Herzlich Willkomen!

Today was one of the greatest days I've had in a long time. We had the opportunity to leave church a little early and drive 10 minutes to the DFW Airport to see my family (or at least a portion) during a 2 hour layover. They were on their way home from a wonderful trip to Germany. As many know, my dad was born and raised in Berlin, Germany and had not returned home since the late 1950's. The Berlin my dad remembers was the one that was bombed and devastated. My older brothers had a great idea to travel back to Germany with my dad in order to experience dad's homecoming with his hometown. It was a remarkable time for everyone who was able to go. Due to Andrew's young age, I decided to stay behind, but Heidi, Mark, David, Erika (David's daughter), Chase (Mark's son), and dad were able to make the historical trip.

Not only did dad visit Berlin, but he was able to visit family members he hadn't seen in years. He also met family members he's never met before. It was just a wonderful experience for everyone and I just wish I had had the chance to be there. I'm so glad that dad had the chance to go home and reestablish some of those roots. I know that my love of Germany stems not just from serving my mission in that wonderful country, but my blood is one half German and I feel a real connection to that land.

The picture above is of dad, Heidi, me, Chase, and Mark sitting in the lounge at the DFW Grand Hiatt Hotel. This picture to the right is of my dad with Laurel and Andrew.