THE LIST

I haven't been blogging for a while, and I actually have a reason for that ;) I have been secretly working on THE LIST :)
I wanted to have a reason to blog everyday, and I found this list! Technically Joel found it and started answering some questions, but wasn't able to finish it! So, starting January 1st I will blog everyday for a month! Get ready everyone... some questions are pretty good ;)

THE LIST:

1. List 20 random facts about yourself.
2. Describe 3 legitimate fears you have and explain how they became fears.
3. Describe your relationship with your parents.
4. List 10 things you would tell your 16 year-old self, if you could.
5. What are the 5 things that make you most happy right now?
6. What is the hardest thing you have ever experienced?
7. What is your dream job, and why?
8. What are 5 passions you have?
9. List 10 people who have influenced you and describe how.
10. Describe your most embarrassing moment.
11. Describe a childhood dream.
12. Describe a typical day in your current life.
13. Describe 5 weaknesses you have.
14. Describe 5 strengths you have.
15. If you were an animal, what would you be and why?
16. What are your 5 greatest accomplishments?
17. What is the thing you most wish you were great at?
18. What has been the most difficult thing you have had to forgive?
19. If you could live anywhere, where would it be and why?
20. Describe 3 significant memories from your childhood.
21. If you could have one superpower, what would it be and what would you do with it first?
22. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years? 15 years?
23. List your top 5 hobbies and why you love them.
24. What would you tell your 50 year-old self if you had the chance?
25. If you could have dinner with anyone in history, who would it be and what would you eat?
26. What popular notion do you think the world has most wrong?
27. What is your favorite part of your body and why?
28. What is your love language?
29. What do you think people misunderstand most about you?
30. List 10 things you would hope to be remembered for.

PS- So just FYI- these questions are just the basics and I might have changed some of them ;)

Christmas Time!!!!!!

Mine and Joel's first Christmas together as a married couple= SUCCESS!!!!! It was great. We are really poor, we mainly just spent time together which is fantastic :) A big chunk of Christmas money was spent at IKEA, so that is fine!

BUT Joel did surprise me with one thing... A NEW MEMBER OF OUR FAMILY!!!!!! Baby Cheeto. She is the cutest cat I have ever seen. I haven't spent a lot of time with cats, since I have had a dog for so many years I considered myself a dog person. Now this sweet little cat has changed all that! Don't get me wrong... I love my dog back home. But now I am 50/50!!!! Sorry in advance to everyone that follows me on instagram... I may be posting a lot of cat pictures ;) She is just too darn cute!!!!! We figured she is about 12-13ish weeks old, and VERY hyper. Well, just for an hour or two and then she crashes. Usually she likes to sleep with us, and needs/wants physical contact. Joel and I watched Lord of the Rings last night and she slept through all of it! After the movie we skyped my family and she woke up, and was basically a tornado the whole time we tried skyping. Great first impression on my family Cheeto!! I really wanted a cat that would cuddle with me.. and that is what I got thankfully!!!! When she is tired of course. We love her so much.

If you want to see why we named her Cheeto, watch this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JqR3GVqib4

VGHS is about some years in the future where gaming is everyones life. While Joel watched it I kinda rolled my eyes and teased him about it, but it is surprisingly really good!!! This is just the first episode of ten? I think. 

Here in Sweden they celebrate Christmas Eve and then relax on Christmas day with their presents :) Christmas Eve was spent with Joel's family! Well, obviously because mine is so far away... haha. It was really nice!! My first Swedish Christmas :) Joel an I got to his parents house around noon, and Joel started helping his mom cook. I wasn't feeling so well, so as soon as I got there I crashed.

At 3:00 on Christmas Eve, majority of Sweden turns on their TV and watches a traditional cartoon they play every year... They have been playing it for the last 50ish years. It is a mixture of old cartoons! Donald Duck, Cinderella, Snow White, Mickey Mouse, Ferdinad, Robin Hood and The Jungle Book. They played just a short clip from the movies, and it was SO CUTE and brought back so many memories of those cute shows!

