A Well Kept Man

2008 saw our friends, Andy & Kim, Andy & Bethany (different Andy), and Katie & Tom come for a visit.  As a result of these visits, I plan to institute a strict luggage lifting policy in 2009.  If you plan on visiting, please keep in mind that I am a feeble housekeeper and am unable to lift any piece of luggage weighing more than 25 kg (that's like 400 pounds).  Also, the chambermaid would appreciate a reduction in the efforts to set up said chambermaid with friends of yours from work.  While I normally welcome such attention, I'm just not in a position for a relationship right now.

As I look forward to 2009, I hope to welcome more visitors to Chez Seeber (Swiss Alps).  Mark's dad, Alli's family (cousin, cousin-in-law, dad, dad's significant other, sister, sister's German significant other), and possibly Mark's cousin (you know who you are....Joel!) have all indicated a desire to visit.  Some have concrete plans, while others appear to be caught up in Hope-and-Change Fever and as of yet haven't purchased tickets to visit (maybe once the fever subsides).  Just to be safe if you plan on a making a visit, the week after Easter (April 13-23) and the week of March 12-22  have already been claimed by travelers (dad trips).

The breadwinner also has a few trips planned to the United States; the first trip scheduled for January 30 - February 8;  the second trip is scheduled for April 5 - 11.  So unless you plan to hang out with Mark or the chambermaid, days or weeks that don't conflict with the aforementioned are recommended.  

I would also like to report that both Mark and Alli's French are rapidly improving, with Mark being capable of complete sentences in French (his daily homework includes writing paragraphs in French without using translate.google.com) and Alli asking "Qu'est qui c'est?" to everything in the lunch line until she learns enough vocabulary words to move onto more complicated things (although to be fair she also knows how to introduce herself and provide her passport information to a border guard, skills that Mark would have appreciated when he was detained last week).  Mark's pronunciation of words still sounds more Spanish than French (a constant nit by Georges), and Alli's main hindrance is her comfort using what she knows.

Thanks to all for continuing to visit A Well Kept Man, Mark appreciates the contact with the non-French speaking world as it makes him feel connected to his beloved homeland.