First day of Summer

So far my summer has been filled with lots of love and laughter! To kick off our last normal summer my friends and I decided to celebrate by going downtown to the Wicked Hop where we each had our own Mimosa. These beauties (although expensive) were delicious and just what we needed to kick off our summer. After an hour of laughing and reminiscing we went to the grocery store to get supplies for our sangria party. When we got home we immediately started making our sangria. Our was filled with peaches, blueberries, strawberries, and oranges. Ohhh did it ever taste gooooood. After a couple hours of more laughter and planning we invited our boys over for a little pregame before we ventured off onto campus. It was a great afternoon and I couldn't have asked for a better crew to celebrate my first official day of summer!

Rainy Day

Just looking out over the beautiful San Dunes in Michigan.

The Saturday after good Friday is definitely not sunny, but rightfully so. Yesterday was a beautiful day! The Sun was out and I was feeling spring. Yesterday was a tease and now today is just so depressing. Well I'm not going to let this weather get me down. I am going to bake and work out today. It is going to be just a wonderful day here in Wausau.

I learned something yesterday in relation to my anxiety. I was on my way to TJ Maxx and I decided that I wanted a diet soda. After I had finished half the can I started to feel my chest tense up a little bit. When I was in the car I was thinking to myself, "Either I turn around and go home letting my anxiety win, or I continue on with my day like I had planned." I decided to continue on with my plans and go to TJ Maxx. Although I wasn't myself when I was in there, it was a big step for me. I didn't let my chest prevent me from doing something I loved. I think I am learning little by little how to tackle this anxiety issue.

Things to do for next time...

1. Don't I repeat DON'T have caffeinated soda during the day. It will make your chest hurt.
2. Exercise everyday. I think that if I do a little bit of exercise I won't be as stressed or prone to stress later. 

That is all for now... I am going to start checking things off my list for today.

• Grocery shopping
• applesauce
• whole wheat flour

• Work out
• Bake
• oatmeal bran muffins
• brownies

• Cook Dinner
• pasta with tomato sauce

• Watch the MU game!
• GOOOOOO Marquette!

Relaxation

The term relaxation has taken on a whole new meaning for me this week. I had a lot going on on Tuesday of this week, but it didn't fully catch up to me until Monday. I'm not sure how to describe it but when I get overwhelmed, I begin to feel a sharp almost pinching pain in my chest. I have gone to the ER two times for this weird situation and all of the tests have shown no signs of anything wrong with my heart. That's good news, however I still experience pain and discomfort whenever I feel like I have a lot going on. Some say it's all mental, but I truly believe that anxiety has negative physical effects on me. I think there is a muscle in my chest that gets inflamed whenever I get overwhelmed. As a result I feel a pinching pain in my chest by my heart. I'm not quite sure why this happens sometimes, but it does. Everyone tells me that I need to find a way to relax and get my mind off of it so I am determined to find the miracle cure!

Here are a couple of options for the ultimate relaxation cure:

