1. A quick snuggle when the clock rang 5 A.M

 2.Twilight over the southern coast this morning in what was a fantastic winter wonderland.

3. After not having had any motivation to work the past week I rediscovered that the best cure is usually to just pull yourself together and do it. So I did, and I surprised myself by actually enjoying work today.

4. Meeting one of my oldest friends for lunch, especially since we rarely get to meet nowadays.

5. Eating supper alone with my husband, even if it was just sandwiches and coffee by candlelight in our kitchen.

6. Putting two happy, exhausted kids to bed tonight. My son fell asleep within minutes.

7. Almost forgot - it's Friday :-)

8. Speaking of forgetting - I forgot my calendar on a sofa in a galleria today. When I went back to find it 15 minutes later naturally it wasn't there. THANK YOU whoever was kind enough to leave it in the bank next to the sofa so that I could get it back safe and sound...

God knows I love my husband. I want him to be happy. Having a trotter (horse) makes him happy. I'm glad he has an a hobby that makes him happy (that is, when he's not complaining about injuries or disappointing workouts).

I like to spend money; no, strike that. Let's put it this way; I like buying things, on sale, and if it's on sale I don't mind buying a lot of things. I prefer spending smaller amounts of money repeated times rather than coughing up a huge sum of money on a single occasion.

My husband and I agree on a lot of things, maybe even on most things, but we come from different worlds when it comes to dealing with our finances. Like many couples (apparently we are not the only ones on different wavelengths according to the media) this inconsistency is the huge rain cloud that at times blocks out the sunshine in our relationship. I'm the kind who wants to have money set aside for a rainy day (or a vacation*) while P is more a carpe diem kind of guy.

I wrote in an earlier blogg entry that I was making progress as far as this horse business goes. Let's just say that after seeing this month's horse bills (which have to be paid just three weeks before going on a family vacation*), I may have taken 3 steps forward earlier,  but now I've taken 1½ back...

This is one of life's lessons that I continue to struggle with.

I love the sombering effect falling snow has. It reminds me of being wrapped in a quilt or getting a wonderful bear hug; it calms me.

Today marks the five year anniversary of my mother-in-law's death. Soon my husband and I will meet up at the cemetery in Kalmar so that we can light a candle and lay a bouqet of flowers by her grave.

I was lucky to have had my mother-in-law in my life. She was a perfect blend of mother, girlfriend, and sister. We were always welcome to visit. At the same time she made sure to never smother us. I loved sitting with her at her kitchen table drinking coffee and eating something sweet and fattening - she loved treats from the bakery as much as I did. We talked constantly. Buying baby clothes to my daughter was an art form for us.

She had an amazing connection to my daughter, and my daughter, who only had just less than five years to get to know her farmor, absolutely adored her.

She suffered from many ailments, and when the doctors finally took her seriously, naturally it was too late. As I gave birth to my son in the summer of 2003, she lay a couple of floors above me recovering from surgery (They had removed a kidney completely covered by a large tumor). After that it went quickly, and she realized before I did that it would not be long before the inevitable occurred.

In February 2004 I took my mother-in-law to the hospital to have an X-ray done. She felt so ill that we decided to get her admitted. A few days later I was visiting with her alone. Together we ate some apple pie with vanilla sauce from the hospital café. I told her tearfully I was going to miss her, and she replied that she would miss me, too.

The next day she fell into a coma. At some point she regained consciousness, enough so that she called for her sons. I stayed outside of the room since I thought it was best they were alone. A day or two later, while I was at home feeding my son, I decided that as soon as my husband came home I would go into town to tell her I loved her and say good-bye. But when P came home he put his arm around me and said it was over.

It's all part of life's cycle, I know. The only thing we can be certain of in this life is that it is finite. To this day I miss her insanely. But as long as I can still feel the sorrow, I know that she is not forgotten. I never want to forget. My sadness has a cathartic effect; once my tears have subsided I always feel better, just like I've been hugged.

