Summer trip to MN/CA - Part 1

What can I honestly say about this pic? My kids LOVE the Mall of America. And not because they love to shop. They like the rides in the amusement park - big enough to be thrilling for kids their age. First day in the States/Minneapolis - After waking up anywhere between 3:45 - 4:30am, we decided to turn the lights on around 5am and were down at the hotel breakfast by 6:30 or so. At 7:15, I felt like my morning was done and we wondered what we could do before the Mall opened at 10am. So we did some 'stuff' in the room and headed to Target for an hour, then got front row, no one even close to us, parking at the Mall - we're pathetic - and spend the day with our shopping list and riding rides. We did our part to stimulate the US economy. It didn't seem to work (the boosting the economy part) but we got the things we needed. We spent the next several days with Bart's parents, Barbara & Ralph, up in NoWestern Minn. Think Fargo and driving for miles without passing another vehicle. We had a very nice visit and due to frequent thunderstorms which necesitated us staying indoors, I did not have to bath myself or the family in bug spray. I really hate the bugs up there.
We then headed to sunny, brown and smoggy/smokey CA. We stayed with Kris & Jason for a full week and really loved our time with them and the new baby. We really enjoyed holding and loving that little girl, Jayden. She's pretty serious - watches everyone intensely. But get her alone in a quiet room and she was really trying to coo and talk. It was so sweet. And so great to see my baby sister with her own! I get to call her the baby now since she loves to introduce my as the "oldest" sister. I'm not even 'older' now, it's 'oldest.' Hmm - wonder how much Debbie's paying her to work that in.
Ooooo - had to stop for In n' Out on the way back from San Diego Zoo trip. Yum. I think my first In n' Out burger was 1986 when they were still just in the LA/Orange County area. We drove about 45 min. from the College campus just to eat there...and an hour to Tommy's Burgers by USC but I digress...... Three amigos. I hope they will be friends someday - not just cousins. And we look forward to the day when we can get a pic with Deb's kiddo's too.
I have a few more pic's to share but wanted to get started or I'll never keep up with anything. Lost a day last week (travel), jet-lag, Mom and John arrived Sat. morning, trying to pick up life here after being gone for 3 weeks - Whew!

Sending Mom & John up to the mountains tomorrow and we will follow in a couple days. Our favorite bit o' Switzerland - Lauterbrunnen Valley and up the mountains. John is hoping to do the Eiger this year if the weather is OK but we've had cool and yes, snowy weather in high elevations so we'll see. As for us, we may be hiking the lowlands, watching German cable on the apartment TV and eating fondue.

Hellloooo!!!!!

We are here. In Switzerland. In our own little beds. Nice.

We had a great time visiting with friends and family. We were housebound for a good part of the trip between thunderstorms, heat/smog and heat/smoke. A challenge finding entertainment for kids in indoor, air-conditioned places.

I'll get pic's downloaded soon - maybe on our new laptop! Yeah!!

But right now I am severely jetlagged as I did not get enough sleep before returning and we were delayed a day as our Sac - Wash. Dulles leg was cancelled. Which we found out upon arriving at 5:30 am. Considering it took them nearly an hour to get our rebooking straightened out and our flight to LA didn't leave 'til 10, I was so thankful for the portable DVD player the girls had.

Best part about the delay (as there is only one direct Zurich flight out of Dulles per day and I wasn't going to risk further delays by going thru other Euro cities) - I called Mom to let her know we would be getting into Dulles late from LA, spending the night with her and then flying out the next afternoon. She was happy to accomodate us (she's less than 30 min. from Dulles) and it worked out great - the girls even got to swim a little before we cleaned up and headed out. We had a late departure and got in a little later than anticipated but, for having a flight cancelled - we were really lucky in the way we were able to get it all done.

So - I need a lot of sleep now but it's 10pm and the girls are still going strong (it's only 1pm in CA after all). Yikes!

Quick Hello

We are on our last leg of US vacation. Bart left for Zurich last night while the girls and I headed up here to Sacramento. It is hot and smokey!

We've not had much internet access at all - kind of strange when we are so use to using email and looking up whatever we want. I keep wondering what would happen if the computers all imploded. AAARRGGGHHHH!

Will have to do more of this later - visiting to do!

Oh - and my new niece Jayden is really cute! Pictures after I download when we return next week.

Last of Euro08 before 'Reisen nach USA'

We spent Sat. (a week ago) in Zurich for the EuroCup Festivities. There was a lot of good food, a lot of people and thus, Fun! We rode the Ferris Wheel at Burkliplatz and stopped by our friends the Nachtman's for the last time - they're moving to NY this coming Saturday with 'the Firm.'

