral College by 306 votes to 232 for Trump. Minutes after that a statement from the White House was released that Trump "commits to an orderly transition of power".

On a positive note, on Tuesday Democrats won control of the U.S. Senate with victories in Georgia’s two runoff elections.

It is hard to comprehend why it has to come to this and when this craziness will finally be over. But thru all of this I keep praying for hope and community in our country. We must stay strong together. And teach our children that we don't hate each other just because we differ in size, race, sexuality, religion or opinions but show respect and accept defeat graciously. 

Sources: 

1. https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/07/us/police-response-black-lives-matter-protest-us-capitol/index.html
2. https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/07/politics/trump-biden-us-capitol-electoral-college-insurrection/index.html
3. https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/01/06/us/georgia-election-results
4. https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-significance-of-the-confederate-flag-waved-inside-the-us-capitol-7137213/
5. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/trump-commits-orderly-transition-statement-after-mob-stormed-capitol-n1253223