snö

It's been snowing since Friday! The town looks beautiful, and as long as you get bundled up, the temperature isn't too horrible (from -5 to 20˚F). Mom and Dad sent me my big, yellow winter jacket (it didn’t fit in my suitcase) and now everyone knows when I'm coming! I'm pretty sure I'm the only one within 200km with a huge, bright yellow coat. Oh, well! It keeps me warm, and I have no shame about looking ridiculous.

There is actually a lot more snow than in these pictures. The sun was out a few days ago, so I thought I would take advantage of the natural light and take a few snaps!

Yup. That's the coat! It's very unlike me to have an unmatched scarf and hat, but nowadays I just go with what is the warmest. Also, notice the frosty hair...it's a good look!

Preggers

Today was filled with a lot of laughs! I decided to relax this morning, since I had such an intense day yesterday. I woke up at 8am to Skype with Phil (the American that was here last semester. He is writing a piece for Lisa and I, so we chatted about it amongst other things) I was going to go to into school to practice when we were done talking. However, since I haven't been sleeping much and was so mentally and emotionally exhausted from yesterday, I decided to go back to bed.

I was really, really glad I took the morning off, because by the time I had to interact with other people, I was actually in a good mood! I finally got to school (to Kåren) around 1pm to meet with the sound engineer guys that are going to help me with a recording next week. They, as usual, were a big help and are just nice guys all around. I also spent time with Sara and Sofia. I haven’t been able to hang out with them much the past two weeks, so it was nice to chill with them for a bit…even if we were all doing work/studying separately…it was just nice to be surrounded by good people!

I had a rehearsal, and practiced in the afternoon. Around 4:30 I went back to Kåren to meet Anna for fika. We chatted for a long time! I met one of her friends, Johannes, and I mentioned that I need to start diving into the Swedish language again. I have to take a test on Sunday (I missed it since I left for Christmas early), and I have forgotten so much! They decided to teach me some very useful new phrases…and we were laughing hysterically for a good hour. I’m going to try these out on the locals when we go out this weekend and see how many friends I can make!

Du ser gravid ut, tjocksmock. – You look pregnant, fatty.

Jag älskar bananer! – I love bananas!

Jag har myror I brallan. – I have ants in my pants.

Vill du köpa exotiska frukter? Jag har importerat dem själv. – Want to buy this exotic fruit? I imported it myself.

Har du gätt upp i vikt? – Have you gained weight?

Jag är gangster från Rinkeby. – I am a gangster from Rinkeby.

Ditt ansikte ser ut som en ost. – Your face looks like cheese

Jag vill köpa ditt skägg. – I want to buy your beard.

I spent the rest of the evening telling all the guys that I ran into that they looked pregnant. It was amusing :-) I also played in an orchestra concert tonight…first one of my Piteå career! I killed the bass drum and cymbal part to Stravinsky’s Suite No. 1 & 2. They also played Greig’s Piano Concerto in A minor. The soloist was incredible and quite inspiring! Don’t worry…I didn’t tell him he looks pregnant.

future

Today was a weird day. It was full of many hours of rehearsal for various concerts that are coming up. However, I did not really "need" to be at any of them...it was a frustrating day to be a percussionist. I had a long discussion with Anders about what is next for me...and I still just don't know what should be the next step. Once I get my thoughts together I'll share them. It's odd because I can't picture what my life is going to be like in 5 years. Yes, this is the "beauty" of life, but it's still annoying! In the words of my mom, I just need to wait for a "sign", and I'm sure I'll make the right choice for my next adventure...I'm just anxious and feel a little closterphobic here in Piteå.

I also had a lesson with Anders in the afternoon, and my mind/heart was definitely somewhere else. I was frustrated to say the least. Of course, Anders had positive things to say and we fixed many things. I’m glad he was in town this week, and I’m planning on heading down to Stockholm in a few weeks.

Weather wise, it's been super windy and snowing all day. The walk home was cold and wet! I was supposed to go over to Lou's for dinner, but it's too dark and snowy for her to drive and I didn't want to figure out the bus system on a night of a storm! Now I need to go to bed...hopefully I can turn my brain off to actually rest tonight!

Play like a bass

There is so much to write about today, I don’t even know where to begin…my racing thoughts need to calm down so I can get some rest. Tomorrow will be just as crazy!

The day actually started off at a normal time. Meaning, I was able to wake up with my alarm at 7am! Woohoo! It was a lovely morning (well, lovely as in I was able to take my time getting ready and enjoying my cozy apartment. The weather is awful right now…grey and cold!) I was at school by 9am to warm-up and practice.

