When Harry Met Lloyd - in Sweden

Wow.

What a week! I fall short of finding any word to adequately describe this past week in Sweden, so I will do my best to explain.

The obvious highlight of the week was the Arrival of my younger (but not little) brother Drew! After braving the trans-Atlantic flight with no cell phone and no prior solo international travel experience, we managed to meet up without any hiccups at Arlanda Airport this past Saturday. It never ceases to amaze me how powerful family can be! As great as a time as I have been having in Stockholm, it seems that everything really seems to click when you are in the company of your family!

As a member of the Hawkins' family, that isn't always the easiest thing to accomplish. While always close in heart, our geography doesn't seem to match up! Right now, My sister Ashley is overseas with my brother-in-law Matt, and my sister Brittany is running an educational center in Boise, Idaho while raising the two cutest kids to ever grace the planet Earth. Mom and Dad are hard to pinpoint to one location. Always up for travel and never short on spontaneity, their fervor for seeing relatives and experiencing no things is rivaled only by their love and passion for their children. Drewbob has been based in Boulder finishing up school but decided to sacrifice a week of babes in some undisclosed tropical locale to come hang out with me in Sweden. While I haven't laughed this hard in quite some time, we are actually managing to get some serious sigh-seeing done as well!

After Drew arrived on Saturday, we took the Arlanda Express into town and hopped on the Subway as fast as we could. I had told Drew that we had to hurry, but I did not tell him that we were rushing to beat the clock in order to get to the Sold-Out Rise Against Concert in time for optimum show experience. Neither of us had ever seen Rise Against play a show outside of warped tour, and they didn't disappoint. Playing inside a concert house at the internationally-renowned Globe Arena (it is the largest spherical structure in the world), between 8 and 9 thousand people sang, laughed, and cried their way through such hits as Prayer of the Refugee, Give it All, and Swing Life Away. After spending the entirety of the opening sets working our way to the front and center of the stage, we were greeted with a tidal wave of people smashing you into the stage when the concert began. I have been at crazy, highly populated concerts before, but nothing came close to the combination of a bunch of crazy Scandinavians jumping, fist-pumping, and rump-to-rump romping that this crowd pulled off! At first it was a bit surprising, but once you got used to the lack of air, abundance of sweat, and random elbows to the face that these close quarters provided, it wasn't so bad. The band played a great show, and masterfully mixed in old hits with the new favorites. It was nothing short of awesome, and having my brother there for the whole experience made it even more memorable.

The next day Drew and I had to wake up at the crack of dawn in order to get started with another exciting day. We ran to the Subway and hopped on a train to the exact location of the concert the evening prior. However, this time we arrived not just as fans, but as Security. The Swedish National Bandy Finale was to be played in Uppsala Sunday afternoon, and several members of my Stockholm Mean Machines squad were scheduled to work the event. After trying to navigate several Swedish Websites to find tickets, I decided that working Security and getting in for free would be much better than trying to scalp tickets from the already sold out event. For those of you who don't know what "Bandy" is, it is basically soccer played with hockey equipment. While it irks any quarterback to see a football field covered completely in ice (as it was, literally), the game was extremely exciting and provided lots of good action throughout the match. Watching 20,000 fans screaming and chanting outdoors to a hockey-like game was very impressive. To me, the game atmosphere seemed very similar to how American's perceive European Soccer, but with more hitting and speed and good ole futbol. Maybe it is that desire to take something the English do and make it more violent and intense that separates the Swedes from the rest of Europe. The Vikings were great warriors, as were the British, but while the red-coats were mending their suits and bowing to their majesty, the Vikings were cutting-off heads, kicking butt and taking names. Heck, their lifestyle was so exciting that they didn't bother to tell anyone about their discovery of North America. When Christopher Columbus discovered North America, he freaked out, but that is because he had been having tea and strumpets for most of his life while he illustrated maps. The Vikings were out burning down villages and having a party wherever and whenever they wanted. Maybe that is not exactly the point I am trying to make about Bandy, but you get the idea! The National Championship match between Bollnas and SAIK was awesome, coming right down to the wire and ending in sudden-death overtime in favor of SAIK. Drew and I had great seats, as we appointed ourselves the Aisle-patrol in the VIP section right at midfield (err....rink?). While others were checking tickets and settling down hooligans in the other parts of the stadium, the Hawkins' boys made sure no one spilled their coffee or dropped their scarves while we enjoyed a classic Swedish championship game. Sorry to everyone else who reads this and was at that game, we did our best but couldn't travel to Uppsala and NOT see the game when Drew was here. Plus, have you ever seen a Swede spill their coffee? Yea, its hectic, and they needed us there....

