School’s Out For Summer!

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Happy Monday!

Today is my first day of summer holiday, woo hoo! I can]t beleive I have 5 whole weeks off before it is back to the grind, Icelanders know how to do summer holiday right! With lots happening lately I figured it was a good time for a little check in.

life_lately
Wearing: jeans and sweaters still! Ugh this weather lately has been very rainy and grey and it is affecting my mood. I need some sunshine and am counting down the days until I will be laying on a sunny beach in Croatia!

Loving: that I am now on summer vacation! I feel like a little kid excited for school to be out so I can sleep in and have no responsibilities.

Needing: a spa day, my nails and eyebrows are in serious need of some pampering.

Eating: at my favorite restaurant in Reykjavik today with two of girlfriends.If you ever in Reykjavik looking for a good lunch spot I highly recommend trying Gló!

Watching: the World Cup. I have joined the bandwagon and am now hooked on the World Cup. Although I am quite glad that there is not three games every single night so now we can watch something else, like my other latest obsession Nashville.

Feeling: loved. Is there anything better than that?

Drinking: iced coffee. I finally bought a coffee filter so I can make iced coffee at home, I missed it so much.

Writing:a list of things I want to accomplish over my summer holiday. Lots of writing and crafts are on the schedule!

Training: for another half marathon this August. I almost signed up for the full marathon but H talked some sense into me before I made that decision. Traveling for most of the month before a marathon isn’t exactly the best way to train for one, next year though it is on my to do list.

Wanting: to go on a major shopping spree. Not buying anything new for almost 9 months can really make you start to resent those two bags of clothes you moved with.

Missing: sunny days and warm nights. It is great having the beautiful midnight sun but I really miss those lazy summer nights sitting under the stars.

Wondering: how I got so lucky with my job and co-workers. It isn’t easy being the only English person in the office but my co-workers always make me feel welcomed and comfortable. Having friends in your co-workers really makes work that much better.

Looking: up things I want to do and see in Croatia. I am getting so excited for our trip, only two more weeks!

Thinking: that H and I have totally different ideas when it comes to interior design. For the most part we have been able to come up with a great comprise but at the moment we are currently having a photo wall design battle and I am not feeling his idea. Oh grownup life.

Reading: my NASM textbook. I only have a few more months before my personal trainer certification exam and I have really been slacking on my studying. Time to kick it into gear and get my study on.

Laughing: at the skype conversation I had with my family yesterday. No matter how far away I am they can always make me laugh.

Wishing: my family could come visit me this summer. I can’t wait for the day they visit so I can some them all over my new home.

Dreaming: of a new camera. Sadly this won’t happen until I go home this Christmas but until then I will keep dreaming about all the beautiful photos of Iceland I will be able to take with a proper camera. Any camera recommendations from my fellow bloggers out there?

Anticipating: tomorrow’s Travel Tuesday linkup. I am looking forward to reading everyone’s post about their travel style, don’t forget to link up with us!

Question of the Day?
What are you looking forward to in July? Any summer holiday plans?

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Recovering from Eurovision

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Happy Monday everyone!

My weekend seemed to fly by in a blur of sunshine and Eurovision madness. For those of you who have never heard of Eurovision you have to youtube some of the videos, it is one entertaining show! And to all the moms out there I hope you had a wonderful Mother’s Day, I wish I was at home so I could spoil my amazing mom.

Rockstar Mom
I have said this many times on here before but my mom is amazing and I miss her like crazy. I can’t wait to be back home and see her again, or maybe I can convince her to get on a plane and visit me before then.

I am moving slow this Monday morning so I am starting the week of with a currently check in.

Wearing: bright colored everything. Now that the sun is out and shinning all I want to wear is bright clothes. Too bad my closet seems to consist mostly of dark clothes, I better go shopping!

Loving: my new phone plan! I can now call abroad with no extra charge and it has made staying in touch with everyone back home so much easier.

Needing: more sleep! One day is not enough to recover from Eurovision, this is going to be one long Monday.

Eating: Indian food. We just discovered an Indian restaurant near our house and I am hooked on their tikka masala and naan bread, so good!

Watching: Parks and Recreation, I am hooked on this show it never fails to make H and I laugh.

Feeling: excited for the next few months. Something fun is planned almost every weekend with mine and H’s birthdays, a trip to a summer cabin and our Croatia trip I am so excited for this summer.

Drinking: green smoothies! With the weather warming up and my beach vacation nearing I am enjoying a green smoothie almost every day. Perfect way to sneak in some vegetables to my breakfast.

Learning: that online shopping in Iceland is basically not possible. Trying to ship something into the country will cost you so much in taxes not to mention how hard it is finding companies that ship to Iceland!

Realizing:how important my relationship with my sisters is. Their friendship means more to me than anything and I am so happy that I have two lifelong best friends in them.

