"That's why you should just stay home."

It's been one full-week back in Switzerland, and in my estimation, it's time to assemble my thoughts. However, it's hard for me to look back on our 16 days in the US without getting all liz-like emo. So I try...

Rather than a full report, I'm going to attempt a 2009 US 'greatest hits'
-Nick's welcome home dinner: ribs! scallops, roasted red potatoes, veggies & family time
-Seeing Amy & meeting her gorgeous love, Abby, & watching her cry (that child is the cutest crier, ever.)
-Meeting Logan (K&J's brand new pup) and playing with him in the kitchen
-Lots of STL family dinners most notably Trattoria Marcella (oh delicious heaven). Sorry Dad, but that was the best meal of the trip (in my opinion, Joe may vote ribs).
-Fires in Ron & Mary's living room (and watching joe lovingly tend to them)
-MK's party complete with delicious foods, EEK, pregnant friends, random dramas & 'let's not go pointing fingers.'
-Hanging out at the STL Grandparent's houses
-All the Ducheks packed in Grandma & Grandpa's house for Christmas Eve
-Christmas morning at Kate & Jared's house & getting to see all the amazing improvements they've made to the place.
-Making it back safely to Chicago after a rough 1+ drive just to get to the highway from Kate & Jared's said amazing house.
-The entire Bielenda side of the family present on Christmas night (a super rare event) and meeting Charlotte for the first time (in all her squeezable, smiling glory).
-Getting to the mall before it was even open the day after Christmas. Nothing like arriving at 7am when it opens at 8! Luckily, McDonalds & Starbucks were easily found for pre-mall sustenance. Just one of many, many successful trips to the mall it was!
-Brunch with the Meell's day after Christmas, taking the double LRC pot ;) & then spending the afternoon cross-country skiing, followed by delicious dinner with the girls & me passing out cold on the Shepeck's couch. Nothing like the exhaustion of the holidays...and being comfy enough with friends to pass out at 9.30.
-Ladies luncheon at Nana's house complete with lots of baby time & great company.
- Train station ML tall-boys with Christine after we missed our (once hourly) train out of the city.
-Massages (a luxury I cannot afford here)
-Dinner at Dave's followed by Colette's New Years party which included dancing to Party in the USA with the girls & loving it. Sidenote: it's much easier to love bad pop songs when we Never hear any of them here. Although, no one in this house considers that song bad.
-All the yummy foods, hello-Dollys, beer & peppermint mochas that resulted in a 6kilo (13lb) weight gain for joe & a 2kilo (4lb) gain for liz.
-While discussing the failed plane bombing, health care & other delightfully contentious issues, Papa's dead-on point to many of the issues was; "that's why you should just stay home." Stay home. But, where is that anyways? St. Louis, Chicago, Zurich? All these places are home, because as the sign in Mom&Dad's house says, 'home is where your heart is.' So, until Papa can figure us out a way to be in multiples places at once, we're going to continue to have bittersweet moments of missing, wishing, re-adjusting, then breathing & looking forward to what's shaping up to be another fantastic year in Switzerland. If only we can just make it through these few months of winter...