Baby Holden at 12 weeks

Now about our honeymoon…

You can see all the pics here… http://photobucket.com/PiaNeilHoneymoon

We arrived in Egypt on Thursday night. The original airline was on strike so we were on a charter airline provided by the tour company which turned out to be completely English speaking which was nice!

I have to say, people are NUTS! The lady seated next to me was a real piece of work. She covered herself (head and all) in her winter coat while she slept. I was so annoyed because I knew I would have to make several trips to the bathroom (being pregnant and all). She was rude!  The airport in Egypt was crazy too! The tourists were complete lunatics. They had no sense of order or politeness. The sea of people that just flooded the area before the passport control was ridiculous! Once we got into the roped-off lines, it was orderly but before that was nuts!  The airport also has people standing outside offering to “help you with your bags” which we almost got sucked into but then Neil shrugged him off.  They of course want money in exchange for their help!

On the way to the hotel, the tour bus guide spoke entirely in Swedish. We told her we only understood English so she filled us in on a few things but basically not much. Our resort was really pretty and secure. We had to leave the bus and go through a metal detector to get into the resort grounds.

When checking in, the tour lady told the front desk that it was our honeymoon so they upgraded our room for free. We were also given a glass of hibiscus juice which was very refreshing! Once we were checked in, they gave us a ride to our room on a golf cart.

We stuck around the room until the luggage arrived and when they came, I had to ask them to break a 100 Egyptian Pound note so that we could tip him!  Embarrassing!!! Once the luggage arrived, we went straight to dinner because it was getting late. The dinner was buffet and we were seated at a very dirty table!  They were so urgent to seat us that they just gave us fresh cutlery and left the table cloth dirty.  Not a very good first impression!

After dinner we browsed around the shopping areas in the main building with souvenirs/spices and oils. We then walked around the resort.

The first few days were chilly. People covered up with towels as blankets at the pool side and I couldn’t shake my goosebumps!

The second day, we had breakfast and became more acquainted with the resort. We were approached by a guy about taking a glass bottom boat tour of coral and fish. We booked it and when we told him it was our honeymoon, he went and got me a flower and then for the rest of our trip, he kept yelling out to us when he saw us “Happymoon!” and would high-five us etc… He was really nice.

In the afternoon we went swimming in a couple of the heated pools which were ok but not the greatest. It was so windy that I was freezing! Plus, the one heated pool is at the spa and the spa guys are really super pushy about selling their spa treatments and won’t take no for an answer.  Imagine the most pushy salesman you have ever met, and then multiply that by a million.

The evenings were a bit slow at the resort.  Not a lot to do. We spent most evenings playing cards (crib) and Travel Sequence. We also watched tv/movies in the room and read/listened to books. We loved to hang out in the 24 hour cafe shalalat in the main building at night. They had great service and occasionally you could get chips/nuts as snacks and twice a day they put out sandwiches and desserts from the main buffet.

Saturday we went on the glass bottom boat tour. It wasn’t what I expected as we left the hotel with only one other couple and when we arrived there, we were the last of about 30 people to board the boat. Worse still, the boat was at the end of a floating dock which was made up of these plastic floating cubes with nothing to hang onto! It was very scary carrying a camera/iPhone knowing that if you go in, you are going to ruin the electronics!  Plus, the water was filled with jellyfish! When you see the pictures, you will see that Neil was the last off the boat and he had a personal escort down the dock My strategy was to go as quickly as possible. I felt like I was on WipeOut!

We got to the hotel and lounged by the upper pool. I spent my time in a hammock mostly dozing off and Neil braved the chilly pool. That night we ate at the Italian restaurant which we were only allowed to visit once per week as part of the all inclusive package. It was NOT GOOD! Although the starters/mains were ok, the creme brule was terrible! Imagine the firmest jelly you have ever eaten with a sugar coating! I had trouble chewing it.

Sunday was a relax day. We lounged, had lunch near the lower pool at the Lebanese restaurant which was a nice light lunch of hot pita sandwiches, soup and salad. The main buffet lunch was very heavy and dinner-like with pastas and stuff like that. They had paninis but they didn’t appeal to me.

The whole resort was pork-free so the bacon at breakfast was beef bacon and the sausages were chicken hot dogs etc.. It was interesting.  I missed the pork!

That night we listened to international karaoke as we played cards in the cafe. THAT was interesting!

Monday morning we woke up and barely made it to breakfast before it ended. After breakfast we took a hotel limo-taxi to Old Market which was supposed to be a cool rustic shopping market with lots of haggling etc.. Well, it certainly was rustic! We arrived and I felt like I was being watched at all times. We were hounded on a regular basis being asked if we wanted a taxi & shop owners pulling us into their shops… The first spice shop we got to, the guy pulled us in and immediately started putting some camel milk crud on my face. I was annoyed!  I was sure he wasn’t going to let me take it off until I bought something but we managed to convince him we would come back and he removed it and let us go. (We didn’t go back to him).  Mainly because he was a bit of a cheat! Tried to tell me turmeric was saffron and wanting 1 Egyptian Pound per GRAM of spices. Crazy! That would be like a little glass bottle of spices you get in the grocery store would be $13-14 CDN! And 10 EP per GRAM of Saffron!!!!

After walking around and starting to become a little ruder towards the shop owners and not feeling guilty for it, we happened upon a series of shops filled with some really nice people. I found a sheer bathing suit cover up thing that I managed to haggle down almost half of the asking price. We then picked up some souvenirs at the adjacent shop and then the next shop was another spice shop.  This time, the guy was really genuine. He up front mentioned he had turmeric etc.. His price was a much more reasonable 1EP per 25 grams! That is like less than $2CDN for a little glass bottle of spice in a grocery store. I picked out some spices but I couldn’t haggle with him. Each time I said the price was too high, we poured spices out of the bag…

After that shop, we were quick to leave Old Market. I told Neil at the time that walking around, I felt like we were going through some sort of initiation! It was just so strange. We didn’t feel unsafe at all and in general people were nice but there was this constant feeling of being uncomfortable. When we saw Naama Bay where the more modern market was (Starbucks, McDonalds etc..) we regretted not going there as the shops had the same stuff. Then again, it was an experience we will never forget. Also, we didn’t want to be wimpy and go to the touristy area with all the posh shops.

