Zermatt

This was our most anticipated day trip.  Early on in the planning of our trip Kyle mentioned that he wanted to see the Matterhorn.  It is a very iconic mountain peak in Switzerland probably most commonly known for being the symbol on the Toblerone packaging.  I did as I always do and began to research the area and tips on getting the best view of the peak.  It became immediately obvious to me in reading about Zermatt and the weather this time of year that it would be a challenge to actually see the peak.  Leading up the trip I checked the weather each day to try and determine which day we should make the trek to Zermatt.  The tourism website for the city offers webcam views but with the three hour train ride from Lausanne we couldn’t count on the visibility remaining the same by the time we arrived in the city.  After debating options we decided the clearest day in the forecast was Wednesday and that we’d take the risk with the partly cloudy forecast.  We got on an early train and took in the beautiful mountain views as we increased in elevation and got closer to Zermatt.  When we first arrived we were disappointed that the sky was completely cloudy.  It was so overcast we weren’t even entirely sure which direction to look in so we decided to ask someone in a local shop who assured us that once the skies cleared that we couldn’t miss it. 

We did not let ourselves get discouraged though and used the morning to explore the small but charming ski town.  It was fun to play around in the snow a little and watch the skiers come down the slopes.  Around 11 we decided to find a bench and just sit and wait on the weather.  Within thirty minutes the clouds began to part and we got our first glimpse of the Matterhorn.  We were thrilled!  We spent lots of time taking pictures and then took a small hike on a walking path at the edge of the town.

Feeling excited by our good fortune we decided to sit down and enjoy our picnic lunch from the CoOp.  That night a music festival was beginning so we enjoyed some acoustic music at a small stage outside of a café.  Then we found a nice shady patio to enjoy a local beer.  As we sat at the café Kyle looked up at one point and to our amazement the sky had cleared completely.  We rushed through the rest of our drinks and headed back to the overlook to take in the completely clear view of the Matterhorn.  Of course a million more pictures were taken.  We ended the afternoon in the Matterhorn museum which was a little lame but still had some interesting exhibits and then decided to start back on the long train ride back to Lausanne. 

Kyle’s Update: 

Zeeee Matterhorn! Today we spent the day in Zermatt, which is a good three hours away from Lausanne. The trip was well worth it. We did careful planning to try and get a good day to see the famous mountain and the planning turned out for the best. The town of Zermatt is quite picturesque as well and so quiet. It really is amazing to see all these mountains so close. As a bonus, they were having a music festival that started today, so we enjoyed some sweet German/American tunes as well.

Bern

Bern is the capital of Switzerland and is located in the German region of Switzerland.  The train ride was about two hours long but there were some beautiful views along the way.  This day was by far our worst weather day, it was gray and rainy the whole time we were in Bern.  Despite the weather the town is lovely.  There are fountains every few blocks and a beautiful clock tower in the heart of the city.  The city is well designed because most of the walkways are covered so we were able to stay out of the rain for most our time walking around the city.  The streets are lined with shops and restaurants that ranged from tourist shops to high end shopping and everything in between. 

We made our way to the Bern bear exhibit but the bears weren’t keen on the rain especially after recently awaking from hibernation so unfortunately we didn’t get to see them but it was neat to see their exhibit.  The overlook also gave us a great view of the water that runs around the whole town as a modern day moat.  The view was very idyllic even in the rain.  Our next stop was the Natural History Museum.  The museum was showcasing an exhibit for the Terra Cotta Army called Qin.  It was a well laid out exhibit and brought back very fond memories of my 2006 visit to China.  They did not allow pictures but we did purchase a terra cotta army figurine to display on our bookshelves at home.  He is a very nice keepsake and reminder for me of both trips.  After the Qin exhibit we moved to the second floor Einstein museum.  We both enjoyed the Einstein museum more than we expected.  The exhibit focused on his life and scientific accomplishments but also wove in his political involvement.  This was particularly fascinating as he was heavily involved in the politics around the Nazi movement in Germany and the US nuclear weapon development.  We spent about two hours weaving our way through the exhibit and thoroughly enjoyed it.

