Seasonal update!

About one post per season seems about right :) It's just a day after my birthday and I'm home from work sick with a cold. Staying home today was mostly out of consideration for others, as today is a meeting day. No one wants to be stuck in a small room with someone who sounds like they are coughing up a lung and blowing their nose every 20 minutes. The Swedes probably would have kicked me out after about 30 minutes even if I tried to show up.

Uppsala has continued to amaze with its weather, which is important to people like Ross and I who love to spend all of our time outside. We have had some really warm days, and lots of fun and bright fall colors. As I type this, the sun is shining, the brightly colored leaves are blowing in the breeze and the thermometer reads +3C (37F). Sounds like there were even some snowflakes falling this morning. However, I do not despair. We're not in winter yet, and as long as it stays sunny I can enjoy it.

We've had an up and down orienteering season. Ross ran some really good races (like the middle SM quali), as did I (like 25manna), mixed in with some not so great races. Teaching math this year has me working harder than last year, plus I'm now working 80% instead of 60%. I love it much more than teaching PE, though, so it's worth it.

25manna was by far one of the highlights this season. The awesomeness included:

• sunny and warm weather!
• Linné had 6 25-person teams!
• seeing Cristina! :)
• running second leg, surrounded by other people. As I've said to many people, after about halfway through my course I could have lost my map, and still gone to all the controls, there were that many people. Wouldn't like to have that sort of train all the time, but it was an interesting way to run a race :)
• the cheering squad. Every time a Linné runner came down the chute, we cheered. We may have fallen off a bit more after the first team finished because we were just too excited. But so many of these people aren't used to be cheered in the chute. For one, Swedes don't cheer. For two, (yes, you can say that), most of the runners aren't 'elite.' So we had lots of smiles, waves and fist pumps from the runners are they ran by the cheering section.
• the excitement and anticipation watching the first team. They were amazing this year. Yes, I'm saddened that we were disqualified after the fact (one person went to a wrong control, but the organizers couldn't figure it out during the race since their entire system was down). But the roar that went up every time a first team runner came into the finish was amazing. And the excitement and nervousness waiting for Annika on the last leg was equal to the feeling I get while watching World Champs. The look of surprise of Annika's face when she emerged from the woods in the lead was priceless. We worked hard as a club that day, we cheered, we ran hard, we celebrated. That can't be taken away. We'll just have to do it properly again next year!

I think now I'll just leave off with some of my favorite pictures from the fall so far.

Thierry made some new 7 Wonders boards!

Lisa and Seb look over my taxes. Do I really have to pay?

Lisa R, Ross and I with our medals from Sigtunaloppet.

Ross, Annika, Thierry and I enjoyed dinner during Culture Night.

Fika! In Alingsås, apparently the fika capital of Sweden. 

Wouldn't be able to get through fall without my pumpkin pie spice!

Ross looking natural.

The colors on our street.

The whole street is orange and red.

My bike commute to work.

If you look closely, there is another commuter. Heavy traffic today.

Fall colors!

Gloomy day, but our street is still bright.

Ross getting his hair sprayed red and blue for 25manna.

Henrik rallying the cheering squad.

Beautiful day for 25manna.

Annika and Anne Margrethe Hausken after their final 25manna leg.

Sushi for my birthday. I love it when Ross charms them with his Swedish and good looks and we get the box of mess-up sushi (free!).