Amy Mohr

SO SURPRISE!!!!  I am now coming home Monday, Nov. 1 instead of Thursday the 4th as orginally scheduled.  Sunday morning I called Mike to wish him good morning and as I ended the conversation, he says to me...OH yeah, I changed your flight to Monday the 1st!!  So I get to come home earlier and I am so happy!!!!!!  Mostly because I get to see Mike 3 days earlier than I orginally thought!  It was a wonderful surprise and it made me so happy!  Thanks Mike for the wonderful suprise, I love you babe so much.

So after the great surprise, I realized I better get to the packing.  After living here for 3 years, I have acquired quite a collection of things.  My orginal thought was that I could fit everything in 2 suitcases.  As I began the packing, I quickly realized that it is not going to be possible.  So now I have concluded that will pack 3 bags, so that means I am going to pay the extra costs.  It's a little ridiculous to me that you can no longer travel with 2 bags for international flights, meaning I have to pay for 2 extra bags now.  But whatever, I have to get the stuff home and this is my last journey so I might as well.  I am gradually each day chipping away at it more and more.  I need to also weigh my bags to make sure they remain under the 50 lbs mark, because I do not want to pay any more extra costs.  It's gonna feel great when all the packing is finished!!

So the goodbyes continue here.  I had a nice fika with Josefine today and then a little shoe shopping after!!  All my evenings are booked up for the rest of my time here.  Tomorrow night it will be dinner at Maria's and then Thursday night at Linnea's.  Thursday night late comes Sophia!!!  Then much, if not all my weekend, will be spent with her!!  Friday night we are going to the Björklöven hockey match and then a girl night!!  Which will include wine and godis!!  Saturday is the game, Comets vs. Visby, and then dinner at Droskan with the club and some friends.  Then my go-away party!!  Sunday night will be spent at the Molin house for dinner and it also marks my last night in Sweden.  I know it will not be my last night forever in Sweden, because I will return some day!! 

My flight leaves early Monday morning at 7.15 to Stockholm.  Then it's a 10.20 departure from Stockholm to Chicago.  I leave 3.30 from Chicago and I am scheduled to land in Denver at 4.50!!  Home sweet home!!  And the best thing about it...MIKE!!  I cannot wait to his precious face and give him the biggest hug ever!!  I miss him and love him soooooooooooooooo much!!

Well things are starting to hit me more here...I can't believe it is all coming to an end.  I knew I would be saying my goodbyes one day, but I just didn't picture it like this...I thought I would have it planned better.  I really hope I get to say goodbye to everyone!!  Make sure to give me a call if you haven't!!

Take care everyone!!

KRAM

On Wednesday Maria, Oliver and I went out to lunch at EuroAsia!!  It was so great to spend some time with Maria finally!!  She has been really busy with a newborn and of course her 2 year old, as well as her move to their  new house.  Then of course I have been busy with basketball and now my knee injury.  So finally we were able to arrange a time together and it was fantastic!!  That's the great thing about Maria and me, we are always friends and can share so much in common no matter how much time passes between us!!  It was also great seeing little Oliver.  He has grown a bit since the last time I had seen him almost 3 weeks ago.  He is soooooo adorable and I am really going to miss them when I leave.


Little Oliver all snuggled up!!


Me and Oliver


He is so adorable.



I look so serious!!  I was loving the moment with cute little Oliver.

So lunch with Maria was great!!  I have been planning some other dinners and goodbye fikas with friends here.  I am leaving in just less than 2 weeks now.  The date has been booked and scheduled for Nov. 4th.  I leave Umeå at 6.30am and arrive in Denver at 5.00pm the same day!!  There my Mike will be waiting for me and I hope to run into his arms!!  I love you babe!!

So the knee is getting better each day.  It's a crazy thing because as the swelling goes down, the more mobile my knee becomes.  I can walk on it just fine, it doesnt hurt to put any pressure on it, and I can bend and extend pretty well.  I just know after surgery it will be back to square one, with the swelling and the inability to move it.  But for now it feels better and the walking is going well.  The medication probably helps with this...



