Same procedure as every year... Here's a summary of what happened throughout the year. Brace yourself though, it's been a full year! Feel free just to scroll through the pictures ;-)
Driving to New Year's Eve 2022/23 at our friends' house. Epic sunset on the freeway.
On January 1st, resp. the first official work day of 2023 was supposed to be the kick-off for the handover of the Zermatt business. Friends who wanted to retire early, sold us their client base, and my coworker, who moved there a few months earlier, was supposed to be introduced to each and every customer by the previous owner. Step by step, you know.
Well, talk about the best laid plans. The owner, who we thought was recovering nicely from his cancer treatment, passed away on December 25, 2022, and we had to take over totally unprepared.
I didn't attend the funeral as Colin had a game he didn't want to miss. Our friend who had died, used to play hockey when he was young, so we liked to think that he approved. So we had dinner with friends, and on game day it was a beautiful sunny day. I dropped Colin at the arena and strolled along the lake, trying to think positive. I mean, not only did we lose a friend, we found ourselves in a very stressful situation business-wise.
Before the game I asked Colin "are you gonna score and dedicate your goal to Andy (our friend who died)?" And he said, he was gonna try. Colin came through. You can watch his goal at 7:35
Colin and his best teammate. He didn't know it at the time, but this friend was going to leave for a student exchange in summer.
But in the meantime we got to enjoy this very, very cool night out, eating a cheese fondue in a ski gondola
Good times!
In Switzerland we celebrate "Three Kings Day" by picking a sweet bread bun from what we call a three kings cake, (last year we made our own) and in one of the buns you will find a small plastic king. If you're the lucky person you get to wear the crown for a day and rule over your family or teammates. It's very rare that I am this person, but in 2023 it happened.
I left Starbucks after Colin was born. While I am still in touch with some of them, only if it's only on social media, I haven't seen or heard from others in all those years. I was very pleased when I got invited to a "reunion lunch" in the city. We were a small group, but this made it possible to talk to each and everyone in person, which was super nice.
Colin, while still a U15 player, found himself on another U17 lineup. The opponent wasn't just anyone, it was the team his former classmate plays for. Plus Colin and the goalie used to attend hockey school together, back in the days. On that special night Colin' team lost, but one of the few goals they managed to score, was actually by my son. So proud!
The goal happens at 4:42
The night was all the more special because my brother, who lives in Israel, was in town and attended the game. This is us, having a late dinner afterwards.
Big weekend ahead of us: Two hockey games in the Italian part of Switzerland, then taking Colin to Grisons, where he was going to meet up for ski camp with his friends from school.
The first game took place in Ascona, one of the loveliest places in Switzerland.
HC Rivers was my favorite opponent. Passionate fans, good players, equal level. It was a fantastic game that this time went in favor of our guys.
You can spot Colin's name on the score card, GWG stands for game winning goal :-) It happens at 8:13 in the video.
Scenic, yet lengthy drive to get him to the ski resort.
After we dropped him at ski camp we stayed at a nearby hotel since we didn't feel like doing any more driving that day.
Random pic from ski camp
In early 2023 I was sick twice in a row. Looking back I think I had Covid. The actual "flu" was not too bad, even though I even missed one of Colin's games, but I recovered from it very slowly. I had no energy whatsoever. While lying in my bed I followed the game via app and found out Colin scored the 10th goal, which has a special meaning. The player who does so, has to make a cake for his teammates.
When he got home I said the cake would have to wait until I was feeling better, which caused him to do what he could to contribute to a speedy recovery: Love and vitamins!
The situation at the office was that my coworker had major surgery in late October, following a sick leave that would only allow her to return part-time in January. Not a good time to be sick, myself, as well, but it was what it was.
When I finally regained a little bit of strength, I finally went out with my bestie to toast the new year.
While Colin trains I usually spend time at Freiruum, the multi-purpose facility, a 5-minute walk fro the arena. The grown-up league was on a break so the chosen ones could train with the National Team. So to my delight I spotted Raphael Diaz and Lino Martschini, former teammates and friends, having a casual dinner with their families.
Other times I will enjoy one of the spectacular sunsets at Lake Zug.
The hockey parents' community raised funds to buy me flowers. It's their way of thanking me for providing a video after each game. Way to get recognition for something I love doing!
On my birthday, my parents invited us over for lunch. There was cake, too. It was really nice.
