Super Angie...Lieblings Vater

Lieblings Vater means Favorite Dad in German.

My dad and I have an on-going joke in German about him being my favorite dad and I'm his favorite daughter. I love my dad.

I just got an email from him stating that he will be retiring in March and moving back to the states for good. WHOA!

My parents have been living overseas since 1995 (Germany, Australia and now Russia). He works for the Boeing Company and has only worked for them since graduating from the University of California Davis. I'm not sure about the year, but my dad was actually Employee of the Year for the entire company! He is awesome! Heres a pic of my dad, my brother Jeff and Dallin when he was a baby. My dad has a great sense of humor and is known for finding crazy hats or other funny things. And a family photo when I was just a baby. GO DAD WITH THE BROWN TIE!

My dad was born in Grossenbehringen in East Germany during WW2. His mom, my oma, had received permission to move out of Frankfurt which was being heavily bomed so she could give birth out in the country side. They lived out in Grossenbehringen until after the war ended, and then moved back their beloved Frankfurt. They lived there until he was 11, at which time my Oma and my dad and his sister (Aunt Ursula) immigrated to the United States--to California (Sacramento). My opa did not come with the family. This pic: I made my dad pose with me infront of a trabi in Budapest! Here is another picture of my dad and my kids, standing in front of his childhood home in Frankfurt.

My dad barely knew English, if any, but he took it on as an adventure (even the boat trip to the US was an adventure). They moved into my mom's ward in Sacramento, which is how my parents met.

My dad didn't serve a mission. Instead he went to the University of California Davis and graduated with a degree in Engineering. He got hired at Boeing and they moved to Seattle, where my brothers and I were all born.

My dad was a scout. He did all things scouting. We grew up camping, biking, hiking. My dad took me on a wonderful weekender to Lake Dorthy. It was a great time. My dad used to take the boy scouts on long distance bike trips--not the type where you have someone haul your gear or you stay at a motel, but they would carry their tents, and everything else on the back of their bikes. I watched him do these bike trips with my brothers. When I was in Junior High, my dad and I would go for daily bike rides--sometimes around Lake Samamish, other times, just up 156th and down to 140th and back home. It was fabulous and a great way for us to bond. This pic: obviously, this is not the type of bike we rode in those days--this is one we rented on Margaret Island in Budepest. My dad was hillarious. He took this thing off roading.

My dad traveled a lot while I was growing up. He was always going to cool locations around the world. We would joke that for my German class extra credit, we should jet off to Germany for the weekend. Heres a pic of my parents and Dallin at our favorite resturant in Frankfurt. My dad really gets into his native foods from the state of Hessen.

I went away to Ricks college and I clearly remember getting the phone call from my dad. Boeing was transferring him to Munich, Germany to be the regional director over Eastern Europe and Russia. WHOA BABY! It only took me a second to decide to drop out of college and move to Germany with my parents. JA WOHL!

We moved to 44 Elizabeth Strasse in the beautiful Schwabing neighborhood of Munich. My dad had gotten us the BEST apartment in the whole city (according to me). It was fantastic. We had so much fun that first 6 months I lived with them. Taking the u-bahn, s-bahn, strassenbahn, the ICE, and other trains. Riding our bikes around Munich. Traveling to other cities. We went to Venice for Thanksgiving. No Turkey--just pizza. :) I was given so many wonderful opportunities to learn and grow. My dad paid for me to go to University in Munich. WHOA! Heres a pic of my dad walking with Dallin down Old Arbat Street in Moscow, Russia and a pic of our thanksgiving spent in Italy.

I remember when my dad really started traveling hardcore for this new job. He would come home from Russia (his first time there) with an incredible journal of all he met and what he saw. He met so many famous people, its unthinkable! It was through these journals that I really took an interest in the world and knew I wanted to travel and see it all. My dad gave me the hope that that was a real possibility. This Pic: My dad became the Bishop of the international ward in Munich. He be-friended EVERYONE and was a real example of someone who truely embodies the principle of Christ like love. This is Sasha. He is Ukrainen, and if I remember right, Sasha defected to West Berlin while serving for the Soviet Army. He can never go home. His parents were baptized while my dad was bishop. They came to Munich for that. It was so awesome to attend their baptism. Also included is a picture of my parents under Sendlinger Tor in Munich--my dad's office had wonderful view of Sendlinger Tor-truely a magical place!

We celebrated his first birthday living back in Germany at the Hof Brau Haus and he even did the chicken dance with me! My dad is a great sport and is actually a fantastic dancer. He grew up doing plays and musicals in Frankfurt.

I returned almost yearly for 7 years to Munich to spend anywhere from 1 week to 2 months with my parents. When Dallin was only 4 months old, we took him to Germany. My mom babysat him while my dad took me on a business trip with him to Moscow. Amazing. Heres my dad on a recent trip--we took Tanith to Germany to meet my dad when he was a on a business trip there. She was only a few months old. We ate at our favorite place in Frankfurt--right across the street from his old school! No, thats not beer!!And here is a pic from the trip Dallin and I made to Moscow. We ate at McDonalds OF COURSE. My dad's Russian Secretary Kate is such a huge help!

