It’s just about the edges

It worked. I think this week has done exactly what I hoped it would: we skied lots, we immersed ourselves in snow and got into some of the Christmas spirit, we spent tons of time together laughing and having fun. Mission accomplished. We had dinner last night at a restaurant (Gitz-Gädi/ Hotel Silvana) up the hill from Furi. It was a hike to get there (literally) but worth it, and a beautiful hike down - both in the dark. Murphy came with us too so that made it fun - he never misses a chance to make friends now. We sat beside a family who had just arrived the day before from England. They had two daughters , ages 8 and 9. They loved Murphy. As in really loved Murphy. The girls are their food and then would rush over to pet Murphy. And good old Murph just soaked it up, giving them his love right back.

That was a small digression....back to the highlights of the week:

• I continued to throw out some great supportive pearls of wisdom including “it’s just the edges” to support Shannon hopping back on her snowboard and worrying she was going to forget how to turn
• Skiing to Italy and having lunch in Italy; it was so gorgeous, and neat to see the Matterhorn from the other side  (but we prefer the Matterhorn from the Swiss side)
• The pizza at the restaurant at the top - delicious pizza!!!
• Seeing the mountain goats from the gondola, and then seeing the mountain goats right in front of us on Friday
• Skiing in the powder in our first day with our ski guide, Lars
• Covers kilometres of terrain on Thursday as well as Friday! Justin really feel that Thursday was the best day!
• Skiing on Friday and getting to the bottom of a run, then hopping on a funicular, and another time hopping on a train, in addition to the gondola rides, chair lifts, and rope tow that we did! The Swiss have their infrastructure nailed!!!
• For me, I loved my morning walks with Murphy, watching the sun rise and even seeing mountain goats on Friday morning. I also loved looking down at the town of Zermatt and seeing it lit up like out of a story book. 
• Soaking in the hot tub (with or without the snow falling) and watching the train go by on the hill, lit up like out of a fairy tale or story book, and then knowing we were on that train

Groomed runs

It’s early morning here and I can hear the gondola start up. I can hear the groomer going by not far from the chalet. I woke up because the dog needed to go out. Now I can enjoy a little quiet before the rest of the crew stirs. It’s rare that I am the first one up anymore, but I love it.  It’s going to be another good day! Ski, eat, drink, read, sleep.....

Hello Matterhorn!!

The girls finished school on Friday (sweet, 3 weeks off!!) and we are now on a hillside in Zermatt for a ski trip. It is mind blowing!!! It is so gorgeous!! We arrived Sunday afternoon and we are here until Saturday. 5 days of skiing will be exhausting but amazing! Yesterday we had a guide take us around and he was phenomenal. We toured all 3 ski areas to get a familiarity and today we are hoping to return to the best view of the Matterhorn, and ski into Italy!!! This is definitely helping to put us in the Christmas spirit, and relax and spend some time outdoors. There was about 5 cm of snow on Saturday in Baar (where we live) and that was the first snow. There won’t be much more than that, apparently. But the mountain get the snow. Last weekend, Justin and Sarah drove 2 hours away, but couldn’t ski because it was to windy. That is one other trouble with the mountains - the wind. At the top point yesterday, it was ridiculously windy, and by early afternoon they had to close some of the lifts here. 

It’ll be a bit strange having Christmas all to ourselves this year. We’ll be in Baar and I have a long list of things we can do, and places we can go to keep our spirits up and keep the girls off their phones as much as possible. We are going to a friends’ house for Christmas evening, so that will be nice. And with another 2 weeks off after we get back from skiing, the girls will be mellow I think!! 

Stuttgart adventure

December 10, 2018
I left yesterday with Kelly to go to the Stuttgart Christmas market in Germany. We travelled by train - so easy - which I still cannot believe takes 3 hours and BAM you are in another country. The only bummer is that the weather is rainy, and lots of it. Luckily, we weren’t deterred and we wandered the market with all its booths stretching out down the streets and alleys.

We ate at a fabulous local restaurant  and had dumplings along with our soup. My wine cane served in a mug with a handle, which felt very authentic, but slightly weird at the same time!

Security was very high and the presence of police with machine guns on every corner was a little intimidating. But when the shifting in Strasbourg France occurred days later, I can understand the concern. That was the only downside to the market so I am done with the negatives.

We had a great dinner with Ursula, the wife of Marcus who is the head of MB Europe. She is so absolutely lovely and interesting and kind. She recommended a restaurant called the Cube, which had great variety of food (not typical Swiss food) and it overlooked the main market area. It was a gorgeous view!!

 On Monday, we walked around again and this time ventured into some stores. The prices in germany really are lower!!

Christmas is coming...

It is a bit tough right now, I’ll be honest. There is no snow in our town and the girls are both lamenting the fact that we won’t be around friends and family for Christmas.  I tired to convince them to come to a Christmas Market with me, but no takers. For tell me, the Weinachtmarkt is a great way to smell the smells of Christmas here, see some local crafts and get into the spirit.
Justin took me to Einsedeln Christmas market and it was stunning!! The monestary town was lit up and the booths went through the streets. It was great.

