around here.

Hey Al....I feel the need to stop by the 'ol blog even though there's not much going on here "blog worthy", except that we have been traveling a little bit, and Sam has been working all the time too much. So that has been a little rough lately...just not seeing him as much. I know that this is part of life at times, and I'm trying to have a good attitude, but this week has been especially hard.

On another note, we took a road trip a couple of weekends ago to the beach with the Browns and had a really good time, and I was excited to finally see the ocean and dip my toes in the water, although it was a little short-lived. Here are some pictures from our little beach walk.

Mark and Lynette

Sam and Mark, one of my favorites

Near Pawley's Island, we stopped at these quaint little shops, called the "Hammock Shops" that have been around since the 1920's....it was really cool. They had all kinds of different shops, from Christmas decorations to baby clothes, to hammocks and t-shirts. You could spend all day there if you had time.

As you can see, shopping can tire you out.....Mark took advantage of a nearby bench for a little shut-eye:)

On the homefront: Last weekend I went to Dothan to visit the parents, even though Sam had to stay behind last minute to do his favorite thing....work. It was a good visit though. I enjoyed seeing Mom, Dad, Mama, and even Logan. That crazy kid. And of course we can't forget the furry children. Sadie is still sharpening her "Budda" stance, the only trick she knows, beside looking ridiculously cute all the time. 

And Max still calls the driver seat, even though we have told him repeatedly that he cannot drive without his license:)

on the way to see Mama

Mama- trying to smile:)

Mama is still adjusting to her new living environment at Westside Terrace. She is in a room with another lady, separated by only a thin curtain. That's a problem when the other lady's TV is on so loud you can barely hear yourself think. I know it's kept Mama up a few nights. She is doing a lot better than she was though a few months ago Al. That was good to see....I just wish she didn't have to be in a nursing home.

Even though she saw this picture and said, "I'm so old." I think she is the most beautiful "old" lady I know, especially when she smiles.

On a lighter note: I've been able to see the results of some of my designs lately on project site visits. I am thankful that Appleseed affords me the freedom to work directly with the clients and practice designing. Here is a quick iphone shot of a design sketch I did for a master bathroom project recently:

Here it is installed....it turned out pretty good!

I know I emailed you earlier about this other kitchen I was visiting this morning, but I thought you should see some before and after shots. This is a kitchen we just finished in Vestavia and I can't take credit for the entire design (because Mike did most of it) but I did work with Bonnie on the island design, all hard surface materials, paint colors, and tile. Really turned out nice. Here's a quick picture (of a picture) of what their kitchen used to look like:

before ("au revoir" mexican tile)

progress

after. beautiful. click and you can see a bigger picture:)

The owner of this kitchen was great to work with too....I love clients like her. Flexible, and easy to talk to.

So...that's about it for me over here this week. I hope you guys have a good weekend and we need to catch up on the phone soon!

xoxoxo,
Whit

small world

Hey Whiggle, loved the pictures of baby June! Must be so much fun to finally have her here, and to even know that it is a "her"...:) I'm afraid I wouldn't have a fraction of the patience required to wait 9 months to find something like that out.

So after our multiple weekends out of town it's been relatively calm here. I started back with classes and Bjorn's been working the rest of the summer. We did make time for a few fun things though, one of which was when Anders, Jenny, and Ludde came to visit us! It's been strange not having them in Stockholm anymore, and to not be able to see Ludde as he's gotten bigger. And he's definitely bigger. The same kid who was born a bit underweight and struggled to gain any in the beginning has more than made up for it:) I happen to believe chubby babies are adorable ( I mean, Austin is our brother and was as chubby as they come). So here's a few pictures from their visit.

Anders enjoying a drink at their hotels outdoor bar. He looks pretty relaxed.

 

Anders and Ludde. Please note Ludde's arms and legs. Couldn't be cuter:)

A little blurry, but Jenny and Ludde. 

I also thought I would give you a decorating update on our apartment. I know I showed you a picture of the bed, but we got the bookshelf set up now too. Together with some other things we've picked up along the way, believe it or not, it actually feels pretty cozy.

Here's the bedroom during the day

Bookshelf

This is the table we brought back from Malmo. We painted it white, along with the chairs. The little table to the left is one of two that Bjorn's dad handmade for our wedding, and they turned out beautifully.

