Weekend Recap

It is great to have Maya back! We arrived at my sister Naomi's house at 4 in the morning Saturday, and Maya didn't bark at all. She was doing a super crazy whole body shake while on her back and whimpering. My mom said that they all decided that I would be more excited than her, so you can only imagine how I looked. It was great to see so many family members and catch up a bit. I really love them. The older I get the more I want to live closer to them. This is a picture of my nephew Henry and I. So adorable.

Maya!

I am so excited to see Maya and pick her up this weekend. She has spent the last 4 months! with my parents bonding and I'm sure making best friends with their dog Sunny. I'm really happy to have my running, walking, dancing and cuddling buddy back. Family reunion! Yeah! I'm also really excited to see my mom and dad and sister and her family. Should be a great weekend!

Second Job

Desperate times call for desperate measures. Dom is still currently unemployed, and so I'm looking for a second job, I'm thinking about 10 hours a week. As I've said, I really want to pay off all debt in a year and I can't really do that if we aren't even making ends meet with food and housing.

I've never liked the idea of a second job even though so many people do it (my sister Sarah worked 2 full-time jobs one summer). I guess that I take after my dad in placing very high value on my free leisure time. I'm worried that I will be more stressed, exhausted, eat worse etc. But, I'll only do it until we are able to float without it. I'm headed to a clothing boutique and coffee shop today.

When I brought up the idea of getting a part-time job at my current full-time job, it was not good. Apparently management does not like you to have another job which I have a hard time understanding. I mean I get it that they want you refreshed, whatever. But, what about people with really consuming hobbies or families or the ones who stay up late partying every night? Is that any better?? We'll see how it goes I guess.

Wish me luck!

Farming

I want to be a farmer. Just 4 or 5 acres, enough to grow all my own produce and keep chickens and maybe a few goats or something. I can't stop thinking about it. My inner domestic goddess is itching to get out. On the weekend I made plum jam, went to a U-pick blueberry farm with some girlfriends and picked over 6 lbs of berries, made a blueberry pie with honey instead of sugar, picked blackberries.... and I completely LOVED every second of it. I love knowing exactly what I am eating and taking the time to make yummy stuff.

Recent books I have read that I really like and are influencing me deeply: In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan; Fast Food Nation; 100 mile diet (called Plenty in the US - so good); Food Inc. I've also made the decision to not eat any meat or dairy products unless they come from a local farm where they had a happy life (Read all these books and you'll understand why). Obviously it is more expensive to eat meat, eggs etc. this way and seeing my financial status above... well I'm eating lots of veggies and beans. But wow is the produce ever delicious this time of year!

Oh yeah, I also really want to be a beekeeper on my farm!

Balances & Interest Rates

Canada Visa - $8770.06 at 19.5% interest! Ouch.
US Visa - $2762.22 (US dollars) at 7.9%
Overdraft - $1416.33 at 18.5%
Canada income taxes - $470 at 5%

Grand total in CAD $13,634.50

At this rate I would have to put approx. $1300 a month towards debt to pay it off in a year. This is pretty impossible as I am the only income right now and I am taking home about $1800 a month. My first step is to get those interest rates lower. I have applied for a line of credit and hoping I can transfer the balances to that. Unfortunately in Canada, no cards offer 0% balance transfers like the states.

On another note, I came home last night to ripe plums falling off the neighbors tree, so I quickly ran over and asked them if I could pick them, no problem. Then I went across the street to another neighbor who I had seen working on his house and asked to borrow a ladder, and I have a liter of frozen delicious plums now and I think I'll make jam too! Free food!! And, the blackberries are starting to ripen in the backyard :)

Happy sunshine to you all!

A New Beginning

Hello! Wow, well it has been months since I have written on my blog. As many of you know, Dom and I are now back in beautiful Victoria. The reasons for returning are not easy or simple, even though I seem to explain them that way hoping maybe the sadness will subside quicker I guess. It has taken me awhile, but I seem to have turned a corner and feel hopeful and pushing forward. Maybe one of these days I will write about the whole experience. We wouldn't change a thing, and would go again in the same circumstances.

We are completely broke, actually very in debt. My goal over the next year is to get rid of all the debt we have accrued, and I'm very determined. I am the only one working so far, and not getting much money. We are living in a basement suite of a house, no car. It may not be very exciting and most likely a bit depressing to read about, but I think it will help keep me motivated to write about it on here.

By my guess we are in debt to the sound of $12 or $13,000 Canadian dollars. I will have an accurate figure in the next few days, as I realize this is an important part of managing it. My other short term help ideas are to move to a cheaper rent unit as quickly as possible; contact companies for lower interest or move money; budget, etc. I hope to hear ideas from everyone and I'm actually getting pretty used to being the poor kid around (Dom not so much). Today I got a free pillow and lamp from generous people I work with. You might remember that we sold or gave away EVERYTHING.

Best wishes~~L

Living It

It is not the critic who counts
Nor the man who points out how
the stong man stumbles
Or where the doer of deeds
Could have done better.
The credit belongs to the man
Who is actually in the arena;
Whose face is marred by dust
And sweat and blood;
Who knows great enthusiasm,
Great devotion and the triumph
of achievement.
And who, at the worst, if he fails
At least fails while daring greatly-
So that his place shall never be
With those odd and timid souls
Who know neither victory nor defeat.
You've never lived until you've almost died.
For those who have had to fight for it
Life has truly a flavour
The protected shall never know.

