Daily Diaires III

Saturday & Sunday: My weekend started off with sun shining through my window bright and early but I am not complaining. I spent my day enjoying a run by the sea, coffee downtown with old classmates, and a girls night fueled by wine. H was off all day Saturday for a bachelor party so we ended up meeting up downtown that night for a few hours of dancing fun together. Our late night just meant that Sunday was a very low key day. We lounged in the pools and sat out in our yard welcoming the sun rays to our very pale bodies. It was a great weekend, I can’t wait for more beautiful sunny days.Sunshine in Iceland
Monday: After such a fun weekend Monday felt like the longest day! It probably didn’t help that I had to work late at an event I had coordinated. Many of the people who work with me are Icelandic so I get so nervous when I have to go to these events alone knowing that everyone will be speaking Icelandic. Luckily the event turned out great. My evening ended with a run on my favorite path along the sea, you just can’t beat these views.

Sunset
Tuesday: What a busy day at work! I love those days though when you look up and its already time to head home. I also got my hair done for the first time since moving to Iceland. I was really nervous to try a new hairdresser but it turned out great. Apparently here in Iceland hairdressers go to school for 4 years before they are licensed to do hair so they really know their stuff. It felt great to finally say goodbye to those nasty roots and deadends!

Goodbye Roots
I must have let the hair color chemicals get to my head though because I ended up taking two wrong buses on the way home so instead of a nice 20 minute bus ride home I spent over an hour riding all over Reykjavik. At least I got to see parts of the city that I have never seen before :)

Wednesday: The highlight of my day was getting a new desk at work, exciting right? I was pretty excited though, my new desk can be adjusted electronically so I can stand or sit while I work. I love this feature!

Thursday: We had the day off yesterday for what Iceland calls Labor Day(or Union Day), this is the third Thursday in a row we have had off of work! There were parades going on downtown so H and I headed out to see what was happening. So many people were downtown to watch the parade, which had an awesome marching band!
Union Day Parade
It was such a nice sunny day outside, H and I spent most of the day walking around the downtown area before coming home to sit out in our yard for the rest of the afternoon. My face is finally not a ghostly pale!

The rest of our day off was spent looking at flights for our trip to Croatia this summer. Trying to make everything work when you are going to a few different stops and have to match connecting flights is so difficult! We think we finally have it planned out though and I am already getting so excited for our summer vacation:)

Friday: Today feels like Monday all over again after having yesterday off. These days off in the middle of the work week really mess up my schedule! I am already looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow.

Happy Friday Everyone!

Question of the Day?
Did you have Thursday off this week for Labor Day or is that just here in Iceland?

Daily Diaries with Diaries of an Essex Girl

  • http://confuzzledom.wordpress.com/ bevchen

    Jealous of your sunshine! It was pouring down here yesterday and very cloudy/cold this morning. It looks like the sun is currently shining outside, but of course I’m stuck in the office…

    • http://unlockingkiki.com/ Kaelene Spence

      I just hope the sunshine sticks around this time, we have been having lots of cloudy rainy days as well.

  • http://guntersabroad.blogspot.com/ Jamie @ Gunters Abroad

    Where are you going in Croatia?? We are thinking about going this summer too…..it looks amazing!

    • http://unlockingkiki.com/ Kaelene Spence

      We are looking at going to Dubrovnik, Korčula Hvar and Spit. It looks so amazing! How about you guys, where are you looking at?

      • http://guntersabroad.blogspot.com/ Jamie @ Gunters Abroad

        Ooh! Same here!! No real plans just yet…I’m having a hard time coming to terms with the flight prices. Im just so used to the cheapo prices everywhere else that I am procrastinating on figuring out the financials of the trip. It looks AMAZING though!

  • http://www.lifeinprogress.ca/ Kathy@Vodka and Soda

    electronic desks and union day for 3 thursdays so far? CAN I MOVE IN WITH YOU??

    actually, that desk is a great idea. i was reading that although one is active, having a sedentary desk job can actually sabotage your efforts so it’s best to stand as much as you can during the day.

    -kathy
    Vodka and Soda

    • http://unlockingkiki.com/ Kaelene Spence

      I love being able to stand at my desk!

  • http://www.rhymeandribbons.com/ Amanda

    It’s been so rainy here so I am jealous of your sunshine now. (And all your days off!) x

    • http://unlockingkiki.com/ Kaelene Spence

      Sadly we have to work all 5 days this week. I know I don’t know how I am going to handle it. But we do have our birthday off for some public holiday so bonus on that!

