There's another day again!

The snow is here

2012-01-28T12:40:00.010+01:00

It started last Saturday and I believe it is here to stay…THE SNOW. Last year it came in October. I am very happy that it has taken this long for it to arrive this year. Hopefully it won’t stay for too long.

Monday – Friday: Normal working week.

On Thursday we had a lecture in Kalmar after work, and then we also went to a restaurant to celebrate our boss birthday. I ate a lovely lobster soup for starter and for main I had a nice steak. It was a nice evening and the food was great at Källaren Kronan.

On Friday we had a sports day in Svartbäcksmåla with the whole school. It was fun. I went cross-country skiing 4 km. It felt great, but I had to walk down the big hills and afterwards I was totally exhausted. It’s a long day from 8am – 14pm looking after kids in the freezing cold. Afterwards I had a nice hot bath at my Moms place. I really wish we had a Jacuzzi in our house. If we did, I would probably live in it!

Svartbäcksmåla
Today we were supposed to go to IKEA, but the things we needed were not in stock at the moment…good thing I looked online first. Otherwise I would have gotten very annoyed in the shop when I would have found out…So today will be spent cleaning instead. The house needs a good proper cleaning actually.

Gran Canaria countdown: 3 weeks left!

On Sunday last week I had some tea and cakes with Leo-cat :)

Good morning cat attack

Getting bigger, 26+5

Funny! In Swedish it says "Nail me when I am drunk / the cleaning lady" - but it means also "Put me on when I am full". Full = drunk/full, Sätt på mig = Nail me/Put me on.

Is this whats going to happen?

A week’s pregnancy progress + Another check up at the doctors for Hodgkins.

2012-01-20T18:20:00.006+01:00

Week 24+3

25+0

25+3
It feels like my stomach is getting bigger by the day. Obviously it is!

This week has gone by very quick. Work has been fun. I am really starting to feel like “home” there now, such a shame I have to leave soon. Fingers crossed that there will be something opening for me in January 2013.

On Tuesday I went to the doctors for my third, fourth? (I don’t remember…) check up for Hodgkins. Everything was fine! I am not nervous before the checkups. I don’t know why, I just am not. There is no point in worrying about it I guess. I rather put my energy on something else. I believe that there is so much else going on in my life now, (which is good) so I don’t have the time to put any of my focus on negative thoughts.

I still feel great! I don’t think I have ever felt this good, both mentally and physically.

Yesterday afternoon I went swimming with Linn, 1 km. I have also been out on a few walks this week. I just came back now from one with Emma and Ozzy-dog.

Tonight Mike is away for a dinner with friends from work. I am off to my Moms for a bath later when I will pick him up.

Not much else has happened this week.

Tomorrow I am meeting up with Annie in town for a walk and a chat.

And on Sunday I am going to visit my grandparents, Dad and Karin and later I will also meet up with Ida.

First week back at school after Christmas holiday.

2012-01-13T20:51:00.007+01:00

On Monday, the students began school. It was nice to see them all again after the Christmas holiday. I have now started my new schedule which means that I no longer work at the “after school unit” (fritids) and I “finish” at 14pm. But there are always other things to do after 14pm, so I have been staying at work, doing planning and preparing until 16pm. It is a lot nicer to finish at that time than to work until 16.30 every day, and then having to do the planning and preparing at home in the evenings. I am well happy with my new schedule.

Yesterday afternoon I went swimming with Linn. Other than that I have not been up too much, just been out on a walk on Wednesday evening, that’s it. On Tuesday we got our new car! Mike has been working mornings this week, so dinner has been made by him. That is nice because I don’t enjoy cooking after work, I am just too tired. I don’t mind to cook when I am of work though.

Tonight Mike is away with his friends, playing poker. I am just chilling at home in the sofa with the cats, feeling the baby kicking inside of me. There is nothing on TV worth watching, so I might just put a film on. I will probarbly also keep playing "wordfeud" because I am now addicted :) (theresch)

Tomorrow Annie is coming over for a walk in the forest and a cup if tea. I am also going to clean the Christmas stuff away from the house. I am sick and tired of it by now.

Puuurfect position :)

The other two is getting warm infront of the fireplace.

It is not easy to clean the cupboard when the cat jumped right into it :)

Lovely Saturday

2012-01-07T13:54:00.011+01:00

I just came back from a nice swimming session with Linn. We swam 1km (0.621 miles). It felt great! Now I am going to clean the house and then have a nice and relaxing evening with Mike.
I have started to read another book now. Mia Skäringer - "Dyngkåt och hur helig som helst". It is quite funny actually.

Yesterday I had a nice walk in the forest before I went to visit Hanna (that I have not seen in ages). I also saw Ida and Linn a quickie before I went home.
In the evening Mike and I watched a scary movie called "Timber Falls". I can definitely recommend that one to scary film lovers.

At this time last year, I went skiing here. This winter we have not had any snow.

Tequila wants some attention :)

By the way; we bought the car we were looking at. The timing belt (kamrem) are being changed at the moment, so we will get the car next week :)

Week 25 on Monday

2012-01-07T13:47:00.002+01:00

Week 24
Your baby's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts him at just over a pound. Since he's almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn), he cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but his body is filling out proportionally and he'll soon start to plump up. His brain is also growing quickly now, and his taste buds are continuing to develop. His lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help his air sacs inflate once he hits the outside world. His skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.

Week 25
Head to heels, your baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches (34cm). Her weight — a pound and a half (0.7kg)— isn't much more than an average rutabaga (kålrot), but she's beginning to exchange her long, lean look for some baby fat. As she does, her wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and she'll start to look more and more like a newborn. She's also growing more hair — and if you could see it, you'd now be able to discern its color and texture.

New schedule

2012-01-05T12:56:00.006+01:00

Tequilas's favourite place.

Today I have had a meeting with the principal at work. I got my new schedule and I am really happy with it. I also decided to work until the 16 of April, so I finish right after the Easter holiday :)

I had a cup of tea with my colleague after the meeting and I bought a baby cot from her. It is so cute. So now we have arranged: The baby car seat, the cot, the stroller and some other bits and bobs. We have also already decided what crib and changing table to get from IKEA. It feels good to be prepared in advance because now my focus will be on work again.

Week 24

Peugeot 307 XS Kombi 2,0 -03

2012-01-04T18:47:00.005+01:00

This is the car we testdrove today in Emmaboda. It was very nice. Maybee we will buy it :) Wait and see.

We have also arranged a baby car seat now. Thanks Sarah!

Did you know that tests have shown that 60% of all childrens car seat are actually incorrectly installed? For a safe installation you should go to the local fire brigade and get the proper help, EVEN if you think you have done it correctly!

Happy New Year

2012-01-03T17:01:00.011+01:00

Last Thursday I went to visit Ida. After that I visited Linn. Baby Tuva is now a bit over 5 months, she is sooo adorable.
On Friday I visited Annie. It is so nice to have a few days off work because then I get the time to be sociable :)

We spent New Years Eve at out house together with: Linn & Marcus + Tuva, Anna, Sofie & Christian, Veronica & Robert. It was a really nice evening. We ate a three course meal.
Starter: Pie with crab & pie with ham + salad.
Main course: Moose stew in red wine sauce, potato gratin, asparagus + garlic bread.
Dessert: Strawberry cheesecake.

Yesterday after work I went to visit Emmy and baby Levi. She is pregnant with her second child now so we will be having parents free time together.

Today at work we have been with the kids to Agebo farm. It is a place where you can ride horses, play minigolf, play around and do a lot of things. It was a lot of fun, but after beeing outside all day, it was really nice with a hot bath at my Moms before I went home.

I have now changed my work schedule. Before I use to work 70% class teacher and 30%at the "after school unit". I will now be working 100% as a class teacher :) Excellent! But I still do not know if they are going to keep me on or not after my contract runs out in August...We will see what will happen. I really would like to stay on. My job is great, I love it!

Christmas Eve and Day

2011-12-26T14:55:00.015+01:00

Finally I have a real beautiful baby bump :)

On Christmas Eve: Mike and I first went to my Moms for dinner and later in the evening we went to my Dad and Karins place for more food.

Michael is enjoying a Margarita drink at Moms

Opening presents :)

Swedish Christmas food

On Christmas Day: Carl and Martin was at our place. We had Christmas dinner together. We stayed in all evening and chilled. It was very windy outside. It felt great not to have to go out to party. I have gotten really fed up with the whole "going out thing", I would not even go out to the pub if you paid me!

The boys played a lot of video games during the day.

English Christmas dinner

The boys cooked.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-23T18:01:00.001+01:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Getting bigger :)

2011-12-22T20:00:00.007+01:00

Week 17

Week 22

I have been off work because of my terrible cough. So I have had some time to relax and do things that I have been wanting to do but never had any time for. Like for example to watch this dvd about how a baby is made. It explains and shows you exactly how the little cells are growing etc. It is amazing!

Today I have been to Lindås to visit my cousin and to drop off some Christmas presents with the kids. Then when I got home Mike had his friends Carl and Martin over. We had a roast beef dinner together.

Now I will try to enjoy this alcohol free red wine. It is ok, but the white is a lot better I must say.

Bronchial infection

2011-12-20T18:01:00.005+01:00

Today I slept until 13 pm, amazing! I just came back from the doctors now. I went there because I have this terrible cough and a pressure in my chest. He told me that I most likely have got a bronchial infection. I can take some Bricanyl spray and relax, I do not need any penicillin. So I am now off work this week. That means I have plenty of time to browse the internet for baby stuff.

We need:
* A cot
* A changing table
* A pram
* A lot of other bits and bobs; like a small bathtub, more blankets and clothes etc.
+ a new bigger car!

I am getting (buying second hand) a nice cradle from my colleauge.
We are also getting a car seat from a friend.

I have not yet been searching the internet for baby stuff...but I will!
I saw these and almost died! Lovely :) It is just a pity that I cannot be wearing these kind of shoes right now. They also have them in purple, but I could not find a picture. I would have loved to wear them for New Years!

Week 22

2011-12-19T14:39:00.004+01:00

The baby
This week, your baby weighs in at a whopping pound and measures nearly eight inches, about the size of a small doll. But your little doll (who now has eyebrows, eyelashes, and maybe even some hair on that little head) is a living one who can now perceive light and dark. She can also hear your voice, your heartbeat, your gurgling stomach, and the whoosh-whoosh of blood circulating through your body. And as her brain and nerve endings develop, she may reach for her face (or whatever she can reach) just to experiment with her newfound sense of touch.

Me
As if an ever-expanding belly wasn't enough — now your feet are getting in on the act! That's because the pregnancy hormone relaxin, which loosens your pelvic ligaments when you're expecting, loosens every other ligament too — including the ones in your tootsies. In turn, the bones beneath those ligaments spread slightly, which results, for many women, in a half or whole shoe-size increase. So if you haven't already stashed away your stilettos, now's the time to bid them farewell — at least for a while. Besides, you need sensible shoes to help you balance that big belly and your changing center of gravity.

There are a lot of other symptoms like: heartburn or indigestion, constipation, increased vaginal discharge, occasional faintness or dizziness, leg cramps, stretch marks, protruding navel etc. I have not notice anything special accept for the occational heartburn, so I am very happy at the moment :)

Today I did not feel well at work though, so I went home at noon. I have a sore throat, headache and a terrible cough. It is almost mission impossible to get the students quiet and relaxed when you cannot use your voice and your head hurts.

I will relax on the sofa with the cats now for the rest of the day. Mike is at work until 23 pm. If I get a bit of energy later I will sort some paperwork out and prepare for next semester in school (January - ?). I dont know yet when I will be leaving work. I guess I will just try to work for as long as I can. At least until the end of March.
I also have to see about what kind of benefits I am entitled to get while I am home with the baby. Perheps I need to book an appointment with "Försäkringskassan" to find out all the rules and regulations.

First baby movements

2011-12-18T14:32:00.008+01:00

This week has been a normal working week. It is getting close to the Christmas holiday now. The students are only in school Monday - Wednesday next week. I will be working at the after school unit (fritids) 12 hr/week (my 30%) during the holiday.

Did I mention that I am finally done with all my appraisals? Well, I am. Now I don´t have any more until February when I have to do them all over again...

The most interesting thing that has happened this week of my pregnancy is that I now have felt the first (proper) movement! It was on Thursday evening just before bedtime. I actually had my hand on my belly and I was reading the daily information on my "what to expect when you are expecting" application on my iphone when I felt the little creature have a good stretch around inside me. It was such an amazing feeling, but at the same time it was a bit scary. This is really happening!

There are a lot of suppliments that a pregnant woman are suppose to take. I take omega 3, multivitamin, folic acid, iron tablets. Its all good and necessary for me.

On Friday night Mike and I just chilled infront of the telly.

On Saturday I cleaned the house and Annie came over in the afternoon. We had a cup of tea/coffee together, then we went to the forest to cut a christmas tree. We found a really nice one! Thanks for your help Annie :)

Christmas tree

Today it is the 4:th of Advent. Mike and I have been to town to do some shopping and I had a nice bath at my Moms place. We have no special plans today so I guess I will just relax and maybee wrap some more christmas gifts. I feel a bit feverish so I think I will skip my daily walk. It is actually snowing outside today :)

I have gotten addicted to clementines, yumm, yumm!

My lovely Gypsey cat

3:rd of Advent

2011-12-11T16:24:00.006+01:00

Today it has been quite a relaxing Sunday. I have been cleaning a bit, I went to the recycling center with some rubbish, I wrapped christmas gifts and hoovered the house. Then I had a nice bath at Moms place. I am not planning to do anything else today exept for watching a film and to play Wordfeud + Sims socail game on the computor. I have always been addicted to the Facebook games. Now I have found this Sims one :)

Earlier today I went for a walk in the forest. I am glad I was not out there yesterday when it was storm. Look at this!

