My Father

Today is Fathers-day in Sweden so I thought I'd write down a few lines about mine.
When I tell people about my dad I always say that I am his favorite daughter. He has never said that and I don't think he ever will but I feel like his favorite in the way he treats me.
I love how when I have a problem and comes to him for council that he doesn't tell me what to do, but guides me in how to know what to do.
I love that even thought he sits in an important meeting he takes the time to leave it in order to give me a hug and help me with something that is important to me.
I love how he calls me when one of my brothers or sisters is not feeling ok, and asks me to call them, because i feel needed
I love our deep gospel discussions, I can always come to him when I have a question about the scriptures or service in the church.
I love how he always puts my mom first in the family.
I love how he puts the Lord first in his life.
I love the fact that if I am out one night he always makes sure I am home safely.
I love it when someone comes to pick me up to take me somewhere he tells the driver to drive safely because there is precious cargo.
I love how people come up to me and ask if I am my fathers daughter.
I love that I am his daughter. I am so grateful for everything he does for me, I could not have asked for a better father. Now you know.

dobodobido

It is kind of bitter-sweet, but now I have finished my final exam, I have lots more to do but none of it is an exam...ok...its mostly sweet, all I have left now is my dissertation and then internship...oh life is good sometimes...

Shout-out to Ewan, who faithfully follows the blog, this update was for you! so HERE is one of the best songs in the world...it will be played on my funeral...k.bye

hej.

Alrightie...So I know it has happened again...it has taken way too long since I updated my blog but there are legitimate reasons for it.
First of all, I have been to the US of A for three weeks... I mean I could write a whole novel on my experiences there, but I wont. I will just tell you that when you feel you should do something, DO IT. I felt I should go to the States with my very best friends and I did and we had such a great time, I got to know so many wonderful people and got to deepen my friendship to more wonderful people. I learned things about myself and I made decisions that I hope can bless my life.
One of those decisions is to go back... I have been offered an internship with Federal Judge Benson and I am now in the process of my visa application..so the plan is 5 months in the States in the Spring...yeah.. that takes a lot of my thinking energy.
secondly, when you have been away from school for three weeks it is a lot of work when you get back. that is the case with me, but I know I can handle it. I am actually suppose to write on my home-exam now, but everyone needs a break, or two....or three... whatever...
thirdly...I can't think of a third reason for me not writing here...so let me instead write:
Life is wonderful! seriously, I have so much to be grateful for. I am grateful I have so much to do because it means that I can get an education, I have many friends, I have opportunities to go places. I am grateful I get distracted from writing my exam because it means I have many fun things to do. I am grateful I can get up at 6 in the morning because it means I have something to get up to. I am grateful for my phone bill, it means I have many friends I talk to. I am grateful I gained a little bit of weight in the states, it means I ate alot of good food....(ok maybe Im not grateful for the weight-gain but I am grateful for the food) I am grateful I am loosing that weight now that I am home, it means that I have a healthy body that gets rid of the extra fat when I exercise. I am grateful for my heavy bag, because it means I have books to read.
Most of all, I am grateful that I know that this life is a testing time, that I know who I am, and my destiny. That helps me know what is really important in life and helps me to prioritize that.
lovelovelovelove
k.bye.

like in a book...

You know those books you read about a little cozy shop with a eccentric shop owner who knows her customers and affect their lives. Well, last Saturday I found a shop just like that. I was in town with my sister Becca to find a bag that would fit my computer. When it comes to bags I am very picky...bags and shoes! Anyways.. so I
found this bag, it was a Lacoste bag and was leaning quite heavily towards the expensive side...but so far it was the best and I kind of had decided to buy it. Then all of a sudden I saw the most beautiful coat in a window and decided to go in there and try it on. As we walked in I realized it was somewhat an older ladies store...The shop owner came up to us and told us to let us to let her know when we needed help and that it was a discount on all the bags. I looked at bags and I found a perfect one..well.. it would have been more perfect if it was black but never mind. The Shop owner praised the bag and said it was a good choice, she called my sister madame (in Swedish no one says that unless the very refined people) I told her I wanted to try on the coat as well and as I tried it on she came out and exclaimed: That is adorable! you look like a doll! That color is perfect on you..I told her it is my favorite color and she said we were kindred spirits because it was her favorite too.Anyways I decided to buy the coat...partly because the lady was so sweet..and because I loved it! As I tried on the coat and as I was waiting to pay I heard how Sivan was giving complements to her customers and how some customers asked for her opinion and her way was so..what word should I use...Delightful! When I had signed the receipt with a pink pen she said: I want to give you this pen, its not every day that you meet a kindred spirit and perhaps you will be like me when you are old. I told her I would look forward to be like her. As I walked out of the shop I was so happy, it was joy.. I could almost cry. I will probably not go back there to buy clothes...but I will definitely go back there to soak in the atmosphere!