-Theodore Roosevelt

Copenhagen

We have left Kristiansand after being there for a month (wow, that went by fast!) and having no luck with jobs (tried pretty much everywhere in downtown). We are hoping a bigger city will have more job opportunities for English speakers and that we won't run out of money quite so fast. We arrived in Copenhagen on Wednesday, and from what we have seen so far... it is awesome!! I'll keep you all posted on our progress... I'm now using the internet in a lobby of a hotel... best wishes.

Spontaneous

From the Merriam Webster dictionary:
1: proceeding from natural feeling or native tendency without external constraint
2: arising from a momentary impulse
3: controlled and directed internally : self-acting
4: produced without being planted or without human labor : indigenous
5: developing or occurring without apparent external influence, force, cause, or treatment
6: not apparently contrived or manipulate

Yes, you will realize the significance later.

Adjusting

I don't know if it hasn't sunk in yet that I am away from everything familiar and people I love (most likely) or that it actually is true that I am really excited, hopefull, and happy about being here. I feel at peace. Something feels right. I like it here.

I keep having dreams about being pregnant and actually wake up excited that I might be (I don't tell Dom any of this... he would freak out. He is definately the 'provider personality' where he wouldn't feel good about a child when he doesn't have a job yet, which I TOTALLY appreciate), I am not pregnant. The dreams were so realistic, so I took a test this morning and no. No bad feelings about it either, just knew it was how it should be. I guess I am seeing it as another sign that I feel this is a safe place to be.

Dominik's dad wrote us a letter. Yeah! Our first mail here. He said that they would eventually like to move here to be near us. Wow. Dom is sure it is probably a pipe dream, but deep down I kind of like the idea (Please note that I have yet to meet my in-laws and reserve the right to strike this from the record). Close family nearby... someone to pawn the kids off on one day...

I think we'll make new friends here, but to have my close friends physically close too... to feel those hugs and see their faces, I really want them here too. Okay, you know who you are, yes you! Move over here! I know I am being completley selfish, but come on! That would make this place perfect, because seriously no matter how attached I may become to this place and how wonderful I think it is, it will always be lacking in the fact that it doesn't have those amazing people that are my best friends.

This is Norway

Itchy Feet

We are in Europe. WOW. When I wake up in the morning after realising that Maya isn't sleeping next to the bed, and I start to miss her... then comes the slap in the face that holy crap... we are on the other side of the world, away from anyone we know. Then the excited, spontaneous Leah jumps in and my feet get itchy. Dom's feet are itchy too. We want to travel! See everything! There are so many countries and so much to see and do and they are all so close. Ah, but then the moral dilemma of money. Money sucks totally. We really want to make it work here, which means jobs and such. The mature adult in me thinks nei (no), don't go to the zoo today, that is $80 a person and you might need that money in a few weeks when you still haven't found work. The 'screw the system' Leah then thinks BUT this may be the only chance we have for a long time if we get jobs and such.

The job hunt: hard. We have been to every employment agency in town, and they basically all politely said 'okay, we'll keep your CV and call you if anything comes up, but don't count on it because you don't speak Norwegian'. The lady at the government office (as far as I can tell is supposed to help EU nationals find jobs) was down right rude to Dom. We've been told that hopefully we can get the regular immigrant jobs like picking strawberries or cleaning hotels until we learn the language. So, slowly I am translating vacancies online and then we'll hit up hotels and such next week. Until then, I am cramming the language in... Ipod style. Can I pay someone to download it into my brain or hypnotise me to learn it?

First Impressions

1. Lots of people smoke here, and right outside front doors and on restaurant patios.
2. Women do not wear heels. I wore boots with high heels today and the traditional clip-clop drew everyone's attention. I felt like I stuck out like a sore thumb.
3. Apparently tight rolling your jeans and pulling your socks up over them is back in fashion. big.
4. Girls wear alot of makeup here, almost clownish, and fake-tans abound.
5. Expensive! Everything. We need work. Fast.
6. People walk and drive however they want, without looking.
7. Lots of cycling! Yeah!
8. Lots of Turkish immigrants
9. unexpected ammounts of graffiti
10. good local beer
11. really friendly, smiling people.

Welcome to Norway!

We are here in Kristiansand. The trip was as smooth as possible. Not once did anyone ask us any questions. I am so used to dealing with US or Canadian customs, so we had our story all planned (I was also nervous about having a one-way ticket). When we arrived at the Copenhagen airport, a guy just looked at our passports, stamped mine, and handed them back. Not one word. In Kristiansand, there were 2 girls and one asked us "anything to declare?" Nope. "Okay, go on through".... Didn't even ask for ID or anything. You have to realize how funny we looked trying to cart around 9 pieces of luggage! Dom sweet talked the Danish lady checking us in in Seattle and she didn't even charge us for being over weight. We had a great day in Seattle: ate good food, walked around. The 9 1/2 hour flight was okay. Not much sleep for either of us, but individual movie screens on each seat and 2 free glasses of wine :). Dom became a Tetris expert on his screen. I watched Revolutionary Road (ironic because they wanted to move to Europe). There was a father and son from Idaho (small world) sitting next to us. The son had won a trip to Denmark with his 5th grade team for developing a bio-fuel from school bus exhaust. Pretty cool kid. Everything went so smoothly! We have found an apartment which is awesome, 2 blocks from the ocean and sandy beach with a big park. Everyone seems very nice and friendly and thankfully speaks English pretty well. We have a nice 16 year old living above us that said he will help us with anything we need. And mom, lots and lots of bakeries here. Yeah! I do have pictures that I hope I can get up this week, but other things are a priority right now like finding a bed, and next week getting a job. We are pretty jet-lagged... when does that end? It is also confusing because right now the sun rises around 5 am and sets at 10:30pm. Yep. We are 9 hours ahead of Victoria, 8 hours ahead of Idaho. Hopefully we can set Skype up soon, just hyjacking some wireless connection we found right now. Love to all.

