being home alone leads to...

Well after a week alone, hubby came back.  Thank god.  I was missing him lots!  Here’s a shot of him at lunch on Saturday .  It’s from my Hipstamatic iPhone app which takes old looking photos, love it:

Despite being alone I think the week went pretty fast. I had lots of ‘dinner dates’ and such to keep me busy.

Tuesday I had a meeting in the city about a job with my parent company.  She expressed to me several times that it is not a matter of ‘if’ I have the job but a matter of when.  Hopefully at the end of this coming week I’ll know more. 

After the meeting I met up with Jeanette for some shopping in the city and then we headed to her apartment to rip down some old wallpaper and brainstorm about… a PROPER DANISH WEDDING.

Ah, I said it!  I agreed to this over a bottle of wine at Christian’s mom’s house on Monday night.  The end of this summer, we’re still working some church logistics as the first priority.  I still want my princess church!

It should be fun and it allows us to celebrate with all of our family and our awesome Danish friends. :D I’m sure you’ll hear more but it’s going to be another bohemian all hands on deck kind of wedding. Love it!  Steph… are you up for round two? JK you’ll be happy to know they don’t traditionally do MOHs and bridesmaids and such.  Just a few flower girls.

Speaking of weddings. Steffen and Haley stopped by to see me on Thursday and are newly engaged thanks to a little help of a ring delivery to my desk at work in the US! Their NYC trip was cancelled with the ash cloud business so we've very happy to help and be a part of their special story! Congrats!

This weekend we spent a lot of QT with the family.  Christian’s older brother was in town with the lovely Emma.  She and I have figured out how to communicate somehow… for the most part.  We play hide and seek well.  Today we rode bikes together.

Christian had to fix a number of things on Maggie.  Suddenly I know why it was sooo hard to ride her in the beginning.  Okay so I had two flat tires.  Then Christian sees that my front brake is always touching the wheel and kind of permanently on a bit… pfft.  All fixed up. She rides like a dream!

In other news.  I have had my 2^nd ever lesson on stick shift today.  It went fine in the school yard just going in circles and starting and stopping.  Christian even taught me the emergency brake trick when starting on a hill which I semi-got.

After the school yard I drove down this long windy country road which was fine except when I had to come to a stop and make a turn. I stalled in the middle of the road and oncoming traffic came at me in both directions…  they swerved in different directions around us as I cried and refused to go further with the lesson.  HAHA. Almost dying was enough for one day!

Back to ‘the grind’ tomorrow – aka working from home.  Chr is still around somehow, which is great for the ever growing ‘honey-do’ list. :)

Day one of my new gym tomorrow!  Eeekk.

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it's me against the bee's

I've been spending the past 4-5 days enjoying the awesome weather... working outside, going for runs, reading outside, whatever I can!  Check out what the sun looks like at 8pm:

This was taken from the 'royal forest' where I run.  It's an awesome view and I get there at the perfect point in my run when I feel comfortable in my stride, not out of breath or wanting to stop. :)

So... I'm really trying to be a good Danish housewife. You know... opening up all the windows and doors during the day.  But apparently Danes don't believe in screens... at least I don't recall seeing any over the years.  So in comes all of the wildlife... ok so it isn't exactly Snow White with the forest animals running in but it might as well be.  

Yesterday I spent the better half of a morning locked in the bedroom because of a wasp the size of Texas felt the need to stay and play in my house.   Literally it was as long and as fat as my pinky finger.  If it were to sting me I am pretty sure I would have been paralyzed on one half of my body.  I finally got rid of it (he just flew out at some point) and I promptly shut the doors and windows.

Day two. I didn't learn my lesson.  Windows open. Wasp Texas' nephew decided to fly in for the afternoon.  He is small enough to be swatted but he's between the window and the blinds so I can kill it or shoe it out.  Well... really the only problem is that I'm still scared to death of it, regardless of his size. 

I took my first bike ride into town today.  I didn't kill myself or anyone else you'll be glad to know.  I definitely need to adjust the bike some but so far so good.  I bet I looked really cute with flower basket full of toilet paper. :P

I still haven't cleaned the living room yet where we detonated the bomb of my belongings.  All of my clothes are unpacked... it's just the real odds and ends left.  The bedroom is my first project really.  I know Kate will like to see updates so I’ll keep them coming. ;)  Yesterday I put together this little diddy from Ikea to put things like towels and sheets in/on:

Slowly but surely making it 'home' here.  Oh, I didn't mention.  Christian left for Norway at the crack of dawn yesterday so I've been home alone the past two days and will most likely continue to be home alone for the rest of the month.  Someone has to make the money around here, I suppose.

