Just Thought I'd Drop a Line

Dear Woman in the car leaving Costco,
I'm fascinated by how a person drives a stick shift car, smokes a cigarette, and talks on her cell phone all at once. Talk about multi-tasking...you were quite a sight.

Sincerely,
Me




Dear Woman Weeding Her Yard,
You were a lovely lady but if you are going to wear very short orange shorts and bend over in them to weed, you might want to consider a change in outfit. It was a little alarming to look up and see so much of you.

Sincerely,
Me



Dear Me,
How is it that you finish every day with so much stuff all over your clothes? Really, it is alarming. You might consider a big bib. Just a thought.

Sincerely,
Me

A Viking Report by Jacob

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My Own Little Singing Bush

Those of you who know my daughter know that she likes to sing and talk to herself. It is a gift...she can do it for hours...as evidenced on the 9 hours bus ride we took last Sunday where she sang for 7.5 of the hours and slept for the other 1.5. Now she has done this for years...we call it "going to her happy place". She is a complete, compact self-entertaining unit and our ears have learned to tune it in or out as we need. But put her in a car with someone new, and you come to appreciate it all over again. My mother found the perfect description for her and we have lovingly embraced it...she is a singing bush.

Exhibit A: The Singing Bush

OK, and since we are already here, please enjoy one of my favorite movie clips of all time.

Lip balm?

European Adventure, Part 2

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Eurpean Adventure, Part 1

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An Ash Plume

OK...let's take a closer look at what is really causing all the stink in Europe.

Under the right conditions, most people would look at this amazing image and stand in awe at how small humanity really is next to Mother Nature's awesome power and splendor.

If you are at your parent's house in Stockholm, Sweden with a magnificent temple in the front yard, Marabou chocolate and meatballs in the pantry, a washer and dryer, soft beds with dynes, a clean bathroom, and your favorite Mo and Papa, then this is spectacular.

If you are being bled to death financially in a hotel, wearing dirty clothes, sleeping on a cot in Amsterdam, eating another 10 dollar hamburger at McDonalds, and using public restrooms that you have to pay for, then this is a nightmare. 

My heart and soul aches for those people who are suffering in any way because of this event. I spent several days paniking about how quickly we could be in trouble financially if we had to continue to pay for a hotel that raised its rates 50% the night after the volcano erupted or how I would be handling it if our family were stranded at an airport with no where to sleep and absolutely no information and/or options.

I have thought several times about how this event would have affected me if I were at home as an observer versus being on this side of the world trying to find a way. 

We have been so incredibly blessed. I have had the thought several times that really in life we aren't always going to get what we want but we sure are lucky to get exactly what we need...whether that be physical, emotional, spiritual, mental...it all applies.

We were in Copenhagen when the Icelandic volcano erupted. The plan was to leave Copenhagen on Saturday, fly to Amsterdam then to Minneapolis and on to Utah. In a moment, not only did all that change, but we had no idea how it was going to play out. Our flight was cancelled because the airport was closed but our airlines did not contact us and they could not be reached. We were staying in a hotel that raised its prices 50% after the volcano erupted...but we realized we were lucky to be able to have a place to stay. The hotel did not have a single public phone to be found...not even phones in the rooms...and all we had were our American cell phones with outrageous international rates. Staying on the phone for 2 hours to talk to an airline representative would have cost us our children's meager college funds. Luckily, my husband had his laptop.

We ate lots of McDonalds cheeseburgers. We finished off a jar of Nutella. We ate lots of oranges and pears and bread. But we were lucky that we had food and weren't hungry. We spent 2 days at the National Museum in Copenhagen because it was free and had oodles of cool stuff to look at and play with. And we tried to figure out what to do.

We wanted to come back to Stockholm but we didn't know if that was going to create problems with our original flight itinerary...we kept checking the trains and buses and they were selling out fast. Finally, we decided we needed to be with my parents...not only financially, but emotionally. We were in the center of Copenhagen and we had no idea how long this was going to last. Saturday night we got online and found the only bus/train left out of Copenhagen for the next few days...we booked it.

Sunday morning we climbed on a bus and braced ourselves for a 9 hour bus trip to Stockholm. Now remember...we have been in Scandinavia for 17 days with a 9, 7, and 5 year old. They have been on trains, ferries, buses, rental vans, and cars. They have been dragged all over for days at a time on foot. They have been to different hotels in different cities and watched lots of German cartoons. We felt like we had pushed them pretty far and hard. But we climbed on that bus and never in my life have I felt the prayers of others so vividly. I knew people who loved us and were concerned about us were praying that we would be safe. I could feel that. I felt peaceful and calm. My 3 children sat on that bus without one incident. They sat quietly and calmly and were happy without anything more than a couple of activity books, some blank paper and a bag of Littlest Pet Shop figures. And as the bus pulled into Stockholm, Chris and I looked at each other and marvelled at how blessed we had been. We found a way back to Stockholm.The bus ride literally went by in the blink of an eye...I don't know how to describe it...time wasn't time. It went by so quickly and we were in awe at how powerfully we felt the blessings of the Lord. And waiting at the bus stop was my father who loaded us into a car and drove us back to their beautiful home in Stockholm. I just feel so grateful.

