Geno and his dog...

This picture is one example of how Geno and Charlie spend their days. Geno walks around the house banging on things with Charlie always under foot as they make their way to the window hopeful for the moment when Mom says lets go outside and play! Isn't this cute how they are both looking out the window? If there is anyone who can appreciate this moment, it is Grandpa Tom. Grandpa Tom, this one's for you!!

2008 Track Banquet

Tonight was the 2008 Track Banquet at Coretta's school. They received great medals and we enjoyed conversation and cake. Coretta had a great season and even took second place in the 100 meter dash! Here are some pictures from the banquet with her friends Katherine and Maeve. Congratulations Coretta! Job well done!

New Haircuts

While Mom was away, Nick took the kids in to get haircuts. Coretta decided that she wanted to try something short. Geno decided that he wanted no part of it and when the pouty face didn't work, he started fighting. Nick had to restrain him in a head lock the entire time. the hairdresser stated mid way through that she thought that they should stop because it would scar his haircut experiences to come. Nick replied, "Keep cutting!" Here are photos of their new looks.

Sister Weekend 2008

Amazingly enough, the weekend has finally come and gone...

One of the last weekends where my sisters and I will have the luxury to get together whenever we want.

One of the last weekends where we can have a beer in a child-free environment and soak our tired bodies in the hot tub.

One of the last weekends that we can hike along Lester River in Duluth, Minnesota and enjoy the peace and quiet and tranquility that nature can give.

One of the last weekends we can get a 60 minute massage at the day spa.

One of the last weekends we can let loose at the Red Star drinking $8.00 martinis.

It was fun, but now I must make my journey to Switzerland and sadly will not be able to see them as often as I may like. Here are some pictures of Bridgette, Erin, Sarah, and I on our weekend trip!

On our hike for nature!

Erin, Bridgette, and I enjoyed our short time in Duluth, Minnesota.

We spent some time down by the lake. I have always been somewhat fascinated with the brute force and strength of Lake Superior. It is always at least ten degrees colder by the lake and Erin and Bridgette came ill prepared. Bridgette without a jacket and Erin only having flip flops, but they made he best of it.

While down by the lake, it was interesting to note the different types of rocks you can find down by the shore. It seems that the water has changed them and has even eroded their appearance by the mighty crashing from the waves. The color hues of brown, orange, red, black, and even white were beautiful. Coretta being the scientist would have loved to be down there inspecting each one.

Erin even found something that resembled a missile of some sort and we became CSI forensic scientist for a short while trying to hypothesize of it's origin. You never know what the shore will leave behind or take with it on any given day.

We also spent some time down at Lester Park. This used to be one of Nick's favorite places to go and I wanted Erin and Bridgette to experience it as well. Just taking time to listen to the trees blowing, the water trickling down and crashing into the rocks is therapeutic. This is why I feel being close to nature is so important. I believe it can really put your life into perspective.

Here are some pictures of our adventure.

Grandpa Tom

Coretta and Grandpa Tom had a great time while we were away in Switzerland. He managed to wake up early and get Coretta to school by 8:05 am!

They also went out to eat to all of Coretta's favorite places such as old County Buffet, Culvers, Panda Garden, Mama's, Dinos, and Grandpa's favorite, the Coffee Cup.

Grandpa Tom surprised Coretta with a new basket for her bike and made sure that there were lots of snacks like snickers around. They had a great time biking and spending time together!

Haven't heard from him since we arrived back. He is probably still resting!

Geno is walking!

Today we went to pick up Geno from his week stay at Grandma and Grandpa Earnest's house, and he could care less that we were there. It is clear that he had formed a bond with Grandma and Grandpa and that was great to see. He also has learned to walk within their care. That is definitely worth bragging rights. He takes up to 22 steps at a time now. It is really pretty amazing!! Kudos to you both!

Lake Lucerne

If you are interested in really seeing the large city of Lucerne, the best way is by boat. Nick and I decided that this would be our one adventure that we would be sure to make time for after all of our scheduled meetings and it was well worth it.



We were told that you can take a train ride to the city of Fluelen from Zug at 8:32 am and then get on a boat that takes you on a three hour tour of the city of Lucerne. The train itself was a very pleasant experience and many people were travelling since it was holiday in Switzerland. No wonder the Swiss are so happy. They live in one of the most beautiful places in the world, and are given time to explore it. Unlike us Americans that are overworked, underpaid, and overextended.

Back to our boat ride...we rode first class which gave us the best views. Many people were there at each stop along the way waiting their turn to board the boat. On the boat itself, you can order food, drinks, desserts, as you spend time soaking in the sun and the exceptional views. What a great way to be lazy!!



