Sarah Elisabeth - The beara necessities

Me, my car and our little quirks

2012-02-29T04:45:00.001-08:00

Yeah, I talk to my car. I really do. I talk to her like she’s a little kid, or a dog.. I don’t think she minds though, and she always gives me great response…

Like the other day when I got back from Oslo; she’d been parked at the train station for a few days and you could tell it had been cold. There was frost on her insides and she sounded a little chilly as I started her up.. I apologized for leaving her out in the cold for so long and promised to get her nice and warm. I think she liked that because she drove me home..

I had been warned ahead of time that the road up to our house was slippery as ~~anjfjeuidxj~~! So nervous as I was knowing that my baby here is a lightweight, I promised her that she would stay in the nice, dry and warm garage that night if she got us up the hill… It worked, need I say more?

Of course, I’m a respectable person; so I made sure to thank her for being the best car ever as soon as we got home!

Do you ever talk to your things?

-S.

A little taste of Oslo

2012-02-27T13:08:00.001-08:00

In the past days I’ve gotten a taste of what life might be like when I move down to Oslo, and let me tell you; I love it!

I visited and took a tour around the University campus (the one I will be going to), which only made me even more excited for this fall! I loved being there and it felt so good and normal!

Me and Paul went to the Vigelands park, which is a huge park in Oslo with tons of sculptures of men, women and children.

We tried out this wonderful sushi place (thank goodness I know of a good one in Oslo now!) It was sooo yummy!

We went to an exciting new type of cinema than what I’m used to; they has “double” seats, sort of like couches for two and two..

But we weren’t just on the go either! We had relaxing days with a cup of tea or a nice homecooked meal (made by him in fact)…

Even though we made a brave attempt to go out on Saturday evening!

Here is the annoying thing about my age right now; I am 19 and I’ve always been mature for my age.. so when all I can get into is places for 18year olds and up, which in my opinion is nasty and quite tacky (everyone looks like they just turned 18 and can’t wait to get completely and utterly wasted), I find it even more annoying that I’m a tad too young to get into places with a 20 age limit. Not that people are that much better there but I prefer to go out for a drink, some chatting and good company. In the beginning of the evening we went to the SkyBar at the Radisson Blu hotel; absolutely recommended! BEAUTIFUL view from the 34th floor of the hotel! Unfortunately we had heard earlier in the day that 18 was the age limit, so silly me went up to the bar and asked which of the drinks I could have only to find out it was actually 20 and we couldn’t be there if I was younger… BLAH.. Until next time…

Anyways, I still had a great time and I loved spending time with my honey. Have you been to Oslo, and what is your favourite activity/place there?

-S.

PLAYING IN THE SUN

2012-02-23T03:45:00.001-08:00

Lately the sun has been shining and the snow is melting; THANK GOODNESS!

So today I went for a walk with Jackson the leo and the two littlest girls. Have you ever seen someone truly enjoy playing in the sun? If not, here they are..

I tried taking a picture of myself with Jackson as well, but he wasn’t as willing as the girls…

I’m leaving for Oslo tonight, so I’ll try to take as many pictures as I possibly can in order to share with you! Hopefully that will lead to some exciting picture posts soon! Have a GREAT weekend!

-S.

I RECOMMEND

2012-02-20T12:07:00.001-08:00

Do you read books? I love reading, I’m just really bad about making time for it. When I do sit down and read though, I end up reading for hours and hours and I absolutely hate it when I realize that I have to go to bed or I have to go to work and so on…

Right now I’m working on an in-depth project in my Norwegian class. We could choose our whatever subject we wanted as long as it was related to the class, so I chose to talk about translation of books. For this I used The Snowman by Jo Nesbø and The Last Child by John Hart. I ~~am reading~~ have read each book in their original language and the translated version, only to fall madly in love with each of the books no matter what language. So here comes my recommendation of the day:

READ THE SNOWMAN BY JO NESBØ AND THE LAST CHILD BY JOHN HART!

Seriously, more exciting and captivating books are hard to find. Personally I thought the English-translated version of The Snowman sucked when it came to grammar but it was still pretty enjoyable just because of the plot! So if you’ve got some extra time on your hands, get these books and start reading!

-S.

ZIP–NADA–NOTHING

2012-02-15T04:31:00.001-08:00

My blog has not been updated for two weeks. Why? Because I can think of absolutely nothing to write about. I fear that I’d scare you all away or bore you to death if I shared simple, average stories such as: “today I was at school, blah” or “working today…again…”. I wish my life was super exciting and that I had loads to just pile on you! I wish I had so much that I had to post multiple posts a day! But alas…. I haven’t taken a single picture in all of February.

BUT WAIT! All this is about to change!! I received some great new information these past weeks. After several failed russegroups, I finally have a great girl group who are just as excited for May as me! So now, as soon as February is over, it’s on! In March we’ll get our russeclothes, we’ll have the russeshow and start fixing up the car; in April we’ll finish off most of our schoolwork and get ready for exams as well as the start of russ is in the end of this month; and in May it’s all russeparties, celebration, exams and we’re almost done! It’ll go so fast, and it’ll be SO fun! This will be worth taking pictures of and sharing them with you all!

Happy belated valtentine’s!

-S.

DON’T WORRY, BE HIPPIE

2012-01-31T13:38:00.001-08:00

Dudes… let’s all go back to the good times…

The other day we had a hippie-theme day at school for the russ. Peace and love man, haha. Well it was cool anyways. Not sure I’m going to share pictures of the last theme-party we’re going to have because it’s just too embarrasing and I think way too many people are going to take it a dash too far. ~~It’s pimp-and-hoe…~~ In just 3 months though the russing will start and I’m pretty sure there will be a lot to share with you!

BLOGGER CHALLENGE: I challenge all you readers to post a picture of an previous theme-party costume you’ve used on your blog and leave a link in in my comment box! SHARING IS CARING

-S.

GEOCATCHING POTATOES

2012-01-24T10:54:00.001-08:00

I’m a carboholic, a sinner. I love cheese, pasta, rice and potatoes. Honest to God I do. Now I am going to share with you one of my kitchen specialities, which inwards in my family I am famous for (are you starstruck yet?). This is simple, yet so freakin’ yum that you’re going to eat it all the time. Maybe this might even spice up your potato relationships in Norway Megan?

Slice some potatoes into random cubes. They don’t have to look nice or be equal in size, just chop’em up and spread them on a baking sheet. The reason for doing this is if some are at the top and some are at the bottom, the bottom ones will get soggy and soft while the ones on top will be nice and crispy obviously..

Spread some olive oil, or any other oil for that matter (except car oil and such obviously…) and don’t be greedy. If' they’re too dry they won’t tan as nicely.

Did I forget to mention I’m also a garlicaholic? I put a nice portion of garlic pepper and garlic salt on these babies so that they were nice and covered! Pop them in the oven at a high heat and then I usually say they’re done when they’re golden or after tasting one and getting hooked…

I went for a walk with my mom today and found my first Geocache. It was brilliantly hidden and it made me all giddy to find more!

I found out that around the place where I will be living in Oslo, there are around 10 000 geocaches… think I’m excited much?

-S.

CREATING A HOME

2012-01-22T12:01:00.001-08:00

Do you remember my new apartment where I will be moving this summer?

It was quite plain and not the least bit personal. Me, being the person I am, I was determined to turn this place into a homey-personal place where I will enjoy living for the next years… So this weekend when I went to Oslo to visit Paul I convinced him to come with me to IKEA, and here is the results:

Can you tell that I like purple? I’ve also bought a new sofa at a bargain price (gotta love those New Year sales)!! This little baby will be entering the apartment as soon as we figure out how to get her down to Oslo:

I love making a house a home, or in this case an apartment a home. The thing is, this will be my first home away from home, and my first home with Paul. It’s exciting because I’ve always been a lot at home with my family and I’ve never lived in a city (of any size, seriously) – but now I will live alone, with my boyfriend, in the capital of Norway. No more buses to school, now it’ll be the subway…

I’m going to miss my family like crazy, yet I can’t seem to feel depressed about moving out. Have you ever felt so excited to begin something that nothing else can bring you down? That’s how I feel. I’ve been with Paul for two years now, and the only thing I hate about our relationship is how stressing it is to be together. It’s like you have to do something before you go here, there or home. It’ll be so nice to just be together, without stressing because the date, day or weekend is almost over.

Then what I am most excited about: a city! I’ve always lived in small places, where everybody knows everything about everyone and groups are formed by who you’ve grown up with, and the style is a certain way so if you stick out you’re pretty much an outcast. I can’t wait to be just a person in a crowd. An individual, who nobody judges because you are just some random passer-by to them. To go to a school and study something together with people who are interested in the same things as you, not who you are stuck with in a obligatory class that you don’t have any real interest for. And to share these interests with people who have no idea of your past, who haven’t heard any rumors about you or has no real reason for prejudice. Sure, people will always have some thoughts about you, but that they haven’t heard it from all those know-it-alls in a small place.

People laugh a little at me and say I get too excited about things that are going to happen later on, but it makes sense though, doesn’t it? This excitement for change? I think so..

-S.

19 YEARS AGO

2012-01-17T12:24:00.001-08:00

19 years ago, I was born. Thank goodness for that because otherwise I probably wouldn’t have had as nice a day today as I have had!

It was such a nice day, the sun was shining, school was short and I was in a good mood. First of all, I love my parents. They are wonderful and my day would not have been the same without them! When I was done at school they treated me to one of the best baguettes around here before we went home, all I can say is yum!

I’m not the sturdy type. Usually you shouldn’t let me hold small, fragile things because I have this horrible curse of dropping them totally unintentionally. So when I got myself a cellphone that was tough enough for me a long time ago, I decided to stick with that one because no matter how many times I dropped it – it always kept on working. Well, sadly we all get older and worn out, so unfortunately my strong and wonderful phone was dying slowly causing much stress for me as it randomly would turn off, start blinking, etc… Luckily my parents noticed my distress, so today I got a new friend for my birthday:

A Samsung Galaxy Ace S5830! I love this phone, and it has so many nice features – but I am terrified to drop it. It’s so fragile!

To top the day off, we ate my second favourite food: SUSHI (note when I say sushi I actually mean the faux type with scampi and stuff)

Droooool. And then luckily my mom is the best chef/baker in the world so for dessert (you’re allowed a little treat on special occasions), Oreo Cupcakes!

It was goooood. So good that everyone was almost sick afterwards from scarfin’ it down so fast. Let’s put it this way – one was enough!

Well, now I’m going to bed. Tomorrow will be an exciting day, my grade is going to Lillestrøm (1,5 hour away) for an educational expo where all the different universities and colleges in Norway and the ones that offer studies in other countries have stands and tell you about their school.

-S.