Thank you for your prayers. Thank you for the tangible love and support and encouragement we have felt. While this experience has not been one where we were in any danger or life-threatening situation, we did feel very concerned about the financial implications and how our children would handle not only the stress of the last 17 days, but also the stress of having a volcano erupt and what that meant for getting home safely.

I am so grateful to my parents. I am so grateful that they helped us find a way back. I am so grateful that they didn't blink an eye at welcoming 5 people back into their home and lives. I am beyond grateful for this extra time with them. When I said good-bye to them in Roskilde, I stood and sobbed in my husband's arms. It was so hard to see them go. This is a gift...

And so I'm re-learning that I am not in control. I will continue to make plans and set goals and try to be prepared but I will also remember that ultimately, I'm not in control and I'm grateful because over and over I get exactly what I need...and it is so much better than always getting what I think I want. I'm learning it is OK to let go of the control and learn to relax and savor the journey.

I think the volcano is magnificent. The chocolate is so delicious. And tonight I sat in my parent's living room in Stockholm with the sun setting through the window and listened to my 3 children give a Family Home Evening lesson about the temple that took my breath away.

What a journey!

Letter to the Queen

Dear Queen of Denmark,
I was at your castle today. It was lovely...although we were so disappointed to learn you were gone for the day. We understand you have royal duties but we were so hoping to pop in for a chat and maybe an orange Fanta. We had a couple of things we needed to discuss with you. First of all, we toured the Crown Prince's new digs...I don't know what to say. Maybe Denmark needs to throw a little more money and training at their interior design programs. Modern, funky art with gold trim and pink paint just doesn't match. I don't mean to be petty but really...not only did the paints colors not match but the styles were a terrible mix. If you'd like some suggestions, let me know. A simple trip to Ikea might have solved lots of problems.

Second, this is the 2nd time I have been to the Little Mermaid statue and both times I have spent an extraordinary amount of time trying to find a bus to take me and my sore little feet back to my hotel. Could I just recommend a bus stop right next to the statue? I don't mean to be demanding but seriously...how much can an out-of-shape American tourist be expected to endure?

Well, and since we're on the topic...I brought my children all the way from America for a "once in a lifetime experience" only to discover that the one old thing they were excited to see (The Little Mermaid statue) is spending some time at the World Expo in China. It was a little disconcerting. When we stopped to ask a lady where the statue was, she said it was gone but there was a little pile of rocks with a lady sitting on them making her husband take her picture. We opted out.

Other than that, we have had a lovely time. We walked all the way up Stroget with the Rick Steve's travel book in our hands. Rick Steve's does a fabulous job but he does have occasional funky taste in what to veer off the beaten path to see. Don't get me wrong...the escalators at the Kongen's Nytorv metro stop were fascinating to my children...they do love a good, long escalator ride...but I don't know if I'd go out of my way next time. Actually, my 7-year old was mortified and called me crazy when we were done. He REALLY didn't get it.

We walked up to the top of the Round Tower, saw the amazing original Christus statue and the magnificent marble sculptures of the 12 apostles, saw Nyhavn, ate ice-cream that tasted just like frozen cream on a homemade waffle cone, bought some shirts at H&M, watched a creepy street performer, had hot dogs from a cart, chased pigeons, took our picture on Hans Christian Andersen's knee, peered through the fence at Tivioli, and walked so long and far that we literally made my 9-year old cry...really. Which brings us full circle back to the bus issue...if only there had been a bus by that lonely pile of rocks by the sea. But now I'm just being a nag...

Your city is so beautiful. We have thoroughly enjoyed our day. Any chance the danish government would be willing to spring for some Dr. Scholl's air gels?

Love,
Amy

Back to the Motherland...Day Something

I really have lost count. It has been SUCH a wonderful trip...truly amazing. I have seen things, done things, and felt things that have truly changed me. I've returned to the area of Sweden where my ancestors first heard and embraced the gospel. I've seen some of the places where they lived, worked, suffered, rejoiced, and worshipped. I saw the grave where my great great grandfather is buried. I saw the lake where my great grandmother walked when she needed peace and to feel the love and strength of her Heavenly Father. My children swung on a tire swing outside of the home where my great grandfather was raised. It has reached down deep inside me and touched my heart and soul. Changed me...I am so grateful.

I got to see my best friend from my Swedish childhood. She looked the same...same beautiful face, same smile! And she still felt very much like my friend. It was a wonderful, beautiful evening. Thank you Anja and Michael!

We travelled to Gothenburg, Sweden where I lived for 3 years as a child. I saw the house and forest and rocks that are so much a part of me. I stood on a hill and looked out over a city and a ferris wheel that I haven't seen in 31 years...and it felt like home. We hiked and climbed all over that amazing Swedish forest...we played in the water and saw a fortress and scaled rocks and looked at moss and ferns and huge trees and basked in the rare sunlight after a long Swedish winter. I walked down a set of stairs that used to take me to my best friend's house and my piano lessons and where the bush is that I used to hide behind when the BIG SWEDISH BOYS were around.

