Cooling off

We are only working five hours a day this week which give us plenty of time to spend in the river. Nice!

No blogging due to severe allergies

Maybe cutting our 4' long grass will do it? I hope to be back to normal soon again!

Off to Utah

Tomorrow morning we will take off for our last vacation this summer. Monday I will start working after 2½ months in freedom. So we decided to go to Park City, UT for the Food and Wine Classics that starts tomorrow through Sunday. We will also meet up with Max's sister who is there for a conference. I am bringing my laptop and hoping to get time for some blogging. Bye for now from an extremely hot Steamboat Springs.

Earlier this morning

M: Hey baby, you might wanna go on eBay later..
C: For what?! (I'm sleeping, do not disturb!)
M: To buy a new cellphone
C: Why?!! (I already have one, bought a new one earlier this month, remember?)
M: Cause you left yours outside all night in heavy rain and hail
C: F..k!

(To all of you who might be trying to call me - don't!)

(Call Max)
(who never forgets anything)

What to say (and not to say)

My brain is set on "vacation mode" why I haven't been blogging for a few days. I guess it is normal after being off work for over two months now. Something else that might happen as a result of long and lazy summer days with lots of ice cream and American BBQ is a slight weight gain.

The other day we were shopping for new biking clothes and I tried on a pair of the traditional bicycle tights. As most women, I spent some time analyzing whether the tights looked good from behind or not. I decided to get some positive confirmation from my dear husband why I fired off the classic line: "My butt looks big in these!"

Every man on earth should know that when something like that is being said, they should NOT agree but instead say something like: "No honey, your butt looks absolutely perfect. Not big at all!"

My man did not know. Or if he knew, he had some kind of loss of memory in that very moment. Because his answer was fast, short, and concise: "That's because they are padded!"

Which by the way they weren't...

Heavy duty work

Today some dear friends of ours came over and made us a new patio. It took 4.400 lb of concrete. Lucky me I didn't have to help carry those bags. The result is great and we are super happy with thier work. Now we are going to find some nice patio stone for the the small part we decided not to put concrete on and then we can fire up the grill and let the party start.

E.T. phone home

This morning when we woke up it was a crop circle in our yard. Pretty freaky...

Bithcing for privacy

We have gotten new neighbors. Neighbors that we don't like. Neighbors that are annoying, loud, and straight up weird. Therefore we decided to buy some shrubs. Shrubs that get 15-20 feet wide and almost as tall. That should do it. Unfortunately they are not sound resistant, but at least we should not be able to see them. The neighbors that is.

When they saw we planted those bushes they countered with putting up blinds in all their windows. I wonder what our next move will be? I think our newly planted shrubs will be enough. Don't want to exaggerate you know...

My summer's reading material

On my nightstand today...

The Great Sand Dunes

We are home from our road trip. The highlight was definitely The Great Sand Dunes in southern Colorado. It was amazing, so cool! Here are some pictures.

Myror i benen!

Sure, it's no place like home but after hanging around the house for a week more or less it's time to move on! See something else. So the bags are packed and so is the tent and the sleeping bags. We are going on a trip through different parts of Colorado and down to New Mexico. Thursday and Friday we are going to be in Pueblo since Max has to go to a job meeting there. But then we will continue our drive to the Great Sand Dunes, Santa Fe, and hopefully Carlsbad Caverns among other exciting stops. The updates will probably not be too many but in that case pictures will be posted on the blog when we get back. Adios for now!

Hard as a rock

We finally got some sun here in northern Colorado why I have neglected the blog a little bit. We have been outside in the yard excavating. The plan is to make a little patio outside the back door. After all the digging was done we went to look at patio stones. That was a little bit of a shocking experience. Why are rocks so expensive?! Oh well, I guess we should have thought of that before digging up the lawn...

Scented room

Fresh Lilacs from the yard...

matching my new framed pictures from IKEA. I lööööv IKEA!!

Bun in the oven

Tonight we are going to a barbeque and right now we are in the kitchen making bread for it. Max is showing off his newly developed artisan bread baking skills and I am making Swedish cinnabon buns. Lightning and thunder is still in the air so we'll see if there will be an inside BBQ or not.
P.S. my cinnamon buns turned out way better looking than the one on the picture which I took of the internet :)

Familiar ground

The drive back west took about sixteen hours. It is good to be back and it has been fun to see some familiar faces again. Today we had some beers with my boss and some coworkers and it looks like I am going to go back to work in the beginning of June. So right now we are in the process of planning some trips within the states or just outside. Lightning and thunderstorms have been passing through the last couple of days and our yard looks like a djunge. But it is so green and beautiful and clean looking.

