IT'S A DONE DEAL, FOLKS!

So, as of 4.30 pm today, I'm officially employed by the U.N.!!! I signed my contract, went to see my office and office 'roomie', and will go tomorrow to get an official badge. I'm sooooo excited!!!! It's hard to believe that I've been waiting almost 3 years for something like this to present itself. Doesn't matter....it just makes it more awesome now that it's happened!

What else? Oh yeah, we got our first snowfall Tuesday night/Wednesday morning. It is so beautiful...and to have so much, 4 inches or so, in Geneva, is amazing! I think the slopes will be packed this weekend:) So now, we have winter. It is extremely cold out (0 to -4 degrees....brrrrr!), but I will not complain. I could...but I won't because at least we have snow and a real winter now. Let's just hope that the rest of the seasons will fall into place as normal:)

Well, that's all for now. Just wanted to let everyone in on my big news! To be more precise, I'll be working at the ITC (International Trade Centre) in the DPMD (Dept. of Product and Market Development) under TIS (Trade Information Section), as a consultant on a 3 month contract with a possibility of extension. Had enough of the acronyms? There are plenty more where that came from!

Hope you are all well, and I look forward to hearing from you!

Ok, I know. It's a bit too much. But I just had to after doing the last one! After I finished making the first 'How well do you know me' test, I started thinking of another possibility....a 'quotable quotes' test, if you will.

So, here's the deal. These are all things either I've said, or have been said to me. I usually tend to repeat these stories because they're so dang funny, so if you've been listening to me for the past few years, you might just have a chance!

If the question is in quotation marks, that means I was the one saying it. Not that it will help you with the answer, but just to illustrate how stupid I can sound sometimes:>)

Let's see if anyone is brave enough to try this one! KIM...I'm expecting a high score from you!



Create your own Friend Quiz here

Hey, I'm pretty impressed and amused with Amanda and Angie's attempts to ace my test...Ang, I had to laugh a little when you answered 'flying' to one of the questions. I didn't even think of it that way! I meant 'flying' literally! Like with my own arms...! Oh well, I think the point of this is to get a good laugh, huh?

So, what did I do this weekend? Well, considering it was freakin spring here...I went out and played soccer with some friends for 2 mud-filled hours. I came back completely covered in mud, with my feet drowning in my water-filled shoes. Gotta love that! I swear that people here are just not used to seeing a girl play soccer...you should have seen the looks I was getting walking back home from the park. They actually stopped their conversations, turned their bodies, and stared. So I felt a little self-conscious after that...

I fell hard at least 3 times, but I don't like to show that I'm hurting so I kept on. Needless to say, I was feeling it immediately after. And the next day was agony. But it was worth it! I still can't believe that I was out in shorts and a t-shirt, in January, in Switzerland! What is happening to this world?!?

I did a ton of babysitting last week, which kept me rather busy. I do have a potential job, that is supposed to start this week, but since I haven't signed a contract yet I will wait to announce it:>) Which means that now I just have to sit back and wait for it. I try to be patient here, but it gets difficult sometimes. I mean, how hard is it to type up a contract?! In the States, this sort of thing would be done in 5 minutes! I've now been waiting 4 days...which, unfortunately, is normal.

Well, boys and girls, that's all for now. Hope everyone is well, and I'll let you all know when something happens on the job front!!

So, I have noticed that this is becoming popular on some of my friends' blogs and I thought it looked fun. Anybody game? Let's see just how well you know me...to be fair, I created easy questions;>) Good luck!



Create your own Friend Quiz here

Not just good news....GREAT NEWS!!!

