Wish YOU a Happy Powerful New Year 2010, from Ingrid Elfver, your muse and mentor, at a wonderful dinner in Boulder, Colorado... Had an amazing time... and am so excited about the new year... its going to be the most FANTASTIC year yet...

Wish YOU a Happy Powerful New Year 2010, from Ingrid Elfver, your muse and mentor, at a wonderful dinner in Boulder, Colorado... Had an amazing time... and am so excited about the new year... its going to be the most FANTASTIC year yet...

I am so GRATEFUL for YOU...
Happy THANKSGIVING, from Grand Lake...

My husband Mark and I went up to Grand Lake Colorado for a MINI-vacation... We had an amazing time... In the video I had a bit of comptetition with the Canadian Geese... who was making lots of noise... It was a BEAUTIFUL weekend, and we went to Vail also, to have time to walk around, see all the skier on the slope, and have a wonderful dinner there...

I made it! Landing in Stockholm was a celebration for me, finally flying overseas again. For the last six years I have been overcoming a vestibular illness of the inner ear which causes extreme vertigo, and flying has seemed impossible. During the first leg of my flight I got so dizzy that I wondered if I should turn around and go back to Boulder, Colorado. But I felt that I could work through the dizziness. So I visualized my Self free and fearless, determined to board my connecting flight to Sweden!

It is interesting that we can make all the plans we want but life still happens. Right before leaving for Sweden I heard that my mother had smashed her shoulder in a bicycle accident and needed serious surgery. So, much of my time in Sweden was spent being a caretaker, nurturer, and helper. It felt right being there for my mother when she was hurting. Although we had planned all kinds of wonderful things to do during my visit, that all had to be put aside. The only thing that mattered suddenly was trying to help with all those little things that we all need help with when we are hurt or ill. My incredible stepfather Pål and I took turns taking care of my mother throughout the day.

Yet Stockholm city was alluring with a heat wave as I arrived. It was amazing taking a ferry to one of the 11 islands that make up Stockholm, wearing a short sleeve shirt! Having grown up in Sweden I remember many summers where my lips and feet were blue from the cold. Yet I was greeted this time by warmth and light (during Swedish summers it gets light at about 3 am and dark about 11 pm). This means that Swedes have lots more energy in the summer because winter days are the opposite: cold and dark.

Even though my mother was injured I was still able to visit with lots of my wonderful Swedish friends at magical and enchanting restaurants, including one waterside restaurant where you literally sit on the water. So even though I was being a caretaker I was able to bliss and be filled with joy and peace: taking walks, swimming in a lake with the water lilies, sitting at cafés, writing and drawing, and yes, even shopping. There was one day when I had to slow down and take lots of deep breaths to keep my Self from getting dizzy. Life is always about being on the edge but there is such great beauty in every part of it. So I surrendered and blissed at what was.

Swedish people are incredibly modern and fashion conscious. Many of them move fast through life, very aware and very educated. Yet Swedes have an honesty and depth that perhaps only a northern cold climate and winter darkness can bring out. There is a deep strength and naked beauty everywhere in Sweden. Stockholm and its inhabitants continue to take my breath away.

Near the end of my visit I flew down to Southern Sweden to see my 95-year-old grandmother, who is now in the process of moving to a home with full-time care. It is amazing how her youth and inner determination still shine through. I also enjoyed catching up with my Uncle and his family, and having a wonderful dinner with them.

So the journey back to my birthplace has made me feel more empowered, fearlessly moving through my dizziness, enjoying each moment as it comes, and loving what life brings me. I truly love being present since life is so full of surprises and none of knows what life will bring next.

Returning to the United States has made me more excited than ever about my magical life here, and I am ready to take on my busy fall schedule. My trip enhanced the love I have for my homeland, but also the love that have for who I am and where I am here and now.

I hope you are having an amazing summer also. I hope that you, too, have been visiting with family and friends, appreciating all the surprises that life has been bringing you, and embracing what is truly important to you.

Blissings and blessings,

Ingrid Elfver

P.S. - For more information about Sweden visit www.Sweden.se.</a>