Thursday, July 26, 2012

Road Trip to Jönköping



The Swedish countryside is amazingly beautiful and surprisingly vibrant.  It is almost as if all of the plants and animals put on their best game faces to absorb as much sunlight as possible during the summer.  The grass and trees are this super rich green color and the sky is brilliant blue.  The clouds seem to be that fluffy cotton type that hangs so low you would think you could reach out and grab one. Summer in Sweden is truly remarkable and it makes bearing the long, cold, dark winter worth every minute.

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Where Buda meets Pest

The Széchenyi Chain Bridge connecting Buda to Pest
Before we got married, Jon and I considered going to Budapest for our honeymoon based on the recommendations from his Uncle.  We heard wonderful stories about the beautiful architecture and cheap wine.  Ultimately, Budapest did not win out over our honeymoon in Turkey, which still remains to be one of the most fantastic vacations we have ever taken in our lives.  Since that day, Budapest has always been on our "bucket list" of places to visit.

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Loss and Cope



It's been a tough couple of weeks for our family.  Jon lost his grandfather to illness and traveled back to Boston for the funeral.  Unfortunately, Calvin and and I could not travel with him to pay our respects.  Fortunately, my parents were able to visit us in Stockholm and provide some much needed family support.

Jon and his family wrote a beautiful eulogy for his grandfather and I have included only a snippet to show what an amazing man he was and what a great family we are blesse to have.  It is in moments like these that we wish we could be closer to our family in times of need.  We love our lives in Sweden but truly appreciate the love and support that only family can provide.

"One of the first lessons Grandpa taught us – through actions rather than words –was to be protective of those you are responsible for. I remember when I was nine or ten years old, there was a water quality issue in Pawtucket.  Unable to use the tap, everyone in town was told to pickup their ration of water at the firehouse – but for Grandpa that was unacceptable.  And not just unacceptable for his family, but also for all of his tenants in his apartment buildings.  One day I jumped in his beaten up ford truck with him –the bed full of gallon jugs of fresh water – and we hand delivered two gallons to every tenant that he had.  We covered a lot of stairs that day, but saved just enough time to get some chocolate cake at Chellos."