The woe being felt, due to the lack of a traditional American Halloween, was slightly alleviated by the observation of All Saints Day. Originating in the 700s CE, the Church decided that November 1st shall be the day to honor all of the saints that did not have their own day. A couple of hundred years later November 2nd was to honor all non-saintly defined … Continue reading All Saints Day
We finally made it up to Stockholm for a quick weekend getaway. We left Almhult on Friday at 10:30am, and after a very enjoyable ride across a decent sized swath of Sweden, we made it to our destination at 6pm. The navigation program said it would take just over 5 hours, but with kids we made a few additional stops and detours. Friday night we … Continue reading A quick weekend in Stockholm
WARNING: This post is not intended for a Swedish audience. On the way back from our trip to the Moose Safari, we passed through the small town of Osby. Osby is most notable as the home of BRIO, which really didn’t mean much to me but my wife perked up at that. Having worked at a toy store during High School, she is much more … Continue reading If Homesick in Osby, Try Amerika!!
Halloween is by far my favorite holiday and I was lucky enough to marry a woman who shared the same favorite holiday. Having grown up in northern Michigan, Halloween always symbolized the end of Fall and the start of Winter. Often there would be snow, or at least freezing rain, and I would have a costume that needed to fit over a thick winter jacket, … Continue reading A Halloween Perspective
Keeping Oktoberfest in mind, I decide to sample all of the German beers offered at the Systembolaget for the month of October. To my utter disappointment, the Almhult Systembolaget only carries four German beers. Nonetheless, I have sampled and rated them here for you. As a refresher, this is the rating system that I am using. A = Avoid, I would probably prefer water over … Continue reading Beers of Europe: Germany
It begins with a fidget. The boy starts to shift his weight back and forth, back and forth. The fidget progresses to a hop and the boy starts to hold himself and crouch down. By now you are scanning the environment, vainly searching for a nearby public restroom. Your home is about a 10 minute quick walk away; but with the boy in tow make … Continue reading To Pee or Not to Pee (In Public)?
Welcome to Sweden…and another cold wet weekend. After seven years in Asia and sweltering heat, I am perfectly content with a nice cold wet weekend; but, throw in a 10 month old and a super high energy 3 year old in one small apartment…well, things begin to resemble something akin to ‘The Shining‘. So, to help stave off any unsightly incidents with sharp objects, we … Continue reading Moose Safari
Being the awesome country that Sweden is, the State offers free Swedish classes for foreigners living in Sweden. Unfortunately, all of the courses in Almhult are offered during the day, so as a stay-at-home parent, I have not been able to take advantage of this opportunity. But, in hoping that something could be worked out, I went to the administrator/instructor of the program to inquire … Continue reading Swedish for Dummies I
The morning had not progressed as normal. Instead of a morning 8:30 nap for M, we were sitting in the waiting room of the clinic waiting to be seen regarding some respiratory difficulties that M was having. A half-hour later we were seen by the only non-English speaking nurse at the clinic, but were able to get what we needed anyways. We made it back … Continue reading A Poop Story
Vicky is a wonderfully gregarious woman. She has a broad and warm smile and is able to chat on and on about nearly anything, while also making sure to listen to others. Vicky is a Swede. In fact, she was the first Swede I have met, though I did not meet her in Sweden. Vicky lives in Burma and we became friends largely due to … Continue reading Where are all the Vickys?
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