A few weeks back, we took a walk by the lake in Villers-le-lac. We saw some squirrels and deer. The kids ran until their cheaks were glowing red. It was nice.

We have gotten lots and lots of snow this past week. I will put up some pics in the next few days. I have time to post more here since I am officially on vacation for the next two weeks!

Happy Holidays!

I have taken some pictures with the idea of sharing them here. During the past several months, I have only taken pictures to share with family on facebook. I was just kinda hanging on and taking it day by day until things settled down a little.

So.

There is this thing that got in the way of blogging.  It is called a job.  It made my life very crazy for a while.

I work nightshift because that is what works best for my family.  I need to be organized but not much more than any other working mother.  Working did, however, kill my creative side.  I needed time to adjust to many new things in my life.  Good things.

Our life has taken a path that six years ago I would never have believed could be possible.

Here is what we have been up to…

I should be French (Franco-American) this time next year.  The process of my obtaining French citizenship officially started one week ago.  We are, also, in the process of buying land (in France) and finishing up the house plans with our builder.

This Thanksgiving like so many others is a time to reflect on how thankful I am for the wonderful people that I have in my life. I am blessed. I hope all of you that celebrate Thanksgiving had a good one. I will be cooking up our dinner this weekend.

Rock.

I will turn 41 in a few months.  Most people think I am in my early 30′s.

Thankfully, I am not.  :D

I really like who I am and where I am…Now.

All of this snow is gone.
I have been driving on a regular basis for over a month.
I have been working for a month and a half.
I really like my job.
I am tired but it is a good tired.
We are moving in three months.
I have so much to do before this move.
I am not stressing about it.
I will just do it.
The first month at my job was incredibly hard.
It was also wonderful.

I should be sleeping now.
Instead, I think it is good to give you all a little update.

I will try to make another post this weekend.
It is hard because we are always running somewhere or I need to catch up on cleaning or resting or Vilay is hogging the computer or the kids need me or well you get it.

I am so sorry for not posting sooner. I have no real excuse other than working full-time with three kids plus Vilay. :D

I will so be taking a nap tomorrow before work. Just sayin’

Yesterday, my children went with my In-Laws to France where they will stay for a week during their school vacation. It is nice to have them off having fun during a week that I know will be stressful for Vilay and I. I am starting my first week at my new job, we need to find a second car and I am looking for babysitters for a few half days that the daycare couldn’t cover. It will all come together one way or another. I am sure.

In the meantime…It is quiet here.
Too quiet.

I miss them already.

Below is a photo of St. John of Nepomuk, the patron saint of all bridges. I think it is appropriate to have him in this post as we are passing another bridge in our life.

Is a must right now.

We are making one plan after another to get our family where it needs to be. Everything is up in the air.   We are waiting for it to all float back down where it belongs.

I haven’t slept much since last Wednesday. Last night, I slept like a baby. It made a big difference today. I have gotten all the errands and phone calls out of the way.

One week from today, I will begin my new job.
I am so excited.

We are seriously looking into moving to Bienne.  Bienne prides itself on being a family friendly city.  It has certainly cleaned up nicely over the past few years with new construction all over the city.  All the trash that I used to see floating in the lake is gone.

I can’t think of a better gift to give my children than to make it possible for them to grow up in a bilingual city that speaks two of the three main Swiss languages.  The English that my kids speak will just be icing on the cake.

But it is full of surprise.

I found a job. Contract is in hand. We have become crazy looking for childcare solutions in a Canton that isn’t very supportive of women that would like to work.

The job is such a huge opportunity that I will do whatever it takes not to lose it before I even begin. I still can’t believe what a great job it is after all the waiting and struggling I have been through these past four years.

What helps stress better than anything else (besides sex)???

Chocolate!!!

If you live in Switzerland, you can go to the Cailler website to send a free bar of chocolate to your Valentine. There is a limited number so HURRY!  I have already sent one to Vilay and he was so sweet to send me one too.  Amazing how he can do that even while he is off snoring in the bedroom.  hehehe

Things are starting to come around for me.

I have been on this semi-wild trip called being 40 without a job. It sucked.

Here’s to it being over by the end of next week. Keep all your fingers crossed for me!

I wish you all a wonderful weekend!!!

…That Vilay will work for his employer.

He will start his new job working for one of the largest luxury watchmakers in the world. We are so excited and happy about this opportunity that he has earned. He has worked hard to get where he is and I couldn’t be more proud of him.

Today has been much better for me than yesterday. I drove a friend to a neighboring village for an errand she needed to run. So, I was able to get out of the village for a few hours. There is a big sun shining outside in spite of it being very cold. I refuse to let people get to me like I let some of them do yesterday.

Life is too short for all of that.

I am going to start laughing more. Every day. As much as I can.

Laughter is a great medicine.

My new line of attack is the same one that I used against simple and little mean minds in the States…KILL THEM WITH KINDNESS. Always has worked for me and I am sure it will continue to do so.

Really just amazed at the complete and total rudeness of some people in this village. I would feel sorry for them if they weren’t adults and SHOULD know better by now. I can’t go into the little things I see or hear on a daily basis from the same groups of people but seriously they need to get out of this village more. They are clearly bored out of their minds. Or…Just crazy. Perhaps…inbred. Just kidding!!!! :D

I love living here. BUT. Some people in this village are simply too much for me. If I had a totally anonymous blog (no one would ever know it was me…EVER) I would write some pretty darn entertaining (AND TRUE) stories.  As it is, Vilay gets to hear all my adventures in small village land.

I SO need a job!