We've decided to keep a blog, since we have such interesting lives. Actually, we have really boring lives, and we wanted everyone to feel sorry for us. In any case, to start the blog we wanted to tell our story so far...
We got married 17 December 2005 here in Utah. After spending Christmas in Oregon (wet, wet, wet) we got on board the big Lufthansa Airbus and made our way to Turku, Finland, via Frankfurt and Stockholm. We were going to Finland because Mark was attending an exchange program at the University of Turku, and the added benefit that Mark was also able to meet and get to know Kristiina's family.
We were in Finland from January until the end of May. We lived in a small apartment near the centre of town and the university. Perhaps small is a little generous. Minuscule, tiny, and closet come to mind. Pictures can't really tell the tale accurately. This picture is from one corner to the other. It is actually taken from under the bed, which was like the top half of a bunk bed. Under the bed there was a desk, which was nice. On the left in this picture is our kitchen, in all of it's wonder and glory. Unfortunately in this picture you can't see our oven. It was really an interesting device. It had two heat plates on top, but only one would work if the oven was on. It took us some time to figure this out. The oven itself was about the size of a small box...like a large shoebox.
We did enjoy our time in Finland. It was cold. And rather dark. But that was just for the first few months. For the last few days it was great! Actually, despite the fact that at first it seemed like the sun was never up, Finland was great. Mark was attending classes at the University of Turku, and he had a pretty good time. We were able to spend a lot of time with Kristiina's family, which was really fun. It wasn't really as cold as it could have been, and towards the end of out time there the weather was really beautiful. We really want to go back during the summer, which is the best time of year there.
After Finland we spent a week in Frankfurt, Germany with Mark's sister, Annabelle, and her husband Dave. We had a fabulous time with them, and they showed us some great places. Our favorite was probably the boat trip up the Rhine river, which was beautiful. But we loved the entire week, especially the bratwurst! They gave us the grand tour, all over Frankfurt and to a couple of really cool towns. We even went on top of a building, as you can see from the picture.
Upon returning to the States we made our way to McCall, Idaho, where we stayed with Mark's Grandparents while working in the area. Kristiina was working for the local Holiday Inn, and Mark was working for Tamarack resort during the day and for the local supermarket in the evening. We had a great time there, although we spent most of our time at work!
This is a picture of Mark's grandparent's ranch, which is where we were staying.
After working in McCall for the summer we moved back down to Provo to finish school. We will both graduate in August. Mark is going to school full time and working part time for BYU Dining Services as a cook. Kristiina is finishing her last few classes through independent study and working full time at JC Penney. She started out as a sales associate in the Men's department, and she is now the manager in the Men's department.
Not a whole lot has happened since we came down here last fall. We're just living life as it comes to us. We are making plans to get out of here soon after we graduate.
There has been one thing that has happened since we came here...Kristiina is pregnant! The baby is due October 3, and everything is going along nicely. We got an ultrasound yesterday, and the little kid looks great.
re able to visit a good friend that we haven't seen for a while.