After the show we cooked for a total of 5 hours, and ate for about 5 minutes. We. Were. Starving. The traditional Christmas food is kinda hard to explain if you haven't had it before... Lets just say it was preeeety good :)

All in all it was a fantastic Christmas!! I really did miss the comfort and familiarity of my own home though. This was my first Christmas away from home, away from everything I was use to. I miss you family :(

Waaaay Too Much

Ok. I have SOOOOOO much on my mind as of late, it is getting slightly ridiculous. I guess let me start with the most recent...

I was at the gym today. And one of my BIGGEST pet peeves everrrr happened. Who on earth goes to the gym with their hair curled all perfect?? With tons of makeup on? And not to mention... boobs poking out??! It drives me crazy when girls go to the gym cute. It kills me. I had to workout in a separate room.

Swedes are interesting. Majority of them dress the same, and no one talks to each other. Joel and I were on the bus the other day and no one said a single word. When we tried talking to each other I felt like we were yelling...

Lately I have been super homesick, I will be honest. It helps to talk/skype people more often, it actually helps a whole lot. To tell you the truth, it isn't that bad sometimes... until something I see/do reminds me of home. For example: I was up in Norway a few weekends back and Joel, his uncle David, and I were just taking a walk by the ocean. When suddenly a family walks by with THE EXACT SAME DOG I HAVE BACK HOME. And I bawled. Out in the middle of Norway. Homesickness happens to hit me all at the same time every once in a while. Sooo when I talk to people it helps even it all out so it doesn't happen all at one time :) (cough cough...) I also tend to come close to tears when people ask me how my homesickness is going. Then that reminds me of home all over again. Not that it is bad when people ask me, it is just hard sometimes.
Buuuut there are some perks to being homesick, believe it or not!! It is called: a loving and most understanding husband. Two nights ago I had the hardest day thus far. Joel was at work and I was supposed to be at this school I help out at (to practice my Swedish), but I was at home and unable to force myself to get out the door. He called me, and understandingly listened to me as I poured out my heart how I was feeling, but didn't know why. He told me to go do whatever I would like! Whether that be buying chocolate, watching a chick flick, crafting etc.. And that is EXACTLY what I needed to hear. (I don't know if this makes sense as I type it... but I promise it makes sense in my head). You see when I don't do something I have planned or supposed to do, I am very hard on myself. Even if it is something little... like for instance: studying more Swedish than I have been.
And it is kinda weird. I have been going to this school now for 4ish weeks and the teacher I help has even noticed how hard I am on myself.
Well, back to two days ago! When he got home he had bought be some good ol Ben & Jerry's (with caramel in the middle, just the way I like it!!) and he let me cry. And then he did the best thing he could at that moment.. he asked me if I would like a blessing. That is exactly what I needed. Heavenly Father was there for us, when we needed him the most. And for that I am incredibly thankful I have a husband that knows we need Christ to help us.

This past weekend we moved into a new apartment!!!! It is a lot bigger than we are use to, its kinda nice. But weird at the same time. Because it is actually big enough to lose things now! And it takes forever to walk to the bathroom in the middle of the night. Ok, like 5 more steps but still!! Plus we have couches we can sit on and put people when we have company.  All in all we feel fantastic about the new place :) Hopefully we can fix it up the way we want it so I can take some picturesss.

If I were in school right now I would be having finals next week. Which means all of them would fall on or around my birthday! They did my freshman, sophomore, and junior year. That is how I spent my birthdays. Finals week. Kinda glad I don't have to deal with that this time around!

I have found this new blog that I LOVE following!!!! Ok, my sista AJ found it. I. Love. It. This girl has been married about 10? months and I love the way she writes. She talks a lot about marriage, dating, and everything a girl would love to read about. And here it is: http://www.lovethegrows.com/ Trust me. She is hilarious and I now wait for her to write on her blog everyday!!!

Joel is obsessed with Chuck. For some reason I find that hilarious. Annnd he watches it all the time. 

