• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Dear Sabrina

  • Family
  • Happiness
  • Life in Sweden
  • Beauty
  • Thinking
  • Miscellany
  • About
    • Now
You are here: Home / Thinking / What Have You Been Thinking About Lately?

What Have You Been Thinking About Lately?

July 19, 2017 By Jodi

Lavender at sunset in Devon, England
I don't need to mention how long it's been since I posted or how badly I feel about that—I'm sure those things are obvious. I've had lots of ideas for posts and zero time to write them out: we were in England for a week, visiting family; two days after we returned, we hosted family for a week. And then we had a couple major-minor (I can't tell the difference these days) crises regarding details for our relocation—our daycare provider canceled on us less than a month before the boys were supposed to begin, and then we realized less than three weeks before the move that we hadn't booked movers!). It is no exaggeration to say that every single free moment I've had has been spent attending to these and other details, if not folding laundry or sorting through all our possessions, and sometimes even showering.

I suppose the good news is that time must go on, and at some point this difficult and overwhelming period will be over (if only to leave us at the doorstep of another difficult and overwhelming period of repatriation and settling in).

In lieu of a comprehensive post about something in particular, this one is just a short check-in to say hello and I miss you! and share a few things I'm thinking about.
Watersmeet, Devon, EnglandAugust at Watersmeet, Devon, EnglandBoys in the river at Watersmeet Boys eating ice cream I just read this piece about kids and dirt and felt totally vindicated. We are absolutely not a sterile household and don't worry all that much about dirt and germs, and now science, and a new book, backs us up. I was on a ferry in the Stockholm archipelago with the kids a couple years ago, when Leif was still crawling, and an older couple watched me follow Leif around the boat for a few minutes and then looked at me and said, approvingly, "He's going to have a strong immune system!" They were right, though I can't say for sure whether it's because he may have licked the table legs... 😉

Lavender in Devon, England Lavender in Devon, EnglandI've fallen in love with lavender lately. The plant itself and the scent. I have this luxurious L'Occitane Hand Cream, which I find heavenly and indulgent. When we were in England, I spent an evening photographing all the lavender plants around my in-laws' garden, an outing that was also heavenly and indulgent. I read a beautiful essay years ago about a man searching for the exact lavender scent his father used to wear, and that essay left me intrigued by lavender, where previously I'd dismissed it as too feminine. The scent of that hand cream is perfect, almost masculine and musky.

Flower at sunset in Devon, England Flowers in the wall in Devon
We've had a great time in Sweden and we are sad to leave, even though we are excited to be moving to the Pacific Northwest. It's a stressful and sad time right now, dealing with both the logistics of the move and the mixed feelings of leaving such a beautiful home and city. A friend here in Sweden was consoling me earlier this evening, reminding me that we'll meet interesting people and do exciting things in our new home, and she's right (thanks Lotta!). But in that very moment, I realized that true friends aren't replaceable. That's what's so great about friends, that your particular connection with any one person is so unique, and that each relationship speaks to and brings out different aspects of self, that you can never quite replace a friend who isn't there anymore. There's no doubt I'll make new friends, and there's no doubt that I'll miss tremendously the ones we're leaving in Stockholm.

Boys running through the orchard in Devon

I loved watching the boys run through the orchard at my in-laws' house in Devon.

Leif running through the orchard in Devon
I found the response to my previous post so engaging and thoughtful. I got several responses on my personal Facebook page (did you know you can follow Dear Sabrina on FB?) as well as in my inbox. There are so many stories and so many perspectives, and I hope to start sharing them here on Dear Sabrina once we get settled into our new home (so sometime around 2018, right?). If you have a story about in/fertility, miscarriage, birth, post-partum depression, or even the decision NOT to have children that you'd like to share, please do!

What have you been thinking about lately? I don't know when I'll get a chance to post again, so I'd love to hear what YOU are thinking about these days!

All photos by me.

In case you haven't heard, we're moving. Some other stuff to read while I'm not posting here.

Share this:

  • Email
  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Related

Filed Under: Family, Friendship, Natural Beauty, Thinking Tagged With: devon, england, flowers, friends, friendship, lavender, summer

Previous Post: « Announcing Pregnancies and Talking About Miscarriages
Next Post: Spending All Day At the Playground »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

About Jodi

I just repatriated from Sweden to the US with my British husband and three young kids. I started this site while living in Sweden to build the conversations and community we've had with loved ones around the world, and to create a space to share thoughts about life, beauty, motherhood, and everything else. read more →

Connect & Follow

  • Bloglovin
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Receive the weekly newsletter

* indicates required
/ ( mm / dd )

Recent Posts

The One Thing I Always Wish I'd Brought With Me On Vacation

January 16, 2017 By Jodi 6 Comments

Herbs, spices, vegetables, knives ready to cook

We're having a great time in Spain so far: it's been sunny, warm(ish), and we've spent our days walking, playing, and eating. This is EXACTLY what we came for. But there's one thing I forgot to bring that I'm kicking myself about...

Friday Fun: the Bump

September 2, 2016 By Jodi Leave a Comment

Jodi-pregnant-carl-eldhs-studio-museum

The weekend is nearly here and we're finally recovering from jetlag. The boys and I slept the whole night through for the first time since returning from Michigan, which has done wonders for my sanity and ability to write semi-coherent sentences. To answer the question that's surely on your mind after seeing the picture above: yes, I've...

Read More

I Abandoned My Family, and It Was Marvelous

October 31, 2016 By Jodi Leave a Comment

Rocky outcrop in Swedish archipelago

Today is the final contributor post on Dear Sabrina for this period. We travel back to Sweden tonight, and I plan to get back to my regular posting on Wednesday. Thanks for sticking around during my absence, and checking out the words and stories from my friends. Lisa Ferland is another American mother living in Sweden. I...

Read More

Do You Use the Oxford Comma?

December 20, 2016 By Jodi 4 Comments

German typewriter

I love grammar. In elementary school, I loved having English homework and doing all the exercises, paying attention to exactly where apostrophes and commas go and how, exactly, to use a semi-colon. (And I use too many of them, according to my search engine optimization plugin.) Which means, of course, that I love the Oxford comma.

Categories

  • Beauty
  • Family
  • Happiness
  • Life in Sweden
  • Miscellany
  • Thinking

Follow me on Bloglovin'

Follow

Instagram

Footer

About Dear Sabrina

Welcome! Dear Sabrina is a lifestyle blog for the thinking woman (and man, if men read lifestyle blogs). I hope that visiting this site gives you something to think about, makes you laugh, or shows you something new. If you want to further connect, find me on one of networks below or send an email.
Thanks for reading, and let me know what you think. More about me…

  • Bloglovin
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Copyright © 2023 · Jodi Elliott

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.