Trying again.....

July 19, 2016

I've been thinking about my blog for a few days now and here I am.

Was considering starting over but then again, I felt like I was throwing away several years of "memories" out the window. So I decided to keep it and just keep working away - who knows what will happen. Who knows if anyone actually reads thing. I could "advertise" my blog on my facebook but that would be wierd, no?

Lots has happened the past few years. I graduated and now have my degree as a "pædagog". I'm still bartending every weekend. I still live in Vejle. Lots of still doing.... not a bad thing but not much has changed.

I went to Burning Man last year. Loved it!

Totally want to go again. It was amazing but I think the second time will be even more amazing. The first time was mind-boggling because I had no idea what to expect. And the fact that I only got a ticket 2 days before I had to leave left me slightly unprepared. Next time, I will have an idea of what to expect, of what to pack and my goals for myself. I hope to go with my parents which will mean I can relax a bit more and just let go. I had a hard time just letting go the first time - not because of my campmates - they were fucking awesome. They opened their arms to a complete stranger and let me do whatever I wanted or needed to do. I just couldn't relax and let me..... just be me. Well, I guess I did in some sense. It's hard to explain. 

Other than Burning Man, I spent my late summer with my parents over in Canada. That was also amazing. Just hanging out with them and relaxing. Seeing my friends again and just.... being at home. It's still a home. Scary thought. I don't think that home feeling will ever go away. 

I got back to DK in September 2015 and a couple of weeks after, I got a cat. One would think that getting a cat isn't life changing or anything. Cooper changed my life. Yes, I'm the crazy cat lady. 

Enough of my rambling today. I should get my shit together and enjoy my vacation. Only 2 weeks left....

-Rie

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Mondays are coffee days.

Mondays are always hard. I really don't like Mondays. 

Quick update... School, work, work, school, sleep, work, eat, school. 

That's pretty much it. Well, I did get to have some fun Saturday night with my pub co-workers but now I'm back to being super serious. Even more serious than before. I can't afford to fuck it all up now. Only 5 months left of stressful-hell-I-hate-my-life and then I have my degree and can relax a bit. Next exam - pædagogik, starting today.

Will definitely need more coffee tomorrow. 

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F*cking Love Thursdays!

Thursday mornings are just awesome. I'm off Wednesday evening so there I can just relax and vegg. It's my vegg evening. Netflix, ipad games, reading.... I don't have to get up crazy early Thursdays so no stress. And I get shit done - laundry, dishes, cleaning, blogging, studying. Love it!

So right now, I have laundry over, the dishwasher is running and I'm enjoying the peace until I have to work. I'll probably work on some school stuff after blogging - better be a good student too.

My dinner with the Spanish girls went really well. We changed the menu - instead of flæskesteg and stuff, we had a "cold table". (roughly translated). Bascially just a bunch of different traditional Danish stuff to put on bread. The girls loved it! We had a "pakkeleg" game - surprise small gifts, roll the dice and either steal or give a present. Then we had ris ala mande with a mandelgave - which of course one of the Spanish girls won.

It cost me a fortune but was worth it. They were so happy and we had a good time. Now they have left Denmark and hopefully we'll see them in the summer - HP and I are considering going to visit them for a week or so.

I was surprised here last week. My friends at the pub arranged a surprise Christmas Eve for me - had me in tears. I didn't suspect a thing!! I thought I had a meeting with my boss and a co-worker but nope..... about 10 minutes after I got there, a whole bunch of my co-workers snuck up on us and surprise!! Merry Christmas!! They had everything planned - food, presents, Christmas tree on the dance floor, pakkeleg and just..... HYGGE! It was fucking awesome! Everyone was in on it and I knew nothing! I was a slight shock and it took a while to understand exactly what was going on.

I should be ending this post - put more laundry over and then decide where to start with my studies today. I'm not feeling well so maybe I'll take a nap instead before work.

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Monday blues

I'm tired. But not more tired than I usually am on Mondays. Weekends are tough and I should seriously start acting my age. But then again, I don't do anything that I'm embarrassed over. And just because I'm 35, doesn't mean that I can't go out and have some fun, right?

