Happy Anniversary!!!

Married for 3 very happy years today!!!




Also, Happy Birthday Dad!! See you tomorrow!!

Almost Home...

Well not quite. I don't actually leave until Sunday at 8 in the morning. I am really excited about spending Christmas with my family...it has been 3 years so it is about time. I am sad about having to leave Kai at home though. He has to work Christmas and New Years, so he doesn't get to experience a McCaskill Christmas. I also have some serious Christmas shopping to do when I touch down in the continental U.S. I haven't managed to buy a single thing for anyone as of yet. I plan to keep my page updated through the holidays and take loads of pictures, but the pics may have to wait to January to be posted. Unless of course I can borrow the laptop. Easier said than done!! Lol, and I suppose this year I will make a New Year's resolution. Two actually, but one of them I am keeping to myself. My NYR will definitely be to be a better blogger. We'll just have to wait and see how that turns out, everyone knows I am a procrastinator and the world's worst slacker at times. Enough of my drivel...it's time to go exchange some currency!!!

Cheers!!

Blah...

is a very accurate description of how I am feeling. I feel like crud. For all I know I have the crud. I would get sick the day before my Finnish final, 11 days before my anniversary, and 12 days before I fly home for Christmas!!! The hubby doesn't even want me to leave the apt. tomorrow if I still have a fever and feel bad tomorrow, but I need to go take my final. So whether I'm feeling it or not I am going to pile on all the clothes I can, throw on a scarf and go to my last class. If I am not feeling better by Friday I guess I'll man up and go to the doctor. Sheesh...

Moment of Truth

Tomorrow is the big day. I will be taking my final exam in my Finnish class. I am confident that I will do well, and that I will pass, but I want to do better than well. I have been studying for a while now (and will continue to do so in January), and I really want all of my hard work to pay off. So I am keeping my fingers crossed that tomorrow goes smoothly!!

Cute Little Old Ladies!!

All of the apartments in our building are having the locks changed in 2 weeks. Tonight we got the new keys. I was at class this evening so Kai went to get ours. He ended up going at the same time as the little old lady that lives next to us. She is a sweetie and apparently sometime in the past we have spoken some words in passing. Come to find out she thought that my husband was the foreigner all this time. I heart you little old lady neighbor!

Cheers!

Put On Those Walking Shoes

Sometimes I exercise and sometimes I don't. That's just how I am. My biggest problem is motivation and it probably always will be. I complain about my size and the hubby always tells me to do something about it, so I am going to give it (another) try. I just signed up on a site called Walker Tracker. It does pretty much what is says, it tracks how far you walk. It also keeps up with all of the info. that you plug into it and makes a graph of your progress. I don't know if I will accomplish anything by using this site, but I have a little pedometer and figured I might as well use it. I mean it can't hurt to try, right? You can also check out how other walkers are doing and they will help you motivate yourself as well. So here goes nothing. The site is free, and there is nothing to lose (except for a few pounds, I hope)!

Cheers!

Happy Halloween!!

Turku Castle

Back in August, as you can tell by the date stamp, Kai and I went to visit my BIL and his wife. They bought a small apartment in a city named Turku because Meri (the wife) is going to the University there. It is a lovely city and I am look forward to going to back for another visit. Sami (BIL) took us to see the castle that was built there way back when while we were visiting with them. It is over 700 years old. It isn't as grand as castles you would find in France/Germany/GB, but it is impressive nonetheless. Just the fact that there are castles in Finland impressed me! They never actually had a royal family here, so it was interesting to learn about. According to Kai there are 2 or 3 castles here. This one was actually built on an island. As you can see from the pictures though it is now just another part of the mainland. The water receded a long time ago. I took too many pictures to post here on my blog, and I wouldn't know how to pick and choose between them. So those of you who are friends of mine of Facebook will have a chance to see them all next week because I am going to upload all of them there.




View from the back of the Castle.



View after you come in through the main gate.



View of the main gate/entrance.



The front/Entrance.

New Hair

I went and had a haircut this morning (all by myself), and as promised I am posting the picture. Forgot to take a before shot, but imagine about 3 1/2 more inches and blonde hair and you'll have a mental image! It feels so much better having it cut. As much as I would like to grow my hair out, it is just too thin. Once it gets to be a certain length it starts to look 'stringy'. And once it gets to that point I chop it off. Thankfully my hair looks o.k. both short and long. So what do you think?




I just look so excited to be having my picture taken, huh?

Need to update!

