Magical Monday

It's been so nice to have the day off today, after five days of work.

I slept in, spent some time in my jammies and had a brunch of noodles. (I know, aren't I posh... :D)
Found a mat for the bathroom while shopping, which was something I was supposed to do months ago. (The builders managed to loose the previous one while they were putting in the shower.)

I also talked to my friend on messenger. She's going to go and mind a baby as a part of her studies later on this week and was telling me about her plans for a new hometown after graduation. After that I talked to my Dad on Skype. We had our weekly chat about life and were both that little bit happier afterwards.

I finally had time to cook a proper meal, so I made some lamb couscous and let it simmer for ages. Himself was happy to have a meal waiting when he came home tired and grumpy. This Monday had been far from magical for him, with the stress from the college and a punctured tyre on the way home, so it was nice to be able to cheer him up a bit.

I've been reading Meg Cabot's "Size 12 is not fat" today.

So today has been filled with all the things I love most; My friends and family, reading and music. And of course good food, and people with whom to enjoy it.

Still in Finland

Feeling a bit tired and lazy...

I got a loan of a camera, but I don't have my Picasa here. So I think I'll post a proper one when we get back home.

I saw my oldest friend yesterday, which was lovely. We had dinner in town and I finally saw her new home and not-so-new boyfriend. She showed us her newest craft-projects and photos, and we had the chance to catch-up. She's probably going to call in tomorrow and have dinner with us. (My dad loves her nearly as much as I do, and wants to hear all the news from the woman herself... :) )

Today we went to the forest on a snowmobile. This time it wasn't for fun, really; We went to get some wood for the sauna and the heating. Himself surprised my dad by knowing how to use the machine for making blocks. He definitely knows how to impress the in-laws!

Now I'll start watching an old Finnish black-and-white movie. My dad taped it specially for me, because I used to watch it over and over again when I was small. (I think the grand total comes closer to 100 times...)

The big day

My dad and stepmom finally got married today.
The wedding seremony itself only lasted for less than a half an hour, and was held in a little chapel. Myself, Himself and my stepsister with her boyfriend were the only guests.

Everything went well, we had cake at home and the newlyweds danced their first dance as a married couple (in their livingroom!). My stepsister's little dog was possibly the best-dressed guest in his little coat and bow -combo. (And somehow he ended up in more pictures than the actual stars of the day...)

Dad keeps joking that the everyday-life starts after the wedding.
After nearly 16 years, I think it's quite safe to say their life is going be just great! :)

Just a quick one...

We're in Finland!

It took us about 18 hours to get to my mom's place. The flight was delayed, which meant that we couldn't catch the train we were supposed to. We got one, and everything went well. We were five minutes away from the station, when the train suddenly stopped. Announcement said there was something wrong with the brakes. They got it fixed and we met my mother who was waiting.
It was great to get something to eat, go to sauna and we definitely didn't have trouble sleeping that night!

So far we've been driving the snowmobile, going to sauna every night, skiing and eating rye bread. Himself loves walking in the snow!
Today we drove to my old hometown and are staying with my Dad. The wedding is tomorrow!

I would have loved to put up some pics, but my camera decided to stop working... So you just have to imagine it; Half a metre of snow, cold, starry skies...

Survival kit

Himself left early in the morning, and I stayed in bed. I was woken by the buzzer and behind the door I found the postman with a parcel. The poor man is probably terrified of our house, because he always manages to wake me up and I never have the time to make myself presentable. The first thing he sees is my hair, which usually enters the hallway a
good few minutes before me. I also can't speak properly before my first cuppa, so I just croak "thanks" before escaping back in. He most likely thinks I'm either a) a complete waster or b) some crazy lady with twenty cats. I'm seriously considering putting up a warning sign with my picture on it, just to give the poor people a fair chance. Beware of the Laala. Hmmm...

Anyway, the packet included a little survival kit for me. It was put together by my lovely stepsister.

There was some chocolate, two packets of salty liquorice and some dried rye bread "buttons".
I had to take a picture of the bread, because I was so excited. See, I've tried all sorts of ways to get the stuff into the country. I've had people send it to me, I've brought it over in a suitcase and asked everyone coming here to do the same. I've gone to every shop in town looking for rye bread, only to come home empty-handed. The bread in the Polish shops is close, but not close enough. Himself looks at me standing in front of the shelves, muttering "Not dark enough.... Too soft..." and just can't understand my point.

And since we don't have a freezer, I can't store large quantities. It doesn't stop me from buying them, and so I spend the few days after holidays eating rye bread on rye bread.
That's why these little things are absolutely brilliant. Since they are dried, they keep for ages. Now I'll get my fix of proper bread every day and know what to bring home from Finland next month.