I don't think everyone would agree. But fuck them. I will take the tired Mondays for now and enjoy my weekends. But I will be cutting back on the night-off-lets-go-out evenings and focus more on my school. I have 7 months left and then I'll be done.

Fucking 7 months. I have massive amounts of studying to focus on.

So it'll mean that I will cut back on the partying. I will keep working so I will still be around in the environment but I can luckily have fun and party without drinking so that will be cut out. I have one big party to attend next weekend - our yearly Christmas party for the bar job and then one in a couple of weeks with my youthclub job. But other than that, no more party plans. Not even for NYE - I'm working that night so I'll be partying - without partying.

Wow, it sounds like my life focus is drinking and parties. Trust me, it's not.

I'm working late tonight at the youth club. Maybe I'll walk home tonight -- get some exercise and fresh air.

Gotta cut this one short - have to get ready for work.

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I'm baaaaack!!

Holy fuck, it's been way too long since I've been here.

Why? I don't know.... you know, time flies, busy with the real world and probably also laziness..

Why am I back now? I like to write. I liked having a blog, where I can just type freely and knowing that maybe someone will read this. Someone might nod their head in agreement or just shrug their shoulders. Or maybe I'll piss someone off. Who knows. I just hope that those who have read my blog in the past haven't fully given up on me and will slowly return and become a part of my online-life.

So what have I been doing since the last time I posted? Everything. Nothing. It's kinda a blur. And not in the hazy-drunken-stoned blur. Seriously - things have just happened and the days have just passed and before I knew it, a year had gone by.

It's kinda depressing. A year has past and I don't really have much to write about. But then again, I do - but what do I want to share with the world? What does the world want to know?

Maybe I should just start over again. Consider this a new blog - just with previous entries - and let the past be the past. Why wait until New Years Eve for the huge starting-over list?

Hi. My name is Rie. This is my blog. It'll be an ego blog since it will mainly be about ME. MY life. MY thoughts. MY opinions. Me me me me and more me.

I was once at a team-building camp thingy. One of the activities was a 2 minute interview/presentation of me. Of course, we all did the "Hello, my name is Blah. I am Blah years old. I work at Blah. I like to do Blah." Afterwards, the teacher dude said that it was all fine and dandy what our names were and how old we are but it didn't really give any insight on who we were. He didn't have anything spectacular and original to base any opinions on us, so we were all just kinda.... Blah.

So lets try something different....

My dining room table is a mess - I have 4 school books on digital media, identity and inclusion. I have my ipad where I will soon check up on my stupid Hay Day farm. I have a pot of coffee that is cold and gross. Hairspray from this morning - ran around like crazy looking for that. My plate (empty) from a late night study snack last night. En empty pop bottle. (Also late night drink). Post-its and my exam paper printed out. Oh - and there's a perfume bottle behind the coffee pot.

What's in my purse?

It's not a little purse - it's a tote bag with a canadian flag on it. I've had it for many years, the first thing I ever bought here in Denmark. (So, like 17 years ago) I have my brown soft letter wallet, several pens and highlighters. (Do I really need that many with me every day?) I have my notebook that I use for work at the youth club and for school. I have a couple drink recipes that I want to try out on Friday at work (at the bar). A tampon and chapstick. More hairspray. One sock. (must find matching sock) A hat. My usb stick pin thing.

What am I wearing today?

Baggy-ish light blue jeans. Black tennis socks - that don't 100% match. A striped black and grey long tank. A dark blue short armed top that is slightly baggy and a black cardigan. I just took off my shoes - Nike Air in black. My hair is sticking up on the one side - no matter what I do right now, it won't cooperate with me. I have my glasses on and simple stud earrings.

Does that give a better idea of who I am? I'm slightly messy, on the run. Drink too much coffee and hate to clean. I have lots of school work to do but enjoy some quiet time playing Hay Day. I work at a bar during the weekends mixing drinks. I work at a youth club. Wear glasses, perfume and chapstick. I just finished writing one exam paper last night and will defend it next week. A Canadian living in Denmark.

Hi, my name is Rie.

