We hope you all have had an amazing Christmas, like we did. We have Melanie here with the family and Soni's cousin, Berti with his family. We love having everybody here and will be sad when they leave.
We are still hoping to send our Christmas cards, but meanwhile here is our letter for the year and our Christmas card.
We love you all.
We are still hoping to send our Christmas cards, but meanwhile here is our letter for the year and our Christmas card.
We love you all.
Merry Christmas!!!!!!
Soni and I love being in Germany. We have had the most incredible adventures this past year that have taken us down the Adriatic coastline to Albania, up to England, out to France and across to Prague.
January We started year 2011 with an adventure in London, England, celebrating our friend’s birthday. We saw “Les Miserables” on London’s Broadway—fantastic—then saw another play, which we promptly ran from. After a cross dresser became the theme I said, “this stuff isn’t for boys from Carbon County” so, I picked up my wife and we wandered to Buckingham palace to meet the queen. However, we didn’t feel up to the formality so we blew her off and wandered around her beautiful royal gardens.
February and time for our 3rd anniversary. Mike surprised Soni with a trip to Kos, Greece, where they hung out with Hippocrates and bathed in ancient history. We absolutely loved the off season atmosphere and prices. We stuffed ourselves with gyros and delicious feta cheese. We rode bikes all over the island to burn off the extra calories.
March We started this month by purchasing a rare German peace of perfection, a 1979 Mercedes campervan full with shower, toilet, sink, stove, heater, 2 beds, table, with the most distinct European cartoon characters painted on the exterior. We suddenly became the most popular people in all of Germany. We could try to escape the incessant praises of our German neighbors but 1-60 in 10 minutes isn’t exactly a get-away.
Mike stole this year’s costume fest as the most well robed Moses in all of Heidelberg at the vampire ball. The best part is that Mike found a use for an outdated curtain and the beard cost him only 5 dollars…people can spend up to 200 euros for a costume.
Richard, Grace and the kids came to see us all the way here from Arizona. We had a wonderful family time together. We enjoyed spending time with the kids and hearing all their fun stories which Mike keeps quoting all the time. Thank you so much for coming to see us.
April We received a Skype call from our favorite family in Merate Italy. It so happens that over the course of the last 2 years the 2 oldest girls, Brixhilda and Klara decided to join the church through baptism and they wanted Mike to do the ordinance. Of the many spiritual experiences in his life this is among the most wonderful of his adult years. The ceremony was peaceful and tender, the family was unified and kind, and for a day it seemed as though life could not burgeon beyond the cloudless limits of eternity.
Soni also became a big girl. She turned 30 years old. Everybody knew that she wanted to have a big party because she kept telling her husband, “I turn 30, we celebrate big in Albania…this and that”, so Mike and our amazing friends “tricked” her into a big surprise birthday party with lots of food, dancing, fun games and great company.
May-June We had been planning to drive to Albania since we got to Germany, but work and schedules did not cooperate; so this year, we put our foot down, and we said, “We’re doing it!” We believed that Albanians may not have the same respect for cartoons, rather, undo attention may just turn into another, “Taken” video. So we painted our van and were off on summer vacation to drive the beautiful Adriatic coastline. We crossed through Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Monte Negro and finally, Albania. We had a wonderful time visiting family and friends. The second week there, we took Mom and Dad Muca and drove south to Saranda. Southern Albania has an amazing coastline. We stopped several times for a swim in the Ioanian Sea, ate delicious sea food and enjoyed each-others company. Albania is full of exquisite ancient, and middle age architectural treasures. Among our favorite was the ancient Greek city of Butrinti, later Roman, then Turk and now a splendid, “maybe we should excavate.” We ended this great trip taking a ferry to Bari, Italy and driving home, with an awesome stop in Rome.
July-August The Muca girls decided to spend some summer time with their favorite cousins in the world, Mike and Soni. Mom and Dad Wood also made it out to Germany to relax to accordion music and eating cheese that can’t be spelled. It so happens that we tracked down one of our favorite foreign exchange student, Vincent Beniot, and traveled to his legendary Marvejols to meet his wife, 3 beautiful children and extended family. The reunion was extraordinary, we again had the chance to enjoy Vincent’s refined French cuisine—it was frog legs till midnight and the best French company we have ever had. Even now, as we think of our short time in his presence, we sit back and savor the memories of a treasured friendship.
September This fall we decided to pull up our big boy pants and seek an adventure sought after but seemingly risky, and we headed off to the Czech Republic, to see the Hapsburgs imperial city of Prague. With quick money calculations in our heads we ended up getting a fair price for one of the most professional quintet’s we have ever seen. Commonly the community opens its many cathedral doors to allow some baroque praises amidst its ethereal spires. We were truly in awe by the wonder of classical music.
October Soni’s parents came to Germany this year on their temple trip, and stayed one month. At the temple we had an amazing time with the Albanian members. As Frankfurt temple workers, Soni had the privilege of translated ordinances into Albanian. We saw friends coming to the temple for the first time, other friends getting married and sealed as a family. Our experiences at the temple have been a blessing that we will cherish. We also had friends visit from Utah, Lance and Brenda Oscarson. Brenda taught the Muca family almost 16 years ago, when serving a mission for the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. We absolutely enjoyed having them in our home and hope they return.
November We rested, we actually rested.
December It’s official. We are staying in Germany until August of 2013 and Mike just got notice that he will be promoted to Major. We love the season of Christmas and feel it an opportunity to reminisce on the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. As we see the extraordinary change of heart during this favored season we see the awe inspiring plan of Christ, to change the hearts of man to good. He is our Redeemer, Savior and friend. We hope that this month we can show our love and appreciation for Him through our words, actions and deeds.
Merry Christmas to all of you; may this new year bring joy, health and happiness!
Love, Mike and Soni
