I am finally with internet access again, and it took me a couple of hours to sift through my unread email from the past month. It has been nice to feel like I can communicate with the world again. I also feel a little more in the loop when it comes to current events.
My brother James was in Houston (where he lives) when Ike hit, and I got my updates about the storm through Timo. I was able to get ahold of James when it was all over (via phone), so I knew he was okay.
It has been nice to not have the distraction of the internet when it comes to the kiddos, but I am so happy to be in touch with the rest of my family again (phone calls were getting expensive). Speaking of kids.... I need to change a diaper. More later...
Friday, September 19, 2008
Monday, August 18, 2008
On Again, Off Again
Well, Timo told me today that we will be losing our internet connection soon. We have been using a USB device that we borrowed from a friend, and he needs it back. Additionally, even though the line to our house has been fixed, the account is still in the name of the man who built the house. To get internet through Telia (the phone company), we have to first get the account in our name. We have contacted Telia to change the information, but they told us that the builder has to do that. We called him, but we still have not heard from Telia.
So why don't we just get a USB device like the one we have been using? Well, we won't be able to do that until we have lived here 1 or 2 years (Maybe it was 2-3 years. I don't remember exactly how long Timo told me it was -- I kind of tuned it out once I realized it was longer than we have lived here).
So.... who knows when I will have another post up unless something interesting happens this week.
So why don't we just get a USB device like the one we have been using? Well, we won't be able to do that until we have lived here 1 or 2 years (Maybe it was 2-3 years. I don't remember exactly how long Timo told me it was -- I kind of tuned it out once I realized it was longer than we have lived here).
So.... who knows when I will have another post up unless something interesting happens this week.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
A Trip Back "Home"
A couple of weeks ago, I took my first trip back to the US of A since we moved overseas. It was somewhat weird for me. It was over six months from the time I left to the time I set foot on US soil again, but, at least in some ways, it didn't seem that long. In other ways, it seemed like it had been a lot longer.
However, once I got settled in my sister's house, I felt like I could be visiting from whatever location -- Arkansas, Illinois, Sweden, etc. Of course, a trip to the grocery store made me remember all I had been missing. Familiar brands and products filled the shelves and, soon, my cart.
Naturally, my whole trip wasn't about shopping and getting my fill of American food and products. I had a lot of family time with my mom, nieces, sisters, brother, and brother-in-law.
I hardly saw Kristen at all. She was too busy with her cousins, who took very good care of her (even if her fingernails were painted different colors I don't know how many times). She even had a slumber party with the big girls a couple of nights. The other nights, she was too worn out, and she came downstairs to join Timo, AJ, and I where we were sleeping.
One more thing made this trip memorable. I got a "new" violin (thanks, Mr. Garza!). My "old" violin had been crushed during the move (don't even get me started on what I think about THAT), and I was finally able to replace it. It was so great to play with my nieces. We all tried out the two instruments that I was choosing between, and it was fun to just play again. It had been more than six months since I had touched a violin, but I have enjoyed playing since we arrived back home. The kids want to play, too, but they need a 1/4 size, not a 4/4 size! I still let them pretend to be playing as I put down my fingers and help them with the bow. Who knows, maybe they will want to play as they get older. We are starting to teach K how to read music, so it is a possibility.
Oh, one of the best parts about choosing my violin was that Mr. Garza let me play a violin that was worth more than a quarter of a million dollars. It was made in the 1700's and it has so much character. It makes you wonder what stories it could tell about what music it has played and who has played it.
However, once I got settled in my sister's house, I felt like I could be visiting from whatever location -- Arkansas, Illinois, Sweden, etc. Of course, a trip to the grocery store made me remember all I had been missing. Familiar brands and products filled the shelves and, soon, my cart.
Naturally, my whole trip wasn't about shopping and getting my fill of American food and products. I had a lot of family time with my mom, nieces, sisters, brother, and brother-in-law.
We went apple and berry-picking, and Kristen went to the library with her cousins (English books!). We made cinnamon rolls from scratch, went to see my oldest niece play her viola in a concert (she had been on tour in Europe for much of the summer, and she had a mini-tour in MI after they returned.), and went swimming. I went on bike rides to the park with my nieces (and kiddos), took my oldest niece shopping, enjoyed picnics with all, and generally enjoyed being with family again.
I hardly saw Kristen at all. She was too busy with her cousins, who took very good care of her (even if her fingernails were painted different colors I don't know how many times). She even had a slumber party with the big girls a couple of nights. The other nights, she was too worn out, and she came downstairs to join Timo, AJ, and I where we were sleeping.
One more thing made this trip memorable. I got a "new" violin (thanks, Mr. Garza!). My "old" violin had been crushed during the move (don't even get me started on what I think about THAT), and I was finally able to replace it. It was so great to play with my nieces. We all tried out the two instruments that I was choosing between, and it was fun to just play again. It had been more than six months since I had touched a violin, but I have enjoyed playing since we arrived back home. The kids want to play, too, but they need a 1/4 size, not a 4/4 size! I still let them pretend to be playing as I put down my fingers and help them with the bow. Who knows, maybe they will want to play as they get older. We are starting to teach K how to read music, so it is a possibility.
Oh, one of the best parts about choosing my violin was that Mr. Garza let me play a violin that was worth more than a quarter of a million dollars. It was made in the 1700's and it has so much character. It makes you wonder what stories it could tell about what music it has played and who has played it.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Is that a weed, or is it food?
This weekend, I have been busy trying to identify some of the plants growing in our back yard. After guessing that AJ had an encounter with Stinging Nettle, I decided to do some research on treating his skin. What I discovered is that stinging nettle is edible. I knew it had medicinal properties, but I figured it was the root or something. When I learned that the young shoots are not only edible, but nutritious, I was pleasantly surprised.
I also chose this weekend to pull up the "weeds" that had white flowers with yellow centers growing all over the place. Well, the evening after I pulled up a TON of this plant, I decided that I should look to see if it was, in fact, what I had supposed when I first saw it (I should have done this first, I know). I was kicking myself when I learned that it was wild chamomile. Now I am eyeing my neighbor's yard where it is still growing in abundance. ;)
The third plant I tried to identify is a red currant bush that is tucked away behind some other plants. I should say that I believe it is red currant. I am going to take a small branch to the local nursery to identify it for me before I put the berries in my mouth.
These three plants, plus the rasberries growing back there make it a lot of fun to explore. I can't wait to learn what else is fit for consumption that I have just been calling "weeds."
I also chose this weekend to pull up the "weeds" that had white flowers with yellow centers growing all over the place. Well, the evening after I pulled up a TON of this plant, I decided that I should look to see if it was, in fact, what I had supposed when I first saw it (I should have done this first, I know). I was kicking myself when I learned that it was wild chamomile. Now I am eyeing my neighbor's yard where it is still growing in abundance. ;)
The third plant I tried to identify is a red currant bush that is tucked away behind some other plants. I should say that I believe it is red currant. I am going to take a small branch to the local nursery to identify it for me before I put the berries in my mouth.
These three plants, plus the rasberries growing back there make it a lot of fun to explore. I can't wait to learn what else is fit for consumption that I have just been calling "weeds."
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