What And Where Is Home?

It’s been bugging me not knowing, isn’t that kind of a human right thing, to have a home, a place where you belong?

Well, I’ve thought so and I’ve felt very rootless for a while. The place you grew up is usually where you consider home, right?
What about my kids then, where did they grow up?

My oldest, beautiful girl, was born in Michigan, moved to Louisiana before her second birthday, lived there until she was 12, moved to Arkansas for 5 years, and then to Colorado for almost 3 and now she’s been in Ohio for almost 2 years.
What is home for her?
Louisiana where she spent a good part of her childhood, or Arkansas where she had most of her High School and teenage years, or Colorado where she graduated HS?
I have to ask her where she thinks home is?

What about the other kids, they were born in Louisiana but have no memories from there since they were just 2.5 and 6 months when we moved to Arkansas.

My boy is in 5th grade and this is the 4th school he attends. He has been in school in 3 different states and 2 different countries. What does he consider home? I know where he thinks his home is.

My youngest, she adapts so easily it seems, she gets friends where ever we move, after just a few months in school here in Michigan she has people to hang out with, but she misses her dearest friends she connected to in Sweden the most and I know that’s where she thinks home is.

Funny really, a year in Sweden, new traditions, new culture, new language and that becomes home?
I tell you what I think it is; Family.

The overwhelming feeling to belong, to be a part of something, to never have to try to fit in, you just do, without trying.

We tried to make a living here in Michigan, we really did. My father in law passed away during our time here and we’re so happy we got to spend time with him.
We’ve applied for at least 100 jobs each and none of us have had any luck and we’re having a really hard time making ends meet for much longer.

I did an experiment and sent off 4 applications to different nursing jobs in Sweden, and I got 3 of those jobs in less than a week.
 I start my new job May 6th.

Nothing is promised yet, but we have high hopes, that maybe hubby can get a job to when he gets there too.

I know this comes as a surprise, or maybe not, you are maybe already used to hear from us moving around like crazy, and you’re just shaking your head in disbelief that we are doing it again.

But we need a HOME, and we believe our home is in Östra Ryd, Sweden.

Finally in an apartment

So many things have happened since I last had access to the Internet and could write some blog notes.

I’m in the apartment finally and I think we have got settled in pretty good.
It was some very intense days; I got the day off from work last week I could get all the stuff in. My mom came out to help me get the stuff organized, she’s very good at that. I had a trailer at my cousin’s that he took over here and helped me carry the beds, book shelves and a dresser up the stairs.

The kids got a bed each but I’m still waiting for mine so I’m on a mattress on the floor for now.

We could probably need some small stuff for here and there but it’s quite livable as it is.

Work is hard to say the least. It’s been so difficult to not freak out and panic of all the things I don’t know and not be over whelmed by all the things there is to learn.

Friday last week I had a little mental break down, getting lost in my own country and not feeling like it’s not my home at all is hard. I have been homesick and missing my hubby, Sisso and all my friends back home.
All that is familiar, where I know what’s on TV, what to buy at the commissary, what kind of light bulbs I need, what authorities to call when I need something, who to call when the kids are sick, and all those small things that I took for granted back home in the US has now in my original “home” turned in to something I have no idea of how it works.
It gives you a sense of being lost and that has been really hard. But it’s getting easier day by day I tell myself. And I think as soon as Dale comes, things will be better.

Erik and Syssa are having a great time in school though. Fritis (before and after school care) is maybe not the most fun they’ve ever had but on the other hand, they serve homemade rice pudding for breakfast that the kids think is the best food in the whole world. They have fun talent shows, art and crafts, and lots and lots of PE every day after school. The problem is just that it’s tiring for them to be so long hours. I drop them off at 6:30am and don’t pick them up until 5:30pm, so of course they’re tired.

The Thursday activities at school are fun, they spend the days in the woods, grilling hot dogs for lunch, having hot chocolate and sandwiches. Finding mushrooms, lingonberries and all kind of animal tracks is fun for them. The best way ever to learn science, social studies and everything worth knowing about their surroundings!

I’ve tried to stay active when I’m off work, it’s hard because I don’t want to do anything but sit and just close my eyes after work, but I’ve gone for long walks for about an hour at least 3 days a week and then there’s a aerobics class that I attend on Sunday evenings at the school’s gym.
That plus the change in the way we eat have resulted in about 10 lb in weight loss since I came to Sweden! Not bad!!!!

Have I mentioned how absolutely awesome the nature is in the fall here? It rains a lot, and I mean a lot, but the air and the freshness in it are so amazing I can’t have enough of it. We’ve been going in the woods as much as we can find mushrooms and just watching the wild life around us. There’re hedgehogs, squirrels, cranes, ravens, woodpeckers, badgers and lots of deer all around. And the leaves are turning colors and it’s just so beautiful!

