La Toothfairy

Bend it like Beckham!

2007-07-31T14:45:00.000-07:00

To see the pictures in the Picasa Web Album click here

Picture update...

2007-07-02T12:06:00.000-07:00

Some of the latest pictures of our kids.

Future Captains of the Swiss Armed Forces

2007-07-02T11:57:00.000-07:00

Mat is once again instructing future company commanders of the Swiss Armed Forces. He hast ten students in his class including a 2nd Lt from Latvia. The following pics are some impressions from the Captains Career Course (or Leadership course I).

Visit from Fort Benning

2007-07-02T11:47:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday we met up with a classmate from Fort Benning. Jeff (2nd from the left) made a short trip to Europe with a friend of his who's also a Captain in the US Army. Since the visit was on a very short notice, all we were able to do is go out to dinner in Bern. However, it was still great to spend some time with some old friends from the states.

Facial features...

2007-06-30T13:50:00.000-07:00

Miles and his little sister Reagan

2007-06-17T14:12:00.000-07:00

Voilà a few recent pics of Miles (now 2 and a half years-old) and Reagan at 4 and a half months. Miles is an absolute gentleman to his little sister!

To see the single pictures click

2007_06_17

BIel-Seeland Officer's Society

2007-06-02T10:16:00.000-07:00

The following picture featuring Mat and Peter Forster is one which appeared in the local newspaper "Le Journal du Jura" on Thursday.

As of this year, Mat has taken over the presidency of the Biel-Seeland Officer's Society. For the past 10 years, it would appear that not much was happening in the officer's society, since there were never more than 20 people present during their events. For a club with over 400 members, this is very poor attendance!

Mat took over with the goal of bringing a new wave to the club and of trying to make something out of it again. His objectives are to increase the number of participants as well as increasing public awareness of the club by having more media present during certain events.

The first event of the year was held this past Wednesday at the Hotel Elite, in Biel. Peter Forscher, THE expert regarding Middle Eastern conflicts, as well as author of 3 books on the subject, gave a presentation to well over 80 people. The room was so packed that they had to pull out more chairs for everyone to sit. Among the guests were several national council polititians as well as one Brigadier (1-star general). Following his presentation was an "Imbiss" with wine and fancy finger food, accompanied by military music played by a quartet.

The soirée was a huge success, and many emails filled Mat's inbox the following day, with positive feedback.

Mat and his entire executive committee deserve a tap on the back for a job well done!

Together - Inspirational video clip

2007-05-22T14:09:00.000-07:00

Here's a great inspirational clip about a father - son relationship. Mat uses this clip in his leadership classes to underline the importance of teamwork to future platoon leaders and company commanders.

Check it out - but be aware, it's quite emotional.

Lady bug cake

2007-05-20T12:49:00.001-07:00

A lady I work with has a daughter who just turned 20 last week. In order to make this an unforgettable day for her, she asked me to make a special cake to mark the occasion, a cake in the shape of a ladybug.

After spending 8-9 hours preparing my masterpiece, I managed to complete my mission. Here it is. From what I heard, there was a tremendous "WOW-EFFECT".
I can only hope that it tasted as half as good as it looks...

Happy Birthday Corina!!!

Visiting the Tank Museum in Thun

2007-05-12T13:46:00.000-07:00

Tank Museum in Thun

Miles on a walk

Back to Work!

2007-05-12T04:57:00.000-07:00

Well, my alloted 14 weeks of maternity leave has expired and I found myself heading back to work this week. Quite frankly, these 14 weeks were so extremely busy for me that I feel as though I never left work in the first place. Time flies when every second of the day is taken up.

We were unsuccessful in our search to find a nanny to care for Miles and Reagan. Well, perhaps it's a blessing in disguise, who knows? However, we did manage to find a "Taggesmutter/Maman de Jour" who will be taking care of our kids one day per week. My freak mother-in-law will also be taking care of them one day a week.

It is not the ultimate solution but it is, a semi-solution. A nanny would be great, but on the other hand that would mean having someone constantly around me in the house...an idea which I am not too crazy about!

On Monday I took the kids to their caretaker and it seemed to have gone well except for the fact that Reagan slept a total of 30 minutes that entire day as opposed to 2 hours in the morning and 3 hours in the afternoon under my watch.

On Wednesday my mother-in-law came here to care for the kids and I made the huge mistake to phoning her to see how things were going. Instead of saying hello she had to mention to me how "horribly shocked" she was at the sight of some dust which was present on the ventilator (fan) in Miles's room. (We have a little fan which is constantly running in his room in order to camouflage the echoing sounds that run throughout the house.)

I flipped out after hearing such a pathetic little remark. I told her that I would love to see her in my shoes: having to juggle a part-time job, a very lively toddler, a 3-month-old baby, a dog that sheds its white needle-like hair throughout our 7-piece house laden with dark grey-colored stone floors and massive windows throughout (which I am constantly struggling to keep clean). All this with minimal help since my husband has a very demanding job with lots of responsibility and is not often home and if he is home, it's more cleaning for me since he's not really a neat-freak since His Mother obviously never taught him how to be. (but that's okay)

Our place is spic and span by average standards and in my opinion, there are more important things to dwell on than some dust on a ventilator!
Little Miss Dragon should learn to keep her comments to herself since she brought up ONE child in a house HALF our size with the help of a CLEANING-LADY who would come by her house TWICE a week. She NEVER had to WORK outside the home. She is now DIVORCED.

Nobody is perfect and I do not possess a magic wand that I can wave around every day to chase the dust and dog hair away. However I do the best I can to manage, while trying to set priorities in the right order. Unfortunately, with only 24 hours in a given day, the dust sitting on the fan on the 3rd floor will have to wait its turn! :-)

Miles Deere

2007-04-20T23:48:00.000-07:00

Miles the builder with his John Deere tractor.

Miles the builder

2007-04-20T09:09:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter!

