my pad

We save our holiday party until after the 25th so we all have a chance to catch our breath from the Christmas rush.  The gals had so much fun at our Minute-to-Win-it party last year, we decided to give it another whirl… only this time with a Christmas spin.  Since we’re opening our third catching fireflies in Ann Arbor this spring, we made stop to Zingerman’s (0ur new neighbor) for the snack spread.

I think I’m addicted to the Casados olive oil mixed with black truffle salt… and I’m not even a foodie:-)  

After our furry family members got lots of pets, we were ready to roll out the games!

#1 The Christmas Ball – Fanning an ornament with a gift box into the end zone may look easy but that pesky hanger part can make it a bit tricky.

#2 Merry Fishmas – Gotta keep your chin up for this candy cane game… while impersonating Popeye & Mrs. Roboto ;-)

#3 Christmas Cliffhanger – It takes more than a powerful set of lungs to win at this game… mental telepathy doesn’t hurt either ;-)

#4 Snowball Fight – Who can pop in the most ping pong balls?

#5  Christmas Ball Conveyer – This dizzying game will have your head spinning quick.

#6 Balance Christmas Balls – Grab a roll of wrapping paper & a yard stick to test your mad balancing skills

#7  Face the Christmas Cookie – This one was too fun so we had to bring it back this year and Katie, our new Ann Arbor manager pulled it off!

#8 Fastest Gift Wrapper in the West – After a full month of non-stop gift wrapping our team was ready to tackle this one and to no surprise Danielle took the win coming in a 1:24  (we know it’s over a minute, but come on… can you wrap a gift that fast?)

In all the competition frenzy, I forgot to take a photo of our crew… but none-the-less we had a grand time ending the year with some silly fun!  Steve & I are truly fortunate to have such a great team to work with.  Cheers to a great 2013!

As many of you know, Steve & I hosted an exchange student from Germany last year.  Our experience with Tessa was wonderful in many ways & we really enjoyed the time we spent with her.  After she left, we actually missed having that youthful energy in our home so we decided to grow our international family by hosting another lovely German girl this year named Jule.

Jule has been living with us for a week now & I already know this is going to be another fantastic & exciting year.  There really is something so gratifying about pouring into and inspiring the next generation.  Plus it’s great fun to be part of experiencing many ‘firsts’ with these kids… (Halloween, cupcakes, refrigerators that have ice & water dispensers, Mexican food, Friday night football games and even the Dream Cruise)  No doubt, it does create an appreciation for the everyday things we often take for granted.

As you can probably tell I’m all for couples, singles or families of all ages who would consider hosting one of these great kids .  I can say that we have no regrets.  The only thing you’re responsible for is having a place for them to sleep (and they could share a room with a sibling) and providing meals for them.  They come with spending money for the rest.  Also, many people don’t realize that you get to pick out what student you want to come live with you.

Sadly there are still over 40 students that don’t have placements yet this year.  Here are some of their bios…

Yannick from Germany describes himself as a sporty guy – but he also says”I like to tell jokes and make people happy”. He likes sports like soccer and bicycling but hopes to also learn a new sport, or sports, while in the U.S. He says he is outgoing, friendly and very easy to please. His teachers agree and also say he is helpful, communicates well with others and adapts to situations well. He wants to work in aviation because he loves airplanes. Yannick also likes to cook and hopes to do some cooking for his new family. He likes to spend time with his friends, at the movies, hanging out or playing some soccer. Yannick likes dogs and talks very fondly of the family puppy who was recently added after they lost an older dog last year. An energetic young man who is very excited about his new life. He writes, “Thank you so much for your willingness to receive me as a family member”.