The painkillers make me tired a lot of the time.  I find myself taking a bit more naps and falling asleep a lot easier.  I wake up every night around 2 or 3 in the morning with some pain, but then I can fall back asleep fairly fast.  They are helping with my pain which is great.

Tonight I hosted a fika at my place with about 8 of the girls on the team.  Katie and I baked some american chocolate chip cookies.  Of course they were a hit!!  We watched Idol and just talked about things.  I had a great time with the girls and man, I sure am going to miss them!!

So this weekend the girls will leave for Uppsalla to play vs. Sallen on Sunday kl. 13.00.  I am not traveling with them, but I plan to watch the game online!  I really hope we can get our first win of the year!!  Let's go Comets, get it done!!  It feels really weird that I will not be going on the trip but I will be with them in spirit. I always hope for the best! 

Frida and I plan to have dinner tomorrow night and a little wine!  Will be nice to have a little girl time and talk about life!  Also a last goodbye gathering for us.  Thats all that is planned for now.  I wish everyone a happy weekend!!!

KRAMAR

So sad...it's starting to get pretty surreal, I'm spending some of my last days in Sweden now.  I will return home Nov. 1 (most likely), in less than 2 weeks now.  It's pretty sudden for me, considering I had a different picture in my mind how I would be saying goodbye to everyone.  There are a lot of things I want to do before I leave, people to see, and things to buy.  I am not sure I will get around to all of it, but I will do my best.

So goodbyes will start here soon, with goodbye fikas starting to be planned this week and next.  Even a go-away dinner then party is in the works.  There are a lot of people out there that mean a lot to me, and I have no idea how to show them this or even tell them this.  I just didn't think this would be how it all ended.

But no more negatives, let us think positives!!  A new life will be waiting for me back home!  I haven't been home during the fall or winter time in 3 years, so that is going to be different.  I will get to watch some RMAC basketball games that I am looking forward to as well.  My heart will remain with the Umeå Comets, however, and I will follow them throughout the year.  If there is anything I can help with, I will do it in a heartbeat.  Of course I want the best for them!!  But the biggest positive of them all is I get to be with my loving boyfriend Mike.  He is the best thing that has happened to me and he will be there to support me through everything.  That's what makes him amazing and I am so thankful for him.  I love him more than anything!!

Next weekend my best Sophia is coming to town!!  A big reason I am staying an additional 2 weeks.  It just wouldn't feel right if I left without saying a proper goodbye to her.  So it works out perfect that she cán come that weekend, and we can spend some quality time together.  Also I can watch my last home game for the Comets and then celebrate the victory with the team later that night!!  It's going to be great!!

So now begins the packing...or actually this week I am going to form a plan.  I will decide what exactly I want to bring back with me, and what I can give away.  I know I cannot take everything back that I have acquired while here.  I have to look into shipping some things maybe??  I have no idea...  But I will get that all figured out!! 

SO MAKE SURE TO COME SAY GOODBYE TO ME!!!  We can plan a fika or maybe a get-together...but contact me and let's get this planned!!  Take care everyone!!

KRAMAR

HOME PREMIER THIS SATURDAY AT GAMMLIAHALLEN VS. NORRKÖPING KL. 15.00!!!  Be there!!

Let's go Comets!!

Sorry people...I've been a little MIA these past few days.  Would you like to know why??  Well I have been busy making a special little gift for my boyfriend (that I can't reveal now) and it has taken up my extra time.  I can give some hints, it involves me being creative and using another side of my brain.  But it's been fun and I'm excited to reveal the masterpiece soon!!  I hope you love it Michael!!  You may not be here with me... But thoughts of you are always in my heart... I Miss You!  And each day I fall more and more in love with you...still!!

I don't think I mentioned this the other day, but one our way to Norrköping for the game...we had a little bump in the road.  I was going through my pictures and I thought maybe I would share...


I was driving the mini-van when we all of sudden got a flat tire.  The tire was bad, it had been used up pretty bad so it really was no surprise it went flat.  The problem was, we couldn't get the flat tire off to put on the spare.  So we ended up taking a taxi the rest of the way to Norrköpping.