2007-04-12T14:28:00.001-07:00

Well Miles had quite the surprise upon awakening this Easter morning. It turns out that the Easter bunny came for a visit and left a trail of eggs from Miles's bedroom, leading down 4 flights of stairs and into the backyard, where there were large chocolate easter bunnies hiding in the trees.
Also to be found was a bike helmet and....a BIKE!! Miles was so excited when he found this bike that he spent the entire day riding around outside. The only time he would take breaks was to eat...chocolate!
The next morning he didn't want any breakfast. He simply wanted to go outside on his bike, which he did and has been doing ever since. Happy Easter, Miles!

Click on the picture below to see the whole album and a few short videos.

Easter 07

Reagan at 8 weeks.

2007-04-01T11:32:00.000-07:00

Things are now finally beginning to resume to normacy in the Mueller household. Reagan is a real doll and being more and more alert with each day. She smiles often and especially when hearing Miles's voice (must be the high pitch tones).

Last night she surprised us all by sleeping from 6pm until 4am. A very comfortable 10 hours. I can only hope that this is the beginning of a pattern taking place. Going to bed at 6pm and sleeping 10 hours would make everyone here a happy camper!

Real Democracy in Switzerland - First time voter

2007-03-18T13:02:00.000-07:00

After residing in Switzerland for almost 11 years as well as working and paying my share of taxes, I finally obtained Swiss citizenship as well as the right to vote.

For those of you unfamilliar with the Swiss system, I believe it to be one of the best systems in the world (if not THE best).
Switzerland holds votations and referendums every few months. The people take this very seriously and in the weeks and days leading up to the votation one cannot flick on the TV without seeing and hearing debate regarding the issues surrounding the topic at hand.

On Sunday March 11th the main topic was concerning health care--mainly if medical care should be completely subsidised or remain as it is (privatized). In Switzerland, health care is mandatory and privatized. On average, an adult pays approximately $2000 per year (minimum) for medical insurance. Some people (mainly the crazy socialists) think this is a very big amount and believe that it would be better if the government should foot the bill (tax payers).

This idea makes the hair on my head go frizzy. As a Canadian citizen, I know full well about the pros and cons of living in such a system where medical treatment is "FREE!", a term widely used by Canadians gone blind. Such a "FREE" system taxes the working population beyond belief and the results are nothing but crowded waiting rooms, a band-aid, and a long waiting period before treatment even begins. Often patients who are seriously ill are forced to wait so long before getting treated that they either head down to the USA to pay for their own treatment out of their own pocket or risk dying. It's a known fact that Canadians run to the doctor for every little sniffle and pseudo-ailment simply because it is "FREE".

Luckily for Switzerland, the people have alot to say and most of the folks who do, normally have more common sense than the government. The results of this votation were as clear as water: 75% in favor of the status-quo and against the whining-jealousy-driven socialists that came up with such a stupid idea in the first place.

The following pictures are of me placing my vote in the ballots. This is a historical moment for the Müller-Jennings family.

Ich bin eine Schweizerin! :-)

Miles and the Tank

2007-03-12T06:42:00.000-07:00

Mat bought a R/C Tank on an online auction. The tank, a fantasy model, is 82 cm long, can shoot and looks quite cool. The only problem was, that the whole fun lasted only about ten minutes... After rolling up and down the hill a couple times the wheels on the left side stopped turning... Miles was very disappointed after the tank was broken. Well, I guess you can't ask for too much quality when an article is pretty cheap and made in China... The solution to the problem is to buy another tank ...only a more expensive one...

Miles's multiple facets...

2007-03-05T07:29:00.000-08:00

Miles in action as always!

Mat's instructing future company commanders

2007-03-05T06:57:00.000-08:00

For the first time since we are back from the USA, Mat is a small group instructor at the Swiss Armed Forces Leadership Course I. This course is designed to teach tactics and leadership to future company commanders .

The course is very intense. The students have classes from 0700 till 2230 for almost every day for a duration of four weeks. After this course the candidates have the mission to lead a recruit school company for 8 weeks. Once this is completed, they may lead a real company.

Mat has nine students including an officer from Latvia in his group. Three infantrymen, 1 tanker, 1 military police, 2 Logistics- and two Signal-Officers.

Following are some pictures taken during the first week:

Reagan

2007-02-25T01:34:00.000-08:00

A picture of Reagan at 2 days short of being one month old.

Miles eating a croissant

2007-02-25T01:30:00.000-08:00

Miles in action

2007-02-25T01:26:00.000-08:00

Mat on the Cover of Schweizer Soldat

2007-02-16T08:15:00.000-08:00

Schweizer Soldat is a monthly magazine distributed to all 100 000 or so military members here in Switzerland.

What a surprise to us when we discovered Mat's face gracing the cover of this month's issue.

He looks mean, but he looks good nonetheless:-)

Bull Terrier with hat

2007-02-11T03:28:00.000-08:00

Our dog She-Ra wearing our sons favourite hat. The hat he calls 'helicopter chapeau'...

Miles

2007-02-09T02:32:00.000-08:00

Miles taking a break

2007-02-09T01:53:00.000-08:00

Reagan 03

2007-02-09T00:40:00.000-08:00

12 days old

Reagan 02

2007-02-09T00:33:00.000-08:00

12 days old

2007-02-09T00:28:00.000-08:00

IT'S A GIRL!!!

2007-02-08T05:35:00.000-08:00

Reagan Alexandra Müller was born on Monday, January 29th at 6:51am, weighing 4130gr/50cm (9.1 lbs/19.7inches).

This came to a surprise to all of us because her due date was for February 14th. After hearing my OBGYN's estimation that she weighed a whooping 3600gr 6 weeks before the due date, it dawned on me that this was indeed a very big baby.

If she weighed that much now, how much more would she gain in the remaining 6 weeks (or more)? We then opted for a planned C-section on February 2nd. I would check into the "Privatlklinik Linde" the night before, have the operation at 7:45am, nice and easy...or so I thought... Reagan thought otherwise.

Maybe she was feeling a little too cramped in there and felt the need to move, but almost one week before my scheduled C-section appointment, the contractions began. I endured 8 hours of contractions before phoning the hospital (I guess I thought they would eventually cease). When I got there, they were almost 3 minutes apart. At 4:30am the midwife phoned the surgical team who were all happily beaming to have been woken up so early. At 6:20 the surgery began and all went well.

