After a fabulous weekend in Norway, I'm back to the daily grind of life.  Not really thrilled about it, to be sure, but I guess there's something to be said for routine. 

Norway was, for lack of a better word, awesomely awesome.  I love that country.  It's so...intense!  It's so rugged and raw, stunning beautiful one moment and bleak the next.  Just looking at the mountains and fjords are enough to make you want to gasp at how damn beautiful it all is. 

 
The view from our hotel room at the lodge.  We went kayaking in this fjord Sunday morning/afternoon.

Saturday we arrived in Norway in the morning.  We flew into Bergen, then got our rental car and headed the 2.5 hours to Flam where we were staying.  Once there, we checked in, cleaned up really quick, and headed back out to see some of the local sites.  One site in particular we wanted to see was Borgun Stave Church, which was built around 1180 as the local church.  It was so tiny (compared to the Cathedrals we're used to seeing in and around Europe).  Completely wood, and incredibly well preserved, it was really neat to see how different the church architecture was in Norway compared to many of the places in Europe.  After a stop at the church, we headed back to the hotel to grab some dinner and relax (mainly because we were exhausted from our 4:30am wake-up that morning to get our flight).

Borgun Stave Church 

Saturday was kayaking, and it was fantastic.  Jamie and I both love being outdoors, and I especially love being on the water.  It was really cold (we were in thermal underwear, wet suits, splash jackets, etc.), but it was totally worth it.  We didn't get to see any local animals (it wasn't uncommon to see eagles, porpoises, or seals), but it was still amazing.  We kayaked for a few hours, then parked the kayaks and took a hike up to a waterfall, then came back down and kayaked back to the lodge.  We were the only ones around, and it was so peaceful.  So quiet, you could practically hear your own heartbeat.  Overall...an incredible experience that I hope to repeat at some point.

Also during our trip, we drove around to catch some waterfalls (which seem to be everywhere in Norway, especially where we were staying).  All the roads were winding and the speed limit wasn't much above 50 mph in most places, so it made it quite easy to catch the local scenary.  One of the best waterfalls we saw was on our way from Bergen to Flam, and we went back to see after we checked into our hotel on Saturday.

Basiaclly, this was off some road and just out in the middle of nowhere. Perfectly pristine waters, which I've been told you can drink straight from the falls, as there are very few organisms that will get you sick in the land water in Norway. I didn't try it...gastrointestinal bugs are not my cup of tea, and I don't care what I read in some guide book.

Monday morning, we woke up late, grabbed breakfast, packed our stuff and headed back to Bergen to catch our plane.  It felt like it was such a short weekend, but we definitely had a great time.  I'm excited to go back to Norway at some point, though I'm not sure we'll make it during this time abroad...maybe later in life though!

Hope you all liked my Norway experience, complete with photos!  Hope you had a fantastic Easter weekend as well!

XOXOXO,
K.

I feel like 2012 year is flying by!  It just seems like yesterday it was New Year's Eve and we were talking about all we wanted out of this year because it would probably be our last here in Europe.  Now, it's already April, and we have no idea where we'll be in a year's time.  Sometimes, I appreciate the uncertainty.  I think it's God's way of preparing me for the uncertainty of life in general, and reminding me that sometimes I just need to let go of my need for control of all things in life.  Because, honestly, it isn't going to happen.  I'm never going to be 100% in control of everything, and I need to learn to accept this.  Jamie would refer to this as a "learning opportunity."  He's probably right (though I don't tell him this because he's already near impossible to live with).

I've started taking prenatal vitamines now, and I have an appointment on Friday to switch antidepressents.  Once that is done, I'll probably stop taking birth control next month to give my body a few months to even out.  Then, once we decide what we're doing next year, the baby making is on.  It's hard to imagine that, come next year, we might be parents!  I'm not getting my hopes up that we'll get pregnant right away, but it would still be pretty amazing.

In other news, I'm holding on until Saturday.  Since it's a holiday weekend (we get Easter Monday off here in the NL), we're taking a long weekend to go to Norway and hike/kayak along the fjords!  I'm so excited, especially because I absolutely LOVE Norway!  It's so gorgeous, and very devoted to outdoor activities, which is perfect for Jamie and I.  We're getting in mid-morning on Saturday, exploring on our own that day (probably hiking some), then kayaking and hiking on Sunday), then we have a half day on Monday (until around 3pm) to do our own thing before our flight home.  We definitely need the break, as these past few weeks with work have been absolutely ridiculous, so this will be a nice way to relax.

