This past weekend was probably the best one I have had since moving here. Lots of sun, good friends, good food. Oh and we danced around a giant penis.
I am tempted to let this blog entry end right there, but I guess I'll explain. This celebration goes all the way back to Viking days. It is a celebration of fertility. So the Swedes thought it would be appropiate to errect (ha) a symbol of fertility. So they set up a may-pole-type thing which is supposed to resemble....well, you know. They are a bunch of pervs if you ask me. But it is a huge summer celebration where families dance around the pole like rabbits, making bunny ears and tails with their hands, and like frogs, hopping. I guess because those animals reproduce quickly and often (?). Lots of people create a ring of flowers and wear it like a crown. It's really pretty actually. We went to a town called Sigtuna, which is the oldest town in Sweden. Lots and lots of people come out to the pole, fika together and watch the festivities. We spent the next 2 days grilling out, eating strawberries (HUGE part of midsummer), and laughing with friends. 
Now that the weather is warm and nice, Viktor loves taking his moutain bike out, getting himself lost and as dirty as possible. Boys will be boys. 
Some exciting family news is his sister Matilda got engaged! Guess that's all for now. 6 months and counting!
Midsummer festivities
Bring on the sunshine!
I love the sun. I don't know if I ever said that with so much enthusiasm when I lived in Georgia. Probably because there the sun equaled humidity strong enough to frizz my hair in seconds and cause immediate sweating upon stepping outside. Not here though. Here, the sunshine is like a God-given treat to the inhabitants of this country. After 6 months of cold, dark, and borderline depressing conditions, the sun is like a gift. I'm exaggerating a little, but only a little. Spring here is remarkable. It's like people are reborn. After hibernation, the sun appears and all of a sudden you have regained the motivation to join society and even attempt to make a difference. Again, I am only mildly exaggerating. And when a cloudy or rainy day occurs during spring, it feels like a sin against humanity. We need the sunshine. Alright, that's probably enough about the weather.
Let's see. Viktor still has a job. I still do not. It has been almost a year since I have worked (as in, have been an official employee somewhere) and it feels so awkward and terrible. Thank God that Viktor's company, Media Re-Do, has generated some work and given me some projects to stay busy with. Good timing too, our budget can't take any more cuts. We currently eat on $35 a week. That's for the both of us. For every meal. I only share that info because I am shocked and really proud of myself for being able to keep two people fed on such a budget! It is possible! And it's all homemade, all from scratch, meals; which means healthy! I spend a lot of time in the kitchen now and really have developed a passion for cooking. Well, maybe not a passion, but I really like it.
My parents were here! That's definitely news-worthy. They came for 10 days and it was a lot of fun to show them around and introduce them to swedish culture. We went to castles, museums, and small islands. But what they said they loved the most was just sitting around the dinner table and having a home-cooked meal with family. That's always the best way to really get a feel for a different place. Real lives offer way more memorable experiences than tour buses.
We plan on spending the spring and summer with church stuff (never-ending...which is great), cook-outs, a trip to Norway, and spending every possible moment outside in the sunshine.
Miss you all and love you all!
Yes...it's real...this is an actual new post
So I'm not the best blogger in the world, I admit it. Let's see..what's new over here. Oh, pictures first. This is our friend from China getting baptised. SO EXCITING! Yes that is an inflatable baptismal. Then Viktor on stage at church which you will read more about later. And finally our new living room wall! We are slowly settling in to our new place and we love it. I mean we have curtains now! Curtains, to me, make all the difference. That really says 'home.' I haven't had curtains in a home since I moved out of my parent's house 7 years ago. I am clearly far too excited about fabric that hangs in front of a window. Moving on. Oh, Viktor got a promotion at work! He's going to be selling switch boards now! No clue what those are, but I'm sure he'll be great at it. It's a bigger responsibility but flattering since he has only been there for 5 months. We celebrated with a mega fancy pizza dinner. Oh the glitz and glammor of this life. I am quite impressive in Swedish now:) That is, if you like listening to someone take 3 minutes to ask how your day was. Oj it's a tough language. Emersion really is the best teacher. Viktor was on stage at church giving announcements last week and told everyone that they can no longer speak english with me. I smiled and giggled gracefully as everyone turned to stare at me, but inwardly I was cussing him out. I am aiming for fluency by late spring, but am also learning it's not good to put a time frame on it. That tends to make it too stressful. Best to just enjoy the process. In a couple of weeks we are heading up north to go snowboarding and snowmobiling. I am beyond stoked about the snowmobiling. As for the snowboarding...not so much, since many people tell me that there is a high chance that I will break either my wrist or tailbone. Viktor has been skiing since the womb so he is delighted to watch his southern wife attept this. Exciting nonetheless. My parent's are coming in May! They found some fairly cheap tickets and are going to endure the grueling 15 hour plane ride (kidding mom, it's only 9). May is a GORGEOUS month here so we have lots planned! Speaking of weather, sorta, it has been winter here since late October. Almost 4 full months now. Seriously? I have come to terms with the fact that I wil never be warm again. No, it's not that bad. Well, it's that cold....hasn't been above freezing since December, but there has been snow on the ground for most of the winter, which is pretty. As soon as summer gets here I plan to live outside and enjoy all 3 weeks of it.