A few nights ago I caught myself sleep walking. I was trying to move our furniture in the middle of the night!! Like I was literally packing up my side table, putting away my ear plugs (we sleep with ear plugs, yes), I unplugged my charger and everything. When I woke up I was suuuuper confused. 



Well I believe I wanted to say more (if you can believe that....) but I guess this will have to do for now. Here are some fun and random pics for you I suppose. 
Hej då!

skyping my family on Sunday... always a pleasure :)

I LOVE my dad's head in this picture.

They... get distracted easily :) I love Coco in this picture!! And how AJ and Ryan are so cute and cuddly.

Joel's birthday cake! His mom made it.... I don't bake. Or cook. :) His birthday was on the 28th!

This is why we went up to Norway! Joel's uncle is a legit professional artist, so we painted with him for a day.

We did this together! It was such a blast to work with Joel and try to do something like this together (that I am use to doing on my own and being able to do whatever I want). The painting is still in his uncles studio, because it wasn't dry when we left. Everything is symbolic in our relationship! Any guesses?? 

It isn't done yet, but we will post pictures when it is ;)

Music Touches My Heart

I don't have much to say tonight... other than I love this song. A whole lot.

and this one :)

ok, and this one too :)

:)

Positivenesssss

I have been thinking a lot what is going on in America. I am not there.. and it is kinda weird to be an outsider! Since the elections (I know everyone is talking about it, but I would just like to say what I believe, if that is ok :)) I have seen a lot of posts on Facebook. And it really makes me sad quite honestly. Most of the posts were about moving out of the country.... How funny that I actually did, but not for that reason ;)

For some reason I have the hardest time sharing my opinion. I don't want to offend anyone or say anything negative about anyone either... So I usually don't say anything, especially on facebook. I figured if people want to hear my thoughts, then they can refer to the blog :)

I believe in the saying, "If you can't say anything positive, then don't say anything at all." Which is hard sometimes!!! But I have had the hardest time being on Facebook because it makes me so sad. Depressed. Hopeless. Since Facebook is the only way to see what people are doing back home... it is hard to stay away from. People are so opinionated about everything lately, I almost can't stand it. Finally today I saw a positive post!!! And I would like to share it :)

The First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints issued the following statement today: 

We congratulate President Obama on winning a second term as President of the United States.

After a long campaign, this is now a time for Americans to come together. It is a long tradition among Latter-day Saints to pray for our national leaders in our personal prayers and in our congregations. We invite Americans everywhere, whatever their political persuasion, to pray for the President, for his administration and the new Congress as they lead us through difficult and turbulent times. May our national leaders reflect the best in wisdom and judgment as they fulfill the great trust afforded to them by the American people.

We also commend Governor Romney for engaging at the highest level of our democratic process which, by its nature, demands so much of those who offer themselves for public service. We wish him and his family every success in their future endeavors.

See the statement on MormonNewsroom.org: http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/statement-on-election-result

After I read this I was so incredibly proud of the religion I belong to (I was even before i read this, haha!!), and the way the first presidency maturely responded to the election with beautiful words of honesty. Even though it may be hard at times... we need to stay positive and come together.. (that is my favorite part hehe) now more then ever. We have a loving Heavenly Father who loves us and has a plan, even though it might not be what we want... He has his plan and we will be ok :)

Last night Joel and I had a movie night!!! It was SO NICE to relax and spend time together!
Also, we are doing a diet together!!! Not necessarily to lose weight, we just want to be healthy. Ok, and Joel wants more muscles hehe. He is the one that is verrrry into nutrition, eating healthy, calories, and exersize. And I am incredibly grateful he is!! Because I am quite lazy.. so he is my opposite ;)
I have had a harder time adjusing to Sweden (food-wise) than I thought! Well, depends on the day really. Some days I want to eat out sooo bad!! Everything is so expensive that we never eat out. Wait, we did twice. In the 5.5 months I have been here! Anyways... So, Joel found this blog where we are getting out diet ideas from:
http://www.leangains.com/2010/01/marshmallow-test.html
This blog post talks about The Marshmallow Test. It is so good. It made me think and realize, "What is the marshmallow I am thinking about?" And for me, that is the eating day for us. The only way to get through the week was to focus on the day where i could eat whateverrr i wanted. Now, it has taken some time but I enjoy eating healthy and feeling a lot better, and I have finally gotten rid of that dern marshmallow! As for now at least I hope!