FROZEN

2012-01-08T07:59:00.001-08:00

It was cold the other evening when I went out to try the new macro lens my mom got for Christmas…

But that’s not what I was going to tell you guys about now! This morning my parents were all excited about finding some world-wide treasure hunting game called Geo Caching (read about it HERE), which happens to be tons of hidden treasures (I think they’re logbooks or something) all over the world. Turned out there was 500 and something geo caches just here in the area we live, so they were ready to go hunting! I joined them and we brought a couple of the dogs, and shortly into our walk I realized that it was a good idea if I brought my camera..

In my biology class we’re having a project to make an object collection (a collection of pressed plants, excrement or pictures containin plants/animals/etc) and I sort of forgot about that until the snow came and all plants were dead and animals were hiding. So in a stress to get some examples for my collection I figured the best thing was to bring my camera, hence the piece of paper with my name on it. What you see above is the footprints of a hare.

Footprints of a deer (we saw so much of this it got boring)..

Not sure yet what this is. It looks somewhat like deer prints, but as if the deer tip-toed instead of putting his whole foot down.. Oh well.. It was a really nice walk and such a beautiful day..

The sun was shining and the cold gave me some nice pinkish cheeks..

I had a really nice walk and I think my walking buddy Nanna had a fun time too..

Do you have snow where you live?

Is there animal prints in it?

-S.

FED UP AND DEALING WITH IT

2012-01-03T04:36:00.001-08:00

As usual around the turning of a new year, I made my little exercise and health plans with ideas in the back of my head as to how I could cheat sometimes and so on.. The way we all think around the 31st of December..

January 1st, I got on the weight scale just so I could jot down a number. Carelessly expecting the samme weight I’ve kept for a few years I looked down as the number stopped, and my jaw dropped. Note that I’ve never been heavier than 75 kg (165lbs(?)), but I’ve always felt that is way too heavy since I’m 1.73 and that weight ain’t just muscles. The weightscale said 83 kg (183lbs(?)). That’s almost 10 kg(22lbs).

That gave me quite an awakening. I started thinking, realizing how not only did I actually weight this much, but I’m exhausted and I have no energy for the time being. I’ve been mistreating my body, and at the age of almost 19 – I should actually be in my prime right now. My mom said that when she was my age, she barely slept because she had so much energy. I see all my friends who are out doing things, going, going and going. I realized that this is really bad.

So now my old’fashioned-gonna-sort-of-do-some-of-it plan has become my ultimate goal. I don’t think I’ve ever been this focused and set to change my life, and hopefully that will be enough.

I’m taking it one month at the time, with pictures and everything. Unfortunately I’m not showing you guys yet because just too many people I know read my blog. On the otherhand I will share with you food I make and the exercise I do. Today’s special: Turkey and broccoli omelette!

2 eggs

2 tbs water

1/4 tsp salt

1/4tsp garlic/pepper mix

Handful of broccoli (cut into small trees)

Small handful of turkey meat from New Years dinner’s leftovers

Chopped onion

Small drizzle of grated cheese (don’t be greedy with the cheesy)

I honestly kind of wing it with the amounts I put in. I focused on a lot of greens and some meat to make it extra filling. I just ate it now, for lunch at school. It was extremely good and quite pleasing! Pretty sure I can hear my stomach thanking me for the delicious lunch.

Sorry for the text-heavy post! Just wanted to share my problems and ideas with you guys!

-S.

TWO THOUSAND AND TWELVE

2012-01-01T04:37:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year fellow bloggers and blogreaders! I took myself a little unannounced free time from the blogging world this holiday to spend time with friends, family and dear old Lindex (Yeah, I worked a lot). Let me sum up my week:

Sunday 25th; I made my first attempt at going out with friends (You can go out to certain pubs/bars when 18 in Norway and some allow 18 year olds in only for the holidays). Now I’ve been 18 for almost a year and I’m turning 19 in 17 days, so I’m kind of slow on the whole going out thing. I guess I’ve never been much of a party animal… Anyhoot, first attempt at going out – me and my friend Matilde stood in line until we literally we’re first in line, when the bouncer goes: “Sorry guys, it’s full inside.” Seriously? We stood in line for another hour thinking they’ll have to let someone in soon. But after an hour I said screw it, and went home. So I still haven’t ever been out.

Monday 26th; Had a relaxing day with my boyfriend while eating crap and having a good ol’ time.

Tuesday 27th; Got up at 5am in order to be at work a little before 7am so that I could spend 2 hours pricing every single piece of clothing which was ment for sale with 50% stickers. Then I spent another 4 hours helping customers and sorting through our tights-wall. When done at one o’clock, I went to Hamar and spent more money than I should have on after-Christmas sales. FUN! Among the stuff I bought was these babies…

For a bargain price of 400Kr ($67) when they actually cost 1000Kr ($167)!!

Wednesday 28th; I worked, again…

Thursday 29th; FREE! Woohoo! I ate wonderful homemade cinnamon rolls for breakfast, went to the movies with my family to see the new Sherlock Holmes movie and finished that awesome evening with SUSHI! Yum!

Friday 30th; I worked, again.. but I had a very nice evening after that with cardgames and boardgames played with my siblings and Paul.

Saturday 31st; The last day of 2011! I slept long, ate a delicious breakfast. Packed my bags and then drove Paul home before I myself went to my friend Matilde. There, we ate, got ready and went to a new years party!

Yours truly played around with fake eyelashes and thought that would be a fun add to the party-look, until I realized that the glue really hurt when it was dry so I said skipped that idea…

Happy New Year everybody!

-S.

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T14:35:00.001-08:00

I’ve had an absolutely wonderful Christmas! It began somewhat slow and boring when I started at work at 9am and worked until 1pm.. After that however, I visited my boyfriend and his family to wish them a Merry Christmas, I drove home in a frozen winter wonderland while singing “Driving home for Christmas” to myself, and was greeted at home with a fan-freakin’-tastic Christmas dinner made by my very own mom ♥

We stuffed ourselves so good that we practically rolled away from the table and over to enjoy a relaxing evening on the couch to open some gifts and enjoy each others company…

One of the most exciting parts about this Christmas was that I hadn’t wished for anything in particular, nor did I shake, squeeze or feel any of the gifts under our tree. I was not at all disappointed though, it was clear that my friends and family know me and thought of me.. that’s why I love them…

I got table cloths, tealights and a cakeknife (so yes, when I’ve moved out this fall you’re all invited to my place for cake)… How might I be making this cake you ask? With this little baby…

Now don’t worry, I’ll be taking a shower before you all come.. and I’ll dry myself off with my own towels…

And just because my hair is a mile long and would take forever to dry itself…

I’ll make you a cup of tea to go with that slice of cake, and then you can enjoy that while relaxing with my beautiful, soft, new purple blanket…

We’ll light my candle…

…and have a real nice little visit! Yeah, like I told my parents.. after this Christmas I’m pretty much ready to move out! I also got some shopping cash for IKEA, so I know what I’m doing the next time I’m down in Oslo!

One of my favourite gifts was from my darling sweetheart, Paul ♥ I love him

Have you had a nice Christmas?

What was your favourite food?

What was your favourite gift?

Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas, hugs from The Beara Necessities!

-S.

‘Twas the night before Christmas…

2011-12-23T14:25:00.001-08:00

'Twas the night before Christmas and all round my hips
Were mom’s homemade goodies that sneaked past my lips...

Yes, my mom has made delicious goodies while I was gone at work today. Only 4 more hours of work tomorrow, from 9am til 1pm and then it’s CHRISTMAS for me as well!!

Ho ho ho have a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!

-S.

UNIVERSITY CAMPUS

2011-12-16T02:58:00.001-08:00

On Wednesday the entire 3rd grade (we call it third, it’s actually 13th) went to Oslo on a class trip. First we were going to visit the University in Oslo, which is the oldest and the biggest in the country – and where I’m going next fall.

I enjoyed it so much, I honestly wanted to just start school there right now. It was HUGE, it had tons of studies and tons of students. I believe there is almost 40 000 students that go there. It was awesome.

Later that evening we went to one of the theatres in Oslo and saw a show called The Mystery of Myrna Vep. It got top reviews from multiple big newspapers in Norway, and I loved it! It was so hilarious and the show only consisted of TWO actors who played at LEAST 6 roles in total. They were very talented and extremely good at improv.

I’ve realized that I sincerely love the theatre. I’ve only ever seen this show and Les Miserables, but I adored both and felt both giddy and excited after each of them.

Do you like the theatre?

What is your favourite show?

-S.

I THINK I’VE DECIDED

2011-12-05T05:49:00.001-08:00

It’s hard to be 18. It’s the last time you’ll be asked: “What do you want to be when you grow up?”, and this time a serious answer is expected. Who knows what they want to be now? Most of us have only experienced life with mom and dad, with siblings and a family home. We don’t know who we are on our own. We don’t know who we will be in the city. Who we’ll be somewhere else. We don’t know who we will be in 10 years, so a question like that now is impossible to answer for sure.

Some of you have already read about my confusion as to what I’m going to study next after high school. Well, for the reason above I’ve decided I’m not going to take the safest education, the one with a guaranteed job at the end and millions rolling into my bank account. What’s the point if I don’t enjoy it? So I’ve been looking for studies that contain things that might interest me, things I could be excited about learning and that I will enjoy.

The one study I keep coming back to in interest is one called Culture and Communication at the University in Oslo. This course appearantly teaches you about things related to information, communication, journalism, commercialism and marketing. These are the areas people who have studied this are working in now as well. I think I could find this super exciting and fun, as well as handy!

You can read a lovely google translated version of the study here: http://tinyurl.com/bsx5qaw

By the way, I updated the design on my blog! What do you think?

-S.

I need YOUR help

2011-11-30T11:58:00.001-08:00

Since I’m a russ this year, I’m also getting russecard (which is tradition). These look like business cards and young kids tend to collect them while we are russ. Basically if you’re wearing the red pants, any kids that see you will run over and ask for a russecard.. We also share them with other russ as memories of who you shared this awesome time with.

We get to design them ourselves and they usually consist of a picture, name, school and some witty comments/jokes/quotes… Here is my problem, I can’t think of any…. This is what I have so far:

I have that one quote at the bottom (which I absolutely love), but otherwise I’m blank! Can you help me??

-S.

Christmas, Christmas don’t be late

2011-11-29T04:26:00.001-08:00

It’s 25 days, 10 hours and 40 min. until Christmas here in Norway. No I’m not counting… Honestly I’m not. I’m excited for Christmas, but I must admit I found that online! Right after Thanksgiving, my mom got quite excited and ended up bringing Christmas into our house…

How can I help myself? You can’t ask someone to not be excited about snow while it’s snowing. In the same way you can’t tell me to not be excited for Christmas when I’m living in Santa’s cabin..

Are you excited for Christmas?

-S.