The team on the side of the road looking pretty clueless...I mean we are a bunch of girls.

TODAY I woke up to this here in Umeå...



SNOW!!!  The first snow in Umeå.  I can't believe it, already.  It sure was coming down hard.  It was like a wet, slushy snow.  Guess it's time to bust out the winter boots, winter gloves, and hats. 

This week has been a solid week of practice!!  Lookng forward to our first game at home this Saturday vs. Norrköpping.  It's going to be a tough game, but hopefully we end up out on top!!  Yesterday, Henna, Kate and myself spent a lot of the day handing out tickets for the game.  Hopefully we get a good turnout!!  COME CHEER ON THE COMETS!!  Kl. 15.00 at Gammliahallen!!

Hope this blog was shorter for you Julia :P

KRAMAR!

OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH so close!!  We almost beat 08, the defending champions from last season.  We started the game out strong, when after 3 minutes the score stood 10-0 in our favor.  We even got up as much as 19 points in the first half...and up 7 pts at half-time.  We sustained the lead for the entire game until the final second of the game.  With 2 minutes left to go in the game we had a 6 pt lead.  08 pressed us hard and we just couldn't handle the pressure.  We turned the ball over in a matter of seconds about 3-4 times.  They were able to capitalize on our mistakes, and go on a run to tie the game at 59-59.  With about 38 seconds to go in the game, we had the ball and a chance to score.  We came out from the time-out and did not execute our play very well, and once again it resulted in another turnover.  With only seconds remaining on the game clock, 08 penetrates from the baseline, misses the shot, secures the rebound and shoots the put-back leaning back and in desperation to get the shot off...ball falls in the hoop.  We lose by 2 pts in the final second.  HEARTBREAKER! 

But there are a lot of positive things we can take from this game and some things we can grow from.    We had some costly errors that hurt us at the end, but not everything can be pinned on the final minutes.  Our defense was solid for most the game, holding them to 61 pts.  We worked hard and communicate very well.  We played aggressive and even out rebounded by a rebound.  We shot 42% from the 3-point line and 93% from the free-throw line.  We had 11 steals but unfortunately 29 turnovers.  That is something we must improve on for the next game!  Nobody thought we had a chance against this team before the start.  By the end of this game, I think we proved some people wrong.  Hopefully our score is a little bit of an eye-opener.  A team we lost to by 20 points or more in my previous 3 years, was not the same case this year.

Individual stats... I had 19 pts, 10 rebounds and 4 steals.  I also shot 9/9 from the free-throw line.  Mackey had 16 pts and 9 rebounds.  Henna had 10 pts and 6 rebounds.  Julia returned to action this weekend and it will be nice to have her back on the court with us!  Carro had 4 steals and 3 assists, Johanna made 2 key three-pointers, and Janette provided valuable minutes off the bench with 2 steals and solid defense.  Things can only get better for us!


Mackey going up for 2 pts!



I know...I make the worse facial expressions ever!


Yep that's me going up for a lay-up!

So now we have to put this game behind us and re-gain our focus for the next match this Saturday vs. Norrköping.  It is going to be our first home game and I can't wait to play in front of our home crowd!!  It's going to be a tough and very physical game.  I think we will match up well against them.  I am looking forward to the game and excited to get back on the hard-wood floor!  So I'm hoping for a solid week of practices and composure by the girls.  Game faces on Saturday!!  LET'S GO COMETS!!

I hope everyone had a great weekend!!!!

#4

We are now only 3 days away till our first game of the season!!  The time is almost here.  Saturday we will face 08 in Norrköping for the first game of the year.  08 are the defending champions from last year, so it is going to be a tough start for us.  But we trained well for the past two weeks, and the girls have been practicing for over a month now...so I am confident we can play well against them.

Every team in the league will be opening their first games in Norrköping for the season.  So the weekend will be a lot of game watching.  I am really excited to see all the teams play and see what we will be facing later in the year.  Our game will be at 5.00 on Saturday and we will stay until Sunday night.  We will return back to Umeå late at 10.30.