This is my blog and I'm slightly crazy. I love to take pictures of my life and you can follow me on instagram - AVNG79. I love to just babble and ramble. A constant whirlwind of thoughts and I can't type fast enough. And trust me, I can type fast - especially in English. I say fuck, shit and crap way too much. I'm a 80's/90's girl - the music and fashion. I'm not very modern. And not very dressy. I do jeans and sweatshirts during the weekdays and then I have my kilt and push-up bra and tank top during the weekends while I'm working. (Wow, that sounded like I work at a Hooters type bar. Nope - I just have big boobs and I don't want them to hang.)

A normal day for me - Wake up and grumble. I hate mornings. I will NEVER be a morning person. Luckily for me, I don't have to work that early. I have coffee and check my facebook, instagram, emails and hay day. Candy crush if I have some extra time. I then shower, get dressed, grumble about my hair (even though I do love my short hair, it's often times a hassle) and then drink more coffee while I gather my shit together. Bus it to work, grab some coffee and then work with kids and teachers until I leave for the youth club. Work some more and then I go home. I have a bad habit of crashing on the couch, which often times leads to a nap. I can't power nap. I sleep. Then I find something to eat, check hay day and then it's school work. If it's a Friday, I go to work at the bar all night. If it's a weekday, I go to bed around midnight-ish. Get up to pee at least once during the night.

I should consider cleaning my place up now before I take off to work. Thursdays are cool - work in the afternoon/evening. Had brunch with a friend after I handed in my exam paper. I kinda regret not taking a nap after brunch and before work but I decided that my blog was more interesting.

Hi, my name is Rie and this is my blog.

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An actual post.... !!

I almost forgot about my blog until my mom mentioned that it's been ages since my last post. And it's been ages since my last written post - I've been taking the easy way out and just posting pictures.

What have I been doing for the last few months? Everything!! My life has been so hectic that I think I almost fell apart due to stress. I used to think that stress was just an excuse to take a step back but now I know better!

I finished my first year at school - passed my work experience and aced my exam. Really put in some extra effort the last couple of months of school and it definitely paid off. I ended up getting a job at my work experience place, so between school, the pub and the new place, I was pretty busy. Trying to keep track of my calender and getting everything done was insane. And also trying to have a somewhat social life and quiet time was nearly impossible. Luckily, the pub job is very social where I either work with many friends or have my friends sitting on the other side of the bar so that helped.

I started my summer vacation at the beginning of July - BAM - got really sick and was forced to be in bed for almost 2 weeks. Horrible way to start my vacation!! But other than that, I've been keeping myself busy but at a more normal pace. Work (yes, I work during my vacation) at the pub and new place. Visiting friends, fishing, day trips here and there, parties, music festivals, cleaning - it's been a wonderful couple of weeks. I start back up at work again on Monday - back to my daily routine - with school on the side so I'll be keeping myself busy. Work at the pub, weddings, events - won't really have time to be bored.

I'll try to be better at keeping my blog updated - I like writing and it keeps me focused. I'm planning a serious lifestyle change and I'll probably write about it tomorrow or Friday. Right now, I'm in the middle of cleaning my little apartment, throwing stuff out - I have so much JUNK! - and just enjoying a quiet day. Maybe I'll drive down to the beach and enjoy the sunset and take some pictures.

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update on life....

It's Wednesday night here in Denmark and I'm having a nice quiet night alone. Life has been..... chaotic. Seriously. I've been tired for the past 4 weeks. Exhausted. People are starting to comment on me looking so tired and it sucks. I guess I look like shit.

I'm hoping that things will quiet down next week - although I seem to recall saying that last week. And the week before last.... Is there no end? And just imagine, I don't have kids so I can "relax" when I'm at home. Hats off to those who come home from a long day at work and have screaming brats pulling at their pant legs. (Yes, I know not all kids are screaming brats but still, it is a very likely situation for those who have kids.)

What have I been doing lately? School. Studying. Work. Cleaning. Social life. Meetings. Drama. CHAOS!

