safe travels

Hey everyone! I just wanted to let people know that I have safely arrived in Vancouver and my trip was alright. A little stressful and I had to run a couple of times but I made the 9pm ferry and now I'm at my parents place, drinking my coffee and enjoying life.

I'll write a longer post later on today with details. But now I'm going to relax and cuddle with the puppies!

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a little bit of this and a little bit of that...

Yesterday, Aug. 6, 2007 was Glenda and Nathan's one-year anniversary! Yups, they have been married for one year and are now expecting their first child in December.

Congrats Glenda and Nathan!

I am slowly getting ready for my trip home on the 16th - I think this trip will be super chaotic and busy but I can't wait to see everyone again. Family, friends, dogs, cats, boat, language, food, sunshine, shopping .... ohhh, shopping. I usually go a little crazy when I'm back home and I'm sure this time will be no different than the last trips!

I've been working lately and things there are good. The kids are starting to come and we have quite a few new members so that's always interesting. Last weekend, Tine and I went out for some cocktails - we had a good time at our usual bar until we decided to check out another bar to see if anything interesting was going on. There, we ran into Tine's ex-boyfriend - NOT GOOD. I can just say one thing.... asshole, asshole, asshole, asshole and asshole. (I'm not going to get into it, it's a long and private story.) After that, we were not in the mood to party, so we had a stiff drink to calm nerves and then ended the night there.

On to happier news - the sun is finally shining here in Denmark! It's summer weather and I'm loving it! Tank tops, skirts, flipflops and sunglasses! By the way, how's the weather on the Island?

Today, I have a short shift at work so that's pretty good. I have to run some errands downtown before work so I can just relax afterwards and finish up some of the paintings I started last night. I was dealing with some stomach issues last night and didn't sleep very well so I'm looking forward to a nice quiet evening tonight.

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It's just me!

Hi everyone! How are things going for all of you guys?

I'm doing good - been busy lately, which is why I'm not posting as much as I usually do. I'm back at work and trying to get back into the normal routine. I can't really complain about being back at work, seeing that I had a 4 week vacation and that in exactly 2 weeks, I'll be back in Victoria. Well, I'll actually be on my parents boat since we plan on taking a little sailing trip the day after I come home. Pretty cool eh?

I can't wait to see my family and friends again!

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I've been busy!

I haven't posted in a while so here I am. Since the Metallica concert, I've been pretty busy hanging out with friends and stuff like that. I went fishing with Anders last week - then gave all the fish I CAUGHT to Karin and Ernst. We also saw the new Harry Potter movie and the Transformers movie - two pretty good movies. (Transformers was better!) I met up with Gitte on Wednesday and we did some shopping and went out for lunch. Tine came over to Anders' place Wednesday evening and we played some board games and just hung out. We went to Vorbasse Market Friday morning and poked around there for a couple of hours. I went out with Kirsten and Tine Friday night - our quiet coffee trip turned into a night at the bar with alcohol involved so I woke up Saturday feeling a little yucky. But we were invited to a 50th bday Saturday afternoon so I didn't have time to feel sorry for myself and had to get dressed up in Hawaii clothes and party some more. Sunday was a day of relaxation and then yesterday, Monday, I went to the gym and afterwards picked up the new Harry Potter book and spent the entire day reading. The book was pretty good!

There you have it - a quick summary of my life last week.

To anyone in the Victoria area - does any of you guys have an airbed me and my family can borrow in the middle of August for a couple of days? We're planning that big family reunion and it would help A LOT if we could borrow an airbed. Plus a tent or two? It's just for a couple of days and we would greatly appreciate the help!! Please, please, please - let me know if anyone can help us out!

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Metallica

Friday the 13th - Metallica Concert in Aarhus!

We were a whole group who took a bus from Vejle to Aarhus and had a blast! There were 50,000 who bought tickets to see Mnemic, Volbeat (two danish bands) and Metallica on a huge field - so many different types of people and a really cool experience. Our group got split up and since cell phones were pretty much useless, we just met up again afterwards. Heidi and I stayed together and we both had a good time. We weren't allowed to bring cameras with us - not even disposable ones (we tried but got busted at the gates...) so these pictures aren't mine, they are taken from the internet. I thought the concert was pretty good, even though they had a power failure in the middle of the 2nd song. (It only lasted for about 15 mins or so, not a big deal at all.) They played all the oldies and actually didn't play anything from their newest albums which suited me just fine! They rocked it for over 2 hours and we weren't disappointed!

