2013 Begins

It's always a little strange to pass from one year to another.  In many ways, it's just an ordinary 24 hours and then in others, matters of significance and worthy of reflection often bubble to the top when we turn to a new calendar year.  At any rate, New Year's Eve offers us an opportunity to enjoy the company of good friends while celebrating the hope and expectation of a new year.
We were quite uncertain about what to do on New Year's Eve as Tanner is a real basket case when it comes to the fireworks.  So when our friends who live south of Stockholm near the water in beautiful Saltsjöbaden invited us to come and join them for the night, we were happy to take them up on it.  It was a rather warm New Year's but very icy and slippery.  We arrived safely and were happy that we didn't have to go anywhere until the next day!  A lovely outdoor fire was burning to welcome us.
Judy was busy preparing dinner for us all while Olle poured drinks.  The table was gorgeous and the company even better.  We enjoyed wonderful conversation and a lovely dinner.  Dessert was a combination of a very healthy and tasty fruit platter alongside of very unhealthy but decadent and delicious mint brownies!  At 9.00, one of our guests, who is Russian, left the table to call his parents in Moscow.  He taught us how to say Happy New Year in Russian and we spent the next several hours perfecting our pronunciation.  By the way, you say С Новым годом.  So yeah, thinking that we perfected our pronunciation is kind of funny, actually.  With Russia firmly planted in the new year, we turned our attention to Stockholm where we were aware of the clock moving towards midnight as the bangs and booms from the fireworks increased as did Tanner's barking!  It was still 100% better than being in the city but he would not step outside for any reason at all!  At midnight we toasted and kissed and wished one another a bright new year.  Some fireworks were slightly visible from the porch but it was also just kind of fun standing outside in the relatively comfortable night air, listening to the sounds of the new year.  We retired around 2.00 a.m. after sharing in a lovely evening of celebration together.

We awoke to a beautiful morning and after coffee and breakfast took the dogs for a lovely walk through the snowy woods.  The melt is on as temperatures have been above freezing for a few days now.  Water was flowing, the ground was soft, the snow mushy.  Still, it was gorgeous and not very cold.  Tanner even found the water appealing on January 1, taking a plunge into the chilly Baltic.  What a crazy labrador that animal is but I must admit, had their been a sauna nearby, I might've been tempted to share in his polar dip.
We are grateful for our friends whose home is a welcome haven of comfort and rest for us.  We always say that their place is like our summer home and obviously, our winter home as well!  So nice to share these moments with good friends.

We eventually made our way home, tidied up around the house a bit, watched some American football and enjoyed the Rose Parade from Pasadena live through our computer.  It is almost the end of the first day of the new year.  It feels good to have enjoyed the holidays and celebrated well over these past few weeks.  It is, of course, with some sadness that normal life beckons us to return to work, routines, and doing a bit more in a day than eating, sleeping, taking walks and watching TV.  All said however, I am thankful for a job that I love and a life that is full.  Happy New Year friends. Let's hope and pray for good things to greet us in the year ahead but also that God's peace and comfort will join us when sorrow prevails.

Year in Review 2012

The last day of 2012 has kind of snuck up on me.  I was thinking that Tuesday was New Year's Eve but alas, Tuesday is New Year's Day!  It's good to take a moment and think back on the events of the year.  It's been a good year in many ways and I feel quite thankful for the graces and blessings that have been ours to enjoy.  We continue to journey beside family members with significant health issues but are grateful for each new day we're given with them and remain hopeful that full healing remains on the horizon.  The fight is not easy but the time we continue to enjoy with each loved one is a treasure.
January began with good friends on a freezing cold night overlooking the city enjoying the fireworks.  We had quite a mild winter last year but the views of our lovely city remained a joy to take in.
Of course, January is easier to swallow when February in California awaits you!  The desert sun was extra memorizing this year as we ended up buying a house at Mission Lakes in Desert Hot Springs, 15 miles away from my parents, on a golf course (Doug's dream), with tennis, swimming, hiking and a fitness center all nearby.  It was crazy and we have no idea how much we'll be able to actually be there but a series of uncanny events unfolded and we felt it was too good of an opportunity pass up.
March brought us back to Sweden where winter was still firmly planted.  We jumped back into church life and prepared for a wonderful Easter celebration.
In April we spent a rainy but joyful week in London at the International Pastors Conference.  This group of colleagues and friends have become extremely important to us in our ministry and we thank God for this rich time of fellowship and learning each year.  I climbed to the top of St. Paul's, we took in two shows, and had a blast just being in London surrounded by English speakers!
In May we took to the high seas, embarking on a Baltic Cruise with the St. Peter's Cruise line.  Stockholm-Tallin, Estonia-St. Petersburg, Russia-Helsinki, Finland-Stockholm.  4 nights, 4 cities.  It was great fun and included all the quirkiness of being on board a Russian cruise ship.  Highlights included sailing on the waters late at night, with the sun just rolling along the horizon as the white nights of the spring and summer were beginning to take shape.
In June we returned to the US to marry a young couple who had met in our church.  She an American, he from Malawi, this was one joyous celebration.  We took a couple of weeks in CA to work on the house as well.
July found us back in Sweden, working on our children's summer program at church and getting out on the boat into the archipelago as much as possible.  The summer was chilly so we didn't swim much and had jackets on most of the time, but still...those long summer days are hard to beat.
Since we had been away during the Swedish midsommar, we went to the summer place of our friends we are usually with and shared in a crayfish party with them!  It was lovely to spend a couple of quiet days away from the city, enjoying the beauty and charm of little Mellösa.
September turned out to be a gorgeous month after a fairly chilly summer so we continued to enjoy being out on the water.  We spent a lovely evening at the island home of our good friends and took in the fantastic views that their place provides.
October took me back to both California and London.  California to see my folks and enjoy our home, London to speak at a women's conference.  I wrote my talks for the conference in our cozy little cove off the master bedroom in our little house.Both were fantastic experiences and I cannot wait for Douglas to enjoy our home in the same way that I was able to then!
In November we celebrated a traditional Thanksgiving dinner with friends from around the world.  We were also very thankful that the US presidential election went the way that it did and we hope and pray that the US can make some progress in the areas where they have been stalled for far too long.
December came and went once again with the fantastic seasons of Advent and Christmas.  Our church services were filled with joy and hope.  We continue to feel so blessed by our church family and of course, very thankful that we get to share our lives with one another. Our dog Tanner continues to bring us joy while providing endless amusing entertainment.
2012 was a very good year in many years.  We have been stretched and challenged in various ways. We have been visited by sorrow and joy.  We have hosted many friends in our home and enjoyed those visits immensely.  We have hope for the future and anticipate the new year with a sense of humble gratitude.  We are grateful that throughout our adventures and our journeys, we feel the love of Christ surrounding us, beckoning us, pushing us along life's fragile and wonderful pathway.

Happy New Year dear Readers! I pray you have a safe New Year's Eve and that the year ahead will be filled with the grace of God in your lives, however the year unfolds.