Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Christmas Eve 2011.

Nice and quiet. I've had a crazy year - good and bad things filled my life in 2011 and to tell you the truth, I was pretty exhausted come December. Everyone was talking about Christmas, about the excitement and happiness and to be perfectly honest, I just wasn't feeling it. Not because I was thinking "Bah, humbug!" but I was just very Meh about the Christmas season. I was getting stressed out about something that it supposed to bring happiness and closeness with family and friends. I love my family and I love my friends but I needed some peace.

And that was my present to myself this year. Peace and quiet and able to enjoy a quiet Christmas with no stress. Yes, I dropped it completely. I had made several plans to spend Christmas Eve with different people but when those fell apart, I decided to see it as an opportunity to spend it with my parents - via computer. A little different but a good night nonetheless. I spent Christmas Eve's day (Us Danes celebrate Christmas on the 24th in the evening) doing nothing. Relaxing! Coffee. Music. Reading. Then I took a shower and made myself somewhat presentable and sat myself in front of the computer and had a good chat with my parents, my aunt and my uncle. We looked through several piles of old pictures, had some good laughs and even shed a couple of tears. This is my first Christmas without my Mormor - even though I haven't spent the holidays with them in years and years, it still felt.... empty. Just knowing that she isn't here anymore. Knowing that I wasn't going to get a Christmas card from her with pictures. Or a phonecall, hearing her wish me a merry Christmas. Or talking about how much food we ate. We all felt it and we all miss her.

After chatting on skype for a few hours, I went by the Pub to say hi to my friends. Nothing wild and crazy but coffee and hugs and smiles. I only stayed there for about an hour or so because then I went back home to again chat with my parents over dinner. Dad's cooking looked so yummy and I found myself starving at 2am. A quick bite to eat and then in bed by 3am.

So.... a quiet Christmas outside of traditions. I actually do love Christmas but this year was meant to be a quiet night and I seriously enjoyed it. No pity, no regrets and just a sense of peace. I was happy that I decided to do it this way.

Christmas Day 2011

Definitely the opposite of peace and quiet. A group of friends and I got together here at my place and had a party. We ate good food - non-Christmas related - had lots of drinks, lots of fun and lots of laughs. It was one of those nights that your stomach hurts from laughing too much. Or your makeup is smeared because of the tears - from laughter. We played games and it was a super night. As much as I love a good quiet alone night, I love a good party with good friends. We of course went to the pub and partied it up until 5am and had a good time. I promise you, I was pretty tired when I got home. Tired but happy.

Days between Christmas and NYE 2011

Quiet. Pub. Lots of food. Friends. Movies. Laundry. That pretty much sums it up for me. A good friend, R. is staying here for the next couple of days and we've been enjoying each others company. He's the type of friend where I can just be myself. We can talk about anything and everything but we can also sit together in silence. So I've been hanging out with him the last couple of days. I also went to the movies with LM yesterday - we had a "date" day and that was super cool. He's a friend from the Pub and I like to think that we've become close friends over the years we've worked there. We ate pizza and then went to the movies - the new Sherlock Holmes film. It was pretty good. I had a good time with him.

New Years Eve 2011

Not quiet sure what tomorrow will bring. Well, I actually have a pretty good idea.... I have more laundry to do at 1pm (reserved the machines so I can also use the dryer) and then I just relax until I go to the Pub. I'm working tomorrow night and we're all meeting up for dinner and drinks before we are open to the public. This is my 3rd year working NYE and I wouldn't have it any other way. I love the fact that I'm a part of the festivities but still.... not. I go out every weekend so NYE is just another night for me. And because everyone tends to make it into a huge deal, I always find that it's just a huge disappointment. So I'm just going to go with the flow and see what happens.

The new year 2012

What to expect? I don't know. I do know that I will be seeing my dad in the spring - he's coming to DK and I'm crazy excited. Words can't even express how excited I am. I get knots in my stomach whenever I think about it. And I know that our family here in DK have it somewhat the same way I do - especially his sister K.  Other than that, I don't know what to expect for 2012. Travel in the summer? Lose weight. Get my ass together and start working off the stupid Pub weight that I have gained since I started over 2 years ago. DHB festival in Vandel during the first weekend of June. Maybe even Jelling festival during the last weekend in May. Camping trip with the kids from work at the end of June. Friends, family and fun!

I guess we'll just see what happens.

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Purses and sock monkeys at the youth club....

I have a crafting blog but I'm going to slowly move everything over here and delete that blog... Crafting is a huge part of my life so why not have it with my everyday babble?

We've been busy at the youth club making purses and sock monkeys. I'm trying to steer the kids away from easy 5 minute projects and trying to get them to spend some time and effort in what they are making. But that means that the project has to be so cool that it will hold their attention for a longer period of time. The purses and sock monkeys have been a huge success.

Whenever I try something new with the kids, I have to first make a demo - so they'll know what it looks like when it's done and so I know exactly how to make it in order to explain it to them. After spending hours on the internet, looking for good ideas and tutorials, I get to work and then cross my fingers that that particular idea catches at least a couple of the kid's attention.

