Laurel Elisabeth Stevens

Sometimes people ask if I grew up overseas, since my parents have been living in exotic places off and on for the past eleven years, and I point out regretfully that they started taking all the wonderful overseas assignments after they were empty nesters.  While I think it would have been great to experience Vietnam, Poland and London as an American high schooler, I’m quite pleased and privileged to be able to enjoy these places as an adult with children of my own.   So in July, Elisabeth, Henry and I traveled to London for our second visit.  The first week of our two week trip was spent on the Isle of Wight, along with my parents, my brother Josh and his children Timothy and Charlotte. (Sadly, work obligations kept John in the U.S.) The Isle of Wight is off the southern coast of England, so from London we took a train, then a ferry, a train, and then a taxi.  Shortly after arrival at our country hotel, we enjoyed a cup of tea on the enclosed terrace ov...

Elisabeth has been excited about playing piano in the school talent show but I just found out that the auditions are the day we are flying back to the U.S.  I wonder if this news will bring her first tears regarding our move. So far I think the kids are taking it easier than we are.  They don’t think all these big thoughts like, “We thought we’d be here longer” or “What will the transition be like?” or “Will Henry keep his German?  Will any of us keep our German?”  They don’t yet know or anticipate the ache that is left after saying good-bye to dear friends who have not only helped us through a difficult transition, but have brought a dimension to our stay that we never could’ve imagined.  The kids are thinking about the new house, returning to Elisabeth’s piano teacher, homeschooling, VBS at Grace, new gymnastics classes, friends, friends, friends.  I asked Elisabeth what she will be most sad about leaving here, and she said, “Friends!”...

Yesterday I heard a first from Henry--he was telling me what was on the Kindergarten lunch menu for Thursday and he said, "It gives Pizza on Thursday!"  He was so excited, I had to ask him to repeat himself to see if he really said what I thought he said.  He directly translated the German phrase into English.  In German you say, "Es gibt am Donnerstag Pizza!"  I thought it was pretty funny.  I wasn't sure if I should correct him or not, and I didn't until later.  I figure it will all get sorted out at some point. Yesterday morning Henry asked me, "How do you say 'tomorrow'?"  "Morgen."  "How do you say 'Grandmere'?"  "Oma or Grossmutter."  Ah, then I realized--he wanted to tell everyone that Grandmere was coming tomorrow!  This morning on the way to Kindergarten he said, "How do you say 'today'?"  He's got some news to tell.   Riding to German class through some orchards and g...

Intriguing Walk I’m in love with the heath.  In the guide book this place kept grabbing my attention from our earliest arrival.  Finally as my birthday approached I told the family that is where we would go to celebrate.  So, against German custom (celebrating early is bad luck) we drove to Lüneberger Heide for my “birthday outing” as our family is beginning to term these little trips. It started out poorly.  In spite of my enthusiasm, I hadn’t planned well.  I just figured we would go exploring.  There is a large nature park that encompasses part of the heath (Heide), so during the one hour drive I was looking at the website on my iPhone and telling John where to go, continually revising our plan.  Nevertheless, we arrived in good time and parked. But was it chilly!  I guess the house was warm when we got dressed, and the sun was shining, so half the family left without coats, and only one fourth of the family had a jacket that might r...

The children in particular loved the canal house.  Henry and Elisabeth were on the top floor and took great pleasure in having their own room together, something I was a little nervous about.  While I was still scoping out the place, Elisabeth had neatly placed all her clothes and Henry’s clothes in two separate dressers and set her book on her nightstand.  Soon they were discussing a plan as to how to share the bed and not wake each other up too early.  We sealed the deal by offering them a movie night if they could have good nights and good mornings for two nights in a row.  Our expectations were obviously low, after their time of sharing a bed in Celle, but now they have raised them.  We heard, rather than saw, sibling love at its best--our room was directly underneath them.  Their arrangement was that they would stay asleep until 6:30 or at least stay in bed, some sources say.  If Elisabeth was still asleep at 7:00, Henry could wake her up....

Our lovely two week spring break just ended yesterday.  The first week we spent showing John’s parents bits of Hannover, Hameln (aka Hamlin as in the Pied Piper of) and Celle, our erstwhile home in Germany.  Then on the Tuesday after Easter we took the train, along with John’s parents, to Amsterdam. View of "our" canal  Elisabeth asked me on the four hour train ride, “Is Amsterdam bigger than Hannover?”  The answer was quickly revealed as we exited the train into a much busier train station than we are used to.  But what I missed right away was the German penchant for orderliness in street crossing.  I used to think Hannover had a lot of cyclists.  Now I know it is small potatoes compared to Amsterdam.  There is a huge triple story parking deck for bicycles by the train station.  I heard it can take an hour to find your bike.  The trams seem to run willy nilly in front of the train station and I felt like we were about to get run o...

October 29, 2010 After writing this, I noticed that an orange glow was coming through the westward windows. It being 9 AM I was confused. Then I looked out and saw this beautiful tree. The sun merely coasts across the southern edge of the sky these days--always low sun. Shadows are so different way up here. . . This is the beginning of phase three of our adjustment. Phase 1 was our month in Celle. Phase 2 was our three weeks in our new house before my parents arrived for a visit. Phase 3 is the time that began after my mom left this morning. Our house now has pictures hung, coat racks up, curtains in three r ooms . . . I just returned from taking Henry to kindergarten. My mom left for Houston early this morning, taking a taxi to the airport at 5:15, then John left to go by train to Dusseldorf at 5:40. At 7:25 Henry and I walked Elisabeth to the tram stop, about a ten minute walk, so she could meet an 8th grader to accompany her to school. It was still quite dark when I ki...