Bye Bye America.... Hello Sweden

Our last night in Florida

Jake swiped this out of Bebop's draw

Reality just kicked in for me as I walked home from the grocery store with Jake and Chase in tow.  I had to take both boys with me because Steve and Smith were at an AIK pro soccer game with Smith's team.  Since we were gone for a week, I needed to restock the kitchen with the essentials.  I was dreading it with all of my being.... mainly because I had to take the boys.  It's hard enough without them!  As we're checking out (3:30pm), I glanced out the door to see dark skies and rain.  Wow, three days ago we were lounging by the pool, enjoying the beautiful sunshine and 80 degree temperatures..... bye bye sunlight!  Thank God Jake was with me after all,  my cart was completely full, my arms each had two heavy bags attached, and I was pulling Chase along.  Jake carried a heavy bag for me all the way home.  When we were in the elevator, after we had lugged the heavy cart up the stairs, I thanked Jake for all his help.  I told him I wouldn't have been able to do it without him.  No sooner did those words come out of my mouth and I hear Chase saying.... "and me"!  Well, yes, Chase, you did help to slow us down a bit.  hahaahaha

We arrived home Saturday around 11am, after 20 hours of traveling.  I always feel like the jetlag on this end is worse than the jet lag going to America.  We miss a whole night sleep this way.  Well... some of us do....

Chase asleep in the Delta Crown Room

Smith joined him a few minutes later

Jake finally caved and joined his brothers

By the time we walked in our door, it was noon and Steve and I started unpacking, straightening the house, and doing everything possible to stay awake.  Jake walked in the house, washed his hands (only because Mommy demanded), climbed in my bed, and slept for three solid hours.  Chase and Smith were wired... they played, wrestled, and ran around for a solid three hours!  When Jake woke up, we had a Biggest Loser Marathon.  Jake loves watching that with me.  That night we ordered take out from the yummy Thai restaurant downstairs, had family movie night, and we all crashed by 9:00.... Chase and Smith didn't make it past the opening scenes.  The next morning is when the problems started.  We all slept until 10:00 and 11:00, which doesn't make for a good situation in the evening.  All three boys were wide awake that night.  Jake didn't fall asleep until 1:00am.  Imagine what it was like waking them up at 7:00 for school!

All of the jet lag was well worth it because we had an amazing time with Bebop and Kiki in Florida.  We spent the days lounging by the pool, in their beautiful backyard.  We weren't on a schedule so the boys rode their scooters and skateboards, swam every moment they could, and we even snuck in a few "Payne Family Soccer" tournaments.  One of the highlights of the week was when Aunt Dee Dee and Uncle Jimmy joined us.

The boys can't get enough of them and of course Steve and I love them just as much.  They joined in the soccer fun too.  Smith wasn't so sure about Dee Dee's soccer abilities..... but he loves her just the same!  Dee always has a way of making everyone feel happy and loved.

Bebop helping Chase

Smith was a natural

Chase took off and rode for hours

Halloween was another highlight.  New Smyrna Beach had a downtown parade and all the vendors were out giving candy to the kids.  Thanks to Pop Pop and Gamma, Chase was able to dress up as Robin.  They sent some of his birthday presents to Florida so he could open them early.  He seemed a bit confused at first, but all the worrying about it not being November 20th yet, went out the window when he saw his cool presents!

presents waiting to be opened

OH YEAH!

Oh the small things in life that make me happy these days!  I had a to-do list while I was in Florida.  For those of you that know me well, NUMBER ONE on the list, get a tan.  The weather was perfect!  Sunny skies with temperatures in the mid 80's.  For my Celcius reading friends, 30 degrees.  

Chase enjoyed it as much as I did

I sacrificed getting two manicures, so I could enjoy the sun.  Of course I wasn't leaving America without one mani/pedi.... and it was wonderful.  When I told the nail tech how much they charge in Sweden, I thought he was going to fall off of his chair.  He immediately told everyone in the salon.  He also said he might move to Sweden and open up his own nail salon.  Next on the list, eyebrow threading.  New Smyrna is not known for their threading choices, so I drove 10 minutes up 95 to Port Orange.  I was pleasantly surprised by the Super Target next door!  Two hours in Target without children..... how could this day possibly get better!  Well it did, when we took a family trip to Dick's Sporting Goods.  Who needs a mall when you have Target and a good sporting goods store.  We finished off with a meal at BJ's.  Steve and I were thrilled to be back home receiving great service.  The waiter actually spoke to us, visited us frequently throughout the meal, refilled our drinks, and didn't mind explaining dinner items.  The meal was good, but not as good as all the food Bebop whipped up this week.  He is an amazing cook and he spoils us rotten whenever we visit.  

One of the first things Smith said to me when we arrived in the Atlanta airport (we connected there... and when the boys figured this out they begged us to call all of their friends to meet us there.  If we had more than 30 minutes in between flights, we might have considered it) was "Mom, we are in America aren't we?"  I wondered what clued him in to this... because there were so many things that gave me the warm and fuzzies... so I asked him.  His response, "The bathrooms are normal".  I couldn't have agreed more!  I have often mentioned my sincere hatred for European bathrooms..... but it's funny to see my seven year old feeling it too.  

The car situation was an emotion that surprised me.  I obviously loved having access to a trunk and the freedom to whip up to a store and be back in less than 20 minutes, but I will admit, I missed walking.  There's something to be said about being active and walking around each day.  Speaking of cars, we are selling my 2011 Buick Enclave.  If anyone is interested....