Here's to short and Sweet

November 28, 2018

Life gets busy no matter where you are....and I have let my journalling get away from me.
So, I have made a new choice to write the highlights of the day instead of trying to write longer updates.
So here it goes:

• Shannon may be getting a horse! UGH! WOW! It's the only way it works here in Switzerland and it has been hard to see her so unhappy. Life is short, and it is expensive, but worth it if it will make her happy. It is giving her a good understanding of finances, and she is more motivated to get herself a couple of well paying babysitting gigs, so that is good. The boarding is actually close to 3 lessons a week, so that cost is manageable. And then there is the capital outlay for the horse itself.....well, all in the name of joy. And who knows, maybe I will enjoy going to the barn and petting the mare myself? Justin and Shannon have visions of getting the horse used to bicycles so that Justin can ride (his bike) and Shannon can ride (the horse) and they can spend a couple hours together in the forest together. I wonder how long it will take for that to happen?
• Sarah is off today to "study in the mountains" at the school's chalet in Wengen. Wow - such a cool opportunity to do math in the mountains, study the effects of altitude on heart rate and see how much weight the bridges they built in Design class can handle. A few months ago, there would have been nerves and angst over going away for 3 days to the mountains, but last night she packed her backpacks, and headed off on the bus to school this morning. I love it!
• Scrooge (aka Justin) has agreed to some Christmas decorating!! Whoo hoo!! Minimalist but it's gonna happen! Sarah is going to decorate within a vase that will go by our front door, and Shannon will decorate an Advent "wreath but really a rectangle" for our kitchen table. And there is talk about getting a potted tree as well! Ahhh, that makes me happy!

November 27th highlight:

• I hiked for 1.5 hours in the rain, but it was lovely to be outside and enjoying the fresh air and getting the heart pumping.
• 
  

Fall is here

Tuesday, October 3, 2018

We have our first taste of fall here in Baar (our village in Zug) too. The Swiss are not a hearty folk and they are already bundling up in their puffer jackets and hats and mitts. It's 8-12C!! Are you kidding me?! I think it is similar to in KW that the weather seemed to change overnight. One day we had the heat, and then it was cool...just like that. Fall is my favourite season, so I am always happy for the change in seasons...it's not that I don't like the other other seasons, it's just the freshness and crispness of fall is so beautiful after the heat and heaviness of the heat in summer. And then the colours of fall give way to the whiteness of winter! I don't know what it will be like here  -I don't know if there will be the colours the same way, and there won't be the constant white of snow either, except in the mountains, so this will all be new.

The girls are settling in better now. They each had a week long trip with their school last week: Shannon went to Albania, and Sarah went to Lake Garda, Italy. Shannon's take away was that the food at the hotel wasn't very good but the kids were a great bunch. Sarah's take away was that she got to know the other kids better and she is making friends. It's a tough transition at times still, but they are managing, so I am thankful for that.  They are still trying to figure out who to hang out with - who could be a friend....that is hard at any age, but especially hard in the teenage years, I think...hopefully they will find their common "people" and feel comfortable. I am recognizing my changing role as Mom - here, I am definitely more of the food and shelter provider (ie: cook and clean) and less of the wise woman that I want to be seen as! The teenage years....could I have done this emotional roller coaster to my own mom? Ugh, Sorry Mom!!!

The dealership opened on Monday and Justin has been working so hard and so many hours. I am so proud of him and the first couple days have been successful so I am happy for him as well! The whole month of October will be a lot of hard work for him, I think, so we've all put plans more or less on hold and we live for the Sunday family time together hiking, biking, and relaxing a little.

With this weekend being Canadian Thanksgiving, I wasn't sure if the family would want to celebrate it or not. Well, it turns out they want to! So we're getting a ham (turkey is very hard to get), and 2 other Canadian families (Justin's colleagues here) are coming on Sunday. It will be great! And we've also decided to have friends over on Saturday night (tonight) and I'm doing 3 chickens (just to get enough meat!) and stuffing, cranberry sauce, the whole enchilada!! I got a little crafty and purchased 2 vases and candles from the second hand store here in town. I put a sunflower into an empty wine bottle to go with it. I thought it looked subtle and nice, but Justin's reaction right away was to tell me that it was exactly that kind of crap that he doesn't want in the apartment. UGH!!! Are you kidding me!!??!! To me, this place needed a little something to make it more warm and cozy! And he feels like it is just junk!! He must have seen my face crash because he told me that at least he loves me more than he hates the crap....I'm not quite sure how to interpret that, but I took it as a declaration of his love for me. (Finding  that freaking silver lining is sometimes tough!!!)

I survived PDW!!!

