American in Norway

What's hot for 2013? Bright colors on the eyes... time to ditch your brown & black eyeliner & add a little color... greens...plums... & blues - my personal favorite is plum... might need to shake things up & go a little green too.. Less is more... minimal makeup has continued to be hot the past few seasons, and  will continue into spring 2013.  A fresh take on the look incorporates an ultra subtle, rosy glow on your cheeks.. less bronzer..more blush Full Brows (yippee!) Another 2013 trend that reflects a more laid back, natural approach to beauty is a full, healthy brow. I wish those OVER pluckers.. would put put the tweezers down.. one day... you will.be.sorry.

Brrr - it's cold, wet & a depressing grey kind of day today. I had big plans to powerwalk around the fortress this afternoon while the girls were at swimming- but my Texas blood & toes couldn't stand the cold. I did however discover a British cemetary near the fortress - in Old town ... How odd I will have to Google the story behind it. There is so much history here in our city- that I haven't bothered to checkout...

I made it home from my business trip.. Exhausted- little Miss wasn't feeling too hot either So I kept her home today.. I needed a little selfish time with my favorite girl. Been one of the kind of evenings ... Tex Mex for dinner & family movie night I need more of these days. Sooo good to be home

Fantastic weather... fantastic walk.. ALMOST a perfect day.. The only thing which could be better.. would be enjoying the sun with my kiddos!. Heading home this evening.. YIPPEE!

My idea of a perfect sky...  BLUE  with a big bright sun! Life is good. there are worse ways to get to work...  shot from the ferry .. on the way across the fjord.. Norway is FREEZING at the moment... so were are always happy when we get a little sunshine! for more sky shots from around the world.. head over to Tina's!

You know you live in NORWAY when... Actually, despite living in Norway for 7 years... this is the first time I have "been" ice fishing. (OK... I walked out to the ICE to watch them..) Ya... I'm not much of a fishing person... but it was beautiful on the ICE.. and proved to be a nice little trek.. burning a few calories.  :-) Hope y'all have a sun shining day! Stay warm..

Oh yes... its that time of year.... where I beat myself up for everything I DIDN'T do... Time to get motivated... get my butt in gear... and make some real changes this year... (ahem) I have so many nest things going on this year... I need to feel & look my best.. So here I go. again First day of the rest of my life... so now I am getting bundled up & ready for a trip (walk)  out to see the ice fishers.. pretty cool for a girl from TEXAS.

Heading South for a few days! Hellooo Kristiansand! Here I come!

Nana got an iPhone :-). I love technology

Today was one of those perfect winter days...  Sun was shining... kids out playing.. and you just sort of feel like all is right in the world.   Hope y'all have had a fantastic weekend!

Managed to get my caboose off of the couch & get some much needed fresh air even if it was -10 I am feeling better & there appears to be a light at the end of the tunnel. woo hoo.

I was now SERIOUSLY sick... spent the entire day curled up on the couch.. the only sunshine today.. (and the only picture snapped) - was of my little ray of light.

My urgent rush home from Stockholm was to get Eva to Disney on Ice. She had been counting the days since Santa left the tickets in her stocking.. Bless her sweet heart... she grabbed my hand when she found me sleeping on the couch, after returning from school & said.."you don't have to take me mommy... we can just drop it, if you don't feel well. Figured I had already slept for almost 18 hours...  I am sure I could get up for just a few hours to take her to the show...    Ughhhh . But we made it! thank the lord for good ol' American cold meds...  looking a little crazy in the eyes.. lol

After working like a CRAZY woman for almost a week... it all finally caught up to me. Almost everyone at the conference caught some CRAZY swine flu...  and we started dropping like flies... this is the last photo ... before I fell into my almost 72 hour "coma".. Seriously, I was SO sick.. I passed out while waiting for my flight back to Oslo... lucky I wasn't robbed..or worse, miss my flight home...

and the winner is....ME!   yippee.. Truly honored to receive this award from my peers & superiors.. really kind of made my conference. I also produced my very first webinar... as much as I whine & say I hate being pushed out of my comfort zone... I am always happy when I have managed to pull something off... which I thought I was not ready ...