After the museum we grabbed a quick lunch and headed back to Lausanne.  While on the train ride the skies miraculously cleared and offered some beautiful views of Lac Leman.  As soon as we got off the train we rushed down to the lake to take in the views that had been obscured since our arrival by the clouds and fog in the basin of the lake.  Kim and Anthony assured us the lake offered beautiful views of the Alps but until the clouds cleared after the storm we hadn’t been able to see it for ourselves. 

Kyle’s Update:
So I couldn't help myself anymore; I had to add some photos. The one of Dale and I is from today out by Lac Leman with the French Alps in the background. Today is the first day that they've been really well visible. Another is from yesterday from the highest tower of the chateau as I promised yesterday. And finally the last photo is from today in Bern; it is the top of one of the many fountains in the city. It was a rainy day, but we made the most of it seeing the Qin Dynasty (Terracotta Army) exhibit and the museum dedicated to Einstein. Now those were cool! I promised Dale I wouldn't steal her thunder so she'll have many, many more pics when we get back on Sunday!

Montreaux

Monday was our first day on our own since Kim and Anthony had work.  Spending the first two days with them gave us the confidence we needed to navigate the trains and find our way around.  It was overcast and the sky was threatening to rain so we decided to stay closer to Lausanne and embarked on the quick 30 minute train ride to Montreaux.  Once we arrived we quickly found the tourism office and got instructions on how to navigate the town.  Our primary objective was to see the Chateau Chillion which had come highly recommended by several people before we left for our trip.  We decided to take the scenic walk around Lac Leman to get to the chateau.  This turned out to be a wonderful idea!  Along the lake there were several botanical exhibits including one based on Harry Potter, a monument to Freddie Mercury who spent the last few years of his life in Montreaux, lots of birds on the lake, and beautiful landscaping.  It was about a 45 minute walk but we highly enjoyed the sights along the way, much more interesting than the recommended bus ride from the tourism office. 

We were able to take several beautiful pictures of the Chateau from the path along the lake but once we arrived we marveled at how large the chateau is.  We spent more of the morning and early afternoon exploring all the rooms and courtyards of the chateau.  This tour offered a more authentic renovation which in our opinion more accurately reflected the architecture and decorating of that time in history.  Each room also gave the historical context of the people who inhabited the castle throughout time and how the room was used.  It was interesting to read about the drastic transitions during times of prosperity and times of war/conflict.  The view from the watch towers was beautiful!

After we left the chateau the rain began so started the walk back to the center of town to find a place to eat.  We found a place that was recommended in the Fodor’s guide to Switzerland and decided that it was meant to be.  It was an Italian restaurant and we highly enjoyed the lasagna and pizza that we ordered.  After lunch we stopped in CoOp to buy some local wine and found a lovely and reasonable bottle of Pinot Noir as well as a Chaselas.  Then we headed back to Lausanne and enjoyed a lovely and much needed nap before Kim returned from work. 

Kyle’s Update:
Explored Chateau Chillion in Montreaux today. By far one of the coolest medieval castles I've seen and was a bit cooler than the one we saw yesterday. I look forward to posting some shots from the top of the chateau. Honestly, one of the neatest items we ran into is a twelve foot bronze statue of Freddie Mercury they have facing the Lac Leman. It is pretty schweet.

Gruyeres

I will try and refrain from focusing every entry about our trip on the food but let me be clear this will be difficult since I love cheese and chocolate and Switzerland has no shortage of those thing.  On Sunday we slept in a bit and then decided to take the train to charming city on a hill called Gruyeres.  In the previous entry I discussed the beginning of our love for Gruyere cheese; our visit to this city cemented that love for us.  The cheese is named after the city so we got the chance to see cheese wheels aging in the cheese caves which were more massive than I had imagined.  After we got off the train we began the ascent up the hill to the city.  You may be sensing a trend that Switzerland has a lot of hills.  The town has a city wall surrounding part of the outside of the town so we had to stop for a photo opp.  Once we arrived we began our first order of business which was cheese fondue.  Leading up to this trip I had dreamt about cheese fondue, I realize this may not be normal behavior.  We found a charming little restaurant that was part of a hotel and were seated.  They only spoke French so we left the ordering to Kim.  My French from high school helped me read signs and understand some spoken words but left me hanging when it came to producing speech in French myself. 