Monday, October 1, 2018

Last week the girls were away on their PDW -Personal Development Week. I was excited for them:

• Shannon headed to Albania to clean up the beach and to teach English to middle schoolers
• Sarah headed to Lake Garda, Italy to do outdoors activities like canyoning, via ferrata, sailing, raft building, etc... to build relationships and to push their own comfort levels.

However, I was dreading a week alone for me. I fully expected Justin to be working long hours given that the dealership opens on October 1st (yup today!). And here we were with 5 days just him and me each evening! Well, yes, that is totally self-centred, I realize that.  

I kept busy during the week, and I enjoyed not having any driving to do for after-school activities. So here's how I spent my week:

Monday: cleaning. This seems to be my routine. Mondays are great days to clean out the drains, try to scrub the calcium build-up off the tiles, suck up more of Murphy's hair, wash the sheets, churn through the laundry...etc.... The apartment gets clean and I feel productive. 

Tuesday: Typically, this is my day to hike with the ISZL group. This week I assumed it would be cancelled so I made plans with Karin. I decided to try one of the self-guided tours through Zug, Today it was the self-guided Artizan tour which took us to the shops of fashion designers, jewelry makers, and other handicrafts, while I also snuck in the second hand shops to check out. We toured from 10am until 4pm, so it was quite a full day and I actually, honestly, enjoyed the wandering around with a focus. I'm not one to enjoy shopping, but this was fun! I also tackled the office supply errands that were outstanding, so I have now acquired the correct hole punch and duotangs to help keep my Sarah organized!

Tuesday evening, Justin and I joined friends in Zug for an English Comedy night. There were 2 comics who did a good job and keeping us laughing. 

Wednesday: Today I went into Zurich (just beyond Zurich in fact) to visit Ann, who spent 6 months in Waterloo and lives just outside Uster. It was a great visit and Ann is always able to share her thoughts and experiences on where to shop, possible holiday locations,  different customs, etc. Having moved to Switzerland a couple decades ago, and having received her Swiss passport only this summer, she is a wealth of knowledge that she so happily and eagerly shares. I just wish I could write it all down fast enough!

Before catching the 24 minutes train ride back to Baar, I did a little shopping and picked up a pair of hiking pants, There is a brand called Mammut and I absolutely love it - High quality outdoor gear!

Wednesday evening I went to the Ladies Drive evening event in Zug. It was an english event with 4 presenters on the topic of Disruptive Thinking. It was a great brain teaser and I really enjoyed "thinking" for a change! 

Thursday: Today was a mellow day. I rode my bike to the dealership to drop off something Justin forgot, and wow the dealership progressed fast! It looks great! Justin had zero time and I could tell by the intense look on his face that he was in the middle of perhaps twenty important things, so I dropped and went back to my bike ride. I realized first hand that he has a beautiful bike ride to work! No wonder he likes that mode of transportation! And it takes less than 20 minutes for me, even with getting turned around a couple times.

Thursday evening I went with my neighbour to a fashion event at a store in Zug. It was fun to see a store I hadn't discovered yet. It was shocking to see the clothes prices, but fun to dream.... Yes, I am glad I have a pretty full wardrobe and I don't really need anything....it's going to break the  bank just to clothe the girls!

Friday: Today I took Murphy to the vet for his first vaccine  - a routine one just to keep him current. He loves the vets here - he loved them at home too, but here he was wagging his tail like crazy before they even opened the doors! Then I met up with Karin and we biked to the Cham marina. It was a gloriously warm and sunny day, and we had a little picnic by the lake before biking back to Zug. I was thinking abou the girls all day, excited for them to come home!! Sarah arrived back after I had to leave for the Zurich airport to meet Shannon, so Justin was the lucky one to greet her when she came through the door. They went to the EVZug hockey game and for dinner beforehand and he heard all about her trip.  I trained out to the airport and hung around when Shannon's connection was delayed. Ugh! I was counting down the minutes, and I didn't even have the patience to knit while I was waiting!! Shannon finally landed and we went into Zurich old town to the Raclette Factory to satisfy her craving for a big meal. In summary, the trip was great because fo the friends she made, but the hotel food wasn't so good. 

Saturday: I popped into Zurich today so that the girls could enjoy some sleep recovery, and not be hounded by an overly-excited mother! It was a good choice for me to meet up with Lisa for coffee because it kept me from asking them a thousand questions. Justin was working hard at the dealership to get ready for Monday, so he wasn't around either. They both caught up on some sleep and enjoyed some personal space, I think.

Sunday: I love Sundays in Switzerland....even more than in Canada, Sundays are quiet days that are family focussed. Today was a perfect example of what we do: the morning was a work morning, allowing Justin and Shannon and Sarah to finish up homework. Justin went for a bicycle ride with Colin while I met Jen and Caffrey (Murphy's first dog friends when we arrived) and we did a 2 hour hike around the Hollgrotten hills and by the Lorze river. Murphy was set for the day and slept quite soundly! After lunch, we went for a bike ride all together. Today our goal was to find as many barns as we can. We got contacts at one place so that's a good lead for Shannon. We also rode to the dealership and toured around inside. It is truly the NICEST and more IMPRESSIVE dealership I have ever seen!! WOW!!!

