The Champions

This past Saturday, heat knocked a good deal of runners out of the Stockholm marathon.

On Sunday, however, two amazing runners finished the Stockholm mini-marathon in the impressive times of 7.08 minutes for 1040 meters and 10.57 minutes for 2080 meters. Lucas ran the first race and Matthew the second.













In my eyes, both of them are champions. You should have heard the crowds cheering as they ran into the Olympic Stadium!!!!


An even greater champion that day, though, was a little girl who finished in the race before Lucas's (they ran in age groups). She ran into the stadium, the last in her age group, holding the hand of a Mini-Marathon volunteer. She ran with all her might, overcoming the crippled leg beneath her and ignoring her arm as it hung limp in front of her. She raced with a smile and crossed the finish line with grace... and then, truly, there were roars in that stadium....

No "official" work for 17 months!?!

Today is my last day at the office until at least October 1, 2008. Can you believe it?

To be honest, the thought leaves me feeling a bit queasy. Yesterday, I had an upset stomach, which may have been nerves or, of course, something I ate. I have to admit that I really like the group of people I work with -- it will be strange not to see them every day. Plus, they represent almost the entirety of my network here in Sweden. On the other hand, I won't miss the late-night shifts too much. It will definitely be strange to walk out of the office knowing that I am off of work for an unbelievable amount of time.

The boys suggested at breakfast this morning that we celebrate my last day of work (we like to celebrate such changes in life, however small they are). I asked them what we should do... "rent a movie and eat candy!" was their response. Well, that's our regular Friday ritual anyway, so I told them I didn't see much celebration in that, although the suggestion made me smile. Then they said "You can first have any dinner you want!" Aren't they sweet?

A week from today, the boys will have their last day of school, and then the three of us will officially be on summer vacation!

I read on the net today that it takes about 85,000 calories to "create" a baby from start to finish. Do you think that's a good excuse for my eating another slice of cake? I'm sure I can cover that caloric requirement in a single day at the Taste of Chicago.

Steen returned from Mexico on Tuesday. He brought me a necklace. The charm is the shape of a heart, with three diamonds in it, one for each of our miracles. I burst into tears. In general, I am very emotional... I'm currently reading Wisdom of our Fathers by Tim Russet, which I got from grandpa. I don't know how many times I've found myself crying through the stories as I sit on the train.