Here's one a little later in the day, so there's not such a shadow inside. 

Here's some flower pictures. Just because I think they're pretty:)

 

These are the orchids I almost threw out every day for several months because I was sure they were dead. Now I'm glad I didn't...Maybe I'm actually learning patience? Haha... 

 

 Meet Herman, our meat-eating plant. Or Humphries, as Bjorn calls it.

This summer we left our windows open most of the time and with fruit in our apartment we developed quite the issue with fruit flies. So, Herman to the rescue. Actually, a combination of Herman and a fruit-fly killing mixture Bjorn found online did the trick. You can't see it in this picture but there are actually lots of little flies on those green leaves.The flies land on the leaves and get stuck, then Herman absorbs the nutrients from the flies. I think that's how it works. Weird, yet effective.

As for the title of the blog, I have a good story for you. I met a girl in Stockholm named Sarah through a mutual friend, and we met for fika. She told me about this church she goes to called Hillsong, one of the sister churches of the Hillsong church in Sydney, Australia. I had heard of that name before, mostly because of Hillsong United, but I had no idea there was one in Stockholm. So I went with her last Sunday, and when I was meeting people when we arrived, I was told there was another American there and they were pretty sure he was from Alabama too. That was interesting since in the entire year I had been in Sweden I had never met another person from Alabama. A few minutes later the mystery Alabamian came up to me and said,

"Hey, I'm Freddy, I'm from Dothan."

I had one of those moments where I just went blank. I felt like I just starred at him for a while, almost waiting for him to laugh and say he was joking. I mean, what are the odds? The closest I've come in the last year to meeting someone from the South is briefly meeting a girl that  lived somewhere in Georgia, and then I meet someone from Dothan...

He's married to a Swedish girl named Rebecka and they've lived in Stockholm for several months now. Rebecka has even been to Dothan, she asked where my family lived and I told her not far from Flowers Hospital. Freddy had a relative there last time they were home so she knew exactly where that was.  I also found out that Freddy was briefly apart of Calvary's youth group, no doubt we were there around the same time. We talked about Mexican Connection, the peanuts around Dothan, and the Peanut Festival. Freddy and Rebecka are actually thinking about going back to the US for the Peanut Festival this year. None of these subjects are things I ever imagined talking about with someone I met in Stockholm.

It's a very small world:)

I'm actually writing this from Kopparberg (Copper Mountain) in the middle-of-nowhere Sweden...Bjorn's doing a locum here for a week, so I decided to come with him. I brought my school stuff and it's turned out to be a really nice country escape. I've been trying to take some pictures...it's about as different from Stockholm as you can get, but very calm and relaxing. 

I hope your trip is going well, I want lots of details when you get back!

Miss you and love you Whiggle, 

Allie

welcome baby june

Last week our small group welcomed the 2nd new member to our little group: June Melody Vahrenkamp. She is a healthy 7 lb baby girl. We are excited for our friends Jeff and Kalli to finally have their little girl here. I'm personally excited to know they have a girl, since they didn't find out their entire pregnancy. Calling a baby "it" because you don't yet know it's gender does sound a little strange at times.

Kalli had to have a C-section at the last minute because baby June decided to flip from head-first to feet-first over night. I was told that Kalli took the news well, even though they didn't prepare at all for a c-section. I'm sure I would have needed a second to take it all in too.

As soon as we figured out she was in labor, I told Sam and I wanted to get up to the hospital that minute I was so excited, but since it was already 9:30 in the evening, we had to wait until Friday afternoon...but I heard Kalli was a little out of it after the C-section, so it was probably a good thing that we didn't all barge right in after she delivered! haha.

Here are some pictures of her up close:

a very cold daddy Jeff with warm baby June.

I've been able to visit them a few times and love finally getting to hold her. It's so incredible to think she's been in Kalli's tummy since we found out in March....I love the miracle of new life.


Have a great weekend!

we remember.

Artist Finn Sloyan

Al....can you believe it's been 10 years already since the 9/11 attacks? I can't, but I can. In some ways it feels like it happend not long ago, but then when I look back at the everything that's happened since, I realize so much has changed, not just the fact we're 10 years older, but our nation has changed too.