After that, we have a trip planned to Mont St. Michel in France for our anniversary!  We leave the day after our anniversary, and have a long weekend in France (Thursday - Sunday).  We're going to hit up some wineries and explore the area, and basically relax.  We're going with friends, so it should be a great time overall!  We've been in northern France before (to see the beaches of Normandy), but we didn't have time to see Mont St. Michel, so I'm really excited.  You used to only be able reach the island when the tides were low, because its was tidal causeway.  When the tides were high, the pathway was blocked by water.  I'm pretty sure that's changed now, though.

And, our last planned trip over the next few months is to Palma de Mallorca in Spain.  Jamie is SCUBA certified, but I'm not, so we're going there for a long weekend to do some dives and get my certification.  We spent a day in Palma last year on our cruise, and it was such a great island!  Very relaxed, tons to do, the ocean, great seafood.  Sigh...I'm going to eat myself silly on seafood...I can't wait.  We are aiming for end of May for that trip, but we'll have to see how it works out with vacation days and my job (I tend to not be able to travel at the end of the month due to forecasting and pricing that goes on at month's end).  Otherwise, we're just trying to work our way through our list of "must do's" before the end of the year, in case we leave.  I know we're putting aside a week to go to Iceland, but I think that won't happen until June/July time.  Iceland is supposed to be amazing, so I'm really interested to start planning that vacation as well.

I think that's all for now.  Not a whole lot going on lately, other than work being a real bear.  Having some vacations to plan, even though they're just long weekends, has really helped and has given me something to look forward to, which I've really needed.  Tonight is our date night, so Jamie and I have plans to go for a nice long bike ride (lord, I hope the rain clears up), then head to Subway for dinner.  Yes...you heard me...our date consists of a bike ride and Subway for dinner.  Sounds cheesy as hell, but we love it! 

Hope you're all having a wonderful day!

XOXOXO,
K.

Sigh, back to life.  Things have been moving along slowly but surely.  Jamie's been in the States for over a week now, and won't be back for another few days.  It's been going ok with him gone, but after awhile, it gets tiresome.  I was all excited that he was supposed to be home today, but he wound up having to stay longer due to some issues with the program he's working on.  He's having a fabulous time at home though, so that's good.  I feel like it might be pushing him in the direction of making a decision, but he's still adament that he's not going to decide anything until mid-year.  I don't mind keeping our options open, for sure, but I don't want to start TTC until after a decision has been made.  I don't really care what the decision is, per se, but I just want that one piece of stability when we're planning on uprooting our life yet again.  I love a good challenge!

I've finally gotten back in the working out habit!  I felt like it took me forever to get off my butt and get going again.  Luckily, I never gained back any of the weight I initially lost, though right after New Years I did lose a few pounds that have fluctuated back and forth.  I'm still right at 160 lbs., which is a good starting place.  My goal is to lose another 15 lbs., but if I don't manage to take it all off, I won't be too upset.  I'd like to be at or around 150 lbs. when I start TTC though...which is slightly above what is considered a "normal" weight for my height.  However, I'm built pretty muscular and stocky, so if I get below 140 lbs., I look emaciated.  Don't really want to get to that point, just to be able to say I'm at a "healthy" weight.

In other news...still working on my afghan.  I'm waiting on a shipment of yarn before I can start piecing the squares together, so I'm just crocheting more squares in the meantime.  I really want to start crocheting the pieces together, so I can get an idea of how it'll start to look.  Right now, random little squares all stacked on top of each other don't really scream "afghan" in my eyes.

Sorry, I realize this was a ridiculously boring post, but I don't feel like I have a lot to talk about.  If you want to know anything, or have any ideas for a post, please feel free to tell me...I feel like I'm just super boring right now!

Hope you all have a great day!

XOXOXO,
K.

 Ever since I started crocheting a few months ago, I've slowly ben accumulating supplies: yarns, pattern books, and needles.  Unfortunately, there wasn't a whole lot of space to put the supplies, so the books and yarns were tossed into a wardrobe (well...stuffed into the wardrobe would be a better description...thank god yarn compresses), and the needles and work-in-progress squares were on top of our bookshelf in the living/dining room.  Definitely looked cluttered, which I detest.  I hate clutter...HATE IT.  I hate having a lot of things in plain view...Jamie and I both have a very minimalistic/clean line style, and living in a small apartment really makes you get creative on how you store things. 