I spent 5 days in the hospital, enjoying my private room until I found myself sharing it with my new Italian roomate, and sometimes up to 30 or so of her family members, which at that point I decided to cut my Club Med Holiday a little short and head home to face the music (at least minimal sleep is better than NO sleep!) So here we are, struggling to adapt to the big changes which litteraly occured overnight, but amazed by all of it just the same.

TK's Traditional Turkish Wedding

2007-01-21T06:49:00.000-08:00

TK is a good friend of mine. We've known each other for 8 years. When I first arrived in Switezrland 10 years ago, my favorite hobbies other than travelling were the gym and going out dancing at house parties on weekends.

The first time I saw TK was on stage at one of these house parties, dressed in drag and performing brilliantly. I'll never forget how made-up he was and his trademark: fishnet stockings and those HUGE chunky-heeled boots. I often asked myself how he could even walk in those things, let alone dance up a storm with other Drag Queens on various stage settings.

I remember reading various articles written about TK in the local paper. I would clip them out and paste them in my scrapbook, making a mental note to show and tell all my friends upon returning to Canada. They could never imagine if I simply just told them about TK the drag queen. A picture would sum it up fairly well.

TK was so successful as a drag queen that he was often asked to perform at the gay night club QUEENS, located on Les Champs-Elysées in Paris. It was no secret that TK was gay, and flamboyantly so. Apparently always had been.

I had the opportunity to finally meet TK in person at the local gym, where I used to teach classes. We immediately hit it off. He was so funny and loved to chat. There was instant chemistry between us and we've been good friends ever since. In fact, he and Miles even share the same birthday.

TK is of Turkish origin. His family being moderate muslims. Following September 11th 2001 I noticed that he his interests suddenly took a different orientation. He became more and more involved in his moslem religion and looked up to an Imam for spiritual guidance. He let a beard grow and started wearing very lame, traditional Turkish clothes. I also noticed that he wouldn't greet me like he normally did anymore (3 kisses on each cheek) because I am a woman and his religion forbids this sort of contact.

While he was being treated by me at the dental office, he announced that he was getting married to a WOMAN in 3 weeks! (so apprently this means that he is no longer homosexual--something not tolerated by moslem culture, obviously). Mat and I were invited and went.

TK absolutely wanted a traditional Turkish wedding, which means that the women and men are segregated throughout the entire duration of the festivities. This idea did not appeal to me in the least but my curiosity got the best of me.

Upon arrival, Mat and I parked our BMW among a sea of other (bigger) BMW's and Mercedes. One thing that I must explain here is that foreighners from the Balkans and Turkey who live in Switzerland have one big goal in life: owning a big BMW or Mercedes. Often the entire family saves everything they can and contributes to the vehicle fund, even if this means living in shitty crammed appartements with 8 other people in cheap neighbourhoods. The BMW and Mercedes automobile is the ultimate status-symbol for these people and driving one screams that "they've made it!".

Heading towards the entrance, we were not even 20 meters from the front door when we were confronted by several older men wearing big mustaches and wooly hats frantically waving their arms and pointing at ME to go through the entrance designated for women (Actually I just assume that is what they meant--they were yelling to me in jibberish Turkish.) I had to firmly tell them in German that I needed a moment to discuss with my husband (about when we were going to get the hell outta there!)

I then proceeded towards the women's entrance and was a little shocked to enter a room with 200+ burka-wearing women with their out-of-control children. I knew not a soul and began to desperately scope out the "Western-looking women", which I was lucky to find... (albeit in very minimal numbers, like 2).

I approached these 2 women, who also looked a little lost and asked them a question. Lucky for me, they were super nice and very chatty. I took a seat next to them and we just talked and talked until I received a phone call from Mat 30 minutes later.

Mat was not so lucky. Mat stuck out like a sore thumb in many ways. With his perfectly tailored Calvin Klein suit and tie, his clean-cut hair and shiny shoes, he looked like a CIA agent among a group of moslem terrorists. We were both completely overdressed among the guests styled like BORAT. People were giving him suspicious looks and nobody dared to approach him. Mat endured 30 minutes of standing around, obviously being the only Christian guy among 200 moslems.
The air was filled with LOUD Turkish traditional music, the smell of various spices, and there were even some religious dudes selling their Korans and other moslim paraphalenia.

When they brought out the food (a paper plate filled with big chunks of vegetables, at a time when Mat was looking forward to sinking his teeth into a big juicy Kebab), that was the cue for Mat to call me up and leave...which we did...45 minutes after arriving.

En route to home I felt a little bad since we had stayed for such a short time and didn't even get to see the groom or the bride. At the same time however, we obviously didn't fit in with this crowd. If Mat would have been as lucky as I was and would have met someone to socialize with, we would have stayed, no doubt.

Despite that, I sincerely hope that TK lives a long and happy life with his new bride and I also hope that this is truly his destiny...I could not imagine anything worse than living a lie...

Dancing Miles

2006-12-28T15:06:00.000-08:00

Bored of your old moves on the dancefloor and looking for some new inspiration? Well check out our two-year old son Miles dancing up a storm and the ideas are sure to come pilling in...

Merry Christmas! Joyeux Noël!!

2006-12-24T23:05:00.000-08:00

The Müller-Jennings family wishes you all a very MERRY CHRISTMAS and nothing but the best for the upcoming NEW YEAR!!! Joyeux Noël à tous!!!

Happy 2nd Birthday, Miles!

2006-12-19T09:25:00.000-08:00

Today is Miles's 2nd birthday. A small celebation took place at our house which included a few friends, plenty of food, sweets and cake.

Despite having spent many many hours on Miles's cake, he was far more fascinated with blowing out the candles than anything else. In fact, we had to light his 2 candles over and over again, so that he could have the pleasure of blowing then out.

"Mehr Chaud", he said after blowing them out. "Mehr" is a German word meaning "more". "Chaud" is a French word meaning "hot". Sometimes I think that we need an enigma to try to decode his language...:-)

Here are a few pics to share.

A few words of wisdom by Bill Gates

2006-11-21T12:18:00.000-08:00

Not being a fan of forwarded emails, I simply couldn't resist this one. I can't be certain if this truly comes from Bill Gates himself as stated, but I don't really care actually... It is great advice nevertheless!

