Today is my birthday

I have now reached 24. Today is my 24th birthday and despite how genuinely happy and content I am with my life when I woke up this morning I definitely felt something else. For the past couple of days I've been fighting a nasty cold and haven't really seen much of an improvement. This is just one reason why I'm slightly hesitant about today. I have to be honest, due to my childhood and my mother's half-assed attempts at being a Jehovah's Witness for several years, birthdays were forbidden and always sour... much like all the other occasions and holidays that I wanted to celebrate like all my friends and classmates. That's right. Their definition as to why celebrations were forbidden always dictated the day and the apprehension and disappointment always made it true. Family fights, feelings of disappointment and being unloved, and the pure disaster of the day meant I never had anything to look forward to. As I became older this of course gradually changed and my mother became a born-again Christian. Suffice to say though that a comprehensive 15+ years of memories still sting and burn my skin each year that I celebrate a birthday. Maybe this year has been the only year that I've been honest about it. While I have no problems whatsoever being part of or celebrating any other person's birthday, the idea of accepting celebrating something for myself without doubt is just impossible at this time.

Last night when Ørjan and I were turning down to bed he tried kissing me and wishing me a happy birthday but I just turned my head as if I was not interested in his affection. He knows how I feel about my birthday but it was still no excuse for being so cold. I've been awake for a couple of hours (maybe due to my cold, but probably due to my apprehension) thinking about what this day could be. In all actuality the weather has improved (VG sier at vi sku ha fint vær denne helgen) and I can see the sun breaking through the clouds over the mountain, I have a wonderful family to celebrate it with, and I don't have to deal with the pressures of other family members or throwing a birthday party. I was slightly pressured by my mother-in-law to do something but come on! Ørjan and I wanted to do something more private this year (his 34th birthday is in two days) for our birthdays and don't feel as if we need something elaborate. It's not exactly an "It's my party and I'll cry if I want to" situation but rather a step in the right direction of actually taking control and power over a day that belongs to us and no one else.

I did make myself a promise though - At least one glass of wine. I have only had one glass of wine since June 2006 and today so we shall see how this goes down. Literally. I'm still breastfeeding Sophie exclusively but I don't think one glass of wine before bed will do too much harm. I hope. I've never had to pump and she's never had a bottle so she'll just have to forgive me if she doesn't like her midnight meal.

So in a nutshell, that's how I physically feel about today and my birthdays in general. Of course it's still early (not even 7am) and the day could totally pull me into another surprising direction, but I find it very unlikely. At 24 I am extremely happy, but celebrating my 24th birthday is an entirely different matter in my universe.

3 years

Yesterday was our 3-year wedding anniversary. Since we were both so exhausted (and had done some celebrating in Prague) this year was a simple affair. It didn't mean that it wasn't good... because it was. Needless to say 3 years of marriage and 2 kids later hasn't touched the passion one bit. Dinner, desert, and a little surprise at the end of the night was perfect. Even Magnus seemed to like my more grown-up romanitc dinner for 2. I made a little extra thinking I would have some leftovers for lunch today but there's hardly anything left!

It's going on 7 years that we've been together. How and when did this happen? Ørjan and I never had the chance to know eachother during youth, but I can say without a doubt that we've definitely grown up together since we met. So much has happened since then that I couldn't imagine a life without him. Sometimes before we go to bed I actually say, "You can't die before me" because I worry so much although I know it doesn't help anything.

I love my husband. He's a good man, a wonderful husband (and bestfriend), and a fantastic father.

A tiny update

Prague has been wonderful. The weather has kind of sucked so I haven't taken too many photos. I can't believe we leave tomorrow morning. A week was too little. At least we spent this time relaxing and we avoided most of the tourists.

More later.