After a long day of Bandy, Drew and I grabbed some Kebab with Jonathan Westny at Palmyra, a nice little hole-in-the-wall joint near Gullmarsplan (south of Sodermalm) that serves up tons and tons of delicious middle-eastern meat for a low price. I think I may have wrote about Martin Sohlberg's infatuation with it before, but it is well-deserved. Drew needed to feast after the long day...

Monday provided Drew's first real taste of the city, as our exploits the first two days didn't allow us much time near downtown. We saw lots of cool areas, including the shopping center near T-central, the Castle in Gamla Stan, and the beautiful architecture on the seafront to Djugarden. The highlight of the day was seeing the Vasa Museum. The Vasa is a HUGE old Swedish Warship that sank in the waters offshore of Stockholm in the early 1600s. I really wish I could describe it to you, but it is absolutely impossible to effectively convey. It is so historic, majestic, and just impressive in every way. When you walk in, it is hard to say anything but "WOW". We really enjoyed our time there. Dennis Stockblom had met up with us for the journey, and was kinda enough to translate an old historical documentary that told the story of the Vasa. Its creation, its short maiden voyage, all the way up to its resurrection in 1961. If any of you come visit, I promise we will go there. It is just so impressive to see a sea vessel of that kind, with that history, up close in person. It is very similar to the titanic in my eyes, but closer to the hearts of Swedes, and made of wood, not steel (or whatever Leo DiCaprio's massive boat was composed of). Imagine a Catholic Person seeing Saint Peter's Basilica for the first time. That is pretty much how a Pirate would feel when he saw the Vasa. Since I am equal parts Catholic and Pirate, I was equally blown away.

We spent quite a bit of time there, and probably wouldn't have left if it weren't for the security guards urging us to exit as their working hours had come to a conclusion. We ended the night with a nice dinner and waffles w/ whipped cream and strawberries for dessert(Thanks Felicia and Dennis!). I woke up this morning because I felt the need to write, and update my friends and family back home. Drew and I didn't have to share my twin bed thanks to the donation of Dennis' blow-up mattress. Yet, as I sit here and he continues to sleep, his bed looks more like a Drewbob Burrito than a bed haha...I guess I will have to sleep on that tonight...

Thank you all for reading, and I will try to keep you updated :)

Hawkins/Hokansons - you are awesome!!

Friends back home - I miss you all!

Hej Da!!

P.S. I just got a huge craving for meatballs....IKEA anyone??

So as one week goes, so goes another!

I must first apologize for not writing sooner, but it seems the more settled in I become, the quicker time seems to pass. Yet, the time seems to be passing even faster at home! Time is passing so fast that back in ID and CO my family and friends have gained on me! We are now only 7 hours ahead instead of 8 thanks to the annual "spring forward" time change...

There have been a lot of firsts for me this past week. I had my first authentic Kebab(no, not a shish-kabob), I made my first train trip to another city, and I met my first resident of Kyrgyzstan (Now I know my 5th grade geography teachers weren't pulling my leg, the place does actually exist! Unless it was an over-the-top ploy by Mrs. Scanlon to prove to me that her recess-revoking power extends beyond North America). We also received our first playbook from the Mean Machines. There isn't a whole lot in it, and I am sure the 3rd down package would have my old OC's at Colorado rolling over in their graves. Yet, I think it will be a lot of fun giving the players a chance to audible on a consistent basis and change routes based on coverages. I don't belong in the same category as Peyton Manning unless you are talking about birthdays, and yes, I share March 24th as a birthday with Captain Audible himself. Heck, I even share birthdays with Harry Houdini and Mark "The Undertaker" Callaway from Pro Wrestling hahaha... Even Justinwas kind enough to grace the world with his presence during my mo Bieber nth of birth. It is a shame that the massive bonfires created by millions of 16 year old Bieber-believers on to commemorate his birth will have died out by my Birthday, but hey, I think I will make it.