The fondue arrived and was served with bread, fingerling potatoes, and pearl onions.  My description cannot do this fondue justice.  It was amazing; I will remember this meal for years to come.  I have plans to try making a version of it at home but I recognize that the Swiss will always do it best.  After gorging on fondue we began exploring the town.  We visited the H.R. Giger museum which was not quite what I expected but still an enjoyable experience.  The way he used human and skeletal elements to create dark and alien images was fascinating.  His style was very distinct and several themes carried throughout the various works of art within the museum. 

Next we explored the Chateau Gruyeres, a renovated castle at the top of the hill.  It was a fun way to spend the afternoon and we admired the renovation work which was very well done and meticulously maintained.  We also found a poster of Zermatt and the Matterhorn in the chateau gift shop which we purchased and recently framed for our house.  This further increased our excitement about our upcoming day trip to Zermatt.  We finished the day with coffee from the H.R. Giger café which had incredibly intricate ceilings and chairs all based off his artwork.

Kyle’s Update:
Saw the HR Giger museum today in Gruyeres, which is the last place on the planet you'd imagine for it to be, but it was surreal experience. Seeing the design work for the Alien movies and his various sculptures was intense. Dale , Kim and I also enjoyed some amazing fondue; the likes of which most of the world hasn't seen (or tasted). Good day!

Lausanne

After flying through the night and then taking a train ride from Zurich we arrived in Lausanne, Kim and Anthony’s city.  As you can imagine we were quite tired from the journey but we were so excited to have finally arrived in Switzerland and be reunited with our friends!  The walk from the train station to their apartment was not uneventful since we did not have our phones we were following very detailed instructions from Kim on how to walk there.  We were following along perfectly – we saw the Lebanese restaurant and thought we had arrived.  Little did we know that was the decoy Lebanese restaurant and we had another couple blocks to go.  After puzzling over next steps we decided to keep walking and saw the second Lebanese restaurant and realized we had arrived.  It became a running joke all week that once we reached the first one we were almost there. 

Once we arrived Kim and Anthony gave us such a warm greeting and had a wonderful Swiss lunch for us which included cured meats, cheese, and crackers.  Oh the cheese of Switzerland.  This lunch started what we think will be our lifeline long of Gruyere cheese.  As is customary in Switzerland we ended the meal with chocolate.  That is a tradition I could get used to. 

After catching up and resting for a bit we set out to explore the city.  It was very helpful to have Kim and Anthony as guides.  We walked through charming streets up to the top of the city where we took in a beautiful view of the city and Lac Leman.  This is also where there is a beautiful cathedral and chateau that we admired before making our descent.  On the walk back we stopped for gelato that was divine and then walked down to the lake and enjoyed some local Swiss wine on the patio of a local café.  It was such a beautiful and relaxing afternoon.  After dinner we went to bed early since our bodies were still unsure of which time zone it was and the long travel day had caught up with us. 

Kyle’s Update:
It's about 3:30AM your time. Dale and I just woke up here in Lausanne, Switzerland after a day of adventuring around the city yesterday. The architecture here is fascinating. (The older stuff at least.) The transit system here is beyond compare, especially if we're talking about the ATL. We'll have some rad pics to share soon. Auf wiedersehen!

