I need to catch up!

Well, I've been so busy these past few days that I haven't had time to add any new posts or pictures - but now I can. On Sunday Ari, Kaati, Konsta, and I drove to Kokkola, the town where Kaati's parents, Sirpa and Alpo, live. It was a very long drive (and it seemed longer than it was because it was extremely hot). On Monday Kaati's sister (Vintta) and her kids (Santtu and Emma) and very cute kitten (Olavi) came - the house is very full of people (but it's more fun that way). The house here in Kokkola is beautiful - all hardwood floors and big windows - and it is surrounded by huge trees. On Tuesday we all went to Kaustinen (a nearby town) to see a folk music festival. Santtu and Emma performed some folk music with hundreds of other kids (it sounded very good - which was kind of surprising considering many of the kids seemed to be under the age of 7!). We spent the rest of the day at the festival (until about midnight) watching various groups perform. On Wednesday we went to visit Kaati's aunt in Kokkola. It looked like she had baked all day - there were so many cakes and cookies (and she kept trying - in Finnish - to get me to eat more and more...I felt like I was going to explode!). Later that evening I had my first sauna - it was very relaxing. Yesterday Vintta, Emma, Santtu, and I went to Kaustinen again. The kids performed again, and then we spent the rest of the day listening to music. Before we went to the festival, I didn't really think that I would like folk music - but after seeing some of the groups, I now know that I like it a lot! Two groups in particular, Tsuumi and Frigg, were very good... they played a "newer" style of folk music. I will add some pictures in another post...