Later that day, after Colin's practice, we went to see the last grown-up home game of the regular season.
We won against the team that was going to become Swiss Champion a few weeks later! Also Lino Martschini (see above) scored his 487th point in an EVZ uniform. He thus overtook Paul DiPietro and set the all-time points record.
The junior team did well, too. They ended up second after the regular season and got to play in some kind of a play-off mode. Unfortunately our top scorer was suspended for these games for some on and off-ice shenanigans. His teammates decided to bring as least his jerseys to these games. Loved the gesture.
The boys sure could have benefitted from L's skills at the last play-off game, to which they were transported in the grown-up teams' championship winner's vehicle. Instead they experienced one hockey dad's motto: "My kid always wins - it's either the game or life experience."
I threw an "end of the season dinner" for the players and parents, which was very nice, since the boys born 2008 were going to move on to U17 in only a few weeks. Yes, "spring break" is basically the month of April, since "summer practice" starts in May.
Meaning we were not going to hang out with the 2009 born players for a year :-(
Speaking of spring... it was finally here! I was craving blue skies and pretty blossoms! Badly!
Gorgeous long-distance view of the Alps only a few miles from where we live!
Mom and I didn't manage to visit any Christmas markets last year, so we decided to make up for it by going on a spring adventure. Well, while we did get to see tulips, it was a very cold day with even colder winds.
Spring produce! Strawberries and asparagus!
There's this neighborhood in Zurich that has cherry plum trees.
Then there's a park with awesome magnolia, and on a particular day at this very park, I lost my wedding ring. That's a story for another day though. Actually it was one of 30 stories I told as my Blogging from A - Z theme: things that went wrong. Canceled flights, lost passports, this kind of things. If you want to laugh with me, here's the overview.
Cherry blossom magic in the rose garden: The Japanese ornamental cherry trees were a gift from Yoshiyuki Urata, a farmer and beekeeper from Japan, to the city of Bern .
The brown bears Björk, Finn and Ursina don't seem to have fully awakened from their hibernation yet, they still seemed quite sleepy. Can't blame them. After all it was Monday morning.
Came for apple 🍎 blooms, only to be told I was too early.
Found apricot trees instead, and they’re absolutely gorgeous 🌸
Found my apple blooms a couple of weeks later, and the recipe to go with them.
Apple / Cheese Risotto!
We dyed our own Easter eggs. Wrapped them tightly in kitchen towels, sprayed water onto them and applied food coloring.
The U18 Hockey World Championships took place in Switzerland. Our boys went there an supported the Swiss boys! The game we got to watch was against the USA, and naturally we lost.
At least two of our guys made the "harder shot top five" ;-)
Colin and his friend were responsible for sounds and lights during their schoolmates' theater performance. I enjoyed watching the play. It was about a neighborhood, in which valuables kept disappearing, and everyone suspected everyone else of having stolen the items.
Later they found a birds' nest. Not just any bird. A magpie's nest. In there there was the missing bracelet, and the keyring, and, and, and...
Colin had minor surgery during spring break, strategically planned so he wasn't going to miss any hockey games. The nurse allowed me to accompany him until the operation room, and I cried like a baby as soon as she left me alone. It's the worst feeling not being able to "protect" your kid. All I could to was to trust the medical staff. They must know what they're doing, right?
They did!
On Mother's Day he gave me tickets for the grown-ups' Hockey World Championship. Well, we didn't technically go to Tampere, Finland. The tickets were front row TV seats.
Colin did write me a note thanking me for anything I do for and with him, and he made pasta.
I started to write articles for our town's quarterly magazine on a trial basis. The first ones I submitted, got published, which was a nice feeling!
Colin and his classmate sort of followed in my footsteps. Before graduating, they had to complete a project, any project, and they decided to put together a school paper. They just about made the deadline.
With the project handed in, they were ready to graduate! Look at my handsome boy!
Proud Mamas!
Handsome - and hungry - sons!
A week later at the youth festival I caught this precious moment between my high school friend (and brides maid), who, as an elementary school teacher, was part of the parade and her mother who suffers from dementia. Her Mom passed away later this year.
For the last time these friends walked in the parade together. They were going to follow different paths after the summer break.
The girl on the left is actually their lovely class teacher!