School is good. Hard but good. Some days seem like a waste of time. I mean - play soccer with an imaginary ball? Come on, seriously? Or the silly small papers on how do I feel about working in a social workplace? If I didn't like to work with people, I wouldn't be getting my degree as a pædagog. (I still haven't  figured out what it's called in English.) But other days are great. Learning lots of new things and already now, I feel like I've gotten something out of my studies. But getting up at 6.30 am is just killing me. I am and never have been a morning person.

Work is okay. Lots of shift to take and I'm probably taking too many. My Fridays are hell - I get up at 6.30 am and then school until 3 pm. Then home, eat, study, social life and shower. Work again at 11 pm until 7-8 am and then I'm totally done. I'm starting to not drive to work and take a taxi home because I'm just too tired to drive home.

I know I could say no to shifts and I'm going to have to start doing so but so far, it's been hard. I suck at saying no. Like this Friday - I wasn't supposed to work. I actually had the night off. Now I have a double shift because I couldn't say no to the girl(s) who wanted the night off. And a double shift Saturday night.

Man, I suck.

My life has changed the past couple of months and looking back, I'm pretty amazed at myself. I may be complaining about my lack of time during the day but I'm also happy. I just need to take a break now and then. I'm still working on my little home and it's starting to help. I've done some serious cleaning and rearranging so it actually looks nice. Still lots to do but it's definitely a start. I'm eating better - most days - and am also losing weight. I just did a major shopping today - MAJOR - where I stocked up on fruits and veggies and lots of good stuff. I'm going to make an oatmeal/granola tonight so I can just heat it up in the mornings - easy and super healthy. I have a new slow cooker recipe I want to try out on Friday - tomorrow is fish night. I bought mason jars so I can make salads tonight and eat them for lunch the next few days. And mason jars for fruit salads for easy, healthy snacks. (Saw the idea on pinterest) I bought running shoes so I can start exercising again. I spent way too much money but my cupboards and fridge are stocked. My meals are covered for the next week or even longer.

Social life? It's mainly Pub social life while working but I'm trying to also have a life outside of the Pub. Craft Sunday last week. Manicures/girls night last night. Birthday celebration at a friend's place with sushi and wine last Saturday. So it's not all work and study. But that's why I'm so exhausted - I'm trying to fit everything in and do it all. How long can I keep doing this?

I guess we'll find out.

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Tuesday Babble

Here I am, drinking coffee and enjoying a quiet morning. No music, no tv (I don't even own a television), lots of coffee and it's a great way to wake up.

Things are good here. Busy as usual and I seem to have forgotten how to be on vacation. During the last couple of weeks - my vacation from the youth club - I've been working either at the Pub or at a new job, with autistic young adults. Or I've been running around to different meetings, doing different favors for friends and just trying to get everything done.

I've also taken on "Project Clean" here at home which means that I have sorted through all my junk, thrown a LOT of stuff out, reorganized my living room and bedroom and just basically getting stuff done. It's starting to look good and I'm happy with the results so far. Now I need to clean out my basement room and move a bunch of things downstairs - stuff I don't want to throw out but stuff I don't need cluttering up my little apartment. I'm hoping I'll get that done today before I have to work at ES (the place with autistic young adults).

I start back up at the youth club on Monday and then after I'm there for a week, I start school on the 15th. I'm super excited!! And I just bought a little car!! How freaking cool is that?! It's a '97 Ford Fiesta and I love him. (We call him Antonio....). The freedom!!

I'm running now - I'm done my coffee and now I better get my shit together before a friend comes over to drink more coffee.

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Silence is welcomed here tonight.

Can you hear it? Listen really hard. Still nothing?

It's because there is nothing to hear in my little apartment other than my table creaking, me typing and the occasional car. No tv. No music. No talking.

Nothing.

And I like it.

I love music and listen to it all the time. I love my family and friends and talk to them often. I don't need a tv but it's on as background noise at times. But right now, I'm embracing the silence and I'm taking a minute or two to enjoy it. It's been a busy week and even though I had a good time either working, hanging out with dad or hanging out with friends, I feel I need a quiet night to myself. So it suits me fine that dad is out and about, doing his own thing while I'm home.

