23th October 2011 - Already a month in the CO...and a few stories to share with you!

It's been a little more than month since we landed in Denver and we already have so many things to share with all of you!

The best of all...we are finally moving into our new home. Wai Leng, Mila and I are getting "tired" of the hotel life. All in all, we have spent +7 weeks in a raw at the hotel, patiently waiting for our container to arrive.

Overall, both air and sea shipments weren't very successful. Each of them got delayed by a lot: the sea shipment by 3 weeks (due to a bomb in Hamburg) and the air shipment left Switzerland with a full month delay for no clear reasons (+ one box went missing...damned!!). We are crossing our fingers and hope for the best for next Wednesday!

Family picture @ Palomino Resort

Our new address from the 26th October 2011:

Yanick, Wai leng & Mila Imhof

6216 Red Canyon Drive

Apt. H

Highlands Ranch, CO, 80130

United States

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2nd October - Cheyenne Zoo & Memorial Hospital in Colorado Spring

Mila had quite a hard time during our last visit to the "Cheyenne Zoo" (see previous post, the one with the giraffes).

On the 02nd October, we all went to cheer up with her friends the "mountain's giraffes". We just had time to feed them, then we took the "Sky Ride" (cable seat) to the top of the Zoo where awaited us a nice ice cream and a kid's play ground. In a second, Mila tripped... Ouch! that must hurt!! --> total time at the zoo: 47 minutes!!

I will spare you with the details, but we were so lucky that a paramedic-visitor was here as well, because Mila got a serious injury on the head and a very deep cut. The ambulance arrived in no time and we handed up in the "Memorial Kids Hospital" in Colorado Spring where we spent most of the day (and part of the evening too!). Mila was very brave while the doctor "fixed" her back with no less than 7 stitches!! It has now been 3 weeks since and Mila is doing great!! Here are few pictures of our little princess.

Mila with her 7 stitches @ the hospital

Mila doing much better (same day!!) ;-)

...and with just a thin scar after the third week... 

The stitches were very well done and we hope that the scar will be slowly disappearing...in the mean time, we are required to apply +50 SPF every day on it!

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15th October - A nice hair-cut for Mila

Another memorable moment was Mila's first hair cut in the Colorado! Look by yourself: nice little chair, "on-demand movie", a "lollipop" at the end and the hairdresser was so fun during the cut!!

A nice little "car seat"...

Mila watching "Thomas & friends"...

...and the reward for having been still for 12.5 minutes!!

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22nd October - Halloween for Mila

October is the Halloween season and since we are now in the US, we had to be part of it!

We got an invitation from the day care of Mila for a "Fall party" last Saturday... So we brought Mila to a little shopping experience and she, herself, decided to become a "bee"... how cute! See by yourself:

"Mila-the-bee"

Mmmhhh, yummy halloween-biscuit!!

 

Bbzzzzzzz... ;-)

We miss you all!!

Yanick, & Wai Leng & little Mila

16th September 2011 - The great departure!!!

So here we are after having spent more than a week in swiss hotels (Novotel @ Bussigny and NH hotel in Geneva airport)...we are all set to take off to our next and final destination: Denver!

It is always heart-breaking to leave behind family and friends but it is so much of a great experience to travel and discover new things that we decided to go for it!! Life is short and you should not have any regrets. In any case, with today's technology and ease to travel, we will be, at the end, not so far, right?

Should you want to contact us:
(1) Hotel for the next 4-6 weeks: "The Boston Commons Hotel": <http://www.thecommonsatdenvertech.com/>
(2) Skype ID: "yanick.imhof"
(3) FaceTime IDs: "yanick.imhof@gmail.com" / " yanick.imhof@me.com"
(4) My new AT&T phone number: +1 (720) 369-4515 (used on What's App too)

...and if you plan to drop by, you'll be most welcome @ home!! ...address to follow shortly...

"Un brin de nostalgie" as we would say in Switzerland...

My last diner in GVA airport's Swiss Chalet

Ok, I am now ready to go!!!

Wai Leng and Mila in their business seats (British Airways)...

Shhuuuttt, Mila's sleeping...finally!!!

Mummy, Gilbert's following us too, right? Of course!!!

Just in case...I need to know how to escape with Gilbert...

See you all in the Colorado!!!

08th & 9th September 2011 - Packing day and a whole life in a 20 feet container!!

Well this is one of these exiting moments where you get to pack your entire life in boxes, get rid of things that you planned to use somedays (...but actually never use and you knew it), and prepare yourself for a brand new life!!!

Just for the records, our life fits in:
- 162 x boxes that were ship in the 20' container
- 10 x boxes that were ship by plane
- 2 x cargo bags (our survival kit for the first month or so...)
- 1 x bag-pack
- 1 x sport bag will Mila's world in it

Thank you to all who came to help us out cleaning up the mess and make this apartment shiny again!!

Mila helping us stacking the boxes

Room 1 is full of boxes...

The living room is really really on day 1

Waileng, are these your clothes?

OMG, we've packed Mila too!!! (sometimes I whish...)