When we got back from Old Market, Lunch service was over so we ordered lunch and sat by the pool. Neil had a burger and I had shrimp. The shrimp were delicious but messy as they came with heads/tails on.

We ended up having dinner at Zahle Sur Mer which was the same place our lunch came from and we had some AMAZING Lebanese food. Baba Ganoush, Moussaka, Hummous, Tahini etc.. plus I had chicken in a home made tortilla and Neil had lamb. It was the best food we had eaten since we arrived and we ended up having dinner there the following night as well. The appetisers were so good that we had to go back! The second time though, we ordered our mains off the non-all inclusive menu and I had three grilled crabs and Neil had a grilled chicken. The crabs were crazy though.  It took me so long to eat that Neil ended up helping me open some up. I eventually gave up on the legs and just ate the main body meat.

In the evenings, one of the bars (Latinos) has leftover buffet food as hot snacks. Usually whatever leftover chicken or fish plus a few sandwiches. Several nights, we went and filled a plate and took it back to the room as a midnight snack. That bar also had ice cream all day!

Tuesday was really beautiful and the first really hot day we got to enjoy. We spent the entire day at the pool and swam in the salt water pool. We ate lunch at Zahle again as it was right by our sunbeds. Neil got an unfortunate sunburn in some odd patterns including a perfect void from his iPod on his chest

Wednesday was our last full day at the resort and we made the most of it for relaxing! We ordered breakfast to the room which was actually terrible! By 11 we were heading to the pool to get sun beds and none were available and worse yet, they were reserved but not actually occupied by people which was annoying! We ended up at the upper pool which Neil hates as it is cold and I hate because the bar there is serviced by a annoying guy who wouldn’t give me the drink I ordered and tried to get me to have alcohol constantly.

We wanted lunch at Zahle again so we took a chance and headed back down to the main pool (saltwater) and found two beds in the spot we love right next to the restaurant. We sunbathed a bit and then went to grab lunch which was as usual, delicious! We then spent the rest of the day until sunset by the pool reading/relaxing. It was our best day yet as the sun was so hot and we got some great swimming in. I even got tan lines! Shock since I barely look like I got any sun at all.

I was hungry before dinner so I ordered some appies to the hotel room. The soup was killer salty so I ended up not eating it but the spring rolls were good. We then went to Shish Bish for dinner which is a restaurant that serves Bedouin Style dining with the option of shisha pipe smoking. Neil and I were unimpressed as the tables (on the ground) were very narrow and immovable and with Neil’s knees and my baby belly, it wasn’t comfortable. To top it off, service was awful as well. Neil complained as we were leaving and the waiter was quick to ask us our room number and wanted to make it up to us. As the following day we were leaving, the best he could do was make us a fancy non-alcoholic cocktail at breakfast apparently… The restaurant was also completely smoking so we weren’t offered a non-smoking area which was annoying.

Our last day we just hung out in the main building at the cafe playing crib and chatting. We had breakfast and lunch and just sat around as we had to check out at noon.  At 2:30 the tour bus picked us up for the trip back to the airport. The bus stopped at 3 resorts picking people up. It was a packed bus. The airport was almost as frustrating departing as when we arrived but we got lucky with some of our choices and we were the first to check in for our flight. We had to go through security as we entered the airport check-in area (scanned all our suitcases etc..) and then again after passport control. They never once asked about liquids and many people held onto full bottles of water right through to the gate.

The guy at the check in desk assured me I had an aisle seat this time but I knew he was wrong.

The departure area said our flight was an hour delayed so we went to SBarro and I got some pizza and coleslaw and french fries (they wouldn’t let me leave without the fries!). I think it was this meal that got me sick! I haven’t been feeling well since the flight!

Right after eating, I noticed the board said our flight was suddenly on time and then a few seconds later they announced that we were boarding!  So we went to the gate, got ushered onto a bus and driven out to the plane on the tarmac.

When I got on the plane, I immediately talked to the flight attendant about moving to an aisle seat. We lucked out because the girl seated on the aisle was seated separately from her group so she was free to take the window seat.

The flight was absolutely the worst flight I have ever been on. I have never felt more pregnant! The turbulence was so bad and they didn’t turn the seat belt sign on until people were almost bouncing off the ceiling. I spent most of the flight doing deep breathing to keep my nausea under control. The flight was also much longer going home. I was so happy when the plane landed! At the Gothenburg airport I got to use my permanent resident card for the first time which was exciting! It was much easier and quicker to process my passport!

We had a fantastic honeymoon though and although we would possibly go back to Egypt one day, we think that if we ever go to another hot destination, we would probably try out other countries like Mexico, Spain etc.. Egypt in February is a bit too chilly I think. Its funny because the first two days Neil and I were agreeing that we should make regular return trips to that resort etc.. but we changed our minds only a few days later when we were sick of the food!

So that was our honeymoon in Egypt!  Next time I would love to see the pyramids and sphinx. I really longed for the history that we didn’t get to see…  Next time!

Well, today is the big day. The day where businesses everywhere get to make a mint on guilt… ok ok that is a little harsh.

Truthfully, Neil and I don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day. When we first started dating, we agreed not to celebrate Valentine’s on Feb 14th and just celebrate our relationship (and each other) every day! Neil and I were both relieved that we made this decision! I think I would feel slightly insulted if one day a year, Neil went all-out and spoiled me with flowers and candy and romance. Romance shouldn’t be limited to one day and although I don’t expect candy and flowers on a daily basis, it is a far bigger treat when it comes as a surprise!