Shhhh..... Silence is not always scary. 

Having dad around is pretty cool. We haven't spent this much time together since I moved from Canada back in 1997. I like my dad. He's a fuddy duddy at times but I still love him. I like the fact that he's starting to feel comfortable enough here that he can just come and go as he pleases, do his own thing and enjoy his visit here in Denmark. I had a good talk with mom this evening, before she had to take off to the vet. She's pretty cool too.

I consider myself to be lucky. I have parents that are actually neat and fun to talk to. I can talk to my mom as a "mother/daughter" and talk to her as friends. I can hang out with dad alone here at home or I can take him out with some friends and drink a beer together. Yes, my parents are also my friends. And that's where I think I'm lucky.

Dad in the kitchen. 

Waiting for our train to Copenhagen. 

Anyways, it's Sunday and I'm soon off to bed. Maybe I'll bring a book with me to bed. I was off work Friday from the club and there I was the responsible adult. Laundry and stuff like that. I napped and then took off to work at the Pub. Quiet-ish night there but still ended up being home late. Ate breakfast with dad and then napped when he left. Did some shopping for a birthday gift and got ready to celebrate one of my best friends here in Denmark. We partied it up Saturday night and again, it was early morning before I got home. I think Dad thinks I'm crazy but that's what I do. Slept a couple of  hours Sunday and got up, feeling tired but not hungover. Did some grocery shopping and then basically just enjoyed a quiet day here at home.   The week starts over tomorrow - work, work, meetings and then more work.

I haven't blogged all that often lately but I promise that once my every day routine gets back to normal, I will try to keep up the blogging again. I like to write. I like to babble. Here are some random party pictures.

Rie and L. That's our outfit when we are working but I was off that night. 

Caught off-guard. Rie and J. 

S. and me. Love her!

Time for me to go home. And make faces at the camera. 

Goodnight.

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Busy me...

I haven't really been around the internet for the past few days - something called life has been getting in the way. Work stuff, friend stuff, more work stuff and then just a bit more friend stuff. I like to sleep too sometimes.

But it's been a good week. Visited good friends, met new people and had a good time. It was nice seeing R. again. He's moved to Horsens to live with his girlfriend and we miss him here in Vejle. But they seem to be doing well and I'm happy for them. Brunch with A. was good too. Another old friend who is soon moving away from Vejle so it was nice seeing her before the stress of moving hits. We'll be visiting another friend next week - D. gave birth to a beautiful baby boy 2 weeks ago so it'll be great seeing her again and meeting the newest addition to their family.

I've been busy but things are good. I don't want to get ahead of myself but I might be starting school soon. That would be super cool. I won't go into details until I have all the facts straight but still, keep your fingers crossed for me.

S. is sleeping as I post this. She had the coatcheck shift at the pub last night and just came over here this morning. We have a huge fancy party to go to tonight so we'll be getting ready here, along with another friend.  Dresses and high heels - on my! (I'm not the biggest dress person....)

S. and I from a couple of weekends ago. She was working - I was not.... ;-)

On that note, I'm done for now. Have to go over to L.'s place to check up on her cat, Ninja. Crazy cat!

Hope everyone is having a good weekend!!

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TGIF!

I missed out on my Thursday's Babble here yesterday due to a meeting at the Pub. So I didn't have my normal Thursday morning to just putter around here at home. But today - Friday - I have my coffee, music and time to blog. And I'm in the mood to babble!

I only have 3 hours at work today - YAY me! And I don't have to work at the Pub tonight - YAY me! But I still have big plans for tonight. Spring cleaning - aka "The Plan". Let me share a little secret to some.... I have issues throwing things out. Clothes, kitchen stuff, bags, knickknacks, papers etc. For example, I have no room under my bed because of old clothes in bags, fabrics and shoes. I always have this idea that one day, I'll need it. But you know what - I don't need it. And it's time to do a major clean up and throw out. My dad is coming out soon and I want my place to look good for when he's here but I'm also doing it for myself - I get stressed out looking at everything and I need to clean my soul, so to speak. It's the beginning of "The Plan". Once I get my little home looking perfect, then I can start focusing on myself. (That's a whole other blog post that will come later....) I already have bags of old clothes, scarves, hats, shoes and whatever packed up and ready to go. I think I'll start dragging the stuff up to work because next door, we have containers for donating clothes for those in need.

