Lena's 50th Birthday Party
Karin and I headed off from Lulea to attend Lena's 50th Birthday party. Our names had been included in the invitation so we know we were going to have to get up in front of everyone and say something... I wanted to do something in Swedish so we practiced the Happy Birthday song
Har Den Äran Idag
Har Den Äran Idag
Har Den Äran Kära Lena
Har Den Äran Idag
I also had a little toast - Strãva fõr att bli Lycklig! - my old favorite "Strive to be Happy"
We arrived at the school where the party was being held and
found Lena out front greeting all her guests
Turns out she & HG had mad all the food and provided all the drinks for her guests who numbered 150. The food and drinks were all wonderful and a huge accomplishment when you consider how much food there was. Some friends did bring cakes, thank goodness, a girl shouldn't have to bake her own birthday cake!
Lena's parents were there and it was wonderful to see them:
Mona and Stig posed with Karin and I - Mona had been sick but had recovered
in time for this party - Stig doesn't hear so good in one ear but otherwise was
the same amazing personality I have known & loved for over 30 years.
The children had changed completely in seven years, from kids to young
adults. They were so proud and happy for Lena and they looked so
beautiful... Here are little Mimi and Hugo...somehow I didn't get a photo of
Hannes by himself, but singing with his buddies later...
Mimi
& Hugo
and Hannes
Lena began the party by singing a beautiful song to HG, her darling husband. Then she sang a song that I call the 'Who is Here' song... a song in which she named every one of the 150 people in the room and made everyone know that she was glad to have the there with her. It was an awesome performance. Before inviting us to eat, she informed us all that she Birthday wish was that each table would choose a song from the song list (old 50's rock 'n' roll songs) on the table and that each table of people would sing one song for her...original lyrics or ones that we made up ourselves. Then to the food...we needed time to think and plan what our act would be for each table.
HG was the master of ceremonies and set the program and the
order of the speakers...
Karin and I were put on early in the program...probably a good idea to let me talk before I drank too much. Karin told a great story about when she and Lena were coming to America at age 17 - how Lena kept delaying the flight - first to buy snuff and then when asked what was in her violin case she told them her machine-gun, of course...imagine doing that today!
Then we sang Happy Birthday in Swedish 
and I made a little speech to Lena - I had recently re discovered a lyric by
Paul McCartney that said "You & I have memories longer than the road
that stretches out ahead" and I took that as my beginning and ended up
urging her to ignore the downside of getting older and refuse to grow
up...keeping in touch with her "inner-girl". I ended with my
toast, Strãva fõr att bli Lycklig!
Than it was time for the tables to sing their songs - Our
table chose Twist & Shout and made up lyrics about Lena...another chose
Pink Cadillac 
I made a little video of one table singing Proud Mary but I wasn't able to get it to display on the web...alas
Mona, Lena's Mom made a speech that brought tears - that is until...
Until Lena's Dad, Stig turned the story into a fishing story!!
Even the kids performed
Lena's two sisters Eva and Karin and her brother Doug on guitar - the middle
child is her niece Louisa
After this I quit taking photos because the dancing was going to start and I love to dance... Karin and I stayed and danced and talked until the party was just the family and then we walked home - it was 3 AM and the Midnight sun was just topping the tall pines. This last photo was taken in Lilly's kitchen - looking out the window at about 3:20 AM
Karin & I sat up till 4 AM talking about what a great party it had been!!
On to Jokkmokk and Saskam 