I used to be friends with girls that would guilt their partners into a super spoiled Valentine’s Day, demanding that they get taken to fancy restaurants with expensive gifts etc.. Back then, I was single and I always got a little bitter seeing this almost blackmail mentality that, because you’re together, there is an expectation that money and gifts mean a stronger and more loving relationship.

I know that there is another side to this story.  I know there are people who just love the cheesy, sweet romance that accompanies the day. The fairytale romantic gestures of a sweet innocent boy/girl pouring his/her heart out to the love of his/her life.. thats fine! I don’t condemn the romance and gestures, just the commercialism.

A few years ago I went out with “the girls” for Valentine’s day. We were all single and thought that we would celebrate the day with a dinner out. I had never been out for a Valentine’s Day dinner.  We made reservations at a restaurant that we had been to many times before. When we got there I was shocked! The place was packed! The restaurant had not only added tables to the usual floorplan but they also had pre-arranged dinner schedules where each seating was a flat 2 hours. Wow, now THATS romance! Packed like sardines into what used to be a romantic restaurant and then rushed through a meal.

On top of all that, I think what hit me the hardest was looking around at each table for two and none of the couples were smiling, talking, holding hands, toasting eachother, gazing lovingly into each others eyes… none of that… Granted, they may have been grumpy from the short service and tight quarters but what a depressing experience! So that experience solidified my decision to avoid the Valentine’s Day trap!

I prefer the everyday gestures… a spontaneous morning snuggle when the alarm goes off (even on a work day!), a random hug… anytime or that single text or email in the day which says “I Love You”, “You make me happy”, “I miss you”, “I can’t wait to put my arms around you”, even “You complete me!”.

Love is interesting… http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love

I guess every relationship is different. Everyone shows affection in different ways and I am not saying that Valentine’s Day should be abolished.  It’s just not for me!

For those of you in relationships/partnerships/marriages, I wish you a wonderful Valentine’s Day filled with whatever it is that makes you happy. I also wish you the same gestures and feelings on a daily basis even if too subtle to pinpoint. You can still “feel” it…

For those of you who are single/independant, I wish you the exact same thing! I hope you realise that even if you are longing for a relationship on this day, you still have people in your life that care about you and you need to treat yourself with the same love and respect! You deserve it!

I can’t stress enough… no matter what situation you are in (single or in a partnership), never ever compare yourself or your relationship to anyone else! As human beings we only project a fraction of what is true about our lives and that projection is almost always the best side of us. You can compare what you have (all 100%) to 10% of what someone else has but realise that you may want the good/positive/happy things they have but you don’t want the problems/issues/struggles that balance out their life. Just as you have good and bad in your life to balance you out, so does everyone else.

It is easy to wish for a substitution for something you are missing out on… thicker, longer hair, better health, a better job/money, a better relationship… or a relationship at all. But for every wish granted, a sacrifice is made. Freedom, time, friendships, money… everything in life is a delicate balance. Not all sacrifices are bad and often the good outweighs the bad but that is also a matter of perspective and having the right attitude…

Imagine how bizarre the world would be if we could pick and choose the aspects of our lives and only have the good… no bad, no struggles, no fear, no anger… Sad thing is, if thats the way we lived, we would soon forget what “good” actually feels like. Without the struggles, you have nothing to look forward to, nothing to learn to appreciate and no reason to celebrate.

I’ll step off the soap box now and leave you with these thoughts which are far more eloquent than my own…

I lost a total of 233 lbs. initially (before the 5 lb. bounce- back) that is just over 16 stone or almost 106kg!  Before surgery I weighed a whopping 466lbs, 32 stone, 211 kg!  The weight loss was like losing half of myself, not just physically but mentally, emotionally and relationship-wise, a lot also suffered. Some people I was close to when I was big are not close to me now.

Aside from that I have also lost some very special people over the last few years.

My stepmom June who fought cancer for years passed away in 2009.  Yesterday,  I suddenly remembered her memorial service and just thought about the awful job I did for her eulogy.  I hate speaking at funerals because I never feel like I do the job justice and this time around was no different. I suddenly panicked and realised that I didn’t know her as well as I thought.  There were so many aspects of her life that I had no clue about.  By the time I got over myself as a young adult and finally accepted her as family and realised that I loved her as a parent, my life was in its own state of turmoil. Health problems and then my subsequent surgery.  I guess that seems to be a trend with relationships in my life during the last several years. And all the while, she was going through her own turmoil with cancer over and over again.  I miss her. She died just a couple of months after I met Neil. As a matter of fact the only time he got to see her in person was when she wasn’t even able to communicate or acknowledge us. I wish he had had the chance to get to know her.

My niece Jessica was a miracle and a tragedy in a very short time.  In January of 2009 she had a stroke and amazingly, she recovered really well.  I felt so lucky to get to spend Easter 2010 with her and I kept thinking how lucky I felt that I got to see her again and spend time with her when just a year before we weren’t sure if she would make it. Then tragically at just 21 years old, she passed away on Aug 2 of 2010. The whole time too, while recovering from the stroke she raised money for the heart & stroke foundation and inspired a lot of people.  I think the reflection of her character was really evident  by how everyone around her was impacted by passing.  I didn’t spend as much time with her as I would have liked.  I have thought about her a lot.

