Thurs., 17 August, 2006, Ivalo, Finland~

Dear Louisiana in America~

Terve! Miita kuuluu? Kiitos hyvaas!

As you may surmise from the greeting, you may have guessed this is your friend in Finland, Sari! Who else would start their letters in Finnish but me?? *grins*

Now you may be surprised because usually in the summer Nikolas and myself are in Greece, but not this year. We figured it would be too hard with a newborn baby, so we decided to stay here in Finland instead. Maybe with the recent activity from terrorists threatening to blow up transcontinental flights, it's probably for the best. Scary world we live in nowadays...

Birtta Aurora is doing quite well. She looks like a combination of the two of us. She has my eyes, my nose, and my mouth, but everything else is Nikolas's. She is now going on four months (in fact, she is four months old; I just looked at the calendar! LOL), and she is our world. Nikolas is a very proud daddy, and I am her loving, nurturing mamma!

Birtta is a very good baby. She sleeps most nights, and the only time she cries is when she needs her nappy changed or when hungry. Any other time she makes her happy, squeaking noises, and we really enjoy showing her off to our friends!

In fact, we have mailed you a photograph of the three of us. It was taken last month. I hope you have gotten it by now; if not, let us know, and we will send you a new one! We have extra copies! :)

The main reason we are writing, Louie, is that Nikolas and myself are thinking of coming to see you around Christmastime. Would that be a problem? If so, we will go to Louisiana instead. We may want to go to some of the casinos and try our luck at gambling.

Both Nik and myself are doing quite well, actually. It seems that since Birtta came, my MS and fibromyalgia have disappeared. I am now walking without any assistance whatsoever, the first time in months, and I have been pain free. It's like I have been miraculously healed! :) Maybe it's due to your prayers! On that note, all I can say is this: Kiitos! (Thanks!) :)

Nik is working as a computer technician, making even more money. We are rolling in money, it seems! LOL We are here in Ivalo still, but we now have a bigger place, and we now have several cats to entertain us.

Our cats are Norwegian Forest Cats, and they are very large, lovable, and very, very vocal! Our kitties' names are Anya, Ritva, Johan, Aleksis, and Kivi. We got them at a local animal shelter, and we are enjoying them so much! Norwegian Forest Cats are, as a rule, very large, with sweet, triangular-shaped faces, long, regal-looking noses, slanting eyes, and long, thick, luxurious fur that is very soft to the touch. Their tails are very bushy and full, and they don't mind romping around in the snow when it's cold outside. They have very happy dispositions, and they are very, very intelligent.

All of our cats are bi-colored (black, grey, or red with white), and all but Anya have orange eyes. (Anya's eyes are a pristine turquoise blue, the prettiest eyes I have ever seen on a cat.)

Of course, the kitties are curious about our baby daughter, but at night, they sleep with her and keep her safe. When she cries, they come to us, meowing loudly. They act as our guard dogs--but in feline bodies! LOL

Well, Louie, this is all that is new with me. I do hope to hear from you; it's been quite a long time! I have been worried about you; hope all is well with you there!

Take care, and write when you can! Let me know what is going on with you! I am dyin' for some juicy gossip! LOL

Until later, Louie, Nakemiin!

Love, your Finnish friends, Sari, Nikolas, and Birtta Aurora (plus the Five Furry Norwegians!). :D

P.S.: The picture is one of our kitty, "Ritva". Isn't she pretty?

~Sari. :)