Venus from the Glass Kingdom

This my absolute favorite piece of production Swedish glass. She is called Venus and she is made by through and though Swedish glass manufacture Mats Jonasson. I have stared at her longingly from windows in Stockholm, Malmo and anywhere else she graces me with her presence. She is a typical Nordic beauty: soft, natural with a subtle sophistication that leaves you breathless and at peace.

Sweden has a long history in glass manufacturing most of which has been created in a region called Småland. My husband’s ancestors were glassblowers and business owners in this industry for generations so because of that and many other reasons I have a huge place in my heart for Swedish Glass.

Unfortunately very recently Orrefors (one of the oldest manufactures of Swedish Glass) announced they would be closing most of their production in Sweden and moving it to the Czech Republic. I was so sad to hear this. Even though this is not the first time the glass industry in Sweden has gone through hard times, it seems that the World economy of today has made it impossible for the "Glass Kingdom" of  Sweden to shine like it should. More on this later......

Sunset at 3:30pm and Other Adjustments

Living is Sweden is great, but it does come with some small yet significant adjustments. Just when I have started to get used to having to wear a vest or down jacket most of the day during this time of year, then I started to notice that the daylight hours were slowly dwindling.

These photos were taken today at about 3:30pm. This is the price you have to pay for it being light until 10pm during the summer months.

I understand that this is the way it works. The reality is I have to make sure that I have gotten everything done at about 2pm or else the day has a way of getting away from me.

City Mouse or Country Mouse?

While I was on my daily run through the woods I started to think about what my walks a year ago in San Francisco looked like. My everyday surroundings now are about as different as they can be from my life in San Francisco.

People who meet me here in Sweden almost always ask the same question: "It is so different from San Francisco here, how are you doing it?” The answer is I do it all. I find it hard for myself to believe sometimes, but I have found out that I am not a country mouse or a city mouse. I'm a mouse that changes when change is needed, that's the brassiest kind of mouse there is, I assure you.

Before moving to Sweden I did second guess myself a lot; "Will I be ok being away from the ocean? Will I make any friends? Will I learn the language? Can I survive without Happy Hour in the city?” My feeling now is most of us can handle much more change in our environments than we think is possible. I think if more people stopped second guessing themselves when it comes considering a life change, more personal growth would happen for more people in much less time.

Swedish Proverb #2

"Tålamod är nyckeln till paradiset"

"Patience is the key to paradise"

While I struggle with my Swedish courses I try and think of this very proverb. Even though most everyone here speaks English, and on TV most of the shows I watch here are American or English I still need to master the Swedish language in order to unlock the door to my ultimate paradise. I am thirty years old learning a brand new language so patience is key to my success here. Even though I suffer through my Swedish, I have a new mantra: For the results I require all I need is time.



 I have not been able to think about this much before but, isn't time all we really have anyway?

California Dreaming

No matter what I do or where I go in the World, this scene always makes me remember who I am. I have spent hours and hours on this beach and hours and hours wishing I was on this beach.

This is Capitola, California right before the sun goes down. The little houses pictured here are called "The Venetians" and are painted in all the colors of the rainbow. When I was a kid I stayed with family and friends in a lovely blue one of these for a week every summer before my parents decided to move to the area good when I was five. I see now that those summers set a high standard for what I thought my life should be like.

If I was looking at this scene in real life I would be on the deck of a bar called Margaritaville, most likey catching up with old friends over a salt rimmed double margarita and being made fun of about how bad my sunburn from the day was.

As an adult I grow restless everywhere I go, and there is no doubt in my mind that had we chosen to move back to Capitola I would be feeling restless. However, in this moment when I am looking at this photo it seems like the only place in the world where I can have my particular and familiar Californian experience. Good thing I am pretty sure that my authentic experience will still be there when I get a chance to go back. The sunset on the water and the salt rimmed margarita will be waiting for me.