40th Birthday Shocker Part II

The next morning we slept in!  Like, missed the hotel breakfast, slept in.  When was the last time we got to do that?!!!  It was heaven.  Best part?  We even found a place that served breakfast all day (I have a hard time skipping breakfast and going right into lunch foods.  I know, it's a little strange.  So I was beyond thrilled that we could have breakfast for lunch.  A little too excited.  Can you tell? :) ) 

It was BEAUTIFUL out, so we just walked and walked and walked. 

 Big Ben was under construction.  He will be until 2021.  So this was the best we could get!

 Then we prepped ourselves for the Eye...

We got a pretty nice view of the city on a gorgeous day...

 After the Eye, we walked passed Big Ben, through the bagpipe players, passed the statues, by Westminster Abbey...

down to the lions...

 and into Covent Garden :)

What a great spot!  We spent the rest of the evening here, shopping, exploring...

 posing where Eliza Doolittle sold her flowers in My Fair Lady....

 and buying Ben's cookies.... Wow...

I could eat a few more of those...

Such a fun part of London. 

The next morning, we woke up and ran to see Tower Bridge and walked across it.  Then we hopped in a taxi and headed for the airport.  I was so relaxed, that somewhere between the taxi and the airport, my phone disappeared.  It was that small purse I was carrying around!  I'm used to my huge one that holds everything for everyone!  It's so deep that I never lose my phone!  Sadly, I lost a few pictures, but not too many...It was a weekend that just kept on giving.  Joe didn't know it earlier, but, happy birthday to me, again!!  A new phone too!  Hahaha!

I don't feel 40, despite my lack of flexibility, a little sciatic pain and that stubborn baby weight (can I still call it baby weight?!) that won't let go... I feel INCREDIBLY blessed for the life I have been given and who I get to spend it with.  Thank you for all of the birthday wishes, gifts, messages, phone calls, and serenades!  And a HUGE thank you to Suzanne, Luca and Natascha, Tanja and Peter and Susan for taking care of our crew while we were gone.  You are all saints.  We are so grateful for you!

40th Birthday Shocker!!!

Joe's not great at keeping secrets.  He gets too excited and drops comments here and there or makes facials that let me know something is up.  So, when he hadn't mentioned ANYTHING a week before my big 4-0, I started wondering if I should go ahead and let the kids go to the parties they had been invited to that weekend.  Wednesday night after our big YW in Excellence, we got home and got everyone in bed, and then threw ourselves on the couch to relax for a bit.  Then he casually said, "You can RSVP yes for the kids parties. I don't see why they would interfere with anything."  I was a touch disappointed...until he continued, "But you need to pack your bags."  WHAT?!?!?!

 Here we are at the airport.  Just the two of us.  With one suitcase a purse and a backpack (!!!!!) (Traveling light really is all it's hyped up to be!!!!!).  Joe had orchestrated something so complex without my knowledge, that he reached genius status.  He organized 4 different family friends to help watch our kids for the weekend, including taking them to all of their "things," so we could escape to London.  

 I was beyond ecstatic.  Mostly because he's the best.  But also for a few other reasons...

1.  I'd never been to London

2.  I wasn't the one organizing our itinerary

3.  I couldn't remember (neither could he) the last time it was just the 2 of us for a getaway

4.  HE GOT TICKETS TO HAMILTON

5.  He planned the entire weekend, so I could just happily go along with whatever he had organized.

(I realize I kind of already said this in #2...but you don't understand...this was huge...I plan and organize all of our trips.  It takes a ton of time, and although I enjoy it, it also is a bit stressful at times, when I'm trying to make sure I have everything organized and lined up...often times we just plan for hiccups and then no one can get too upset!  Hahahaha!)

6.  The best part?  Us.  Together.  For 2 1/2 days.  

 So, we took a taxi to our hotel that was right across the street from Buckingham Palace.  

Couldn't get enough of the taxis!  I'm a huge fan. 

 We checked in and dropped our stuff off in our room.  I found I had a little surprise waiting for me.  

 40 is going to be great.  I can feel it already.  

And then we changed and hit the town!  

We went through Buckingham Palace and walked around the gardens...

                                                 

 We checked out the guards and grounds around the palace...

 And then we walked right back by our hotel on our way to see Hamilton. 

 I caught a double decker and a taxi in the same pic!  Had to be quick to capture that one!

 I was so excited.  

 And it really was incredible.  

We celebrated with a little Shake Shack after the performance around midnight and called it a night.  A truly incredible start to our weekend! 

Young Women in Excellence 2018

These are my Young Women.  They are a pretty incredible group, and I am so grateful I get to spend my time with them!  Tonight was a night for us to celebrate them and their greatness and their accomplishments that help bring them closer to Christ.  We would be saying goodbye to Caroline, as she graduated from our program, and would be welcoming Tamara, as she would be turning 12 in just a couple of weeks.