All in all, a good concert. Doesn't beat the +Live+ concert Heidi and I saw last year in Copenhagen but still a good experience. But now that I've seen Metallica live, I don't have to go all crazy the next time they play in DK. Been there, done that - excited see what the next musical experience will be!

Other than the concert, I haven't done much. Enjoying my vacation to the max!

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Another rainy day

So far, my vacation has been wet. It's raining all the time! On Monday, Lena came over and we had a good time. We went grocery shopping and made some good food - we always make good food when she's here! Since we ate too much all day, we just vegged on the couch and talked.

Yesterday, I went over to Thomas and Claudia's new home and helped paint. They are renovating their newly bought house and are planning on moving in at the end of July.

Claudia is taking a break while the boys keep working!

Thomas and Claudia's dog - Samson!

The boys are hard at work.

I don't really have any plans today - get some things done here at home and just relax. Anders is in Odense playing golf and he'll be picking me up afterwards so we can eat dinner together... maybe watch a movie or something since it's crappy weather outside!

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Happy Birthday Jonna!

July 6, 2007

Yesterday, Jonna turned 25. I wasn't able to post a birthday greeting to her yesterday because I wasn't near a computer at all so here I am, a day late - but better than never. We actually surprised her yesterday and drove out to her home to meet up with her family and then went and knocked on her door - SURPRISE. I think there was around 15 people at her door step with gifts and flowers (and cinnamon - it's a Danish tradition here. When you turn 25 and you are not married, you get cinnamon thrown at you. When you turn 30 and is not married, you get pepper thrown at you.... it's a fun yet very messy tradition) Anyways, Jonna knew that Brian was planning something but I think she was still surprised to see how many people were also involved. And yes, she got cinnamon.... I wish I had taken a picture because she got a lot and I hardly think she can even save the clothes she was wearing.

Jonna is a great friend and I don't know what I'd do without her love and support - we always have fun when we're together and we both know that we can count on each other when we need it. I met Jonna several years ago - actually before Anders and Brian came into the picture - and we quickly became good friends. She was the BIGGEST "POP-TOESE" (I'm not sure how to explain pop-toese in English) back then. She would wear the most ugliest bright pink high heel boots and she was probably the only one I knew who could actually pull it off. Her hair and makeup was always perfect and she only wore the "cool" clothes... And she danced her ass off whenever we went out to the bars.... Yups, that girl could definitely dance!

BUT, Jonna is just as "cool" today as she was back then because one thing makes her truely special - she's her own person and she believes in herself and does whatever she feels right. Now she's a mom with 2 beautiful daughters and is enjoying her life - without those amazingly ugly pink boots! (I so need a scanner because I want to show the world how damn ugly those boots were!) She's one of my greatest friends and I love her dearly. Tillykke med dagen, lille pige. Du har fandme gjort det godt med dit liv - kig paa dine piger, paa Brian, paa jeres hjem og bare smil til verden. Du har hele livet foran dig og med din positiv indstilling, kan du godt naa alt. Jeg haaber du havde en god aften i gaar og at du hyggede dig med familien (og os!). Jeg glaeder til at se dig igen i naeste uge! Jeg elsker dig, min lille pige. Du er en fantastisk ven!

Life is good here. I'm on vacation and I haven't really done much worth writing about. Anders and I went to the movies Wednesday and saw "Transformers" - it was pretty good. Before we went to Jonna and Brian's place last night, we were at Thomas and Claudia's new home. They bought a house a little while ago and are still fixing it up. Now, we're not exactly the right people to help with the renovations but we are willing to learn and give it a try and that's what we did. Anders was put to work and I did whatever I could to help - that was mainly just staying out of their way! I took pictures so I'll post them once I get them on my computer. Other than that, nothing is going on here. Anders is out playing golf now and he'll be coming here for lunch afterwards - what the plan is after that, I don't know.

I'm running again since I don't really have much else to write about. The last few posts have been really long and if you guys have read through them all, I'm impressed!

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July 3rd...