The mountains and lake views are absolutely breathtaking. It is amazing to me that so much beauty and nature can be congregated in one region. As we sailed along in the boat, we saw much of the countryside as well as sheep grazing. We could also hear the bells of the cows as they walked along the countryside. These bells are very common in Switzerland and can be very ornately decorated. We saw some people para sailing. I wish I wasn't so afraid of heights because it looks like so much fun. We also saw a cable car that must have some of the best views of the area.

Each stop along the way, we saw several quaint little villages with many shops, hotels, and places to eat along the way. If you wanted to, you could easily make a day or two of it stopping into these villages and exploring as well.



Once you step off the boat into the city of Lucerne, you see that you are in the heart of the city. Here you can definitely feel the presence of the big city. It is here that Nick and I discovered that the bathroom break comes at a price. While visiting the train station, we wandered down to the WC which here was called Mr. Clean. here we realized that in order to go to the bathroom, it would cost us two francs, or one franc for the pissoir. That was the only toilet that cost money that we ran into on our trip.

While in the city we wandered up and down the paved streets near the lake as well as the surrounding areas. We saw libraries, cafes, pubs, eating establishments, as well as several child-friendly parks. Nick even made friends with a parrot. He'll do anything for his children!



Here are several photos from the beautiful city and Lake of Lucerne.

The town of Zug

While in Zug, we spent some time getting to know our surroundings.

They have a great town center and train depot where you can find many shops within the Metalli. Here they have many shops that have clothing, accessories, shoes, wine, food, and snacks. They also have one of the towns biggest grocery shops called Migros. This is where many people purchase their groceries.

Another point of interest is Lake Zug. They have many places to sit down and relax as well as bikes and paddle boats you can rent.
Twice a week they have a farmer's market down by the lake that has great produce, fruit, bread, and fresh fish from the lake. I believe that the staples of our diet will be bought here. They also have many music festivals, outdoor cinemas in the summer, arts and craft fairs to name a few of the highlighted events you can participate when visiting the town center of Zug.

In this town of roughly 20,000 it is very easy to get around by way of boat, train, bike, or walking. It is very common to see people outside enjoying the weather as well as going out for drinks after work. You will also see many children out and about as well.

One interesting law in Switzerland is that any children that are school age must go to school on their own. Talk about teaching independence. Not only that, but it is safe for people to walk anywhere, anytime, even at night.

There are also many great cafes, shops, museums, theatres, and casinos to visit as well. If you have an interest, you will find it here in Zug. It is a smaller city than Lucerne or Zurich, but still has the luxuries of a bigger city. Here are just a few photos of Zug.

International School of Zug

One of our first appointments scheduled our week in Switzerland, was with the head master Mr. Winter at the International School of Zug. We arrived at 9am and were promptly greeted. We soon found out that the school itself used to be a monastery.

We also learned that the school is a pre-K through eighth grade school that houses 700 students. In the third grade they have four classes of 20. We also learned that 50% of the students are English speaking whereas the other 50% come from many different countries. Not only is the student population diverse, but 150 new students enroll each year!
Music is also a strong emphasis as well. Coretta will start with playing the recorder and the following year can play another instrument.

The curriculum follows the International Baccalaureate Program with a strong emphasis on global issues and your part in the world. They have even started a school in Nepal for children who are homeless.

They take several field trips to museums as well as a three day trip as a class in the mountains in the beginning of the school year. When they get older, they take week long trips to Greece or Italy. How great is that!!

They also have a strong emphasis on drama and Coretta can play basketball, soccer, track, as well as take piano, skiing, and swimming lessons. Overall, I think she is really going to thrive in this environment. To the right are some pictures of her new school.

Our first flight to Europe!!

We are finally back from our visit to Switzerland. I must say that our flight was an interesting one. It is such great people watching!! One man on the plane decided to take each and every thing out of his carry on and proceed to put them in the up top storage compartment. The man to our direct right, has decided that thai chi is definitely appropriate to administer in the middle of the row and when it is time to take a nap, he grabs a sleeping bag from the above head storage compartment, positions it on his seat, tucks his feet under the seat directly in front of him kneeling on the ground with his head down on the sleeping bag. When he does finally wake up, the remainder of the time he dangles a wooden treadle from a string in quiet meditation. Although this is strange, it is even more peculiar that it is clear that we are waiting for him to be seated in order for our plane to take flight.

