Hello from the land of fjords, nordlichten, snow, and moutains! 

This is your friend, Ingrid Elsbeth Schoenfeldter, writing.  Hope this finds you well; I am doing pretty good, all things considering.  I have my bad days, and I have my good days.  With my condition, one never knows what lies ahead; that's what makes living with PMA  (progressive muscular atrophy) so hard to live with.

Lately, though, I have been taking yoga classes for people with disabilities or chronic health conditions.  It seems to be making a world of difference in my life; I feel better now than I have in months, and I suddenly feel like a thirty year old instead of a woman nearing the age of fifty!

I cannot work, but that's okay.  I have my family, as well as my friends, both here and abroad, to sustain me.  I also have started going to church; I found a nice nondenominational church close to where I live, and I have made even more friends.  I don't have as much time to dwell on what I no longer can't do; my life keeps me grounded.

And from going mental on someone.  :)

For a while, I thought I was going to end up in mental hospital.  I couldn't seem to shake off the depressive cloud that overtook me.  It was really bad; I didn't want to get out of bed, I didn't want to see anybody, and I didn't give a darn about things anymore.  I just wanted to die; that's how sad I was. 

I then started going to church, as well as taking these yoga classes; both have done wonders for my spirit and my outlook on life.

I even have a boyfriend now.  Yes, you heard, read right:  Ingrid Elsbeth Schoenfeldter has a boyfriend!  Name's Larz Jan Tieggeren; I met him at church a few months back, and he's sweet, not to mention, extremely funny and cute.  :)  He's taken me out to a movie a few times, as well as out to eat, and I have since fallen crazy in love over him!

I am happier now than I have been in quite a long while, and I am suddenly loving my life!

The long, hot summer appears to be waning; soon fall will be upon us.  The days are getting shorter; in just a few months it will be dark most of the time, and the auroras will soon make their mark on the Arctic skies overhead.  I love the lights, the nordlichten, but they make me sad; they make me think of long lost relatives or friends, and I suddenly end up missing them very much.

I will go now; making supper.  Larz is coming over in an hour or so; we are going to eat together, then he's taking me bowling.  This ought to be cute; I am not that good of a bowler; I know he is going to beat the crappola out of me!  LOL  I will probably make gutters in all ten frames while he will probably make strikes or spares!  LOL  Talk about embarrassing!!  I know I will be exactly that when Larz cleans the floor with me!  LOL

I will write another day; until then, this is your friend, Ingrid, signing off! Take care, and may God bless you always!

~Love, your Norwegian friend, Ingrid Elsbeth Schoenfeldter.  :)