My future apartment

2011-11-27T13:24:00.001-08:00

Next summer I’ll be moving in with my boyfriend to an apartment we are already renting (he’s paying while just he lives there – then I’ll join in when I get there). Last night, after work, I drove down to Oslo and spent my first night in my future home for while I study!

It’s still pretty basic, and hasn’t gotten my touch since I’ve only been there this once – hehe! – but I loved it and felt very comfortable being there! Considering Paul has a birthday soon, when I can’t visit him, I let him have his birthday present early…

I got him a care pack! Different things he would need and that he loves. That included dishsoap, toilet paper, toothpaste, tea, hot chocolate, chilinuts and different other things! Very fun, and I think he really liked it!

We also celebrated our 2 year anniversary today! It makes me so happy to see how well our relationship is going and I love that we’ll be able to take it to a new stage this coming year. I love my boyfriend more than I can explain, and no matter what challenges we meet – we’ll find a way through. Where we’ll be in a year or two is impossible to know, but for me – it’s worth taking the chance to see. If I get it my way, we’ll be stronger than ever – living together – and learning to love one-and-other in a whole different way than we have before. I’m sure of him and how I feel when I’m with him, and for now – that’s all I need.

-S.

Thanksgiving on a small Norwegian island

2011-11-24T10:17:00.001-08:00

Considering we live in Norway, and my Norwegian family doesn’t celebrate Thanksgiving (+ they live 6 hours away), we usually don’t make a very big deal out of it. This time of year, my dad is usually on his boat. Usually, it’s just me, my mom and my two siblings. So making a huge turkey and a major feast is pretty much a waste.

Thankfully though, we sometimes still do a little something for us…

We set the table…

We create a nice and pleasant atmosphere…

My mom worked her magic in the kitchen….

While we watched the Macy’s Day Parade. And just after good ol’ Santa came and made it official, CHRISTMAS SEASON IS HERE, dinner was ready and we sat down to enjoy a wonderful meal…

You know, I’m pretty thankful for you guys. Those of you who come by my blog, read it, leave comments.. Honestly it truly makes my day! Despite that my blog is first of all for me, I’m not sure I’d keep going as long and often as I have if you guys didn’t stick around. It means alot to me – thanks!

Happy Thanksgiving!

-S.

Good ol’ Santa is gettin’ ready

2011-11-19T14:27:00.001-08:00

It is exactly 5 weeks until Christmas today. Can you believe it? I can. At my workplace we’ve started decorating with Christmas decorations, we have special Christmas offers and I’m pretty sure when I go to work again on Monday the songs I’ll hear on our speakers will be “Driving home for Christmas”, “ Dreaming of a white Christmas”, etc.

For years now I’ve had the annoying problem that I’m pretty much broke around Christmas and the small scraps of cash I have go to pathetic little Christmas gifts that probably will never be remembered. The extra sucky part is that around Christmas time, when I am at my broke-est and spend the money I have on others – THAT is when I finally see things I like at stores. I truly believe stores keep things from me until Christmas….

This year however, I’ve been working. Hooray for that! As you can see in the picture above, the cold is coming fast – which for my part only increases the excitement for Christmas. I’m a Christmas-lover, truly I am. Right now, at this very moment, I want to listen to Christmas music, watch Christmas movies, etc… You get the point.

So I was thrilled today when I got the chance to take my hard earned money and go get some decent presents for the ones I love!

So today, 5 weeks before Christmas, I am pretty much done with Christmas presents! Say it with me people: aaaaahhhh…..! And then because I’m the kind of girl who likes to get personal around Christmas, I decided to make some Christmas cards for my far-away friends. I moved to where I live almost 5 years ago, so I have old childhood friends that need to know I’m thinking of them…

So I’m sitting here now.. happy.. relaxed… and in good spirit! For my sake, Christmas can just come as soon as it would like. I’m ready to enjoy it!

Have you started getting ready for Christmas?

-S.

Arrrrr ye scurvy dogs

2011-11-18T05:21:00.001-08:00

Today, I’m a pirate at school. Cool right?

-S.

COOKIE

2011-11-10T00:29:00.001-08:00

This is Cookie:

She is our new Bichon Havanais(sp?) puppy! She is an adorable little bundle of kick-ass (literally, she is scared of nothing) with a sunny disposition! She loves everybody but can be to some degree compared to the arch angel Michael in the movie with John Travolta. She does not hesitate to tell our big dogs that she ain’t scared of them!

She’s a punk, but we all have fallen head over heals for her. Even the big guy in the picture above. How can you now go Awww when she comes running to you like a bouncy little teddy bear?

I got some awesome news! My boyfriend and I are planning on living together while we study in Oslo, but his studies start this coming January. Therefore, we had to find some place to live before then. Yesterday we were in Oslo looking at an apartment and found the place! It’s small and humble, but in a wonderful standard and it has a great location! So next summer I will be moving in here:

Ours is the exact same as this, except it’s reverse. The entry is where the bed is and opposite. The kitchen is on the other side and we have no balcony. I like it though, my head can’t stop thinking about how I want it to look. Haha! And I’m a completely different shade of jealous knowing that Paul gets to move in now and I have to wait 6 months! Oh well, that time will probably come faster than I can imagine. I might have to posts pictures of how it turns out though, just because I’m not moving in right away doesn’t mean I can’t help decorate it :)

-S.

HUMBLED BY AFRICA

2011-11-02T09:32:00.001-07:00

Every year, my school has MYSA days. MYSA stands for Mathare Youth Sports Association. The organization describes itself this way:

MYSA is a selfhelp youth programme linking sports with environmental cleanups, AIDS prevention, Leadership training and other community sevice activities involving approximatey 20,000 young people. Started in 1987 as a small selfhelp project to organize sports and environmental cleanups within Mathare slums in Nairobi, the organization has grown from a small youth to renowned youth serving organization that promotes sports for development...

Their motto is: You do nothing, we do nothing. You do something, we do something.

The idea is that these kids aren’t just supposed to receive support. They have to do something to get something. The more they do, or the more they clean and such – the more points they can collect. Some of the kids with the most points get to come visit Norway and play in the Norway Cup. Every year these kids visit our school prior to a “work day” where we, the students, get off from school to work in order to raise money for them. On these two-day visits they have an entertainment day and a “mathare safari” day. On the entertainment day, the 3rd graders (my grade this year) work with the kids from Kenya (The Mathare slum, which also is one of the worst slums in Africa, is in Kenya) and make up a show for the rest of the school. In the end of this performance the Kenyans perform African dances for us and you can see in the video below.

These kids are absolutely wondeful and I feel like such a self-centered, egoistic and spoiled kid with no ideas about the real pleasures of life when I see them and how they are. They have huge smiles on their faces, they’re constantly dancing or hugging each other. They love to hold hands and are so enthusiastic about things. When they presented themselves, they told us about what they liked to do. They loved to dance, to sing, to read, to play soccer. Had you asked a group of Norwegian teens, they would have said they like to play video games, hang out with friends, party, watch tv-shows, blog……

I’m not saying all teens are like this of course. I for one love to read, but I find myself on the computer more often than with my nose in a book. One of the things that I noticed and that touched me the most was that these kids did not seem shy at all. When the Norwegian kids were up performing, they were sort of shy but tried to perform. The Kenyans were eagerly trying to engage the audience, they performed with passion and fire in their eyes. They seemed to be having a wonderful time! They were not shy at all! I think that people tend to be shy because of the fear of being judged, but these guys didn’t even seem to care or know about judgement. They are innocent, and I admire and envy them that.

My history class also recently watched a movie called Hotel Rwanda. It’s based on a true story of the Rwanda Genocide. The movie really touched me and made me sort of, ashamed perhaps. I know that there is no reason for me to think that way honestly, I know I never did anything to Africans or anyone else for that matter. However, I somehow feel ashamed and/or guilty that partly given my skin color I have a good life. I have more than I need, my family is never in danger, we are respected by others in society, I live in a good country, I never starve, I sleep in a soft bed, I just have it so good and I don’t even appreciate it. In one part of the movie, all the “whites” were transported out to safety while the Rwandans had to stay and take care of themselves. Why does skin color ever have to matter? Who had the right to decide that one color was better than the other? Of course these are just rhetorical questions, and chances are they will never be answered. It just bothers me and where better to express feelings than on a blog? I recommend you watch Hotel Rwanda if you haven’t already. It makes you think.

-S.

ADDICTED TO SUSHI

2011-10-30T13:39:00.001-07:00

After I tried the food at Brumunddal Sushi, I want to eat there all the time. I’m cheating however, I still haven’t tried SUSHI. By this I mean that the only raw fish I’ve tried is the salmon ones. My favorite “sushi” so far is the Spicy Tempura Maki, which for those uneducated about sushi is fried scampi, avocado, chillimayo and rice rolled in nori. I’m addicted to it and I would buy it every day if I could. However, I’m poor and I can’t…

Now what I would like to know is: What is your favorite type of sushi and why? I’m thinking about trying more so I’d like to have a little idea about what is good and what is not.

For the record, I know I suck as a blogger and I disappear alot. I hope you guys still might check by my blog every now and then.

ROME– a love story

2011-10-14T04:29:00.001-07:00

I fell in love this past week… with Rome. Such a beautiful city, such friendly and outgoing people, the fooood… Ah, I simply love it and going home almost brought a tear to my eye. Things were just so charming in an italian style.

Our apartment was on Via del Moro, one of the most popular streets in the Trastevere. There was constantly people walking outside our charming windows, some were singing in Italian, some were tourists…

To sum it up short, our apartment was in the perfect location! If anything, my parents might say they wished they had a bedroom. One of the beds was right by the windows and considering the “Bakery” right below our apartment also seemed to be one of the most popular bars in town, it got noisy at night..

It still felt as if we were in the heart of Rome, where everything happened and everyone wanted to be! Right around on the otherside of our block was the small Piazza di Santa Maria where people were entertaining almost every night! Romans have such an outgoing zest about them!

There was another group the same night the photo above was taken that were just dancing to a beat, but they were so lively that they got the entire crowd to dance along! I loved it!

Then, there was the food.. Come on.. who doesn’t love italian food?

I’m a carbaholic, so I enjoyed myself (and so did those few extra pounds that joined me after dinner).

One of the best experiences was one of our first evenings when me and my boyfriend were going to go out for a little evening stroll. I ended up telling him there was something special I wanted to show him and we ended up running up and down streets trying to find our way. The entire time, I was the only one knowing where we were going without actually knowing where to go. Eventually though, after some detours, we reached the Colosseum which was lit up for the night. Totally a redcommendation for anyone looking for a little adrenaline rushing experience on an unplanned event.

Then of course there was the sights, monuments and historical places.. We got a guided tour of the Colosseum and the Palantine Hill before we also checked out the Roman forum. All amazing places, totally worth it to see – but get a guide, helps you know a little more about what you’re looking at!

I think the monument that impressed me the most was the Trevi fountain. It was sooo much bigger than I expected! And in hopes of returning to Rome, I threw a coin in the fountain..