Wanderlust PT.2

Ahhh... thank goodness for wireless in our hotel room. It's even more wonderful than a hot shower after two hot and sticky days. It took me half the day to shake off the feeling of the motion of the train. After 14 hours from Mo i Rana to Oslo I almost fell over at one point while changing Magnus' diaper. At 6:30 this morning we walked off the platform, ate breakfast, stored our luggage, and then took on the city. We went to House of Oslo to kill a few hours, made it to IKEA for some brief shopping, and even managed to walk around the city for as long as we could. Just imagine if you will two small ones (Magnus is 17 months and Sophie is 5 months) coming off the train at 6am and only napping for 1-2 hours at IKEA while we waited for the shuttle bus. They did so well and we were so proud of them. It was a long and exhausting day for everyone, but we achieved most of what we wanted. I wasn't able to hit many of the stores I wanted to at House of Oslo but I did however pick up a few steals at Åhléns. Items were 50%-70% off! I knew I couldn't buy too much because I want to keep the weight of our suitcases minimal for our departure to Prague tomorrow. IKEA was a complete success! We ordered our kitchen (Nexus gulbrun), ordered our bed in mellombrun (I was so disappointed that they didn't have the Hemnes bed I really wanted!), and even managed to sit down to a satisfying lunch. I was so proud of Magnus since he ate around 80% of this kidsmeal of meatballs. I ordered what I always order - IKEA's take on falafel and couscous.

I should really get some sleep. We have to get up early and get to the station and take the express train to the airport for our 11am flight. I can't wait to get to Prague. We really need this vacation. An added plus that had completely lapsed is that we have half a day both next Friday and Saturday to shop in Oslo. I can't wait to come back and hit up the shops I missed today.

Despite the wonder that is technology and free wireless, I am choosing to refrain from net usage while on vacation if I can manage it. This means my posting will resume when we return to Oslo next week. See everyone later!

Wanderlust PT.1

VACATION!!! (Yes, I am this excited!)

There are a million things we still need to do but I'm still on top of it all. Everything has been confirmed and double-checked, our checklists are being completed, and the only thing we really need to worry about are those last minute details. Ørjan's mum will be taking our cat for the week, I have everything ready for the kids, and I'm actually for leaving our technology behind or keeping it turned off. We only have 6 days and 5 nights in Prague and I want to enjoy it since we haven't been there for a couple of years.

We're taking the train from Mo Friday afternoon and will be overnighting in Oslo, and our flight leaves for Prague Sunday morning. I cannot wait to get out of here. I need some shopping, culture, and to be in a place where we can be alone as a family. This city is very special for both Ørjan and I and now we have our children experiencing it with us. Of course taking two young children along might be insane, but that's life.

Hopefully I'll have time to post something before I leave because I have so much to say but have so little time. For those of you that read this I should be back next Monday. (Og du, ja, jeg vet at du er tilbake. Hvorfor sier du ingenting?)

It took me 24 years to get this far...

In 23 days I will be 24 years old. 24. Wow. My life at 24 is not what I expected but then again I had never really put much thought into who I would be as an adult. I am a woman that is filled with pride, integrity, and courage. I love without hesitation and have found that the best decisions I've made have only come when I have learned to let go of any fear or insecurity I may have had. At 24 I'm still learning about the person I am and who I will be and I've also learned and developed stronger values and beliefs. My main focus is no longer work or possible future fortune, but it has completely shifted to my family (mainly my 2 wonderful children) and home. Although these are my main focus they do not define me as a person. Infact, I'm still not completely sure of who I am but I am confident that I have a clear picture of this girl and it's completely sufficient. My career has somewhat shifted into a new direction and I couldn't be happier about it. I'm still maintaining my web and designs skills but have pushed forward with my main passion - FOOD! I cook, bake, eat, sleep, and breathe food. As my delicious treats become increasingly popular and heavily desired I have no doubt in my mind that I am doing the right thing.

At 24 my life is full of ________. I still can't complete this sentence because I still can't find an appropriate word that could possibly describe all that I am feeling. I just know that as I enter my 24th year I am confident that the next cycle of my life can only get better with time. I am married to a wonderful man that can easily seduce me with his stamp and coin collections, I have two wonderful children that bring me so much pride and joy, and I live in a place that I love and truly embrace now. Life finally feels good. I remember only 7 years ago I was writing about how depressed and angry I was and sometimes I wish I could just hold that girl's hand and tell her that patience would be the key to her happiness.

What more can I say? My life finally feels right and for once I think it fits. I take the time to live, laugh, and love and appreciate and respect all these components equally. I have worked physically and mentally hard to get to this point and now I finally have the opportunity to enjoy it. At 24 I am no longer a tourist.

