Happy New Year...

Happy New 2012 Year Readers!!

WOW I feel good about this New Year and what lies ahead for my family and myself. As the clock ticked down to the end of 2011 and the start of 2012 I felt a sense of yes finally this will be one of those years, we remember well...




I had the most Amazing time back in the UK staying with my parents, seeing all my family and my best friend. It really made me realise how lucky I am and what I have. Being able to spend good quality time with the most important people in my life is a blessing from living away, because if we were all living close and saw each other every week it wouldn't be quality time together but just the norm...
It also did me good to see that my nephews had grown but not as much as I had in my head, I hadn't missed them still being kids and they hadn't forgotten who I was (seen as in my head they had grown up and moved out already in the 6 months id been gone when they are only 2 and 6).

The Swedish Goodies going to the UK to share there goodness :)

Spending time in the UK has made me realise how lucky I am to have this new opportunity in front of me and even though I cried and stomped my feet for a few days when we got back saying I wanted to go back to the UK I know it was just the onset of homesickness and I actually didn't mean it.

I had an Amazing first Christmas in Malmö as I said in my last blog the lead up to it was so magical and the actual days were so relaxed and special it only strengthened my love for Sweden. Christmas Eve we went to a friends and had a Swedish Christmas meal which was so nice and warming to the heart as it showed me that we had made some great new friends.
Hubby and I then waited for Christmas Day to swap presents (which were wrapped in store, hubby loves that about Sweden, seeing as he hates wrapping) as we felt like it was cheating to open them on Christmas Eve (a Swedish tradition we need to get into next year) and then we chilled all day and I cooked us a Swedish Christmas dinner.

Present for my family wrapped in store (which made me love Sweden even more)

Boxing day we boarded a plane and went to the UK to visit family. It was so nice to come through arrivals and see my sister waiting for us and then when she took us back to my mum and dad's everybody was there waiting for us and it was such an Amazing feeling seeing everyone all there after 6 months apart.
In the 10 days we were there I tried to spend as much time with my parents as possible and also managed to go see my grandparents, have a very cold, windy but funny day on the beach with my best friend and run around in mud and water while going round an obstacle course with my sisters, brother-in-law, hubby and nephews - It was the best holiday I've ever had!!

We came back to Malmö Friday and as I said after some tears and tantrums I settled back into Swedish life. When Monday came it was back to reality with a bang as I started my SFI (Swedish for Immigrants) at 8am on Monday morning at Folkuniversitetet Malmö. I now go to college 5 times a week, 5 hours a day, studying Swedish Language and after my first week I am loving every minute and can see me making some really good international friends.

My college books for SFI

We have one of the best teachers taking us through the course/syllabus and it hasn't made me feel overwhelmed or anything it actually seems to be going in and I can see me really getting stuck into the language. I realised how much I've missed being in a classroom and being educated so I really am taking it all in and enjoying myself.

So as January 2012 is starting to take speed I am back in Malmö, studying at college, hubby loving work as much as ever, plenty of love around me in Sweden and back in the UK and it makes me feel very lucky indeed.

I really want to throw both feet into 2012 - Life is what You make It!! :)