Celebrate Like Ron Swanson

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… These Wednesday confession posts are one of my most popular posts of the week. Apparently everybody loves gossip and reading all the dirty details. I won’t lie, a lot of my favorite posts come from this link up as well so confess on everyone!
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… I read “This is Where I Leave You” by Johnathan Trooper within two days. If it wasn’t for the fact that I had to leave my couch to go to this place called work I would have read it all in one day. Such a great book and I can’t wait for the movie!

… I don’t really find the buildings in Reykjavik all that pretty. Many of the buildings are old and made of concert and just not all that charming. Reykjavik does have a lot of colorful buildings thrown into the mix though and I love finding these gems in my neighbourhood.

… My nails are looking quite ratched these days. It is like my cuticles are taking over! I do not have the patiences to give myself a manicure and with your basic manicure/pedicure costing you almost $100 my cuticles will be sticking around.

…There seems to always be some type of work party here in Iceland. I think I have hung out with my co-workers here more than I ever did with any of my co-workers in the US, and I have only been working here for a few months. Tonight we have a bbq and pub party and I can’t wait to watch some of the usually uptight staff members let loose like I know they will after a drink or two. I will fully enjoy sitting back and watching them look something like this
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… The midnight sun is really messing with my sleeping patterns. Last night I woke up with light streaming through my blinds certain that I had overslept and was late to work. When I checked my phone it was 3:45 am! Ugh, I need a sleeping mask.

…When a person sends an email without a hello, please, or thank you I get so irritated.
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Just adding these small pleasantries can really change my attitude towards the task you have asked help with!

… H was gone all weekend working and I enjoyed every minute of it. Having the flat to myself was just what I needed to rest up after a busy few weeks at work. Nothing like some alone time!

…The other day I was running and tried to cut across a wet lawn, the result looked something like this. via
Super embarassing but at least the kids playing outside got a good laugh. And I am totally not sorry for the overload of Parks and Recreation gifs, that show is the best!

… Today is my Friday and tomorrow is my birthday! Let the celebrating begin!
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Question of the Day?
What do you have to confess this week?

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Speaking the Language of the Vikings

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Icelandic is a fascinating language, beyond challenging, but beautiful in its own way. The language hasn’t changed much since old Nordic times and with its unique sounds, four grammatical cases, three grammatical genders and the harsh rolling of the “R” it is not the easiest language to learn.

For any of you visiting Iceland fear not, almost everyone in the country can speak English, many of whom are fluent. IF you want to impress the locals with some Icelandic skills (or have an awesome skill to show off at parties) here are a few basic words and phrases.

Icelandic

Halló (Hah-low): Hello

Bless (often said twice, Bless Bless): Goodbye

Góðan daginn (Goh-dhan da-kin): Good morning/ Good day

Góða nótt (Goh-dha no-ht): Good night

Afsakið (Av-sak-idh): Excuse me

Takk (Tahk): Thank you

Sjáumst(Shaw-most): See you

Ég tala ekki íslensku (Yeh ta-la eh-ki ees-len-sku): I don’t speak Icelandic

Talarðu ensku? (Ta-lar-dhu en-sku?): Do you speak English?

Gjörðu svo vel (Gyer-dhu svo vel): Your welcome

Hvað segirðu gott? (Kvadh sek-ir-dhu goht?): How are you?

Hvað heitirðu?(Kvadh hay-tir-dhu?): What is your name?

Ég heiti (Yeh hay-ti): My name is

Hvað kostar það?: How much does that cost?

Get ég fengíð einn bjór,takk: Can I have a beer, thanks

Hvað er númerið þitt? : What is your number?

Þú ert falleg: You are beautiful!

Ég elska þig: I love you

Gangi þér vel!: Good luck

And to conclude your Icelandic lesson here is one of my favorite Icelandic songs.

Sjáumst!

Question of the Day?
Have you ever learned a foreign language? What tricks and tips do you have for learning a new language?

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Welcome to Travel Tuesday!

Travel Tuesday

This months theme is Foreign Languages! This week link up with us and share a post about anything related to foreign languages. This could be experiences with the language in a foreign country, trying to learn a new language, or a survival guide for the language in your country. I am looking forward to reading everyone’s experience with foreign languages!

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Each week Bonnie, Sammy, Van and I will select one post each from all the linked up posts the week before that we enjoyed especially. Please make sure to head over to their blogs to see who they picked!

traveltuesdayspotlight_bazaar

For my travel spotlight this week I chose Jessi from Two Feet One World. Her post about her visit to Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar and Spice Bazaar is full of colorful photos that will make you start planning your trip to Istanbul. I would love to spend a day wandering around the Spice Bazaar sampling new treats!

