Daily Jamie

March 29th

March 30th

March 31st

April 5th

 

April 7th

April 8th

April 14th

April 15th

 

April 20th

April 22nd

April 25th

April 30th

May 1st

May 2nd

Just Us Girls

You know that place you would give anything to visit, but you know it's such a pipe dream, so far away in all ways, that you don't even dare dream about it? I've been to that place. And even better, I got to experience it with the two people in my life who shared the same unnamed dream.

You guys, last week I met up with my mom and sister on Prince Edward Island. Yeah, that Prince Edward Island. I mean, can you imagine?!?

We arrived the week before tourist season began, which had it's advantages and disadvantages. Everything was closed, including the inside of Green Gables, Avonlea Village, all businesses on the north shore, and many in Charlottetown, where we stayed, but it also felt like we had the island to ourselves.  

The sun was shining for the first time this year, the locals were quick to tell us, and we felt lucky to have such beautiful weather while we were there.

We booked a swanky apartment for our three nights in Charlottetown, and spent our evenings there drinking wine, doing face masks, and chatting up a storm.

My sister, Lukia, and I hadn't spent any time together, one-on-one, this millenium, so we took advantage of our children- and husband-free time to catch up while doing some exploring, shopping for souvenirs and art for Lukia's new home, eating oysters, and sipping cocktails.

We drove all over the island, ate as much seafood as we could find, and talked so much and so loudly that we exhausted even ourselves. It was the trip of a lifetime, indeed, and none of us will ever forget it. 

Daily Jamie

March 3rd

March 4th

March 5th

March 6th

March 10th

March 15th

March 17th

Daily Jamie

February 6th

February 9th

February 10th

February 16th

February 24th

March 1st

Daily Jamie

February 3rd

February 4th

Yay Mello!!!

Finally it's Melodifestivalen time! On Saturday night we ensconced ourselves on the sofa with a bunch of junk food and our phones ready to chat with our schlager-loving loved ones in London and Söderköping and across town. Jamie lasted about two songs before he turned on cartoons on the iPad, but The Swede and I endured songs that ranged from mediocre to downright terrible, per tradition, for the better part of the evening. We'll be loving them all by March, but for now the best part is the chips, the chatting, and the good company on the couch.

Daily Jamie

When your mom tells you to put your pants in the hamper but you don't want to take them off.

The Reader

My baby is learning to read! Babies don't read! BABIES don't take the city bus to the library with their class and get their own library card! WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE?!? 

 

Unstoppable

It occurs to me that I talk a lot about the fishing, but rarely, if ever, mention that my husband is the boss of the dang ice. Let me just tell you something about The Swede, something that I've recognized since the very beginning, and something that I respect, admire, and envy:

My husband is a person who can do anything. Over the course of our almost ten years together, I've seen it enough to know that it's a fact. He sees something he wants to do, he analyzes the heck out of it, he practices, commits time and energy, thought and research, and then he kicks the butt of that thing. In just a few years, he's gone from hating every second of ice fishing to loving everything about it, learning everything about it, and getting amazing results. Yesterday he placed fourth in his class in a major competition, a huge accomplishment in its own right, but especially impressive considering the skill and experience of his competitors and the fact that he's been in the game for less than five years.

I couldn't be prouder. And while I'm impressed by the result, I'm in awe of the process. And I'm so, so grateful that our son gets to see all of it. That is, how to become a person who can do anything.   

Daily Jamie

January 27th

January 28th

Hope

Just a few short weeks ago it was pitch black when I left work at three thirty in the afternoon, so to come out of the office to this last Friday made my heart sing.

Daily Jamie

January 7th

January 8th

January 13th

January 17th



January 19th



January 21st



January 22nd

A Snapshot of Western Culture in the Year 2018

Oh, okay, I get those filters now. It's because thirty-something moms look way better as woodland creatures. Jamie and I did this for an hour the other day. I'll spare you the others.

Daily Jamie

January 2nd

Superficial Things That Made Me Happy In 2017

Buckle up for some hyperbole, folks.

