The Lindahl News: Abroad Edition

Was it the Julbord at IKEA? It was very nice and festive...but no. Was it the salmon dinner I prepared in our apartment? No, it wasn't. How about the long-awaited pizza at Evergreen? No...not even that!  It was the delicious dinner prepared by Simon and Sofia in their lovely home. Simon and John were friends at SVF back in the day. Now both are married and fathers of young children. I admit to getting a bit teary when I saw the two embrace at the doorway, one lifting the other off the ground in a hug.  The food was so delicious. The kids were adorable beyond belief. But it was their friendship renewed after so many years that I will hold in my heart forever.  Thank you, Sofia and Simon for including us in this mealtime - this best mealtime in all our time together!   (Please give your two barn our  greetings as well!)

Our son and his wife arrived the day after Anne and her flickas departed.  With our apartment all decorated for the holidays, we were in for one festive visit!  (Many thanks go out to Kari's parents for watching their boys while J and K were here in Sweden with us - they survived a snowstorm that closed schools, a power outage in their home and even a bout or two of stomach flu...whew!) As with the girls, we promised to have fika every day. We delivered on that promise. After John was coerced, bribed, asked to talk to Wes's class of Swedish students - the class being Intro to the United States of America.  John acted as a guest lecturer explaining what it is like to be an Election Judge in the Chicago area, He was more than ready for fika after his first true gig of being a professor. (Ask him about the time he masqueraded as such in his younger days.)  This was our Monday fika at the Bagarn Bakery. On Tuesday, usually a kanelbullar ...