Slowly but surely making progress on this whole new-blog-look thing :)  Just when I get frustrated and start thinking I'm totally computer illiterate, I surprise myself and learn something new.  Anyways, there may be a lot of different looks over the next week or so that come and go.  I ask you to please excuse them as I work on perfecting my new site.  I feel like leaving it open and playing around with it as-is is a lot more effective than shutting it down for a week.... so bear with me :)  I promise, I'll explain the changes and get everything caught up asap!

On another note... did anyone watch American Idol tonight?  I was so excited to have those 3 as the "Top 3"... they are my favorites that I've been voting for all along!  I decided I can't vote tonight though, because I wouldn't know who to pick.  It's either vote for all 3, or none at all... so I figured I'd save my time (and text messages) and go with none.  Can't it just be all 3 in the finale!?  I never thought I'd still be watching this show 10 years later... but it's amazing what you start to watch (and get hooked on!) when you're bored in another country.  The supsense is killing me... tomorrow night can't come soon enough!

i'm alive, i swear . . . .

I know, I know... it's been over a month since I've written a new post.  And even longer since I've written on a regular basis.  But I'm on my way back to the blog world... for realllllll this time. 

There has been a ton of stuff going on in the "adventures" lives of C and J (sounds like it should be a book or something, huh?)  that has kept me from posting on a daily (or weekly, or monthly...) basis.  But I've decided that I'm back and I'm ready to share... the good, the bad, and the ugly.

I've got all kinds of new ideas to refresh the site in my head, and working on getting them down onto paper so I can hopefully follow through and make them a reality.  My life has changed a lot in the last few months, and I think that it only makes sense for my little corner of the world wide web to evolve along with me.  This is a blog about my life, after all! :)

So be sure to come back soon to check in on what's been going on.  Lots of stories and changes to come, so pick a night to grab a glass of wine (or a beer, we don't discriminate!) and curl up with the computer to see what's new.

what's going on

Thought I'd write a quick post to update on what's going on in the C & J household/world this week.

* J's last 2 games of the regular season are this week... Today & Thursday.  The team is currently in 6th place, and need to stay there to be guaranteed a playoff spot.  They play the top 2 teams in the league this week (including Mrs K's hubby tonight :) )  so it will be no easy task. 
Here's how it works: Should they end up anywhere from 7th-10th place, they will play a 3 game mini-series with one other team to determine which will move on to the playoffs with the Top 8 teams.  If they can (*fingers crossed*) stay in 6th (or higher!)  they will get a little break during this "qualifying round".

* Today is my last day "alone" for the regular season while J is away for the game.  Mixed feelings about that one! ;) 

* We're still brainstorming ideas and plans for our end-of-the-season trip.  It's just so hard to narrow anything down!  But I'm sure no matter what we decide, it will be wonderful. 

* I plan to start packing some of our stuff up and sorting out what needs to come home with us for the summer and what can stay here until next season.  It's crazy to think how soon the end of the season has come... but hopefully we still have several more weeks left! :)

* The weather in Helsinki is finally warming up a bit.  We're hanging right in the 30's F.  Not bad considering less than 2 weeks ago it was -20 F! 

* I'm working on plans for my future S.I.L's Bridal Shower in June.  Can't wait to make all of the creative ideas in my head a reality... I just looooove being a hostess! :)

* Also in the works are a couple new blog posts (of various topics) and hopefully a new blog design!  Be sure to come back and check them out :)

* Continuing expanding my photography skills!  It is quickly becoming a cherished hobby of mine.

* And last, but not least... keeping up with our shows!  The Bachelor, American Idol, NCIS: Los Angeles, Glee, Kourney & Kim, Teen Mom... etc.  Wow, am I a reality tv w*ore or what?  I guess I just throw them in along with all of the National Geographic, Viasat Explorer, Hockey & other sports programs J makes me watch, for good measure :)

Hope everyone is having a great start to their week!  Soon it will be SPRING!!

 

just a quick update

Well, J is at his away game (at the arena next door again) so it's just me and Maddie girl tonight.  I turned on the TV for Dr. Phil and what episode are they re-playing?  OCTOMOM.  Gag!!  It's the only English show I could find right now (that's at least somewhat worth watching) but I just couldn't handle watching it.  I'd rather sit in silence.

After all my complaining about the freezing weather here, it's been above 0 (mid-30's F) the past few days.  The wind is still pretty chilly, but it's still warmer than before.  Now the snow is melting (and refreezes at night) causing lots of puddles, slush, and ICE.  I can't even count how many times I have almost wiped it big time in the past 3 days.  I guess there will always be something to complain about- I'm sure in July I'll be blogging about it being too hot and sweating too much, so maybe that means I should enjoy the nice cool air and beautiful snow now.