Dreamy

As some of you may or may not know I am a woman of dreams and when I say dreams it is both the dreams of the future as well as actual dreams when I sleep. At the beginning of my career as a blogger I told you about the dream I had about the Swedish crown princess (see september 2009) and I have had many experiences like that. However, lately I have had two profound experiences related to my dreaming which I will now relate to you, here we go:

Dream #1
I dreamed that I was a princess and responsible for a big community. Then a herd of black dragons came across the sky with the aim of killing me and destroying my people, they were very evil. I remember standing on the pavement with my father, the king, watching the dragons, first small black dots that as they came closer turned in to ferocious beasts. I felt real worry. but then all of a sudden a prince came and took a lamppost and threw it in the eye of the Chief dragon and everything was good again.

yeah, that was the dream...I don't really know how to interpret this dream, maybe that one day a prince will come and take all my worries away:)

Dream #2 partly a dream and partly reality...
Ok so this one is even weirder... brace yourselves!
I don't know if I can make any sense of this dream and I don't really think it has anything to teach me other than sleeping with my mouth shut.
To be honest, I don't remember what the dream was about, all I remember is that I had all this stuff in my mouth. A wooden toy turtle, a goldfish and lots of other things. ( yes, I know, this is really weird) Then I spitted out the goldfish in a glass of water but I still had all the other stuff in my mouth and then I accidentally swallowed....At this point I wake up from having trouble swallowing and I feel that I have actually swallowed something!!! This is 3am and I freak out! what have I swallowed?!?! Anyways.. my imagination keeps me awake for a good hour or so, thinking about the possibilities. Thankfully there is facebook and youtube to distract me and eventually I fall asleep...with my mouth shut.
By now you are probably wondering how I am feeling...I feel ok so far.. but I rather not think about what I have swallowed...:S

Im a busy girl

yo,yo yo.. so people have come to me and complained.. actually I have received my own weight in letters of complaints that I do not update my blog enough often... to all my loyal readers: I do apologize but you do need to understand I am a very busy girl. I am busy with painting my fingernails in a new genius pink nail polish, actually called "I'm Genius". Oh, how I love happy nail polishes:)
I am also very busy with coming up with a dance for our music-video. Everyone of importance in my life should know by now that I am going to USA and well, to put it frankly, we (my friends and I) have been asked to do a music-video because we are such hot Swedish girls...(I think that is why...oh and I might have lied about the part where we are asked to do it.. its more like we want to do it and have come up with the idea on our own....)
I am also very busy with doing make-overs on my sister Hanna...I don't know what it is but every time I go home we end up doing an amazing make-over on one of us. We are very talented in the sense that very little props. are used.
Ok, some seriousness...I am very busy with thinking about studying... School started Friday again and ever since then I have planned to study really hard...the "planning to study" part is going just swell...however, its the actual study part that is the tough nut to crack...
anyways.. as you can understand, I am a very busy person.. I am also very busy with updating my statuses on facebook and commenting on other peoples stuff going on...but it will now come to the point where none of this will stop me from updating my blog more frequently. You deserve better and I will make sure you get what you deserve!
-yours truly

Summer's End

Its August in Sweden, I guess in the rest of the world as well, I think August is a great month.. a month to finish of stuff from the summer and a month to start new things. I finished working at the Nursing-Home and now work at a school in Landskrona, Skåne. Its nice to work with kids again. Uni starts again in September and I have decided to be very diligent and hard working this fall.
One thing I am very excited about is that Mirri, Hanna, Alex and Najje are going to USA in September!! We are so excited, there are so many people I am so glad I will meet again that have meant and still means so much to me. Since I have been working all summer I think it is a well deserved break from school, although I will have to do some studying whilst being there.
One of my goals for the summer was to learn how to sew. I wouldn't say I have mastered the technique fully yet here you can see two of my creations:)

Summer is Great!

