visitors!!

I'm overwhelmed. So, what where do I go when things get to be too much? That's right, denial. Mmmmhmmm... and here I sit blogging away as if the world wasn't whizzing past me at a zillion miles a minute. :)

*Sunday was the first of November and what does that mean for me so far away from home and comfort and familiarity? Exactly. Break out the Christmas music!!! (The countdown is officially at 45 days until I get to see my beloveds in the beautiful land of Iowa.

I've just enjoyed my first episode of the new reality of my life. It's entitled, The Revolving Door. (Name courtesy of Doug.) It takes place at my apartment and it's got lots of incredible characters who take temporary residency here in Ferney-Voltaire, France... conmigo! (<-- wrong language.) The first stars of the show were Doug and Tricia.

...I only met Tricia a year ago, we worked together at Kitchen Collage in Des Moines. She's so wonderful. :) She and her friend Doug came to explore Switzerland for 10 days or so. They had an AMAZING time exploring and hiking around central Switzerland. Their photos were absolutely breathtaking and apparently didn't even do justice! Here are some photos of us celebrating Tricia's birthday in Montreux at the château de Chillon:

 ^Who would have thought we'd find PALM TREES near the Alps?!

We also took a trip to Gruyères, Switzerland where we all enjoyed our first experience with raclette, a Swiss dish meaning 'with all the trimmings'.

Tomorrow I head to the airport to pickup my friend, 'Rhino' (some call him Jacob). Needless to say, with a name like Rhino, Aedan's super duper excited to meet him. He'll also be here or in Europe for about two weeks. We leave for Athens on Friday for a long weekend.

Aedan asked me today if there was a baby in my tummy. Talk about a shot to the ego. I mean, I've gained weight while being over here, but c'mon kid. Gosh. I found out later they'd been talking about his aunt who's expecting and how there's a baby in her tummy and Aedan just thinks that's the coolest thing in the world. He's so excited to have a new baby cousin.

Then there's Chloë. She was just sitting there eating her breakfast when she reached over to give me a hug and said, "I don't want you to go to your apartment, just stay here all weekend." O man. Then last week she was giving me a hug when she said, "I just love you so much."

Alright, that's about all I've got for now. Sorry for the complete and utter RANDOMNESS and for the lack of interesting information and ideas. Next time should be better! ;)