After our jam packed weekend... I headed out to the Swedish country for 3 more days of meetings. We had the Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish, Dutch, Latvian, Lithuanian & Estonian sales managers. As tired as I was... I love getting together all of the sales managers.. Lots of fun, & lots of inspiration & good ideas to be shared.. There could be worse places to spend 3 days working..no? The Friberghs Herrgard is essentially 17th century manor house, though parts of the building date back to the Middle Ages. situated by an inlet of Lake Mälaren. HIGHLY RECCOMMEND...  Fantastic food... only wish I had time for the sauna & a swim in the lake.

Wish there would have been more time, warmer weather & better walking shoes.. But I was happy just to get away from work & out of the hotel for a few hours.. A few shots from Gamla Stan - Stockholm's Old Town The town dates back to the 13th century, and consists of medieval alleyways, cobbled streets, and archaic architecture. North German architecture has had a strong influence in the Old Town's construction. Mårten Trotzigs Gränd

I haven't forgotten you.. and I haven't given up.. I have been taking pictures ALLLLL week.. let the posting begin.. As promised.. Saturday was CRAZY.. my day started at 6 am.. we started our run through for our ORIFLAME KICK OFF show at 7am. I managed to get on stage & do my presentation in front of almost 500 Scandinavians.. gulp. My region did an fantastic job.. and I finally made it to bed 4:30 Sunday morning... (yes.. I am far too old for this...) Here are some photos from my Scandinavian Star Studded Saturday. (Added  discription for all of you non Scandinavians...) Our Master of Ceremony was the ever fabulous Swedish-Norwegian television host Kristin Kaspersen   Charlotte Nilsson Charlotte Perrelli is a Swedish singer and occasional television host, perhaps most famous for winning the 1999 Melodifestivalen and subsequently that year's Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Take Me to Your Heaven."   Åge ...

Ok. I am desperate Only picture.. Me - at the end of an 18 hour day .... Just have to make it through tomorrow!

A very long day. - up & out at 3 am .. 2 hour drive to the Airport , one hour flight to Stockholm, 45 min Taxi to the office & 7 hours of meetings... & this is just the beginning of a crazy week. I think I deserve a glass (or two). Don't you? Hope y'all are having a fabulous week!

Today was one of those days where I really thought WHY bother with this 365. like I have time... like anyone cares about my boring day to day.. I was going to blow it off. But to be honest, I have had a kind of CRAPTASTIC day.. which includes a pretty ugly argument with my TEENAGER.. sigh.. REALLY. not. fun. when I know I will be gone for a week.. I don't want to leave with him being mad at me.. or thinking I am unfair. (Here is the CHEESE-Y part) I only wish I knew THEN.. what I know NOW.. I only wish HE knew.. what I know. Looking back NOW... I know MY parents only wanted what was best for me. OK... I didn't know that then... I thought they were HORRIBLE plenty of times.. but NOW... I think GOD they made some (most) of the decisions that they did. (Like making me finish my education.. when I thought running off with a boy- might have been a good idea. or MAKING get out there to make friends at the 3 different High schools I attended.....

Oh how I wish I had some amazing photos to share for my 365..   but unfortunately my life isn't always beautiful sunsets at the beach... I usually stop taking pictures when I think it might get boring for ya'll.. but I am going to keep plugging away.. and perhaps towards the end of the week..  things might get a bit more interesting.. (here is hoping!)  had I thought I might see a sunbeam.. somewhere.. I would have left the house.. but it has been drab and grey.. winter BLUES... so I continued to plug away on preparing my presentations for Stockholm. if you couldn't tell.. I am obsessing a wee bit about this trip. I am going to have to do a presentation in front of several hundred Norwegians & Swedes.. in Norwegian..  and I am kind of making my self sick...worrying about it. but all I can do is be well prepared right?  I started packing today.. for my trip Thursday.  No matter how well prepared I THINK am.. ...