Whoa! I've been such a bad blogger!! I go way too long between posts. I promise to have a nice post tomorrow! I am going to get my hair cut, and I went dark for the Winter. So I promise pictures of the 'new' do! I am going to try really hard to remember to take a before picture. No promises there though.

Chilly Out

Today is only the 12th of October and it is already cold enough to snow outside. I really wish I could sit inside all day and watch it. Unfortunately, I have to get ready for my class and go out in it!

The Sweetest Thing

On the bus home from class this evening I was gazing out the window watching the world go by. O.K. that is every time I ride the bus. Anyway, at one of the stops I noticed this little old (ancient) man hurry up to the middle door where people exit the bus. I was wondering what he was doing until I saw him helping this tiny old (ancient) woman off the bus. Once he helped her get a safe distance from the bus he took her bag and her umbrella, then he gave her his arm and they waddled off together. It was the sweetest thing I had seen all day!

Wondering What Tomorrow Will Bring...

I cannot believe how quickly this new Finnish course of mine is going to go. Yesterday we did some things in the 1h30mins that we didn't even get to until Finnish 2 of my last course. I am thinking that tomorrow will be sort of a refresher day. One that will let us expand upon what we were taught yesterday (I hope). The teacher isn't stingy with the homework either. She gave us plenty. I will do the written work tomorrow. It isn't going to take long at all. Right now I am just worrying about saying things out loud. That is my biggest issue anyway. So you know what? I am not really worried about what tomorrow will bring. I'll just find out when I get there and take it in stride. Today I am just going to focus on getting ready to go to the ooppera! Nope, I didn't spell opera wrong. I just used the Finnish spelling. For my birthday my husband bought me the best gift ever!! Tickets to go see The Marriage of Figaro. That is where we will be at 7 tonight. If anyone needs to find me just look on cloud 9!

Day 1

Today I begin my new Finnish class at Helsinki University! Kai is even going to take me there! He is so sweet!! I hope that everything goes well.

Fall!!

The weather is starting to cool off and I love it! This week I have noticed that the leaves on the birch trees are changing colors as well and they look lovely! My dad even sent me the cutest little Fall ornament for my birthday (last Saturday I turned 'old' according to the hubby!!)!! I suppose that means when I begin my new Finnish class next week I'll be making stops to the coffee house either on the way there, or on the way home!

Another Finnish Course

My fabulous husband helped me register for a Finnish for Foreigners course which is offered at Helsinki University. Most students in the class will actually be enrolled in the university, but they offer remaining spots to people who would like to learn the language once everyone has finished enrolling. Luckily I got one of those places, and I couldn't be more excited. I took a Finnish course through the employment office but I have been told numerous times that it is not as good as the course offered at the university, and I am serious about learning this language. This class will only be 2 days a week as opposed to the 5 day a week course I took before, but there is a lot of independent work that goes along with it. It also gives you the opportunity to work on what you are learning and have it soak in before moving onto something else. My other course kept throwing new things at you everyday and I never felt like I truly understood something before we moved onto a new topic. So I am really looking forward to this new course!!

Love Cadbury!!

I was in the WTC shop that sells American and British food items the other day and noticed that they sold Cadbury Creme eggs. I love Cadbury's! I was going to buy one because they are sold individually, until I noticed the price: 1,60 euros. That is the same as $2.27! I just couldn't force myself to buy just ONE egg for that price. So I walked away from that huge basket full of creme eggs, and have been craving them ever since!

Going To Watch My Brother Get Married!

Got a CD with my brother's wedding on it in the mail today. The hubby and I couldn't be there for the actual occasion, so they sent us copy of it. He has been married a month yesterday. Congrats Adam! Thanks for the CD.

Because...

The only thing better than one camel...



is two!

Thanks Selena! :-)

Going to the Zoo!!

I am excited. I have been here for two years and have never been to the Finnish zoo. You have to take a little ferry boat to get there as it is on an island. Tomorrow when my younger SIL gets here we are going to go. I am really looking forward to it!!!

Happy Father's Day!

Wish I could be at home to spend Father's Day with my dad, but I can't so I gave him a call! Kai and I also bought him a nice new Chap's shirt before we left. As you can see below, he just had to try it on and model it so I could take a picture! Love you dad! Happy Father's Day!

Going To The Chapel...

Today my little brother is getting married! Congratulations!

