Mom and Marty Do Europe (and Other Visitors!)

Mom and Marty in Lugano

These are very exciting times. My parents (Mom and Marty) came to visit. Normally this would be huge (I miss my momma) but it was an even BIGGER deal considering the fact that neither Mom or Marty had ever been abroad before! And boy are they hooked! Marty, for sure! He particularly like the laid back, easy-going Italian lifestyle. I think he could have been happy as a clam just sitting on my nice, sunny porch all day, every day! It didn’t hurt that the weather was absolutely beautiful that week. Nearly 70 degrees and sunny the whole time! It hasn’t been like that before or since, so I’m quite sure they brought it with them (and took it home)!

When they showed up with about 10 bags my jaw hit the floor. What in the world are you doing with so many bags?! Turns out one of them held my very important diplomas needed for my UK Visa application, and the other bag was entirely full of American goodies (also very much needed)! We’re talking Starburst, Chex-mix, Skittles, Rotel, Velveeta, GIRL SCOUT COOKIES…oh my, was I a happy girl!


M/M Eating Yummy Gelato in Downtown Lugano

I took Mom and Marty down to Lugano one day and up the funicular (like a cable car that takes you up the mountain) to see the beautiful views of Lugano and this area another day. We also went to Como for a day which was great fun! We really lucked out on the weather. So relaxing.


View of Lugano from San Salvatore Mountain (Funicular ride)


Mom in front of the Duomo in Como


Me and Mom in Bellagio

The days that I was working, Mom and Marty went on little day adventures. Having never traveled via public transportation, I gotta tell you I was so proud of them! They took boats, trains, planes, busses…they did it all! They really enjoyed the castles of Bellinzona and especially Lucerne. They also got to see the Last Supper and Duomo in Milan which was a real highlight for them.

The last weekend of their trip I took Mom and Marty to see the City of Lights – London! Eas had plans for us on Friday night and met us at the train station. He really was a great tour guide all weekend! We had some yummy meals (Turkish and Brazilian!) and even got to meet up with Morgs and Eric and Adam. It was such a fun time! Saturday night we went to see “Wicked” which I loved! Mom and Marty stayed at the newly renovated Langham Hotel near Oxford Circus. Wow, what a treat, let me tell you! We even got access to the VIP lounge which provided snacks and cocktails to us for free. It was so nice!
I was so sad to see them go. We had such a blast! It was nice to have my mom here to calm my nerves and clean my house (like only moms can!). But alas, they had to go home and I had to go to Geneva! I don’t know that I’ve wide publicized this, but a couple of months ago I was offered a teaching job in London! I haven’t told many people about it because it was all contingent upon whether or not I could get a work visa to work and live there. It’s not quite as easily done as you might think. Apparently they are limiting the number of people who come in to work/live because of the bad economy. So bad timing on my part but oh well!


The Four of us Soaking up the Sun in London



Me and Eas in my Future City!



The London Eye and Thames River



Me and Momma



Eas in front of my New School: Southbank!

So on the day that M/M left, I took a VERY early flight to Geneva from London so I could FINALLY turn in my UK Visa
Application and all of the documents. This has been quite the process (as everything had to be in it’s original form – bank statements, diplomas, pay slips, etc). It really got down to the wire as I was waiting on a Fed-Ex package from Dad that arrived 30 minutes before I took off! Wow! But the bottom line is, I turned it all in and was on a train back to Lugano that afternoon. Sadly enough the whole process to get to Geneva and back to Lugano took as long as my parents’ trip back to Lufkin!


I have never been to Geneva so it was nice to get to see the city (even if for just a few hours). The train ride back was absolutely beautiful, too! Long, but beautiful! The problem with turning in my application was that they had to keep my passport for anywhere from 4 days to 3 weeks. You can imagine how unsettling of a feeling that is when you’re a foreigner living in a country other than your own!



Lake Geneva


The Notre Dame of Geneva

But I’m happy to say I got my visa! They called not 3 days later and said my passport was ready to be picked up. It was a nerve-racking trip to head back up there without knowing my fate, but luckily I had nothing to worry about. Now inside my passport is a lovely visa permit to work in the U.K. for 3 years! No worries, I’m not planning on staying there that long but it’s nice to know I have the option. I am now accepting London visitors to Casa Hag in London next year. Please come visit!!


My Train Ride Back to Lugano from Geneva



Glacier near Zurich

Next on the list of visitors were Jenni and Darin. They arrived the day I got back from Geneva. They were in Italy on a trip with their Dad, Liz, Jacque and Kevin, and were nice enough to pop on over the border to come see me (I didn’t think I’d have my passport back in time to travel to Italy)! It was so great having them here (even if just for a night). They picked the best time to come (Lugano Chocolate Festival was going on!) but didn’t get to see how beautiful it was due to all of the rain. But none-the-less we had lots of good pizza and lots of good wine (and lots of good chocolate and fun, of course too)!