Just Waiting...

The apartment I've been promised to move in to is still not available... Drove by there yesterday and it looks like the girl who lives in there now hasn't even started emptying it... I called the landlord and he said she's on her way and it will be ready for us here soon... I'll let you know he told me and hung up!!!
Well, while I'm waiting I've bought lots of stuff to fill the little apartment with. Beds for the kids, chairs, stuff for the kitchen, lamps and tons and tons of small knickknacks one needs.

Lamps are a funny thing. In the US lamps come with the purchase of a home or is included in the rent. I thought it was weird at first when I got there, but it actually is quite smart, at least it's not pitch black when you move in, right?

Here in Sweden, all kitchen appliances, washers and driers and are included but you have to get the lamps yourself!

Since two of my cousins work at two different second hand stores it has given me a chance to go in there and pick out what I need for a bargain unheard of!!!

So even though we went to IKEA to pick out lots of other things, I didn't have to spend that much money there. All I need now is a couch and some rugs and I'll go back to IKEA for that when I get the keys to the apartment. I have no where to store a couch while I'm waiting.

Went by work on Friday, it was fun! Most people are still there from when I used to work there 12 years ago.
I realized how very nervous I am about going back to work. I don't remember half of what I used to know and people who remember me from when I used to work kept saying; well you're smart and a quick learner, you'll have no problem at all getting back to where you used to be.
Well, that's the problem!! I've lost a good 50% of my brain capacity from back then, I don't have the fire and enthusiasm I used to, and I'm scared they will realize I'm just a dumb fool these days... pretending to know things I don't.

Also, I've never worked outside the home in a different environment than where my kids are. In AR I worked at the same pre-school where the kids went. I worked nights during the weekends at MOLEX while Dale or Alyssa were home, and in CO I again worked at the same school where the kids were at so I never have had to leave them at day care early in the morning and pick them up late in the afternoon as I will have to now starting Monday. That's scary as well, both for me and the kiddos.

What if I forget something to send with them to school one day? will they think I'm a worthless mom? What if I can't make it to their soccer game in time? Or to the parent teacher conference on Tuesday? Thankfully this is just until Dale comes back in November. So for two months I have to try to do what 1000s of single moms do every day...

so If you know any single mom working full time, give her a hug and tell her I'm her biggest fan!!!

quiet days

It's been awhile and I feel like almost nothing has happened worth mentioning.

But then I was thinking and maybe something has happend after all...
For example I'm now a mom to a 20 year old.... can't believe it, but Alyssa actually turned 20 last week and that makes me feel OLD! Luckily I'm also a mom to an 8 year old, so that should even things out a bit ha ha!

Last weekend we went to Smedjans Dag at Hävla. It's an old community built around a black smith mill. They renovated it some and keep it open as a museum and one Saturday per year, people dress up in old clothes, they get the old mill going, they talk about the old time, and keep the house where the workers and their families lived open.

My family has always went there because my moms moms dad was the very last master black smith working there and my grandma grew up in that one room apartment. So when she was still alive she met up with relatives and old childhood friends there every year. And my mom and her siblings have kept the tradition going and provide new information, some pictures or what ever needed for the museum every year.
It was fun going there again after so many years to find that nothing had changed. The old lady that shows my great grandpa's room is still there, looking fragile and so adorable you have to fight the temptation bringing her home. The fika at the little cafe is still the same, just a little more expensive and the same people and attractions are still there as well.

We left to go to a big fair/market/sale in a neighboring community. Lots of vendors selling crafts, linen, food and old stuff were there. I had to restrain myself from not buying everything I saw it was so many beautiful things!!!

No one use ice here. The drinks are served without ice and it drives my kids insane. So I found a vendor at that market place who sold ice cube making bags that you just fill up with water and throw in the freezer. I bought a bunch of them! Dale promised to look for a little ice maker back home and bring it over here.

The kids are in school and they enjoy it big time. Both of them think the woodwork/ sewing class is by far the best thing every week.

On Sunday evening I went to a aerobics class at the school's gym. It was fun, and I got to meet some of the other ladies in the community. I am still a little sore from it.

Saturday I learned that the people we're waiting for to move out of "our" house won't move until December 1st. What a bummer!!

So now we're looking in to move in to a small apartment a couple of hundred feet from here while we're waiting. It's just a one bedroom, a living room, kitchen bathroom and laundry room, but it has a covered porch in the front and a balcony in the back. 4 small apartment is in this small building and it's still very close to school for the kids and we think it might be worth it. To have to live in a suitcase for an other 3 months here at my cousin's house is feels kind of overwhelming. We're waiting for a time from the land lord.