My aunt and uncle Anne and Horst passed away just two months apart!  I loved this couple!  They were two of the most accepting and gracious people I know. Whenever I went to visit them (which again seemed like it wasn’t often enough), they opened their home to me (and whomever happened to be with me and over the years that included random friends as well). They always offered food, even when there was no advance notice and I was always guaranteed warm hugs!  Ok so this isn’t foreign to my family culture particularly on the German side… I always received the same warm treatment no matter who I saw. I think that my fond memories stem from childhood as well though and those good feelings stick with you! Their story was touching though. In their retirement they spent every moment together. I never saw them fight or argue have any tension in their relationship and they just seemed to care about each other completely. Then, when Anne passed away very suddenly, Horst’s heart was torn apart and at her funeral he made it clear to me that he wasn’t going to be around long either. This was true love at the deepest level.  I have heard about this so much that it seems to be a phenomenon but when the woman in a long term marriage suddenly passes away, the husband shortly follows.. perhaps from a broken heart?

Aside from those four, I also lost another aunt and grandparents but I was younger then and I think I handled their passing differently back then and apparently have healed more than with these more recent family members.

Now that I live on the other side of the world from those I most love and care about (besides Neil), it seems even more crucial to me to never regret, never miss an opportunity to tell someone you love them, never hesitate telling someone they are special or that you are proud of them.  Know what is going on in their lives and stay connected. Unfortunately it is a two-way street and although I can control what I do, I can’t force them to meet me half way so its just a matter of doing my best I suppose. The only global message I can put across to the people in my life is that if you are a part of my life in any capacity, if I make contact, if I even bother to acknowledge you, it is because I care about you and I think you are special. I don’t waste my time with people that don’t have a piece of my heart!

I guess that’s that!

I have changed the site to make it a lot nicer (and easier for me to use). As part of the renovations, I discovered a cool tool which was able to import all of my posts from my old Blogger site!  As a result, the entire history is here now (and a lot easier to navigate).

I have also discovered that the only way interested readers can receive my blog post updates via email is to subscribe to the RSS feed (see the link on the right-side menu).  If you are interested in subscribing (thank you!) please use the Entries RSS option. At the moment I don’t have a routine for blogging so this will ensure you are notified when I do post!

Lastly, if you are interested in commenting, participating in posts/discussions or just making your presence known as a subscriber, please register on the site. You will be able to log in and post comments and let me know that you are reading.  Readers motivate me to post more often!

See, wasn’t that important??

Also at the beginning of January I started my Swedish language lessons. I use the term lessons loosely here. Since starting 4 weeks ago, I have only actually had maybe 4 in-class lessons and since they are teaching a variety of students with different skill levels, native tongues and cultures, the lessons are somewhat generic and a little inconsistent. Additionally, almost all of the lesson/discussion is in Swedish. Occasionally a teacher might catch my blank stare and recognise it as incomprehension so they will clarify or use sign language to help me understand but not always. Week 1 we were learning Swedish grammar and I hadn’t even learned the basic alphabet and numbers yet. Week 2 we were expected to read/translate a page of political newspaper articles when I didn’t even know the word for newspaper! Admittedly by week 3 I had lost a lot of interest in actually attending the classes and preferred the self-study sessions as I have been able to work at a pace that seems more logical and practical to me. I can’t complain that there is no charge for me to attend the language school. My only costs included the additional study materials I wanted to pick up to help me learn. Partly because I didn’t want to continue to borrow them from the school. I am happy that my prior knowledge in German, English and the little sampling of Danish I have managed to absorb seems to be helpful. There are several words in Swedish that are similar in any one (or all) of the above languages and without even realizing I have learned something, it is embedded into my brain. Unfortunately I am still plagued with my terrible short term memory so unless I am able to read, hear and then see (in context) a particular word or phrase, I forget it. This is where the lack of consistent organized language classes lets me down a bit. Although we have had two lessons which were a repeat of each other (and seem to have stuck in my head) the remaining have been somewhat random topics. In addition to the above complaint about lack of lessons, some of the classes where we appear to be in a “lesson” supervised by a teacher, we are actually working alone or in groups like the blind teaching the blind struggling through some exercise using as much english as possible to first try and figure out what we were asked to do, and then try to figure out how to do it.

Now, at week 4 I am able to read more Swedish than I ever thought possible but I am still not confident speaking it. I get up the courage to go into a store and ask (in Swedish) for 2 of something, or I pretend to be local and smile and just motion to what I want.  Then two seconds later my cover is blown when the cashier or clerk asks me something as simple as “would you like the receipt, would you like a bag, would you like anything else”. Then I get flustered and admit to not being able to understand Swedish.  If everyone would carry around little white boards or have natural subtitles streaming along their chests, I would be fine. Every once in a while I will be on the train or in a store or randomly somewhere and I will understand something spoken.. in Swedish… and my stomach will leap and I will feel like I have achieved some great feat! I have learned the Swedish way to tell time very quickly (almost blinked and I got it) so some things will probably always just come naturally. I am sure that in 6 months when I am finished the basic lessons (level C & D) [my goal], I will read this post back and laugh at myself and then proceed to rewrite it in my head almost entirely in Swedish!  Balderdash! Lets see me translate that word! Hah!

So now that I have complained thoroughly about my language lessons, and to a lesser extent – my home, I should move on to better things! February is a special month!  It is the month in which I met Neil (online), it is the month of my birth and it will be the month of my honeymoon!  Yup, Neil and I are going to Egypt!  We booked a really inexpensive all-inclusive trip to Sharm El Shiekh staying at a 4 1/2 star hotel resort. Ok so February is technically Egypt’s winter but it will be so lovely during the day and still warmer than here at night! I think I am most excited that I will be someplace warm! Also, on Feb 28th, my kitties Faith and Loki will be shipped from Canada to Sweden!  They arrive March 1.

