I'd Have Been Glowing Too

Ladies and gentlemen, Linda has made it. She surprised her husband and kids yesterday with the brand new Kia Cee'd that she researched, test drove, and purchased all by herself. And I am in awe. The car is fabulous to be sure, but the really impressive thing, to me, is that she did all of that on her own. While she drove us to the mall on the new car's premier lunch break I realized that the reason I was so dazzled by the whole thing was that, despite all of the other grown-up things I've done in the past decade, I have never chosen or bought my own vehicle. (Please know that I realize that this makes me incredibly privileged.) It seems like a huge decision, one that I doubt I am bold enough to make on my own. And for that reason, today at least, Linda is my biggest idol.

Daily Jamie

The Rest Of Our Vacation In Instagrams

Tomorrow we go back to work, back to preschool, after over five weeks of vacation and leftover parental leave. I'm feeling pretty good about it. We got a lot of good relaxation and adventures in and I'm refreshed and ready to start what feels a lot like a new term at school. Here's to a smooth transition back into our routine!

Daily Jamie

August 2nd

August 3rd

For Your Saturday

I'm a little bit obsessed with mojitos right now, which is to say that it's the only thing I truly enjoy drinking whenever I'm out, which is precisely hardly ever. Because I'm lazy above all else, I have tried canned and even boxed "mojitos" at home, always to be sorely disappointed. I decided not to be quite so lazy yesterday and hunted down a simple recipe and the ingredients for my own homemade mojito (that was not at all difficult to make) and was rewarded with a refreshing success that I can absolutely recommend.

Daily Jamie

July 30th

July 31st

August 1st

Göta Canal On The M/S Wasa Lejon

As promised, here comes a batch of photos from our day on the Göta Canal! The trip was my thirtieth birthday gift from Mama and Papa Swede, who apparently know me well. The eight-hour voyage covered only about twelve miles because most of it was spent climbing, well, liquid steps.

In case you don't know how it works, the boat floats forward on the canal till it reaches a lock. The boat enters the lock through a set of open doors, which then close just behind the boat and then the set of doors in front of the boat open, letting in a ton of water that raises the boat to a new level so that it can continue moving forward at the higher level. 

We saw some really pretty countryside and a lot of super cute properties right on the shore.

We had a delicious lunch and drinks onboard with the rest of the passengers, all of whom were retirees. Just to give you an idea of the kind of stuff I'm into.

There wasn't very much traffic on the canal except for another tour boat and a few German and Swedish sailboats. All of the signs on the boat and along the shore were in Swedish, English, and German, so I guess we know which demographics especially enjoy the canal.

For the most part it was a lovely day, but there was a half-hour period when it rained HARD. The sun continued to shine, though, and it was actually very cozy.

Oh, and one of the best parts of the trip and surely the most entertaining was all the folks along the shore who were biking or walking or just sitting and watching the boats go by. Everyone was uncharacteristically friendly and waved at us as we passed by. Or as they passed us, as the case may be. It was not a fast boat.

Mostly, it was really just wonderful to spend the whole day alone with The Swede. I appreciate those moments when we are together outside of the house so much and getting to have this awesome experience with him was even better than I could have imagined.

Big Day

Just a quick little update: The Swede and I are on our way to the Göta Canal, where we will spend the day on a boat, floating through locks and aqueducts! I've got the good camera on me so get ready for a really obnoxious post tomorrow.

Daily Jamie

Best Of

During our first full day at home in weeks we were actually trapped there. The Swede had to take our one car (Linda has been using the other in exchange for cat sitting while we've been on our travels) to the lake to help fish a sunken boat out of the fishing club harbor. It was an all-day ordeal and Jamie and I were getting a case of cabin fever right around the time Jamie's best friend from school came around the corner on his trike with his mom. The boys were ecstatic, shrieking and waving their arms and hopping up and down. I was so glad that they remembered and were enthusiastic over one another after a month apart. They played football and golf and threw things and rolled around in the yard while we moms chatted it up and reminisced about how tiny they were when they met almost a year ago. This buddy popping up just at the right time is what being home is all about. 

Daily Jamie

Hot In Molsta

We spent the weekend at the cabin with The Swede's folks. We spent Saturday morning driving to and from an unsuccessful market (it was just way too warm to battle crowds and the smell of fried food) but stopped at the crepe mobile on the way home.  Despite the heat, the guys managed to lay tile flooring in the new bathroom and Mama Swede watched Jambo while I indulged in an afternoon nap. Otherwise we took it easy and enjoyed the sunshine, grilled burgers, and slept in. Not bad for a mid-summer weekend.

Daily Jamie

Daily Jamie

 

Last Day In Leksand

We finished up our mini-vacation in Dalarna yesterday with an action-packed day. We had breakfast and checked out of our cozy little cabin and began the short drive to Sommarland, but Jamie fell asleep almost immediately so we ended up taking a drive in the woods to let him sleep and make sure he was in the best mood possible for the day ahead. 

Our third day at Sommarland started with a little mini-golf, but it got warm quickly so we headed to the pool where Jamie splashed around like a nut, pausing only to devour an ice cream cone. We explored some more, riding some baby carousel rides and rowing around in a paddle boat, and I even tested a Segway, which, obviously, I MUST HAVE now.

Later in the afternoon, after Sommarland wore us out, we met up with Ingvor and Roland, who were in town for a concert and staying nearby. We swam a couple more hours at their hotel and they treated us to a taco dinner and then we packed into the car and drove home. It as after eleven when we got home last night and so good to go right to sleep in our own bed. Still, it was a sweet little vacation we'll remember fondly.

Daily Jamie

Daily Jamie

Daily Jamie

July 22nd

July 23rd

Two Years Old

This is my two-year-old. My toddler. My boy. After thirty-three months of referring to him as "the baby", it doesn't feel quite right anymore. And it's so hard to imagine that two years ago he was born with only a shadow of a personality and that that big baby from one year ago, who seemed to have all the chutzpa in the world at the time, would become this even funnier, smarter, more willful child. He has no fear; the world belongs to him and yet we are all still each others' because, while he doesn't need us as much as he used to, he still wants us. To save him, to help him, to hold him, to see the amazing thing that that he sees. We remind ourselves of this ephemeral gift all the time. We have to because there are so many distractions and so many moments when he is not as charming as he probably seems on the pages of this blog. He's a toddler, after all. And he hushes us sometimes. And screams sometimes. But most of the time he's running, swinging his arms along side him, and testing out new words and rolling toy cars and galloping toy horses across any surface he can find. And turning my face in his hands toward something exciting and running his fingers through my hair while I hold him. He was magical from day one, but he has become the most incredible boy and being with him is such a joy. And two years old is going to be spectacular. 

A Week Away

We're in beautiful, super-Swedish Dalarna this week, visiting places like a bear park and Sommarland!

We've been sticking around the Siljan, Sweden's sixth largest lake, and have been treated to some incredible views. As I write this from my perch just outside of a playroom that Jamie is currently trashing, I see almost a dozen shades of blue on the lake and in the surrounding hills and sky. Magnificent. 

And speaking of views, these guys are the best. I want to hear what they have to say more than anyone else in the world and they're not bad to look at either.