Fall is on it's way. I packed away all the kids shorts and tank tops this morning and made room for long sleef and fleeces instead. I know most Swedes probable don't like when the days get shorter, the cold weather hits and the constant rain from charcoal clouds, but I love it. The air is so fresh, it's so easy to breathe and I just can't get enough of it.

I have to go for a walk...

Starting School

Östra Ryd’s school is a K through 6th grade school with a total of 87 students. It’s an old school with its doors open all the time.

School lunch is made fresh from start across the street where there’s a nursing home. The cooks there (three of them in total) prepare food for the preschool, school and nursing home every day. All kids come in the small cozy cafeteria and get their own plate and serve themselves what they want from the canteens. You can take seconds if you want, there’s a salad bar and a table with crisp bread and other bread with butter to put on. When you’re done you put your plate on the dish washer trays and tell the cook Thanks for the food. You don’t have to wait, you just leave when you’re done and go out for recess. But first you have to put on your shoes of course…. There’s no shoes allowed in the classroom or in the cafeteria. In the wintertime the kids are encouraged to have indoor shoes or slippers on and there are big dryers outside every classroom for winter boots and coats, mittens and stuff.

As parents you can come and go as you please and there’s no ID check or anything…


Erik’s class is a 3rd and 4th grade combined. A total of 14 students about the same amount of 3rd graders as 4th graders.

Here’s his schedule …
Monday-Thursday 8:45-2:40 and Friday 8:45-1:20

Specials are:
Monday: Music and Art.
Tuesday: Music and PE
Wednesday: Art
Thursday: Sewing class/ woodwork class, altering
Friday: PE

There’s a 20 minutes recess in the morning. 40 minutes for lunch and recess and then another 10 minute recess in the afternoon. When it’s science they spend that class out in the woods. PE was a huge hurdle for Erik because he didn’t like the idea of changing for PE and have to take a shower afterwards. But it worked out just fine!!!

Syssa’s schedule is
Mon. and Wed. 8:45- 1:15
Tues. and Thurs. 8:45-2:40
Fri. 8:45-12:10

She has the same specials but every Thursday morning to lunch they spend in the woods.

Her class is also a combined class with 1st and 2nd graders in one classroom. Only 14 kids in that class with 7 in each grade.
I have spent today in their classes helping them out when needed and had lunch with both of them.

Tomorrow I’ll let them be by themselves and the teachers will give me a call if they need me for something. And next week they start Frita (after school care) so they’ll have somewhere to be until I come home from work.
I think it’s going to be great!!!!

Moving to Östra Ryd

After about two weeks with no electricity, no running water, and no bathroom or anything of what we normally take for granted it felt pretty good to load the car up and go out to Östra Ryd on Saturday morning. And since it had rained about 2.5 inches of rain the last 24 hours it also felt pretty good to get away from the constant moisture that thin walls can’t keep out in the cabin we had stayed in.

We had been invited to a crawfish party on Saturday afternoon and we also had scheduled to get a showing of our future home so after a quick lunch at Peter and Lena’s we walked over to Fridlunda.
And I had to say I was very positively surprised. I had pictured a small house with dark hallways and small rooms with a tiny kitchen and maybe very old and rugged wallpapers from the mid 70’s. But this house is nice, a few color changes on some walls maybe but that’s it.

OK, so it’s a two story house with walk outs on both levels, since it’s built on a slope. So you walk in through the front door and the house looks like a one story from that side. A big hallway and kitchen on the right. Big enough to have a kitchen table, plenty of work space and bright and airy. The living room is not huge but enough to have a sitting area and also a dining area if you want. Big windows make the room bright and the view is lots of wheat fields.

Behind the living room is a bedroom, either the biggest kid room or could also work as a master. I think it will be Syssa’s room. A hallway leads down to two more bedrooms and a bathroom. That’s it for that level. Downstairs is a big hallway that could be a landing used for a reading room, office or whatever you want. A den used as a TV room has a door to the back yard and a huge covered patio. A guest bedroom next to that and in the hallway access to an enormous walk in closet.

Further down the hall a utility room, laundry room, bathroom and at least two more rooms for just storage and stuff.

Outside, a one car garage, two additional parking spots and a lawn with thick green soft grass. The yard isn’t huge but plenty for a garden, a trampoline for the kids, a sitting area outside the covered porch and some space to just run around on.