Shedding Extra Pounds

I am not going to make any excuses. I know that I have gained weight over the last 8 months and I know why. Winter here was brutal to me. I loved the snow, but when it is really cold outside I do not want to venture out into it. So I ate normally and gained weight because I didn't move around as much as I would have living back in good 'ole NC. That is just the way the cookie crumbles. Live in Finland, deal with Winter weight. Going back home for a visit was good for me, except for the fact that we decided to eat all of the things that we cannot get here in Helsinki (not all bad, there are tons of veggies that do not get imported here)! Needless to say I packed on a few more pounds because of it. I'm sure it didn't help that Kai and I were inviting all of our friends out to eat either. We counted it up and discovered that we ate out 23 times in 3 weeks. That is more than we eat out in a year here!!!! So you see I have gained some weight. Over the Winter I gained almost 13 pounds. Add that to the weight I gained while I was at home and the scales are telling me that I now weigh 138 pounds. To be honest, 138 is not a bad weight, but with my height it is very noticeable. SO, I have decided that I want get off at least the 13 pounds that was gained over the Winter. I have been walking more since I've been back (which has only been a week), and now I would like to buy myself a weighted hula hoop and a jump rope. Why? Because they are things that I find fun to do. I LOVE to hula hoop and I am quite good at it to boot. It is something that I can do while watching tv or listening to my mp3 player, and the same goes for the jump rope. I have found that I won't stick to something that I do not find fun, so I am changing my routine up a little. And why not? If it works it works! If it doesn't work I will still have fun!!

What Should I Write About?

My hubby seems to think that I should blog more. He feels that whether or not I have anything to write about I should log on and come up with something anyway. He also seems to think that I should be more controversial. Hm...for the most part my blog is just ramblings to begin with. What more do you want from me man? Be specific!

Employment Office

Tomorrow hubby and I will be heading over to the employment office to see what they have planned for me. If the electronic message they sent me was correct I should be getting money again after the 19th. So much for a big penalty. I will not be complaining!! I guess we'll find out for sure tomorrow. Right now I am still looking for Master's degree programs and language courses from the University. I would much rather go there for my classes. I feel like there I would be in a much better learning environment. I absolutely NEED structure!! I will take what I can get though.

On another note, hubby and I went and saw his parents today. His mom seems to be doing well a week after having her breast cancer surgery! The doctor said that things are looking good, and that as far as they can tell the cancer hasn't spread. We're just hoping that things will continue to go well for her.

Still haven't got my trip pictures on the computer, although I did manage to find my camera's usb cord. I have just been lazy. I think I am getting caught up on my sleep and will have more of an update sometime this week!

Cheers!

Updates Coming

I am back from my trip to the U.S. (as of yesterday) and I have a ton of updating to do. I have a bunch of pictures from the trip and will upload them just as soon as I find my camera's usb cable.

Hello?! I'm in my Towel!!!

Like every Friday evening I had my sauna, and it was very nice. I always feel really clean afterward. Who wouldn't, right? Today was a bit different though. On my way out of the sauna a man was coming in through the basement door (he looked to be in his late 40's/early 50's). This isn't unusual because lots of people use the basement door. People store their bikes, baby strollers, etc. there and you can also catch the elevator from down there. The different part is that this man began talking to me. He went on speaking about 500 miles a minute before I could stop him long enough to let him know that I could not speak Finnish that fast, and that I only understood a part of what he was saying. He thought about what I said for a minute, laughed it off, said he was sorry and then proceeded to speak in English. He told me that since I was the only one who took a sauna on Fridays that I might want to consider changing my day to Saturday because it would save energy. He knew that I was the only one who saunaed on Friday because he was the only other person who did, and he had already changed his day and time. Three times he told me that I was the only one that they were heating it for, and that I might want to think about it. I said that I would and went on my way. Now normally I wouldn't mind stopping to have a chat with one of my neighbors that lives on the A side of the building, but I was standing there in my towel dripping on the basement floor. I also know that nudity and whatever is not a big deal to Finns and most of them could care less about modesty, but I do not want to stand in my towel, having come straight from the sauna and carry on a conversation as to which day and time would be the best to take my sauna. You know where I live Mr. Man, it said so right on the list that was in the Sauna. You could have sent me a note!!! Please refrain from conversing with me when you see me in my towel! Now have a nice day!

Relief

For the first time in a week I am beginning to feel better. This sickness that is going around has been a tough one to get over. I am still coughing a bit, but I don't sound like I am barking. I pretty much plan to relax around home again today. Tomorrow will be busy as it is Vapuu eve {Friday is Vapuu day (Finnish May Day)}, and my SIL will be flying in tomorrow evening. Needless to say, I have a week's worth of cleaning to catch up on. Everyone is gathering for my FIL's 60th birthday party on Saturday so we are going to be busy bees around here.

