Franks in America

Coming to a city near you (probably)

I love root beer.
I can't stand demanding people that think the world revolves around them and their rights.
I love going to the post office and being able to converse perfectly well with the person at the counter.
I love being able to read signs quickly and easily.
I don't like jet lag.
I love it when Cole sleeps through the night.
I love it when people say they will pray for us and I feel confident they really do.
I am enticed by the unending options of places to eat.
I love AC.
I love being able to speak in code with Anne in public (auf Deutsch).

Bush in Vienna

Yep, George Bush just paid a visit to Vienna, Austria along with his wife and C. Rice. It was a pretty big deal. I think the meetings were with Austrian leaders as well as EU leaders - the UN European headquarters is here. Anyhow, it has been 27 years since a US president has visited Austria. I guess that would mean Jimmy Carter was the last one??

Anyhow, I heard about how an entire hotel (one of the nicest in Vienna) was totally taken over by US officials and that 600 secret service agents checked the whole place out for weeks ahead of time. This is all for a 24 hour visit (one night in the hotel). On top of that, there were all kinds of roads closed to traffic and pedestrians. AND, it just so happens that the path which the motorcade took with Bush went by our building twice. They closed the street twice to traffic and pedestrians. Policemen were everywhere - in cars, motorcycles, helicopters (which are rare here), boats along the river, etc. It was an amazing amount of hoopla, especially for such a slow paced country of 8 million people that are much less violent than the US and love to just watch anything. Zooming by our apartment building was about 6 police motorcycles and 2 police trucks. Then some time. Then another group of the same size. Then some more time. Then 10 motorcycles, a few police trucks, some BMWs with sirens and black windows, then some big American cars with sirens and black windows, then 3 limos with American and Austrian flags sandwiched between 5 or 6 Suburbans (which you never see here), followed by more BMWs, Cadillacs (not found in Austria), police cars, ambulances, very American looking huge SUVs, more police motorcycles, Austrian police trucks, Austrian ambulance, huge busses, more police,.... I mean this was just insane. I've never seen so many people peeping out of their windows in my neighborhood (some of them wearing just about nothing because thats normal when it's hot). I wanted to video tape it or take pictures, but I didn't have the best angle out our window and I couldn't get out of my building to see since the roads were closed to pedestrians.

By the way, Bush is in the picutres with the Austrian president Heinz Fischer and the Chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel. Enjoy the other pictures. :)

GWB with Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Sch�ssel. 

As you can see, there are a fair amount of people that don't like GWB. 

GWB with Heinz Fischer, the Austrian President. 

New Trick

Lately Cole has been pulling out so many new tricks! Our favorite one is when he sits up and we hold his hands. He also has been holding toys and other random objects and putting his little hands together. Just last night he passed a marker from one hand to the other. What a stud. I'm sure he's going to charm those flight attendants on Saturday!

Next Year's Ideas

Since my school year ended a few months ago, my brain is ready to plan for next year. I often have myriad ideas swirling up in my head, and just recently a few have been solidified, so I thought I'd share what my year will possibly look like.

1. Chris & I are going to be sponsors of the upcoming 9th grade class along with another staff member, Becca West. We're really looking forward to being more involved in the high school part of VCS.
2. I will be working on the weekly elementary chapels...possibly organizing, planning, and speaking.
3. I will also be the co-chair of the VCS social committee. Yes, VCS has a social committee. Natalie (my new neighbor and the art teacher at VCS) and I will be working to ensure BIG FUN for the staff at VCS every so often.
4. Lastly...my favorite...I will be baking birthday treats each month for the staff meetings that I don't have to attend any more!

We've got a LAUGHER, folks!

You folks better exercise your funny muscle QUICKLY, because Cole Frank is coming to a town near YOU, and folks, he's FUNNY!

Anne & Cole

Good Things Happening

Well, I told you a few weeks ago that things were busy for me in the VCS Business Office. One thing in particular was that I was doing some interviews to find a new bookkeeper, and I asked you to pray about it too (I think). Well, the interviews went well and we actually ended up with two good options. We ended up choosing a lady named Gabriela - an Austrian, but actually born in Romania. She had about a week to spend with the bookkeeper (Doreen) before she left. That time is over now and Gabriela is on her own for the most part. I can tell that she is good at what she does - accounting and bookkeeping things. It's a huge help to me to have someone do this job and I think God has really provided for what we need in this situation.
School's out now - Wednesday was the last day of school. So I'm working shorter days next week and the week after. Then the 3 of us are flying to the US! We're looking forward to that, and we just be in a city near you!

Cole will start his world tour on the 24th. :)

Movin' Home

I moved out of my classroom yesterday at VCS. I brought home all of the things that have lived with me at school for the past 4 years. It was kind of like moving home. I brought home all the things that defined ME at school, and now I feel like I just moved in. You know the settled feeling when your room is exactly the way you like it so you can relax? All of Anne is home now.

I brought home my silver box. I brought home my Mrs. Frank sign and my faces collage from an art class with Shelley in Bloomington. I brought home my purple and yellow vase with stars on it that I painted years ago that lived on my desk. I brought home my fishbowl that I never used for fish, and my stuffed moose, Boomer. The most important things I brought home, I realized as I unpacked, are not the THINGS, though, but the memories I have of those things with my students in my classroom. I LOVE teaching. I LOVE the kids at VCS, and I LOVE even the lesson plans sometimes. But, I have a new job now...and I brought the old things with me to make new memories.

Maybe I need a fish for my fishbowl?

Look Out World!

Updates...

Mirror, mirror, on the ground, who's the cutest baby around?


Jana came over this weekend to visit, and we ate some good Asian food at Go Wok. Only 2 more months until Jana Russell turns into Mrs. Jana Rourk!


We never know what position Cole will be in when we wake him up in the morning. This was the cuteness that we saw today! Like son, like father!

The Heat Celebrate, but....

somehow this picture just doesn't look right. Shaq Diesel and Pat Riley the warrior coach being all soft. Hmmmm....

Maybe you can come up with your own interesting title for this:
** Riles and Shaq Share an Intimate Moment
** You use Neutrogena lotion, too?