The Rawhouser's

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year. We feel blessed to share with you our journey in the last year. You can find a more complete story at our website, rawhouser.org.

Amelia is an officially potty-trained 3 year-old who loves her Princess panties, along with all that is pink. It’s fun to see her learn, but sad to see her drop her funny pronunciations, one by one. These include, (with a slow tilt of her head) “fleeeas” or “sleeeeaze” instead of “pleeeease”; and “shocolate,” “sheese.” She often sings her favorite song from Sleeping Beauty, “I knooow yooou, I’ve walked with yoooou once uponnn a dweeeam…”

Riley is a first grade Luke Skywalker who never fails to wear his light saber. He loves to draw, and with much repetition has perfected airplanes, tanks, castles, and shielded good guys and bad guys with swords and guns. He doesn’t let on to us, but he likes to speak Spanish at school.

Conrad, however, loves to impress with his Spanish. He continues to love inventing and animals. We finally got him and Riley bunnies. Conrad’s Lionhead is named Elizabeth. Riley’s Mini Rex named Charlotte was recently given up for adoption (Riley realized he wasn’t ready to be a parent).

Monica is hoping that the end of her first trimester and the reduction in rabbity aroma will bring less nausea. She has improved her skills in sewing, beading (she led a very interested women’s Enrichment class), and blogging. She ran a 5K the day before she turned 30! She is happy that we now have a digital piano.

Hans passed prelims (so we’re still here), but not before he tore his ACL, which meant knee surgery in Feb. Yet since then he has been consistently running. He drove the family 2500 miles (through MI, OH, Ontario) to visit friends, see a cousin’s marriage and visit church history sites. Oh yeah, and our 2000 Grand Caravan was stolen and was never recovered. Hans is thankful to Monica for not following through with his prior request to cancel our full insurance coverage.

Merry Christmas 2007

Another year has passed.  This year we don’t have as many fantastic and funny stories from adventures in foreign lands, but our wonderful journey continues.  Our recent paths have been marked by natural cycles of season changes, migration of Canada geese, the coming and going of amazing people, and enrichment of local traditions and culture, which bring us to another Christmas when we remember that Christ has blessed our lives, as have you.

Amelia, who just turned 2, is now a little girl.  She loves to have her finger- and toenails painted, loves bunnies and is fun to watch as she (waddle-) runs down the sidewalk.  She is learning to speak and mimics Monica’s intonation in answering questions with “Yeethsssss!” and expressing her affection for something cute with, “O-uh”. She sings around the house and rushes to the door to give us hugs whenever we come home.

Riley is now in kindergarten and can be heard counting in Spanish in his room as he plays with his Legos and coloring Monica’s made-to-order coloring pages of cowboys, Roman soldiers, or knights. He has the Rawhouser-recessive early-rising gene and is always dressed first.  He and Conrad had an idyllic MN summer playing outside for hours every day riding bikes and digging in the dirt until their skin became permanently stained.

Conrad is now in second grade in Emerson Spanish Immersion school.  He loves to use his Spanish, but doesn’t love getting up early enough to be at the bus stop at 6:37am!  This time constraint has helped our family to be more organized though.  He has recently taken interest in owls, and proposed that our student housing cooperative buy a few owls to take care our burgeoning squirrel problem.  He got four supporting votes!

Monica has been developing several talents, including reading (not of the Dr. Seuss genre), making baby slings and jewelry, baking whole wheat bread from our food storage wheat, and jogging in the mornings. She also coordinated another adventure at the MN state fair, a trip to see big ice chunks floating into the bay at Duluth from Lake Superior, & a trip to Nauvoo, IL which has been restored by our church to how it was in 1840′s before the pioneers crossed the plains.  She also went with her girl friends to Jane Eyre at Minneapolis’ Guthrie theater.

Hans is now in the 2nd year of a PhD in business at the U. of Minnesota.  He has enjoyed his simple life of riding to and from school year-round (he crosses the Mississippi at a different bridge than the collapsed 35W), reading while exercising on the elliptical machine at the U., studying, and doing research.  He’s been blessed to do write and present on social entrepreneurship and attend conferences in Atlanta, Chicago, and Philadelphia.

In front of the church and the cherry

We are so very happy to finally settle in Minneapolis, MN. The past two years of frequent moves and literally living out of our suitcases were adventurous but tiring. We have traveled through multiple states and countries (and even the Sturgis bike rally), and have been blessed with safety and good health. We are so grateful for this time of year to reflect on how loving and mindful God is to all of us.

