Dear Friends,

Hello and Happy May! I hope my letter finds you doing well. It’s been awhile since I’ve written so I can’t help but share with you about my February trip to Europe with my 19-year-old daughter. What an amazing adventure we shared. We both saved like crazy to go and traveled on a careful budget, but boy did we have a great time.

We flew first to Germany where we spent time with my youngest sister Becky, her husband, and their three precious boys (ages 1 to 3) who live in the picturesque Ramstein-Miesenbach area (where my brother-in-law is stationed in the military). While in Germany we traveled by train along the Moselle River to Trier, a lovely city that had centuries ago served as the northern outpost of the Roman Empire. We had a wonderful time exploring the city on foot. The Cathedral of Trier is breathtakingly beautiful. A must-see.

With Germany as our home base, we traveled next to Italy. In just four days, we did a whirlwind chartered bus tour of Pisa, Florence, Rome, Vatican City, Pompeii, Sorrento, the Isle of Capri, Naples, and Venice. I can hardly believe we saw so much in such a short amount of time. It is hard to say which place we loved best. They each offer so much in the way of art, architecture, history, and scenery. Standing in Rome amidst the ruins of an ancient civilization is to leave one in silent wonder. The drive back through the Lake Region of Switzerland was absolutely enchanting.

After several more days in Germany, my daughter and I (along with our dear friend, Amy, who joined us) flew to England to fulfill one of my lifelong dreams of returning to my birth country. This was my first trip back. I am an Anglophile at heart (I am fascinated with the history, the people, the landscape, and the literature; I am a huge fan of Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte’s works in particular). We spent our first few days north of London in Suffolk and Essex Counties touring villages and visiting with friends. Thanks to the kind family who lives there now, I was able to visit the house I lived in as a little girl. After touring the countryside, we spent a few spectacular days in London seeing everything we could possibly fit in, including Phantom of the Opera and Les Miserables in the West End.

Although I enjoyed the trip with my oldest daughter immensely, I missed my husband and other children terribly while I was gone. I talked to them on the phone every day and reminded myself that my younger children were in the very capable hands of my husband and grown stepdaughter. Even so, it was good to get home to them again. I loved sharing the suitcase full of European treats I brought home with me (our favorites were the Galaxy milk chocolate from England and the Happy Hippos from Germany; Happy Hippos are indescribably delicious; you can purchase them online in the U.S. although they are much more expensive here).

Not surprisingly, each one of my younger children is now asking when and where they get to go on their special trip with me. I told them that I am open to their suggestions and to start saving now. My second oldest daughter, the Francophile in our family, is hoping to go to Paris in a few years.

Given the tough economic times, I had thought twice about my trip to Europe before taking it. But after waiting and saving for so long, and at my husband’s urging, I made the trip. I’m so glad I did. It was my last chance to visit my sister there before she moves back to the U.S. And the trip was a great way to celebrate overcoming cancer and, perhaps best of all, an amazing bonding experience for my oldest daughter and me.

My heart goes out to any of you who may be experiencing tough times due to the economic downturn. It has hit close to home in our family, as my sister Mary’s husband lost his job as an architectural engineer as a direct result of the downturn. They live in the Phoenix area with their five children but are open to relocating. We’re particularly interested in getting them back to our region if possible (Oklahoma or, better yet, Texas near even more family). If you know of any job openings for an architectural engineer with more than 10 years of experience, please drop me a line and I’ll forward the information to my sister and her husband.

As I close, I want to send a Happy Mother’s Day wish to all the mothers and those with mother’s hearts who love and care for others. I hope you’ll take time this month to feel good about the good you do for others. Thanks for the difference you make for so many. Remember to take care of yourself as you take care of others. And have a great month.

Love and Blessings,

Debra Woods

P.S. In springtime I cannot help but think of the song “These are a few of My Favorite Things” from The Sound of Music. Here are a few of my favorite things so far this spring (I’d love to hear about yours):

1) Blue skies with a scattering of puffy white clouds, temperatures around 70 degrees, a gentle breeze, and a walk with my husband and/or children along our wooded greenbelt around 7 o’clock in the evening.

2) The masterful movie adaptations of Charles Dickens’ Little Dorritt and Our Mutual Friend.

3) A fantastic and ingeniously written book, The Book Thief, by Australian author, Markus Zusak. Set in World War II Germany, and focused on the story of a young girl, Liesel Meminger, some say it should be placed on the bookshelf alongside Anne Frank’s Diary of a Young Girl. I tend to agree.

4) Reading Enid Blyton’s Adventure series books with my two youngest children. Blyton was a prolific English author whose books were enormously popular in Great Britain in the 40’s and 50’s and still are today. By some counts, she wrote over 700 books for young people. Her books make for a great escape from the hectic high-tech times we live in and they serve as great nourishment for the imagination. As I write this, we have just finished the Sea of Adventure and are on to the Castle of Adventure. Inspired by Blyton’s books, my children are planning their own summer of adventure.

5) The experience of taking my 15-year-old daughter to Broadway superstar Kristin Chenoweth’s book-signing at Full Circle Bookstore (our all-time favorite bookstore with a maze of rooms, cozy nooks, fireplaces, and rolling ladders along the book cases). Kristin is an Oklahoma native best known for her role as Glinda in Broadway’s Wicked. What a pleasure it was to meet her. Her passion for music and life inspires my daughter and me to pursue our own talents as a pathway to joy.

6) Drinking Blueberry Buttermilk smoothies: 3/4 cup frozen blueberries, ¾ cup buttermilk, ½ banana (frozen or not), and 1 TBS honey whirled in the blender.

7) Jim Brickman’s transporting and soothing piano music on CD, which I’m listening to as I write.

8) Any time I get to talk on the phone with my sisters and parents. And, most of all, anytime I get to spend with my husband and children enjoying their company and making memories together.