One thing you might not think to do but you totally should do is visit the top of the Musei Capitolini. It will make you feel like this…

when you’re standing there looking over this…

I could go on and on forever because I loved all of it. Adjusting to the crazy traffic in Rome, the super friendly service at restaurants, the beautiful chocolate shop owner who was 90 but looked 60 (she said because of the chocolate), the cobblestone roads, the music in the streets, the gelato, sitting in the sun drinking white wine and simply experiencing Rome in one of the best times possible! I loved it, and I am going back one day!

To see the rest of the pictures from my trip you can go to facebook and like my page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Beara-Necessities/259529040750612?sk=wall

Here I will be giving notice of when new posts are up and posting some of the pictures that just can’t fit into my posts!

Hope you all had a great week and that you’re ready for some new posts!

-S.

BUSY BEE

2011-10-03T14:41:00.001-07:00

I am SO sorry for ditching you all after all that wonderful support and advice! Seriously, it made me so happy to see you all come with so much advice for this little lost soul. Just ask my mom, I pretty much giggled like a 9 year old girl every time I got a new email giving me notice that there was a new comment on my blog. Thank all of you!

I really have been busy unfortunately, and this isn’t a comeback but rather a drop-by. In the past week I had tests, big assignments and work keeping me busy. Then, come weekend I finally got to spend time with my boyfriend and we went with my family to look at some puppies (our family is going to get one in a few weeks). They were SO adorable! Just see for yourself:

Also, earlier in the week the russ had our first “fun-day” (originally called a Terror-day, but that changed after this summer) where we mess around with 1st graders (1st graders for us is like Juniors in high school – the new guys).

Most 1st graders take it, knowing that they will get their chance in two years. The point isn’t to be mean, but rather mess around and prank with the new kids. We’ve aaaall been through it, even yours truly:

The only problem the school has had with this really is that some (most) russ use permanent markers. I however was so nice that I bought a whiteboard marker. Yeah, yeah. I know I just put on a big fat halo! ;)

Then on Friday we had our very first theme day!! It was ROCK AND ROLL baby!

It was extremely fun, and later that night followed a Rock and Roll party that was very fun! All in all a very good Russ kick off!

Now as I said, this wasn’t a comeback. I have a test + work tomorrow and a test + work on Wednesday, and then – ROME! I’m going to bring my computer to Rome, so I might be able to sneak in a post or two. But I’ll remember to take tons of pictures for you guys! Thanks again for all the support on my last post! You guys are my joy in blogging!

-S.

BAD ASS BUSINESS WOMAN

2011-09-26T03:32:00.001-07:00

You might recall my previous post about my thoughts about perhaps becoming a teacher. However, while talking to my parents the other day they made some good points. The first thing to think about is the basic questions:

How long an education do I want to take? What kind of salary do I want to end up with? What goals do I have for my career future? And so on…

I already know the answer to these. I want a long and decent education, at least a masters if not more. I want to have an above average salary (who doesn’t right?) and I want to have a job where I can work my way up. I’ve always been a hard-working, decent kid who strives to excell in anything I put my mind to. I’ve been called a nerd and a geek, I spend more time doing homework than being social and I usually do good in whatever I try to complete. I love doing good and impressing people, I’m a sucker for praise and I’m content with myself when others are proud of me. I realized now that I’m a dog. Cool, huh?

So I started to consider some kind of business career. Perhaps marketing or some kind of management. So I was discussing this career choice with my boyfriend yesterday and he made a comment arguing that you have to be “mean” to be good in business. He meant I was too nice, that I had too many manners and that in order to be a good business woman I had to be tough and in some ways mean. This makes sense, but at the same time I believe that you can still be nice, as long as your tough and business oriented. I believe you can think business and not make business personal, without being a cold and mean business woman. However, I’m not a business woman and I do not know anyone who is. So what do I know?

Do you think you have to be cold and hard in order to do good in business? Why/why not?

PLAYTIME

2011-09-23T13:10:00.001-07:00

Soo, I’ve been playing around with my new little friend Lucy. I brought her to school today and tried taking some “artistic” photos…

What do you think? Then after a long, full day at school – I went to work. Thankfully it was the LAST day this week. My original plan was to go visit my boyfriend, because finally – after one LOOONG year – he’s done in the army! But there were complications so he won’t be home until tomorrow morning. Meaning I went home after work. Here’s some of the scenery from the drive home this evening…

Have a great weekend everybody!

-S.

MY NEW BABY

2011-09-21T13:10:00.001-07:00

Soo, I forgot to mention I have a new, pretty little baby. I actually just got her today, and I didn’t even know I was getting her until recently. I’m naming her Lucy, she’s black and has one big eye. I love her !

We’ve only known each other for a couple of hours, but I can already tell we’re going to be GREAT friends.

I named her Lucy because I keep hearing about people naming things that are precious to them, and she’s already precious to me. I can’t wait to take tons of pictures and share them with you all! Part of the reason I got her now, was because my current camera (I love her too) is a smaller digital camera that does GREAT portraits but not that good landscape and other images. So I was thinking of how much I want to remember my first trip to Rome and take many pictures, well Lucy will help me with this. 15 days!!!

By the way, I’m sorry for my silence on the blog this week. I’ve worked every evening after school, and I’ve done homework after work. So it’s not that easy to slip in some blogging here and there. But I’m trying! I’ll be back soon!

-S.

SUSHI AND THE FUTURE

2011-09-17T16:20:00.001-07:00

Tonight, it was just me and my mom for dinner. So on our way home from Hamar we went by this faboulous Sushi place and got tonight’s dinner…

The first time I tried sushi, I obviously tried it at the wrong place. Luckily I didn’t give up at first and tried it again at this new sushi place in the town where I go to school. Now, I’m addicted. I’ve only tried the ones with scampi, salmon or crab, so the next step will be when I try the ones with tuna and scallops and such. But I’ll try that later when it’s not my entire dinner that is at stake!

So I’ve had some serious thoughts lately. For a long time now my plan was to become a veterinarian, but after taking some of the scientific classes I needed to get into vet school (biology, chemistry and scientific math) I realized that those classes bore me like crazy. Certain classes didn’t go as well as I had planned this spring, but when it looked like my grades would not be good enough to get into vet school – I felt relieved, not sad or nervous. My grades luckily turned out better than assumed but I started to realize that locking myself into 6 years of hard vet school for a job I might not even enjoy, it just isn’t worth it.

So right now, I’m blank. I don’t know in which direction to look because I just can’t find any connections in the things that interest me for a potenial study. I love people, I’m social, I’m outgoing, I’m a good leader and I’m organized, I’m smart and creative, I love photography but I also love languages, I love to cook and bake but I also love being a leader and making things better, I enjoy traveling and being crafty, I’m opinionated and determined, I have so many interests and so many traits that I feel lost at ideas for a potenial future. Help me come up with ideas?!

The only idea I’ve had so far is becoming a teacher, because I think I could enjoy it and do well in it. I was thinking English teacher in high school since I already have a good background for it. I could take a 5 year masters program they offer at the University in Oslo for this. That is one thing I am certain of, I want a decent degree. Getting my masters is going to happen one way or another.

Gah, it makes no sense having to pick these things when you’re 18. Nobody knows 100% what they want to do the rest of their lives at this age. Do any of you have advice for this future-stressed young lady? I’d be forever grateful!

-S.

FIELD TRIP

2011-09-14T09:31:00.001-07:00

Today my biology class went to “Stavsjøen” (Pole/Stick-lake, gah I don’t know) to do some testing of the water and look for critters around the lake in order to study an ecosystem.

Wanna know something cool? In the winter it gets so cold here that this lake freezes and they make an “ice road”. Yes, I’ve driven on it.

My group didn’t have much luck catching anything, but we were able to catch a leech (yes EW) and this “little” guy…

Freaky fact: this guy was going to turn into a dragonfly. Yep, it’s a dragonfly nymph.

We took turns (group-wise) going out in this boat to take tests of the water at different depths. Afterwards we went back to school to look at what we found and write notes for a rapport.

I’m pretty good at my work, huh? The orange is forest, the green is farmer’s fields, the blue is buildings, etc etc….

Ah the exciting life of a student….

-S.

PAINTING A PICTURE

2011-09-12T13:43:00.001-07:00

Sorry for being so serious in my last post. I hope I didn’t scare any of you away, I just get opinionated sometimes and I need to speak my mind! Where better to do something like that than on a blog?

Anyways, today’s post is a lot more mellow. I felt tired today so I brought Nanna (our 3 year old leonberger) out for a walk and I took some pictures along the way…

I love noticing how everything is slowly changing. Despite how small the changes are, it’s still quite obvious that fall is on it’s way. I love this part of year, in some ways (to put it poetically) it’s like watching a painting slowly come together. There are splotches of color showing up here and there…

Even on the dark, brown forrest floor an eyecatcher shows up in different places…

Even the slightest speck of yellow, orange or red can be found around any corner…

And this years harvest has turned to it’s seasonal shade of gold…

How can one NOT love such a beautiful season? Despite going towards the cold, the colors are turning warmer than ever…

Oh how I love autumn! Don’t worry, the complete change pictures are guaranteed a spot on my little blog!

-S.

IMPORTANT THOUGHTS

2011-09-11T13:33:00.001-07:00

Today is a sad day in US history. I have seen numerous facebook statuses with remembrances of 9/11, blog posts and news articles. Today, we are all Americans.

However, this is not going to be a remembrance post. I would istead like to mention something that is important for me, especially during a day like this.

One news article that caught my attention more than others was one titled ¨”American muslim about the terrorism: Felt like a punch in the face”. I continued to read about what I already knew. After 9/11, the world would never be the same for a muslim. I believe that on that day ten years ago, a large part of the world made a bad mistake, a horrible prejudice. Many people chose to say “muslims did it”, instead of “Al-Qaida did it”. Of course, not everybody started to think this way – but I believe many people found it easy to blame Islam and muslims. I see it to this very day here in Norway. Muslims are not always greeted warmly because a large part of society has developed some form of prejudice against Islam.

I especially noticed this on July 22 here in Norway. When we experienced the worst terrorist act in our history, many people believed at first that muslims had done it. This was before anybody knew, and the point where everybody just made assumptions. I was almost a bit shocked at how quick people were to point the finger as muslims. This just goes to prove the impact one horrible act can have on the entire world.

In the article I read about the story of some muslim children in the US, who’s lives have changed because of 9/11. How they are bullied and pushed away because of the religion they are raised with. There were several muslim victims of 9/11 as well, can you imagine how their loved ones left behind feel every time they get a dirty look just because they’re a muslim? You probably can’t.

My entire point with this is that I think it’s important to remember that 9/11 was Al-Qaida’s fault, NOT muslims. People have to start realizing how stupid and hurtfull their prejudice is. It’s been 10 years, it’s time to open your eyes. Today, we are all Americans – all of us.

