You're going where???

January 6 - 7, 2011

It’s hard to believe we are settled in our apartment, but when you consider how little we were actually able to bring over here – it shouldn't have taken long!  Since the kitchen was probably the most work, and Annie took care of that, no wonder it seemed to be so easy.  My biggest struggle – if you could call it that – is how to make the bed look neat with two duvets side-by-side. 



Kitchen

Living Room 
And yes, that's a chandelier from IKEA. Annie picked it out.  
Ceiling light fixtures are easy to install because they plug in.

Since it's a short walk, Gary came home for lunch.  We had those tuna fish sandwiches I had been waiting for.  They were pretty good too.  During our lunch he casually mentioned that he was going to travel back to Greenville on business at the end of the month. 

I'm thinking: You're going where?  Greenville?  We’ve only spent two nights here, and already you're telling me you're leaving, and you're going HOME?  I smiled sweetly and said, “Wouldn’t it be nice if I could go back with you and take care of some business – you know, like make appointments for this summer when we return?"  I threw in something like how we’d still be together on our anniversary for good measure.  He just smiled.  Not what I was looking for.

When he came home for dinner I waited until he had finished and asked him, “Have you thought any more about me traveling with you at the end of the month?"  Of course, he didn’t know I had a prayer chain going from here to Greenville and back.  He told me he would look into it and that was all he would commit to.

The next day he phoned me and said he would be having lunch at the restaurant downstairs ("pea soup Thursday") but while he was making his reservations, he happened to look into flights for me. The frequent flyer use was outrageous, so that was out.  Then he checked the cost and it wasn’t much better, although I reminded him his parents had given me a nice check for Christmas.  He still wouldn’t commit.  My optimism was guarded, so I let the conversation slide that evening.

During lunch on Friday (the 7th) – this time the tuna had been turned into a tuna melt – he brought up the trip without any coaxing from me, and his only condition was, “If I let you go with me, do you promise to come back?”  YES! YES! YES! I promised.  He said okay, and I emailed Sam and phoned Annie.  She cried.  I think she already misses her mama.

I proceeded to make another gigantic list of things we’d want to bring back to Sweden. Many were food items I knew would be less expensive at home, or that I knew I had in my pantry that wouldn’t be consumed by those at home.

One other task I knew I needed to complete was to determine how I really felt about being in Sweden.  I had to know, because what I felt would be what I reflected to others on my return to Greenville, and would determine how I would actually manage returning back to Karlstad.  In the end, I realized I do like our life here.  I liked that even though there have been stresses in some adjustments and waits for certain things to happen – it was okay.  Even the down-time I have experienced here, where I don’t go out or really see anyone, has been fine, too, because it has given me time to recover from the frenzy just before we left Greenville. 



This is our guest room.  Notice the bed is missing a
bedskirt - it's to come.  Also, notice the dinky little side tables. 
What's up with that? 
We both laughed when they were delivered thinking
 maybe they were stackable tables and they
just forgot the other half of each... Nope.
(Sorry for the angled picture)