Snowboarding/Amsterdam/London/Etc Update!

I feel like I am always one step behind in updating this thing - or one month behind. Alas, better late than never, right? After all, this project is half for my family and friends back home and half for me to be able to go back and read when I am old and grey. I can get on the computer (or whatever the kids are using in the future) and say, "Look! I was exciting once!" and hopefully it will help me remember all the people I met and things I did. 

So January and February (so far) have been (surprise?) quite busy. This is the first weekend where I am home the entire weekend. I had the opportunity to ski but decided against it. I needed a real rest and I can't get that when I am out of the house for 12 hours skiing. Because of this nice rest day, here I am updating.

What has been happening lately? Snowboarding, Amsterdam, and a visit from an old friend... I think that about sums it up. Here are some pictures of the goings on here...

I love snow :)

Verbier!

"Lunch"

Apres Ski

The slopes are EMPTY!

More apres ski?

With a conference booked in Amsterdam, Paul and I headed off for 3 days together. It was SO COLD that I bought another coat to put on top of my already existing coat. We had a nice time and finally got to go to the modern art museum there that has just reopened. It was a nice trip, but then I wanted a day of recovery from the vacation. No such luck, we got back and it was almost Monday!

Arriving in Amsterdam - it is SO COLD!

Love <3

My new coat is like a sleeping bag! I love it!

Wrapped up on the metro into town.

A beautiful building... not sure what it is!

Our first Indonesian meal

Heading home...

After the rush of Amsterdam I had barely unpacked before it was time to pack up again. This time a conference in London! Not that I actually saw any of London, just the inside of a conference center and the airport. I learned a lot about using an iPad in a class and it was definitely worth it, but then we got home LATE Wednesday and I was so luck I got to teach all Thursday and Friday. Yikes. I would say I wasn't very cheerful those two days. More like completely wiped out!

A view of London from the pub where we ate dinner.

My friend, John Snyder, happened to be in Berlin and Zurich so he dropped in for the weekend. I got to show him around! First we went to the Lausanne hockey game then out for drinks. The next day, we tried to go to a hot air balloon festival, but there was so much snow that they weren't putting up any balloons. So we skated instead! Then we took him skiing (what else?) There was so much powder we had a fantastic time!

Hugs for friends :)

Not sure what's happening here...

Train to Chateaux D'Oex for the Balloon Festival that wasn't there

Ice skating on an inch of snow

After a rocky start, I remember how to skate

He got back into it too!

We went skiing in Leysin for the first time. It is filled with blue runs and a few great red runs. There is lots of safe off piste areas with fun powder. We got to run nearly the whole mountain (minus a few black runs...)

Matt is the best skiier! 

And then he lost a ski... but don't worry, the snowboarder saved him!

John is skiing like a pro on his third day EVER skiing!

Er, except for the poles he bent on the first lift up. Oops. 

Lovin' the mountain!

What better way to finish a weekend in Lausanne than some Fondue?

 See? Busy busy, but still great and I wouldn't change any of it. Looking forward to more exhausting adventures as Paul and I head to Tignes in France for our ski week next Saturday (6 days away!!!) Then 4.5 weeks until spring break. I'll try to keep this updated as best I can :)