Always Strive For Happiness

DISCLAIMER : Sorry! This is not a blog post on being an expat, being in Geneva, or our travels, just a blog post because I have been doing A LOT of thinking lately. This may not be the most eloquent blog post ever, or the most interesting, but it may be the most helpful to organize my state of mind and collect my thoughts. Skip it if you must, this is a brain dump.

Always Strive For Happiness

One thing that this experience has taught me if that I should always strive for happiness. Many factors contribute to happiness and when one piece is much lower then the others, the whole things starts to feel out of balance. For Rob and I, it is important to us that we continually work on every single piece.

The biggest single factor for happiness is reducing stress. Stress can be caused by one or many of the pieces not going the way you want it to.

Categories of stress factors:

- Health
- Career & Fulfillment of a purpose
- Love
- Security & Education
- Collective Human Issues

HEALTH - Everyday we make choices on how to live. Balancing healthy options with not so healthy options. Eating french fries increases my happiness of mind because I enjoy them, but it doesn't contribute to the well being of my body. Doing cardio decreases my happiness of mind because I dislike it, but it does contribute to the well being of my body. Both are essential to the delicate balance of happiness in health.

CAREER and FULFILLMENT - This is an area that Rob and I have been having a lot of discussion in. This area is ready for some change and needs work. What we have been doing is making us unhappier. We must be able to adapt to changing times (the recession) and find opportunities when they arise. Possibilities are endless. Can't let other's opinions effect our happiness. We must strive to not hurt anyone else's happiness but not be afraid to break expectations.

LOVE - Finding one's true love and eliminating loneliness -check. Got that one down pat. Everyday putting a little bit more into it, and keeping it alive is so important. Not having happiness in this area can lead to problems in other areas. (i.e. Health and Security) Eventually love and fulfillment will co-mingle when children come into the picture. Eventually being the key word. Not anytime soon.

SECURITY & EDUCATION - The fear of the unknown is a human trait. We as humans strive to connect the dots and find ways to survive the hard things in life. It is a trait humans have acquired thru evolution and natural selection. Humans who connected the dots survived longer. Trying to secure our lives is a way to combat the fear of the unknown. Always preparing for the future (but not forgetting to live in the moment) is a delicate balance. Security can only come from education on how the world works. Education is a continually and adaptive process. We learn from so many resources and draw our own conclusions. This section can go on and on and on. . .

COLLECTIVE HUMAN ISSUES - These are issues that effect our society/civilization as whole. As an individual working alone on such issues, no real progress is easily made. Large groups of people can have large effects and hopefully those effects work towards a greater good. Some of my goals in life is to make sure I am working to improve the world around me. I don't care if it is such a small contribution, what I do care is that it gets done. I want to be kind to others. The stress in this area comes from the suffering of others. I tend not to stress out in this area too much since I am just one person and I am doing what I can.

Now that I have outlined a plan to happiness (for me), I better start working on it!

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Fig, Goat Cheese, Caramelized Onion Mini Pizza's

At the Ferney market this weekend we found a stand selling fresh figs. I didn't notice the "Ne Pa Toucher" sign and tried to touch some. The guy at the fruit stand yelled at me and I jolted back. This little encounter didn't stir me from buying some of this delicate fruit. 1 euro for 2 large figs was a pretty good deal. I delicately carried them around the market and tried to not get them smashed among all our other purchases.

The fresh figs

Here is what we made with them . . .


Fig, Goat Cheese, and Caramelized Onion Mini Pizza's

Ingredients



Sliced Fresh Figs
Pizza Dough
Onions
Olive or Safflower Oil for caramelizing the onions
Goat Cheese (we used a stinky creamy kind but the regular crumbly kind is perferable)
Arugula or other small pungent green
Balsamic Vinegar
Honey



Directions:

1. Cut dough into rounds and bake to 65% of the way done



2. Cut onions really thin and caramelize (this may take 15 minutes or so)



3. Top baked pizza's with already cooked onions, sliced figs, then the goat cheese



3. Bake pizza's again until cheese is melted or lightly browned

4. Top with small argula salad. Dressing for arugula salad is half honey and balsamic vinegar.



You'll be really surprised on how well all of the flavors meld together! Nothing overpowered the dish and it quickly disappeared from out dinner plates. Bon Apetit!

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Le Reculet

We have been back in Geneva for a week now and are enjoying our first weekend back. Interestingly enough, it's a 3 day weekend with Monday off to celebrate "Whit Monday". (Some religious holiday we have no clue about). We decided to go a half day hike in the Jura.

We decided to hike up to Le Reculet. We were hoping for an non-cloudy day but we didn't have luck on our side. Both the Alps and the Jura had clouds floating on the top. We decided to head on a hike anyway and at least get half way. The views of Geneva and the French countryside around Thoiry were pretty nice and the weather couldn't have been beat.

