We attended a sort of marriage encounter through Pingstkyrkan Jönköping. It was great to get away for a couple days. It was rather luxurious--every effort was taken to our comfort and enjoyment. Our beds were made when we got there. The food was excellent. Friday night there was a wonderful dinner, tables set with fine china, candles and roses, and we were served like in the finest resteraunt. It was a great weekend for talking and listening. We met some great couples, one of which we've seen more of and hope to see even more of in the future.

Amy had her bellydancing premier. Her group danced a routine at the intermission of a jitterbug dancing competition. She was extremely nervous but managed to dance her best. It was a thrill to dance with an audience!

We celebrated Valborgsmässafton at Bunngården with Hanna and Emil. We grilled hotdogs and drank hot chocolate. Listened to the traditional choral music. The bonfire was absolutely enormous! And warm, mmmm. We met up with a couple we met at the marriage encounter, too, and we all had fika later at Emil's.

The end of April was the big move. Out of Jonathan's shoebox-sized student apartment on the western-side of downtown Jönköping into the spacious one-bedroom apartment with balcony on the eastern-side of downtown. A beautiful apartment we have been able to furnish and docorate by help of wedding gifts and gift certificates from our friends on both sides of the sea as well as some second hand hunting. The kitchen seems huge and Amy is thrilled to be baking and cooking again. We have a bathtub and a walk-in closet! The balcony has double doors so that it seems our whole living room opens up. The veiw is of a parking lot--but on the upside, the absense of a building directly across the street means we have sun on our balcony almost all day. Anyway, we love our new apartment. Come visit!

March 2003

Hard to believe March is over and April beginning! It had gone by so quickly and so without reflection that I am forced to look in my calender to refresh my memory!

Looking in my calender it is certainly clear that I have worked--alot! Which means a good paycheck just in time for our big move at the end of the month! We are so looking forward to saying good-bye to Jonathan's student apartment and hello to our spacious one-bedroom apartment awaiting us on the east side of town. A few blocks to the mall, the beach (the beautiful Vättern beach and Rocksjö--a warmer place to swim), the library, centrum, and closer to Ica Maxi--the big grocery store.

The big event of the month was our Swedish wedding reception which took place this last weekend in Jonathan's hometown Falun. Jonathan and I didn't have to plan a thing--Jonathan's family and friends did it for us! Jonathan's mother Eva was the hard-working leader of the project as a whole and the wonderful food, and our friends Niclas and Maria took care of the schedule and program and more. Jonathan's father Ulrik took care of living arrangements for us and out of town guests--including Saturday night at the Scandic hotel for us! Janne did a beautiful job with decorating! Coral was my talented beautician. The Cake Man (is his real name Andreas??) made beautiful cakes--princess cakes, my favorite, with pink hearts! Henrik took care of shower the video from our wedding in the States and was also our photographer! We were escorted to the party by Håkan and welcomed by guests equipped with noise-makers and party spirit! We were overwhelmed and touched by all the family and friends who came from all over Sweden just to celebrate us!!! We had a wonderful time with food and mingling, speeches and a skit of our beginnings, music from Josef's band, and much more. We spent the night at the Scandic hotel opening gifts from our generous guests--making us all the more ready to move into our new place! Many thanks to all our guests for blessing us in so many ways!

I think the reception deserves it's own page. A place for a few more details and fun memories. Maybe I'll get working on that by the time we have a few pictures to put up. Don't forget to check out the pictures that are now on our wedding page--just a couple pictures, but they are our favorites!

The worst of the month was hearing my dad was in a car accident and fairly badly injured. It will be a tough recovery time for him, probably including a surgery in the near future. It's scarry to realize how easily we could have lost someone we love so much. It's hard to be here and unable to help, but our thoughts and prayers are with them! We are encouraged that it seems everyone is keeping there spirits up there. Of course, Taylor smiles and hugs probably help. We miss those. Taylor can say Jonathan now--we enjoy talking to her on the phone now and then. She turned two this month and she is brilliant--an amazing vocabulary and sense of language. And perhaps some budding musical talent from her vocal studies with Barney, " I love you, I love you, big hug!!!"

February 2003

We are getting settled into life here in Jönköping. We did get our double bed, and it actually fits in our little loft! We are really excited that we found a bigger apartment to move into in May! It's a one bedroom and it is over double the size of the appartment we are in now. It has a bathtub, a walk in closet, a balcony, a nice entry way, and a good-sized kitchen Amy is very excited about.

Amy's begun working with hemtjänst, or 'home service', a service that allows people to live in their homes as independently as possible by helping out in some area like cleaning or laundry, shopping, showering or dressing, taking medications, or social interaction. She's starting out by following other employees to learn the ropes. She has applied to study Swedish at Jönköping's Vuxengymnasiet and is waiting to take a placement test. She is enjoying Friskis & Svettis jympa (English speakers may click on the 'English summary' of that site to find out what it's all about.) She's also having fun pursuing her dream of learning to use a real camera with the cool camera her dad gave her just before she left! Of course, she might have frost-bitten fingers before she finally figures out what to do what all the dials and buttons--winter in Sweden isn't the best environment to begin expirementing in photography! Amy is also very excited to have found a belly dancing group to join!

Jonathan is back in the swing of school at Jönköping International Business School and is working on a big project and paper with two of his good friends. He has also been reinstated, after the semester in the States, as treasurer of the local chapter of Kristdemokraterna, (in English ) the Christian Democrats.

We are meeting new people, starting in a new cell group while still meeting our friends from Jonathan's previous cell group.

We're enjoying and getting to know people in our church here,Korskyrkan . Valentine's Day we revisited the resteraunt we ate dinner at the evening got engaged. Very yummy and romantic.

We took a trip to Eksjö to visit the family Amy spent a year with as an au pair. It was so great to see them again! We watched them practice ice hockey in the morning, and then after lunch we watched them ski in the yard. We went sledding after that. Then we played on the lake, Jonathan pulling Simon and Frida around on a sled. It was Amy's first time ever on a frozen lake--it took a little coaxing for the first few hesitant steps. She loosened up a little but still claims it just felt wrong. A day of winter! And little Hilda, who was born right after Amy arrived for her au pair stay. Having not seen her for so long, we assumed she wouldn't recognize Amy. But she stared and stared at her and warmed up and came to her right away, like old times. It was a wonderful day being with family again!

On a rare sunny day, Amy and Jonathan went on a ice-capade. Amy decided a sunny day was a camera day. Jonathan decided it was an ice day. We walked along Vättern and Amy took pictures with her new camera of all the interesting ice formations. Fascinating and undescribable.

Birger, a German exchange student in the family, came to visit us for a few days. We picknicked in the city park that overlooks Jönköping. We also went exploring on Visings Island--for as long as we could withstand the bitter cold (okay, okay, it was me complaining about the cold.) We enjoyed having Birger as our guest!

We'll try to keep this updated so you'll know what's going on here & now!