belated birthday wishes, Germany and glasses....

Ok, here is a "real" post - not just some words of boredom while I'm at work. I'm at home, the music is playing, I have my coffee, the windows are open and here I am!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHRISTINE! I know it was on Friday but I still wanted to wish you a very happy birthday. I hope you had a great weekend and enjoyed your special day. I met Christine quite a few years ago and we were able to hang out last summer when I was home for Glenda's wedding. Christine is super cool and I'm so glad I can call her my friend! These pictures are from last summer - July/August 2006.

Glenda, Christine and Leah - Glenda's bridal shower.

Leah and Christine - they planned Glenda's bachelorette party and we all had so much fun!

Christine and her husband Joel - one of the cutest couples I know!

Things here are pretty good. I've been busy with work but I only have one week left and then it's summer vacation! Yay, me! I actually have quite a long vacation this year - we're closed all of July and I go back to work for 2 weeks, then I'm off for 3 weeks to Canada. I guess I can't complain! Other than work, I've been just doing my own thing. Gitte visited me Thursday morning before work with her daughter, Sofie and we just talked, catching up on each other's lives. Lena picked me up from work Friday and we hung out at my place. Made a really yummy (and super healthy!) dinner, drank wine and had a good, quiet night. Lena is really crafty and made me a cool leather small bag and helped me sew a funky pillow case - I'll get some pictures next time. She has so many great ideas!

I haven't really done much this weekend. Took some extra hours at work Saturday and then hung out with Anders the rest of the weekend. I started a new book - Fast Food Nation - and I'm told that after I read this book, I will NOT want to eat fast food ever again! Anders and I drove to Germany today to pick up beer, pop, wine and some goodies for my family in Canada. When we buy in large amounts, it's cheaper to take the drive down to the border and shop. I'm throwing a party on Saturday for family and friends to celebrate my 10yrs in DK and I needed all sorts of liquids.

I got my eyes checked a little while ago and the verdict was that I needed glasses. Here I am, with my new glasses.... yes, they still need to be adjusted better to fit my crooked head but I'm wearing them and trying to get used to the feeling of having them on. What do you guys think?

That's all I have from here. I hope everyone is doing good and enjoying their weekend!!

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quiet evening

I'm at work and it's pretty much dead here. It's definitely easy to tell that it's summer now because all the kids and teenagers have other things to do - the youth club is open for teenagers and the three kids that were here are now gone. My two co-workers are sitting outside just talking and I'm kinda just wandering back and forth. It's going to be a long night if nobody shows up.

Nothing new to report here. I was at work Friday, all day and all night. I took a 22 hour shift and gained some extra hours for my trip to Canada. I didn't really do much else this weekend. Went to the movies and saw Pirates of the Caribbean 3. Johnny Depp is hot.

Ohhh, three girls just showed up. I haven't seen them before... They'll probably take off again when they see that no one else is here... But I should log off and look like I'm alive just in case.

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another day

I'm at work again... and again there isn't much to do right now, at least not until the kids get here.

This will be a short post because I don't have much to write about, at least nothing all that interesting. Anders is still in KBH and won't be coming back to Vejle until tomorrow evening. I thought I had to work tonight but it turns out that I don't so I'm looking forward to a quiet night at home. Maybe listen to some music while painting - it's been a while since I last painted...

We're having a flea-market/open house here at work Friday afternoon at 4pm. Everyone is welcomed so we are kinda nervous about how many actually come. Hopefully it'll be busy. I'll be staying here overnight with some kids and I'm not sure exactly what the plan is. I guess it depends on who and how many...

Ok, I'm running again. The others are starting to show up....

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just a little update...

It's hot outside! Yups, summer is here, at least it is this weekend. It's been between 25-30 degrees for the last couple of days and yesterday was almost unbearable - I had to go inside away from the sun after a couple of hours because I'm not always best friends with the sun. I don't tan - I burn. I'm still suffering from last weekend - Christa, Lise, Anders and I went to the beach and after 2 hours in the sun, I had my first sunburn this year. I'm not in pain anymore but I'm still suffering because it is so ITCHY!

I've been pretty busy this week. Extra work on Tuesday instead of enjoying my stat-holiday like everyone else but it was either then or on the weekend. We all decided Tuesday was good and even though it was hard work, we were able to have some fun while moving hundreds of boxes from a container to different rooms in our building. I was the only female there, definitely the smallest and not the strongest and I was the one moving boxes. The boys had a laugh over that! But I survived and decided to drop my hour at the gym that day because I had already gotten plenty of exercise!