Returning back to Sweden was strange.  I will admit, I had a moment of "not wanting to be here" when I first arrived in the airport.  Back to not understanding the language, rude people, cold weather, missing family, and not feeling like this is home.... really hit me hard.  Monday morning, taking the boys to school, working out, and seeing friends, helped a lot.  I'm settling back in and feeling much better.

Speaking of friends..... Claudette volunteered to tutor me on recovering chairs.  Lori came over to help as well.  It took us a few hours.... lots of chatting about our trips (Claudette went to Copenhagen and Lori went to London) and it was great to be back with these ladies again.  I picked a fun pattern for my chairs, one that I would never normally choose.  They turned out great.

Claudette finishing chair #1

Food will definitely hide in this pattern

We picked up the kids from school at 3:30.  By 4:30, it was dark.  Considering the darkness has only just begun, and in a few weeks it will be dark when we leave for school and when we return to pick up, I will enjoy these last few weeks of daylight.  The sky has been beautiful these last few nights though.  Here's a picture Steve took on our rooftop balcony.

This was taken the night we came home

 I came home to a phone call from our local grocery store saying that I had a package.  Usually we get a text alert that we take to the store to pickup our package.  I asked why I was getting a phone call... the girl told me that the package has been there for 14 days and it was going to be returned to sender.  She wanted to give me one more chance to pick it up.  Since I never received any alerts or notices, I had no idea there was a package waiting for me.  I rushed over to pick it up and were so happy when we opened it.  Marci and the Kenney kids (and Doug too...  :)) sent us a care package with all the kids favorite snacks that we can't get here in Sweden.  My favorite part of the package.... the amazing photo book that Marci made of our last beach trip together.  Thank you so much Kenney's!  This couldn't have come on a better day.

It rained Sunday, but Chase really wanted to play at the park.  Jake and I decided it would be fun, so we put our rain gear on and went across the street.  The smile on this little guy's face is priceless.  I love that we are no longer let the weather dictate our fun.

Speaking of Chase, we were walking out of the school building today as a group of students and a teacher were entering.  Chase looked directly at the teacher and said, "Hej då".  I asked who he said goodbye to and he looked at me with a "duh mom" face and said, "my Swedish teacher".  I love his Swedish speaking confidence.

You may or may not remember that the moving company accidentally packed our tennis rackets and all of our tennis gear and put it in storage back in Atlanta.  We don't have access to that storage unit for a few years, so we moved here without rackets.  Since finding a tennis team has been nearly impossible, I haven't worried about buying a new racket.  When we saw Dee and Jimmy in Florida, my awesome sister and brother-in-law, brought Steve and me their extra rackets for us to borrow until we buy our own.  They even had them restrung and regripped!  This motivated me to find a team.  First, I called KLTK Tennishallen.  Apparently this club has been around since 1940 and is quite exclusive.  I spoke to one of the pros there for about 20 minutes, she explained how the leagues work, the schedule, the cost, and we even discussed private lessons.  At the conclusion of the conversation, I asked her what the next steps were in order for me to become a member and start playing.  She then informed me that there was a waiting list and that I wouldn't get in right away.  I was okay with waiting a few months and hopefully getting in after the holidays.  She said, "well, you won't be able to become a member for two years."  I was sure something got lost in translation, so I said, "you mean two months right?"  NOPE!  She meant TWO YEARS!  The good that came out of that conversation, she recommended two other tennis centers that I could actually get in to.  I called one today and spoke to a pro and it sounds perfect.  From the way she described it, it sounds like tennis in Atlanta.  I will meet her on Wednesday, play with her so she can evaluate my level, and then be placed on a team.  They also have cardio tennis... which Steve and I love.  I'm so excited to finally be playing again.  Dee and Jim, thanks for the rackets!!  You pushed me to find a club.

Today was a great day in that Marci and I carved out 90 minutes and had an awesome chat.  I miss her so much.... and it was fun to catch up and plan our New Years festivities and our summer trip.  We went from seeing each other everyday, watching each other's children regularly, spending holidays and vacations together, to only talking a few times a week and seeing each other twice a year.   I am so thankful for technology though...  that we can talk, Face Time, and text whenever we want.  Thanks for waking up early for me today Marci!

My funny moment of the week, buying stamps.  Yes, the simple act of buying a book of stamps, something I took for granted in the states.  I saw them advertised at the grocery store as I was checking out.  I figured these were good to have in case I needed to mail letters or cards.  I was hoping that they actually were stamps and not something else.  I took a chance and asked the cashier for a book of stamps.  She looked at me strangely , so I pointed to the picture.  She said, "oh stamp".  I wasn't sure if she was repeating me to learn the word, or if they actually call them stamps.  Regardless, I got my stamps and went home.  Pondering over my purchase, I realized that I didn't have a clue how many stamps were required to mail a letter.  Since I have a few friends at school that are native Swedes, I decided to make a complete fool of myself and ask a really stupid question.  "Hi Sara, are these (holding up the stamps) what I use to mail a letter?"   The many situations I found myself in that make me feel like a three year old.   It turned out that  TWO stamps are required to mail a letter or card.  

I'll end with this amazing quote by Chase.  The last night we were in Florida, Chase, unprovoked, looked at my father-in-law and said, "Bebop, I really like having you as my grandpa".  Out of the mouths of babes!!!

Chase and Bebop

last night of movie watching with Bebop and Kiki