{A German Year in Snapshots}

It's been one whole year of German living for the Frinsel family... can this be?

This year found us moving from the flat lands to southern Germany with no job, apartment, language skills or furniture, with our cat and keyboard to: finding an apartment with the best landlords in all of Germany ~ working with a friend until a great job was provided ~ free furniture ~ health care taken care of ~ kind people who helped us in the beginning to get settled ~ a German/Russian/Canadian wedding ~ tooth infection and root canal for the Dutchman ~ a European residency card, the ability to log several hundreds of hours in German class, a week at a youth camp as a tent leader and the beginning of midwifery studies for Mrs. Frinsel ~ a couple visits back to Holland to visit family & friends ~ exploring flea markets and local sites and festivals ~ three weeks quarantine due to eye infection for yours truly ~ business training trips to Holland & England for Mr. Frinsel ~ a job at a local bakery ~ Monday evening soccer for the Dutchman ~ to Spain for our belated honeymoon ~ visits from Dutch, French and American guests ~ a long-awaited trip State-side ~ the exciting, glorious discovery of Baby Frinsel's existence ~ the Dutchman's introduction to Florida ~ hard, winter months of morning sickness ~ lots of walks & hikes in the German countryside ~ and a trip to the ER for six stiches... to name a few!

It has been a challenging year. It's hard to move to a new country when you are just settling into another, and to have to learn another language and culture when you are in the midst of discovering those that are close to you and yours. But we are going to keep trusting that we are going to use what we have learned someday even as we use it now, as residents of big, beautiful Deutschland. We have learned so much... lovely, experiential learning that cannot be measured but that shows itself slowly, over time.

Being apart from friends and family is also difficult. The beauty of this is, however, that this situation has only brought us closer together! Spare time is usually spent in each other's company and oh, the adventures we have had! (for better or worse!) And we are beyond excited and impatient for the coming of our newest family addition and a new dimension to life he/she shall bring.

So dear folks, below is our year in photos... may it display the grace that has been shown to us and how we have been taken care of in every way. We don't know where we will be this time next year, or what this next year holds (does anyone of you?) but we look forward to it with open arms and full hearts.

Ready to country-hop

A rainbow over the Kocher river, our first evening in Germany: a sign of promise

A German spring-time

Celebrating May Day

From fields of tulips to fields of dandelions

The May Pole

A plethora of glorious cheeses at a German cheese festival

A summer hike

Cheering on the motherland from Deutschland

Summer time in Schwäbisch Hall

Picnic dance

Comburg monastery at sunset

German class

Powercamp: getting some sleep after a night walking through the countryside

Zelt 8: My tent

The Dutchman in Heidelberg's castle ruins

Mrs. Frinsel in Heidelberg

At the local Light Festival: nothing short of stunning

Picnic birthday celebration

A favourite summer activity: trips to a local lake

A camping trip with friends

Ringing in the autumn with sweaters

Spain: a beautiful five days for our belated honeymoon

A visit from a very good friend

Schloß Hohenzollern at dusk

With Charlotte, remembering in Dachau

Thanksgiving

After 15 months, America and family

An early Christmas surprise

Celebrating our new discovery while visiting the grandparents on Florida's beaches

Introducing Zwarte Piet to Kentucky

Christmas bonfire

Christmastide + family = beauty

Back in Germany: a kaffee celebration in honor of our first sight of Baby F.

A snowy valentine

First baby "bump" photo

Announcing our addition to the world and savouring the joy

Another spring comes...

The Frinsel threesome

The people we live among and the land we live in

Gott aber ist mächtig, jede Gnade gegen euch überströmen zu lassen, auf daß ihr in allem, allezeit alle Genüge habend, überströmend seid zu jedem guten Werke

2 Korinther 9:8

God heeft de macht u te overstelpen met al zijn gaven, zodat u altijd en in alle opzichten voldoende voor uzelf hebt en ook nog ruimschoots kunt bijdragen aan allerlei goed werk

2 Korintiërs 9:8

And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work

2 Corinthians 9:8