Happy 30th Anniversary

Mom & Dad

30 years

what a milestone



Dad & Sam w/the ducks; John Hancock Tower; Mormor, Mom, Sara & Sam; Dad & Sam in Boston Common; Mom, Dad & Sam; Mom & Sam; a view of Boston; Mom & Dad

 THIRTY years ago today my parents were newly-weds.

 they have been such an inspiration and role model to me - both as a child and now as an adult.

let me share a little bit about my parents and how they met. please note: this is the cliff notes version. :)

my dad spent his junior year of college in sweden as an exchange student. he met my mom in one of his classes. they became friends (my mom had recently returned from studying in the states and wanted to keep up her english, so she befriended the american lad). they spent a lot of time together at school, hanging out, playing sports, and enjoying sweden. my mom invited him home to her family and he was able to experience the swedish culture even more. they backpacked europe together and then worked for one summer in sweden. my dad came back to the states and realized he met the woman of his dreams. he decided to go to sweden over christmas break of his senior year and ask my mom to marry him. when over there, he did propose and my mom said yes. they decided to get married the following year. my dad came back to the states and graduated college, my mom came to the states in july and they were married in october. there's much more to the story, but we don't have time today...

it's hard work to get everyone happy and looking at the camera

sam's at least not crying here...

a few memories...

growing up my parents would exercise by running together in the mornings and then we would take family walks around the neighborhood in the evenings.

sunday was family day - we would go to church, come home, have a big family dinner and hang out together: go for a walk, go to the beach, go biking or swimming, watch football, play games, relax, watch movies, basically spend time together. growing up, i didn't think it was anything special, but as i got older, i began to appreciate our sunday family day.

my parents made sure we ate together every night at 6pm. of course sports, school activities, work and other events interferred occasionally, but we could always count on dinner at 6pm. we would let mom know in advance if we weren't going to be home for dinner. "mom, i won't be home for dinner, but can you save me some?" was a request in response to missing dinner. friends would joke about eating dinner at the macdonald's house - apparently it was something akin to a comedy act, maybe it still is...

these days, family dinner is farther and fewer between, i'm married living away from home, one brother is out and about doing his thing, the next brother is gallavanting around the world and the youngest is in college in florida... needless to say, looking forward to christmas when EVERYONE will be together (my world travelling brother comes in a few days before christmas)

i have digressed from the original topic...

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to my wonderful fabulous kind loving caring parents!!!!

you worked hard to take care of us kids AND keep your marriage in tact. there is something to be said about spending 30 years with the same person. thank you for being you, for being great role models, for supporting us, for loving jesus, for providing us with memories for many many years. i love you both and can only pray caleb and i will be able to have a similar partnership in marriage as you have.

sam hanging w/Grandpa and the baby duck

sam enjoying a sunday in boston

a crowd was gathering to see the little baby on the baby duck :)

yesterday we celebrated my parents anniversary at Toscano in Boston. it came highly recommended and we weren't disappointed. my mom and dad, mormor, grandmother, uncle tim, caleb, sam and i were all there. my dad had a great time showing sam around boston. (earlier in the week, sam spent time w/my mom and mormor - more on that later - so sam spent most of the day in my dad's arms)

mom and sam

she loves her grandson

dad and his grandson sam

"i can't wait" -sam giguere

so we moved AND had a baby in the same week!!

i have not had time to breath blog until now...

there's so much to catch up on...

we moved into a bigger apartment on september 11 - we had friends and family help us move which was incredible. i took monday off from work to start to unpack our apartment and then headed to the cape tuesday and wednesday for work. wednesday i came back to the north shore... and decided to open the box which had our carseat in it (it had arrived in the mail a few days earlier, but i didn't unpack it until AFTER we moved).

little precious sam was born the next day.

first family photo minutes after little sam was born

mommy and sam

proud daddy sharing the news that's he a dad

Samuel Henry Giguere was born two and a half weeks early on Thursday, September 16, 2010 at 8:03pm - so we have ourselves a summer baby instead of a fall baby...

He weighed 7 lbs 9 oz and was 18.5 inches long. We actually didn't name him until Monday, September 20, 2010.

memory lane

i am trying to find a baby book for alpine - you know, something to keep track of baby's firsts, cute pictures, hospital bracelet, lock of hair, baby's favorites and so forth...

today i pulled out my baby book... i am the oldest of 4 siblings and many of you may know what that means... a FAT baby book :) sure enough... my book is the fattest and it goes in order, my youngest brother has the skinniest baby book. it doesn't mean he was any less loved... it just means my mom was busy taking care of 4 kids to record EVERYTHING.

well, i browsed through my baby book and there were a few things that caught my attention.

