Almost 7 years have passed since our last visit to Germany (my father'sfuneral in March 2008).

Almost 7 years have passed since our last visit to Germany (my father's funeral in March 2008). The occasion was a much happier one this time, my Mom's 80th birthday celebration!

We spent three weeks in her little town of Schwarzach am Main. The weather was wonderful, sunny and warm most of the 3 weeks there. And it was fresh wine season....grape hills are a way of life!

Mom's condo is like a bustling and thriving hub in the midst of town. The doors are always open to family and friends and neighbors and no one is a stranger for long. Mom loves music, especially when played LOUDLY over her Bose stereo system. Only complaint came from a little 7 year old girl living in the neighborhood...."no, not again".....!

Mom loves to cook and food is always prepared for her guests. Her kitchen is very efficient and many times she had  to clean up after several different groups of family or friends that might come by to enjoy some time with her. David and I both marveled at her energy!

We had so much fun visiting with my siblings, their wives and children. Two of my 3 brothers live in close proximity of Mom's place. We spent a weekend visiting at my sister Ruth's house. She and her husband Herbert were great hosts and David learned how to make sauerkraut from scratch!

Another highlight was taking bikes (thanks, Markus and Sandra!)  to Dettelbach, the town where  grew up and met David. We stopped at all the places I lived, went to school and where we met to dance at the Maxim Disco. We had a glass of wine at the local hotel/winery and my eyes were misty from all the good memories.

David, Mom and I took a trip to Friedrichroda, where David found some living LIEM relatives. How fun to go on an ancestry hunt!

Mom's 80th birthday took place in her back yard in a big tent. She had over 50 people come and help her celebrate. Barry and Darcel, friends of ours from Tucson, AZ accepted her invitation and stopped by while on a tour of Germany.

After having been back to my beautiful home country, I now more than ever desire to spend some time there again. David and I are talking about renting an apartment overseas and staying a few months in one stretch.

So much to do, so much to look forward to!

Hugs to all and thank you to my wonderful family for a great time!