Which brings me to my intense love of all things IKEA.  My god, my life would be nothing without IKEA.  I love their style, I love the easy assembly, and I love the function.  On top of it all, I love the price!  Can't complain.  So, the other day, Jamie and I finally managed to move our road bikes downstairs to our storage room in the basement of the apartment complex, so that we don't have to drag them down 7 flights of stairs when we want to go for a ride.  That freed up a decent amount of room in my "office"/foyer, so I was able to shift around the shoe holder (another IKEA bit of brilliance...though not in that Orange color.  It's birch.) and that gave me room for a four-box Expedit shelving system (in brown/black) to store my yarns!  We already have the eight-box version of this as our bookshelf in the living room, so I like how it'll move back to the States easy enough and will fit with stuff we already own. 

So, behold...my newest addition to my life of crafting!

I just ordered some more yarn for a blanket I'm making my MIL for Christmas, so I'll have even more colors to put in there soon. I really like how you can see all the colors of the yarn...it'll be even better when I have more variety.

Hope all is going well for you all out there!

XOXOXO,
K.

One of the perks of being an international expat is AMAZING health insurance.  Our health insurance is provided by the company, and pays 100% of everything.  That's right...EVERYTHING.  Surgeries, doctor's visits, x-rays, prescriptions...all of it.  So, imagine my surprise when last year I received a letter from the Dutch government telling me I was uninsured, and that I would be fined if I didn't get Dutch insurance.

Once that happened, I sent in my appeal, explaining my situation and including proof of my US health insurance and the coverage plan.  During this time, the grace period for getting the Dutch insurance expired, so I was fined €340.  But, I was told that if my appeal came through, I would be credited back that amount and all would be well.  Fast-forward a few months, and my appeal letter came in the mail.  Like an idiot, I incorrectly translated the letter.  I thought the letter said that, as of October 2010, I was considered insured via the US, and no further action was necessary.  Nope, turns out that the letter said that, as of October 2010 (when I started work on a Dutch contract) I have been uninsured, and that I need to get Dutch health insurance asap, or else I'll be subject to a second fine.  Great.  Not knowing that, I did nothing. 

Which leads us to Friday, when I got a letter in the mail from the government again.  I put it off until today, because I've been crazy busy and a few more days couldn't possibly hurt.  Plus...I was hoping it was a letter telling me they were going to reimburse my fine.  Definitely not the case.  Instead, I'm being fined AGAIN...only this time its €360.  And, if I don't get Dutch insurance, I'll be fined again...even more.

So...I didn't actually figure all this out until I talked to three different people at two different agencies.  I've talked with my company's HR, and pretty much, I'm screwed.  So, now I get the pleasure of paying €200 a month for insurance I'll never use, since everything is already covered 100% by my US insurance!  I'm really upset that I'll be basically tossing close to $2000 a year for insurance that I will never need and/or use!  Plus...I've spent nearly $1000 on stupid fines because my Dutch sucks.  UGH!

There's my frustration for the week.  I need to get this sorted out ASAP before I get another letter, but I'm REALLY not happy about it. 

Hope you're all doing well!

XOXOXO,
K.

Protected post is up.

I know it's been forever and a day since I updated (well, other than my earlier post about the blanket), but life has been crazy these past few weeks!  Two weeks ago, Jamie and I got pulled into a two day conference on clean cookstoves (which you should all check out at http://cleancookstoves.org/), and then, once that finished up on Wednesday, my work computer broke.  So, come Friday, I had to drive to Belgium to get it fixed before I left on Sunday for England.  I spent all last week in England for work and a conference, and finally got back around 10:30pm on Friday evening.  Needless to say, these past two weeks have been exhausting, which is why I haven't really had a chance to update.

So...what's new?  Ummm...not really that much.  An potential opportunity for work has been re-introduced to us, so we might stay in Europe longer than we had originally anticipated.  We wouldn't be living in the Netherlands any longer, but would be moving to Germany instead.  Still not sure what we plan on doing...we're just keeping all our options open for the time being.

Jamie, meanwhile, has been having horrible problems with his back.  Not so much pain, but lots of pinched nerves that are causing his hands and feet to go numb.  He's been sleeping on the floor for the past few weeks, and that seems to be helping, but all the sitting that we both do for our jobs really isn't doing him any favors.  He's been going to a physiotherapist for work on his leg, and now he's going to go back to the orthopedic specialist to see about his back.  Hopefully they can run a few tests to make sure it isn't a structural problem (narrowing of the spinal cord, problems with the discs, etc.).  We're both hoping it's something that can be taken care of with some stretching exercises, but who knows.  Hopefully we'll know more this week.