-S.

HOME

2011-09-09T13:22:00.001-07:00

They say home is where the heart is, and I believe this to be true. I think no matter where in the world I move to, home will always be where my family is. No matter what house, what country – family is my home.

Nowadays, my home is here on Helgøya (direct translation: weekend island)where I live with my parents, two siblings and millions of animals.

When we bought the house 4 years ago, it was announced as “The fairytale house” in it’s add. It’s place in the middle of the forest, on a small island in the middle of Norway’s biggest lake.

I like it, it’s a beautiful house and it suits my family’s personality. From here it’s about a 25 min drive to my school, 40 min drive to Hamar city, and about 2 hours to drive to Oslo.

One of my favourite things about this house is around Christmas time, when we decorate it with tons of hanging lights.. The feeling you get when standing out in –4 Fahrenheit (Yes it gets that cold here in the winter), glistening white snow all around you with a clear starry sky and the twinkling lights of our fairytale house. It’s awesome.

Unfortunately, pictures do this scene no justice. The real thing is amazing. I have to admit, looking at this pictures makes me look forward to Christmas! But at the same time, I’m also hoping for a nice long and warm (!!!) or at least sunny fall.

Have a great weekend everybody!

-S.

HOW RUDE…

2011-09-07T12:34:00.001-07:00

At work we have to note down in a folder if and when we find ripped off tags, alarms or such. We then use this folder to keep a statistics about how much people steal and where in the store they steal from – in order to build ways to prevent it.

Today, while at work, I was walking around cleaning and folding clothes. I picked up a messed up pair of jeans and started to fold it when these fell out:

These tags are the type we have on accessories, and these jeans were not close to the accessories department. I went to the cash register and skanned them in. It was a belt and two pieces of jewelry. So then I had to note it down and put it in the folder with the rest of the found tags…

I am completely against stealing, however I can understand it in desperate times. If you’re starving and you steal a loaf of bread, or you’re close to freezing to death and you steal a sweater to keep warm – it’s not right but it’s survival. I would like to know when people started to need belts and jewelry to survive. Not that I think thieves read my blog, but if any happen to pop by: Seriously, you are stupid. Grow up and stop stealing.

Hope nobody takes this personally! Maybe this is the combination of a long day and my opinions! Have a nice evening!

-S.

TIME FOR “KOS”

2011-09-06T12:28:00.001-07:00

In Norway we kos ourselves a lot. If you know Norwegians or you live in Norway, you’ll notice this. We kos ourselves with a movie, we kos ourselves with snacks, we kos ourselves on the weekends and we kos ourselves all around. If you haven’t gotten it by now, to kos ourselves means to cozy ourselves. Sounds strange in English, I know, but we do and it’s kos!

Like I told you in my previous post that fall is coming real fast here, and the weather has been crappy. It’s raining and windy, leaves are flying around everywhere and it’s cold!!

So this evening, since my mom has gotten the flu and I’m almost done with it, she wanted for us to kos ourselves. She then proceeded to make white and dark chocolate chunk cookies.

To top this off, I made a nice cup (the first this fall!) of hot chocolate ♥

Oh yeah, if I didn’t work at Lindex I could have worked at a café. I’ve kosed myself and now I’m ready to hit the sack! I’ve got two full days coming up with school first, followed by work until 7.30pm (AKA I won’t be home before 8 and then I have homework) so you probably won’t hear from me until Friday! Gotta love’em weekends eh?

-S.

DID YOU EVER STOP AND WONDER?

2011-09-03T02:04:00.001-07:00

Who the first person was to look at a cow and say, "I think I'll squeeze these pink dangly things here, and drink whatever comes out?"

Who the first person was that said, "See that chicken there, I'm gonna eat the next thing that comes outta it's bum?"

Why Doctors call what they do "practice"?

Who tastes dog food when it has a "new & improved" flavor?

Why they sterilize the needle for lethal injections?

Why sheep don't shrink when it rains?

or even

Whose idea was it to put an "s" in the word "lisp"?

Have a great day everybody! It’s the weekend!!

-S.

FALL IS EARLY

2011-09-02T14:39:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, the 1st of September, my sister and I went for a walk with the dogs and we started to notice how quickly fall is starting. The weather was looking dangerous, it was blowing and tons of leaves were flying in the air. Amazing that August barely finished before fall started here.. and the weather isn’t the only way to tell. The temperature is also getting cold. I sleep with my window open (because I seriously can’t sleep in a warm room) and getting out of a warm blanket at 6am into a freezing cold room was not wonderful..

Haha I thought of something I could tell you guys about me that is somewhat related to this.. I have two blankets. Yes, two. The reason for this is that I like to alternate how many I use depending on the temperature when I go to bed, and because it’s nice to have an extra when Paul stay’s over. I also have 5 pillows but I think that’s just the American in me.. most of my friends, including my boyfriend sleeps with just one pillow. My head would never agree with that…

This is me, right now. I have put on some really soft pants and my teddyfleece jacket. I partly did this because of the temperature but also because I’m exhausted, sick and tired – so I wanted to be comfy. Gotta love that fall-flu…..

Don’t I look like Shrek here? Gotta love being bored AND blog-creative at the same time.. My lips are so dry from going out into the cold, then into a warm room, in and out, again and again. In some ways though, I don’t really mind.. it’s sort of just a fall tradition. The same with me having the flu. I’ll deal with it, because it just means fall is coming.

I love fall, it’s my favourite season. I just adore how even though things are getting colder – the colors just get warmer! Oh, and maple trees! Have you ever seen maple trees in the fall? My only girly fantasy about my future wedding is to get married in the fall under maple trees. They turn red, yellow, orange and pretty much every shade in between! I LOVE IT!

What is your favourite season and why?

-S.

PUT ON YOUR THINKING CAP

2011-08-29T11:50:00.001-07:00

Ladies and gentlemen, I need your help. Remember all the cool things I was telling you about my coming weeks? About trying russclothes and such? Well.. it was awesome…

Yours truly was very excited when trying on her russepants! I look pretty cool don’t I? Also, remember “The Ditch” that I told you guys about? Well, this is it:

As you can tell, I’ve been bringing my camera along more too school. I would have posted this earlier, but I just can’t find the cable I need to upload pictures. Thankfully I could use my sisters camera by simply switching the memory stick. Want to see some more pictures? These are from around my school:

I know, the school is old and with totally mismatching colors. Appearantly they are going to fix it up when my class is finished for good. What a SHOCK, right?

Anyways, I didn’t really make this post to tell you about my school and share pictures. I ACTUALLY need some help. I need you guys to be creative for me, even – if you are such a sweet, amazing and helpful person – maybe make a tiny post about it on your blog so I can get all the help possible. The thing is that at our school, and at most schools along the east side of Norway, we have a russecar. We form groups of usually 8 people, we buy a car together and fix it up, then use it to get around in May (russetime). These cars usually look like this:

And they’re usually pimped up somewhat inside with a table and such.. Anyhooot – these vans always try to have a cool name, preferably with a theme. Examples of these are like: SuperVan (superman themed car), Sheroes (a car full of girls, superhero theme ya know), Glamouruss, Dangeruss… wordplay is cool as you can see! Some cars have names that are a wee bit more on the edge.. one group had a Mazda for a russecar, they called it Mazturbation. Another was called Sexbox (get it? X box?). My mom suggested Chicks N’ Dicks, because we’re 5 guys and 3 girls in the group. That one was funny, but the key problem is that the name has to be good and not used up. Unique names are the best, preferably funny ones!

Could you help me? Would you help me? Please come with some suggestions for what we can call our group and I’d be forever grateful!

-S.

DREAM DESTINATION: ALSACE

2011-08-25T10:34:00.001-07:00

I took French classes at school for five years. The first three were in middle school, the other two in high school. I’m done now, but last year we had a project in French where we were supposed to choose a region in France and have a presentation about it. I chose Alsace.

What makes Alsace so unique and different from other french regions is the Franco-Germanic culture. The region is in the North-East part of France, boardering Germany on the North side. The region has a lot of history with Germany despite being in France, which you can clearly see by the architecture, food and other cultural aspects.

For those who love markets, most towns in Alsace are appearantly crawling with them! Around Christmas time is the best market-time, where you can find all kinds of charming handmade things and baked snacks, etc…

Aren’t those adorable? The cuisine there is also supposedly a nice mix between french and german gastronomy. Popular dishes are Charcuterie (Pork specialties), Choucroute (Sauerkraut), Foie gras (goose or duck liver patés) and Tarte aux Quetsches (tart of plums in flan). A lot of the wine is also quite similar to German wine, but with a fruitier and more robust taste.

If you’d like to explore both french and german culture at once, you love beautiful architecture and charming markets or you simply can’t help but go on a wine tasting trip – go to Alsace. I will…

If this post made you a little more curious of Germany, go visit this lovely little lady named Michelle’s blog over at HotPinkCombatBoots ! She does some very exciting post about Germany, places around Germany and some awesome Euro Trash posts! A definite recommendation!

Until next time.. Au revoir and auf wiedersehen!

-S.

SCHOOL GIRL

2011-08-23T08:51:00.001-07:00

I’m not sure how many of you readers have actually caught my age. I’m 18, and I just started my “senior” year at high school. I write it like that because in Norway we wouldn’t call it a senior year. It is my 13th year of schooling, in the grade called VG3 (Videregående – which loosely translated is the same as high school). I’m in the class 3STD (yes, you read correctly – other classes are 3STA, 3STB, etc..) and this year – I’m going to be a russ! For those of you who haven’t noticed – I’M ABOUT TO EXPLODE OF EXCITEMENT!

In the next two weeks we will be picking “The board of russ”, which pretty much is a group of people in our grade who will be representing us and organizing things for us before and during the Russeperiod. I reeeeeeeaally want to be a part of this, so I’m going to try to get some votes by next week! We are also going to try on russeclothes so we know what sizes to order, that will just add on to the excitement.

Yeah, I talk a lot about this but I can’t help it. It’s just so cool to be a “senior”. We’re the oldest, we know each other better, we get the perk of sitting in “the ditch” (which is a part of the cafeteria where the floor is lower and only the seniors can sit there), and we just come together in another way than we have in the previous years.

I’m extremely pleased with my classes as well this year. First of all because I have no more math and no more french, but also because my classes are ones I think I’ll enjoy. Chemistry, Biology, English Literature and culture, History, Religion, Norwegian and Gym (OK, not so sure I’ll enjoy gym but whatever..).

Only sad thing about being a senior though, it’s just my second day of school and I’ve already got homework…..

DREAM DESTINATION: THAILAND

2011-08-20T01:32:00.001-07:00

This one has been my number one for a long time. It’s another tropical, exotic place – but I’m guessing my wants to go to such a place might be because I live in NORWAY. Let me just tell you that it’s been raining constantly here for the past weeks. Can you blame me for wanting to go here….