Lets see...next there was a seven hour plane ride where you feel like you are being packaged into the smallest space possible, and to even inhale might be hard to do without disturbing the person beside you. These guys in our row noticed that Nick was definitely in need of the aisle seat and switched spots with him. Very cool!!

Then on the international flight, it seems they are afraid that you may not get enough food. It seems that they spend more time feeding you and serving drinks, that your ability to sleep is close to impossible. Considering we took the red eye flight, this was a painful start to out four day trip. Ever try eating on an international flight with the space they give you? That in itself can be an interesting conflict that very few people have perfected.

The last part of our flight was from Amsterdam to Zurich which went very smoothly. Once we landed, we were picked up by our driver and driven to Zug, Switzerland. Once we checked into the Park Hotel in Zug, many obstacles came our way. Not only are we suffering from jet lag, but we have one hour before our first appointment with our housing representative and following that dinner.

In a frenzied hurry, Nick and I get into our room to discover that we have no idea how to turn the lights on. Nick then went down to the front desk to find out that we must insert our room key into a slot on the wall that will automatically turn them on. How efficient! I can't believe we were so ignorant! Finally, mission accomplished!

Later on, we decided that taking a swim and sauna might be nice, so I asked at the front desk where the swimming pool might be. He states that when we are ready to go swimming that we should come down in regular clothes and carry our swimming suit, bath robe, and slippers with us because the pool is down the street. When we get there, we would need to buzz the hotel and they would let us in. Overall, the mishaps were very laughable.

Visit to Detroit Lakes...

Since Nick and I are off to Switzerland tomorrow, we dropped Geno off with my parents for the week. I wanted to make sure that they knew all the little tricks of the trade in regards to Geno's schedule in advance of me leaving him for the week.

My Mom went so far as to make sure that she had his health card and even received training in toddler CPR. If you knew my Mom, she is the most maternal person I have ever met. She would do fine even without his schedule. It is called mother's intuition...and a nursing degree.

Soon as Geno arrived, there were many great activities awaiting his exploration. He LOVED to rearrange the pans in the lazy susan. He spent at least an hour twirling it and throwing every can to the ground after close inspection. It was all fun and games, until a can of beans fell on his foot. We definitely foresaw that happening.

He then enjoyed trying to steal the V-Tech laptop from his cousin Jack. He would muscle his way in between the laptop and Jack, banging on it, relentlessly pushing his weight around in hopes to get his way. When Jack was no longer interested in it, either was Geno. Funny how that works.

The next activity was outside for some swing time. He loved being pushed or just sitting there suspended in the air taking in all of the sights, sounds, and smells. Even in his most peaceful zen-like moments, you can see that his mind is always working.

He loves any electronics, but has clearly taken a strong liking to calculators and phones. As we sat there in conversation, oblivious to Geno's newly acquired motor-skills, we noticed that Geno had dialed someones number and was actually on the line for four minutes. As my Mom would say...that dirty little devil!!

Luckily for me, he is a happy, easy kid! He tends to be perfectly content exploring on his own as long as he has freedom to roam. We took him for a stroller ride up to Grandma Earnest's work, and he enjoyed that as well. He is definitely a thinker like his Dad. Some time this week, he will be able to meet some of the elderly at the nursing home. He will definitely enjoy the attention he will get since he loves the spotlight!

It was great to see that he remembered everyone. He really had no transition time at all and made sure to give all family members lots of kisses which especially melted my Mom and Auntie Bridge's heart!!




While Geno spent most of his time in his own world, Coretta, Jack, and Emilia were inseparable playing hide and go seek, bowling, talking walks, swinging, and watching movies.

Uncle John even got out the fishing pole and was fishing in the river. Coretta, Emilia, and Jack sure loved that even though they didn't catch anything. They also were able to see a beaver and some ducks swimming in the river!!

It was nice to spend time with Grandma and Grandpa, Bridge and John, and my lovely niece and darling godson Jack.

It is great to see how well the grandchildren get along. They never fight! Coretta had an extremely hard time leaving...she has never been away from her brother before and she loves her cousins, but by the end of the car ride, she was doing better. Bless her little heart!!


We'll be back one more time in June before we leave and Grandma has reassured us that the pool will be opened as well!! It will be great to get the cousins together one last time before we leave for Switzerland. These are the memories I will miss!

The Little Scientists...

We went to visit Grandma and Grandpa Earnest this weekend!! Coretta and Emilia had a great time exploring nature, learning about pollution, and creating habitats for their insects. While they were looking for recyclable things to include in their habitat, they came across Mrs. Robin in her nest protecting her eggs. She was even kind enough to pose for a picture!