This Week: A Summer List...

Good morning and hello!

I am back here in the US again, but I don’t think that I have “landed” quite yet. It takes a while to re-adjust after a long summer in Europe.
But, I do think it is nice to be back in my own home again. It is as hot as can BE here, though, and that is a little hard. However, it is August and therefore very expected!

My summer has been so good!
I thought I’d put together a list, a summer list.
Come along.

HOT as can be:
When I got to Sweden at the end of June it was SO HOT. Yes people, it was pushing the 90 degree mark, and it is HARD being without AC then. It was super hard to cool off. We got a second heat wave at the end of July that lasted all the way until I left for the US. NICE!! But again, it was hard to cool off.

Cold as can be:
In the middle of July, we had some days when the weather was pretty darn nippy! One late evening in Finland it was 48 degrees. During that cold spell, the kids swam regardless of the weather. Karolina, Edvin and Anton were swimming in 49 degree water! AND, they were in for about fifteen minutes.

Yes, it is 49 degrees in the water...Chew on that!!!

Happy as can be:
My dearest relative is doing so amazingly GOOD!!! It is true joy to see her now. She is SO happy and bubbly and she’s recovering SO well! Way to go! She’s leaving the hospital today and she’s heading to Frösundavik rehab for about a month, or so!
Good girl! YOU GO!!

Tasty as can be:
What can I say…the summers in Närpes are nothing but good food and drinks! We have been eating like kings and queens, and you can tell when stepping on the scale (not so fun). I have zero intentions to hold back during the summer, I’ll eat whatever I want when I want it. Being in Finland means the best breads in the world. It is impossible to find bad and boring bread there. Also, the ice cream is to die for!
And all the bbq:ing, and the home grown potatoes…
Well the list over good food and drinks can go on forever.

Karolina is enjoying wild strawberries (smultron).


Teens as can be:
It is so fun for Karolina to be with her cousins all summer long. They keep her posted on everything that is hot and in for the Swedish teen crowd. SO fun, even for me! This year I learned ALL about so called “fjortisar”, “goths” , “nerds” and “emos”. VERY interesting to say the least. AND, not to mention all the new and hip music and words and expressions I had to listen to time and again… ;-) I love it!

Card games as can be:
Since we have opted out on having a TV in the summer house, we are playing games in the evenings instead and that is SO fun! WE love Chicago most of all (a form of poker). We play Chicago every night, and we don’t get tired of it. This is what I got one night during the past summer…I could not believe it; a ROYAL STRAIGHT FLUSH!!!

I could not believe my eyes!!!

Grandma as can be:
Yes, my grandma is turning 91 in a couple of weeks. She was with us in the summer house for several nights and days. And yes, the lady participates in ALL the card games as well! She is one of kind! We all love her SO much!

My grandma...so cute!!

Trendy as can be:
Drinking Rose wine! Rose wine is truly the drink of the summer in Sweden this summer. It is hot, hot, hot and it does taste O so good!!
Another trend is the “bed of nails” that are widely popular. No, I did not buy one of those while I was home. Maybe I should have done that? People are swearing by them!
Oh, and leggings was as hot as can be as well. Hmmm---I have to admit that I wore them, too. But not here in the US, it is too hot here, weather wise.

Fun as can be:
Peter and I went to Umeå, Sweden, for a weekend together with my brother Gunnar and his wife Kinn. SO much fun! AND, so fun to see the house where they live. They live in a big, red house that is built in 1870. Beautiful!

Peter, Kinn, me and Gunnar one fun night in Umeå...

Crappy as can be:
RG Line. The ferry boat that took us from Vasa in Finland to Umeå in Sweden. This boat has got to be one of the most boring boats in the entire world. SO expensive and so damn boring. Unbelievable.

Beautiful as can be:
ALL the lovely sunsets! And the light…
The white nights that you will experience when you are far north are so beautiful. I love them more than words can say.



I am sure I could make the list longer. Or, I know I can make it longer, but I’ll stop here. Needless to say it’s been another great summer.
My only regret that I have is the fact that I did not buy more books and dvd’s while home. I also regret not buying more clothes while in Stockholm, but I had no time at all to browse the stores.
Another great thing was to be at the big hospital (Karolinska) where my relative has been a patient all summer long. The hospital is HUGE. It is one of the biggest university hospitals in Sweden and I met the greatest staff there; nurses, occupational therapists and doctors. Super friendly people, so casual (all where on first name basis, even the professors. I love that), and so good. I am nothing but thankful to the lovely staff that we all like so much. I have not met a single un-friendly person during all my visits to the hospital. Power! I am so IMPRESSED!!

Tuesday today! I will have a bunch of guys here all day today. We’re getting new windows and sliding doors!

I wish you all a great Tuesday!