Can you blame me for dreaming of beaches like this…

Or this….

You can also experience elephant rides…

Or get a massaaaaage (I’ve heard those are REALLY cheap but REALLY good in Thailand)

Say it with me guys: Aaaaaaahh……..

You can go snorkling or check out some amazing hand made art…

Not to sound stereotypical or anything, but Asians always amaze me with their skills in any way they perform it. Even their buildings are beautifully decorated..

Thailand just screams beauty to me, and to be honest those giant islands spread around in the water makes me think of the magical floating islands/mountains/whatevers in Avatar!

Hopefully I’ve made you dream of Thailand now too. No matter how I have to get there, one day I will.

I would also like to apologise for being to inactive on my blog lately. There is a lot going on, school is right around the corner for me and at the end of the day I don’t really feel like writing. But not to worry! I will be back next week with lots of back-to-school posts!

-S.

MADE ME THINK

2011-08-14T10:20:00.001-07:00

I’m delaying the school-shopping post till tomorrow, instead I’d like to share some stories I found on a page called makesmethink.com. It’s impossible to know which ones are true and not, but they still make you think…

Today, an 86 year old man completed my diving certification course in Key West, FL. He said he wants his certification so he can dive at the Great Barrier Reef when he visits Australia in 2 weeks. “That sounds like fun. Are you a world traveler?” I asked. He laughed. “I was when I was your age. Actually, I was cleaning out an old filing cabinet yesterday. In it I found a list I made when I was 22 titled, ‘10 Things I Will Do Before I Die.’ Diving at the Great Barrier Reef is #10 on the list, and it’s the only one I haven’t completed.” MMT

Today, I interviewed a woman who is terminally ill. "So," I tried to delicately ask, "What is it like to wake up every morning and know that you are dying?" "Well," she responded, "What is it like to wake up every morning and pretend that you are not?" MMT

Today, I was working in a coffee shop when 2 gay men walked in holding hands. As you might expect, heads started turning. Then a young girl at the table next to me asked her mom why 2 men were holding hands. Her mom replied, "Because they love each other." MMT

Today I was approached by a homeless man who asked if I had any change. I only had two dimes, but I gave it to him anyway. As I watched him walk away, he put the dimes in an expired parking meter of a strangers car. MMT

Today, after spending the last 3 years viciously bickering with the college kid who lives next door, I found myself crying in his arms and thanking him repeatedly for saving my son's life. MMT

Today, at the final home game of the season, the entire boys basketball team at our high school entered the gymnasium in pairs of two holding hands. They did so in protest of the fact that two gay students had been sent to detention for a week for simply holding hands in the school’s hallways. MMT

Today, I saw a pretty scary looking guy who had a tall blue mohawk and tattoos and piercings all over his body. He was helping my elderly neighbor take her trash down to the curb. My neighbor told me afterwards that the guy was just walking by and offered to help. MMT

Today, my grandfather used 25 different coupons at the grocery store. Then he gave the money he saved to the bag boy as a tip. He does this almost every Sunday because he says he “likes to see people smile.” MMT

-S.

ONE EXCITED SARAH

2011-08-13T14:31:00.001-07:00

When I got back from work today, I was tired – exhausted – my legs were extremely sore from my workout yesterday – and I was slightly irritated. I had gotten up at 6am (!!!!), in order to go to work at 8am and work until 4:30pm. You get my point…

Then I was told that I’d gotten mail today, and look what came…

The Russe Catalog! Now, honestly I’m not sure how much you readers know about the Russ in Norway. I know I’ve written some about it, but just tell me if there is anything you might wonder about it. Anyways… for the period of time one is a Russ in Norway, you usually have “russe clothes”. These are ordered from THIS catalog! So in here was the collection for the Russ of 2012!

Now the “most important” thing for a Russ, is the russepants. Usually, this is a red overall and you only buy one. The point is to have it through the entire russeperiod and to not wash it. People sign it and you put on iron-on stickers and so on. The pants above are the ones I liked in the catalog, most of them are a UNISEX type. Which one do you like the best?

I was also thinking about getting some of these things…

And even thought the russeperiod is in May, we live in Norway… so it’s a good idea to get some warmer russeclothes for the evenings!

Not 100% sure what all I am going to order yet, but in order to get some nice deals I’ll have to order before the 2nd of September. So you guys will find out what I ordered soon enough! Want to help me with another thing? Which of these iron-on font types do you like best? NAVN means NAME so my name will be there and I’ll have this on my pants…

I’m excited for this last school year! I think it will be a good one, with lots of exciting things to share with you guys. Yesterday I met my wonderful friend Matilde in order to do some school shopping. Stay tuned as I tomorrow will show you what all I got!

-S.

DREAM DESTINATION: ROME

2011-08-12T02:15:00.001-07:00

Guess what people, I think we’re going to Rome this fall!! My family is going to take some kind of family vacation in October, and we’d been looking around the south of Spain, south of France and south of Italy. We finally located cheap plane tickets and an awesome apartment in the heart of Rome. Honestly, I can’t wait.

I love history, and Rome is a city just bursting with history. All the wonderful things to see, from the Colosseum to The Vatican..

From the Trevi Fountaint to the Pantheon…

Even from the Spanish Steps to the Gelato shops that are supposedly right down the street from our apartment…

Italy is the only country outside of Scandinavia and besides America that I have visited, and I truly loved it. The people are wonderful, the food is delicious and the scenery is just breathtaking. You get into a romantic (not like lovey dovey, but dream-like) state of mind by a place such as Italy.

I am so excited about this. Once we mentioned we were planning on going here, we’ve just heard SO many great things about Rome. People honestly seem to LOVE that city. So now, the only thing left is to hear if we get to rent the apartment for the time we plan to go there. Please cross your fingers for me!

-S.

NICE TO MEET YOU COTTAGE CHEESE

2011-08-11T12:12:00.001-07:00

Today, actually right now, I am having my first meet with cottage cheese. Sure enough, I’ve tried it in lasagna, but I’ve seen so many people eat it as a snack.

It’s a cellphone picture, so it’s not awesome, but I was pleasantly surprised by the cottage cheese. Here I’ve put together 1,5 dl cottage cheese, 2-3 tbs cream, some chopped almonds and fresh berries. It tastes fine! It didn’t wow me, but I can definitely eat this as a healthier snack!

Have you ever tried cottage cheese?

Did you like it?

-S.

EXTRA LATE NIGHT POST

2011-08-10T13:05:00.001-07:00

I know it’s not really late, but whatever. I thought I’d share an extra post with you guys today since my first post was in fact meant for yesterday. First of all I wanted to show you all one of my new purchases. I feel that if I could have any addiction, I would have a shoe addiction…

I’m loving how great these will look with some tight jeans and a nice, big, brown knitted sweater later this fall!

Anyways, I looked at my blog description today and noticed that I told you all when I started that you could follow my search for a healthier lifestyle. Hahah… then I also remembered writing about how I was jogging and running and eating good and all that, I even had The Bikini Challenge. Well, unfortunately I failed. I’ve been eating crappy, I haven’t exercised. All of a sudden I find myself hating that I didn’t spend the summer starting good habits.

This coming year has a lot of reasons for me to be healthier and more fit. First of all, I am going to be a Russ.. and I REALLY want to look good in my Russ-clothes when mid-April comes!

Second of all, this year I’ll get my final grade in gym class. My gym teacher is a milder form of Hitler, making good grades extremely hard to get. So being able to graduate from school with an acceptable grade would be very nice.

So I’m trying to start better habits now. My mom has started our family on a low-carb type diet, and today we had our first taste of what that meant.

Dinner was good! It was baked salmon filled with blue cheese, broccoli and cauliflower and a nice creamy sauce. Now honestly, I could do without the blue cheese. For my sake, if it’s mouldy – toss it… don’t go eating it. It’s nature’s way of telling you something has gone bad.

We also made our way to the gym today. I was very pleased after doing upper body workouts with my sister. I can already feel my muscles growing, or maybe they’re just crying a little in pain? I found myself facing a small problem before we went to the gym, my jogging shoes were really dirty from running in the woods. I thought to myself, honestly – you can’t wash them multiple times a week in order to use them in the gym. So I got myself indoor shoes….

It’s very nice to finally have a job….

After the gym, my mom and I went for a jog/walk with two of the dogs just so we could get some cardio into the day as well. It was very nice and we had some wonderful conversations.

I feel optimistic this time. My sister is starting at the same school as me now, which happens to be in the same area as our gym. So we’re planning on going there a couple days a week after school and working out. Hopefully, by mid-April, I’ll have a rockin’ body I’m pleased with!

-S.

SUPER SWEET 16

2011-08-10T10:18:00.001-07:00

OK, so it wasn’t the WOW factor they have on those crazy Super Sweet Sixteen shows – but I think we did pretty good for my baby sisters sweet 16!

Good morning sunshine! We woke her with 45 balloons or something close to that, then made her french toast – her favourite breakfast – annd continued outside for an awesome sweet 16 photoshoot:

I love how she can pull off a face like that…

Yes, I am a pretty good make-up artist AND a pretty good photographer – but man does it help when you’re working with such a gorgeous girl. I sure am proud to call her my sister, she is turning into such an amazing young woman.

Now after a long wait (she couldn’t open presents until mom got home from work at 3.30 pm) she was finally allowed to open gifts.

My sister is a good singer, and she really wants to be an artist. So I got her what I called a Rockstar Kit, AKA a pair of jeans, a sparkly gold shirt, gold eyeshadow, gold sunglasses, gold nailpolish and some lipgloss. This with my brothers gift, an awesome leather jacket – she really looked like a rockstar. I also made her, what I meant was a faux microphone, but everyone else had their own opinion of what it looked like…*cough cough*

I tried, at least that counts…

Then we ate out, at a place we unfortunatly will never attend again. Our original plan was to go to this awesome oriental restaurant called Hot and Spicy, but it turned out to be closed. We took a chance on this place called Steak House Company, eeeeeeeeeeeeehhrm NO. All I’m sayin’..

Thankfully we got some ice cream afterwards! YUM Oreo ice cream and cookie dough!

Ever tried a new restaurant that turned out to be horrible?

Best sweet 16 you’ve experienced?

-S.

I'M SORRY

2011-08-09T12:51:00.000-07:00

I know I promised you guys an awesome birthday post, but last night my dad left for work (he is captain on a ship that is currently located in Brazil), and he just happened to take my computer charger by mistake. Luckily I noticed it quick enough that he has sent it from the hotel he stayed at in Oslo, so I'll get it back soon. But until then I have this older crappy computer that is real slow and not so good quality. So I'll save that post for later!

Here is me and the birthday kid! I think and hope she had a great day! I'll tell you about it later!

-S.

