Tschuess, Zuerich!

On Monday morning, the movers arrived... and I moved our family over to the Munk-Riis home, where we would be staying for the next week. Annemarie and her family had already left for the summer, so they had graciously offered us their gorgeous apartment. It was a perfect place to spend our last week - and as the kids were so excited to sleep in Elsemarie and Adam's rooms, they barely noticed that they were leaving their own rooms.

Jay unfortunately was still quite ill for most of the week, so it was also nice for him to have the space of a house to relax in - away from the chaos of the move.

The kids also did soccer camp this week - right up the street from our house. Kate did mini-soccer in the mornings (from 10-12), followed by playdates at Alana and Chloe's homes in the afternoon. And Jack did full-day soccer camp (10-4), and LOVED it... both kids were so excited to go each morning - it was fun to see, and it ended up being a wonderful distraction for that final, sad week... this way, they never really had to see the house as it was being dismantled, and they were so tired after soccer, that they happily collapsed at the Munk-Riis' home at night. (By the way, this was my walk home from soccer camp - can you see why I'm going to miss this place?)

On Wednesday, we had one of our saddest good-byes.. the Kelly's were leaving to fly to South Africa to join Mike for the World Cup finals - and a vacation afterwards. On the one hand, the good-bye was happy for them, as they had been away from Mike for 7 long weeks - and were so excited to be joining him... but on the other hand, it was heartbreaking.

Jack and Ava have been friends for the entire time we've been in Switzerland - they shared Jack's first kiss (and many afterwards!!!), and Kate also considers Ava to be one of her best friends... And Jen has been such an incredible friend to me for the entire time as well... we've shared so many family holidays, birthdays, playdates, and celebrations together... it is really hard to imagine a world where we won't be seeing them every day. So we met up for a final sorbet in the park, and left with tears on both sides. (And a final parting kiss, of course!)

That night, Jay was feeling a bit better, so Teri came over for a final night with the kids - and we had a light dinner, followed by a beautiful walk around town. I was so grateful we got this evening in, as the last week had been filled with nothing but logistics - it was nice to take a pause, and enjoy Zurich in all its glory.

And it was really nice for the kids to have one last night with Teri. Teri has also been with us since the beginning - and we have always felt like she was a part of our extended family... she has helped us so many times with the kids, with Chopper, and with our lives here - we will miss her warm presence in our lives.

On Thursday, soccer camp ended with a nice awards ceremony for the kids... Jack and Kate loved getting their certificates and prizes, and were so proud of their week. We ended the ceremony with even more goodbyes - our last of the week - as we said goodbye to so many friends from school... (here is Jack with Ida, one of his adorable girlfriends)

That night, we took the gang out to Pizza Pasta Ciao for a final hurrah.

It was a great evening - and fun to get to celebrate in a place that brought us so many great times.

On Friday, Jay took the day off! Hurray! And he was feeling better! So we had a perfect day... we started by walking over to our house to say good-bye to it... the movers had finished on Thursday afternoon, and so everything was empty... there is nothing sadder than walking around an empty apartment, so we tried to keep it brief...

and then headed down to the lake for a day at the Mythenquai. The weather was perfect, and we swam nearly all day. Our family even braved a big swim to swim out to the floating raft - once for me and Kate, and twice for the boys!

On the way home, we stopped at Movenpick for a final dose of Carmelita ice cream, and just took in the scene at Bellevue - one of our favorite spots in all of Zurich. Then we headed back to Annemarie's, where we ordered takeout, and started the process of packing our things, and cleaning their home.

That night, Jay and I took in our final sunset from Annemarie's terrace, and reflected on how lucky we were to have this experience. I have a whole list of what things we'll miss most about Zurich, but am still a bit too emotional to write it - so I hope to include it soon...

But above all, we'll miss the people... we had so many wonderful friends and great memories there. And because we were all so far from family, we really relied on our friends for so much. We will miss you all...

And now, for the exciting sequel... yes, there will be a new blog of our life back in the US - but I need a good name (one that does not include our last name)!!! I'm taking any ideas you might have... so send them on! :)

Holiday (and Farewells) in Zurich

On Sunday morning, Jay returned to Chicago, and the kids and I had a really nice two days with Oma and Papa. The kids were pretty worn out from all the excitement, so they opted to stay home on Sunday and play - which was perfect for me, as Oma and Papa played with them, while I started getting everyone packed. It was great to have the extra help.