Late-night morning thoughts

July is almost here! Ørjan will be finished from work soon and we'll have 4 weeks together to relax, vacation, and then come home and finish renovating the house. I am so looking forward to spending some time together as a whole family. Lately it's been a bit of a push and pull around here with our chaotic and exhausting schedules. It'll be nice to get away to Oslo and Prague (in less than 2 weeks!) and it should feel even better once we're settled in. There's still a million and one things we have to do and plan before we leave but I just haven't had the time or energy to get on it. Hmmm.

I've been up since 4am, I should really try something else.

Favoritsaker and Inreda are way too addictive.

My Butts Hurts

For the past two months I've noticed alot of pain after I've been sitting on the sofa or when I need to get up from a chair. I thought maybe it was that I had been sitting too long or that maybe I just needed to give my muscles a workout. Apparently not. The pain is getting so bad that you'll rarely find me without a grimace when sitting on something soft. So maybe it's Coccydynia? It's supposed to be very common after childbirth. Hmmm. I just dread going to the doctor's and making an appointment because they'll ask me what the reason is.

Bitchy receptionist(she really is one of the town's top bitches): Yeah, so what's your problem that you need to see him?
Me: My butt hurts! (*Thinks: But at least it's not as ugly as your face... mwahahaha.)

Talk about an upgrade!

Although I have been eyeing a few Canon models since I have only ever used canons, husband came home with such a wonderful surprise! My new baby - the Nikon D60.

Our trip to Prague in July just got alot more interesting. With Ørjan using my current point and shoot (Canon A620) and me using this new baby, we should have optimal and more organized photoshoots.

Biz-zay

Busy busy busy.

Life has been hectic and none of us have really been sleeping too well. The move, the switching of our address, and calling all of our services have been pure chaos. Norwegian businesses usually close at the usual hour of 3pm and now that many are taking on summer hours it has been a pain in the butt to get ahold of certain people. Our appointments, errands, and schedules are frightening, we still haven't unpacked half of our stuff, and we're still living out of boxes. Sigh.

One plus? At least my latest to-do list is pretty much complete.

[ETA]: The last of our belongings were packed up yesterday and most of what we own is just sitting in such a sad state in one of the bedrooms. I can't believe 90% of what we own could be fit into one room. We don't plan on spending so much money for furniture or renovations, but owning a much larger house leaves us with so many posibilities that are too hard to choose from. I just wonder when we'll actually have the time for this considering our vacation schedule next month.

In less than 14 hours everything was moved from one house to the next. If only unpacking and trying to figure out where everything will go was as easy. The only clear thought I've had about the move is that I am going to be so happy watching our children grow up here. This move was not just for us, but for them. We upgraded from our cozy old house (nearly 100 years old) to a spacious 3-bedroom home with 2 storeys and a huge attic that can easily be converted to guest space. We had to compromise on the view but we now have a great view of the mountains, gained an immense amount of property, and the location is still perfect for us.

Oh, but at the moment we're without a home phone or internet. I'm being a bad girl and stealing the neighbour's wireless for a few moments just to catch up because I'm too cheap to use my mobile phone's connection. Wah wah.

Just a few quick updates:

• Tomorrow begins PT.1 of our move to the new house. We're so not ready for this.
• I FINALLY got my IUD inserted. I was supposed to get it in April but had to wait until today. Of course my period also arrived two weeks late on Wednesday but least I know I'm not pregnant and it made insertion so much easier. I swear, I didn't feel a thing. (But I guess having two kids also changes things...)
• All of our contracts and paperwork have been signed and are being processed. We've also heard more great news from the bank, for once!
• PT.1 of Ørjan's surprise birthday gift arrived today
• Anemia sucks and having my period isn't helping things
• We've been out almost every night and we (myself and the kids) aren't handling it well. It's really disrupting our usual schedules and routines.
  

I'm only popping on quickly since I'm still in the middle of packing and should really get back to it but I can't help but try to escape. Why? This might sound silly, but I cannot stand being downstairs right now. It's summer so we leave all the windows and doors open which means our cat go come in and out freely. This wouldn't be a problem except for the fact that his girlfriend is in heat and won't shut up, and won't stop following him into our house. I don't usually mind her, she's a tiny young cat that can't even claw us, but the howling and the constant need for our cat at all hours of the day and night is driving us crazy. It's especially hard since she lives next door to us and the owner doesn't seem to be around much. (Much like the previous owner of our own cat.) Now it's after 1pm which means that Magnus is trying to take his one and only nap of the day. For 20 minutes I heard him laughing and yelling because he could hear the cats outside of his bedroom window. I'm not worried about kittens being born because we had our cat fixed last year, but the idea of them having sex infront and behind our house isn't exactly what we want. Ørjan thinks it's funny but I think it's so irritating especially since they spend the entire day fucking, and then at night our cat wants to jump into bed with us to cuddle. Yeah it's nature and it's beautiful and all that crap... but the idea of him licking my face after he's just cleaned his genitals makes me slightly sour.