I actually have something even better coming this weekend. For the first time ever, a Hawkins member will be making the jump over the pond to visit me in Sweden. My smarter/more athletic/better-looking younger brother Drew will be sacrificing a Spring Break potentially inhibited by thousands of college-age hotties in Cancun to come visit me in Stockholm! It looks like the power of Thor and Great Oden's Ravens will come through with some solid weather for the next week as us in Stockholm get ready to officially ring in the Spring! Fingers crossed!

It will be nice to have Harry in town for a while, as Lloyd has been missing out on some good times without him! Yes, I am referring to the characters in Dumb and Dumber - my favorite movie. I was even able to share my love and joy of that movie with my friend Tom over the weekend. I took a train up to Gavle (pronounced Yev-leh) where he lives and works in the offseason and took part in his first Dumb and Dumber experience. Now I know that it isn't just the American dream to drive across the country doubled up on a 50cc scooter, but it is at least one Swede's dream as well.

It is hard to say that there was anything better than that movie that weekend, but there was...I was actually able to spend almost an entire day Monday working on timing/terminology/and football outside for the first time in a while! My birthday-mate Peyton is widely praised for driving long hours to work with his new receivers, but has he ever gone overseas to do it? Yea, take that Colts fans... again, just kidding.

If anyone out there is interested in some good Kebab i Pommes (a Middle-Eastern plate of meaty/potato goodness) my DE Martin Sohlberg knows the place to go. Over the weekend I had the chance to check out a hole-in-the-wall place where you could enjoy a giant meal for the price of two cups of coffee (In Sweden that is about 95 sek, or 15 dollars -pricey, I know...) It was a little bit of a drive, but every mile was worth it. It is an experience...the drive, the food, the people, and the restaurant are all part of what makes the food so appealing and unique. Martin's friend and another Mean Machine Eric Karlsson was also the first BYU cougar fan and LDS believer I have met overseas. It was good to chat with someone who shared the same religious background as so many friends back in the good-ole 208. It must have been a coincidence that my Dad just so happened to be hanging out in Provo for the cougar spring practices...

On a couple other interesting sidenotes.... I saw The Fighter for the first time, the day after it premiered in Sweden haha.... Chicken Nuggets here cost about 13 dollars for a meal ... My gym offers free yoga classes, so soon I will be able to say "Namaste" in Swedish... I am terrible at billiards... I saw my first Bandy game - pronounced Bon-dee - which is basically Ice Hockey played on rink the size of a soccer field with goals just smaller than those used in soccer, it was awesome!

Hopefully all of you are enjoying the transition to Spring back home...We are excited about it in Sweden!!

Love you all and thanks for the support :)

Phrase of the Day - "Var gor det ar taget?" - Pronounced "Vahr goor day air toaget?"

Meaning.... Where is this train going? A phrase I should have used on my way to Gavle...but Hey, a little sight-seeing detour overseas never hurt anyone ;)

Later!

Cody

One Week and Counting...

Its hard to believe I have been in Sweden a week...

People have to overcome a lot of adversity in their life, and, as life would have it, "Moving to Europe" is mine.....haha I know, tough life right?

Things have been great here. It has come as a pleasant surprise that there is better weather in Stockholm right now than in Boise, Idaho and Boulder, Colorado :D. There is still snow on the ground, but in the week I have been here It has been a sunny, dry 32-36 in the daytime, with chillier temperatures when the sun sets. Around here, the saying goes that spring officially arrives when it stays above freezing for a week straight-Sounds lovely right? Well I promise you, it is better than it sounds, and while you are all out shoveling your respective driveways, I will be taking a nice walk through the nature preserve a half-mile from my house.

