My Trip to Utah

I went to Utah for two weeks in June to see and stay with my sisters. I stayed one week with Lani and one week with Maile. Andrew also went to visit Bryan. I couldn't have gone without Andrew's help on the plane and in the airport (thank you Andrew!) I also stayed with mom for two days and saw Ken, which was nice.

Jade and Mom at Mom's house

Bryan surprised Andrew with a trip to Cali the day after we got there. Andrew had no idea until Bryan couldn't take it anymore and spilled the beans. He told Andrew he had a confession...he was tired and they were going to stay the night in Las Vegas and go to Cali the next day. Andrew just kept saying "are you serious?" and Bryan said it was "sweet."

Andrew and Bryan

I told my sisters they didn't have to entertain me, I just wanted to blend into their lives. I had a lot of fun talking to them and "blending" :) The first week, I went to church and had lunch with my uncle and aunt Carl and Leonette Clark. He isn't really my uncle, he's mom's first cousin, and my first cousin once removed, but my siblings and I have always called him uncle Carl, so that's what he is to me. I had a really great time visiting and getting to know them.

Aunt Leonette and Uncle Carl Clark

One of the highlights of my trip was the day Lani got a slip 'n slide for her little girls who are 6 and 3. The first time they tried it, they ran, jumped, and...stuck, no sliding! It was so funny! They finally got the hang of it and had a blast getting wet. I'm so bummed I didn't take any pictures, I was too busy watching I guess!

Sophie McCann

Claire and Lani McCann

Another favorite highlight was when Maile took me for a ride up American Fork Canyon. We drove up to Tibble Fork Lake with the windows down. (It's a man-made lake that is really a dam.) People were having a good time picnicking, fishing and playing in the water.

The things I loved about this ride were: 1) talking to Maile, 2) the quaint, two-lane road, 3) driving right next to the river-I love to hear and see it,  4) people barbecuing, and 5) the air smelled good!

I've never stayed with Maile before and really enjoyed getting to know her. I discovered that we are a lot a like!

Maile Chu

This will probably be my last trip out to Utah unless I feel better the next time but I'm glad I got to spend some time with my family. Now it's their turn to come and see me in Kansas!

The Lovgren Family in Sweden

Tore, Monika, Ann-Sofie (Ahlqvist), Nils Lovgren

This is Per's family: Tore, Monika, Ann-Sofie, and Nils. They all live in Sweden, and we live here, 3,000 miles away in the U.S, in Kansas. I like to visit them in Sweden, but we only go every couple of years because it's expensive.

I wish we were going to see them this year. We haven't been to Sweden since 2008 when we picked Bryan up from his mission in France. I can't believe it's already been two years since we've seen them. Per went to Sweden for a few days last year when he went to Europe on a business trip but I haven't seen them for a couple of years.

I wish I could get to know them better but it's hard to do because we don't speak the same language. Even so, we are still family and I miss them. I miss the smell of Sweden and the smell of their home. I miss Monika's yummy food and Nils playing golf outside with my guys. I miss sleeping there and waking up to the sound of the wind rustling through the trees and the birds chirping. Most of all, I miss the four of them.

I hope we take a trip there soon. Until then, at least I have pictures and memories.

Dear Uber-dude

Per always has a way to make me laugh. We say a prayer before every meal and sometimes he says 'Dear Uber-dude'. It makes us laugh then he says a 'nice' prayer. Thanks, honey, for your sense of humor. I don't think God minds.

Merry Christmas 2009

We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

I love my boys

Andrew Lovgren and Summer

I just have to say how great Andrew is. He is growing up so fast (will be 16 in Nov). My baby will be gone before you know it.

He has loved skateboarding since he was about 5 and has been an artist since he was 3. He's been playing the trumpet since 5th grade and is so musical. Now he's teaching himself songs on the piano. I'm really proud of him. He is awesome at rockband, I don't know how he makes his fingers move so quickly, and he has such good rhythm on the drums, it's amazing how he can play the bass with his foot when it has a totally different beat than the rest of the drums.

He's been making movies lately with his friends and uploading them on youtube under the name Unanimous Films. Now he'll be going to Olathe NW High School this year and doing a 21st Century eComm program that will teach him about film making and editing. The other day when I picked him up at the skatepark he said "why am I always the filmer? I want to skate, but noone films as good as me." I think this program is going to be right up his alley.

Of course Andrew wants to be a pro-skater first and we do what we can to support him. That means new skateboards when the current ones crack or break, new shoes when the old ones wear out from skating and rubbing against the grip tape, and taking him all around town to different skate parks. I hope his dream will payoff one day and he will get to do what he loves for the rest of his life.

Bryan Lovgren

What can I say about Bryan? I always told him he was "the greatest son a mom could ever have" and I still mean it. He's 23 now and I'm learning how to have an adult child. It's kinda cool actually. He's lived in France for two years, Hawaii for 8 months, and now he's going to BYU in Provo, Utah. Quite the world traveler.

I'm really proud of how hard Bryan works in school and how he tries hard to stay temple worthy and morally clean. It can be hard for a guy after he comes home from his mission and a lot of guys have fallen off the moral bandwagon, but I admire Bryan and his diligence to do what is right. I know he will be blessed for it one day.

As you can see Bryan loves surfing. Actually, he loves any sport or physical activity (he got that from Per, certainly not from me!) He was a really great football player until he tore the ACL in his knee and ended his football playing career. He is also good at playing guitar and writing songs. His poetry is very well written, and he is very tender hearted. He cares a lot about people and is a loyal friend. He loves his family very much and our family wouldn't be the same without him.

Per Lovgren

Per is my true love, my soul mate and my friend. I feel good when he's around and I like it when he's home. He's been working for CEM for 17 years and they finally appreciate him and the knowledge he has. I think they are just plain lucky to have him.

Per loves to be outside. He likes to work on the yard, or the cars and especially likes to work with his hands. His dream would be to have a workshop where he could do all the projects he has in his head. He loves electronics and you know it when you come over to our house. He built a home theater system in our basement, wired our house for networking and now we have WiFi (go figure). He'll say "who's been touching the sound?" when we watch a movie downstairs and fix the 5 point surround sound that sounds fine to me.

You may not know that Per is a really good cook. He has baked since we've been married starting with homemade scones (with butter and cheese-jam for me) and just about a month ago he taught himself how to make french bread. We have a Swedish dinner tradition at our home every Christmas where Per makes Swedish food including salt curing a ham for 3 weeks. We have the same dinner every year on Christmas eve.

Per says some funny things. He's also the smartest person I know. He has a morality that is unflinching and he's the rock of our family. One of the things that makes him great is that he loves his family very much. I always thought of him as a golden retriever. A trusty friend who stays by your side. A protector. My best friend.

I was just thinking about my family today and wanted to share how much I love them.