Rain, rain go away, come again another day...

Rowan, Saniya and me at the lake behind our house.

Our turtle ice cream cake we made over christmas. Yum, yum!

Well it is the end of January and we had a little bit of snow at the beginning of the month and that is it. I am beginning to feel like it will not happen this year. Weird and definite reinforcement for the theory on global warming. The temperatures are so mild, I do agree it is probably warmer here than in the Northwest.

We are excited for Saniya's birthday. We are doing something a little different this year. We will have a family party, but instead of a kid's party we are going to take a big ship to Riga, Latvia for a few days. The SSTallinn will whisk us away for some adventure in this Baltic capital to the east. People say it is similar to Tallinn, Estonia, which I visited with Jessica when she was here. The other cool present we got were tickets to the children's series at the philharmonic. Both kids love Little Einsteins and that is all about the structure of music and it's instruments. So, it is great that there is a series with the philharmonic for kids to be entertained in a classical music setting.

I guess that is it for now.
Yasmiene

Some of this and some of that

Saniya at gymnastics class

Sooooo balanced!

Rowan sledding the last time it snowed.

I feel like we have become the every two week bloggers. I guess that is our pace for now. The weather in Stockholm is dismal. It is rainy with no snow in sight. I really want to go skiing and have Saniya try it. I have to say that the energy to spend in organizing and sorting it out is just too much right now. If it snows I am hoping I will get motivated to do it. Also, Rob and I bought skates and are itching to go skating on the lake behind our house. So, we wait for the cold... I know that sounds odd, but there are really fun activities here when it get cold!

Rowan is sick again. He has a fever/cold thing. It is annoying, but he is ok. Just the waiting game. I have become a pessimist though, I am waiting for Saniya to get sick right after Rowan is better. We will see what happens. I hope I am proven wrong.

What else.... job wise no new info. Rob and I have been looking at jobs together the last few nights. What a way for a couple to connect! I guess just finding the time to connect is the important thing and if it is about potential work in the wee hours of the night, then that is life with small children.

We, in Sweden, and the rest of the world are watching the true woes of the U.S. right now. The financial sector is a mess. On a selfish note I am itching to come back and invest right now. But, on a realistic note, it would be a stressful and trying time to be there. It seems people are very stressed and scared, rightly so. It is hard to think of doing well off of others demise.

On a related note, somewhat, Rob and I just watched "Sicko" by Michael Moore. Truly a needed film for everyone. I can not tell you the friends and family that have been financially and medically effected by the defunct U.S. healthcare system. I think that in Sweden the same is amount of money spent per person. The difference is that one makes use of it when needed and not because one qualifies. I am not really going to use the medical system now. I am healthy. It is when my kids are sick or I am older or an accident or illness incurs. Then all are covered here. The likely time for these events is when one is not working and if in the U.S. would not qualify. Also, there is a cultural education from early childhood around health, wellness, and preventative health. This is a country 1/30th the population of the U.S. and you would think the U.S. is too big for universal care. But, the reality is that we can provide for all people to be healthy in a more efficient way if it is bigger. As well, Sweden have private companies contracting with the government for care. It is not "socialized" in that sense. Just some thoughts for you all.

On a last note, Rob shaved his goatee this weekend. He is clean shaven for the second time since I met him over 12 years ago. I think I like it better than the first time he did it. Change is good.

Yasmiene

Fresh, well not really...

What is the deal with the constant roaming of small children? They never really stop. Of course, the toddler cruises, but also the almost 5 year old is a roamer as well. It is all about finding the action in the house. And when there is none they have to make the action and it always involves more roaming.

So, back to feeling fresh. Well, the above comment relays the level of unfresh we, the parents, are feeling. Really, the kids are good and the constant activity is manageable. It is the child rearing action, combined with the living in a foreign country, combined with the real life questions that come with job search that make us not so fresh.

The job search is feeling very positive in and of itself. Rob is refusing the job in Norway. He has consolidated his interests to only industry positions with biotech and pharmaceutical companies. This means we will be somewhere in the U.S. or less likely, but there are a few companies, in Switzerland. He is now clear that he wants to focus himself in drug design and delivery. So, it has been a long, hard road to get here. But it feels good to know this much.

Now, with the living in a foreign country lack of freshness. That is a love hate thing. We really love being here and are already feeling nostalgic that we will be leaving in about 4 months. Yet, I have to say I will not miss being an outsider, having the easiest thing be a huge obstacle and feeling like everyday and every event is like an adventure.

I hope all of you are well.

Yasmiene

Gott Nytt År!

Happy New Year! 2008 promises to be one of turbid fascinations and opaque dreams. At least right now it seems so. Hopefully things will clear up soon and the darkness will be lifted. The red tipped, white cane is swishing through the air madly hoping to make contact with something. Even when it does hit, the sound reverberating through the thin rod into your bones is a cacophony of unanswered questions poised to crack any semblance of sanity.

While this may sound bleak to some of you, even myself at times, it is not so. The adage, "the world is your oyster" holds true. Just tell me where that damn pearl is. I feel like an oyster diver, knife in teeth, breath on hold, warm waters bubbling and swirling past as the sea pressure mounts. Any of you that has looked for a job recently might know the feeling, or maybe I'm taking myself too seriously. I do wonder now, if I can find an oyster diving job on naturejobs.com.

Apparently these types of jobs aren't advertised here or this type of job has great benefits with no one interested in retiring. If you happen to be an oyster diver and are reading this blog, email me with your benefits package.

On a slightly different note, who forgot to tell Rowan the new year is here and his resolution should be to sleep in? Damn, I'm beginning to sound like a cantankerous old man. I think I could do that job as well. Grumpy old pearl diver with fantastic job benefits. Where do I sign?

The past year has been one of triumph and tribulation (T&T). Anyone with a two year old could describe their year in the same way. Where to begin? I'm afraid I can barely remember the past month, let alone the past year but here goes. I think the T&T began in Spring. We were preparing for months of visitors and our own trips to Italy and Germany. It was a frenzied time with our vacations and visitors. It was great to get away and to see everyone. Yasmiene went to Ireland and Estonia, the family to Norway, Italy, and Germany. We enjoyed friends, family, fjords, ice cream, bonfires, swimming, trains, buses, airplanes, ferries, sunlight, taxis, biking, boats, wheelchairs, museums, fountains, sausages, beer, wine, pasta, pizza, salmon, sunlight, apartments, hiking, ice cream, hellanistic art, hanseatic league houses, maypoles, paintings, sunlight, and ice cream. It was during this time Saniya learned to swim by herself with arm floats and ride her bicycle without training wheels.

As the summer ended we were reminded of the beauty of fall and the changing colors, light, temperature, and muddy feet. Observing the changes while walking or biking through Hagaparken and Norra begravnigsplatsen were wonderful.

Now the trees lie bare, their blanket of leaves damp and cold. It snowed briefly yesterday, but it did not stick. They were huge white flakes. The kind your tongue longs to taste. As I look outside the snow is falling in earnest this time. Maybe we'll go sledding later today.

As I look back over the past year I realize I don't need to dive for oysters anymore. I've found my pearls. Yasmiene, Saniya, and Rowan, I love you.

Rob