Last week in Victoria

Wow. I don't think I have ever been so busy in my life (at least not that I remember, trying to live in the moment here). This post is going to be very random because that is how my thoughts are.
- A few weeks ago I took all these pictures of the village (area of town I live in) to post because all the trees are blooming and it is so beautiful here. I haven't had a chance to go through them yet.
- Dom and I went sailing for Easter weekend with my aunt and uncle here in the gulf islands which was fantastic and I have some cool pics from that and keep meaning to do a write up.
- The car sold! Yeah!
- Did a crazy, very emotional two day road trip to Seattle to drop Maya off at the airport to be shipped to my parents. Just got back last night and already miss her immensely. I wish she could be our buddy on the start of this adventure.
- Got to see my sister Naomi in Seattle yesterday with her adorable family. They are soooo awesome and make the best parents. I love them so much. Even though I only got to spend a couple hours with them, it was really special to me.
- My great friend Laurie drove us to Seattle and even though she was the first to start crying as Maya was going in her crate to leave, I don't think I could have done it without her. She always knows what to say, and is a beautiful positive person.
- I am getting really, REALLY excited to go. I am really proud of Dom and I for being able to make this happen.
- My body hurts. all over. (most likely from stress, emotions and hormones all at once)
- Don't know if I'll be able to post again before we leave... so if not, stay tuned for Norway!!! Ahhhh!!!

Last minute buys

Well, down to one roll of toilet paper and two weeks to go. This means I have to go get toilet paper which we will never use all of in time, add to the list of things I need to buy now but we can't take with us: plastic wrap, hot sauce (although maybe I should take this, not sure about Norwegian hot sauce availability), dog food, laundry detergent.

Sarah's Visit

Sisters :) Here we are on a hike, love the rain forest background.

My beautiful sister Sarah at the dog park with Maya

Shopping in Canada

One of the cultural differences I have noticed in Canada vs. the US is shopping. I grew up in the States where there is a certain shopping mentality that I never noticed until I decided to have a garage sale a few years ago here in BC. Now, those Americans reading will recognize a good ol' garage sale, where I set up everything marked slightly higher to leave room for bartering, and had homemade cookies and brownies for sale.

Not one person that came asked for a lower price. Seriously. I would even try to offer less to them when they looked at something and then smiled and walked away. Canadians are really extremely polite. Not that I think bartering is 'impolite' (and I hardly sold any baked goods, these always went so fast in the states). A month or so ago I was trying on a shirt at a store and when the sales associate asked me what I thought, I said "no, I don't think so... it makes me look pregnant." She looked appalled that I would say such a thing, and reacted like I just said SHE looked pregnant. People here just don't talk like that I guess. I was able to barter with a guy in Chinatown the other day though that spoke not one word of English (I wrote down the numbers).

SO, I have had my car up for sale, and in the ad it clearly states OBO (or best offer). A couple came to look at it yesterday, and we took it out for a test drive. The entire time, there was not one negative comment at all about the car. I was waiting for these as negotiation points! They were just so polite and friendly and then said "Okay, we'll talk about it and let you know." With no money talk at all! At this point, I told them that I was extremely motivated because we are leaving in 2 weeks, and still nothing. Come on! If someone out there wants a good deal and is willing to negotiate, I have got the car for you.

Photos!

Happy Couple

Hope you enjoy!

Great Weekend!

I had a fantastic weekend. The weather here is just beautiful and warm. Our really good friend (that is a pro photographer on the side) took some pics of us on Saturday which I will post in the next few days after sifting through the hundreds. I am so happy with how they turned out though. Really stunning work. We went out for photos at sunrise which kind of sucked because the ground was all frosty and it was really cold, and no sleeping in on a Sat. But, I am so glad we did because the light was great and it really shows.

This same amazing friend then went luggage shopping with me and we found a killer deal, so that part is all taken care of. Yeah! One more thing off the list. What else is on that list that is stressing me out?
- Sell the car... I have posted and listed it everywhere I can think of, and still no bites over the last week. :(
- Find someone to take over our cell phone contract or we have to pay $350 in cancellation fees.
- Find a place to live in Kristiansand. I thought we could stay in a hostel for a bit while we got to know the neighborhoods, but it is seriously 3X the price of renting!
- Finalize all the dog info for shipping: this is seriously frustrating as each site seems to say something different. Even the Norwegian official site has conflicting info. I'm waiting for an email response from them, and will try calling tomorrow.
- Plan our going-away party that is in 2 weeks
- Everything else :)

Space Bags

Got some of these yesterday and condensed two boxes into one! It doesn't work as great as the picture or videos show, but still helps. I'm on the lookout for the kind where you roll the air out, kind of like a sleeping pad, that way we can fit all our clothes into our carry-ons and have the checked luggage for shoes! Right? or books...