I love my new purse and the kids love making it. It's easy enough for them to make but it requires time and a commitment. I used my new purse for the first time going out last Saturday to the Pub and I was surprised over how many strangers noticed it - in a good way. (I'll admit it, that felt awesome!)

Wrapping paper with tape - around 250 pieces folded together. 

Added a "porno" red zipper to add some color. 

LS came up with the good idea to add pieces of silver (chip bag) in order to break up the black and white a bit. 

The sock monkeys have been a HUGE success. The kids have been busy and I have new socks everyday to cut up and start. I found this tutorial on the internet and after getting my new computer, I lost the link. Which really sucks because that person deserves all the credit. I think I found it via craftster.org and will try to find it again when I have a little more time. I made a monkey for LS (private joke) and when I gave it to her at her bday party, the other guests showed lots of interest. (Again, awesome feeling!)

One of the girls at the club made this monkey. It was quite large and now she had made 4 of them!

We always give them names and a background so they are all very unique. 

LS's new sock monkey. His name is Pablo and is a gay Italian. 

Sorry for the bad quality pictures - I had to use my phone camera since I didn't have a camera on me at the time.

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Thursday babble - even though it's Wednesday.....

My shifts this week at the youth club were changed a bit so instead of opening the club today, I have my Thursday shift today and then the opening shift tomorrow. Confused?

I "behaved" myself last Friday night. I did NOT go out and instead spent a nice and quiet evening at home. Hell has not frozen over and pigs still can't fly. I don't remember the last time I spent a quiet Friday night at home and just.... relaxed. I read a book. I soaked my feet. I surfed the Net. I basically spent the entire evening curled up on my couch and it was wonderful. And that meant that I was awake and ready to do laundry and cleaning Saturday morning-ish and was the responsible adult that I am sometimes supposed to be.

Saturday night... well, that's another story. I went over to a friend's place for dinner and drinks. Then we went to the Pub for more drinks. And dancing. The time flew by and before we knew it, it was 5am and the Pub was closing. We were not ready to go home. So after all the guests had left the building, us Pub people continued on with our party.... it was so much fun. I am very rarely at the morning parties (because I'm old-ish) but I stuck around for this one and I'm glad I did. I was home at 11am and trust me, I was tired! (and slightly tipsy....) Lots of laughs and just a really good time.

M.'s dog - such a cute puppy. 

Morning party - somehow, I got wound up in tape and decorated. 

Sunday was made for relaxing. And I did just that. Skyped it out with my parents and ordered take-out.

And now it's Wednesday and I'm ready for a good day. I slept in - couldn't get my ass out of bed when my alarm clock rang but that's nothing new. I'm drinking coffee and listening to music and soon will take a shower so I'm ready to take over the world. Or at least the creative workshop at the youth club. Tomorrow is my last day at my "real" job before the xmas holidays and then it'll be nice to have some days off.

Ohhhh - I almost forgot. At the youth club, we all have our own café day where we make a late lunch for the kids. Usually I have Wednesdays. But I swapped with my boss (the reason why I'm working tonight) and got stuck with his food day on Monday..... To tell you a secret - I'm not that great in the kitchen. My dad's the greatest cook in the world so growing up, I never had to think about food. He was always able to whip something up in no time which is why I never cooked. Ever. Then I move to DK alone and am forced to fend for myself. I can cook the basics. I love cooking for myself (then if it goes wrong, I only wreck my own dinner) but when I started working at the youth club, almost 5 years ago, I started cooking for the kids every Wednesday. I had no choice. They need to eat so I need to make something. So to play it safe, I always stick to the dishes I know how to cook. Dishes that I just can't screw up.

But.... Monday was a change for me. I was forced to cook up a roast with brown sugar potatoes and gravy. My boss and other co-workers thought it was hilarious because they knew I was freaking out. But!! I had a long talk with my dad on Skype Sunday night and got step-by-step instructions and decided to take up the challenge brought upon me. Fuck it, if it went wrong, then I'd buy pizza for the kids.

It went great! YAY! Not as good as if my dad had made it but definitely great for me. My first time making gravy and sugar potatoes and the kids loved it. A tiny bit too salty but nothing that ruined the meal.

Cooking up the sugar potatoes. I have the stupidest smile but I was concentrating on my food. 

The pork roast!

Gravy with no lumps!

I made way too much food. We couldn't eat it all but we definitely tried. 

 I took the challenge and I kicked ass.

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Thursday babble

Coffee - check. Music - check. Slept in - check. Enjoying a quiet Thursday - check.

Laundry - nope. Cleaning - nope. Shower - nope (yet). Guilty conscience - nope (yet).

Yeah, so it's Thursday again. I haven't done anything yet this wonderful morning and I don't even feel bad about it. I should be doing stuff - I have loads of things I need to be doing but I haven't gotten my shit together just yet. I took my time in waking up, pressing snooze probably a million times before I crawled out of bed. Then I had sorted my laundry while the coffee was brewing but realized that both the machines were already taken. So back upstairs - with dirty laundry - and it's now dumped in my hallway. But now I'm drinking coffee, the music is blaring and I decided to just go with the flow.

