Showing posts with label happiness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label happiness. Show all posts

Thursday, September 18, 2014

Reconnecting

A beautiful August afternoon in Central Park

 It's been a long summer, over here it is still going on with temperatures still in the high thirties... Can't wait for it to cool down a little bit.

But I should not complain, I got to spend a couple of lovely weeks in Finland and a few brilliant weeks in Canada and the US. The latter was for my husband's annual leave and for the first time in years I felt like he was actually off from work. It was a great break for both young and old :)

I decided to take a bit of a break from my online life. No Facebook, no Instagram and also no updates on the blog. Instead I took the time to concentrate on family life. Trying to stop a two-year-old from killing herself in her wonderful adventures in life is quite enough of work on some days.

Now that she is back in day care, it's time to try to reconnect online. At least to a certain extent, I think Facebook will have to remain on the back burner for a while. It just ends up taking too much time, time that I would like to spend doing other things.

Time to pick up the young one, have a lovely weekend everyone!

Saturday, February 15, 2014

That loving feeling

It's day two of our Australian (ad)venture. It means that the jet lag is weighing heavily on my shoulders but I am happy!

 

It feels great to have brought our daughter to her home country, she does have dual citizenship but for some reason I primarily think of her as Australian, don't know why. I obviously (try to) raise her with my Scandinavian values in mind, but I also wan to incorporate with that all that I love about Australia and it's people. Because to me Australians are friendly, open, easygoing and warm. Australia is a country that is accepting and encouraging to people of all sorts of background. I'm sure it's not perfect, I doubt any place is. It may not be my home country, but it very well could be. It's a country that I have been in love with since I was 12 and that feeling is still there :)

The mission for today is to get over this jet lag somehow (I feel like I have gone through a mincer) and most importantly, teach our daughter to say "G'day".

Happy Sunday everyone! If you have that loving feeling, share it with those around you!

 

Sunday, December 29, 2013

An almost empty nest

 

It has been quiet here on the blog while I have been busy elsewhere. I had the pleasure of having my family over for the past few weeks. We had a great time with lots of laughs, good food and some adventure to boot!

 

I have just waived my brother off, seems like it was only yesterday that he landed on Saudi soil. His visits are never long because of work, but something is always better than nothing!

 

I'm sitting here in the candlelight trying to get used to a house that all of a sudden is so empty and quiet. Until next time!

 

Monday, December 2, 2013

Time out


No, I'm not talking about toddler discipline. I am talking about a time out from the daily grind. 

Last week me and the young one decided to turn our backs at the dishes in the sink, the laundry towering out of the baskets, the toys spread around the floor... Instead we spent a whole morning in enjoy the gardens of our compound. Drinking coffee, eating crackers and raisins, playing on the slides... Good fun! Note to self: must do this more often.




Thursday, January 24, 2013

2012 - The year of the family

2012 was indeed a year of the family, not only did we add to our own by welcoming a little baby girl, but we also got to spend lots of time with our parents, siblings, aunties, uncles, cousins and lots of other relatives. I have to say that I use the term family very loosely and in my understanding of the word I also include lots of my wonderful friends. We are blessed with such great friends both near and far, I have said it before but I will say it again, many of them are so close that we consider them family!

Here is a look at 2012 in pictures, oh what a year it was...

2012 kallar jag för familjens år. Inte bara för att vi själva blev stolta föräldrar till en underbar lite flicka, utan också för att vi kunde tillbringa en hel del tid med en massa släktingar, föräldrar, syskon, mostrar och fastrar, kusiner mm. Sen ska jag tillgga att jag använder uttrycket familj väldigt generöst, jag inkluderar också en hel drös av underbara vänner i denhär kategorin. Vänner som bor både nära och fjärran, och som vi anser vara en del av vår familj!

Här får ni en titt på vårt 2012 i form av ett bildkollage, vilket år det var...

January - enjoying the winter weather in Finland
Januari - Njöt av vintervädret i Finland

February - Visiting my husband's brother in Canada. Who knew that my better half would be such an ace on skates?
Februari - På besök i Kanada hos min mans bror. Jag hade aldrig kunnat gissa att min bättre hälft skulle vara en sån rackare på att skrinna!

March - Enjoying the outdoors in Saudi Arabia before summer kicks in. I was very pregnant and very over it at this stage
Mars - Passar på att njuta av vädret innan sommaren slår till! Men jag var mycket gravid (tyckte jag då) och tyckte att det sku kunna vara dags snart!
  