Now, there’s just one problem, the tenants living there now still don’t know when and where they will move, just that they want to get in to town, so we’re keeping our fingers crossed that it will work out fast and smooth for all.

Full of impressions and thoughts we walked back home to Peter and Lena and picked up lawn chairs and our food baskets and walked over to where the party was held. It was very nice to get to meet so many of the families out here at once, and there were a few that I know and remember from back in the days. I think it was close to 60 people there and tons of kids that our kids will go to school with so it was nice for them too to get to see some of the kids before school starts.

Even though it had rained so hard the day before and even sprinkled some earlier the sun came out and the weather really turned out great for the evening. So we sat outside eating the most delicious, huge crawfish fished from the little creek just a few hundred feet away. Ahhh, what a life!!!

How Difficult Can It Be To Get A Phone?

The next couple of days at the summer home we tried to get things accomplished at the same time as we wanted to make sure that we got time to enjoy the last few days together with fishing, walks in the woods, fikas and some good foods.
Finally my numbers got reconnected and we could go and pick up the car!!! The dealer had been nice and let us borrow a small Nissan while we waited for my stuff to go through but to get the one we had looked out felt pretty good!
Since my numbers were working again I thought we’d go by the phone place and get a phone and access to the world again. Said and done, we walked in, picked out a black iPhone 4 with the services I wanted and were about to get a contract when the sales guy says, well, I can’t get you a phone because you have not been living in Sweden for 8 months yet…. YOU’VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME????!!!!!!!!
Now I can’t contain myself and I explode… seriously? And the guy says that it’s because so many people come in, get a nice phone and then leave the country to never be seen again… sigh! He says the only way to get around that is to have someone sign up for a contract for me and I pay through them for the first 8 months. Luckily I have a wonderful family and Peter promised to be my “parent” and go in there with me one day next week and sign the contract for me.

August 11th

We took a break from fixing things today and just explored the woods around us. And went looking for mushrooms!!! Tons and tons of Chanterelles are growing in the woods at this time of the year and we picked two full bags of them! Yum!!!

August 10th

Trying to be a Swede again is trickier than I ever thought it would be.
Dale and I took a trip to the tax authorities today to give them all the paper work needed for us to be legally in Sweden. For me and the kids that shouldn’t be any problem since we’re Swedish citizens all three of us, and for Dale since he’s both married to me and the father of three Swedish kids that shouldn’t make it hard for him to get a permanent residency either…. Or so we thought!

A very nice lady told me I had to bring the kids with me to get registered and Dale has to go through the Migration authorities first and preferable through the Swedish embassy in the US.

So we left the tax place and went to go get a phone.

People are different in Sweden, they do not look you in the eye, they don’t say excuse me if they cut in front of you or actually they don’t say much at all to you.
We just noticed that on our short walk up to the mall where the phone shop was located. There we realized that it’s not easy to get a phone either. Since I’ve been living in the US for the last 11 years my personal number (my birth date plus a four digit number, is used for absolutely everything, from borrowing a book at the local library to voting) has been frozen so no one can use it. Smart, and I like that idea, but now I find out that it’s not that easy to unfreeze that number when I move back. It can take up to 2 weeks from the time I get all my documents to the tax authority… sigh! We left the phone store without a phone and frustrated.

Back out to the summer home where we’re staying until we move in with Peter and Lena.

We went fishing on the lake, nothing is more relaxing and soul healing than sitting in our boat on our lake with a fishing pole in my hand, looking at the shore line, reflecting over trees that fallen since last time, watching the loon land, and dive on the calm water, rinsing my hands in the cool water to get rid of the fish slime after taking a too small to keep pike off the hook and throwing him back in the lake.
Aahh, now everything feels much better!

August 9th

We’re finally here, so much has happened and it’s hard to know where to start. I think I last put something on there when we were reaching the Azores.

After being there for less than 24 hours we got through the PAX terminal (Dale’s great fear) with no problems what so ever and made it to Germany in much faster speed than expected, thanks to Chris McDonald!

The best and greatest crew ever that flew us all across the Atlantic finally landed at Ramstein AFB in the middle of the night. All the par shooters and us got off and while they loaded a bus to lodging on base we called a can cab and loaded all our 8 A3 bags and everything else to go to our hotel.

I just have to mention the crew. The best loadmasters in the world Matt and Adam, with their apprentices Heather and Carlos, made sure we were as comfortable as we possibly could. All of them, crew chiefs, navs, pilots and engineers really impressed me on this trip and I’m so proud to have a small part of the 52nd Roos and the best squadron on earth!