1. I got my first tattoo on my sixteenth birthday after at least a year of wishing and planning. My second came when I was twenty-three following a couple years of consideration. I promised to get my third with Erin a few years ago, but ultimately backed out because I wasn't absolutely positive. My track record of lengthy contemplation has led to my never for a minute having regretted either of my previous tattoos, despite their not being particularly cool anymore (if they ever were). But this year, after months and months of total certainty, an intense search for a skilled artist, and a lot of saving, I invested in a big ol' tat right there in your face. This lilac is a piece of artwork I'll get to have with me for the rest of my life, reminding me of my mom, every place I've ever lived, and that I'm kind of a badass. It thrills me every time I see it, which is obviously a lot.

2. Once upon a time I tried on a pair of Tom Ford Snowdons at an airport duty free shop and fell in love. They were a totally unjustifiable expense, so I'd resigned myself to never having them. Years later, I found that I needed glasses to drive and prescription sunglasses became, if not an absolute necessity, at least a very practical want. On a whim, I checked SmartBuyGlasses.com and found that prescription Snowdons somehow cost much less than the non-prescription ones I'd found at the airport all those years ago. I can easily say that this classic pair of prescription sunglasses that makes me feel like a boss is one of the best purchases of my life.   

3. This is silly, but this set of sheets just really makes me happy. Every day, without fail. 

4. Podcasts, you guys. I am learning so much. I eased into them over the years, but now I don't get into my car without listening to one. I can become a little stressed when I think about how much great content there is out there, so I'm going to try not to overwhelm you with the dozen or so podcasts I listen to regularly. The best, and the ones I'll recommend here, are the ones that have made me think about things differently: Rough Translation is about how other places and cultures are handling the same kinds of issues Americans are talking about, Heavyweight is a laugh-out-loud show about real people confronting someone about a moment from their past that they can't shake, Invisibilia is about the invisible forces that shape our lives like ideas and beliefs, and Uncivil is teaching me untold stories and busting myths about the American Civil War. Uncivil ought to be compulsory for Americans. But the very best podcast I've listened to - ever - and, in fact, the best bit of entertainment I've experienced in a long time is S-Town. It is a complex work of art and no description I could write here would do it justice and NPR's own doesn't come close either:  John despises his Alabama town and decides to do something about it. He asks a reporter to investigate the son of a wealthy family who’s allegedly been bragging that he got away with murder. But then someone else ends up dead, sparking a nasty feud, a hunt for hidden treasure, and an unearthing of the mysteries of one man’s life. S-Town is about seven hours long, and I've listened to it nine times since April. I cannot recommend it enough.

6. I also managed to see a lot of good TV last year. Freaks and Geeks, which I've started a few times, hooked me in November and I finally stuck with to the untimely, yet joyful end. Transparent is such a quick watch, I was able to re-watch the first three seasons as a refresher in anticipation of the fourth. I've literally had to pause it at certain moments during season two and three specifically to wonder out loud what in the world kind of brilliance I was looking at. I saw the complete Mad Men series for the third time in 2017 and am tempted to start again, it's that good (in case there's anyone reading this that doesn't already know that). And finally, Dear White People (the series - I haven't seen the movie), which should also be compulsory for Americans, was so much fun to watch, but, more importantly, woke me up and made me wish I'd seen it a decade ago. White people: do yourself a favor, spare yourself any further humiliation, and spend five very entertaining hours on Netflix getting woke.

7. I grew up in Montana. I spent years in Cleveland. I've survived eight winters in Sweden. And almost every single day of every single winter since I've been tall enough to reach a windshield, I've scraped ice and brushed snow off a car. Not this winter, though. I now have a car with a pre-heater that I can start from an app on my phone. The car is warm on the inside and clear of snow and ice on the outside when I get into it in the morning and after work, you guys. It is the bougiest thing I can think of (this from the lady with the designer sunglasses) and I'm almost embarrassed to mention it, but in a way I kinda feel like I earned it. Any anyway… 

8. … I stopped getting my hair colored professionally. The salon raised their prices, so I bought a box of L'Oreal, saved myself a couple hundred bucks a year, and I CANNOT TELL THE DIFFERENCE.