Everyday I look to the post box hoping to find some mail from Canada and occasionally some will arrive. I already received two birthday cards and I know of at least 4 more on the way! I try and send letters to friends and family every week or so. My next parcel will be to my nephew Michael. I am sending him a whole bunch of Swedish candy. Much more than he will need but hey, who is the best auntie in the world?   I have been terribly homesick this last couple weeks. I hear that it is normal and that I should ride it out and things will improve. Thankfully with Skype, Facebook, Facetime, iMessage and GMail I am able to keep in close touch with pretty much all of my family and friends. Some of my friends have surprised me (not in a good way) for becoming pretty much non-existent from my life since I left. I make a real effort to stay connected with a wide variety of ways to get in touch with me and send regular updates but certain friends haven’t really been present since I left. Ironically in some cases it was the ones who complained the most about me leaving that haven’t made contact since! In other cases I have been pleasantly surprised by some friends who have become more involved and been in closer contact! I guess not having any contact with certain friends, I don’t know if there is a reason why they are MIA so I can only assume…

So in May, Neil is going to a conference for work and partly because I don’t want to be home alone and partly because it is in San Francisco!  I decided to tag along.  Although I can’t actually stay with Neil in his hotel (dumb company policy). So Lauren is going to join me in my hotel and two to three other friends are also flying down to spend time with me over the week in San Fran! I am so excited!  I get to see a new city (beyond the airport) and I get to see some of my favourite people! Then, the following months over the summer I am expecting some visits to Sweden as well!

In the meantime, until I get to visit new and exotic places, I attempt (in my home) to create a little exotic by making homemade sushi and homemade sushi ginger! The homemade sushi attempt #1 was great!  Although it was better than most of the cheap kiosk pre-packaged sushi, it was a far cry from Kinjo… The sushi ginger is turning out great as well!  In my next attempt I will try more variety in sushi.  Not just california rolls but dynamite rolls, volcano rolls etc… So excited! We are even going to try a hot california roll ala Kinjo! We did make some tempura as well.. it turned out lovely.  Tempura avocado, carrot, peppers… yum! Exciting stuff!  Life is what you make it and I believe in living my life, not just occupying it!

I am looking forward to reading this back in a few months and seeing how things have improved/changed.  We’ll see!

So this year, things have obviously changed. We moved to Sweden not long before Christmas and into our home just a couple weeks before we were to leave for England to spend the holidays with Neil’s family. Our Christmas tree was about 2 feet tall and although I decorated with a few strings of lights (in the basement where we have been dwelling) there wasn’t a lot to signify Christmas at the Holden household. I was willing to accept this mainly because I knew that we’d be heading to London (which is always very charming at Christmas) en route to Hailsham and Eastbourne to spend time with Lauren and Neil’s family.  Picking Lauren up at Heathrow Airport was a lot of fun.  It was cool to be on the other side of the arrivals for a change and I was so emotional when I saw her. It had only been a few weeks but it really did feel like months since we last saw each other!

Christmas was good. It was so great to spend Christmas day with both of Neil’s parents back at the same house Neil grew up in. Lauren got the chance to experience an English Christmas complete with sausage rolls, pigs in blankets and trifle! Neil’s siblings brought a ton of treats for boxing day as well and the whole family came together. I have to say this was an improvement on their Christmas last year with Neil’s mom still being in the hospital at the time. What a difference a year makes!

Lauren came back to Sweden with us to celebrate the turn from 2011 to 2012. Although we didn’t plan a ton of sightseeing, we managed to show Lauren around the area we live in and introduced her to a few of the Swedish traditions that we know of (Glögg for one).  We had a fantastic dinner out at a local Japanese restaurant called Mikado where we enjoyed sukiyaki which was served similar to Shabu Shabu but you dip your cooked meat into beaten raw egg. It was a delicious experience and we received a lesson in Japanese culture at the same time.

New Years Eve turned out to be a sort of backward experience. We went into central Gothenburg to watch the fireworks at 5PM which are very well known. Our experience was slightly less than impressive because the area was so foggy that the fireworks lit up the sky into some lovely colours but we could not actually see them. We rushed back to the train station so that we could beat the swarm of thousands of people exiting the area. We were lucky because we managed to get a seat on the train before it filled to capacity and set off to take us home.

We celebrated NYE by having a variety of pickled herrings, liver pate, cheese, crackers and glögg. After a break we then enjoyed a cheese fondue with bread, vegetables and meatballs for dipping.

As the time neared midnight, we noticed (from the basement) that there were popping sounds outside which of course were very recognisable as fireworks. Sure enough, the whole neighborhood (and surrounding neighborhoods) were lighting up the sky with a brilliant fireworks display. Even our immediate next door neighbors were setting them off right over the house!  It was brilliant. We live in a fairly rural area which gets very dark at night so the fireworks were even more dazzling! We sipped our sparkling wine and pineapple juice while outside sounding noisemakers! It was so much fun!  I have never seen anything so cool on New Years!

The only trouble with the changeover to 2012 was that I had to see Lauren off at the airport. Its tough to say good bye! I miss her!

On a positive note though, just a couple days after Lauren left, all of our things from Canada arrived!  Our bed, our clothes and my jackpot! Boxes of Kraft Dinner, Mr. Noodle ichiban soup, Lipton Onion Soup Mix and Stagg chili!!! It was awesome!

Yesterday was a lot of work though. The movers arrived 1 1/2 hrs early at 7:30 am. I was up and dressed so it wasn’t that bad but I was annoyed that they didn’t bother to protect the floors. They traipsed throughout the house in their shoes without any regard for our home.  I spent the 2 1/2 hours they were here freezing with the door wide open and marking off the inventory sheet to confirm that all of our items were received. Once the door closed and everything had arrived safely, I was overwhelmed with both excitement and the urge to put everything away! Although we don’t have all the furniture we need, we have enough to get by and I was able to unpack the majority of the boxes!  I think I overdid it but our kitchen feels like it belongs to us and we got to eat dinner using our wedding plates and cutlery!