This week has been pretty busy and a reason why I have been slacking a bit with the blogging.  Katie, Henna and myself have been working at Minerva school teaching basketball in four different physical education classes both Monday and Tuesday.  Basically we come into the school, take over a class, and introduce basketball to the kids.  We teach them some skills and competitions and show them what to do.  I thought it was a great success and hopefully some continue to play!!  That is the ultimate goal here.  Hopefully we will continue this in more schools around Umeå this year.  It's so fun to see how excited the kids get to see us!!  It's really rewarding I think to coach these small kids, because they have so much fun and want to learn more.

Well before you know it, it's going to be game-day.  I am looking forward to it!!  That's the reason I play basketball...because I love the competition.  Time for bed now for me.  Practice has worn me out these past few days.

A quick little shout-out to the one!!  You know who you are...Love you!!

Take care everyone...

KRAMAR

This weekend Katie, Henna and myself traveled with Ida to Skellefteå to visit her family.  Ida's hometown, Skellefteå, is about an hour and half north of Umeå.  So the four of us drove up Saturday morning, stayed the night and came back around 3.00 today.  Ida's dad turned 50 years old yesterday, so some of his friends came over to fika!!  We ate lunch and cake and just sat around the table enjoying everyone's company.  Ida's father, Ingemar, told many stories about his days when he played basketball in the highest league here in Sweden.  It was great company and food was amazing!!

After our late lunch, we went on a long walk around Ida's neighborhood.  It was absolutely beautiful!!  Fall is in full swing here and all the trees are changing colors and it is absolutely beautiful!!  Henna is an experienced photographer and brought her high-tech camera with her to take some pictures on our walk!  It was a great walk...talking, taking pictures, laughing.  Just fun times with friends and family. 

It was really nice of Ida and her family to take us in this weekend and have us be apart of their family.  Especially since us foreigners are so far away from our loved ones.  It just isn't as convienent for us to go and visit them for a weekend.  This is basically our last weekend before our season premier next Saturday vs. 08, so it was good to get away and relax a bit!!  It was also our first weekend off since I have been here.  Overall, it was a great time and I'm very thankful for nice people in this world.  Here are some pictures from our walking adventure this weekend...courtesy of Henna (the photgrapher).


It so we begin...(Katie, Me, Ida, and Sophie-Ida's little sister).


The river behind Ida's house.


Henna(from Finland) the photographer... except for this picture that I took!!


Me...trying to model!!  hahahahahahaha


Ida, Katie and me just hanging out on the bridge.


Katie during a candid shot.



The changing colors of the trees...the red ones were so pretty!!


As the leaves begin to fall.


Walking and having a great time!!


Nice work Henna!!  Thats us up ahead!


Check out the sky!  Local church by Ida's.


So pretty!!

So thanks Ida and her family for a fantastic weekend!!  We really appreciate it!!

Tomorrow is Monday and a new week begins!!  Katie, Henna and myself will teach a basketball class in the morning, and 3 more classes later this week.  We will try and promote the popularity of basketball in this city.  That is the ultimate goal!!  Getting kids familiar with the sport and hopefully they like it!!

Tonight we are going to watch the World Championships for Women's Basketball final,  USA vs. Czech Republic.  Then to bed for an early start tomorrow at 8.00am! 

THE HIGHLIGHT OF MY DAY was getting to Skype with Mike today and both of us using our webcams.  Mackey was nice to let me use her computer with the camera, so then we were able to see each other while talking!!  It was so nice but it always makes me realize how much I miss him and it really, really makes me realize how much I love him!!  He is the best thing that has ever happened to me and I LOVE HIM MORE THAN ANYTHING!!

SO now it is time to get serious this week...big game Saturday!!
I hope everyone had a great weekend!!

KRAMAR

SKYHAWKS STORM SWEDEN!!

This is an article that was featured in the Durango Herald about Katie and me.  Here is the link...check it out!!!

http://www.durangoherald.com/sections/Sports/College/2010/09/28/Skyhawks_storm_Sweden/

Pretty sweet!!

Ha en trevlig helg!!

KRAMAR