TWO THINGS

2011-08-08T01:52:00.001-07:00

This week I’m starting operation Get-into-school-mode. You see, when school starts I have to wake up at 6 am (if not a bit earlier), in order to make the 7 o’clock bus that takes an hour to school so I’m there by 8am. Now after spending most of the summer sleeping until 10-11 or even 12 o’clock, your body would kind of hit a wall if you all of a sudden one day started getting up at 6am. So with two weeks until school starts, I’ve planned on getting up at 9am every day this week, and 8am every day next week. It’s still a few hours between 8-9 and 6, but I’m guessing it’s better than nothing right?

So I’ve been sitting here since 9am, having a relaxing morning. I thought I’d share two things about me that you may or may not know by now. First of all, I hate breakfast. For me, it’s the worst meal through the day because I’m never hungry in the morning – but I know I need it to start my engines for the day! Ugh, problems. Might I add that it’s a lot easier for me to eat something unhealthy for breakfast if I’m going to eat something. So while trying to be healthier AND having to find something to keep me energized until my next meal, I find myself facing a wall of ideas.

So I’ve been trying to do it this way: I find something that sounds OK for breakfast the night before and then just stick with it in the morning, no matter how unappealing it sounds. So todays breakfast was crisp bread (never used this word but according to wikipedia it’s correct) with a light cream cheese, some slices of pepperoni and some onion and red pepper slivers sprinkled with garlic pepper. It’s an OK breakfast, not going to fill me very long but today I’m going to work for 5 hours at 2pm so I thought I’d rather have a light breakfast and a better lunch. My lunch for today will be something like this:

Lightly fried chicken breast with some kind of vegetable mix. I know, you’re just dying to be healthy too now huh?? Another little secret about me, I love chicken but I can’t eat much of it or I feel just sick. But that wasn’t the secret about me I was going to share.

I also – despite hating breakfast – loooove water! When I was younger, I drank whole milk. Eventually I went over to drinking plain milk because it felt too heavy for me. When the plain milk started tasting too heavy I went over to skim milk. Eventually, all milk just tasted nasty – so I stopped drinking milk. Orange juice is OK, but I’d rather drink it alone than with any meal. So I started to drink water, all the time. And maaaaan do I love it! Nothing is like an ICE COLD glass of water. Mmmmm…..

I hope you all have a great start to the week! Stay tuned for tomorrows post, where I will show you guys the awesome birthday present I put together for my baby sister who is turning 16 tomorrow!

-S.

DREAM DESTINATION: MALDIVES

2011-08-07T11:36:00.001-07:00

OK, so I’ve been browsing a lot around on the web and I’ve been by quite a few travelling pages lately (not the order-here type, the you-should-go-here type). Now I’ve seen quite a lot of cool places, making me only so much more curious of the world. One of my life-long dreams is to see the world, at least some of it, before I die. So just because it’s fun to share my thoughts with you guys, I am going to start having the Dream Destination of the Week – right here on my blog! Trust me, this will be awesome and I’m pretty sure you’ll be inspired.

So one of the places that makes me catch my breath again and again is the Maldives. This place screams heaven on earth to me. In some ways you could say it looks cheesy or boring, but if all you are after is some relaxing time in an amazing place – I think you should go here.

Now the Maldives, for those of you who do not know this, consists of 1192 islands (according to wikipedia) and is located in The Indian Ocean – HERE:

Now unfortunately, the capital Male is one of the most tightly populated capitals in the world, and according to media they have a lot of problems with sewers and such. However, it turns out that in 1972 the Government there decided to keep the locals and the tourists seperate in the best interest of the locals and their faith. Therefore, pretty much all the tourist places are located on their very own islands.

There are positives and negatives to this. If you are seeking local culture and such, the Maldives is not the place for you. Pretty much everyone around you will either be staff or other tourists. On the bright side though, you won’t be bothered by pushy sellers on the beaches trying to sell you faux this and that or handmade jewelry. Appearantly you get a lot of peace and quiet, and it almost feels like you are on your very own island at times.

Now I’m reading that the prices are high there. This is because your recources are limited when living on islands. Therefore it is suggested that getting an all-inclusive package when travelling here is well-worth the extra money. On the bright side, just look at where you could stay!!

There are more things to do than just lie on a beach as well. Appearantly you can rent little boats or jet skis, you can go snorkling in the AMAZING coral reef or try this unique restaurant called Ithaa, which just so happens to be underwater..

This is totally a dream destination for me. Appearantly, since this island is best for couples (oooh a romantic restination!) AND it’s expensive – I might just have to wait a while with this one and hope maybe one day I can convince Paul to go here for a honeymoon…

Is The Dream Destination of the Week a cool idea?

Do you want to go to the Maldives?

-S.

HAPPY

2011-08-05T13:55:00.001-07:00

I am very happy with my job lately. Actually, I love it. I feel satisfied when I know I’ve given my all – done my best. Lately I’ve been better about cleaning, organizing, being efficient and I’m generally a lot more in with the system of how things work. I don’t find myself wandering anymore, wondering what to do or if I’m doing it right. I feel content and as if I know what I am doing. When customers ask me if we have this or that, I actually know where things are or if we have it! I find myself smiling to myself after having helped a customer, or rather – being able to help a customer.

What sunshine is to flowers, smiles are to humanity. – Joseph Addison

Have a great weekend everybody! I might just be back tomorrow!

-S.

Something you may or may not know

2011-08-04T12:36:00.001-07:00

The banana – a common fruit in most countries. Most people love them or like them, they are full of vitamins and they are a great restitution fruit after a workout!

Now, I’m probably not the only person who has experienced trying to open a banana from this end:

…And the banana does not cooperate. You find yourself bending the banana in every way possible trying to open it.

But have you ever watched a monkey, who I think we can all agree on is a banana expert, try to open one?

They start at this end. Get a banana, and try it. Pinch the tip, and you’ll find that the banana easily opens – every time!

I’ve been so excited about this new trick that I’ve been buying bananas just so I can try it again and again. It’s cool, try it!

-S.

A TOURIST IN TRONDHEIM

2011-07-27T12:17:00.001-07:00

Last Thursday, bright and early I got up to take a plane to Trondheim.

Note that the island on the bottom picture is actually the island I live on. Cool right? I was pretty sure we’d fly over this because most domestic flights go above our house.

When I landed I took the airport bus in to Trondheim where I met my honey ♥ We checked in to our hotel, which I must say we loved. Note to anyone travelling to Trondheim, Comfort Hotel is the place to stay. So nice, and actually quite cheap. A double room with a queen sized bed (not two singles) cost 880 NOK a night including breakfast and free warm drinks. Most Norwegian hotels take payment per night, per person. Sick.

Our first day was spent exploring the city…

This mall was pretty much built on to the old shops. Very cool. That evening we ate at an all English (as in British) pub.

Our hotel was right across the street from a movie theater, so on the first evening when we were kind of tired and just wanted to have a movie night in our hotel room – we could go down to the movies for popcorn.

We went to Pirbadet, which from what I read is Norway’s biggest indoor swimming park. It would have been a cool place, expect there was about 1527475 million kids there. Note that in this picture, I think the wave machine was on in another pool because this wasn’t even 1/8 of the kids there.

The second night we got reservations at this awesome bbq restaurant called Graffi. Again, if you are travelling to Trondheim – TRY THIS PLACE!

Saturday, we went out again to explore more of the city. There were beautiful buildings and some statues that certain people thought were cool…

Then we arrived at the famous Nidaros Cathedral. This church is so beautiful, unfortunately you were not allowed to take pictures inside. The outside is quite enjoyable though anyways..

Nearby was this INTERESTING fence with some INTERESTING statues on it…

On the way home we got some snacks……

I would also like to take a moment to tell you guys about my favourite meal. The dinners of all dinners for me. Fried Rice. I love it, can’t get enough of it. So when we found this quaint little chinese restaurant I couldn’t help myself, I had to have some.

By the way, did you know that you can stay in HELL HOTEL here in Norway? It’s right outside of the town, just by the airport.

It was such a nice weekend, I loved spending all that time with my honey. Experiencing a new town with someone you love, totally worth it.

-S.

IT TAKES LESS THAN A YEAR

2011-07-20T04:15:00.001-07:00

I remember some rumors I heard last fall about a new exchange student from America at our school. I remember the first time I talked to her she sounded disoriented and somewhat strange, but nice. I remember the second time I talked to her she was sitting alone at the busstop, and the funny way she tried to pronounce the place she was staying at.

Less than a year has passed, and this girl has already made quite a mark on my heart and so many else’s here. She became one of my best friends, and the memories with her are some of the best one’s I have! Today she is going back home to America, and I’m sure there is a lot of us here that will miss her. I’m sure we’ll meet again, and I’m pretty sure we’ll stay friends forever. Have a safe trip Berit! I’ll miss you! ♥

PS: Tomorrow morning I’m leaving for a long weekend in Trondheim with my honey, so I’ll be back to blog next week! Stay tuned for many pics!

-S.

HARRY POTTER AND A DÖNER KEBAB

2011-07-16T15:13:00.001-07:00

So, there was something I intentionally forgot to mention to you guys about the whole “me-being-the-cook-this-week” thing. The reason for this was because my family was in Sweden on vacation and I was home alone (working). So most of you understand that when left home alone, don’t publish it on the web so everybody in the world knows – right?

Anyways, I’d been alone since last Saturday and the plan was they’d be coming home the following Saturday – today.

Then, last night as I got home from work, I saw empty dogpens as I drove into the driveway. My first thoughts were OMG, they are going to kill me! The dogs have gotten out! Oh no, oh no, oh no!!

Seconds passed as I started to open the garage door, when my mind suddenly flashed a single question: Is that a car parked where I’m supposed to park?

I didn’t even have time to register that question in my head before I heard shouting and loud cheering. All of a sudden my brother opens the car door and both he and my mom showered me with hugs.

They came home early! Yay! To be honest, I was bored to death after spending a week alone with dogs. I was tired of trying to think of dinners for myself and ways to spend my evenings before bedtime. All of a sudden there was my chatty family, homemade pizza and light! Oh, did I forget to mention that I’m such a lazy person that I usually just turned on one light in the house while being alone?

Anyways, they missed me as much as I missed them – so instead of them driving home today, we went to Hamar. There we ate döner kebab (YUMMY)

Aw my happy family who weren’t too pleased with this photo to begin with♥

…and then we went to see the last Harry Potter movie afterwards!!

I liked the movie, it answered so many of the questions I’d been wondering throughout the entire Harry Potter story. The only part I disliked, and I’m going to say this carefully incase you haven’t seen the movie, why didn’t they seem happier in the end?!

My parents didn’t like it much, but whatever – we who have grown up with Harry enjoyed it! I’ve never been a huge fan, but I remember when the very first movie came out I was desperately hoping I would get my invitation to Hogwarts soon after. It didn’t happen… Oh well! Thanks for some magical moments Harry Potter ♥

Enjoy your weekend guys!