Subject: Bill Gates

Love him or hate him, he sure hits the nail on the head with this! To anyone with kids of any age, here's some advice.
Bill Gates recently gave a speech at a High School about 11 things they did not and will not learn in school. He talks about how feel-good, politically correct teachings created a generation of kids with no concept of reality and how this concept set them up for failure in the real world.

Rule 1: Life is not fair - get used to it!

Rule 2: The world won't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.

Rule 3: You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. You won't be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.

Rule 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.

Rule 5: Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping: they called it opportunity.

Rule 6: If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't whine about your mistakes, learn from them.

Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent's generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.

Rule 8: Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life HAS NOT. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.

Rule 9: Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF. Do that on your own time.

Rule 10: Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.

Rule 11: Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one.

If you agree, pass it on.
If you can read this - Thank a teacher!
If you are reading it in English -Thank a soldier!!

Trick or Treat

2006-10-31T13:41:00.000-08:00

On Hallowee'en night, my 2 favorite neighbours and I decided to take our little ones out trick-or-treating. For those of you who may be unfamilliar with Swiss culture, Hallowe'en is the new and emerging "Fest". Until 2 years ago, very few people knew about Hallowe'en as we do in North America (no wonder people constantly frown here...they have never experienced trick-or-treating!!! )

Géraldine, Sévérine and I got our toddlers all dressed up, got the digital camera all fired up and off we went. At first, Miles had no clue what was going on and he seemed to be much more interested in the cats and balls he met along the way. We Mom's had to ring at the first few houses so that the kids would know the routine. I could tell that Miles was quickly getting bored while waiting for people to answer the door and would constantly run around UNTIL.............. he figured out that if he waited patiently, someone would come and put candy in his bag.

When he made light of this event, it was quite hilarious to see how enthusiastic he became. Soon after, HE was the one knocking at the doors and telling the people "mehr bonbons". Cats and balls were no longer interesting. Sugar took control over Miles on Hallowe'en night and he's been bouncing off the walls ever since.

Group picture of Miles, Laurine, Candice and Mathis.

Miles eagerly knocking on the door. Conchita handing out sweets.

"mehr Bonbons!!!"

Hallowe'en in Switzerland

2006-10-29T03:53:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, about 24 of us met up in a wooden cabin located near Fribourg for a Hallowe'en party. The soirée was very well organized and kicked off with a pumpkin carving session, followed by dinner and a spooky treasure hunt through the haunted forest.
Miles may have been by far the youngest participant but he was certainly not the least enthusiastic. Eager to follow the lead of his older fellow gobblins and witches, he did not miss a beat the entire time.
Here are a few pics to share...

The Search for a Future Au-Pair

2006-10-02T13:06:00.000-07:00

Lately, Mat and I have been undergoing some serious brain-storming sessions regarding child-care for 2007. At the moment, my mother-in-law takes care of Miles 2 days a week while I'm at work.

However, we have just recently learned that "Mary Mary quite contrary" would like to have more free time for herself. After doing much research we have come to the conclusion that hiring a nanny would be the best solution for us.
We would hire a Swiss-German nanny who would come here to learn French. She would live with us during the week and go home during weekends. In addition to taking care of the kids, she would help out with cleaning and preparing meals.

She will probably start sometime in February or March 2007. The family pic attached is one that we added to the Profilia registration form. Our fingers are crossed that this will turn out for the best... :-)

A Day with Butterflies

2006-09-17T11:43:00.000-07:00

Today was a cold, rainy and miserable day. We decided to spend the morning at the "Papiliorama", located about a half-hour drive away from our home. It is the only one located in Switzerland, and very well reputated. Hence, a very popular family weekend destination which we witnessed with our very own eyes this morning as the line-ups seemed to go on infinetly.
For us, this was a nice way to kill a few morning hours but at Miles's age, he obviously doesn't "get it" by a long shot. Oh well, he was fascinated by a huge bird and a couple of butterflies so I guess it was worth it in the end!

Welcome Back Party

2006-09-12T08:37:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, Mat and I played hosts to more than 30 people at our home. The idea was to throw a party to commemorate our great 7-month séjour in the USA. Of course, the theme was screaming red-white and blue à la stars and stripes:-)

I truly love to host dinner parties and any other sort of parties but the preparation for this one was more than I ever managed before. For 4 straight days I cooked, cleaned and decorated. For weeks before that I made research for funky recipe ideas that would suit our theme. Everything was a step-by-step process that took weeks to prepare. We served hot-dogs and hamburgers with many different imported steak sauces that are unknown to the Swiss market, 3 different salads, 6 different appetizers, 5 deserts, 15 liters of pink lemonade, 5 kinds of imported beer, imported white and rosé wines and tons of various sodas and juices.

It was well worth the trouble as everyone truly had an enjoyable time. Mathias made a 1-hour power-point presentation to inform our guests of what life was like for us at Fort Benning, Georgia.

Mayflower

2006-09-04T11:45:00.000-07:00

I was tagged by Muriel so I guess I'll play along: Here we go.

1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the next 3 sentences on your Blog (Please include the book and author) along with these instructions.
5. Don’t you dare dig for that "cool" or "intellectual" book in your closet! I know you were thinking about it! Just pick up whatever is closest.

The nearest book on my desk at the moment is called "MAYFLOWER", a book by author Nathaniel Philbrick that I picked up at a Barnes & Nobles bookstore in Syracuse NY while Mat and I were at Ft Drumm. I finished reading it about one month ago and had it sitting next to me because ironically, I was planning on writing a post about it.

"A cannon was fired, and the tiny settlement was filled with excitement as men rushed in from all directions and Standish assembled them into a fighting force. Soon, in the words of Edward Winslow, "every man, yea, boy that could handle a gun were ready, with full resolution, that if the ship were an enemy, we would stand in our just defense." To their amazement and delight, it proved to be an English ship: The Fortune, about a third the size of the Mayflower, sent by the Merchant Adventurers with thirty-seven passengers aboard. In an instant, the size of the colony had almost doubled."

