2017

Highlights from 2017--

Emma loving to run in the forest and maintaining her role as "Man's Mom's best friend"

Kate working hard on a grade 5 project about pet care, getting reading glasses, and playing indoor soccer

John studying most of the time, rowing on Lake Zürich, student-directing the school musical "Shrek Jr," leading debate club, recording voice for a Swiss artist's performance art piece and taking occasional breaks to keep his social life going

Michele serving as president of Parents' Association at Inter-Community School Zurich and participating in a writing class

ICS-Z PA Board

and Jeff weathering extreme uncertainty at work.

After being told by GE to register our children for school in Atlanta for the 2017-18 school year, we had a last minute change and were told to plan on staying in Zürich until John graduates (June 2018)!  Very good news!

In February, Jeff and John visited several university campuses in the US on a fun father-son roadtrip.  In 5 days they visited University of Pennsylvania, Princeton, University of Chicago, and University of Minnesota - all of which have top 10 Psychology programs.  They also stopped in NYC.

During the same week, Michele and Kate traveled to Valencia, Spain.

A favorite family activity became hiking in Switzerland!

In April, the deKocks from South Africa came to visit.

Corbin, Charnell & Andrew

Then Michele's sister Lori, her husband Brian, and their son Chandler came!

Zürich Grossmünster Cathedral in background

Together, we went to Il Borro, Italy, a restored medieval village in the Tuscan countryside.  We enjoyed hiking, cooking class, eating, visiting Siena, and of course lots of gelato!

 John left a day early to fly from Florence to Paris and then train to Normandy.  It was an odyssey with 2 cancelled trains and very poor communication but John eventually arrived at the Europe/Africa Boy Scout jamboree on the Normandy coast.  It was a great experience for him!

Chandler stayed with us while his parents traveled on to Germany.  A highlight for us was a day trip to Lauterbrunnen (the inspiration for Tolkien's Rivendale).

Our friend Paul Tetteh-Asare was baptized in May.

Also in May, Michele flew to Paris to attend the LDS Temple open house.   While there, she had a wonderful reunion with Lynn Wilson!

The next day, Michele met her parents (who were flying from SLC) at CDG airport and flew with them back to Zürich.  So began a fantastic 7 weeks!!

Zürich Chocolate Tour

Roof of Zürich Main Train Station, tour with Paul, Jeff & Lexie Miller, Francesa Phillips, Ann Vogt

Matterhorn from Zermatt

Viking Museum, Copenhagen

Degeberga, Sweden...

Where the Swedish Andersons came from

Rapperswil Castle, Switzerland

Jeff's brother Rob also joined us for the Copenhagen adventure.  Then he and Jeff took a brothers' trip to Prague.

Kate's turn for medical drama:  In Copenhagen, Kate was running through our AirBNB and caught her t-shirt sleeve on a door handle that then swung shut and smashed her hand.  Lots of blood.  Exposed bone.  She was transported by taxi to an emergency room where they gave her 5 stitches, dressed the wound and told her to see a pediatric hand surgeon back in Zürich as soon as she returned.  She had multiple fractures in her middle finger and trauma.  Anyway, after a month of doctor visits and not being able to get her finger wet, Kate was finally released.  It was summer--and the pool and the lake were beckoning!  

Super kind doctors at the Kinderspital

In June, John and Kate went on field trips with their classes--John to Poland and Kate to Germany.

And Jeff and Michele took a quick trip to Venice.

School resumed in August.  John (17) is enjoying the intense experience of being a high school senior.  He has been accepted at the University of Minnesota and University of Utah and is waiting to hear back on other applications.  It will be fun to find out where he ultimately goes!  Kate (13) has begun a new curriculum in which her learning occurs in the context of relevant skills training.  She is in the process of applying for jobs in dog walking and cleaning.  She is making progress and we are happy to see her continued growth.

An amazing miracle occurred when a family moved to our village this fall with 2 adopted sons:  Vuk (13) from Ukraine and Boris (10) from Khabarovsk...yes, from the same orphanage as Kate!!  This connection has made us all friends for life.

We were thrilled to welcome the Christensens for a week of fun.  Highlights were the cogwheel train to Jungfraujoch and paragliding in Lauterbrunnen.  And just reconnecting after all these years!

Annie, Jan, and Andy join us at the highest spot in Europe

Stacie, John and Kate in the air

And we had a blast when Michele's cousin Matt Anderson, his wife Jamie, and family came from Germany to visit.

In October, Michele made a quick trip to Utah to get our home there ready for sale.  A highlight was "sisters and mom time" at the temple and seeing beloved friends.

Lori, Michele, Jon, Wendy

Jeff celebrated turning 52 with a Rhine cruise and overnight in Cologne.

Michele celebrated at a lovely guild house dinner and then an even better dinner made by John!

In November, the deKocks returned.  While Andrew attended a conference in Berlin, Charnell stayed in Zurich.  We had fun--especially on a day trip to Colmar, France!

We also enjoyed time with other dear friends

Carron Howard

Mar and Kate

John and other youth organized a chili cookoff after church

Theo

Christina and Andrew West

Schelins and Stuckis

Mike & Sara Gregory and Jim & Allison Sutton at ICS-Z Quiz Night

Liz & Malik Kaman at ICS-Z Quiz Night

Jon Mangum

Our family spent a great week in London before Christmas

David and Jaydene Ryan

Upon our return, Beth came from Houston and we shared the holidays together.  (Beth and Michele also snuck down to Milan for 48 hours).

We are grateful for the challenges and blessings of 2017.  They drew us closer as a family.  2018 will bring new challenges and new blessings, we are sure!  Jeff is exploring new opportunities for employment.  John is preparing to leave the nest.  And a move of some kind is on the horizon!

We are so thankful for the peace of the Savior, which we have felt in abundance this year.  We hope the same for you and for all God's children.

Happy 2018!
Love, the Stitts