It’s that time of year again: Tax Time.  Even an ocean away, we U.S. citizens can’t hide from the long arm of the IRS.  This week I’ve been digging through the mess of forms and instructions trying to figure out, not just our 2015 taxes, but also how to amend our 2014 taxes. Talking about Tax … Continue reading Taxes →

Back in the 1800’s all of my ancestors, one by one decided to leave their homes in Europe to set sail for a new life in the foreign land of America. Today in the 2000’s, I, their descendant, have returned to Europe, but I am now the foreigner in their former homeland.  It is strange … Continue reading Genealogy →

Switzerland is a world famous ski destination, but embarrassingly, midway through our second winter living here, Melissa still couldn’t brag that she’d ever skied in Switzerland.  That is, until yesterday, when we headed away from the dramatic, steep, slopes of the Alps, to the gentler, flatter, Vallée de Joux in the Jura mountains.  Instead of racing down … Continue reading Ski de Fond →

Melissa and I are back into the routine of Swiss life after our exciting Christmas with the Johnsons, and their all too soon departure on December 29th.  We unfortunately both spent the time right after they left moping about our quiet apartment with colds. Melissa didn’t have to miss any work though because the university was closed … Continue reading 17 January 2016 – Update →

Our time with the Johnsons flew by and on Monday December 28th it was already their last full day in Switzerland.  Our travels included medieval cities, train rides through the idyllic Swiss countryside, silky Swiss chocolate, and picturesque Alpine lakes, but we had yet to explore the one thing Switzerland is most famous for, mountains.  Throughout the … Continue reading Swiss Family Johnson – December 28th & 29th Chamonix, and Goodbyes →

After exploring Swiss cities almost exclusively, Sunday December 27th, we switched gears to see some of the stunning scenery and eat some of the sweets that Switzerland is famous for.  We traveled on a scenic train through the foothills of the Alps to the Callier chocolate factory situated among idyllic alpine cow pastures, then took a … Continue reading Swiss Family Johnson – December 27th Trains, Chocolates, and Boat Rides →

On Saturday December 26th we welcomed Bjorn Lindholm to Switzerland!  Bjorn was a foreign exchange student from Sweden who stayed with the Johnsons in 2007.  His flight was scheduled to land at noon in Geneva, so we were able to spend another lazy morning lounging around the apartment.  The young people spent their time watching … Continue reading Swiss Family Johnson – December 26th Bjorn! →

CHRISTMAS EVE On Christmas Eve everyone was finally able to sleep in as long as they wanted.  Our lazy morning began with Melissa and I cooking quiche for everyone, then just before noon Melissa took everyone, except Kyle and I, on a tour of a couple Swiss grocery stores.  They bought food for dinners and lunches for … Continue reading The Swiss Family Johnson – December 24th & 25th →

Wednesday December 23rd was our last big travel day before Christmas, so we made sure to pack in two cities with big Christmas markets to get into the holiday spirit: Bern and Zurich. We were nicer to our guests than the previous day by letting everyone sleep in later, and it wasn’t until around 9 … Continue reading The Swiss Family Johnson – December 23rd Bern & Zurich →

Tuesday morning was a busy rush to get all our jetlagged guests out the door in time for a 7:30 a.m. train.  The day’s travel destination was Freiburg, Germany, where we met up with Britt Sieber, a former exchange student from Germany who was hosted by Janell’s sister’s family back in 2008.  Freiburg is a … Continue reading The Swiss Family Johnson December 22nd – Freiburg →