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Alberta, brother, Calgary, Canada, children, Dad, Diana Schwenk, family, Germany, growing up, humour, Hump Day Chronicles, life, memories, Mom, parents, Relationships, stories
ONCE UPON A TIME, LONG, LONG AGO in a land called Germany, a boy and girl fell in love and married. The newly weds travelled by ship across the great ocean to start a family in a foreign land called Canada.
- And then a lollipop- sucking son to complete the family.

The daughter and son loved each other very much in spite of the sword play at 2:14PM. Don’t believe me? Click on the photo to enlarge it.
From bonding over lollipops, the daughter and son learned sword play and other things and thrived in the new land across the great ocean.
Then lots of other stuff happened.
The children grew up and left the nest.
The son stayed in the area and the daughter travelled thousands of miles across the country to make a life in the west.
More time passed and the family made many visits back and forth to maintain their ties.
The son had a son. The daughter had a daughter.
By now you have guessed that I am the daughter of the boy and girl who married long, long ago in the land called Germany and travelled by ship across the great ocean to start a family.
And the early part of my story with my daughter, Michaela continues below on one of our visits back home across the great land.
- Playing piano at Oma and Opa’s house
- Sitting on a rock in the woods with Opa
- Sitting on a log in the woods with Oma
Oh how Oma and Opa loved when Michaela played piano, they could hardly wait for her to wake up and play it again. And Oma and Opa and Michaela and Max, the white dog, enjoyed walks in the woods and sitting on rocks and logs.
And back out west our lives carried on and Michaela asked many questions and thought deeply about the mysteries of life.
- Michaela stares into the distance pondering the meaning of life at the Bow River
- There’s got to be more to life than riding the horsey…
- maybe it’s all about being cool. I look cool like this, right?
- Haha I gotcha! I’ll just be myself.
- I’ll just hang out with Mommy for now, and figure out life another day
- Playing Hop Scotch in Calgary, Alberta
And the story continues and lots of other stuff still happens on the west side of the great land that lays across the great ocean by the land called Germany where long, long ago a boy and girl fell in love and were married.
~ HUMP DAY CHRONICLES ~
What’s your story?
Diana still catching up on all my blog post readings and really enjoyed your story and photos’s so precious.
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Thanks Kath! ❤
Diana xo
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I am assuming you did not behead your brother after all. Great shots of you and your daughter and your curly red hair!
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No, hahaha, my brother still has all his original parts! Thanks so much Kerbey! ❤
Diana xo
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Aww what a lovely story sword fighting and all. I used ot have a perm myself although never such gorgeous full hair as yours. I am thinking those trips back to Germany must have been very special indeed.
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Sue my hair is so thick that when I go to the salon, most of the hair on the floor is from thinning it out!
I did go to Germany a few times, but the trips I spoke of here are to my parent’s place on the border of Quebec and Ontario. My daughter has never been to Berlin. I would love to take her there and do an ancestry search while there! ❤
Diana xo
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Oh my apologies for not reading that clearly. A Mom Daughter trip to Berlin sounds amazing!
Well I have about 4 wisps of hair so definitely no thinning required. My husband has a thick mop which needs to be thinned. thankfully my daughter got his hair. 🙂
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no need for apologies Sue. I can see how it might be confusing. 🙂 I got my dad’s full hair too!
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Aww, what a sweet story! ❤
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🙂 Family history grounds us, don’t you think, Rachel? ❤
Diana xo
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Neat story – it brought a smile to me today! Also got me thinking of my own parents…mom was in Germany it was around 1955 and my mom had found jobs with the Americans after WWII and had been working for American families to learn English when the families started to come over and the Capt’s wife who she was working for introduced her to my dad who was under the Capt command, I think he was the Capt’s driver. Anyway, the rest is history and they married she moved to America and loved it like she thought she would. Had three wonderful children, especially the youngest one – the cutest one in the trio!! ha ha (guess who is the youngest?! )
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I’m guessing you’re the youngest Patty. 😉 Thanks for sharing your story Patty, I’m thinking it would make a good post! ❤
Diana xo
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but of coarse!
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Awesome post and wonderful pictures to go with it :).
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Thank you very much Rob! ❤
Diana xo
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I love the style you adopted to write this, Diana, and the photos! What a treat to see you and everyone back then. Great hair, btw! ❤
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haha thanks Jennifer! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; writing this post was fun! ❤
Diana xo
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My story? All in a book called “Visits to the Parks”…
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I know! Love the excerpts you’ve been sharing bulldog. ❤
Diana xo
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I must tell you you’re brave because I tend to shy out of these things. I was born in P.R., but my mother is Czechoslovakian and met my father in P.R. when she left Israel with her family while a teenager. Many emigrants had to go to the Caribbean because they still could not enter the U.S. after WWII. There she got married to my father who is from P.R. but has Spanish and Italian descendants. They stayed living in P.R. and got married. Her parents left to the U.S. after a while, when the U.S. let them enter the country.