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Ready to link up!

HERE IS HOW IT WORKS:
1. SHARE a post about travel! From road trips to trips abroad and from past travels to dream vacations. You can write about travel tips and tricks, favorite places to stay, or anything in between! Just make it about traveling somewhere!
2. GRAB the lovely button. If you run into trouble, just make sure to mention Bonnie in a link!
3. LINKUP goes live every Tuesday at 0800 GMT.

TIPS:
1. Please only one linked up post per blogger. Save other posts for future linkups!
2. The last Tuesday of every month will be a themed prompt if you want to join in!
3. HOP around and meet new travel loving bloggers! Check back to visit some of the newer travel posts!


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Best Apps for Traveling in Iceland

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Over the weekend I headed downtown to run a few errands and was greeted with crowds of tourist roaming around. It is official, tourism season in Iceland has begun!

Iceland has seen a huge boom in tourism with 779,000 visitors in 2013, that is more than double the total population of Iceland! If you are one of those lucky travelers who have made the wise decision to visit Iceland this year here is a list of must have apps that will make your trip even more enjoyable.

Appyhour
Appyhour is a real money saver if your on the hunt for a drink in Reykjavik. This app will tell you the current happy hours happening and will even narrow it down to the locations that you are closest to.

With the high costs of alcohol in Iceland this app will be your best friend when you are in need of a nice cold Icelandic beer after a day of glacier walking.
Cost: Free

Strætó
If you are planning on using the bus system while in Iceland I highly recommend downloading the Stætó app. This app is awesome for figuring out which bus you need to take to get to your destination. Just put in your current location and it will tell you where the nearest bus stop is and directions of what buses to take to reach your destination.

This app has saved me several times when I have found myself a bit lost and for all the times I forgot the time I need to be at the bus stop.
Cost: Free

Be Iceland
Be Iceland is your ultimate guide to everything in Iceland. Similar to Trip Advisor this app has information on just about anything a traveler in Iceland needs.

Tour bookings, food, hotels, attractions, and all current events, you can find it all on this app.
Cost: Free

112 Iceland
If you are headed to Iceland with plans to experience the great outdoors this app is for you! Created by Iceland’s search and rescue squad this app allows you to check in your location, so in case of an emergency your GPS information is sent to the Iceland authorities so they can quickly locate you.

If you are going to be off exploring without a guide make sure you have this app and check in often, you never know when an Icelandic storm will arrive.
Cost: Free

Question of the Day?
What is your favorite traveling app?

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Secret Ingredient Healthy Blondies

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It has been a rainy weekend here in Reykjavik, the perfect kind of weekend to curl up with a good book and just relax. What makes a rainy day even better? The perfect treat.
Chocolate Chip Blondies
Even better than a tasty treat, a healthy one! These blondies have tricked my girlfriends, co-workers, they even have passed the taste test of H and his friends. Trust me, make a batch of these and no one will suspect that the secret ingredient in these healthy treats… chickpeas!

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These blondies will more than satisfy any sweet tooth and are a great treat to bring to parties. Better yet these delicious blondies are low in calories, rich in omega-3s, and gluten-free, a win win!

Secret Ingredient Healthy Chocolate Chip Blondies
Adapted from Chocolate Covered Katie

Ingredients:
▪︎ 1 1/2 cups chickpeas or white beans (1 can, drained and rinsed)
▪︎ 3/4 tsp baking powder
▪︎ 1/8 tsp baking soda
▪︎ level 1/4 tsp salt
▪︎ 1/3 cup brown sugar (if you prefer sweeter treats add another 1/3 cup)
▪︎ 2 tsp vanilla extract
▪︎ 1/4 cup quick oats
▪︎ 1/4 cup coconut butter (you can also use peanut butter)
▪︎ 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Blend all ingredients (except chocolate chips) until very smooth in a food processor. Mix in chocolate chips, and scoop into a greased (I like to use coconut butter to grease my pan) 8×8 pan. Bake for around 30 minutes. They’ll look a little undercooked when you take them out, but they firm up as they cool, and you don’t want them to get hard.

Makes 15 squares, 95 calories per square

healthy_blondies

Enjoy!

Question of the Day?
What is your favorite thing to do on a rainy Sunday?
What secret ingredient do you use?

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