Puppies

We took on four foster puppies with ringworm, which means you can't touch them without a hazmat suit. I've been really careful... scouring myself and the bathroom with bleach, only wearing certain shoes when I'm in the bathroom, petting them with gloves.  But last night, the shelter people told me that I'm their Mom now, and need to show them affection.  So this morning I got to hold them (behind the protection of long sleeves, long pants, and the ever present gloves).  And it was awesome.    

What would be even more awesome is if they would stop pooping.  If I leave them alone for a few hours, it's everywhere.  Good thing they're cute.

Repats with Cats

I am thoroughly enjoying having our cats back.  They seem happy too, unless we're playing Cat Piano.  Then they get really stressed out, trying to save the animal trapped in the computer.
 

Leaving Switzerland

I'm going backwards a bit... it's sort of a trend this summer.

The last few days in Switzerland were crazy.  Our phone and internet services were cut off (hence, no posts), and we basically exhausted ourselves by making 15,000 trips with boxes and furniture all around Lugano.  That being said, the whole process, while being busy, went smoothly.  Here's the rundown.

Ryan worked his last day as a Swiss employee.  Here are some of his friends from work at a bar right outside his office.  They gave us cards, recipes, and a cool Swatch watch.  

I had been packing all week, and slowly scheduling furniture pick ups.  Ryan stopped working two days before we left.  Having his help was crucial... we got a lot done in 48 hours.

All of our stuff was pretty much in boxes, it just needed to be shipped.  FedEx was conveniently open twice a day for thirty minutes (closed on weekends).  Do I miss the European way of serving customers?  No.  We had to make three different trips with the u-haul, spread out over two days.

We made one final drop off to friends (things we didn't want to throw away), returned the big truck, and headed home one last time.   

It looked like this.  I don't miss Lugano often, but looking at this picture makes me upset.  It's hard to see it so empty when a large part of me still thinks it's our home.   

I wasn't sad when I took that picture, though.  Surprisingly, I wasn't sad at all during those last two days.  I was ready for the moving process to be over, and was excited about life in the US.  

Plus, I had one last thing to look forward to.  We booked a night at a great hotel, and said goodbye to Switzerland in the best possible way... with a pool to ourselves, a fantastic view, and one last good meal on the lake.  I had visions of this hotel while sitting sweaty and dirty in a half empty apartment.  It was everything I imagined, and the whole experience gave Ryan and I a chance to enjoy a relaxing last night in Lugano.     

All that was left to do was fly home.  

The trip took us over the Swiss Alps, which made for a beautiful exit.  

And just like that, our two year adventure was behind us.

We're alive! And well! And stateside!

Sorry about the blog silence.  I've felt overwhelmed lately with the move.  And we didn't really get internet until a few days ago, but enough excuses... you want to see pictures, right?  We don't have many, but I'll work on that too.

This is the house, although we've switched the furniture around.  We're still living out of boxes, so that hasn't changed.

I play post catch up this weekend... more to come!