Other than "The Plan", nothing new here. Have been pretty social this week after work - Tuesday evening I went out with some Pub friends. One of the guys made dinner - awesome food - and then we all went to the movies. The new Mission Impossible.... It was okay. Then R. came over Wednesday after work where I made him dinner and we just hung out. It was nice seeing him again. Last night, after the youth club, I met up with 3 friends at the Pub for a single beer. Nothing party crazy or anything like that. Just meeting up with them and saying hi. I have a friend coming over for coffee tomorrow and then I have to work tomorrow night at the Pub. And then it's Superbowl on Sunday - I'm not the biggest NFL fan but I'm still going to the event we have at the Pub - dinner, movies and then the game. I doubt I'll stay the entire night because I have to work Monday.

Wow, I'm pretty boring today. My babble is lacking. I don't know why that is but I'm not feeling very creative and I'm having a hard time just letting the words flow like I usually do. Maybe I'm tired. Or too anxious to get my day started. Whatever. Blogging isn't working for me today so I'll be back again tomorrow. Or the next day.

Have a great weekend!

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Thursday babble on a grey day....

My fingers smell like oranges. I guess that's okay considering it could be way worse. I should probably eat a bigger breakfast and that I will, after I ramble on and on here on my blog. But I have my coffee so I'm happy.

I'm trying to eat healthier. And drink more water. I tend to forget to drink water and stick with the coffee all day. It's not good. So I have a deal with my co-worker that we remind each other to drink more water and that helps. And I'm staying away from fatty foods, at least on the weekdays. Yesterday for dinner, I had a salad with spinach leaves, tomatoes and cucumber with bits of chicken. Sounds kinda boring but it was actually quite yummy. Today, more salad with pieces of salmon. Mmmm, fish. I love fish.

Okay, maybe I won't ramble too much today because now I'm hungry. And I have a coffee date soon with A. I really enjoy his company... he just called and will be here in 10 minutes. Yay!

I really do love Wednesdays and Thursdays - I know I've said it before but still.... I'm off early from work on Wednesdays and then I don't have to work until afternoon on Thursdays which means I can get loads of stuff done.

Gotta go, A. will soon be here.

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shitty day....

It's been a crap day. I don't even know why but it sucked at work today. The kids drove me nuts, my co-workers drove me nuts and everything just went wrong.

Puha.

But now I'm home and I'm forcing myself to let it all go and just relax. I did some quick shopping after work so now I don't have to do anything or go anywhere..... I could just curl up on the couch and read. Drink tea. Maybe even just go to bed. Or take a really long hot shower. Or go for a walk (it's raining so probably not....) The possibilities are endless and I already feel better.

I'm doing otherwise okay. Work last weekend at the pub was lots of fun - friends, drinks and loud music. Plus a little flirting. Flirting is always fun, especially since I'm single and the guy is pretty cute. And a great dancer. If it's just flirting for fun or some serious flirting, I don't know. So I'll  just leave it at that for the time being and see what happens.

I'm out of here again - but not without some random pictures.....

Just me....

Having some fun at the youth club with afro wigs. Why not?

October Beerfest in Vejle. 

Party after a shift at the pub. Yes, I'm tied up and decorated.

I hope everyone has a great Wednesday. Mine is all of a sudden much better.

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Thursday babble.... Gotta love a nice morning!

So I started playing this scrabble game on my smartphone - just like everyone else. I'll admit it, I'm a word nerd and this is so addictive. I can play against friends or random people and I can play it in Danish or English. Way cool. And I kick ass at it. So much that several friends believe that I'm cheating - which I'm NOT! Is it so hard to believe that a Canadian can be good at Danish scrabble? Apparently so. I have definitely shocked a few people who probably thought I would have been an easy game for them. Proved them wrong.