Otherwise, life has just been going on.  Yesterday was the 6th anniversary of the first time I met Jamie.  We don't really celebrate it or anything, but I happened to remember the day, and then got caught up in thinking about how I've been with this amazing man for a full 6 years.  Incredibly, he's still sticking around, so I figure I'm either fabulous in bed or a really good cook.  Our wedding anniversary isn't for another few months, and I need to figure out what to get him, so if you all have any suggestions, I'd be happy to hear them!

I think that's all...nothing really new to report.  I would have updated more, but I've been crashing every every night from the long days with work.  I'm going to try to update more frequently, now that I'm back home and no major work trips on the horizon. 

Hope you all had a fabulous weekend!

XOXOXO,
K.

I know it's been forever since I updated, but I'm planning on writing two posts today; one about the blanket I'm crocheting, and one about life.  So...this one is the blanket (which you would have already figured out, had you read the title).

The afghan/blanket is still in the works.  According to my math (which could be way off, but oh well), I need 169 squares to have a 72" x 72" blanket.  I could have made a lap blanket, which would have probably been a smarter endeavor for my first big project since picking back up crocheting, but I'm a big believer of "go big, or go home."  So...169 squares it is!  I finally got my Raspberry yarn in the mail last evening.  They had to order it special since I ordered more skeins than they had available, and then it was back ordered, so it took awhile to get here.  No big deal...I had plenty of other yarn to keep me occupied in the meantime.

I currently have 48 squares finished.  12 of each color except the Raspberry   I'm over a quarter of the way finished with the squares, but I haven't started putting them together yet.  That will happen after I finish 12 or so squares of the Raspberry.  Once that's finished, I'll piece together all the squares I have (or most of them, depending on where they go in the pattern), and will start another batch.  This way, I'm not leaving the work of putting them together until the end, and it breaks up the routine of just crocheting squares all the time.

Here's what I have finished so far!  (Actually, I have more than that, since I've finished up a few more of the brown since I took that photo.)

Then, here is what the final product will look like (ignore the fact that this was all done on Microsoft Excel...it seemed like the easiest way to figure out how I wanted the final piece to look).

I really wanted something that was random...not a "patterny" pattern...if that makes sense. I wanted to avoid lines or diagonals, and wanted the overall look to feel more hodgepodge. Hopefully I achieved that. I'm pretty happy with the concept for the finished blanket, but if you have any suggestions, feel free to let me know!

My next post on this will be what I've gotten pieced together, so it might be a few weeks. Hopefully I'll be able to finish up the brown squares today and start to work on the Raspberry colored ones. I absolutely LOVE the color of that yarn, so I'm really excited to start work on it!

So...what do you think???

XOXOXO,
K.

It's been over two weeks since I updated...oops!  I'd like to write more, but by the time I sit down to write something, my mind can't come up with anything to talk about, which is ridiculous because I am NEVER at a loss for words.  I blame the fact that staring at excel spreadsheets for 8 hours a day has fried my brain.

So...first.  Valentine's Day.  Valentine's Day wasn't a big deal for us (it usually never is), but we try to do something together.  This year was really nice...exchanged cards in the morning before work, then went out to dinner at an Italian place nearby.  Quiet, just us, and casual...exactly how we like it.  Couldn't have asked for better.

Work.  Work is ramping up again, which is a curse and a blessing.  Sometimes it's nice to have nothing to work on, other times it's a giant pain in the ass to be so bored.  I was currently rocking out a "nice to have nothing to do" vibe, and then got slammed, so that made me bitter.  Oh well...that's life.  I'm currently in the midst of a big, cross-business unit demand planning project, so that is definitely cramping my normal work style.  It's just one more thing to add on to the list of other stuff I work on.  Plus - I have a huge program review coming up and can't seem to get financials for it off of anyone, so I'm struggling to get my presentation finished.  The review is Wednesday, so hopefully that will go over smoothly.

Crochet Afghan.  I've completed 24 of the 170 squares I need (though I swear that final number changes every single time I do the calculation).  I'm moving on to my third color, the pale green, and should get 12 squares out of 1 skein of yarn.  I've been doing a single skein and finishing it before moving on to another color.  I'm still working on the layout of the afghan, since I don't want it to look too "pattern-y"...I want to avoid any sort of lines and would prefer more of a random tossing in of colors.  I think I'll use less of the Raspberry color and toss it in for more of a pop every now and then.  Then, I have decided to make my MIL an afghan for Christmas, so I've started planning that one out as well.  I'm using a granny square pattern, so hopefully it will go quicker than the one I'm working on. 