Sunday was filled with trips to the pet store, mall, and Ikea.  My purchases were 2 new pairs of shoes, a robe, a veggie peeler, and probably my favorite: A 17 pc. tupperware set from Ikea.  Yup, I'm officially old and married.  I got all that stuff and that is what brought me the most gratification?  But, in my defence, it comes in all different sizes and it was only 3.95!  I think I showed every single person we talked to on Skype that night that damn tupperware set.  Sorry, family and friends! :)



 

 who wouldn't want this cute little set?

 On a different note, I'm super proud of myself for creating and installing my new header for the blog, along with my button (on the left) and the background.  I'm still deciding if I want to keep the background or give another one a shot.  We'll see how I feel about it in a few days.   As I'm sure you've noticed, I've decided to include personal pictures of us (other than the main one that has always been there).  After much debating and consulting with the hubs, we both thought it would leave a nice personal touch on my blog.  I'm still choosing to keep our names private, but it's nice to be able to share our pictures with our family and friends who read this.  As for those that read but do not know us personally, now you are able to put faces to the names and people that you read about :)

Make it a great day, Friends!

These beautiful flowers have been gracing me with their presence since last week :)  It's amazing how something so simple can put a smile on your face.   

dear blog readers,

As you may have noticed, I'm finally starting to get around to some of those blog renovations I mentioned (was that really almost a month ago??)  With the holiday craziness winding down, the 2nd half of the season is in full swing and we are settling back into our day-to-day routine again, so I figured the time has come.  Things may (or may not) look a lot different in the next few days, and I'm asking you to please excuse the appearance of the page as I make little changes at a time.  Unfortunately, life cannot come to a screeching halt for me to update my blog appearance, and that combined with my internet design skills (or lack thereof) slows down the process a bit.  So no, I promise you, I am not starting to change my blog appearance to suit my daily mood... even if it appears that way in the next couple of days.  I promise, once I am done, it will be here to stay for a while!  I will continue to post as regular during the process as well :)

With that, I think a break is in order.  I'm off to the gym!  Happy Monday Everyone!

thanks, santa!

Ok, I know, I've been a terrible blogger lately!  Things have been busy, and even when they haven't, I just haven't been on the computer as much the last few days.  With the holidays winding down (but not quite yet!) I hope to get into a better routine. 

Christmas was great.  We had a nice quiet Christmas Eve/morning at home, and then went to have Christmas dinner with our 4 fellow Americans here (2 guys on the team, one of their wives, and baby).  It was wonderful!!  I took my Peppermint Ice Cream/Chocolate cake over for dessert and it was a big hit.  I'll post the recipe tomorrow, promise!  I just want to get the pictures loaded on the computer so I can share those, too :)

Santa was pretty good to me... he had apparently been listening well because he brought me a new hair straightener (European one, since my one from home doesn't work well here) along with some mittens, a scarf, sweater, and various other goodies.  But I have to say, my favorite Christmas gift was....

The Marc Jacobs wallet that matches the purse that J bought me in the fall.  I've only been eyeing it up in the store like, every time I walk in there.  haha.  I'm so excited to have the matching pair now... and I was due for a new wallet, so it was perfect.  I must have been a really good girl this year!

My other favorite present- except this is a birthday present (my b-day is the 30th, I got it a couple days early even!) is the HTC DesireZ Android phone.

I've mentioned on here about missing my Blackberry and how they don't have them here in Finland- well, this is even better!  Aside from the fact that I can't BBM some of my friends :(  this phone is amazing!!  I'm still getting used to it and figuring stuff out, but I love it.  I feel so much more connected to the outside world now that I'm back to having a phone with internet, apps and the like. 

More important than any of our presents, we got to Skype with our families on Christmas.  I am so thankful that we were able to talk to AND SEE them!  It was almost as good as being there in person.  It's hard to think that it was just a few years ago that people couldn't even do that...

Also coming tomorrow, my book review of L.A. Candy, and the second book in the series by Lauren Conrad, Sweet Little Lies.  I read the first one in 48 hours after I got it, and the 2nd one I had all 300 pages finished in 24 hours.  That says one of 3 things:  1) It was a good book, 2) I have wayyy too much time on my hands or 3) All of the above.  Check back tomorrow to hear what I thought of them!

And finally, I know I mentioned that I hoped to spruce up my blog a little bit, but I just haven't gotten around to doing much yet.  That, and I'm fairly computer illiterate when it comes to that kind of stuff.  So, hopefully soon I'll have the time, energy, and patience to sit down and work on it! :)

Tomorrow is the first game back from "break", so hubby is already in bed.  Time for me to head also!  Hope you all had a wonderful Holiday filled with fun, family, food, thanks, goodies, and memories.  Goodnight!

