If you go when the snowflakes storm

Last night I got down to business and started packing. Right now I have designated areas for each suitcase, which means my room is messier than usual. I found a pile of used train tickets and some cash in three different currencies. That made me laugh. I also went through all the letters, cards, and postcards people have sent me. That made me smile.




I'm making lists again. I have two sets: an inventory of gifts for people and things to-do/pack. They're hanging from one of the desk shelves, right below the National Geographic picture-a-day calender. Botswana, Bermuda, Sicily, and other places around the world. It has been on July 1st this whole time because it is a picture of Minnesota.



My original plan for today was to go to Den Haag but Holland was hit with some major snow yesterday. So, not all the trains are running today. Plan B - continue packing, fill out applications online, update Shutterfly, clean out iTunes, and make a music playlist for the plane ride home. In the meantime, here are a few videos from my two most recent adventures in Amsterdam.

"Kids" Dam Square 12/11/10 from missemalise on Vimeo.

Dam Square clips 12/11/10 from missemalise on Vimeo.

Funky Monkeys from missemalise on Vimeo.

An Update and an Upcoming Adventure

I've been pretty bad about posting about life here aside from my adventures in Amsterdam. There is so much I could write about and I promise I'll make an effort to post more often. For now I have some good news to share:


Owen gives this post TWO thumbs up.

• SWEDEN On September 18th I will be leaving Holland for a week in Sweden. On Saturday morning I leave for Sweden. I will be in Sweden for a week. I've had my flights booked for just over a month and my departure is just a few days away but I still can't believe it. I am unfathomably excited for this trip for many reasons. I will be staying with my mother's second cousin once removed, Suzanne. She is the daughter of my great-grandmother's sister's daughter. I think...

My Swedish heritage has always been a part of my life. Scattered among my childhood memories is that Christmas I wore St. Lucia's wreath of candles and served coffee and buns to both sides of my family while they sang, playing with Dalarna horses with my younger brother like they were My Little Ponies, making wishes on pepparkakor cookies by placing them in my palm then pressing down (if it breaks into three pieces your wish comes true), platefuls of handmade Swedish meatballs, the intense smell of cardamon, and a calendar of Carl Larsson paintings in my grandmother's kitchen every year. As I've gotten older I've come to gain a deep appreciation for my ancestors and their journey to America. My great-grandmother got on a ship all by herself when she was only eighteen! And I love that both my grandmas have kept our family history alive.

So, to actually go to Sweden at last is surreal. I really can't think of a more perfect time in the phases of my life for me to do this.

• SHUTTERFLY All my travel pictures can now be viewed here on my sharing site at Shutterfly. The monthly MB limit on Flickr was too constraining. If I kept at it it would be a year before all my pictures made it up so I got an account at Shutterfly instead. I can upload as many photos as I want and I can organize them all fairly easily. I have started putting up pictures from my previous travels in India and Italy. Paris, London, Ireland, and Holland will be added soon. Captions will make their way onto every picture soon as well but I just couldn't wait to give you the link.