Welcome to Day One! This calendar is a gift to my daughter and her host family, to be shared with friends anywhere!
Fort Collins is not where Olivia was born, but it’s where she has spent most of her life. I’d like to share a few things about this little Fleck in the world – a little bit every day!
Fort Collins is located in northern Colorado (which means ‘red-colored’ in Spanish), a state known mainly for it’s mountains, but a little over one third of it is flat and rolling land, which we call the plains. Colorado is also the only state that lies entirely above 1,000 meters elevation (Wunstorf is at 43m), and ranked the 8th largest of the United States, comparable to the size of New Zealand, but only 22nd in population. As of 2010, 143,986 people live in Fort Collins, compared to 5,116,796 (2011 estimate) in the state. Our time zone is labeled MST, for Mountain Standard Time, eight hours behind, and 7917 km west of Wunstorf.
Die Übersetzungen werde ich Olivia ueberlassen! Bis morgen!
julie rowan-zoch 
Fun idea. Love the simplicity of your post. You always have an eye for color and proportion!
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Thanks Patricia – I hope my daughter’s host family enjoys it!
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What a wonderful idea, Julie! I’m sure Olivia will enjoy this slice of home.
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Thanks Kirsten, less sugar too!
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And where is Olivia? I’m guessing a “host” family is kind of like a puppy raising family — something kind of temporary. And I’m guessing from your post that she’s far away somewhere. And that she won’t be home for Christmas. I bet you miss her. But I bet her “host” family loves her.
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I think you are right on all accounts! She is in Germany on a Congress/Bundestag exchange program, but we are fortunate to have lived nearby, and know where she is headed when she tells us of field trips and nights out on the town. We are very fortunate that she is so lucky, and very happy with her host family!
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and that explains all your German speak!
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Jawohl!
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What did you say in those last lines and also, what does Jawohl mean? I think Olivia will like the calender. I am using the LEGO Star Wars Advent Calender this year (I got it in January as a late present from last Christmas).
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In the last lines I suggested Olivia should translate – for her host parents. And jawohl, can mean: ‘yes, sir!’, or just ‘certainly’, depends on the intonation. We haven’t had a Lego calendar yet; this year I gave my son one from the artist Beth Krommes, who got the Caldecott for The House in the Night, a book he really liked.
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What a cool idea, your FC Advent CalI didn’t know Colorado and New Zealand were equivalent sizes! Big for a state, small for a country 🙂
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This is a wonderful gift idea! You are so creative, Julie!!!
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Thanks Penny!
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