 Our theme this year has been, "Peace in Christ," or "Frieden in Christus."  Each girl got a little lantern with a candle inside that said "peace" on it to take home as a reminder of Who ultimately is our source of peace.

 We speak German, French, English, Spanish and Tagalog in our group of girls.  Thankfully, most of them understand at least a little English, or I'd be in big trouble!!!  But because of the language barriers, sometimes it's difficult to get to know each other as well as we'd like.  So, I wanted to take pictures of the girls with them holding a sign telling each other and the leaders and families some things we might not know about them.  During our evening, some of the girls got up and spoke about the corresponding value that they were attached to in their picture. 

It was a wonderful night! 

 So grateful to Heidi, Paula, and Erica for all of their hard work to help us make it special for the girls.

Jake's 5th Grade Field Trip to the Kuntsmuseum

I wasn't able to go on any field trips with the kids last year.  Mostly because I couldn't ask anyone to take Mack for the bulk of the day.  When the chance to go on a half day trip came up, I jumped on it.  And thanks to my friend, Mary Beth, who watch Mack for me, I was able to go with Jake and his teacher and his classmates to one of the thousands of museums, here in Basel.   I was so happy to capture this one of Jake and his good friends, Ben and Carl, because just two days later, Carl moved to Singapore.  

 I love doing this type of stuff with my kids because I get to see who is in their class and I get to know the kids a bit better.  I see first hand who they gravitate toward and how they act around their friends.  This was a lot of fun, because we all hopped on the tram and rode right into the city to have the docent of the Küntsmuseum teach us how to look at light, patterns, and different styles of art.  Then the kids were able to be artists themselves.

 I'll admit.  I didn't come for the museum.  I came to make sure Jake knows I love him and I support him and I try my best to make time for him.  I like museums and all, but I didn't jump on this opportunity to dissect artwork.  Haha.  I'm really not great at that anyway.  I know 5th grade is a time when you don't necessarily need to be hugging your mom and hanging out with her on your field trips, but hopefully just having me there made him feel happy and secure.  

I have to say though, when we walked into Monet's section of the museum and I saw Etretát in France, I got giddy!  One, because I recognized it immediately, and two, because it was Jake I took a picture of back in May, with this very view in the background.  I guess Monet and I have pretty good taste ;) 

Treasure

I don't spend a lot of time in Primary these days.  I miss it.  I'm always in the Young Women's room at church, so the boys know right where to run to find me.  

So last week, when I was at the church to set up for our big "Young Women in Excellence," I got a very unexpected hug from heaven.  

We decided to have our program in the Primary room, because it was the perfect size for our young women and their families--not too big and not to small.  I came in with all of my bags and dropped them on the floor and started to unload everything, when my counselor, Paula, touched my arm, and with a big smile, pointed to some of the artwork that was up on the board.  I had never seen the board before.  But my heart stopped and my vision got a little cloudy when I saw this:

Best family portrait ever.  

Mack, Me and the Farm

After our exhilarating, non-stop summer, just like that, the kids were back in school.  I mourned a bit.  Mack mourned a bit.  And then we noticed that Switzerland was blessing us with sunshine, and LOTS OF IT!  So, for the last couple of months, Mack and I have spent most of our mornings up above our house in the most beautiful farmland that I never tire of.  We have a deal.  I fill the jogger with snacks and water and a couple of toys, and together we set out on about a 30 minute trek.  We say hello to the cows, the berries, the sheep and the pigs.  He lets me sweat a bit without stopping, but he always knows when we are getting close to his favorite farm, because suddenly he sits up in his seat and points and yells, "Slide!!!!!"   I park the jogger and Mack hops out and we play at the farm with the playground and the corn maze and the animals for another half hour or so.  

There are ALWAYS fun things to do.

 We get a little wet

 We eat with the cows and listen to them chat

 We spend a little time with the peacocks

 We watch the pumpkins take their bath

 We check out the local produce

 And wonder which pumpkins to try...all of their suggestions are in German, and although I'm taking lessons, I'm still a little slow to pick up on the vernacular.

When I have completely cooled down and am a bit stiff (haha), I load Mack reluctantly back up into the jogger.  And we take off again, on our half hour journey home.  This time, with the promise to stop and say hello to the chickens, the geese, the bees and of course the little piglets that were born not too long ago.

 This is our routine.  Mack knows it.  He has it down pat.  And I love it.  Friday, we jogged passed the pigs with the promise to see them on our way back, and the farmer had all sorts of picnic tables set up and they were grilling sausages right next to the pigs!  I chuckled --Torture for those poor pigs...but on our loop, I could pick up fresh eggs and milk, vegetables, jam and honey, and now the occasional sausage,  if I had enough space!

 I came home and told Joe that if I could pick up that land and those paths and take them with me wherever we go, it would be heaven.  I think someone else feels the very same ;)