Can you remember where we were that day? I remember we were at Dothan High School, outside....it was a beautiful pre-fall day, and we were either at break or just waiting for the bell to ring, huddled in our little group of Sophomore friends. The next thing I remember is Aaron Shelly running out to us and screaming "the world is ending!..." and I was like "what is he talking about?" But we both know that Aaron was a little crazy, so this wasn't too far off, until we got in our homeroom class, and the tv was on...and then I realized that something terrible had happened. 

What's strange to me is that I don't remember in the last few years being affected by it like I was this year. Maybe I'm older now, and since this is a milestone anniversary, there has been a plethora of news coverage about the attacks. Or maybe it's the stories of so many kids that lost a parent that day, and are now in their teens or in college. It's crazy to think about how much changed on that beautiful blue-skied day. 

Sam and I spent our Sunday watching the commemorative services on TV, where both President Obama and Bush spoke behind bullet-proof glass shields. It was great service...and it definitely brought me to tears seeing the victim's family members walk into the memorial site for the first time. To them that is their loved one's grave site....that's the last place they were seen alive. 

In all this sadness, I am so thankful that the 10th anniversary of 9/11 fell on a Sunday. For me, being able to leave all the TV images of 9/11 at home, and go to church where I knew our Pastor, David Platt, would be talking about this historical event, gave me a sense of a relief. We were reminded that although it was a terrible tragedy, God was and is still in control, and for reasons I'll never understand, He allowed that day to unfold like it did. He never stopped being completely good though. I was encouraged by verses like these that speak of God's ultimate authority: 

"By the breath of God ice is given, and the broad waters are frozen fast. He loads the thick cloud with moisture; the clouds scatter his lighting. They turn around and around by his guidance, to accomplish all that he commands them on the face of the habitable world. Whether for correction or for his land or for love, he causes it to happen." - Job 37:10-13

And when that stupid devil took everything from Job, he couldn't do it without first asking God's permission, "And the Lord said to Satan, 'Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.'" Job 1:12

"Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."

-Ps. 46:10

We were reminded of our future home where we will never again have to deal with high-jackers, and 9/11's:

"And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying: 'Behold the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with him as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall their be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away'." -Revelations 21: 3-4

David Platt did a way better job of explaining if you every want to hear him in action, just click here.

Needlesstosay, it was a day of grief for everyone that lost their lives, but also a day of hope...For that I am thankful. And we made sure we flew our flag to show it.

Love you!

Whiggle

Max and a Baby Shower

Hey Allie! Loved the anniversary post....it was great! I'm so glad you guys have enjoyed the first year..and even made it through the toddler sized bed you had to sleep on. Look at it this way...you'll appreciate your new adult-sized bed even more:)

As for us over here...I'm officially tired of traveling on the weekends and am looking forward to a long weekend at home, and finally being able to catch up on some things, like church (i missed the entire month of August), and the pile of laundry sitting in my room.

In the meantime, we've enjoyed keeping this guy:

Max become my shadow at home and a great companion at work on the days I've taken him, even though we can check "Scary Guard Dog" off the list. If he moves when someone walks in the office, all they get is a sniff... and then he walks away to sleep some where else.

He's going back home this weekend and I will definitely miss him...and the funny things he does, like this. I still don't know how he found this comfortable:

This past Sunday several of the girls in my Bible Study group threw Kalli a baby shower over at my house. Even though I was a little stressed about having things ready on time...thanks to my sweet husband, we had everything ready to go and I think Kalli enjoyed being "showered" with gifts:) Here's some pictures from the day....Kalli is about to pop!

yummm....

Instead of doing little notes/or prayer cards for the her and the baby, I took an idea from something I saw at Eric's wedding. We had everyone sign the leaves on the tree and write an encouraging Bible verse. And if she wants, she can hang it on her wall afterward:)

You probably can't read this, but the onesie she is holding up says: "Does this diaper make my butt look big?" haha.

All of us at the shower

I'm glad I was able to host a shower for Kalli, and look forward to meeting the little one floating in her tummy. I couldn't help but also look forward to having a shower of my own one day too:) You know me.

Hope you guys have a great weekend!