1. Take a long shower. This would seem easy enough because taking a nice hot shower can make anyone feel 100% better, but when I start to feel weird as I call it I don't want to do anything besides lay down and talk to people about how much my chest hurts. I have this feeling that when I lift my arms up to wash my hair my chest will pinch. I guess I have to get over that fear of my chest pinching and test to see if taking a shower will really help me feel better. PLAN: Load up my shower with a bunch of good smelly soaps and scrubs. Buy a nice lufa and make sure I've got a nice sharp razor ready to go. Be prepared. As annoying as it is to constantly restock  my shower I'm just going to have to realize that in the end it will all be worth it. After my shower I will make sure that I lather up with some nice smelling lotion so that my skin stays nice and smooth. Can't forget to exfoliate as well! That way my skin can say nice and radiant.
2. Drink decaffeinated tea.  I have never been much of a tea fan so this option really doesn't appeal to me that much, but its worth a try. I have two of these really smooth calming teas that I sometimes drink before clinic (because I get stressed). It helps me calm down before a hectic session.  It's this orange blossom tea and the Aveda tea, which smells like shampoo. PLAN: Reserve an area of the kitchen for my collection of tea. Also I think I'm gong to have to purchase a hot water heater. Or I can just heat up some water on the stove (old school style). I think it will look kind of cute to have a little area with tea. It will look like I am a relaxed person and it will give me options for when I need something to calm me down. Something else I've always wanted to try is to have a nice little cup of tea before bed. Maybe having a cup will really relax me before bed and help me unwind after a long day at clinic. Now that I think of it I can really see myself making a nice little cup of tea before bed with a splash of honey and milk? I see Jeni do it all the time and it looks really good!
3. Exercise Regularly. I have been really good about this all semester, but lately I have been slacking when it comes to hitting the gym. I used to go at least 3 times a week and now I'm lucky if I get there once a week. Exercising is a great stress reliever and I need to make sure I make time for it during the week. My goal is to go on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays and ultimately I would love to be able to work out for 40 minutes. Another good reason to work out is to stretch afterwards. I should really be stretching both before and after, but lets not get too far ahead of ourselves here. Tomorrow I am going to find time to workout in the morning before Audiology clinic. I am going to get up, work out, come home, eat breakfast, shower and then go to audiology. After that I am going to go to the lab to finish some transcriptions. Then I have to let the doggies out and go to African Dance where I go immediately to Multicultural Issues and then HOME!
4. Eat a well balanced diet. I am a firm believer in eating enough veggies, fruits, and water during the day. I have literally been living off of popcorn and carbs for the past 2 weeks and I think it is starting to have a negative effect on my attitude. In my defense I didn't have a car to go get groceries, but still. I should have made time to go. I needed to get veggies. Although I have been going to Starbucks a lot lately to get my fruits and stuff into my daily diet. When I come back from Easter Break I am going to make sure that I restock my fridge with lots of goodies! Also my fridge SUCKS! I swear all of the food I have in my fridge is bad and goes bad immediately after I buy it. I try my best to get a variety of foods, but I just get scared that what I am eating is bad or full of bacteria. Anywayssss eating healthy is always a goal of mine. Let's get to it! My diet starts tomorrow. PLAN: Go grocery shopping while I'm at home and buy some good food for Easter break. When I get back to school I am going to make grocery shopping my first priority. I am going to buy lots of good stuff for salad. I am going to get this one salad dressing that I have been dying to try! i am going to get some bananas (oh how I miss my bananas) apples are another key item for me. I used to buy them a lot and now I don't. Eating different things for breakfast is another habit I am trying to break. I always have 1/2 a banana, cereal, and a coffee for breakfast. Yes it is a healthy start to the day, but I literally have it everyday. I need to branch out. Maybe I'll make some muffins one week or healthy scones to have. I'm always a fan of lemon poppyseed so I could make something nummy with those ingredients. I could have oatmeal with some brown sugar and milk with slivered almonds or fruit. I don't know if I can break my habit of drinking coffee because I need it in the mornings. Bottom line is I need to vary my diet, eat healthier, watch the portions, and try to eat something new for breakfast every morning.
5. Spread out my assignments. Don't cram everything into one week or one day. I need to make sure that I don't find myself in the same situation that I did on Monday. I was hungover and really felt the pressure of writing my 3 page paper before Tuesday. I had briefly worked on it, but was waiting to actually write the entire paper until the day before. I think that the majority of my anxiety came from that. I should have started it last week or better yet even finished it last week. What was I thinking??? I know that those kind of things stress me out, but yet I chose to do it anyways. I guess I will learn for next time. PLAN:  I have a lot of stuff due at the end of the semester so I need to spread out the material. I really need to do well on this next stuttering assignment so instead of waiting till the last minute to study I am going to read the chapters in a relaxed manner and make sure the information sticks in my mind. I am NOT going to take notes on the chapters because that didn't help me last time. No sir. I am going to knock it out of the park! I am also going to make sure I start studying for Audiology while I'm at home. Next fall I know I am going to have a lot of stuff going on so I need to make sure I really have a plan and schedule that works for me where I can workout and still find time for things that I enjoy (like watching my favorite shows).

I would take long walks by myself in Roma. Such a relaxing way to spend my afternoons!

I simply love this picture I took in Tuscany. Vino Bianco always makes me feel better!

Gosh that is a lot of writing. I don't care though because it helps me talk things out. I always seem to talk to my mom about my problems and sometimes I simply have too many little problems to tell her about. That is what this blog is for. To share my inspirations and help me through my hard times. I will work on writing in my blog when I am not feeling the greatest. Maybe it will help me feel better?    