And that brings me back to today, Monday, October 1st. So starts another month and another week. Cleaning is done, so I'm onto bill-paying today, combined with planning a Christmas ski holiday and a February ski holiday. Then it's to Luzern with Sarah this evening. With the cooler temperatures and rain, I am going to have to find somewhere to sit inside while she trains...there is only so much walking around Luzern a girl can handle and I've got 3 hours to pass while she trains!

Think good thoughts with the dealership opening today!! 

Ah Mondays.....

Monday, September 17th, 2018

Justin left on Saturday for his business trip back to Canada. The girls and I had a differently paced weekend than we have ad since we arrived. It was nice in some ways. Kind of like resetting a bit.

Saturday:

On Saturday we went into Zurich with Kelly and Amelie and went shopping for the girls. They each got a few tops which were much needed and will round out their wardrobe when the cooler weather finally arrives. It was exhausting, actually, to be shopping for several hours, but it was also so cool to be able to hop on the train, pop into Zurich within 24 minutes of leaving Baar. Super convenient!

Sunday:

On Sunday, the girls did homework - shannon worked for most of the day, while Sarah finished her stuff up in the morning and watched shows. I met Kelly in Zug and we hiked for about 3 hours and enjoyed a coffee at the top of Zugerberg before heading back down. Murphy was good and tired after that walk!

In the afternoon, Sarah and I visited with our neighbours upstairs. It was so great! Sarah and Livvia made an apple cake while I chatted with Nathalie and Deborah. We also had a really good laugh at my german when Livvia was teaching me better pronunciation. Oh man, do I stink!!! I have a long way to go - or to put it positively, I have lots of room for improvement!!!

Justin is visiting lots of people back in KW and Toronto. He's dropping off packages that we sent with him, and he's picking up things have been collected at my Mom and Dad's as well as back at the house. I have really shifted my brain to thinking of the house we used to live in as a "house" and not my "home". It's weird to think of other people being there, changing how it looks inside, living a life there that I don't know about. And so I choose to think of it as an investment and not my home. It is a house that we rent out and where our things are stored, and that's it. If things break or change, then we can renovate and fix them. No emotion - that's what I have to maintain. I will be fine with Justin being the one who goes back there, and not me!!!

The girls will each get last year's year book when Justin comes back, which will be great (in the long run). Shannon is doing better this week with the move, but Sarah is still having a hard time. Each night she has said "I want to go home" and I simply hold her and tell her it will be better in the morning. Now she has a week to go until her class trip (they call it PDW - Personal Development Week) to Italy. It will be a great week, I am sure, but she is nervous and I can't blame her! It's 5 days and 4 nights in another country, with kids she's only known a few weeks. But I know that it will be rewarding and some good bonding will take place. I just have to keep reminding her, and keep my Mom Brave Face on!!

Shannon is enjoying settling in with a social group. She went out for dinner with 3-4 other girls last night. I am happy for her, and being where she can get around on the train or the bus so easily is so nice for her independence. I am still trying to get used to not knowing her friends...that's weird!!! But at least she has Amelie - her cousin, as they're saying (because that is less complicated than her mother's cousin's daughter - does that make it her second cousin? Who Knows?!) 

I'm strangely unaware of Shannon's marks so far, which feels weird. She was always more quiet than Sarah at sharing things, but now it's even more so. I am letting her have the independence, figuring that report cards come out and that will share with me what's happening....hopefully  it will not be too late! She was working all day yesterday on a Science Essay. It was HUGE she said. So I just let her work away....and then she had the reward of getting together with her friends.

Justin's job is going well. The dealership opens October 1st, so this trip to Canada is not ideal timing, but also not the worst timing. He is very busy and October will be hectic and stressful for him, I'm sure. The team there seems to be quite strong, but not without challenges, which is probably to be expected.  I have my "June Cleaver" hat on and I am trying to make sure the apartment stays neat, clean, well stocked and that everyone has healthy food to eat.  Justin's German has come along so far, especially in the last couple weeks where he was speaking German all day at work to the employees. It's amazing how good he is at speaking! My german is fumbling, but I keep trying and people are so very patient and helpful. My pronunciation absolutely stinks, but I'll do my best and keep trying and with practice I can hope and dream  that it will get better! I am using the Computer program "Rosetta Stone" and also just started an app on my phone to help me. And every week, I review the grocery flyers and the local small newspapers to learn "every day" German words. Bit by Bit.