Mike has stopped smoking! Can you tell? Haha, peanuts, other nuts, winegums and cakes is his substitute for cigarettes :)

The second ultrasound

2011-12-10T10:24:00.012+01:00

I have been working as normal Monday - Friday.
On Wedensday Mike and I went to Kalmar to do the second (and last if everything is ok) ultrasound. Everything was fine! The baby is now 14 cm long and it is growing as it should. We could see that all the different parts of the brain and the heart etc was fine. We could even see ten little toes and ten little fingers :) so cute!

Here you can see a little foot. 3.5 cm

After the ultrasound we went to look at some cars.

This is my HEAVEN!

Yesterday we copied the Nobel dinner at school. The students had to prepare speeches about different inventions etc and we had a three course meal.

We have been doing christmas pottering at school. The kids loved it :)

I like this article in the local newspaper :) it says that we are going to get a trainstation here in Örsjö. Even though I drive my car all the time it is a good thing that the commune is willing to cough up some money to invest in our little village :)

This morning the cats were all very hungry :)

Now we are off to Kalmar to buy some chritmas presents, have lunch and to test drvive a BMW X5!

I am already halfway, gone 20 weeks (on Monday) :)

2011-12-04T15:34:00.005+01:00

It should look a bit like this inside of me.

I cannot believe how fast time has gone. It almost feels like it was yesterday I took the pregnancy test. But here we go, halfway there. My tummy is getting bigger to. I could not see much of my tummy until week 18, but now people you can actually see a small baby tummy, finally!

Week 19

I went back to work again on Thursday + Friday after a few days off cause of the flu, but now I am good to go again. It was nice to take a little break from school. It all got a bit too much there with all the overtime and all the appraisals in the evenings. Now I only have 4 left to do. 3 next week and then the last one in the week after. Nice!

Carl came over on Friday. They cleaned out the guttering (stuprännor) on the house because they were fulled of leaves. We had some dinner together; Christmas sausage and mash, yumm.

Mike and Carl were playing video games all day too.

Yesteday: I cleaned up a bit in the garden to prepare for the snow to come.
In the evening I went to Annies moving in party in Nybro. It was fun and really nice to see the girls again :)

Mike was out in Kalmar with his friends celebrating his birthday.
Today: I was working for a few hours, preparing the projekt "Writing" in school. We just finished the projekt "Reading".
I also super cleaned the bathroom so now it is spotless.

Cairo love

2011-12-02T17:08:00.004+01:00

Cairo is a little bit tired today :)

Mike 35 years!

2011-11-30T16:54:00.006+01:00

Today I have been cleaning out and organizing my wardrobes. The cats helped :)

It is Mikes 35:th Birthday today so I made a nice dinner and a cake. We had some champagne (alkohol free) and he got some presents. In the evening we watched a film.

Cute little puppy

2011-11-28T15:39:00.006+01:00

I just came back in from a walk with Emma and her two dogs.
Look how cute the little puppy is!

This is what the "storm" did yesterday with some old garden furniture of ours...and the noise from the wind kept Mike up all night, poor babe.

Julklappstips

2011-11-28T11:48:00.003+01:00

Klicka på Give hope så kommer du till en sida där du kan handla julklappar och samtidigt ge en slant till barncancerfonden.

Eller sätt in en gåva direkt på:
PG: 90 20 90 -0
BG: 902-0900
Via telefon: 020-902090
SMSa: FORSKA till 72900 (50kr)

1:st of Advent

2011-11-27T11:11:00.004+01:00

Today it is the 1:st of Advent. I have still got the flu so I feel a bit under the weather. I will definitely stay inside all day today because it is really windy outside, it´s almost storm actually.
I will fix my Christmas curtains today. They have to be hemmed because they are to long. In the evening I will make a nice sunday dinner; roast pork and potato gratin with broccoli.

This is my cute little "angels game" with cats.

The Tummy

2011-11-25T17:20:00.012+01:00

This is me now. It is starting to show a bit. But for people that don´t know me, am I fat or pregnant? (week 18)

I have been at work as normal Monday – Thursday. Today I phoned in sick because I did not feel well. I have got the flu. I managed to clean a few windows and to put the Christmas curtains up anyway. Then I was totally exhausted. Carl has been here for the day. Mike and he have been playing video games all day while I have been cleaning.

It has been raining here today and it´s been quite windy outside, it´s nice then to lay in front of the fire with a nice cup of the instead of being out.

I have been reading a bit today. I have just started to read “Ronnie” by Ronnie O´Sullivan. So far, so good.

Cairo and Gypsey resting in bed.

Ullared - baby stuff shopping

2011-11-20T11:20:00.009+01:00

I have been working 8,5 hours over time this week because my colleague has been off work. It has been an intensive week, but fun. I have also had two appraisals (on my own) in the evenings this week. Next week I have four. So, all I have been thinking about these past few days has been work related, even my dreams at night…he he.
When I got home on Friday I was tired, but I still managed to clean the house before Mike got back. In the evening Emil and Mattias came over for some pizza. I had a walk with Emma before I went to bed. I could not sleep properly so I only got about 3hours of sleep.

On Saturday I got up at 5 am. The whole day was spent at the MASSIVE supermarket: Gekås in Ullared. I spent 4500 sek (450 £) on lots of baby stuff. It was fun to go shopping, but it is exhausting to be in a shop that is so crowded. Everyone is pushing their way through and around you. It is important to keep your patience.

Anita, Erika and I outside Gekås

My shopping trolley (minus one bag)

Today I will have a relaxing day. I will organize all the stuff I bought yesterday and then go food shopping later. We will make some nice dinner tonight (I am thinking tacos) and maybe watch a film. I was supposed to have gone to Zumba class, but after yesterday I just have to rest my legs. Perhaps a walk in the evening will be enough exercise for today.

17 weeks

2011-11-18T16:19:00.001+01:00

Every Monday I am entering a new week of pregnancy. There are so much things that is happening to the baby each week. It is fascinating!

By 17 weeks pregnant, you are probably steadily gaining weight. Your uterus is changing and looking more egg-shaped, compared to the round ball it was previously. As your second trimester progresses, the uterus will gradually grow to fill out your pelvis and abdomen. When this happens, your internal organs (such as intestines) will get pushed to upward, and you'll experience gastrointestinal problems as a result.

Your uterus is now 1.5 to 2 inches below your belly button, so you should be showing a little in your lower abdomen. (If you're having twins, or if you've been pregnant before, you'll look more pregnant.) Since your belly isn't that big yet, you can still probably hide your pregnancy for a couple extra weeks (if you want). To keep strangers from learning you're pregnant, try wearing baggier clothes.

Looking for a new car

2011-11-12T09:20:00.000+01:00

Saturday! Lovely, beautiful, nice and relaxing Saturday! I love the weekends :) Today Mike and I are go to Kalmar to do some shopping. We are going to get some things to fix his friends car and his own van I think. Then we are going to have some lunch together and go food shopping. It fels like the fridge is always empty nowadays...I am hungry, hungry and hungry!

We are looking for a new car at the moment We need a bigger one that we can fit a pram in. We have not decided what to get yet, but we are thinking maybe something like this (if we can afford it…)

BMW 325 Touring (2006)

Or we can get something cheaper like this:

Peugeot 308 SW

It does not really matter what we get, but you now me. I have got this "thing" for BMW. It´s that "grrr feeling". Hehe!

My classroom

2011-11-11T16:57:00.005+01:00

This is how "my" classroom lookes like

Monday – Friday: I have been working as usual. I have had two appraisals; Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon. It went fine. Because these are my first ones ever I have had my colleague helping me with my first four ones. From now on I will do the rest myself. In total I have 14. So, 10 left.

On Thursday: afternoon after work I went to visit Linn and Tuva. We had some tea and cake. It is amazing how quickly babies grow and how much things happen in such short amount of time.

Today: I have had a great day at work and when I got home I let the cats out for a while. It is getting cold now. I had to put the radiators on in the house this morning, so now our electricity bill will be A LOT more expensive I am afraid…
My headache is finally gone! That nose spray actually did work quite well. I have not had to take any tablets at all this week. Thank God!

New haircut

2011-11-07T21:19:00.008+01:00

Last week was autumn holiday so the students were off school. I had a planning day at work all Monday. And I also worked Wednesday and Thursday at the “after school place”. On Thursday we took the kids on a tour around the glass factories here in Småland. It was a nice day. We met the famous artist Mats Jonasson at Målesås glass factory.

Målerås

On my day off on Tuesday I went to cut my hair, for the very first time since it started to grow back. It was so nice to finally be able to do that.

I also went to see the doctor about my headache and my cold. I have a flu virus in my body and the pregnancy + the cold makes my mucous membranes in the head/throat thick. I got a special nose spray with cortisone that I can take. Hopefully my head will be less sore from now on.

On Saturday I went to Lindås to celebrate Vendela 4 years.

In the evening my Mom came over for dinner.

On Sunday I went to visit Annie in her new flat, we had some tea and cake. Then I had a bath at my Moms and some dinner too.

This week is filled with work. I am having two appraisals this week and three the next.

Headache from hell

2011-10-30T12:22:00.006+01:00

Monday to Friday: It has been another week at work. I managed not to phone in sick, but I have not felt that great actually. I have got the flu and a sore head. My headache has been constant for the past 20 days now so I will see my doctor about in on Tuesday. My lack of energy is exhausting, every little bit of energy I have got goes to work.

This week I have had my first two appraisals (utvecklingssamtal). It was quite scary but at the same time it was fun. Now I only have 12 more to go.

When I got home from work on Friday evening Mike and Carl had made a lovely chicken dinner that we enjoyed a lot. In the evening we just relaxed and watched a film.

Yesterday: Mike and I cleaned the house in the daytime. I went for a nice walk in the forest and we carved out the pumpkin for Halloween. In the evening we went to the cinema in Kalmar. We saw the movie “In Time” (Cillian Murphy) it was great!

Today: Mike is doing an extra shift at work and I am chilling on the sofa together with my flu and headache. I was supposed to have gone to Zumba class this afternoon, but I am just not up for it at the moment. I need to just relax and get better before I continue my exercise. I miss the swimming a lot.

Next week the students have autumn holiday leave for the whole week, so I am only doing 3 days at work which is nice.

Yees!!! I am pregnant!!!

2011-10-22T20:18:00.010+02:00

YES, YES, YEEEEES!!! It has finally happened, I AM PREGNANT!
On the 25:th of August I took a pregnancy test and it was POSITIVE! Tomorrow I will be in week 14. We did an ultrasound on Wednesday and the doctors said that everything was fine with the little baby. It is now 7 cm (3-4 inches) long. Estimated due date is on 29:th of April 2012.
We are soo, soo happy! It all feels so amazing :)

I have been feeling a little bit sick but not too bad. I have managed work and no vomiting. But I have been VERY tired and totally exhausted after work.

This week I have been working as normal Monday to Wednesday. On Tuesday I went ice-skating with the students, it was fun. I phoned in sick on Thursday and Friday because I had a terrible headache and a sore throat. I needed some time to relax and rest, so I did.

This weekend has been busy: I met up with Linn and Tuva for a cup of tea and a chat. I have been to IKEA with my “cousins” Frida, Anna, their grandmother Inger and Anna´s baby Stella. I did a lot of shopping. I got a new mattress for the bed etc. We had some lunch and also went into Kalmar City. I bought a new winter jacket (Everest) from Stadium that I really like. It is nice and warm, but I need another one for when I get bigger. It is really hard to find a warm winter pregnancy jacket…I have also been to visit my grandparents to tell them the good news. I have been visiting Dad and Karin, and also my Mom.

Mike is in Falun this weekend so I have been relaxing at home in the evenings with the cats.

Tomorrow I am going to go Zumba training with Linn and Sofie. I wonder how much I am going to be able to handle. I might walk out in the middle of the session…haha. I am going to have some food with Ida after. Later in the evening I am driving over to my cousin in Lindås to visit her and the kids that I have not seen in ages. She is going to lend me some “Mama clothes” How exciting!

Soon it is Halloween, I have already started to decorate a bit :)

Yet another week of work

2011-10-16T12:36:00.007+02:00

Monday: After work I was supposed to have gone swimming with Linn, Sofie and Annie. But I did not feel well so I stayed home.

Tuesday: When I got home from work I did some planning and made a cottage pie for dinner. Mike is working afternoons this week, but he got really happy when he got home at 23pm.

Wednesday: I have changed my hours, so now I begin 12.30pm on Wednesdays and finish earlier 14.00 on Fridays. All day on Wednesdays I am at the “after school unit” though. It is fun and a bit more relaxed than in class. In the evening I went to Idas place for some coffee and a chat.

Thursday: After work I went for a walk in the forest. I just love the autumn. The colors of the trees are so beautiful.

Friday: I stayed behind a good 2 hours after school and did a bit of planning. Then I went to my Moms place to borrow her big washing machine. I had to wash a big duvet and it does not fit in our small machine. In the evening Mike and I chilled with some films. We watched a good one called “Limitless”.

Yesterday: I got up at 6.30 am to watch “Eastenders”, the replays from during the week. I cleaned the house and then Ida and Annie came over around 14pm with the dogs. We went for a walk in the forest and then we had some coffee and cakes. At 16pm I went to Emma´s place for a “candle party”. I bought some nice candles and we also had some coffee and cakes. In the evening Mike and I made pork chops and chips. Then we chilled with films once again. This has been a quiet and relaxing weekend. It is just what I need from working so much in the week.

Today: I have been working (again…) I had to correct some tests and to the planning for next week. I just got back from a walk in the forest and for the rest of the day now I will just relax and make some nice lunch and dinner.

