Here we go again...

Less than 2 weeks left until closing. Started packing today. Not looking forward to living with moving boxes all over our house for the next 2 weeks. I know it will be all worth it in the end, but I really wish we could just get it over with and start our life again. It's been on hold for the last year and a half. Not saying we haven't been living. We have. We really have done and seen a lot. Made lots of progress in our lives. But it has also been cluttered with things we have to do, to get to where we will be in 2 weeks. I don't like complaining, but man, moving sucks!!!!

Familiar playdate

There must be something that draws me to Americans. Some kind of fascination. Something.

So when Chris had run into an American girl with 3 kids at a nearby playground and exchanged email addresses, I was all over getting to meet them. Due to "life", it still took a few months, but finally today we had our first play date. There was something familiar about it. Made me miss my friends in AR. At the same time, it made me feel fortunate to be able to add to my group of international friends. I hope we will have many more play dates in the future.

The Alchemist

One of my all time favorite books is the Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. It's a sweet story with an intriguing message. I am not very religious, but I think it is comforting to think that there is a greater meaning. The language of the World — That if you stop and look and listen, you will see signs and if you look within your self perhaps you can read those signs, to help guide your way, to realize your destiny.

One of the messages in the book is delivered by the old King, whom Santiago meets early in the story:
"The soul of the world is nourished by people's happiness."
"To realize one's destiny is a person's only real obligation. All things are one. And when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you achieve it."

I feel like this has been the case for us every time we have moved. When Chris first moved to Sweden to be with me. When we moved to the US. When we moved back to Sweden. I am not saying that it has been easy any of the times, but somehow things have worked out like pieces that fit perfectly together and complete the big puzzle. At first, every move have seemed overwhelmingly big. Like a huge rock wall, impossible to climb over. But then little by little, a path has been made and somehow, we've ended up standing on top of the world. Amazed!

Friends all around the world

Some of my best friends live in Arkansas, Canada, India, Germany, Denmark, Washington and Sweden. I love having friends all around the world!!! But it also means that I miss my friends all the time!

Swimming in the ocean in September

While in Halmstad on September 20th, William and I took a dip in the ocean. It was surprisingly warm. I would guesstimate the water temperature was close to 20 degrees Celsius.

 

Hello darling!

Where have you been? It's been way too long! Cleaned and about to take this baby for a test drive after 8 years in storage.

From the bottom of the sea

This weekend we picked up our stuff that we had stored at a relative's house since we moved to the US in 2005. It was a handmade book case (from my dad's side of the family), a chest that my grandpa (morfar) made, my grandma's (mormor) make-up table, macramé shelves Chris's dad made, a mosaic coffee table, my sewing machine, 3 rugs my grandma (farmor) have made and 4 boxes. The chest was filled with kitchenware that I didn't even remember we kept and I don't know what is in the boxes. Since everything is already neatly packed, I don't want to unpack until we move in to our new house in less than 2 months. Plus we don't have room for the stuff in our current house. I don't know if I will be able to wait that long though... I might just have to take a peek.