All in all, living in Sweden has been an easy transition. The Stockholm Mean Machines club has done everything possible to help me out, and the guys on the team are doing their best to make sure I don't turn up the oven to 450 degrees celsius to cook some meatballs and burn the whole housing complex down.

The degrees change is coming along better than expected, but it is the little differences that really let you know you're on the other side of the world. Yesterday, during a nice little stroll through my neighborhood, I noticed there was a small bug on my shoe that I had never seen in my life. I wish I could go all Steve Irwin on you (May He Rest in Peace) and tell you all about the little bugger, but in reality, I have no idea what it was. It was a little orange bug that I have never seen and it served as a reminder that home is a long, long way away!

Even though home is a long, long way away, I am working hard not to forget my friends and family. Before I left, My friends and family gave me several pictures and they are happily displayed around my tiny little room. If that doesn't make you feel like home, waffles with berries and whipped cream definitely will! My mom is unbeatable in this department, but my friend Felicia (girlfriend of my friend/teammate/recruiter Dennis) had us over for her best Misti Hawkins impression...and she came close! It was a delicious treat that I am sure I never appreciated enough while I was home (The typical Swedish breakfast consists of a strong coffee and a pastry).

Competition is always something that I have always enjoyed, and Living in another country has definitely put a limit on those opportunities. After my poor showing at the Billiard hall the other night, I made sure to get back on my horse and head to the "Rock and Bowl" with Magnus, Alexis, and Dennis in the evening to get a good taste in my mouth! I was pleasantly surprised to find an impressive little bowling alley underneath the hustle and bustle of downtown Stockholm. There were only 8 lanes, but what they lacked in size, they made up for ten-fold in character. It was supposed to be a rock and roll theme, backed by electric guitars and posters of lyrical legends adorning each and every wall. However, every music video playing on the screen made it seem much more like a "Tears for Fears" themed bowling alley, which is of course, fine by me :) haha. The music videos were all of Pat Benetar, Duran Duran, and other 80's artists who have haunted my dreams since my birth... My only regret is that Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up" went un-played the entire night - sigh... However, I did manage to bowl the high score in the first game (a free for all game) and in the second game, I teamed up with Alexis to battle Dennis and Magnus in an international (not so) friendly matchup between the Uber-cool United States and the Super Swedes. While Magnus easily bowled the best game, we were able to come out on top with some clutch patriotic pin precision. I know, I know - I promise that is the last bit of alliteration I will use for the time being.

The city is coming together, and with each and every day I am improving my sense of direction and recognizing subtle street signs to find out where I am and where I need to go. Heck, I even bucked the subway trend and took a scenic bus ride through the city the other day! Busses here are not what they are in the states, and they can drop you off at nearly any doorstep in town. If we took a page out of Stockholm's book I am sure that the usage of Public transport in the States would skyrocket. Each day I make new friends, and I actually had a google-translate conversation with a new friend Rosa in my student housing complex. After an awkward encounter in the kitchen, we realized that neither of us spoke swedish beyond small talk (I am working on it!) and my exquisite spanglish led me to have my first ever exclusively google-translated conversation with my friend from El Salvador. New friends are great, but they will never replace the old ones. I really wish I could share my great experiences with everyone back home, but I am doing my best through this blog! If you have any questions, please feel free to share them with me and I will try to get them answered :) I am working on putting together a photo album as well - so you can catch a glimpse of some awesome scenes that I have had the great fortune of witnessing!

Hope you all are doing very well - and I miss each and every one of you!

Hawkins - You're the best, love you all (Who's excited for sister Ashley's birthday on Friday??)

Hokansons -Love you as well (and an official BLOG shout-out to cousin Danny getting into West Point!!! chikka chikka yeyaaa)

Friends at home - thanks for all the support and I miss you and love you all!

Swedish Phrase of the Day(s)

Tjena! - A friendly, upbeat greeting often used by Stockholm-ers much more often than "Hej"

-Pronounced "Chen-nah!"

Et stor varmt chocolat ta med, Tack! - One large hot chocolate to go, please!