To sum it all up, we are happy and excited to see where God leads us. We keep up with everyone via Facebook so please keep updating!! Miss everyone tons! See you at Christmas!
From homeless to home-owners!
It's true....we bought an apartment! (Here, it's more common to buy an apartment, not a house). It's the first sign of a settled life that Viktor and I have had since.....ever. I calculated that this will be my 9th move in the last 6 years. Good grief it feels good to know this one will stick for a while. Viktor had been keeping his eye on the market out here and it has definitely been hovering in the buyers favor. When our current landlord "kicked us out" we started eyeing potential buys and setting up multiple meetings with realtors. At that point a friend called and mentioned a rental apartment that could work for us. So we abandoned the hunt for a buy and decided to take our friend's offer...even though that meant another temporary living situation. In Viktor's usual style, he forgot to cancel one of the realtor meetings and ended up going just out of courtesy, not to stand the guy up. Turns out, that apartment was our future home. We both loved it and financially it was an incredible deal. We thought about it for a couple of weeks and decided to place a bid. And it was accepted(!)....even though it was SIGNIFICANTLY cheaper than the asking price. So....yeah....we move in in a couple of weeks! Till then we are staying at the home of one of Viktor's co-workers who happens to be on holiday for the next 3 weeks. Crazy how things always work out:)
Boo, where we gonna live?
Bad grammar, I know, but it's a question that I have had to ask Viktor for the last couple of weeks. As I mentioned a few blogs ago, on November 1st our landlord gave us the pleasant news that we have to move out....by December 1st. Near impossible, and annoying since I JUST finished unpacking everything. But okay, I like adventure and a challenge, let's pursue our options and see how our great God steps into this chaos, like He always will, and provide again, like He always does. Well, come Friday, 6 days from now, we are moving out. Where? There remains the question mark. Fun huh! It looks like we may be staying with a friend for a while, until we figure things out. A good chance to save some money, but that's 3 people living in space less than 500 square feet. There is a chance that we could buy an apartment, which financially would work out okay, according to the bank. But even so, it would be months before we could move in. So if we cross your minds, some prayer would be appreciated. Viktor and I are doing fine. We are ever thankful for our blessings and for good friends who are willing to take care of us. But it sure would be nice to settle into a home. I am starting to feel like a gypsy.
They should rename the class "Suicide"
So due to being new residents in Västerås, we received tons of coupons for free stuff from businesses all over town. One of them being 10 free days at a gym. I went everyday last week and did my normal routine. Looking for a change of pace, I decided to take one of their classes. This morning was a lazy one, so I was ready to burn off some energy. I wanted to jump and slide and step and clap and all that stuff you do in aerobics classes to cheesy pop-songs-gone-techno. So the class BodyPump sounded pretty good to me. I walk in and am slightly baffled by all of the bench press bars, plates, and free weights. What went on for the next hour was shear pain. It was a full on weight-lifting, body-building class. And I am positive was led by Helga from the new American Gladiators. My muscles have never been in such agony. And I am no wimp, especially when it comes to exercise. After 45 minutes, we laid down on our mats for what I was sure was the stretching/cool down phase. Wait....you've got to be kidding me. Pushups. Down and up and down and up. I nearly started crying. We rolled onto our backs for what I now was absolutely SURE was for stretching, but what ended up being an intense ab-crunch routine. I nearly had to crawl out of that room. And the grand finale, I still had a 20 minute bike ride home. Well, what normally takes 20 minutes, this time took 45. I was so pissed off that I stopped by the grocery store and bought the biggest bag of candy I could find. Cheers.
This is for Courtney
I miss....
hiking to waterfalls
watching rednecks nearly blow themselves up with fireworks
eating at mestizos
eating at ted's
watching movies
helping cut signs at mlc
playing dutch blitz
talking about macs
and laughing a lot
....with you
(sorry we are bald in the picture)