Not Much Swelling Left

I woke up this morning, after a restless night of coughing, and noticed that most of the swelling in my face had gone away. I took some more of the anti-inflammatory meds that the doctor gave me yesterday in the hope that the rest of it will go away today (or tonight). I am still a bit itchy and want to scratch but I took some more of the atarax to stop that too. At least I no longer look like a botched plastic surgery patient. Progress is progress.

Also, Congratulations Amanda and Casey on the birth of you little boy! I believe that his name is James Gavin. The delivery was rough for both mom and baby, but both of them are at home and doing well now! :-)

I Need Claws!

I am trying my best not to claw myself to death right now. Over night I had bumps that look like bug bites pop up on my head/hairline/neck/chest/bum and the corner of my eye. The ones on my head and forehead actually feel like knots! They itch like crazy. They supposedly came into being because I have been sick (still am) with a fever, headaches, stomach pain, sore throat and joint pain. Every 5 seconds my hubby keeps telling me to keep my fingers out of my head. I just have the urge to scratch and not stop. I could deal with being sick, but this itchiness has to go. I am taking benadryl but that doesn't do too much for it!!! What's a girl to do?!?

Edit: I tell you what, these dang knots/bumps spread quick! They are in my throat, on my legs and to top things off my knees are swollen! Not to mention I look like I am going through some really rough puberty the way they have taken over my face. I had two teeny tiny pimples on my face this morning, tonight I look like a pizza with extra pepperoni! Here's hoping that a good nights sleep helps!

Urg...

My first actual day without classes, without having to go anywhere, and I am sick! Time to put on my small scarf and crawl back into bed. Maybe I will have a CSI: Miami marathon. I have about 5 episodes to catch up on.

I'm Going Home!

That's right folks! Today Kai and I bought our tickets for our trip to the U.S.! I am so excited. We we'll be there from May 17th-June 9th, and we have a lot of ground to cover while we are there. We have so many people to see!!!! I hope we can do everything we have planned. On another happy note, today was my last actual day of classes. I have Easter break until Monday, a written test on Tuesday, a day off Wednesday, a speaking test of Thursday, my results on Friday, and an etäpäivä the 20th. That means I don't have to go to school that day, but I still get credit for it. After the 20th I will be counting down the days until we leave for the U.S.

4 More Years!

After 6 months (and 1 week) of waiting, I am now an official resident of Finland for 4 more years. I got my new residence permit just a few days ago, and the picture that I have to carry around until 2012 years is HORRIBLE! I'm talking Charlize Theron in Monster horrible! I am legal though, and for that I am grateful. And now that I have my passport back, and Kai has his new passport, we can buy our tickets to the U.S.! I cannot wait to get home and visit some people! We also have some new people to meet! Kai and I are both excited about getting to finally meet Emma! Kai also gets to meet Cale (my best friend's little boy)! Of course I can't wait to see my family. It has been almost a year now since my last visit home, and I do miss them. Though I am not a very homesick person. I also want to shop! Finland is expensive, U.S.A. is cheap, enough said! Look out U.S.A. here we come!

White again!

I woke up this morning to a snowstorm. Just when I think that the Winter is slowly coming to an end the Helsinki weather throws me a curveball. So far today we have accumulated 6 inches (maybe more). Not only that, but it is suppose to snow all day tomorrow as well. I haven't been out in it today because I just want to be warm for one entire day. I can never complain about not getting my fair share of snow!

Just A Little Wet

It is the 22nd of March, and the snow here is finally beginning to melt. Slowly! It was nice to have around for a few months, but I am not sad to see it go. To be quite honest I am just ready to begin wearing sneakers again. My winter boots are not so bad, but there is only so long that you want to traipse around in them. The only downside to the melting snow is that it gets everything wet. And what does the water do? It gets the bottom of my pants wet, and I absolutely cannot stand it. Especially since the custom here (all year round) is to remove your shoes at the door when you enter someones home. Who enjoys walking around stepping on wet pants!!?? I am looking forward to the day when I will be able to enter a store and purchase a pair of jeans that are the perfect length. Until then...

No Translation Needed

Looks like I won't have to have my degree translated after all because it is in English. This will save me loads of money. However I do still need my college transcript so that it can be compared with the Finnish degree standards. As long as I am not throwing a ton of money around for a little piece of paper I am happy!