-Pronounced "Ett stoor varmT hoocolah ta mid, tack" (They use Tack for both "please" and "thank you"

Hej Da!!

--Cody

Spring is Coming...

Happy Sunday! I hope each and every one of you has found some time to enjoy the changing of the season in your respective homes. In Stockholm, it is no different.

It may be a liiitttle different, considering here we still have snow that would make any mountain shredder jealous. Yet, the sun has been shining and the locals are ecstatic about the positive degree temperatures(in Celsius of course).

The last couple days have been extremely busy, and filled with lots of exciting(and not so exciting) information, but each day brings me closer and closer to being fully acquainted with this great city. Since my last post, I have had a very busy Thursday/Friday/Saturday...

On Thursday, I woke up to one of my WRs heading to my house for a day of "hanging out". Well, in Sweden, "hanging out" means enjoying the 35 degree fahrenheit sun and walking through every nook and cranny of the city. The WHOLE city. We had a blast and saw every section of the city - very similar to Burroughs in New York - but the highlight of the tour was Djugarden (pronounced You-gordon). It is an animal preserve on a large island in the city that used to serve as the Swedish Monarch's personal hunting ground. Think of it as a luxury if you like, but even I could shoot an enormous black bear if you gave me a gun and put the bear in a room with nowhere to go. But, after saying that, I really hope I am not in that situation. After all, at Grandma Hokanson's house, that is a more likely possibility than any of us would like to admit. (Isn't that right Ashley and Brittany?) Anyways, the preserve was amazing, holding many types of birds and mammals, and they even had giant terrarium that was heated and housed snakes, iguanas, and various types of primates. I got the chance to check out some of the European Bison - and they definitely hang out in the weight room more than the Colorado Brethren, Ralphie. I am sure Ralphie would get them in the 100m dash though :).

After walking throughout the whole town - my LT Jesper picked up Tom and I and we headed to my second practice as a mean machine. We worked on route concepts and conversions most of the practice, but we got in some typical WR/QB drills as well. In March we will be doing mostly installation and drills, getting into 7on7 and Team in April. At the conclusion of practice, we had an Offense vs Defense competition with sprints on the line. Coach Johansson had each side choose 5 people to stand out in the middle of the field, without giving us any warning he shouted the directions and we were off. 2 of the players from each side had to carry the other 3 down around the cones 30 yards away and head back. I immediately grabbed Joakim (one of our slot receivers) and took off, I thought I was doing great, but we had left Magnus (a TE) back to deal with 2 of our other teammates. I dropped of Joa and headed back to help, and we won! However, coach said we had cheated...which I took as a compliment to our brilliance(one of our teammates had touched the ground with his foot in all the commotion). We all had to jog around the field a couple of times for condition, but your lungs hurt more from laughing during the competition than the running...It was a great practice. That night, I slept like a baby.

The highlight of Friday was heading out to Coach's house for a day of Food, Football, and Fun.

His fiancee Minette picked me up from a Subway stop north of the city by the Hospital that she works at, and took me to their beautiful home in the suburbs. When people say "Behind every great coach is an even better wife", it is true (but my mom is the best!). From what I experienced Friday, Coach will be very successful not just because of his passion and knowledge of the game, but because of the family he has behind him. Coach and his fiancee have an adorable little girl named Katie. She was only two months younger than my nephew Jaxson(who will be two in may), so it was great to play with her! Sure made me miss my little niece Amari and her big brother Jax though...

We got a wonderful meal of plank steak, mashed potatoes, asparagus wrapped in bacon, and baked tomatoes...which sets the bar high for any other meal I will have during my stay! After the meal, we got to play Xbox Kinect, which is pretty amazing. It puts wii sports in its place, although I blamed my lack of skills on the poor technology...Robert and Minette bashed me in every competition, except for the boxing! Which I am sure looked like quite a show from outside of the window...