Homesick

Our stay here is about to end and I am ready to start heading back to Colorado. It feels great that as many places as we have been to, and as many times as we have been driving across the country, we always agree on that no place is like Steamboat Springs, CO.

Sure, it is snow there six months of the year and sometimes brutally cold. But most of the times it is really pleasant, calm, beautiful, and clean. Sweden would be an alternative, but unfortunately we haven't agreed on that subject (yet).

Cozy

Rain and thunder is in the forecast for our last two days here. I think I'll stay in bed a little longer with my laptop, book and remote control. Zzzzzzzzzzzz...

Life is hard

The reason why we went to Napa Valley is that Max is taking a couple of classes here at the CIA in Saint Helena. His classes are from 7.00 a.m. to 8.30 p.m.

So what do I do here? Well, lets see. I wake up and have long breakfasts in the hotel lobby, I walk the dogs among the vines, I lay by the pool and read Swedish mystery fiction, I stroll downtown and drink lattes at some of the outdoor cafes or have a glass or two of a local chardonnay. And I am staying here for free!

Yeah,, it could be worse...

Picture on demand

I have received lots of e-mails requesting pictures of my new haircut so here is one...

Greetings from Napa Valley

Suitcase is packed and we are off to California!

Hair-raising experience

Different kinds of scissors and razor blades are working their way through my hair. I can see long pieces of hair falling to the floor and a slight panicky feeling comes over me. The stylist doesn’t notice that I am about to burst into tears. She keeps chopping away and babbling about how much hair I have.

When she is finally done she asks me what I think. I am speechless. I can see in the mirror that the smile I am trying to give her looks slightly hysterical. But at least it matches my new do. Silently, and 140.00 bucks poorer, I walk out of the saloon wondering if people are going to be able to tell the difference between me and Max. Max who is completely bold.

Cold feet

Hello!
Last night I fell asleep at 7.30 p.m. which was a big improvement compared to the night before. As many times as I have been going over the Atlantic you would think I should have gotten over the jet lag part, but apparently not..

Today I have a hair appointment at 2 p.m. and that's the biggest event of the day. It is so nice to be off work, my only complaint is the weather we have here right now. Cold and rainy! Do I have to tell you that my flowers died meanwhile I was gone. But I am over it! When we get back from California I am going to buy flowers and put in pots instead. Much easier that way. (I think)

Max has been a little bit of a handyman when I was on vacation. He has planted trees and built a stairs. I am so proud! Pictures will be uploaded to the blog later.

Jet Lag

I have been a very bad blogger lately. Sorry! Last night at 1.30 a.m. I got back from my vacation (only 26 hours from door to door) and as soon as I get rid of this terrible jet lag I am going to start blogging again. Later aligator!

To my Max

i carry your heart with me

i carry your heart with me (i carry it in
my heart) i am never without it (anywhere
i go you go, my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing, my darling)
i fear
no fate (for you are my fate, my sweet) i want
no world (for beautiful you are my world, my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows
higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart (i carry it in my heart)

by e e cummings

Hej så länge!

Packing is always something I do in the last minute and this time is no exception. The alarm will go off at 4 a.m. and I will be picked up by 5 a.m. by a girl at work who will take me to Denver. This time I'll have my layover in Chicago before I continue my travel to Stockholm.

I am excited but also sad to leave Max and the dogs at home. Wish they could come with me. I am bringing my camera and hoping to have time for some blogging from Sweden. Hej så länge!

TjiTjing!!

First item sold on eBay and $50.00 richer!!

Saleswoman

Premier! I have put up a few items for sale on eBay. Now I'm just waiting for the buyers. Anyone out there with interest in Real Estate or Accounting textbooks?

Transplanting

When you live in the middle of nowhere as I do it sucks when the weather is not as nice as you would like it to be. Especially when it is spring time and it is suppose to be warm and sunny. And especially when it is your first day of vacation. And especially when it has been like that for about two weeks.

Max didn't make it home until 3.30 a.m. so before he got up I took the dogs for a walk and then I transplanted some of my lupines to the outdoors. So now it can't be any more frost!

In the afternoon we went out and dug up a tiny little pine tree and brought it home and planted it in the yard. I doubt that it is going to make it but we thought it was worth a try. Now it is movie (siesta) time in front of the fire with the pups.

Rimini in front of our freshly planted little pine tree

My Saturday night

It is over. Summer has officially started. No more work for about two whole months. Feels absolutely wonderful. Half the crew went out celebrating last night including us so today I am not in my best shape. However it's worth it because it was so much fun!

Max has just left because he had to go and do prom night at the high school. I am going to stay here in bed and maybe watch a movie or I might just hit the light switch and fall asleep to the sound of the pouring rain outside.