April - Celebrating our niece's birthday
April - Vi firar vår systerdotters födelsedag

May - off to the hospital to have a baby, yay!
Maj - dags att checka in på sjukhuset, de e dags att vräka babyn :)
June- so in love with our baby girl
Juni- kärleken och babyn växer varje dag


July - Taking a bazillion photos of our little darling, also trying to get the perfect shot for her passport
Juli - massor av bilder tas av lilltjejen, i synnerhet som vi försöker få till ett acceptabelt passfoto
August - The first trip avec baby, we are in Medina
Augusti - första resan med babyn, vi besöker Medina
September - Off to Finland, a pram form the 80's induce the best naps ever
September - I Finland, en Emmaljunga från tidigt 80-tal där lillflickan sover många, LÅNGA tupplurar
October - Both big and small suffer from a cold, I medicate mine with buckets of coffee
Oktober - Flunssa för både liten och stor, min medicineras med mycket kaffe
November - We are mezmerised by the magic that is Scotland
November - Vi är fulla av beundran på vår resa genom Skottland
December - More family time spent in Canada in freezing temperatures. And no, baby # 2 is not on the way
December - Kalla vinterdagar tillbringas tillsammans med familjen i Kanada. Nej, rocken gömmer inte en babymage!

Sunday, November 25, 2012

The day everything changed

The entry to my hospital room
Ingången till mitt rum på sjukhuset

Today marks exactly six months since the birth of our beloved daughter. Like any new parent I can tell you that those months have flown by. There has been tears, crying, sleepless nights and more laundering than I ever thought possible. There has also been smiles and laughter and most importantly, there has always been love. Me and my husband feel eternally blessed for this gift that we waited for so long.

I have scheduled this post to come online at 4.38 am, the time our daughter was born (just in case anyone wonders about the wird hours of the day that I seem to spend blogging).

Idag är det exakt se månader sen vi välkomnade vår älskade dotter till världen. Ett halvår som har gått i ett huj. Månader som har fyllts med skrik, tårar, sömnlösa nätter och ofantliga mängder med byk. Men dagarna har också fyllts av leenden, skratt och viktigast av allt, kärlek. Vår dotter är en gåva som vi väntade länge på, det går inte i ord att beskriva hur tacksamma vi är.

Dethär inlägget kommer att komma upp på bloggen klockan 4.38 på morgonen, samma klockslag som vår dotter föddes.

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

2011 roundup

I have been planning on doing a roundup of the year 2011 for the looongest time. I realise it seems a bit odd to post something like this in February, but I really wanted to do this - if only for my own record :)


Jag hade planerat en bildkavalkad av året 2011 ren länge, MYCKET länge. Det känns kanske lite underligt att jag lägger upp dethär nu, men jag ville göra det - om så bara för min egen räkning.


In January I spent a lot of time in my favourite city of all times: Sydney. My husband's work  meant that he was moved to Sydney for a few months and while being apart was killing me, we did mak up for lost time during the weekends.

I januari blev det många visiter till min favoritstad: Sydney. Pga arbetet var min man baserad här under tre månader och jag flög ner så ofta jag kunde!


In February I bought myself a new camera, a Canon 500D. I still need to figure out how to make the best use of it and I have been practising by taking the oddest photos ever since!

I februari gjorde jag äntligen slag i saken och köpte mej en ny kamera, en Canon 500D. Ända sen dess har jag övat genom att ta en massa konstiga foton ur alla världens vinklar, jag måste ju öva!
 

 In March we visited Australia Zoo on the Sunshine Coast, a destination that had been on my to do list ever since arriving in Australia back in 2005. My earlier post about this an be found here.

I mars körde vi till Sunshine Coast och besökte Australia Zoo, dethär stället hade varit på min "att göra" lista ända sen jag först landade i Australien år 2005. Mer om besöket här.


In April we were off to Saudi Arabia, for the coming few years at least. The above shows about a tenth of all the stuff we brought with us.

I april bar det iväg till Saudiarabien, för de kommande åren åtminstone. Bilden viasr ca 10 procent av allt det pick och pack vi tog med oss från Australien.


I started taking Arabic classes in May. I have always loved learning new languages, this one is proving to be a real challenge.

I maj började jag ta privatlektioner i arabiska. Under årens lopp har jag studerat flera olika språk, jag måst säga att det här är det mest utmanande språket hittills.


In June I headed back to Finland after being away for nearly two years! To say that it was GREAT to be back would be the understatement of the year. During my six week visit I got to spend a lot of quality time with family and friends. Posts from my visit here, here, here and here.

I juni var det dags för Finlandsbesök, det hade gått nästan två år sen min senaste visit! Att påstå att det var helt fantastiskt är att underdriva enormt. Under mina sex veckor i Finland blev det mycket till tillsammans med familj och vänner. Jag delade med mej av mina upplevelser här, här, här och här.


July was probably one of the best months of the year. All this because I got to spend a few days in summery Finland with my beloved husband. Bliss. The best month of the year was still to come.

När jag tänker tillbaka så var juli säkert den nästbästa månaden under 2011. Jag fick spendera några underbara sommardagar i Finland med min älskade man. Lycka. Men ännu hade vi årets bästa månad framför oss.



Nearly the whole month of August was taken up by the fasting month, Ramadan. More about fasting here.

Så gott som hela augusti togs upp av fastemånaden Ramadan. Mera om att fasta här.