Life Lessons

Pretty cool lessons to reflect on. Shamelessly stolen from SwissMiss. Thanks!

Chocolate- Raspberry Cupcakes

These are the super yummy cupcakes Sarah and I made. The recipe is from Nigella Lawson's cookbook - How to be a domestic goddess. They were so easy!

For the cupcakes:

125g (1/2 cup) soft unsalted butter

100g (1/2 cup) dark chocolate, broken into pieces (we used semi-sweet chocolate chips)

300g jam (1-1/4 cup) (we used raspberry, but any kind would work. Reduce the sugar if the jam is super sweet)

150g (2/3 cup) white sugar (reduce if the chocolate you use has sugar)

pinch of salt

2 large eggs, beaten

150g (2/3 cup) self-raising flour (if you don't have self-raising, use all-purpose and add 1 teaspoon baking powder and another pinch of salt)

For the icing:

100g (1/2 cup) dark chocolate

100ml (almost 1/2 cup) double cream (we used whipping cream)

whatever fruit to top it

Preheat the oven to 180C or 350F

Put the butter in a pot and melt on the stove, when nearly melted stir in the chocolate. Leave for a moment to begin softening, then take the pan off the heat and stir until it is smooth and melted. Now add the jam, sugar, salt and eggs. Stir together well and then add flour. Spoon the mixture into a lined cupcake pan (about 2/3 full). Bake for 25 minutes.

When the cupcakes are cool, break the chocolate for the icing into little pieces and add them to the cream in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, remove from heat and then whisk by hand or electronically till thick and smooth. Ice the cupcakes and top with a berry.

Delicious!

Down to the Wire

Well, less than 4 weeks to go... I'm feeling pretty excited considering. Still have to sell the car, find someone to take over our cell phone plan, finish getting rid of stuff and figure out the financial crap. Money. Ugh. Don't you just love the recession? It seems every little thing that I do to prepare for this move costs something. Went to change my address to have our mail forwarded to a friend here in Canada (same town)... $40. In the US this service is free. Not sure why it costs money here since the mail system is subsidised...

Anyway, on a very happy note, I got to see my sister this last week! She flew out during her spring break and stayed for 4 days. It was SO nice to see her and get to spend tons of time talking and catching up (she lives in Illinois finishing law school). Stupid me didn't get any pictures except of cupcakes we made (I'll post the recipe later). I'm hoping to get some sent from our friend so I can post. Sunday was a beautiful spring day and we actually made it to the park for some Frisbee which reminded me alot of summer. The days are growing longer and I love it! I think that I better suck up as much as possible because Norway still has snow on the ground.

Ahhh! Pictures :)

I'm a Mrs.!

Our weekend wedding on the island was PERFECT!! I'm still smiling from ear to ear, and have to pinch myself every once and awhile and tell myself I'm not dreaming. Dom and I caught the ferry Friday morning and went out for yummy breakfast at the Treehouse (those of you Salt Spring visitors know how good that is!). We bought an umbrella in town because it was raining all morning. Seriously though, no stress whatsoever the entire day! The sun made an appearance later in the day, and at our ceremony on the dock of a beautiful lake... it held out just in time for us to finish. When we got back to our cabin, it started pouring. That's a good sign right? Even though I missed my family and friends, I'm really happy with how we did it. During the ceremony, it really felt like just the two of us there, and I remember things we said, how we couldn't take our eyes off each other, and the incredible special feeling. I think that if we had a bunch of people, I wouldn't have felt so calm and my brain would be running around with stress about everyone else. First day of spring, first day of marriage. We toured a horse farm, stopped at the winery, had the best food ever at a fancy little restaurant for dinner, took the canoe out on the lake, but mostly just camped out in front of the wood burning fireplace in our awesome cabin. More pictures to come soon!

I love my neighbours!

We have fantastic neighbours, and especially next-door. They are a wonderful couple that lived in Sweden for 5 years and came back to Canada and bought the place next door to us. Needless to say, we have picked their brains on numerous dinner parties, nights out, and walks on moving to Scandinavia. I really hope they move back to Sweden (they are contemplating it) so they can be our next door country neighbours.

They just brought over a beautiful basket full of delicious treat for our cottage wedding getaway this weekend. It has crackers and cheese, chips, fruit, olives, champagne, candles... wow! It is so great, and I'm getting so excited!!

These wonderful people are also letting us host our reception/going away party in their back-yard. No hesitation or questions asked, just extremely giving, kind and sincere.

If I don't post again before we leave, have a great weekend! We are getting married on Friday which is the Spring Equinox (the day when night is equal to day... poetic for a marriage). I will definitely have pictures when we are back!

Love to you all.

Sorry Maya...

Sorry puppy, your mom screwed up. Please forgive me. Last year when we were planning all this moving stuff I looked into importing our dog, and of course it said all this great stuff that I new I wouldn't have to worry about until later, and I called the vet who said she was due for her rabies vaccine around the beginning of the year. So... I somehow just put it off in my head and thought, "I don't have to worry about that that yet". Well, the vet never called to remind me and I was so busy with other things, that I forgot. I looked up the requirements again last week and long story short... she has to stay for another 3 months after we leave until she has a blood test. I told Dom that he better start checking all these things that I have looked into, because who knows what else I have screwed up. Maya will be shipped to my parents in Idaho (I told you I have the best parents right?) and stay with them and their awesome dog. Maya will most likely never want to leave, and in the long run I think it might work out better for us not having to worry about her in the initial settling in. My mom was so quick to say yes (love her!), but said "I'm not doing any of that raw diet crap." Hahaa, no problem.