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What an amazing story Maria! Are you still in PR? One of my friends just got back from her vacation there. ❤
Diana xo
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Yes, I’ve been here for 8 months helping my parents with their retirement, but eventually I will probably move to the U.S.. for good, the situation is that my parents decided to stay here in P.R., and I’m the only one able to help right now.
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You’re a good daughter Maria. 🙂
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Yes, I guess I’m the one with the flexibility to do it now, but I love the U.S. very much so I hope to probably leave the island at some point.
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Diana, what a lovely story. The pictures of you and your daughter are so sweet. ❤ You've got my wheels turning now about doing a post from the past (one day). This was fun. Thank you.
Blessings & hugs ~ Wendy ❀
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Glad you enjoyed it Wendy, it was fun to do as well! I look forward to a post from your past. ❤
Diana xo
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I love old photos, such a great post. Taking a walk down memory lane and sharing with all of us. Thanks Diana for sharing your story and your great photos (memories)
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My pleasure, thanks for stopping by and reading it. ❤
Diana xo
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I love the way you’ve written this and the photos are wonderful!
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Thanks Jules! ❤
Diana xo
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Love the pictures and the story!
Swordplay at 2.14 AM … now that would be something! XD
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Most times I’m sleeping then though hahaha. Glad you enjoyed my tale. ❤
Diana xo
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What a great story
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Thanks Jo-Anne, it was fun to write! ❤
Diana xo
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Thank you for sharing your story Diana and your wonderful Oma and Opa 🙂 I love those pictures … so full of memories 🙂
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My pleasure Val. They are my parents though, Michaela’s Oma and Opa. ❤
Diana xo
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I don’t know who’s cuter, you or Michaela! 😉
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Aww how sweet, Mrs. F. Michaela was soooo cute. ❤
Diana xo
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So much of you in that little smile!
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😀 !
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It’s lovely to read about your story Diana. Wonderful memories in those photos. 💚💚
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Thanks Karen, it was fun to write! ❤
Diana xo
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What a wonderful tale told with pictures. 🙂 Beautiful pictures! Thank you for sharing them. 🙂 ❤
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You’re welcome Colleen and thank you for kind comment! ❤
Diana xo
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It is lovely to see the words Oma and Opa here. Great story and great pictures!
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Thank you Ute! ❤
Diana xo
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Lovely! Beautiful photos.
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Thank you very much Lisa! ❤
Diana xo
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I didn’t know your parents were from Germany. Where? I lived there for a while in my teens.
Liesst Du auch Deutsch?
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Ja, aber ich habe mich selbst gelernt, so my grammar and spelling are atrocious!
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Das war aber nicht schlecht! Du hast Dich eigentlich ganz gut gelehrt. 🙂
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haha Danke schone Tracy! Bist Du Deutsch? Ja naturlich bist Du Deutch – Karner ist einen gutes Deuscher name. The E-R ending is a clear give-away!
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Karner is the name my husband was born with. I was born Bottke. 100% Deutsch. Ich bin, aber, in Amerika geboren — wohnte in Hamburg und habe dort die deutsche Sprache gelernt. Ich hoffe nächstes Jahr für 6 Monate wieder in Hamburg/Deutschland zu wohnen.
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Don’t be demure, Diana. You are cool! And your lovely 80s hair is proof! Wait. 90s hair?! Curly hair!
I will never tire of your story, my dear friend. More Oma, Opa, brother, Michaela, whenever the mood strikes you, please and thank you.
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Aww shucks, thanks Mark. Mid-Nineties hair – spiral perm to be exact! I like to tell tidbits of stories, moments in time and I am sure there will be more to come. Thanks, as always, for reading. ❤
Diana xo
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Wonderful Diana. Lovely story. Never knew you came from Germany. Do you still have ties there?
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Yes I do Don, a mitt full of uncles and aunts and cousins, etc., and I speak German! ❤
Diana xo
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That’s marvellous. My daughter-in-law is German and we’ve been to Germany a few times with her. A wonderful Place. She comes from a small town in the region of Bavaria, in the South called Memmingen.
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How lovely, I had a Bavarian Uncle through marriage once. My family hails from Berlin.
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Such a great story, Diana. And…you do look cool !! Great pics, thanks for sharing.
p.s….are you still taller than brother ??? Van
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haha it was Michaela wondering about the cool factor! Thrilled that you think I’m cool though Van. ❤
Diana xo
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Oh and my brother is taller. I’m almost 5’8″ – my brother is 6’2″!
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