life at a stand still...

Life has been pretty hectic these days, and things aren't going to slow down any time soon either, unfortunately. I'm trying to get as much rest as possible, but sometimes it just seems impossible, like there's not enough hours in a day to get everything done... As you all know I've begun my new Norwegian class and it's already wearing me out a bit, and it's not even February yet! I'm in class at least 5.5 hours a day and if you add the amount of time it takes me to get to and from class every day, it might as well be an 8 hour work day, every day, Monday through Friday. On top of that at least 2 times a week I head to work for at least 5.5 hours too! Ha ha, crazy schedule, right? The days that I'm not working I try to go to the gym and relax for as long as I can... time seems to fly though. I look forward to when summer rolls around and things begin to calm down. I'm hoping by then I will have figured out whether I will pursue my Masters next fall (if I get accepted), or be able to find a full-time job. If I'm able to land a full-time job, then I might put going for my Masters on hold... but we'll see. It's hard to plan so far ahead when I have no idea what's to come. I'm working so hard and am being very patient, so I have my fingers crossed that all my work will pay off in the end...

Anders celebrated his 26th birthday over the weekend! Not sure if he was excited about turning another year older though, ha ha, but we enjoyed a nice evening grabbing sushi downtown and then catching a movie at the theater. I was hoping to have time to go cross country skiing, but we weren't able to figure something out. I've only been twice, but look forward to going again soon... I'm pretty uneasy on skis, but I think it's something that will grow on me, in time. Other than working my butt off and being as patient as possible, everything is well. The apartment is treating us well and we are trying to be as positive as we can :)


The Birthday Boy!

Life Lesson: always be grateful.

Today is my 100th post, which I think is pretty cool. These days I have been kept very busy and probably worrying a little bit too much about things that I can't control... Although, that seems to be a human instinct, right? Not only did my weeks grow longer with longer hours of Norwegian class, but my hours at work decreased. I went from working 20 hours to under 10, which has been a huge hit to the amount of money that Anders and I were hoping to save and put towards other things; such as flying back to the US for my sister's wedding. The hours that I have been given every week will pay just for my student loans, and nothing else. This means that we are going to be VERY tight on money these next few months and must be very careful where we spend money. We've created a budget that will hopefully help us keep track of our spendings and all of our bills and we'll have to save wherever we can! I've also been researching flight information which hasn't been helping my cause, because the summer months, especially July through the middle of August, are the most expensive months of the year to travel! I couldn't find a ticket from Oslo to Boston for under $950... ouch. But, in the midst of stress I need to also remember to be grateful of the things that I have, because things could be worse. I believe that experiences like this only make you stronger. Just hoping that it will all blow over by the end of the summer.

So as I mentioned before, I started my new Norwegian class the day after I got back. Now we are almost through the 2nd full week of class. I'm loving it!!! Although it's longer hours every day (8:30am-1:50pm, Mon - Fri), I am learning faster than I did before! My new teachers are very impressed with me and see good things for my future here in Norway, which is definitely something to be happy about. The 2nd and 3rd week of February I'll be 'working' full-time in an outdoor kindergarten that I found near where we live called Domvokteren barnehagen. It's only a 10 minute subway trip + a 5 minute walk away... I have a meeting there with my teacher next Friday to discuss my contract with them for the next 5 months. I'm really looking forward to the experience. Who knows, I may even be able to get a full-time job out of it in the end, so I have to remain as positive as I can, because things will start to look up again...

Anders got me cross country skiis for Christmas! I knew it ;) We went out for our first trip last Sunday, and it was interesting... I was really uneasy in the start of course, because it was the first time in my entire life with a pair of skiis on my feet! I started to get the hang of it toward the end of our trip. I actually kind of enjoyed it, just not when we had to go down hills, even as little as they were, ha ha. I fell a few times, but all went well. I was pretty cautious, because of my knee. It was the first time I've done something pretty active besides working out since I tore my ACL in November 2010. I wasn't wearing my brace this trip, but think that I will put it on next time, to give me a little more confidence. We have a decent amount of snow now, so Anders and I will probably go again this weekend. I'm turning into a true Norwegian now!

my 2 week vacation is over

Sorry that I don't write as often anymore, but the 2 weeks that I was visiting in the US for the holidays went a lot faster than I thought... now as I write, I am sitting on my couch in my apartment here in Oslo! I flew in yesterday early afternoon and it was an even longer journey than return trip back. I'm sure you can imagine what a 15+ hour trip can do to somebody, especially not being able to sleep on the plane and pretty much missing an entire night of sleep. I fell asleep right when I got back to my apartment, but was surprised that I actually unpacked and cleaned the apartment until I fell asleep the second time, but then I had to wake up bright and early this morning to attend my first day of my new class!