Grocery shopping is so different here. The fridges aren't very big, so you really have to go shopping every day. And the prices are so high that I shop what's on sale. There will not be a lot of red meat consumed  - chicken is so much cheaper! Shannon has already complained that we eat too much chicken, but she's not thrilled when we have vegetarian! I invited her make the menu plan and do the grocery shopping, but she declined. haha! So when I grocery shop, 2 grocery stores are only about 200 m away so I walk each day, which is nice. And because I'm shopping for so little, a couple bags is a manageable amount to carry back. Typically I go to one grocery store as well as the other, just to shop the sale items. The sales change every day - some are on sale for the week, but some change each day! The grocery stores don't have the selection that we are used to in Canada, but we've already adjusted to that, it seems. Now I'm used to there just being a few types of granola bars, and not an entire set of shelves with a plethora of options.Today I need to get a broom for the deck, and I have no idea where I will get it! That's my fun tor today....thrilling, right?! haha!

Well, I better get back to real life: my typical day starts with studying German before I go grocery shopping, then take the dog to the river to tire him out, stop in at the discount store if there are any non-perishables on the shopping list, clean the house, do laundry, iron if needed, prep dinner and get ready for the kids. June Cleaver days for me!

Mountain Biking Women Rock!!

Saturday, September 8, 2018

What a cool weekend activity: we headed to Lenzerheide, Switzerland to watch the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships! We have been following the women's Cross Country racing and mostly cheering on Jolanda Neff (Swiss) and Emily Batty (Canadian). To see them ride in person was phenomenal. I am amazed by their strength, determination and power!!! They do 7 laps of the cross-country route and it combines downhill, technical riding, single track riding and climbing. They really have to be all around athletes, in my opinion. To see so many of the athletes pushing themselves to their limits, drooling because of the effort as they are going around the course.....amazing!

We watched the women race and then had a picnic lunch for an hour and a half while we waited for the men's race to start. We stayed only a few laps into the men's race since we were ready to head, and to be honest, it just didn't interest me the way the women's race did.

Saturday night was fun too - Sarah went to her first birthday party here. She didn't feel comfortable sleeping over, but stayed pretty late. Justin & I went to Zurich to have dinner and meet up with Brad and Lisa. As always, that was fun! Shannon stayed home and watched Netflix to her heart's content. A great night all around.

Sunday was a "work" day: Justin had work to do and the kids had homework. Unfortunately, I was not at my best - the migraine medication didn't even help dull the headache that I was suffering. Who knows why it came on, but it was bad.. I have been almost headache free since we got to Switzerland, and I was so sad to be locked away in the quiet and dark with the stupid headache. It stayed until Tuesday!! Now it's gone, thank goodness, and I hope I don't have another one soon!! I am so lucky to finally feel almost completely head ache free after nearly 5 years of daily headaches. I am so grateful!! And it's fitting that my goal for the next year is to become my best self - a fit, active, fulfilled and happy Christa. So that doesn't mean only KETO diet eating...heck no!! It means prosecco on a Tuesday night! It means Aperol Spritz whenever I can! It means chocolate and cheese! But it also means hiking lots, doing yoga  on my own and in class riding my bike for errands and for fun and being able to keep up with my fit family!! Here's to good Health!

The Summer Weather is back

September 11, 2018:

I joined a couple of groups and it is really helping me feel more connected (and more human) - and to have people to talk to, other than the dog!! (Although Murphy does enjoy our scintillating conversations, I feel they are sometimes a little one-sided.)

Tuesday, September 4: I joined a hiking group of Moms from the International School and we hiked a good 11km hike, starting from the school and going up into a forest with great views! There were about 40 people (including 3 dads) so it was a fairly big group. I had to dodge a few conversations so that I didn't walk beside people complaining or cranking about their kids' teachers...that is not going to fill my soul with positive energy! So I walked past the conversations until I found someone that was chatting in a way that was positive. How lovely!! I talked to the woman for at least an hour and a half of the walk and it was easy and wonderful, In fact,  I was going to leave the hike early, since it was going not far from our apartment, but I chose to keep hiking all the way to the school and added on the 5km walk home. It was well worth the effort since I enjoyed some chocolate when I got home!

Thursday, September 6: I joined a yoga class - again, with some Moms from the International School. It's a great way to stretch and build some strength and core muscles again, and it is going so much better in english than my Swiss German Pilates class!!! (I tried out a Pilates Class in downtown Zug last week, and I LOVED it!! The biggest problem was that it was in Swiss German, and so I had to torque my neck to look at the instructor, to see if I am doing it properly, which then basically negates the form that I tried to achieve in doing the exercise! Kind of counter-productive!! But I think it will be a great way to learn Swiss German in a fun atmosphere, so I think I will try to get my German better and then sign up for the class as a reward of sorts...)

It turns out that the class I am in has me with 3 other Moms from Sarah's grade 8 class! 1 girl and 2 boys! That is kind of neat!

Friday, September 7: I joined a knitting club that meets every few weeks. I was a little hesitant: is it going to be all old people? Are they going to be a serious knitting group - I cannot knit and talk!! Well, so far, these are cool knitters who are experienced through new knitters and it was a fabulous couple of hours sitting in a cafe by the train station right in Baar (our little town)!

It's amazing how those three activities made my week so much more enjoyable! I still had time to grocery shop every day, walk Murphy a few times a day and do the house keeping chores, but thankfully, cleaning drains was not the highlight of my week this week!!

