It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Fall

Ken and I took a ride on the ferry out to a few islands in the Oslofjord. So beautiful!

We got off the ferry on Hovedøya, an island with a lot of pretty walking trails, and a couple of beaches we'll definitely have to hit up next summer.

The remnants of Hovedøya Abbey, a monastery built in 1147.

An insane amount of leaves, everywhere. Gorgeous.

Loved these colorful houses on Bleikøya, an island we passed on the way.

We've also been taking some walks around Oslo, of course. Here are a few goodies from the city...

Oslofjord on a cloudy day.

The ski jump at Holmenkollen, where they're holding the Nordic World Ski Championships in 2011. We should probably figure out how to get tickets. Seems like something that shouldn't be missed.

Fall foliage everywhere. Here is part of Akershus Fortress, built in the 1290s. A large portion of it is currently being renovated, so I can't get a good shot with all the scaffolding on the side. Cool though.

Hallo. Jeg heter Ken. Kan du hjelpe meg? Takk!

City Hall Square. This city has so many statues throughout. Love them.

The Nobel Peace Institute.

The Royal Palace.

Other Good Stuff:

Finding a Mexican restaurant.  Not great, but a bit of normalcy.

Vafler with raspberry jam and creme. My new favorite thing.

Revving up the fireplace at our new apartment. Our furniture isn't here yet, but I got a couple of chairs at IKEA so we can chill over there sometimes. It's a nice little vacation from our temporary housing (we are very grateful for our free temporary housing though!).

The Soundtrack of My Life

It rained for four days (the sun is finally out in full force today though!), and I've been taking care of uneventful administrative tasks and apartment stuff. So no exciting Oslo post this week. However, I did something I've always thought of doing, but never had the motivation to sit down, research, and put on paper. Until today.

If you aren't a music-lover, this post will probably just be long, boring, and perhaps confusing. But I wrote this for myself, so I understand if I'm the only one who reads it.

Anyone who knows me well, knows that I've been a huge fan of music my entire life. It's a beautiful constant in life, music. It's there when you're happy to make you dance, there when you're sad to let you know that someone else has felt the same way, and there when you're lonely, as another voice in the room. I've been relying on it very heavily with the move, since I don't know many people in Oslo yet. It's nice to have a friendly, familiar voice in the room.

So, I give you the soundtrack of my life. I went back to as early as I can remember being excited about good tunes, and picked a song that I felt was sort of defining for that year of my life. It was really fun to go back and reminisce. Nothing strikes up a memory in my mind like a song. Okay, maybe a picture. But pictures go better with songs, don't they?

Year: 1987

Age: 5

Song: "I Think We're Alone Now" by Tiffany

Rationale: I clearly remember staring at the tape longingly in the glass case at the record store until my mom bought it for me. Yes, my mom took me to the record store when I was little. Because she's cool (thanks Mom!).

Year: 1988

Age: 6

Song: "You Got It (The Right Stuff)" by New Kids on the Block

Rationale: Not sure if it was the music itself (probably not), or Joey McIntyre, but I sure was smitten. I remember dancing to this video in front of the TV.

Year: 1989

Age: 7

Song: "Electric Youth" by Debbie Gibson

Rationale: You can't fight it. I really wanted Debbie's jacket and hat from this album cover.

Year: 1990

Age: 8

Song: "Step by Step" by New Kids on the Block

Rationale: This was the summer I went to the NKOTB concert at Driller's Stadium in Tulsa. I wore my Joey t-shirt, tied on the side with a plastic clip. It was freaking magical. On the first day of school, we had to say a highlight from the summer. You know what mine was.

Year: 1991

Age: 9

Song: "Baby Baby" by Amy Grant

Rationale: I'm sorry. I reached into the depths of my mind to find someone (anyone!) else that I was more excited about than Amy Grant this year. She was it for me.

Year: 1992

Age: 10

Song: "Jeremy" by Pearl Jam

Rationale: It's a huge step going from Amy Grant to PJ. This was the beginning of the grunge era of my youth, and a transition out of the terrible music of the previous years. This video was creepy at the age of 10. But Eddie Vedder's voice kept me coming back for more.

Year: 1993

Age: 11

Song: "The Sign" by Ace of Base

Rationale: A brief relapse into terrible music. I requested the hell out of this song on the radio.

Year: 1994

Age: 12

Song: "Interstate Love Song" by Stone Temple Pilots

Rationale: Ahh, 7th grade angst and awkwardness. This was a big year for me musically…it's hard to pick one. It was toss-up between this and Greenday's "Basketcase." But I think I liked STP more.

