NYE(E)

It's New Years Eve Eve and I'm home doing laundry. People are already shooting off fireworks and I'm glad that I'm indoors right now. Fireworks are nice to look at but don't count on me being the one lighting them off. Not my thing.

I did some grocery shopping, along with half of Vejle and it was hell. Amazing - the stores are closed only Monday but still everyone seems to go nuts. Huge shopping carts with everything and anything. Luckily we only had to get the last items for NYE and having a prepared list helped. It actually took us longer to get out of the parking lot than it did shopping. Now I'm home, doing laundry (there wasn't a time slot yesterday) and will probably turn on the music, paint and study.

NYE tomorrow and after too much confusion of what's happening, we finally figured it out. Me, Anders and our friend Heidi will be eating dinner together at Anders' place and then we'll meet up with the rest of the party people and have some drinks. Nothing too big but still social enough to be fun. I hope. Us 3 will be making dinner together so that should be interesting - neither one of us are the greatest cooks in the kitchen! We're having tuna mousse with bread for appetizers, steak with salat, potatoes and sauce for the main course and bananasplits for dessert. Mmm, steaks! Nothing too fancy but still really good food. We're all pretty tired of the different Christmas foods so it's nice having something different. We'll be making sandwiches for the midnight snack so I don't think anyone will be going hungry tomorrow night.

As you can see, not the huge plans for tomorrow but I'm sure it'll be fun all the same. I just hope the weather is a bit nicer than today - too much wind and rain.... really yucky weather...

Does anyone have any interesting new years resolutions they'd like to share? I don't really have any - just the usual "eat healthier", "study more", "save money" blah blah blah.

Jan 2nd and life will be back to normal - whatever that is. School, school and more school. I have a huge exam coming up and I need to get my ass in gear. Work starts up again Jan. 8th - again, 4 nights a week. See, I'm pretty boring. No major parties, no huge scandals, no drama (thankfully!), no illegal activities. Just me, my books, my painting and my work. That's all.

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quick hello

I don't really have much to say today. I actually went to bed last night at a decent hour and dragged myself out of bed today slightly early so I could get some things done. Stores are open and it's back to the normal, everyday routine again. I have some errands to run, a shirt to exchange (one of my Christmas presents doesn't fit) and some food to buy. Nothing all that interesting but it'll be nice to get outside and breathe some fresh air.

I have massive amounts of laundry to do too so I think after my walk downtown, I will be spending the majority of the day here at home doing responsible things. Laundry, dishes, studying etc. As I said, it's back to normal again.

Here is a picture my mom sent to me of the puppies and I thought I'd share it with the rest of the world - it's such a cute picture!

Charlie, Jack (Allison's dog) and Spencer!

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greetings from Norup

Here is a special greeting to my parents from the family in Norup. It's not the greatest video and it's out of sync but you get the point. For those of you who have never met my family - well, here you go. They are all crazy but I love them all!

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Dinner with the family.

Hey Everyone! Here are some pictures of my family in Norup - we all gathered for some food (not like any of us was starving!) and a good time. This is the end of all the Christmas lunches and gatherings, I think everything will be normal again tomorrow - back to reality.

Karin got a GPS for Christmas and they were having problems getting it to work properly. I wonder if Anders was able to help them?

Karin and Ernst - my aunt and uncle. Ernst is wearing a Christmas tie that plays Jingle Bells whenever you push a button - he really likes that tie!

Pernille (my cousin) and Ernst.

Claus (Pernille's boyfriend) and Vibeke (my cousin Jesper's girlfriend).

Jesper (cousin).

Karin was pretty busy in the kitchen and the food tasted great!

Rie and Charlotte. Charlotte is the youngest of Pernille and Claus' kids.

Karin and their Christmas tree.

Pernille is listening intently.

Ernst and his mom, Ruth.

Jannie. She is the middle child of Pernille and Claus' kids.

Jannie and Charlotte goofing around. Christine, the oldest girl of the three couldn't make it today.

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did it work???

Ok, this is my first video using my camera which is why it's really short and not really good. But for those of you who don't understand the idea of singing Danish Christmas songs around the Christmas tree, here's a short video so you get the general idea...

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Christmas 2006!

MERRY CHRISTMAS! I had a really good Christmas and I hope everyone else did too. I spent Christmas with Anders and his parents and brothers as I have done the past few years. It was nice and quiet - very relaxing and fun. We always see the Disney Christmas Show on tv before we eat. It's kinda funny, I remember seeing that "movie" when I was younger because my parents had it on video.