Today I Turn 28

My husband posted the sweetest thing on Facebook - it brought tears to my eyes and was such a beautiful reminder of our love story and love for one another!  I'm so blessed to have such wonderful family and friends who remind me all the time how wonderful and precious those relationships are.  Feeling very loved today!

facebook

Kyle Jones tagged you in a status. Kyle wrote: "On this day in 1985, my wife was born. There was no way for my ten month old self to know that my life was already on an unalterable path. As I grew up in Cumming, Georgia, she was growing up at the same time in Sugar Hill, Georgia. For most of our youth, we would be on two completely different paths. And then something unexpected happened--my parents divorced. Seventeen years of marriage ended, and I was a devastated fifteen. This unexpected moment was followed up by an even more unexpected event--my Dad’s remarriage about seven months later. (Which turned out to be a great moment.) My sophomore year of high school starts in a new house, with a new family, and in a new school. Everything foundational in my life had changed. At the time, I was lost. Little did I know that in August, what had been set in motion on this day in 1985, would find me and change everything yet again. The first day of sophomore year at North Gwinnett High School is filled with only one clear memory. Her. I still remember what she was wearing. I remember being blessed/lucky enough to have both chemistry and language arts with her. I remember finangaling my way to sitting next to her in both classes. I also remember how she didn't know what to think about me. I don’t blame her. I've been told I was a pretty awkward sixteen year old. (My sisters made sure I understood this on a daily basis. Love you all--mean it.) That day altered my future in a way that I still can’t fully comprehend, and I very well may not ‘get it’ in this lifetime. I’m totally cool with that though. You see on April 24th, 1985, God gave me my wife. I didn't know it at the time, and she didn't know that I was hers either. We didn't know on that first day of class our sophomore year of high school, but in time the fate that was woven in a blanket of starry patchwork that knew far before either of us drew breath or could comprehend a future with one another helped us find one another. It has always been ironic to me that our love was borne from my split--and then multiplied--family, but I am unfathomably thankful that through that illogical time God was preparing me a future with her. The one I said ‘I do’ to almost five years ago. So happy birthday, Dale. Happy birthday to the one I was born for and who I believe unquestionably was born for me."

Praying for Boston

I promise I will be posting blog entries about our amazing trip – hopefully by the end of this weekend.  I was planning on sitting down to write them but so many other things have been on my mind this week.  This week has been a tough week for our country.  The events at the Boston Marathon, subsequent tragedies in the pursuit of the suspects in Watertown, and the fertilizer plant explosion in Texas have all rocked our nation and caused loss of lives and devastation to those areas.  I am so thankful to live in a place where we have so many freedoms but seeing the malicious intent of some people in our country and their blatant disregard for human life is truly heartbreaking.  I cannot even begin to understand what circumstances or mental issues lead people into making such destructive and selfish choices.  I am praying for the families impacted and for the people in Boston who are still fearful for their safety and lives as search continues for the responsible parties.  I do truly believe that good triumphs evil even in the worst of situations so I know that stories of bravery, selflessness, charity, and compassion will rise from the ashes of these tragedies.  As I reflect with a heavy heart on the events I try to remind myself to look for those redeeming stories since there is no way to make sense of such senseless destruction and loss of life.    

Opening Day - Go Braves!

Yesterday was opening day for baseball and thanks to some awesome friends we were able to go be a part of the craziness!  Turner Field was packed and the energy level was really high.  The weather was perfect and the night was such a wonderful reminder that the long winter is coming to an end and springtime has finally arrived.  We enjoyed the game, people watching, foam tomahawks, ballpark food, spring weather, and the company of good friends.  We chopped until we dropped and we were so proud of the Braves for beating the Phillies!  

Mentoring

This month marks the five year mark of our volunteer activities with the Ignition youth group at our church.  Wow, time flies!  I think back to when we started with the group.  I was about to be 23 and I was completely intimidated by the girls in my group.  I was so worried that they wouldn't connect with me or like me.  I went home so many nights frustrated that it was taking so long for them to open up.  I always thought my youth leaders were so cool and looked up to them and truthfully when we first started I wasn't sure I fit that mold.  Kyle being a teacher was much more fearless since he spent all day getting teenagers who weren't that interested to listen to him so he gave me such good advice and encouraged me to stick with it.  I remember at about 4 months in one of my girls rushed up to me at church and gave me a big hug without being prompted and it was the first sign that I was starting to really connect with them.  It’s amazing how simple that gesture was but it was significant to me.  Instead of being tolerated I was finally connecting with them. 