1) favorite food: yogurt & banana, toast w/cheese, ice-cream and french toast: now for those who know me... i LOVE ice-cream (more about that in an upcoming post). i also really like french toast (ask the hubster).
2) i loved collecting and playing with rocks - even today when i walk along the beach, i pick up rocks and collect them... it makes things tough when moving... rocks aren't particularly light ;)
3) i loved playing w/malcom, a cairn terrier - i loved watching him and laughed when he barked :) (still love dogs to this day... although it's been a work in progress due to a traumatic event at age 5 involving a german shepherd, but we won't talk about that)
4) i laughed at 2.5 mos old and i still keep the giggles going
5) i took my first steps on a golf course at 8 months (too bad i didn't become a professional golfer - that would have made a good story) and i was walking around at 10 months - man am i in trouble when alpine comes along...
6) ET the movie and Larry Bird the basketball player were quite a hit
7) my mom was in labor for 3 hours (hope i luck out like that)
8) i went swimming for the first time when i was 2 months old - i still LOVE the water
9) my first "sleep out" (outside on the deck in a sleeping bag) was when i was 5 and my brother david was 3, i was afraid of getting sprayed by a skunk and my 3 year old brother agreed to protect me :)
10) my favorite songs at age 2 were "happy birthday" and "jesus loves me" - i LOVE birthdays & getting presents and i still know that jesus loves me :)

hope that didn't bore you... but it had me thinking about caleb's firsts when he was a baby and coming up alpine's firsts and the kind of child alpine will grow up to be... will alpine be more like me or more like caleb?

one thing is for sure... alpine's been so active in my belly, if that continues, well, caleb & i are in for it. ;)

now i've gone down memory lane and i still don't know what to do about a baby book...

here's one i found on etsy.com that i like...
and another...
and another...
but i want to see them in person before committing to purchasing... if ANYONE finds something cute, PLEASE let me know :)

i have also checked out amazon, babys r us, target and barnes and noble...

tribute to this guy...

happy birthday!

the younger days


learning how to play the piano...


boating on cape cod


gordon - may 2002

valentine's day 2005

my birthday dinner 2006 - being goofy


summer 2006 on the bike path

my birthday dinner 2007

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!!

I love you. You are the best dad a girl could every ask for... Thanks for all you've done and continue to do for me... I don't have any "old" pictures to post... maybe I can scrounge up a few at a later date...

Thanks for the memories...

• Playing with us kids: biking, soccer, kick the can, croquet, baseball, basketball... you always made time for us
• Going to Dairy Queen in the summer and walking along Falmouth Harbor - Introducing me to my love of ice-cream
• Building us a sandbox and kick butt swing-set (hope you'll put up some swings for Baby Alpine, hint hint)
• Turning our basement into an awesome playroom at Brigantine
  
• Sending us kids to Sweden many many many summers to spend time with family and enjoy the land of the midnight sun
• Taking us on numerous trips to Florida
• Driving to Florida b/c we begged you to drive
• Buying us quality snorkeling gear inspiring my love for the ocean
• Taking on snorkeling trips in Boca and the Keys
• Taking us skiing... oh how I love to hit the slopes
• Teaching me that life is short and I need to enjoy it... take in the views
  
• Not accepting that your daughter is a better, faster skier than you and continue to race her every chance you get...
  
• Building a bigger house for us kids so we could all have our own bedroom
• Letting me get first pick of the bedrooms
• Sending me to Ecuador to visit my aunt, uncle and cousins, FIRST CLASS
• Sending me to Sweden for a year in High School
• Supporting me at my sporting events
• Putting me through college
• Hiking up and skiing down Tuckerman's Ravine
• Introducing me to hiking... which I LOVE!!
  
• Taking the family to Maine many summers - spending time boating, wake-boarding, tubing, swimming, eating ice-cream and relaxing on the porch
• Family bike trips to the Vineyard in the summer
• Teaching me how to grill meat the right way ;) medium rare
• Introducing me to sushi in Homeport... :)
• Introducing me to "fine dining" at the Regatta
• Introducing me to golfing & making me take golfing lessons b/c you never had the chance, you wanted your kids to have a chance
  
• Providing a summer job for me - it was a constant learning experience
• Teaching me about good customer service: answer the phone w/a smile - among others
  
• NOT letting me work for you once I graduated college
• Giving me the opportunity to work for you once I had JOB EXPERIENCE in the working world
• Marrying Caleb and me - that was super special :)
  
• Allowing me to work from a home office once I got married
• Providing a company car to drive to and from work (I work 3 days from home and 2 days in the office)
• Going to swimming with me at Chappy
• Inspiring me to run the Falmouth Road Race... I've ran it 3 or 4 times and I would gladly run it this year, but the belly hinders me :)
• Encouraging me to be wise with my money - live responsibly
• Encouraging me to think outside the box
• Making me write goals :)
• Telling me it's VITAL to NEVER stop learning - which I witnessed as you were determined to learn how to play the piano at age 42 - you bought a piano and took lessons... 10 years later you are playing on the worship team at church and doing a great job :)
  
• Teaching me about Jesus
• Your love and respect for your faith
  

Dad, there are oh so many memories I have and the list above does not begin to express them. Thanks for all the memories. Thanks for the educational moments. I wouldn't be the person I am today if it weren't for you.

maine 2006

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!


norway/sweden 2006

Sven Jansson

today i was thinking about my morfar...



so i wanted to write a post in memory of him...