Voilà!! :-)

To say the least, this is truly a good book. The author sets the reader on an extraordinary journey to understand the truth behind the US's most sacred national myth: the voyage of the Mayflower and the settlement of Plymouth colony. He clearly describes the extreme conditions endured by the 102 first passengers back in the early 1620's, in the cold and dripping confines of the Mayflower, where they tensely await the conclusion of an arduous, two-month voyage.
After enduring a life-threatening and tormenting two-month voyage across the Atlantic, they are met with even worse conditions to deal with on dry soil, as well as Native Americans.
It is a story of Courage, Community, and War.

Thomas Willett

One thing that particularly interested me in this book are the very many passages referring to Thomas Willett, and here is why that is...

A few years ago, my grandfather attended a family reunion, which hosted up to 500 people. Also present among the many guests was the family genealogy book which dated back to the early 1600's. My grandfather told me that Thomas Willett, who is my 7th great grandfather, was the first English-speaking mayor of New York City (before that, NYC was called New Amsterdam, and Dutch was the primary language).

I really wanted to know more about this so I emailed Rudolph Giuliani who was NYC's mayor at the time, to ask for more info about this. To my surprise and contentment, I received a reply, confirming what I had learned.
Here is more information about Thomas Willett:

WILLETT, Thomas, merchant, born in England in 1611; died in Barrington, Rhode Island, 4 August, 1674. He came with Isaac Allerton from Leyden in 1630, and became a trader and sea-captain of Plymouth colony, but lived much of the time in New Amsterdam, and in 1650 acted as a commissioner on behalf of the New Netherlands to settle boundary disputes with New England. In 1651 he became a magistrate of Plymouth colony. He was the first to inform Peter Stuyvesant of the coming of a hostile English fleet in 1664. After the surrender he accompanied the officers that went to take possession of Albany as a mediator with the Indians, and on 12 June, 1665, was appointed by Governor Richard Nicolls the first mayor of New York. On 23 August he was nominated one of the commissioners of admiralty. He was a councillor under Governor Richard Lovelace. When the Dutch retook the colony in 1673, his property in New York was confiscated, and he retired to New England.--His son, Thomas, soldier, born in Plymouth, Massachusetts, 1 October, 1646, was major commanding the militia of Queens county, and summoned them to meet the French under the Marquis Denonville in 1687. He was a councillor under Sir Edmund Andros, and was continued in the office under Governor Henry Sloughter.--The first Thomas's great-grandson, Marinus, soldier, born in Jamaica, L. I., 31 July, 1740; died in New York city, 22 August, 1830, served with distinction as a lieutenant in General James Abercrombie's expedition against Fort Ticonderoga in 1758, and participated in the capture of Fort Frontenae. He was one of the leaders of the Sons of Liberty in New York city, and on 6 June, 1775, prevented the sending of arms from the arsenal to the British troops in Boston harbor. He joined General Richard Montgomery's force, was commissioned as captain, took part in the expedition against Canada, and remained in command of the post at St. John's after its capture. He was appointed lieutenant-colonel of the 3d New York regiment, and was engaged in skirmishes near New York city in the spring of 1776. In August, 1777, he was second in command at Fort Stanwix, whence he led a sally against the main force of Colonel Barry St. Leger, and thus gave the victory to the militia at Oriskany. He joined General Washington's army in New Jersey in June 1778, and in 1779 accompanied General John Sullivan in his expedition against the Six Nations. From 1780 till the end of the war he commanded the forces in the Mohawk valley, encountering the irregulars of Sir John Johnson at Johnstown in the summer of 1781, and in February, 1783, conducting" the last hostile movement against the British, which was an attempt to surprise the garrison at Oswego. He was elected to the state assembly after the peace, but vacated his seat in February, 1784, on being appointed sheriff of New York, which office he held till 1792. In the latter year he was offered the command and rank of a brigadier-general in the expedition against the western Indians, but declined. He was sent by President Washington in 1794 to the south on a mission to the Creek Indians, and brought Alexander McGillivray and his principal chiefs and warriors to New York, where they signed a treaty of peace. When De Wilt Clinton was removed from the office of mayor of New York, in 1807, Willett was appointed in his place. In 1810 the section of the Republicans that became the Tammany party nominated him for lieutenant-governor in opposition to Clinton. On 24 June, 1812, he was secretary of a mass-meeting in favor of military preparations against the British. See " A Narrative of the Military Actions of Colonel Marinus Willett," prepared chiefly from his manuscript journals by his son, William M. Willett (New York, 1831).--Marinus's son, William Marinus, author, born in New York city, 3 January, 1803, entered the New York conference of the Methodist Episcopal church in 1823, and preached in eastern New York and Connecticut, and afterward in the limits of the Genesee conference, to which he was transferred in 1826 till 1833. In 1838 he became instructor in Hebrew at Wesleyan university, and in 1841-'2 was professor of Hebrew and biblical literature, and also edited the last numbers of the college magazine that was called the "Classic." In 1843 he founded the Biblical institute at Newbury, Vermont, of which he was president till 1848. His life has since been spent in literary labor. He edited the "Newbury Biblical Magazine" in 1843-'4, and in 1882 the "New Bible Magazine," which was continued only through one volume. His works in-elude "Scenes in the Wilderness: Authentic Narrative of the Labors and Sufferings of the Moravian Missionaries among the North American Indians " (New York, 1842) ; "A New Life of Summerfield" (Philadelphia, 1857); "The Life and Times of Herod the Great, as connected, Historically and Prophetically, with the Coming Christ" (Philadelphia, 1860) ; "Herod Antipas, with Passages from the Life of Jesus," a sequel to , the last-named (New York, 1866); "The Messiah (Boston, 1874); and "The Restitution of All Things" (New York, 1880).

Mat's teaching soon-to-be-officers

2006-08-30T13:01:00.000-07:00

This past Monday, a total of 240 officer candidates from all branches of the armed forces began the "Basic Tactics and Leadership Course for Officer Candidates". The location of the course is divided out among Sarnen and Bern. Mat's group is located in Sarnen, which is about a 90minute-drive from home (which means Mat is away for the next 4 weeks).

Mat's group is composed of 24 soon-to-be-officers. The main objectives in these next 4 weeks are to make the students understand platoon level troop leading procedures (show them ways of thinking to solve problems) and tactics. In addition to that, the instructors teach leadership psychology.