I saw the rocks where my boot got stuck and Chip was a hero and went out in the snowstorm against the BIG SWEDISH BOYS and rescued it. I saw the window where my mom and I watched him go and I thought he was the bravest brother in the world. I saw the blueberry bushes where we used to go out and pick blueberries for pancakes. It all felt so familiar.

The places we live are a part of us. The homes, the furniture, the things outside our front door...they all combine to create memories and nostalgia that are important. This was an amazing place to spend part of a childhood. It has always been magical in my mind and I have to admit that I was a little bit nervous about returning and finding that it wasn't what I had remembered. But it was...it was! How often does that happen in life. Not only was it just as magical as I remembered, but now my children can look back at a tiny moment in their childhoods and remember the same magic! To have common memories is powerful for parents and children...and to share some of that beautiful childhood with their childhood is a precious gift I will cherish.

I attended a stake conference in Gothenburg where I heard my parents deliver beautiful, touching messages in Swedish. I cried because I was so proud of them. Proud of their abilities, faith, talents, testimonies...and after the meeting I saw faces that I haven't seen in 38 years that were familiar and lovely to me. I recognized them and we hugged and stared at each other and marvelled that so much time has gone by. It was holy ground.

I returned to the school I attended for the first 3 years of my school life...The English Junior School. The physical facilities have not changed one bit. I took a picture in the stair well where I used to hide when the missionaries were late picking me up from school and the BIG SWEDISH BOYS came out of their school. I took a picture in front of the cafeteria where they would serve blood pudding every Friday. I remembered the teachers and friends and how much I loved learning to read. And then we all...my parents, my children, and my husband and I...all played on the playground for a long time because it was a beautiful day and it just felt like the right way to remember this amazing time in my life.

We went downtown and I showed my family the big Poseidan statue in the center of town and my children couldn't focus on anything except the fact that his buttocks were uneven.

We went to the island of Marstrand and had an amazing day!

We went and climbed a huge, old fortress that amazed me.

Today we drove to Helsingborg in Sweden and drove our car onto a ferry. We went to the top deck and watched Sweden at our backs and Denmark at our fronts. We drove off the ferry into Denmark and headed for Fredericksborg Castle. We got lost and had to stop to ask for directions...I got out of the car and stopped an older woman. She understood me and I understood her and when I went back to the car I actually cried because I love speaking Danish. I love Denmark and the people. This place takes up a large place in my heart. The day was WARM and the sun brilliant. We played on the beach, drove along the coast, and I showed them the first area I served in my mission. I told mission stories ALL day long...it has to have been exhausting for every person I stuck in a car with me today. But they were a wonderful audience and made the day very special for me. I love this country. I love that I was a missionary here. I leaned down to Hannah today and said, Sweet daugher, if you remember nothing else about today, I want you to remember this. Your mother loved being a missionary for Jesus Christ. And she loves this country.

Tonight we went to a restaurant with delicious beef and ice cream and had our Last Supper with my parents. They will leave tomorrow afternoon to return to Sweden and we will spend our last few days here in Copenhagen. I can't imagine saying good bye. I don't have to think about it until tomorrow.

So here I sit in the lobby of a very sleek and modern hotel in Copenhagen. It is very late and I am so tired. Hannah has had bad bowel movements today...we have gone through several pairs of underwear and then Pull Ups. She is doing so much better tonight. Matthew has had a terrible earache...we are keeping him liquored up on Tylenol and ibuprofen and he is doing good. We haven't done a load of laundry since last Thursday and you can tell. We look speckled and are starting to smell a little fragrant. I am ready to come home...my love and appreciation for my home and space in the now of my life means so much. I miss my sister and her husband and my brother and his family. I miss our home and my pillows. I can't wait to see the daffodills in our front yard. I feel so grateful that I love my current home and life as much as I have loved and appreciated all the other homes and places.

We have a few more days in Copenhagen. I plan on eating pastry and ice cream until I can't walk anymore and then I will come home and eat nothing but green vegetables for the rest of the year.

I am grateful. I feel so blessed to have been given a life filled with such fabulous family, friends, homes, experiences, cultures, languages, opportunities and magnificent beauty. I am grateful beyond words for a husband who has endured so many days of childhood and mission stories. I am so grateful for my children who have been AMAZING! The are perfect travellers and have truly thrown themselves into every experience. They walk long, long distances, look at lots of old things, eat random things at very random times, and throw themselves into every experience with gusto and enthusiasm.

I haven't had chocolate in at least 2 hours...must go find chocolate.

P.S. We have taken over 700 pictures with our digital camera. What do I do with that? Seriously...ideas?

Back to the Motherland...Day 5&6

So begins the "touristy" part of our adventure...sans pictures. They are coming.

When we arrived in Stockholm, we purchased a fabulous card called the "Stockholm Card". This little piece of plastic can be purchased for 1, 2 or 3 days and allows you all the rides on the bus, train, and subway as your heart desires as well as entrance to over 75 attractions. It has been great! We woke up Monday morning to a snow storm...but we refused to be intimidated so we bundled up, put on our snow boots, and set out with our new umbrellas. At the end of the day when we asked the kids what their favorite part was, they replied "riding the train and subway". We came thousands of miles so they could happily play in puddles and mud and ride public transit. Anyway...

