Thankful

Omg hi everyone.  I know that I've been very delinquent in blogging lately, so I appreciate that you are still checking in and reading!  Life has been busy and full.  In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I thought I'd share with you some recent highlights to show you some of the things I'm thankful for!

Friends - One of the best things about expat life is the friendships you make.  Not only do I feel like you are much more likely to be friends with people you wouldn't otherwise be friends with, but you also develop these intense friendships very quickly.  I am so thankful for my friends here (and at home too of course!!).

Sadly, one of the worst things about expat life is the revolving door of people that are coming in and out of your city (and sometimes, your life).  Emily was one of the few friends I made before moving to Geneva, and I was so sad to see her move back to the US earlier this month.  We threw an epic going away pub crawl for her in order to give a proper send off!

Pre-party treats

My job - Although I go thru my ups and downs at work, I am definitely very thankful for my job.  It has led me to the most amazing opportunities, as well as some great friendships.

Since moving to Switzerland last year, I've done more work travel than ever before.  Earlier this month, I spent a few days in Bern, which is an area of Switzerland that I had never really been to, but I was very impressed!  We didn't get to see much, since we spent most of the day cooped up at work, but we did manage to get out for dinner in the Old Town one night, and I would love to go back one day to explore more!

In the Old Town, there are tons of little shops and restaurants buried into little caves along the road

Here we are going down for dinner - this cave has been around since 1635!

Yum!  It is always amazing to me how different Swiss German cuisine is from what we normally eat in Geneva!

View from the train on the way home.  The window is filthy, but the sunset was spectacular.

Home cooked meals - When you travel all the time, home cooked meals can be hard to come by.  Don't get me wrong - I absolutely love restaurants, but really there is nothing better than being at home, eating delicious food, and hanging out with awesome people.  I'm very thankful for my circle of people who are always willing to open up their homes and share a meal together.

Chicken chili

Gingered zucchini soup - I know it looks gross, but trust me, it's delicious.

Zucchini pasta!

New adventures - one of my favorite things about this season of my life is all of the opportunity to do new things and go new places.  Even though I am relishing (wishing for?) a bit of a calmer travel schedule now, I am still so thankful for the excitement of discovery.

Earlier this month, I did a quick weekend getaway to the Burgundy area of France.  We stayed in the town of Beaune, and there was actually a huge wine auction going on at the time, so the town was pretty lively!  We sipped lots of wine, ate some amazing food, and just soaked up the sunshine and the company.  It was the perfect little adventure.

Cheese course at our fancy lunch

Oysters!

 

There were no leaves left on the vines, but the scenery was still stunning.

I just love pandas haha :)

Be back soon

Hello all!  Just popping in for a quick hello.  I realize that I've been a bit behind on blogging lately, so I just wanted to apologize and to let you know that I will return to a better schedule soon.  I am in Zurich for a couple of days this week, but it is my last business trip of the year!  Although I do have quite a few weekends in a row of personal travel, hopefully my schedule will get back to normal pretty soon.  Thanks for reading!

Weekend in London

Hello all!  In continuing with my theme of "weekend in" posts lately, I thought I'd share a bit about my trip to London this past weekend.  The original purpose of the trip was to watch the Kansas City Chiefs and the Detroit Lions play at Wembley.  I don't feel any particular affiliation for either of these two teams, but when the season was announced, I thought that this would be the most competitive match up in London.  I was wrong :(

The game itself was not too exciting since it was a total blowout, but I had a great time enjoying the NFL atmosphere, tailgating with friends, and eating an enormous hot dog.

Is it me or am I wearing too much blush?

 

We saw this lion being interviewed by CNN and I thought it was hilarious.

These two dogs were 25 freaking pounds!

We actually ended up selling the tickets I bought because Zach and Courtney were able to get us some amazing seats

Wembley at night!

Other highlights of the weekend included a reunion with some of my favorite British peeps, watching the Rugby World Cup finals, and some random London strolling.  Sadly, I didn't get a chance to visit Borough Market, but I still managed to eat some tasty treats!  London remains one of my favorite cities to visit, and I can't wait to return!

Chipotle!

DISHOOM YA'LL (if you are confused, please ask Katie)

This entailed quite the effort, but we were finally successful!

Back in Geneva, it is a tough time of year.  The skies are grey, and the weather is cold, but there isn't any snow, so there is no skiing yet!  I did sign up for my first ski weekend of the year with the ski club, and I'm looking forward to/nervous to get back on the slopes in Zermatt this December!

Work is also picking up quite a bit these days, and my travel is pretty steady right now - although luckily, it is primarily within Switzerland these days.  I'm also starting to slowly transition onto a new project, so I'm working on figuring out how to balance it all now.

Just to give you guys a little perspective, the two pictures below were taken within ten minutes of each other at the end of my flight back from London yesterday morning.  Above the clouds, we see beautiful blue skies, and as soon as we drop below the clouds, it is just blahhhhhh.  Have a good week everyone.