Speaking of lovely girls... We very lucky enough to score tickets for the Taylor Swift concert that was going to take place in Zurich, Switzerland, in July 2024! It was an elaborate process that included participating in a pre-sale lottery in order to even gain access to the ticket platform.
Summer break is only four weeks in our area. I tried to make the best out of it with a homebody teenager who likes to sleep in and take trips to the fridge. On the rare occasions I got him out of his sweat pants, we had a nice Pinsa lunch...
We did some home cooking
What's that format, btw? Colin and his friends are on a social platform called "Be real". They get prompted to post a picture of whatever they're doing right now. No embellishing, no filters. I consider it an honour to be asked to be in his posts. I mean, his teenage friends are going to see this!
Went out for a burger at one of our favorite spots.
Watched the Barbie movie - he even asked whether I would let him wear one of my pink polo shirts for the occasion! I think he looked lovely!
We had lunch at IKEA
Probably the highlight of our summer activities was our attending an American football game in Switzerland. For the first time, a Swiss team plays in the European league, and they did quite well.
I also did some outings on my own. I had heard about a charming little fishing village in the Bernese Highlands a while ago, and it was time to check it out. It's called Iseltwald and only inhabits 432 citizens. Talk about tiny!
For some reason, probably mainly due to the heat, I craved snow covered mountains, and one fine day I dared to go there on my very own. Isn't it pretty? The mountain heart is on top of the Engstligenalp.
This small body of water is the Oeschinensee. So gorgeous!
The weather hadn't been great for a while, so I was happy to get out and do stuff. Something that always gives me pleasure is visiting alpaca. There's something about the fuzzy creatures, don't you think?
Tina Turner passed away, and since she lived in Switzerland, I - and hundred of other people - visited her residence in a Zurich suburb.
While in the city, I checked out a cool mural I had seen pictures of. This water tap is painted onto the corner of this building.
Back home us three busy high school friends found the time to meet for a nice outdoor patio dinner. My husband, who is usually not very observant, nor full of compliments, said, matter of factly "I see two middle aged women and my young and pretty wife". I didn't agree with his assessment but it really made me wonder. Does he see me with a flattering filter?
Colin felt like rewatching Disney Cars 1 through 3 for the gazillions time ;-) Even got his toy cars out. This collection is the total of all his birthdays, Christmasses, Easter nests and other opportunities. Looks like he has been a good boy throughout the years!
Every year since 2017 Colin attended hockey camp the first week of August. It was a set item in our summer calendar. Now that he's part of the U17 organizations they do things differently. Mainly - the way I perceive it - for two reasons:
Some of the young men start their apprentishship and can't take a week off that early into their work life.
Teenagers are a pain to deal with, and neither coaches nor support staff want to put up with a week of indiscipline, grumpy faces and snotty answers.
Personally I regret the discontuniation of the camp. Not because I want to send my boy away for a week, but because I thought it always gave then a good opportunity to come together as a team and spend time together on and off the ice. Just another factor to up the excitement for the new season.
Plus it gave hubby and I a chance to take a day off and drive to the mountains where we were going to pick up Colin the next day.
Back to U17. What they do instead is, they spend a long-ish weekend training and playing. We pledged to still take time off and spend it in the vicinity, relaxing and getting a break from the day to day routine.
So that's what we did.
Grindelwald is a popular ski resort that also offers a lot of summer activities.
First friendly game of at the season. Our team won against the locals. The real winners were the refs though. They imposed a grand total of 77 penalty minutes. It was insane.
And just like that, the new season began. While it was still 30°C+, that's 86°F, the guys were back, training on the ice. I was quite glad to escape the heat for an hour and brought my dinner to the rink.
Other nights I met up with long lost friends
It was time to go back to school. After graduating from junior high, Colin moved on to his new school. He was a bit nervous since he learned that none of his old classmates were going to be in his new class.
On his first day he got to meet the new classmates. According to him, 90% of the boys are soccer players, so he quickly made friends with some of the girls! I was quite impressed and happy for him.
Shortly after, our boy turned 15. He celebrated by playing and winning the first championship game of the new season.
We had an anniversary to celebrate as well! Hubby's business turned 30 years old, and we invited customers and vendors to a fun afternoon / evening at a nursery than can be explored by riding a steam engine train. Fun was had by 200+ people, and we were left with nice memories...
...and unexpected gifts!
