The Path from Omaha to Einhausen

Day One

First off…we are heading to Germany!!! What? This is so cool. I get to hang out with my favorite person for 12 days in GERMANY! Pinch me, what a lucky girl! Did you catch that? I’m going to Germany!

Here we are on plane number two because the first plane out of Omaha might have been too small to take a picture in. Ha  A friend asked if we were flying first class, I guess she doesn’t know as much about the Raabes (after 11 years of friendship) as I thought she did  ;)

So Sharon with American Airlines is pretty darn awesome!! I forgot to request my GF meal until I was boarding my first flight. In Dallas I called AA for help, they said too bad you had to do that 24 hrs in advance. Then I went to the desk at the gate, she also told me too bad. Once I boarded our flight from Dallas to Frankfurt (9 hour flight) I explained to Sharon, our flight attendant that I messed up but if there is an extra of the GF meals or snacks I would love to be considered. She said, you bet and if I forget ask me again. She came through!! Thank you for your exceptional customer service Sharon! 

Do you ever just stop and realize that the small things are big? I would have survived without this meal and I was my fault but I was taken care of. Thank you God for another provision, I feel so cared for.

We landed in a very dreary and rainy Frankfurt. Our plan to tour the city on foot with Liv seemed like a bad idea so we picked up our rental car and drove to Bensheim to see our girl. I wish I had a picture of that first hug, words can’t convey my joy! After being awake for 20 hours I needed that boost to give me the energy to make it another 12 before going to bed..oh and the coffee helped too

Mel-cortado, Chris-black coffee and Liv-chai latte. 

We ate lunch at a food stand in the Christmas market. It was really good. I’m not sure what it was, some kind of meat on a fantastic bun (yes, even the bun was delicious, because in Germany the bread is fantastic!) We were deliriously tired, very hungry and beyond excited to see our daughter in a foreign country. Was the food really good? I’m still going to say yes!

Our next stop was Heppenheim, this is where Olivia takes her language classes. We walked all through the city and of course had another cup of coffee. 

We finally made it to Einhausen around 3pm. We took a walk through her sweet village that she now calls home. There are working farms in the middle of town right next to contemporary new built homes. Fresh air was good but we also had to keep our minds busy. As we worked hard to stay awake she took advantage of our foggy brains and played games with us that we couldn’t possibly win. 

Soon the family was home from school, work and volunteering. We had a delightful vegetarian dinner, drinks and fell into bed. It had been only some 30+ hours since the last time we saw a bed.  

Already, this trip has been amazing! What a blessing it is to see our girl. Hug her and know she is thriving. Thank you Jesus! 

Hall of Fame PSC

We had such a wonderful weekend celebrating the 1994 Peru State Baseball team. 

H A L L  O F  F A M E  H U S B A N D

I’m married to a kinda big deal 😍

Chris and I started dating right after this season ended so I guess I can’t take any credit for his success. Ha However the next season he did set several records and hit 11 home runs so maybe I was an inspiration 

The stories these two told kept us cracking up all weekend long. 

Our Canadian Friends the Bentz’

baseball wives

 

Happy Birthday Pops

Birthday wishes to this guy

Love you Chris!

Yep we tried to get a picture of all of us and the 2 dogs. 

It didn’t work to well but we had some laughs

Willow played with Pops on his special day

 

W I L L O W is ☝🏼

Birthday Girl in a
5th generation high chair

It’s remarkable how quickly the first year of life has flown by for this little peanut! 

We love you Willow!

Thankful for FaceTime in moments like this so Auntie Liv could help us celebrate all the way from Germany

The Great Grandmas

What a special day! We had 40+ friends and family at our house to celebrate the first year of life with this precious little girl. Emma had the cutest decorating ideas and Chris and I took care of the food. We found out that Willow is a BIG fan of frosting, it might take a few days to detox. Ha

First consecutive steps taken Oct 25

Says (has said) mama and dada 

Loves to point at everything

Eats well but no veggies

Nurses once a day

Sleeps 7:30pm-6:30am and 2 naps

Sleeps with 6 pacifiers and pink kitty

After mommy & daddy, Mimi is a fav

Has 8 teeth

Weight: Up from 3rd percentile to 24th!!

Dear God,  On this special day I lift up our precious granddaughter. As she celebrates her first birthday, I pray that you bless her with strength, wisdom and unwavering faith. May she always know your love for her and that her worth comes from you alone. Thank you for the indescribable joy of being her Mimi. In Jesus name, Amen

 

Americans In Germany!! Day ONE

 Julie Eastridge, Olivia and I jumped on a late morning flight July 24th, 2024 and landed in Frankfurt early July 25th, 2024. We had a delayed but quick flight to Dallas then a long 8 hour flight to Frankfurt. Praise God we made it on the flight out of Dallas to Frankfurt. I was pleasantly surprised how quickly the 8 hour flight passed by. 

I just think this looks cool

DAY ONE:

Liv and I eagerly anticipated the food and the scenery of Germany, so be prepared to see that in the next several posts. First let me talk a bit about the food. I am restricted to a gluten free diet. I have heard from many people who travel to Europe that they were able to eat gluten there without experiencing the same symptoms as eating gluten in the US. I decided to give it a try on day one. Worst case scenario, I would be sick for one day. Best case scenario, I would get to eat bread, pasta and pastries for the next 13 days with out painful consequences. And I'm so glad I did...no migraines and no vomiting.