Too long Thursdays

It always seems like I blog on Tuesday and Thursday mornings... maybe that's because I feel like I have to mentally prepare for the long day ahead. I don't have anything due today, but I just have a lot of things going on. I have three classes, clinic, and then tutoring. Yikes. How do I plan to make it through this long day you ask? Well I just like to take it class by class. Then I simply try to get into the mindset I need for clinic. Then I can sort of cruise during tutoring.

After today is over then it's the weekend baby! WOOOHOOO!!! I have date party this weekend with my man, then I have a chef's challenge with my girlfriends. How fun! oh yea and I have to write a research paper sometime in between all of that. I'll finish it no worries.

Saltue to the weekend that is almost here!

My favorite bakery next to our apartamento in Roma

Nick and I just horsing around in Venezia

It only takes one

"It only takes one" is the key phrase that pretty much sums up my experience applying to graduate school. I got denied from the first school I heard back from and then I got accepted into my number one pick! Bittersweet I guess, but now I have been recieving feedback from my other six schools I applied to and I haven't had much luck at all. Honestly if I didn't get accepted into Marquette I would be crying myself to sleep every night because I wouldn't be going to graduate school.

It's such a cut throat process now a days. Everyone is realizing what an awesome field speech pathology is and so the programs keep getting hard and more difficult to get into to. I just thank God everyday that I got into the school that I wanted.

Enjoying some pizza and pasta in Florence

Now I just need to hear back from one more school and the process will be over! I mean I have already verbally committed to Marquette so in reality none of this bad news needs affects me, but the fact that some schools just straight up denied me is a little bit of a bummer.

Now on to Monday.... oh what a Monday I had! I tell ya with meetings and assignments due, the Monday after a long and relaxing spring break couldn't have been more annoying. I had meetings in the morning and papers due throughout the day. AHH! Normally Mondays are relaxing for me because I get to workout and get stuff done, but yesterday was chaotic and flew by too fast!

Today is Tuesday and I always dread this day because it is one of my longer days. I am constantly moving and don't stop until I'm done with work at the brooks. The way I look at these days is I just take one step at a time and take one hour at a time. I have three classes in a row and then I have to get mentally prepare for clinic, which is always a surprise. Hopefully today goes smoothly, but if it doesn't I can always come back to my cozy cabin room and vent to my mother.

This blog keeps me sane, as crazy as that sounds. I am the type of person that has to talk about stuff. If I try to keep it all wrapped up inside me I feel like I am going to explode. Talking about things that bother me, gets it off my chest so that I can focus on other important things.

Krumkaka

This traditional Norwegian goodie is my mom's favorite treat. She always wants to make these delicate waffle cones when I'm home.

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 cup flour
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp cardamom

1. Beat all of the ingredients until smooth
2. prepare iron with crisco before you pour in the  batter.
3. Bake the batter in the iron 30-40 seconds then quickly slide out of the iron onto a baking sheet where you roll the krumkaka into its famous cone shape with the help of the wooden roller.

Chocolate Sugar Kookis

This spring break has been a solid week of baking and cooking, which I am totally okay with. I know you are probably thinking that I spelt the word "cookies" wrong, but actually after looking in my great-grandmother's cook book last night I learned that kookis is the Norwegian translation for cookies. In my own personal opinion I think that I resemble my great-grandmother Gustava. I think that I kind of look like her and I know that I have the same passion for baking that she did. I have a feeling that her cookbook was meant for me and that she wanted me to have it. With that being said, I want to recreate all of her signature baked goods and share them with my family. I guess you can say I am kind of obsessed with my family history.

These Chocolate sugar cookies are not Norwegian, but I have had my eyes on the recipe for quite some time now and thought that now would be the perfect time to try them out. Needless to say they were classically delicious and I could see myself making these around Christmas time. In the future I might even frost them and decorate them just like I would with regular sugar cookies.