In Germany, Kaiserslautern we’re settling in at the Hotel America. A small very cozy hotel with no AC and the microwave out in the laundry room!!! We were so hungry we had to eat something when we got there and we heated some microwavable food up at 3am and got to bed totally exhausted. Those 8 bags were not easy to haul and this was just the first leg.

Breakfast was served and it almost brought tears to my eyes. So not American with real silver ware, coffee cups on a saucer, cheese, ham and marmalade for your bread and two different kinds of yogurts.

The first night’s chauffeur on the taxi ride was a very friendly German feller so we thought we’d use the same company to get a ride to Kaiserslautern train terminal. Big Mistake!!! The lady that came this time was a grumpy, rude and not service minded at all!! But she got us the train station and I guess that’s what’s important…

We had to print our tickets there, and I got in to the ticket counter, waited for my turn for about 10 minutes and when it was my turn the lady at the counter told me with a snotty voice that she couldn’t help me but I had to get the tickets out of a machine out in the hall. Since my German isn’t the best it was a struggle to understand what buttons to press and where to go on the machine but after a while I got the tickets and we started the haul again to the right platform.

4 different trains, 8 different hauls, totally rude people, no help, Erik falling out of his bunk bed in the middle of the night on the night train with a huge bruise on his back, bathrooms that don’t work, 24 hours straight, blisters on our palms, fingers and hands, Syssa throwing up in the walkway on the last train…. A summon of the last 24 hours on rails, until we finally reached my hometown of Norrköpng and my two cousins Stefan and Peter greeted us at the platform.

WE ARE IN SWEDEN!!!

Second Day on a Never Ending Journey

Even though day number one wasn't very glamorous, this number two day is so far off as you can get.

We woke up at 3am local time and got on the bus to again to take us back to base. Then we just hung around for hours and hours waiting for God knows what.

I know for sure I would never been able to do what all these men and women in here do. Not so much the work or the mission or anything like that but I don’t know if my mind would be strong enough to take all this stress or lack of action or whatever NOT happening. And when I look around everybody’s just chillin’ trying to find the least uncomfortable position and try to get some sleep. They have realized I guess long ago that worrying and freaking out won’t change a thing, and that’s what I would never be able to realize I guess! I would get a heart attack or stroke within a week from just being annoyed at stuff! It’s great to see and try to learn from all these guys!
Yesterday, it took about 2 hours to get from the airplane to the hotel. The driver went back and forth on base first, stopping here and there for different paperwork to be done or turned in, then two stops at Shoppette and BX and on the way to the hotel, not knowing where he was going a couple of times.

The guys didn't mind, sure there was some smart comments here and there, but they are used to it and knows what to expect I guess. The kids did great too, a little complaint that it was hot, and MAN was it hot!!!! The only one that had to breathe to keep my calm was I. Just telling what bad self control I have!

Told one of the navigators when we came out to the hotel that I thought they've made a horrible mistake on the flight planning and by accident landed us in HELL… but I had just forgot how bad the heat and humidity is down south. Don’t miss that at all!!!!

Luckily the 30 parachutes had gone down to 20 parachutes. We sit crammed in with zero leg room. Hardly any air condition and just miserable in general. I have to keep reminding myself that it is a free trip and that we would never ever been able to bring all of our bags if it wasn't for this flight.

But, I’m not sure it’s worth it to be honest with you…
One thing that’s funny though is that whenever I complain about something, like; why did they turn the AC off all of a sudden? Dale always has the answer and a reason why, they have to turn the AC off for takeoff because we are so heavy and bleed air and blabla bla… haha

So now after I complained again this time on this very blog, we just took off from NJ where we stopped for refuel and now it’s an excruciation 7 or 8 hours ride until we get to the Azores where we’re staying the night again, hopefully a little longer night than the one we got last night.

I have to take time to brag about the kids, I know they have not ever won the price of the best behaved children in the world but after this trip I’m willing to put them in the competition, because I think they have a chance to win!
Unbelievable, they are not complaining, not fussing, not acting out and not freaking out because of the lack of sleep, crammed quarters or anything.

Dale is scared we won’t get on the space A from the Azores because they could not manifest us through the whole way due to mission number or something like that. We’ll see… I’m not too concerned about that but it’s probably because I’m busy freaking out about the train travel… see how good we share the family’s burden my husband and I??!!

PS, I was trying to upload some pictures of our trip but it won't work, as soon as I have fixed it though I promise adding some pictures to the posts!

And We're Off

Woke up at 4:45am and got a quick cup of coffee before waking the kids up and got them ready. Sissi was not very happy to wake up this early, about 6 hours or more before she normally gets out of bed. But we had asked her take us to the terminal and drop us off so she did, of course!!