Monday Pants

Monday, September 3, 2018

For my birthday, Sarah gave me "Monday Pants". These are actually Roots jogging pants but since I was often lonely on Mondays when the kids and Justin went out the door, Sarah thought it would be nice for me to have cozy jogging pants to wear on Mondays. I am loving them here too. And today, I need them. After fabulously fun weekends together, having adventures, laughing and being outside, I find Mondays very lonely. Like today. Yup... It's grey and cloudy out. Today, my highlights include doing 4 loads of laundry, 1 hour of Rosetta Stone German lessons, ironing some shirts, planning dinner and grocery shopping...oh, and maybe I'll clean a drain or two - wait, no point in doing that because I cleaned them last week!! haha!  Mondays are hard - back in Canada they were hard after I had to leave work because of the concussions. I felt I had no purpose, other than being a June Cleaver-esque housewife. And Mondays are hard here too. So I have come up with a plan of attack for fighting the Monday Blues:

• Walk with Murphy: we walk every morning, but Mondays seem to be a great morning for a destination walk to get fresh from the cow milk, some eggs from the farm and maybe some fruit or vegetables too. All on my 6/6:30 am walk. Purposeful and Productive.
• Steamed Milk for the girls: I fully realize that other people have the Monday morning blues too, so I have been steaming that fresh-from-the-cow milk for the girls on Monday mornings especially. Purposeful and Productive.
• Get dressed and do my hair. Why not Fake it Till You Make it? That's my thinking for Mondays! Today I am even sporting a dress! Purposeful and Productive.
• Plan dinner early in the day, and plan tomorrow's lunch for the girls. Go grocery shopping. Purposeful and Productive.
• Laundry and chores....well, those have to get done and have built up after a fun weekend, so they're good to set for today since they are Purposeful and Productive.

OK, wah wah wah is done. Now back to happy thoughts.

Friday, August 31, 2018

Shannon went to a party Friday night, meeting up with 3 friends at our place to get ready, and meeting others on the way to the party. The group of them slept over at one of the girls' houses and got very little sleep! We picked her up at 7am and she was able to get some sleep on the few hours of driving to Saas-Fee. 

Saturday, September 1, 2018

The weekend was amazing. We drove to Saas-Fee on Saturday and despite the rain and both girls having colds, and Shannon not being able to complete the hike because of her sinus headache and the altitude, it was still a super fun weekend! 

When we got there, we checked into our hotel (with Murphy!) and headed out for a hike to Hannig. About an hour and a half -2 hours up the mountain, with the reward being lunch at the top! https://www.hannig-saas-fee.ch/

Shannon made it 2/3 of the way and had to turn back because of the pain in her head from the congestion and the altitude air pressure. She and Justin and Murphy enjoyed a meal at the bottom, while Sarah and I pushed on to the top and had Rosti and french fries - perhaps the best Rosti EVER!!! With ham, onions, cheese and of course an egg of top!! Can you say Potato Overload?!

It was chilly - only 5-7C was the high on Saturday. And with the rain, we all got quite damp. Sarah and I chose to take the gondola back down. It was SOOO SMALL!!! And a little frightening for the both of us! We laughed so hard!

We enjoyed a little nap mid-afternoon and then, while Shannon slept, the 3 of us wandered the town of Saas-Fee, popping into stores along the way.

For dinner, we took Mike & Kelly's recommendation and went to Alphitta (Wildistrasse 72) at the end of the main strip and we had an amazing fondu dinner! 

Beef fondu and cheese fondu!! All so good!! I think it was one of my most favourite meals ever,  

but mostly due to the laughs we had with each other and the conversation. 

It was just a really special night.

Sunday, September 2, 2018

Today we gave the girls the choice: scootering in Saas-Grund or going up the gondolas to Längfluh. Everyone was indifferent, and Shannon made the choice: gondolas up!
The weather was so dark and cloudy in Saas-Fee, but we thought (and hoped and crossed fingers) that Langfluh would be above the clouds.

 I think the mountains are above the clouds...

And we were right!

Both Justin and I didn't expect to be so blown away by the views, but we were! We thought that since we've seen the Rockies and been moved by them, that we would appreciate and enjoy these mountains (without a doubt) but maybe not be in awe so much. The glaciers, the mountains, the views! WOW!!! We were in awe!! Check out @divebaar on Instagram to see more pictures, which don't even do it justice! We soaked up the views, dreamed and planned for our ski vacation, and then returned to the bottom to start our drive back to Baar.  

We joined Kelly, Mike and Amelie for a birthday dinner for Amelie of tacos back in Zug. It was delicious and a fun time! So nice to be together. I feel so lucky that Kelly & Mike & Amelie are on this adventure in Zug too! 

