Farewell, Sweden!

I'm sad to say that this may be my last blog post, as we are actively preparing for our departure from Sverige. It's a bittersweet thing, dear readers. I absolutely cannot wait to see our families and to once again be able to read newspapers and restaurant menus, but leaving our new friends, Helsingborg, and Swedish bakeries is more difficult than I expected. 

I've been a little irresponsible as a blogger lately, as I never told you about our trip to Gothenburg or about Europeade, an annual folk festival that Helsingborg hosted this past weekend. Here's an example of the sort of thing you might see walking around town during Europeade:

It's crazy that our six-month adventure is reaching its end. I'm proud to say that we maximized our time in Europe by seeing and doing more than I ever thought possible. In no particular order, here are some of my favorite memories from our half-year adventure:

• The friends we've made: Julie and Simon; Tammy, John, and JP; and the lovely HR ladies at BorgWarner
• Our day floating in Iceland's Blue Lagoon
• Fika and Swedish desserts; namely, princess cake and raspberry caves
• Swedish holidays; especially Walpurgis Eve, Swedish National Day, Midsummer, and the totally awesome way Swedes celebrate Easter
• Having access to the woods, the sea, beautiful landscapes, gardens, castles, and numerous parks, all within walking distance of my home
• The city of Stockholm
• The many long walks I take every day
• Getting engaged to Erin Allen, the best adventure buddy on earth
• The Church of St. Mary, my favorite place to sit in all of Helsingborg

Thank you, Sweden, for being so kind and generous to us these past six months and for all that you've taught us.