(Not getting on my soapbox right now but seriously, the US should be ashamed of what we have allowed in our food. We are creating a chronically sick nation!)

Chicken Schnitzel: thin sliced meat, breaded and fried

I didn't know what I was ordering but it was delicious. I didn't expect fries or gravy. Julie didn't expect a salad so we made some switches. This time I was glad she has a very select palate.

Our friend Monica Hauk arrived at the airport with bottles of water (oh yeah, I like still water) and fresh picked plums and figs for us to snack on then spent the day as our personal chauffeur. Bless her!  

MAINZ, GERMANY

We knew we wanted to go over to Mainz to see the Cathedral with blue windows, while we had a ride, it was the perfect time to do it. Mainz is about a 40 min drive by car but 1.5 hours by public transit and we honestly were a little nervous to jump on the buses and trains on day one. The whole inside of the  building had a blue glow. St Stephan was first used in the year 990, renewed in 1338, destroyed in 1945 and rebuilt in 1959. In 1887 the Jewish artist Chagall created the world famous blue windows.

Coffee is different in Germany

I ordered an iced coffee which I thought I was getting coffee with ice in it but I got coffee with ICE CREAM in it. Well, that wasn't terrible. I would order it again!

Right behind us was a lovely pastry shop. 

Olivia's first German latte

Look at this! I love the buildings

We went to several cathedrals on day one.

Why don't have I have the name of this one???

I don't remember details about this chapel other than it was down the stairs under Dom St Martins. No lights, just the one small window above the alter.

DOM ST. MARTIN

After a long day of travel and LOTS of walking, Olivia and I left Julie in the hotel and we found a little restaurant. We were both so thirsty, I could have drank 3 of these bottles of water. That would become a theme...being thirsty.

WE MADE IT TO 7PM!!! After dinner we walked back to our hotel and got ready to crash but not before I took a few moments to figure out how many hours we had been awake...over 28 hours. Did I sleep on the plane?  I know I dozed off a couple times for maybe a total of 1-2 hours. What a first day and the whole time we kept saying, "I can't believe we are in Germany!"

Germany Bound

I'm only 3 months late in posting this, I'll back date it to July even though today is actually October 19, 2024. Our summer was filled with the preparation of Olivia's departure. Honestly, the whole last semester of her senior year was filled with thoughts of picking a family, getting to know the family, getting the necessary legal documents and especially the visa.  By the time I got back from taking her to Germany, school had started and the summer was over. Wow! She is gone but we had a lot of fun getting her there.

This blog post is filled with pictures of gatherings and good-byes. She had special lunch dates, coffee dates, surprise visitors and a farewell party. Our girl is loved by so many. It's so fun to watch her thrive in her element but also know that this new journey is going to be life changing.

July 24th

Here we go...Germany Bound

Lunch date with Oma

Liv loves Bella and Luna

I had a fun night with Liv, Michelle and Caitlyn making bracelets. 

Liv and Kayla became BFFs at age 2.

Never ending Playdates, Sleepovers, Picnics, 

Walking to school, Fights, Laughs, Dances, 

Parties, Justin Bieber Fever

It's been fun to see the girls reconnect this past year.

Olivia spent every other weekend for 6-7 years volunteering in the kids area of our church. On her last Sunday I was suddenly very emotional. Just one more step closer to our girl leaving home. Don't get me wrong, I am so excited for her and also just a bit sad that this chapter is closing.

The fam minus a sleeping Willow

These two are so similar. Right now the 7 year span between Em and Liv seems big. But as a mom, I see who they are, two very beautiful spirits right here.

Everyone needs wonderful neighbors!

Josh and Rosie are the best

Our adopted Emma

Addison and Liv met each other at church in the very early years

Another life long friend.

These ladies have been incredibly supportive and wonderful mentors for Olivia over the last couple years. What a blessing to have women who are willing to pour into the lives of our children

Aw Po had to get in the picture too

Big sister love

Liv just might be Auntie Holly's mini-me 

Crystal and Liv can talk show choir all day long!

***Hmm, this picture got deleted and now I can't find it. I will add it later***

As I go through these pictures I realize how many of these kids have been friends for many years. Is that normal? Morgan and Liv met each other in church and then also went to the same schools. Grace and Liv met in elementary school and remained friends through out their school years. Grace ended up going to youth group with Liv. So cool.

Liv's besties and their parents 

Riffles, Raabes, McAllisters, Prows

Shayla getting Facetimed in :)

One more family meal at an iconic Omaha restaurant

If you are a burger fan you gotta go to Stella's!!

Riss, another adopted daughter

Joe, the best brother she has ever had.

We are so proud of our girl!

Caitlyn and Michelle met us at the airport bright and early the day we left Omaha. Best friends who are all ready to leave the nest and do exciting things. Caitlyn off to UNL in Nebraska, Michelle to BYU in Utah and Liv headed to Germany. Their lives will change greatly over the next year. When Liv gets home in 11 months, 2 weeks and a few days they will finally have a chance to reconnect. Looking forward to the growth each of these friends experience.

We are proud of our baby girl and can't wait to watch her journey over the next year in Germany! This will be an incredible adventure for Liv but also for us. As our children grow and leave, we too must learn to live without them under our 24-hour care. You got this Girl!!!

Love you forever and ever, Mom

 There are two times when parenting is very difficult. When the baby first arrives at home, and when the adult first leaves home.