We had a really good meal - duck with all that good stuff. We had ris ala mande (Anders and Soren won the mandelgaver) and we all ate like there was no tomorrow.

The Christmas tree at Inge and Tage's (Anders' parents). I took the picture without the flash so you guys could see the soft lighting and nice colors.

Tage and Inge - we're done eating the main course and taking a break before we start on the ris ala mande.

Singing Danish Christmas songs and dancing around the tree. This is a normal tradition in Denmark but trust me - we are NOT good singers!

Rie and the Christmas tree. I don't know why I sometimes stand like that when someone is taking a picture of me. I look like a moron.

Anders opening up a Christmas present. We were all spoiled rotten!

Rie with a Christmas present from Karin and Ernst - a really nice soft scarf, hat and mittens.

This year, me and my parents had a brilliant idea. We haven't been able to spend Christmas together since I moved to Denmark and for once, the 9-hour time difference was a good thing. I did my Christmas thing and when we were done, I turned on my computer and was able to spend some quality Christmas time with my parents and co. in Sooke. My little brother and his girlfriend Kim, my mom's friend Alli and her son Warren all came over to my parent's place for Christmas. And I was there too! Well, kinda. They placed their laptop with the webcam at the end of the table and I could spend some time with them too! It actually worked quite well except for when my parents and I tried to sing a Danish Christmas song. There was a 5-sec lag so I was always a line behind them - I couldn't stop laughing! (Never mind, I guess you'd have to be there!)

Christmas with Sooke - or at least as close as we can get.

Mom and Allison enjoying their food.

On Christmas Day, Anders and I went to his parent's place and ate more food and just relaxed. We played cards and had a quiet day. Tomorrow will be more food with more of Anders' family and then Wednesday, we're going to Norup to visit my family and eat more food.

Anders and card games!

Mmmm, chocolate!

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Klubfest Dec. 2006

Merry Christmas to everyone! It's Christmas Day and I just got home from eating more food and just relaxing with Anders and his parents. I have some quiet time right now so I thought I would update my blog with some pictures from the past week.

Dec. 15th, we had a Christmas party at the youth club. My friend Lise came with me and helped Karin, Jesper and I work. Not a lot of kids came this time but it was still fun all the same.

Karin looks pretty cool in her Christmas "outfit". And she looks scared of the camera...

Morten and Rie

My cousin Jesper (the one wearing a Santa hat) is playing video games with one of our regulars while some of the other boys are watching over their shoulders.

Lise quickly got into the routine of things and actually got a job working at another youth club.

Lise and Rie - yes, I know we both look funny...

Karin's Christmas headband was falling apart and Jesper came to her aid.

Son and mom - Jesper and Karin

Rie with some of the regulars.

Rie and a newcomer

Even though there wasn't that many at the club that evening, we had fun. A good way of ending our season 2006 and now we're on vacation from the club until Jan. 8th.

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all alone

I'm all alone and I'm loving it! It's Friday night and I'm being a loner. After the last couple of weeks of constantly having something to do every day and every evening, I have decided to just stay home tonight. Alone. All by myself. Me, myself and I. Get the picture?

After spending the day doing absolutely nothing, I guess I should get some things done here at home. My apartment looks like total shit and is in desperate need of a good clean. Loud music helps the cleaning process and since it's Friday and many others are also playing loud music, I don't have to feel bad at all. That's my number one priority this evening. Clean my home, especially the bathroom and kitchen.

Hmmm, so what else am I going to do tonight? So many options - I could paint, watch a movie (Dr. Doolittle is the 9pm movie tonight - that's a funny movie, isn't it?), read a book just for the fun of it, catch up on emails, take a long shower in a clean bathroom, study for my next exam.... See, just because I'm being a loner doesn't mean that I'm bored. Especially with all this Christmas stuff coming up in the next few days, I think it's a great idea to just be Rie tonight.

Anyways, moving on... my dad mentioned the last time we talked on msn that another storm was going to hit Victoria and area. Did it happen? I haven't talked to anyone from the Victoria area since then so I really don't know what's going on. Either way, I hope it didn't hit too hard and that everyone can now relax and enjoy the next few days. My brother is coming home to mom and dad along with his girlfriend Kim so maybe he'll be put to work to help dad tidy up around the yard with all the fallen trees and stuff. He spends too much time in his lab so I'm sure the fresh air will be good for him.

I don't know when I'll be on blogger again with all this Christmas stuff coming up. And I totally agree with Deeds - SHAUNA - UPDATE YOUR BLOG! WE MISS YOU IN THE BLOGGER WORLD! I know I'm not good at writing comments but I assure you all that I check up on everyone's blogs often and I love seeing new posts from all the blogs, including Shauna's!