From 10am-Noon I was rehearsing with a quartet (flute, piano, 2 percussion) for a composer’s concert during the Midvinter Festival. We are playing three pieces by three different students. Overall the rehearsal went well, but at times I felt like an outsider. First was because of the language barrier. I really did forget a lot over the holidays, and haven’t put much time into learning more Swedish since I’ve been back (note to self….study!) Also, the other musicians and composers weren’t very vocal or opinionated…two things that accurately describe my personality. Therefore, I felt as though I was leading most of the rehearsal because no one else would say anything. I can’t decide how this was received by my colleagues (who all happened to be male), but I know that if I didn’t try to fix things or suggest rehearsal techniques not much would have been accomplished. After rehearsal most of them went to lunch at the Acusticum together, and didn’t invite me, which hurt my feelings a little bit. I miss the comradery that I was accustomed to at Eastman and OSU. Alas, I know that some people just don’t know how to approach me and that there is more to this experience than having a group of people to eat lunch with!

After I did get to grab a bite to eat, I practiced a little more before Anders’ arrival. I was so excited to have a lesson and chat with him. And…my expectations for a great afternoon were definitely met!

I tell ya…every time I work with Anders I feel so energized and positive about music/percussion and life in general. His perspective and way of describing music is just so unique, but simple…inspiring and fun. After playing some excerpts on timpani from Stravinsky’s ‘The Rite of Spring’ I saw and heard the music so much differently than before. Even after listening to tons of professional recordings…’Play like a bass’…it’s really that simple! Then he had me play a Delecluse snare drum solo on marimba. It totally messed with my brain and now every time I play it, I’m going to hear the melodies we created (which is the point….every percussionist that reads this (if there are any!) needs to go try it!) I also played some Bach on marimba, which now actually sounds like I know what I’m doing. The lesson ended with the piece I just finished (which is one of a few ‘Variations on CPE Bach’ that I’m writing). He dug it!

There was never a dull moment for the entire 2 hour lesson. I have no idea what I’ll be doing in 10 years but I hope I remember afternoons like this, and remember how music can be so energizing…whether it be groovy or baroque style marimba, excerpts or snare solos. I hope that I can inspire and excite others about this stuff just like Anders does with just about everyone he comes in contact with!

We talked about what is in store for the next few months. I’d like to go down to Stockholm for some lessons before my recital on March 2. Plus, I miss Anne, Tove, and Emma a lot! So, I’ll probably head down at the end of February for a weekend. Then, at the end of March, I’m soooooo excited, because I’m going to accompany Anders on a road trip through Germany and Austria to help sell Zildjian cymbals! How cool is that?!

The evening was spent at Daniel and Arianna for a taco dinner. The four of us had a really nice time. I haven’t hung out with them in awhile, so it was nice to catch up! Plus, Arianna makes a mean Mexican taco!

After dinner I walked back to Ankars to meet up with Lou and Anna to workout. We sat and chatted about the eventful day (I seriously have no idea what I would do without them. Seriously!) They said that I was gleaming and I just couldn’t stop talking about the awesome day! I kicked their butts working out because I had so much energy, and we laughed for the entire hour (which is good because it works your abs!)

Tomorrow I have another rehearsal at 9am, and working with Anders in the afternoon. So…I’m sure I’ll tons to talk about tomorrow night too!

Night Owl

I am no longer a morning person. For some reason I just can’t get out of bed before 9am! It’s a bummer because I used to really like mornings…I’d have my bowl of cereal and catch up with the world events via The Today Show (or Good Morning America, depending on which appealed to me more at the time), go to the gym, prep for the day, and be at class or practicing by 8 or 9am. Now, getting to school by 10:30 is an accomplishment. So sad…thanks for the laziness, Sweden!

Because I no longer wake up at the crack of dawn, I have been staying up way past a healthy bedtime. I blame it on Lou and Anna and my Swedish social life. The weekend was a ton of fun, but I was never sleeping before 3 or 4am (last night included…just because I became addicted to the TV show Glee and decided that watching a handful of episodes online was more important than my beauty rest! Haha)

Quick summary of the weekend:

Friday night: Lou and I went to a concert at school (the music of  'Thin Lizzy'…I love that there are random rock/studio musician concerts every week!) Then we met up with Anna to head out to Challenge (the cool new hang in Piteå!). We had a fun night of chatting and laughing with tons of people from school…it really is like an American bar. So, this makes me happy.