The "A" Team...

...has completed the job (168 boxes in total!!)

This is to ensure that no-one opens the container before the arrival in Denver

Yeah, all set to go to Bâles, Amsterdam...and Denver

Eric's much better than a cleaning lady!!!

I love the cleaning gloves...

03rd September 2011 - Our farewell BBQ...goodbye our friends and family!

Our farewell BBQ was organized a little bit on the last minute. Indeed, since we came back from Denver (July), we had to go through lot of paperwork, US visa application, prepare with the agency the rental of our apartment, start selling all our electric appliance (TV, HI-FI, vacuum cleaner, ironing table, etc...)... Everything was timely organized as we only had a month and a half to do everything! But ket's go back to this BBQ...

Because we had very little time to plan it in advance, some of the people we care about could unfortunately not make it... We also had to "juggle" a little with the weather on that day because overall, that week was really really sucks...except on Saturday the 3rd. We got sort of lucky as we started rather early the grill and still manage to eat the cooked meat "dry"...whereas we had to rush moving the dessert table under the trees to escape the rain. We ended up under the "boat hangar"...which was quite fun!

Here are a few pictures of that great BBQ:

Our fire camp in Vidy

The kings...grilling cervelas ;-) (I missed the queen of the cervelas)

Sabrina and little Tom

Mila riding a scooter

Alma and Barbara enjoying good wines

Maya sun-bathing

Cheers my dear Eric...remember the 2012 plans with Franky...

My dear ex-office-mate Franck 

The best of the best, my father Ernest

Mila and Tom playing badminton 

Yanick-II with little Tom

View on this great and unforgettable BBQ, thank you to all!!

 

  

28th July 2011 - In case you did not see them...we did!!

Yes! they are actually trying to hide...

28th July 2011 - Our last day in the Colorado...before the big move!!

Today is our last day in Denver. We spent four weeks here, first for me to meet my new colleagues and have a better idea on my futur work @ NagraStar (Joint Venture between the Kudelski group and EchoStar). Another important goal of our visit was to find a new place to live and get ready for our big move in mid september.

Denver area is very big and is composed of several smaller cities. There is of course "Denver downtown" with its famous "16th street" (mall street)...amazingly, Wai Leng did not "click" on this area and prefered to live in a more "greener" environement, which is of course more kids friendly. So we found something nice...surprise, we will give you the address once we have moved in, ok?

The second important goal was the day care for Mila (called here "learning centers"). There is no possible comparaisons with Switzerland:
(1) there are plenty of them cities-wise...and you can actually pick the one you like!!
(2) no need to book your place two years in advance; you just go, and drop your kid. It's that simple
(3) there are generally of good, even of excellent education quality
(4) prices are fixed, rather "friendly" and the same for everyone. There no such thing as paying a % of your salary which is more or less what is usually done in Switzerland
...and we found an amazing one for Mila, which shall be, if everything is confirmed, a "stone's throw away" from our futur home.

Third and the maybe the most important point of all: a big car!
First you feel safer on the highway because Americans have huge cars!! And if you drive a Fiat Punto out there, one of them might not see you ;-)...houps!!
Another interesting element is that cars are much cheaper than in Switzerland; if you add the kiss-cool effect of the actual exchange rate, you can get really good deals!
...and we found a good deal! More details in October when we shall get it!!...but before, we both have to pass our driving license (theory + pratice)...damned! More details in a futur episode...

I just took a few pictures around the hotel tonight while walking in a park with Mila...enjoy the ride!

25th July 2011 - Rafting in Colorado

Rafting in the Colorado:
URL: http://clearcreekrafting.com/
Adress: Clear Creek Rafting Co., 350 Whitewater Rd., Idaho Springs, CO 80452-3178
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It funny, suddenly Wai Leng is not so motivated anymore after having seen the "Animal" channel on TV the night before. She is scared that there will be snakes and crocodile in the river... ;-)

So it is Monday morning, Mila is at the day care for the whole day and we got to decide: "go" or "not to go"?
I found on the Internet a rafting operator which is about 45 minutes drive from Denver. Next trip is at 11:00 AM and it is already 09:45...hurry up, Wai Leng, hurry up!!!...we finally manage to reach Idaho Spring just on time. We are both very excited for our first rafting experience in the Colorado (and the first time ever for Wai Leng!!).

In no time, we are ready. A short briefing on the security, the "does" and the "don't" while on the raft and we are already padling in the icy water!

For a first time, we did a modest 1h trip for beginners...but Wai Leng is already talking about going back for the intermediate level!!

...and after the rafting, do not forget to try the famous buffalo burger!!
Here is a great address:

The Buffalo Restaurant
1617 Miner Street
Idaho Spring, CO, 80452

[Updated on the 02/11/2011]

While unpacking our boxes, we found the DVD with the pictures of our day trip...so here are a few to give you a quick view of the Colorado rivers!!

As you can see, we are in the front line...this has some importance for the upcoming ride!!

...you see, I told you ;-)

Nice ride!!