Christmas-spirit in LA!

Anyone who knows me knows that I quite literally think that Christmas-time is the most wonderful time of the year, and that December is the most amazing month. However, this year it was my first Christmas away from home, and also probably the busiest I've ever been in December. Despite that it was quite stressful and despite that I was really homesick; it was a really good month! Since I was in LA it was obviously no snow, but I went hunting as much as I could and went to a few places with amazing Christmas-lightning so I still got very much in the festive Christmas-spirit! 

Alla som känner mig vet att jag älskar december och bokstavligt talar tycker att jul är 'the most wonderful time of the year!'. Detta var dock min första jul som jag inte var hemma, och också troligen det mest upptagna jag nånsin har varit i december. Men bortsett från att det var ganska stressigt och att jag hade mycket hemlängtan, så var det en väldigt bra månad! Eftersom jag var i LA var det såklart ingen snö, men jag letade reda på ett helt gäng ställen med otroligt fina juldekorationer så det blev mycket julkänsla ändå! Här är några av mina favorit-ställen som jag starkt rekommenderar om du nångång är i LA runt jul!! 

( Most pics are taken with my iPhone so sorry for bad quality! // De flesta av mina bilder är tagna med min iPhone så ledsen för dålig kvalité! )

Riverside Christmas of Lights! 

Americana at Brand!

Beverly Hills!

I would definitely recommend visiting all of these if you ever are in LA around Christmas!! I would also recommend going to the Grove, Downtown Disney, & the Altadena Christmas lightning! It was very beautiful as well!

Me and Natasha decorated a tree together... It was a blast but unfortunately didn't turn out that well haha!  

Small group-family and roomies pictures at our DCLS Christmas party! So grateful for them all!!

They had a Christmas-party in the project site I go to several times a week, there was fake snow and a Santa who danced with all of us. The kids absolutely loved it and so did I!! 

My sister helped me make two Christmas cards with my Smallgroup-family. So ending with these two cause I'm happy with them!! Haha:) 

The last bookstore

Went to the last bookstore in Downtown with my smallgroup-family earlier this week, and oh. my. goodness. It is amazing! Wether if you like reading or not, it is such an amazing and cool place to go to. I can't believe it was only my first time after have been living here for so long. Definitely want to go back soon, I could honestly probably spend an entire day in there just wandering around by all the amazing art and books. 

Åkte till The last bookstore I Downtown med min 'smallgroup-family' i veckan, och wowww, sånt fantastiskt ställe!! Vare sig man gillar att läsa eller ej, så är det ett sjukt coolt ställe att åka till. Förstår inte hur detta bara var min första gång när jag bor här så länge. Vill definitivt tillbaka snart, skulle ärligt kunna spendera en hel dag där, och bara gå vandra omkring med all fantastisk konst & böcker. 

The pictures speaks a bit for themselves. It's such a cool place, I can't get over it! // Bilderna talar lite för sig själva, ett så himla coolt ställe!

In the same building we found a 'hidden' café called Café Nine! I didnt have much time so only tried their coffee but I would still recommend it because it was a supercute place! Also the fact that it was hidden just makes it 10x more interesting:) / I samma byggnad finns ett 'gömt' café vid namn Café Nine! Vi hade inte så mycket tid så hann bara testa deras kaffe, men definitivt rekommenderat ändå för var ett jättefint & mysigt ställe! Faktumet att det var gömt gör det 10x mer intressant också :)

Thanksgiving

My first thanksgiving was definitely one for the books. My friend Jessica invited me and my friend Rebeca to come with her to her house in Fresno over the weekend and it was so much fun!! 

Her family is Mexican and the first question I got from them was "can you make tortillas?", hahah! Her family was crazy, but so friendly and so great, and extremely huge. 

The weekend was filled with meeting all of her different relatives, eating, exploring, eating, freezing, resting, eating, watching movies, eating, and well... eating, haha. I got to try a bunch of different Mexican food, (and also their coffee, which fyi was soo good!). Also had the traditional American thanksgiving food. It was so nice to have home cooked food!! Gosh how I miss that living at the dream center. 

It was such a great weekend, just what I needed. I am so thankful I was able to go! So thankful for many things in my life. Thankful for friends and family that supports me from back home, and thankful for the new friends and family I've made since I've been living in America. I feel so very blessed. 

Also loving the thanksgiving tradition, I want to bring it to Europe! Would also love to bring all the Black Friday sales, minus the craziness they involve.

Har nu firat min första thanksgiving, och det var verkligen något jag aldrig kommer glömma. Min vän Jessica bjöd mig och min vän Rebeca över till hennes familj i Fresno och det var en så underbar helg!!

Hennes familj är mexikansk och första frågan jag fick av dem var "vet du hur man gör tortillas?", hahah! Hennes familj var rätt galen, men så oärligt trevliga och härliga, och också extremt stor. 

Helgen var full av att träffa alla hennes släktingar, äta, utforskande, frysa, vila, äta, kolla på tv, äta, och....äta. Haha. Fick testa många olika sorters mexikansk mat, (även deras kaffe vilket förövrigt var såå gott!). På thanksgiving fick jag även testa på den traditionella amerikanska thanksgiving maten. Det var överhuvudtaget så himla gott med hemmalagat!, är galet vad man saknar det när man bor på dream center. 

