Good Bye Switzerland

I spent most of Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday packing and cleaning.  The kids have been swimming with friends every day.  Today we went with the Brady's and the Reading's to Grindelwald and rode Trotti Bikes down the hill.  It was our last adventure and it was tough to realize - this is it.  Tomorrow the furniture gets picked up by those that have bought or been given stuff.  We will have dinner with Lori and her family.   Sunday we will clean all day and then go to my dear friend Monique's house for dinner.  Monday morning we will check out of our flat.  Keith will have a friend of ours take him and all the big suitcases to a hotel by the Zurich airport.  The kids and I will take the train because there will not be enough room in the car.  Tuesday morning we will fly to Iceland, then Denver, and then home.

I can not believe two years have gone by so quickly.  I will so miss my friends here and the things we have seen and experienced over the past two years, but I am so excited to return to my old life.  It has been more difficult than I ever would have imagined - mostly in the beginning.  But it has been more wonderful than I ever dreamed of.

Good-bye Switzerland, good-bye blogging

Josh and Romain

Two of my Besties - Renate and Lori

Josh and Nathan

THE END

Europa Park

Monday we spent the day at Europa Park with the Brady's, the Readings, and Becky.  We had a great time.  We got there when it opened and stayed until it closed.  Europa Park is in Germany just two hours from Bern.  It is divided into countries in Europe and each area is made to look like the country.  The sun was warm but thanks to all the water rides we stayed quite cool, and wet.

Scandinavia

dinner in Greece

toboggan rides in Switzerland

Alyna, Kelly, and Lara

Lori, Ryan, Nathan, Kelly, and Josh

We are going to miss these guys!

Sunday we were invited to my friend Renate's house for dinner.  We took the train out to her beautiful home in the country with the most amazing gardens.  We had a wonderful barbecue with the Readings, the Scott's, and the Sanderson's from Heber City.  Bill drove us back to Bern after dinner and it was crazy to think that nearly two years to the day we had spent our first week in Switzerland and had dinner at the Readings celebrating the Fourth of July.  A lot has happened in two years.

Lara, Alyna, Kelly, Natasha (standing)

Becky, Dru, Renate 

Our drive home

Two years earlier.

Josh, Keith, Renate, and Lara - two years earlier

Triftbahn

 Friday, June 28th the kids had a carnival at their school.  Josh performed with his class and Kelly painted faces.  The next day we had planned an outing with friends but it rained all day and we had to cancel.

The school has two pigs as mascots.


 The next week was the kids last week of school.  They had a lot of fun activities and good-bye parties. Tuesday after school Josh and I went to Kanderstagg where we picked up Nathan.  Nathan was with his parents and brother at scout camp and we brought him back to spend the night. We hiked a little, went on a ropes course and had dinner with all the scouts.

Saturday Kelly went to the temple and then had a barbeque and swam with all the kids in the ward.  Keith, Josh and I took the train to Gadman and then a cable car up the mountain, and then hiked two hours to get to the Trift Bridge.  The Trift Bridge is the longest suspension bridge in the Swiss Alps.  We walked over the bridge, had lunch, took a nap, then hiked back.  The bridge is over a beautiful glacier and the views were spectacular.

The bridge from a distance.