It is getting serious.

This morning I cancelled all my holds at the library and returned all my books yesterday. I've made a decision that in order to get everything done (yes there is alot!) I need to stop reading... the next six weeks should be interesting. I'm sure I will exhibit all the usual addict signs, and hopefully will by pass the heroin-like shakes. Right now I feel hopeful and confident, and have a new home-ade calender on the wall showing the six weeks left!

Working in Norway

I got a response from Norway Immigration about my working there situation. I can't work until my family re-unification visa is approved which I apply for when Dom finds a job, and the average processing time according to their website is up to 5 months. SOooo.... I wonder what the possibility of under-the-table jobs are there? Babysitting? Walking dogs? Or, start work on a book or something...

Comments!

OMG! I think I might have fixed the comments!! Please try to leave me one here and we'll see if it works :)

Sick & Cranky

I've had a nasty cold for the last 3 days now, and it doesn't seem to be going anywhere even with all the garlic, lemon, tea and water I'm consuming. I'm sure it was probably brought on by stress with all the stuff going on right now. Even the dog can feel it and spends the better part of her day moping around whining at me. My energy is so low, and all I want to do it sleep... but then I feel incredibly guilty that I haven't gotten anything done. Yesterday I thought, yeah! I'm feeling a bit better, and proceeded to do everything as if I wasn't sick and by last night it was back full force. I'm cranky and totally over-reacted at silly things Dom would say, and feel like crap for it. Ahhh... go away cold crankiness!

Hope you are all well. I am starting to get really pissed off about the comment thing here, I don't want to have to start all over. I also don't want to feel like this is just my weird journal where I talk to myself though.

ENGAGED!!

I haven't posted this exciting news yet, because I wanted to talk to my parents first and didn't want them to find out while reading my blog. Although...my phone card was up so I did write a quick email to my mom saying "I'm running away to get married, call me."

Dom asked me on Saturday morning!! I couldn't be more happier, and have been grining ear to ear like a lunatic. I feel so lucky to be with such an amazing man, and I'm really excited about spending my life with him.

We are running away to one of the islands in the next few weeks to elope. There is just no time to plan a wedding and all that crazy stuff - we are leaving in less than 8 weeks! So, we are going to rent a cabin or sweet hotel or something for the weekend, and throw a big party when we are back before we go.

On the moving front, I've been emailing the Director of Immigration department for Norway with questions. They are really good at responding, and I'm feeling much less stressed. I read somewhere that someone (I can't remember which blog) had to show financial info to prove they had enough money to support themselves while there. So I thought I better clear that up before we show up and say "But we are from (North) America, isn't a credit card just fine?" (Mom, don't panic when you read this, we have saved some money). Luckily they emailed back saying this is not a requirement for an EU/EEA citizen (which Dom is, and soon I'll be family). Yeah!

Also, sorry about the crazy blog madness... I can't seem to have anything pretty whatsoever if I want comments. It is really irritating me, and I have searched for help and emailed blogger with no response. Now, I can't even revert back to a standard format. If anyone knows how to help, please email me (under my profile).

A $28 million dollar chair

Wow... this chair just sold for around $28million dollars at Christie's auction house... during what is the so-called economic recession. I just don't understand this world sometimes.

Spring has Sprung!

The last week or so in Victoria has just been gorgeous! Mild weather, everyone getting their gardens ready, and yes... flowers starting to bloom. I know many of you are still buried in snow, so don't hate, I'll be moaning with you next year. But since this is my last spring here, I have been outside every single day! Here are a few pics from hiking (you can kind of see Mt. Baker in the distance). Maya loves hiking, and is so good off-leash, I am a proud momma.
Poor Dom was battling the cold/flu crap last week and missed three days of work. It looks like he has finally won however and thank goodness no one else got it. I snapped this picture of him napping on the sofa while sick (which Maya totally loved!). The funny thing is that I already donated all our extra blankets in prep for the move, so he is inside my sleeping bag.

In other news, I have been inspired to change Maya's diet. After much research, I have started her on a raw diet this last weekend. I'm following a great book my girlfriend lent me (it's Australian). My poor pooch got fleas a few months ago, and was so miserable. I really didn't want to take the route of pumping pesticides on her every month, and I'm glad to say I was able to get rid of them using all natural remedies and lots of frustration in a couple weeks. She also has a sensitive tummy, and always seems to have digestive problems even though she was on 'really good expensive dry dog food'. Anyways... the raw food is a hit! She loves eating the raw meaty bones and veggie pulp (run through juicer, I drink the juice). Her snacks and treats have been raw almonds and cheese and peanut butter. The only thing she is not fond of that I just tried today was liver. I finally cut it up really small and mixed it with cottage cheese and honey, and she ate most of it. I however, almost hurled. Ugh. This new diet is really messy, and I think most people who do it must feed their dogs outside. I need a fenced yard!
I hope you are all happy and healthy and enjoy your day!

Man on Wire

We just watched this documentary last night about this high wire walker in the 70s that snuck into the world trade center towers and he and his buddies rigged a tight rope between them, then the next morning he walked, danced, layed on the wire while a crowd watched below. The top of the towers was 1/4 mile above ground.

