Micke

New Years in Malmö was wonderful. I went to a party just outside Malmö. We shared the cost of the food and drinks, and Jesper cooked us a lovely dinner. Jesper is a chef in Copenhagen and very good at what he does. Among the things on the menu:

- small pancakes with sour cream, red onions and caviar
- potato wrapped in philo dough
- the most perfect roast beef

Christmas Eve in Sweden is the day you open presents. Santa comes to Sweden first before the rest of the world.

We spent Christmas Eve at Helena's house. We took the 2 to Södervärn, but then the bus to Helena's house came in an hour so we had to take a taxi to make it in time.

We watched Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck at 3. That's what you do here. Then the food came out.

It's heavy food. Meat and bread and more meat. We Americans are not used to it. We had coffee and opened presents and had dessert. Cream and rice and chocolate. I think my stomach was ready to walk out on me. All I wanted to do is sleep.

We gave Micke and Helena Need for Speed and everyone spent the night playing that or cheering whoever was playing when they wrecked into the cops.

I was lonely for home and friends, but more sick than anything. When we got home all of us wanted carbs to settle our stomachs. Bread, and noodles and potatos. Then we passed out from exhaustion.

Saturday we went to best friend Paul's for a Lucia Fika.

I read the email several times to be sure I had the right time. 2pm. Things got a little rough in the house because Tyler desperately wanted to wear a coat that wasn't at our apartment, so we didn't head out until after 2. We rode the bus to Mattias' apartment, and from there went to best friend Paul's.

Me = dumb. The time for the fika was actually 4pm. I don't know how I screwed that one up, but as we came in, Paul came around the corner of the apartment and said, "What are you doing here?" in a way that only best friend Paul could say.

I felt awful. I had ruined Lucia!

We sat on the couch and waited as Paul and Jenny did the finishing touches around the house. Micke and Helena arrived on time, and we all had cinamon buns, glögg and oranges. We laughed, we told stories, Micke posed on the couch, and as always, I enjoyed my time with my friends.

I think I had too much glögg, and Tyler was a bit wound up, and finally we decided to go because I was beginning to not feel well. By the time we got to the bus, I had a full blown headache, and I realized I had missed my afternoon medication.

I signed up for the wrong day for laundry (Friday instead of Saturday).

We all showed up an hour early to Lucia fika at Paul and Jenny's.

Man, my timing is off.

This year we will be spending Christmas at Helena and Micke's house. I'm really limited as far as gifts this year, so I've got to get creative on gifts.

I got a message from my cousin Gunilla in Stockholm, written in Swedish, that I think is asking me to come up during Christmas, but I haven't had time to read and translate it properly. Since I do have two weeks off, maybe we could go to visit some time if they will have us.

As far as gifts go, I usually make gift baskets or tins, or kits or something that pulls different items together for my friends. I can't even begin to think of what I could do this year for the twins, Helena, Micke, and Linnea. I'd like to give presents to all of my family and friends, but I just can't this year.

Today, Millan was taken back to the kennel. She has been growling and biting at the kids, and Micke and Helena decided that they couldn't keep her any longer. If they couldn't trust Millan with the kids, they had to take her back, maybe find a better home for her.

I know this is a hard day for Micke, Helena and Linnea. My thoughts are with them.

Tayler came in from walking Millan this morning and sat down at the table.

"I am SO mad at Millan."

We all wanted to know why.

"Because she tripped me twice."

Micke thought Tayler said 'tricked,' "She said: TRICK OR TREAT!"

"No, tripped. She's so clumsy."

It's moving day.

I have the day off. I haven't packed a lick, but I didn't really bring anything but clothes* with me. I've been avoiding the packing part. I've been wanting to spend time with everyone here instead. It shouldn't take too long, but the getting stuff there is a challenge without Micke's car.

Tonight is Helena's Halloween party. She wants pumpkin pie for it, so we will be making some today.

I'm going to cry today. I can just feel it. Living with Helena and Micke: this has been my home. I'm going to miss them so much. I am definitely going to come over a lot. (Just so you know, Helena).

Today we woke up and started laughing. We laugh together so much.

I'm going to miss this.

*and accessories like shoes and jewelry.

I can't even begin to tell you how much I value having Micke and Helena here in Sweden.

I am most amazed with Helena and Micke as friends. They've been surrogate parents for me here in Sweden, and the kind of friends who tell it to you straight.