Two years in my first set of girls graduated high school.  I cried like a baby at their senior service.  As sad as I was to see them move on I was so proud.  Not having kids of our own it was a small glimpse at the pride you feel when someone you invest your life in succeeds and moves onto a new phase in life.  I was so thankful I had another year with the other three girls in my group.  At this point we had started a bible study and were getting together regularly for coffee, movies, shopping, etc.  I knew that their graduation would be an even tougher pill to swallow for me.  Each year you get with a mentee deepens the relationship and I was so lucky to get three whole years with the girls before they graduated.  In a leadership training session at BigStuf one year they talked about the hardships of going off to college and what a trying time it is for your faith.  Having remembered that same struggle for myself personally I made a commitment to myself and to my girls that even though they were going to college that they were by no means losing me as a presence in their lives.  Graduation came and more tears came as well but this time I was even more confident that it was not truly a goodbye. 

I have kept that promise and so have the girls.  I see them each time they come home for breaks and holidays and we talk/text sporadically while they are at school.  This summer several of them have internships and they have matured in such amazing women.  I’m so thankful that I get to be part of their story and watch as the next chapters unfold for them.  They have transitioned more to friends and the conversations we have continue to deepen as they face new opportunities and obstacles.  I gave job references for some of them which made me feel old but also reminded me that even though I don’t get to see them every Wednesday and Sunday any longer I still get to be part of their lives.

After my first group graduated I faced a tough choice to walk away or start again with a new group.  I knew the roller coaster of emotions of starting fresh, deepening relationships, then watching them transition away but I knew in my heart I wasn't done with youth ministry.  So I started up again with the freshmen girls.  It was hard at first going back to some of the younger mindset and issues but I was glad to have the opportunity to get to know a whole new set of girls.  Quickly I fell in love all over again and knew I wanted to help be a part of the spiritual and emotional journeys for them.  Now those girls are wrapping up their sophomore years and I can’t believe how quickly they are growing up!  I still think I’m lucky because I feel like I get way more out of volunteering with this group than I put in but that’s why I know it’s such a good fit.  I still have heart breaking moments where I wish I could just magically take their pain and heart ache away but I know that walking with them through those things is one of the ways to help them grow and mature in their lives and in their faith.  God uses our struggles to strengthen us and many times has reminded me that there is so much work to be done in this world!

Humbling

When I was younger I used to have more of a sense that I was invincible.  It doesn't mean I didn't have bad days but in almost every situation I saw potential and opportunities.  I was not yet accustomed to facing as many obstacles and grappling with the reality of situations.  In some ways I long for the days when things were so simple.  I am a planner through and through; I like to map and remap things until I feel content that I have explored the options.  On the other hand I am humbled by my more mature perspective.  Kyle and I have been very fortunate in our lives so far.  We have hit snags and road bumps just like anyone else but we have always landed on our feet.  God has reminded me in a lot of regards lately that I can plan all I want but some things are just up to Him. 

This has been especially evident as we begin to think of the next steps in our life.  I cannot know for sure where the housing market will be in 6 months or 12 months or 2 years.  We cannot know for sure how long Kyle’s doctoral program will take, we can estimate but cannot predict what obstacles or opportunities may present themselves.  I cannot guarantee that I will have a job with my current company a year or two from now.  The best we can do is make smart choices and plan for the situation we think is the right fit for us but ultimately there are no guarantees.  I've been pushing myself lately and praying about my ability to find more joy in the detours of life.  I want to find a better balance in perspective.  To transition my thinking to be more at peace with the fact that a plan is simply that and that changes to the plan are not faults but simply scenic routes.