Pretty cool show along the spirit of 'nothing is impossible'. Next week I am going to hit up our local bike store and see if they will let me try the unicycle. Have a great weekend everyone!

Valentines!

I know I'm a day late, but I just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Valentine's Day and I hope you all find love in your life each and every day.

And, here are 10 things I love about my valentine Dominik:
1. Dom is extremely kind and doesn't judge or gossip.
2. He doesn't take anything too seriously, or needlessly worry.
3. Super Duper sense of humour.
4. He is very humble and modest about all his amazing talents.
5. His patience is unbelievable! I have a hard time being patient and he is the perfect example.
6. Dom has a passion for helping people. He is always willing to help someone with anything.
7. He has fantastic taste in music, and plays guitar!
8. His sense of adventure is awesome. He is willing to try new things, go new places, and take chances.
9. He is an incredible listener.
10. He is really sweet. He remembers to say thank you for even little things like washing the dishes, and he tells me I look pretty or that something I cooked is delicious. He doesn't overlook the small things and makes me feel appreciated.
11. He likes to hold my hand.
12. He is a great hugger and kisser.

Shoot, I said 10 things didn't I? Oh well... I am a really lucky girl and counting my blessings today. :)

Reno mess

Well, the new owners of the home we live in have been renovating. In addition to the almost daily hammering and noise, we have had two days without hot water (the electrician put the wrong voltage to it), various visits from trades, and last night was even worse.

We share a washing machine, and I have mentioned to the owner at least three times to please let us know if the washing machine is not going to be in use, or let us know if they are doing something that will affect us. So, yesterday evening I went to put in a load of laundry. The light fixtures are not re-installed yet, so it was dark and I had my head lamp on... it didn't start. Okay, well a week or so ago the same thing happened and the owner told me "oh, it was just unplugged." So, I figure out how to plug it in. Now it is making some noise, but there is no water running. Okay, I can see the water shut off so I have Dom check it and he turned the water on. No problem right? (also the owners were away at the time)

I then proceeded to go to the grocery store, and when I came back and opened the front door, there was an inch and a half of water in the entrance way. I guess the hose coming from the washing machine that lets the dirty water out was not hooked up and proceeded to spill out everywhere and flood a good 50 or so square feet of our place, including some carpet. It all leaked under the wall between our apartment and the laundry area. We tried to get the most out we could (of course I was washing towels, so we only had about 4 dry ones to use and constantly ring out). I called the owners cell and he was able to bring a shop vac back that took up some. But the carpet is the worst. I don't know how that is going to dry out, and of course this morning it is starting to smell... Ugh. Must be Friday the 13th or something.

Routine

I'm feeling philosophical today, and thought I would start a discussion. Dom and I do this all the time: bring up a topic and then start analyzing it from unconventional angles with an open mind (I love this about him!). So, the topic I am thinking of today is -

ROUTINE.
I have realised that I am really bad at routine, and really dislike it. Some people thrive on knowing exactly what they are going to do, have checklists and do it! These are also the people that can carry through an exercise or diet program by force of routine. My theory is that this personality type is respected in our society and seen as a goal.

Since my teenage years, I have started to-do lists and felt really great about checking things off (still do, even in my blog! eh.). And then inevitably feel guilty or stressed when I don't finish something in the time frame I set. Why do we do this to ourselves? Can I just do what I want when I want? I know you are probably thinking "Sure Leah, we would all love to do that, but nothing would get done and we would all lounge around the house watching tv eating crap and waiting for the wanting to happen". I would have to disagree. There are days when I feel like sleeping in, days I feel like waking up early, days I feel like spending 4 hours cooking an amazing feast for dinner, and days I feel like not stepping foot in the kitchen. Every time I listen to these intuitive feelings, those activities are filled with joy and purpose and I believe create a better result. Is it better to get up every morning no matter what and exercise even when you are sore and grumpy vs. feeling some energy and going for a run and loving every minute of it? Which is better for your body?

Along with this realization that I suck at routine, comes also the reason why I don't really get along with a 9-5 job, and most schooling. If I am having a day where my brain is not firing for work, and I'm out of creative juice (come on we've all been there)... wouldn't it be better to recharge and do something besides work? Which leads of course to what the heck am I supposed to do to make money (which unfortunately I need) in this over-achieving routine place? Any jobs out there for us creative want to live in the moment types?

It seems like most humans (and dogs) like routine... is this true? Are we just used to it? Brainwashed into thinking this is what is acceptable or to be expected?

A few quotes on routine (looks like maybe I'm not the only one?):

"The less routine the more life" - Amos Bronson Alcott

"So much of our time is spent in preparation, so much in routine, and so much in retrospect, that the amount of each person's genius is confined to a very few hours." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

"As long as habit and routine dictate the pattern of living, new dimensions of the soul will not emerge." - Henry Van Dyke

Would love to hear your thoughts.

25 Random things

Sorry for those of you who have already read this on Facebook. I thought I would share with everyone else as well.

Here are 25 random facts etc. about me.
1. I love the smell and sound of rain.

2. We do not own a TV, and I have only watched one once in the last year+ for the presidential election.

3. I love living so close to the ocean (3 blocks) even though my dog can't go on the beach because she has a weird tendency to drink the salt water and get sick.

4. I love long walks with friends or just Maya (dog)

5. I'm an extremely avid reader and average about a book every week or two. Seriously, I'm pretty sure I need some sort of help program but the city just keeps supplying me for free!

