18 Busy Days: Dance, Wisconsin, Wedding, B Permit Renewal, Nepal, and Two Sets of Guests

Let's see, since my last post:

- Jason finished with classes for the year, but since this was 12th grade, he finished with high school, too! (*shaking head in amazement*)

- I watched Jason's last Ultimate Frisbee game in high school, against the teachers (teachers won, but game was called due to time restraints of players)

- We enjoyed viewing Emily's visual artwork at the Middle School Spring Arts Festival - some beautiful drawings!

- We led our sixth 19th Century Dance Evening at our church here in Switzerland (some 42 dancers came and it was lots of fun, but it always takes a lot out of me, too, teaching/calling in the spotlight like that)

- The next morning, we flew to Wisconsin

- Next day: the most amazing wedding (of David's cousin, on his dad's side, about 40 relatives we hadn't seen in 6-10 years) at a catholic church, during the Sunday morning mass, in which the whole congregation was invited to get up and waltz in the aisles in the middle of the service, before the vows, to Could I Have This Dance, For the Rest of My Life !!! Talk about surreally wonderful. The priest had tied it in to the mass with the idea that God was asking this question to every person - He wants to dance with us for our whole lives, to have a relationship that close and harmonic, with Him leading and us following His every step and guiding hands... so very cool. This whole thing was a surprise even to the bride and groom, but they were perfectly happy to dance together!

- Next day: some U.S. clothes shopping for the kids and then lunch in Milwaukee with my aunt and uncle whom we hadn't seen in some 11 years (on my dad's side) - fun people! Then fly home again already - only three nights in the U.S., and Emily missed two days of school. We didn't have enough U.S. coins to pay the toll arriving at the Chicago airport, so we had to use the cool Illinois Tollway Website to pay later. It features a Google map showing the numbered toll plazas so you can find which one you didn't pay at and pay online within 7 days. So gracious and helpful.

- Next day, back in CH: government appointment to give biometric data (= index fingerprints, photo, and signature; not as invasive nor mysterious as it sounds) to Swiss immigration, so they could renew our B permit residence cards  (which arrived in the mail one week later, thanks be to God - we get to live here for a fourth year!)

- Next day: Jason left for Nepal for 11 days with a 12th grader school trip (helping in a school there, trekking in Himalayas, visiting Kathmandu, etc). Apparently Nepal is 3 hours and 45 minutes ahead of Swiss time. That's novel and exciting.

- SAME day: one of David's cousins on his mom's side arrived with his wife and son and daughter for a 6-day visit. We visited ruined Gräpplang Castle, an hour from our home:

 

 The cousins climbed on the walls, with the Alps as a backdrop...

 

 

The next day, we did a high ropes course, then took the cable car to the summit of Mt. Pilatus:

 

 

The next day, lunch by Lake Zug after church:

 

 

The next day, Emily's 2nd cousin about her age joined her at school for lunch, and then the next day, their last with us, we went into Zürich, and saw these sweet cygnets:

 

 Then they left, and the same day, we received another 7 house guests for two nights, on their way from Bosnia to the Jura, in the French-speaking part of Switzerland.

Saturday David, Emily and I will all collapse in a heap for a welcome 3-day weekend with nothing planned. Except missing Jason, who is still in Nepal until Monday morning. Then it's the last week of school for Emily, Jason has prom Wednesday, and graduation ceremony the following Saturday, June 18th!!! Phew.

Posted via email from K's Café