Phil's new (bachelor-ish) life

I'm Phil. I just thought I should introduce myself since I think this is the first post I've made during our European Adventure. It's been a while since Alison's last post as she has been so busy (I know, how can a hausfrau be so busy she can't blog, right?). Since she couldn't work here with the type of permit she had, the thought was that if she found a job she really liked back in Kansas City she should take it. She started networking and quickly found a connection though a former colleague of mine at a company she was interested in and applied. After four rounds of phone interviews she was offered a job at Service Management Group (SMG) and moved back to Kansas City two weeks ago to start her new job on April 19. I couldn't be happier for her since I know she was eager to get back into working and especially in a marketing position she was really hoping for. With that said, I was kind of hoping the tough job market would keep her from finding something so quick so she could stay here longer (selfish, I know) but clearly SMG saw her awesomeness and wanted her as well. Touché SMG...you called my bluff. Luckily I already had a planned trip to the states for a friend's wedding this weekend so I don't have to go too long without seeing her.

Ali is getting all settled in KC and her first week and a half at work have gone really well it sounds like. I thought in honor of Ali's new start, I would also share some of my new Zurich experiences I've had in the last two weeks with her gone:

- Blogging - See above. I'll try to post as often as possible.
- Dishes - I guess I always thought we had a dishwasher but it turns out it was Alison this whole time!
- Laundry - I've done a load or two here and there but I've never spent over 4 hours doing multiple loads (I even did the sheets!)
- Cleaning - again, I help out here and there but I now know why Alison hated the white tile floors...
- Grocery Shopping - I knew where the beer was but other than that I was pretty lost in the stores here. The week before Ali left she took me to the two different stores she went to (what happened to just one grocery store?) to show me where to find everything. My first trip took 40 minutes and I only had a small basket full of stuff...
- Cooking - related to the above, it doesn't do any good to shop for food and then not cook it. I will admit I'm not very good at this, mainly because I don't put the effort in. I've had lots of sandwiches the last two weeks.

Don't worry, I do miss her for more than just the stuff she helped out with around the house and all she did to support me while I worked. I can't wait to see her in two days and while this next year will be tough with me in Zurich and her in KC I hope to visit as often as possible to minimize the distance. My ambitious goal is to average every 4-6 weeks and I already have a trip booked in June at just under six weeks from the upcoming trip so we're off to a good start.

Love you and miss you Ali! See you soon!