My vacation was everything I could have hoped for and more. I was all over the place and didn't really relax so much, ha ha. I don't think that everytime that I come home I will be able to do all that I did. I was up pretty early every day (mostly because of the sun rising so early) and majority of the days had I plans with people from breakfast until bedtime. One of my favorite parts was having the sun rise a little after 6am, something that I definitely had been missing here in Norway, because ever since the start of winter our days have become very short. The sun doesn't seem to rise until around 10am, if it decides to come up at all. Most days it is cloudy and not very bright outside at all! It's pretty depressing. Why do I live here again, I ask myself... (just kidding). Anyways, so while I was home I was able to see over a dozen different people, not even including members of my own family. It was awesome! I was very gracious for my mother to let me borrow her car, but I will need to figure out another solution for the next time that come back, which will be in August for my sister's wedding. I might need to look into renting a car, even though it's going to be expensive, because not only am I not 25, but I don't have insurance anymore either. Anders will be with me this summer as well, so we might not have a choice, but to rent. It'll be the summer and we'll obviously want to go the beach, etc.

Here are some pictures I took while I was home:

Missed these guys!

My puppies

Nikki & I in downtown Concord

Our house lit up

Our Christmas tree

Girl cousins on my Dad's side

Last dinner home = sushi!

My bridesmaid dress for my sister's wedding

My best friends in the entire world

Dressed up for New Years Eve :)

While I was home I was able to go to Loon Mountain with my best friends as well as spend New Years Eve in Boston, which was LOTS of fun. I also was able to visit family in Mass. as well. I did a little bit more traveling than I had though, but I wouldn't have changed it if I could! I also got to spend a lot of time at home, of course, with my pets and family. The weather was gorgeous while I was home. Pretty much no snow at all, except some flurries on Christmas day! The one thiing I wish I had done while I was home was not eat so much, ha ha! I seriously gained like 5 lbs. being home and didn't work out... I'm going to go work out tonight for the first time in a while and I'm probably going to be sore tomorrow morning, but it will be worth it. One of my New Years Resolutions is to dedicate time at 4-5 days a week to go the gym. I always feel great after working out, so I hope I can stick with it! Anders is getting my cross country skiis (late Christmas gift), so I'm super excited to learn. I can't snowboard this winter, because my knee still isn't 100%, so it'll be fun to learn a new sport and be able to go out on the trails on the weekends!

Our apartment is starting to finally really looking 'put-together'. We are filling out the space and have been decorating, especially with the help of Christmas gifts from our friends and family. It's my new home now :)

So I had my first class today of my new course and I already like the teachers (we have 2) and the only 5 or so other girls in my class. It's a pretty sweet deal... I think that I am going to learn A LOT! I have class now from 8:30am-1:50pm Monday-Friday, so almost 28 hours of Norwegian class a week! It's going to be a lot, but I'll have to make sure that I take good care of myself and get a lot of sleep. Middle of February I will then work (for free) for 2 weeks in a kindergarten that my teachers will find for me. I will work an average work day for 2 weeks so that I can really become engulfed in the environment and see what it will be like to finally work with Norwegian children. It's definitely not going to be easy at times, but it'll be good for me and who knows, maybe I'll be able to even find a full-time job out of it! Either way, I'm going to hang in there... I'm also going to still pick up shifts every week at Mester Grønn, whenever I'm put on the schedule. I may only be able to work 10-15 hours a week, some weeks, but I just gotta take what I can get, be positive, and smart with my money. Anders is obviously still paying for the majority of bills, but as long as I can pay for my school payments and student loans, it's definitely going to be a big help for now. I have to be thankful for what I have. Plus, I'd be really surprised after all the hard work I've been doing if it doesn't pay off after this is all over...