Surprise Delivery

A surprise arrival filled with treats and special gifts.

Look what I got!

I can't express how thrilled I was when FedEx delivered a package today from the Schullers, sweet friends of ours in Watkinsville, Georgia. It is always a blessing to receive boxes of goodies and necessities from home, and what a special treat to be completely surprised!! As a matter of fact, I was so overcome with emotion that I cried.

Both girls loved pulling items from the box, and as a mom, it made my heart glad to see how appreciative and truly grateful they were for their gifts. Mea is especially excited that we get to have pancakes for breakfast tomorrow.......with real syrup!!

New Addition to our Gnome Family

Thought you all might like to see the newest members of our Gnome family. I found them the day we went hiking in Appenzell, and I knew immediately that they were coming home with me. Haven't given them names yet.........but I'm working on it.

A new level of maturity

After years of finding "other" things to read, I recently gave in to the urgings of a friend and started reading the Mitford series of books by Jan Karon. I tried to read the first book, At Home in Mitford, when I was in college, but for whatever reason I just could not get into it. Now, 12 years later as a much older and wiser person, I have zoomed through books 1-3 and today will begin book 4.

Having lived a large majority of my life in small towns and having a father who is a pastor, I can't help but laugh at how the Mitford residents are so much like people I know. People we all know. It has been nice to be able to read a book and feel like I am back in the South even when I am so many miles from the southern charms and idiosyncrasies that are so familiar to me......the people and traditions that have molded who I am.

Anyway, if any of you haven't given these books a try, well, you should. I am about to open Out to Canaan right now and see what my friends in Mitford are up to today.

The Blind Cow

On August 16th, Jared and I had the opportunity to dine with friends in a most unique atmosphere........TOTAL DARKNESS! We met up with two of Jared's co-workers and their spouses at a restaurant called die Blindekuh---which translates into "The Blind Cow". As you might guess, it is a dining experience unlike any other in that the servers are all blind and the patrons sit, order and eat in a dining room that is completely dark. I do mean......down in a cave never to see the light of day dark; oh-my-gosh-I can't see my hand in front of my face dark; eerily thick, I think I might panic kind of dark. The goal is to give people just a small taste of what it is like to be blind, and I have to say that after 2.5 hours in totally black surroundings, I can't imagine what it would be like to be without my sense of sight. As strange as it was to sit and eat in the dark, it really did give me a more heightened awareness of my other senses.

When we got home I told Jared that I wasn't so sure I could do it again nor was I certain that I could recommend the restaurant to everyone. You have to have the right mindset and be as prepared as possible, and I don't know that I was. I think if I had been there for 10 more minutes I would have started to freak out. The meal was great, the service was outstanding, and the appreciation I gained for my eyesight was well worth it. I guess you could say it was an "eye-opening" experience.

Hiking in Appenzell/Seealpsee area-August 31, 2007

We have had so much going on this summer until we didn't think we were going to be able to take the time to head into the mountains and get away, but fortunately we woke up to a gorgeous day that begged us to come out and enjoy. I saw a postcard a year or so ago with a picture of the Seealpsee and mentioned to Jared then that I wanted to find out exactly where it was and visit. And we did. With beautiful sunshine, cool crisp air, two kid-carrier backpacks and a picnic lunch, we set out for a day of hiking in the canton of Appenzell. It was just as scenic as the postcard picture......cows, mountains, lake and all.

The girls were pretty happy hikers for most of the journey, and Mea was especially excited once we reached a place where she could walk down the mountain "like a grown-up." We had fun listening to the cow bells ring as we made our way down the trail and then we had the pleasure of meeting the cows and dodging their "patties" that dotted our path. It was also very fascinating to watch several paragliders run off the mountain and float up into the sky. I am sure we counted at least 14 different people in the air that day.

However, I have to admit that 2.5 hours down a mountain with an extra 25-30 lbs. on my back made for an extremely uncomfortable weekend. My leg muscles screamed at me for at least 4 full days afterward, and I looked like a weak old lady whenever I had to walk down steps. Not a pretty sight. Anyway, I hope the pictures give you a little glimpse of the beauty of the day.