The best part of yesterday was that we were able to move out of the basement and sleep above ground! I managed to make the bed up with all of our newly washed bedding, covered the windows in bed sheets and oh it was a wonderful sleep!

Until next time…

Two weeks ago when we arrived in Sweden, I completely understood what it feels like to be without a home. It just felt so empty to know that you have no home address. I think being sick made it all worse since I think people tend to want to be all comfy cosy at home when sick…  Last week I really hit rock bottom. We moved into our new home with a few suitcases of clothes and little more. We managed to purchase what we needed until our container arrives and I think we’re both grateful to have this opportunity but I think there is more to it than the adventure of it all. I had a little pity party for one several times throughout the earlier part of the week and I will probably have another small one this Friday when Neil goes to his company Christmas party without me ;P

Aside from the little pangs of homesickness, feeling slightly out of place and the language barrier, things have improved dramatically. We made some fantastic decisions the first week that I think have shaped our future here in Sweden. Neil is enjoying his job, we moved into a house in Anneberg that not only fulfills every wish I have had for a home, but is also owned by the nicest family I have met in a long time. The kind of people that I can see us becoming very close to! Not only are they extremely considerate but they are also willing to help us out and include us in their traditions. Sheila and Anita are fantastic, as are the rest of their families.

Before we moved, I read a book about Swedish culture. It was a depressing read. Detailing the Swedish ways as being cold, unfriendly, bland, grey etc.. and in contrast we have experienced the exact opposite.

This week our neighbor Eva stopped by with a plant and welcomed us to the neighborhood. It was so unexpected and thoughtful! Sheila and Anita also dropped by at the house and Sheila gave me an old meat grinder/food processor to use (until it breaks) and then Anita invited me to see her daughter sing at the Saint Lucia celebration (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Lucy%27s_Day). Afterwards Neil and I were invited to their home for fika which is an event usually involving a hot beverage and a pastry (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fika_(coffee_break). For this fika we had two varieties of glogg (white and red) which is served with rasins and almonds, and we ate gingerbread cookies and traditional saffron buns.  We sat around their table, talked, enjoyed the food and drink and got to partake in a piece of their culture.

Today, I went in to Kungsbacka centrum and booked an appointment to register for Swedish languiage lessons. Had I known I needed an appointment, I would have called instead of dropping in but it turned out to be another decision that led to something wonderful!  After booking my appointment (for tomorrow morning) I took a walk around Kungsbacka and ended up in a store called Body Mind Spirit. I ended up chatting with the store clerk who spoke english and found out that they sell Mighty Leaf Tea which is a favourite of mine and they also sell some other cool culinary treats like pure mexican chocolate. While I was browsing, another couple came in. They also spoke english and before long, everyone was brain storming about where I could potentially work and how important it is to learn Swedish etc.. When I left the store, the clerk took my hand, squeezed it and said some really sweet things. I just felt such a tremendous warmth from them all. Then on the train back home another lady started talking to me in Swedish. Although I couldn’t talk to her, it was so comforting to know that people here really are friendly. That book I read and become an addition to our burning materials for the fireplace soon enough.

Tonight I am meeting Neil at Liseberg (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liseberg). When it gets dark, it is all lit up for Christmas and should be very beautiful. Although there is no snow right now, we will still enjoy it.

I think the moral to this story is that all it takes is a little time

Will write again soon!

Our first kiss as husband and wife

Wow things have changed dramatically since I last posted.

To recap, on September 10, 2011, my Soul-mate Neil and I were married at Heritage Pointe Golf Course. What an amazing day.  We are still in disbelief that it all actually happened and so perfectly. The few issues we encountered were so minor.

In May of 2011,  Neil and I were both away at separate conferences in the US. Neil was in Denver and I was in Sacramento. Neil was asked to speak at his conference, doing a presentation on his research. That led to two opportunities and eventually, two job offers.

In August, Neil and I were flown to Sweden for 4 days while Neil had a job interview. Then a couple of weeks later, Neil was in Seattle for another interview. Two nights before the wedding in September, we had to make the decision… were we going to move to Seattle or to Sweden.We knew we were moving but the decision of where was difficult. Without being prior citizens of either Sweden or the United States, we were faced with making a decision based on gut feeling… instinct.

I have to admit, the decision making process was difficult. Its easy to fantasize about living in Europe. The adventure, being connected to so many countries and cultures. Its so romantic to envision starting off a new marriage jetting off to a foreign country. Ultimately we chose Sweden over Seattle because of the lifestyle. We made the decision pretty much solely on the quality of life offered. Money was definitely not a deciding factor and although we exchanged proximity to my family for proximity to Neil’s family, that really wasn’t a decision point. We plan to have a family and when thinking about raising children, Sweden seemed like a smarter choice than Seattle.  I guess the end result remains to be seen!

When we were about to announce at our wedding that we had chosen to move to Sweden, someone shouted out, “So what is it, Starbucks or Ikea”?

The process to sort through a lifetime of possessions was much more difficult than I thought it would be. I really did not enjoy the process. Because we had to have our things professionally packed/moved, I couldn’t go through the cathartic process of picking up an item, making a decision on it and then placing it either in a box or in a “to donate/trash/sell” pile. Instead, we shifted things from room to room creating “staging” areas where we could separate the items to be moved from the items that Lauren would keep. Of course we did have a “to sell/donate/trash” pile but the diving lines were slightly more blurry. Things remained incredibly cluttered and it was much more difficult to identify what had been put into each pile. Then, not a week before we were set to have the movers come in and pack things for us, we were told that we had to itemise, value and list off every item we were moving that we wanted insured. Nightmare!  I suppose it was a bonus that we hadn’t packed/sealed boxes up but what an undertaking! It is actually an interesting experience having to go through every single item you own. It creates some mixed feelings.. some items make you feel a little like a hoarder and other items make you feel nostalgic. I ended up leaving at least a dozen boxes in the house with Lauren that contain priceless memories. Things I can’t replace. Things that, if the container fell off the ship, I would be devastated to lose. So some day when we’ve decided for sure where we will settle, I will collect those things.

