you know its fall when...

...you are using your laptop for warmth

...the smartwool expedition weight socks come out of the closet

...you no longer crave ice cream

... and you find your dusty cross country skis under the bed and realize that in only 7 short weeks you'll be back in the wintry wonderland of minnesota

the view from our apartment these days

howie's design adventures part 1: basel & vitra!

upon returning to lausanne, i still had a few things left on my list of things to see before december.  howie had some free time between job interviews and more applications, so we took a train ride to Basel for the day. we were both dragging a little to get out of the house on a chilly fall morning, worried about the weather and potential rain. luckily we dragged ourselves to the train and once we were in Basel we found beautiful weather! we also decided on a whim to visit the Vitra factory and had an amazing time- see some photos below. i was a little disappointed that i didn't see any other Herzog & de Meuron buildings because Basel is much more spread out than I had imagined and everything requires a separate bus or train. next time...

p.s. don't forget your passport when visiting vitra- its across the german/swiss border! and bring some euros for the bus. (oops!)

Vitra: Gehry & Oldenburg in the background

Vitra: new H&deM

stacked houses with evening light

15 min naps only!

Howie learned about the Eames,
and the price of designer chair miniatures

which vitra chair suits you??

beautiful and inventive spaces perfect for displaying vitra wonders!

cheek to cheek with Ando concrete

v for vitra. 

summer in Ouchy

Even though the weather is still beautiful here, its beginning to be more hazy and I'm hanging on to the memory of beautiful, clear summer nights.  

first snow!

It hasn't snowed yet in Lausanne, but in the alps there is always snow on the mountain glaciers... 

A few weeks ago Howie and I were excited to host Howie's cousin, Yokewai, and her friend, Pooiyin, coming from Malaysia and Singapore. They were embarking on a European adventure and they started by visiting us in Lausanne. We gave them a taste of Swiss fondue- unfortunately it was not the best fondue and none of us liked it. But we had a beautiful day to ride the train up to the Jungfraujoch where one can walk on the glacier and have gorgeous views of the alps, and the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau peaks. Yokewai had her first sight and touch of real snow- and she could not have asked for a more beautiful place for that experience. We had a great time and hope they enjoyed the rest of their journey through Europe!

we stumbled upon the Swiss equivalent to the
MN state fair

we made Yokewai try cheese curds
(or something similar)

cousins!

master photographers at work

don't look down...

the beginning of the Altesch Glacier

the tropical girls were not afraid of the ice!

sliding around in the ice palace

home sweet.

meg and alan at the j.j. hill library

After being home for 2.5 weeks, it feels a little strange to be waiting for my flight back to Switzerland. Somehow it feels as though I never left. It was so great to be surrounded by family and friends the entire time I was back- I didn't even have a chance to see everyone. But it did make me feel a little like a celebrity to have such a warm welcome and to be constantly meeting everyone and talking about my adventures. I attended two weddings while I was back- both were so amazing and touching- also just fun to dance and eat and relax. Congrats to Annie & Julie and Meg & Alan as they begin their new lives together!

i enjoyed sneaking around the upper levels of the library!

a blurry pic of the family looking sharp.

trying to stay warm!

the ladies know how to rock!

I met three new babies- Sydney, Freida and Stella- and have been trying to convince poppy to come out and meet the world while I was around, but he/she decided to wait until after I left. I also saw Rhia who was barely 3 months old when I left, now a squirming playful little girl who is ready to run. 

sydney loved my hair- hopefully didn't scare her too much!

friends!!!

Rob is getting anxious!

I am so grateful for all of my friendships and I'm leaving the country with a mission to keep in better touch. I have missed everyone and will miss you all so much. See you again in December! 

<3,

a

p.s. since i started writing this post, Erin and Rob gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, Hazel Grace Augustine. Welcome to the world, Hazel! I can't wait to meet you soon :)