Come what may...and love it!: Our Christmas Letter

Dear Friends and Families.

Greetings from Germany! We have been living here for almost a year now. We arrived Germany when it was full of winter wonderland and it was the most beautiful place to see in the winter. We drove to Dallas, Texas after saying goodbyes and flew straightway to Frankfurt, Germany. From departing Dallas to getting to our hotel, it was about 36 hours long.
The only thing that went absolutely wrong (we had a lot, but this one is the top one) is somehow we couldn't take Tigger with us on the plane. We had called and they told us we could. About 9 hours away from Kansas down in Dallas, we were told we couldn't. We spent two hours scrambling to look for what to do, and when it all fails, we were thinking I should stay behind with Tigger and the kids while Eric flies to Germany when my dad called and saved the day. We will forever for indebted to my dad and his friend. We were heartbroken (I was literally bawling the whole day), but we're grateful he's safe back in KS and we will get him back when we return home. It was honestly the worst day I ever had to deal with and it STILL ended with good news. The Lord was watching over us in the midst of this mess.
We stayed at the hotel for 2 months before we got a house off post, private rental. It has pink exterior. How often do you get a pink house? It's 3 story, 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom duplex. We are located in the very small village of Kaltenbrunn. It's so small, but very quiet. We love it here. We do wish it has a grocery store. The nearest one is about 6 miles away.

Since then, our family has been experiencing the German culture and way of life. We had to learn life without A/C as most European countries don't have A/C. It was a miserable summer. I am not one to complain about the lack of stuff very much, but we have tried everything to keep the house cool and it was very hard, but we managed. We had to learn dual voltage, watt number, and transformer. We had to learn Euros vs dollars and metric system. We had to learn how to shop before 8 pm because EVERYTHING closes on Sundays and in the evening except for restaurants. We had to learn how to pay just to use the restroom or we could go in the woods. . No thanks, but paying 0.75 euro just to use the restroom was hard for me to swallow. We had to learn about still water vs carbonated water. They look at you like crazy if you ask for tap water, and sometimes you still have to pay for tap water. We had to learn how to deal with slow internet, a dishwasher without a drying part in it so we still have to dry up our dishes, and a very small fridge and washer and dryer. It's not bad, but it's a huge adjustment. The only thing I'm not a fan of is the traffic light right where you are so you have to crane your neck to see the lights and the lack of A/C. Everything else was fun adventures.

But we love their bread. We love the small town feel. The mountains 3 hours away. The people are grumpy, but wonderful people. They are very loyal to you and won't put you down. And Christmastime here.The area here is just gorgeous! And green. We are still trying to learn German. I am having a hard time because sadly they understand my English more than my broken German half the time.

So...since we arrived Germany in January, we have been to 6 countries, excluding Germany. In May, we drove to Italy to see the Shroud of Turin. We passed through Austria and Switzerland to get to Germany. In June, we went to Berchtesgaden and drove to Salzburg for the Sound of Music tour. In August, we went to the Black Forest and even drove to Colmar, France for 1 day.. Then we headed to Garmisch for a few days. In September, we went to Prague, Czech Republic. In November, we flew to London. So it's Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, France, Czech Republic, and England. So far, our favorite is Garmisch and London. We do love to drive through Austria and Switzerland. We also had my mom coming to visit in October for about 3 weeks. The kids loved and missed her dearly.

Now for our family. :)

Eric and I are still doing well. We celebrated our 4th anniversary this past April. Eric is busy being a squad leader and went to a few college classes this year. He and I teach a wonderful 9-11 year olds in our class. We love them! They are so smart and so fun, and we learn a LOT from them. Eric went to Baumholder for training for 1 month, and experienced the first snow (in early October!). Other than that, not much is going on. I'm staying at home with two very active kids who are like night and day different from each other and life at home is never dull! We befriended a great family here and we hang out with them all the time.

Our busy Hyrum turned 3 in March! He is always so busy and so handful! He definitely keeps us hopping. He'll be in the Sunbeams in January. I can't believe he's no longer a toddler! He is into Power Ranger ( he was the red dinosaur Power Ranger for Halloween), Star Wars and Doctor Who. Heck, he likes anything! He's probably the least pickiest child when it comes to movies or toys. He's smart and stubborn. I wonder where he gets his stubborness from? ;) He is always wanting to stay up and get up early. I have to make him stay in his room until 8 or 9. He often tells me, “The sun is awake, Mommy! And so am I!” Ha!

And our sweetheart, AnnaSophia. She turned 1 in February, but unfortunately, she was sick on her birthday. So we didn't get to celebrate. She is so sweet....with temper. When I'm sick or tired, she puts blankets on me and pats me. She is very motherly! She loves to cuddle, but she's definitely a little tease. She likes to close her eyes and pretend to be asleep when we arrive home and then go, “HA!” She is the most gentle little one I have ever met. Everytime there are babies, there is Anna. She LOVES the babies and would stare at them, point at them and say, “Bebe! Bebe! BABY!!!” She's also incredibly smart and knows a LOT of words. Her thing right now is...”I want milk...now.” We are trying to replace now with please and so far it's working. ;)
We hope you will have a wonderful 2016! We hope this year means lots of traveling! We are hoping to go to Great Britain and Ireland this summer and sometime to Italy and Greece...maybe Paris. This year's theme is "CARPE DIEM!"
May the Lord bless you and your wonderful family,
Love the Parrilla family
Eric, Katherine,
Hyrum and Anna plus Tigger

Our family picture in 2015