These next few pictures are skype pics Joel has taken of me from last summer to this May. I felt like I should share some for some reason... Enjoy :)

My funny sister.

This was the first time we skyped after I got home from Sweden last summer!!

i think i just got done crying in this picture...

geez i look tan.

Joel always told me the sweetest things (well, he still does!) and made me cry ALL THE TIME.

Me... crying.. again......

and again....

attempting to lick my elbow. obviously... 

the pros and cons list of trying to decide if we should live in Utah or Sweden. One of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make. I think we did this list last September of 2011?

100 POSTS

Well, my blog finally has 100 posts. Kinda weird. I don't blog that much, but I wish I did.

Today is November 1st (well it was when I started this post...). I got through the first big holiday!! And I survived. Joel and I spent the night with the lights out, candles lit.. attempting to stay away from trick-or-treaters. Well, because we didn't have any candy and yeah. We would feel bad and not answer the door when they know we are home. I guess it didn't matter too much, there were only a couple of kids outside anyways. A little bit different feeling than home ;)

I miss hanging out with my friends on Halloween. The feeling of making excuses not to do your homework for a week and do so many random things... college was fun. Crazy how we have all grown up and moved on to different things in life!!

Freshman year (2009)  someone had stuck a pumpkin head on a stick so it could reach the 2nd story windows. When you are up that high you are NOT use to anything banging on the window!!!! Scared the crap out of me. I went outside to see who it was to find a group of 50+ people following this person (holding the pumpkin) and watching them scare people. I hope that made sense. It did in my head.

Every time I sit down to type, I always space what I want to say to the world. Joel turns 25 at the end of this month!!! What an old geezer (that is what my grandpa Bob would say). And then I turn 22 2.5 weeks after him! Then we have Christmas the week after that... Oh goodness. This is our first year officially together.. since all last year all we could do was send each other stuff, and it all had to fit in boxes and not be too expensive, ya know?? I guess my point is.. if anyone has some good guy gift ideas... ideas would be greatly appreciated ;)

Well, I think that will be it for tonight. Have a lovely day everyone (in Utah) and a good nights sleep in Sweden!!! (oh yea. i am suuuuper nervous for the elections... oh dear!!! i'm not sure what to think there...)

PS- this is my new favorite song. I don't know how popular she is but this is the first time I am hearing about her. I just adore this 16 year old girl that wears braces. She is such an inspiration to this world, and I am so proud of her. Plus she has an amazzzzing voice.

Empty.

My brain feels empty. I don't feel like I have anything important to blog about, but whatevs. Joel told me to start with one sentence, and that usually works to get it goin. We will see :)

Joel and I have almost been married 5 months! Well... 4 months and a halfish. And my best bud has been married almost a year!!!!! I remember crying so much because I didn't want to lose my best friend. Then I realized that was a dumb thought and that I would never lose her as a best friend. And now I am the one who has moved away and made it harder to keep in contact. We still skype once a week, so it is all good :)

I have had a hard time adjusting to things being more expensive here. Ok, not really.. but kinda. I am almost out of shampoo, conditioner, and hairspray. A shopping trip was a must. Joel told me something wise (i think) today, "Go for it! Treat yourself ;) No but the way I reason is that I I need something, then let it cost what it costs and why complain?" I really didn't want to buy shampoo and stuff, because of how much it was. I was expecting him to say, "Eh, maybe that is a little expensive so try to find something else if you can." But then I realized what he said to me was absolutely perfect. I don't know why I have been thinking about that so much today, and why it meant so much to me. You see in the States you can find pretty much anything for a cheaper price I feel like. You can always resort to WalMart. I am still getting adjusted to Sweden and everything is so dern expensive. But Joel's point made me realize that I have to deal with it, and it is ok. Hehe maybe I should go buy a bunch of expensive stuff (somethings I realllly want. like a black blazer. but then again i can live without that..)... because it is "ok" ;)