  • http://voyageofthemeemee.com/ Amanda MeeMee

    Busy days at work are a gift and a curse. On one hand you feel like you’re going to pull your hair out. On the other hand… you’re right - they FLY by!
    Speaking of hair… where’s the after pic, woman?!

    • http://unlockingkiki.com/ Kaelene Spence

      That is true, stressed out and time flies by but nothing to do the day seems to take forever. I know I realized I need to take an after pic of my new do!

  • Carrie Zimmer

    Found your blog awhile ago and have been reading in anticipating of my week in Iceland this summer. I’m also planning a week in Croatia- I think I’ve got it all nailed down.

    It was Labor Day in Italy yesterday too…but I’m off today as well!

    Ciao,
    Carrie
    http://51500.blogspot.it/

    • http://unlockingkiki.com/ Kaelene Spence

      How exciting when are you coming to Iceland and do you have your travels planned out for here? Where in Croatia are you visiting? We are working on narrowing down our travel plans but it is not an easy thing I want to see everything!

      • Carrie Zimmer

        My friend and I have some loose plans laid out as of now for Iceland, though we have booked places to stay. I’ll be in Iceland June 29-July 7. I’ll be Croatia the week before that…it was hard to plan when I wasn’t sure of the ferry schedules. Since I’ll be by myself there I booked things I was confident I could make work on my own. I’m flying into Dubrovnik and after 3 days taking the bus to Split and ferry to Hvar for another 3 days. I won’t get to see everything I want, but I try to remind myself that I can always go back! Living in Europe makes that a little easier!

  • http://www.chicadeedee.com/ Dannielle @ Chic-a-DeeDee

    Glad the hair salon trip worked out, I wrecked my hair a bit by using a box on it haha. I love the random European holidays, breaks up a week nicely!

    • http://unlockingkiki.com/ Kaelene Spence

      I am so scared to ever do anything different with my hair so I am glad it went well. I love the random European holidays as well, short work weeks are great!

  • http://ifihad100dollars.wordpress.com Julieanne Malley

    That is awesome with all the days off! Glad the salon worked out!

    • http://unlockingkiki.com/ Kaelene Spence

      I am bummed we have to wait 3 weeks before we get another random day off!

  • http://agirlandhertravels.com/ Polly

    Gotta love Labor Day. The Russians, obviously, get really into it so they have from this Thursday until next next Monday off (to celebrate some other Very Communist Holiday).

    You’re brave for getting your hair done, I can never pull the trigger abroad.

    • http://unlockingkiki.com/ Kaelene Spence

      I wish we did it like the Russians, an extra week off sounds perfect to me!

  • Rachel Murphree

    What beautiful days you’ve been having! I wish we had the day off, but I guess we get Labor Day in September for the same purpose. And that’s pretty cool that the hairdressers in Iceland really know their stuff. I like that they take it seriously. :)

    • http://unlockingkiki.com/ Kaelene Spence

      We have all kinds of random holidays off here! I felt much better when I found out the hairdressers went to school for 4 years so I knew they would take it seriously.

  • http://www.adeecodedlife.com/ Dee

    Wow, four years to study hair? That’s amazing! I would love to have my hair done by someone with that length of time spent on studying hair.

    • http://unlockingkiki.com/ Kaelene Spence

      Isn’t that such a long time! I felt so much more at ease getting my hair done knowing it was by someone who had really studied and knew what they were doing.

  • http://hemborgwife.wordpress.com/ Bailie @ The Hemborg Wife

    Thursday was a holiday here too but not for that just because it was May 1st!

    • http://unlockingkiki.com/ Kaelene Spence

      I just love the random European holidays.

  • BlushandBarbells

    That running path looks just divine. I bet you can’t wait to hit the pavement every day.

    • http://unlockingkiki.com/ Kaelene Spence

      I really love the running path here, as long as it is not rainy and windy it is such a beautiful place to run!

  • Lisa @ Ameliorer la Vie

    That’s awesome that hairdressers have to go to school for 4 years. I’ve had some pretty bad hair experiences here in the States and WISHED that the hairdressers had had more training!

    • http://unlockingkiki.com/ Kaelene Spence

      I was so surprised to learn that hairdressers went to school for so long here but I agree, I wish that hair dressers in the US had more training!

  • http://sophieinclogs.com Sophie

    That hairdresser system sounds AMAZING, if only it were that way in NL!!

    • http://unlockingkiki.com/ Kaelene Spence

      Isn’t that hairdresser system awesome! Definitely put me a ease when I went to get my hair done.

  • http://speaking-denglish.com/ Alex, Denglish Speaker

    That’s so cool you got a standing desk!