6. I get really excited about learning new things and have even started a list of things I would like to learn. Some of these are: play the guitar, a new language, garden, knit, letterpress...

7. I love to sing and dance even if only in the living room. Music is a big part of our lives.

8. I think I have the sweetest dog ever. Yesterday I told Dom she is like the Dalai Lama of dogs. I have seen a big mean scary dog growl in her face and bare it's teeth, and she gave him a kiss right on his bared teeth. Obviously not a watch dog at all, but if everyone was like her, there would be no wars.

9. I have recently developed a habit of blog reading (mostly design blogs).

10. I have worked the last 5-6 years as an interior designer, and am now at the point where I want to do something else, more meaningful. I have about 10 ideas bouncing around...(yoga retreats anyone?), I'm sure I'll have enough time in my life to do them all right?

11. I would die extremely happy listening to Dominik play guitar.

12. I am an eco-junkie, have overhauled all products I use and buy, recycle everything possible, and someday really want to build an 'off the grid' self sustained home. I would also love to be able to live without a car.

13. I love to travel and really want to go all over the world (maybe by sailboat?) even if that means bringing kids along... right honey?

14. I've recently been bitten by a crafting bug. Watch out! This sucker is big and affects your vision (you'll start hording junk that looks like some craft project), and it makes time disappear!

15. I think I can crack almost every bone in my body... I know gross.

16. I love to bake yummy sweet things (my mom's influence) and give them away.

17. I love warm summer days and swimming at the lake.

18. I still talk in a southern accent sometimes (lived in Mississippi till 8 years old).

19. I miss being near my family and love them dearly.

20. My boyfriend Dominik is the greatest guy I have ever met. He is incredibly kind, humble, and makes me laugh every day.

21. I am totally that annoying friend that gushes about the love of her life (see above), but seriously... you would too in my shoes.

22. We are pursuing a life long dream to move to Europe this year.

23. I hope I am lucky enough to be as wonderful a parent someday as mine were/are.

24. I like watching funny old-school 80's music videos on youtube.

25. I am training to do a marathon in 2010, for my 30th birthday.

Falun Bomb

So last night I went to a free community center Falun Gong meditation class. I don't even know how to fully describe how much I hated (yep, I used the 'H' word) this. I arrived to find a woman and man, both in their late sixties... and me (I should have taken this as a bad sign, but I was being optimistic). Before the 'session' started, the woman hands me brochures on Falun Gong and torture in China (actual pictures of torture)! 2nd bad sign.

We go into this big gym and they start music and the woman tells me to empty my mind of thoughts, just follow her and concentrate on the music. Fine... for those who don't know, I have been doing yoga for about 6 1/2 years now and am a certified teacher, so of course my ego speaking... no problem. I start to concentrate on the music and it is awful! I mean cheap Chinese restaurant awful! Okay, great. Well, I just try to retreat into my body and focus on my own energy, and then a Chinese man's voice on the CD is yelling at me in Chinese... did I mention this is a 2 hour meditation? I'm really trying to relax to this while holding my arms out from my body for an hour (try doing this for 10 min! - like you are holding a ball in front of you). I was having the worst time keeping my mind free (I always meditate to no music) and kept thinking:

mind #1: "My arms and shoulders are killing me!"
mind #2: "Shut up mind! Concentrate on the energy you are creating."
#1: "But they are seriously asleep!... Did that Chinese guy just say 'some young guy'?
#2: "hehe... that is funny. Okay, enough."
#1: "Crap, this feels like that book 'Eat, Pray, Love' where she has such a hard time with that one meditation."
#2: "Right, and it ended up being super great for her, so stick with it!"

Well, by the time we sat down (1st hour standing, 2nd hour sitting) I had memorized the horrible music, and it was on a 5 min. loop (seriously, I timed it). The woman left and this man sits in front of me saying "the next hour is spent in full lotus position" (!!!). Uh yeah... that doesn't work for me. After 20 min of more sitting and arms falling asleep, I had enough. I was really trying to tune the music out and just meditate as I usually do, but no dice. I was in complete awe of this old dude sitting in full lotus for an hour listening to Chinese water torture. I think he could tell I was done when there was 15 min. left and I was stretching and walking around the gym. I asked him if it is always the same, and to the same music. Yep!... and he does it every day!

At least when I do yoga, I can put any music I like on and afterwords I feel refreshed, energized and healthy. After this I felt like eating an entire chocolate cake.

Hope you all have a peace filled day... off to my yoga mat.

V-day fundraiser

Okay, is it totally cheesy that I want to have a good old-fashioned bake sale next Friday for Valentines? I thought I could bake cupcakes (all the rage here right now) and cookies and decorate them, and then sell them by the side of the road in the village... maybe along with some hand-made valentines as well. I have no idea whose permission I have to get (??), I just thought I could park a table in front of St*rbucks where the old fat guys put there lawn chairs in the summer, and go for gold (hopefully lots of it! - I mean how much would you pay for a made from scratch love cupcake?).

It's Official!

Yesterday was my official swear-in ceremony, and I am now a Canadian citizen. There were 58 people getting sworn-in and they were from 26 different countries! Spectators were allowed, so my girlfriend from work came to watch and snap a couple photos. We then went out for cake and tea! The judge officiating the ceremony was a big jolly guy who gave a very impressive sales pitch for why Canada is the best country in the world- "This is like receiving the gold medal of citizenship". He also slagged the US a few times... but it was a good experience :)

Why Norway?