We took the train into Stockholm and took a charming walk through the city down to the Nordiska Museum. I love wandering through cities...I love the sights, sounds, smells and people watching. While I love seeing the highlights, I'm also content just walking around and being lost. I really did love the walk...it is such an amazing, beautiful city. Stockholm is comprised of lots of islands...it is sometimes called the Venice of the north. There are stone bridges and exquisite parks and buildings in charming colors...cobblestone streets and amazing shop windows and every day life that is so unordinary for me. (The best part has to be that there is not a Wal-Mart to be seen!)

We spent a delightful hour at the Nordiska museum...Mo and Papa took the kids to a fabulous "hands-on" play area and Chris and I had an hour to ourselves to walk through the museum. Swedes do fabulous museums...every single one has been been incredible. They really try and cater to all ages...children through adults...so there is always lots to see and do and touch. And I love how many families we have seen! The Nordiska museum focuses on Swedish culture...everything from toys to clothes to homes to textiles to folk art. I thought it was fascinating. The best find was the dollhouse I had when I was younger and living in Sweden. It was my EXACT dollhouse with all the furniture and accessories!

After the first museum, we wandered over to a polse vogn (hot dog wagon) for amazing concotions of hot dogs. Some had the plain polse, some had it with ketchup & mustard, some had a polse in a piece of french bread with cheese but Mo and I opted for the polse with 2 scoops of mashed potatoes, ketchup & mustard rolled in flat pita bread. I'm not kidding. My hips are not kidding. My taste buds think we have hit gold!

After our polsers, we went to the Vasa Museum. Words cannot describe how incredible this museum is. The Vasa was an ENORMOUS Swedish war ship built in 1628 that was intended to send a message to the world about how fierce and domineering the Swedish Navy was. Instead, it sailed out into the harbor on its maiden voyage and sank.  No one could get it off the bottom of the ocean until the late 1950's when they finally had the technology to haul this huge ship up. It is unbelievable. I truly could have stayed at that museum all day long marvelling at this boat and its history. We only had about 90 minutes and it wasn't long enough. Downstairs they have skeletons from some of the men/women who lost their lives in the ship wreck. The details they are able to put together from these bones is astounding. Besides the ship, it was my favorite part.

After the Vasa, we started making our way home. The kids are doing so fantastic! They are walking their little hearts out without very much complaining or whining. I am so proud of them! We came home to eat dinner and massage our tired feet. Later that night, Mo and I wandered out to the local grocery store to "gather some information". (Mo's term for window shopping and a teeny bit of splurging!) They have a great store here that is HUGE and is a little bit like Target...Mo bought a beautiful, spring cake plate and I bought a new sweater...and we got groceries. It was a fabulous day.

Today there was no snow and lots of sun! When the sun comes out in Sweden, people head outside. All over Stockholm there were people sitting on park benches with their eyes closed and their faces turned toward the sun. When you have endured a Swedish winter, you don't waste a moment of sun!

Today we spent the day at a huge outdoor park called Skansen and at the most fun children's museum I have ever laid eyes on called Junibacken. Skansen is an enormous outdoor park that is similar to the Pioneer Park in Salt Lake City...although much larger and more extensive. You wander around the park that has homes and businesses from different eras of Swedish history. We watched them blow glass, ate pastry from the old-fashioned bakery, the kids rode ponies through the Swedish forest, and I had the opportunity to see an actual home from the time period and area of Sweden that my great-grandparents are from. It was so humbling! They were bond laborers on a Swedish manor. Essentially they were given one very small, drafty room in a 2 room house that they shared with another family. They were expected to work on the estate doing anything and everything and they were paid very minimally. It was a cruel type of slavery...they were never given enough money to save and have any hope of being able to afford their own land or home. The lord of the manor determined year to year who stayed and who went...if you were turned out, you had nothing. It was unbelievable to see first hand the life of my ancestors.

The park also had a little zoo and the kids were enthralled with a wolverine, moose, reindeer, and seals. We tried to find the gray wolf in his habitat but all we were able to find was the basket with remnants of raw meat from whoever fed him his lunch. I even took a picture...please...it seemed so primitive!

The best moment at Skansen had to have been when I took Hannah to the bathroom. I walked in, chose a stall and we did our thing. As we came out to wash our hands, I started looking around. I noticed a row of urinals down one wall but there were lots of children...both boys and girls. Then I started looking at the faces of the adults...I grabbed Hannah's hand and yanked her out the door...we were in the men's bathroom. Guess I missed the little picture of the man with pants on the door. When the 5 year old says she has to go, you just go. I've become an expert on Swedish bathrooms now.

Junibacken, the kid's museum, was the most unbelieveable place I've ever been. I don't even know how to describe it. Every type of house/treehouse/shop/etc. that a child could imagine playing in. We rode a story train that took us up and down and all around as we looked at scenes and listened to stories written by the famous Swedish author Astrid Lindgren. We played on Pippi Longstocking's horse and in her house and played dress up with her crazy clothes. We played in a giant cupcake maze and drove a pirate ship and had tea in a lovely parlor. It was a child's dream come true! The kids ran and played and had a splendid time!!!