Wednesday was fun. We had a HUGE water fight at work. Me, one of my co-workers and a bunch of kids went crazy and ended up being soaked. Seriously, it wasn't just with some wimpy plastic water guns - we used balloons, buckets, hoses and whatever we could use to throw water at each other. Anyone who knows me, knows that I do not shy away from this type of "childish behaviour" and since everyone decided to gang up on me, I was just drenched when Lena came and picked me up. Oh well, it's only water! Lena and I had a really nice evening - we did some shopping (after I put on some dry clothes!), made dinner together and just hung out at my place. She stayed the night and drove home after breakfast - it was a really nice, quiet night and I hope we can do that again soon.

When Lena drove home Thursday morning, I went to get my eyes checked. I've been noticing a problem with my vision for a long time but I've been stalling, afraid of what I already knew.... yups, I'm near-sighted with an astigmatism in my left eye.... (ok, I just looked that up in the dictionary because I didn't know what the english word is for "bygningsfejl") Apparently my left eye is shaped like a football intead of a soccor ball which is, along with being nearsighted, causing problems with my vision. Yups, I need glasses. But, I can't afford glasses just yet so I'll have to survive without for a while longer. Oh well, I don't drive so I'm not a danger to society without glasses.

I spent the evening with Anders Friday - he's again in Copenhagen for work stuff lately and came home for the weekend. We just hung out, watched movies, ate icecream and basically had a quiet night. Tine and AK came over Saturday evening - we ordered takeout, had some drinks and just talked. We had originally planned to go to the bars but we ended up being too tired to do much of anything. Tired, not drunk - we didn't drink that much at all. So when they left, I went to bed and slept like a baby!

It's now Sunday and here I am. Anders and I plan on driving to the west coast today and spending some time together before he takes off to Copenhagen again early tomorrow morning. I better remember my sunscreen this time!

Lena and Rie

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at work....

Right now I'm at work and honestly, I have absolutely nothing to do. It's summer weather and we have a holiday tomorrow so all of our kids are out drinking and partying. So here I am, writing a short post and killing time.

The weekend went by way too quickly. I had a party here at work - a BBQ with all my co-workers and that was fun. It was nice getting to know them in a more casual way, without the usual kids running around. Saturday morning, Didde picked me up and we went on a flea market mission, drove around to different markets and second-hand stores.... didn't really find anything interesting but we had fun. Also went out for lunch and walked around Vejle. Saturday evening, Anders and I went over to his parent's place for dinner and saw the soccor game on TV (DK vs. Sweden) - I don't usually care much for soccor but wow, I'm glad I saw this game! With one minute to go, tied 3-3, DK just received a red card - some drunken soccor fan decides to tackle the referee. Seriously! He tried to bodycheck him. Anyways, the ref got pissed off and decided to stop the game, take away the goals from DK and now the Danish soccor league most likely won't qualify for the European Championships.... not because I'm a soccor freak but this incident has definitely made soccor a little more interesting!

I have a nasty sunburn.... we went to the beach yesterday and now I'm burnt. Not fun.

I'm babbling right now but seriously, I have nothing to do. I have around 2 hours left on my shift and I've already done all the dishes, cleaned up around the computers, made dinner and done everything I can do before we close.

July 3rd is my 10 year anniversary. I moved to DK July 3 1997 and I decided that it's a damn good excuse to hold a kick-ass party. And that I will be doing June 30, most likely as a open BBQ for my friends and family. I haven't worked out all the details yet but there is definitely planned a party that night. 10 years in DK - time sure flies by. I remember leaving Canada as though it was yesterday and never imagined myself staying here for more than a year. Here I am, 10 years later, living like any other Dane in DK....

On that note, I'm ending this very odd post. Yes, I'm bored. When I'm bored, I ramble and babble. That's what I do.

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Jelling Music Festival 2007

I'm back from my weekend working at the annual Jelling Music Festival and let's just say it was nothing like all the other years. LONG story and I'm not going to get into here but I will say that I will not be coming again next year unless something drastic changes. BUT, it wasn't all bad and I had a great time with some of my co-workers/friends and all the kids. The weather was fine - Friday and Saturday was super with sunshine and no rain. Sunday was colder with some rain but that's ok because I left the festival Sunday afternoon instead of staying until Monday morning.

It was great seeing the people I usually work with, especially Lena, Erik, Lars and co. We got loads of fun pictures and I can easily say that we made the best of a tense situation. We did our thing and were there for the kids and we also took time out for ourselves and had fun. Lots of laughs, beers and talks. We didn't see much music this year - only Bloodhound Gang and some of the Deep Purple concert but that's ok. We had too much fun and didn't have time to see the concerts! The work area wasn't good but seeing everyone else made up for it!