So, summer has hit Sweden for real, it is hot and nice and beautiful. I am working at a Nursing-home across the street from my parents place and its heavy work but I'm glad I have it.
When I'm not working I try to do things to brighten my summer break. I have been dog sitting one of the most beautiful dogs ever. It is my cousins dog and her name is Maya, she is a rottweiler and soooo cute...here is a picture:

I have also been baby-sitting. This weekend I had my nephew Axel and he was not all that well but we were able to go to the fabric-store to buy fabric for my cousin's wedding dress, we played in the garden in the baby pool, had ice-cream and just chilled like two cool dudes:)

Ok, and obviously it is a World-cup summer and I am sitting here watching the final, seriously, the Netherlands play UGLY!! they don't deserve to win, but there are 4 more minutes so we'll see what happens. Eh now I really have to focus on the game..I seriously don't think watching football is good for my nerves..haha

Ok, so when Bella, Kristna and I were in England to visit mine and Bella's cousin Sussi I was given a new name. Maya, sussi's two year old daughter couldn't say Rakel so she called me "Wacka" and many times it became "Wacka Wacka" and since then that is what they call me. Now, its World cup times and the other day Kristina posted a link on my facebook. It is a theme song for the Wold cup sung by Shakira and guess what it is called?!?! WAKA WAKA!! so this weekend Bella has been here visiting and we have listened to it every day and just now Ludvig and I danced around the room to that song... you just can't help to get happy when you here it...try it yourself! HERE

Roller coaster

Life is a roller coaster, it goes up and down. Sometimes its fun and sometimes you get motion sickness. I guess its really just to throw your hands in the air and enjoy the ride.

study and learning

Here I am again, studying as usual, well, obviously I am not studying at the moment since I am writing in my blog but you know what I mean.
We are now in the process of writing a B-level thesis. It is about China's foreign policy in Africa and we are using Sudan as a case-study. I think it is very interesting but heavy reading, hence the break for the blog-writing:)
I found out this week that I did not get the internship at the Swedish embassy in Washington DC. I guess it was not meant to be, but I have many other opportunities in other parts of the world so I keep hoping and if it is not meant for me to do an internship in the fall then I will have the opportunity to take some very interesting classes in University. This past week has been very rewarding though. The disappointment has turned to a sweetness in knowing that the Lord really knows better than I, which has given me more hope and faith. I have also developed a deepened appreciation for my family, they are my harbor and sure foundation. Even if life is tough sometimes, which I would say it has been this week, life really is good!! And the tough times can truly become blessings and can make us stronger and more firm in our faith. I know that, especially from this week... I just wanted you to know that.

First and foremost, just for the record, I have the cutest nephews in the world, here is one of them. There, now its official.

This past weekend I was home in Jönköping celebrating my sisters birthday and the first of May. The First of May is a bank holiday in Sweden but since it was on a saturday this year it didnt make much of a difference. But I went up early and met my Uncle Lars, Aunt Sonja, Mari and Kristina in the city park and we listened to a men's choir and a "spring speach" and then we sang the Swedish National Anthem to welcome the Spring. It was as wonderful as always, only a trifle cold.

So today we sat at the dinner table, my cousin Jonas and his soon to be wife Rebecca were visiting and for some reason we started talking about Scottish people and then Ludvig, my ten year old nephew exclaimed: "I think Scottish people are scary!! like the ground-keeper in Simpsons, he looks scary and has a weird accent... "
Haha, let us hope that not all Scottish people are like Willy in Simpsons:)

Today I went on a much needed temple visit in Copenhagen. Its amazing what a difference a visit to the House of the Lord can make in my life. After a long afternoon-nap and a dinner of Tacos I went for a little walk and picked the first bouquet of Wood anemones. They are the purest sign that the spring is here! I love it! Whats left now is to clean my room and let them stand on the table and radiate spring in to my room. After that I might deserve another episode of Bondi Rescue:)

Here he is, Nikola, he has just released his first album in Swedish, my first reaction was that it was weird to listen to but now I love it, I particularly like "sämre lögnare" with the flute, although the lyrics in that one is not my favorite. Oh and I must mention the ever so cute drummer in his band, this is the best shot of him, not so good...but trust me, he is cute:) Also, to mention, Nikola is a very likable person, very down to earth and seems quite humble..good stuff!!

OK, it has been too long but here are some pictures from the past weekend, which by the way was awesome! I went to this Nikola Sarcevic Concert and yeah.. it was pretty sweet. I also had alot of fun with family and friends, what ever would I do without them?!?! yeah life is good uni is still good and Im waiting for answers from different embassies around the globe to know where I will do my internship, its quite patience building I must say...

Ok, its been a while, actually..I have found out the results from the exam I wrote about last. yeah...I got an A!!! It was seriously the hardest exam Ive done so far and still it worked! Im so grateful that school is working so well for me so far!
its been christmas and newyears and it has all been great, I was thinking the other day that 2010 is an important year in shaping my future. during the spring I will apply for internships and depending on that I will spend 6 months somewhere else than here in the world!! Im excited
Oh,and also, Im going back to the land of my mission, my second homeland..ENGLAND..only for holiday though, but still!! I will update my blogg better another day but this is all I can do for now..see ya