On Monday, Oma and Papa took the kids for an adventure during the day to the toy store and out to lunch... and I had a chance to run last-minute errands and work on our packing.

That night, Teri babysat for the kids, and the three adults had dinner at my favorite summer restaurant, Tao's.

It was a perfect, warm evening - and we had a really enjoyable time, sitting outside beneath St Peter's church. A fitting end to such a nice visit - along with the really nice 9 visits that Oma and Papa had made while we were here!!!

The weather was GORGEOUS the rest of the week, so during the day, I pretended we weren't moving in 10 days... and we played! (At night, I'd return to reality and pack like a madwoman - but the days were perfect) On Tuesday, we met up with the Kelly gang (Jen, Jen's sister, Kelly, Ava, and Colin) and the Munk-Riis gang (Annemarie, Adam, Elsamarie and Carl) at the Mythenquai, one of the badi's on the Zurichsee. It was a perfect day - everyone loved it, and it was warm enough that we ALL went swimming in the lake.

That night, Jack attempted his first sleepover at Victor's house. All went well until bedtime, when he just couldn't fall asleep... after deciding that Mrs. Mahler just didn't rub his back like I did, I got a phone call at 10:30pm, and Claudia brought Jack home. He wasn't upset at all - just happy to be back in his own house.

The next morning, we picked up Victor for an adventure day with us, and returned to the Mythenquai, where we met up with the Kelly's again, along with my friend Kelsey and her little guy, Lowen. I always love seeing Kelsey - her husband has been friends with Jay since Bizbuyer, and we always had a great time with them. We will miss them, but hope to see them when they return to California someday soon...

That evening, we dropped Victor back at home, where we said our good-byes, as the Mahler's were leaving for New York the next morning. It was really hard for the adults to say good-bye, but since Victor has now decided he's moving to Chicago, Jack and he appear to be all settled. Too bad Victor hasn't convinced the rest of his family to move... We will definitely miss Daniel and Claudia, and hope to visit them next summer in New York.

That night, we had dinner at the Munk-Riis home along with our friends, Eva, and her children, Elin and Alberto (Jack's buddy). It was a really fun evening - all the kids got along great, and we had a fun dinner on top of Annemarie's rooftop terrace.


But it was also a really sad night, as I then said good-bye to Annemarie and Eva after dinner... too many good-byes in one day!

On Thursday, Chopper was picked up for her big trip home. Luckily, the pet handler on this side was really terrific - he made me feel very comfortable about the whole process... but nothing makes me feel good about putting Chops in the crate for that long flight. She dug all four paws in, and did not want to get in - so I had to lift her into the truck.. heartbreaking... but also great to know she would soon be with my parents, who were picking her up in Chicago that evening.

After the teary good-bye with Chops, we opted for the pool, and alternated between the indoor pool, outdoor pool, and the slides... pure heaven. Afterwards, we met the O'Riordans for a little swim in the lake, followed by dinner at the Sonne. Jack and Kate (as always) had a blast with Luisa, Tom and Charlie, and I had a wonderful time with Kate. But by the end of this farewell, I was wiped... just too hard to say good-bye to so many wonderful people.

On Friday, we returned to the pool, and met up with the Kelly's for another fun afternoon of swimming and dinner at the pool. It was so nice to have so much time with Jen this week - and for the kids to be with Ava and Colin... easy for all of us.

I was emotionally and physically wiped out - so really looking forward to Jay's return from Chicago that day. But poor Jay arrived (barely!!!) with a horrible illness (we later decided it was salmonella food poisoning). So the poor thing was confined to the bed (and bathroom!) for the entire weekend... And I continued the sad task of getting everything ready for the movers, who were arriving Monday morning. It definitely was not our best weekend in Zurich - for anyone - but we set our sights on the next week...

Farewell Soiree

On Saturday, we hosted a farewell party at our place with all of our friends. It was a hot, perfectly sunny afternoon, and so we were lucky enough to have everything out in our garden. All of the guests brought either an appetizer or dessert, so all I had to cover was the main course, drinks and getting everything "presentable."