Saturday: Slept in, went to the grocery store with the girls, led a tough workout, sauna, then Anna made the most amazing dinner (falafel and Swedish chocolate coconut balls! Yum!)  I decided to stay in that night and chill by myself…good thing I did! There was a family get together for my dad's side in Indianapolis (we all weren’t able to visit over the holidays), and they Skyped me! I saw about 20 relatives that I haven’t seen or chatted with in a long time! It really made me smile and feel loved! :)

Sunday: Went to an orchestra rehearsal and practiced all day, then watched Glee all night. Lame…I know!

Luckily my schedule will be picking up starting tomorrow. February and March are really busy with projects and concerts (Midvinter Festival, my recital, SMASK….more on each as they approach), so the rehearsals will consume a lot of time. Tomorrow I have a rehearsal in the morning and then Anders is coming to town for lessons! Should be a great day…so I’m forcing myself to log off facebook now and go to bed! Maybe as the days get longer again I’ll get back to my ‘morning person’ status…maybe! I have a feeling that being a ‘night owl’ thing won’t go away to quickly!

Sore muscles and sore brain!

Today was just one of those days.
I have no idea what was going on in my brain…but I felt like I was all over the place!

I slept horribly last night. I kept having weird dreams about blue people and snow and boats. Don’t ask…mainly because I don’t have an answer.

I slept until 9am, and slowly began my morning. My legs, booty, arms, and back were pretty stiff from the workout yesterday. After a shower and breakfast I began putting my new piece into Sibelius. Then, all of a sudden it was noon and I was meant to be meeting Lou (with the baby!) and Anna at Kåren for lunch. Whooops…late!

After an entertaining lunch (Lisa was hysterical amongst all the students, she’s such a charmer!) I went to practice. I only lasted until 3:30pm. My brain was everywhere but in the music. I kept thinking about blue people, snow, boats, and chicken…

That was a joke.

I decided to come home to just relax, get organized, and try to work more on Sibelius. I decided that streaming the new episodes of ‘How I Met Your Mother’ and ‘Cougar Town’ would be a good idea too :)

Diana then knocked on my door to return the bag I let her borrow and I invited her in for dinner…and
before we knew it, it was time to head to school to watch a Neo concert.

At this point I could barely climb the stairs my legs were so sore! Note to self…when you haven’t worked out in a few months, don’t do all of the hardest moves giving 120%. Ugh.

When I got home from the concert I streamed an episode of ‘Glee’, skyped with my mama, and wrote a few productive emails. I’m stretching and then hitting the hay! Hopefully I’ll be more aware and productive, and less sore tomorrow!

Endorphins and Avatar

I spent the last 7 hours with two of my favorite girls doing “normal” things. Meaning…I think this is what non-musicians do on a more regular basis!

After a full day of helping Diana get more settled and then practicing, I came home about 5:30pm to meet up with Lou and Anna to workout! I have been looking forward to this all week! As you recall, since I arrived here I’ve been complaining that the gym in town is too expensive and the ‘student’ one in Ankars is dirty and gross. So, it’s been hard to find daily exercise routine aside from walking or running (and now that there is snow everywhere, running is out of the picture).

We decided to take matters into our own hands. I created a little kickboxing/bootcamp class and we are going to do it twice a week in Kvartes! It was perfect, and took me back to my favorite Downtown Fitness Club (in Rochester) days. I will not be able to move tomorrow, and it’s going to feel great!

After sweating and laughing for an hour or so, we got cleaned up, cooked a scrumptious chicken and cous-cous dinner, and headed into town to see Avatar in 3D. I’m not like most of the world, and had no burning desire to see the film. However, was curious enough to have a night out with the girls (and will have to thank Thomas many times for sponsoring us!)

My synopsis of the movie echoes those of many people I know. Visuals=Incredible. Plot=Crap. All of the blatant stereotypes and bad dialogue really annoyed me. If they spent 10 years creating the special effects, you think they could have spent a little more time developing the characters and plot. Plus, the message of the movie is pretty powerful, but not inspiring enough because of the lack of intellect…in my opinion. I guess my senses to stereotypes are heightened when I am here in Sweden. One of my friends alluded to the parallels in the movie and the war in Iraq. Ugh. It’s so sad, and I just hope that the world will one day be able to see America as more than the country at war.

On a musical note…it was so bad! Again…for creating such an amazing and unique world, why was the music so familiar?! I expected a spectacular soundtrack, but all I heard was tribal drums and corny melodies. I’m pretty sure the native flute was the same in Titanic.