Year: 1995

Age: 13

Song: "Glycerine" by Bush

Rationale: Gavin Rossdale gave me the chills. Pretty sure I had a poster of him. Went to a Bush concert. Thought I was awesome.

Year: 1996

Age: 14

Song: "Ironic" by Alanis Morissette

Rationale: It wasn't until high school that people told me I looked like Alanis. I wish they'd told me in 8th grade. It would've made my year.

Year: 1997

Age: 15

Song: "One Headlight" by The Wallflowers

Rationale: Ahh, Jakob Dylan. His lovely face was on the first issue of Rolling Stone I ever bought, in 1997. I loved this whole album, and listened to it repeatedly.

Year: 1998

Age: 16

Song: "Shimmer" by Fuel

Rationale: Tell me this song didn't make you want to rock out. I remember rocking out to it pretty hardcore at a Fuel show in T-town.

Year: 1999

Age: 17

Song: "Two Step" by Dave Matthews Band

Rationale: Thus begins my love affair with DMB. From 1999-2003, I traipsed to any show within driving distance of Tulsa - so St. Louis, KC, Dallas, and OKC. This song was released earlier than 1999, but I started really loving this song at shows.

Year: 2000

Age: 18

Song: "Take a Picture" by Filter

Rationale: For some reason, 2000 is fuzzy when it comes to good songs. But this was always a fave, so I'll go with it. Think I was still listening to a lot of DMB at the time, so maybe not a lot of variety in my rotation in those days.

Year: 2001

Age: 19

Song: "Anything You Want" by Spoon

Rationale: Britt Daniel is a god, and I got to meet him at an A.C. Newman show in Portland last year. I was ridiculously giddy, and told him I had loved his music for a very long time. He was very nice, and didn't treat me like the lunatic that I was. I've loved Spoon for a long, long time. True story: My car was totaled when a lady slammed into me at a stoplight (everyone was fine, thankfully), and I was listening to this album at the time. Afterward, I was able to fish the CD player and this CD out of the wreckage. True story.

Year: 2002

Age: 20

Song: "Fell in Love With a Girl" by The White Stripes

Rationale: Have you heard this song? If you can't rock out to this, I'm not sure you can rock out to anything.

Year: 2003

Age: 21

Song: "Bowl of Oranges" by Bright Eyes

Rationale: It's funny, but Conor Oberst has always had a way of saying how I feel at different stages in life. Thanks, Conor.

Year: 2004

Age: 22

Song: "The Sound of Settling" by Death Cab for Cutie

Rationale: This is the year I graduated from college, and moved across the country for grad school at the University of Oregon. Where I didn't know a single soul. And then I met some of my favorite people, and had some of the most fun I've ever had. I'll never forget how I felt for most of 2004, on the brink of a great adventure. This song always got me excited.

Year: 2005

Age: 23

Song: "Birmingham 1982" by Maria Taylor

Rationale: This song makes me very sentimental for some reason. Makes me tear up sometimes. I used it in the childhood pictures portion of our wedding video, and thought it was perfect for that. Maria's voice is beautiful.

Year: 2006

Age: 24

Song: "The Funeral" by Band of Horses

Rationale: This is one of my favorite albums, ever. I've seen them play twice, and this song rocks live. This is also the year I moved to Portland, and I usually have a deep affinity for music I'm listening to during a major life change.

Year: 2007

Age: 25

Song: "I Feel It All" by Feist

Rationale: I love Feist's voice. Got to see her at the Schnitz in Portland, and she is lovely live.

Year: 2008

Age: 26

Song: "L.E.S. Artistes" by Santigold

Rationale: Ken and I usually listened to/sang this song in the car on roadtrips around Oregon. Maybe that's why I like it so much. Ken and Oregon roadtrips are pretty fantastic.

Year: 2009

Age: 27

Song: "Kids" by MGMT

Rationale: This song has gotten my blood pumping on many a run. It just gets me going. And makes me want to dance, especially while I'm running.

Year: 2010

Age: 28

Song: "Zebra" by Beach House

Rationale: I remember putting this song on my headphones for the first time while spreadsheeting away in my cubicle. It was beautiful. And they're the first show I'll see in Oslo. So again with the love of the music during the transition periods of my life.

If you made it here, I'm impressed. Thanks for listening.

The Apartment

Here she is, in all of her empty glory. We're actually shocked we found such a great place with this much space in it within our price range, since housing tends to be crazy expensive here. Here's to hoping our shipping container shows up in two weeks like they're predicting, so we can move in soon...