It has been such a fun day! There is so much to do and see and experience. We haven't had any meltdowns or tantrums but I will say the kids sleep good at night. We are enjoying our movie parties at night in Mo and Papa's little TV room (Finding Nemo, Princess & the Frog) and tonight Mo and I made pendants.

Stay tuned...we have one day left on our Stockholm card!

Back To The Motherland...Day 3 & 4

It might be time to start being more brief. And while I realize the pictures are FAR more interesting than the lengthy narrative, the pictures may have to be added later. It takes too long to download them...slow connection...so put on your happy imagination caps and hold on tight...

Saturday morning, Chris woke up early and went to the temple to do an endowment session. I kissed him good-bye and then woke up a second later when he came back into the room.

Did you forget something...I asked sweetly
Uh...no.
Are you not going...I questioned.
Amy, it is 11:10 a.m....I have been gone for almost 4 hours.

Yes. Jet lag can make you sleep and sleep and sleep...even the kids were still sound asleep. The miracles of Melatonin cannot be overemphasized.

I jumped up and got ready so I could head over and do the last endowment session which started at 12 p.m. What an experience! I was dressed in white, sitting in an exquisitely beautiful endowment room next to my mother, across from my father, listening to the session in danish, sitting next to a danish girl who was visiting her in laws, in the beautiful temple in Sweden!!!! As my mom and I sat in the celestial room together at the end, we both commented on how absolutely amazing this experience was. Who would have ever, ever, ever thought we would be doing this? Life has a way of being more glorious and amazing than you could ever dream or plan...when the Lord is in charge. There are the hard moments and the trials and disappointments but they serve to make us stronger and better able to to taste the sweetness of these precious experiences. The feeble plans I thought I had for my life have been NOTHING compared to the places and people and opportunities the Lord has provided. The temple was so sweet. Meeting the wonderful people my parents work with was such a blessing. They work with such amazing, humble people who have a strong Spirit that radiates from their very beings. What choice people! The Spirit was so strong and it is a memory I will forever cherish.

My mom gave me a tour of the temple...it is such a beautiful place. It feels so Scandinavian and radiates the warmth, simplicity, and beauty of this country and its people. My parents have such a deep love for the work they are doing and consider it such a privilege and a blessing to have the opportunity to be here and work beside those that serve in this temple. There is no end to their energy and enthusiasm and gratitude...what an example and legacy they are leaving for their children and grandchildren. I am so grateful to belong to them.


The rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing and exploring the area. We visited the local bakery and stocked up on enough cake and pastries to get us through the weekend. We had to make a plan...we are going to start at one end of the counter and each day, work our way down. The kids drooled from the moment we walked in until we dragged them back out. I have never beheld such a divine display of food. We went and peered through the window to see mom's bike "Dotty"...so cute. We had a delicious dinner and then watched the first session of conference on their TV here at the house. Lovely day!

Sunday was Easter...the kids woke up, ate breakfast and then got to go on a little Easter egg hunt around the house. I love Easter in Sweden. Houses and businesses are decorated with tree branches covered in beautifully colored feathers. They have great big giant paper Easter eggs that they set around the house and it just looks so fresh and spring like...especially after a long, dark winter. The Easter bunny did double duty this year...Chris and I had brought some small Webkinz animals for them but the Swedish easter bunny brought great big chocolate bunnies and huge plastic eggs full of candy! We're coming to Sweden from now on! Papa and Chris walked across the street to the church and attended Priesthood session while the girls and kids hung out at home. Mo fixed an exquisite meal of ham, lemony potato salad and creamed peas...scrumptious...every bite! We all attended the Saturday afternoon session of conference over at the church...HB fell sound asleep and Mo sacrificed her seat in the cultural hall to take her home and put her down for a nap!

The night before, the kids and I had helped make bunnies out of washcloths for the American couples serving in the temple here. Apparently there is not a washcloth to be found in this country and a couple of them were longing for a good facial scrub...so I had brought a couple of packs of washcloths and we decked them out for Easter. We tied bows, stuck candy in the back, and the kids made really cute paper Easter egg cards. After our afternoon conference session, Matthew played a rousing game of chess with Papa while the rest of us went across the street to the guest house and delivered our little goodies. It was so fun...

We came back to the house and Chris and I took the kids on a special "spiritual" easter hunt outside in front of the temple where we searched for different items in nature that represented different aspects of Christ's atonement and resurrection. At the end, we gave them each a small Book of Mormon and a pack of those "picture" stickers to mark different verses. This kept them busy through about 10 minutes of the next session of conference...

I feel asleep early. It has been such a fantastic experience being here. The air outside is so clean...the water is so clean and tastes so good. The people have been so friendly and helpful. The snow flowers look gorgeous poking their little heads out of the snow. I feel so blessed. I love it here...I love being with my parents. I love sharing this experience with my children. I love that they get to see one of the places they come from and understand a little of the culture and spirit that runs in their veins. I am so grateful for the opportunity to participate in conference...especially on Easter weekend. I'm so grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ that unites us no matter what corner of the world we call home.

I feel so blessed.

Back to the Motherland, Day 2

We slept.