I must admit, it was so great having my parents live in my favorite country. Germany is amazing. My dad quickly helped me learn all about the breads and ice creams, and yummy YUMMY foods. He bought me a beautiful ringing Matruska doll for my 19th birthday from Russia. He was so sweet and knew what I would appreciate. Every time he came back to the states to visit, he always would bring us treats. It was easy for my dad to be back in Germany, but for my mom, it was a bit of a trial. Luckily, my dad helped and totally supported her in getting her German drivers license. Together with these licenses, we went EVERYWHERE. Over the next 7 or so years, we would go to Holland, France, Luxembourg, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, Liechtenstein, Italy, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungry. In Hungry, we went to Budapest. It was fantastic--thanks DAD! One of the funniest parts of that trip was when he got stopped by a cop for speeding. Amazing! Heres a picture of my dad holding Dallin up under a Russian Space Shuttle at Gorky Park, Moscow and a picture of my dad taking a kiddie train ride with Dallin, also in Gorky Park.

We had so much fun in Budapest and Bratislava. It was my first real encounter with hard core Eastern Europe/ex-soviet countries. I learned a lot...very special and dear to my heart things. Heres my dad posing with a Soviet statue...a very good likeness!

So many great memories of the time my parents lived in Munich. It was only supposed to 2-5 yrs..I believe it ended up being 8 years?? Heres a pic of when Rick and I took the kids to Germany--heres my dad and Rick and the kids in Rottenburg.

After my parents moved back to the states, sold my childhood home (sniff sniff) and moved into a new place in Issaquah, my dad was asked if he would head up the Australian office in Sydney, so off they went again!

This time, they didn't live in the city, they lived just south of Sydney in Cronella and they lived RIGHT ON THE OCEAN! It was a beautiful apartment. WAY TO GO DAD ON PICKING NICE PLACES TO LIVE! Life was "easy" in Australia--every day is a "Good Day", there are great wildlife parks to visit, the ocean to swim in, the exotic birds to feed on your balcony, the huge poisonous spiders to watch out for...but seriously, it was good times. Heres a pic of my mom and Dallin infront of the Sydney Opera House.

Again, having been bitten by the travel bug, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to go, so we went when Brennan was just a baby. My dad has always been known as the grandpa who will carry the grand kids on his back, and of course, this was no different. Here he is with baby Brennan. Notice the Ocean behind them!

Visiting my parents was a dream come true. We did the bridge climb together, which was awesome. Took a double decker scenic bus tour of Sydney, shopped, played with Kangaroos, took a real Thomas the Tank Engine train (and saw Percy, James and Mavis!).. We just had a fantastic time. Here I am helping Brennan to pet this Kangaroo who was so loving. She sat right next to me. :) And a pic of my dad being silly with a birthday gift.

After a few glorious years down under, my dad was transfered to Moscow, Russia. Again, my dad picked a beautiful apartment, right down town Moscow. Life is much harder in Russia though and I know its been hard on my mom. But they have a wonderful ward there and nightly, they watch movies together when my dad comes home from work. Here he is enjoying a diet coke--he is always enjoying a diet coke. This is at the Hard Rock Cafe in Moscow.

I have been SOOOO BLESSED to be able to visit my parents in Moscow, in Australia and in Germany, several times. A pic from that first birthday dinner in Germany at the Hof Brau Haus!

In Moscow, my dad took Dallin (then only 5) to the Russian Circus. What a wonderful time they had! He is such a good "Pop" (what the kids call him).

My dad (and mom) has been extremely welcoming to Rick and so supportive of me. I have called him in the middle of the night while in the Hospital after giving birth to one of my kids. I can call his cell phone whenever I want to, no matter where in the world he is. I remember one time I called him and he was walking around Circula Quay in Sydney--he described what he was seeing and smelling--I was almost there with him. We have our favorite places all over the world--things to see, things to eat. Eis, Bratwurst, Spezi, Apfel saft, Chocolate, Marizpan, Mozart Kugeln and of course TORTE!!!! Speaking of Torte, Brennan and my dad really enjoyed the whipcream from Brennan's birthday milk shake when he turned 4!

Dad, I'm so proud of you. You have been so extremely successful in your field and yet you have stayed true to yourself instead of joining all the political crap that often follows high jobs. He never stepped on others to get himself higher. He has been known for being caring and carismatic. He is known around the world and is highly respected. Ich liebe dich, Lieblings Vater. Du bist SPITZE! Congrats on your successful career and I'm excited to see where your new life will take you...maybe to the topic of Mt. Rainer with Rick and I in July?? lol

--Super Angie