Isaac's future girlfriend

I got an e-mail in May from a friend of mine who lives in Germany and to whom I haven't spoken in a couple of years, and she told me that she had a baby on March 30, a little girl she named Leni. How funny life is! I just replied and told her about Isaac and sent her photos. I've known Friederike since I was 14 when she came to the U.S. to be my German teacher's au pair. We became very close friends, and, since then, we've talked about me visiting her in Germany. There was actually a time when I thought I might move there for a couple of months and work at her parents' restaurant or do some odd job and see how I liked it. I thought I could use the time there to also travel to various other places in Europe. (I should mention that I used to speak German quite well. I can barely string together a sentence now, though.)

In her e-mail, Rike told me I was still welcome to visit her and her family whenever I'd like, and I think, after 11 years, it's time to quit talking about it and finally do it. I'd always said I'd visit once I "saved up enough money." Let's be realistic. I'm never going to save thousands and thousands of dollars to travel abroad. I could, though, save up enough money for a plane ticket and a couple hundred for shopping and be just fine. I'd stay with Rike, so I wouldn't need to worry about hotels, and I'd probably spend as much money on meals and activities there as I do now here. So I've decided that, once Isaac is a little older and walking and not nursing as much, we are definitely visiting Germany. I told John he was welcome to come, too, but he didn't seem all that interested. He's not much of a traveler, I don't think. And he probably thinks this is another thing I say I'm going to do and never actually get around to (it has been 11 years, after all). But I think it would be so fun to take Isaac and visit Europe! So that's the plan. I think I originally planned to wait until he's two, but I may not be able to wait that long. Now that I've got it in my head that I want and can do this, I'm feeling kind of anxious. I would need to brush up on my German, though.

I hope Rike doesn't mind me posting this, but here is a photo of Leni. Isn't she beautiful! Who knows, she and Isaac just may hit it off in Germany...