September 1, 2010; and we're off...

The day we thought could not get here fast enough arrived and we were packed (proficiently if I do say so myself). Granny T. arrived the night before and we all took the kids to daycare that morning so we could say goodbye and she could know the route to pick the munchkins up later. We only called 3 times before making it to the airport which I think is pretty good considering the OCD tendencies I have (no need to list them all).

Austin check in and departure was a breeze and my anxiety wasn't too bad considering we recently discovered that our well laid plans of sleeping pills for me was a big backfire (let's just say Ambien amnesia is real!). Our flight was great and our check in with Chris and Sara while at the Atlanta airport was a hilarious lead up to what would be a terrific reunion for all.

We boarded the plane by 5PM Atlanta time and next time our feet touched land would be in Germany. According to Deakon my seat selection on the way over was less than stellar (middle row on a full plane), but I didn't mind too much. If you can imagine shortly after take off, the elder lady next to me pulled out the same book I brought for reading (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo) so we instantly started talking and Agnes became my new BFF. Turns out she was 82 and headed home to Ulm, Germany for her high school reunion and was giddy with excitement. She had not been home to Ulm since she left shortly after the war and yes her stories of being a teenage girl during Hitler's reign were very entertaining as well as how she came to be in the US, but that's for another time. None the less, God put her next to me for a reason and I enjoyed every minute visiting with her and hope her trip was as great as mine.

A special note - Aggie and I were seated near each other for comfort and we were seated in those seats to be a comfort to the poor woman in front of us who was traveling solo with 3 children. Her kids were great the entire time, but there was one mishap. About 2 hrs out from Stuttgart, her 2 yr old daughter tossed her cookies so that was a little less than pleasant and again Aggie (new BFF) and I weren't bothered by it and tried to comfort where we could. Props to that mom for doing the travel so well!

SISKELL & EBERT AKA CARSON & CARSON MOVIE REVIEW Part I

1. The Karate Kid 2010 - totally different take on the original and recommended for kids, but pass for adults
2. The Bounty Hunter -  Poor Jennifer Aniston needs to stick to television and comedy preferred
3. Quantum of Solace James Bond - not for those of us who get motion sick easily, but Daniel Craig looks great and drives awesome cars

9AM Stuttgart, Germany time we land a little less perky than when we left 9hrs earlier, but we quickly perked up. We get off the plane and of course are cold b/c we left 98+ temps to arrive to 48 degrees and sunny, but it was so cute when we get into the airport and Deakon tells me to go look for Sara's face somewhere along the glass wall and sure enough she was there. Even now I smile because I miss my friend so much and seeing her waving so enthusiastically was heartwarming. Plus she had that little adorable dude Shane who is a super chill baby with the best skin coloring, but I digress.

We made the super fast trek to her house which is literally 20 min down the Autobahnen (yes the fast one with no speed limits) and settled in for food and catching up. They have a beautiful home with a garden so lush I swear Martha Stewart would be envious. But the neat part for the liquid connoisseurs is that in Germany instead of water deliveries they do beer and juice deliveries which peaked Deakon's interest quickly. Lunch was exactly what we needed to refuel before our afternoon nap; it consisted of fresh deli meat, delicious brots and fresh brochen and we washed it down with a cool beverage.

Same day just fast forward a bit and we have gathered more friends; Nick is home from kindergarten and Chris is home from work - woot woot! We walked that night to one of their favorite restaurants and dined al fresco on some delicious German cuisine and watched the airplanes take off and land at the nearby int'l airport.

Interesting tidbit, the Airbus 380 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airbus_A380) was doing some practice touch and go's there and when we finally saw that thing in the air it was like looking at a cruise ship with wings so clearly this picture does not do it justice.



What a great night to catch up with friends and experience some of their every day life.