Lizardek

04
Jan
2026

JINGLE JINGLE, PART THE SECOND*

As usual, I was living in the moment and didn’t take nearly enough photos of our time in the States, but I was apparently better than the rest of my family. Martin says he only took 2 photos the entire time, haha. Here’s the photo dump from our holidays! Essie, Danely, and Karin decorating cookies Karin and Martin decorating cookies Karin outdoes herself with a cookie too pretty to eat! Anders, Essie, Karin, Grandma Linda, and Martin – ready to open presents Danely is also ready to open presents The elusive Mr Bryce Me and my mom (who is not...

03
Jan
2026

RESOLUTIONS, RELAXING, AND REMINISCING

I’ve been musing about new year’s resolutions and trying to decide if I want to do something. I really enjoyed the years that I had done a once-a-month resolution (5Ks, art, poetry), but I don’t really have any good ideas. I supposed I could do art every month again, since it’s been a few years. Or maybe I will do write a letter every month this year! That’s a good idea, I think! I might even make it write-at-least-1-letter every month for 2026. We got home from North Carolina yesterday after a long day of traveling. We got up a...

31
Dec
2025

RETROSPECTIVE

a! I remembered! I was afraid I would forget and not remember to write my year-end retrospective until I got home and that would mean it would actually have been written in the new year. I think it’s happened once or maybe twice before but I’d much rather have it be my last post of the year. We are at my sister’s place in North Carolina, spending the holidays with her and her family, and my mom. It’s 10 days total and we have 1.5 days left, as we fly home on January 1st. We will actually arrive back in...

20
Dec
2025

EK FAMILY CHRISTMAS LETTER 2025

2025 has been a lot, especially for Liz, and she is glad we have nearly reached the end of it. But there were lots of good things throughout the year as well! Karin spent a week in Canazei in January working for LionAlpin, and she and Anders went back in March for a week of skiing as well. In March, Liz headed to N. Carolina to stay for 4 weeks with Sarah and help with getting mom moved in to Sarah’s house. John arrived for the second 2 weeks of her stay and they managed to get mom’s house nearly...

16
Dec
2025

JINGLE JINGLE, PART THE FIRST

In the spirit of trying to write as many posts as possible this year (and next!), here I am. It’s been a busy day in a busy week. Since I got home just before 5 pm I have tidied up, emptied the dishwasher, refilled it, handwashed a pile of dishes, filled in appointments and activities in my 2026 calendars, eaten dinner, listened to Discover Weekly and added a bunch of new music to my playlist, read a couple of newsletters (am behind by a day), and placed my new mousepad (gaming pad, hahahaha) by the keyboard. Still have to install...

13
Dec
2025

ONE WEEK TO LIFTOFF

We’re so bound to our bodies, aren’t we? There’s no real way to escape these bags of flesh and bone that we tote about the world, looking out of them with organs that turn and blink and interpret via another organ that steers everything. It’s hard to imagine that the fine-tuned muscle machine we’ve always relied on is slowing down, is corroding, and is eventually going to just…stop. No one told me that after I turned 60 things would just start falling apart so fast, but that has definitely been my experience. I thought I’d have at least another 10-15...

10
Dec
2025

DECEMBER DELIBERATIONS

I was trying so hard this year to post more, and I can’t tell if I’ve succeeded…I think so…? Will have to see how fat my printed blog book for 2025 turns out to be when I’m done with it in the beginning of the new year. It’s crazy that it’s nearly the end of another year. I went to the mall after work and picked up the very last Christmas present that I needed. So now I am totally done. I hope. haha ha I even got the secret santa gift for work, and some tissue paper and pretty...

05
Dec
2025

DECK THE HALLS WITH STRESS AND TINSEL

Because we will be away this year for Christmas we are not getting a tree. Putting up a tree basically requires a week’s worth of work: a whole day to go out to the Christmas tree farm which is 40 minutes away, tramping out into the woods to find the perfect tree, cutting it down, carrying it back to the car. Then Anders has to tie it to the roof (something I can’t help much with), then driving home and getting it off the car and on to the porch where it usually sits for 24 hours to give bugs...

02
Dec
2025

JUST SAYIN’

I keep meaning to post, but never getting around to it. Either I’m too busy or too tired or too distracted or too lazy. I’ve finished all the Christmas shopping, and this week am wrapping presents, both for Christmas and for Martin and Theo’s birthdays. I have about 3 more left, and then have bags and bags of stocking stuffers to wrap. I went a little overboard, I think…those bags are HEAVY. I’ve finished all the shopping for my first family as well, though I’m going to a Swedish julmarknad on December 13th anyway. We’ll see if there’s anything fun...

23
Nov
2025

GOBBLE GOBBLE

We had our Friendsgiving dinner last night and it was lovely. I think it was less chaotic due to the fact that we were only 20 people. We were missing 9 from our usual crowd, and it just made it nice and calm and really easy to talk to everyone throughout the course of the evening. Anders cooked one turkey on Friday and 2 turkeys plus 2 turkey breasts yesterday but I think if we manage to keep it around 20 people next year, we could actually get down to just the 2+2 and skip that 3rd or (eek) 4th...