That’s all! Maybe our endorphins wore off too quickly when the movie started…

The Hangover

...is such a funny movie! I was so excited to get the DVD for Christmas (haha, I know it’s a little pathetic), and I was even more excited to watch it tonight with Lou, Anna, Thomas and Emma! After a really long day, Anna and I went over to Thomas and Emma’s (the family Lou is an au pair for) and had a scrumptious dinner followed by a lot of laughs during the movie.

The last time we tried to watch a movie over there, it stopped half way through because it was a copy with a lot of scratches. When Thomas put the DVD in tonight, it wouldn’t play in the PS3 because it’s an American DVD! I almost cried! Then, he hooked up their old DVD player, and as soon as it loaded up it began to skip! I said that if we couldn’t get it to work I would walk home (which is not a good idea!). Thomas checked the DVD and there was a tiny hair on it…I’m assuming it was a Chihuahua hair from Marilyn’s roommate’s dog. Once the disk was clean, it was all good...thank goodness!

The relaxing and entertaining evening was needed after a long day. I woke up early to get work done, and then went over to Diana’s (the new American exchange student) to wake her up. She came over for breakfast and used my computer to check her email and write to her parents. We headed up to school to meet up with Anna and some others, have some lunch at Kåren, and tour the school.

At 1pm I dropped her off with Micke so she could get all the logistics of her studying squared away. Tomorrow morning we’re taking her to the Red Cross and Dollar Store to help her get more settled. The airline still hasn’t found her luggage…can you imagine?! Good thing I’m a pro at Red Cross store shopping :-)

From 1-6pm I had an amazing practice session. I’m diving into some new music and writing some more…hope the momentum continues!

Conquer the fear!

Today I marched into Sparbanken Nord, and conquered my fear of….the Swedish bank. If you recall, the first time I got emotional after the move was when I went to the bank to see if I could open an account. The woman wasn’t very nice or helpful…hence me getting upset. Ever since then I have avoided the bank like the plague and relied on my US accountant (my dad) to help me with transferring money.

Everything has been working out fine with wiring rent money and withdrawing cash at Forex. However, when I gigged with Neo, they sent me a check as opposed to depositing it in my account. I heard that if you tried to cash a check at a Swedish bankat which you don’t have an account, they charge a penalty fee. I’ve pretty much been avoiding the subject until today when I realized that I needed the money and I was being stupid.

I did some research and found out the Swedbank (the bank my money goes through) and Sparbanken Nord are kind of the same thing, so I marched in there today to see what I could find out. Cashing the check was pretty much the easiest process ever. They didn’t ask any questions, and now I have the money to be able to eat for the next two months.

Wow, Maria. Way to go. All that worrying for nothing!

The rest of my day has been super busy. Anna, Lou, and I did a super fast grocery run after my banking excursion and then I spent the rest of the day at school doing my thing.

This evening was filled with excitement as well. First, I got a Skype call from Angela (in NYC) and her roomie, Alison. She also hooked us up with her friend ‘G’, who is in Texas. It was pretty cool to talk to everyone at the same time…and it is pretty amazing that people in Sweden, New York, and Texas can all talk for free at the same time. We reminisced about our trip to the city, and what everyone has been up to. It was really fun hearing their voices!

Soon after that conversation I went to meet a new girl from the States that is going to study here in Piteå this semester! Her name is Diane. Micke and Sebastian called me to see if I could help her get settled, because the airlines lost her luggage and she’s never been out of the country before! Poor thing!!! I took her some food and PJs and will show her around more tomorrow. It will be nice to get to know her better, and have some more American blood in the Artic.

That’s all for now…in bed around 11pm once again…go me!

Whoopsies!

Is it Sunday already? I guess it’s harder to get back in the habit of writing than I thought! I’ve been busy getting reacclimated with Piteå, fighting the jet-lag, reuniting with friends, practicing/composing, and just being happy! Sharing my daily experiences just doesn’t seem as exciting anymore now that I am more comfortable with Sweden…and Sweden is more comfortable with me. :) 

I’ve only been back 5 days, but I sure have been busy…that is, if my active social life counts as being ‘busy’. On Friday night I filled in for one of my friends who is sick and bartended at the “Gott Nytt År” party at Kåren. It started out being a ton of fun. I was happy to make drinks and chat with everyone…but we were sooooo busy! Most of the students were there and in the mood to really party…I’ve never had to rush around so much. Along with everything else, I had to clean up 3 broken glasses/spilled drinks, and one of the girls had to clean up some puke in the ladies room (YUCK!). The register broke down twice, and we were making so much money so fast that it was overflowing.

