16 Years Later..

Of all the trips we've taken..

this quick trip to Germany

meant the most.

19 years ago

Steve and I and 

3 month old Stephen..

moved to Germany.

Steve was a pilot in the Army

and we were so very lucky to 

be stationed in Illesheim Germany..

our first assignment out of flight school.

Steve flew over first and secured 

a house for us.

We were determined to live 

not on the military base..

but in a house

with German landlords.

We lived for 3 years 

above Erich and Lieselotte

in a little farming town

called Bad Windsheim.

He built this house

and the two of them are 

probably the most hard working

people I know.

They didn't speak English..

thank goodness because boy

did we learn German!

Their daughter Silke

however, did speak English 

which was helpful at times!

Before Stephen goes off to college

this fall..

I wanted to take a family trip

back to his first home..

and to where Hannah was born.

Thursday we drove from Paris

to Rothenburg..where we stayed 

this past weekend.

Rothenburg is about 20 minutes

from Bad Windsheim and it's a 

beautiful old walled city.

(I will share more pictures of 

our weekend..

but I needed to have a post

dedicated just to them)

We arrived around 8:00 pm after 

an 8 hour trip and decided to 

drive to Bad Windsheim to have 

dinner at our old favorite Italian 

place, Franco's.

Before dinner I asked Steve to just

drive by the old house.

At 8:30 at night we certainly weren't 

planning on showing up unannounced.

But, I found myself ringing their doorbell.

I heard Lieselotte say..

"Erich, it's the Pam!!!"

I'll never forget the hugs they

both gave me.

They invited us in 

and it felt like yesterday,

not 16 years ago,

that we were sitting around their table.

Silke came too and told us

that her parents would say..

"Someday, Pam and Steve will

show up on our doorstep".

They showed us all of the 

Christmas cards I've sent

over the past 16 years.

And the pictures I've sent 

that are hanging on their wall.

They invited us back

for lunch on Sunday.

After a feast of shnitzel and 

potato salad and bratwurst

and lots of laughs and tears

we said goodbye..

again.

Silke said..

"don't wait another 16 years to come back"

We won't.

These people were not 

just our landlords.

Our even just friends.

They became our family.

Vielen dank fur alles!

Bis spater...

Wir lieben dich!!!