The long way home .... Ugh, not really But the yucky weather & slippy roads make my 1,5 hour commute into Oslo makes it feel that way. I am glad I don't have to go into the big city everyday!

smor·gas·bord (smôrgs-bôrd, -brd) n. 1. A buffet meal featuring a varied number of dishes. 2. A varied collection: "a smorgasbord of fashionable paranormal beliefs" (Martin Gardner). This evening's post will be a smörgåsbord  (a bit of this.. a little bit of that..) of our day today.. Speaking of smörgåsbord... (word for the day y'all)  that is what we had for dinner.. this evening. had nothing to do with my whiny 8 year old..  but more of the..  "heck, lets clean out the fridge :-)" Mama had a salad, son had pea soup.. (he loves pea soup.. yet will not touch a pea normally..hmmm) & princess had buffalo wings, cucumbers & kålrotstappe... (NO idea what that is in English) & Daddy? - well, he had everything. Despite having two giggling girls up much too late last night, I was up at the crack of dawn... I had big plans... I was going to get LOADS & LOADS done.. sat down to check emails (HUGE mistake) & w...

Did you know Demi Moore has launched a Make up line? Did you know that I hung out with Demi Moore this summer?  - No? Well I did... cause I am pretty cool like that & a HUGE name dropper.. (sorry about the iPhone quality...) Demi & I in Stockholm this summer... Oh, that's not me on stage with her.. that was ME taking the picture.  ya, well OK.. granted the room was pretty big & she didn't know I was there...  I saw her.. only wish she had seen me... I knew I should have brought my American flag to wave around.. - & someone's shoulders to carry me... (sound like a crazy stalker much? )   - Even though she didn't see me.. I am pretty sure she HEARD me... She asked the CEO when ORIFLAME would be coming to North AMERICA? ... -I started SCREAMING " WOO HOO... I'll go open the office for Y'ALL!  PICK ME; PICK ME"... It was about that time they escorted me away from Ms. Moore..  :-) This summer while...

My main goal for 2013 is to get organized... Y'all will hear that often this year.. But I am 100% the my disorganization is the root of most of my problems. I am taking baby steps.. trying to complete at least one task each week. My tasks include.. organizing each and every room in the house. bedrooms, closets, office,basement, craft room.. etc. when I notice something that needs to be cleaned.. (finger prints - I will clean it them) and anything else that really  BOTHERS me.. I have a REALLY bad habit. As you know.. I LOVE to take pictures... I probably take over 100 every week. yet... I never do anything with these pictures .. besides post them to facebook. I never print them. Another bad habit.. I LOVE to buy picture frames... but because I never print pictures.. I never fill the frames... so there they sit.. in their intended spot. EMPTY ( yes, I know I am a FREAK ) So this afternoon after Eva & I cleaned  EVERY...

Argh.... I could feel my stress level rising today... - Even though I have PROMISED myself... I WILL NOT SWEAT the SMALL STUFF... ya.. that lasted 4 days.  I went to get my Norwegian residence permit updated... where they stamped UGYLDIG,UGYLDIG,UGYLDIG, ( NOT VALID) all over the old permit.. & then informed me that I would receive a "card" in the mail in a couple weeks.. Shit.. I am to leave the country next week... Then I found out I need to be in Stockholm a day early.. also found out hubby isn't willing to be flexible on my "agreed" traveling days... NIIIICE... I could feel the STRESS building.. as I was racing through town to pickup things for my meeting next week, pick up something to make dinner pick up the kids... I was thinking about which picture I would use for my 365.. maybe my poor passport with the ugly stamps all over my permit.. maybe my already full suitcase, for next weeks trip.. as I roun...

I love sharing my SKY photo's on Skywatch Friday... I took this shot a couple of weeks ago on my IPhone...   the shame of it all... - I feel like I ought to be embarrassed that I use my iphone so much... but it is the one camera I always have with me... if you would like to see more amazing sky - from around the world... hop on over to skywatch  

My main resolution for 2013 is to get ORGANIZED...  Every year I have a list of things that I AM GOING TO DO...  & every year.... I hang my head in SHAME over the things I DID NOT GET DONE... I have finally come to the realization that the SIMPLE is BEST.. My ONE resolution is to get organized.. in all aspects of my life... & here is hoping that everything else will fall into place... A girl can hope can't she? I have been FANTASTIC for the past 4 days...(if I say so myself.. :-) everyday a new project... this evening .. I am working on THIS... wish . me.luck found these cool ideas on APARTMENT THERAPY  & from OCD chunky and cuff bracelets on a funky paper towel holder