Chocolate

Little known fact about me: I eat when I'm anxious.

I've been extremely anxious the last few days, which means that I've been eating...A LOT. Since consuming alcohol isn't an option, I felt that chocolate would help "take off the edge". But with no chocolate in my house I had to resort to digging ALL of the chocolate chips out of the cookie package shown above. It helped a little.

The cause of my anxiousness has been my growing "to do list" (I'll eventually get to making this blog private) and the stress of finding a renter for our home. The good news: We found a renter! The crazy news: we have to be out of our house next Thursday. Next Thursday people!

Wish me luck...I'm gonna need it. That, and some more chocolate.

Visits, Visits, Visits

The last few weeks have consisted of weekend visits from my family and then my High School besties. Both visiting parties hail from South Jersey, and let me tell you- when together, we're a loud, rambunctious group of people. At the end of both weekends my cheeks hurt from laughing so much. It was great.

First up- my family, who came down to celebrate my sister's 17th birthday. We decided to go to the National Cathedral in DC, which my parents had never been to before. It is absolutely stunning inside- but you'll have to take my word for it. I am never able to capture what it really looks like.

Luke kept running up to these candles, and when I would try to stop him, he would say, "I'm just blowing out a couple mommy!"

Happy birthday Becca! Just think- I was married in two years when I was your age! Are you freaked out or what?

The next visit was by my girlfriends Jill, Kim and Lisa. Despite the fact that...

• Lisa nearly passed out on the Metro,
• the Holocaust Museum ran out of tickets TWO people ahead of us,
• it was too late to check out the "Duck Boat",
• and Jill kept insisting on us taking glamor photo shots (I would DIE before ever show them)...

...we had a great time! After several failed efforts we decided to ditch the DC touristy stuff and go shopping in Georgetown. It was a perfect kid-free day/evening and I wish we could do it more often. I love these girls!

We're moving...seriously.

Last August, right after moving into our home, I told a new friend that "it felt great to be settled into the place where we will spend the rest of our lives." She responded, "nothing in life is permanent", and then gave me a look that said, "Jessica, you are a poor, naive fool." I responded with a look that said "whatever lady."

Looks like the joke's on me because it hasn't even been year and we're moving. To Switzerland.

Last January, Andrew called to ask me if I would be willing to move to Switzerland for a few years. There was a position available at an international agency, and Andrew's employer wanted a representative to fill this post (with the understanding that he would return to work once the period was done). The catch was that Andrew needed to first be officially nominated by his work, and then had to apply for the actual position. Long story short, he was nominated, he interviewed, he was offered a position, and we've accepted (his tentative start date is in August).

I'm excited, but let me point out some of my concerns...

• I've never been outside of America. I consider Utah to be exotic.
• I don't speak German, or more specifically, Swiss-German.
  
• I know not a soul in this country- or in all of Europe for that matter.
  
• We have 3 small kids.
• I am not an adventurous, roll-with-the-punches type of gal.
  
• Did I mention the 3 kids?
• Andrew will be traveling...all over the world...a lot. Again, to reiterate my above points-
  
  • I don't speak the language
  • I don't know anyone
    
  • and I will be alone with 3 kids
    

The good news is that Andrew is really excited. He's visited the area twice, and is convinced that the kids and I will love it. I've been reading lots of blogs, and I think once we get adjusted, we'll love it too. The country looks stunning, and the rest of Europe will be at our fingertips. We have so much to do to prepare (like renting out our home), and at the moment I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed. I do know that the hardest part of this adventure will be leaving our family and friends. It is going to break my heart to say goodbye.

Gratefully, as I've learned, nothing in life (especially this) is permanent.

And with that, I leave you with some pictures Andrew took while interviewing. We are responsible to find our own housing, so I have no idea which little town we will be living in. Andrew assures me that this is the basic gist of it though...I guess I'll find out soon enough.

The tram that Andrew will commute on- what a nice change from the metro!