Jenni and Darin at the Lugano Chocolate Festival


Making Chocolate Easter Bunnies!



Yum! Chocolate!

I want to extend a big CONGRATS to all of my friends who have had babies recently. Kelly had a beautiful baby boy (Hayden), Casey had an adorable baby girl (Tatum), Kristin had another sweet girl (Ava), and Jenny May is about to pop any day now! WAIT, this just in (literally as I typed this): JENNY MAY HAS HAD HER BABY! Welcome to the world, sweet Bekah Burkhart!! I can’t wait to meet all of these sweet young people!

Well I’m off now for 2 weeks – it’s Spring Break time around here (finally!). I’m heading to Rome on Saturday with Eason to see
all of the sites! Then off we go to the Amalfi Coast for a few relaxing days (other than the scary driving in Italy part!). Hilary and Stephen are meeting up with us down there – we are so excited to spend time together, just the 4 of us! Dad and Lisa join us in Rome next week (for Easter) and we will all enjoy Italy for the rest of that week! We’re going to Rome, Florence, Milan, Lugano and Como. PHEW! Take that Carmen San Diego!

Ciao for now and Happy Easter to everyone!
Hayley

I'm a Bad Blogger...BAD Blogger!

Shame on me! It's been a while, hasn't it? Where shall I start? From the beginning, I suppose. We'll pick up from the trip after Amsterdam (it's been 7 weeks of straight trips or visitors, so...buckle your safety belts, folks!)

The weekend after Amsterdam I met my two best buddies, Morgan and Travis, for a fun weekend in Portugal! Travis was there for a full month researching for his Ph. D. It was rainy the whole weekend, but much warmer than Switzerland, so I was happy about that! We had a nice, relaxing weekend full of yummy food, LOTS of chocolate, cheap wine and fun stories of way back when. We even watched a movie or 2 in English! I love hanging out with my old buddies!

                                    Trolley in Lisbon, Portugal

                                    Fun Night out with Friends!

                                         Castle in Lisbon

                                           View of the beautiful city!

Unfortunately, I came back to Lugano to MORE snow.  But it sure was beautiful!

The next weekend was trip to London #1.  I got to spend 5 days in London with my friend from TASIS, Allyson.  But this one wasn't for fun - more like stress!  We were there in order to attend a job fair.  Both of us had the dream of looking for a job in London.  Literally we put ALL of our eggs in this one basket, as there were only 3 London schools in attendance.  Within 3 minutes of the start of the fair, we had been turned away by 2 of them.  Yikes.  But luckily, we both secured interviews with the SAME school (in London!).  I am convinced that I only got the interview because I literally FELL into the principal as I was shaking her hand.  Nice.  Allyson and I had a weekend full of interviews with the school (and even got to go to their campuses to visit in person!).  More on that later!  We did get to have some fun as it was Adam's (Eason's roommate) 30th birthday.  A good time was had by all, and Allyson and I almost forgot how worried we were about the job situation. :)

                                 Me and Allyson Out on the Town in London

Me and Eas

Adam and All of his Ladies on His 30th!

The next weekend it was BACK to London. This time I got to bring all of my buddies from TASIS along as it was a 4 day weekend for us! Good times! Other than losing my purse on the flight (it's okay, I still had my passport and money/credit cards), it was a great weekend! I got to see Morgan, hang out with my TASIS friends, and spend Valentine's with my boy! He had a great surprise day planned out which included a manicure (for me), a REAL show, drinks at a nice bar, and dinner at a very special place for us - Buddha Bar. He took me to the same place in Paris on my birthday - I have to recommend it - so great! It really was a nice and relaxing weekend. PLUS we had a reason to celebrate - the day before the trip I was offered the job in London! Talk about shock! Still working on the work permit to actually be able to live/work in London but the ball is rolling on that!

La Cage on Valentine's Day!  Great seats!
Going out for a Date

The next weekend was a weekend that I had been waiting for...KRISTIN'S TRIP TO EUROPE! I was so, so excited about this! My sweet friend, Kristin, had never been to Europe and she took time to come explore it with me! I was so very honored! I met up with her in Paris (after she explored all by herself all day!) and we hit the town running. We saw all the sights, had lots of good food, and shared some fun Euro-moments that will go down in the history of the mermaids. :) Here are just a few pics from Paris:
Me and Kristin at the Louvre
Just climbing the Eiffel Tower...
  "You Gotta Get IN the Map!"
Me and Merms in front of the Eiffel Tower

That week Kristin went all around Switzerland and Italy on the trains. I was so super impressed!! She has some funny stories to tell about the Milan train station ("Here, Italy is my boot...you are here, Naples is here...Lugano is way up here!"). It was just so nice to have her there when I came home from work (just like old times!). It didn't hurt that the weather was BEAUTIFUL for her! She really got to see Lugano at it's best! Check out this great pic from a lovely Lugano day:


Beautiful Lugano!


