Back to Life Back to Reality

Back a week from our wondeful ski vacation. The kids weren't thrilled to go back to school and I am pretty sure Eric felt the same way about work.

I tried to load some video from the camera onto this blog but it doesn't work. I have to figure out a way to share video clips easier via internet with family et.c.. If anyone is reading this and knows how, please ring in! I have some great skiing videos of the kids and a wonderful video from Evan's violin recital yesterday.

His first recital was yesterday and he did an amazing job. Eric accompanied him on piano which was very cool and so sweet. They put in a lot of practice time for about 3 days as Evan and his teacher switched songs as of Thursday. He did two songs and really nailed them! Even when Eric faltered a bit on the first piece, Evan kept composed and right on going. It was great!

Julia's was preparing her outfit for the recital and I heard her say, "Dad, do you think this will be okay for the big recital?" And I heard Eric say, "You look beautiful, but I think the crown may be too much" She is SO funny! So that day when she dressed, she instead had a hot pink headband with a veil. I said that I thought that wasn't appropriate for the recital and she said "It is the crown or the veil, pick one" Luckily I convinced her to wear the sparkly glittery black headband instead. She is the best combination of Fancy Nancy and Tom Boy... the best!

Did I tell you that Evan is trying out again for the U11 Fortuna team that he didn't make in the fall? He has been attending those practices with the hope of getting on "Max's team" this spring and going forward. I tell you, this kid has guts. I LOVE that he will go in there again with confidence and try again. We are hopeful but guarded as the coach is not very nice and the dynamics are quite strange in general. So - prayers for Evan, he really wants on that team. He played on Saturday for 10 min in their game, so that is a good start.

More soon...

Holy snow!

It startes snowing yesterday and snowed all night. we woke up to about 20 inches (i should be using centimeters but can't quite switch to metric yet:)) of fresh snow.... so gorgeous!! You can hear the snow machines grooming the slopes all night. The deep snow made skiing a bit different and harder, but it was so great! Hurts less to fall too!! :). Evan did a 5th day of 7 plus hours of sking... that kid does not stop and Eric is loving the afternooons skiing with Ev! Julia is skiing till about 130 each day, which is quite amAzing!

the meals here are amazing! dinner tonight was 5 courses! my fave dessert this week as it was fruit and a chocolate fondue fountain!!

Last day of skiing tomorrow.... wow what a week!

Still on the slopes....

Well today is Day 4 on the slopes and I have never been skiing this much in a row! I made it until almost 1pm today and we all usually meet up at 1:30 here for a free lunch buffet. Julia has not wanted to go out in the afternoons, we will see what today brings She is only 7 and skiing HARD with all of the adults/older kids for 4.5 hours each day - so I am 'letting her' :) stop at 1:30 if she wants. Yesterday she then hit the pool for 3 hours -- needless to say she almost feel asleep in her dinner. As most of you can imagine, Evan would rather take NO breaks or lunch and ski from 9am until mountain closes at 4:30! It is snowing today - much needed snow! The visibility isn't great, but it is beautiful and the slopes needed it big time. It is supposed to snow hard today and tonight - so I am excited to see what it feels like to ski in that kind of snow tomorrow.

I have been mostly skiing with my Swedish friend Ulrika as her and I are pretty slow. This works out very well and is fun. The only thing I don't like is that I don't get to see the kids ski. Eric said he would try to take some camera video for me so I can see them. Ulrika and I take more cafe latte breaks!

So the Sauna... saunas are huge in Austria and clothes are "not allowed" and no one seems to mind. In fact all the changing rooms at public pools and such are co-ed. Yesterday a lady was at the indoor hotel pool topless and then got up to swim with her kids and first wiggled into her bikini top. It is still SO strange to me. I have decided I can't begin to understand this nudity thing because it is just something that they grow up with and it just isn't an issue at all. There are like 6 sauna rooms here and this room that i Love that has 3 waterbeds with headphones that have soft music playing. So relaxing. I have done the sauna a few times but just go in with a towel around me. I also try to enter only saunas that have no one in them. It is fine to be in a sauna and have people come in but I HATE walking into one with already naked people in it.

