Hope 

A lovely but cold Sunday. And I found these little yellow crocuses in our back yard – gave me some hope that spring isn’t far away. Some other bulbous plants are also on their way and within the next couple of weeks I expect to see a lot of flowers in bloom. Lovely.

I should go out and take a long walk. Just need to gather some form of energy. Maybe some coffee will do the trick..

Good news

Not extremely happy about the alarm going off at 05.20 this morning. Got up and drove my husband and youngest to the subway – they are going skiing all day. Then went back to sleep again for a couple of more hours.

Been a busy lady – doing laundry, groceries etc. Just crashed for a bit in front of the tv and Stephan was on – this time he is doing a Swedish classic – running, swimming and skiing. He is amazing. Watch his show if you haven’t! Very inspiring!

Also got a phone call that put a big smile on my face. Good news that I’ve been hoping and praying for. A good day. A great day if the skiers return with big huge smiles on their faces.

Fredagsmys! 

Friday again! Can’t believe how quickly time flies. And that it has been a whole week since we left sunny California. I didn’t want to leave. I never do when I’m over there. But, once I’m home I’m happy here too. Confusing? Yes. I agree.

I am glad it is so much easier now to go for a visit. Maybe one of these days we will be able to return their hospitality. That would be so much fun! One of these years!

No more travel-plans on our schedules. Hm.. Feels a bit strange Might have to look into that. 😉 Have a great Friday everyone!

Finally

“Before I save someone else, I’ve got to save myself. ” Lyrics from a new song by Ed Sheeran. Pretty much how I felt on my way to work when I decided to have a cup of coffee before I signed in.

Had a great lunch with my BFF – haven’t seen her in several months for some reason. A couple of lunches we had to cancel due to matters out of our reach. But finally we made it! And it was great to see her! I had bought her a small gift from our trip. I hope it will fit her! She needed a bit cheering up today. I hope I could do that.

Pytt

What a lovely afternoon. Bright sunshine and clear blue sky. Strolled over to Pyttirian for lunch after work and had a Pytt Bellman – yum! Perfect lunch.

Tomorrow and on Friday I am seeing friends for lunch – fingers crossed work will not come in the way and that I will be able to keep my dates. Haven’t seen my friends in quite a while now.

Tuesday 

Puh what a day. This morning there was something wrong with the subway so they had to take it out of traffic. The train was full. And the next train was also full. And with two full trains packed into one train it was over the extreme limit. Great way to start a long day..

If I would get a penny for each time someone has said my name today I could afford a fancy coffee in town.. Finally back home, enjoyed some dinner already made and now time in my corner catching up on emails and stuff. Soon time to hug my pillow.

Back to work

Monday and time to get back to the every-day-life again. Up early and off to work. But, the sun was already up at 06.30 so it  didn’t feel so early. In California it would still be dark.

It has been a beautiful day and I had a short day at work. A lovely stroll through the city – home for a late lunch – and now time to get busy doing some house chores. Laundry and vacuuming first. Then dinner.

Day to recover

I am so glad we arrived back home on a Saturday which gave us one more day off before we have to go back to work. I went to bed in time last night and slept for 9-10 hrs straight. Feels good. A quiet day (besides doing laundry, getting organized and gone grocery shopping.. 😉 ) to relax and catch up on some recorded tv-shows. It feels great to be back home again – it’s good to be apart from your loved ones and miss them for a while. Helps you appreciate what you have!

Mellofinalen 

We made it home in time for the finale of the Melodifestivalen. Picked up some pizza and went over to my sister and her family to enjoy the evening together and catch up some after our trip.

While we were gone the 2nd chance competition took place –

Duel 1

  • FO&O – Gotta Thing About You – Winner!
  • De Vet Du – Road Trip

Duel 2

Duel 3

Duel 4

Finale:

  1. Robin Bengtsson – ”I Can’t Go On” (146p)
  2. Nano – ”Hold On” (133p)
  3. Jon Henrik Fjällgren feat. Aninia – ”En värld full av strider” (105p)
  4. Mariette – ”A Million Years” (99p)
  5. Benjamin Ingrosso – ”Good Lovin” (87p)
  6. Wiktoria – ”As I Lay Me Down” (80p)
  7. Ace Wilder – ”Wild Child” (67p)
  8. Boris René – ”Her Kiss” (66p)
  9. Lisa Ajax – ”I Don’t Give A” (46p)
  10. Anton Hagman – ”Kiss You Goodbye” (43p)
  11. FO&O – ”Gotta Thing About You” (41p)
  12. Owe Thörnqvist – ”Boogieman Blues” (33p)

Home sweet home 

Back home again. A long flight later we arrived in a cold and a bit snowy Stockholm. My husband picked us up at the airport – with a bouquet of red roses in his hand. Aaah. I think someone has missed me!

I’m very tired but very happy we made the trip. And that it was a great adventure filled with loads of good memories to cherish.

I am so very grateful that my parents sent me to California all those years ago. And that I met this wonderful American family – not too different from my own – with great values and traditions. I always have felt so welcome and loved and my only regret is that we live a bit too far apart for yearly visits. And now the circle is closed – all my parents finally got to meet each other. Feels good.