More coming soon! I had more visitors this past weekend (the boys!) and my Mom and Marty are coming this weekend! I can't tell you how excited I am to see them! I feel so blessed that everyone has come so far to see me. For those of you who can't come, know that I miss you tremendously and can't wait to see you over the summer (that's only 3 short months from now!).

Until next time,
Hayley

Carnivale!

So in Europe, Carnivale (Mardi Gras) is bigger than Halloween! Here are some pics of my cute kiddos who got to dress up today (more to come)!

Robbie the Joker

The Sheriff is in town!

He is a Ferari. :)  That is a wheel he is holding - he has 4 of them that he wears on his ankles and wrists!!
One of my favorite little ones - the Hayley look-a-like.  She's a bear, haha!

Diba the phone.  Modern Day Carnivale!

Cowboys and turtles?  Or is that a ram??

Igor is obsessed with policemen in the U.S.  So he came as a the fuzz!
Princess Beatrice

Princess, Nemo and Sheriff

P.S. Sorry I haven't blogged lately -- super bogged down with traveling and visitors, but I will catch up this weekend!  Stay tuned!

  

Weekend in Amsterdam

It had been over a month since I got some quality time with my long-distance beau of mine, so imagine my excitement when the Amsterdam weekend finally came! In addition to seeing him for the first time in the '09, I was also thrilled about seeing the historic sights and finally, FINALLY fulfilling my life-long dream of going to the Anne Frank House. The weekend was fantastic and I have decided that the 'dam is definitely up there on the list of "My Favorite European Cities!" :)


                                               They park so close to the edge! Eeek!!

On Friday, Eason and I met at the Amsterdam airport and hopped a train into the city. The first thing I noticed was American accents -- everywhere I looked! I think there are more Americans there than are in London! Definitely more than where I currently live. I guess it's a popular tourist destination, and I think I know why...it's amazing! We headed straight to a great little tapas restaurant that Eason had researched, and despite the misleading (summer only) margarita disappointment, I cannot complain. It was some good eating! Then we celebrated "New Year's" together, seeing as how we didn't spend the real New Year's Eve together this year. Eas even brought champagne -- it was great!


    In front of the Anne Frank House

Saturday morning, early, the real fun began! We hit the Anne Frank House first, as I was chomping at the bit! Having taught the Holocaust and read the diary with my students for years, it really was a dream for me to actually get to visit the house. It was amazing how real it all seemed once I was walking through the bookcase door, up those steep steps, through their rooms and into their lives. What a special girl -- I'm so glad I got to finally experience seeing the secret annex.



        Me and Eason on the boat

Then we walked around the canals a bit more, me getting lost, but him apparently having a plan. It's nice to have a tour guide when visiting all of these places! :) The weather was overcast but at least it didn't rain. We found a cute little restaurant/bar near the museums and "I Amsterdam" sign. My mom kept asking me if it was true that she needed change to go to the restrooms in Switzerland (that is what she had heard), and after laughing at her silliness, wouldn't you know...I had to pay to pee in the 'dam! :) This first place was worth it though. You walk in, put your money in a slot, the doors open automatically and in you go. Voila! Once in the bathroom I thought, well...this is odd. These stalls have glass doors. Are you telling me I just paid money to go to the bathroom in front of all of Amsterdam?! But, the $.50 was worth it, because when you lock the stall door, the see-through glass suddenly becomes opaque! It was magically awesome! I'd pay $1.00 for that (but don't tell Europe)! :)


I Amsterdam sign

After taking our "I Amsterdam shots," (attempting to get some shots w/out ppl, but that was impossible)...off we went to the Van Gogh Museum. Talk about a great museum full of good art. It wasn't too big, but definitely showed a great representation of Van Gogh's life. My favorite was a piece called "Almond Branches in Bloom" which he did for his nephew who was named after him. Very lovely. After that we enjoyed a leisurely walk around the center of town, looking in the famous diamond shops. All I got to say about that is the diamonds in Texas are bigger! :) I have decided the real diamond museums should be located in Highland Park! After that we popped into a nice Thai restaurant and had some yummy lunch. That night we decided to brave the streets and walk down to the Red Light district. Wow. That's all I will say about that. Definitely an experience, but all of the sudden I had this feeling to never let my future hypothetical children come to Amsterdam at night. :)


      Bike Lot full of bikes!