Of the three classes in Sarnen, Mats one suceeded the best until now. They won the Bike-Race (the four teams from Mat's class came in the top four!) and they had the best average in the entrance exam.

Following are some pictures from the first three days.

Trudi's 65th Birthday

2006-08-28T12:35:00.000-07:00

Today is my (ahem...) mother-in-law Gertrude's 65th birthday. We had her over on Sunday for birthday brunch. I apologize for the lack of structure with the pictures but Blogger has been giving me a rough time and has pushed my patience to the limit. This is the best I could do until Mat does some re-arranging.
The cake was decorated by yours truly (MOI) and I swear I never saw Miles devour something at such lightning pace. I think he likes sugar...just like Mommy, Daddy and the dog do:-)

"Chrabbelgruppe Leubringen"

2006-08-23T12:18:00.000-07:00

So far his week has been a very standard one, so not much newness to report. I worked on Monday and Tuesday. Today however, I decided to participate in a local "Chrabbelgruppe", which translates to "Crawling group". It is basically a group of Mom's who get together for a couple of hours once a week with their babies and toddlers. It's to get familiarized with new people and to introduce our little ones to the art of socializing.

I must frankly admit to not being much of a "group joiner". I'm not anti-social by any means but growing up I just never really liked being part of the girl guides, the church choir or the volleyball team. I much preferred solo "sports" like playing the piano or real activities like partying with my friends:-) Although many things have changed over the years, I still fringe at the thought of joining groups. You join one group and then another, and before you know it all your evenings and weekends are booked up and you have no time left for yourself. Well, to each his own...

Now that I am a mother I do realize that for the sake of Miles, it may actually be beneficial to show him "what's out there" as much as I can. In other words, participate in groups if needed...UGH!!
Well actually, it wasn't as bad as I expected it to be this morning except for the fact that Miles walked around stealing other kids' toys. I met 6 other Mom's and a big eye-opening experience for me was to meet another boy BIGGER than Miles despite being 1 month younger!!! Miles is in the top 97% according to the growth chart. I always wondered what a child in the 98% or 99% looked like... well I saw with my very own eyes...

I signed up to be an official member of this "Chrabbelgrouppe". The ladies meet every Wednesday morning which is fine by me because it gives me a good reason to leave the house NOT to go shopping and spend :-)

Cheers!

Written by a Canadian Mom

2006-08-20T10:13:00.000-07:00

I'm not normally a fan of forwarded mail, but I couldn't resist this one...

Subject: WRITTEN BY A CANADIAN MOM

One of my sons serves in the
army. He is still here in Canada. He called me
yesterday to let me know how
warm and welcoming people were to him, and his
fellow soldiers, everywhere
he goes, telling me how people shake their hands,
and thank them for being
willing to serve, and fight, for not only
our own freedoms but so that
others may have them also.

But he also told me about an incident in the
grocers' shop he stopped at
yesterday, on his way home from the quarters. He
said that ahead of several
people in front of him stood a woman dressed in a
burkha. He said when she got
to the checkout she loudly remarked about the
Canadian Flag lapel badge
the cashier wore on her blouse. The cashier
reached up and touched the badge,
and said proudly," Yes, I always wear it
and probably always will." The woman
in the burkha then asked the cashier
when she was going to stop bombing her
countrymen, explaining that she was
an Afghani.

A gentleman standing behind my son stepped forward, putting
his arm around my
son's shoulders, and nodding towards my son, said in a
calm and gentle voice
to the Afghani woman. "Lady, hundreds of thousands of
men and women like this
young man have fought and died so that YOU could
stand here, in
MY country and accuse a check-out cashier of bombing YOUR
countrymen. It is my
belief that had you been this outspoken in YOUR own
country, we wouldn't need
to be there today. But, hey, if you have now
learned how to speak out so
loudly and clearly, I'll gladly buy you a ticket
and pay your way back
to Afghanistan so you can straighten out the mess in
YOUR country that you are
obviously here, in MY, country to avoid."

Everyone within hearing distance cheered!

IF YOU AGREE -------
Pass this on to
all your proud friends----- I most certainly did!

(My sentiments exactly!)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BOSSIE!!!!!

2006-08-19T06:13:00.000-07:00

Today is my Dad's birthday. He is 60-something going on 20-something. One day he will be 90-something still going on 20-something, but that is how it has to be...

Having been born first out of 5 boys, my Dad (as well as his 4 other brothers) was raised to be a "real man" and not a "sissy, girly-man or gay". Perhaps that was the norm back in those days--during the post-war days.

Growing up, I remember him not being very expressive or chatty. He pretty much kept to himself. He worked shifts at the pulp & paper mill in Dalhousie. Worked there all his life and liked what he did. Creature of habit that he is, 2 of his daily rituals consisted (and still do) of meeting the other guys at the coffee shop and going for his 90-minute power walk up and down the steep hills of Dalhousie.

My Dad is not a big talker nor does he show much emotion, but his actions always spoke louder than words and still do today. I remember whenever our family would go to church at Christmas or Easter, he never once sat with us. He always gave up his seat to a little old lady or pregnant woman who was left standing because the church was overcrowded. He would, without hesitation, take his place standing at the back of the church...every single time. I also remember when he drove me to College for the first time during my first year. Although I felt that his goodbye was a little "short" and awkward, my Mom told me later on that he wept upon leaving.

His whole life was spent "saving" for my sister and my education. He never really indulged in anything. He was always and still is very modest. However, I'm quite happy to see how since he's retired, he seems to be enjoying himself a lot more (maybe a little too much for my conservative taste but hey, to each his own!)

For those who know Bossie well, it is no secret how the man LOVES to party. He likes to go where the action is and if there is not enough action for his taste, then he'll just create some action for everyone! He can be quite the life of the party. For instance, he and a whole group of other Acadians from New-Brunswick headed off to Louisiana back in 1999 for the International Acadian meeting. At one point, he and a whole bunch of others ended up in a Cajun-style restaurant called "Recherché", where the live fiddle favorites were blaring away. My Dad was loving the music so much that he ended up on the dance floor (all by himself). Soon afterwards a crowd started to form around him, clapping and cheering him on...and then the ultimate: the entire cooking staff dumped their pots and pans, left the kitchen and came out to join in on the fun and games. They too, clapping and cheering Bossie on! He was as happy as can be, doing the "dance des canards" and whatever other choreography he could muster at the time. What a show that must have been!