Ida A 25 years!

2011-10-09T10:27:00.008+02:00

I have decided to update my blog on Sundays from now on. It is the only day in the week when I get time to sit down and do it.

Monday: It was a long day at school from 8.15 – 20.15. I had my first parents meeting. It went fine and it was actually fun to get to meet all (almost all) the parents.

It is getting colder so the cats need a cuddle in front of the fire.

Tuesday: Normal day at work. I took my sports group out to play “beach” volleyball at the park in Nybro centrum. That was fun! Mike has been preparing food for my all this week because he is working mornings. I like these weeks! Today he made a roasted chicken with mashed potatoes and vegetables.

Wednesday: My short day at work (14.00-17.00pm). I did some planning in the morning. Mike prepared lovely chicken sweet & sour dinner.

Thursday: After work I went swimming with Linn and Sofie. We were sat in the Jacuzzi and in the sauna too. Nice! When I got home Mike had prepared a nice steak and potatoes for dinner. In the evening I lit the candles and embraced the fact that autumn is here now.

Friday: After work I did a bit of shopping in town. In the evening we just watched a film and relaxed.

Yesterday: I was working for about 3 hours correcting tests etc. In the evening Mike and I drove to Nättraby, Karlskrona for Ida A´s 25-th Birthday party. It was a really nice evening with good food, a music quiz and cake. Because Mike had been at work all day and we had to drive home we left around 23 pm and was home for midnight. It was really nice to see both Ida A and Annie P again.

Ida A and I
Today: I am going to super clean the house, do some planning and also make a Sunday roast dinner for my Dad and Karin. But first I think I will take a lovely autumn walk in the forest.

Harvest Party!

2011-10-02T16:01:00.012+02:00

Last Sunday: Mike was supposed to have come home today, but because he got food poisoning he did not come back until Tuesday. Poor babe. I had dinner in Flygsfors, we had a lovely Sunday dinner; Porter steak. I also went to see Linn and Tuva. In the evening Emma and I went for a walk.

Monday: Work. I did some planning in the evening.

Tuesday: Work. Mike came home. We chilled with some food and TV.

Wednesday: Work. In the evening I went to visit Emmy and baby Levi in Lindås.

Thursday: Work. I did some overtime because my colleague was sick. Linn and I went swimming after work. It was so nice.

Friday: After work I met up with Dad, Karin, Cousin Erika, Uncle Conny, Anita and Cousin Richard at 16 pm. We all went to the” harvest party” (Skördefesten) in Öland. I bought a lot of pumpkins, herbs & spices, marmalades, different kinds of tea etc. It was a great day. We went here last year too and we did almost the same stops; Stora Frö, Eriksöre, Gårdby, Resmo, Havtornsgården, Bläsinge & Ismanstorps borg. I got home at 2 am, exhausted.

Yesterday: Mike Carl, Bijan and I was out all day in the lovely sunshine fixing things in the garden. We got all the wood stacked up, the grass got cut, we took all the garden furniture in and also cleaned out the garage a bit. In the evening I went to Annie for a girl party and wine.

Today: I have been doing a bit of work (correcting tests). I have also been over at house nr 9 to see how far they have got on the room. Now the ceiling is done, the floor is almost done and the new wallpaper is an inch of being finished. Nice!

Huge difference than before

Tomorrow it will be a long day at work. 8 am – 21.30 pm because after school there will be a music event + a parents meeting. My first one, I am nervous.

Flu times

2011-09-23T20:03:00.013+02:00

This week has been a short one at work. I went home early on Monday because I was not feeling well. I stayed home on Tuesday and Wednesday. Wednesday to Friday this week we have "study days" (studiedagar) at work, so the students are off school and us teachers are left to do planning etc.

I spent my sick days on the sofa with loads of films. It was actually kind of nice to be a bit under the weather and just to enjoy some relaxation. It has been quite exhausting this first month at my new job. But I like it a lot!

On Thursday I was working all day at the "after school place". Because the school is closed there have been more kids there the past few days.

Last weekend I went out for a long walk in the forest trying to find some chanterelles, but I had no luck. Instead I found a load of blueberries :)

Mike has been over a lot at house nr:9 fixing up the roof in one of the rooms. Soon enough the floors will be put in also. Here we can see some work in progress.

Today I have been working alone at school creating a local curriculum based on the general curriculum in English from year 3-6. It was a little bit difficult to do it by myself. I hope the principal will approve it. I had some nice lunch togehter with two of my colleauges at the local Thai Resataurant. After work I went to town, did some shopping, went to see Ida (ate sandwich cake) and had a bath at my Moms.
Now I will relax in front of the telly with a glass of wine.

Leo is keeping me company while eating cake

Tomorrow I am off to see Dad and Karin for some dinner, and in the evening we are having some drinks at Idas I think.
Mike is away in Falun (North Sweden) to see some friends, so I am alone with the cats until Sunday evening.

Work, work & more work

2011-09-16T16:42:00.008+02:00

Work, work and more work, that kind of sums up my past two weeks. When I get home in the evening (around 17pm) I am so tired so I do not have the energy to do anything special.

On the 7:th of September I went to see my doctor for the second checkup since the “all clear”. Everything was fine this time too. Happy days!

Last weekend was a quiet one. My Mom and I went to Emmaboda market and I did a lot of shopping. In the evening we did a BBQ.

On Sunday Linn and baby Tuva came over to visit. We ate some food and apple pie.

On Monday Carl came over for dinner and drinks. It was his birtday a few days ago so we celebrated him with a pint of wine :)

On Wednesday Annie was here. We had some coffee and pie. She showed me the pictures from her holiday to Turkey and I got so jealous. I really want to go on holiday now. But I do not have to wait for too long because my Mom is taking me to Gran Canaria in February! I cannot wait!

Today we had a “sport day” at school. We went to “Svartbäcksmåla” forest and did some running and some other activities. It was a great day.

Svartbäcksmåla

This weekend: I have no plans yet for tomorrow. I might take a long walk in the forest and try to find some mushrooms. On Sunday Erika and family are coming over for coffee and cake.

Gypsey killed a snake

1 year of sponsoring a child

2011-09-04T14:23:00.001+02:00

One year ago, I saw an advertising on TV about sponsoring a child. It feels great to know that I have managed to help a family in Mali this past year to get a better economy and chance in life. The daughter in their family can now go to school and the whole family gets free healthcare. They also get money so that they can buy themselves more animals, crops and clothes for school. Barnfonden gets 200 sek / 20£ a month from me and they do so much good for people in need.
This is a little something that Djeneba draw for me.
(Her father wrote the letter)

This past week has been filled with work. I find it all interesting, fun and exciting. I have not been up to much more than work really. In the evenings I have been so tired and I have had to do planning for the next day in school, so I have not had the time to do anything else.

On Thursday Mike and I met exactly 8 years ago. We celebrated by going out for dinner in Kalmar yesterday. We ate Chinese food (the restaurant that we were suppose to have gone to were full). It was delicious! In the evening we got some horror films to watch.

In the week, Mike and Mattias have been ripping the stinky floors out at Växjöv 9. It was disgusting because the dirty people that lived there before let their animals piss on the floor. You could actually see the urine on the other side of the floor boards. Yuck!

On Wednesday after work I went to see Ida. She and Annie with friends are going on holiday to Turkey. I will be "taking care" of her cat Leo for the week. I just can't get enough cat petting :)

Leo is playing with water

On Friday evening I went to see Linn and family. We ate taco pie, played some cards and had a really nice evening.

Today I will cut the grass in the garden, clean the house, do the planning for Monday & Tuesday, drive to Nybro to pet Leo and have a bath at my Mom's place and tonight relax with films.

Next week will be filled with work of course :)

First week of work: DONE!

2011-08-26T20:38:00.001+02:00

My first week of work is DONE!

I started my new job on the 17:th of August. We had 3 days of planning and then the students started on the Monday the 22:nd of August. I was very nervous on the first day and was absolutely exhausted afterwards.

The week has been really good, but very intense. It is difficult to be a new staff at a place because you can never find what you are looking for, you always have to ask people for things and you are not sure about all the rules of the school. Everything takes time to learn and get use to. I have met so many new people, children, staff and parents it is crazy. But everything has been GREAT! I love my job!

I have been really busy all week. In the daytime I am at work (of course) and then in the evening I have planning to do. So, it does not leave me much time to do anything else I am afraid. I hope this blog do not have to suffer too much though. I will try to keep it up the best I can.

This weekend will be a quiet one. I will try to sleep and relax as much as possible.

Last weekend we had a small party at our house. I ate crayfish, “västerbottenspaj med kantareller” and garlic bread. The boys ate chicken. We went out to Kalmar to the pub ”KM” and ”Vallen” for some dancing. It was fun, but I am getting really tired of going out partying now actually. It is just so much hassle and you always end up with a hangover the next day…

On Saturday Mike and I went to Flygsfors and had dinner with Dad and Karin. And on

Sunday I did some planning in the garden because it was a nice and sunny day.

Dinner at Sofie & Borgholm with Mom

2011-08-14T10:09:00.010+02:00

After work on Friday I went to Sofie in Kalmar. She had a dinner party for us girls. It was a really nice evening.

Sofie is preparing the food

Yesterday I spent the day with my Mom. We went to Kalmar and Borgholm. First stop was Plantagen (a flower shop) were I bought a few flower pots etc for replanting our flowers at home. Then we went to MEdia Markt to get a new mobile phone for my Mom. She really needen one because she has had my old one for ages.
In Borgholm we planted some fresh flowers on my Grandparents grave. We had lunch/dinner 3 course meal at Restaurant Mamma Rosa. It was delicous. Then we walked around town and I bought some new clothes for wearing at my new job.
I got back home around 18 pm totally exhausted, had a glass of wine and then I felt really sick and my stomach was not happy... I went to bed at 22pm.

Bye, bye phone!

Today my cousin Erika and family was suppose to have come here, but I dont feel tip top yet so I cancelled our meeting. I don´t want to spread my stomach flu germs. Instead I will clean the house while Mike is at work.

A week of training

2011-08-12T09:04:00.005+02:00

Sunday: 6 km powerwalk.
Monday: Work. In the evening I went inline skating 10 km.
Tuesday: Work. In the evening i went for a 4km run in the forest.
Wednesday: Work. In the evening I just relaxed after being around Nybro town.
Thursday: After work I visited Linn and family. In the evening I went inline skating 10 km.

Friday: LAST DAY AT WORK!! Tonight I am going to Sofie for a girlie dinner with Annie, Anna, Veronica and Ida.
On Saturday my Mom and I are going to Borgholm for the day.

After workout

Finally: To the Beach!

2011-08-08T12:57:00.005+02:00

On Saturday: Annie, Jesper and I went to the beach at Vita Sand. It was so nice to finally get a day in the sun. I have been longing to stick my feet in the sand and to feel the saltwater around my body.

Annie and Jesper are enjoying some ice-cream

On Sunday: It was raining so I went to Idas place and had some coffee and a game of cards. In the afternoon, Carl came and had some dinner with us. Mike´s friend Sladian had brought back a monsterbig watermelon from Serbia that we had for dessert. In the evening I went for a long powerwalk 1.5 hrs.

Atlas cutie
Beautiful Örsjö

This week

2011-08-04T16:01:00.003+02:00

Monday: Work. Then as soon as I got home, Mike and I went to go swimming at the lake. It was sunny, warm and beautiful. In the evening we made tuna salad and relaxed in front of the telly.

Tuesday: After work I went to Nybro town to do some shopping. I was really tired in the evening so when I got home I just chilled on the sofa while the cats were running around outside. Mike and his friend Bijan have painted the house today and yesterday. It is the same colour as before (brown) but it really needed an extra coat of paint because the wood was very dry, and the colour old.

Wednesday: After work I met up with my mom at restaurant Zegel (near the harbour) in Kalmar. We had dinner to celebrate her “birthday”. For dessert we had an ice-cream by the sea view. In the evening Mike had his friend Muhammed over for company and I chilled on the sofa.

Mike and Bijan have been trying to fix up and paint the other house at Växjöv 9. The old paint and puts has fallen off and it desperate needs to be repaired. It is just a hassle doing it because it is difficult. They tried their best but it really needs to be done by a professional. So, it is going to be expensive and it has to wait… Instead they put isolation material in the attic of the other house (nr11 – our old house). Tomorrow they are going to fix the floor and some other bits and pieces in the houses.

Today: Work. Went straight home after and realised that Mike had done quite a bit of work today. Excellent!

Tomorrow it is Friday and after work I am going to meet my new colleague Nancy at school to talk a bit about what we are planning for the year to come. We are the two teachers that are responsible for the class year 3-4. I will work 50% and she will be working 80%. I will be in charge for the year 3 and she for year 4. I am very nervous to start my new job…

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2011-08-03T13:58:00.002+02:00

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Tuva cutie - Stand hotell Borgholm party - Ida 30!!

2011-08-01T12:42:00.018+02:00

Last Thursday: Work as usual. In the evening I went food shopping and cleaned the house a bit. Then I just chilled at home.

Last Friday: After work I went to see Linn and Marcus little baby girl that was born on the 15:th of July. Her name will be Tuva. She was so, so cute. In the evening Annie, Ida and I were at Idas place and drank some wine and played some cards.

Tuva and I

Atlas is also with us
Last Saturday: I went to visit Dad and Karin in Flygsfors. I bought some crystal glasses for Idas as a present for her birthday at Orrefors. I also bought a new dress in the shop “skattskrinet” that has moved from Örsjö to Orrefors. In the evening Mike and I ate pizza and watched a few films.

