5 Month Recap- part 1

Warning: This post reads like a bad Christmas newsletter. I'm going for quantity people. Not quality, quantity. 

It's 2013 and I feel like a brand new person. For the first time in months (5 months to be exact!) I feel like my old self. What a lovely, fantastic feeling.

I really, truly thought that moving back to the States would be a piece of cake. It's home, right? How hard could it be to get settled back into our old routine? Uh, hard. The reality is that we had been living a very slow paced lifestyle for the past 2 years. Andrew was minutes from work, the kids didn't do any extra curricular activities... in short we created a nice, cozy lifestyle and we got soft. Coming back to the U.S. felt like someone dropped me into the deep end of the pool- with all 4 of my kids.

Sorting out our overseas move (customs an such), medical records (especially for the child born overseas), drivers licenses, school records, residency, taxes, along with all of the usual moving hassles- not fun. Add church callings (4 days after getting back!), family obligations, 2 out of state sibling weddings, house renovations, and the holidays- and I was starting to burst at the seams. Then add in the stress of the fast paced American lifestyle, and I was one step away from the crazy house.

BUT, I survived! The craziness has died down, the house is finished, and I've acclimated to the pace here. More importantly, our calenders are empty for the next foreseeable future. I by no means have it all together, but everything feels manageable. I'm sure things will get crazy again- it always does- but for now I'm savoring the moment. And really, despite stress of relocating, it has been a great 5 months. So lets get on with the recap.

School

I should have begun this post by saying that the kids adjusted like champs- and all within the blink of an eye. They were thrilled to get back to their cousins and friends and that happiness hasn't let up for one moment. It makes any stress I felt more than worth it. Sam is in 3rd grade, Luke in 1st, Afton in preschool 3 mornings a week, and Clara is attached to my hip. They love it, I love it- it's all good. (No, Sam does not have a club foot- it just is an awkward shot.)

   

The House
Getting work done on our house taught me one thing- I could never build a house from the ground up. The stress of redoing two rooms is about all I think I could ever manage. The good news is that we were able to stay at Andrew's parents (who live the next street over- talk about convenient) while the work was getting done and while our belongings were being shipped back overseas. We did a little of the work ourselves, like ripping out the stucco walls, and we were in our house around mid October. I wanted the rooms to have lighter colors with a relaxing feel to them, and we're pleased with how everything turned out.

Before and During:

getting rid of the awesome stucco ceiling and walls

and at this point I was seriously questioning my sanity

After:

 I really wanted this tile layout and I would frequently ask our contractor if he hated me while he was laying it out- 

luckily he was a good sport about it all.

Jill, this last picture is for you. 

Remember, the next time you build a mansion and need to get rid of your old furniture, I am totally there for you!

And just for fun, Ashley and Becca, this is for you guys. Minute 2 is when Luke really starts to get into it. As you will see, I think it is hilarious.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9yGua00F8k&feature=youtu.be

2 Weddings and a Trip Home 

The traveling festivities started off with a quick trip to Grandma and Grandpa Walker's home in Cape May. The beach, seafood, naps for me, tractor rides for the kids, hugs from the grandparents- it was perfect.

Now for the weddings. In Mormon culture the bride typically gets married in the temple nearest to her childhood home. For my sisters and myself that happens to be the Washington D.C. Temple, which is conveniently located 20 minutes from my house. My sister, however, chose to get married where the groom is from... California. I eventually forgave her. Andrew and I were able to take a extended weekend trip for the wedding (with Clara in tow) and had a fantastic time. Prior to the wedding we squeezed in a couple of San Francisco tours and a trip to Muir woods. Everything was perfectly beautiful, and we couldn't be happier to add Jacob to our family!

Ash and Jacob were married in the Oakland temple and the reception was at Jacob's parents house. Everything was perfect! (Note- the picture perfect photos were taken by their photographer-not me!)

 

I get teary every time I look at this picture! 

Next up- my brother Joe who married Vanessa in the Salt Lake Temple. This wedding took place on Thanksgiving weekend, so unfortunately I had to leave Andrew and the kiddos behind. Actually, this was only the second time in 9 years that I traveled by myself, and I have to say that I really, really enjoyed myself! The wedding was beautiful, Vanessa looked stunning, and as always, I had the best time around my extended family. After the wedding there was a luncheon at the Lion House, and if you are ever in the Salt Lake area I highly suggest stopping if only to have their rolls and honey butter. Holy Hannah. Vanessa is a sweet as they come and we are so excited for another sister!