3.5 hours up the hill and then back down. We made it a bit past the first big stopping point of La Croisee and had some lunch. Rob has previously been all the way to the peak (the 2nd highest peak in the Jura only being topped by another peak 4 m higher). There is a large metal cross at the top and the views are supposed to be spectacular on a clear day. Hopefully one of those days will come soon and we'll make it all the way up the hill next time.

Our lovely lunch spot

Directional Sign

Reflection Fun

Sweet View

Cool Horizontal Leaves in The Canopy

French Countryside

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California Vacation & Long Time No Blog!

Sorry it has almost been a while month since my last post! May was consumed by our vacation back to California and I haven't had the motivation to write anything lately.

So here I am playing some catchup!

Why we went back when we weren't really planning on it :

Our original plan was to just change the end date of our return trip tickets to our actual for real return home date in late October. Continental Airlines informed us that the ticket price we bought was only valid for 6 months and that to just change the end date would cost $3000! So, we decided to use our airline miles and fork up an extra $500 and book new tickets and use our old ticket for a trip back home.

SoCal:

We flew into LAX and spent the weekend and mother's day with my parents. We then spent the next few days visiting friends in LA and OC. Had great mexican food in West Hollywood with Leizel, Karen, Brian, and B's Boyfriend. The next day we visited the OC and toured my old jobsite. So much has changed in many ways, yet it other ways, very little has changed. E, M, Rob and I had our share of drinks at Newport Beach Brewing and a crazy mexican pub on the Newport Peninsula. We then headed to Lucille's (which we miss soooo much) and have some great BBQ. I also miss my friends terribly.

NorCal:

We spent a lot of time in Davis with Christina and John just hanging out and having fun. John gave me tour of his favorite fruit stands and grocery stores. Their new place is super nice and very relaxing. We finally got to see Ms. Julie prego! Rob and I had a small conversation about being pregnant with her and it helped calm my nerves a bit. I can't wait to see little Eddie when we get back! In Livermore, we relaxed and took it easy. We ate out at a lot of different places we missed. Los Caporeles, Togo's, this small Vietnamese place, Sansar, LemonGrass . . . etc. We didn't make our way to Donut Wheel but we don't really regret it. We both gained a little weight from being home and eating so much while we could. It was worth it. The night before we left we spent with J&C at the winery BBQ in the back and having a "sleepover".

The plane ride back on KLM wasn't too bad. The food is MUCH better! They even had a snack round of ice cream for everyone! Very refreshing in the middle of a long flight. The unfortunate thing was the seats didn't have a entertainment system. We were surrounded by Dutch tourists who just enjoyed some time in San Francisco. They were so funny sharing peach haribo gummies and passing them around. The dutch have a certain look to them that is hard to put my finger on. The lady who sat next to Rob seemed to have Botox done to here lips. They were very shiny and very full. Rob didn't notice at all, but I couldn't help but stare a little.

What we imported back:

As you may remember, when we took a trip back to NYC for a conference Rob has to go too, we imported a whole suitcase full of stuff that was hard to find/ cheaper in the US. We did the same thing this trip, but bought a whole lot more! It is funny how cheap things felt being back home. We laughed out loud several times and the cheapness of food at restaurants and then we got depressed that we have been paying such high prices here in Switzerland.

* Note * I know a lot of this stuff is available in Switzerland ~ but heck ~ we had the baggage room and it SOOOO much cheaper there.

- Trader Joe's Indian Food (restock) (At 1.99 a box its hard to beat.)
- Spray On Sunscreen
- Shaving Cream
- Refill Razers for Rob
- Computer Speakers for out laptops
- Ton of Asian Groceries including Korean Hot Pepper Paste, Korean Seaweed Snacks, Dried Boba Balls, Milk Tea Packets, Hot Mustard, Soba Noodles
- More Cholula and Tapatio
- Corn Husks to make tamales
- Cornstarch
- Ton of Canned Food including, enchilada sauce, green chilies, jalapenos, lots of Mexican sauces, refried vegetarian beans, cuban style black beans, and TJ's 3 bean salads.
- Maple Syrup
- Peanut Butter
- Vanilla
- Dark Chocolate Covered Raisins and prunes
- Dried Lychees
- Tequila and Triple Sec! MMMM... margaritas!
- Big Bottle of Chili Garlic Saucde
- Big Container of Fried Shallots
- Ranch Dressing Packets
- and of course - Tillamook Extra Sharp Chedder Cheese
- 20 Used DVD's from Hollywood Video
- We also bought some shoes and clothing.

Phew!

I honestly didn't take a lot of pictures but here are a few!

Jack (my in-law's dog) getting a bath.

Jack..... again.

E, Rob, and MC

No need for a caption here.

I love home - aka the Pacific Ocean!

Barrels up to the sky

The boys having a grand time.

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NE Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and a Blogger MeetUp.

Can you travel by car from San Diego to Maine and back in one weekend? No.

Can you travel by car from SW Switzerland (Geneva) to NE Switzerland (Au) in one weekend? Yes you can.

