I did it again!

I ordered clothes online that most likely not going to fit me right. Not if you consider the statistics. I have spent so much money on unnecessary postage because I ordered clothes that are either too small or too big. But what do you do when you live in the middle of nowhere, where your choices of clothing materials are either fleeze or gortex?

This time I studied the sizing guide and I measured carefully. According to their numbers I am a size 6. We'll see next week when the clothes get here. Cross your fingers!

What a Wonderful World

I'm in the same mood as Louis today! Everything is wonderful,, starting to think that those mushrooms I ate for lunch today weren't just regular mushrooms :)

Burnt-out

Yep, now I have another week and a half of work. This has been an extremely exhausting summer!

Me in a nutshell

I am constantly trying new things! Today I tried how it felt to go into the grocery store, withdraw $20.00 at the self-checkout, and then forget to take the damn money. I left the store, happily as ever, and didn't realize what I'd done until many hours later. I get so tired of myself and my forgetfulness.

Ugly Betty

Today I have done something I've never done before. I have purchased my first very own vehicle and I have developed negotiation skills I didn't think I had in me. It is definitely not a pretty car. But...

- It's a clean 2001 Ford Focus (which is a very fuel efficient car)
- It has gone less than 49.000 miles
- I got it for $4.500! (which means I won't have any car payments)
- The car insurance is only $39.00/month

Now I am only going to pray it won't break on me.
Ugly Betty from the front

Ugly Betty from the back

Mission Impossible?

I am shopping for a car. A clean, newer model, fast car with low mileage on it, good fuel economy and that won't break. Ever.

Oh, and did I mention it can't cost more then 10K?

Sweet 28

Sick on my birthday! Fy fabian!!!

In case you wonder

Consuming 10 oranges within 6 hours does not help a severe hangover. Just FYI.

Sweet memories

Today was the third and last morning when we had to wake up at 4.30 a.m. After work we went to the Steamboat Springs Wine Festival. It has become a yearly event that we go to and this year it was our third time.

But before the festivities started we decided to go check on our old apartment that is nearby and was ours for two years. Unfortunately we were forced to move out when the owner decided he was going to tear down the building. We loved that place and it was so strange to return to it. The building is still there but it is completely empty. We went inside through the back door and saw that all the doors inside were wide open including the door to our old apartment. So we went inside and it was very sad because everything was so familiar, even the trash that was in the bin was the last of our trash that we threw away before moving out. The carpet was full of Chania's and Rimini's hair and the wood that we left by the fire place was still there. I love our house, but I absolutely adored our old place. Ski in - ski out, close to bars and restaurants, but still very private.

Enough of this sentimentality; however, I miss it. I miss it a lot.

Following my heart

Today when the alarm went off at 4.30 a.m. I felt like cooking for 150 hungry American football guys at age 17. So that was just what I did.

Cooling off

We are only working five hours a day this week which give us plenty of time to spend in the river. Nice!

No blogging due to severe allergies

Maybe cutting our 4' long grass will do it? I hope to be back to normal soon again!

Off to Utah

Tomorrow morning we will take off for our last vacation this summer. Monday I will start working after 2½ months in freedom. So we decided to go to Park City, UT for the Food and Wine Classics that starts tomorrow through Sunday. We will also meet up with Max's sister who is there for a conference. I am bringing my laptop and hoping to get time for some blogging. Bye for now from an extremely hot Steamboat Springs.

Earlier this morning

M: Hey baby, you might wanna go on eBay later..
C: For what?! (I'm sleeping, do not disturb!)
M: To buy a new cellphone
C: Why?!! (I already have one, bought a new one earlier this month, remember?)
M: Cause you left yours outside all night in heavy rain and hail
C: F..k!

(To all of you who might be trying to call me - don't!)

(Call Max)
(who never forgets anything)

What to say (and not to say)

My brain is set on "vacation mode" why I haven't been blogging for a few days. I guess it is normal after being off work for over two months now. Something else that might happen as a result of long and lazy summer days with lots of ice cream and American BBQ is a slight weight gain.

The other day we were shopping for new biking clothes and I tried on a pair of the traditional bicycle tights. As most women, I spent some time analyzing whether the tights looked good from behind or not. I decided to get some positive confirmation from my dear husband why I fired off the classic line: "My butt looks big in these!"