Diploma Translation

For things such as teaching jobs or Master's programs you need a degree. Well I have the degree, the problem is that it is not Finnish. This means I have to get it translated. That requires me obtaining a course list of all the classes I took at the University with there credit hours. So this afternoon when I got home from class I printed out a transcript request form. As far as I know that is the only way to get an official list of my courses and credit hours. At least I hope that it comes with the credit hours listed with the courses. I have honestly never really looked. They don't need my grades, but it looks like they will be getting them anyway. The list of courses is necessary to compare with what is taught here at the Universities to see if they are compatible. I am keeping my fingers crossed that I won't have to take any extra courses here. I would just like to get a job and begin taking graduate courses. The Finns are very serious about their education, but it sure is a hassle for me. Not to mention that it is 189 euros or more to get the silly thing translated!! I am sure it will be all worth it in the long run.

Kalevala Day

Today is Kalevala Day here in Finland. The Kalevala is the National Epic (poem) of Finland. I have a copy of the book in English back in NC, and I have to admit that I have never read it. I will get around to it though (I promise, Kai). It seems to be a big deal for the Finnish people. In honor of Kalevala day my homework for the weekend has been 5 pages worth of work about it. Wikipedia has a nice little write up about it on their page if anyone is interested.

I think I might just pull out my hair!

These are just a few examples of what has been driving me mad for the past 5 months. These links I am posting are what I was working on in my MediaTech class yesterday. Fun Stuff!!!

http://www2.edu.fi/ymmarrasuomea/index.php?moduli=tekstit&teksti=8

If you click on Käy nyt teksti läpi jakso kerrallaan ja vastaa tämän jälkeen monivalintatehtäviin after reading the above, you will be taken to the work page that we had to do after reading the story. There is even listening to go along with it if you want to hear how the spoken language sounds. It really just sounds like gibberish, but these crazy people understand one another!!

http://www.yle.fi/java/elearning2/$40zkuq7icpx9l5vntf5z/lesson/index.nvl?0.task=1026

http://www.yle.fi/java/elearning2/$11a6g4xqpdgqugf9j9qw/lesson/index.nvl?0.task=725

Cheers! :-)

Where can she be?

I have been such a bad blogger here of late, and I sincerely apologize. I have been quite overwhelmed lately by my new course (Finnish Level 3) and work here at home. I do promise to be back more frequently after this coming weekend. Things should be more settled in my world by then!!

Cheers!

Snow and School

I am one tired girlie. My Finnish classes are very mentally draining and by the time I get home in the evening I feel as though I could laydown anywhere and sleep for weeks! Thankfully I do not have school tomorrow. I have another reading day because I have a test on Monday and Tuesday. I am nervous about them, but I think I will do fairly well on the Monday portion. Not quite so confident about the speaking portion on Tuesday.

Classes, tests, and tiredness aside...I have been loving the snow. Since moving to Finland I have learned what a real Winter is suppose to feel (and look) like. And nothing is ever closed for the snow. Not even school. These kids here do not know the meaning of snow days!


My apartment building


The backyard...part of it


Across the street

It snowed for 3 more days after I took these pictures. So we have plenty of it. And I LOVE it!!!

Neglectful!

I have been so busy with school and house work that I have had no time for blogging. Although I have been neglecting my blog, I have been able to keep up with what is going on in the blogosphere thanks to Bloglines! It is a convenient site. Anyway, so as not to feel too neglectful, I thought I would share something that happened to someone else today. I was a witness of course. How could I not be?!? I ride the bus everyday to and from class, and today a very careless little boy (looked to be about 11 years old) was running towards the road and was looking behind him at the same time. Real smart, huh? Well he happens to finally look where he is going when he is just maybe a foot away from my moving bus. Poor thing (careless thing) runs right smack-dab into the side of my bus. The bus driver stopped the bus and got out to check on him, but he made a horribly loud sound when he collided with the side of Bus 52. Thankfully he is ok, nothing was broken but he did have the air knocked out of him. I guess that'll teach him to watch where he is going from now on, and also not to run towards the road!!!

Teenage girls all around!

My husband actually went with me to see the new Twilight movie last night. Needless to say the opening night had a packed house. The theater we were in seats 703 people, and I am pretty sure all but 4 of those seats were occupied by overly excited teenage girls! They even clapped for the movie as the ending credits rolled. Ah...teenagers. Though you do not have to be a teen or tween girl to enjoy this movie. My husband said that even he was pleasantly suprised by it. Of course I liked it. It followed the book pretty close, and that is a big deal for me. I am not much into these movies that just go off on their own and leave me screaming, "that's not what happened in the book!" So I guess I am a little bit excited that they are making the sequel to it. And I admit, the lead character is kind of a cutie. Though I am not obsessed with him I can definitely understand why all of these teen girls swoon whenever they see him. Hm...maybe I should go watch it again?! :-)