2008 - it came & it passed

I don't have that much to say about 2008 considering I have been in school the whole time and it’s been a quiet year in most ways. However, if we go all the way back to 2005 and look at the time up until now… 2009… all of a sudden LOTS have happened! On New Year’s Eve 2004/2005 Mr. L and I were on a plane from Los Angeles to Sweden (yeah we spent it in the air) after having spent the whole day moving out of our house. Just the 2 of us moving an entire home… we were done with just enough time to shower and get to the airport before our plane was to take off. Our boys (Alih & Carlos) had already been flown to Sweden a month earlier. We said Good-Bye to everything we knew… our jobs, our house, our friends, our country… everything.

In February of 2005 Mr. L. headed off to work in Iraq, and in March of 2005 I began my new job in London. The whole year was filled with change … a new country, a new culture, a new job, new friends, our whole family situation had changed. The summer was spent working, but we also enjoyed some vacation in Sweden & Italy. I flew to LA during the fall for a serious shopping trip as well. ;) But by the end of the year it was time to throw things around again – who doesn’t love change eh? ;) I made the decision to leave my job in London (of which I truly enjoyed) and return to school and complete my University Degree. It was time to move to a new country once more.

In January of 2006 I began my life as a student, I was back in Sweden after having been gone for YEARS…a new culture shock and a new life as a student emerged. It wasn’t always easy but it was wonderful seeing my family on a regular basis. The summer of 2006 was spent in the States (LA & NYC) and we also managed to squeeze in a week of vacation in Oslo, Norway. In November of 2006 Mr. L was finally done in Iraq and moved to Sweden on an official note. He was back home with me and the boys! :)

In 2007 the spring semester was spent working on my Bachelor’s thesis. I finished the spring semester by getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Business & Economics (ekonomie kandidatexamen). That was cool! ;) I worked during the summer and I took a university course too. Mr. L and I spent the last part of the summer traveling around France, Belgium and Holland. But by the end of the summer we received the most devastating news ever… our beloved Carlos had bone cancer. About a month after we had received the diagnosis, we lost our wonderful boy. It was an extremely rough time for both of us. The worst nightmare had come true. And during all this sadness and sorrow I kept flying back and forth between Los Angeles and Sweden, I did so many trips I began to feel I spent most of the fall semester trying to recover from jet lag. The trips were brought on by me becoming a US citizen. I officially became an American after having been a US resident for years. I was now an AMERICAN not only by heart, but on paper too. I took the Oath of Allegiance and swore my commitment to the United States of America for the rest of my life. It's a promise I intend to keep. It was a truly patriotic moment... it was a big "WOW" -moment. During the midst of grieving and going through one of the biggest and most amazing moments in life (both at the same time), a new family member joined our “team”. It was a blue baby who came all the way from Kiruna (from far up north in Sweden) and he pretty much knocked us out from day one. lol. Cute as a button but a serious pain in the butt. ;) Of course I’m talking about our beloved baby James.

The Spring semester of 2008 was spent doing my Master thesis plus taking a Law Class in another city – I did more than full-time the entire semester (45 högskolepoäng) and it was tough considering the thesis was time consuming as it was. But life is not supposed to be easy, so by the end of the spring semester I was able to say thank you very much to a “Swedish Master's” (ekonomiemagister). However, I had decided a while back to continue in school, I badly wanted a 2 year Master’s Degree and I was not going to stop until it was completed. The entire summer was also spent studying, more than full-time studies… and with that, the whole summer just vanished. The only trip I/we made during 2008, was to Denmark with our good friends A&H... Good times, baby. Hihi..

The fall semester of 2008 is the last one for me as a student (unless I one day decide to do a PhD and I have learned to never say never ;)). I went from loving being in school to almost hating it… yeah, this last semester has been really tough since the motivation disappeared shortly after the summer session ended. Now, with only 2-3 weeks left of the fall semester, it is with mixed emotions I am entering a new phase in life. It feels fabulous but also scary… but also EXTREMELY exciting and I could not be more ready. What is to come during the year of 2009? I don’t know.. I have no clue! ...but I am hoping some new and wonderful changes are luring just around the corner.

My 2009 – I hope – will be a year of CHANGE …including lots of new challenges of the good kind. I wish my family and friends health and happiness… ‘cause when it comes down to it, that’s what really matters. With that I’m ready to say -

Bye bye 2008 – and Welcome 2009!!! :)