A Trip Home

April and Jill celebrating Cale's first birthday

The ladies at the Ford Theater just before Wicked starts

I look back at January and I'm astounded I only posted once! I believe this is a first since moving to Switzerland. It's not without reason though. I travelled back to the States for the last two weeks of January. A trip inspired by some frequent flyer miles and reservations to an Oprah Winfrey Show taping made by my cousin April. It was nice to come home, if only for two weeks. Though the Midwest was being blasted with arctic temperatures (no kidding, we're talking 40 below wind chills fahrenheit) and I got sick with the flu once again. My immune system really hates the winter I think, as multiple sicknesses seem to happen to me every year.
I was grateful the trip back also coincided with the 1st birthday of Cale, April and Kent's son. It was really fun to be there for the cake and celebration, even if I did lapse into a jetlag coma for the last half of the party.
So alot of people have been asking me how the Oprah Show was, and I have to saw it was more then I expected. We got up bright and early to be dressed and ready at the studio by 7 am. The show's topic was the Oscar Nominee Special and was live, which was fascinating to watch. I've been a long time Oprah viewer, so to see it all go down in person was a glimpse into a world I never considered that I'd ever get to see. I half expected to leave feeling less enamoured by Oprah herself. Some of her shows over the last few years have been a little preachy for my taste. But as the show wrapped and she stood around for about 30 minutes answering questions from the audience, I was struck by how down to earth she really is. And for a woman as powerful as she is, she's managed to keep it in check, I imagine, as well as any one person really can.
It was a unique situation for my mom, cousin, aunt, and sister-in-law to all take the time for our "Girl's Weekend" into Chicago. Not only did we get to see Oprah, go out to eat, see the Broadway show Wicked, and squeeze in some shopping, but we got hang out away from the guys and the kids in a way that doesn't come along too often. It was unforgettable, and I'm so glad I got the chance to come back home to be a part of it.
Things in Zürich have been looking up since I've returned. The sun has started to shine the past few days, I'm feeling healthy again, and I can feel spring is just around the corner. We have no idea what will become of us 5 months from now, so we're taking one day at a time for now and enjoy what we have left of Switzerland.