Orrefors glass factory/shop

Last Sunday: Ida, Annie, Jesper and I left Nybro around 13 pm. We drove to Borgholm and checked in to STRAND hotel in the afternoon. We surprised Ida with a present and some flowers and wine, then we where sat drinking “after beach style” at the hotel. Around 17 pm we all (Niklas, Anna, Kim, Emelie, Ida, Annie, Jesper, Johan, Kalle, Sofie, Christian and I) went to Pappa Blå Restaurant for something to eat. There I met Martin Johansson that I use to know back in the days in Gran Canaria, hehe. It was really nice to see him again. He was working there so we did not have much time to talk though. After dinner we went back to the hotel and did lots of drinking, dancing and partying. It was a great night. I think we fell asleep around 5 am.

On our way
Ida and the "monkeys-wine" on the balcony of our hotel
All the girls
The view from our balcony at Strand hotel, Borgholm, Öland.
Ida and I
Annie and I
At "Pappa Blå" restaurant.
On Monday: (Holiday – no work) We ate (I tried to eat..) breakfast at the hotel around 9.30 am. Then we walked around Borgholm, ate ice cream and burgers. We were sat in the sun at Kapelludden for a while as well. Idas brother Johan and Kalle slept in the caravan there so we woke them up, hehe. We drove back in the afternoon and did a stop in Kalmar at Subway for some more hangover foods. I was totally exhausted when I got home around 17 pm.

Tuesday: Back at work again. In the evening Mike made a chicken dinner. Tomi ate with us. They have fixed the water pump at the other house.

Wednesday: Work. In the evening I went for a walk in the forest with Emma and Ozzy dog. It has been ages since our last walk.

Thursday: After work I picked Sofie up and we went to Kapelludden/Borgholm to visit Ida for her birthday. We played some cards, drank some wine (alcohol free for me) and went for dinner together. It was a very nice evening even though it was raining a bit. I had to drive home around 23 pm because I had to work the next day.

Friday: Work. Relax evening. I drank a bit of wine and did bit of cleaning/organising stuff.

Saturday: The weather was not that great. We went food shopping and I had a coffee with Ida. In the evening it was movie night. Mike and I made a nice curry for dinner and had some red wine.

Sunday: We watched movies all day. I went for a walk in the forest in the evening.

The Point and Joy in doing something meaningful.

2011-07-27T11:28:00.000+02:00

This summer I have had a lot of time on my hands because it is so quiet at work. I have been thinking about how important it is for me to do something valuable with my time. The fact that I am now a qualified teacher and is going to start a new job in August scares me a bit. Am I ready for this? But the more I think about it the more confident I get that I definitely am ready for it. I want to have a job where I feel needed, valuable and have responsibility. I want to know that what I do is something meaningful but also joyful.

To be a teacher is a profession where you help children to get an education and to teach children social behaviour. To me that is meaningful and it gives me great satisfaction to be able to do that.

This job where I am at now really does not give me the same satisfaction. I sit in a reception and do paperwork. I also register the patients into the computer when they arrive. The only time I feel genuine helpful is when I sometimes take patients in wheel chairs to the X-ray department. Everything else is just paperwork and phone calls etc. It all feels a bit pointless.

Now, I don’t mean that you others that has got similar jobs don’t contribute to society or should feel guilt for anything. If you are happy doing what you are doing, that is really good. I just feel that I have to get that special feeling of joy at work, helping others, in order to feel happier. I want to feel useful. I believe that you get so much in return for helping others, it is a feeling that you cannot replace with any money and it is hard to describe it too. All I know right now is that I want it and need it soon.

Busy week

2011-07-20T11:01:00.007+02:00

On Sunday I went through all my old school work from uni, I also put my old desk in the "study room".

On Monday: After work my mom and I went out for something to eat together.

Kalmar Castle
Mummy, yumm, yumm :)
Kalmar Harbour
Yesterday: I went home to Ida after work. We drank coffee, went for a walk and talked a lot. We have not seen each other for about 3 weeks so we did a long catch up :)

Today: I am going to meet Sofie after work and finally I get to see how she and Christian lives.

Tomorrow: I have no plans yet, but I will probarbly find something fun to do after work anyway!

The Pig Party

2011-07-18T12:39:00.006+02:00

Friday: The Pig Party was a success. Around 25 people came and we had such a great evening/night. We ate a lot, drank a lot and danced in the living room to loud music until 2 am.

On Saturday: I drove Jayne to the train station (past McDonalds) around 10.00 am. When I got home I passed out in bed until 17 pm. Then Mike and I cleaned the house and garden for hours…

On Sunday: We continued cleaning the house and did laundry. I moved a desk into one of the extra bedrooms so that I can use it as a study room for when I start my new job. In the evening we made a nice dinner and watched some films.

Today: I am back at work again. After work my mom and I are going out for some dinner in Kalmar together for my birthday meal.

Whole roasted pig party

2011-07-15T12:06:00.002+02:00

Tuesday: When I came home from work the dinner was already made. That’s great! After dinner and a few beers Don, Jayne, Mike and I played croquet, kubb and some cards.

Wednesday: After work I had a bath at my Moms. Dinner was ready again when I got home, nice one! Martin and Susan were at home as a surprise as well. We ate BBQ and relaxed.

Thursday: I had a migraine so I phoned in sick from work. In the evening Jayne and I went shopping in town and we also went to the sun beds.

Today: We are having a BBQ. One whole pig is going to get cooked over open fire in our garden. I have invited around 20-25 people so it should be a fun evening. I have been quite worried about the weather because they said earlier this week that it was suppose to rain today, but so far the sun is still shining.

My Birthday!

2011-07-12T12:17:00.004+02:00

Yesterday it was my Birthday. When I got back from work Mike, Don, Jayne and Mattias surprised me with a BBQ, flowers and wine. We played some kubb and went for a walk to the mountain with the sea view. We went swimming in the lake for a good hour. It was so nice.

We made a camp fire to warm ourselves up after the swim :)

Trip to Stockholm for my Birthday

2011-07-11T13:19:00.003+02:00

This weekend Mike and I have been to Stockholm. We stayed with Ida.A and her boyfriend Joel. We drove there after work on Friday and got to their apartment in Hägersten for around 19 pm. In the evening we had some drinks and a BBQ.

BBQ and Party :)

On Saturday we took the boat out to Vaxholm and enjoyed the beautiful scenery around Skärgården. We ate herring and mash potatoes at a restaurant in the harbour. After that we ate ice-cream and walked down to the “beach”. In the afternoon to took the boat (ferry) back to Slussen and walk around in Gamla Stan (The old city). We also walked around City center (Drottninggatan etc) in Kungsträdgården we watched a street performer called “Space Cowboy” that rode a unicycle and juggled with axes and chainsaws. In the evening we went for a late dinner at a Thai restaurant that was situated on a boat with its own sandy beach, wonderful. This day was brilliant!
Ida.A and I on the tube
Skärgården
Ferry to Vaxholm
The beach at Vaxholm
The Old City
Space Cowboy

On Sunday we ate a lovely breakfast; pancakes with bananas and strawberries. Then we said goodbye to Ida and Joel and headed of to the airport in Skavsta to pick up Mr Don from Belfast. It was so nice to see him again. We drove home and got back to Jayne and the cats around 20.00 pm. For a late dinner we made some spaghetti bolognese and drank some red wine.
Breakfast
Don and Mike
In the candyshop, Linköping (600 different kinds of candy)

Today I have been back at work as usual, and it is MY BIRTHDAY!!! I believe that we will have a BBQ tonight; Jayne, Don, Mike and I. Dad and Karin popped in at work as a surprise and gave me a present. After work I will get something from my Mom as well.

BBQ Party, Jayne is here!

2011-07-08T11:26:00.004+02:00

Jayne and I playing around on my i-phone :)
On Saturday: We had a BBQ party. Jayne came over from England! She is staying with us for about two weeks. I got a beautiful bracelet from her Mom. We had a great party, I just hope that the neighbors won’t hate us now because of the loud music...hehe.

On Sunday: We had a relaxation day. Movies, pizza, sleep and snacks.

On Monday: Back to work again. Boring. The baby birds outside the coffee room are growing and are getting bigger for every day. In the evening Jayne and I drank some beer and played some cards.

Tuesday: Work again. It was a nice and sunny day today. I went to visit Susan on my way back from Kalmar. We were sat in the sun talking and drinking juice. Jayne spent the day with her brother (Carl) so I picked her up from his place. Then Jayne and I watched a film "Hush" horror in the evening. Mike is working afternoons this week (14pm - 22.30pm)

Wednesday: Work. After picking Jayne up from Carl’s place we went shopping in the afternoon. When we got home we went for a walk to the mountain with the lake view, it was sunny and nice.

Yesterday: Work and then I was packing :)

(Pictures will be added later)

Midsummer

2011-07-01T18:06:00.008+02:00

Now I have done 3 weeks at my summer job. I am quite tired in the evenings when I get back so I have not done much else than to relax in the evenings.
These are the little baby birds that live outside our coffee room at work. They are so cute.

Last weekend we had Midsummer here in Sweden. It is a tradition to get really drunk drinking schnapps, so I did! We celebrated together with Linn, Marcus, Sofie and Christan. We had a lot of fun and ate a lot of nice food.

Last Tuesday our old tenants “the Norwegians” came over for a dinner party. It was nice. Our other neighbors Sören and Ann-Britt also came over to play some “kubb” game.

Tomorrow we are having a BBQ here. Jayne is coming over from England. I have been looking forward to that a lot! Then Don from Belfast is coming over on the 10:th of July :

One year later...

2011-06-23T18:37:00.000+02:00

Exactly one year from now I got my cancer diagnose. This year has passed so quickly in the way that it feels like yesterday I was sat in front of the doctor trying to understand that my body was sick. But in the same way time has gone by quite slowly when things have been rough.

I am now one year older and a little bit wiser perhaps? Yes, I must say that this year has taught me a lot about life and how precious it is. I don’t really have a whole other perspective on things (like some people get going through hard stuff), but I am trying to grasp moments to enjoy and to live life in the moment the best I can.

It is difficult to explain how very grateful I am to have got this “extra” time in life. Sometimes I think like that, if I would have lived about 20-25 (?) years ago, I probably would not have survived this cancer.
Looking back on all the treatments and side effects etc I now feel like; it was not that hard, but I do NOT want to do it again.

I guess I have been lucky in the way that I did not feel that poorly. Yes, I was tired and felt a bit sick at times, but the other side effects was OK to handle (stomach problems, mouth blisters, hair loss, travels to Linköping, horrible taste in my mouth, nerves going crazy etc) That was not difficult. The hard part came later, when everything was done. Waiting for the results was the most difficult part of it all.

I am a very positive person that has kept my spirit up during the treatments, but in the end my positive energy was running on low speed. Even though I did not feel great in my mind, I STILL went back to school and continued my studies. That is something that I am really proud for doing!

Now I am feeling great and life continues. I enjoy spending time with family, friends and our cats. I will start a new job in august and I sometimes have to pinch my arm to make sure I am not dreaming that this life is true.

Thank you.

I GOT THE JOB!!! and swedish healthcare is NOT expensive!

2011-06-17T17:15:00.009+02:00

Last Friday: I finally finished the corrections in my thesis and sent it in. I am now officially DONE at university! Well…at least for a while. I believe that you can never get enough knowledge and it is good if you can take time off your job and study for some more if you get the opportunity to. Just to take a break from normal life and refresh, update and fill your brain with more good stuff is good.
In the afternoon I bicycled from Nybro to Örsjö (1.4km that is almost 10 miles) in the rain. At the moment I am willing to do anything to lose weight. I have actually lost 5 kilos so far, but it has taken fooooreeeever… I want to look good for summer/beach, and that is getting a lot closer by the day.
In the evening I dropped Mike off at Senais 25-year birthday party in Nybro/Kalmar. I went home to Ida. We played cards, drank coffee, went for a walk and ate cheese and crackers. At 3.00 am I had to wake up to drive to Nybro to pick Mike up because both I and he forgot that the night bus from Kalmar only goes as far as Nybro on the Fridays...Yawn!

Saturday: I started the day with a cup of coffee as always, then I super cleaned the whole house for several hours. Ida came over and we went for a walk in the forest with Atlas. In the evening I had some red wine and a lot of cat stroking.

In the forest

Sunday: Relax day.

Monday-Friday: I have been working all week. My hours are 07.15am – 16.15pm, but on Fridays I finish around 14pm. Things at work are the same as every other year. This will be my 4:th summer as a receptionist at the orthopedic department at the hospital in Kalmar. There is not much to say about my job really, I receive patients at the reception, make sure that they pay and get them to the doctor. I also answer the phone, take care of the mail and enter referrals into the computer etc.
Sometimes time is going really slow at work because there are not many patients coming in the summertime because a lot of the doctors are on holiday leave. And it is hard for me to do more things at work because I am not too familiar with all the duties there.
The thing that angers me the most at work are the patients that are complaining about how expensive Swedish healthcare is. SAY WHAAAAT??? You pay 900 SEK (75£) and then you get FREE healthcare for approx. 1 year (depending on what the first date you paid was). That is not expensive!
Another thing that angers me a bit is when patients say things like: - I don’t need a “healthcare pay stamp” in my book because I am not planning to get sicker.” (Every time you pay at the doctors you get a stamp in a little book. When you have reached 900 SEK you get free care.) And EVERY TIME I have to remind them that YOU CANNOT KNOW WHEN OR IF YOU ARE GETTING SICK, you might as well get the stamp in your little book now. NOBODY plans on getting sick. But I must say that I am very happy that I only had to pay 900 SEK. I got a lot of treatments and it cost the government a lot of money. I am very grateful that Sweden has got the kind of system they do. Thanks to you all tax payers!

On the 27: th of May I went on a job interview. On Monday the school phoned and told me that I GOT THE JOB!!!

