call it karma. call it luck. call it whatever. i’m blown away.

hi dear readers! well, here i sit. in our stripped down, almost bare apartment with no tv. no living room furniture. and only a little bit of our stuff left over from the weekend, which we’re planning to give away beginning tomorrow. it’s pretty silent and simple here now. but, we do have internet. so, i’ll survive. no need to worry. hehe. though i must admit, it’s a little weird right now.

just to update you, and in an attempt to help me keep trying to process all that has happened this weekend, by all accounts, the two chicks & a cat flea market was a huge success! i suppose you could say that we’re in some sort of flow right now. the stars are all lined up right or karma is giving us a huge dose of happiness or we’ve got the luck of the irish with us or god is showering down blessings or something. all i know is, i still don’t understand exactly how amazing this weekend was!

here’s the lo-down:

friday morning, as we sat down for breakfast, both lina & i began getting text messages, Facebook messages, and phone calls from people asking if they could come early to shop (we set our begin time for 3 in the afternoon) and if they could book things ahead of time. so, lina was running back & forth, all over the apartment sticking little hearts saying “booked” on items from shoes to cups to rugs to lamps. it was crazy. then, we had a few early visitors come at 10:30 (which was planned) and at about 1:00 (also planned). those were successful visits. off to a good start!

as we sat on the floor and relaxing a bit before the big grand opening (hehe), someone walked in the door. lina had just put out a sign that said “welcome! just come on in”, and this man did. surprise surprise! it was our landlord, who i hadn’t seen since we moved in about 3 years ago. he asked about our flea market, and to make a long story short, was interested in buying some of the furniture we had… for the 2 guys who are moving in after us. they are from norway & don’t have much. needless to say, we said, “hell yeah!”. ok. not really those words, but we sure were thinking it.

but, then, get this! not only do we NOT have to try to sell or move out the furniture that is left over, he said he’d also buy everything in our kitchen cabinets = NO WRAPPING & PACKING DISHES!! aaaaand, we do not have to order & pay for cleaning from a cleaning company or do major cleaning ourselves. so, thank goodness lina put up the poster on the door so the landlord could come in! we totally racked up! and when we move out, we can just pack our bags that we’re taking with us to the states (4 suitcases & 2 carry-ons in total. plus a cat! and lina’s guitar! ) and walk out. now, the pressure was off to get rid of the heavy stuff, and we could just sell all of our other things… hopefully.

i wasn’t sure how many people would show up for our little flea market shin dig, but we had been taking pictures all week and putting them up on facebook every day for about 5-6 days. little sneak peeks. and people began booking a week in advance. still, how many people would actually come?

of course, i had to go to work for about an hour & a half right before we opened our sale – yeah. great timing. but, my love was here to take care of it all. when i got home, i walked in and this place was hopping. there were at least 8 people (friends & family) crammed into our tiny space, and they were all just shopping away! one of them is even gonna buy lina’s computer – she needs a new one once we move. people bought toys, clothes, picture frames, tons of kitchen stuff, cds, jewelry, candles. some of everything. it was crazy awesome. we stayed open until about 8pm, and you now what? there was at least one person here during the whole time until about 7:30. amazing!

we were dead tired afterwards, but 2 friends of mine were gonna swing by after 9. when they arrived, we drank a bottle of bubbly together, sat on the floor, and just enjoyed good conversation & laughs together. i am gonna miss these 2 dutch friends of mine so very much… but we’ve planned a day together, all 4 of us, before lina & i hop on the plane, so it wasn’t goodbye the other night.

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now, it’s sunday night, and we’re exhausted chicks. but my love is busting right on through. she is a workhorse, an organizing queen, and a shrewd businesswoman. i’ve seen a side of her this weekend that i’ve never seen before, and she blows me away. i think i fell in love even more!

well, we begin our last week in this apartment tomorrow. only a few days left in this cozy downtown space we’ve called our first home together. *sigh* i’m having tons of little nostalgic moments all the time right now. but, it’s already underway. the transition has already begun. there’s no denying it when you look around and see blank walls, no furniture, and empty countertops. we still have a month left in sweden, mind you. so, there’s time to enjoy a little swedish summer. we’ll be staying at lina’s parents for 2 weeks and at a camp for 1 week, all that after this last week here… our swedish home. our first home toegther. sniff sniff. wipe away a tear…

no need to cry for too long, though. it’s on to new & exciting adventures!

but tonight… tonight i am still sitting trying to process all that has been happening during the past year (and the past weekend!). and i am humbled by the life that i live. the experiences i have had. the opportunities & possibilities which have come my way. the joy that i have. the happiness and peace that i have found. and from the bottom of my soul, i wish all the same to you. slow down, listen, enjoy the little things, and stay true to yourself, my friends. and you will find peace. i promise.

always sending you peace & love.