Det var en så otroligt bra helg, precis vad jag behövde. Så tacksam att jag fick möjligheten att åka dit! Så tacksam för så mycket i mitt liv. Tacksam för vänner och familj som supportar mig och är med mig hemifrån, och också så tacksam för alla nya vänner och familj som jag har fått sedan jag flyttade till Amerika. Evigt tacksam för att jag är så lyckligt lottad. :) 

Älskar också thanksgiving traditionen, vill ta med den hem till Europa!! Man kan aldrig vara för mycket tacksam. Skulle också vilja ta med hem alla galna Black Friday rea, minus alla galenheter den åstadkommer. 

With the girls! A little bummed cause don't have any pictures of the food I've tried or any with any of all the people I met this weekend, not even with Carissa, our friend who came one day to visit. Oh well! Memories still stand:) / Med tjejerna! Lite ledsen för tog inga bilder av varken maten eller bild med några av alla jag träffade denna helg, inte ens med Carissa, vår vän som kom och hälsa på en av dagarna. Ohwell! 

Somewhere in Fresno, and it was so pretty. At nighttime the little house had fake snow outside of it, so pretty! / Någonstans i Fresno, det var så vackert. På kvällen hade de fejksnö utanför det lilla huset, var så fint! 

Got to try this amazing tea-place Teazers. Had the best chai tea I've ever had from there. Definitely recommended for anyone ever being around the Fresno area! // Fick testa detta otroligt bra te ställe Teazers. Hade det bästa chai teet jag nånsin smakat därifrån. Definitivt rekommenderat om man någonsin har vägarna förbi Fresno! 

All of the leafs had changed there and it got me so excited. Finally a taste of autumn after being in LA this entire time. It was so beautiful! // Alla löven hade ändrat färg där och det gjorde mig så lycklig. Äntligen lite höstkänsla efter att ha varit i LA så länge. Det var så vackert! 

Had the best weekend, so thankful I got to go!! / Hade en så fantastisk helg, så tacksam att jag kunds åka dit! 

Autumn in Fresno

Like I mentioned in my other post, all of the leafs had changed in Fresno and it just made me so happy. Finally a taste of autumn after being in LA this entire time. The colours were so beautiful so we went out and took a bunch of pretty photos one of the days, here are some more of them! // Som jag nämnde innan så hade alla löven ändrat färg i Fresno och de gjorde mig så himla glad. Äntligen riktigt höstkänsla efter att ha varit i LA hela hösten. Var så otroligt vackra färger så vi tog en massa bilder, här är fler av bilderna vi tog! 

So thankful for these two and for this trip!! // Så tacksam för dessa två och denna helgen!! 

Catching up!

I haven't blogged in foreverrrrrr and these past few months of my life has been so crazy there's no way I can catch up on all of it, but I'll try. And I'm also gonna try and be better at blogging this coming year. 

From January-August I did my first year of Dream Center Leadership School (DCLS), and it was some of the best but hardest months of my life. I was challenged and stretched in so many different areas of my life. I made so many great friends, that I now consider family, and I have so many amazing stories, memories & experiences that I'll never forget. 

Everything from having to fight some battles in my personal life, to feeding homeless, to serving at the church, to having my sister come visit & go to Disneyland, to going on morning hikes, to learning more English & experience the American culture, to getting really bad sunburns from being at the beach, everything, it was such an awesome year. 

And in the middle of summer, just a few weeks before our graduation on august 9th, God put on my heart to apply for a 2d year, for DCLS fall class and not January class. It was a crazy thought considering I would only be able to go home for about three weeks before coming back and starting again, and in that time have to apply for a new VISA to even be allowed back in the states. It was also a scary thought considering that I barely knew anyone in that class, and that my sister Lollo and my two best friends Sisela & Sophie were not gonna be with me. It was an even more crazy thought considering that I was pretty much broke, so another year would mean I'd have to borrow even more money from my parents. But even though it was scary & crazy & slightly insane, it felt right and I knew God had put it in my heart, so I applied, and I got accepted. And it all worked out. 

I went home after grad for a just few weeks, hung out with my dear family & friends whom I had missed very much, applied for a VISA & got it accepted,

And then after those three weeks, I went back here to LA and now I've been here for almost three months. It's been three very busy, but amazing, months. It's weird to think about how some of these people were strangers just three months ago, but now I consider them my best friends. 

I would lie if I said everything's been super easy, cause I have been homesick and stuff has been challenging, and everything's also been really busy, but I do feel so very blessed & thankful to be here for another year! 

My small but great graduating class!

Smallgroup-family my first year! The Rosmoores! :) 

Disneyland!

Dreamteam!! My roommate, my sister & my best friend. Miss them all dearly.

My parents & my dog in my beautiful home city in Sweden!

My amazing roomies this year!

The 2d year-team!

Smallgroup-family this year, The Smiths! :)

It's hard to not be in love with this city.