Yesterday: After work I had a 2 hour meeting with my new boss, the principal at the Montessori school in Nybro. She explained my schedule and pay etc. I will be in charge of year 3. I will get a 50% position as class teacher (class year 3-4) and 50 % as recreation (youth worker). I will probably teach English in year 4 too. It feels great to know that I will have an income in autumn and that it seems to be a great school as well.

Today: I have been working. Finished at 14pm. Now I will have a glass of red wine and then I will clean the house. Mike just came home from work too, so I will force him to help me clean. Now when I work full time as well, that is more than fair. Music ON!

The first 3 months check up went fine!

2011-06-09T21:32:00.006+02:00

Today: After I had been working all day I met up with Annie, we went swimming. In the evening I went to Susan in Västrakulla to eat a lovely dinner; salmon, potatoes and sauce. Yumm! When I got home I was totally exhausted. It is sooo warm outside (and inside)now. There is thunder and lightning in the air tonight.

Yesterday: I was working in the afternoon. Then I went to Ida. We played cards (I won ) and drank coffee. In the evening I drove my cousin to the emergency because she had a blood infection in her foot. When I got home around 21.00, I went out inline skating 10km (give or take 8 miles) it was so nice!

On Tuesday: I went to the doctor for the 3 month check-up. EVERYTHING IS FINE! Happy Days! The doctor told me that he wants to remove my Port-a-Cath in the summer/autumn. Next check-up will not be until late autumn again. Great! In the afternoon I did loads of corrections and changes in my thesis, but I am still not done… In the evening Emma and I went for a walk up to the mountain with the sea view. Ozzy dog had a swim.

On Monday: I had a day of relaxation. I was sat in the sun with a good book while the cats happily ran around outside. Mike and I went for a walk in the evening and made spaghetti Bolognese for dinner.

I found theese old pics from when I went for my first operation/surgery. Look at the size of that lump/tumor on my neck.

Happy Sweden Day!

2011-06-06T11:33:00.007+02:00

The Swedish national anthem

1.
Du gamla, Du fria, Du fjällhöga nord
Du tysta, Du glädjerika sköna!
Jag hälsar Dig, vänaste land uppå jord,
Din sol, Din himmel, Dina ängder gröna,
Din sol, Din himmel, Dina ängder gröna.

2.
Du tronar på minnen från fornstora dar,
då ärat Ditt namn flög över jorden.
Jag vet att Du är och Du blir vad du var.
Ja, jag vill leva jag vill dö i Norden,
Ja, jag vill leva jag vill dö i Norden.

3.
Jag städs vill dig tjäna mitt älskade land,
din trohet till döden vill jag svära.
Din rätt, skall jag värna, med håg och med hand,
Din fana, högt den bragderika bära,
Din fana, högt den bragderika bära.

4.
Med Gud skall jag kämpa, för hem och för härd,
för Sverige, den kära fosterjorden.
Jag byter Dig ej, mot allt i en värld
Nej, jag vill leva jag vill dö i Norden,
Nej, jag vill leva jag vill dö i Norden.

History
The tradition of celebrating this date began 1916 at the Stockholm Olympic Stadium, in honour of the election of King Gustav Vasa in 1523, as this was considered the foundation of modern Sweden.

Some question the validity of this as a national holiday, as it was not observed as a holiday until decades later. However this event does signify the end of the Danish-ruled Kalmar Union, so in a sense it is a marking of Swedish independence, though the event occurred so long ago that it does not have as strong of a presence in the social consciousness as does, for example, Norway's Syttende Mai (17 May).

In 2005 it became an official Swedish public holiday, taking that honour from Whit Monday. This change led to fewer days off from work (more working-days) as the 6th of June will periodically fall on the weekend, unlike Whit Monday, which was always celebrated on a Monday. This has in turn led to complaints from some Swedish unions. (Wikipedia)

Party Saturday

2011-06-05T18:15:00.008+02:00

Atlas and his ball
Leo

Yesterday I was at a dinner party at my Moms.
After dinner I went to Ida´s place for some drinks and a cardgame with the girls.
We went out to Kalmar, O´Learys for more drinks and dancing. It was a great night out :)

Prawn cocktail for starter yumm!

The girls at Idas

Today I have not done much. I´ve been reading the book "The boy called It" in the sun. Mike and I made burgers for dinner and soon we will put a film on.

Tomorrow I will try to finish my thesis. I still have some corrections to make before I send the final version in.
It is Swedens National Day tomorrow.

Head start on Midsummer

2011-06-03T21:21:00.007+02:00

Today I have been at the local clinic for some blood tests. I have my first doctors appointment (since 3 months ago) on this next Tuesday.
I went to Idas parents house afterwards to sunbathe together with Ida and Susan. The weather here in Sweden is amazing now. Today it has been 26 degrees Celsius.
After doing some food shopping with Ida, I went home.
Annie came over and we ate some "midsummer food".

Mike is out on a party with work tonight, so I am the designated driver. Before I drove Mike into town I managed to cut all the grass in the garden. It was hard work because it was so hot, but it was a good exercise.

Atlas is playing around in the sun

Midsummer food

I am a qualified teacher!

2011-06-02T23:25:00.011+02:00

I have finally finished my studies!!! :)

Last Monday and Tuesday we had our thesis oppositions. I had mine on the Tuesday. It went great. All I have to do now is some minor changes to my thesis and send it in again before the 14/6.

On Wednesday we graduated. We had a ceremony in church and afterwards Dad, Karin, Mom and my Grandparents had some coffee and cake.

In the evening Mike, Mattias, Emma and I went to the beautiful mountain near the lake in the forest. We drank some wine to celebrate and the dogs were playing around.

Last Sunday we celebrated Williams 1 year birthday.

Last Saturday we celebrated Mothers day, my mom cake over for a BBQ.

Last Friday I was at a job interview. It was for a job at Nybro Montessori school. They have had many people applying so I really do not know how big the chances are of me getting it. All I can say is that I believe that the interview went fine. Crossing my fingers and my toes on this one.

Today Mike and I have enjoyed a lovely bank holiday day. We drove to Björnasjö (lake). We brought a small BBQ and some sausages etc. The weather has been sunny and warm all day long. After we ate we drove along the small narrow roads in the woods and found beautiful cottages near the lake. One day we might buy one of them. It looked to peaceful to live in that kind of area. Nice and quiet.

Mjauu, and party on!

2011-05-27T18:57:00.000+02:00

Simon´s cat! I never get tired of watching it.

Manu TJ use to work as a DJ in Scandic, Gran Canaria when I worked there 2001-2003. It is nice to see that he is doing well now :)

10.000 visitors :)

2011-05-23T01:00:00.009+02:00

We have passed 10.000 visits on my blog!!! That is amazing :) I am so glad that you read it!

Not much has happened here though. I have kept on studying. I did a test opposition on another student´s thesis last Wednesday. It went ok even though I was so nervous.

I was working on Thursday and all day Friday. It was fun, even though I was sick. I had a bad tummy and a bit of a fever. In the evening I wrote my CV and send it out. Emma and I went for a long walk (1hr 15 min)

This weekend has been a quiet one. I have been feeling poorly. I have been half feverish with a sore throat etc.
Annie came over for a coffee on Saturday. I managed to clean of all the pollen from the garden furniture and Mike and I put the BBQ on for dinner.
Today (Sunday) has been a day of relaxation. I slept until 13 pm, believe it or not. I think my body needed it. After a shower I went down to the Örsjö market. Emma and Mattias were at the stalls.

Thanks to all you readers. I will keep up :)

Got some work!

2011-05-16T23:51:00.013+02:00

It has been a while now since I last wrote. Sorry, here is a sum up on what’s been going on in my life the past few days.
I have been studying a lot. I “finished” my thesis last week.
Emma and I have gone rollerblading. It is a great exercise. We have also been walking as usual.
Last Thursday we found the way to a lovely place, you can see the whole Örsjö lake from a mountain in the forest. We brought some wine with us and I enjoyed/celebrated the fact that I just sent in my thesis.

Cheers! My thesis has been sent in :)

I have been swimming with Annie last Tuesday.
Ida came over for a visit on Wednesday.

I have got some hours work for the next 3 weeks at the school were I did my last teacher practice :) I will be teaching biology (NO) in year 5 and 6 three afternoons a week. Great! I was working two days last week and two days this week.

Now on Wednesday I have to go to university and get information on how to do the final examination; the opposition. I am nervous, I have to read 3 other students thesis and then give an opposition on one of them to practice before the proper examination that will be held on May 30-31:st.

On Friday I went to Växjö to visit Susan. We went out to Café deluxe. It was a lot of fun. We danced and drank gin and tonics.

Off to Susan in Växjö

On Saturday we celebrated my dad´s 55-year birthday. We ate BBQ chicken and more buffet food. In the evening Carl came over to help Mike fix the van. He also built our new table for the terrace. I forced the boys to watch The Eurovision Song Contest, I enjoyed it. But I do not like the Swedish contribution at all, it is pathetic. “I want to be popular”. It is a song for the brain dead people.

Happy Birthday Dad!
Family
William
Vendela and I at my dad´s party

Today I have been working and studying. Tomorrow I will study all day.
I still have not managed to lose any weight, it is so annoying. Where is my willpower?

Tequila caught a bird

The Summer is almost here now

2011-05-07T21:13:00.011+02:00

Wednesday: I studied for about 5 hours. For dinner I made a lovely cottage pie.

In the middle of studying

Thursday: I had a meeting with my supervisor about my thesis. She told me that I have done a great job and that I can relax, I will definitely finish it on time. Excellent! After the meeting I went to Ida´s, we ate sandwich cake and drank some coffee, Linn came over too. Before I drove home I had a hot bath at my mom´s place. In the evening Emma and I had a long walk in the forest.

In the forest

Yesteray: I studied for 5 hours. Then I bicycled from Örsjö to Nybro (1.2km, a little bit less than 1 mile) Mike picked me up after he finished work. In the evening I was sat in the sun and enjoyed a few glasses of wine. Nice! Mike made dinner; curry, chips and rice with salad.

Bicycling on Gamla Nybrovägen

Today: The weather has been fantastic today, nice and warm (around 20 degrees C). The cats have been out running around all day. Mike kept on painting the garage and I washed both the cars. I went to town and did a bit of shopping and in the evening we made a BBQ and watched a film. Mike went to bed really early because he is working an extra shift tomorrow (06 am -18 pm) long day. I will clean the house tomorrow and make him a nice Sunday roast for when he gets home. Maybe I will go for another bike ride as well, it was nice to bicycle again. Or perhaps I will go inline skating instead. As long as I do some kind of exercise because I have eaten tons of food this weekend…

Mike painting

Gypsey is enjoying the outdoors, and Tequila in the background as well

Valborg

2011-05-02T17:38:00.013+02:00

The sky on Valborg-day (Saturday) Nice!
Thursday the 28:th of April: I kept on writing on my thesis all day. In the evening I went swimming with Linn and Annie. I got some backdated petrol money from the hospital, excellent. It was over 4000 sek! It went straight into Mikes account though…I owed him money for my new brakes on my car that he got for me months ago. It is good of the hospital to pay out petrol money.

Friday the 29:th of April: Study, study, study…I was out running in the forest. That was HARD work, hehe. In the evening I went to Ida’s place and ate sandwich cake, yummy! I watched a bit of the Royal Wedding between William and Kate. It was beautiful.

Lap Dog :)

Sandwich cake
Saturday the 30:th of April (Valborg): After a walk with Emma I went to pick up Annie. We went to Ida´s place at 14 pm for a glass of wine on the balcony. Then we spent the rest of the evening at Kim and Emelie´s place. We made a BBQ and had a great party!

BBQ
Yesterday I was a little bit tired, hehe. I spend most of the day watching the final snooker world championship. Higgins – Trump.

Today I have been at the library at the university. I got some more information and help to write my thesis. Now I am off out for a run and later tonight I will watch the end of the final in Snooker. Go Trump!

Tequila this morning

Tomorrow I will spend most of the day studying and exercising. Emmy is coming to my place around noon and we will go for a walk. In the evening I am going swimming with Linn.

End result of the roof at nr:9

Happy Easter!

2011-04-27T11:29:00.016+02:00

Tuesday the 19:th: We had to take Tequila to the vet because she had been bitten in the lower back by another cat so she had an infection. They sedated her and gave her medicine etc. We have to give her two kinds of medicine twice a day now for a week. In the evening Emma and I went for a walk and I studied for a few hours. I am still doing my thesis.

Tequila at the vet

She still wants to play even if she has got a big cone on her head. Bless.

Wednesday the 20:th: I did the last interviews with the students. It went fine. When I got home in the afternoon I continued writing on my thesis. Around 16.30 pm I met up with my friend Malin at Dolce Vita coffee shop. We had some dinner together and talked about everything.

Thursday the 21:st: Study, study, study all day long. In the afternoon I went to the library at the university and in the evening I went to Ida.A for a cup of tea. She is moving to Stockholm tomorrow.

Mike and Carl with their cross bikes

Friday the 22:nd: (Good Friday)Carl has been here all day painting the garage. I went to Lindås to give the kids Easter eggs. The weather has been amazing this Easter. Sunny and warm every day.

Newly painted!

Saturday the 23:rd: (Easter Eve) I cleaned the house and phoned my grandparents and a few friends so say Happy Easter. We have been taking care of the garden and the garage this weekend. Also Carl has been painting the little spare room in the house too. Carl and Bijan have been here all the time. We have had some BBQ and been drinking some beer. In the evening Annie came over and we made tacos and watched a film.

William and I
Vendela and William on the swings

Michael cutting the grass

Annie making salad for the taocs

Sunday the 24:th: Carl started to clean our roof today. There is a lot of moss on it. I put oil on the garden furniture and cleaned the terrace. I had a bath at my moms and dropped off an Easter egg. In the lovely sunny evening I went for a walk in the forest.

