I was noodling around my dashboard page this morning, only to discover that this is my 304th post!  I can't believe that I've had that much to say (or not say, as it were).  I know I've mentioned this before, but I was not blessed with the virtue of "stick with it-ness".  I start and stop an awful lot of stuff.  Jobs, hobbies, friendships, exercise plans.  You name it, I've likely tried it and quit already.

But not so with blogging.  I've waxed and waned, but I keep coming back and I have to credit you with that. Yes, you my friend.  Thanks for reading.  Thanks for your emails and comments and kind words.  Thanks for laughing at the funny bits, and commiserating over the sad ones.  Thanks for taking a few minutes out of your day to spend time here in this little spot of mine.

If you've never taken the chance to say hello, then please do leave a comment.  And while you're introducing yourself, let me know what you'd like to see more of around here.  Photos, books, expat life, faith, Ethan's latest quotes?  Whatever floats your fancy.  Looking forward to "meeting" you!  (And if we're already acquainted, I'd love to hear your thoughts too).

Kimberly

It is getting more and more difficult to post these days.  I'm assuming no one wants to read another blog post about IKEA or the grocery store?  Unfortunately folks, that's all I've got.  Life as an expat sounds exciting on paper, but when it comes down to it, much of the daily stuff is the same.  I make oatmeal in the morning and play referee or taxi driver in the afternoons.  I fold laundry and fuss over dinner and paint my toes in front of the tv.

Michael is traveling in the US this week, so we are here and he is there and it is hard.  I'm focusing on the positive, that being all of the goodies he will stock up on while in NJ.  If anyone sees a man/pack mule in Newark airport struggling with two suitcases worth of pantry items and a BBQ strapped to his back, would you kindly lend a hand?  And then remind him to bring me an Us magazine.

Kimberly

Because of my compulsive need for order and organization, we have spent many weekends at home unpacking or off making really uninspiring home purchases.  However, a few weekends back, before the three weeks of constant rain and trips to Ikea, we went for a family hike.  Spring was still playing hide and seek, so we enjoyed the sparse beauty of bare branches and fallen leaves under foot.  I'm anxious to go again and capture the bloom.






Have a lovely weekend!

Kimberly

The Swiss experience is not shaping up to be exactly as I had imagined it.  I pictured myself sitting in a lovely cafe with the alps as my backdrop, writing, thinking and perfecting my chic European look.  The reality is more like this...me walking aimlessly in the grocery store for the 283rd time this month, list writing, and perfecting my "I'm going to nod and pretend that I know what you're saying to me Mr. Swiss German, but I really don't have a clue" look.  Somewhere along the way there has been a disconnect between what I imagined and my reality. 

It makes a soul weary, this imagined life.  I grow weary of the desire for perfection.  The desire for every situation to be flawlessly planned and perfectly executed.  For the end result to measure up.  For me to measure up.

I want to practice reality and not regret, imperfection and not the impossible. Where real life is better and messier and more complex and far richer than anything I ever imagined.  I wish that for you too.

Kimberly

Listening to an international radio station has it's ups and downs.  Swiss German banter is sandwiched between anything from Bon Jovi to French Rap to Brit Pop to the occasional 1970's Donna Summer's hit.  It's a veritable smorgasborg of musical genres, which generally leaves me feeling confused and disoriented. 

I miss sunshine.  It has rained here nearly every day for over two weeks. If I wasn't so busy trying to put the house in order, I would be cozied up with a good book or three.  I miss reading.  Some day soon when all is put to rights, I'll get cracking on my shelf of to-be-read books.  Blog hopping is less of a commitment and easier to share.  Here are a few posts you might enjoy.


For a laugh:  Oh, Tyler Stanton.  I laughed, I cried, I left a comment.

For a think:  I've gone back to this post over and over.  Deb's words shine a light on the cobwebby corners of my heart.

For a delight:  I want to be Alicia when I grow up.  Except that I'm not crafty at all, but that's neither here nor there.  Her taste in books and just about everything else is impeccable.

What are you reading these days?

Kimberly

I have spent the last week in a cardboard and packing paper blur.  I'm not really sure what else has happened in those seven days, but I do know my kids are still breathing, it has rained every day,  and we have entirely too much stuff.  And if my husband is reading this, books are not considered stuff.  They are considered essentials.

I get a disproportionate amount of pleasure out of finding a place for everything, and putting everything in it's place.  I love the entire process. Today, I found the perfect spot for my magazine holders, and they never fail to make me smile.

I know that an organized pantry or neatly labeled baskets don't mean much in the grand scheme of things, and the candlesticks displayed "just so" aren't going to be life altering.  But each day, I see my efforts making the smallest corners of my world a little more lovely.  And who can't use a little more lovely?

Kimberly

I'm linking up to unwrap the small daily gifts over at Chatting at the Sky.  Join me won't you?

I am happy to report that we did not spend any time in MediaMarkt today.  I am not happy to report that the reason for this is because May Day is a national holiday.  This information would have been useful before I let the milk and eggs run low.

I discovered this delightful quirk when I walked to the local mini mart and bakery to find them closed with a big sign in the window that I could only assume said "Go home and plan better next time".  Every must-do for the day was squashed under the weight of the great Swiss conspiracy to make life as inconvenient as possible. I have composed a letter in response.

Dear Switzerland,

I am writing to inform you that holidays were created for shopping.  Also, could you please not use the word Ausfahrt so prolifically on your highway signage?  My kids think it's a hoot to repeat it each and every time.  I am not amused.  Well, maybe a little.  Ahem.

Your American friend,

Kimberly

PS Ausfahrt is german for Exit.  It is pronounced exactly as you think it would be. You see my dilemma.