Family, Family, and more Family

Hey everyone! A few things....first thing's first, we have to say HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to not only our own moms, but to all moms and moms to be. Enjoy your special day! We saw this Mother's Day video on YouTube and thought we would share it with you (WARNING: Only watch this if you have your good sense of humor turned on and you've seen "American Pie")...



Next, our car hasn't broken down and I have yet to use the safety vest. Hooray! However, on the drive back from the Loire Valley last weekend, we did see some people who had to utilize them. I poured a little liquor out for them as I drove by...

So, the next few blogs (aside from Loire Valley) will be all about family, family, and then more family. To kick off our first family blog, we honor my cousin, Brent, and his wife, Erika. They arrived on Saturday, April 26th and left on Tuesday, April 29th. On Tuesday, they headed to Paris where they finished out the remainder of their short foray into Europe and returned to the states on Saturday, May 3rd.

Aggie and I were very excited for their arrival on Saturday morning. We have had a lot going on lately so the thought of having family around and just relaxing was totally on our agenda. Brent and Erika were right there with us as they have been busy too, so entertaining was extremely easy.

After picking them up at the airport, we came back to our place and they got settled. I drank my 5th cup of coffee for the day and then we were ready to go! Our plan was to go into the city, walk around a bit and explore. We stopped for a few drinks and lunch then later crashed in the Enge Park. The weather had been kind rainy and chilly lately, but this particular weekend was beautiful! The sun was shinning and people were out everywhere, so we took advantage.

After our cat naps, we headed back to our apartment to freshen up for dinner. That evening, we went down the street to our friends, Dave and Ali's, for a BBQ. The grilling was supurb and the meal was very filling. We later "rolled" home completely full and tired.

The next day, we headed to our friends, John and Helen's, for brunch. We all slept in and it actually ended up being lunch by the time we got there. As John said when I called to say were were running late, "It's Sunday. No worries." I have to say, the casserole and sausage dishes they whipped up were de-lish! (I'd just like to remind you that the majority of this blog, including the phrase "de-lish", is Ag's doing...I would never use a word like "de-lish". Just know that.) After brunch we went down to the lake and joined all of Zurich (so it seemed) along the lake front. Seriously, everyone was out enjoying the nice weather!

That evening we went to Uetliberg for dinner. Uetliberg is where there is a restaurant and hotel that sits high on a hill just outside the city. The only way to get there is via train and then treking up a slight hill....yes, you have to "work" for your dinner! It's called the "Top of Zurich" and the views of the mountains from the restaurant are awesome. Not only is the view great, the food is very tasty as well. Again, we left full and satisfied and slept well that evening.

Monday we went to a small town at the end of Lake Zurich called Rapperswil. It's a cute little town with lots of restaurants and shops. They have a petting zoo there as well filled with local Swiss animals. The rose gardens are supposed to be beautiful there this time of the year, but we were a few weeks early as the flowers had not bloomed just yet. We plan to head back there with Ferd and Andre when they visit in a couple weeks.

For dinner that evening we decided to have a "Swiss" meal and made raclette at our place. Therefore, on our way back from Rapperswil, we stopped at Sihl City (the big and only mall in Zurich) for a few dinner items and to shop around. Afterwards we came back to the apartment and relaxed, ate dinner and were very merry! We then watched the movie, American Gangster, and crashed.

Tuesday was back to work for Aggie and I. Onward Brent and Erika went to Paris. I have to say, it was a really nice relaxing weekend and we were very touched they came to visit us. We have been in contact with them since they have arrived back in the states, and it sounds like Paris was an amazing time for them.

May has been going by in a blur....We went to the Loire Valley in France last weekend (May 1st-5th) with our good friends Darren and Nicole. We don't have too many things planned for this weekend; maybe a hike. John might have me convinced to go whitewater rafting on Sunday which would be super cool! Regardless of what we do, we are going to be outside...the weather is awesome!

Big Ferd and Andrea get here pretty soon. Aggie and I are meeting them in Rome and our plan is to train it back to Zurich through Italy. The agenda is Rome, Florence, Tuscany, Venice, Lake Como and finally Zurich. They then spend a few days in Zurich and head back to Hamilton. On Friday, May 30th Aggie's parents and sister, Theresa, arrive. Her dad will be here for a week and the ladies are staying for almost three weeks. I see a few really tasty homemade meals (and maybe the construction of some cornhole boards, which I've been dying to have) in my near future....

Happy birthday shouts go out to Mrs. Bill and Angela Bolton!! Also, happy 30th birthday wishes to Brent and our other friend, Sarah Puglia! I'll be joining youz two in the "30 and up club" in about two months....

Have a great weekend everyone and chat soon!

PS. Thanks for the nice comments on the last blog, Dad and Renners!