July 3rd is my parent's wedding anniversary - happy 31 years!

My parents are pretty cool. They do their own thing in Sooke and have a good time doing it! The first picture was from Glenda and Nathan's wedding in Aug. 2006 - of course they were invited since they have known both of them for many years now and plus they pretty much adopted Glenda. The second picture is from my trip home back in 2003 and we were walking around Cowichan Bay - now they have their boat up there!

July 3rd is also the day I left Canada 10 years ago. The one year trip of "discovering my roots" turned into a more permanent stay of 10 years. I remember the day I left as though it was yesterday and I wish I had the pictures on my computer so I could share it with all of you. I moved to a country where I didn't know the language, didn't know anyone other than meeting my family members a couple of times and it's funny to think it was 10 years ago - I never imagined in my wildest dreams that I'd fall in love with this little country and end up staying. I was 17 years old, fresh out of high school and not really sure of what I wanted to do with my life. Now I'm 27, living on my own, working and living life as a Dane. Now I have two homes and it's hard sometimes but right now, I belong in Denmark. I miss my family and friends in Canada like crazy but luckily we have the internet and I'm able to come home for visits so I talk and "see" them quite often.

Lots of things have happened in the 10 years here in DK - I have a better understanding of my parent's and grandparents' background. I've met my family members who live in DK - All of a sudden, our small family in Canada/USA turned into a HUGE international family. I have so many freaking aunts, uncles and cousins that I still get mixed up! I learned the language (ok, ok, I still make some big mistakes now and then - YES, I know I still sound funny sometimes!) I have gone to school here and worked several different jobs (some sucked more than others) and now I know what I want to do with my life. I have made some wonderful friends and met a man I love - they are always there for me and we have had some good times. Lots of laughs and lots of support. Having some really good people in my life has certainly made the transition easier and also the fact that my family and friends back in Canada have supported me 100% in my decision to stay. Yes, I do think about moving back to Canada - quite often actually - but I know in my heart that my life is here. I would miss DK terribly and my future is here.

10 aar siden. Utrolig at taenke paa, synes jeg. Nu sidder jeg her, kigger rundt i mit hjem og kan slet ikke forstille hvordan mit liv skulle ellers vaere. Jeg har det godt her, har moedt nogle fantastiske mennesker og synes selv jeg udviklede mig meget i de sidste 10 aar. Ikke kun fordi jeg er 10 aar aeldre men fordi jeg fandt ud af hvem JEG er og hvor JEG kommer fra. Ja, jeg taenker tilbage til Canada men jeg taenker fremad i Denmark... does that make any sense?

Ok, enough of that. I have to put some laundry over and get my shit together here today. It's my first real day of vacation and I have loads of things to do today. I hope everyone is having a great day, the sun is shining here and I can see blue sky!

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A long, but HAPPY post...

This is probably going to end up being a long post with LOTS of pictures - consider yourself warned!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HEIDI! Today is Heidi's Birthday and I hope she had a really good day! I have known Heidi for pretty much 10 years - she's probably my oldest friend here in Denmark and I met her through my old roommate when I was an exchange student at the business school. Heidi has moved away from Vejle and we don't get to hang out as much as I'd like but we always have fun when we do - for example, Conrad lunches, cute DSB guys, concerts in Copenhagen and just walking arm in arm while shopping for jeans and shoes. Soon we'll be able to add a Metallica concert to the list! TILLYKKE MED DAGEN!

November 2006

New Years Eve 2006

An oldie - New Years Eve 2005 - don't ask about the hats!

Here's another happy note - Christa is now officially done with her educaton as a shipping agent and starts her "real" job tomorrow. We were at her place Friday night for a celebration party with lots of beer and good company. Congrats Christa and good luck with the new job! We still have plans to meet up at the gym this week, right?

October 2006 - yes we're drunk and we're having fun!

