Happy New Year!

Kitchen / Dining

Living Room

Bedroom 1

Bathroom 1

Bedroom 2

Bathroom 2

Closet

View from Balcony

Just a year ago we were discussing applying to Graduate School in Stockholm Sweden... a year later we are not only living in Sweden, but 25% finished with the degree. It truly is amazing how much can change in just a year! Hopefully next year wont be quite as stressful, but equally full of adventure! Above is our apartment which is now put together and clean. Happy New Year!

Fire!

So, just as we are preparing dinner we hear an alarm go off, not thinking much about it we continue to prepare to eat when we start smelling an extensive amount of smoke... I open the apartment door to see if everything is alright and am bombarded with more smoke! So Amber and I grab the kids and head out. Turns out the first floor of our apartment complex was on fire. Luckily, the fire department came quick and put it out, so it did not spread to the second floor. Other than some smoke smell in the apartment, everything was alright! Thank goodness... if I would have had to reassemble all the IKEA furniture, I might have gone crazy...

Jet-Lagged on a Train...

One of the best days in Sweden yet... I picked up the family from the airport! While the kids were extremely excited to see me and talked non-stop for the first half hour, it did not take long for the lack of sleep to set in and they were out... luckily we had a long train ride ahead of us!

Great Food, Atmosphere, and Friends...

Tonight after a full day of studies, I went to a restaurant in Stockholm known for its out-of-control decor/atmosphere with a couple friends. The restaurant is called Peppar and had great food at a reasonable price! They periodically change their decor according to the holiday/season. Right now, as seen above, the theme is Christmas - so fun. I love hanging out with friends outside of the school atmosphere, it is so much more relaxing...

Destroyed Hands

13 Hours of putting together 6 Chairs, 2 Beds, 2 Lamps, 1 Crib, 1 Sofa, 1 Coffee Table, 1 Nightstand, and some bathroom cupboards all from Ikea = some very painful hands, but an apartment that is starting to feel like a home! I must say, I am quite done with the do it yourself assembly for a while... Pictures of the finished products will soon follow!

Chocolate Ball

I think I found it... The largest chocolate ball you can buy - Weighs more then my children at birth 5kg (11 lbs)! It is slightly cheaper then my kids were as this delectable treat can be all yours for a measly 295 SEK ($43.50). Enjoy!

For the record, while I resisted the chocolate ball, I could not resist the princess tårta next to it (which happened to be 50% off. Needless to say,  it came home with me.