Living room looking into the kitchen. Do you see that little blue gem of a fireplace??

Living room window - lots of light. And they left this huge shelf, so that will be nice since our furniture from the U.S. won't really fill the living room.

Living room fireplace. Our rug and furniture will actually match it - awesome.

Dining area in the kitchen, and our little balcony. We just bought a Euro-sized grill to put out on this baby, and I'll find some chairs before we move in. There's also a flower box lining the railing, so I need to find something pretty that's resistant to frigid weather...

Kitchen, with fireplace #2.

Bedroom. Again, loving all of the natural light. No closets whatsoever in here. Who needs a closet, right?

Love this light in the entry.

So we love it. And we have our fingers crossed tightly for the container's arrival on Oct 19th!

London Calling

First of all, I will say that I was very excited to go to London for the first time. For very ridiculous reasons. I love history (especially Medieval stuff), Hugh Grant (Love Actually and About a Boy are two of my absolute favorite movies, ever), fish and chips, Prince William (don't act like you're immune to his beauty), and when people with British accents use words like "trainers" and "rubbish." I'll completely understand if you immediately stop reading this post due to my lack of dignity.

So, I went to London for a few days. My good friend Jamie, who I met in Tulsa as an intern many moons ago, called me the week before I left Portland and said she would be in London for work the week after we moved to Oslo. Found a $95 roundtrip (excellent) and I was there. She had to work during the day, so I rolled solo during the days. Then we had dinner together both nights and chatted it up. It was, as always, fabulous to see her.

The first day I went to the Palace, Hyde Park, and Kensington Gardens.

Pretty fall tree in the Princess Diana memorial in Hyde Park.

Peter Pan statue in Kensington Gardens. Ken claimed he spent a summer trying to find this statue. It was clearly marked on a map, and I found it in approx five minutes...?

Jamie gave me the brilliant idea to go to Stonehenge on the second day. So I hopped on a train to Salisbury (lovely little town), then a bus out to Stonehenge. It was a beautiful train and bus ride, and Stonehenge itself was cool. I also had a huge brick of the best shortbread I've ever had in my life there.

It was pouring down rain, and really windy. So I documented the way I really saw Stonehenge: from under a cute umbrella that kept wanting to turn itself inside out in the wind.

Risking the life of my precious camera for a sans umbrella shot. She made it.

Taken by some nice fellow Stonehenge patrons.

Had to catch my flight the final day, but I made it to the Tower Bridge and the Tower of London before rolling out. Good stuff.

Let's just say my trip ended with fish and chips for lunch, then asking the British security guy at the airport if I needed to take off my shoes since no one else was taking off their shoes. To which he replied "Oh. You've got trainers. No need."

Thank you, London. And Jamie.

Out & About

Oslo finally caved and gave me a sunny day. So I took a walk with the ol' camera (actually I carry it around in a new satchel I bought for my passport, so it will be with me at all times now...)

A walk around the fjord. I love these boats...

The Opera House. It's beautiful. You can walk all over it and up to the top.

Frogner Park. Very pretty.

Vigeland Sculpture Garden in Frogner Park. All nudes, all the time...

Love these fall-ish flowers.

After scouring the internets for a list of Oslo farmers markets, I found one in a nearby town called Drammen. So we took a short train ride out. It was really quaint and pretty. Ate some delicious waffles with jam, and bought a pumpkin and some great veggies. There's a farmers market in Oslo I'll hit up this weekend, then they're every other weekend or so through December. Anyway, I liked this bridge in Drammen.

Observations about Oslo so far: I like it. It's quaint. It's pretty. It's relatively small for a big city. The city center reminds me of Boston, sans the hills (sweet). The streets go in circles, not a nice grid, so I've had to keep the map handy. It'll be awhile before I have them down. The public transportation is awesome. Going out to a restaurant is ridiculously expensive, so that will have to be a treat every once in awhile. Even lunch is really expensive. Drinks are also expensive, so the duty free shop at the airport will be our friend.

Groceries are actually moderately priced, so that's good. We've been eating at home, and eating very healthy. And walking as much as we did in Portland (a ton). 

There's an H&M on what seems like every other block (love). And the clothes are priced fairly. IKEA has a free bus that will take you out to the store, since a lot of people don't have cars. I'll be utilizing the IKEA bus once we get into our apartment!

Other than that, people have been friendly and helpful when you ask them questions, so that's nice. Everyone seems to be a big fan of wearing boots. And there are quite a few brunettes in Oslo, contrary to popular belief. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of blondes. But I am happy to not stick out like a sore thumb with my dark hair.