Wishing you the sweetest of seasons

Hans, Monica, Conrad, Riley, & Amelia

R A W H O U S E R

Amelia, now 14 months, is a happy and sociable little girl. Still toothless, she toddles along and races up and down the stairs on her belly trying to keep up with her brothers. She likes soft toys and purses (already), and is finally starting to get some hair. Our little “Guerita gordita” has been held by hundreds (well, maybe 50) of adoring new friends and strangers in Mexico. Some even asked to take a picture with her. She smiles often and amiably sits still while here protective big brothers dress her up, put clips in her hair, give her a Mohawk up do, or tie a ribbon around her waist to take her for a walk.

While in Mexico, Riley celebrated his 4th birthday, which included riding horses & tres leches cake. Also, the teenage girls that taught his summer recreation classes in Guadalajara loved his besos (kisses). Riley always seems to be marching right along with Conrad, except when it comes to music. While Conrad loves classical, routinely we will here a soft plea, “Turn it up, please” as we drive with Monica’s rock station on. But he is still a cowboy at heart & loves dressing up, playing with his horses, coloring pictures of farm animals & making very realistic machine gun sounds while “passing out” when he “gets shot”.

Conrad had success collecting aluminum cans in AZ (he is going to invest his earnings in gold, which he says “is going up”). He is currently in first grade at a school where he learns reading, writing, math, etc. in Spanish. As we knew it would be tough at first, we told him how spies need to know other languages (and also said that he could earn a gold unicorn coin). Conrad has also been perfecting his British & outrageous French accents as well as his talent for crossing one eye & moving the other. His eyes & nearly toothless grin are quite hilarious when he does his “crazy rabid squirrel” impersonation.

While in Mexico, Monica spent most of her time at UAG in an intensive Spanish speaking program. She also had “some work done” (don’t be afraid to ask). Monica loves MN and she has quickly learned to navigate Minneapolis (“Oh, that’s by _______,” insert Mall of America, IKEA, Target’s first store, Aveda HQ, etc.) Eager to mingle with the natives, she & the kids roamed the state fair grounds for 3 days sampling, pronto pups, and all things deep-fried and on a stick (including Snicker bars, Twinkies, cheese curds, freedom fries, & veggies). Needless to say she now does morning pilates to stay fit.

After receiving an MBA from Thunderbird, Hans is now undergoing (it feels like something that should end with –ectomy) a PhD at the U. of MN. But the summer in Mexico (which included people at spotlights spewing kerosene flameballs from their mouths, cow udder or fish egg-sack street tacos, the best coastal seafood cocktail ever, losing his wedding ring in the ocean, & being charged full price for the boot-leg-version-of-‘Tales from the Crypt’-without-any-commentary,-poor-lighting/air-circulation mummy museum) was a good breather.

In front of Grandma Call's tree

Happy New Year from the Rawhouser’s

We love you.  We’re back enjoying the freedoms and opportunities of the U.S. and being a bit closer to many of our loved ones (although there are many things that we miss from Europe, eg. friends, beautiful landscapes, and being stretched to learn about other cultures). For a complete story, visit our website, www.rawhouser.org

Monica – just completed a psychology dream journaling class (only 9 classes left for her BA!).  Pregnancy helped to magnify the hard-to-separate-from-reality factor of her dreams, which sound even better on paper for college credit.  She even dreamed about some of you (ask if you dare).  The class proved to be a real healing experience, but these memoirs will have to be published posthumously to protect the reputation of unwilling protagonists.  She (with a third child) has found sympathetic parents and grandparents at Trader Joe’s, while the why-don’t-you-stop-at-two-and-buy-a-pure-bred-dog crowd seems to be growing elsewhere.

Hans – enjoyed doing research for 2 weeks in Peru, and like a moth drawn to a candle’s flickering flame, he is planning further doctoral studies later this fall.  He is currently applying (hence the delayed letter), so we will probably be moving later this year.  His Dad died February 18^th and we flew back from France and buried him “on the prairie,” just a few hundred yards from where his one-room school house stood.  At the funeral, Conrad sang, “You are My Sunshine,” we sang “I am a Child of God,” and Hans spoke on the lessons learned from his father.  Thanks to all for your thoughts and prayers.

Conrad – started Kindergarten this fall, and is learning to read.  He enjoys recess, including when little girls ask for his phone number on the swings.  While on the subway in Paris, he remarked, “Yuck. They’re eating each other up,” as we were surrounded by various couples unworried to show affection in public (French kissing must be a national sport). He might follow in Monica’s thespian footsteps:  he has a pretty good English accent and does a good Drako Malfo (from Harry Potter) and Ork from Lord of the Rings (among others).

