Hugs, not kisses

Stockholm is certainly spoiling us with beautiful December weather!  Who knows what we will have back in the States starting tomorrow but we certainly enjoyed another gorgeous day today!  The kids didn't have school and Josh was working from home, so Max and I took Coco out for a long walk in the sunshine while Tabitha worked on her college applications, all day long

She has now submitted her application to Stanford, Duke, William and Mary, Emory, and Columbia.  Very exciting to see what happens next!

After packing and preparing for our trip most of the day, I met some friends on Djurgården for one last fika before leaving the country.

I will miss these new friends but am looking forward to going home to visit some old ones!  

Greeting friends in Sweden does not involve the cheek kissing that is so prevalent throughout Europe and that we got so used to in France.  Here, a handshake is appropriate for first introductions and then, surprisingly, hugs are commonplace after that.  I was surprised by this since Swedes are often described as shy and reserved.  Maybe they are just trying to borrow some body warmth during the Swedish greetings?

Now, our bags are packed, the gifts are wrapped, the dog is at the boarding place, the trash has been taken out and the refrigerator is empty.  We are ready to leave the house at 6 a.m. tomorrow and fly home to Batesville!  See some of you soon!