We had been told to be at the terminal about 2.5 hours before takeoff but when we came there the doors were closed and not a soul in sight.

Syssa who was very upset over missing Sissi already sat down at the S sign on the compass rose, put her photo album and picture up of her and Sissi and sat there and mourned for a good while. I had to tell her to put it away so she could dry her tears and start think of something else.

When the people working there finally showed up, there’s something wrong and they thought we couldn’t go all the way for some reason, but I think it was all figured out after five or six of them put their heads together and stared at the computer….
Dinah, Sara Jo and Savannah had come to wave us goodbye, oh I’m so thankful for such wonderful friends!!!

We were taken by a van out to the plane and got to go in and find us some seats. And I’ll tell you… Those seats are not bad. I had heard and pictured in my mind that it would be horrible but I prefer these seats over regular commercial airplane seats any day.

Matt, one of the load masters gave us the briefing flight attendants usually do, you know, what happens if the cabin pressure drops and stuff like that. One of the other new loadmasters, Heather told me how to use the bathroom, and just a minute ago Syssa and tried it for the first time, not too bad!

The only main complaint I had was the noise, it is LOUD!!! Ear plugs don’t do much to block it out, it’s almost impossible to hear what people say, you have to talk right by their ear.

While writing this I think we’re about half way to Georgia and I know that the peace and the amount of room to roam around on will end there. 30 or so Army guys are going to join us for tomorrow’s flight so here in a minute Dale will take us up one at the time to the flight deck and show us what he does. Exciting!!!

We've almost bought a car

So the very last day at the house has been wild...

Dale went to turn in our 8 bags, I went out for a coffee and bookstore visit with Sissi. Syssa got her hair trimmed, and I have ran around like crazy afraid to forget something.

I called my wonderful cousin Stefan today, funny, but he sounds and talks more and more like his dad, my beloved uncle. ha ha ha... Anyway, he looked online on different cars and I think we've found one we like and will buy it!!!!

An Opel Astra Caravan -07

wooohoooo!!!!!
So that's exciting.
Did I mention that I love my family in Sweden that are sooooo helpful?

Anyway, I might not have time to write anything until we get to Germany, but as soon as I get the chance I'll post something.

To all my American friends, I'll miss you, I LOVE YOU!! and I'll see you in January!!!!

taking a train across Europe

Woo Hoo!!!

We finally have made the decision how to get to Sweden, We booked our train tickets this morning!!!!!!!!!!!

This is a proof how high our tensions are, I woke up at 3am from Dale's voice down in the living room making hotel reservations in Germany!! I got up too, drank a cup of coffee and called Jens!
Jens was a very,very nice and pretty clearly speaking Danish guy working for the German Bahn (railroad). Feeling proud that we could communicate me in Swedish and him in Danish without even having to ask to repeat more than maybe once or twice!!!!

We'll have to switch trains 3 times but we're getting to sleep together in a small cabin on the 11.5 hour night train between Koln and Kopenhagen and the total trip is just short of 24 hours. Breakfast is included!!

So with a sigh of relief that hurdle is now passed!!!

Now all our 8 bags weighing 40 lb a piece need to get loaded on the truck and taken down to base this morning, so by tomorrow morning when we get on board all we have to worry about are our carry on backpacks!!!

Both Erik and Syssa came down with some kind of stomach bug yesterday so they've been throwing up... yuck!! Hopefully they will feel much better tomorrow morning!

Dale's nephew Justin came in to town from OK yesterday, he's going to be in a bike race this weekend and came to stay with us for a few days!! Very nice to see him, it has been more than a year since last time! Good Luck in the Race Justin!!!

My last day and last night in this house... mixed feelings!

High Tensions and Stress Hormones

even though we've had time to do a lot of fun things these last couple of days, like a Baseball game in Denver, visiting with a few good friends and celebrating Sissi's 20th Birthday, the tensions of leaving in just two days are running extremely high.

We have made POA's for both of us, fixed international driving permits and made sure our ID cards are valid until I come back here.

The big problem right now is still LOGISTICS... how do we get from Germany to Sweden? Ideas?... anyone?

-Rent a car, total cost around $2k
-Train ride, Considering 8 40lb bags to get from one platform to an other, total cost around $1500
- Fly with RyanAir from a neighboring town, not knowing how to get there, total cost around $2k
-Buy a car... well it seems like the bureaucracy will out a stop to that anyway so we have crossed that option out.

AAAAaaHHHHHhhhgg............!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There, I feel much better now!

Wonderful Days!

Taking a break in preparing this afternoon's event of Erik and Syssa's birthday/go away/ sleep over party.