I'm now in London for the next few days. My fabulous friend Jamie gave me the heads up that she would be working in London this week, so I'm visiting her for a few days. Round trip from Oslo: $95. Flight time: less than two hours. And this is why we're in Europe!

We Made It

Whew...we made it to Oslo. After a couple of jet-lagged days, things are great so far. Seems like there is a lot to do in this city, it's very pretty, it's on the sea, and people seem friendly and helpful so far. Plus, it isn't cold yet!

Now for some catching up.

The past few weeks were all over the place - Portland, visiting OK & TX, and journeying to Oslo. So, without further adieu, here we go...

Leaving P-town: was very sad. We had a rockin' viking-themed going away party, where we chilled at rontoms for hours, visited the food carts at 12th & Hawthorne (thank you Whiffie's fried pies, the fry cart, and the little merry-go-round that Ken, Sam, and Josh took a ride on), and ended the night with a visit to the Jolly Roger next to the food carts. We always joked about visiting the JR since it's next to a restaurant we like and the food carts we frequent only on the wildest of nights out. Divey, yes. But they played video requests all night, and I can't think of anything better than breaking it down to Motownphilly after a few rounds of rontoms' Aviation gimlets, Krogstad Aquavit (we tasted this as part of the Norwegian theme - very anise-y, doesn't go down very smoothly...), a fried pie, and fries.

Pics from the glorious evening...

All vikinged-up with Sam. Sam is awesome. And he's in an awesome band called No Kind of Rider, with four other awesome guys. You should check them out here.  You're welcome, Sam. All three people that read this blog are going to be breaking down your door.

Josh and Laura getting into the spirit. Laura's braids were perfect for the helmet. We really aren't sure what we're going to do without our Josh and Laura fix every few days. Probably cry. A lot.

T$, Jake, and Holli - some of our first friends in Portland!

With two of my favorite ladies, Laura and Kate.

The merry-go-round in the food cart pod on Hawthorne. Genius.

End of the night Motownphilly madness at the Jolly Roger.

Besides feasting and having fun with friends, our last days in P-town were spent cleaning out our apartment and organizing everything for the movers (six bodyguard-size movers in a 600 sq ft apartment - hilarious!), and soaking in all the last moments for a couple of years...bittersweet for sure.

Visit to the Middle (aka OK & TX): to say goodbye to family and friends, and for Jamie and Doug's wedding, which was beautiful. My high school reunion ended up being the same weekend we were in town, so that was a nice coincidence. Good times in the homeland!

Loved getting to see all the girls at Jame's wedding.

Congrats to Doug and Jamie! What a lovely couple.

10-year (yikes!) high school reunion with Denise and Matt. It was fun to catch up with everyone. Holy cow I look semi-tan. That won't last long here!

Family pics in the park by the talented Becki Goodhue.

The Journey to Oslo: was long. And we're still recovering. It's only been three days, but we've done quite a bit of exploring and just snagged an awesome apartment today. Our stuff doesn't arrive from Portland for another month, so we're staying in the temporary housing until then. Oslo is a beautiful city, and I think we're going to love it. We're learning the ropes, thanks to Ken's very nice HR person at work, my funny/cool Norwegian friend Ingvar who I met in grad school in Oregon, and the nice apartment finders who helped us get our place. We just have to laugh at ourselves when we don't know the difference between laundry detergent and fabric softener, or if the package of meat we see is beef. Pics of the Oslo adventures are coming next week! Promise.

So, What Will You Be Doing?

That's the question I've been asked by many when it comes to what my plans are now that I'm funemployed. And I always respond with sort of a shrug. Because I don't know, and don't really care I guess?

I'll admit, when I went for a run during lunch back in my employment days, and people were walking the streets of my neighborhood in the sunshine at 1pm, I'd always wonder what the heck they were doing, and why they weren't stuck inside under fluorescent lighting like the rest of us...

But you know what?

I've probably been working harder than I did at work for the past week.

We did get a mini vacation in NY for our international orientation meeting. And I did get a lovely break to hang out with my fun cousin Steph who came for a visit over Labor Day weekend.

But every other day between those breaks, I've been working my buns off, running 5,000 errands, clearing out anything we aren't shipping, recycling, selling, replacing, updating addresses, etc, etc, etc. And I'm certainly not complaining. No makeup before 7pm and manual labor are treating me just fine.

I've also been lunching and dinnering and drinking with my friends who I'll miss dearly.

So, there. That's what I'm doing now that I'm not working. And I wouldn't change a thing.