Christmas Swiss Style

Last Saturday we walked to the grocery store and picked out a tree.  That is a first for us because we have never had a real tree.  The kids carried it home, another first.  All said, it took us about an hour to decorate for Christmas.  Last night after going to the Christmas Market in Bern we made a gingerbread house and a creche.  I found it so funny when we got out all the parts and we couldn't figure out how to put it together.  Kelly is reading the instructions in German and none of us have a clue.  We ended up cutting up some of the pieces to create our own creche because the parts did not match up.  Things continue to be confusing in a foreign country.

This is how our tree would have looked without friends like Monique.

And this is how it looks thanks to Monique's huge box of lights and decorations.

Bern Christmas Market

Pieces that don't make sense. 

Switzerland - not always so fine.

Last week when the kids were sledding every day and everything was covered in white, I was loving it.  Then we had six straight days of rain.  Not so fine.  Today everything is white again and the sun is out.  Weather sure effects my outlook.

It's been a busy week and I am reminded again that tasks that I would find simple to do at home, are not always simple here.  I was asked to feed 30 missionaries for the Zone Conference yesterday.  To shop, cook, store, and transport the food with a tiny refrigerator, no freezer to speak of, and no car, makes it a little more difficult.  The fun part was, I got to spend time with Rosalee's sister who is serving with her husband as mission presidents.

After the luncheon on Thursday, Keith and I went Christmas shopping and got home just in time to send Kelly and her friends off to the winter dance.

When we were shopping it was snowing and the lights were so pretty in downtown Bern.

Wednesday, Josh had his program at school that was all about the Middle Ages.  School activities here are always a unique experience to say the least.

Josh's fifth grade class.

Tuesday, my friend Lori and her wonderful daughter Erin and I went to a Hamam (a Turkish bath).  For three hours we steamed, scrubbed, soaked, sipped herbal tea, and slept.  It was really interesting and so relaxing.

Erin is home from BYU and Kelly is so happy.  We all are!

Saturday we had our Ward Christmas party with great entertainment and a lot of good food.

Santa came to our Ward Christmas Party.

Friday, Kelly and Keith went caroling with the youth and Kelly was touched that some of the older ladies cried when they sang.  People cry when I sing but I don't think it's because it sounds so beautiful.

There are so many things about Switzerland that I find interesting and I don't want to forget.  One is how they sell hard boiled eggs that are just sitting on the shelves with the rest of the eggs.  No refrigeration needed.  And they are so beautiful.

Switzerland at it's finest

The skies are finally clear and it's days like these that make me never want to leave Switzerland.  The kids have been sledding everyday and Tuesday there was not a cloud in the ski.  There were also no clouds today as Lori and I walked up the Gurten this morning when it was less than ten degrees Fahrenheit.  

Josh and Jack sledded all afternoon on Tuesday.

 Lori - the best motivator ever.
The hike began walking over the bridge,

through the forest,

 and to the top of the tallest hill in Bern.
The Alps are in the distance if you look hard.

I made it home just in time to make lunch for the kids and their friends
in celebration of 12:12 on 12-12-12.

Two Weeks of Snow

  It has been snowing or raining here for two weeks solid.  Normally this would make me quite grumpy, but these last two weeks have been great.   Here is a short recap.

Monday, November 26 the kids had the afternoon off so everyone in Bern could go to the Onion Festival, bang each other on the head with toy hammers, throw confetti at each other and buy things made from onions.  That evening our darling missionaries from our Ward came for dinner and had FHE with us.

Josh spending his life savings on bags of confetti

Missionaries being attacked by Nathan and Josh.

 Friday, November 30, ran a record 43 minutes with my friend Lori in the rain.  Had book club with ten ladies from many different countries and found their stories of their youth experiences to be fascinating.

Saturday, Josh hiked five miles in the snow with his scout troop from the International School. Then, all but Keith (he was sick) had an amazing Thanksgiving dinner that was prepared by my friend Kayli.  She made the most amazing dishes and the best candy and mousse pie I have ever had.

Kayli and Brett - She is pregnant with her sixth and manages to still do it all.

The beautiful table set up by Kayli in the back of our chapel.

This was one of the kids tables and I thought it was fun because it shows our chapel in the background.

Some of the great people I have met here.

My friend's baby who is just a month younger than Hadley and I hold her every chance I get.
(My surrogate granddaughter)

Sunday, December 2, we went to a concert where a friend from the ward was performing and we enjoyed a very unique experience.  There was a group of German speaking Swiss people singing american pop songs and it was hilarious.  They were really good but was unlike anything I had ever seen.

This was the director of the choral group and his voice was amazing.

Waiting for the bus to go to church.

View from the bus stop.

Tuesday, December 4, had friends over to make caramels and have lunch.  We made three batches and they all turned out.  That is a first.

Saturday, took a train to Geneva to tour Cern Laboratory. It is a 58 year old research lab, with 20 partner countries, where scientists do fundamental research in particle physics. They smash atoms, and think they have produced something called a Higgs Boson, whatever that is. 

Our train to Geneva left earlier than any of us would have wanted.

Kelly waiting for the train.

The Globe

The ATLAS nuclear particle detector is 95m below this building, and twice as big as this wall painting of it. 

World of Particles Museum, with lots of cool exhibits, like the NEXT computer used to invent the wwweb, and Ernest Lawrence's first particle accelerator from 1930.  

There are 1200 of these cryogenic superconducting electromagnets in the 27km Large Hadron Collider ring. 

Sunday, December 9, taught Relief Society and then spent the afternoon playing in the snow.

This is the cow pasture right by our house.

We stayed until it got dark and were one of the only ones left on the hill.