We are here with 3 other families... another American family that is from DC but has lived in Vienna 3.5 years, a Swedish family and an Italian/Scottish family. It makes for fun dinner converstaion about how different countries handle health care, education, nudity :), language learning in school, business etc.. Combined the people at the table have seen SOOOOO much of the world - it is so facinating and such a nice learning experience for me. Of course, I am usually the doof of the crowd :)!

We leave on Saturday so 2 more days of skiing after this.

Ski Break

We arrived yesterday at Nassfeld in Austria for our ski week holiday. It is on the Italian border in the Alps and it is fantastic. The weather in Austria has been too warm and not enough snow, but after skiing today it wasn't bad at all. (my standards are fairly low though!)

The hotel is great and we have "half board" which means we get breakfast and dinner here, which is very fun and nice. There are 3 other families here that we know so that is fun. The pool area is great for the kids and everyone is having a great time.

Julia and I made it till 1:30 or so today and then came in fora little nap...she was tired. (okay, I was too!) Tomorrow I booked a massage (Happy Valentines Day to me!) and then will do the Sauna as it is woman's only for a few hours in the afternoon. I will soon do a whole blog on Austrian Saunas ... a crazy and interesting experience all in itself. (you can't wear clothes and it is men and women all the time... SO NOT American! :)) I did go in tonight with a towel around me but don't really like all the fat old men and their junk hanging out everywhere...yuck!

The food is good, the company is good, the skiing is good, the wine is good and I don't have to cook/do dishes/clean up -- I am in heaven. Hee hee

IAEA Ball

Pictures: Evan and Julia over Christmas break on top of the Danube tower with Eric's work buildings in the back ground (the restaurant rotates) Eric and some of his colleagues at the ball. Kara and Bill Stott, our good friends from California that we went to the ball with.

Wow, I took a few weeks off from blogging. Had a great adventure last Saturday night attending the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency: Eric's work) Ball... it is Ball season in Vienna and this is a good one to attend we hear. We headed to dinner first with 2 other couples and had a wonderful Austrian food feast. It was amazing to be in the Hofburg Palace... the parties that must have happened in that place since the mid 1400's!! There were many kinds of music ... I think 10 different music rooms. Reggae, Latin, Disco, Symphony, etc... I believe over 3,000 people attend. In the "main" ballroom there was a show to start everything off with african dancers, ballet and accapello singers and lots of other stuff. Oh, then I don't quite understand all of this yet, but then the 'kick off' is all of the debutants (sp?) in their white dresses doing a waltz. It was just so much fun, an amazing experience.

We also went last Monday to our first opera, La Boheme, at the famous Vienna Opera House. It was really neat to experience that also. Apparently I have gained a few lbs cuz my skirt was so tight which was good because it prevented me from falling asleep. I'm kinda kidding - it was really neat, but I don't think I am going to become a huge opera fan. LOVED the experience though.

Eric got a day of skiing in last weekend with Bill Stott...they had a nice day up on the mountain.

Big news in the Smith Family - Eric's little brother Kirk is engaged - YEAH! We adore Cherish and are excited about their wedding in July in Idaho.

Austrians have a ski holiday week (I think most Europeans do actually) - isn't this funny? Anyway, ours is next week so we depart for Nassfeld on Saturday for the week. We are all excited and looking forward to a week away and more new experiences. I am kinda more excited about the snow shoeing and saunas then the skiing, but I will do some of that too :) There are a few other families that we know going, so that makes it even more fun for the kids...especially Evan as each familiy has a boy his age going. Julia just can't wait to hit the slopes again - she is adorable!

There is a new family that just moved here from Colorado and they are similiar to us in that her husband came here to work at the IAEA also. They are a very nice family and it is so interesting to see them go through some of the same stuff and be a few months removed from it. They are awaiting their boat shipment and so their apartment is empty; they are sleeping on our air matresses and have our card table and chairs. I have to say I don't miss that! Oh, and the no car thing... geez that kinda sucked! I have tried to take her grocery shopping etc... it is nice to remember what others helped me with and then 'pay it forward'. They have kids Evan and Julia's age, so that is really fun too.

Until later...