Just got my results in for my comprehensive exam...(drumroll please)....I passed!!!! Which means, officially, that I now have a full-fledged Masters degree!!! All that's left is the graduation ceremony on June 3rd, but otherwise...I...AM...DONE:>) :>) :>) I felt as if I was floating on air last night when I came home from babysitting and saw the letter waiting for me!
So, I know that's not SUPER exciting for everyone else, but after 2 1/2 years of studying, working up to 4 jobs just to pay tuition and living expenses, and a lot of worrying about if I was even going to make it out....it is over. This is one of the best feelings ever! I am going to invite everyone and their dog to my graduation....So, if you're reading this, you're invited! Unfortunately, my family won't be there so I'm hoping I can extend the invitation to those whom I've adopted as my 'Swiss family':>)

Well, I just wanted to share my news! If you're reading this in the morning, it's probably too much for your brain to see so many exclamation marks, happy faces and words all in caps....but I just had to shout this one out!!!!Now, I just need to find one of those pesky job things...that might prove to be more difficult than the last 2 1/2 years!Til next time, my friends:>)

It's time to experiment....I noticed that some of my friends use this site called photobucket.com to upload video clips and pictures so that they easily insert them into their blog. Sooooo....I'm posting my first ever video! And if that works, then there will be more to come:>)

I chose a video I had taken on Christmas, of my niece, Lucy, with her new toy...a baby surfboard. Isn't she adorable?!

Let me know if you have problems seeing or watching it!

Christmas 2006

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Hey everyone! I hope that you all had an awesome, and safe, New Year:>) I even managed to get my lazy butt out and socialize a bit at my friend's party. It was a smooth flight back, with little sleep, but I managed to get an afternoon nap in so I could go out to ring in the new year. I didn't make it for long though! I think I was in bed by 1:30 am....

So, since the last update, I went to see my brother, Matt, in prison on the 23rd. What a three ring circus that was! There were a million people there and each car had to be 'inspected' before being allowed to go onto the premises. I use quotation marks because they just glance into your car, ask you if you're carrying any narcotics or weapons (who's going to say 'yes'?!), and look under the hood. Then when we finally got in there, they told us that since we had a special split visit, that two of us would have to leave and come back in an hour. So my dad and I left my sister and her husband, plus Lucy, and had to drive out and wait off of the premises. Then we had to be checked twice more! Finally...we got to visit Matt. I have to say that despite being in prison for the last 3 years, he seems to be as happy as you can be in there. He even met this girl through a penpal system for inmates....a 3rd grade school teacher from Ohio. They seem to really like each other and she has even flown down to visit him 3 times...with her family! Doesn't sound like something that usually happens to inmates, huh? Well, if it makes him happy, then I'm glad it seems to be working out. He has 3-4 more years left...I would hate to live in the conditions he has to. NO AIRCONDITIONING in the prison! And they're in freakin Texas! I seriously do not know how anyone could handle that. I get so irritable when it's, like, 85 or 90 degrees out! But I do understand the no-A/C thing...nobody has it in Europe. I've been through 5 summers with nothing but open windows...fun!

We were supposed to get 1 hour, but they must've been clueless because we were there for 2 1/2 hours! It was cool, though...got to talk about everything. He's even taking college courses...at least he will have that when he gets out. So, after our visit, my dad and I made the 5 hour drive back home...and I realized just how impatient my dad is on the road!!! Geesh, dad, you need to take it easy:>)

On Christmas day my brother, Tom, and his family came down to spend a couple days with us. I loved the fact that this year we were all able to hang out with each other. With my sister and Tom both being married, it's hard to juggle all the different families that they need to spend time with. The little ones were so cute! Maddy is so adorable, and now she's saying so many more words. And Lucy is just....a head of hair! It's so crazy! In fact, I said that if she had to have an Indian name, it would be Lucy 'Crazy Hair'. It sticks straight up in the back and hangs over her eyes! Too cute:>) She is so beautiful...and her smile is exactly like her mom's;>) I was so happy to be able to spend so much time with my nieces. When they're little like that, and you miss so many months in between visits, you really miss so much since they develop so quickly.

So now....I'm back in Switzerland, officially looking for a job. Hey MELISA!! Yeah, I'm talking to you, girl....can you pass on that info about that headhunter you used?! I would really appreciate it! BTW, I'm sorry if I didn't call the people I promised I would call while I was at home! I really thought that if I was at home for three weeks that I would be so bored and have so much downtime...I was wrong. So, expect a call from me soon;>)

I wish everyone a happy 2007...Keep me updated!