What's Going On Back Home

Just got some pictures yesterday from the project manager overseeing our home restoration back in Midland. Looks like a lot of progress has been made recently. The new cabinets came in and are being installed, and they're even laying down the new floor. Word is they're on the homestretch of putting our house back together. That's such a huge relief for Jenny and I. Can't wait to see the finished product.

Swiss Transport Museum

Today we took a drive to the town of Lucerne to visit the Swiss Transport Museum, known locally as "Verkehrshaus der Schweiz." The museum exhibits all forms of transportation, from trains, to cars, to ships, and even planes. There's also a focus on communication and technology. The museum has a 3D film theater and even a planetarium. The kids even got to play around on the "green screen" and make videos. The weather the past week has been very grey and rainy, and today was no exception. So it was a good day for a visit to a museum.

Moving Day!

Well...this week we moved into our new house. The moving container arrived Tuesday morning, and the movers carried everything in for us all day Tuesday and Wednesday morning. It was good to see the container. We had this underlying fear that something would happen on its voyage over here and that it would sink to the bottom of the Atlantic. Fortunately that didn't happen. Anyway, the movers did a good job putting everything where we wanted it. They even got our futon sofa all the way up to the third floor (as you can see in the pictures below.) Anyway, all of our furniture is here now. So now it's up to Jenny and I just to organize everything. But in the meantime it's good to get out of the temporary apartment and into our new home.

Life At Random

Well...it's been a busy few weeks. Since we arrived 3 weeks ago we've gotten a new car, opened our banking account, and both kids have settled into their new schools. We registered with the local authorities, got our cards to ride the trains, been to Ikea several times already, got our Swiss insurance, a new cell phone, and we got our fingerprints taken and applied for "residency" in the country, We've even managed to do some sightseeing and sledding. It's only been 3 weeks but it seems longer than that. Anyway, now we're starting a busy week this week - the move into our new place. Our furniture arrives this week and the movers will be moving our stuff into our new place this Tuesday and Wednesday. So this is a big week for us this week. Even though this will be another transition for us we're all ready for it. We've been living out of suitcases for weeks now (actually since Thanksgiving if you count the water disaster at our house in Midland.) So we're anxious to move in and settle down a bit. In the meantime though we've gone on with life as usual (or as much as it can be right now.) Ben and Megan have been busy emailing and "Skyping" friends and family back home, we're tuned into American television with Netflix streaming and Slingbox, Ben and Megan have been fascinated with the trains and ferries, and we're managing to have fun and enjoy the natural beauty of Switzerland. The kids have even had several playdates already with our friends the McGaugh family. Life is moving along slow but surely. As Mike McGaugh and I tell each other all the time - "Every day gets a little bit easier."

(By the way, in the pictures below look for the most expensive bottle of Aunt Jemima syrup you will ever see. To give you an idea how expensive everything in Zurich is look at the price tag under the small bottle of syrup. It reads 19.90 Swiss Francs. That would equal about $20 in the states. SImply mind boggling.)