Thomas and Maria: 1810

What a WEEK!  Here are just a few of the highlights.  

I found my 6th great grandparents!!!!!!  AHHHH!!!!!  I think I've officially been bitten by the family history bug.  I've been checking the names, dates, and places of the family history research my mom's done.  And in the process I discovered that we only had approximate birth dates (and no marriage or death dates) for Thomas Mattsson and Maria Henrichsdotter.  Using the HisKi Genealogical Society of Finland's searchable database, I found Thomas and Maria in the church marriage record: 

May 28, 1810!!  

It was also exciting to understand the Finnish translation of "Bds." (Bonder in Swedish): talonpoika.  "House boy."  He was a peasant.  It's awesome to be able to use my Finnish...and to also pick up some Swedish words along the way, since many of the church records are written in Swedish.

I'm so grateful for the countless hours that people have put into inputting these records into a searchable (and readable!!) database.  At some point I'll have to scour the registers myself...and learn to read hand-written Swedish and Finnish from centuries (quite literally) ago.  I'll need new glasses before that happens.  :)

My dad's birthday was this week.  Incidentally, one of my friends said to me out of the blue this week, "You are very blessed to have such a wonderful father.  You really are."  Indeed I am.  I wish everyone had a father (and a mother) like mine.  I'm grateful for a dad who exemplifies the characteristics and traits that Elaine Dalton speaks about:
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2011/10/love-her-mother?lang=eng
Love you Dad!!

The SUN!!!  I had nearly forgotten what it looks like.  (These are some of the trees on campus.)

SUNSHINE!!  Makes my heart (and SKIN!) every so happy.

Transplanting the money plant a colleague gave me.  It's been keeping me company in my office for a month or so.  Finally got up the nerve to move it to a new pot.  (Which used to house three flower plants which died...totalling 4 plants I've managed to kill in the last 3 weeks.) 

This is the 'I hope I did this right and this doesn't make #4' look.  

Thank you Sini for documenting this moment!

Reetta, Sini and I celebrated with Katja as she begins a new career opportunity.  What a great evening of conversation and laughing...and painting of nails.  (Thank you, Reetta!).

 Katja's second party celebrating her new chapter.  She is SO LOVED!!  

I'm over the moon excited for her!!  I'm so grateful for her friendship.  And will miss her dearly!!

I spent some time at Kirsti's house to lend a hand installing a new wood floor.  Kirsti is an angel.  She's a retired kindergarten teacher who now cares for her mom who is ill and her husband who is suffering from Parkinson's disease.  Kirsti is love and kindness personified.  She has taught me what it means to serve--and how to receive service.  Kiitos Kirsti!!

We were in Tampere today for a regional church meeting (stake conference).  It was held, as usual, in Tampere-talo (the city auditorium).  Perhaps you're wondering why I'm posting a picture of the ladies' restroom....

 

 Because this is what was waiting for us behind the door.  Unbelievable!!  It was as impressive as I remember it being a year ago...

 Yes, please.  Kayla and I will each take one of these!!

In moments of doubt and uncertainty about something I should do or have committed to doing, I often tell myself: "Sarah, the door's been opened.  Just walk through it."  I didn't realize until this evening while looking through these pictures that this door and what I found behind it are so symbolic of my life here in Finland.  I wasn't prepared to find the most amazing restroom EVER behind this door.  The door itself looks like an ordinary, run of the mill door.  And yet behind it was THIS!!  That's how I feel about Finland.  I had NO IDEA what grandeur awaited me as I stepped through the airplane door onto the jet way in Helsinki.

  

One of my friends made this sandwich.  

Any guesses as to what kind of meat you're looking at?

Kyösti: "Do you have nerves of steel?"

Me: "Yes...??"

Kyösti: "My mom and brother ate this earlier and they didn't die."

Me: "That's actually reassuring."

So...what was it?...and how did it taste?

 Well, it was MUCH better than this fish Maria caught (and roasted whole on a camp fire) a year ago...

It was horse meat.  And it's actually really good.  Here's the candid shot as proof!  :)

I had horse meat on my 2nd day as a missionary in Chile.  I had nerves of steel back then, but I was missing teeth of steel to chew it.  (I'm grateful for the family's kindness in sharing their meal with us.  And at the same time, I was happy to call that my one and only experience eating horse meat.)  

 I'll gladly eat it again if it's prepared and served like it was today! 

Kiitos Kyösti!!

The funniest part?  When I mentioned to Kayla that the sandwich had sun dried tomatoes in it she said:

Kayla: "What?!  They have sun dried tomatoes in Finland?!"

Kyösti: "Nope.  Finland doesn't have sun."

It was HILARIOUS!  

 The weeks are FLYING by at an unprecedented rate.  And with each day that passes, the words from Trace Adkins' song ring truer and truer: 

"You're gonna miss this; you're gonna want this back; 

you're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast."  

Bring on another week of adventures!!  (And lots of writing...)