I´m Published!

Check that goal off my list of things to accomplish!

Only three years after leaving Switzerland and approximately eight revisions, I have published all of my Swiss blogs and photos in a coffee table book.  Granted I published myself and there is only one copy, but it still counts.

Uncle Li Li

Two fun facts: 1) I have always feared coming home from work one night in a nice white suit only to be greeted by my future kids and husband covered in chocolate and/or dirt running towards me looking for a hug.  Call it crazy, but I have been stuck with that image for the past 10 years.  And 2) for whatever reason, my niece refuses to say or learn my name.  She will pick up any other word uttered in her vicinity and repeat it to no end, but even with constant coaching and promises of cookies she still will not speak those four easy letters.  It was only just recently that I admitted defeat and tried to associate myself with the name Li Li…I figured it was close to Lisa and maybe easier for her to say.  In all honesty, I would respond to any word or phrase she might use to acknowledge me (bacon, buck, Charlie, whatever).  

And so this past weekend, while at the lake, Cassidy was able to hang out with Aunt Li Li.  We watercolored, ate berries, cherries and popsicles and went swimming.  The watercolors ended up on her body rather than the paper, most of the berry juice ended up on her hands and face and the swim was merely a requirement after an all too expected popsicle incident.   Each time Cassidy and I hung out, I had to later apologize to Dana for the mess I left behind.  It turns out Aunt Li Li is about as graceful and composed as my pre-imagined future family.  It was so apparent that Martin got to calling me Uncle Li Li instead of Aunt… and it begs an even bigger question: if I was so wrong about my threshold of dirt and mess, I can only imagine how bad things will really be once I have kids of my own.

Here are some photos of our weekend together:

Hanging out on the beach

Off to get ice cream with Grandpa and Martin

Pure happiness

And don´t forget about Blake!

On a side note, I can now admit victory!  Whatever I did worked as Cassidy knows my name. I arrived back at the Lake the following weekend and was immediately greeted by Cassidy yelling Li Li with a big smile.

Quality Control

Last year Martin installed new cabinets in the cabin at Lake Pillsbury.  He spent all weekend making sure they were perfect: leveling each one off, realigning the countertops and securing everything into place. Not quite sure how to contribute, my parents and I sat across the room drinking beers and providing the overall supervision of his work.  Call it quality control.  We helped inform Martin when things looked off center or uneven and provided general commentary on his carpentry skills.  Between the heat of the summer, heavy lifting and lack of any real help, I am sure he was fully amused.  And in hindsight, I shouldn´t be too upset about his quality control of my paintingskills in San Francisco.

This past weekend, Martin once again found himself under the scrutiny of Gimbel family “supervision.”  In an effort to reconstruct our outdoor kitchen at the Lake (after a tree took out our previous one), my dad had built two 2 x 5 counters that would be tiled and used as prep and serving stations.  With little tiling experience, my dad asked Martin to help.  The request involved my dad doing the work with Martin there to provide his expertise.  In reality, Martin expertly tiled the two countertops, with my dad (and entire Gimbel family) providing the support.  My parents and I once again stood around watching and commenting while Martin did everything. …I really have found one of the most talented and patient men in the world!