College Applications

It is time to apply to college. Lukas has researched, analyzed, and sorted his many options, and it is now time to send off applications. Bob and Lukas took advantage of the big screen to do essay editing, while I worked on the school profile, course descriptions, and recommendation letters.
There are so many details to keep track of to make sure applications are completed and submitted on time. Fortunately, Lukas is very organized and keeps updating his spreadsheet.  Once the first application was submitted, he certainly felt better. Now to keep up the momentum for the remaining ones. This could easily be a full-time job.

Yard Work

The sunny blue sky weather of our first day in Sweden quickly turned to the rainy, chilly typical October weather. The boys donned warm jackets and headed outside to do some winterizing of the yard. Mormor and I supervised from inside. Lukas and Noah did an admirable job trimming bushes, raking leaves, and hauling off dead branches. Now, if the leaves would just stop falling...

Old Photos

My father took a lot of photos, and many are neatly organized in albums. However, the pictures that his parents took are still in boxes- what a historical treasure trove to sift through the photos from his family. My grandfather was an orphan at an early age, and my father lost his brother early. I am grateful for photos that can remind me of these family members, many whom I never had the privilege of getting to know.

Wilhelm Hedin

Linnea och Wilhelm Hedin - Christina's paternal grandparents

Lars and Gunnar - two brothers 

In commemoration of Wilhelm's mom

A Trip Down Memory Lane

Lukas, Noah, and I stayed in Sweden for a few days to help out. One of the chores was to go through old photos, and I was delighted to find sweet pictures of precious friends. Snapping a shot of the images was the perfect 'excuse' to reach out to people I miss, and whom I have not touched base with in several years.
Lukas fixed the old movie projector, and Mormor enjoyed a trip down memory lane while Noah made sure the movies were captured for upload to YouTube.

Flag

One more time to fly the Swedish flag at half-mast. We are back in Sweden to attend Morfar's funeral. Bob and Noah took care of the flag before we got dressed and headed to the church.

Birthday Celebration

It is hard to believe that our first-born is turning 18. He can vote, he can make decisions on his own, and he is considered an adult. It seems it was just yesterday like the cliche says, that he was a brand new little tyke wiggling his legs in a pumpkin infant sleeping bag.
Since his birthday fell on a Tuesday, and we had to get ready for leaving on Wednesday, we celebrated on Sunday.  Even though it was Lukas' celebration, he had to work for his food, home-made sushi rolls. He requested a banana coconut cake for dessert, and I happily complied. Noah made sure there were 18 candles on the cake.  It was an enjoyable evening, although he was not allowed to open his gifts just yet.

Welding

Another hobby that Bob, Lukas, and Noah have wanted to pursue is welding. Although Bob was gifted welding equipment for Christmas, it took until October to cash in the IOU. Noah and Lukas set out to weld, using the random pieces of metal collected from 'big trash day.' Bob, being safety-minded, read the instructions carefully. I foresee welded metal objects in our future.

Lock Picking

Lukas has picked up a new hobby - lock picking. The lock picking community (yes, there is one) has a robust code of ethics and clear boundaries. His first set of locks and tools came courtesy of another member of this international community. Now, whenever Lukas has a spare moment, he picks locks. Noah has also shown an interest, and the two of them compete to see who can pick the lock the fastest. Anyone has a bunch of old locks to donate?

Fall is Here

Fall is in the air! There are still a lot of green trees, but here and there, the reds and the yellows are making an appearance. We are probably about a week or two from peak colors in the meadows. Is there anything more beautiful than the fall leaves against a blue sky?

Senior Patrol Leader

On Monday evening, Noah took over as Senior Patrol Leader (SPL) for the scout troop. He was elected by the troop members the previous week. Our young man is growing up and practicing his leadership skills.

Maybe it is good that big brother is aging out next week....