Nässjö Basket in Final Four

This past weekend my husband's professional basketball team in Sweden competed for a spot in the Final Four and battled through a gritty game to come out on top. After a close loss against LF Future in last weekend's match by two points, the Nässjö Highlanders had to beat LF Future by more than two points to advance in the tournament. Still behind with four minutes to go, they were able to rally together for a 90-83 win. Visit Rob's blog for game highlights and more details!

Extremely proud of my husband! Go Nässjö Basket! 

#15 We are all cheering for you!

The team after the big win!

Photo and article clip in the newspaper

Rough Translation: "KFUM Nassjo is ready for the Final Four in Malmo next weekend. But it was a real thriller against Luleå and excitement went on until the end with the KFUM holding over 700 people in the stands. Nassjo was below, 63-72, at the beginning of last period, but accounted for an impressive turnaround and won by 90-83. Nassjo lost by two points in the away game and was forced to win by three."

Red, White, & Blue

Happy Easter everyone! I am officially back in the United States and right back into action. Luckily, adjusting to life in Michigan again has been easier than I had imagine. Although I still struggle with the time difference and find myself siting up around 3:30am wide awake, I can't express how nice it has been to be back in my own home and with friends and family. The only thing that will make it better will be having my husband return, which is only ten days away!

Stepping outside your comfort zone by choice helps you grow as an individual, makes you more independent, and allows you to be ready to handle whatever life throws at you. Sweden was that for me, and I will never forget what I learned and the people I met because of it. They will be friends for a lifetime. During this experience, I also was able to find my voice in writing, and have been working on my first novel. (Mostly just for fun, but watch out for updates!)

That being said, there is definitely something to say about the comfort of being surrounded by the things you are familiar with. I think it might be part of my type A personality, but routine makes me feel at ease. New things and the unexpected are exciting, but it is best to be able to share these moments with friends and family.

My beautiful office

Getting back into working at the office has been more fun than one would think! I know that it sounds like a cliche or a gimmick, but I am someone who loves my job. Although with modern technology the business world is truly flat, I much prefer working in my own office than over a computer and through Skype.

Now that I'm back in town, I can't wait to catch up with my friends, spend time with family, eat my favorite foods, and, I can't forget to mention, shop for sales!

Thanks for everyone's love, support, and prays through this journey. Rob's team continues their post season play with a big win today! Now it is on to the Final Four next weekend! Go Nassjo!

I have many exciting events and opportunities to share throughout the summer and hope to continue to use this blog to keep everyone updated, so keep looking for more upcoming posts!

Keeping everyone up to date on what's going on, on my mind, or in my sights, no matter where I am!

Weekend Fun

Drawing done by Emelinn Heikkinen

What a weekend! We had an incredibly fun weekend here with our friends in Nassjo. On Saturday, Rob's team had a game against Sanda which they won 73-63. That evening the team and friends all got together at David's & Paulina's place.

No matter where you are, interactions between men and women are always the same. At the beginning of the party, the ladies started off in the kitchen and the guys were in the living room. Honestly I was a little nervous to hang out with the just the girls, since I don't know enough Swedish to converse but everyone was really sweet and would let me in on what was going on. We played a game where you had to guess the famous person that another person was describing. The girls decided that if the famous person was in Swedish they would describe in Swedish, since I would have no clue either way, and the others they would describe in English. I had a friend Carolin work with me and we kicked butt...just saying.

As the night went on, the guys made their way into the kitchen and then the ladies made their way in the living room. Two of my favorite highlights from the night were Rob breaking it down to 'Nsync, naturally, and dancing to Footloose with Paulina and the girls.

We all then proceeded to the "club" in Nassjo, which happens to be a part of the Hotel that Rob and I eat many lunches at. The transformed dining room became an extension of the club with its own dance floor. I noticed that the dining room area was where many of the older adults hung out and dance. Paulina and I found her mom there and were able to say hi before she left. The other area closer to the bar with another dance floor was were people closer to our age were. Rob was also thrilled that they had a black jack table with $3 bets! (Usually $5 is the minimum in the States).

It was a fantastic night with friends, and honestly no difference between how we hang out in the States and in Sweden that I noticed. Girls dance the night away and guys are loud and laughing.