Lots to look forward to!

I generally feel that life is always more enjoyable when you have something to look forward to and to be excited about. When I look ahead to the next 6 weeks I am very excited about all we have going on. First, 2 weeks from today our friends Kristina and Mike will arrive in Basel for a week-long visit. They will be bringing along their 3 children (all under the age of 5), so, in the words of our landlord, our house will be very "alive"! We are looking into taking an all-day, panoramic train ride through the Alps called the Glacier Express while they're here. When they leave on December 8 I will also be flying across the Atlantic (although not on the same flight) for a visit back to DC! Kirk has a meeting there and I can't pass up the opportunity to have a visit home. I'm looking forward to doing some shopping (for Christmas presents and perhaps for a few things for myself as well) and visiting all of my favorite restaurants, but I am mainly excited about spending time with good friends. Soon after our arrival back in Basel, my sister and her family will be visiting us for the week between Christmas and New Year's. It will be the first trip to Europe for all of them, and I am thrilled to be able to spend Christmas (or at least the 26th) with my sister, her husband, and their 3 kids. As much as my transition to living overseas has been relatively easy, I greatly miss my friends and family. The next couple months will be very special for me.