The children all slept, the adults slept, and when we woke up, all of us felt happy.

We had been given a job to go purchase a Princess Torte (see exhibit A of pure deliciousness…) and some flowers for an amazing Latvian couple that was being sealed that day. We were to have the “party” delivered to the temple annex by 12:00 p.m.

Exhibit A...inside look

                                                           Exhibit A in all its lush glory.
As we walked across the street to the most charming grocery store you have ever laid eyes on, I noticed a woman lying on the sidewalk. She was an elderly lady and looked disoriented and very disheveled. I didn’t look closely but I immediately assumed she must be mentally ill or drunk. I gently started to steer my children around her when I noticed a young mother with 3 children in tow stop their bikes and rush over to this woman. It was then I noticed the blood.

I quickly turned around and rushed back to see if I could help. I was embarrassed and ashamed. How many times have I heard the story of the Good Samaritan? How many times have I wondered what I would have done in that situation? Suddenly I was there and I wasn’t very happy with what I saw about myself. So what if she was drunk or mentally ill? Didn’t she still deserve to be helped up? What would the Savior have done? That made me more ashamed. I will never be that person I was for a moment yesterday…my children will never see me turn away from someone in need again. I will never judge a person by what my physical eyes think they see. I know better.

This poor woman had fallen hard and split open her chin…among other things. This sweet woman who stopped to help started yelling instructions to me. Here is what I understood: “Blah, blah, blah, blah, servieter, blah, blah.” Ha! I understood that word…it meant napkins. I raced off to the Chinese Restaurant on the corner and played charades with the Thai waiter until I got some napkins. I raced back. The blood was still pouring out her mouth and chin…it was all over her hands, coat, bag and sidewalk. The woman helping gave more directions: “Blah, blah, blah, vand, blah, blah, servieter!” Ah…

Water + Napkins=Wet Napkins!

I raced back to the restaurant where the Thai man just watched me in puzzled amazement. I raced back. We managed to help her off the ground and into the Chinese restaurant to wash up. My husband and children and the other woman’s 3 children just stood and then followed in quiet wonder. Jacob said one of the Swedish boys said something to him. When I asked what he did, Jacob shrugged and said, “I just stood there.” I guess he wasn’t sure which of his 2 Swedish words would fit best…Ja (yes) or Tak (thank you). We walked the injured woman over to a bench and sat her down where 2 other older women said they knew her and would make sure she would get home safely. We couldn’t convince her that she needed to go to the doctor for stitches. Every time we suggested it, she insisted that she needed to get to the Post Office to withdraw money. I hope she got home OK. It was such a humbling experience.

After delivering our goods and meeting some of the amazing people my parents work with at the temple, we headed home for some lunch and rest. Poor Jacob had woken up earlier than the rest of us and was starting what I could see was going to be a doozy of a meltdown. He and I laid down and had ourselves a good 2 hour nap! Fabulous, delightful, cozy nap.

A Viking grave in front of the beautiful Stockholm temple!

After our nap, we headed out to explore the area around the temple and my parent’s home. We headed down this bicycle/walking path into one of my favorite things on the whole planet…a Swedish forest. How can I describe it? There are tall, stately trees that reach into the sky. There is moss in the most amazing hues and shades of green clinging to the rocks and tree trunks. Little clumps of snow drop flowers dot the forest floor and giant logs for climbing and walking on criss-cross the landscape. The ground is so moist and mossy that it feels like you are walking on spongy ground. It is so green and silent and smells clean, green, and adventurous. Add to that a Viking burial ground and you have some pretty exciting things to explore. Even in my parent’s front yard are piles of rocks marking ancient Viking burial grounds. Right there. In the front yard. Don’t see much of that in the United States.

We walked this trail and marveled at what we were seeing. It was amazing! My mom met us after her shift at the temple and told us a little about this region. Even when the temple was being built, they had to have an archeologist on site to research any item they came across in their digging. This area has been a farming/fishing region for EONS of time…stone age, bronze age, roman age, etc. And for all those eons and eons of time, this part of the area was used as burial grounds. It was so interesting! I love history…I love all the questions with no answers that allow me to imagine and try to create who the individuals were that lived there and what stories these rocks and trees could tell. Incredible!

Jake and I made a quick trip back to the grocery store for a little item we had seen earlier. I handed him the money and let him buy the delicious chocolate balls filled with cream. Oh divine chocolate balls. I will post pictures but I will not apologize for my multiple chins and large round buttocks. I may be chubby, but heaven help me…I am enjoying every last drop of cream around here. I’ll think about Weight Watchers after the 17th. After a delicious dinner, we all headed upstairs to the “study” to watch “Princess and the Frong”…Mo and Papa’s first viewing.

We are having such a fabulous time! The kids are doing fantastic, we are sleeping and eating chocolate and adoring my parents. Perfectly, perfect.

RANDOM PICTURES:

Matthew & Hannah's favorite toy is the laundry hamper in the basement.

Hannah LOVES the toliet paper with lambs on it. I think she is stashing small amounts of it in her suitcase.