10 things i am most thankful for in 2010

Sure, Thanksgiving was a month ago.  But all of the holiday season is a time to think about what we are thankful for and also to reflect on everything that happened over the past year.  With that, I decided to make a list of my:

Top 10 Things I am Most Thankful for in 2010

(tie) 1) Family and Friends.  No brainer.  Sorry if I'm boring you by putting them at the top of every list I make, but how could I not?  We're blessed with such wonderful people in our lives, and they deserve every bit of recognition that I can give them.  You help make both of us the people that we are.

(tie) 1) My husband.  I couldn't ask for a better person to spend the rest of my life with.  This has been a huge year for us, and I know it's only going to get even better.  You're always there for me when I'm having a tough day and can always put a smile on my face. 

3) Our Dream Wedding.  It is, and probably will forever be, the best (and most fun) day of our lives.  We had 160 of our nearest and dearest all in the same room to celebrate us.  What more could you ask for?  Everything worked out flawlessly (ok, I'm sure there were a little bumps throughout the day... but obviously they weren't a big deal since I don't even remember them 6 months later!)  Everyone had such a blast and it turned out just the way we were hoping it to.  I'm even more thankful to our parents, because if it wasn't for them, it would have never happened.

4) Hockey.  Sure, it's a love-hate relationship, but there's no denying that it has brought great things to our lives.  First, it provides an income for us.  And how many other people get to move to Europe in their twenties?  There are definitely perks that come with the life.  On top of it all, my husband gets to wake up every morning knowing that he's going to a job that he loves.  Doesn't get much better than that.  As a friend of mine quotes on her facebook profile "Find a job that you love, and you'll never have to work a day in your life."

5) Other Hockey Wives.  Whether it's ones I know personally or not, these ladies make me feel a lot less alone in this crazy little world that we live in.  From advice to sharing stories, support to making new friends, I don't know what I'd do without them!  So few people understand our lives, so it's important to be able to connect with one another and have people to talk to who "get it".

6) Skype.  I hadn't really used Skype much until this year.  Now, I don't know what I'd do without it!!  Being able to talk to and SEE family and friends across the world is amazing.  I can't imagine what it would be like living over here without it (and it wasn't that long ago that people had to!)

7) Money.  But not in the sense that you're thinking of.  I am thankful that we have a steady income to support ourselves and pay the bills.  It seems like a simple thing, but so many people don't even have that.  The security that it provides makes day to day life a lot easier (which, I know, is where the irony comes in, since many say that money only complicates things)

8) Maddie.  She probably knows me better than anyone else, even my hubby.  She hears all my secrets and  see how I act when nobody is watching.  She nurses me when I'm sick, sleeps on my feet when they're cold, and listens to me when I need someone to talk to.  No one else gets so excited every time I walk in the door and makes me feel as important as she does.

9) Finland.  I feel so blessed to have been given the opportunity to live in this beautiful country.  I learn something new about it every day, and it has been a wonderful place to live.  Almost every person I have come into contact with has been welcoming and helpful.  The team has been wonderful to us, and I have only good things to say about our stay here so far!

10) Learning so many new things about myself.  Okay, that's kind of broad.  But I think I have grown a lot as a person in the past year especially, and I'm really proud of that.  Every challange that I face (and overcome) makes me aware of what a strong person I am.  I think I have always been ahead of my years in maturity, but I think I have surpassed even that in this past year.  I have learned a lot of new things about the world, cultures, people, myself, and life in general.  I'm pretty content with who I am right now :)

Also:  I added a "my story" page at the top.  For those of you interested in reading, you can also find it here.

♥

4 days until Christmas!

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lazy day

Well, today was just that!  I'm officially a bum today.  I woke up early to say goodbye to J- he and the guys from the team went to Amsterdam for the weekend- and then fell back asleep until just before noon!  Yikes.  I've been exhausted lately, so it did feel good.  My back has been sore last night/today, which has made things fairly unpleasant :(  Standing up, sitting down, walking, running... no matter what I do I feel like an old lady!  Good thing there was nothing on my calendar for today.

I was planning to head downtown and pick up a book that I've been looking for, but when I headed to dragged my butt to the gym, I made the executive decison that it was too cold and I knew that once I got back home there was no way I'd want to go back out.  The temperature is -12 Celsius (10F) but the wind is what is the killer!  Maybe tomorrow I'll get my book... :)

I've decided now that I'm starting (key word: starting) to get the hang of this blogging thing, I need to spice up my page a bit.  Keep an eye out for some changes in the next week or two :)  And if any of you bloggers have any tips for me- feel free to help a sister out! :)

Sorry for the short post today- I need to get back to nursing my poor back!

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One week until Christmas!

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