Sven Jansson, my morfar is my mother's father - well, he passed away, but he will always be my mom's dad.

morfar = mother's father (direct translation from swedish to english)

where was i?

oh yes...

the memories i have of my morfar...

him teaching me how to drive his stick shift 1990 Volvo on a frozen Lake Siljan days after i turned 16
gardening with him; his favorite part of the garden were his potatoes
him driving me to and from Granberget daily to ski & snowboard
him driving me to the first day of school at Leksands Gymnasium because i was too nervous to take the bus
learning how to bake bread from scratch in an old-fashioned oven - my brothers and i called it pizza bread - it was only recently i learned it's called "mjukbulla" or "softbun"

learning how to bake many things delicious
building sandcastles on martha's vineyard on one of his visits to America
bodysurfing at Chapoquoit Beach, Marconi Beach and many other beaches...
always having candy in his glove compartment of his 1990 Volvo
my brother Peter stating Bompa Gigi = translation morfar candy b/c he knew morfar kept candy in the glove compartment oif his volvo
orienteering with my morfar
telling morfar about Jesus
spending as much time as possible with my mormor and morfar during summer 2007 because i had a feeling it may be his last visit to America
i was right, he passed away May 2008
morfar meeting caleb during the summer of 2007; so glad this happened
going into the woods early in the morning to pick blueberries for me and my brothers to have for breakfast in 2006 on our first morning in sweden; when he came in he said "ja, man börjar att känna man är gammal" (yes, i'm beginning to feel old)
celebrating santa lucia with morfar in 2003 with my family and friend Mary Beth because it was his birthday
him surprising me with a season pass to Granberget for my christmas present from him and mormor December 1998
him and mormor driving me to Karlstad Universitet where i spent a semester of college in Karlstad, Sweden
wishing he could have seen the picture of Caleb proposing on Granberget June 2008
wishing he could have accompanied my mormor to my wedding October 2008
knowing he would have been so happy that Caleb proposed in Sweden; that we had a candy bar at our wedding; that the wedding ceremony was so personal; he would have danced with me; and he would have laughed
wishing he would have been able to meet my kids... (no, i don't have any children yet; they're in the someday plans for now)
oh how i miss his laugh, i wish i had recorded it, he was such a wonderful person
he was kind, friendly, non-judgmental, athletic, outdoorsy, helpful, a team player, a caring father, a loving husband, a wonderful brother, an unforgettable Morfar.
morfar, you are missed.
my trip to sweden wasn't the same without you.
my previous trip to sweden for your funeral was strange.
i know you're in heaven; i look forward to seeing you when the time comes; i hope you're having fun orienteering, picking blueberries, growing potatoes, swimming and building sand castles. i'm sure you're having a grand old time. make sure you save a spot for mormor. she misses you.
don't worry though, i'm going to keep her company as often as i can.
we spent time together for my birthday this year. i'll never forget it.
you married an incredible woman.
i miss you.
i love you.
your barnbarn sara linnéa

[ps-this will be edited with pictures once i can compile a few; just wanted my thoughts to the keyboard before i forgot]

change

Inevitable and Difficult...
Two words to describe change.

This past weekend I spent time at my family's lakeside rustic cabin and thought about change. This cabin has been an annual vacation with my family, and through the years there has been much change...
Thirty years ago my extended family owned 7 cabins on the lake. All our families would get together: cook, swim, read, relax, discuss, boat, enjoy each other's company. As time passed kids were born and invited to join in the family fun. Enter life jackets, swim lessons, sparklers, bon fires, smores, reading, the TRAIN, the pump to get fresh water, clambakes, jumping contests - off the float - who could just highest, make the biggest splash, best form, etc. We took trips on Sunday morning to Day's, a store in the Belgrade Lakes region, to get donuts and the Sunday newspaper. We would relax on the screened porch, eat donuts, read the comics, I mean the newspaper... We would go swimming, boating, eat lunch, check the train tracks to see if our precious pennies were smushed flat, pick raspberries, go swimming, run around with cousins and second cousins, eat dinner on the screened porch looking over the lake, have a bonfire, stumble into bed exhausted, only to do it all again the next day...
Fast forward thirty years - our extended family owns two camps and a cousin owns a third, which he has renovated to be a year-round house on the lake. The train isn't as exciting and doesn't come as often, the donuts don't taste as good, family members have passed away, cousins have grown up and don't visit as often, some cousins live as far as Alaska, California and Colorado. Change, it's inevitable.
This weekend, I spent time with family in Maine. My husband was away at youth camp, so I decided to go on vacation with my family without him. It was fun, but it was different. Life has changed. It's inevitable, but it's different.
Don't get me wrong. I love Maine. It holds MANY memories. But life has changed. This weekend I got donuts at Day's with my 9 year old cousin, I passed the memory on to her. :) I did read the Sunday paper; the news and the comics... I went wake-boarding, tubing, played mini-golf and ate Gifford's ice-cream with younger cousins, creating memories of Maine for them. I sat on the front porch looking out onto the lake, I read my book for hours, I kayaked. I relaxed. Life has changed, change is inevitable, change is good but change is difficult.
I miss those Maine days as a child, and I'm looking forward to creating new memories.
Change in life is much like my vacations in Maine...