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup sugar 
• 1 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup unsweetened coco powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 14 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk

1. place sugar in a shallow bowl and set aside
2. combine the wet ingredients in a bowl
3. combine the dry ingredients in a sep bowl
4. slowly add the dry to the wet and mix until just combined
5. turn the oven to 350
6. using 2 tbsp of cookie dough, roll the dough into balls
7. roll the ball in the gran sugar until covered
8. place on baking sheet and use the bottom of a glass to flatten the cookie
9. sprinkle some more granulated sugar on the tops of the cookies
10. bake for 15 minutes at 350 until done.

Enjoy!

Goro

A couple of months ago I stumbled upon an antique iron called a Goro, which somehow found its way into the pile of valuables my grandma gave me when she passed away. I wasn't quite sure what this little piece of treasure was used for, but I did knew that it made waffle cookies of some sort. After many days of searching, I found a Goro recipe. Over spring break I decided that it was time to put this recipe to the test.

Here goes nothing! When I first looked at the recipe it made sense, but when I started to actually make the dough the recipe was hard to understand. I called my mom over to help me translate and we just both started laughing.

In the end it was all worth while and the cookies were delicious! I will definitely be making these a tradition in my family.

Ingredients:
3 egg yolks
1 tsp cinnamon
2/3 cup sugar
3 cups unbleached flour
1 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup butter
*Original recipe calls for 6 cups flour and 3 cups butter

1. Beat egg yolks, sugar, and cream
2. add cardamom to flour and sift
3. pour flour mixture into egg mixture
4. mix well
5. Roll out on counter into flat layer. Divide into 2 batches
6. spread butter in a single layer
7. roll over nad spread butter on other side. Repeat a couple of times (using 1/4 cup of butter for each batch)
8. let chill overnight in plastic bag.
9. roll out and cut into shape of goro iron.
10. spray iron and turn heat to med/high
11. place dough in iron, press and wipe dripping fat from sides
12. 2 1/2 minutes each side. Let cool and break apart

Pre Spring Break

This week is just dragging on and on.... I have three exams this week, and I haven't started taking any of them yet! The only thing I can think about is how much fun I'm going to have over spring break just hanging out with my rents and puppies. This morning I woke up extra early, 7am to be exact, to make a beautiful timeline of the history of the musical and to make a schedule for my mini vacation.

Plans for Break include:

• Making homemade pasta con mi padre
• Baking tons of goodies
• Wine night with my best friend Courtney
• Making crafts

Not too bad right? My goal is to stay busy everyday so that I don't have time to think about how other people are in Mexico drinking and getting tan. Hey I can do all of that right in the comfort of my hometown Wausau. I can go tanning everyday and I can make myself a little mimosa in the morning and end my relaxing day with a little glass of Riesling. Sounds like a good week to me!

Can't wait to hangout with these two goons.

Motivation

Tuesdays are my extra long days... I have class all day and then I end my day with clinic that could go one way or the other. Last week was not a good week for my little guy so hopefully today will be a better day for him.

Today's objectives:

1. Get through my classes. Take good notes and make it worth while
2. Get all of my activities together and be as prepared as possible. 
3. "Over prepare, and then go with the flow."
4. Hope for a snow day... but it probably won't happen.

It's days like today where I feel completely over school and just ready for my future as a graduate student. Grades are not a huge deal anymore because I already got accepted so it is very hard for me to stay motivated! Somehow I need to find ways to stay motivated so that I can end my semester on a high note.

This is all I want to do... cook in the sun

Things to do:

• continue to look for places to live for the summer
• find a summer gig
• pack for SB
• oh yea take 3 exams!

Throwback Thursday

Before I get into Throwback Thursday I have to share my day with you. Yesterday was probably one of the best days ever! I found out that my best friend Jeni got into the same graduate school that I did and that my other good friend Sam got the job she wanted! Needless to say it was a day of celebration! Things could not have worked out more perfectly for our friend group. Next step... look for apartments. Neither of have ever gone apartment hunting before so we are all new at this. Hopefully we can find a place that we all like.

Back to Throwback Thursday.... I was trying to think of what to throwback and I have decided to show you all my big fat cat TJ that no longer lives with me because my dad is deathly allergic to cats! He is one of my best friends and I cannot wait to have him back with me again!

The fluffiest kitty you have ever seen!

