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!
