Where have you been?

It's been a week since I've posted; sorry for the absence. My dad left last Saturday to go home, and it's taken me about a week to try and get back into a normal operating routine. Quinn was home Monday and Tuesday with a stomach bug and Bryan was out at night for dinners because his boss was in town. You'd think with all that extra time to myself I would have blogged, but I was feeling a little low.

Troy and Bryan are at baseball tryouts now getting ready for a season of baseball in Geneva. It should be an interesting time-practice and games are on the other side of Geneva (away from us) so it looks like getting there will be an adventure. Play ball!!!

Moonlit View

Last night, Dad, Bryan, and I went out for dinner while the kids stayed home with a babysitter. It was kind of a last hurrah before Dad goes home on Saturday. The restaurant we went to serves the best filet de perch in the Geneva area according to Bryan. Both he and Dad had the perch and I had filet mignon. It was all very good, but just as you are finishing your plate, they come out with seconds of everything-boy, is that a lot of food! It had been a clear day earlier, so we thought we'd check to see if the moon was out lighting up Lake Geneva. As you can see, it was!

Spring is Coming

Even though the weather has been a bit iffy, signs of spring are showing up in little places. Snowdrop and crocus-like flowers are popping out of the ground in little clusters making way for future spring flowers.  The shops in the villages are starting to decorate for spring; little bunnies and eggs are in the window displays enticing me to come in and buy a bit of spring for the still mostly overcast days.  Before my dad got here, I purchased some tulips to put on the table-they stayed beautiful for over a week!  Yesterday my dad picked up some more tulips, apricot-colored this time.  It just brightens up the room!  Thanks, Dad; I needed that pick-me-up.

An Abundance of Blocks

Crazy weather today-we had a bit of everything except warm weather. It rained, snowed, had a frozen mix, and a bit of sunshine; all that said, it was a day to stay inside. I spent time picking up the downstairs, went grocery shopping (I don't consider that going out because I go from garage to parking structure and back), did 3 days worth of Bible Study-then my reward came! I got to work on this project in black, red, and cream. This "Scrappy Friends" quilt kit was assembled at least 4 years ago and I'm just now working on it. It's my goal to finish up all the projects I have before buying any more. (All my quilting friends know what I'm talking about.) I spent about 2 hours quilting and then set up my design wall to arrange the blocks. Brilliant idea, to see how scrappy the blocks would look before sewing them all together. I got them up there, but the bottom half of the blocks kept falling off. What to do now? Just grab them in any order and sew, sew, sew. I finished the inside of the quilt, now I have the outer border made out of pinwheel blocks; I'm beginning to think this will never end.

7 year old Imagination

Today was another beautiful day in Bogis Bossey, so we decided to go for a walk in the woods of Divonne, France, about 15 minutes away. The path we decided to take was a par-course with 20 stops to practice stretching, balance, and strength. It was a little confusing which way to go to get to the next stop, but luckily we had Quinn's GPS (Goudzwaard Positioning System). Mind you, it was a little pink plastic flip-top box, but she used that GPS and her imagination to get us to each spot. I love the way kids come up with great inventions!

All in all, it was a great day to spend time with each other and experience nature!

Ruins, Gargoyles, and Crazy Costumes, Oh My!

What beautiful weather we had today; nothing better than to take a day trip to Avenches and Morat, two picturesque cities about an hour away from Geneva. Avenches was first on our stop, and there, in the middle of the town, was a Roman amphitheater that they still use today for concerts and the like. The kids had a great time going up and down the steps of the seating area and finally made their way down to the center arena where Troy proceeded to put his fingers on the top of his head and run like a bull, full force towards me. I haven't laughed so much in a long time. The kids also posed like gargoyles on some of the ruins; was it reminiscent of visiting Notre Dame a couple of weeks ago?

A short drive away were the ruins of a temple and a Roman theater. Quite impressive with the size of it all. Once the Roman Museum opened up in the afternoon, we went in and saw many of the artifacts they discovered at the different ruins in the city. My favorite were the mosaics that they had displayed; it's absolutely amazing that such craftsmanship was done such a long time ago!

The day was also filled with a trip to Morat where we tried to do a walking tour of the old town, but we couldn't find our way around with the directions in Rick Steves' book on Switzerland. We passed by a giant chess board and Troy couldn't resist moving the pieces around; he begged to play a game, but grandpa and I knew it would take to long (plus, I don't know how to play the game.)There were a lot of people dressed up in crazy costumes, some in bands, others just walking around. They were getting ready for Nachtsfest, a celebration like Mardi Gras. It looked like fun, but we were getting tired and decided to head back home for a little relaxation.

Going to the Big House

This afternoon my dad took me to the big house -no, not prison, but the Chateau in Divonne, France. The Chateau is a favorite of the family's because we can see it from our living room picture window. We had a leisurely lunch overlooking the city below and our quaint village in the distance. We got great service; we were the only ones there! Although, I'm sure our service would have been just as good if it was a bit busier. The food was a feast for the eyes as well as our stomachs. Dad had Pork cheek - very tender - and I had some sirloin with spazi - quite savory. It was a lot of food for lunch, but thankfully the portions aren't too big. (Not Claim Jumper for our California peeps!) You can see pictures of our lunches and desserts at http://www.billpostma2009.blogspot.com/ on my dad's blog. (We shared the camera for our pictures.)

Bryan came home from Milan this afternoon by train. That gave him 40 minutes to get home, send a couple of emails, hug the kids and me, and then he was off to Verbier for a ski weekend with men from our church. It's a little fun that's well deserved! Let's hope he comes home tomorrow night in one piece!!

How did we end up with a Swiss bank account?

In January 2008 Bryan was asked if he would be interested in an overseas assignment; with one night to think it over, we decided "YES!" and from there it has been a blur. Bryan began traveling back and forth between Geneva, Switzerland and Placentia, California. By July 2008, our family was packed up and in a little village outside of Geneva called Bogis-Bossey. It's been 7 months since our move and we've all had some adjusting to do. Bryan is now Finance Manager in Europe and is being challenged every day. He does a bit more traveling, but the trips are usually 2-3 days and not 2-3 weeks! The best part is, when Bryan's home on the weekends, he's home, and we get to do a lot together as a family.

Troy and Quinn are attending College du Leman, an international school just 10 minutes away. Each of them has made friends quickly and are in class with students from many different nationalities. They both take French classes 5 periods a week and have played afternoon soccer in the fall. (Spring soccer should be starting soon.)

Stephanie is adjusting a bit slower than the rest of the family. She has a lot more time on her hands and misses the activity of being with her quilting family at Threaded Pear Studio and Cranberry Quiltworks! She has gotten involved with Bible studies at church and trying to have coffee or hang out with the new people she has met. There are ups and downs, but lately there have been more ups than downs.

This blog will serve as a way to share our adventures with you, our family and friends!