My parents were invited, too. Picture taken by Mom, of course.
The weeks between back to school and fall break just flew by. In October we took a full two weeks off work, and while hubby still worked from home, we did some stuff as a family every so often.
Plane spotting at ZRH airport. ZRH stands for Zurich, Switzerland. In case you were wondering, and the SWISS aircraft and the cows were not enough of a hint ;-)
Trip to Geneva, because that's where Five Guys is...
Playing miniature golf with Colin's Godfather, who is hubby's childhood friend.
Since hubby is always so busy it's hard for him to take the initiative and arrange these meet-ups. So here's another one I took into my own hands. We went to see a hockey game between hubby's and his cousin's favourite team and Colin's and mine. What a treat it was to actually drive there!
Opponent fans, toasting the rare moment!
Bumping into another opponent fan and fellow Hockey Mom!
For me it's easy to be nice to the opponentl - my team won!
I also went ahead and visited my beloved pumpkin farms on my own.
Day trip to Rapperswil with hubby while teenage son slept in. I was positively surprised when the husband suggested to go to SBUX. Turned out he had to use the restroom ;-)
When he was up, we left for another hockey game in a town almost two hours away. But first, dinner!
We wanted to root for the home team SC Langnau Tigers, but they just didn't score. The guests from Lugano, who were driving 3 hours each way to attend the game, kicked their butts 0:8.
Hubby and I celebrated 19 years of wedded bliss in July. However, neither the food, the service, nor the picture we took were any good. So here's a happy photo we took at one of the games instead. Way more authentic!
One of our favorite players was given a heartfelt goodbye as he went back to his home club Frölunda in Götheborg, Sweden. During seven seasons in blue and white, Carl Klingberg scored 107 goals and 118 assists in the championship and, after bitter playoff final defeats in 2017 and 2019, finally celebrated two long-awaited Swiss championship titles in 2021 and 2022 as well as the Cup victory in 2019.
All I had to do was washing the jerseys. Well, and filming the game. I may have brought the food, too.
Another time he had the role of the arena speaker, announcing the goals. I think it was quite satisfying telling the audience that your own son assisted in one of the goals. He also played music before the game and during intermission. Way to go, arena DJ.
Golden fall days... Home game and long overdue meeting up with a fellow Hockey Mom and Blogger!
Celebratory post-game pizza
Day at the mall with Mom. We always enjoy a nice cup of coffee and some cheesecake at you-know-where.
Random picture. I had purchased this peace of furniture at IKEA a while ago, but for the life of me, I wasn't able to assemble it myself. Swallowed my pride and took it to the office where there's guys who will laugh at me but then put themselves to work and show me how simple it is.
Journalistic assignment: cover the annual major fire drill. It was very interesting and also emotional.
The person in the mock accident car is a friend of mine. Yes, it's all staged, and they know what they're doing. Still I was glad to see her walk home on her own two feet!
I know I am talking about hockey a lot - it's a huge part of our lives, and frankly, a hightlight, too. We work a lot and between driving back and forth for practice, don't have time for many other things. So we embrace the little adventures that come with our game days, Especially when they're away games in the Italian speaking part of Switzerland. Yes, they take up a lot of time, but they're always worth the trip. This time we encountered a known phenomenon of a Foehn situation: In the northern part, the wam winds cause nice weather, albeit stormy. It was 22°C on our side of the Gotthard pass. That's almost 72°F.
As soon as we got on the other side, a cool, foggy and rainy afternoon greeted us.
The opponent's welcome wasn't warm either. They kicked our boys' butts. A rare loss may feed their hunger for revenge early next year!!?
Halloween was upon us! While I didn't have time to decorate, let alone, throw a party, at least I visited two friend's houses who did a great job making things spooky!
Rare dinner with Colin's Godmother. Always nice to see them! They are empty nesters but still so very busy!
Annual skataethon, an opportunity to raise funds for youth sports.
November rainbow :-)
Take your kid to work day - in this case it's actually my coworker's baby sister! She was very cute, trying to help out at the office.
Quarterly board meeting with nice food and a splendid view in Interlaken.
We celebrated a friend's 40th birthday - made us feel a little old.
Well, let's look at it this way: some people don't have the privilege to become old. My Godfather's daughter = my cousin chose to end her life in November. It was - and still is - a huge shock. We weren't in touch in person, but via social media. I knew she had trouble with drugs and alcohol in the past, but I was totally clueless that she wasn't as stable as she made us all believe.