More Pictures from Avignon and the Provence Region

Here are a few more pictures from the Provence trip. As you can tell, it was warm and sunny and very lovely. All of these pictures were taken in or near the village of Sault, France.
Of course the day included a trip to a fabric shop where I purchased a tablecloth for our dining room.

The girls enjoyed walking in the fields and smelling the plants. We have no idea if we were even allowed to trespass onto the property, but there were no signs indicating otherwise and no gates to keep us out, so we made ourselves at home.

The sweet smell of Provence

On Sunday, August 5th, we returned home from 4 days in the Provence region of Southern France. It was absolutely beautiful......one of my favorite trips so far. Since this is our last summer in Europe (we move back to the States early next summer), I told Jared that I wanted to visit Provence while the lavender fields were still in bloom. We made it.

I don't think I can really describe the beauty of the region in a manner that would do it justice, so you will just have to check out this picture and some from postings that will follow and imagine for yourselves. Sorry that I can't turn the picture into a scratch and sniff sticker so that each of you could enjoy the deliciously sweet and relaxing scent of the lavender.

More pictures from Barcelona and Las Palmas

A few more pictures of our Barcelona/Las Palmas trip: Mea is walking along the wall at the Las Palmas harbor; a cafe in Barcelona with the Berwegers; coffee; Lily with 'Don King' hair (and a runny nose) after an afternoon at the beach; last, Christopher Columbus statue near the port in Barcelona.

Barcelona, Spain and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

The girls and I recently had the pleasure of tagging along with Jared on a business trip he made to Barcelona and the Canary Islands. What a treat to have a 'bonus' getaway! We had a great time sightseeing and enjoying the beautiful weather and beaches.

We flew to Barcelona on Friday afternoon and enjoyed a relaxed evening and half day on Saturday making our way around the city with Peter Berweger, one of Jared's co-workers, and his wife and son. Peter's wife, Sylvia, is a native of Barcelona and she was very informative as to things to do and see as well as just a wealth of knowledge about Barcelona's history and the surrounding areas.

Late Saturday evening we flew to Las Palmas, a city on the Grand Canary Island. We spent Sunday exploring a little bit of Las Palmas and then making our way to the beautiful dune beaches of Maspalomas. It was a perfectly clear and cloudless day which meant that it was also very hot and the sun was directly upon us. Since the girls and I have such fair skin, we only spent about an hour or two in the sun before retreating to a nicely shaded cafe and enjoying an early supper. From looking at the pictures it appears that the water was dark and dirty, but actually the sand was like a fine mix of gold and black so you can't tell that the water was extremely clear and beautiful. We got to see lots of speedos and boobs.........but what else could we expect at a beach in Europe.

It was an exhausting trip since we had to stop through Barcelona on the way to Las Palmas and back, but we had a great time being together and just exploring another part of Europe. We hope to make another trip to Barcelona when we have more dedicated time there and are able to check out the museums and Gaudi stuff.

Mea's 3rd Birthday Party

Okay, I know. Mea's birthday is April 1st, so what kind of mother am I for postponing her party until July??? Well, let's just say it is a long story with a happy ending----the happy ending being the arrival of the Dora the Explorer cake pan.

All Mea asked for for her birthday was a Dora cake and being the sweet (and insane!!) mother that I am, I said, "Of course you can have a Dora cake. No problem." I had forgotten that it had been almost 6 years since I took my Wilton cake decorating classes. Never the less, we finally received the pan in the mail and set about planning her Dora party.

We had a wonderful evening of tacos, face painting, playing on the playground, presents and Dora cake. Hope you enjoy the pictures.

A Visit from the Schullers

In early July, our family was blessed to be able to host family friends, Karen and Fred Schuller, in our home in Horgen. They were passing through Switzerland as part of their European vacation after having completed a mission trip to Moldova. It was such a treat for us to spend time with them and catch up on what has been taking place in their lives since we left Atlanta. Mea and Lily fell in love with them, and now Mea calls the Hotel Schwann in Horgen "Karen's hotel" since that is where they spent the night.