Wanting: to redecorate our apartment. I think a trip to Ikea is needed this weekend.

Missing: my family. After talking to everyone yesterday I was bummed that I wasn’t home to enjoy spending time with everyone.

Anticipating: my 5 week summer vacation! I only have one more 5 day work week before we have a bunch of 3 or 4 day work weeks leading up to the end of June when my summer vacation begins!

Wondering: what I should do for my birthday? 25 is a big one, I may be feeling a bit of a mini life crisis with this birthday. I want to plan something fun so I won’t feel too homesick, at least I have the day off work to celebrate.

Playing: in a bike to work competition. This month several companies in Reykjavik are holding a contest to see which company can get the most miles from bike riding to work. Lucky for my team I ride my bike to work every day and it is a 5.5 mile round trip so I am bringing in lots of miles.

Looking: for a new winter jacket. My winter coat was just not cut out for the Icelandic winter and won’t survive another one. I am hoping to catch a good winter sale to find a new coat.

Baking:coconut banana bread but as mini muffins. They make the perfect snack to just grab on the way out the door and are so yummy.

Thinking: in Icelandic. I am surrounded by Icelandic all day and just started taking Icelandic classes again and am finding myself saying Icelandic words in my English. Guess this means I am starting to finally understand the language more, hopefully it also means I am on my way to be able to actually speak it.

Reading: Divergent. I have been waiting for almost 2 months for the library to get the book in. I really wanted to read the book before I saw the movie but I ended up watching the movie as soon as it came out. I felt like the movie didn’t really give much information so I am looking forward to reading the book to get some of my questions answered.

Laughing: at this hilarious video my co-worker sent me. We have been sending each other lyric blooper videos but this one is by far the best!

Wishing: that Azora could just be over here with me. My sister was sending me snapchat videos of Azora playing outside all weekend and I miss her so much!

Dreaming: of all the beautiful places I want to see in Croatia!

Have a great week everyone! I am counting down the minutes until I get to be back in bed.

Question of the Day?
Have you ever heard of Eurovision?

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Life Lately..

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life_lately
..I spent my Sunday afternoon reading out in my yard with my feet in the grass and enjoying the sunshine. It was wonderful. We are really lucky to have a place with a big yard living in downtown Reykjavik. I foresee many summer days being spent out there.

..Tomorrow I am getting my hair done for the first time since moving to Iceland. This is over 6 months of no hair cuts and my summer blonde hair looks like a dead mop on my head. I am terrified and excited to get my hair done, fingers crossed all goes well.

..Last week I was hit with some serious homesick blues. I have decided that homesickness has a mind of its own and hits when you least expect it.

..Over the weekend I went to one of the girls from my bookclubs house for a girls night. It was just what I needed to help me shake my homesick funk and I had a great time meeting new girls.

..This week brings my first paycheck and that paycheck is going straight towards our tickets for Croatia. Let the countdown to beautiful beaches begin!

..My 25th birthday is only a month away!I have mixed feelings about my upcoming birthday, saying goodbye to my early twenties is not something I am ready for. At least I have my birthday off work, another random Icelandic holiday!

..Speaking of Icelandic holidays, last week in addition to Easter we had Thursday off because it was the “first day of summer” which is a public holiday here in Iceland. We have this coming Thursday off as well for labor day, love these random Icelandic holidays!

..This weekend Reykjavik was treated to beautiful 60℉ (15℃) spring weather.You would have thought we lived on a tropical island. People were out in shorts, the pools were packed and people were lounging out on the benches in their swimsuits. I on the other hand was in the hot pools watching these people sunbathing thinking they have to be cold, right?

..Many of my friends here in Iceland are from England and I am loving listening to the British accent. They sound so proper and polite! It is amazing how many differences we have in our vocabulary as well.

..This weekend my mom and I were finally able to have a long skype talk and it made me so happy to just spill my guts to my mom and feel the love and comfort of home. I miss my mom so much but she always knows how to cheer me up. Moms are just the best!

..Pretzels in Iceland taste no where as good as pretzels back home. Random point I know but I have now tried all the different possible brands of pretzels and can officially say none of them are making the cut. I miss the Costco 5 pound pretzel bags!

..My small talk Icelandic skills have been put to use this week. I successfully communicated with the grocery store cashier, taxi driver and phone company. Maybe they were being polite and kept talking in Icelandic to me but it makes me feel like I fooled them and they think I can actually speak Icelandic which is a big win in my book:)

..As I am writing this with the windows wide open enjoying the sunshine at 9pm I can already feel my internal clock getting completely confused! I may have some issues when the sun never sets this summer!

..On my run this weekend I discovered this small hot pool perfect for soaking your feet. It is right next to the sea with a beautiful view of Mt.Esjan. I think H and I need to take in some sunsets out here this summer..

Hot Pool

Question of the Day?
Anyone else every have their hair done while living abroad? Tell me something happening in your life lately?

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