I saw a movie yesterday - Eragon. It was ok - I usually like the fantasy type movies and this one wasn't bad. Nothing great but still decent. I seem to recall books that have the same story line but I can't for the life of me remember if I have read those when I was younger. Oh well. We caught the early show which meant there were so many bratty kids and boy, they just didn't want to shut up. I hate it when people are constantly talking during movies, especially when one pays good money to see it in the cinema! I know, I know, I'm not perfect myself and can ask questions during a movie but that's if I'm sitting in someone's private livingroom. Brats!

Ok, I'm going now. I have nothing more to say whatsoever and have already smoked too many cigarrettes while writing this post. Bad Rie. I need to quit smoking. If I don't talk to anyone until after Christmas, I hope you all have a great Christmas and remember to take pictures!

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quick update

I'm still alive. I'm still working on my paper but luckily I'm almost done. No stress and no worries. Tomorrow, when I hand the sucker in, I will be able to relax.... at least for one day because I need to start working on my next exam. Tomorrow is goodbye Cinderella and Fairy Tales, hello to Origin and evolution of language. Two completely different subjects.

Yes, I'm babbling. My brain has turned into mush. My sleeping patterns have been shot to hell and I can't wait until this paper is done. Christmas? What Christmas? To be honest, after I bought the Christmas presents, I haven't thought much about Christmas until the other day when I realized that Christmas is already this coming Sunday. Crazy eh? I will be going to Anders' parent's place like I have done the other years and I'm sure it'll be just as fun and "hyggelig" as the other years. New Years Eve party has turned into a crazy stress situation and I still don't really know what's happening. I guess we'll just wait and see.

wow, I need to take a shower before I go. I just have one more class of first aid tonight and then I'm done. yay me!

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Sunday night studying...

It's late here and I'm wide awake. Well, that is on purpose. I'm working on my paper and yes, I'm doing it in the middle of the night. I'm not stressed out yet, I just like to work late at night. I like the quiet. The only sounds I hear are my upstairs neighbours thumping around (I think they're nightowls too) and the odd sirens of ambulances passing my window.

I decided to take a short break from my paper and update my blog. I haven't being really doing much lately so I don't have much to say. Coffee. Work. Study. Sleep and not always in that order. The club and evening school (Egtved) is closed for the holidays and all I have left is one class of first aid and school. I like my work but it's going be nice having a little break from all the kids. For the past 3 weeks or so, I've hung around with kids under 18 more than people over 18. I have no social life. Mia came over for coffee Friday, Lise came with me to work Friday evening, I saw Thomas very shortly before him and Claudia left for Thailand for a month. Heidi was here very shortly with her dad and her couch Saturday evening. (I'll explain that one later!) I've seen Anders a bit but not more than late evening visits watching a movie. But the kids in Egtved kommune - I've seen them about 4 nights a week. See, I don't need to have any kids of my own - I have around 100 already!

I heard about the storm over in the Victoria area - I hope everyone over there was able to keep themselves warm and entertained even though the power was out and it was extremely shitty weather. I saw on Glenda's blog that their fence was damaged and my parents out in Sooke were also hit full-force. Lots of cleaning up to be done now. I guess this means that we can't complain about our weather here - it's yucky but not at all unbearable.

My dad is checking out the damage done by the storm

It looks like the firewood storage shed got hit pretty bad.



Another picture my parents took - lots of firewood that needs to be chopped up!

Is everyone done all their Christmas shopping? I am done with presents and all I need to get is the "pakkeleg" presents.... That's a game some people play at the Christmas lunches/family gatherings. Everyone brings a small cheap thing (wrapped) and all the packages are placed in the middle of the table. With dice, we take turns rolling and certain numbers mean different things. A 6 usually means take a present. 1 means give a present to the person to your left. When all the packages in the middle are taken, the timer is set to an unknown time and then 6's mean take packages from others. When the timer rings, those who have actually succeeded in taking (and keeping) packages open them and we all have a good laugh when we finally see what they are. They could be anything - just small things like candles, dishtowels, teddybears, bandaids etc. It's usually pretty fun.