I've had a wonderful and busy week, visiting with friends.
Lunch with work friends on Tuesday,
A house full of kids on Wednesday,
Zoo with friends on Thursday,
and swimming with friends yesterday.

This week we have also spent a lot of thoughts, phone calls, planning on the logistic problems to get us from Germany to Sweden. Tried the train... hard to get all baggage with us. Tried the rent-a-car deal... hard to get a one way rental over country borders. Tried the "maybe we should just buy a car when we get there" approach... hmmm the bags will still not fit in the kind of car we would like to buy. So there's no lack of options, it's just hard to figure out which one would cause less hassle...

We still cross our fingers that the whole trip will go as planned and no last minute changes will mess us up again.

So last night, as a relief from stress and too much on my mind I picked up my friend Kelly and we went to the old part of town called Old Colorado City. It's small shops, restaurants, art galleries, physic readers and coffee houses mixed up in a beautiful mixture.

We started off with a Greek Bistro visit, ate Mediterranean Pasta and Moussaka with warm pita bread... yumm!!!! The server was a frantic overly happy eager to please woman that had a wide smile glued to her face every time she came by our table, about once every 3 minutes!
Well, the food was very good anyways!!

We slowly walked down the road until we found this little place

agiasophiacoffeeshop.com

Fresh Coffee - Ancient Wisdom

In the Mission statement you can read the following:

"The very first coffeehouses in the western world were aromatic dens where people met to discuss business, politics and religion. Here at Agia Sophia we want to inspire that same historical coffeehouse culture by offering the very best coffee and specialty teas, along with pastries, desserts and a cafe-style lunch menu to satisfy your physical hunger, while our excellent book selection nourishes your spiritual and intellectual appetite."

It's warm atmosphere, walls covered with books just screaming to be read, it's fantastic vanilla latte was a beautiful combination. My only regret is that I didn't find this place long time before.

So, we're about to leave right at closing time around 10pm. The Father working in the store, dressed in long black robes with a black apron, wearing his long hair in a pony tail and with a long beard, was making pretty obvious signs that it was time to leave. We walk down stairs and I tell the other man working in the store how sorry I was not being able to come back now when I found this great place. I told him I'm leaving for my home country Sweden and he says, wow!! and then he yells out " Father Andreas, come here!!" And he says, "this lady is Swedish!!" The Father then response to me: "TJENARE" = hi there!! in Swedish.

So this priest in the Eastern Orthodox Church is a dude from Sweden, who like me, married an American and moved over here 12 years ago!!!!! Somehow he got interested in the Orthodox faith and the rest is history!!

Believe me, there's not that many Swedish Orthodox people, if any, so just that combination is kind of rare, and then that he happened to be right here in my hometown makes it even more unrealistic!

He recommended me a book to start with, but by reading just the titles of some of the books on the shelves I'll be reading a bunch more!!! We exchanged email and he recommended me to a church and priest in Eskilstuna Sweden in case I wanted some more book tips!

Talking about book tips; growing up in Sweden there was a children's TV program called boktipset where a new kids book was presented every week. when I asked father Andreas about any book he would recommend me to read we started singing the theme song at the same time. Kelly and the other man working at the store looked at us with big questioning eyes and we just started laughing!!

Great ending to a wonderful evening.

Well, now the party is just 2 hours away, I need to start preparing!!!

Fun Days and Bumps in the Road

Still in total disbelief of what happened in Norway last weekend.

Saturday, Syssa turned 8 and we had our good friends Kelly and Devin over for a BBQ with ribs, chicken wings and sausage. I made a new recipe potato salad that I thought turned out really well. Lots of herbs in a vinegar and oil mix. For desert "Brown Cake" = brownies!!! Syssa was happy for her presents, a IPod, some cds, a diary and a DS game.

On Sunday my dear lady friends in our squadron held a ice cream social in my honor. 11 flavors of home made ice cream, custards, frozen yogurts, granitas, and sorbets.
The weirdest by far was the asparagus ice cream that I had suggested, kind of... I asked Kelly the host and maker of all the ice cream if there was going to be any different flavors, like asparagus, and she took the idea and ran with it... One spoonful of the sharp green frozen treat was all I could do, but it was not bad, just very asparagus-ish!!!
My favorite was the basil-lemon granita, and in a tight second place a banana-walnut-rum custard.

Yesterday, Monday I was invited to a friend for a fika with quiche and Syssa came along with me since she has two girls and a niece to play with.
I almost had to cancel the visit, because Dale called right after getting to work with the very frustrated news that his application to get a 5 months extension to his retirement was denied.