-S.

DINNER OF THE DAY + A WINNER!!

2011-07-14T13:38:00.001-07:00

LOL, I’m slow – again. But here it is! Last nights dinner was a light one, because honestly – after that mac and cheese – I felt like anything fried or oozing of fat would make me sick. So I kept it simple…

It was yummy and refreshing to have something light. However, I’m sugar addicted. So for dessert I picked up this little baby from the store…

T’was gooooood.

Lol, you want to know something? At this point in the blog – I left for work and forgot that this was still unpublished. At this point I’m skipping dinner of the day for Thursday, I was hungry and I ate it before I took a picture. Haha too bad!

ANYHOOT, so I guess you guys are excited to know who won the giveaway right?? Well, I’ll tell you….

The winner iiiiiiiiiiiiiiissssssssssss……………

*DRUMROLL*

SELINA from The Wolf and The Fox!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!

I’m hoping you get a chance to see this asap Selina! Just send me your adress and the size of the ring you want (S/M or M/L) to sarkip@hotmail.com and I’ll send it as soon as I can!

For all you other awesome people who joined my giveaway – thanks! You all made this a real fun experience for me! I’m already looking forward to the next giveaway I’ll have!

Have a great evening!

-S.

DINNER OF THE DAY–TUESDAY

2011-07-13T04:38:00.001-07:00

I know this one is coming a bit late, but to my defence I had company last night. These two awesome girls I went to Hove with came over and we had a small girls night. And what is a girls night without a makeover? Those lovely ladies sure made me over:

BEFORE

AFTER

My hair is now a dark brown/red (depends on the lighting). I like it. Only one small problem, my eyebrows are naturally invisible. So when my hair goes dark, I have to try to make a small change to my eyebrows. I’ve been trying out my new eyebrow pencil, weird to see my brows for the first time.

Sooo, last nights dinner was a simple one. I thought about doing something fancy, but when I came across an old friend while I was in the grocery store and well.. you get the rest…

I can’t help myself. I might try to be a grown up, but I’m still a kid at heart. Mac and Cheese is not a common thing in Norway, although it’s much easier to find it in stores now a days. It was good!

New dinner coming up tonight! Stay tuned!

-S.

THE DAILY DINNER–MONDAY

2011-07-11T13:40:00.001-07:00

Today I got home late from work, so dinner was a quicky – but here it is:

I know the sauce looks chunky, it’s because it happen to cook faster then I though and got a tad burnt. Doesn’t matter though, still tasted like a little piece of heaven! Tonights dish was boneless pork filet, rice and salad with a creamy sauce! ‘Twas goooooood!

Happy Monday bloggers and blogreaders!!

-S.

FEAST YOUR EYES

2011-07-10T12:03:00.001-07:00

We are getting close people! In FIVE days we’ll have a winner in my first GIVEAWAY! You can still enter, so come one and all! Tell your sisters and mothers, your best friends or the people next door! I got the prizes just the other day, and let me tell you – they are fab!

I discovered a small problem though. I got the ring in two sizes: one S/M and one M/L. Now I have no idea what size fingers the winner has and neither do you, BUT – for that reason I think I will draw the winner Thursday evening (Norwegian time).

Now for an exciting (hopefully for you as well – not just me) update. I have the honor of deciding and making this coming weeks dinners, so for that reason I have decided to call this coming week DINNER DAYS! Just for fun, I’ll be sharing with you what I’ve made. I’m a creative soul and my mother has tought me well in the kitchen, so you won’t be seeing any pop-in-the-oven pizzas or such things. To kick off the week I thought I’d share with you todays dinner and dessert!

On the menu tonight was homemade chicken nuggets (tasted more like KFC), ovenbaked potatoes and a nice broccoli/cauliflower mix! YUM!

Then, for dessert, I made brownie cupcakes with bits of white chocolate in it and some freshly picked wild straw/blue-berries! I’m telling you people, if you like chocolate – you’ll love this!

If you’d like to make any of this the recipe for nuggets is here:

http://soupbelly.com/2010/09/23/homemade-chicken-nuggets/

and for the cupcakes:

http://passthesushi.com/good-deeds-gone-bad-brownie-cupcakes-with-peanut-butter-frosting

Have a great week everybody!

-S.

BACK FROM THE FESTIVAL

2011-07-05T08:06:00.001-07:00

Hi everybody! I’m back with TONS of pictures for you guys! The week was fun, but exhausting. I can’t remember feeling this tired last time. Maybe because the week was like this: Sunday party, Monday party, Tuesday 9 hours of work, Wednesday 9 hours of work, Thursday British Party (me and berit pretended to be British and people believed us), Friday party and we left (our bus left at 02.35 am). Amazingly though, the week went by in a flash and it almost seemed surreal that we had actually been there. Still, it was fun and a great experience! I’ll let the pictures do the rest of the talking…

(OUR CAMP)

(THE NORMAL CAMP)

NOTE THAT THIS IS WRONG IN NORWAY

All in all, a GREAT festival!! If any of those pictures left you wondering – what theee…? Then just ask, I’ll explain! And just a note for those of you who might react to the pictures above with beer, in Norway the drinking age is 18 and both me and Matilde are 18. But for the record, it tasted like crap.

Have a nice week everybody!

-S.

ADIOS AMIGOS!

2011-06-24T13:12:00.001-07:00

Thought I’d run by here to say goodbye to you all! I’m leaving BRIGHT and EARLY (We’re talking 5.30 am) Sunday morning to the HOVE FESTIVAL!!!

Why am I saying goodbye now? Because I’m leaving my computer at home since this festival is a la natural! I know, how the heck am I going to manage a week without my addictions, such as facebook and blogs?! *I think I can - I think I can - I think I can* Then there is the fact that I’m not coming home tomorrow evening but spending the night at my friend Matilde’s. She’s one of the cuties going with me!

Here’s both of the awesome chicks I’m going with actually! We were out yesterday, getting stuff we needed for the festival. Which ended in a bunch of things we didn’t really need. It was still fun!

I’m bringing my camera and I’ll share with you all TONS of pictures when I come home! Have a great week everybody!! Byyyeee!!!

-S.

Sunshine Award!

2011-06-22T04:40:00.001-07:00

This sweet girl Selina over at The Wolf and The Fox was as kind as to give me The Sunshine Award! Thank you very much! I recently also received The Versatile Blogger award from Hot Pink Combat Boots, but I am new at the entire award perspective of blogs so I’ve been bad about talking about them on my blog! So thank you as well Michelle! But I was now thinking I’d “slå to fluer med ett smek” (Norwegian saying, directly translated “hit two flies in one smack”) since both awards was to tell something about myself. Here it goes:

I’m born in America, but I’ve lived all but my first two years of life in Norway.

I’m a hopeless romantic, I truly believe that love can be like in the movies.

I love animals and I’ve lived with them my entire life until now, but I don’t think I’ll have animals when I’m on my own. Maybe a dog and a cat, maybe.

I used to be such a geek when it came to schoolwork, I still sort of am but it doesn’t show as much in my schoolwork anymore…

I absolutely LOVE fried rice. I’m a carboholic, it’s sad.

I can’t stand it when people don’t like me, I have this wierd need to be liked by everyone.. unfortunately everybody will not always like you.

I love to jog, but I hate having to get up and do it.

That was probably enough stuff! Now the blogs I’m tagging are tagged for The Sunshine Award, but unfortunately I don’t follow very many blogs. I rarely just out of the blue find blogs I like (honestly, how do you guys find such blogs?). I once tried clicking the “next blog” button on top of blogspot blogs, all I found was asian blogs – in asian. I do however, usually start to follow whoever follows my blog! Luckily this sometimes leads to blogs I check all the time because I enjoy reading them so much. So as a general rule, if you come by me often – I’ll come by you often!

Here are the people I’ve tagged for The Sunshine Award!

Anna

Hot Pink Combat Boots

A suitcase and stilettos (I know Michelle already tagged you in this, but you totally deserve it)

The Story

Tastes Like Red

Go check out their blogs people!

Happy hump day!

-S.

Ooh it’s so shiny!

2011-06-20T10:38:00.001-07:00

Sometimes you enter a room, usually your own, and then you stop for a second – look around – and think to yourself: “Hm… I can’t remember hearing a bomb go off in here”.

Yes, I cleaned my room today. I though it was time, partly because it’s always nice to come back from a vacation to a nice room and also because when I get back my darling boyfriend is coming to visit. We all clean a little extra for special guests, right?

Believe it or not, it’s been worse. Luckily it was pretty much clutter and excessive STUFF I needed to get rid of. By the way, for those of you who’ve been following my blog for a while and has seen previous pictures of my bedroom – YES I have a new bed! This is the 150x200 (CM) I got, after using a 90x200 for 18 years… This little beauty I thank my very first paycheck ever for ♥

Badda-bing-badda-boom ! The result of 3 hours cleaning (yeah I’m slow):

I know, it’s not amazing. You should see me brothers room, THAT was a miracle. Ok, ok… I’ll show you…

You might not see it that well, but he has actually spelled LOL on his wall with duct tape… guys right?? He’s cute though. I’ve convinced him that in order to become hot so he can get tons of girls he should come jogging with me… it worked.

-S.

Getting ready

2011-06-18T15:06:00.001-07:00

First of all, THANK YOU GUYS! It’s amazing to see that so many of you have entered my giveaway! Keep spreading the news about it and we’ll have ourselves a real exciting finalé!

I started to pack for the Hove festival this weekend. I’m not leaving until next Sunday, but considering a hectic week coming up I thought it would be smart to start early! So pretty much everything on my list except clothing has been packed, while I wait to see what the weather will be like for the festivalweek!

The #1 tip I read was to think COMFORT. For that reason I’m bringing a nice pillow and two blankets. I was there last year, and even though the sun was shining every single day making the air nice and warm it was soooooo cold at night! I slept horrible and was freezing all the time. This year I’m much better prepared!

Tip #2 that I didn’t read online but actually received by people who know me and know that I have light skin: sun lotion! I found this cute little one today (note that my phone is by it in order to show you how tiny it is).

This isn’t a tip, but rather just a must have. Antibacterial lotion WITH aloe vera (the aloe vera was just an added plus in case I get sunburned). BEST THING EVER, especially when you’re at a festival where there is nothing but nature – if you know what I mean… I know.. ew.

Awesome other things I got today while spending the day out with my darling mother: Proffs dry shampoo (Probably smart to have when you don’t know how often you’ll get to shower), a miniture version of Lee Staffords shampoo and miniture toothpaste (I was told this would last a week). The deodorant isn’t new, it’s actually one I got in America and that I LOVE. Works like a charm!!

So now, I’m pretty much ready for an awesome week with music, friends and summer!!

Have a great weekend everybody!

-S.