So I got a "new" couch. Heidi has moved to a smaller apartment (she's going back to school) and didn't have room for one of her couches and asked me if I wanted it for free. THANK YOU HEIDI!! I have a couch that I got from Jonna and Brian but Heidi's couch fit in my style much better and is a really nice couch. It's pretty new, white, easily seats 3-4 people and is super comfy. Right now, I have two couches in my living room - I didn't want to throw out the old couch because to be honest, even though it's old, nothing is wrong with it and is a perfectly good couch. Jonna said that they have room for it once her computer room is fixed up (they're totally rebuilding an old house and it's a HUGE project) so I promised her I'd keep it until they could pick it up. I have room for two couches so it's not a big deal storing it for them until they're ready. I'll take a picture once I get new batteries in my awesome camera.

Speaking of my camera, I love it! I've played around so much that I've already used up the batteries. I have to get some rechargeables when I go to the store next time. I promise to post new pictures as soon as I have power!

I just thought I would brag a bit and show off my new toy!

I added some english links - damn cool pics is a pretty cool site, only with funky pictures of things all over the world. No writing, just pictures. Some of the pictures seem so unreal that one would think that they were doctered on the computer but I think they are all the real deal. Even so, pretty funny to look at. Pink is the New Blog is a gossip blog about different stars and is kinda fun to read if you're into that kind of thing.

www.damncoolpics.blogspot.com - Virtual 3d street art

www.damncoolpics.blogspot.com - street pranks

Ok, I'm done babbling now. Time for more coffee and back to Cinderella.

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New Camera - first pictures!

I brought my camera with me to work tonight and took a couple of pictures. It'll take some time before I get to know which settings are best but here are some of the first shots!

I love my new toy!

Karin is hard at work.

Say CHEESE!

Karin is hanging up some Christmas decorations.

Tee hee, EVIL Karin (with a santa hat on!)

We're just goofing around.

Now she's just being silly!

Some of the girls at the club, including my cousin's oldest daughter (the one looking at the camera)

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Mmm, coffee!

yes, I'm enjoying a very nice cup of coffee while I'm listening to loud music and writing here. When I was home during the summer, my mom gave me one of her starbucks coffee mugs with a lid - reminds me of home whenever I use it. We don't have starbucks here yet...

It's been a quiet weekend so far. I took the girls shopping for Christmas presents - since these girls live in a very small town with no real opportunities to buy their Christmas presents without having their parents drive them around, I decided it would be a good thing to arrange a trip to a large mall in a nearby town/city. It went really well. I think the girls had fun and felt independent because they were allowed to do their own thing without having someone breathing down their necks all the time. They all behaved themselves and got most of their shopping done. I even got some shopping done - a few presents and also a present to myself! My grandparents in Ontario sent me a christmas package with some money and I was going to wait until the January sales but I ended up finding a pair of boots (ON SALE!) and used some of the money. Mormor og Bebba - mange tusinde tak for gaven. Jeg fandt nogle stoevler paa udsalg - de ligner kondi sko men er faktisk stoevler der gaar til knaeet med hvid pels-agtig rundt om toppen. Jeg gemmer resten af pengen til nogle cowboy bukser naar januar udsalg begynder efter nytaar. Tak for gaven!

GUESS WHAT, GUESS WHAT, GUESS WHAT!! The mailman woke me up Saturday morning with a Christmas present from my parents - a digital camera! Yeps! I no longer have to borrow Anders' camera and now have my own to take all the pictures I want to take. Mom and dad did say that I should open the package when I got it instead of waiting for Christmas Eve and now I totally understand why. I spent all afternoon playing around with the camera and it's so much fun! It can do all these cool things and I'm sure people are going to get sick and tired of me because I will have this camera with me at all times! It's a Canon Powershot A430 and it's so cute! Yes, a camera can be cute! And my parents even got me a bigger memory card - even on the largest and finest settings, I can take more than 400 pictures with that card. Ok, I'm bragging now but this is just so super cool. I am very happy for this camera and I promise that it will be used on a daily basis! Thank you mom and dad (and Charlie, Spencer and Alex)! I love love love love love love my new camera and I promise to take loads and loads of pictures so you guys can see my life here.

So, as everyone can see, I'm a very happy person right now.

Saturday night was also quiet. Anders and I saw The Return of the King, extended version and really didn't do much else. Picked up some burgers and brought all the pillows into his living room and just watched the very long, yet very good movie. We were supposed to do some Christmas shopping today but plans fell through because his tv broke. (Not during the movie) so we ended up having to return it to the store and exchanging it. By the time we were done with that, there were so many people also doing Christmas shopping so we decided to meet up tomorrow after his work and before my work. I still have my paper to work on and needed to get some stuff done here at home so I took a raincheck on the shopping.

There's my weekend. I have to work every evening next week and I need to write my paper so I doubt I'll have much of a social life.

