Västra Hamnen Groundbreaking

Finally the celebration of the commencement of construction for the long awaited Västra Hamnen school. Hanna-Maria and her neighborhood friends are part of the first "förskolaklass" or kindergarden class in preparation of the school. They are a roving school in that they are still located in temporary structures until the building is finished. But it is off to a good start. The teachers are wonderful, the class is harmonious and they seem to be having a great year so far.

Today Oskar and I went to watch the groundbreaking (första spadtaget) celebration. The video and pictures are from the ceremony. The föreskolsklass did a great job singing (complete with encore) and the fem års verksamhet from Skeppets (kids that will be joining them next year as they move into first grade) looked on with enthusiasm.

The benefits of going offline for the holidays

Hanna-Maria with her new ukelele singing, "Moi j'aime skier, à Chamonix!" Face complete with remains of a delicious pasta bolognaise.
A visit from Gram all the way from Concord was a treat. The kids loved doing Le Tour with three generations. We even got to see Gram's pictures from Madagascar.

Eyes on the Powder

Thanks to taking a much needed break and family time on the pistes, I am brought back to center. I remember now the importance of looking for the snow between the trees rather than focusing on the trees obstructing my path. I look for the laughter behind the teasing. My most precious gift is the time to disconnect from all things electronic that have reached the invasive. The world will not stop if we are offline. We have promised to do so for one week entirely.

Warm holiday wishes to all. We will be thinking of you and hoping you all find some quiet time for yourself and those you love this season.

Shake it up! Earthquake in Malmö...

Remember those old hotel beds that you could put a coin in the box and they would shake for several minutes? This morning I woke to what I thought was a dream flashing back to a road trip in the 80s across the Western USA with my family. Instead I discovered that we were experiencing a 4.7 earthquake in Skåne. It lasted for about five minutes and no damage done (save a glass breaking that we still have not discovered the source of, but it could have been outside).

Björn ran down to see what was happening. Since living in an area still in development, he thought the root was construction vehicles gone awry. He popped his head out the front door to find all the neighborhood men doing the same thing (seems to be an unwritten "man's job". Our neighborhood geologist, Lawrence, looked out and said, that was an earthquake. This was much too the comfort of Pelle who thought the roof he added might be caving in due to structural failure on his part.

All this to say we are fine and well. No aftershocks yet. Certainly an interesting way to start the morning at 5am.

Öste Family dance

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Fourty and in a Twist

I just returned from fulfilling one of my birthday resolutions. I joined a gym, did a yoga/pilates-esque class, sweat, and smiled at my 40 year old body. Not bad, I said to myself (seen worse, definitely). Yes, it was a good way to celebrate my birthday. I resolved to enjoy my new home and become part of it.

Decade birthdays in Sweden are different. Having grown up in a family that did not make a big deal of birthdays, I think I notice it even more. It started with a little bio and picture of me in the Regional newspaper two days before I turned 40. Neighbors and our kid's teachers we congratulating me. I wasn't quite sure how I felt about that. This morning I woke to two smiling kids and fresh coffee being delivered by my wonderful husband (that much I expected). Followed by being rushed out of bed, thrown into my robe to go answer the door? There stood eight wonderful girlfriends singing happy birthday (the Swedish version), bearing breakfast and cake. Wow, now that was a surprise and a wonderful experience.

I feel blessed to be surrounded by so many wonderful people. They never cease to amaze me. So I will stretch, twist, view the other side and enjoy the perspective while I am here (in the yogic sense and more).

A little bit of Happiness

With the stress levels peaking all around me, I feel the need to share my favorite Summer song with everyone, "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz. Enjoy!!!