The usually Thursday morning for me. Music and coffee is a must. I haven't gotten out of my pj's yet and don't plan on doing so until the last minute. I spent last night reading so I slept in today. All the should haves and could haves are trying to give me a guilty conscience for not doing anything last night or this morning but I'm fighting it. Yes, I should have done laundry - and I could have done it - but guess what? - I didn't! I should have emptied my dishwasher and I could have done it but I didn't do it. (That one I can still do before work). 

I have a busy weekend coming up. Work at the Pub both Friday and Saturday night. It's been a while since I had to work both nights in one weekend but I'm looking forward to it. Good fun. 

Dyed my hair last night. Nothing funky. It was starting to get all dull and boring so I found a gorgeous rich chocolate brown dye on sale and got to work last night. (Yes, I'm the type of person who colors my hair at 11pm.) I like it.

And I'm working on my ideas for my next tattoo. And I can feel that I'm on the right track because I'm so excited. If only my tattoo guy would get his ass back from Miami so I can get some feedback and then start it up. I'll keep you posted! 

Okay - the plan is this: 1. Make more coffee. 2. See why my phone has been going crazy the past 5 minutes. WordFeud? 3. Empty dishwasher. 4. Fold clothes. 5. Take a shower. 6. Make more coffee. 7. Go to work. 

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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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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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Thursday Babble....

I mentioned it before and I'll do it again - I love my Thursdays! I can sleep in, I can putter around here at home and do what even I want before I go to work and spend my day with kids in our crafting room. LOVE THURSDAYS! And sometimes, when I'm on my way home from work after 10pm, I drop by the Pub to say hi - usually have a coffee or whatever.

Today is of no exception! I slept in - loved it! Had my coffee (damn - no milk!!) and am now surfing the net while listening to loud music. The apartments next door are being renovated so I have music to drown out the hammering and loud noises from next door. So far so good. I updated my blog with a new Canada 2011 chapter and while I was going through the pictures, I just realized something. I LOVE TAKING PICTURES!! And I think I'm actually pretty good at it. So I'm going to recharge my camera batteries and start dragging that little baby around with me.

Thursday plan - I still have a little while before I have to work so I think I'm going to be responsible and clean up. Empty the dishwasher, air the place out and clean the bathroom. I have 2 friends staying here Sunday to Monday so I want the place to be somewhat decent.

I hope you all have a great day!

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Work weekend...

It's around 4:30 pm here. I can honestly say.... I haven't done anything interesting today!! I didn't even get up until way past lunch time. It's a work weekend for me, which means I was at the Pub working last night and then again tonight. So I don't even feel guilty about getting some sleep! And now I will get some coffee...

Mmmm - coffee.... (and loud music!!)

Work last night was good. A decent warm-up for a rockin' night tonight - I have a feeling it's going to be super busy. It's the first real "Julefrokost" night for the Danes and that always includes a trip to a bar. Julefrokost is basically just a Christmas party with lots of food and lots of alcohol. So that means every weekend from now to Christmas will be busy at the Pub. But I would much rather it be busy than too quiet!

I'm almost done with LS's late bday present. It just needs a zipper.... I made her one of those weaved magazine purses - black and white with speck of silver using wrapping paper, backside of a chips bag and clear packing tape. I'm quite pleased with the result so far and it will be nice to finally get it done. I also had made her a sock monkey (joke gift) and that turned into a big hit... which means that I might have to make more. The kids at the club have gone all crazy about the purses and the sock dolls so we've been busy in the art room. Pretty cool when something works out, eh?

Other than work, nothing new here. I've been busy at the youth club with kids, teenagers and meetings. And whenever I do have some quiet time to myself, I just drowned myself in a good book and escaped reality. I have the munchies right now - craving foods that I just don't have in my kitchen. Well, actually, I don't have anything in my kitchen other than soup and frozen meat.... nothing all that interesting. Meh.

Off to sew in the zipper so LS can come home from work tomorrow to a little extra surprise. I think I will update my blog (and my creative blog) with pictures instead of too much writing. I just like to write. Maybe I should start working on a book.... Do I have the time for that?? Not at the moment.....

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