Back to the Motherland, Day 1

I am in Sweden...the land of warm, fluffy dynes...delicious, soul pleasing chocolate...current home of 2 of my very favorite people in all the world. I never thought I would have this opportunity to return to Sweden and Denmark with my husband and 3 children. I never thought I would be able to share this piece of my childhood with my children who just happen to be the same ages I was when I lived here. I arrived in Sweden when I was 5 years old and moved back to the US when I was 8 years old. I was baptized here. I started attending school here. I made my first best friends, attended primary, learned the truth about Santa Claus, taught potatoes how to sing, learned all the words to Abba songs, dressed up as an Easter witch, got to be Santa Lucia, and discovered chocolate in this amazing country. It is such a significant part of my childhood. My first memories are from our time in Sweden. It is part of the fabric of my soul! And here I am...it is a dream.

We left for the motherland last Wednesday. The kids did a FANTASTIC job traveling. Because we ended up on the back row for the first flight, we made an amazing new friend! One of the "jump" seats for the flight attendants literally pulled out of a tiny closet in front of the bathroom. It ended up taking quite a while for us to leave Salt Lake City and in that time, I chatted with Diane...an amazing flight attendant from nothern Mississippi. We talked about children and husbands and family. We talked about dreams and patience and the ebb of time. We talked about having the courage to follow your dreams despite the naysayers or chronicle age of your life. I learned so much from her and that conversation we had on the back row of that plane. AND she fed me and gave me a can of CranApple juice...it was a friendship made in heaven! 

After a long walking tour on the moving walkways of the Minneapolis, MN airport, we boarded the next plane for Amsterdam. We once again dominated the back row of the plane. Luckily, the seats reclined AND had little TV's on the back of each seat. My children were in media paradise. They watched movies and played games in between cat naps, snacks, meals, and drinks. And all they had to do was sit there. Really, kid paradise. Now when I'm trying to get them to be obedient, I'm just going to play my "plane" card. "If you want to go back to paradise where you don't have to clean up and people serve you food and drinks and you watch TV all you want, then you better be obedient!"

Hannah had a little accident on the first plane (thank heavens for leather seats and a little packet of wipies tucked in my backpack) and on the second plane, she blew out 2 pull-ups. (Note to self: A new Hello Kitty water bottle is NOT a good idea for a 5 year old in confined spaces!) We finally put on the last Pull-Up, laid her pants on the back of the seat to dry, and dosed her with a little Melatonin. She ended up curled on the floor in front of our seats with a pillow and velvety blanket. Ah, to be a child again!

There was a woman in front of us from Somalia traveling all alone to Amsterdam and then on to Kenya with her 3 small children (ages 6, 4, and 2!). She was so tired but determined to keep her children awake on the flight. She didn't have any toys or activities to keep them busy and they spoke very little English so the movies and other activities on the TV weren't very appealing. We shared some candy and snacks, crayons and paper, and Hannah entertained the 2 oldest with a bag of Littlest Pet Shop figures. It made me marvel at the strength of women all over the world. I don't know her story or why they were going where they were going. I don't know if she has a husband or where he was. But she amazed me. I really felt grateful for this sisterhood of women around the world...we may come from different places, worship different gods, wear different clothing and have a variety of differences, but I believe we also possess an equal number of similarities. We are mothers and wives, daughters and sisters. We deal with rowdy children and cleaning up messes and making lots of people happy in trying circumstances. We get so tired that we don't think we can do one more thing and then we rally and do lots of things. We go where we need to go, we do what needs to be done, and we have the opportunity to help and strengthen each other along the way. It is what keeps us going! I hope she made it safely to Kenya and had people there who helped take care of her kids and gave her a long nap!

Once we reached Amsterdam, we raced about a mile across the airport (they even had signs telling how far in km and minutes it would take to get to your different gates!) to catch our next flight to Stockholm. I was waiting for the meltdowns that never came! So, so, so proud of my children! When we landed in Stockholm, I have never felt so relieved! And there, waiting right outside, were my parents. I hugged my mom so tight and cried. I didn't expect to be so overcome looking at her beautiful face! And my Papa...oh my Papa! I've missed them so much! I'm afraid they are going to be very tired of me following them around and just sitting and staring at their wonderful faces! 

In an effort to keep the kids awake as long as possible and try to take advantage of the next adrenaline high, we drove to a beautiful little town called Sigtuna with a very big history. 

 The town was founded back in the 10th century and "minted" the first Swedish coin. Its network of streets, church ruins and monastery church date back to the Middle Ages...that was SO long ago!

Sigtuna has more Viking rune stones than any other town in the WORLD! (over 150)

I love that our children have come half way around the world to play with sticks in the snow and puddles. It was their favorite thing!

We walked through a stone church built in the 12/13th centuries and used until the Reformation.

  The amazing Church of Maria is the oldest brick building in the valley and dates back to 1247.  Stora Gatan is the main street in the town and the oldest street in Sweden. The present network of streets and sites is based on the original city plan of 980. This stuff is OLD...and very, very cool. It is hard to wrap my "young" American mind around the long history of this country and contemplate the people and events that have occurred through the centuries. It is so awe-inspiring to me!

The town hall is the smallest town hall in Scandinavia and dates back to the 18th century.