Here is a picture of Sven-Erik, Marie, and Joel. Marie has MS (i think) and she lives life to the fullest. Last summer my friends Alyssa and Kelsey stayed at her daughters house for the summer while we were all in Sweden. I met her a few times last summer and was impressed by her optimism. While I was in a painting class last fall (of 2011, right after Sweden) we were instructed to paint someone/thing that has inspired us. So, I chose to paint her. For about 50-60 hours I thought all about her optimism, charm, and lovely attitude. And this is what I ended up painting:

Unfortunately this is the unfinished picture, I have added more since. She now has her painting up in Stockholm, Sweden! I gave it to her an hour before I got married in the Denmark temple. Kind of an interesting place to give it to her ;) I figured that since she was coming to the temple sealing, I could give it to her then :) Lets just say I was quite surprised by her reaction. Little did I know... the picture I ended up painting had a story behind it. And since then, Heavenly Father has touched my heart in ways I didn't know painting could do. I believe Marie and I were meant to meet, and somehow become friends for a reason. Whether it was to help each other through this life.. I will never know :)

Prayer

If you have spare time and would like to read something uplifting, PLEASE read this. :) I can't take any credit for it (unfortunately, she has such a great way with words!) for I wanted to repost this from my friend Mindy's blog (which you can find http://www.nikerunner.blogspot.se) because it is just great, and really hits it home!!! I almost cried I loved it so much.

I have considered writing this more times than I care to count.

It has received about the same number of edits.

That is because it is a delicate subject, meaning it can come across the wrong way more easily than it can come off the right way. I am hoping for the latter, but I 'spose that we will just to see what happens. :)

I am a woman of faith.

I believe in God and His Son, Jesus Christ.

I believe that God is not silent and that He still speaks to us today through our thoughts and feelings {as well as through prophets, seers and revelators}.

I believe God was a God of miracles in ancient times as found in the Old and New Testament and I believe He still is a God of miracles today.

I believe in prayer, that when I pray I am actually speaking to God, the Father of my soul. And that when I pray, He listens. He answers. He grants.

I know I am not alone in my beliefs. I have read countless experiences where you have prayed and that prayer was answered. I would like to just share a few of those experiences I have read. While I could share many, many more, these are just a handful.

A friend had the session for her wedding engagement photos scheduled. She woke up that morning to find that it was pouring rain and the forecast for it to cease was not good. She was so disheartened at the thought of having to reschedule. She prayed for the rain to cease. And it did. She knew her prayers had been heard and had been answered. 

Another friend and her husband wanted nothing more than to have a child. They tried just about everything under the sun, coupled with prayer. Months and months later, she and her husband knew their prayers had been answered when they found out they were expecting.

Similarly, a friend and her husband knew their prayers had been answered, not when they found out they were expecting, but when a selfless birth mother chose them to raise her infant son, where they could provide him with a life she never could. 

Another friend had searched high and low for an apartment that not only could she afford, but would suit her family and their needs. Everything fell into place and she expressed her gratitude for her prayers being heard and being answered. 

Do I believe that their prayers were heard?

Yes!

Do I believe their prayers were answered?

Yes!

I believe KNOW this because I know all prayers are heard. I know all prayers are answered.

I am grateful that people share their experiences like these. They give us reminders that God is there. God does listen. God does answer. God does grant. And by doing so, it gives us more hope and more courage to pray and to expect that our prayers will be answered similarly. 

However, every time I read something like this I am left with a little nagging thought {not a bad thought, just a repetitive thought}. A thought which is what leads me to write today. A thought which makes me feel like I can be a voice for those who aren't heard very often. I don't want to, per se. :) But I feel like since I can, maybe I should.