There is one party detail I will NEVER take for granted when we get home... and that is the procurement of ice! Anyone who has traveled to Europe knows that ice is not as frequently used here - so purchasing big bags of ice for a party requires a little planning. Luckily, I had found 3 gas stations that sold ice (3 - in all of Zurich), and so on Saturday morning, while Jay slept, I asked Erin to watch the kids for a bit and I went on the hunt for ice... one hour later, I was so proud to return with my 3 bags of ice... and a cooler picked up along the way from the Kelly's. Victory!

While the gang headed off to play for the day, I had a chance to get our house really clean - and organized for the move (double duty). By the time everyone returned at 2pm, we were ready for final preparations.. and our guests arrived at 4pm.

The party was really, really fun - all 21 kids played very nicely together in the lawn, and outside of food and drink requests, we barely saw them during the entire event.



We had many friends from Baxter and ICS here, and it was a really nice way to say good-bye to everyone before leaving. Everyone enjoyed meeting Oma and Papa, and I think it was nice for them to put a face with so many names that they had heard about over the years.



The last guests left around 8:30pm, and Oma and Papa stayed to help us clean up - which was such a huge help. We were done with all the yard, dishes, and putting most everything away by 9:30pm, at which point they returned to their hotel, and Jay and I went to work, packing him for his return trip to Chicago the next morning. It had been such a short visit back to Zurich for Jay - but completely worth it, as he got a chance to see his parents and many of our friends.


We put him in the taxi the next morning with heavy hearts - but also happy to know this would be the last time he'd be flying to Chicago on his own... the next time, we would ALL be going with him.

Oma and Papa's Visit

On Wednesday, Oma and Papa arrived - and, as I mentioned on the last blog post, it was such a wonderful boost for all of us.

Thursday was the kids' last day of school - I cried like an idiot, hugging all their teachers and little friends... It was also the first time that Jack showed any sadness about our move. On the last day, they invite all the children to visit their next year's classroom... so he watched as all his buddies went off to explore their first grades together. For all the children who are leaving, there is a special assembly and presentation, where they receive a certificate and the famous ICS orange hat. I say famous, as Jack has not taken it off once since getting it - so I'm certain it will be a key feature in all our summer photos. But I think seeing that process definitely made him realize that we were really moving on... when I picked him up from school that day, it was the first time he did not want to stay and play - he just asked if we could go home. :(

So, needless to say, it was such a relief to meet up with Oma and Papa after the half-day of emotions.

We headed straight to the lake, where the kids (and Papa!) waded into the water... we treated everyone to a last day of school ice cream, and had a leisurely afternoon playing at the park and along the water.

That evening, our former babysitter from Chicago, Erin, visited us with her husband, Kelly. They had planned their visit nearly a year ago (long before we knew we were moving!), and arrived in the middle of their travels through Switzerland and Germany.

I think Jack definitely recognized Erin - it was cute to see his face when he saw her. And both Kate and Jack loved having them stay with us. We had a big family dinner with Oma and Papa that night, and then Erin and Kelly took advantage of the (finally!!!) gorgeous weather to take a long walk along the lake.

On Friday, Erin and Kelly headed to Luzern for the day... and I took our gang to Mainau Island, Germany. In all of their 9 visits, we had somehow never gotten Oma and Papa there - so it was nice to finally show them it - and a perfect day for a visit.

The kids LOVED pushing all their "riders" across the rafts... and played in the playground for 2 hours, so happy to maneuver all the water and sand devices. After lunch, we drove back to Zurich, and were home in time to greet Jay, who had flown in from Chicago that morning.


We had a very happy reunion, and then all went out to dinner at Pizza Pasta Ciao. It was so nice for Jay to have a night with his parents - and he finally got a chance to tell them (in appropriate detail) all about his new job, the decision leading up to it, and everything that we'd be going through in the next year. It was a special evening - and I know everyone enjoyed it.

The next morning, we were hosting a Farewell Soiree for all of our friends.. and were expecting 47 people (26 adults and 21 children). So I stayed up late getting things in order... and then woke up at 5am to start again! Poor jetlagged Jay finally woke up at 9am, and then took the kids, Oma and Papa out to lunch and to the parks for the day.. which gave me time to get the house in order. My sister, Susan, had also reminded me that week to photograph every room of our house before we moved - and so it was a perfect time, as the house would never look that clean again... Everyone returned home at 2pm, and Jay and I got to work delivering our piano to the Kelly's. We got it down the stairs and in our car (barely!) and then it was time to get dressed for the party.. quite a whirlwind day for all (especially poor Jay), but the party (see next post) was definitely worth it.