The Colesseum

...is truly too amazing for words.

Were we in Rome?

I think it's about time I told you about this part of our trip! We flew to Rome early in the morning on June 8th, arriving around 10:30 AM. It feels so strange to be in Sweden and just 2 1/2 hours later you land in Rome, Italy! We got checked-in at our hotel and walked down the street to a great little pizzeria. I think that every block in Rome is filled with 2-3 pizzerias and 2-3 gelaterias. It's fabulous (if you like pizza and ice cream!)!! After a quick lunch we just decided to walk around for a bit. We admired the wonderful streets and buildings and had walked about 10 min. when we turned the corner and were faced with the Colesseum! It was so amazing to see, and even more amazing that it is just RIGHT THERE. We decided to head down there and tour the Roman Forum & Palentine Hill. Here are some pics from our first day:

Me (& the garbage can...) & the great view from Palantine Hill
Ryan in the Roman Forum, overlooking the Colesseum

The Roman Forum

Looking out at the city of Rome


Oh how I could be back there today.... :)

Birthday

If you didn't know, it was my birthday a couple of weeks ago (June 21). I love birthdays!! I even celebrate my 1/2 birthday... even if it's nothing more than me telling myself "Happy 1/2 birthday". :) This year I turned the big 29. Truly, I felt a little old. Now, I don't know about you, but when you are an adult, birthdays tend to not be as much fun as when you were a kid. For me, it's namely because I usually have to work on my birthday. Even with working, it was still a great birthday.

Since I've become a Mom, I've become very bad at spending money on myself. Particularly when someone gives me $ or a gift card... most of the cash usually gets dumped into the bank account and spent on groceries or bills... gift cards, since they're usually for Target, get spent on diapers. Not really a lot of fun. However, this year I have made a committment to myself to spend my birthday $ only on ME.

So I'm faced with a tough decision: (I'm already saving up to buy a Northface fleece) but with the rest of the money should I buy some fun jewelry or fun stuff for my kitchen?

Apparently...

We, and by we I mean my children, don't wear clothes enough in the summertime! Even for snacks! :)

Summer days...

Enjoying snuggling up in a warm towel at the Splash Park... (yes, she does stop moving once in a while!)

Snuggle session interrupted by little brother... :) She didn't mind too much!

Enjoying the Isanti parade!

Olivia doesn't know it, but I've been "helping" her work through the mound of candy she got all day! :)

Favorite Summer Treats

Watermelon & Popsicles!

The North Sea

Our travels in Sweden took us to the city of Gothenberg where Aaron & Stina reside. It is on the south side of the east coast of Sweden on the North Sea. It is so beautiful! Everywhere you look there are quaint houses, straight out of a magazine. See?

As soon as we arrived in Sweden, Aaron & Stina picked Ryan, Tim (Olson, a cousin), and I up from the airport. We made a QUICK stop at Jannerlands to have fika... and I demanded time to brush my teeth and put on deodorant. I wanted to change my clothes, but was denied. :) Aaron had something up his sleeve; he had planned, what he called, "The Last Shindig" with the family before getting married. We headed down to the harbor where he had arranged for us to head out on the North Sea on a sailboat! So amazing!

We were so tired... but it was so worth it! Thanks, Aaron!

The Wedding

First of all, it was an amazing day!! The weather was perfect, the sun was shining, and everyone was happy and beautiful! The day went off without a hitch. For me, it started with Ryan, Jenelle, and I helping the florist finish decorating the church. Let me tell you, Ryan has hidden talents with flowers & greenery that I never knew! Here's the reception tables:

Jenelle & I then went to help Aaron and Stina get dressed and ready to go take pictures. There are many different traditions for weddings, and one difference is that most bridal couples do not have a wedding party or personal attendants. So, Jenelle and I worked our magic. :) Here's the couple headed to an island off of the coast of Gothenberg for pictures:

We all headed to the church to finish getting ready ourselves and then to take family pictures. Here's my hottie husband in his suit, oh and me:

The wedding itself was beautiful! Afterwards, we all walked a short distance to some close friends' of Aaron, the Jannerlands, for a garden party. This was ABSOLUTELY incredible, and the best part of the day if you ask me (which obviously you are if you are reading this!). The garden party consisted of "fika" (what the Swedes eat all the time: coffee and a little something...in this case cupcakes and yummy cookies), a traditional Swedish wedding dance, and a contest. See the board below:

When you arrived at the party, the hosts were giving out pins with either Swedish colors or American colors. The colors determined which country you "played for". Throughout the party there were several contests set up where you needed to pick a person from the opposite country and challenge them to a contest. Such a fun idea! I ended up being a Swede...

Who would have thought I'd be shooting a gun at a wedding? Not me! (By the way, I hate this picture...but it just captures the moment...)

Following the garden party was another walk back to the church for the dinner and formal reception. This too, was incredible. It is tradition in Sweden for you to have hosts & hostesses for your wedding. I know what you are thinking, we have that tradition here too. NOT IN THE SLIGHTEST! The job of host & hostess is absolutely amazing. They take part in the planning of the wedding and prepare for the reception beyond what I can even express. They help the bride & groom create BOOKS for each person at the reception that includes information about EVERY person in attendance: how they know the couple and a little about what they do. It's incredible. They also plan and are the "MC's" for the reception program. The progam is run a little like a talent show... you are to prepare something in advance about/dedicated to the couple (a slideshow, a song, a poem, a story, a letter, etc.) and during the reception let the hosts know you would like to share something. They then create a lineup of acts that are performed during the reception. I can't even tell you how creative and amazing some of the performances were.

Swedes definately out-do American weddings! It was an amazing time!

Saying goodbye requires...

Lots of love before you go! We spent tons of time in the few days before we left getting extra (extra) hugs and kisses and cuddles and playtime and tickles.... and, and and!

Just to tide you over...

We're back...but busy of course! We got back Saturday night...Aidan didn't sleep at all that night...ear infection. This did NOT help jet lag. :) Back to reality! Kids are super emotional, but they did fantastic while we were gone. We had a great time! Can't wait to show you more pics...that is, if anyone still reads my blog! :)