A few nights ago, they gave me some criticism about my parenting, and I didn't like it, but knew it was true. What I love most about Helena is that she always prefaces her criticism with, "I'm meddling, and you can be mad at me if you want, but I have to say this."

When she's done saying her piece, she asks me if I am mad. I am usually mad with myself. I am never mad at her for telling it to me straight, and I think it's her approach. And the fact that what she is telling me resonates with me, and that we approach a lot of things similarly. I get the feeling she will be my friend whatever I do, and I value that too.

Micke is very good at listening, and giving me his opinion. Most of the time I agree with what he says, and have no trouble saying so, because he doesn't put me on the defense by accusing me of things. It's quiet observation that he presents.

Neither of them really tell me what to do. If you know me well, you know I don't like to be told what to do. I'm the kind of person that if you tell me what to do, I'm going to want to do the opposite. The more you nag me, and tell me, the more I'm going to push back.

A few differences the twins and I have noticed since we have been living with Helena's family:

1. When we first got here we would freak if someone opened the door when we were using the toilet. Helena and her family are like, "Hey. Occupied." whereas we would go "HEY! I'M IN HERE!" There is a casualness about natural body behavior that Helena's family has that we didn't have in the beginning.
2. Nudity is no big deal. Bodies are bodies. Linnea walks around naked all of the time. Tayler and Tyler were shocked at first, but now I frequently see Tayler in just a bra and jeans, which is really a big deal for Tayler.
3. Grocery shopping happens frequently throughout the week instead of just one huge trip. Helena and fam want fresh food.

Micke, Helena and I just finished watching a Simpsons episode when Micke turned to us and said, You guys have your cider and I'll go have my...

At which point I cracked up because Micke had forgotten what he was going to have.

Helena and Micke are gone for the afternoon and I would like to clean up here a bit before they come home to surprise them.

I don't feel like cleaning, I feel like relaxing. I will clean though.

I think first I will have a Red Bull and a sandwich.

Usually it's not hard for me to clean once I get started, it's the getting started bit that is hard.

I get annoyed with people who never lose things.

Before getting the pizza, Micke was walking around looking very puzzled. I asked him if he lost his keys as he was bragging about never losing his keys because he always puts them in the same place.

He said no, he hadn't lost his keys.

"I lost my... thing."

Helena and I cracked UP.

Tayler denied that she didn't eat a candy bar, except, the candy bar was uneaten on the kitchen counter.

"I ate it!" she said.

"Yeah," Micke said, "And some how you ate it and it reappeared. It's a kind of magic."

A moment later, Micke was playing around with the XBox and a video came on.

"What's this?"

Before Micke could answer, the video started, "It's a kind of magic!"

I laughed so hard.

Helena just sat down next to me and said, "Sometimes I miss our old couch."

I agreed, because it was an L shaped couch with lots of room on it.

"Sometimes I wish you both were asleep," Micke said.

We are sitting on the couch, Tayler, Micke and I. We are going through Micke's music collection, and Micke is singing.

"I wish I could sing," Micke said.

"You can't sing?" I said.

"Have you been listening to him?" Tayler said.

"I can't sing. Outside my head I sound terrible, inside my head I sound like a GOD!"

BTW, I am auditioning for a choir Friday.

Tayler reached over to kiss Micke's hand and almost knocked herself out.

Micke said, "My advice to you is that when you go to kiss someone's hand, don't punch yourself in the mouth."

We were all a bit slap happy.

"I, Tarzan," Micke said.

"You Jane," he said to Helena.

"Not while we have company," Helena said.

Where do I start?

First, Micke flashed the twins twice because his pants were too loose.

---

Somehow we got onto the topics of drugs, and Micke asked Helena if she is on drugs because she didn't want to hear about something at the dinner table, but she wasn't AT the dinner table.

"Hook me up, Scotty!" Micke said.

"You mean beam me up Scotty," Helena said.

"No, I mean hook me up, Scotty!" Micke said.

We couldn't stop laughing.

---

The kids were talking about kissing with Helena and Micke and Helena mentioned french kissing.

The kids got really grossed out, and Helena told Tayler she couldn't french kiss until she was 30.

And Micke said the only one in the house who french kisses is Millan (their dog). And, she does it with everyone.

I cracked up.

---

"I thought everyone liked that," Micke said speaking of the dessert the kids had this evening.

"Every Swedish kid anyway," he said. "And me."

"So you mean every Swedish kid?" Helena said.