This means that he will now finish his work by September, when we have already left for Sweden. It makes it hard for us to make a retirement ceremony and we have to think about taking the house off the market and instead rent it out. It will work out but it made a huge bump in out planned rout for sure.

Today, I will meet with my former work friends for lunch at a restaurant and say goodbye to them. Fun to see them again, but sad with goodbyes...

10 days until we take off...

Norway in my heart!

Very sad to hear about the horrible terror happening in Norway today. As I'm writing this the death toll is 17 but expected to grow even larger.

But I know my Scandinavian brothers and sisters will rise and stand strong, build up their capital and together give love and support to the victims and their families.

What sadden me even more is the media and Internet frantic over here. The minute after the news broke, Internet was flooded with hatred and calls for everything from invading Iran to kill every single Muslim.

Not until now, about 8pm MT has the news outlets given out the information that the man suspected to be responsible for the horror and death in Norway actually is Norwegian and not a Muslim but actually a bragging right wing Christian. (Not that I believe he's a Christian more than to the title than I think so called Muslim terrorist actually are Muslim).

So I want to ask you reader, especially if you are an American to
please, help spread the TRUTH in all the Muslim hating rhetoric going on right now on the Internet and in the media. The people responsible for the horrible attacks in Norway were NOT Muslims, they were home grown Norwegian terrorists with a right wing affiliation. Don't help the Muslim hatred and fear spread. Learn the facts and speak up!!!


The man responsible for shooting a bunch of kids at a summer camp, and also setting off the bomb in central Oslo is named Anders Behring Breivik.
His facebook page says he's a conservative Christian He has written postings critical of Muslims and has had connections to right-wing, anti-immigrant groups in Norway.

Now I could turn around and do the same exact thing the Muslim hating fear mongering people on line and in the media have done. But that would not be right to do, because there's no way you can say all right wing Christians are the same, is there?

A hateful, gun loving, conservative Christian? Imagine that?! Either Fox News will be offering him a job, or the Republicans will try to recruit him to run for Congress. He'd sure get a lot of votes in certain districts.

See, doing that would just be mean, hateful and wrong.

Norway, stay strong, we love you!

Happy Birthday Erik!

Erik's first meaningful sound or word was to put his hands up as horns on his head while moaning uuuhhhh... his way of saying deer. His first real word before even saying mamma or pappa, was shuushh... meaning fish.

Today, on his 10th birthday pappa bought him his first shotgun...
Erik had tears in his eyes and not even the sun could compete with the gleam on his face, the shine in his eyes and the brightness in his smile.

I just waived them off, my two men, with shotgun and muzzleloader, earplugs and shades, water and targets for a couple of hours at the shooting range.
I wanted to go with them but I have to see the dentist one last time before we leave for Sweden and go and pick up the kids school records.

Later we're going to eat Chinese buffet on Erik's request. And for tonight we're having a big ice cream fika!

16 days left...

Why it's better to take care of bureaucracy in the summer

Today was the day I had planned to get the kids school records to bring with me to their new school. Not that I think it matters if they have their grades with them, in Sweden you don't get any grades until you enter junior high. But still, I want them to have some proof that they've been going to school over here and are eligible to start 4th and 2nd grade.

But the person I talked to could not help me, so I have to come back some other time and talk to an other, hopefully more helpful person.

I've checked in with the "Försäkringskassan", to make sure I have everything I need to get me and the kids registered when I get there.

Försäkringskassan is like the Social Security office, a government agency that makes sure all checks go out when you're sick (80% of your pay), the child allowance (all parents with children get an allowance from the government each month, about $180.00/ child), and the compensation when you stay home with a sick child (97% of your pay I think it is).

I know, Swedes pay about the highest taxes in the world, but they do get a lot for their money!!!

I also learned today that for our family to get a permanent resident status (actually it just applies to Dale and Alyssa since the rest of us are Swedish citizens), we just need their birth certificates and Dale's and my marriage licence. That's it! Wow, that sounds simple enough!

Since it's still summer when I get there I'll take advantage of the summer tempered Swedes and do all bureaucratic stuff right away. The reason? well, my theory is that I think there's two different kind of Swedish people, the summer Swede and the winter Swede.

The summer Swede is nice, bubbly, sweet, helpful and outgoing. Come back a couple of months later and meet the same person in her winter mood and it's a total different person. Grumpy, short tempered, and not willing to speak more than a few words per minute.

The reason, I think, is the sun.

When there's an abundance of sun in the summer then the Swede who is a sun worshipper by birth, is the nicest person you ever met, but in the winter when there's no sun to speak of at all then their sweet personality is hibernating. I'll try to be friendly in mid November, but I can't promise anything...