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!