Wedding bells and snowmobiles

For the last few months Himself has kept asking me, if we could visit my parents soon. He sounds like the ideal son-in-law (to-be), doesn't he?
He does like my Dad a lot, but the real reason behind these queries is snow.

The snow in Ireland isn't really the real deal. We might get the odd flake (if we're lucky), but they soon melt and the rain starts again. So Himself is fascinated with the idea of proper winters and listens to my stories about skating, skiing and other similar activities like a child listening to a bed-time story. And he can't wait to have a go on a snowmobile.

I have been trying to curb his enthusiasm, because I'm not sure if I'm able for all the snow anymore. Then my Dad started telling me he wants to get married to my stepmom. Which is quite understandable after 15 years, and we're all very excited about it. So yesterday we sat down, surfed the Net and found brilliant (read: REALLY cheap, 35 euro/person) flights for next month. I called Dad and he seemed happy enough. Now I just need to ask for some time off from work tomorrow.

It's so nice to have something like this to look forward to! Himself dreams of sauna and snow already, and I keep myself entertained by threathening him with icefishing.

"I'll make you an offer you can't refuse"

No, I haven't been watching The Godfather lately. I just got a call from Mother, and couldn't help getting mental pictures of De Niro's scary smile.

See she has too much time in her hands nowadays, and she uses it to make plans for my life. I don't mind, but usually her plans are a bit out there. Impossible is another word you could use to describe some of the crazier ones. It's sweet, in a way, because she seems to think I can do absolutely anything. But me working in a highly paid job that involves good math skills, for example, is just not realistic. I usually tune out when the talk of brain surgery starts...

Todays plan, however, made sense. That might be because she got the idea while driving at ten o'clock, which is 8 in the morning our time. She knows there is no point whatsoever to try to talk to me that early, and that gave her time to think.

So she called and said, that she'd give us her lovely two-bedroom apartment for 200 euro a month (which is absolutely nothing!) if we moved back to the good old homecountry and I'd continue my studies. She even said the other bedroom would make a lovely music room. Clever lady, I must say.

The best thing about the apartment for Himself (apart from the music room) seems to be the great kebab place just around the corner. The best part for me is, that the place was my very first home. That's where I was brought from the hospital when I was only a few days old.

I counted, that we have to stay here for another year and eight months. Himself needs to graduate and there's no point going over before I'd start studying again. It didn't stop me from looking at the education possibilities already and deciding what I want to study, though.

Did I mention I get excited quite easily sometimes? :D

My new family

A while ago I got in touch with some of my old friends again. Some of them I went to school with, some of them I'd see while out and about.
It was amazing to see, what can happen in a few years. Obviously most of them have studied and started working and all sorts of things you do. But the thing that surprised me most was the amount of people who have gotten engaged, married and had babies. Even girls younger than me seem to be all settled down, with rings in their fingers and in some cases, a second child on the way.

It also made me realise that I'm surprised about the way my life has turned out. I was like those girls once, I just did things in a different order. I went through a phase, where I got engaged, planned all sorts of silly things for the future and thought I was in love. When, in fact I was just playing grown-up and trying to find some kind of peace into my crazy life. Things went pear-shaped, as could be expected, and I tore my university application forms, packed my bags and moved to a different town. I started partying for all the years I'd wasted taking care of someone else. Then I moved to Ireland.

I didn't have any plans to stay here for more than a year. Then I met Himself.
And it seems it's the best "accident" that ever happened to me.
We don't have babies (mainly because we wouldn't be able to fit one into the apartment! ;)) but we have the nicest and strangest adopted family.
My "adopted" son is nearly a decade older than me. He started out as Himself's friend. Then he hit a bad patch, we helped him back to his feet and he became part of the family. He hears the kettle from miles away and comes in for a cup of tea. We make his cuppa the way he likes it, he knows my weakness for chocolate and I can stay in my pyjamas when he's around. It's all very effortless and nice.

Then I've Billy Jr, who I already mentioned in the last post. He is the newest addition to the family. Billy is a toy monkey, who came home with me from Dublin Zoo. He was named after Billy Connolly, although this young gentleman is a good bit quieter than his namesake. :) He keeps to himself, usually sitting on the cymbal of my drumkit. For some reason people are very interested in him, especially when they've had few drinks, which is why I'm planning to hide him for the duration of parties.

Then we have a collection of people, who call in for a chat and a coffee. I usually use them as guinea pigs, making them eat whatever happens to be cooking. (By the looks of them, I should probably use less spices! :D)

"Friends are the family you choose", they say. I think there might be a bit of truth in that one! :)