I am going to feebly attempt to be the voice for the faithful person who prays, pleads and promises ... yet their prayers aren't answered in any timely fashion. And, if they are, the fruition of the desired outcome does not manifest itself. 

I feel like I can be that voice because with the matters that have mattered most in my life, I haven't gotten timely answers {many I am still waiting on} and I haven't received the outcomes I have pleaded for {<------- dangled a participle, oops}.

Probably because those have been my experiences, when I read "I prayed for _____ and I received ______ , therefore my prayers were answered" it comes across as a math equation of A + B = C. And if I know math, with the that same equation, "I prayed for _______ and I did NOT receive ________, therefore my prayers were not answered" seems like the logical truth. 

But I am here to say it is not. 

I know that if that unhappy thought has crossed my mind, that it also must cross the minds of others who are pleading and praying, yet not receiving. So, I am going to be the voice that disputes that equation. I will dispute for myself and for anyone else whose experiences reflect mine. 

The real equation is this: Person + Prayer = God hears + God listens + God answers {in His timing - doh, I dislike that one sometimes}

One of the most difficult times in my life is when I was living in Provo, Utah {obviously, because I am not sure little Aggies were meant to live there}. ;) I had left everything and everyone I had know and was living in the most un-preferred location I could think of outside of most third- world countries {yes, you read that right, there might be some third-world countries I would prefer living in over Provo}. ;) 

I had had some personal disappointments in my life. And that is to put it lightly. My heart was broken and it felt like my spirit was too. 

One evening I remember driving to the Provo Temple. While sitting in the car, I looked at its majesty and poured my heart and sorrows out to the Lord. I cried as I sought for ... something - anything!

Answers to my questions did not come. Direction to my confused spirit did not come. Peace to my heart and mind even evaded me at that time. Yet, I did receive a thought and feeling of, "The Lord will not intervene at this time."

I have reflected on that many, many times since it occurred years ago.

There were times that I was bothered by it. I wasn't seeking something big like for my husband to be walking on temple grounds that night, where we would meet, fall in love and live happily ever after. ;) I just wanted peace. I wanted the storm to be stilled.

In my less bothered attitude, I began to reflect on a block of scriptures that have always stood out to me, which are found in Mark, chapter six. In verse 45, after feeding the 5,000, Christ directs His apostles to get into a ship and go to the opposite side of Bethsaida. They obeyed and as they did, Christ went up into a mountain to pray.

As the apostles were in the ship a large storm rolled in that sent the ship tossing to and fro from the large waves. The apostles struggled in fear as they were at the mercy of the storm. 

In verse 48 we learn that Christ "saw them toiling". Yet, something interesting happens. While the Lord of the earth watches on, with power to still the storm instantly, He does not. At least not immediately. He waited until the fourth watch. 

Understanding the fourth watch in sailing terminology is crucial in understanding our Savior. In ship talk, there are four "watches" to distinguish shifts, if you will. The first watch is 6 PM to 9 PM. The second watch is 9 PM to midnight. The third watch is midnight to 3 AM. And the fourth watch is 3 AM to 6 AM.

The fourth watch of the night is when the Lord chose to come still the storm. And still it He did. But why did He wait until the fourth watch? Why wouldn't He, who even the grains of sand obey Him, bring instant relief? 

I learned from my experience in Provo on that cold night, that the Lord works with us similarly. When our prayers are not answered in a timely fashion, when our prayers are not granted it isn't because God isn't hearing our prayers or answering our prayers. And it definitely isn't because He doesn't care.

He just sometimes doesn't race to our rescue - He sometimes doesn't immediately intervene. It has been one of the most difficult lessons I have ever had to learn as I have sojourned in this life. And I continue to learn more about it everyday. But the most crucial part to remember is while He may not intervene, He does not leave us. Just as He watched over His apostles, He too is watching over us. We are never left alone. We are never forgotten. 