The Week of Meetings

August 30, 2018

The week has been filled with meetings...I started the week with learning how to use the school's website, parent portal, Virtual Learning Environment, etc...There are now dates that appear in my phone's calendar telling me more than I need to know about the high school and middle school activities! Thankfully, I learned how to turn these calendars OFF, but for now they make me feel as though I have things to do.

I went for a walk with a new-to-me-Mom and showed her and her dog where the river is, and we walked all the way up to the caves at Holgrotten. It was nice! Her dog ran off a few times, so the 1 hour walk turned into 3 hours!! A nice way to fill the day, but dinner was a little scattered without much time to grocery shop and prepare.

The girls' bank cards finally arrived. YAY! Now they can be that little bit more independent. I also picked them up a lovely little schoggigipfel (chocolate croissant) for an after school treat. It was tasty!!

My days always include some farm animals - this cow (that is among the cows that give me my fresh milk) is enjoying some plums! 

 Yet another meting this week was the Welcome Fair at the Middle School Campus. Actually, I was expecting it to be a complete waste of time (but I wasn't going to miss going) and it was quick helpful! I found some information about mountain guides that may help make a fun weekend some time, I got some chocolate, I met someone from the knitting club, I found that I already knew the woman with the hiking club, I saw 2 familiar faces and it passed a whole morning - a success in my books! Plus I met a yoga instructor, tried her yoga class on Thursday and LOVED it! So I'm signed up for Thursday Yoga classes in English, with some Moms from the school and I'm already looking forward to the next class!

From the Welcome Fair, I went straight to Zug and met up with some Canadian Moms for lunch. That was nice - so familiar to be talking about Canadian things and settling in here. It sounds lame, but I was exhausted by the end of the afternoon!! 

My final meeting of the week was the coffee morning on Friday morning at the school cafeteria. My Mom taught me that if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything. So, um..... 

crickets....

Well, Justin has suggested that I give it one more try to see if it is the same on another Friday. I am considering his suggestion....

I did notice that they make the kids speak German in the cafeteria, so I took pics of the basic phrases so that I can learn them too.

So begins week 2 of BTS (Back To School)

Monday, August 27, 2018

It's Monday morning, and the apartment is empty; the girls are off to school, Justin is off to work and I am starting week 2 of the school year. I kept myself busy last week with tasks to keep me from feeling lonely - I did some pretty exciting (sarcasm) things to keep myself busy: 

• I cleaned the shower drains (actually kind of cool the way the Swiss have the filters set up efficiently to catch the hair and debris that goes down the shower drain, but not really a thrilling task)
• I met up with a Mom from the school and showed her the river where we let our dogs run and play. The unfortunate part was that her dog kept running away to explore the forest and the river. The good part was that the hour I thought I was going to spend walking ended up taking 3 hours! That filled my morning!
• I tried a Pilates class in Zug and I loved it. I am going to sign up for a class that will go for 18 weeks! That will get me visiting Zug once a week and I can combine it with other shopping and exploring (actual or window shopping).
• I found an office supply store to get some school supplies for the girls. That is one of my weaknesses, but I stayed fully on task and only bought the folders that Shannon needed.
• I rode my bike to Hollegrotten to explore that bike route. It isn't that far away from the apartment, but it was a nice ride. Next time, maybe I'll stop and have coffee at the cafe that is tucked into the area! I love how cafes and restaurants can survive in Switzerland out in the middle of nowhere!
• I put together Sarah's IKEA set of drawers.
• I met Kelly for a swim in Zug at the badi and rode my bike through the crazy construction detours that have appeared. Luckily, the Swiss label everything quite well and the detours did not cause me to get lost.
• I went to the Okihof - the recycling centre - to drop off all our un-garbage that has accumulated. Then I came home and labeled some bags so that the recycling can be sorted ahead of time and save me having to do it at the Okihof.

Clearly, if these were my mid-week highlights, I have some improving to do!! More exercise this week, signing up for a fitness class, some new parent meetings are on the calendar and I have to dedicate some time to knitting Sarah's sweater so that I can hopefully get it done before October!

Here's hoping this week is a wee bit more exciting!!

Last Week of Summer Holidays

August 15, 2018

It's the last week of summer holidays and it's a relaxing one.
Shannon is enjoying 2 days at a horse camp in Lucerne, and Sarah is enjoying 2 training sessions at a gymnastics club in Lucerne. I am enjoying having my kids around before school starts back! Then it's off to Orientation for each of the girls before classes start next week. 

Some friendly cows on my morning walk. 

They are pretty interested in Murphy but he refuses to look at them.

I have to be honest and say that although things look happy on instagram and in my writing, it's been a rough day here with one child being homesick and nervous with school rapidly approaching...we'll get through...tears and deep breathing, and maybe a little chocolate...

Watch Out Italy, Here We Come!!

Friday, August 10

We drove this morning to Locarno, in the Italian speaking part of Switzerland. Justin found a fantastic Lido where we spent the afternoon swimming in the indoor pools, outdoor pools or lake, going down the water slides, reading and napping on our lounge chairs. It was pretty relaxing for everyone!! 