Thanks, guys, for stopping in and visiting with us. What a joy and encouragement you both were (and are) to us.

IPC Ladies Retreat in Adelboden, May 2007

I received the greatest Mother's Day gift from Jared and the girls this year: I got to go away for a weekend to attend the church women's retreat! It was a wonderful two days away from home where I got to relax, unwind and recharge. The retreat was held in Adelboden which was an incredibly beautiful village about 2.5 hours south of Zurich. Our speaker was Sandy Bradford from Wisconsin, and she delivered a message to encourage us as we strive to have a fresh relationship with the Lord. The key verse was Psalm 57:8a "Awake my soul!" During our free time, we were able to explore the village and all of its cute shops as well as having time to hike around and just enjoy the lovely surroundings and perfect weather. It was also a very special time to get to know so many other ladies from the church and to hear about their backgrounds and home countries. Definitely a blessing for me!

Mother's Day

Here is a quick shot of the four of us after church on Mother's Day. (The little girl in the bottom left corner is our youth pastor's daughter. She had been playing with Lily and was not happy when we took her away for a picture.)

I would like to say that we had a wonderful day relaxing and spending time together, but that was not the case. On our way home from church we suffered a flat tire which resulted in parking on the curb, walking to the bus stop, waiting for a train, riding to Horgen, walking to the house then sending Jared back to take care of the car details. I was just relieved that the tire was the only thing damaged......and not the cyclist who swerved into our lane!!

Jared joins the IPC church council

This Sunday was very special in that Jared was officially installed as a member of the church council. He will serve as treasurer for the church for the next year. All of the new council members were called before the congregation Sunday morning to introduce themselves and to pledge to serve the Lord and the church in their respective positions. Here are a few pictures :

A Weekend with Kashif

It is rare that friends from home come to visit, so we were honored to have Kashif Khan spend the weekend of April 21st with us. Kashif is a friend of Jared's from KPMG Atlanta and he stopped through Zurich to see us as he was on his way back to Atlanta from Pakistan.

We had a wonderful weekend just taking in the sites around Horgen and the Zurich area. The girls were especially happy with our trip to the Knie Kinderzoo in Rapperswil and our Sunday afternoon hike in Au.

Thank you, Kashif, for taking the time to visit us!

Quick trip to Paris

After recovering from our trip to Greece, we decided to make a quick weekend trip to Paris to see my cousin, Donna, and her family while they were visiting France. We took the train over on Friday afternoon and came back Sunday which only left a little bit of time to visit, but seeing Donna, Joel, Monica and Logan was well worth the trip.

We spent the morning walking and talking, mostly catching up on all the activities and happenings in the Bernstein family and letting them get to know our girls a little bit. It had been over 3 years since we had seen Donna and Joel, so it was nice for me to be able to introduce Mea and Lily to them. It was a wonderful treat to spend time with family and Paris couldn't have been more beautiful.

Greece: March 29-April 9

Since I have always wanted to go to Greece, Jared was so kind as to make that wish come true by taking us to Greece for a spring getaway. We had wonderful time visiting Athens and spending a week on the island of Santorini. I have to admit that as big and dirty as Athens was, it was still a great place to visit----an unexpected highpoint of our trip. While the scenery was beautiful and the people extremely nice, we were surprised to have very chilly weather during our time in Santorini. Another downer was that both girls got sick while we were there which resulted in a trip to the village clinic and a lack of sleep for us all.

We had a great time being together playing on the beaches, visiting markets, exploring the island and eating a lot of wonderful food. (I personally came to love mousaka and I think I ate tzatziki and cucumbers everyday.) Mea seemed to enjoy playing on the beach but at first she wasn't quite sure what to do with rocks instead of sand....we ended up building rock towers instead of sand castles.

Greece was quite a lovely place and I hope to visit there again.......maybe without the children!