and just like that

In just three weeks my life has changed dramatically here in Denmark.  Some milestones, important visitors, a new home, a new life style.  Things change quickly!

My grandparents were here to visit and we had a great time showing them some sights as well as introducing them to the Als family.  It was great to spend some time with them and show them why I find this country a little quirky but how I am also able to call it home!

Speaking of calling Denmark home...  I have done just that for exactly one year as of last Wednesday, June 1st.  Wow a whole year... really?! Oh but how to celebrate???

How about a new apartment in the city?  YAY.  City girl lives again!  This time on a bicycle and not on the Green Line.  Watch out Copenhagen!

Living Room / Dining Room

Many more pictures and anecdotes to come!

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bit of stress :)

So the past week has been a little stressful.  Sometimes living in a foreign country isn't all sunshine and lollypops.  However, there are pretty flowers here!

But no, basically we found out we have a mold problem in our little old house and that it's really not safe to be living here.  Christian is out flying so bahhh... just a bit of stress.  We have been talking about moving this summer for awhile now anyway but now there is just a sense of urgency.

Apartment hunting in Copenhagen is really not anything like I would expect.  Here is just one of those culture shock things.  To rent an apartment is very competitive and tricky.  Most people buy or buy into co-ops but now that there are many people unable to loan money it makes the renters market even more competitive.  

Firstly, there is no such thing as a realtor for rentals here.  God I hated paying realtor fees back in Boston but at least they did the leg work for you and well with a bit of money you could find a place fairly easily.  So it's a lot of website cruising on our end.  Then you usually have to pay to get the contact information on these apartment listings.  Which is fine, I guess.  Apartments usually go within 1-2 days of being listed... so with Christian gone I can't act fast enough.

The other biggie that we're facing is my stupid residency Visa extension.  I have to be on lease with 3 years minimum from when we apply for my extension (Nov/Dec this year).  These leases are VERY hard to come by.  So yeah bum bum bum what to do what to do.

So just feeling like I'm facing a bit of adversity plus a bit of culture shock at the same time.  Just not able to grab the reins and take control (we know I like control...).

I've calmed down a lot but would still like to get this sorted asap.  Keep you all posted.  I can't wait to be a city girl again!

Last Sunday I made brunch for the family as a Mother's day gift to Christian's mom and grandmother, great success.  At least it received good reviews :)

Menu:

Fruit Salad: blueberries, strawberries, kiwi, bananas, and pears in vanilla yogurt

Scrammbled Egg Bake: 8 large eggs, 6 slices white bread, a bunch of bacon, chopped peppers and onions, bunch of cheddar cheese > sit over night> into the oven at 325F for 45 min

French Toast Bake: 3/4 loaf white bread, 8 large eggs, apple slices, 2 cups milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, sugar > sit over night> make topping with brown sugar, 2 sticks butter, 2 tbsp corn syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg> into the oven at 325 for 45 min

Breads & Cheese spread

Champagne and strawberries

Delicious food, good company, great weather!

Just really hoping this weather holds out for when my grandparents get here.  It got a little chillier this weekend so fingers crossed!

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hey there, remember me?

I actually have gone a little crazy.  My life is a whirlwind trying to get ready to move.  

The race. First of all THANK YOU A MILLION TIMES OVER for all of your generous donations to The BCRF - it was such an inspiration and truly touching.  In the end I raised a whopping $1600 in one month for the cause.  Awesome awesome awesome.

The race was difficult for me this year, more so than last year mostly due to the heat and humidity.  I had to take it a little slower but I only finished 3.5 mins slower than last year - not awful.  Of course you know this is a disappointment to me and I'm still not over it, haha.  I'm in better physical condition this year but for a multitude of reasons I couldn't quite pick up the pace. Grrrrr.

Anyway it's done.  Next big race on the agenda is the Copenhagen Half Marathon on Sept 12th with the hubby.  Yep, that is our 1 year anniversary date.  We'll be running 13.1 miles and then going home to eat frozen wedding cake!  (He hates me)

Moving. Well it's all coming along, and SWIFTLY at that.  I am realizing that even what I consider not to be a lot of "stuff" - it's A LOT OF STUFF. Holy Cow!  Let's all join my campaign to Christian that he needs to buy me all new clothes over there instead.  :P

Job. It's a WIP.  I have some contract work with my current company/role to keep me busy for a month or so and a couple things in motion for a full time placement with Experian EMEA so fingers crossed these "approvals" happen and I'll be fully and gainfully employed by end of June.

Celebrating. I LOVE MY LIFE.  I have the best friends and family a girl could ever ask for.  Not a dull moment around here these days.  I need to work out extra hard just to minify damage to my body from alcohol and dinners out.  Wouldn't swap it for the world, though.

This weekend. GET READY FOR THE GAGA BAR CRAWL aka THE JMAs (Jill's Moving Awards).  Gail has done a fantastic job planning and gathering all my loved ones for this fantastic event.  I have super amazing friends flying in from all over the country.  This is going to be epic.  How are you going to get your JMA? 

Christian.  Firstly, I love him.  He gets in TOMORROW.  He has to help me with all my "stuff" as mentioned previously.  But can't wait to plant some big kisses on his face, I've missed him so much!

That is the update - as you can tell I have a bit of excitement running through my veins.

Countdown:

1 Day til Chr gets here
3 Days til the best going away party ever
7 Days left of work at QAS Boston
7 Days til we go home to see the fam
11 Days til we SHIP OUT!

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26.2

Happy Marathon Day! Maybe someday I'll be conquering heartbreak hill on the third Monday in April but not this year :)

I am busy trying to conquer my life at the moment. I have been running a bit of a marathon over the past 2-3 weeks trying to stay afloat.

The presentation went really well! I was indeed nervous and some people could tell, others said they couldn't tell. Oh well, I got my point across, I annunciated and I didn't use notes. So for those things I am pretty proud of the whole experience.

My presentation was about a personal success story around my efforts with SEO. S E Say what? Well don't worry, part of the presentation was dedicated to explaining wtf Search Engine Optimization is all about.

I spoke to sheer frustration around a long period of time where results were stagnant against an immense amount of work that I was putting in. And the happy ending? 75% growth in dolla dolla bills y'all. The company's dolla's, unfortunately. 75% pay raise? A girl could dream.

In the aftermath of all things 'company day' two Fridays ago, I officially announced to my superiors and coworkers that I am moving to live with my (wonderful, delightful, handsome, perfect) husband in Denmark at the end of May. (can't wait babe!)

This has been a long time coming and personally I am ecstatic! But there is always a little fear of the unknown. Leaving a career path here and just have to hope it'll all kick back off over there. Keeping the faith... I have some good people  from my company and my parent company lobbying for me so I'm crossing my fingers it all works out with a transfer to corporate in Denmark! :D

Moral of the blog post - running 26.2 miles or moving your entire life across an ocean are both a little daunting, exhilarating and full of potential. If you put in all the hard work, you have to have the confidence that you will not only 'pull it off' but prosper as well.

Good luck runners! 

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