Not a bad view for the afternoon!

Then we headed out for Italy, aiming to get most of the way to La Spezia. We are meeting Lea and Maui Calcone tomorrow and staying with them until Monday. I am excited to see them as well as to show the girls the towns in Cinque Terre, which are special because that’s where Justin proposed to me!

We decided to take a side trip to Andermatt. The temperature was only 12C up in the mountains! IT was so beautiful and I cannot wait to see it again when we go there to ski.

On the roads in Italy, we learned that the speed limit is only a suggestion. “We’re not in Switzerland anymore!”

We stopped in a little town after passing a couple of potential (but sketchy) hotels along the way.  We settled at Hotel Salus; Piazza Ponci, 7, 43048 Sant'Andrea Bagni PR, Italy

Who doesn't love a pink accented bathroom?!

Pizza leftovers....still delicious cold the next day!

It is a small town - very small - and in true Italian fashion, the kids and people came out in great numbers after 10pm. Ristorante Piccadilly served us the best pizza - THE BEST crust I have ever eaten, for sure. Shannon even got hers with fries on top! Super delicious and not a foreigner other than us!  

Saturday, August 11

Off to La Spezia today!! We started the day with a delicious croissant, filled with a little peach jam. Mmmmm. And a cappuccino!

Keys to driving in Italy: 

• use more accelerator than brakes 
• proceed at least 50km/hr above the speed limit and ignore the cars that are passing you at alarmingly fast speeds. 
• Use lots of hand motions and minimal indicators 

We met up with the Calcone’s this afternoon! We drove a short distance from our hotel to La Spezia and arrived in the morning in La Spezia. 

Then we went to Monterosso (one of the villages in Cinque Terre) for the beach. We rented 2 beach chairs and an umbrella to lounge on and to escape the intense heat of the sun. We got pounded by the waves!! They were big and really hit just a few feet from the beach. It was a fabulous introduction to the beach. 

The beach was PACKED with people!! A sea of umbrellas and beach chairs.

Somehow, the girls are always hungry enough for some ice cream, and how can you blame them? They have done a good job at sampling gelato and ice cream wherever we go!

 After the beach, we headed to the Calcone's apartment and got caught up before dinner.

We waited for the train back from Monterosso and it was late - THUNDER DOME - chaos trying to pack onto the train. We were non-conformists and waited for the second train which came within 5 minutes and we got a seat no problem and rode it in comfort, rather than being squished like sardines! Still, the 20 minute ride took us over an hour and we were all excited to meet up with Lea, Maui, Maddy and Ben.

Dinner on Saturday night was delicious! A little restaurant where I had Trophie pasta with pesto (regional speciality) and tuna and shrimp (seafood is also a local speciality).  Trophie pasta with pesto is what I ate the night Justin proposed to me, so it was a bit of a trip down memory lane for me. 

Sunday, August 12

This was a heavenly indulgent beach day with the Calcone’s. We started the day with coffee and pastries, hearing about Lea’s travels from years before. Shannon, Maddy and I were in stitches laughing and enjoying her trip down memory lane. Here’s what I learned: Lea has a wealth of experience travelling and should never be underestimated!  She will go up against soldiers when needed, and dodge an international search in the name of travel.

We started with a short walk around Vernazza, to the pier for a re-creation of Justin’s proposal!! It was beautiful. The town has changed a lot and a landslide/big storm changed the pier in 2011. But it still has the quaint feel of a small village on the Italian Riviera, and the beautiful buildings are just as I remembered. We couldn’t find the exact alley where we spent a couple nights in an apartment, but it all looked familiar. 

Ben got in a little fishing, we got some photos, and then it was on to Monterosso for the beach day. Today the waves were much calmer, and even I spent a long time swimming. Sarah and Ben spent the longest in the water - maybe 6 hours at least! Shannon and Maddy spent the next longest, which was maybe 5.5 hrs! The kids bought inner tubes to float in and we made a flotilla in the water, catching perhaps a little too much sun, and a lot of fun.  2 for Euros 7!! Much better than renting them for  Euros 5/hr. 

The train back was delayed again... delayed and then delayed again.. Ah, the Italians…. the 20 minute train ride ended up taking us 1.5 hrs. And we have no idea why it was delayed. 

Dinner on Sunday night was pizza. Beautiful pizza since it was Maddy’s choice because we were celebrating her birthday a day early.  Lea even had candles put in Maddy’s pizza to celebrate her birthday and we sang at the restaurant. So much fun!

We drove back to Switzerland on Monday. We picked up Murphy on our way back. 

Murphy has been outstanding settling in. He had a real bout of jet lag for the first week, but luckily, so did I, so we were up often and outside often. He went to a kennel while we travelled to Italy - it seemed like a summer camp for dogs!! He came back dirty, and tired....just the perfect combination! Get this: they find the dogs adjust better if they have a friend, so he had another black lab as his roommate for the few days! ha! Totally a summer camp experience!