A day without the car

As I put the kids to bed this evening, they both said that today had been a great day: we didn't drive anywhere, no shopping, no musts, just being at home and doing fun things. I guess our kids are pretty Scandinavian after all - or else, just kids who get tired of all this hussle we've been going through this past week. I enjoyed it too; we boldly took our Emmaljunga (stroller) and walked to the closest McD to have a dinner and some good time on their playing ground. Got some plus points right there from my kids since they've been asking us to take them there since we got here.

We also went to the pool (as we've done every day) to make the heat disappear for a while. Then there were some boys from the neighborhood at our door, asking Jonatan to come out and play. And get this: he actually quit watching a DVD he'd just started. Johanna is just as excited about her new friends. And I had a nice chat with a lady who lent the "Digest of Ohio Motor Vehicle Laws" to me. Yes, we're going to have to take the dirver's test again... ooops. But I guess, if her 16-year-old daughter just passed it why wouldn't I with 20 years of driving AND a Minnesota Driver's Licence behind me? On the other hand, why would I?... But yes, definitely a positive experience to live in a town house area, so far!

Benke has had his first domestic business trip today. South Carolina was the address, he just got home and tells me that he hardly understood a word of that Southern accent. But it couldn't have been just the famous Southern hospitality and big smiles that made him happy today - the business must've gone well too. Good boy!

//Hanna

hej!

Nu är jag här i USA och det är jätte kul här. När jag var på IKEA så kändes det som hemma. Jag har fått en kompis också, hon hjälper mig med engelskan! Det är bra. Men tänk! Jag ska få åka skolbuss!

//Johanna

Suburbian life

Shopping, shopping, shopping. Here at Target, but it's been Walmart, Home Depot, Kroger's, Bigg's, Office Depot, Meijer's... you name it. We're kind of sick of shopping now. In the same time it's nice to start a home from a scratch! And you know, even my office was opened today: I finally got a brand new washer and a dryer - YES!



You are not missing the new couch in this picture, are you? The kids are kind of cute, too.

Biking - Jonte's got a brand new Hot Rod. Nice new tar on the biking path in the area. Yes, it is a base ball court next to us.







We've now bought a brand new (huge!) grill (=en riktig fet amerikansk gasgrill i rostfri modell, med luckor till höger o vänster, lock och galler upp o ner, och alla världens medföljande prylar. Nästan som att bli en motorbåtsmänniska, tycker jag). Benke is learning how to drive that car now, and well... he should be getting his BBQ driver's licence any day now. It's really good cooking, and the best thing is that the neighbor guy is REALLY jealous!





The kids sure know how to do it; we had heard this over and over again before our trip, but you really don't believe it until it actually happens. Our neighbor girl is as eager to learn Swedish as she is to teach English to our kids. I've never seen Johanna eat her dinner as fast as she did today; the girls kept contact with each other by walkie-talkies, and off she went out to play again.

Looking forward to more fun days around here.

//Hanna

Happy birthday Mom! And IKEA, here we come!

Today was my mother Inga's 70th birthday - congratulations!! The party was in their summer place, Somero (Finland).

Onnea rakas äiti, toivottavasti juhlat olivat komeat! Harmi ettei päästy mukaan.

Thursday, July 5: Let's show the Americans how to shop!









10 hours, 7 trolleys later: a good start of our new home in Cinci. Thanks Scott, Carl-Fredrik, Charlotte, Johanna, Jonte and Maja for helping us through this day!

And happy birthday to Mika 45, and Suski 37 for 2 days ago. Sorry I didn't call you guys. I was in IKEA.

//Hanna

Today we go to Detroit

This afternoon we go to Detroit in this tank to visit IKEA. (Everything is BIG in America)

Jonte don't like shopping so he probably will get a melt down tomorrow! ;o)

I will go to our office up there to avoid a couple of hour on the Swedish furniture place.

We will probably be off line for some days now due to internet loss. But hang in there we will be back soon!

//Benke

We got the key to our home

Yesterday we got the key and walked the rooms of our American home. Hanna has started to check the IKEA catalogue more intensely…
The kids have started to play with the neighbours kids. To bad they move out in the end of the month!
//Benke

We have landed in Cincinnati !

Leaving home and our family life with Robin and Helena early this morning, we were looking at the beginning of the trip of our lives.

After 18 hours of smooth travelling, perfect timing on tranfers and no fighting kids, we finally made it here! Although, due to the terrorist alert these past days, the security controls took a conciderable amount of time. We all tried our best to think it was for our own best. The Delta Airaline only lost 2 pieces of our luggage of 9 (!!), which doesn't surprise us at all after about 10 security scannings of the luggage on the way. However, we definitely recommend the direct flight Paris-Cincinnati to all of you who plan to visit us from Europe this year. The last hours of long distance travelling suck all your extra energy, and if you have any left your kids will suck it from you for sure. So you really want to avoid the last transfer from Detroit, NY or Chicago, if possible.

Our friend and Benke's work companion Scott picked us up at the airport, and we had a nice ride in the Tahoe. We passed downtown on our way to West Chester which is appr. 30 km to the North. The kids were excited; so many big cars! The weather was beautiful with 25°C and just ok humidity. Although you don't need to feel it one bit since the AC is on everywhere.

As expected, by the time we'd arrived in our hotel here in West Chester, Maja had had it. We ended our family's first day in the United States with a greasy but good TV-dinner (pepperoni pizza), trash-TV and a quick dip in the hotel swimming pool. Jonte and Johanna fell asleep on the TV-sofa.

Tomorrow is a new day; car-shopping, hopefully getting back our missing luggage, and most of all getting the keys to our town house!

Nu tyar jag inget mer, natten har kommit, Karl Oskar och jag ska gå och lägga oss.