|expat|

When America is at its best, our bond + our spirit… it’s unbreakable. – Jason Aldean It’s hard to be an American in Sweden in times of tragedy. Honestly, it’s just freaking been hard…

I think that after a 4-day weekend, with summer weather pretty much every single day, I may actually be ready to go back to work today. Ok, ok. If summer vacation had actually already…

That’s right. I officially declare that summer 2016 has begun.  But I don’t think I’m alone in this.  Yes, we still have a couple of weeks until the summer solstice, the official official beginning…

Hey, you guys! Hope you all have had a good week. Over here, we’ve had an intense and exciting time. As most of your already know, we bought an apartment this week + are…

the photo above was taken on new year’s eve in 2009. just 5 days after lina and i had gotten married. we were in uppsala celebrating, visiting lina’s brother, his girlfriend (now wife), and…

On this day, 6 years ago, I looked out this very same window, to take in this very same morning view, just before heading out the door to marry my best friend, my partner,…

last week, i came across a blog post from one of my newest blogging buddies, miriam, from farm girl miriam called “currently”. you can read her post –> here. the idea of the post is…

it’s the 4th of july! the day that americans have bbqs + shoot off fireworks like nobody’s business. it’s such a fun day, a highlight of the summer, for sure. people have taken off…

2 0 0 9 / 2 0 1 0 five and a half years ago i married the most amazing woman. we got married in sweden, since she’s swedish. and, after 6 months of…

easter in sweden is a big deal. not necessarily because of the religious reasons, but because it is a long weekend holiday, and the first real celebration in the spring. like the united states,…

i never get sick. or feel bad. but, let me tell you, for the 2-3 days last week i’ve felt physically, emotionally, and spiritually empty. i have had no energy at all. no desire. no…

hi guys!! it’s ten on ten day again (woo hoo!) – yesterday was the 10th of march, and that means that i snapped 10ish different shots throughout my day, chronicling the beauty of the…

i’m obsessed with thinking about spring. when the calendar clicks to march, my brain clicks to spring. to new life. to new birth. to new chances. to new everything. but, i wonder, if i…

hello, friends! i sure hope your weekend has been/is great. good news here. today we hit the halfway mark. we have been in uppsala in our little temporary apartment for exactly three weeks now.…

happy friday, everyone! i’ve been super busy the past 2 days + i just thought i’d say hello and wish you all a great weekend. lina and i are entertaining our first visitors this…

happy monday, lovely friends. so, i’ve made it through two weeks in our little temporary apartment, and not that i’m not grateful, but i am counting the days until we move into a much…

the other day i was headed downtown to the library so i could hook up to the free wifi and get some things done. it was early afternoon, so that means it was early…

after weeks of utter chaos + craziness, i finally settled down just enough to meditate. yes, i haven’t done real, alone, focused meditation since the middle of december. since then, life has been a…

hello blog! hello friends! we did it! we made the move to sweden! i am embarking on my third (!!) expat journey, my second in sweden. it feels surreal + unbelievable that we are…

“what is that feeling when you’re driving away from people and they recede on the plain till you see their specks dispersing? – it’s the too-huge world vaulting us, and it’s good-bye. but we…

hi friends! i just realized that i haven’t done a regular little everyday life kind of post in a while. so, i thought it was time to share what’s been going on in my…

it is one cold, dark, and blustery december night out there, folks. but, i’m super cozy inside right now. christmas lights on, candles burning, and a blanket warming my feet. not too shabby. earlier…

it’s saturday night now, and the reality of announcing about our big move to sweden has begun to sink in. and, i am all aflutter with emotions – excitement over being an expat and starting…

i’ve got some big big news to share with y’all! i’ve been dying to tell you, but sometimes you just have to wait to share what’s on your heart. it’s been hard to stay…

you know, there are some interesting things to being in a bi-national, same-sex relationship. for one thing, you are almost always plotting and planning what happens next in life. it’s as if, just as…

1. set a goal and make it happen. for the past 2 years, i have chosen a word to focus on for the entire year (see the upper right corner of this page). that…

midas and i met when we started studying swedish together about 4ish months after we both moved here. well, his wife moved too. they moved from the netherlands/holland (i am sorry, even though they’ve…

i just gotta write about today’s word prompt for the photo challenge. today’s word is risk. and i’ve been obsessed with risks all freaking day long. and i’m serious about that. i have not…

i don’t know how to begin this blog. i’ve got news. BIG NEWS. HUGE NEWS. my heart is fluttering in my chest as these words appear on my screen. my breath is shallow. my…

well, time has come & gone. the holidays have come & gone. and this visit to the states has come & gone. tonight i will lay my head on my pillow in the lake…

looking back over this year, i realize that it has been truly, truly amazing! i have completed my first full year as a resident of sweden, traveled around the world some, learned a new…