On Sunday we decided to spend some time just eating bagels, drinking coffee and talking politics. My kind of American Sunday! I was itching to read American magazines, so Eason brought one of the latest Newsweeks about the inauguration. My friend Lauren suggested Bagels and Beans as a great place to go, and she did not disappoint! Thanks, Lauren!


  Yum...Bagels and Beans!

After that we decided to take advantage of a nice sunny day in the 'dam and hop on a canal boat tour. It was really neat to hear all about the history of the city while exploring the city via the canals. After that we hopped into the first pub we saw to have our last Heineken of the trip only to realize we were basically at Amsterdam's version of Hooters, haha. I knew Eason didn't mind staying, and I wouldn't have minded...if those girls could dance! I was really close to showing them how keep a beat and count to eight, but instead I paid my .50 to use the bathroom, had a drink and left at the first sight of a bachelor party entrance. :)


Boat in the Harbor

Dinner was at an Argentinean place (are you seeing a theme here? lots of eating!) which was really yummy! Amsterdam has a lot of different international food choices, which is a change from all of the Italian I get here! I saw a Tex-Mex spot, but I couldn't bring myself to try it. OH how I miss queso! Luckily we had late flights out, so we got to spend the whole day Sunday together without feeling stressed for time. I was sad to leave, but seeing as how I have 4 more weekends (in a row) of traveling, I decided I couldn't feel sorry for myself anymore!


View from Hotel

Overall, I loved the 'dam and would definitely recommend it! Can't wait to go back! Ciao for now. :)

Happy Birthday, Christy!

Sweet Christy:

Dedicated mother, devoted and loving wife.
Always makes time to appreciate life.
She's there when you need her, no matter the hour.
She puts others first, believes in God's power.

She's happy, she's goofy, she's patient and kind,
She's strong, she's humble, a best friend a girl could find!
Dear Christy you are an inspiration to us all,
I look up to you (even if you're not very tall)! ;)

I love you, sweet friend! Happy Birthday!

Christmas Post

Buon Anno (Happy New Year)!

Being home for the holidays was fast and furious, but it was SO great to be back for a while. All I did was eat Mexican food, watch movies, read books, and hang out with family/friends. I could make a living living like that!



After spending a few days in London with Eason, we boarded a flight bound for Houston the Friday before Christmas in order to spend the weekend at Noni's house. Eas survived the family Christmas (he might even have had fun) - but who can blame him...there was good food on the table and football on TV. He was in heaven! We had a wonderful time in Beaumont with the fam. From there we headed to good ol' Lufkin for a few days. It was very relaxing! He even got to go to the Deuce, which he was so excited about (ha!). I drove him to the airport on Tuesday, but not before getting ONE more Mexican food meal in. Lupe Tortillas es muy bueno! Eason had a terrible time getting to Cali because of weather, but once he got there he had a great time with his family as well.


Despite having to put our family dog, Kennedy, to sleep, it was a delightful next 2 weeks. I got together with old friends and caught up on life so far in Texas and New Mexico. I spent some quality time with Hilary and Stephen, Hunter, Leeanne and their pups, and of course Mom, Marty, Dad and Lisa. We had 5 Christmases (a small number for us!), and it was really good to get to see Jenni and Darin (first time since their wedding) and Jacque and Kevin. Mom and Marty are coming in March, and Dad, Lisa, Hil and Stephen are coming in April. I can't wait!



New Years Eve was so fun! I got to spend it with my brother, sister, and their spouses. I can't remember the last time we all spent NYE together -- it was a blast!









In Dallas, I got to see so many friends! It was so good to catch up with you all!! I love and miss you so much!







The flight back was not so fun, as I had to change airports in London AND my connecting flight was nearly cancelled. We've had some major snow here lately, so a lot of us had a hard time getting back to Lugano. I was delayed, but luckily I made it (after 24 full hours of traveling)! I had to go to work the next day, so needless to say, I was TIRED! It's been about 4 days now, and I'm finally feeling back to normal. That jet-lag really got me this time!

The weather is so lovely here, so that makes it easy to get off my lazy bum and go for some exercise! Yesterday Martha and I walked downtown to enjoy the weather and pick up a few groceries (an easy walk down, but a tough walk back up!). Tonight I'm hosting people over to my place to have some cheese dip and watch some NFL play-off games. I love my Sling Box!

Stay tuned these next few weeks, as I have 5 weekends of traveling coming up! Here's a teaser: I'm going to Ann Frank's House, a city formerly known as Alis Ubbo (the delightful shore), the home of handsome princes (twice!) and finally, the City of Lights! That last one is with Kristin and I think it'll be her home away from S.A.! :)

Happy New Year!