Back to School

Isabella and Xavier returned to school after their 3-week spring break...almost felt like starting a new year. We awoke to another sunny day, and the kids excited to see their friends.

Blausee - April 20

Todd and I celebrated our 15th wedding annversary by going to Blausee (Blue Lake) with the children. The weather was fine, the lake was incredibly beautiful, and the surrounding forest magical.

Making Note

A couple more items from our trip to Paris that the kids and I want to remember (since this is our diary of our time here).

Several times a day upon arriving, Isabella would say to me, "I need to have creme brulee while here. What's the point of coming to France and not eating creme brulee". Isabella has loved creme brulee since she first tried it some years back. Apparently it was an important part of experiencing Paris.

On our third day, we noticed it was the dessert special of the day at a small cafe in Tuilleries Garden. She enjoyed the creme brulee, while I a glass a wine, and Xavier ran and climbed about within view.








We had read about the wooden carousel in Luxemberg Gardens. It is the oldest in Paris and the only one that still practices the brass ring. Children are given a lance and on each turn around they try to capture a brass ring that then rests on their lance. http://www.havekidswilltravel.net/paris-carousel/

I originally thought that both kids would ride the carousel, as it seemed like such a great tradition, but when we arrived, I realized that it was too small and rickety to hold Isabella. Xavier rode and had fun snagging 11 brass rings, while Isabella and I cheered him on.

A Day in the Life

Today will be a running commentary on a typical work day.

4:45 AM - The joys of apartment living. The neighbor upstairs set his alarm for 4:45, not a big deal, but he is a snoozer. After the third or fourth time his alarm goes off, I get out of bed at 5:15. Not a big deal, I usually get up at 5:20

5:20 - Morning requirements are taken care of, coffee is made, internet is on. I spend 60 to 90 minutes every morning drinking coffee and reading the internets. NBA playoffs have started, I'll be following these pretty closely.

6:30 - I want to get in a little early today, so I'm signing off for the morning. It is 37 degrees, time to pack my bag, put on my gear and hit the bike for the ride into the office. I have 37 unread emails currently in my inbox at work...

7:40 - Showered and at my desk, ride in was nice but my back left brake is sticking, I hate trying to adjust brakes

8:00 - Initial cut at email is done, examined meeting schedule for the day. 7 hours of meetings scheduled, however several overlap so it looks like I can actually go to 4.5 hours. This is a fairly typical meeting day, I probably avrage 4-5 hours of meetings. Worst day so far was 14.5 hours worth from 7:30 AM until 7:00 PM. I spend at least 30 minutes a day coordinating people to make sure all meetings are covered where I am double booked.

8:05 - Coffee time

8:30 - Cranking through emails, updating two statuses. This will keep me busy until my first meeting at 10:00.

11:30 - Finished my first meeting. It was supposed to be 60 minutes but went 90. Typical. It was about an issue that we have been discussing for over a year. The result of the meeting was "We don't know." So, we'll now have multiple follow ups and see if we can figure out what we will do.

12:00 - Lunch, today was lamb with green beans and new potatoes.

1:00 - More email work, down to 21 unread.

1:30 - First in a series of three back to back to back meetings.

5:00 - Done with meetings. We made some progress but a big question still remains: How do we do the right thing and how do we pay for it. This is a common issue. We know what, how and why things should be fixed but we aren't sure how we can execute on it do to the way work is funded.

5:30 - Wrapping up for the day. Down to 19 unread email, today was a slow email day I only got 43 new ones. Typical day is over 60 but since we have easter break coming up (we get Good Friday and Easter Monday off), many people are out of office. All in all, a pretty good day for getting stuff accomplished.

6:25 - Arrived home, got out of work a little late due to a hallway meeting. At least twice a week I'll be heading out the door and some one will grab me for a 10-15 minute conversation. I really hate that. When I got home I discovered my family attempting to recover a shoe that was thrown in a tree. Meatloaf and potatoes for dinner

7:15 Dinner is over, kitchen is cleaned up. Kim is reading to xavier before bed, Izzi is in her room reading.

Four Days of Bliss

Breathtaking, Vibrant City; Sunny, Warm Days; Happy, Excited Kids = Bliss

A few photos...

Wathing boats on the Seine






Louvre




Eiffel



Notre Dame




Saint Germain

The kids and I are off to Paris for 3 nights, and we're all very excited! The top of the kids list is the Eiffel Tower. We also have Notre Dame, the Picasso Museum and Luxemberg Gardens planned. We're staying in Paris center, so plan to spend a lot of time just roaming, enjoying the view and good food/drink.

Our Train

I believe that we are all a bit attached to the S7 train. It runs between Ittigen and Bern, and we use it almost daily. There are days when I tire of the 10 minute walk down the hill, the train ride to Bern, and then the walk, tram or train to our next destination, but all-in-all it's liberating not to own a car.

I know when we return to the U.S., I'll easily and gladly revert to driving most places. But for now, we love our train.

10ish Likes and Dislikes

Likes
1) My job
2) Natural Beauty
3) Public Transportation
4) Bike Friendly
5) Lots of garbage cans a dog poop cans
6) Warm Winters!
7) Time to read
8) Being able to drink a beer in public
9) Not owning a car

Disikes
1) Apartment Living
2) Random Bills
3) Cost of Living
4) Few Public Restrooms
5) Obliviousness
6) High German, Swiss German, Bern German...Pick One Already!
7) Lack of Snow
8) 95% of places are closed on Sundays
9) Not owning a car