it's official...

We're going to be in Finland for 2 more seasons!  It's been in the works for a little while, but J just signed his extension through the 2012-2013 season today.  I'm excited I can finally tell our family and friends now :) 

guess I better finally crack open my Finnish book and start studying!

It's really nice (and kind of crazy...) to know exactly where we'll be for the next 2 1/2 years.  That sounds silly to anyone outside of the hockey world... but in professional hockey, that's quite a long time.  Just like the rest of the job market, hockey jobs have become increasingly hard to come by in recent years.  We know many people who are playing in leagues lower than they should be just because there is nothing available.  Or who aren't playing at all this year.  There are just a lot of good hockey players out there. 

Now that's 2 more years we don't have to compete with all of the other talented players for a job.  Many players in North America don't know where they'll be playing that season until well into September & October.  They bounce around from NHL camps to AHL camps and go back and fourth until they (maybe) win a spot on a team.  And how many spend their time split between leagues, living out of suitcases in hotels?  I cannot tell you how fortunate we are feeling right now.  And how proud I am of my husband.  He works extremely hard, and has earned everything he has been given.  So, since I know he is going to read this and is sure to be embarassed about my "proud hockey wife" rant... I'll stop now. :)

Other than that, not a whole lot new around these parts.  We've been so busy lately, or at least it feels like it.  It seems like we always have somewhere we have to go in the afternoon when J gets home from practice.  The team has 3 games a week in the coming weeks also, so that will really add to the busyness of our lives.  Guess it's better than being bored all the time, right?

For New Years Eve, we went to one of the other guys and his wife's house for a small get-together.  There was lots of good food, wine, champagne, and company!  We had a great time.  There was also some action outside- some neighbor kids were outside setting off fireworks for a good part of the night (fireworks are a big tradtion on NYE here).  These ones were a little big for kids to be setting off (can you say illegal in the U.S.?) but they appeared to be having fun and we were enjoying watching them.  That is, until they hit the HOUSE next door and set it on FIRE!  Luckily, there was no one inside(!!) and no one living there at the present time, and we were a good 75 yards away from it.  I have never seen a house fire that close up.  It was blazing for a good couple hours as the firemen were trying to put it out.  Actually, when we left it was still going.

  poor house! thank GOD no one was in it!!

On New Years Day, we stayed up until 3 am to watch the Rose Bowl (it started at midnight our time!)  Too bad our Badgers lost :( 

Hope you all are having a fabulous start to 2011.  I've been trying to come up with some New Years Resolutions, but I am stumped this year.  I really can't come up with anything that is worth "resolving", or anything that I know I will actually stick to.  Maybe I'll come up with something in the next few days.  What are your New Years Resolutions?