Snow Day

I woke up this morning to a winter wonderland. Milwaukee has been covered with a healthy layer of snow and I am totally okay with it. One of my classes got cancelled today which means I only have my night class. This is truly the life. Although I love the clean, dreamy look of snow, I don't think that I am going to enjoy this weather when I have to walk to the gym. The snow reminds me of the time when it snowed in Rome last spring. It hadn't snowed in 26 years and of course it had to snow while I was studying abroad there! Everyone and everything stopped what they were doing to take pictures in the snow. My roommates and I were kind of upset because we did not pack any winter clothes, but I it was cool to see how the people in Rome reacted to the white fluffy stuff. The buses didn't know what to do so they just stopped working and everyone else was walking in the streets taking pictures and throwing snow. The Colosseum with snow was definitely a sight to see!

Kitty City with a little blanket of snow

Look what someone made!

The Colosseum with snow

Today is the start of something new

Today I found out that I got into Graduate School at Marquette University!! I have been waiting to hear back from Graduate schools for months now. What a relief it is to know that someone trusts me in furthering my education as a speech therapist! Words cannot describe the way I am feeling. I am thrilled that I will be embarking on this new adventure with a few of my close friends, but I am also sad that my college days are going by fast! I know that I am going to be a wonderful speech therapist and I cannot wait to see what the future has in store for this girl.

Cheers to Graduate school and getting a Masters!!!

YAY!!! I did it!

Gloomy Day

Well today is the beginning of my week. Mondays I only have one class so today is sort of like my Monday. By the time this day comes I am ready for it, but I would still much rather be sitting at home making crafts and baking. What can I say?!

My Goals for today are:

• go to all of my classes
• take good notes
• don't stress about graduate school- I should be hearing back any day now from some of the schools that I applied to so I guess I will just have to play the waiting game.

Kristiansand Harbor around early evening. So peaceful and the sky is beautiful after a little rain shower.

Things to do:

• Proofread my self-reflection paper
• Start writing my African Dance paper
• Start studying for my Stuttering Exam next week!

Transformation

This past summer I decided that I was going to make this little room the BEST room in the Alpha Phi house. Needless to say it took a lot of garage sale shopping and planning to make this room a dream hideaway. I wanted my room to remind me of my travels in Europe while still having a little vintage, rustic feel. I think I can confidently say that I achieved all of that.

Step number one: Take tons of pictures of the room in its nakedness. I know it looks pretty helpless and it may seem that there is no hope for this room, but you are wrong! I see tons of potential in this little nook.

BEFORE:

{Ugly brown window trim}

{Possible desk area? Awkward slant}

After a summer of hard work, I can confidently say that it all paid off!

AFTER:

{Reading Nook with a green Queen Anne chair as the statement piece}

{Antique desk that I spray painted and stained}

{Nightstand, Norge mason jar, antique jewelry catcher, and one of my favorite Roma pictures framed}

{Italia Map above my nightstand}

{My bed with my favorite color combination}

Here are a few things I learned a lot from my experience redesigning my room.

1. Be patient- You won't find all the perfect pieces all at once. Sometimes they pop up when you least expect it.
2. Keep an open mind. What you first envision may change.
3. Garage Sale shopping is KEY for finding those perfect statement pieces.
4. If you work hard to produce quality work, it will all pay off in the end.

A Weekend of Relaxation

This past weekend was the definition of relaxing. I spent all Saturday catching up on my favorite TV shoes: Once upon a time, Grey's Anatomy and The Bachelor. Now I am all caught up and it feels so good. Although I felt extremely unproductive, it is good to take days off every once in a while. Sometimes after a long stressful week you need to recharge and just veg out (as my mother would always say, "Just sit back and veg!")

Just a relaxing walk along the Tiber River in Roma, Italia. One of my favorites.

Throwback Thursday

Today is a special day because it is Throwback Thursday. For today I wanted to take it back to the time I was in Kristiansand with my dear friend Anne May. Although it wasn't the nicest day for sight seeing, we were determined to take pictures anyway. Anne May took me to the top of a hiking trail so that I could really get a full view of her city. She felt bad that the weather was lousy, but I didn't mind because quite frankly this is how I pictured Norway. It was perfect.

cargo ship sailing out of the harbor

If I ever get frustrated or annoyed today (particularity during my Audiology Exam this morning)  I am just going to go to pretend like I am on top of this hill, just looking out over Kristiansand. How relaxing!