So now, here I sit, in the middle of Gothenburg.

We arrived in Sweden last Tuesday the 29th of November and have spent the last few days house-hunting with our relocation rep. House-hunting with my new husband was interesting. In every single instance, we had the same gut feeling. We would walk through a house, talk to the really nice landlord, look at each other and immediately agree just with a glance whether or not we liked the house. After viewing half a dozen houses, we had to choose between two that we liked and finally settled on one. It is extremely huge compared to houses we are used to. It has far more rooms than the house back in Calgary and even has a sauna! We move in tomorrow (Sunday).

Thankfully, the landladies are kind enough to leave us some furniture and lamps until we are able to get settled. We’ll pop by Ikea once we have moved in and pick-up a few items to help us get by until our shipment arrives. The boat is set to dock on Christmas eve and since we will be in England during Christmas, we may not see our things until January.

Now that we are here, officially living in Sweden, we have a lot to do. For starters, we need to have an identity. You pretty much don’t exist here without a personnummer. Although we have sim cards for our iphones, we need to get a land-line & an internet connection. We will try and make-do without a TV until perhaps the post-Christmas sales. Luckily we have use of beds, sofa and table so that we can put-off the purchase of these bigger priced items.

Aside from the typical move set-up/logistical stuff, we have moved to not only a new city, but a new country, a new continent… a new hemisphere. We are set to sign up for Swedish language lessons, I will need to re-test for my drivers license (within  a year) and I, of course, need to start looking for a job. There are english-speaking ex-pat groups that gather here that we can hopefully meet and I recently heard about an international business women group that is english-speaking as well.

To say this process has been and will be overwhelming is a bit of an understatement.

With Neil working already and being integrated into his company, there are a number of things that we won’t get to do together. Apparently we don’t get to take our swedish language lessons together and since he will have access to exercise facilities at work, we will probably not do that together. I think there is probably a blessing there somewhere since I will be able to maintain my own identity but it is a huge leap into the unknown.

Yesterday, Neil and I had a very humorous but really REAL experience together. We are staying at a hotel and needed a place to eat lunch. The easy option would have been to do what we have done all along and go grocery shopping and cook in the hotel room (we have a microwave and two cook-top burners). Restaurants here aren’t always obvious. A lot of lunch places are cafeteria style and aren’t visually obvious as a restaurant. We saw a sign in a window that read “Lunch Dessert” and it just appeared to be in an office building in the middle of an almost industrial type area. We found the front door which had a menu and tried to decipher the Swedish text. We basically understood the menu but we couldn’t tell if it was open to the public or if it was even open. I pulled up a translate app on my phone and was able to translate that the restaurant offers wedding catering etc.. so we realised it was open to the public. It was so awkward to feel so uncomfortable. We eventually overcame the fear of the unknown and went in.  We were greeted by a very nice young man that was able to explain to us (in english) what the process was.  “Grab a tray and plate, grab a glass, choose a beverage (one fill included), choose from the buffet etc.. The place looked very much like we were stepping into the private cafeteria that was available for employees only. The food was tasty and plentiful. After dinner we had a coffee/tea and a cookie and placed our tray on the trolley and left. The total cost was about $11 CDN.

I think this type of experience will be common for us here. I think we will be faced with many more of these uncomfortably unfamiliar events that we will need to overcome.  It seems so silly now but it really was a huge leap for us to walk in the building.  It really would have been so simple to go to the big supermarket next door, buy some groceries and go back to the hotel to cook.

It is now very early in the morning and I am feeling awful. I acquired a very fast-acting sinus cold yesterday that has left me feeling like I don’t want to leave the hotel room. I went to a pharmacy (apoteket) yesterday and without a prescription, could only get herbal sinus medication. Note for next time.. “Bring favourite cold medicines from home!” So here I sit with cup-o-soup, instant coffee and both herbal sinus tabs and some good old-fashioned Canadian pain killers..”

Time for some rest…

It is really inspiring to talk to a fellow foodie and realize that what you thought was a little bit of gluttony mixed with being spoiled rotten by really good food, turns out to be a lifestyle choice!

Food is fuel, agreed. And while I should be watching how much of that fuel I put into my body, I also like to dabble in the premium unleaded type.

Neil and I share a common interest. Good food. Not like mainstream chain restaurant good (although we have some favourites there too) but higher end, really thoughtful, continually changing menu sort of restaurants.

One thing we love and covet is foie gras! Ok, so it has a bazillion calories but it is also full of iron and let’s face it, it’s delicious!

We’ve had the opportunity to experience foie gras and other amazing dishes in both Calgary and London (England) and I feel so lucky to have tasted the food we have so far. As a good friend recently told me, “I am going to die anyway so I may as well enjoy what I eat!”

Ok, so that COULD be a little extreme in the everyday sense but when I am going out for a romantic dinner with my fiancé, I am all about the luxury food!

To make this a little more fun, my commentary is in black text and Neil’s comments are in blue with [square brackets].

The outcome of the doctor appointment turned out to be a recommendation to try two restaurants in Calgary that somehow escaped our foodie adventures. Blink and Capo. Capo was new to us…  I hadn’t heard of it. We don’t tend to venture into Inglewood much (even though I love it!) but Blink was not completely unfamiliar. After taking in a sausage-making class at Williams Sonoma, we had the pleasure of sampling some of Chef Andrew Richardson’s amazing food.  We tried his freshly made mushroom soup and the foie gras pate. Oh my God YUM! [Absolutely ditto on what Pia just said both the foie gras and mushroom soup were absolutely devine]

So naturally, since we actually needed to have a meal out of the house that night, I called Blink and booked a table for two. I regret forgetting that my Doctor recommended booking the two-seater table located in the front window of the restaurant. It has a lot more privacy and a little extra romance. I completely forgot because I was so thrilled that Blink was listed with Open Table and had available seats at exactly the time I requested. [We can use this as an excuse to go back, not that we need an excuse as I would go back there anytime!!]

