hello to all of my loyal followers! i apologize. i am sorry that i have not been so great at blogging (petrus has been "nagging" me to update this for awhile). since the last time i posted a blog, i feel like a lot has happened. i promise to catch you all up my life, it just may take a few postings to let you in on all of the details. for now, i will give you a list of happenings from the last two months.
1. petrus and i went on a little, week-long road trip from karlstad to lysekil to gothenburg to vimmerby to malmö and back then to karlstad. i have several photos to share. i feel as if this is a posting worth it's own post!
2. petrus turned 30!
3. we had three lovely visitors from kansas here (in sweden) for 6 wonderful, cold, fun days.
4. i, FINALLY, started my swedish language course here in karlstad. let's just say this: swedish isn't easy and it is, in fact, exhausting to learn. on the bright side, it is really nice to have a reason to get out of the house and go to town, especially now that spring has finally sprung. the first four weeks was only an introduction class and fortunately for me, i found it repetitive and a little boring. last week the teacher broke the class up into two groups for the next part of the course: a slower advanced class and a quicker advanced class. i was put into the quicker class which i am really happy about BUT i will be missing 3.5 weeks of the class in may.. fingers crossed i can keep up!
5. i went to norway with petrus' band, Lyy! it was a very short trip and i didn't take any photos of norway itself, just of Lyy, and they were fantastic! emma, the singer, wasn't feeling well so our friend lovisa stood in for her in the show. i only took pictures of the band, that is how short the trip was. less than 24 hours, but i got to meet one of petrus' best friends after the concert and i really look forward to going back for a real visit to oslo. the trip was followed by a fun weekend with the band (almost the whole band. emma, i hope you are feeling better!) staying at our place in karlstad. they rehearsed for a couple of days during the days in town but i really enjoyed having them here in the evenings. coooommmmeeeeee back!
6. i had a anxiety attack trying to plan tiny details for the wedding. it is only 38 days from today and everything caught up with me. i am tired, stressed and stupid emotional. i am glad it is happening now and hoping it will work itself out of my life before the big day. luckily, i think we were able to get most of the details taken care. only a few things left to do (which helps the stress levels)!! next on my list is to start sleeping better at night...(which will help with my emotions. girlfriend needs her sleep)
7. i signed up for a 5k with my dear friend for may 17th. it's called the rave run (boom-chic boom-chic boom-chic!). which means i have to start running, like yesterday i should have started. i am hoping the fact that i have been walking more and riding my bike occasionally will make this a little easier. also, the fact that IS beautiful and warmer outside should motivate me to start moving. i am actually pretty excited for the run which i think is a good sign!
8. for those not aware, i am back "home" in the states in 20 days!! my flight leaves gothenburg bright and early may 7th and i am in kc before 8pm on the same day. WOOOOOHOOOOO!!!
i do have several things to look forward to still before i leave. this weekend is our last full weekend in karlstad before the wedding. next weekend, we are going to gothenburg and i get a girls night! i am pretty excited for this as i haven't had a girls night in....6 months? i mean, i love petrus and spending time with him, now more than ever since we are both occupied during the days, but girls nights are needed.
the weekend before i leave, we plan to go to stockholm to see the band fun! i haven't been to a concert where the primary language of the artist is english since i lived in the states. if you know me, you know i love concerts. and while i have really enjoyed all the shows we have seen in sweden, this is a show i can actually understand and sing along too!
since i have been so emotional lately, i will leave you with a link to website with a list of 24 small, meaningul acts of kindness. this made me tear up and sometimes it is nice to have a reminder (especially with all that has happened this week in boston) that there are still good people in the world trying to make it better. pay it forward my friends!
http://www.buzzfeed.com/summeranne/24-small-meaningful-acts-of-kindness