A little windy

Sleep Deprived

For some reason my simply wonderful day yesterday ended with barely any sleep last night. I will never understand why sometimes I just have a difficult time sleeping, but either way I definitely need an energy boost this morning. I might have to make two coffees to keep my head above water. Good thing, I have a pretty low key day filled with studying and dance class.

Let's take things back a bit to Italia (my second home). If I could have anything in the world right now I would have a cup of coffee from this cute coffee place in Florence. The coffee in Italia is simply wonderful. I'm not quite sure what they put in it, but it does the job. Oh how I wish I could just cozy up at some cute vintage coffee shop and sip on one of these delicious creations...

Cafe Americano per favore

Simply Wonderful

Normally I don't do this, but I just have to talk about my randomly awesome day! I have to just simply list all of the great things that happened to me today because it's easier to read.

• My 9:30am class got cancelled.
• I got As on both of my quizzes from last week!
• I got out of class early so I had time to set up my room for clinic aka I actually got to go home for lunch.
• Clinic was crazy fun/stressful, but I survived and was still smiling when I left.

For those of you who are wondering what clinic I'm talking about I am currently a wanna be speech language pathologist still in the preliminary stages of getting my degree. As of right now I have a cute little client that I work with every Tuesday and Thursday. Although some days are rough, I love every minute of it.

We all need to enjoy these special days as they come. What makes this day even better is that it was completely unexpected.

The Flavian Palace in Rome, Italy

African Coffee Cake

Now I know what you are all thinking... "What makes this cake African?" Well I'm not exactly sure why this cake is named the way it is, but all I know is that it is a huge hit! Make this coffee cake for guests to munch on in the morning and they won't want to leave!

Doesn't this just look divine? This is exactly what I need in the morning.

Deb's Famous African Coffee Cake

2 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup white granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup salad oil
*Mix all of the above ingredients until crumbly. After mixed, take out 1 cup of the crumbly mixture and set aside.

Add to the remaining mixture:
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
* Mix together and pour into a 9x13" baking dish.

Layer as follows:
Batter, 1 cup crumbly mixture, and top with cinnamon (I always like to put a little more on top because I LOVE cinnamon)

*Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes

Frosting:
4oz. butter (1 stick)
1 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Enjoy!

Zucchini Barsssss

Zucchini Barssssss

Cake

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup canola oil
• 4 eggs beaten
• 2 cups grated zucchini
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon (i always add more because i love cinnamon)

Frosting

• 3 oz. philly cream cheese
• 1/2 cup margarine
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tbsp skim milk

1. Mix all of the cake ingredients together with an electric mixer

2. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes in a jelly roll pan or any 9 x 13 baking dish

3. When cool, frost with frosting.

Things to remember: If bringing zucchini barsssss to a party, make sure that you wait until you get to the party to frost them or else the frosting will melt all over!

Zucchini Barssssss

Valentine's Day

Today is the day of love.  Love is definitely in the air because I can feel it! Today is also a very special day because it's my little brother's 20th birthday! I am going to make him a beer cake and his favorite zucchini barssssss.

Zucchini Barssssss

I wish you a very happy birthday Nick! I hope all of you wishes come true and that you spend your special day with the people you love. AKA me hehe

 

 

 

 

Up North

Meet the family

When I visited my family in Norway it was almost as if I was reconnecting a long lost family. It is so crazy how similar our families are, but yet it doesn't surprise me.

First I'll start with Anne May's family... Anne May has three beautiful children. The oldest Adrian with 8 years, Oda with 6 years, and the youngest Alida who is just as cute as button. She was just 11 months when I visited.

Adrian loved playing soccer with me! Good thing I knew a thing or to about how to play :)

Oda loved to help around the house and dress up. One night while making dinner she came up to me with these big pearl earrings in. Ironically I was wearing my pearl earrings too! What a coincidence haha. She is so cute.

Last, but certainly not least is baby Alida. She was such a good baby. She never cried a single time I was there.

Those children are just so well behaved and so cute! Anne May is a great mom :)

I am very close with Anne May. She was so kind to let me into her home and take me around Norway. She was my translator, mother, and friend while I visited and I am forever grateful for her kindness. I miss her everyday because whenever I think of Norway I think of her. She is truly family and the fact that both of us cried when I arrived and left just says it all.

