Ivalo, Finland, 23 October 2009~

Dear Journal~

Terve!  Miita kuuluu?  Kiitos hyvaas!

It is me, your little Finnish friend, Sari Annike Constantinos, writing!  Hope this finds you all well and happy!

I am very happy to report that none of us have come down with that horrid swine flu, though some neighbours have it.  I'm making sure we stay away so we don't get it.  From what I hear, people are dying or ending up in hospital because of it; it's hitting the young and children especially hard.

As for us, we are quite well, thank  you.  Nik continues to work very hard at his job; meanwhile, I stay home and take care of three extremely active little children, all under the age of five.  Whoever thought motherhood would be so much fun??  LOL

The weather here is cooling down fast:  it won't be long before snow is flying and/or the landscape is covered in a blanket of white.  It will soon look like Christmas, and it won't be long before the Christmas decorations (or lights) are up.

Christmas is very big here in Finland.  After all, this is Santa Claus Country.  Not far from here they have a Santa Park that the kiddies (and even the young-at-heart) can go to, to see him in person and tell them their Christmas secrets.  This year, we are planning to go; it will be our first time there.  It should be a lot of fun for the children (not to mention, us!).

The days are waning:  in just weeks we will be in total darkness; we won't see the sun come up for at least six months, with only the northern lights (or the streetlights) lighting our path.  Such typical goings-on here in the Arctic Circle, where we live.  Then, in the summer, we don't see darkness for at least three/four months; it's really strange having to go to bed at midnight, and there's the sun still shining down on you!

I'm used to it, but poor Nik had a very hard time adjusting to that.  He's now okay with it; he's acclimatized himself to northern living.  (I'll make a bona fide Finn out of him yet!  *Grins*)

I finally  heard from Louie Sandusky!!  She is okay, but some of her kids had that nasty swine flu:  some were even in hospital because of it; thankfully most are back home, where they continue to recover.  I pray nobody else in that family gets it; I'm sure poor Bill and Louisiana have been running themselves ragged, taking care of the rest of their children and running to/from hospital to visit the sick ones!

I still don't know how they can do it!  Having three children of our own is bad enough at times!  Can't imagine raising over sixty kids! 

Yikes!!

I'd be pulling my hair out by the roots; then I'd be bald!  LOLOLOL

I heard from Ilsa Rekkonen.  For a while, I thought she was mad at me; I didn't hear from her for weeks.  Turns out the little vixen went to Mexico on a cruise; she went with her boyfriend, Tor Helkennen.  She's been seeing Tor for several months; she is most definitely in love!  :)  Glad to see; for a while, she was worried she'd never find a man to love her.  Ilsa was very depressed:  she'd come to my house, crying her eyes out; it was hard to put up with that.

I don't like being around people who are constantly depressed.  I have more than enough problems of my own; I don't need other people dumping their troubles on me!  It isn't good for my own health, which isn't great anyway.

Like now.  I'm so stiff and sore it isn't funny.  Yesterday I fell while walking to the bathroom:  hit a slick spot, down I went.  Landed hard; thought for a minute I broke my tailbone; the pain was incredible.  I called a neighbour to come help me up; she then had me call Nik at his work, to tell him I'd fallen.  He came home not even an hour later; we went to the doctor's, to make sure I didn't do anything to myself.  I didn't, but I will be sore for several days.

Landed right on my crutches.  *OW*  That felt good on the body, when I already have fibromyalgia, not to mention MS--NOT!!!!

Well,  I am going to go.  The kids have been asleep for over an hour and a half; it's time to wake them up.  Hopefully Erick and Birtta will be in better moods; they were fighting before I made them lie down.  As for Ilsa Magdalina, our youngest, she was falling asleep as I tried to feed her her lunch.  I will write in here again soon; until later, this is Sari saying Nakemiin!

~Love, your friend in Finland, Sari Annike.  :)