I finally told the boss!

This week I finally told my work about being accepted to IMD. Even though in theory this is a situation where you go in with a "who cares what they say!" attitude, it still made me a little nervous to break the news to my managers. I've worked with these guys for a few years now and I have a ton of respect for them, so I wasn't quite sure how they would react. Thankfully it went well!

When I first started looking at applying to MBA programs (feels like forever ago!), I debated whether or not I should tell my managers about it. I thought they could be a good resource to discuss my goals and my career progression, and give me some good feedback. They also know my strengths and weaknesses very well, so they would probably write the most accurate and compelling recommendation letters. I also thought they may feel betrayed if I did get in and eventually had to tell them I had been applying to business school behind their backs the whole time.

A new member in the Marshmallow clan!

Well, 2014 was already lining up to be a year full of life changes, self-discovery, hard-work and lack of sleep. To make things that much more exciting, Ashley and I are adding another dimension to our adventure:

We are having a baby!

10 things I'm looking forward to about living in Switzerland

• #1 - The chocolate
I really think I may have the biggest sweet tooth of anyone I know. Well, except maybe for Andy, my brother in law. I suppose the second biggest sweet tooth is still pretty serious. So it's not shocking that I am very excited to sample all the delicious varieties of Swiss chocolate out there. Forget the IMD restaurant. The real reason I will gain fifteen pounds next year is because of the Swiss chocolate!


• #2 - The cheese
I'm almost as excited about the chesse in Switzerland as I am about the chocolate. I know this list is starting off as a massive cliché, but what can I say, I love my cheeses and my chocolates. I did have a chance to try some fondue in Lausanne - all those cows out in Switzerland sure make some delicious cheeses, and I can't wait to try some more!

Applying for a Swiss visa, part II - the trip to the Embassy

As I mentioned yesterday, Ashley and I took the trek to the Swiss Embassy this morning to put in our application for her visa. It was quite the ordeal! It didn't help that we hit some good old-fashioned DC traffic on the way up there, so we were already a little cranky when we arrived.

We walked in a few minutes after 9am, shortly after the Embassy opened. The lady behind the desk looked none too pleased to see us. We told her why we were there and started to pull out the pile of documents we had prepared. The lady starts listing the documents we needed to present, almost as if she already knew we didn't have the right stuff. And sure enough, we didn't.

Applying for a Swiss visa

One of the most important hurdles Ashley and I need to clear before we can move to Lausanne is making sure we get all the paperwork squared away. Right now, that means we need to figure out our visa situation. Fortunately I am an EU citizen (Grazie mille to my Italian ancestors!), and even though Switzerland is not in the European Union, there is an agreement in place which means I don't require a Swiss visa. But Ashley is not an EU citizen (well, not yet anyway) so we still need to make sure we get her application taken care of. After all, if my girl can't come with me, I'm not going anywhere!

We are hoping to submit all our paperwork to the Embassy in the next couple of days. Having to go through this process makes me slightly apprehensive, because it's crucial to make sure everything goes smoothly. Doesn't matter how hard I worked to get into IMD, if the visa doesn't get approved, well, there goes that plan! (And that big first deposit too!)