{Forever family}

{Anne May teaching me a thing or two about Norwegian baking}

I can't forget about Anne May's brother Jan Erik and sister Monica! They were so kind to me. Jan Erik showed me nature and Monica made me laugh all the time! What a fun family :) Jan Erik reminds me of my brother Nick. I honestly believe that they are long lost brothers. They act the same and they are obsessed with hunting and fishing. I cannot wait for these two brothers to meet in person!

{From right to left: myself, Anne May, Monica, and Jan Erik}

Anne May's parents Inger Brit and Kristen are awesome. They remind me so much of my parents especially Inger Brit. She acts just like my mom. She's always smiling and just adores her grand children!

 

I cannot wait till I can come back and be with this family again. Hopefully my family and I can visit soon so we can all be together!

A visit from mi madre

My mom came to visit my brother Nick and I this past weekend in Milwaukee. I love being able to spend some quality time with her because she is the best mommy in the world! She is literally always smiling and knows how to make me feel better. Whenever I'm having a bad day at school I call her up and vent to her. She always seems to know what to say... I guess that's just because she's my mom and she's always supposed to know what to say right?!

Mi madre and I having fun making Krumaka.

Everytime my mom visits us we always seem to do the same thing, which is totally fine with me I just like being with her! Here is the Hovda family's usual weekend routine in Milwaukee...

• Night One: Mom picks me up from MU and then we go pick Nick up from UWM. I can't forget to mention how she screams and runs up to me at the Phi house when she first arrives. I always look forward to that moment because I just feel so special and blessed to have a mom like her. After we pick up Nick we decide where we want to eat. Our choices are Rock Bottom, Cheesecake Factory, or the Capital Grill. This weekend we went with the Cheesecake Factory first because Milwaukee was busting with people. EW. After we stuff ourselves we head to the hotel to pass out in our food comas.
• Day 2: We wake up super super late (catching up on some much needed sleep) and head to brunch where we continue to stuff ourselves. Then we go shopping! (Nick doesn't really like this part too much, but he puts up with us) After a long day of shopping we head back to the hotel to relax before dinner. Night 2 restaurant options usually include either the Rock Bottom or Capital Grill. This weekend we went with the Capital Grill and boy was it good! I always have to order the citrus glazed salmon because I just have to. After a wonderfully relaxing and enjoyable dinner we had back to the hotel and veg out/ enjoy yet another food coma.
• Day 3 is always the hardest because this is the day that mom has to head back to Wausau. I can tell by her body language and the expression on her face that she dreads leaving us, but she knows that she has to get back home to dad and the pups. This day consists of lots of driving and running last minute errands for Nick before she starts her journey home. This weekend we got to have a quick dinner before she left. The Hovda's can't leave Milwaukee without having dinner at Rock Bottom first. Lucky for me I don't really have class on Mondays so I didn't have any trouble fitting it into my schedule. I ordered a pretty light entree considering how much food I consumed over the weekend, but my mom and brother ordered their usual entrees. After dinner my mom dropped us both off and went back home, but before she leaves she always has to leave us with a little money and a present from Walgreens. she is so cute! This time in honor of Valentine's day she got us both cards and a little something special to decorate our rooms!

After a fun weekend it's time to focus on school and get back to reality. Although I had a wonderful weekend with my mommy, I did miss my third floor ladies so I need to reorganize my room and life in order to prepare for the tough week ahead!

Things to look forward to...

1. Valentine's Day/ Dinner with Andrew at Buckley's downtown
2. Nick's Birthday
3. The weekend.

A little bit of Norwegian history

When I was in Konsmo my family took me to see the biography about my great grandpa Jens Thorson. My mom has told me so many stories about him and how some people called him the "King of the Norwegians," but all of that didn't really mean anything to me at such a young age. When I first saw the poster, it all came together. Jens Thorson was literally a god in the Helle Valley.

Since I can't read Norwegian, I had my cousin Anne May translate for me. Basically my great grandpa is a pretty big deal. The house in the background of the top picture is the same house that my mom grew up in... pretty cool huh? The farm in the picture below is the famous Thorson farm that my great grandpa started in Minnesota when he first immigrated from Norway. I have many fun memories of playing on that farm with my uncles.