Ohhh, one more thing. I have decided that I will NOT be sending Christmas cards out this year. I need to be careful with the rest of my month's money and I have to cut certain things out, Christmas cards being one of the things. I hope everyone realizes that I still hope you guys all have a great Christmas and just because I'm not sending out cards this year doesn't mean that I have forgotten about anyone.

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Ramblings...

Ok, I slept in today. I was bad. I wasn't supposed to do that.

Here's a crazy story from what happened at the club recently. Thursday night, Karin and I were working at the club and kids were doing their usual thing but we noticed that two of our regulars hadn't come back like they usually do. I was told the story of what actually happened Thursday night when I was working last night... The police were driving around Thursday night because TJ had "borrowed" his dad's tractor and was driving around like a maniac on the main road. (Half of these kids are "farmer kids" and tractors play a big part in their lives - and these are large sized tractors!). Well TJ got away and apparently just went home, so he wouldn't get busted. But TT also "borrowed" a tractor from his uncle so him and JR went for a joy ride - also driving like maniacs. They turned down a road and there is the police with a roadblock. Instead of stopping, TT keeps driving! He apparently broke through the roadblock by trying to hit the police with this monster tractor. They got past and sped off into the woods, driving over a bridge and whatnot and finally stopping when JR punched TT in the head. JR got out of the tractor right away and waited for the police to catch up with his arms over his head. TT came to himself a couple of minutes after the tractor stopped and then took off on foot into the woods. The police had dogs with them so it didn't go long before he was caught - and bitten up enough that he was first taken into the emergency room. So these two boys (16 and 17 yrs old) get put into handcuffs and taken to the station in Vejle. JR confessed everything and he gets let off with no charges. TT is in major shit now - he is probably going to be charged with theft, hazardous driving, failure to stop at a roadblock, resisting arrest and possibly attempted manslaughter since he tried to run over the cops... JR was at the club last night but no sign of TT. I have a feeling we won't be seeing him for a long time!

Crazy story, eh?

Don't get me wrong, our kids at the club are usually pretty good. Sure, they are a bunch of brats and like to test our boundaries but this serious situation is something that never happens! Karin and I can't be running around the streets watching out for them - we are in the club and also keep an eye out in our parking lot - In fact, Karin had warned TT before with driving tractors around like a crazy freak but apparently he didn't listen. But if they leave the club's area, we can't do anything. Last night, I had 38 kids at the club - how can I be in 10 different places at once? It's not like I'm blaming myself for the stupid actions of these boys but it would be nice if we could do something that would prevent another serious situation...

Anyways, moving on. I'm back to my normal self after just totally relaxing and sleeping almost all weekend. I guess I needed that. No work tonight but that's because I'm taking the girls Christmas shopping on Friday instead. I painted a bit yesterday and finished off a painting for Anders. He's coming by tonight after his thaiboxing training so I hope he likes it. I have several other paintings that I'm working on and I promise that I'll take some pictures when they're done!

I have to pick up my 14 day exam on Thursday but I'm not too nervous about this one. I've been doing my reading and I'm pretty much ready to write the paper once I get the actual question. I plan on using the first week to write the paper (it's only 15 pages) and then use the 2nd week to correct it and edit everything. Nothing to worry about!

My apartment is pretty messy so I'm going to tackle the dishes, fold some clothes and then just tidy up. I have decorated a bit for Christmas so I'll take some pictures once everything looks nice here again!

Bye guys!

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Saturday night, here at home...

Hey Everyone,

Yes, it's Saturday night and I stayed home today. When I woke up this morning, I wasn't feeling good at all and then went back to sleep. Again, woke up not feeling 100% so I decided to call my friend Tine and tell her that I'm not coming to the party tonight. I puttered around here at home for a while and then watched some tv. For the first time, I actually fell asleep while the tv was on! (I never do that - I can NOT sleep when the tv is on!) I woke up for the third time and luckily this time I was feeling better. But by then, the party had already started and I don't want to risk anything... I mean, I could go out, have a blast and then come home late and then possibly feel like shit tomorrow. And if I am getting sick, that would suck serious ass because I don't have time to be sick! Work next week and my paper has to be written (14-day exam) so that is why there will be no parties for me tonight.

So now I'm listening to the party next door - they listen to really girly, mushy music and it's starting to drive me nuts. A whole bunch of giggly teenagers. But then again, she doesn't have parties often so I'm not going to complain too much. Nothing is on tv and I don't really feel like surfing the internet all night.

Maybe I'll study. Or paint. Or go back to bed. I've only slept for about 15 hours today so far...

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