I'm headed to one of Christian's uncle's for dinner tonight with his family.  His wife is into fitness and happens to live in this rural town of Fredensborg (where we live) so I intend to see if she's up for being my running/gym buddy.  She's probably way more fit than me and a faster runner but so is 90% of the world population anyway.  

I reckon I just need to take these leaps and put myself outside of my comfort zone to really get on with this immersion thing.  Although... with the god damn bees and wasps invading the house I don't really know that I have any comfort zone whatsoever here. ;)

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live & direct from DANMARK

It’s me, I’m alive and officially living in Denmark, GASP!  Yayy.  It’s been a LONG time in the works but so happy the time has come for me and Christian to have our happily ever after. :)

Our travel back to Boston and our flights over went off without a hitch.  Didn’t sleep much/well on the way over so imagine my grogginess when SURPRISE YAYYY WELCOME TO DENMARK parade was waiting outside baggage claim. J So cute.  Nearly all of Christian’s family was there to greet us LITERALLY with bells on… ok with noise makers, flags and banners and shouts of cheer.  It was awesome.  Only embarrassing for like half a second, mostly just so heartwarming!   Unfortunately they forgot to take pictures :(

More surprises on the way home!  The flag pole at our house had an Danish and American flag waving and a big banner in the driveway saying “Welcome Home!” – too cute.

We went to Christian’s Mom’s house for some frokost (lunch) straight from the airport.  Upon arriving at Mors house was my new beautiful bike, who I have since named, Maggie.

Isn’t she cuuuuute?!  I looooveee her! Christian’s uncle (professional florist) did the flowers on the basket and the whole family went in on the bike as a present to welcome me to Denmark.  I am 93% Danish with this bike.  I will be 100% Danish when it’s raining out and I ride it anyway.  :P 

Frokost consisted of nearly all my favorite Danish foods – Frikkadeller (Danish meatballs), Danish rye bread, potatoes, and get this… RIS ALMONDE!! Uhmm whoa.  So awesome.  Ris Almonde is a traditional Christmas dish so it was quite the treat! Tak Mor!

Once we got home after lunch I come in to the house and see… more surprises!  I had a brand new bedroom rearranged.  Chr got crafty and made us a new headboard – he picked the fabric and everything. How frikken fracken cute is he?!   He rearranged the furniture and gave me some space for all my CRAP! ;)

And on the bed?! PRESENTSSS.  Gosh I love him, he knows the way to my heart.  Some fun, little ‘getting set up in Denmark’ presents like the shampoo brand I use, toothbrush, some oreos for when I miss home, perfume, pj pants and an IPHONE.  Man… he really is working hard to buy time on this puppy business. :D

Look outside and…??? A manicured garden and some beautiful outdoor furniture complements of Ann, Christian’s Dad’s girlfriend.  She is awesome!  She tidied up the garden that definitely needed mending, planted flowers, gave me a gardening starter kit and the table and chairs. SO sweet.  I am so lucky to be loved so much even all the way across the ocean from home.

Tuesday we went to the Kommune (county) to register me as officially living in Denmark. :D Social security card is in the mail what what!  I need to register for school next but we haven’t quite gotten that far yet. 

I’m working remotely for my old job 28 hrs a week which is awesome for some income but adjusting to ‘working from home’ in a new country takes it to a whole new level.  I just want to unpack and decorate and play in the sun? haha. Speaking of, the weather here is gorgeous!  Light out until 10pm, love it!

With one trip to Ikea down, I’ve got some things to help organize the chaos I have dropped EVERYWHERE in this house.  It literally looks like a bomb went off, whoops. Christian is leaving for some work in Norway for a long time come Saturday so I’ll have plenty to keep me busy with, that’s what I keep saying anyway!

This evening I finally went and got some exercise after an almost two week sabbatical from working out – boy did I need it!  I think I’ll join the gym Christian belongs to up the street.  I might embarrass myself in class when she says to lift your arm and I lift my leg because my body vocabulary is still coming along but oh well.   I wonder what the Danish ‘gym scene’ in this old lady town is like.  Eh god.

So that is the word on Denmark thus far.  More updates to come. I’ll email friends and family shortly re contact details/skype/telephone number etc.

Love you and miss you all! Xo

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