We finished cleaning at about 3:30am, and I can’t even describe how exhausted we all were! Needless to say, I slept in on Saturday.

Luckily, Lou woke me up at a reasonable hour on Saturday, and I went into town to meet her for lunch and run errands. I finally got toilet paper. I’ve been using paper towels for a few days. Haha. Too much information…I know…but I think it’s funny.

Last night I wanted to hang out with people, but not drink (I’m on a health kick!). Lou and I went to a little pre-party at a friend’s apartment…then her, Astrid, and I decided to soberly check out the new SPORTS BAR (called Challenge) that just opened here! Can you believe it? A new/normal place to hang out in Piteå!??!?!?! No way!!!!

The whole town must be excited…because I’m pretty sure everyone (from young to old, short to tall, loud to quiet, rich to poor, big to small….literally everyone) was there. It was a great Swedish cultural experience to say the least! The front of the bar is large, open space that is more of a restaurant/pub with a large bar and a ton of TVs. Then, as you head towards the back you pass another bar, an area with pool tables and a dart board (yay!), and then in the very back is a posh looking night club. It definitely caters to everyone! It was fun hanging out with Astrid and Lou chatting, laughing, and people watching! Great night.

Today I practiced all afternoon. I finished writing a piece that I’ve been thinking about for weeks. More details soon. Anders is coming up next week, so I am going to go to bed early, so I can wake up before 10am…and actually have a productive morning! Can’t sleep in and blame fatigue on the traveling anymore…breaks over! Back to productive mode…and I’m weirdly excited about it!

Välkommen tillbaka till Sverige!

Welcome back to Sweden!
I’ve been back in Piteå for two days now, and I am truly happy to be back. My head is racing with ideas and motivation to practice and “do something”. I hope that this positive energy lasts, because I forgot what it feels like for the sun to set at 3pm!

Most of the flights here went just fine. I had a layover in Iceland that I almost missed because of security, but the best story was during the last leg from Stockholm to Luleå (naturally). I had to spend 5 hours at Arlanda, which I was not excited about. Fortunately, I did get to chat with Anders and take a nap. When I finally went to my gate to wait even more, I realized that there were two destinations on the screen: Skellefteå and Luleå. Hum.

I started to talk to the woman next to me (who was from Holland and going to Skellefteå to visit her daughter who had a baby that morning!) and found out that they were combining two flights into one. So, we would be taking a pit stop in Skellefteå.

Not a big deal…it would just add another 30 minutes or so to the journey. When we landed in Skellefteå (which is south of Piteå), half of the passengers got off the plane, and another batch of people boarded. The funniest thing was that a young, good-looking guy sat next to me! That never happens! Good thing I had been traveling for HOURS and looked FABULOUS (sarcasm). I was just going to sit there and not talk (which is hard for me anyways), but then...the plane just sat there…and just sat there…and just sat there!

The captain made an announcement that we were somehow missing a passenger or had too much luggage or both. I’m pretty sure the crew was just really confused. So, they counted us about 10 times. Then they took roll call. They literally went up and down the aisle calling our names and we had to raise our hand. Just like kindergarten.

Since we had been sitting there forever I decided it wouldn’t hurt to strike up a conversation with the dude next to me. I asked him if he spoke English and it’s like a light bulb went off! We chatted and chatted and chatted (and, no worries, I actually let him talk too!) It was nice to be entertained because we sat in the airplane for about an hour and a half. At one point they unloaded all of the luggage and we had to go outside, claim what was ours and then get back on the plane. Finally, they just had us all write our names on a piece of paper and we took off. It’s still a mystery as to what the problem actually was, and if it was even resolved. Regardless, I made an attractive friend! woohoo!

When we landed in Luleå I ran into Sven-Åke, who hired me at the Medbörgarskolan, Sebastian, who is the first student I met in Piteå, and Joseph, another friend from school. We were all in the same taxi back to Piteå and it was fun chatting and laughing with them about the holidays. How crazy that we were all on the same flight!