Carl on the roof

Monday the 25:th: Linn and I went swimming (1km) and sat in the Jacuzzi. It was so nice. Then I continued my thesis , I was sat out in the sun reading my books and after that I needed to clear my brain out so I went for a power walk . Then I watched some SNOOKER!

Out in the sun with the books

Ducks on the road, normal in Örsjö :)

Yesterday: I studied for a few hours, went for a walk and in the evening Emmy and baby Levi came over. We had a BBQ.

Emmy and Levi

Today: Mike’s friend Niklas has been here today for some coffee and to se how Wilda is doing. We got the cat from his family. Now I will watch Eastenders and later I will write on my thesis.

The end result

Sleepy Cairo cat

BBQ and more

2011-04-18T23:53:00.010+02:00

Last Friday we had a BBQ. It was a lot of fun!

Some of our guests

Last Saturday Mike and I made a nice pork stir fry with noodles for dinner and we watched a film.

Yesterday we went to town and bought some flowers to plant. I had a coffee with Linn. When I got home I organized the garage because we picked up some stuff that was left in the other house. It was so much snow when we moved so we could not take everything at once. We also have a lot less storage space now. I planted the flower and cleaned/painted the flower box. In the evening Mike and I made homemade burgers that we put on the BBQ.

Planting flowers

Painting the flower box

Today I have been at the other house (nr: 9) and I painted anticorrosive paint on the railing and the ladder. Next weekend I will paint the railing white and the roof ladder will get another coat of the anticorrosive paint. Emma and I went for a walk down to the lake/football field with Ozzy. Mikes friend Bijan came for dinner and some drinks. In the evening I managed to study for over 3 hours. Great!

Painting the ladder

The newly painted railing at house nr: 9

Emma and Ozzy by the lake

Tomorrow I will continue my interviews with the students and I will also meet up with Ida for a coffee. The rest of the week I will hopefully keep on writing my thesis.

One tired Tequila sleeping next to my funky easter chickens

Another week

2011-04-14T21:04:00.011+02:00

It has been nearly a week ago (again) since I last wrote. Time is just flying by!
This is what I have been up to lately:

Last Friday: Emma and I went for a morning walk in the forest with Ozzy-dog. I studied for a few hours and in the afternoon I connected the new modem and wireless connection. It was very frustrating...We made sweet´n sour chicken and rice for dinner. Yumm!

"Tekniska Tessan"

Saturday: Mike and I took my car in to the garage (Däck City) and my friend Krille put the summer tires on. Afterwards Mike cleaned the wheels. In the evening I went to Linn. She had one of her lovely girls night dinners. Three course meal. It was soooo tasty. I ended up going out to Harry´s in Kalmar. I have not been out dancing in over a year and a half and it was fun :)

Linn, Rose, Veronica, Sofie, Annie and Ida.

Linn and I

Annie and I

Sunday: I was really tired all day. Mike and I made steak sandwiches and beetroot salad with feta cheese for dinner. Recipe a la Jamie Oliver :)

Monday: I did my first interviews with the students. It was so nice to see the class again. I will interview more students on Friday. In the afternoon I went to the optician to check my eyes out. Then I went swimming, 1 km. When I came home I went for a power walk for 45min. I have to really start training harder if I want to lose any weight. So far I have only managed to lose 1kg in one month...
Mike is working afternoon this week so I made my own dinner; Salmon. He hates it so I better eat it when he is not at home, hehe. I was sat outside eating on the terass, it was sunny and 20 degrees hot. Excellent!

Tuesday: Today Tomi and Carl finished fixing the roof. Its great now. I studied for a few hours. Emma and I went for a walk. In the evening I went to Ida.A in Kalmar. She is moving to Stockholm next week. We had dinner together and drank some coffee. Mike and I watched a horror film when he got home.

Almost done

Ida.A´s cat, so cute!

Yesterday: I studied almost ALL day. Cleaned the house, did laundry etc. Annie came over around 18 pm for dinner. I made lasagna, garlic bread and salad. Mike and I watched the film “The American” (George Clooney) in the evening.

Today: Had a lovely English breakfast before I drove to Kalmar. First I was at the hospital to clean the Port-a-Cath out, then I had a meeting with my supervisor about my thesis, we were talking about my progress. I have to do some minor changes otherwise she thought it was great. After that I got interviewed by a girl in my group that is doing a thesis about teachers and their connection to students outside the school. Around 17 pm I met up with Annie and we went swimming 1km. We were sat in the whirlpool bath and in the sauna, it was so nice and relaxing.

Tomorrow I will continue the interviews and keep on working on my thesis. I will focus on trying to find out WHAT is motivating the students to write a blog. That will be my issue to investigate and to write about. In the evening we are going to have a BBQ. Mike has invited some friends. Everyone is welcome, so just give us a call if you want to come and join us.

Getting there

2011-04-08T12:23:00.006+02:00

One week has past since my latest post. Not much has happened.
I am writing my final thesis (examensarbete). Mike is working as usual at Kährs. Carl and Tomi are still changing the roof. Yesterday the tiles arrived (one week too late) so they could start to put them on.

Tiles on!

Here you can see another one that likes to climb the roof.

Emma and I have been out walking a lot this week.

Ozzy in the forest

Mike and I went to Mediamarkt on Sunday to buy a new hoover. I love it!
While there I had a look at the Ipohone 4. I realized that it would not be so much more to pay per month that I do now, so I got a contract with Halebop. I am very happy with the deal that I got :) And the phone is great!

25 year old and tired hoover vs new and nice hoover.

4 year old (but still functional Sony Ericsson) vs the Excellent new Iphone4.

We do not want any rain now

2011-04-01T15:36:00.007+02:00

Today I have been in town food shopping. I found two pairs of shoes that will e great for summer and work. Carl and Tomi are changing the other side of the roof. All we need now is for the tiles to show up. The delivery has not come yet.
Unfortunately it has been raining a bit here, hopefully no major damages has occured.
Now I will clean our cars out. Hoover and wipe all sufaces. Then I am making ribs, salad and potato salad for dinner, yumm!

Please do not fall down...

Lots of isolation will keep the heating costs down
My new shoes for summer

I found a blog that really got to me. Read and weep. Life is a story, but unfortunately we are not the author of it...
Here is the link for Lindas blogg lindaskriver. There should be a link you can click on and it will translate for you to English. R.I.P Linda.

Changing the roof

2011-03-30T18:22:00.005+02:00

Today Carl and Tomi has begun to change the roof on the house at Växjövägen 9. I had a quick look before I went to the University in Kalmar. We had our first meeting together with our supervisor and examiner. They liked my idea so it was all good. I spent one hour at the library to borrow some books that I can use to my Thesis. Dinner is in the oven now and later Emma and I are going for a walk.

Yesterday I studied and went for a walk in the forest with Emma.

Carl and Tomi on the roof
High up in the air...
Flowers that we got from Alex/Sarah and my Mom

Beginning my Final Thesis

2011-03-28T20:30:00.009+02:00

Today I have started to work on my final thesis. We have around 7-10 weeks to do it. It has to be around 40 pages and I have decided to write about motivation through writing a blog. I have not finalized the precise question yet. This project will be quite difficult I believe. I let the cats out for a good 2-3 hours in the morning. Emma and I went for a walk and we had a coffee together in the evening.

Yesterday I met Susan in town. We “fikade” (eat sandwich and drank tea) together in town, at my mother’s place because all the coffee shops were closed. Later my mom came with us home and we had Sunday dinner and I fixed the “påskris”.

Fixing "påskris"

On Saturday we let the cats out to run around. I am so scared that they wont come back, my little babies. In the evening I was at Ida’s for a while. They drank some wine. I had to drive so I did not stay that long.

At Ida´s

On Friday we did a role play in school. We did a scenario were we (our study group) were sat in a meeting deciding about buying in more computers for school. It was fun. When I got home Carl was painting the bedroom. Excellent! In the evening Mike’s friend Alex from work and his girlfriend Sarah came over for dinner. It was very nice.

Carl is painting the bedroom

Sarah and I on Friday

On Thursday I spent the day at school working with my study group. We also had a seminar. In the evening Linn, Emma and I went swimming.

On Wednesday I did not do much more that to study. Emma and I went for a walk.

Cat´s outside
Cairo sweetie

The cancer is gone

2011-03-23T00:30:00.007+01:00

Today: I have been studying all day. I have read about teachers' cultures and forms of collaboration between educators. A lot of fun… haha, NOT. Tomorrow I have to read about quality reporting and the development of school. Great! The weather today has been wonderful. The sun has been shining all day and we have not had to start the fireplace. It is about 12 degrees Celsius PLUS outside. You can really feel that the spring is in the air now even though the snow still is on the ground. I just got back from my evening walk and the sky was covered with stars. It was beautiful!

Yesterday: I studied in the morning and in the afternoon I had a seminar in school. We were talking about the teacher in the post-modern society and all changes in the recent past has led to ever more tasks, the time is not enough to do everything that need to be done etc. Everyone seems to think that teachers has got a great job and get loads of time of during breaks and stuff, but I can tell you that that is NOT the case…

Sunday: I went to Lindås to visit my cousin Erika and her family in the evening. I have not seen the kids in a while now so it was great to see them again. Vendela and I were playing some games and William and I were cuddling a bit. Vendela is 3 years old now and William is 10 months. They are soo sweet! I forgot to bring my camera, so unfortunately I do not have any pictures to share.

Saturday: I cleaned out the garage. There was a lot of stuff there that needed to go to the dump. I vacuumed (like I do every other day) the whole house, dusted, went through all my clothes in the closet, did laundry etc. I cleaned A LOT. Some of Mikes friends came over for some coffee. For dinner I made steak, wedges, green beans and a green pepper sauce. Susan came over around eight and we drank some wine/beer and watched a film (winters bone – Oscar winning film) that was quite boring actually. It was about hillbilly white trash poor people. It was depressing and I do not recommend it. But we still had a nice time and that is the most important thing.

Wilda is not really helping...

Beautiful Susan

Mikes friends

Friday:
Susan and I spent the day studying at her parents’ house. We made some nice veggie lunch and ate waffles. Before I went home I did some food shopping. Mike and I watched a film in the evening.

Thursday: I woke up to the fact that it was snowing AGAIN…I studied most of the day. I went for a nice long power walk (1hr) and watched my favorite show of all times; Eastenders. In the evening at 18.00 I went swimming with Linn. She is pregnant in week 20 now and she is gorgeous.

Wednesday: I was at the university and had a lecture between 10 – 11.30 am. Then I did 2 hours studying at the library. I walked to town (about 20min) and met up with Dad and Karin. We had lunch at Hamnkrogen, a nice restaurant that is situated right next to the see/port. Karin and I bought some sushi take away (to have for dinner later). In the evening Annie came over. We had some coffee and a game of cards. She went home around 21.00 pm, and after that I went for a power walk and then I did 20minutes on my cross trainer machine. I have not used it in over a year. It felt great. I am so motivated now to get into shape and to lose some weight. In October I weighed 63 kg and in 2 months I gained 10 kg (I believe that is a stone and a half) I blame it on the medicine (betapred – cortisone) I have decided that ALL that weight has to go away ASAP. It is just sooo difficult. I love food too much…

Sushi, yumm

Tuesday: Power walk and studying in the daytime. Ida.A came to see me in the evening. We ate some dinner together. I made burritos. We had a cup of tea with some cakes and chatted about everything that has been going an lately. Earlier we let Tequila-cat go outside for a while. She was only out for about 7 minutes and she stayed on the terrace. How sweet is she? Oooo, adorable!

To summarize: Lately I have felt brilliant! I am just so happy because I now realize that the cancer is gone. I have decided not to worry about the fact that I might have a relapse. The doctors have told me that if you do have one, it is mostly common in the first year. But I think that if I did worry about it, I would go insane and drive myself mad and I would not be happy. Instead I look brightly at the future and I love the fact that you cannot predict it.

Paaarteeey :)

2011-03-15T09:11:00.013+01:00

Last Friday was my last day at VFU. It was quite sad actually. The kids had made me beatiful little ladybirds and bought me a nice candleholder. So sweet.
In the evening I made Banoffe Pie for Saturday night.

I invited the girls over on Saturday night to celebrate my good news, that the cancer is gone. We ate tacos, cakes and watched the Swedish Song Constest.

Breakfast the day after.

Carl came over to help us install the new dishwasher. He found an old mouse nest.

Out with the old and broken and in with the new :)

Dad and Karin came over for Sunday dinner.

I got Pandora earrings, beautiful! :)

My got well presents.

Later on Sunday evening, Mike and I was relaxing with a bit of game playing. PS3 and FB Treasure Isle.

Tequila is chilling.

Last day at VFU (teacher practice)

2011-03-10T19:03:00.003+01:00

Tomorrow is my last day at my teacher practice. I have had a great time. Soon I will be a qualified teacher :) Yeeeah!!!

I baked a load of muffins that I gave to the kids and the teachers :)

So far I have managed to only eat 2 of them. My "diet" is still going on.

On Saturday I was in Kalmar to celebrate my "cousin" Fridas 30th Birthday. She is living in London at the moment, but she has been living all over the world. It was so nice to see her and everyone else again.

Frida and I
Byron, Anna and baby yet to be born.

On Sunday Mike and I was at me Moms. We eat sandwich cake and drank REAL Champagne. Excellent :)

Nice cake and tea for dessert. The flavour of the tea was actually "Champagne" :)

Mike with a bag in box whiskey. I have never seen one before. Cool!

Latest news in pictures

2011-03-05T12:28:00.005+01:00

On the way back from Linköping last Tuesday we stopped at a shop that sold 600 different kinds of sweets. Mike and Carl were soo happy :) We bought candy for 200 sek (18£) Mike´s bag is already gone!