Lena and I took the bus from Vejle to Jelling Friday afternoon and it was great seeing her again. We had our sleeping bags, pillows, festival clothes and some cold beverages ready - we don't drink when we're working but when the blue t-shirts come off, then we usually have a couple drinks like the other 22,000 other people at the festival. We figured a beer on the bus would be a good way to start things off!

Lena, Erik and I have, in the past many years, been them who work all festival and sleep in the camper and this year wasn't any different. We "close" the stand around 1am and just relax and catch up on our life stories but "our kids" know perfectly well where we are and that they are always welcomed to come over and say hi. Helle is one of my "kids" who I've known for several years now and even though she's not a kid anymore, she couldn't resist coming by to say hi - and she ended up staying until 3am!

Marie came with Helle and we couldn't resist taking some fun pictures. We had a fun Friday night and it was first 5am when we went to sleep. But we got up at 830am again to open the stand and be there for our kids.

Lars used to work at Pitstop (our old booth) but him and the others weren't invited to work this year. They were ready and willing to work but when they came Friday with all their stuff, they were asked to leave. Lena, Erik and I spent lots of time with them and considering the situation, we were still able to have some fun.

Lena, Erik and Rie. Almost like the good old times. We stuck together and supported each other - I don't know what I would have done without them.

Rie with two of the boys from the youth club.

Karin, Pernille and the girls were all at the festival and I think they had a good time!

When I was taking the first picture, some of our kids saw it and wanted to say hi. Karin and the others got attacked! LOL

We took the picture ourselves and my arms are not long enough to get us all in the shot.

Rie and some of the really old kids. But they still remember me and it was nice seeing that they are doing ok and having fun.

Attack of the youth club. Yups, these kids are the reason to why we work volunteer just to make sure they have a good time and have someone to talk to if they have problems.

Kamal and Jette - two of my co-workers taking a break.

Koere Teknisk Klub - we're still smiling!

Is that how men eat?

Allan, Erik and Lena - Allan used to work with us at Pitstop but wasn't invited this year. But he still came over to say hi to us and drink a beer.

The entire gang taking a break and watching the Bloodhound Gang concert. We might not have been a part of Pitstop this year but we stuck together.

Yups, I was there too!

Karin and Rie. I should say hi from Karin to Sooke!


That's the end of Jelling Music Festival 2007 - it sucked ass in many ways but we stuck through it for the kids sake and for each other.

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quick hello

I'm at work now, just waiting to get the "lunch" ready. Since it's gorgeous weather today, I will be selling pancakes with icecream - the kids are going to love me!!

The last couple of days have been kinda hectic here at work with different activities and stuff so I've been pretty tired when I get home. Plus I've started going to the gym on a regular basis, trying to get into shape and just trying to be slightly heathier in general. I will be going to Jelling Festival this weekend - for those of you who know the entire situation regarding the festival this year, yes, he finally called and it turned out that he just assumed I would be coming since I told him I wanted to work there a few months back. So he waited until the last minute to call me and I decided to go there anyways after work Friday - I won't let him ruin the festival for me or for anyone else. Besides, he probably won't be around anyways. Lena's picking me up Friday evening and we won't be home again until Sunday night. I just hope the weather will be nice, if it's like today and yesterday, I won't complain at all!

New from the family here in DK - my cousin Jesper and his girlfriend are finally pregnant! With twins! Yups, after a very long struggle, they are expecting babies! So everyone, cross your fingers for them and we'll be seeing these new additions to the family in December.

I have taken some pictures of things going on here. As soon as I get an ok from Jonna, I will post a picture of her and her family from Sunday, where baby Mathilde was baptized. And I'm planning on bringing my wonderful camera with me to Jelling Festival and taking lots of pictures and yes, I will share all the good, bad and ugly shots with all of you guys next week!

Other than that, nothing new here. I'm getting excited about my trip home this summer and I can't wait to see everyone again. My work is closed all of July so I'll be having an extra long vacation this summer - vacation July 1 to July 31 and then August 16 to Sept 4th. The only downside is that I won't be getting a paycheck Aug. 1st but I'll manage. I always do.

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picture overload!