(My cousin Richard took the following pics.)

Ah, amore!

Fall Festivities 
Fall was busy for us (at least by my standards!), but it was still great.

Sam played some Fall Ball-

we frequently had a houseful of cousins and friends-

we trick or treated-

hunted for pumpkins and mums-

 

....and enjoyed the splendor of an East Coast fall.

Next up: 5 month recap part 2

Auf Wiedersehen Switzerland- sniff, sniff

 On Monday and Tuesday the movers came to pack us up and once again I was blown away by the Swiss efficiency. I say that, but I guess I really shouldn't be too impressed. The lead mover Peder informed me that "Swiss movers are required to attend moving school for two years". I'm grateful for their expertise though, because the packing could not have gone more smoothly. More amazing was the walk-through with our landlord on Tuesday night. I could write a book filled with the horror stories I've heard of ex-pats moving out. When you move into Swiss housing you are required to put down a deposit of 3 months rent. It is not uncommon to have most of that taken for "damages" since the phrase "wear and tear" is virtually non-existent in the Swiss vocabulary. I've heard of people paying hundreds of francs for pruning the rose bushes wrong, or having to have their entire house repainted (which is thousands of francs; mind you, a franc is worth slightly more than a dollar). When we moved out of our temporary housing we had to pay 500 francs for things like having the toilet re-caulked and putting a scratch in the frying pan- and that was only after living there for 2 months! So imagine our shock when we discovered that our landlord was giving us back our ENTIRE deposit! And not for a lack of damage (because believe me, there was), but because she was soooooo cool. Hurray for small victories!

We absolutely adored our Swiss house and always marveled at our good fortune in finding it. It had an amazing location, it was reasonably priced, had a great backyard, enough space to fit our family, and the best neighbors we could have asked for. Although I could have done without the 80's Ikea kitchen, we loved our time at Marsweg 9. What happy memories we will leave with!

Above: the morning of our Basel departure. Below: Our neighbors Jacob and Marianna coming to say goodbye. I seriously cannot imagine having better neighbors. They practically lived in their back garden and I would always look outside to see them talking to the kids or sharing a treat with them (even though they spoke no English). Jacob would always pick flowers and give them to Afton (melt my heart!), and she in return would walk out our back door and loudly shout, "Oh Jacob? Where are you?!" They welcomed us with open arms and made us feel loved during our entire stay. I wish we could pack up these dear neighbors and take them back to America with us.

We were due to fly back to the US on Thursday, so Wednesday was spent touring around Basel. We decided to go to all of the places we toured on our very first day in Switzerland, so the whole day had a fitting sense of finality. Everyone seemed to be a little mellow and subdued that day.

above: Sam- August 2012, below: Sam- August 2010

Below: Our last day was a hot one, so we decided to let the kids take a swim where the Rhine and Birs Rivers meet.  After our swim we ended the day at the home of our good friends Jason and Suzanne, where we were also able to see a few other friends before we left.

It has been such an honor and privilege to live in this country. I don't think there is any other place like it on earth and we have loved raising our kids here for the last two years. There is a wholesomeness about it that I think is lost in much of the world. Things are just a lot more simple and move at such a refreshingly slower pace. Of course no place is perfect (and believe me, there were some Swiss quirks that this American had to get used to), but we loved Switzerland for what it was. I think the Swiss rightly take an immense amount of pride in their country. Stepping out of our own culture and environment also caused us to see what really mattered to us, and more importantly what we can do without. The goal now is to try and transfer those priorities and lesson learned back into our US lives.

Andrew really enjoyed his work here- which is fabulous because it is why we came! He enjoyed the dynamic at his work, loved getting to tour the world, and most importantly found what he was doing very interesting. Now he just has to get used to working in a windowless office again. 

But what I think we will treasure most are the relationships were were able to develop here. The biggest blessing was how quickly we were able to make friends in Switzerland. Not just any friends, but the kind of friends that you can call for help during a crisis, the kind of friends you can vent or cry to. We were served in so many ways, and it makes me teary just to think about it. Were it not for the amazing people at our Reinach church, our kids would never have consented to go to 3 hours of church- in German- each week. Every Sunday they translated their church lessons for our children, but more importantly, they loved our kids. Our church community quickly became our family here, and we will always hold them dear in our hearts. We were also blessed to make friends through the international school.  I met the most amazing women there and highlight of my day quickly became the school pickup where I could chat with them while the kids played on the playground. No matter what happened that day those friends could always make me laugh- I love those women!