We finished our fabulous tour with real Swedish polse (hot dogs) and Mer at a little cafe in town. As everyone headed back to the car, I walked a couple extra blocks by myself and tried to take it all in. I love this country and its culture. I love its red and white homes and tiny shopping streets. I love the mothers and children in their fun rubber boots running errands. I love the girls dressed in their witch costumes and delivering goods in a basket to their neighbors and receiving candy. I love it. Love, love, love it!

We left and drove back to my parent's beautiful, charming, amazing home! It is so wonderful...

And a basket of Swedish goodies that have been delicious and amazing!

When I come here, I feel like I am coming home. I love the toilets that you pull the knob on the top to flush, the door handles that push down, the ground in the forest that make you feel like you are walking on clouds, the smells, the cobblestone streets, the feel of the air as I breathe, the moss on the rocks and trees that make it feel like you are in a fairy tale, the bike stop lights, the Viking graves sprinkled throughout the neighborhoods and the language that is a song in my heart. I love it. I feel like I’ve walked around with a silly, silly smile on my face since I arrived here. And every time I’ve opened my mouth, I’ve been surprised that I don’t just speak fluent Swedish.

It is really, truly a dream come true!

Stayin' Alive...Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Stayin' ALLLLLLLLLIVE!

It is March. Here is what we have been doing...

1)First, Clyde (Matthew's school pet) came to visit. It was lovely to see him...he visits so seldom.

He is such a smart, sweet, sassy little lizard. We're just so grateful Matthew is making good friends at school.

2)  Jake's Birthday Party...3 weeks late.

I have to admit I was kind of hoping he would just forget about that birthday party he wanted...because that was so realistic...lots of 9 year olds forget that they want to have a Harry Potter birthday party. Chris made the invitations and Jacob labelled all the envelopes with the "Cupboard Under the Stairs" address. They were very clever and visually delightful!

The happy birthday boy!

The party guests.

Golden snitch cupcakes...courtesy of our master cake maker Chris!

We made wands and played a rousing game of quidditch and dementor tag, made potions to drink, ate golden snitch cupcakes, and had a fabulous (and exhausting) time! Nine year old boys have lots of energy...

3) The Scorpion King

I got home one day from the gym and received a frantic call from Emma Jo telling me that Abigail Jean was trying to find her family because sweet Cubby was in the hospital due to Lucifer, the evil scorpion. Hannah and I threw some stuff in a bag, ran to the school to say good bye to the boys, and raced as quickly as we could to Vegas. We found one very sick but brave little boy, one very worried but grateful pregnant lady, a doting father, and a darling, darling Boo. We scoured for evil scorpions, moved the kid's beds upstairs, vacuumed and Clorox wiped, and ate lots of Cafe Rio and Thin Mint ice-cream. For the entire harrowing account and a picture of the world's most wicked scorpion, click here.

 The Brave Knight and the Scorpion King

This is one of my favorite people making me banana pancakes while wearing a diaper on her head...or you could say she remembered to take her good manners out of the underwear drawer.

The natural lighting in that kitchen in the morning is unreal!

Sweet cousins. Everyone needs a little girl cousin to love and adore...

and a boy cousin to share all his cool toys with you.

4) Lots of time in the car. School, Scouts, track club, play practice, preschool, Young Women's, elder's quorum, volunteering at the school, etc. I happened to have my camera in the car one day...here is what I see in my rear view mirror every day. LOVE these faces!

5) Catching Tricky Leprachauns

My children are absolutely obsessed with holidays...any holiday. Hannah has a calendar hanging in her room. Every day she gets out of bed and marks the day off. A few days ago she woke me up to ask me if we had any "Ash Wednesday" decorations. She wanted to know what we were going to do for Ash Wednesday!? So if Ash Wednesday is a day worth celebrating, you can imagine what St. Patrick's Day is like. The children start a week ahead of time by getting shoe boxes and building leprachaun traps. There is lots of tape, string, green, and dollhouse furniture. But they very carefully set them by the front door on St. Patty's Eve...

and even though they have never actually "caught" a leprachaun, they usually get a taunting note and a treat from them. I know some people really love their kids and mess up the kitchen but I don't love my kids that much. I don't need to pretend that naughty little men have snuck in my house at night and made a mess. I get too much of that during the day!

But they did get cool green sunglasses this year...

6) Enjoying amazing spring weather.

7)  And last, but certainly not least, the debut of the fabulous play "The Hysterical History of the Trojan War" where Jacob did a fabulous job as Percalus (Achille's best friend and cousin). He fought in the Trojan War and even took an arrow for Achilles...he had a very dramatic death scene and then played a fantastic corpse. We could not be more proud.

I loved the blow up plastic swords.

Fighting the Trojans...we were rooting for the Spartans of course.

Action shot...the death scene...taking one for the team.

My absolute favorite part of the play was the presentation of the horse to the Trojans with the Kindergarteners/1st graders crouched on the cart. This is first rate entertainment folks!

8) And Hannah and I enjoyed a fabulous day at the Aquarium with a darling new friend.

Running away from the hammerhead shark that is about to attack her!

9) We are now getting ready for the big trip to the Motherland. 9 days and counting!