And we're back!

Our trip to Sweden was successful, to say the least. We sold Patric's apartment to a nice older woman and then spent the rest of the week cleaning out his storage. The man has collected ALOT of stuff through the years. I am sure it was hard for him to get rid of so many memories, but who really needs two tuxedos, MC Hammer pants, V-Neck Sweaters etc...styles changed, but he still kept his clothes for a rainy day.

We got to spend time with his family in Stockholm, and that was a nice reprieve from all of the work we had to do in Gothenburg. Sweden is a beautiful country and I really do hope that we will move there soon. Patric is ever more serious about us going there, so we are just waiting for him to get his citizenship and hopefully a job there and we are set. We are estimating in the next two years...it will be nice because Josh will still be younger then school age.

To reflect on this decision, I must realize that Patric was only intending to live in the United States for two years, one for school and one to work. He had a nice apartment waiting for him when he would return. Seven years later, he is still not back to his home. I have been living around my family for the last 24 years, and really have not branched out of my comfort zone, except to live in Utah for 8 months. It is time for me to support my husband's decisions, as long as he can give me the security that everything will be ok (which he always does).

Josh was so incredible on our trip. Flying there was rough, but he adjusted to the time change beautifully. I could not have asked for a better transition. Johanna, Rickard's wife, was generous enough to watch Josh a couple of times so that we could get more done at the apartment. Josh spent ALOT of time in his car seat and also with a pacifier this trip. I felt really bad that he was strapped into a car seat so much, but I did not want him crawling around an attic or basement while we were cleaning out storage. The flight home was a breeze. Josh took THREE naps, and they were not short ones either. This was a major blessing.

We came home to have food readily prepared by my mom, which was nice too, even though we were VERY tired. We got to share Sunday dinner with my sister's family and brother's family. Then we went home and crashed.

It was very sad to sell the apartment, even though I never lived in it. It was always in my mind that we would move there first and then sell it and move elsewhere. It is a very small apartment for a family of three, but we could have managed until we found another place. But selling it is a blessing for us as we can get out of all of our debt if we wanted. I believe we will keep some of Patric's student loans for awhile and my student loans. Knowing that I can live debt free is something that I have craved since before Patric and I got married. I went into the marriage with no debt(with the exception of a car payment which was relatively low) and Patric had just student loans. Together we accumulated credit card debt and two car loans. It will be a lot less pressure once those are paid off and we can start saving even more.

I have pictures of our trip, but they are still in my camera. I have not downloaded them yet. So this will be a pictureless blog.

We also met up with Patric's biological grandma, who is 97(will be 98 in August) and Patric asked her about her life while we video taped it. She can REALLY talk, but I do believe deep down she really does care about Patric a lot. We also got to spend time with Janne, who is Patric's biological mom's husband, and he was, as always, very nice to see.

Since coming back from Sweden, I have not been able to sleep in, perhaps because I have gone to bed earlier then I usually do. But hey, it gives me time to blog!

Sasha