Swiss National Day

August 1st is Swiss National Day!  It will always be a 'Remembrance Day' for us now of our time there.

Five years we lived there.  FIVE years!!  How is that even right?  It's crazy, that's what it is.

Taken in the month we got there:

And the month we moved:

Here is a video I made of many of the pictures I took while we were there.  Brett cannot even watch it because it makes him too sad that we're not there anymore.  I don't think it would take too much for him to be ready to move back.  :)  (Make it big, and watch it at highest quality.)  Please watch it!!

We kind of miss some things about Switzerland, but for me, it's so very very easy to fall back into the ways of America that it's almost like coming back from a vacation to what 'real life' is, and it's almost surreal that we were ever truly there.  By now, 10 months of being back, I don't even remember to be grateful most of the time for big parking lots and my big refrigerator and freezer AND extra freezer in the basement, and washer and dryer right in my house.  It's all so natural.  I love being able to know where to go to get something that I need, or being able to ask cashiers or teachers or whomever when I need to find something out and they understand me because they speak English.

But sometimes, when something pops up, like I finish off a roll of dental floss that I bought in Switzerland and am reminded of our time there, or particularly when I look at the photos of the gorgeousness we lived in, and all the beautiful places we got to travel to, or Brett and the kids speak Swiss German together, I am wistful about those good points.  And I'm really really really grateful for the chance we had to live there.

And here are some pictures from the Swiss National Day celebration we found in Pittsburgh.  It was for the American-Swiss Society or something like that.  We got to dress up all patriotic with anyone who had a Swiss shirt or hat wearing it (although Hazel's is pink which kind of throws things off but still looks cute on her).  

The kids were just really cute in the car so I took lots of pictures on the way.

There were a few people actually from Switzerland there, so Brett did get to speak a little bit of Swiss German.

There was a Steinstossen, which means Stone Toss, and I got second place out of the women (and then after the competition was over and I went back and tried again, I did beat the other woman who had beaten me).

And Brett beat the men by SOOOO much.  There was honestly about four feet between his and the next farthest throw.

So, it was okay, but much like a party you go to and don't know anyone at and everyone else is drinking, well, we won't be sad if we miss it next year.  Or any year after that.  We'll just celebrate at home with friends.  :)