And that is exactly what we did this weekend. We made the 5 hour drive to NE switzerland to the canton of St Gallen and checked out the beautiful Appenzellerland and Liechtenstein. We stopped along the way to see Lake Constance and walk waterside for awhile. There were a ton of sailboats about and we chilled in the shade after our long drive. We then headed into Liechtenstein and up to the castle. Liechtenstein in on the Swiss currency and there was no tolls. A few small villages make up this whole country and their license plates are black in color!

We then drove up the hills into the heart of Appenzell and met up with Amanda/Isiah and Edie/Paul for a swiss dinner in the outside beer garden. Lots of conversation and laughs and catching up for Amanda and I. Rob finally got to a Rosti and we enjoyed yummy beers. See below. Amanda and Isiah were kind of enough to let us stay in their AMAZING apartment and cook us pancakes for breakfast! What fantastics hosts! Thank you guys again! It was a quiet night of sleep compared to our usual Geneva street noise from the windows.

On Sunday after breakfast we headed into Zurich for the blogger meetup at Google and the Cafe afterwards. I didn't take many pictures but I am sure in the next few days you will see a few posts about it all on other blogs. It was great to meet people in person and put a real face to a actual blog. We didn't get to stay long since we had to hit the road and drive back home. Hopefully it gets done again and we can make the trek up! Thanks Jessica and Amanda for hosting and organizing! Check out Jessica's post about it here. The Zurich google office tour was a lot of fun and we got to slide down the fire poles and slide into the kitchen.

Anyways, I could elaborate for quite awhile on this fun weekend, but the grocery store is going to close VERY soon! Damn 7 PM closing time!

Lake Constance - we think the 3rd largest lake in Europe?

Number one being in Hungary and Lake Geneva is #2.

Liechtenstein Castle.

Rob in tiny Liechtenstein. Cross one off the list!

I love these kinds of signs.

Appenzell Cheese - Old and Ripe vs. New and Mild. ~ Mild wins!

Appenzell Beer - enjoyed at the beer garden in the cute old town where we had dinner with Amanda & Isiah, and Edie & Paul.

4.8% brewed by Brauerei Lucher right in Appenzell

They make a ton of varieties and wish I tried the Lager Dunkel.

But we have tried a earlier a variety in a bottle here in Geneva brewed in Appenzell.

Isiah shared his favorite beer so far with us.

Zwickelgold

(this one is HARD to find information about on the internet)

Maybe Amanda could get Isiah to help me fill the rest of the info.

I did find this great website on Swiss Beers to help on my quest in the future!

Rob and a Schneider Weisse.

Jessica with a SchneiderWeisse and of course - cinnamon sauce apple strudel.

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La Trappe Quadrupel

Oh yes. Another Trappist Beer

Purchased at a wine store in Balexert.

La Trappe Quadrupel - 10%!

Brewed by Bierbrouwerij De Koningshoeven in the Netherlands.

Tastey - but meant for sharing with a movie and some popcorn.

Sip it slowly and feel the tingle.

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Travel to Annecy, France and a Beer in Carouge

Part 1: Travel

Last Sunday, we headed down to Annecy, France after being told by a few of Rob's coworkers that is was a nice place to visit. It is only a 35 minute drive from Geneva and to avoid any French toll roads, we took the back way. It added 30 extra minutes to the drive, but is was worth it. Driving thru green hills on back country roads, admiring lazy cows, glancing a multicolored trees, is very relaxing.

I didn't take a ton if pictures since we do plan on visiting here often. The town in on a smaller lake but has amazing Alp views. You can rent paddle boats or motorized boats and float around for some relaxation. We totally intend on doing that this summer. There is a huge park right by the lake with a ton of picnicer's and the old town next to the park has great shops to visit. Lots of crepe stands and bakery goods. It seemed to be mostly French tourists. I read somewhere that the French really only like to vacation in other parts of France, and I guess this is one spot they come to.

Part 2: Beer

We visited L'Imprevu in Carouge since it was the ONLY thing open on a Sunday night in this part of town. Rob has a fantastic SchneiderWeisse and I had a Leffe Brown. It was not busy at all and had set out great lounging furniture on the sidewalk. A lot of place in Geneva have started to put their patio table out and I hope it encourages smokers to stay outside! Maybe then I could go inside a place without gagging. We were adventurists and order the "chips and guac with salsa." We apparently never learn our lesson. So let me repeat it, NEVER order guacamole in Europe. Not unless you know if comes from an actual avocado and not from a jar mostly of peas. Yuck.

About the beers:

SchneiderWeisse - Hefeweisen - 5.4% - Brewed by Private Weissbierbrauerei G. Schneider & Sohn. - A pretty popular brew in Germany and in German speaking CH.

Leffe Brune - Belgian Dark Ale - 6.5% - Brewed by Abbaye De Leffe. They make 9 different Leffe beer's and many are sold in the COOP. Ta

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