I can’t decide if I feel jet-lagged or just tired at this point. I haven’t really rested yet, so hopefully I will over the weekend. Yesterday I did all my laundry, and then attended a dinner/hang that the Student Union group threw for all of the bartenders and workers at Kåren. It was a fun night and an easy way to see everyone right away! Feels like we never left…

Today I practiced a ton, which felt great. Most of the time was spent trying to get my hands to feel warmed up…I didn’t play at all while in NYC, so it’s been like TWO WEEKS! Ugh. That’s such a long time to not play!
This evening we had the reunion of the Brit, the Swede, and the American. :)  Anna and Lou came over for dinner and had a good time sharing stories and catching up. I missed them a lot! Now I need to go to bed to try and get my system back in Sweden time!

Concrete Jungle

There is a popular Jay-Z and Alicia Keys song out called “Empire State of Mind”. I spent 12 days in New York City with my friend Marilyn to finish off visit to the US, and sang the song to myself the whole time…

"New York!!!!

Concrete jungle where dreams are made of,

There's nothing you can’t do,

Now you're in New York!!!

These streets will make you feel brand new

the lights will inspire you,

Let's hear it for New York, New York, New York”

We had a great time gallivanting around town, laughing a ton, eating great food, and learning a lot about our friendship in the process! I think the best way to share the adventures is through some photos...

New Year's Eve festivities began at Marilyn's friend Chris' apartment. He's a musician with a lot of musician friends, so it was fun chatting with some people in the business!

yes...that is a grand piano, drum set and bass in the apartment. People were jammin' all night!

Later on we met up with friends Angela and Alison at Stanton Social

On the following Monday, I went to the school that Angela teaches at in Bayonne, NJ to play for her classes along with her friends G, Kristin, and Whitney. We played music from 'West Side Story' and talked about other vioces/instruments. It was a super fun day!

Hi! I'm Miss Finkelmeier. I play percussion. What instruments are in the percussion family? (All the kiddos turn around to look at the percussion poster hanging in the back of the room....kid raises hand and yells "I like drums!!!") I'm from Ohio and now I live in Sweden....do you know where that is? (everyone raises their hand, but have no clue that Sweden is another country. Sooooo cute and funny!)

These are called Bongos!

Whitney and I had a blast accompaning G and Kristin! Great voices!

Although it was freezing (the wind was brutle!), Marilyn and I still did the tourist thing a few times! Map in hand and everything!

The Met

Rockefeller Center! The tree!!!

This is my friend Steve from Ohio State! He lives in Brooklyn, and we went out to see his band play one night! It was crazy how many people I ran into while I was there....bumped into Lauren, from HIGH SCHOOL at the GYM!...walked passed a cafe and noticed Albert, a great friend and pianist from Eastman...and had dinner with Matt who now goes to Julliard. Not to mention Angela and her friends, plus an Eastman Jazzer reunion on my last night. Geez!! NYC isn't that big after all!!!!

Walking over the Brooklyn Bridge into Manhattan

After an amazing dinner with Angela where the restaurant owners bought us many Sangrias!

All dolled up to see 'Carmen' at the Met! Standing room tickets were so cheap and worth it!

At this point our duo pictures were becoming a joke (like floating heads...and you must ask yourself...where are they now?) When we realized we didn't have one in Time Square we hopped off the train, ran outside, snapped the photo, and ran back to the Metro to get to Brooklyn! We're insane.

Figured we should take a picture of our matching outfits, and not just our heads! Thank goodness her roomate was home!

Strolling through Central Park

I'm really glad I was able to spend time in New York and hang out with Marilyn, Angela, old friends and new ones. I was able to get a handle on the city and feel comfortable getting around. I almost felt like I had been living there for awhile and it was weird saying goodbye to everyone! Moving to New York is one of the options I would like to look into after Sweden...so now I have more information to make an educated decision on the next endeavor (when the time comes....of course!)

Christmas time

I’m back in Sweden now, but wanted to put up some pictures of the holidays with my fabulous family. I had such a great time being home and spending time with loved ones. There is a reason they write songs about this stuff…

It doesn't get much better than a Christmas Eve with a fire in the fireplace!

me and my mama on Christmas Day!

Pam, Dennis, and Kim with Chloe, Kylie, and Jessi....cousins with kids everywhere!

Everyone in the family room (actually this is not everyone...this is only about half of the people at our house on Christmas day)

The day after Christmas we had a lovely dinner at my Uncle Lou and Aunt Carol's house.

Uncle Lou enjoyed drilling me about my decisions in life. I think I provided some intellectual answers :)

I can't wait for my Aunt Betsy to come visit Sweden! I've been researching a ton!

I had a great time telling my stories to those that were interested in listening. I made my scrapbook right away, which was a big hit and assisted with the story telling. Being able to share and discuss this experience with the family sure does make it even more special!