Yesterday was a intense day at work. My co-worker celebrated his 25 yrs of working in Vejle Kommune and decided to have a kiddie party with adult stuff afterwards. Free hotdogs, pop and icecream to all the kids, plus games and prizes and lots of fun. Then old co-workers and old members of the youth club came to celebrate him with wine, tapas, speeches and good memories. It was a good day - kids were happy. Over 100 hotdogs were given away and that was tense. I know now that if my childcare career falls apart, I can survive a hotdog stand.

But J. was happy and the kids were happy. We put a lot of work into yesterday and even though it was over in a few hours, it was a long day. I spent last night doing.... nothing. I read. I talked to LS. I read some more. Then I slept. And slept in.

Okay, I should seriously get my shit together now. Now the guilty feelings of being too lazy are starting to emerge. I still have a couple of hours before I have to work so I should become an adult now and start crossing things off my to-do list. It's a long list. I've been super lazy the past few days and now it's starting to bite me in the ass.

Loud music and a duster - here I come!

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Quiet time... interrupted by loud music.

Tuesdays are nice. I'm off work early and I usually have the evening to myself, to do whatever I please. So I did some grocery shopping - avoided too many impulse items and stuck to my mental list. Then I started to make dinner when S. came over to store some of her moving boxes and she ended up staying to dinner. Nice to have someone to eat with for a change and even nicer that she had plans to do things afterwards so I could carry on with my Tuesday night plans. Now it's coffee and loud music - Marilyn Manson - and then it'll be a cleaning evening before I crash on my couch with hopefully a good book.

Things are okay here. Not super good but not bad either. I don't know why but I've been feeling slightly meh-ish the last couple of days. Don't ask why because I really don't know. Just meh.

And I've been super tired. But that's because I had a crazy party weekend (again) and I may have pushed it just a little too hard. I have to soon realize that I'm no longer 20 years old. I don't recover as quick anymore. Not because I was hungover but I didn't sleep too much and had two really late nights. Next weekend won't be as bad, I don't think. My plan is to stay home Friday night but go out Saturday.... that might be a long night.

Time to start cleaning.

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The Story of Canada 2011 - Chapter 3 - The Wedding

This past summer, I was back in Canada to spend time with my family. The months up to my trip were hard. My Mormor died in June - just a bit over a month before I was supposed to visit her. Losing her reminded me that family is important. No matter how far I am from them, they are my family. No matter how crazy and screwed up we can be, we are family. When Cydney and Tyson got married, we celebrated life and happiness and Mormor was there in spirit - she was the sunshine looking down at us. 

My family is split up all over the world and that means I don't see them as often as I would like to. My aunt - mom's sister - lives in the States with her kids and grandkids. I hadn't seen them for years, especially my youngest cousin, Cydney. She was unable to attend the last family reunion which meant we hadn't seen each other since I was around 15 years old. So you can only imagine how awesome and amazing it was to see everyone at Cyd and Tyson's wedding. It was a gorgeous day. The sun was shining and people were happy. It was a great feeling being a part of the family again and not just relying on emails and pictures. 

Mom, checking out the wedding site as things were getting set up. The weather was just gorgeous for an outdoor wedding. 

Cydney and Tyson. He is a nice guy and is crazy enough to be a part of our little family. 

My baby cousin grew up into a beautiful woman. 

A private moment between the bride and groom. 

The things you do to avoid grass stains!

My family!

Wedding ceremony. Dad was taking all these amazing pictures. 

"You are now husband and wife. You may now... eat the cake." 

Christin - crazy bridesmaid. Mom. Katie - my cousin's wife.   

Cydney and Mom.

Thank you for letting me be a part of your day.

Dad is pretty talented behind the camera lens. It was hard to pick and choose which pictures to use on this post - I have so many! 

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New Computer!

I'm in heaven right now.

I use my computer everyday - and I mean EVERYDAY - and I don't know what I would do without one. I mean, I don't have a tv and I'm fine with that. I actually Like not having a TV. But my computer.... all hell would break loose if I didn't have one. My Dell wasn't doing too well and I was ready to say goodbye to the trusty machine that had served me well for many years.

And say hello to a brand new Toshiba. We'll call her Miss T. - she's definitely a girl computer because of all the fine details and wonderful surprises. Our relationship is a new one but I already love her. She's a gorgeous machine.

So my life the last couple of days have revolved around Miss T., getting her setup and personalized and I think I'm finally done. I still need to gather my internet links but that'll come. I know we'll have many years together and I don't want to rush things. One day at a time, right?

Haha, yes, I'm not normal. Neither is my family. We like to name things like our cars and computers. Deal with it.

Drinking coffee, doing laundry, listening to music and playing on Miss. T. Life is good. And my Thursday morning hasn't failed me today - it's been a good morning.

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