The other person that causes me to have a heavy heart, is my nephew Neil. He is my brother's son who lives in Israel. At 220 years old, he's on active duty with the army. During active war times. He maintains aircraft, so at least he's not being shot at. Or so I hope. This is him, during a monthly weekend home. I sent him some dried meat that he loves, and he seems to enjoy it.
While sometimes I feel bad to live the good - and peaceful life - here in Switzerland, it doesn't serve anyone if we sit at home and dwell. So we keep going, trying to make the best out of it and be grateful for the freedom we get to enjoy. Next to his work, there's not much hubby gets to do. He loves hockey, and he loves trains. So one of our opponents is located in Olten. Olten happens to be Switzerland's main hub where train lines are concerned. He also likes roasted chestnuts, which are often sold at booths like this - at train stations. So I like to think this was a highlight for him.
Another assignment, well I sort of assigned it to myslef and sold it to my editor, is more like it. Someone I know did something great. He invited families with disabled children to a free photo shooting event. Look how lovely they set everything up.
I mention a lot of fellow Hockey Moms I encounter on my journey. How about this: one night, this lady approached me. I went to elementary school with her. Her daughter's boyfriend played for the opponent. She know - Facebook is to thank for it - that Colin plays for EVZ, so she kept her eyes open for me. What a great way to meet again!
This was also the night we handed out 30 kg (60 pounds) of kiwi fruit to the hockey families. A family in our neighborhood harvested around 600 kg (1,200 pounds) and needed a little help distributing. At the next game, the lady in the red jacket handed me a jar. What was it? She made kiwi preserves, and she wanted me to have some. Yummy!
One day it was raining - the next morning we woke up to this winter wonderland!
Met my lovely niece for lunch in the old town. She works in our town every Thursday afternoon. Such great timing to make the encounter unforgettable.
And just like that, the Holidays were approaching!
And with that "Elf on the Shelf" season
Time for your elves, Cookie and Biscuit to not only make an appearance at home, but also at the hockey rink. Especially on game day. Especially if Colin gets to be the team's captain. I love it when this happens. Makes me proud.
He scored a goal, too. It's at 9:53 in the video.
One of the reasons for our added work load is the tradition of visiting our customers in person and handing them a crate of mandarines. While it's a nice thing to do, and oftentimes a rare occasion to meet in person, since most of our work is done with remote desktop tools and over the phone, it is a huge time investment.
So glad the teenager stepped up and took over dinner duty several times. He makes these absolute yummy veggie enchiladas.
I managed to fall / roll down a few stairs at the hockey arena. Lots of bruises and contusions on my left arm and right thigh. I wasn't kidding when I said "rolling". As I had to see the doctor anyway I had my annual bloodwork done at the same time. Blood sugars and cholesterol were elevated, and she measured my blood pressure. Sure enough it was high. 164 over 98. Ouch! Never in my life had I experienced a high BP, on the contrary, it was often on the low end.
She made me see a cardiologist's office to get a 24 hours' monitor.
The overall results took the pressure off, literally. It was determined that I didn't need any meds. It was recommended, however, what I knew I should have been tackling a while ago: Work on my other risk factors: lose weight, get more exercise, you may know the drill.
Good thing my official interview for our town's magazine - while wearing the cuff that beeps and inflates every 15 minutes - was with my childhood friend and her husband. They're whiskey retailers. No, I didn't taste any.
Annual viist to the Canadian grocery store with my son. It isn't Christmas until we were there!
But then it's here. Friday before Christmas. Dinner with friends after a hectic day at work.
Family Christmas Eve at home. The prepping and hosting part may have been super stressful, but the company and the food were nice!
It was way more chill to visit the airport and have dinner at a restaurant.
Some more festive pics for the road...
Also a fixture: Whenever KalPa Kuopio, a Finnish team, plays, the club's president's wife *has* to be in the audience. She claims to be interested in hockey, but she's always knitting ;-)
Special treat: former EVZ player Carl Klingberg and his team Frölunda was one of the six teams.
What an eventful year you had! Fabulous photos, as always. And kudos to Colin for stepping up and helping with the cooking, etc. Wishing you a happy and healthy 2024! 🥂
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