There really is nothing left to say, except that it has been the best two years.

Now onto the next chapter of our lives :) Auf Wiedersehen Schweiz!

Berner Oberland one last time

We had a hard time deciding what to do with our last Saturday in Switzerland, but ultimately decided to spend it in the Berner Oberland.  For this trip we hit up a portion new to us and took a 3 mile hike which was fairly easy, but had stunning views. In order to reach the trail though we needed to take a gondola up the mountain, which deposited us at the top with bunch of cows. I'm more of an out-door animal person, and I've really grown fond of those Swiss cows. I just love hearing the chorus of cow bells while up in the Alps!

I love the picture below because right before I took it I told Luke not to touch the cow.
 

Don't worry, there is a trail right below Afton in the picture below. I'm not yet to the point where I would risk my child for the sake of a picture :)

Below: After our hike we went back down to Lauterbrunnen and finally hiked up to the waterfall that we had been meaning to get to for 2 years!

Goodbye Berner Oberland! I'm smiling on the outside, but crying on the inside.

Two Weeks Notice

There are now only two more weeks until we move back home. Two weeks! We originally planned on using this time to do a final tour of Europe, but here's the reality: we are tired, and traveling right before our move sounds like the most unappealing thing in the world. During the last two years we have seen as much as our budget, time and sanity would allow.  What we still want to see will have to come later. Someday those 300,000+ skymiles Andrew accrued for work will be put to good use.

In the meantime, we are enjoying using up the last of Andrew's time off with low key, stress free, day trips. First up, Lucerne. 

Lucerne 

We spent one Saturday swimming in Lake Lucerne, a nearby pool, and then touring around the city. We even made it to Lucerne's famous Lion Monument this time! It was much, much larger than I was expecting- the pictures do not do it justice. 

Above and below you can see the silhouette of Andrew and the kids. Andrew just may have had more fun than the 8 and under crowd by jumping off of the towers. 

Again, I wish this picture captured the size of this sculpture, because at 32 feet wide, this thing is massive! It was carved in 1820 and remains one of Lucerne's main tourist attractions. 

Areshiem 

The kids and I decided to take a final hike around the Birseck Castle- talk about sad! We only live minutes from this castle and it has been one of our favorite places to visit. There are lots of trails surrounding the castle and this time we found some caves that we never knew about. According to wikipedia they are paleolitic cave dwellings. The kids loved crawling around in that little piece of history! 

Basel

We were also able to get a babysitter one night and go out with our dear friends Jan and Jessica. It was a perfect night and one that we were grateful to sneak in!  This spot on the bridge over the Rhine is my favorite in all of Basel.  It is a place where you can stop and take in all of the sites and sounds, and it never fails to take my breath away. What a joy it has been living here! 

And one last visit from American friends...

We were so incredibly blessed to have so many people visit us here. It was like having a little piece of America here every time we had visitors. It is also fun to be able to share a piece of this experience with so many of our family and friends. Our last visitors were our good friends Dave and Tracie. They rented a car and cruised all around from Paris to Bavaria. Andrew and the boys took them up to the Black Forest one day and to nearby Feiburg, Germany. So much fun to see this great couple!

       

Time's a wasting

In the last couple of weeks the following comments have been made:

Sam: "When I grow up I'll live in America, but vacation in Germany."
Later, in a fit of rage my eldest also said: "We didn't do anything this summer!! All we did was go to Nice and Barcelona!"

Luke: "When we get back to American we need to find a castle and camp there."

And lastly there is Afton, who while holding up an ear of corn asked in a very perplexed voice, "What is this yellow thing?" (Fyi, corn is insanely expensive here, so I think that was the second time I had ever bought it.)

Each of these statements made me stop, stare at my children and think, "I have got to get these kids back to America". 

In reality my heart breaks a little (ok, more than a little) when I think about moving back to the US. We love the lifestyle here and we love the friendships that we have made. Of course the flip side is that we really do think it is time to get back. I'm excited to navigate in a familiar culture, speak in a language I know, and get our kids back into the arms of our families. So, with time quickly winding down we are savoring our experience to the end, starting with a trip to lovely Muren. Oh how we are going to miss these trips!