Saturday Morning - Magnus, Tom and I met for some lunch downtown (Yea, I got the meatballs...they're too good to pass up). We bounced in and out of some shops, looking for a present for Magnus' friend Alexis, who is from the New York. He settled on a camera - which turned out to be an excellent gift! We hung around in Sodermalm for a little bit, and then we both got cleaned up for a night on the town and Alexis' birthday party. When we arrived, I was greeted by a few Swedes, but it seemed like everyone else who came in after Magnus and I was an American (Tom went back home up north, to get ready to move all of his things to Stockholm). Apparently the birthday bash had turned into an Au Pair/ Student Convention. Eric was from New York, and I actually ran into a girl named Brady - an Au Pair in Stockholm who is great friends with my friend Anna Nelson from the states! Small world...

After the presents were opened, we had a bunch of snacks and hopped on the Subway to come downtown. We were able to get into a really fancy nightclub because of Alexis' friendship with the Bouncer, and when I got inside, every stereotype of every European club you have ever heard came true. There were strobe lights everywhere, men and women everywhere looked like they had just walked out of a fashion magazine, and you couldn't hear yourself think. I felt like I was Dane Cook in his club skit, "I was INSIDE the SUBWOOFER". Well, it felt like it anyways...

After about two hours of fistpumping, the robot, and other dance moves that I cannot pull off, I hopped on the subway to come home! While my jetlag is gone, it is still nice to stay up late and skype with friends and family :) My mom actually just bought the new iphone, so i will be able to video call her wherever she is at! It is a great feature that many families are now taking advantage of, but my brother swears my mom is the first person in the world to be "scared" of the iPhone. It is a lot of technology for my beloved mother, but it will definitely come in handy!!

Today is the first Sunday of my time in Stockholm, so I am going to head to Saint Eric's Cathedral in Sodermalm to catch my first Mass in Sweden....should be fun! Other than that just a lot of cleaning and relaxing! Hope all is well, and I will keep you updated soon! Take care...

Phrase of the day - Hur ar Leget? (pronounced hoor air legget?) - it is a relaxed way of saying "how's it going" with out saying the customary "hur mar du" that Rosetta stone loves :)

Fanga Dagen!!

A Long, Long, Time Ago, in a Galaxy Far Far Away....

At least that is how far away Boulder, Colorado felt when I finally got settled in to my Stockholm Apartment yesterday, March 1st, 2011.

Everything you have heard about Stockholm is true. The city is beautiful, the people are wonderful, the Swedish meatballs are fantastic, and the weather is cold...However, the three first things have no problem making you forget about the first. You also have the efficient (and nearly pristine) public transportation, the IKEA mega-store which is the King Kong of all department stores, and to be quite honest...the things you hear about the women are true as well....haha

I am already fascinated with the city of Stockholm. There are people bustling every which way, everyone seemingly jubilant as they glide across the sidewalk. There is an aura about the town that is hard to explain, but it definitely makes you feel welcome. Lots of coffee shops, book stores, and interesting boutiques that give this big Swedish city a small town feel. Lucky for me, I scored an apartment right near the University, so I am living just North of downtown and I am surrounded by 20 to 30-somethings.... More on the younger side than the older. It is a fratty-feeling apartment, but it will do. I have my own room and bathroom, but we all share a big kitchen and living room. Luckily, most of the Television in Sweden is in English with Swedish subtitles. They have The Office, How I Met Your Mother, and yes....sadly....Jersey Shore. Now once (cough cough) Never Say Never : The Justin Bieber Story comes out in Sweden, I will have everything I need...I have met several of my roommates (I have about 30) and they are all really nice! They come from varying parts of the world, including Israel, Egypt, and El Salvador, but I would say about 70% are from various parts of Sweden.

After arriving yesterday around 1pm, I was picked up by Jesper Johansson, my left tackle, who I will happily say is easily one of the biggest people I have ever met, and is the biggest Swede I have ever seen. Even many of my Swedish roommates say he is the Biggest person they have ever seen in person (Shaq has followers in Sweden :/ ). He was nice enough to help me move my stuff into the apartment, and take me through IKEA today in order to pick up some extra things.

