We drove just outside the city to the lovely village of Deisenhofen where my relatives live. The Kreb family has phenomenal country home covered in and surrounded by thick, lush, green vegetation where they grow all kinds of vegetables, currants, grapes, raspberries, flowers, and herbs. They compost and have a chicken coop that rivals anything featured in Sunset magazine.

As we explored their back yard Peter and I looked at each other with the same thought… “These chickens live the good life!”

My family has always revered the Krebs for their affinity with nature and commitment to living green. Being environmentally conscious is so interwoven into their lifestyle it is truly second nature. They are intentional about creating less waste and I love it. The size of their kitchen trash can is what the average American family probably fills up after breakfast (and the Kreb’s trash is picked up once every two weeks!). The Kreb’s are beautiful on the outside but even more so on the inside; they are loving, generous, and open. Their energy is healing and there aren’t a lot of issues floating around. I am sure they have their fair share of family spats but from my vantage point, and my pretty good sense of character, they seem like they have the most crucial aspects of family cohesiveness figured out.  They love being together and I am happier when I am around them. I am tempted to leave Sage here for Erdi to raise. Perhaps we could just pick her up when she’s ten? By then she will be proficient in 3 languages, she will play a musical instrument, have an appreciation for classical music, have worked her way through 5 years of a Waldorf education, have traveled the world, will cook tiramisu, and love to garden. Not to mention she will have Erdi’s magic mother fairy dust sprinkled upon her which will just make her that much more wonderful. All joking aside, being with the Krebs is a reminder for how I want to raise our daughter, how I hope our family interacts with one another, how I hope Sage sees me as a mother and in the end, what kind of person I hope she will become. If I can do half as well as Erdi, or if Sage loves me half as much as Erdi’s children love her, I will feel like I accomplished something.

During our visit, Alexandra, the second oldest of the Kreb family took us around Munich for an entire day. We explored the open air market, visited a five story much fancier version of R.E.I, ate Bavarian food, walked through the English garden (where Sage fed her first duck), and shopped at the most wonderful toy store. I spent way too much money on far too few things in that store but they are all wooden and deliciously natural. Nothing plastic, primary colored, or battery operated in there!

On our last night we had the very special privilege to attend Alexandra’s orchestra concert. She plays the cello in the Munich University orchestra. Sage was perfect and fell asleep during the second movement of one of my most favorite pieces, Dvorak’s New World Symphony. When the concert was over and the crowd exited the concert hall, people were gushing to us about how well behaved she was during the concert. I have no clue what they were saying but based on their body language and tone of voice it sounded as if they were very pleased and I was too. I hope Sage continues to love classical music. Peter is not as passionate about music as I am and I think my heart would break a little if Sage didn’t inherit this part of me. Hopefully all the music we are listening to will pay off and I will have a date for concerts in our future.

Thanks to the Kreb’s suggestions, we are headed south to Italy where we will explore the Dolomite region and Garda Lake. We picked up a climbing guide (in German… ha ha… good thing a lot of the information in the book is written in symbols) and will spend a week exploring on our own. I was teary eyed as we left the Krebs. It’s amazing to me how people we see so rarely can make me feel so at home. I adore this family and look forward to one more night with them before we head back to the U.S. We are begging them to visit us next summer and I deeply hope they decide to come.  For now, it’s off to Italy. Probably not the wisest choice for someone trying to drop 15 lbs of baby weight but what the hell, when in Rome…

Arriving at the airport

In the English Garden

Feeding the ducks in the English Garden

The wonderful Kreb Family making me feel really short!

A walk around a nearby lake with Erdi, Edi, and Alex

Walking in Munich

Sage wearing sweet top that Erdi knitted for her

After Alex’s wonderful performance with Erdi, Edi, and Alex’s boyfriend Toby

The Kreb’s beautiful yard