Oh well.

Me on Martha Stewart?

Well not personally, but it's still the thought that counts. The wonderful ladies over at cupcakestakethecake were featured on Martha Stewart for her cupcake week and as they were being introduced a screenshot of their blog was on the screen. Guess whose photo was on the top of that blog? Remember those rainbow cupcakes I made a while ago in March? Well I submitted a couple of them to the cupcakestakethecake flickr pool and one was picked up at their blog. They were some quick goodies that I threw together for the kids and didn't think much of it, but hey, it's still kind of cool. If you're interested, you can watch the full video (my photo comes up around 2:25-2:26 minutes into the episode) and find out more about these ladies and their blog.

I haven't forgotten about this place but rather life and its chaotic elements have caught up with me. Like what? Magnus has several back and side teeth coming in and is going through a terrible, "I am not going to eat a thing and I'm going to have diarrhea and you're going to like it!" phase. Needless to say my postpartum hormonal changes are not the only reasons for my hairloss. Our cat has also decided that he wants to show me how great he is at catching mice outside by bringing them in the house! As we all know cats like to play with their food before consuming it so of course these mice are still half alive... what? You figure it out - Mice running around the kitchen with two kids in the house? Yes. It's a trade off though. Our cat never shits in the house (we don't even own a litterbox) because he's more of an outdoor cat and we can go away for a couple of days without having to worry that he's starving. (Yes we leave dry food and water out, we're not completely cruel.) The move is also draining all my time an energy from anything remotely recreational. I fucking hate living out of boxes. Sometimes I want to smack Ørjan for packing up all my stuff before I even had a chance to organize it. I still haven't got my period yet which is scaring me. The past couple of days I've been slightly moody and had very light cramps so I'm hoping it'll show up any day now. Especially since I have an appointment next Friday for my IUD!

Ach. Ugh. Meh.

TO-DO

A few things on my mind lately...

TO-DO:

• Pick up H&M order from post office
• Send in Ellos online order
• Buy Ørjan's birthday gifts online(pt.1)
• Send/reply to emails
• Find wedding outfit and shoes
• Find wedding outfit for Sophie
• Sophie's passport photos
  
• Buy Susanne's wedding gift
• Organize Magnus' old clothes for May Britt
• Organize and pack away the office
• Do laundry
• Clean out fridge
  
• Empty cupboards and organize kitchen for pre-move
• Get haircut!!! (Appointment next week...)
• Upload photos and order prints for mom
• Get Sophie's passport
  

JUNE/JULY 2008 SCHEDULE:

• ##.06.08 - Moving to the new house
• 06.06.08 - Doctor's appointment (11:30)
• 10.06.08 - Meeting at the bank
• 19.06.08 - Sophie's pediatrician appointment
• 19.06.08 - Baby group
  
• 21.06.08 - Susanne's Wedding
  
• 12.07.08 - Shopping in Oslo and visiting friends
• 13.07.08 - 18.07.08 - Prague vacation!
• 19.07.08 - Passport/Canadian embassy in Oslo
• 31.07.08 - Pediatritian appointments and vaccinations for the kids

Will edit this later...

Eurovision 2008 pt.1

Last night we all stayed up and watched the first part of the semifinals for the Eurovision Song Contest of 2008. Of course we were happy when Norway was called last (but not least!) as a finalist but were sadly disappointed with some of the songs that went through. (Og du fra Mosjøen, hva synes du om i går kveld?) I'm still going to hold my final thoughts for after the competition though. I posted a couple of my favourite songs from last night via my livejournal so head over there if you're interested. (It's a locked post though... so if you want them, email me.) My favourites from last night were Norway, Israel, and San Marino.