Bossie is legendary. He is a great cook, he is kind, generous, and he is the type of person who would help out anyone in need at the drop of a hat, without asking any questions or expecting anything in return (except maybe a nice cold beer...:-)

Describing Bossie simply has to be one of the toughest things to accomplish. One has to know him to understand. My Dad is an amalgam of Homer Simpson (for his work and love of beer), Forest Gump (for his speed-walking attributes) and Kellogg's Froot Loops mascott Toucan Sam ("Follow your nose! It always knows where the party is!")

I tried to reach my Dad today but he wasn't home. Duh, how could I be surprised? It's his birthday! The party probably got started as soon as the sun rose! :-)

Cheers to you, Dad! I hope this day will be a memorable one for you!

What Dogs are Capable of...

2006-08-17T14:42:00.000-07:00

What Men are Capable of...

2006-08-17T12:04:00.000-07:00

When it comes to sports, men certainly do not lack creative skills. Watch as this man successfully plays out the necessary actions to get what he wants...
If only my man could put in a fraction of that energy helping out around the house, it would be SPOTLESS, 24/7 !!!

A Weekend in Edinburgh

2006-08-16T12:51:00.000-07:00

On Friday, a group of us (13 in total) ventured off to Edinburgh, Scotland for the weekend. The highlight and whole purpose of our trip was to attend the famous Military Tattoo.

This event is so remarkable and spectacular that one must reserve tickets at least 6-12 months in advance since every single performance sells-out. The Military Tattoo takes place twice a day in the evening for a duration of 3 weeks. The Edinburgh Castle where it is held can hold up to 12000 spectators for each show.

Having heard about the heightened airport security on Thursday, we didn't really know what to expect at the Geneva Airport. Lucky for us, departure on Friday went very smoothly and on time.

I have been living here in Switzerland for a little over 10 years now and I have travelled tremendously in Europe as well as overseas. I had never experienced Scotland up until this past weekend and was completely shocked at the thousands of tourists roaming the city. As far as sights are concerned, Edinburgh doesn't exactly have the reputation of being a "must-see" city.

However, Edinburgh hosts TONS of interesting festivals in the summertime, which is why so many tourists flock there. A brilliant idea to boost ones' economy to say the least.

We had a great time and MANY good laughs. We visited the Edinburgh Castle, did a guided city-tour, a little shopping, some pub-crawling, lots of eating and of course attended the amazing Military Tattoo. I simply must add here that the Top Secret Drum Corps from Switzerland stole the show, as well as the New-Zealand Army Band.

One thing in particular that I kept hearing over and over (as well as saying it over and over myself), was how Edinburgh is so incredibly expensive. It's almost like they try to squeeze every last penny out of the tourists. If Swiss people, who are used to paying high prices for everything complain about how ridiculouly expensive Edinburgh is, then you know it is très cher!!!

We departed on Sunday and then and there, at the airport, the théâtre began. Tons of line-ups, delayed flights as well as cancelled flights were the "ordre-du-jour". We were given plastic bags in which the only alloted items to place into them were wallets, passports, eye-glasses without the case and baby food. Many people probably thought that this was a joke and checked in their baggage before placing the "forbidden" items into it. They were caught immediately and were forced to leave many items behind, including cell phones, Ipods, palms, blackberries, food, drinks, books (what the hell??), magazines, toilettries etc. I have rarely seen so many garbage cans overfilled in my life. What a major waste!!! With all of this hoopla going on around us, our return-flight ended up departing 2 hours later. Oh well, c'est la vie I suppose.

While it is clear that certain measures have to be taken for the sake of "terrorism", are we really headed in the right direction here?

Pic 1 : Thousands of people waiting patiently to go see the Military Tattoo;
Pic 2 : The beginning of the show with the bagpipers of 13 different units (Scotland, Ireland, Royal Air Force, Gurkhas, Cape Town (South Africa), and Queensland Police from Australia);
Pic 3 & 4: Band of the Coldstream Guards together with the Band of the Scots Guards;
Pic 5: Coldstream Guards, Scots Guards, Royal Regiment of Scotland, Gurkhas, New Zealand Army Band and the Army Band of Chile;
Pic 6: All 1000 musicians together for the great finale playing the National Anthem, Auld Lang Syne and the Day Thou Gavest;
Pic 7: Sandra and Mat in a Pub:
Pic 8: View from the Castle;
Pic 9: Parts of the Edinburgh Castle

Video Clip of Norvegian Soldiers in Kosovo

2006-08-06T12:52:00.000-07:00

Following is a video clip of a few Norvegian soldiers in Kosovo. Merci Muriel, for the great idea:-) I just couldn't resist.

Kosovo Parody Song

Here are the lyrics just in case some of you Karaoke freaks out there would like to sing along...

Kosovo
to the tune of The Beach Boys' "Kokomo"
by the Norwegian Army Telemark battalion

Croatia, Albania, somewhere near Romania
It's Euro, and NATO, why the hell do we go
Pristinia, blew up, huh? Head for Macedonia

I'll race ya...

Somewhere far overseas
There's a place called Kosovo
That's where you don't want to go
If you're Albanian at all

Protecting human rights
Air strikes and firefights
And we'll be dropping our bombs
Wherever Serbian bad guys hide

Just up from Kosovo

Somalia, Grenada,
Or rescuing Kuwait-a
We screwed ya Rwanda
Wish we coulda helped ya
Iraqi embargo
That's where we got hustled

Ooo so now we're helping out in Kosovo
We'll kick (kiss?) some ass and then we'll see how it goes
And then we really don't know
Good luck to Kosovo

Mi-lo-se-vic
You sorry son of a bitch

[musical interlude]

Every time we go
To little places like Kosovo
We never really know
What happens after we go

Tough luck for Kosovo

Croatia, Albania, somewhere near Romania
It's Euro, and NATO, why the hell do we go
Pristinia, blew up, huh? Head for Macedonia

Oooo from Macedonia down to Kosovo
We'll kick their ass and then we'll see how it goes
And then we really don't know
That sucks for Kosovo

Somalia, Grenada,
Or rescuing Kuwait-a
We screwed ya Rwanda
Wish we coulda helped ya
Iraqi embargo
How it ends we don't know...