On Sunday, Mike made a Sunday roast as usual. It is always tasty!

This week I have started my diet/exercise plan. Salad for dinner everyday and I went swimming yesterday.

This is how it looks when I do a bit of planning at home for school.

I just loooove the way Tequila is lying on the floor in front of the fireplace :)

Yesterday I got flowers, a card and chocolate from the kids in the class and my colleagues at school got me a cake to celebrate that the cancer is gone. I was moved by it all. I think that was really nice of them.

Susan and I goofing around on a Mac-computor, hehe

Tonight I am off to Kalmar to celebrate my friend Fridas 30:th birthday. We are going to eat some dinner and have a nice time.

On Sunday we are going to celebrate with my mom that the cancer is gone. "Smörgåstårta" (sandwich cake) and champagne is on the menu.

Next week will be the last of my teaching practice. Time goes quick.

I AM CANCER FREE!!!

2011-03-01T21:57:00.003+01:00

On Tuesday last week I was in Linköping hospital and did the PET-scan. Mike and Carl came with me. It went alright.

Here is some information about the scan:

Positron emission tomography, also called PET imaging or a PET scan, is a type of nuclear medicine imaging.
Nuclear medicine is a branch of medical imaging that uses small amounts of radioactive material to diagnose or treat a variety of diseases, including many types of cancers, heart disease and certain other abnormalities within the body.
Nuclear medicine or radionuclide imaging procedures are noninvasive and, with the exception of intravenous injections, are usually painless medical tests that help physicians diagnose medical conditions. These imaging scans use radioactive materials called radiopharmaceuticals or radiotracers.
Depending on the type of nuclear medicine exam you are undergoing, the radiotracer is either injected into a vein, swallowed or inhaled as a gas and eventually accumulates in the organ or area of your body being examined, where it gives off energy in the form of gamma rays. This energy is detected by a device called a gamma camera, a (positron emission tomography) PET scanner and/or probe. These devices work together with a computer to measure the amount of radiotracer absorbed by your body and to produce special pictures offering details on both the structure and function of organs and tissues.
A PET scan measures important body functions, such as blood flow, oxygen use, and sugar (glucose) metabolism, to help doctors evaluate how well organs and tissues are functioning.

It could look like this

Yesterday I got the results back from the doctor and it was GOOD NEWS, the cancer is gone!!!

The follow up will only be every three months from now on and it is just normal blood tests etc, I don’t need any more X-rays or scans. I am so glad :) It is hard to put in words how I feel.
I will write a summary of my journey with cancer in a post later on. Now I will just relax and be happy that I am not sick anymore.

Pictures

2011-02-20T17:21:00.002+01:00

The cats love the fireplace

That is why we bring loads of wood in :)

They also love to sit on paper. This is the paper that was left over after I built the new bathroom cabinet.

The cabinet

One of Michael´s friends brought some English stuff back from a visit to Gothenburg, mmm!

At the moment I have computors on my mind. The IT-project in school are going well :)

Last Friday I was busy putting these pictures in the newly bought frames

Cairo is so sweet!

I have finally got an appointent now for my PET/CT- scan.
On Tuesday I am off to Linköping again. Mike and Carl are coming with me. I will get some kind of answer on the Monday (28:th) after.

Flu times

2011-02-10T11:56:00.004+01:00

Today I am at home, I got the flu. My throat is hurting, my head is blocked and I have a bit of a fever.
Yesterday evening Carl was here. We all had dinner and got some stuff in the house done, like for example; we put the mirror up on the wall, some pictures, curtain rods and we built the bathroom cabinet. Soon everything will be done in the house and I can finally put some pictures up ton the blog o show you how we live now.

So, what is going on in my life at the moment then?
Well, I still have not got a time for the PET-scan. I phoned Linköping up and the doctor there told me that I will get an appointment in week 8. (It is week 6 now) She said that I had to wait at least 12 weeks after having my last treatment of radiotherapy to do the PET-scan. It is just a bit frustrating to wait. I want to know NOW!

Last week I started my VFU: versamhetsförlagd utbildning (teaching practice) and it is so much fun. I am in class 5 at Transtorpskolan. During my 5 weeks there I am doing an Internet-project. My idea is that each student is going to start their own “school-blog”. So far the students have responded really well to the project and that is great.

I also have started to exercise as well. Me, Linn and Emma were swimming last Thursday and we are planning to keep on doing that. Emma and I have also been at Friskis and Svettis on the “Afro dancing” classes. It is sooo much fun and it feels great!

Porridge for breakfast and exercise will hopefully make me lose some weight.

If you like cats

2011-02-04T18:20:00.002+01:00

If you like cats you should click here This is the cathome that is situated not far away from where I live.

Back at school again

2011-01-29T23:42:00.002+01:00

Sorry that I have not been writing for a while. I have been busy with school etc. I started back at university on Monday the 17:th. It feels good to be back again. Unfortunately I missed a seminar last Monday because I got the stomach flu. I was throwing up on Sunday evening…not nice. I have recovered now though and the shingles are also gone, the medicine I got for it helped.

Here is a short update on what has happened these last few days.
On Wednesday the 19:th; Annie came over for dinner etc, she slept here because she did not get her new flat until last Saturday.

On Thursday the 20:th; I studied for a while, went for a walk with Emma and took Mikes Audi for an MOT. It failed…

On Friday and Saturday I did not do much. Mike and I ate tacos and watched some films.

On Sunday the 23:rd we went to Flygsfors and had some coffee and waffles. In the evening I got sick.

On Monday I was in bed all day.

On Tuesday we had a meeting in school with our new study group and our supervisor. After the meeting I was in Kalmar town for 2 hours (did some shopping) and I met up with Ida.A, we ate sushi.

On Wednesday I did not do anything special, I had some ache and pains in my body, still from the shingles I think.

On Thursday I cleaned the house and Emma and I went to IKEA in Kalmar. I bought a cabinet and a shelf for the bathroom etc. We also did some food shopping at City Gross. I spent too much money…

Yesterday I invited Linn, Sofie and Ida over for taco pie and salad. Senai and Mattias also came over for a while. It was nice. We were drinking some rum and coke.

Today I have been hangover and tired. I went to visit mom, had a bath and ate a pizza. Mike is out partying in Kalmar tonight with his friend that turned 25 years old today. I will watch some films tonight and just take it easy.

I feel a bit guilty now because I have pizza in my stomach…I have started to try to lose weight. The past two weeks I have been really good and I have lost about 2 kg so far. It is just really difficult to stay away from “bad” foods that I like. Pizza, McDonalds, crisps etc. Mmmmm, I want it!

We have started to get quite organized in the house now, so soon I will put some pictures up here on the blog so that you can see how we live now.
I still have not got an appointment for the PET-scan. I phoned the hospital last week and they told me that I was on a waiting list at the moment. I will phone them back again next week I think. I want to get it done soon.

Tomorrow I have no plans so far.

On Monday I start my practice. I have 5 weeks to do at Transtorp School, year 5. I have to do an IT-project with the students. I will tell you more about that some other time.

Gran Canaria Holiday

2011-01-18T11:08:00.012+01:00

One week went so fast, way too fast. Here is a summary of my holiday in Gran Canaria.

On Friday the 7:th of January I picked my mom up at 15:00 pm. I drove us to Sturup airport hotel in Malmö where we slept for a few hours.

Ready to go!

At 3:30 am on Saturday morning we got up to have breakfast. Our flight was at 7.00 am. We landed around lunchtime at Las Palmas airport and an hour later we were sat on the balcony of our hote at IFA beach hotel in San Agustin with a glass wine, enjoying the beautiful view. We ate lunch at Loopy´s restaurant. We have been going there since I was 9 years old and we went on our first holiday. It was funny because they still had the same staff, they must have been working there for over 20 years. Their calamares (octopus) salad is to die for, yumm! After late lunch we walked around the beach and checked that everything was the same as always. They have improved the gardens around San Agustin a lot and it is more palm trees and a lot cleaner than the years before. That is good.

The first glass of wine on the balcony.

Calamares at Loopy´s

On Sunday we went on a day trip to Las Palmas, to the market in Santa Catalina. It was not so nice weather because it was very cloudy and it was raining a bit so we only stayed about 2 hours and then we went back again to the south part of the island. It is always much nicer weather there. We ate a lovely tuna steak salad for lunch and then we walked around the beach. There is such a nice boardwalk along the coast to walk. In the evenings we always had dinner at the restaurant in the hotel, same with breakfast because it is included. So it was only lunch we ate in a different place each day. The food at the hotel was pretty good, but because the main part guests were Germans the vegetables was boiled to death, haha.

The lovely walk area next to the beach
The market in Santa Catalina

On Monday we lay on the beach for a while, but it was quite windy so we lay by the pool instead. We did not do much this day. Just relaxing and reading books, played some cards and drank some wine. One word: HOLIDAY!

Getting some sun

On Tuesday we walk to Playa del Ingles and walked around to Nilo´s where I use to live before and down to Scandic where I use to work. I think we walked around for a good 3 hours. The weather was beautiful, not a single cloud in the sky. When we got back to the hotel I had a swim in the pool to cool me down. Nice.

On Wednesday we went in a bus trip around the island. We went to a few different places, Vecindario, Vallesco and to the rum factory in Arehucas and up in the mountains to see the breathtaking views etc.

On Thursday we lay by the pool. In the evening my mom and I went to Lena´s Internet café to watch the Swedish (old) celeb singer Göran Ringbom preform. I stayed about one hour then I met up with Nathalie, Gunilla and Nina. We ate a lovely dinner at El Gaucho restaurant. After dinner Nathalie and I went out for some drinks. First stop was Scandic were I saw Salva and Manu. I have not seen them in ages. I was hoping that I would also get to meet Lucia and Roberto, but they did not work there anymore and the place that Lucia was working at now where closed and Roberto had his day off from Ministry of Sound…typically. So Nathalie and I went to Grabbarna Grus for a shot and then to “old Hippodrome” it has got a new name now…Nordic Company or something? There I met Paco and Yassin. Then we went to see Victor in Relax pub and then Chris at Saloon bar. It was so nice to see them again. I got back to the hotel around 5 am in the morning, hehe.

My mom and I at Lenas café
Dinner at el Gaucho

On Friday I had hangover brunch around 13 pm at the lovely restaurant Balkon. Garlic Prawns and beer, so nice. My mom and I had a swim in the ocean after, the waves were massive and it was a lot of fun. Saltwater is good for your skin, it felt like I was at a spa.

Hangover cure

On Saturday I took the transfer bus around 10 am to go to the airport. My mom is staying another week so I traveled alone. My flight was at 12.35 am, I got to Malmö at 18.35. I drove home in the fog and icy roads and got back to Mike and the cats around 23 am.

I had a fantastic holiday!

Yesterday I started back to school again. We had an introduction meeting and today I am going to meet my new study group.
I have caught the singles (bältros) so I have red dots all around my stomage/back and it hurts quite a bit actually inside my body. I also have a bit of a fever and a terrible headache. I feel like staying at home today but I don’t want to miss anything in school so I will have to go there anyway.

Im off to Gran Canaria!

2011-01-06T18:43:00.006+01:00

Yesterday I made dinner and we invited our new tenants Mattias and Emma, and also Annie. It was a nice evening.

Ozzy, the dog.
Today Mike and have been in Lindås to celebrate Erika´s 30: th birthday. We are “Sandwich cake” and also normal cake and coffee. It was nice to see the family again.

Tomorrow my mom and I are driving to Malmö. We are flying to Gran Canaria really early on Saturday morning (7.00 am) so we are sleeping at a hotel in Malmö tonight instead of having to drive in the middle of the night. Now I am off to pick her up at three o ´clock.
I probably won´t update my blog until I come back home again. Perhaps on the 16:th of January.
Now I will have a relaxing week in the sunshine, it is going to be so, so nice!

Happy New Year!

2011-01-04T18:08:00.006+01:00

On New Year´s Eve Ida and Martin came over to us. We made dinner together and played some cards. We fired rockets and drank lots of champagne. It was a good night.

Atlas and Speedy joined us at the table

On New Year´s Day we did not do much, it was a hangover day.

On Sunday I got up at 9 am and went skiing. It feels great to do some exercise.
In the evening I went with my cousin Erika, her mom and my dad and Karin to Kalmar to go to the cinema. We saw “Änglagård 3” it was ok. ¨

Yesterday I did not do anything special. I just cleaned the house and unpacked a few more boxes. Now it is only a few more days until my mom and I are going on holiday. I can´t wait.

Today I have been to Flygsfors at my dad and Karin´s. I watched Eastenders there because our TV is still “being transferred” by Telia. I was in town for a while and had a bath at my mom´s.
In the evening we went over to our tenants Mattias and Emma to have a look at how nice they have got after moving in.

Christmas time

2010-12-30T20:55:00.011+01:00

On Wednesday we spent our last day at Växjövägen 11. Michael´s friend Bijan came to help us move a lot of the stuff in the evening.

On Thursday we moved more stuff (almost everything) and cleaned the house out a bit. In the evening I made pork fillet dinner and we spent the first night in our “new” house. We decorated the Christmas tree and watched a film. There is no Internet or TV in the house yet.

On Christmas Eve we went to my mom´s house for Christmas dinner nr 1 at 14.00 – 17.00 pm and after that we went to my dad´s house for Christmas dinner nr 2 at 17.30 – 20.30 pm. I don’t think I have ever been that full after all that food. It is the same every year. How am I supposed to lose any weight?