Riley – favorite phrases include: “I’m going to tell my brother,” “I almost (should be ‘already’) did that,” “I’m riding the potty train,” and “Arrgh, matey (with one eye shut like a pirate).”  He is using a new germ warfare defense (intentional coughing) when in combat with Conrad and others.  Monica and the boys have been reading the typical books for children ages 3 and 5, including, The Wizard of Oz, Peter Pan, The Hobbit,  and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (both seem to be attracted to the bad guys), and love to role play.

Amelia Jane – our latest addition, born October 12^th, is pretty in pink.  She’s chubbing up nicely after a very eventful pregnancy.  While in the womb, she traveled back from France to Wyoming for Grandpa Marvin’s funeral, was turned around in mid-flight of our return over the Atlantic, was transferred from Detroit to Atlanta (to visit Grandma Lou), returned to France, rode (and almost missed, in a very “non-romantique et très stressant” way) the train across France, traveled by subway back and forth across Paris, flew back to LV, spent the summer in Utah while Hans did research at BYU, flew to Hawaii and toured around the islands on a cruise ship with the rest of the posterity of Monica’s grandparents (the Call’s), and traveled to Arizona where Hans is completing his MBA, all to be born in our humble apartment.

One of our favorite places in France

Happy New Year from Europe. We miss you and hope this card will keep us connected across the world. In our humble, living-out-of-our-suitcases student life in Europe (especially with the weakness of the dollar), we’re reminded of how loving others can make the Spirit of Christmas last all year (even if the Christmas card arrives in another season). We hope you enjoy!

Although Hans enjoyed land development, he applied to five graduate schools and finally chose to attend Thunderbird, an International Business school with a campus in France, just outside Geneva, Switzerland. He started his two-year degree this fall with business and French classes. Due to the high food prices here, he accurately predicted he’d lose weight (although the extra studying and pneumonia in Nov. aided the market forces). He’s trying all the French cheeses and will give a complete report upon request. After planning our Christmas-New Years trip through eight European countries, we can now say that we’ve been lost in ten countries (Italy being the most frustrating)!

Oh if you could see Monica in the market chatting with the old ladies! Her verb tenses might not be correct all the time, but, she starts with a French bise, and then pushes on, undeterred by the puzzled French faces, all the while smiling and saying, .You know.. In addition to working on French, she.s helped provide a sense of home to many of the other students, most of whom are single. She.s cooked dinner for many and on Thanksgiving she cooked for 20 people with little more than a toaster oven and two burners (and half her American attitude tied behind her back). They really appreciate having her here. The children at church are also happy to have here to teach them church songs.

Conrad still loves horses, but has branched out into additional animals. He runs like a leopard and loves to eat buffalo mozzarella cheese (I think that they brought some buffalo over to Geneva just for us). The transition to France has been a little difficult for Conrad because, as he has noticed, most people are not speaking English. We’ve tried to channel him toward his strengths, including singing. He now knows most of the songs of “Fiddler on the Roof” and “Sound of Music” by heart. He’s picked up quite bit of French, has .I am a Child of God. memorized in French, as well three scriptures in French. He enjoyed riding the horse carriage in Prague, Czech republic.

Riley is starting to talk a lot more, with quite an array of interesting two-word sentences, such as .bad-guy die. (while pretending to shoot with a pshoo for sound effect). Our most recent favorite has been, .Momma, I talka you.. He is learning to use other words as well, such as .pretty mama. and .Mean daddy.. He also can now tell on Conrad. He loves Thomas the Train, and sings “Twinkle, Twinkle” and “Itsy-Bitsy Spider”. with special emphasis on “little dar” and “Bider” and “water bout?. The cutest is when he says, “S’il te plait” or “Bonjour Madame” (especially to a French man). He liked our gondola ride in Venice, Italy, and complimented the craft with “pretty gondola”.

“Moi et Toi”

After eating our 45 euro ($60!) lunch at a quaint French cafe (our first, and probably last time at that price), we waited for our dessert. The bartender prepared to torch the top of the crème brulée, as is the custom, and asked who would be eating it (not wanting to get it too hot for the kids). Meaning to say, “He and I,” Monica said, “Moi et toi,” which means “You and I”. Isn’t it great to learn another language!

“Rendezvous in France”

One morning, Hans was finishing showering when a knock came to the door.  Monica said, “Une minute, s.il vous plait” as she went to dress herself more presentably. After hearing the door “click,” Hans awaited the inevitable with few options (the bathroom door was open and French showers lack shower curtains). Our apartment manager walked in, turned her head into the well-lit bathroom, suddenly exclaimed, “Oo la-la, pardon,” and then made a quick French retreat. Every time Hans sees her, it.s hard not to chuckle about this French rendezvous.