The Eurovision Song Contest is a very big deal in our household for several reasons but mainly due to Ørjan's fanatic love for it. He has decades of recordings on VHS and still continues to pop in a tape even today. He even fills out the scores for the contestants in a special that the newspaper prints. I think it's cute, slightly irritating, but cute. That's why I've decided that I'm going to buy him the first Eurovision collector's coin as an extra surprise gift for his birthday in July. Maybe I'll even get him this year's DVD despite its price and free availability online. Since he's a coin collector as well as a stamp collector, I think it'll be an unexpected treat for him. At least I hope so.

If you have no idea what I've been writing about feel free to read up on the contest via wikipedia or the official site.

Constitution Day 2008 Photos

They're mostly photos of Magnus, but here they are: Constitution Day 2008. I think he looks adorable in his outfit which is the suit Ørjan wore for his first Constitution Day in 1975. Unfortunately Magnus isn't as big so we had to leave the blue overalls at home. Still, so cute. I think he has an Emil thing going on.

Gratulerer med den syttende mai

Happy 17th of May! I'm not going to sing Ja, vi elsker dette landet, but we will be hanging the flag and I will be making a few treats today. And it even looks like we'll be having some decent weather this year unlike the past couple of years. Maybe if it's sunny we will take the kids out for the festivities. And boo to it being on a Saturday this year.

I'll come back and edit this later with photos.

Oh, and wtf? Music woke me up at 04:30 this morning. I've never heard it this early on the 17th of May. Oh well.

Upgrade, Downgrade

It's definitely going to be a year about upgrades in our family, but luckily we've been able to find opportunities for downgrading items and services that aren't essential. Just like anyone we're on a tight budget (I'm much more strict than Ørjan when it comes to money), but we've still managed to be slightly indulgent this year, and plan to take advantage of some extra money that we have. Usually I like to hoard away money and save it for emergencies and the future, but I have a serious weaknes for lavishing and spoiling my loved ones and indulging on accessories and items for my home.

This year's downgrades:

• Cancelled several satellite packages - Since many of packages we subcribe to include channels that we don't really watch, we decided to cancel them and look for other options. I'm not suggesting that satellite piracy is acceptable, but I will say that Canal+ stations are easy to find.
• Did not renew a few magazine subscriptions - A few home decor mags that I've been subscribing to for the past couple of years have just become too expensive, and I found that I probably only looked through them no more than twice. With an increased price and more ads than anything, I'm now saving hundreds of dollars a year by just cancelling two subscriptions.
• Online shopping - I decided that I needed to stop the impulse of online shopping. I used to see it as a necessity to buy clothes, home items, and stuff for the kids at least once every 3 months, but now I only stick to buying when there are massive sale promotions.
• Less baking - This isn't just about money, but it involves our health. I used to test out new recipes for cakes, breads, cookies, and other sweet treats every other weekend. I always look for the best possible ingredients and if a bar of baking chocolate with 70+% cocoa was costing me around $5.00, and I used 3 bars for making brownies, that turned out to be one expensive brownie! Since I also made husband my official tastetester/guinea pig, I realized I needed to stop pumping him full of sugar and cocoa and get him back on hummus and veggie lasagnes. So that's it - I only stick to baking when it's a special occasion, or company is involved.
• Mobile maddness - At one point we owned 4 mobile phones. Why? I have no idea. Now we own two with better plans, and only revert back to the old ones when it's necessary. (Switching the sim cards over due to low battery or other technical issues.)

The upgrades:

• The house - We needed a bigger house for our growing family. There's nothing more to explain.
• The kitchen - The house we're moving to already has a functional kitchen (and a dishwasher!) but we're still going to tear everything out. The cabinets are a bit old, the countertops have seen better days, and the entire kitchen is dated. It's going to cost us around Kr 40 000, but it will all be worth it in the end. We're also custom-designing this kitchen so it will suit all our needs and it will have the exact pieces that we want.
• Electronic equipment - We opted to get a more powerful wireless router due to our larger house and property. It's not like we'll be sitting on the toilet catching up on news feeds, but it would be nice to have a higher speed/rate in other rooms of the house. I'm also looking to buy a new camera. I'm leaning slightly towards a Nikon instead of a Canon this time, but with the lower prices of the model I wanted last year, I just might invest in 2 cameras!

There's alot of money being passed around and spent, but with the sacrifices and investments we're making I believe it's totally worth it.