At my moms
In Flygsfors with dad and Karin

On Christmas Day we had a small party at our house. Carl and some other friends of Michael came to play poker and drink. I played too (no win, no loose) and Annie came over later. Because we live in Örsjö and there are no busses on a day like today when everyone is drinking, everyone had to sleep over. It’s a good thing we have two guest bedrooms and a big sofa.

Carl, Kristoffer, Mike and John
As you can see on the picture I cut my hair off a while ago. It was just a mess. It actually feels quite nice this short. I like it.
On Boxing Day morning I found out some great news! I will tell you about that all a bit later. At 12.30 pm I picked up Maria in Persmåla and Susanne in Västrakulla. We went to Kalmar to do some shopping at the sales. We ate sushi for lunch and had a great time even though I had a bit of a hangover. I came back to the house around 18.00 pm with some pizza for the even more hangover boys that had just woken up. By 21.45 I was in bed fast asleep.

On Monday I did a lot of unpacking. I went to the local clinic because I have got another urine infection. When Mike got back from work we moved the last things from the other house because the new tenant (her name is Susanne) wanted to start moving in her things.
It feels great to live in this house again. The fireplace is just brilliant now in the winter. The cats love it too.

On Tuesday I did nothing special. I watched 5 films and went for a short walk. I am very upset with Telia because they promised that we would get our internet and TV back yesterday but now they are saying that it won´t be connected until the 10:th of January. That is crazy, it is just too long time to wait I think.

Yesterday I went to my see my dad in Flygsfors. I watched Eastenders there and we had some coffee and cakes. I used the Internet and I borrowed a TV-box so that we at least can watch channel 1, 2 and 4, but when I got home it did not work. I believe it is because the tenants that lived in the house before us had a satellite dish installed and that might had disconnected the normal antenna on the roof, so we just have to stick to watching dvds until the 10:th of January.
In the afternoon Mike and I went to Kalmar to buy a new washing machine. They have really cheap deals at Media Markt now. We got a brand new one for only 1990 sek. Mike also bought me a new pair of shoes. Timberland Goretex winter walking shoes, they are so nice. I picked up my new passport from the police station as well. I look horrible on the picture, I really hate it. I might get another one done later.
After being to Kalmar I went to see Ida for a while before I went home. I spent most of the evening and night watching old episodes of Sex and the City. You can never watch it too many times.

Today I picked up Ida from her work and we did the shopping for tomorrow night. We bought food, alcohol, fireworks and of course I bought a cigar. I always “smoke” a cigar on New Year’s Eve. Well “munpuff” (no inhaling) anyway. We played some cards and had some coffee, and then I went to see Linn and Marcus. I got to borrow their wireless internet so now at least we have internet in the house and I can finally update my blog. Excellent!

Moving time

2010-12-22T12:14:00.003+01:00

Today is the last day that we will spend in this house at Växjövägen 11. Tomorrow we will move in to our old house that we lived in in 2008. It is a smaller house and it is lovely. I will put pictures up later.
So all day today will consist of packing and packing and some more packing. I hope I will have enough boxes. I do not want to go outside at all today because it is -18C at the moment. Freeezing cold…

Yesterday I went to Lindås to see Erika and family. I got some Christmas gifts for the kids. In the afternoon I went to Annie to have some coffee and play some cards. I also had a bath at my moms and later I saw Ida for some more coffee and card game.
On Monday I dumped all the stuff that I was giving to the second hand shop away. It went to RIA. I gave away about 7 boxes with clothes and things. Later I phones up all the companies that deals with water, electricity, and rubbish bills etc. Everything needs to be changed around because we have new tenants in both houses.

On Sunday I spend the day packing and watching films. We also had to do a lot of snow shoveling.

On Saturday evening I went to Ida´s to drink (listen, coffee! No wine ) Linn was there too and we had a nice time. When I got home we saw the film “Resident Evil – afterlife” It was strange, I don’t really like films like that.
Now I will to watch Eastenders and then it is back to packing the last boxes.

Cats in snow

2010-12-18T10:23:00.003+01:00

"It is cold, but we love it"
"Shall we go out or not?"
It is Saturday morning and the cats have been out in the snow. Wilda has never seen snow before so she was all exited and started to trample up and down in the white “fluff”, she was so cute.

Carl and Tomi are here today as well to help out renovating the other house.
I am making a really nice dinner for them today, (nötytterfilé) beef tenderloin with mash and vegetables.

Yesterday I was still sore in my lower back from where they did the test and I also felt a bit tired, I had a bit of a fever in the afternoon too. So I stayed indoors the whole day in front of the computer and TV. It is really getting to me now not to have anything to do. Well, I can pack and clean and see my friends etc, but I mean that it is boring not to have a job or to do some studying. It will be good when I start school again in January.

Here is where they took the test
On Thursday Emmy came to see me. We had some lunch and coffee/cake together and we took her dog Leona out for a walk in the snow around Örsjö. Then in the evening I continued clearing out stuff in the basement, it is a never ending job. I keep finding stuff that I can throw away. The less stuff we have to move from one place to another the better!

Another bone marrow test

2010-12-15T14:03:00.002+01:00

Yesterday I did my second bone marrow test. I had to do another test because the doctors wanted to compare the results to the one they did before the treatments started because in that first test they saw that something was a bit strange with the … cells, I cannot remember what they were called. Hopefully this time everything will show up as normal. The chemotherapy has probably sorted whatever was wrong before out.
My friend Annie came with me to hold my hand. I got a sedative tablet before so I could relax a bit (stesolid) but they only gave me 5mg so I could not feel anything. The test went fine and it did not hurt as bad as last time. It still hurts though, but only for a few seconds so it is ok. Annie drove me home to Örsjö and in the afternoon Carl came over to help Mike with the renovation of the house. I packed a few more boxes and had myself a glass of red wine.

Today I have no plans. I wanted to go out skiing, but my back is sore from the test yesterday. Now I am downloading some films from the internet that I will watch tonight I think. Carl is coming over later to do some more work and I will probably pack some more things. I phoned Telia today to organize the tv/internet etc to be moved to the new house, unfortunately they cannot do it until the 28/12 and we move on the 23/12…but it is Christmas so there is other things to do than to watch TV I guess, for example unpacking all the boxes after the move.

Sound of music

2010-12-13T07:56:00.006+01:00

On Friday Mike and I went to Kalmar in the morning to buy a new cooker. We got a Cylinda convection oven that we put into Klaravägen (the house we are going to move back to on the 22:nd of Dec) so now we have a brand new washing machine and a cooker for when we move in, great!
In the evening I made cottage pie for dinner and we watched a bit of the Nobel dinner show and a bit of the final of “Idol” on TV.

On Saturday Erika, Anita, Marianne, Karin and I went to Växjö and saw the musical “Sound of Music”. After the show we ate a three-course meal. We had a great time.

Yesterday I went to Kalmar to visit Ida.A. She had made us dinner and we watched a film, “Beck – buried alive”. It was a really nice evening.

Today it is “Lucia”. I got up at 7.00 am to watch the show on TV. I lit some candles and ate a “Lussekatt”. It is so beautiful and nice to hear the songs. It reminds me of when I use to sing them when I was doing the shows for “Nybro Lucia” back in 1999.

Time to do what I want

2010-12-09T11:41:00.004+01:00

On Monday evening Annie came over for some coffee and cake. She brought me 10 great boxes for moving. Brilliant, now I can continue to pack the rest of all the things in the house.

It is going to be so nice to move to a smaller house that is not so close to another one.
At the moment Mike and his new tenants are fixing up the house next to us.
It was in such a horrific state after the other neighbors had moved out so it needs a proper clean out, the walls needs painting and wallpapering etc.
We have to get a new washing machine and a new cooker in because the tenants before have destroyed it. We also have to put new floors in because they have been destroyed as well. It is such a mess.
The police have got involved in this so it will probably be a court case about it because the old tenants refuse to replace or pay for any of the damages.

I don’t understand how you can treat a house that is not yours with such disrespect or how you can live in such a horrific mess, it is just disgusting. I was nearly sick when I saw the state of the cooker and the fridge after they have moved out. The smell was awful.
It really makes me angry when people destroy things and property that is not theirs, and then they do not take any responsibility for it whatsoever. It is sad when people lose the grip of reality or perhaps don’t even know how reality works…

On Tuesday afternoon I went to Lindås to first visit my cousin Erika and her family and then visit Emmy. At Erika´s we built a gingerbread house together. It looked really good, I just wanted to eat it.

Emmy and I were sat taking at her place eating “lussekatter”and we also went for a walk in the snow. Time flew by. She is now pregnant in week 28 and she looks so beautiful.

On Wednesday I was out skiing in the morning for about 50 minutes.
After lunch and watching Eastenders, I went to see Ida for a few hours in the afternoon.

Today I have no plans whatsoever. I will go out skiing soon and later I might wrap some Christmas gifts and continue some packing.

It is great to have time off and the energy now in December to just relax and do exactly what I want. I have time to read a book or go and see my friends etc. I have no stress with work, hospital, studying or nothing. I am really enjoying this, but it will probably be the only time in my lift to do it. Later in life there might be work, family and other things to deal with.

Tomorrow we are going to Kalmar to buy a new cooker and I will get my new passport. I need it for the holiday! The countdown has begun, in exactly one month my mom and I will be at Gran Canaria :)

Skiing again :)

2010-12-06T13:20:00.007+01:00

On Friday evening Linn, Sofie and I went to Veronica´s place to play some cards and drink some wine. It was so nice.

On Saturday I was just chilling at home. I had a bath at my moms and when I came home I made "julbord" (Swedish Christmas food) for dinner.

On Sunday my mom came over for 2:ond Advent coffee. I made a cake because Mike had his birthday on Monday.

In the evening Mike and I drove to Orrefors and had dinner at the thai restaurant at the hotel. We ate buffé and it was so nice. After that we drove to Kalmar and went to the cinema. We saw "Due Date", it was very funny.

Today I have been out skiing in the woods. I was skiing on Thursday as well. I really have to start exercising now to get back in shape after being sick.
I need my muscles to come back and I need to loose the weight that I gained during eating the cortisone. I want to look good for when I get to Gran Canaria and I only have a month left....hopefully I will manage to loose a kilo or two before then. I have nothing planned now for a whole month so I have plenty of time on my hands to exercise.

I am finished with the treatments

2010-12-03T10:07:00.006+01:00

I am finished with the treatments!!!!
It feels great, but also a bit scary. Now there is nothing else I can do…has it worked? Am I cancer free or not? I won´t find out until the middle of January when they are going to send me up to Linköping again to do a PET-scan.

I was at Kalmar hospital on Wednesday to do another spirometers test to check the lungs. It was fine. I can now finally cut down on the cortisone tablets. I have gained a lot of weight because of them stupid tablets. I use to weigh 63kg. Now I am 71kg…I bought a scale in Kalmar yesterday. I really should not have done that, it just made me depressed.

This is how the spirometer machine looks like.

I am back to my old self again now. I still have some pain in my throat but I got some medicine called “Andapsin” for it. It is a lot better now. The only troubles I have now is with my legs. I still get that horrific pain in my legs, feet, knees and back sometimes. The doctors said that it could be that the chemotherapy has affected the nerves. It should go away by itself but it can take a long time. It gets worse if I drink alcohol so I have to be careful with that. Great…now when it is Christmas…

My last day in Linköping was on Tuesday. I met up with Christel on Monday evening. We had some food together and talked about good old times in GC. She had brought some more photos with her and we has such a nice time. Over 3 hours just flew by. I am really looking forward to my holiday to GC now.

I had a meeting with my Doctor in Linköping on Monday. He just said that everything has gone to plan, but they cannot see anything on the X-ray pictures about how much of the cancer that has gone. The tumors will keep shrinking for another 4 weeks and then I have to do a PET-scan. When you do a normal scan, like a CT-scan they can only see the size of the tumor, not if it is dead or alive. So even if the PET-scan shows that the tumors are still in my body, they can be dead.
I don’t like this waiting. Meanwhile I have to redo the bone marrow test in about 2 weeks. I am not looking forward to that. I have arranged so that I can get a sedative tablet beforehand. Not that it will take any of the pain away, but it might calm me down a bit and when you are relaxed it might not feel as bad? Let´s find out anyway.

Here are some pictures from my last walk between the hostel and the hospital in Linköping.

One of the entrances to the hospital
The coffee shop area where I have been spending a lot of time waiting

Lusse o katter

2010-11-28T09:53:00.005+01:00

Oh my God, it is soo much snow outside now. I think we have to start shoveling the driveway today
At 14:00 pm Dad and Karin came over to have some 1:st Advent coffee. Then we went to Nybro Christmas market. It was windy, snowy and relly cold.

Yesterday I made elk casserole (it was sooo nice)and I baked "Lussekatter". It is a Swedish type of bun with saffron and raisins in it. Today I will bake a spongecake as well.

Snowy roads

2010-11-27T10:12:00.007+01:00

It feels good that it is weekend again. Now I only have 2 more treatments left to do!

This week has been so boring. All I have been doing is being sat on a bus all day up and down to Linköping. The roads have been really bad with snow and ice so the bus has been delayed every day. Instead of it taking 3.5 hours to get there it takes about 4 hours now. There is no time to chill or take a walk or anything when you get there. There is just time to do the treatment and to have a quick lunch, and then it is back on the bus again.

On Wednesday I had so much pain in my legs (again…I don’t know why…) so I could not drive to Kalmar. Mike had to drive me, which meant that I had to take a taxi (the hospital paid for it) from Kalmar to Örsjö on the way back. It took ages before I got back home.

Yesterday Mike´s friend Rocko was here. We had some dinner and drinks together.

Today I am going to see Ida and later I will decorate the house for Christmas.
I think that I will make elk casserole tonight for dinner and watch some good films.

The bus

Coffee, cake and newspaper is a must for the journey

The enterance to the oncology unit of the hospital