Every man on earth should know that when something like that is being said, they should NOT agree but instead say something like: "No honey, your butt looks absolutely perfect. Not big at all!"

My man did not know. Or if he knew, he had some kind of loss of memory in that very moment. Because his answer was fast, short, and concise: "That's because they are padded!"

Which by the way they weren't...

Heavy duty work

Today some dear friends of ours came over and made us a new patio. It took 4.400 lb of concrete. Lucky me I didn't have to help carry those bags. The result is great and we are super happy with thier work. Now we are going to find some nice patio stone for the the small part we decided not to put concrete on and then we can fire up the grill and let the party start.

E.T. phone home

This morning when we woke up it was a crop circle in our yard. Pretty freaky...

Bithcing for privacy

We have gotten new neighbors. Neighbors that we don't like. Neighbors that are annoying, loud, and straight up weird. Therefore we decided to buy some shrubs. Shrubs that get 15-20 feet wide and almost as tall. That should do it. Unfortunately they are not sound resistant, but at least we should not be able to see them. The neighbors that is.

When they saw we planted those bushes they countered with putting up blinds in all their windows. I wonder what our next move will be? I think our newly planted shrubs will be enough. Don't want to exaggerate you know...

My summer's reading material

On my nightstand today...

The Great Sand Dunes

We are home from our road trip. The highlight was definitely The Great Sand Dunes in southern Colorado. It was amazing, so cool! Here are some pictures.

Myror i benen!

Sure, it's no place like home but after hanging around the house for a week more or less it's time to move on! See something else. So the bags are packed and so is the tent and the sleeping bags. We are going on a trip through different parts of Colorado and down to New Mexico. Thursday and Friday we are going to be in Pueblo since Max has to go to a job meeting there. But then we will continue our drive to the Great Sand Dunes, Santa Fe, and hopefully Carlsbad Caverns among other exciting stops. The updates will probably not be too many but in that case pictures will be posted on the blog when we get back. Adios for now!

Hard as a rock

We finally got some sun here in northern Colorado why I have neglected the blog a little bit. We have been outside in the yard excavating. The plan is to make a little patio outside the back door. After all the digging was done we went to look at patio stones. That was a little bit of a shocking experience. Why are rocks so expensive?! Oh well, I guess we should have thought of that before digging up the lawn...

Scented room

Fresh Lilacs from the yard...

matching my new framed pictures from IKEA. I lööööv IKEA!!

Bun in the oven

Tonight we are going to a barbeque and right now we are in the kitchen making bread for it. Max is showing off his newly developed artisan bread baking skills and I am making Swedish cinnabon buns. Lightning and thunder is still in the air so we'll see if there will be an inside BBQ or not.
P.S. my cinnamon buns turned out way better looking than the one on the picture which I took of the internet :)

Familiar ground

The drive back west took about sixteen hours. It is good to be back and it has been fun to see some familiar faces again. Today we had some beers with my boss and some coworkers and it looks like I am going to go back to work in the beginning of June. So right now we are in the process of planning some trips within the states or just outside. Lightning and thunderstorms have been passing through the last couple of days and our yard looks like a djunge. But it is so green and beautiful and clean looking.

Homesick

Our stay here is about to end and I am ready to start heading back to Colorado. It feels great that as many places as we have been to, and as many times as we have been driving across the country, we always agree on that no place is like Steamboat Springs, CO.

Sure, it is snow there six months of the year and sometimes brutally cold. But most of the times it is really pleasant, calm, beautiful, and clean. Sweden would be an alternative, but unfortunately we haven't agreed on that subject (yet).

Cozy

Rain and thunder is in the forecast for our last two days here. I think I'll stay in bed a little longer with my laptop, book and remote control. Zzzzzzzzzzzz...

Life is hard

The reason why we went to Napa Valley is that Max is taking a couple of classes here at the CIA in Saint Helena. His classes are from 7.00 a.m. to 8.30 p.m.

So what do I do here? Well, lets see. I wake up and have long breakfasts in the hotel lobby, I walk the dogs among the vines, I lay by the pool and read Swedish mystery fiction, I stroll downtown and drink lattes at some of the outdoor cafes or have a glass or two of a local chardonnay. And I am staying here for free!

Yeah,, it could be worse...

Picture on demand

I have received lots of e-mails requesting pictures of my new haircut so here is one...

Greetings from Napa Valley