Switzerland

The Lauterbrunnen Valley.....words escape me. It was simply breath taking. And such a delight to share the beauty with family. This particular area of Switzerland has been on Dad's bucket list for quite some time. And I can see why! Thank you Dad and Mom!

Looking down on the town of Lauterbrunnen from the train to Wengen.

First tram ride up the right side of the valley.

Ah......such good lookin parents!

A moment of awe!

 Poppi is such a tease.....

Each morning we woke up to the sounds of bells clanging on the cow's necks as they were hearded from the valley bottom to the higher grazing ground.

 A park break in Murren.

Gretel got the biggest kick out of this slide. I was suprised she wasn't scared to go down because it was farely long and bumpy. 

Looking down on Murren as we took the next cog.

The Eiger is right behind Pierce's head.

Heading back down.

Out to enjoy some very expensive Swiss food.

We took a series of trains to the Jungfrau-Joch. That is, the saddle below the top of the Jungfrau. It takes about 2 hours to get from Lauterbrunnen to the observation center. Mid way up the train stopped in the middle of the Eiger and there is a view point looking out the north face of the mountain. Upon reaching the top, there was sledding, ice caves, restuarants and shops all in an impressively huge complex. And of course a few die hards were venturing out on skiis, skins, harnesses and crampons.

The Foursome.

Kleine Scheidegg sat on the ridge between the Lauterbrunnen valley and Grindewald. It's a ski resort that can be accessed either by Grindewald or Wengen.

A little refreshments before hiking.

Eiger - Monch - Jungfrau



Empty House

I woke up this morning feeling a bit lonely. Alex drove everyone to the airport long before I crawled out of bed. The house felt empty after the last two weeks of buzzing activity. All morning Pierce asked, "Where's Caleb? Where's Caleb?" Ironically, a rain cloud descended over our house and it has drizzled all day. I slowly started putting loads of laundry through and getting the house back in order.

Mom and Dad's stay was simply delightful. However, their leaving has stirred up an emotional tornato in my heart. I have never had a hard time telling people goodbye....as a matter of fact, I would rather forgo a goodbye all together. Just move on; switch gears. Well, at least that's how it was before Theresa died. Now........its different. I dont know exactly how, just different. When I said my farewells last spring, I wanted to turn around on the jet way and run back to Mom and Dad for one last hug, one last look.....just hold on to the moment. Saying goodbye last night, I felt the same way.

I spent today missing Theresa.



Hangover

I am a little embarassed....well....and a little shy to tell this story, but it's simply too comical to be forgotten. At my tender 27 years of age I have never been drunk..........until last night.

Gerda and Pius are not only our landlords but our next door neighbors. A waist high stucco wall separates our yards. However, bushes have grown along the wall making the yards semi-private. The only break in the shrubs is an old spray tank on Gerda's side of the wall. And that tank serves as a rendevous point for.......oh, about anything. Gerda sends cake over at least twice a week. Not to mention flowers to transplant, popcicles for the kids and regular odds and ends.

Last night the spray tank served as a table for cheese, crackers and liquor. Toooo much liquor! It all started shortly after we layed the kids down for the night. Alex and I dished up big bowls of ice cream to enjoy out on the patio. The evening sun warmed our backs as we dipped in to our desserts. However, not five minutes had passed before Gerda popped up by the spray tank to ask a few questions. We started chatting about this and that and before we knew it Gerda was pouring champagne in to glasses sitting atop the old spray tank. Presently, we learned that Pius made his own liquor. Actually, three kinds of liquor! Alex and I not only tried all three, but multiple shots of all three. Immediately upon finishing Pius would fill us up again. And how could we refuse? Pius has a heart of gold! A little after midnight Alex and I stumbled back to the house. Alex mumbled, "They just drank us under the table!"

So....after living through highschool, college and beyond never caving to peer pressure.......I finally got drunk due to a 70 year old's genuine likeablness!

Absolutely awful! Pierce had to pretend he felt sick too.



Barfusspfad

Last week swept in blue skies and warm weather. We spent every waking moment outside from working in the yard to adventuring to a new park. The latest discovery was the Barfusspfad = Barefoot Park. It consisted of a two mile loop stretching around hay fields. There were sand boxes, gravel pits, balance beams, mud pits and bridges to cross. And of course, a Bier Garten to welcome us at the end. Simple idea, but great fun!

Directly following in the footsteps of her brother.....nothing scares her!



"Wait for me guys!"

Gretel you are my sweet heart! I love you to bits.......

Culture

I am reading this self help, parent help, mom help.....whatever....book. A chapter of it is dedicated to making a family "culture". The point being made is this:

How do you want people to see your family?  What type of feeling do you want company to experience upon entering your home? Think of different families you know and can you identify certain adjectives with certain families? Family culture doesn't just happen. It is created!

I thought about this. As soon as I pictured a certain family I could immediately identify some of the adjectives associated with them. That is: musical, scholastic, easy going, loud, rule with an iron hand, totally lax, outdoorsy, hic, etc. Interesting and so true! Each family has such a unique rhythm of life.

So I asked myself. What do I want our family culture to look like?

I want people to feel at home when they walk in the door.
I want the house to be orderly and neat, but not to the point of walking on pins and needles.
I want to trip on Pierce's sweaty basketball jersey draped across the bathroom floor.
I want to hear Gretel belt across the house, 'I'm home!' or 'What's for dinner?'
I want Pierce's high school friends to raid my kitchen.
I want morning prayer to follow daily morning chores.
I want to take countless backpacking and road trips.
I want Gretel and I to escape for girl time.
I want to surprise Pierce and his buddies with water balloons catapulted from a window.
I want to be staunch Catholics.
I want my kids to love coming home on college breaks and bringing friends with them.
Mostly, I want our family to be tight knit.......yep.....more than anything else.....tight knit.