Laura, 15, from Germany, is an excellent student and a cheerful young lady. She enjoys music immensely, and plays the flute in her school orchestra. Laura also sings in the choir. Besides music, she loves sports, including rope-skipping! Laura is an excellent student, and likes languages and mathematics. She thinks it’s fun to do the calculations and draw the figures in geometry. Besides English — her favorite foreign language, she also takes French and Spanish. Laura comes from a loving and supportive family, where everyone helps out when needed. Laura is very excited to “collect many new experiences” while being with her new host family.

Not quite the “starting five,” Raphael from Switzerland lives at home with 3 brothers and he’s been playing basketball for eleven years (on a team and also with his brothers). Plus he also makes time to work out. His family comes from the French-speaking region of Switzerland, and they enjoys hiking in the mountains and taking an annual vacation together. At home, Raphael has to clean his room, do his laundry and sometimes take care of his little cousins when their parents go out. He describes himself as independent and stable. His teacher comments that he is an open-minded student with a good sense of humor. Raphael is determined to spend a great year and bring smiles and joy into his host family.

Laid-back, friendly and always willing to lend a hand! That would be Joao, age 17, from Brazil! Joao is not content to just watch the world — he wants to be part of the action. He works hard in school to maintain above-average grades as he plans to study international relations. He dreams of becoming a diplomat and interacting with various nations. With a very good command of the English language as well as Spanish and his native Portuguese, he is on the way to being able to communicate during those intended travels. Joao enjoys writing and is good at it. On the weekends, Joao like to go shopping, go to the cinema or just hang out with his friends. He likes soccer, handball and volleyball, and would enjoy participating in any of those or in American sports. Joao is looking forward to his exchange year and learning a lot about North America in this, his first international trip!

Monika, 16, from Denmark is a popular girl because of her happy, positive attitude! If you have a lonely piano, Monika would give it some company! She plays occasionally because she loves music. She also does Karate since her uncle persuaded her to try and inspired her interest in it last year. Now she loves it. But she loves many kinds of sports as well. Monika likes her school (for gifted kids) because it is a place to both have fun with your friends and learn new stuff. Monika’s favorite subject is math since she loves to learn about trigonometry. But she also likes to learn about “old” things and go to museums. She and her mom visited Pompeii and she thought it was amazing! Monika also loves painting, skiing, and spending time with her friends. She says she really likes animals but she is allergic to cats. She could live with a dog, but not in her bedroom. Monmon, as her friends call her, is really looking forward to meeting and hearing from you!

If any of these kids sound like they would be a lovely addition to your family, you can call 1.800.872.0200 & select option 2 or email founders@yfu.org.  Feel free to email me with any questions or concerns & I’d also be happy to talk with you.  Steve & I are looking forward to another year full of marvelous memories and hope you can take advantage of this great opportunity too!

It’s been almost two weeks since Tessa, our German exchange student returned to Deutschland… sniff, sniff.

Rewind to August 2011 – When we decided to have a 15 year old girl we didn’t know from another country live with us for 10 months, many people thought we were a bit crazy… and maybe we were, but don’t decisions like those make life more exciting, fulfilling & memorable? (I mean – some people also thought we were crazy when Steve quit his job & we opened catching fireflies 12 years ago)

Fast forward to July 2012 – Looking back at the past 10 months that literally flew by, Steve & I both agree it would have been crazy for us to miss such a wonderful experience.

Officially, Tessa was the one who was on a journey, but her time with us took Steve & me places that we’ll never forget.  I wanted to give Tessa a going away present that reflected our time together & also celebrated what her future holds so I did what I know best… made her a special picture frame.

I created a chronological journey with tiny thumbnail photos of her time with us and used it as a patterned paper for the top of the frame.  No doubt she has many more magnificent miles ahead of her, but it’s incredibly gratifying to know that Steve & I shared many steps with her along the way.   We’re honored to have a chapter in her life story and are looking forward to what she writes next.

If you’re interested in hosting a student, I encourage you to check out YFU (Youth for Understanding).  They have been a great organization to work with & they’re still placing students for this upcoming school year.  You can view profiles of available students here.