September was the month that made dreams come true. We had a wonderful stay in Turkey, you can read about it here, here and here. I finally got to go on the hot air balloon ride that I had dreamed of for years!

Little did we know then that there was an free-rider on board. Two days after returning home we got to know that we are expecting our first child.

September var månaden då drömmar blev verklighet. Vi hade en helt underbar semester i Turkiet, läs mera här, här och här. Äntligen fick jag åka varmluftsballong, något jag drömt om i flera år!


Vad vi inte visste då var att vi hade en liten fripassagerare med på resan. Två dagar efter att vi kommit hem fick vi veta att vi väntar vårt första barn!


In October I was thinking about family and friends a lot. This card reminds me of a special someone and these words have helped me through some really rough times in the past few years. Gotta love friends that can change your day even if they are miles away!

I oktober kom jag på mej själv med att tänka mycket på familj och vänner. Dethär kortet påminner mej om en mycket god vän och dessa ord har hjälpt mej genom många svåra stunder under de gångna året. Vänner som har förmågan att pigga upp ens dag fastän de befinner sej tusentals kilometer bort är helt enkelt oumbärliga!



In November we visited Oman and Dubai. Note to self: must post Oman pics soon!

I november besökte vi Oman och Dubai, ska lägga upp bilder från resan snart!


In December I was off to Finland - again. One of the advantages of our relocation to the Middle East is that traveling anywhere is so much quicker. Instead of a 30 hour trip to reach Finland from Australia, we are looking at a "mere" 13 hours or so.

I december var det dags för ännu ett Finlandsbesök. Att vara baserad i mellanöstern betyder att flygtiden till vilket ställe som helst har förkortats betydligt. Istället för en trettio timmars resa mellan Australien och Finland så befinner jag mej på finsk mark efter "endast" tretton timmar!


I had a quite eventful and blessed year in 2011 and I am forever grateful for the good things that have come my way during this past year. I hope everyone had a great year in 2011, and if not, I hope that your 2012 is better. I know some of my friends are facing challenges and hard times and my thoughts and prayers are with you.

2011 var ett mycket händelserikt år för min del och jag är oerhört tacksam för allt det goda som jag har blivit delaktig av under det gångna året. Jag hoppas att alla hade ett bra år 2011, om inte, så hoppas jag att 2012 blir ett bättre år. Jag vet att en del av mina vänner kommer att ha en del svårigheter och stora utmaningar framför sej, ni är i mina tankar.

Friday, April 8, 2011

Still here

Hi everyone! Just wanted to write a quick note to let you know that I am still here. I know it's been a while, sorry...





I've been working on a project recently and it has taken up a lot of my time and probably nearly costing my sanity as well! I have limited access to internet at the moment, so I will share more with you in a while :) I've also lost the privelege that is the use of my own laptop as my husband has developped a preference for it. It's lighter and also works much faster than his own. That's why I have to share some photos out of my archive of older pics.

Have an excellent weekend everyone!

Waiting for the train - I know I take photos of the most random things, but I just love these vibrant colours!


Hej alla vanner! Det var ett tag sen sist, alldeles for lange mast jag medge. Jag har ett litet projekt pa gang och det har tagit upp all min lediga tid. For tillfallet har jag sporadsik tillgang ti internet, sa jag berattar mera lite senare :) Min man har utvecklat ett starkt tycke for min dator som ar mycket lattare och snabbare an hans. Darfor sa saknas dom skandinaviska vokalerna, dessutom har jag inte tillgang till mina nyaste foton sa det far bli nagot ur mitt arkiv.

Trevlig helg till er allihopa!

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Happiness is... a long chat with mum


Summer time is a busy time for my parents, they keep themselves busy with a wide range of things. Today I talked to my mum for the first time in a while. She gave me an account of what has been happening since we last spoke. She told my about when they went to their local Ikea looking for something particular. And those of you who are familiar with Ikea know that you cannot visit the store without walking through at least half of it! I can imagine the look on my dad's face when something he thought would be quick and easy turned into a mini marathon in a furniture store!

Above is a picture of my childhood home, it probably also provides the explanation to why I love red timber houses with white trim.

Idag pratade jag med min mamma efter en lang paus. Sommartid ar brada tider for mina forldrar, darfor ringer dom mer sallan. Idag fick jag en uppdatering pa bade ett och annat som har hant. Bland annat fick jag hora om nar hon pappa besokte Ikea senast. Dom skulle bara titta in som snabbast, dom sokte efter nagot speciellt. Men ingen Ikea-visit ar nagonsin snabb och enkel. Herr Kamprad har utvecklat ett fiffigt koncept vilket innebar att man maste ga igenom storsta delen av butiken innan man hittar utgangen. Jag kan forestalla mej pappas min nar nagot sa enkelt blir sa komplicerat!

Bilden forestaller mitt barndomshem, och erbjuder sakert ocksa en forklaring till varfor jag alskar roda hus med vita knutar. 
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