If I am to be completely honest, it sometimes feels like I have surpassed the fourth watch ... that perhaps now I am in the 47th watch {and no, there is no such thing}. ;) But I do know this: the Lord is ever present, keeping a watchful eye over me. AND YOU. And if He hasn't intervened, it is because YOU have been prepared to face the fourth watch, otherwise He would have intervened in the third. 

So to those of you whose prayers seem unanswered, unheard or forgotten, remember the He is a fourth watch God. 

He is listening. 

He does hear. 

He does care.

He does remember you and the pleas of your heart. 

And He does grant. 

Even though we may wait on God for many years, there is a day coming when God will change everything in a moment of time ... just as He stilled those waters on that day for His apostles. 

You just keep praying. You just keep believing. And I will too.

PS- I really love this song today :)

Workin Out

Yes. I decided to blog two days riiight in a row. Kind of amazing if I do say so myself.

I have been going to Joel's old Fighter Center twice a week to do a kettlebell workout! Something I would normally not do on my own if Joel hadn't have talked me into it. ( he seems to be doing that a lot lately... pusing me out of my comfort zone. he knows me too well ;) )

First day I show up, and I am SUPER nervous. I didn't want to die. Thankfully Joel was with me to somewhat calm my nerves! The last time Joel talked me into going to a workout session was crossfit. Lets just say the high intensity and constant competition wasn't really my thing, and I pretty much died at the workout. That stuff is more Joel like. He is a LOOOT more competative than me, and can handle that stress. I can't play Mario Racecarts or something on the Wii because it is too much for me to handle. The only game I have found I can play is Indiana Jones Lego on the xbox. Yep.

Anyways, back to kettlebells. I show up on the first day, nervous. I was expecting something similar to crossfit for some reason. Boy was I surprised, and I love it. It wasn't nearly as intense, and I have been learning all the techniques slowly every time I go! 

They really focus on technique, and are very strict about posture, form, and all that lovely stuff. If I get tired I settle down for a few min, and continue to work on my workout again.

I now know how to do deadlifts, swings, goblet squat, and the Turkish get-up with 8 kilos-24 kilos (18lbs-53lbs), depending on what exercise I am doing. I feel pretty cool knowing all this :)

I have only been 6 times, and I notice a HUGE difference. Kettlebells help with strength, and after only 6 times I can feel myself getting stronger. 

Kinda awesome :)

I am a lazzzy bum.

I had the goal to post every day in October. Oops. Little late now I suppose! Lately I feel so disconnected from the world. Living in Sweden I feel like all my friends and family have no idea what I do on a daily basis!! I would LOVE to start blogging more about my life, and my adjustment to living in Europe. So if it looks like I am living on FB, try not to blame me ;)

Joel makes life so much fun, and I love living with him and sharing my life with him. He has made the experience of moving to Sweden and leaving my family a bit easier, and simply wonderful.

Lets seeee. I have been going to Swedish For Immigrants now for 3 weeks! There are super good days, and very hard and frustrating days. I have been making a lot of friends thankfully! That helps the whole going to school part easier. Going somewhere and I know at least one person? So nice. I miss that about Utah State... Everywhere i went I knew someone! Of course I was there for a few years, but still.
In my Swedish classes we have been focusing on grammar and talking to each other.
My teacher said to give it 3 months until I don't feel as overwhelmed, and 5 years until I am basically fluent. of course not as fluent as a native speaker, but as close as I can get. Great. Lets just say I have caught a slight glimpse of what missionaires have to go through.
It is super hard to get a job. I went to a job fair type thing and I was suuuuper depressed after. If we want to visit Utah next summer, I pretty much need a job. Prayers would be appreciated :)

We are also moving on December 1st!! We found an apartment, which is almost impossible. Last month we got tricked into putting down a deposit on an apartment and when we didn't hear back... we felt pretty dumb. She made it seem so SAFE, which was the tricky part.
But our faith in humanity was restored!!!!!! I am going to just copy and paste Joel's blog here, because he is much better with words and such:

Just over a month ago Mollie and I were at this one mall close to where we live. It's a really nice mall but the neighborhood it's in and the people who live there and who are in the mall are quite... well, lets just say you gotta watch your back an extra time, right? So we were there to spend up many of the wonderful gift cards we had received as gifts at our wedding. I had placed them all in a nice white envelope and written all the different stores we now had gift cards to and also how much money we had at each place, just so it would be easier to keep track of everything! Smart right? Well anyways, after walking around an hour or so we came to this one store where we happened to have extra many gift cards to. It took us a long time to find things we really liked and for both of us to agree on certain things. I reach for the gift card-envelope in Mollies bag. Empty. It was gone! We were in total shock for the longest time and it really emotionally struck us later that evening - we must have been pick-pocketed! :(

We filed a police report but had no idea who, where and when it was taken, the insurance company couldn't cover anything and so everything was just a lost cause.

Until today! Right as I walked into the office, after a heavy workout session at the gym and came to my desk, the phone rang and I just made it in time to answer it. It was a lady who said she called from a sports affiliation/store. I wondered why in the world they would call me, and also how they got my number! Its not like I ever go there to shop nor have I a membership card. I was quite confused. She asked if my name was Joel Herrey. Sure enough. She then asked me if I was married to a Mollie. Now I got even more confused! "What in the world-...?" Then she said that a month ago she found an envelope on the top floor of their store and since they say that there was quite a lot of money/gift cards she tried to find the owner. So for the past month she has been looking around all over the web to try and find a Joel and Mollie. She finally found me! She was really excited! I was completely taken aback; over her kindness to try to find us, her persuasion of not giving up. I didn't know what to say! Except one question still remained - How did she know who they belonged to? I knew very well that I didn't put my name on the envelope. She said that all the gift cards were empty with just the amount of money on them and an occasional greeting from the guests to "The Couple", exept one single card where it actually said "To Joel and Mollie". No sirname. Nothing else.  But by this she still persuaded enough in her search to find the owner.

Simply amazing, right??? There are still good people out there in the world today!! What amazes me is she searched for over a MONTH trying to find us. 
After we got robbed with the whoe apartment mess and the gift cards on top of that, we were so depressed and sad that this would happen in the 'safest European country'. Everyone we talked to has never been robbed here, except for one or two people. And then us newlyweds in under a month??! Ridiculous. But that is ok now, we grew from it and who knows? Perhaps Heavenly Father was saving that money for a reason :)

SwedishClasssses

In approximately three weeks I will start studying Swedish. At 8:30 AM. I don't even know the last time I woke up this early... geez! But not only does class START at that time, but it will take me and hour and a half to get there. Which puts me leaving at 7am. BUT the worst part is: if I want to look even slightly presentable and not scare everyone off, I have to wake up even earlier to get ready. Gaaaah. I am NOT a morning person. I could easily stay up at night until 3am.... This is what Joel said about the situation, "Well Mollie, welcome to real life! Waking up early... it is what us adults do, and work usually starts around 8. Might as well get use to it!" Oh thaanks dear. Meh. Still not excited about it.
They gave me three options about different classes I could take:
1) The fast track one for higher educated people. The classes would be three hours a day, 5 days a week.
2) More of a group class, if you like working in groups better. (which is NOT me, I can't concentrate in a big group)
3) For this class you talk with the teacher and compromise a time that will fit for both of you. So this last one is mainly for mom's that have kids, and can't come during the day pretty much. Which is not me... I have looots of time during the day!
Any guesses which one I picked??? Yep, the first one! Haha. I would consider myself educated... They say that because a lot of the people that learn Swedish are refugees, can barely speak English, and little if not zero education. So I figured, why not try to learn Swedish a little faster than usual?...
Yep this is my life pretty much, while I wait for my love to get home. Its kinda weird.... Tomorrow I have a Relief Society thing at 7pm, which will put Joel at home alooone for a few hours. For the first time since before we got married. Yes, that is how often I go out haha!
Well... peace homes. Hopefully I start blogging more, but we'll see :)