Neil and I arrived at Blink with high expectations. We have eaten at a Gordon Ramsay restaurant in London and we have become fans of Rouge, Muse, The Chef’s Table and Teatro in Calgary. [Yep all were fabulous]

We were seated in the restaurant side-by-side along the banquette. We quickly pounced on the menu and it wasn’t long until we had a plan for our culinary adventure. Now, keeping in mind that we have enjoyed many nice restaurants and with our expectations being so high, I was initially disappointed by the time that lapsed between our arrival and an offer of water or request for a drink order. I think part of the problem was, we were so anxious to begin tasting the food that sounded so appetizing, that the delay seemed even longer. [We had multiple people serving us throughout the night which was a little discombobulating]

After the drinks arrived, we placed our order. Foie gras pate with sweet and sour rhubarb, twice baked cheese soufflé, flat iron steak bordelaise with fries and kale, and the local farmer pekin duck with cabbage and hash browns.  We added-on a side of the sautéed wild mushrooms.

In some cases, we have visited a restaurant where the starters were so good that the main fell flat. It could have been that the starter was just too good, but more likely the starter was just better tasting. [Muriettas was a classic example of this the starters were divine but the mains were very disappointing]

When the first bite of soufflé crossed my lips, I was so happy. I was in awe. Never have I experienced a starter with so much flavour that I instantly wished I had ordered it for all three courses. I was immediately second guessing my choices and nearly called the waiter over to get two more of the same. [The best parts were the more well done crusty bits that were stuck to the cast iron pan that the soufflé came in]

Worse yet, I had to share it with Neil!!! [yeah you did wohoooooo] Then, I scooped up a knife-full of his foie gras pate with a little dollop of the rhubarb. Wow, wow, wow! So delicious! I was just shocked that two starters side by side, both equally delicious could be sitting in front of us to enjoy without any restriction (other than an eventual empty plate) [It’s so  upsetting when you get to the end of a course and wish you could start over again].

Naturally my first thought was, “Hmm now the mains will probably be mediocre and yet again we will be let down by a restaurant that we will only go back to if we only plan to order appies”. Thankfully, I was wrong. [Yep I feared the same thing thank goodness we were both wrong!]

My flat iron steak arrived and the bordelaise sauce alone was worth the price of the entree. I honestly didn’t care for the kale (I normally love kale) but it was a little tough. I often order a meal based on the sides offered with it. I guess that is one bonus for most mainstream restaurants… the sides are usually anything you want in the list at the bottom of the page! It is kind of interesting actually because I also didn’t much care for the fries. the flavour was delicious however without anything to dip them in, I found them to be a little blah. I am all about condiments and sauce and I was half expecting an aioli or some sort of gourmet ketchup. I ate a lot of them though, because I used them to sop up all of that delicious bordelaise! [I tried all of Pia’s dish and I thought it was all good, but totally agree that the fries need something to dip in!]

Neil’s duck arrived in a somewhat unusual fashion compared to what I am used to. I originally thought the pieces of meat were cubes of pork belly. I didn’t have much of Neil’s duck because I was too busy enjoying my own meal. The one piece I sampled had skin on it which could have been crisped up but the flavour was really rich. The duck was tender and the cabbage and hash brown sides were really tasty. Had we combined Neil’s side dishes with my protein, I think we would have had the perfect meal. The meal I would request as my last. [It was such a shame because the duck was soo tender and delicious it would have been perfect with some crispy skin]

While we waited for dinner to settle a bit, we had a chat with both the restaurant director Leslie Echino and our waiter about the history of Chef Andrew [both were really nice and good to have a chat with]. For dessert, the lemon tart was recommended and although I had contemplated it, I nearly abandoned it for my usual go-to indulgence, the crème brulè. My saving grace was the fact that I was nearly stuffed to capacity and Neil and I decided to share the tart. It was a great compromise. Not too long ago, I had a somewhat negative experience with a lemon tart at another restaurant so I was a bit sceptical. I was expecting a flavourless crust and overly sour lemon curd. I was also anticipating a heavy dusting of icing sugar. Instead, I was thrilled to see that the wonderfully silky, perfectly refreshing, not-sour lemon tart before me was brulèed on top! [It again like everything else we had was delicious not too sour but with a perfect flavour of lemon]

The puddle of blackberry coulis to the side, although reminiscent of a crime scene, was flavourful and not syrupy sweet. Together, the creamy lemon and thin crisp crust, combined with the slight sugary crunch of the brulè was perfectly matched with the earthy eggplant coloured sauce.

 My overall experience at Blink was amazing. Sure, there were some things that at the time didn’t thrill me but none of those things would prevent me from going back again and again. The food tasted delicious and based on what I have seen of the menu, I can’t wait to go back! As a matter of fact, I believe that it is possible that I was a little unreasonable initially.

My final word on the matter is that this gourmet bistro is a must-try in Calgary! Plus, you can actually get a reservation and not be expected to wait 45-90 minutes for a table! [Believe me/us it is definitely worth it I can’t wait to go back!]

So I got an Iphone a couple of months ago… and guess what happened?  I stopped picking up my laptop and I started usign apps for everything.  For the record, typing on any handheld device sucks!!

So I am going to try and get back to blogging!  I have a lot to type about!  I recently attended the STC 2011 conference, I am still getting married in 108 days and I have a poor sick kitty!

So… I’ll TRY to get some words down.. share some interesting foodie reviews and let you in on my wedding planning secrets.

No promises though