They put a large screen and viewing platform out on the Lake.
This (EuroCup 08) is considered the largest event ever hosted by Zurich so it has been quite an experience and fun to watch. Everyone's loyalties lies with their home countries. National pride is hugely important here. All the flags come out.

Holland is out of the Cup at this point but were still in the running when I took this pic.


The girls have a last goodbye hug with Matt & Jill. We'll miss them. And in their honor - GO HAWKEYES!






The girls had to see the big, completed Football players in the Hauptbahnhoff. They are big and eerily lifelike.

Spain played Sweden that night. Spain won - as they did last night against Italy. The teams left (Turkey, Spain, Russia & ? - Bart will be embarrassed I don't remember) are not the one's which had been favored from the beginning. A Cup full of underdogs - always interesting. And we won't be here to listen to Demitri, our 12/13 yr old Russian neighbor, yelling during the games anymore.
Happy Spaniards.



Not-so-happy Swedes.







We are almost packed, cleaned, etc.... for our trip to the States tomorrow. Our first stop, dare you to laugh - go ahead, is Mall of America. Where else can one buy clothing sales tax free and send dad & kids off to the rides while mom finishes the shopping? We'll probably be standing in front of the doors waiting for them to open. Our usual wakeup time is about 4:30am the first morning back.

Except for Mom, I find that a Tylenol PM helps me stay asleep for those first couple of nights. But it doesn't really help when the whole family doesn't do it! "Mom, we can't sleep" "Mom, we still can't sleep" "Mooommmmyyyyyyyy" "Susan, get up, breakfast starts at 7 (am), we can go now" - all in 10 minute intervals.

Then we head up to Detroit Lakes (Frazee actually but it's harder to find on a map!), MN to see Bart's parents. And we head to CA on 6/30 with a return to Switz. on July 14 for the girls & I - Bart back earlier for work.

So - I have packing & cleaning to finish now. And will update the blog as I can in the next couple weeks. Hopefully from a new computer. We only turn this one on now about 1 -2 hrs a day (thus my lack of computer related time spent lately). It's been on for almost 3 hrs now as I needed to finish backing up the last of the pictures/files we'll need to transfer to the other computer. Whew! I take too many pictures.

Here we come - ready to stimulate the US economy. (Hey, it sounds like a joke but with prices so expensive here right now we've been saving money and have got a LIST)

June 18th - I remember this date!

Two years ago today, a tolerant and supportive father, two little girls (one of whom was still sick from 'antibiotic poisoning") and one stressed out mama, arrived in CA in a 9 year old GMC Suburban packed with all the belongings they would have for the next 6 weeks! They had traveled for 3 1/2 days and a sold sign promptly went up on the GMC. They had stayed in a Best Western in Reno (there were no rooms in the Inns of Winnemucca) and had breakfast at an International House of Pancakes.

There is little I forget about that trip. And how my dad let me drive alot. I think he knew I needed to feel in control of something. I like to drive anyway and wasn't really in the mood to read books on a road trip as I might otherwise have done. Bart was already out of the country and we had left our home, neighbors and church in Des Moines. Getting ready to move to a foreign country.

Granted, if you have to move to a foreign place, Switzerland is really not to bad of a place to find yourself in. Clean, orderly, great public transpo., MOUNTAINS, safe but expensive.

Next week we will be heading for Minnesota to spend some time with Bart's folks, then on to CA to see that new baby neice of mine, Jayden. We'll only get a few days in No. CA this time but I'm sure you'll all understand. Kris will be glad to get rid of me by time I spoil that little baby girl.

Anyway, what my point is - I am glad to be traveling to the US of A. I miss some things (having just run out of vanilla for choc. chip cookies - don't even get me started about importing these things - I must have them!) and look forward to a trip 'home.' We'll be enjoying the hospitality of family and friends.

We are putting together our shopping lists and look forward to drinking Root Beer and enjoying temperatures over 65 degrees. Note - it has rained almost every day in June BUT we are not flooding. So I don't complain. Prayers with all of you in IA and your families/friends. After 2 days of 'normal' summer temps, I'm sure we'll start complaining that we're too hot. And you can all laugh at our white skin - because it has not yet seen the sun!

Last day of school tomorrow! Yeah! With school and a computer that's about kaput, I'm not getting to the Blog much... Hoping the computer can take one more download of pic's for another Euro'08 post - we had fun last Sat. night in Zurich. More later......