Goodbye Nassjo

I can't believe that my time here in Sweden has almost come to an end. When I first got here, time moved a lot slower. At first I was homesick but as time moved on, I started to love living here with Rob, new friends, and in the new culture we were learning about. Nassjo became a second home and to have to say good bye to this chapter in our lives is a sad thing to do.

Happily, I have been able to fill my last month here with fun events and adventures.

Rob and I were able to take our trip to Rome, and it was everything we could hope for! We had numerous romantic evenings eating multiple courses until we could barely walk to our hotel. Luckily, the place we stayed was a block away from the metro, making trips to Vatican City, the Trevi Fountain, the Colosseum, the market places and other stops extremely easy to get to. Being able to explore Rome with my husband was a dream come true. Check out my Facebook page for more photos of our trip!

This month we have also been able to spend a good amount of time with friends.

Rob and I even got to see the Hunger Games here in Nassjo with friends. It was funny to see the difference in an opening night event here versus in our hometown in Michigan. In Brighton, the theater was sold out for midnight showings, here we were some of the only people there. Nonetheless, the movie was great and of course the company was even better.

On Saturday, I was able to watch Rob play for one last time while here. I also went to Before Basket at the Hotel with friends where we ate and chatted before the game started. We all then went on to the game, and the team built a commanding lead. Rob had some nice dunks in the game too! The opposing team is from a nearby city so there has always been a rivalry, so at times the game was pretty intense. Afterwards, we all headed out for a great dinner at Matlyckan.

Although I am going back before the playoff games, I am excited to watch their stats online. Let's go Nassjo Highlanders!

In preparing to go home, I know there are many things to be excited for such as seeing our families, being back in our own home, having my own cooking tools, eating American foods, getting back to work, being able to drive, and more. But I must say, I am sad to leave this town behind with new friends, a new routine, walks around the lake, strolling into town everyday, the culture, and the simplicity of our lives here.

I know I will never forget the time that I spent here with Rob. Hopefully in the future, we will be able to come back to Nassjo.

Next Stop...Rome!

This is definitely an exciting post for me...I am happy to share with friends, family, and whoever else might be reading this blog, that Rob and I are heading to Rome this week!

Rob and I have planned a trip to visit Rome from Thursday through Sunday since he doesn't have a game this weekend.

From Sweden the plane ride is only about two hours and costs are considerably less than planning a trip from the States to Rome. I am so thrilled to have the opportunity to visit this magical city for the second time in my life. Thank you Trevi Fountain for helping my coin toss come true!

Trevi Fountain - First time in Rome

Although this is the second visit for me to Rome, this is Rob's first time there, which makes the trip even more exciting for me. It might sound like gushing, but I truly love visiting new places with my husband because he is such a happy person. He loves to see new sights and take in new experiences. Traveling with him is never stressful and always very memorable.

We are going to be staying in a bed and breakfast just outside Vatican City. At this point, we have broken our travels into two main days; one in Vatican City and one for the Colosseum and Ancient Rome surrounding areas. It is hard to say what I am looking forward to the most, but the Colosseum is one of my most anticipated locations. I know that Rob is going to love seeing this and I can't wait to see his face as we walk in!

We have had to save our money, count our pennies, and cut back on groceries, but it is all worth it with this incredible trip planned. I have been counting down the days, and in typical Type A/girly fashion, my outfits have already been planned!

Please let me know if you have any travel tips or recommendations! The city is so majestic that there are always new things to discover!

Can't wait to share with everyone after our trip!

Adventures in February

Hi Everyone! Sorry that I have been lacking in my blogger responsibilities. My time here in Sweden is running out quicker than I ever imagined. In the beginning, I was always thinking, 'I can't believe I am going to be here so long!' Now, I can't stop thinking, 'I can't believe I am heading back to the States so soon!' The time I have spent living here has been amazing, and I will make sure that I keep everyone informed about the last month that I have here!

Before I begin on the month ahead, I want to catch everyone up on the things I've done over the past few weeks!

First, I will start with National Semlor (or Semla) Day. If you follow my husband's blog, he has already told you a little about it, but I need to tell you myself how delicious these treats are! While you were all eating paczki's this year, I feasted on a beautiful pastry with a crispy crust, fluffy baked dough, an almond sweeten custard, piled high wiped cream, and a powder sugar finish. I'd take a semlor over a paczki any day!

Take a look at the cute sign above that was at the register. It asks... How do you want to have your Semla? With traditional wheat dough? With the crispy wienerdeg (A different type of pastry- more like a croissant)? With warm milk in a bowl? With vanilla custard? Well how ever you want it ...

Rob and I have also been enjoying the weather change from blistering cold to pleasantly decent. We had a few snow storms that gave us about a foot of snow and lasted for around a week. With snow on the ground and bitter winds, the weather can be quite nasty. Luckily lately it has climbed into the forties and the snow is almost gone completely!

Rob and I were walking through town one day and despite the melting snow, we came across a snow sculpture competition! It was a lot of fun to see the different creations. There was an announcer there on a speaker system that drew us in, and volunteers that were passing out voter slips. I'm not sure who won the competition, but it was a cool thing to happen upon.  Look at a few of the snow carvings.... (I think the birds were my favorite, but the chess board was kind of clever!)

Just last Friday, I was happily invited to an After Hours event with my friends Paulina and Carolin. They took me out to dinner and then a fashion show event at the Hotel. The Hotel runs a lot of different events that the town really likes to turn out for. The fashion show was pretty packed, and there were even two showings of it. They featured local stores, hair dressers, and citizens as models. It reminded me a lot of some of the events we do in downtown Brighton.

Rob's team has been on an outstanding run in their league, winning games just about every weekend. Rob has really been excelling in basketball, and I couldn't be more proud of him. The team only has three regular season games remaining before they move onto the postseason tournament.

I am so lucky to have gotten the chance to watch him play professional basketball, which has always been his dream. Thank you for all the prayers that everyone has sent our way. This trip wouldn't have been possible without the support of friends, family, and our employer.

• Make sure that you check out his blog at http://robbosslivingthedream.blogspot.com/ to get game recaps and to watch his amazing highlight videos. They really are fun to watch!

And as my days are numbered in Sweden, I'll make sure I give numerous updates on the things going on in Rob and my life! We have some exciting things still ahead of us while we are here...