[hit by army truck]

Second OB-GYN visit.

2006-08-06T12:17:00.000-07:00

At week 12+4 days, Mat and I went for our second OB-GYN visit. The ultrasound showed that all is well. It was quite difficult to get a proper picture since he/she (HE) was in the middle of a major gymnastic session.
I hate being pregnant!

Walking She-Ra

2006-08-04T12:15:00.000-07:00

There is not much newness to report since I have been working exceptionally more than I normally do these past 3 weeks during Mat's vacation time.
However lame our lives may be at the moment, I cannot resist posting these pictures taken today from Mat's telephone camera.

Wacky Left-Wings on Wheels

2006-08-03T13:26:00.000-07:00

What is it with the left, anyway? Their ideas and political views are often so twisted and unrealistic that they believe the only way to get the message through to the public is with "shocking behavior". I recently stumbled upon this website and thought it was hilarious, albeit I have to admit I had to gag a few times (being pregnant also makes me a bit more sensitive to certain things).

Well, here it is: Zombietime - Browse through the photos at your own risk and...Don't forget to reelect Gore! :-)

A closer look at domestic wildlife.

2006-07-30T11:46:00.000-07:00

Since I am working a lot during Mat's vacation time, Miles has gotten into this strange habit of wanting to go for a morning car ride with Daddy. Hence, Mat and I are forced to come up with various things to do which are a distance away in order to keep Miles happy.

Approximately 10km from our place, there is place where many domestic and wild animals live in a very big natural environment.
This parc's mission is purely educational. There are no entrance fees or no vending machines at disposal. The parc survives off of private donations.
It is located in a hiking/mountain biking zone. It holds animals such as racoons, wild hogs, foxes, linx, deer, various owls, mountain goats etc.

The following pictures are from our visit at the Tierpark on the Boezingen-Mountain.

" I'm it! "

2006-07-29T12:29:00.000-07:00

I got tagged by my friend Muriel, so I guess I'll play along. Merci beaucoup! :-)

TOP FIVE THINGS IN MY PURSE:

$$$ ( Swiss Franks and Euros in my case)
Bank cards/credit card (for the bank machine on every street corner)
Cell phone (always on SILENT, of course!)
Make-up and hair goodies (hey, there's no excuse for looking lame!)
1 diaper and a pack of wipes (one must always be prepared for the worst...)

TOP FIVE THINGS IN MY REFRIGERATOR:

Cheese (Gruyère Höhlengereift--which means ripened in the Grotto...the most amazing cheese!!! YUM YUM!!!)
Mineral water (carbonated), Dr. Pepper for Mathias, apple juice for Miles
Chocolate (especially during the brutally hot summer!)
Milk rice
Sausage for She-Ra

TOP FIVE THINGS IN MY CLOSET:

My belt collection
Jeans for every occasion
Shoes for every occasion
My many formal ball dresses
Lots of other stuff I don't wear and that Mathias keeps bugging me to stuff in a plastic bag and give away! (He has no idea:-)

TOP FIVE THINGS IN MY CAR:

House Music CD's
Spare change
My Portable GPS
Diapers and wipes (ya just never know...)
Werther's originals, life savers, sugus.... lots of sweets, always:-)

ET Voilà!!! :-)

First visit to the "Frauenarzt".

2006-07-25T12:46:00.000-07:00

Last week was the first visit with my Doctor to check up on how the pregancy is moving along. At 10 weeks and 4 days, all is as it should be. Next week we go again for the 12-week examination (including all those tests). The due date is February 14th.

Splish! Splash!

2006-07-25T12:35:00.000-07:00

Since our arrival here in Switzerland 4 weeks ago, we haven't seen any rain. Temperatures regularly rise to 33-35degrees on a daily basis. Europe has fallen victim to a heat wave. It is one of the hottest summer's yet.
While I was away at work today, Mat went out and bought Miles his first swimming pool, which went through its first inauguration this afternoon. Surprisingly, he had a blast; boddy slamming at every chance he had. I say "surprisingly" because he has a tantrum whenever we attempt to give him a real bath! It must be the heat...

Visiting a Petting Zoo

2006-07-23T09:30:00.000-07:00

Today Mat, Miles and I spent a few hours browsing the sights at the Seeteufel Zoo in Studen. It was our first time there and we were positively surprised at how "child friendly" it was (not very typical in Switzerland).

There were lots of different animals in big huge cages so that they had plenty of room to roam around in. One area was a "petting section" and you could walk around the many goats and mules to pet and feed them popcorn.

At the end, there was an area with "carousel and coin-operated machines" for kids. Miles seemed quite excited at first to get on the bike/quad/monster truck...until he actually did. Then his face was almost more serious as when he got his haircut yesterday. However, he was quite content riding the carousel pony, which he shared with another little 19 month-old girl. So content that he said "encore" when the ride was over.

First visit to the Barber

2006-07-22T11:26:00.000-07:00

Today our 19 month-old son got his first haircut. As the picture clearly states, this was more than a serious affair. When we are dealing with hair, every cut and snip must be perfectly and precisely executed in order to look good. The barber's reflexion in the mirror did not escape Miles's piercing stare during the entire 15 minutes. Miles must have been quite satisfied with the job as no temper tantrum occured afterwards.

Life back in Switzerland

2006-07-21T09:30:00.000-07:00

Already a month has gone by since our return home from our 7-month crusade through the USA.
On December 8th, the Müller-Jennings family left Switzerland en route to Columbus Georgia.
Mathias was sent there for work purposes, in order to participate in the ICCC (Infantry Captain's Career Course) at Fort Benning Georgia. A huge bonus was that the family was able to come along

In order to keep track of all events during our time overseas, a Blog has been created. Please check out our blog http://fortbenning.blogspot.com for a better overview.