Travel.  We're planning a trip to Edinburgh, Scotland...hopefully for the third weekend in March.  I'm super excited to go, and I think we'll have a great time.  Then, we're trying to plan a trip to Cinque Terre, Italy in April over Easter, but I'm going to have to do some research on whether it's back up and running, since it was majorly flooded out last year during the rainy season.  If the hiking trails are open, I totally think we're going, which will be awesome!  I need to find us a place to stay..but otherwise, we'll just hope a budget flight down there and pack a backpack!  We made a list of the places that we must see before we move home, so now we're just working through those as we can.  Thankfully, everything is in place for the Olympics in August, and we've already booked our trip to Plitvice Lakes, Croatia in September for my birthday.  I'm really excited, especially for Plitvice Lakes...it's going to be gorgeous!  A weekend of Jamie and I, hiking through forests and waterfalls...bliss!

Life.  Regular stuff going on.  Work, hanging out with friends.  Skipped a period last month, but took a test and wasn't pregnant, so that was good.  Still haven't switched my anti-depressents yet, so really don't want any surprises until we're ready to actually start trying.  I need to make a doctor's appointment to get the meds switched, then get some prenatal vitamins and start taking those.  Then...I think we'll be ready!  A lot of my friends are pregnant right now, which is so exciting!  I'm really happy for everyone, so I can focus on that instead of getting worked up about TTC for us.  All in all, things are really great right now. 

Jamie.  Still nothing on the career front.  He's committed to sticking it out through this program, so we should be here until December/January time frame.  He's moving to an offsite office in March, so I think that will help a lot with the office environment, and hopefully everyone will be much more relaxed and happy overall.  We're still talking about potential options for jobs/careers after this expat assignment, so it's all up in the air.  Just doing research when we can and keeping our options open, which seems to be working for us right now (though I do have to work on not getting stressed about the lack of a "plan" for our future...it'll happen when the time is right). 

So...I think that's all for now!  Nothing overly amazing has happened, just the everyday things of life.  Hope you all are doing well!  I plan on updating with photos when I finish this skein of yarn, so you can see 3 of the 4 colors of the afghan!  Otherwise, let me know if there's anything you want to know and I'll write a post about it!

XOXOXO,
K.

 - Disclaimer: I do not own SkinnyTaste.com or any recipes from the site.

Today is your lucky day, kittens!  You get TWO recipe reviews...that's right...TWO!  My second recipe review is for SkinnyTaste's Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins.  And woah, ho ho...are these bad boys delicious!

These muffins are another great use for the crockpot applesauce recipe that I reviewed earlier, or for any sort of canned, non-sweetened applesauce you can get your hands on.  Plus...the addition of fresh, ripe blueberries make these muffins perfect for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack, midnight snack...you name it.  And, because they're made with very little sugar and no oil or butter, they're decently healthy for you!

I made these last night for our Super Bowl breakfast this morning.  The recipe says it makes 12, but I managed to get 14 out of it.  Instead of the whole wheat flour Gina uses in her recipes (which I am unable to find), I did a mixture of self-rising regular flour and whole wheat flour (1 cup of each).  Then, because I didn't check my pantry to see if I had all my ingredients before I started baking, I had to substitute powdered sugar for the granulated sugar the recipe called for (yes...I quickly ran out to the grocery today to get more sugar, just so that mistake doesn't happen again).  If you do have to substitute powdered sugar for granulated, be sure to use more powdered sugar than the recipe calls for (I used a 2:1 ration...2 parts powdered sugar for every 1 part granulated sugar called for)...so I used 1 cup powdered sugar instead of the 1/2 cup granulated sugar.  Also, take care to not overmix the batter, because that will make the muffins tough.

Verdict:  HOLY CRAP...I'm going to make these things every night!  While I liked the applesauce nut bread, I absolutely LOVE these muffins!  Healthy, blueberries, muffins...what more could you ask for!?  These were slightly more dense, I think due to the whole wheat flour, but I really love that type of muffins!  Light and fluffy definitely have their special place in my heart, but when I'm hungry in the morning, I want something that will fill me up!  These muffins are sure to do that!  Plus...since there are blueberries, I get my little bit of fruit in the morning as well.

Note to you all:  Make these.  Now.