As I mentioned in the previous post, things have been CRAZY hectic here this past week. Friday, I went to work early to get some things done and we had to get ready for our summer vacation - cleaning and putting things away while still having time for the few kids that were there. After work Friday, I met up with Lise so we could get some shopping done and just hang out before we went to Christa's party later that night. The party was fun but knowing that I was having a party myself Saturday, I decided to go home early and was in bed at 2am. I was able to drag my ass out of bed at a decent hour so I could get things ready - Luckily Lena was able to come to Vejle early and both her and Tine helped me out - A LOT! I am so grateful for those two and really do appreciate all the help - and the great company! THANK YOU! We were able to get everything ready before people started to come and everything went very smoothly. Unfortunately, there were a few who, last minute, couldn't come but those who did were in good moods and I think I can say that the party was a success. Way too much food so no one went hungry and people were able to just sit back and relax. My work was the perfect place for a party. The Singstar Playstation game was a huge success - holy shit, we didn't sound too good but it was seriously funny!

I hope you all had a good time and thank you for the great company and the gifts!

I couldn't have done it without the help of Lena and Tine!

I met Didde back in the days of cleaning the hospital (lots of fun memories!) and she took the night off from being a mom to celebrate my 10yrs with me.

Gitte was also a member of the hospital cleaning crew back then and we've stayed friends ever since. Remind me to tell you the story of when Gitte started working at the hospital and how a certain, very hungover person (the only time I went to work with a hangover!) had to show her the ropes. Definitely a story we'll never forget!

Even though Karin and Ernst had big plans during the day, they were still able to join our "small" gathering.

Ernst was actually really tired but I hope he still had a good time. One of the main reasons for having the party there was so that Jonna and Brian could take their kids with them and here's Jonna with Mathilde. I'm just so glad that they could all come!

Mathilde got a little sleepy!

Jonna and Brian's first daughter, Caroline. It was getting late and I think she was getting tired.

Caroline just doing her own thing!

Gitte learned how to play pool!

Karin, Vibeke and Anders all singing their hearts out!

They all look very amused while the others are singing. Jonna, Didde, Morten (Gitte's husband) and Gitte.

Claudia was definitely the star of singstar and kicked everyone's ass!

It was a group effort! Vibeke, Anders, Gitte, Brian and Jesper.

Yups, I sing like crap but I don't care, we were having so much fun!

Lena and I got our asses kicked in table soccor when we played against Anders and Ernst. (I don't remember what it's called in English and "table soccor" sounds wrong!)

I am now ending this extremely long post. It's now time for me to throw myself on the couch and enjoy the rest of my Sunday evening with Anders. But one last thing:

HAPPY CANADA DAY!!

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just a little stressed....

Things have been super busy here the past few days. We're getting ready for summer vacation at work so even if no kids are there, we have lots to do. I'm going to work 2 hours early today just to get some stuff done (and to get a decent breakfast!). When I'm not working, I've been busy with everything else. Getting my apartment to look at least half decent for when Lena comes over Saturday and getting ready for the party too. At least the party isn't being held at my place but still, lots of preparations to be done. Shopping, planning, cleaning etc. If the weather is nice - at least better than what we've been having lately, then everything should go.

Here are my plans for the party: Lena and hopefully also Tine are helping me with preparations. With them there, they can help me relax and we'll be able to have some fun - drink some wine while chopping up veggies. People are arriving at 530pm and they have been told to bring their own meat while I am providing everything else. My work was nice enough to let me party there so we have a huge kitchen (with an industry size dishwasher!), an area with tables and chairs, a slurpie machine, music possibilities, a pool table, BBQ, grass area for kiddies to play and everything else that is needed while hosting a BBQ. Family and friends have been invited - 21 adults are coming and some kids too. The menu is meat (whatever they bring), pasta salat with the works, tuna mousse, bread, potato salat and ice cream with fruit. I still need to do the last minute shopping and then I'm pretty much ready. I bought vodka for one side of the slurpie machine and whiskey for Irish coffee and I have beer, wine, pop and koolaid (for the kiddies!).... I think I have everything....

Ok, that ended up being a long babble session.... Sorry, I'm just nervous, I have a feeling that I forgot something and also I get nervous when I'm having parties. All the "what if's" are going through my head - what if they don't have fun, or the food isn't good, or if people don't come. What if it rains or if I forgot something.....

Argh, the stress! But I'm sure I remembered everything and I'm sure it'll be fun. I'm glad Lena and Tine are willing to help me out and at least just keep me from going crazy tomorrow before the other guests arrive!

I'll post pictures on Sunday (if I'm not hungover!!!) HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND and to those in Canada - HAPPY CANADA DAY!!

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