Speaking of the family that I love, it's wonderful to see how all the kids are growing. Sometimes bittersweet as I'd like for them to stay like they are, but it's often thought provoking seeing life through new eyes growing in a different world. Fortunately Vivian's cracked the code on taking and sharing photos, so I'm looking forward to each new batch!
Matthew has been making a go of it in the DoD School at Lakenheath. He loves working with and learning about computers, be has been developing a growing interest in history (Perhaps mom and dad dragging him all over Europe had a factor there!)
Daniel's thoughtfulness 
Ethan is our voracious bookwoorm. He was so excited when he got his hands on the 6th book in the How to Train a Dragon Series, but then could detect a bit of disappointment in his voice when he was done with it 3 days later. He's got such a quick, sharp dry wit that we just wonder where he got it from!
Victoria, is still very much our little princess. It still amazes us how she can be such an uneroding island of femininity in our raging seas of testosterone! Crafts, dolls, high tea, dresses, princesses, sugar, spice... She's and all that, and more!
By the way, the links on the kid's names above take you to their most "interesting" photos, and clicking sort on "recent" will let you see the most current ones.
As I flip through the photos I brought with me from the past year, I realize that it’s been a great year! Here's a quick travelogue of our journey this year...
Jan: Men’s ski trip bonding with Matthew and Daniel at Lenk, Switzerland
Feb: The boys got to attend an ivy league college of engineering on a weekend Hovercraft building event. After that we returned again to visit the city and to see Cambridge's US veteran's cemetery. And the boys got to participate in Scout Sunday at the Chapel.
Mar: I got to take an incentive flight on one of the KC-135s to refuel a pair of F-15s on the way to the states, and the boys got to see Neil Armstrong and other aerospace legends at a USO sponsored Astronaut Visit, and we all got closer at a Chapel conference "Family.God."
Apr: Had a wonderful Easter, followed by a long weekend seeing the sights in Kent and Dover. The location at Dover castle has been a strategic location since prehistoric ages and you can spend days there experiencing the history (though the kids are a bit less enthused). The base had a greatTake your Kids To Work day where they got to tour the tower and one of the tankers! Probably the favorite event in the year for the boys was getting to see the birthplace of the global scouting movement at the Gilwell Camporee near London!
May: We visited an Anglo Saxon Village. We were pleased to see that all the kids got something at the end of year AWANA awards. And the boys got to proudly show their BSA colors at a Memorial weekend service, and visited an exceptional cathedral in the nearby Ely village.
Jun: We took a whole week to head out east where we saw one of the Queen's residential palaces, the Windsor Castle, and saw some wonderful roman ruins at Bath, and then stepped even further back into time by seeing Stonehenge and Avesbury. Throughout the trip, we stayed a wonderfulresort village and then returned by way of Oxford.
Jul: Texas! It was so wonderful to get to see both Vivian's and Neal's family, As well as the great friends that we have there!
Aug: The youth group got a high energy kick-off to the year with "The RACE!" The boys absolutely loved it, and fortunately none of them were hurt too bad. We took a tour of theAudley End Houseand Gardens, the best 19th century manor house we've seen. Did other fun things like VBS, Golfing, and Grimes Graves flintstone mines.
Sep: Got lost in the Maize Maze, took the boys to the Mayflower District Camporee, and they participated in the POW-MIA observance on Veteran’s Day. Vivian and I enjoyed getting dressed up for the AF Ball.
Oct: Helped out with the Beltloop Bonanza for Ethan. Got to see the beginning of the Norman invasion of the English Isles at the reenactment of the historic battle of Hastings. When we discovered that Neal had orders to report to Afghanistan.
Nov: I went through Combat Airman Skills Training (CAST) at Ft. Dix, learning a lot of things that I hope I won't need while here in Afghanistan, like shooting an M-16 at moving targets, detecting and reacting to roadside bombs, and urban warfare tactics. From there, straight on to Afghanistan. Was at the transit station at Manas Air Base, Kyrgyzstan for Thanksgiving, and arrived in Kabul the next day.
Dec: Settling into a routine in Kabul, but get to see Robin Williams, Lance Armstrong the week before Christmas.
I think of you daily as we struggle here against the forces that hate freedom and our way of life.Though we are far from perfect and would never claim to be the savior of mankind ourselves, we are doing what we can to help the people of a war-torn land rise above those that would enslave them. Please pray for the return of Afghanistan to the people, not the corruptors.
Don't worry about me... this is about the safest place one can be in Afghanistan. The worst part is the effective isolation in this 300 meter long compound, and separation from family and friends back home, but thankfully there's such easy and quick communication. Feel free to send notes! I love seeing what everyone's up to. :)
God bless you all! We miss you all!
Neal and Vivian, Matthew, Daniel, Ethan, and Victoria Schneider
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