On my way to the office in Norrköping today I drove straight towards the rising sun. It resembled a huge orange fireball and painted the cloudless sky in various shades of lilac and pink. Stunning.

I thought about my friend, the one battling cancer. I wonder what he feels everytime he sees a sunrise, a sunset, the beach - anything beautiful.

After a week and a half of waiting and wondering (since he hadn't returned my calls) he finally phoned me yesterday. He sounded as cheerful as always. I could tell that he once again has decided to face this predicament head on with as much bravery and stoicism as is possible. With stoicism I mean a rational acceptance of circumstances and a realization that freaking out will get him nowhere.

Tomorrow I will drive down to see him, and I plan on savoring every sip of coffee, really notice the aroma and flavor.

Because who knows how many more sunrises or cups of coffee I will enjoy in my lifetime?

OK Lena - this one's for you!!  http://losformos.wordpress.com

Rules: Write 6 random things about myself, link the person who tagged you post the rules. Tag six people and link them. Let them know they have been tagged.

1. My father wanted us to name our son after him, but I didn't since that would have meant naming him Charles Mansson (at least in English).

2. I didn't think I was a typical Sagitarius since Sags typically enjoy travelling and adventure. Then I remembered that I have spent the past 20 years in Europe.

3. I am so incredibly grateful to be living abroad since it has opened my eyes about a lot of things. Talk about broadening your perspectives...

4. Like George Costanza, I can only sleep if my sheets are untucked.

5. Learning yoga has forever changed who I am, for the better.

6. I wish I were more patient with my children though.

I don't read many blogs, so feel free to tag yourself and then say I did it :-).

Dang!

I have the luxury of spending a night or two a month on the road with work, which means staying at a hotel. Staying at a hotel means naturally long, hot showers, complete control of the remote, and last, but not least, BREAKFAST.

As nice as it may sound (and who are we kidding - it IS nice), very rarely do I get the entire evening to myself, all by my lonesome. Tonight was one of those rare occasions. I made sure I ate dinner early, and I immediately jumped into the shower afterwards to do my shampooing, conditioning, and leg-shaving.

Then I pulled on my pajamas, painted my toesnails, and crawled directly into bed! Since there was nothing worth watching on TV I planned on reading and maybe redesigning my blog.

And before I know it - POOF - it's after 10 P.M.

Bedtime for Bonzo in other words :-P

That's about all I can accomplish right now...not even my blog wants to work as this is my third attempt at writing and publishing an entry.

So let's keep it short and to the point.

I love that Nina and Linda had the guts to invest in building a beautiful yoga studio for our classes. Namasté

I am humbly grateful to Carina for leaving her "retirement" in order to help me with some classes during my recuperation. It couldn't have been an easy decision, and she continues to be an inspiration.

My husband succeeded in making the most delicious dinner he's ever made - Taco Casserole - recept: http://www.alltommat.se/recept?recipeid=6659

I miss my (physical) yoga practice intensely.

I am officially tired of the itching and soreness where incisions were made.

I am logging off so that I can take a shower; I'm feeling pretty grungy tonight.

I grew up in a strictly Catholic home. Besides being taught the joys of bearing eternal Catholic guilt, I learned discipline, faith, and how to stand up to your beliefs  - qualities I value and hope to pass on to my own children. I consider myself to be a spiritual person; I just don't buy into the Catholic ideology, stopped doing so when I was a teenager.

Still, when the local church deals out invitations to the village's 4- and 5-year-olds, inviting them to join them one Saturday a month for 2½ hours, both my son and I bolt to the door. I get an entire morning to surf a while on the Internet, do laundry, clean up, and buy groceries. He gets to play, sing songs, and I guess listen to stories about Jesus. I've understood that ice cream is also involved in this "indoctrination".

Call me cynical, call me evil, but I couldn't care less. I got 2½ hours of peace, and he had a great time.