Hello!!! Hej hej!!!

Well as most of you know this summer has been a bit rocky, hence the gap in updates. The theme of this year is not perfection, just to keep climbing back up in the saddle and trying again. So greetings!!!

Summer is quickly coming to a close in Sweden. Sunset was at 8:15pm yesterday! A pretty far cry from 10:15pm just 2 months ago. The sun rises a little later too. In fact, each day we are losing about 5-6 minutes of daylight. By the winter solstice the sun will rise at 8:50am and set at 2:45pm! - Just shy of 6 hours of daylight. Wild. What will that be like? Will I start wearing black and finally try out my goth phase? Or just constantly be losing things in the dark?

In July the summer turned wet and stayed wet. It's rained at least a little bit almost everyday. Mushrooms are BOOMING. It's a gnomish wonderland out there. According to locals it's been wet even by Swedish standards. Even the woman at the falafel stand looked wistfully at the clouds and sighed "I want to live in hot country."

That said, the clear days have been all the sweeter:

Nelson and I went on our first overnight backpacking trip on Thursday night. The trail was well marked and the forest was lovely. We pitched our tent near a cabin that is set up as an emergency shelter / rest spot for folks who might be hiking or skiing and encounter bad weather. There was free firewood, an area with tools to split logs, and fire pits in the clearing nearby. When we arriving two folks were departing and we were able to adopt their fire and throw a couple new logs on and boil water for dinner. Not super rugged of us but definitely cozy.

The cabin had a big fireplace, a dog shelter, brooms and mops, firewood, bunks, and a mud room to take off wet shoes and coats. One thing I really appreciate about Sweden is the thoughtfulness and trust. So many times I have thought, what a lovely thing: watering cans and rakes at the graveyard for you to tend to a loved one's plot. Firewood and a broom at an old cabin to make it feel like home. And then trust. Trust that you won't take those things. That you will treat the space well. That you won't take too much. That you will pick up after yourself.

At times I've heard Sweden described as a "nanny state" but I can't disagree more. Yes, there are far more public services - and the citizens vote for and pay for them. Yes, their system is pretty different than the US. But culturally the Swedes seem incredibly independent, trustworthy, skilled, and reliable - (not qualities one typically associates with toddlers). In fact, there are very few legal limits on what you can do outdoors. You can hike just about anywhere. Camp anywhere that isn't someone's private garden or on top of anyone's crops. You can swim in just about any body of water. Is there a life guard or a fence? No. Is there a life ring nearby and a dock with a ladder? Yes. The world is yours, but it's up to you to travel through it safely and leave it as you found it. And people do.

With great freedom comes great responsibility. As much as I can say from my limited experience: Sweden has both.

This summer has been defined as the summer of visitors. First my buddies Rachel & Keith. Then: Nelson's sister and her family: Leslie, Tom, B, and Joseph. Finally: My Mom and aunt Lynn.

With the Leslie crew we met up in Oslo and Bergen, Norway and Stockholm, Sweden. Leslie absolutely loaded me up with encouragement. B was a big help too. I remember making a really self-disparaging joke and B just pointed at me and said "No." I'll never forget it! These young people these days really have it together. I felt lifted up by their presence and had a blast. One of my favorite occurrences was Leslie finding her motto. It was written on a stone paver outside the Carl Linnaeus old house. On it read, in latin: "Omnia mirari etiam tritissima" which means, "Find wonder in everything, even the most commonplace."

Leslie described Stockholm as the most beautiful city she's ever seen and I think I have to agree.

I really enjoyed hanging out with Tom and Joseph, both of which were always curious, steadfast, and ready with a well timed quip.

My Mom and Aunt stayed three weeks at a hotel 5 minutes away. The effect was that we felt less like folks on vacation and more like neighbors. I really enjoyed watching Mom and Lynn build their confidence and begin exploring and striking out on their own. Many days we met up for walks in the forest, went out to lunch in town, or just grabbed things from the grocery store and cooked something at home. In fact, my highlights other than our trip to Stockholm and Gotland was eating family dinner together. I will miss them!

Gotland was gorgeous and felt like walking back in time. Here's some pics:

I still haven't signed a new contract due to some legal tape but it seems very imminent that I will be able to. So the tentative plan is to say until next early next year when the game can be released and see the full seasonal cycle through here. As rough as the winter sounds, it's actually one of the things we are most curious to experience and grow from. I've always wondered - what would life be like to not fear the darkness?

In place of Swedie-Stats this week I'd like to open an Q/A for the tiny handful of readers out there. Is there anything you'd like to know about Sweden, moving abroad, or our personal experience? Or anything that gets you psyched you'd like to hear/see more of?

Feel free to share this with anyone who you think would enjoy these updates. I'm not looking build any kind of audience but I want to make sure all friends and family who want to be included are included. The general link is here: https://world.hey.com/katie.wells

Lots of love,

Katie