So last weekend, I went to visit Anders in Copenhagen for a couple of days. He was there for work and instead of him driving back to Vejle Friday night only to drive back to Copenhagen Sunday, I took the train over there and we played tourists in the big city. We had loads of fun - went to the zoo, lots of driving and walking around, saw the Queen's castle, went to Tivoli and ate lots of good food. I had to work Friday night so I took an early train Saturday morning and then took the train back to Vejle on Monday and then went directly to work. Yes, I was tired but it was totally worth it!

The home of the Royal Family! There are 5 buildings, separated by large gates. I think each member of the Royal family has a "house". No one was home - the flag wasn't up but it was still neat seeing where they sometimes live.

These are the guards who watch over the castle - we were there when they changed duties at noon. It was actually like a ceremony and Anders and I were almost killed by eager tourists trying to get a photo. Luckily Anders is tall and was able to get some pictures!

Rie goofing around in front of the Opera House.

Anders relaxing on the steps with sun in his eyes.

Tivoli - Rie being a true tourist!

Tivoli is not the usual amusement park - sure there are rides, games and places to eat but it was also really pretty with character. It's hard to explain but if you're ever in Copenhagen, spend an afternoon/evening in Tivoli! You won't regret it!

Copenhagen Zoo. I love animals so we decided to spend a few hours at the zoo. The weather agreed with us and didn't rain until the minute after we left. Lions, tigers and bears - oh my!

The male elephant was in a different area than the females but these two were able to smooch and say hi to each other since there was an open "window" above the gate.

This bear knew exactly how to work the crowd! He posed and growled and smiled for all the cameras!

Saturday night, Anders and I went out for dinner and then went to an outdoor bar/coffee place and had a drink. Mmmm, irish coffee on Nyhavn! Yes, I'm tired, not drunk!

Truely, a horrible picture of me but here we are!

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killing time...

I'm at work now and I honestly don't have anything to do right now. One more hour, and then the others come but right now I'm pretty much alone. Enjoying the peace and quiet...

I took some teenagers to Århus on Monday to celebrate their confirmation. A good group of kids - there were no issues and they all behaved themselves nicely. But it was a long day of walking around and trying to keep an eye out on things and sort through all the faces - We weren't the only school who had their celebration in Århus! The city was packed with young teenagers spending way too much money and just having a good time. We went to "Tivoli Friheden" which is an outdoor amusement park and while the kids were running around, we (the old people) sat around drinking coffee and waiting for the time to pass.

Other than that, nothing new and exciting here. It's soon Jelling Festival time again and I'm assuming we're having our booth out there again.... I'm assuming because we haven't heard anything yet and it's starting to get irritating since the festival is in 2 weeks. We work our asses off (volunteer!) for 4 days and I sure hope they don't expect us to just show up without knowing who, what, where and when etc. Yes, I'm getting pissed off. I've been with this little organisation since the beginning - we started this 5 years ago - and now I, among others, feel like we're being shit on. They better watch it because if they shit on us, well then they are out 15+ volunteers who know what they're doing and have been there since the beginning. I keep hearing that yes, our booth will be out there and yes Rie, you have to be there etc but I'm not getting any real information! If I have to run the booth one of the festival days and try to organise 30+ helpers like I have done the past few years, I need to know what's going on!

Argh, I'm angry and very frusterated right now. I better end this post before I say something I might regret.

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Almost weekend - YAY!

This will be a short post. Some idiot took my laundry time and since I'm not evil, I didn't take their wet clothes out of the machine so I decided to just forget the idea of doing laundry today and go for a walk with Lise instead before work.

My cousin Peter and his gf Gaby got married April 19th in Las Vegas and the entire family around the world gathered around the internet to see the ceremony. Since it's basically impossible to gather the family together, they got married in front of webcams so we could see the video - pretty cool idea, eh? Today's technology can be fun! Here are some of the pictures Gaby sent and now I'm showing them to you guys.

Congratulations to Peter and Gaby!

Things here are good. The weather has been absolutely gorgeous and I'm hoping it stays this way at least for the weekend. We have a holiday tomorrow which means.... NO WORK! Yups, I'm off work along with everyone else and we all plan to just enjoy it and relax. If the weather is nice, Anders, Christa, her boyfriend Christian (tee hee, Christa and Christian - the names are so similiar!!) and I plan on finding a sunny place to sit and just hang out. Maybe drink some beers and other yummy cold beverages, eat some sandwiches and just have a good time. So everyone, cross your fingers and wish for sunshine for us!

Rie at Hvidbjerg Beach last Sunday. I got a new haircut a couple of days ago and I will soon take a picture to show off the new, gorgeous RIE! (LOL, I'm in a funky mood right now!)

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