Ring, ring, ring... Happy Bday Annika!!!

Today Annika turned a year older and became a little wiser. She got a cake and some overdue rings (for less than half the price we would've paid in Sweden!)

Since here in Mexico the engagement rings are given when you marry and the wedding ring is given when you get engaged (yes, confusing, isn't it?), we had a hard time explaining to people what we were looking for, but eventually we found something that was just right and we got it. And since my mother's sisters came along, they intimidated the store clerks into giving us a nice discount; they even engraved the rings with our names and the date of the engagement. So, we got engaged with our new rings as soon as we got back home and now I'm no longer a pojkvän but a fästman!

By the way, Annika keeps putting on the wedding ring just to try it out and "forgets" to take it off. :)

Tomorrow: more dresses... and because the aunts are now involved, I'm strictly forbidden from looking at Annika when she tries them on... Bummer.

Keep praying for us and that God will show us what His will is for our lives.

Annika does Mexico City

So we got to Mexico City and we went to the Swedish embassy to get some of the papers we needed for the big fat Mexican wedding. How do you like that, a piece of Sweden in Mexico!

Later, we took a nice walk through the Bosque de Chapultepec (Mexico City´s answer to New York´s Central Park) where Annika made some friends with the locals.
Annika feels much better now, but she´s still hurting a bit, so please keep praying for her and for God´s will to be present in our lives.

Ill fated bike ride

Saturday we went on a bike ride around town. Annika, Angel (a friend of mine), and I got on our bikes and rode in some interesting places.

Unfortunatelly, Annika fell off the bike and well, now she'll be sporting a very nice sling for the next couple of weeks. She's okay now, but she was in a lot of pain when we had to take her to the hospital (thus the nurse putting a whole bunch of painkillers in her -- which made her very, very giggly!). So please pray for a quick recovery so she can actually write her name down in the marriage permit (she's right handed) and wear her wedding dress without the sling! Thank you.

Dress hunting Friday

Today we went to check out some dresses.

It's really interesting to see the differences between the Mexican and Swedish tastes. Most of the ones we saw were too much. We went to many stores and I was starting to lose hope we would ever find something Annika would like but eventually we stumbled upon a dress that she liked and she tried it on -- she looked really cute in it, though I was not supposed to see her in it... but this is Mexico after all! We went there with a friend of mine and Annika told me later on that it had been kind of strange for her because, well, usually the bride to be doesn't go pick up dresses with two guys... still Mexico after all!



We went with Malverth (my mother) around town on a work errand and then Annika and I had a very nice walk home.


Annika also made a new friend today. Her name is Kathlin and they spent a good while playing together and running around in the grass.

And now, we sit here, putting together this post and sharing ideas on how to do it and I realize that I have the best partner for my life that God could've ever given me.

... and I just made her cry with what I wrote(happy tears she says)... :)

We live in the past now!

It makes sense to show the time difference...

Rinkeby	San Juan del Río

Alice i underlandet på spanska!

Today we took it easy in the morning and in the afternoon we went to this place where a lady talked us to death about the possible menus we could have for the wedding and the endless color combinations we could have for tablecloths and chair coverings.

(Annika is particularly fond of the bands with big bows decorating the chairs... not!)

Then went to see Alice in Wonderland in the movies... Unfortunately -- for Annika, at least --, the movie was dubbed into Spanish. She's a smart girl though: she pretty much figured it all out without much help.

Now we sit here together typing this entry. It's almost 9 o'clock local time, and we're trying to stay awake so we don't wake up too early tomorrow. I guess we'll go out for a walk under the stars.

HQ

This is where we'll stay most of the time, it's a small town in the middle of Mexico called San Juan del Rio in the state of Queretaro.


View Where we'll be staying in a larger map

Touchdown!

Got to Mexico alright!

The flight was a bit messed up since we got really good seats but a dude who stunk something fierce sat right next to us and we had to move... I mean this guy packed a heavy punch anytime he lifted his arms!

So, after sitting on the back of the plane for what seemed to be longer than any human should endure, we got to Mexico City at 7pm local time or 2 o'clock of the morning of Sunday Swedish time.

My father, mother, brother, and an aunt were there to receive us and take us to a real Mexican restaurant (oh, yeah!) before heading for my mother's place in San Juan del Rio. Now here we are, trying to get our bearings with this jet lag thing and I, for one, don't seem to be doing a good job at it since it's three o'clock in the morning local time and I can't sleep. I have been awake laying on my bed for an hour already so I figured I might as well get up and do something productive, like starting this blog.

Annika and I had a good day yesterday: we hung around the house, went to the market to buy food, met some friends, and had a big cookout; not bad to kick off spring. Good times!

We have already made plans to go out biking next Saturday... if we have time. We'll probably go to some of the towns nearby which are really nice to see.