So why did we choose to move to Norway of all places? Well, why not? When Dom and I were working together and making googley eyes at each other all day, we discovered that we both wanted to move to Europe (many reasons some of which are healthcare, education, society with similar values). Fast track to actually planning it, and picking a country... we started out picking France based on (don't laugh) the movie Sicko. We bought a book about moving to France and I read the entire thing and started researching, and there were a few minor things that didn't quite mesh well. This brought up the point that "hey! we can just pick anywhere!". I love my uncle Dan's idea that we picked Norway by getting a map of Europe and throwing a dart, but we are a little more planned than that sometimes. We then started researching and noting what was important to us in a place. Scandinavia came out on top, and Norway 1st. We have never been there, so I am sure there will be adjustments, and we are really planning on traveling throughout Europe once there. SO we can always move somewhere else if we find all our assumptions and dreaming are wrong. Here are a few nice things we discovered in our hunting about Norway:

1. Norway has a Scandinavian welfare model and the largest capital reserve per capita of any nation.

2. Norway was ranked highest of all countries in human development from 2001 to 2006 and was ranked 2nd as of 2008 (behind Iceland)

3. The 2008 Environmental Performance Index put Norway in 2nd place, based on the environmental performance of the country's policies.

4. Throughout Norway, one will find stunning and dramatic scenery and landscape. People there love the outdoors!

5. The hourly productivity levels as well as the average hourly wages in Norway are among the highest in the world. The wage difference between the lowest paid worker and the CEO of most companies is much smaller than comparable western economies.

Blogger Wierdness?

Is anyone else having blogger issues? When I log in now, none of my blogs show up that I have added to follow... I hope that I don't actually have to go through and find them all again. (Sigh)

Happy Dance

New T-Mobile ad, filmed live last week. This would be so cool to come across! 

Cosmetic Safety

I found this link today on all the different products we use on our skin. Check it out! You can search soap, perfume, every kind of makeup product, aftershave and men's skin products, or just brands as well. It tells you how their toxicity ranks... very interesting. I'll have to remember this next time I go to the drug store. It looks like my products are ranking in the middle...

New Layout?

Whatcha think?

Holiday Recap

Well, I know it is already mid-January, but I suck at downloading pictures in a timely manner. And, I just learned that it is not uncommon for Norwegians to have Christmas parties well into January, so let's just say I'm already blending in. Without further ado....

Maya with her gigantic bone Christmas morning. I tried to get her to rip it open, but she jsut kept looking away and wouldn't touch it for at least 2 days. I think she thought "No way am I allowed to have that! I would get in so much trouble." She has since gotten over it, and tried to of course eat the entire thing in a day and get sick. 
Maya helping wrap presents!This was my Christmas present! From none other than the most wonderful man :) The stone is amber.

Our Countdown!

Maya always thinks that when I get the camera out, it is to take a picture of her :)

This is a map of southern Norway tacked to our wall with a week countdown... currently 16 to go!

Kristiansand, Norway!

We are moving to Kristiansand, Norway on April 28th! Yeah! I'll explain the reasoning behind picking Norway in a later post, but we picked Kristiansand because we didn't want somewhere too North and too cold, we didn't want a really big city (Oslo), or too rainy (Bergen). Kristiansand has around 75,000 people and gets the most sun in Norway. It also looks like it gets snow in the winter and is on the coast with pretty buildings. Close to hiking, skiing, etc. I am really looking for any info, so if you have visited, I would love to hear your thoughts. 

Focus

Okay, I really need to focus because I am getting stressed out and feeling overwhelmed. I have decided that if I just tackle 2 things a week, maybe that will help. This week: passport photos (for my Canadian passport and drivers license) and donating stuff to goodwill. Not too hard... and get in more yoga to help with stress :)

Craft Projects

When I was a bratty teenager, I really thought 'crafting' was boring and honestly for dorks. (I know so immature). I remember having to do crafts for church and school projects and my attention span was short. I really loved art class (painting), but that was different than crafts. I'm not sure what it is now, but I am drawn to things handmade, and really want to create stuff instead of buying things. I have a goal to make all my Christmas presents for next year. I am trying (quite poorly, I need help) to learn how to knit! And, am slowly becoming sucked in to craft blogs! Here are a few links of things I want to do, and I'm sure the list will grow longer.

Bird silhouettes

fabric bookmarks

luggage tag printouts

vintage label printouts

fabric magnets

paper CD case

paper flower ornaments

fabric fridge frame

picture frame serving tray

herb garden markers
oragami cherry blossoms
magazine coasters
magazine trashcan
etched glass jars

AHHHH!!! I just bought tickets!

Deep breathing.... I am so excited and happy and nervous and anxious and holy crap! We leave beautiful BC on April 28th. More on where we are going later this week :)

New Home

This is where we are going to live, in that little red house. I don't care if it is for a boat. Anyone guess what city?

Luggage Shopping!

So, I began to tackle my list (see below), and have crossed off Dom's health card (not getting), found out we can get drivers permits here in Victoria for $15 and a passport photo, starting looking and asking around online for a place to live, starting scoping out flights (crossing fingers they drop in price more)... and then went to the shopping part. We are trying to save as much money as possible, so I've been looking for luggage on Craigslist etc. and then I came across these! So retro, I like.