would you believe us if we said that wasn't really MADCHEN AMICK? well, it isn't .ᐟ.ᐟ that's HANNELORE REILLY, a proud resident of pinehaven for the last 31 YEARS. you can find them working over at CRYSTAL COVE as a/an OWNER & WINEMAKER. they're 55, but they hardly look that old! it must be the washington weather that keeps them looking so young .ᐟ.ᐟ word around the town is that they're DEFENSIVE, RIGID, TOUCHY, but we think that's silly. we feel like they're much more AFFABLE, DEVOTED, HARDWORKING. if we had to pick one song to describe SHE/HER, it would be YOU’RE STILL THE ONE BY SHANIA TWAIN. see ya 'round, HANNE.ᐟ.ᐟ
hanne-isms || wanted connections || pinterest || starters
(tw: death of a spouse)
basics:
full name: Hannelore Becker Reilly
nicknames: Hanne
pronouns: she/her
sexuality: heterosexual
age: 55
date of birth: april 2nd
zodiac sign: aries
occupation: owner of crystal cove and winemaker
personality type: TBD
face claim: Madchen Amick
backstory:
The first time Hannelore Becker ever visited Pinehaven, Washington, it was 1987 and she was a 16 year old foreign exchange student from Germany. She was placed with a host family in the small town to spend her 11th grade year. At first, she was disappointed to be placed in such a small town, especially in Washington. She’d wanted a family in California so she could visit the beach and enjoy the sun. However, she went in with an open mind and decided that no matter what she was going to make the best of the experience. Luckily for her, she was placed with a family who had a daughter her age, a few dogs to play with, and who liked to take trips to different places. They promised her early on that they would go down to California for a visit so she could experience it at least once. The best part of her new arrangement was the family next door, the Reilly’s. Specifically, they’re teenage son, Patrick.
Hanne, her host sister, and Patrick quickly became inseparable. She seamlessly fit into the friendship the other two had already formed. The trio did everything together. They were still teenagers, and often had petty arguments, but no matter what they would always come back together. Hanne and Patrick got closer and closer and, over time, began to fall in love. Even though they were young, and their time together was limited, they began to plan their future together. And when the year ended and Hannelore had to return home to Germany, they promised each other it wasn’t goodbye. The distance made it hard and they did lose touch for a while, but they never forgot each other.
Fast forward 6 years and Hanne’s host sister is getting married. Hannelore is back in Pinehaven for the first time. The first person she wants to see (besides her host family) is Patrick. As soon as they saw each other it was like no time had passed. The feelings they had for each other had never gone away, just faded into the background so that they could live their lives. They picked up right where they left off, quickly learning all the new things about each other. Hanne had finished her degree in Germany, and now that she was old enough to make her own decisions, she saw no point in not moving back to Washington full time.
They settled into life together easily, eventually deciding to get married and Hanne decided to start her own business. Her dream had always been to open a winery, using her knowledge of winemaking, and her Enology and Viticulture degree. She opened Crystal Cove and the winery quickly became a staple in the town. Not too long after they expanded into hosting events and selling their wine to restaurants throughout the state of Washington.
In their early 30s, Hanne and Patrick decided they wanted to grow their family. Their daughter came quickly. After only a month of trying, Hanne was pregnant with their girl. Being pregnant, Patrick having a full time job and running a business wasn’t always the easiest, but she made it work. They had the support of the entire town to make sure everything was running smoothly at home and work. And when their daughter was born, the town became their village in helping keep everyone sane and afloat. Life was beautiful, and they knew that they wanted at least one more child. Hoping for two kids close in age, they began to try and get pregnant again before their daughter’s first birthday. Their luck had run out, though, it seemed, because their second pregnancy took a lot longer. Hanne tried not to get discouraged, but it was hard not to when she wanted something so badly. When Declan was finally born, Hanne’s heart tripled in size and she felt that their little family was finally complete.
Hanne took a step back from Crystal Cove to focus on raising the kids while they were still too young to be in school. She found an excellent manager to run the place, and leaned heavily on Patrick to keep them afloat. From her perspective, life was perfect, and she’d never been happier. Unfortunately, life always had a way of going south when things got too good. When Hanne got the call that Patrick had died on the job, her heart shattered into a million tiny pieces. With her two young children in tow, she rushed to the hospital, praying that her husband's colleagues had gotten something wrong.
Without Patrick, life looked a lot different. He’d been a near constant part of Hannelore’s life for decades, and she felt empty without him. But she had to be strong. Their kids were counting on her to hold it together and not fall apart. Her former host mom moved in with them briefly, and when she left, Hanne’s mom flew in from Germany to stay. Somehow, the time passed and life kept moving on, even though Hanne felt incomplete. She never stopped grieving but she stayed strong and became everything that her kids needed her to be. It could be said that she held them a little too closely, but they never complained so she never let go. They’d already lost the most important man in their lives, she wouldn’t let them lose her, too.
Eventually, Hanne went back to work. The kids started school. And they found out how to live without their husband and father. It was many years before Hannelore even thought about going on a date with someone, and when she finally did she talked about Patrick the entire time. Over the years that he’s been gone, Hanne has tried a few times to find someone new, especially when the kids got older, but no one ever filled her heart like Patrick did. It was entirely likely that no one ever would.