Unfortunately, I do not have an American IKEA to compare it to, but rumor has it that the biggest one in the world is the one I had the pleasure of visiting today... It was shopping like I had never seen it before. Not only was it a restaurant, furniture, appliance, electronics, and convenience store like I had ever seen, but it was PACKED. It felt like Black Friday...and if they weren't there for the smoking hot deals, they were there because it was impossible to find your way out. I bet there are people in there that have been looking for the exit since new year's, and have nothing to keep them warm but the clothes on their back and the scent of those swedish meatballs. Good thing there are plenty of made up rooms and beds for everyone to sleep in.

After the IKEA trip, I was able to pick up a Swedish phone (sorry, I cannot text or call outside of Sweden) and grabbed some groceries at a nearby store. I was lucky enough to be invited to Taco night at the home of my friend and teammate, Dennis. He lives in a cool apartment in the South of Stockholm with his girlfriend Felicia. They are both great and have been welcoming me into their country like one of their own. Heck, Dennis even scored me an official Mean Machines Letterman Jacket already. I definitely need to pay him back, but hopefully that moment will come when I get to know the city better and actually get my first paycheck. In Sweden, I will get paid the First of each month. Nothing to feed a family on, but it will buy me some good weekend travel excursions and much more than a pack or two of Ramen you come to live off of with your college scholarship stipend. A new receiver, Tom, was there as well-he is not only hilarious, but supposedly he has some of the best hands in Sweden... with those pink gloves - they had better be! All three of my new friends were great at Dinner, not only making a delicious meal but helping me to understand a little bit of Swedish along the way - Hopefully I will be able to share a Swedish phrase or two with you each post...

Well, It is hard to mention my reason for being in Stockholm last, but it is the only thing familiar to me, so it has come easily! We had practice last evening at a great indoor facility used by many Stockholm sports teams, and happily/sadly - it is 30 times better than the indoor facility at the University of Colorado. Not only is it MASSIVE with top-notch field turf, it has locker rooms, bathrooms, and indoor equipment sheds. I know the QBs over at CU would be happy to throw room-temperature balls at practice rather than warming up with the tin shed-rocks we had to toss around the first few minutes of each Buffaloes practice. (JT, if you read this, I LOVE the equipment staff at CU). That decision wasn't up to him, we just couldn't have a permanent facility in Boulder! He is the best equipment guy in the business, and now that I have to be my own equipment man in Stockholm, I am glad to have served under him as a Buff.

The guys on my team are AWESOME - we practice with the Junior (U-18) and Women's (All Ages) team's as well....individuals are together, but team (when we get to it) will be separate. There are people anywhere from 19-52 on my team. Yes, I said 52. In Europe, everyone plays for the love of the game, and it shows! There is no age limit, just a requirement that each and every person who comes out busts their butt. They do just that and more. I expected some good athletes on the Stockholm team, given that they have won 10 national titles in the last 13 years, but I am still pleasantly surprised. We have some Athletes that could have played at CU, and many that could have played on my high school team back in Idaho (for all you Idaho haters, we went undefeated all four years...so there). Leadership is also at a premium. We have two guys on the Team who I noticed for their play and their attitude-Martin Sohlberg and Martin Kwallberg-they are our own Swedish version of the Eminem Show, or the Bash Brothers...depending on whichever musical/film comparison you prefer. They are great athletes and even better leaders. I look forward to playing with them and many other of the athletes on the team. Our skill positions are stacked, and there are too many intriguing guys on offense to name, so just check out the website (MeanMachines.se) and read up on them! The Coach - Robert Johansson, is a stud. He has won countless titles both in Europe and in the States, and his English is perfect, which helps a lot :) . However, I don't think it will be possible to love any coach like that I had at Colorado....

Speaking of which, I already miss everyone back in the States. I am really excited about the opportunity to be here, but I am also sad I had to leave everyone behind. If only you all could have come with - we would have had a great time!

Please take care of yourselves and I will write soon

Hawkins/Hokanson clan - I love you!

Friends - I love you too :)

God Natt!! <- Swedish Phrase of the Day = Good Night

Tack sa Mycke <- Bonus Phrase = Thanks so much

--Cody Hawkins