Trading swiss cheese for birds nest...

We have started the search after a new place to stay.. Exciting! Leaving the swiss cheese and it's many holes in not too long we hope:) The holes are still very much there. But on the bright side we're starting to get used to them by now and the temperatures has gone up, so at least we don't have to worry about freezing to death in the near future!

Since it seems like it will take some time for my husband to find work here, we have decided to find an other studio appartment. We checked out a few bigger appartments, but decided that it was better to have some money left at the end of the month. It would be so miserable living in a beautiful appartment, but not being able to go anywhere, do anything and have to flip every penny to make it. In other words; Yes to life and adventures!:)

Why is it sometimes so hard to decide what to do, just to know what would be the right decission to make? We found a bigger appartment that would have been perfect for us, just a bit expensive with our finance right now. It would have been so nice to start a new chapter there, but the timing could be better. Sometimes there is no rights and there can be more than one right, but in the end I think you have to go for your gutt feeling and what makes you happy at the end of the day. And that's just what we did. A little soul searcher in other words. What makes you happy, I believe the answer lies inside of you.. We can ask people, talk about it and get advices, but in the end we have to look inside to get the true answers to how we want to live our lifes in order to be happy. For me and us in this case, that is to be able to adventure life, feel free and to not have to worry about every little thing because the rent is to high.

Mmmmm I must admit, I would like some more room though and having a proper kitchen for one, and the bathroom inside my appartment, and not sharing it with two neighboures that's not so friendly with the soaps and scrubbers, and especially after living small for many years. And a balcony would be heaven!! But we will have all that one day... One day when things has fallen into place for us. Patience.

On the other side I don't see why I can't live like this a little longer! I'm used to having everything just within one arms reach;) It's practical and you never get to save up too much junk. Simply cuz you don't have the space..! Voil'a!! It's a true lovers nest and you have to love each other dearly to live this close, trust me... Which we do.

Bird's Nest by Keith Taylor

Living In a Swiss Cheese...

The last couple of weeks has been unbelievable cold! We've had temperatures down to -20 C/-4 F, and believe me that is COLD! Especially combined with an ice wind that seems to be blowing from north of Siberia..:/ I've been adding doubble and tripple layers of clothes so I won't freeze on my way to work, in other words not so happy for walking to work right now. Looking like wrinched up lemon, cuz I'm so concentrated on surviving.. ahha Mmmmm maybe I should get myself a little foldable bed under my desk?;) Guess I should feel "lucky" though.. Just outside town we've had temperatures much lower than this, like -30 C/- 22 F as a normal. I surrender, I give up, where's my summer?

Early Monday morning, I woke up to a very chillled, little loft appartment. I reached out to feel the radiator.. Ice cold! It usually happends every winter, but it couldn't have happend on a worse time than this!! Oslo feeling more like living in an ice box right now! Kitchen oven on full throttle, hoping I didn't have to get up to frosted windows.. Brrrrr!! So happy we live in one room, a few candles and the oven on keeps it warm:) haha

Turns out the burner in the basement had stopped working. Also one of the water pipes had bursed during the night, and of course they thought it might be at my place! Some where.. With no technical drawings, they didn't know where to look for the leakage and that some where proved hard to find:S Later on the same day, I got a phone call from my love, they had to make a hole in the wall.. One hole, two holes, three holes, four holes later, in walls, ceiling, even inside our closet and they still hadn't found the pipe!! And allmost ripped the floor up! Mighty chaotic in 17 square meters! I just had this ugly feeling it probably wasn't even in our place.. Grrrrr Turns out I was right.. They finally turned to the neighbores, which has been complaining about their kitchen cabinet being damp for a long time allready... Yeahiii for lazy care takers, ceap land ladies and plumbers with no technical drawings! Maybe they can make us a nice little balcony and a roof window while their at it, a few holes more..;)

Me wanna move..

Lovely, Luscious Dark Art from Natalie Shau..

Natalie Shau has created an absolutely wonderful world of sugar coated, dark fairy tale creatures that my sweet thooth just couldn't resist;)  Gorgeous dark pieces, left me with a feeling that can only be described as love by first sight...

"Natalie Shau is an illustrator and photographer from Lithuania, currently living in Greece. Her works are mixture of her photography, digital painting and 3D elements. She enjoys creating surreal and strange creatures, fragile and powerful at the same time. Natalie’s style was influenced a lot by religious imagery, fairytales illustrations and Russian classical literature such as Fyodor Dostoevsky, Nikolai Gogol etc. Natalie Shau constantly keeps working on her own personal artwork and exhibitions, but also enjoys creating illustrations for music bands, fashion designers and writers. Her illustrations for Lydia Courteille jewelry campaign were published in french VOGUE magazine."

Here's some of my favourite pieces for you on the second day of the year, enjoy;)

"Black Celebration"

"Pearls"

"The Messenger"

"Black Widow"

 "Catacomb Kittens"

"Childbride"

"Alkonost"

"Carousel for Birthday"

"Taxidermy"

"Cheers?"

"Carmine"

A Wonderful New Year to You All!!

I wish you all the best for the new year and a great new years celebration tonight, where ever you might be in this big small world!!;) Me and my love are joining some good friends for dinner at their friends house tonight. If we're lucky my sis and her boyfriend will be dragging their asses over to celebrate with us later:)  At midnight we'll be at the roof balcony of the building with bubbles in our glasses, surrounded by firework, good friends and toasting for the new year that we're entering into!! I'm really excited for the New Year, I hope it will bring much joy and wonderful things for me, my friends, everyone close to my heart and all the rest of you people out there!!!;D

Winter Wonderland..

The snow has been falling heavily over the last few days, we're something as unusual as allmost snowed in down town! If I wanted to I could take my skies out and go skiing down the road and most likely I would get anywhere I needed to go... Probably the best way of getting around right now by far! We woke up to more snow yesterday morning, apparently it had been snowing all night.. The road into the house was all covered by at least a foot of snow. Usuallly we don't get much snow in town since it's warmer here, also it has a tendency to disappear or turn into wet, slushy, brown snow... Have to enjoy this while it lasts!!;)

Some photos taken late last eve of the wonderful winter wonderland...

Have yourself a merry little Christmas...

... Let your heart be light

From now on,

our troubles will be out of sight

Have yourself a merry little Christmas,

Make the Yule-tide gay,

From now on,

our troubles will be miles away.

Here we are as in olden days,

Happy golden days of yore.

Faithful friends who are dear to us

Gather near to us once more.

Through the years

We all will be together,

If the Fates allow

Hang a shining star upon the highest bough.

And have yourself A merry little Christmas now....

I've had this song playing in my head over and over again the last few days...;) Big, white, soft snow flakes dancing down from above, drinking my Christmas toddy while snacksing on Christmas cakes. Yes indeed, it will be a very merry little Christmas for us this year, I wish you all the same! My thoughts goes to the ones that's not as fortunate as myself.

One thing life has taught me, you never know what life might bring you and be sure to put no boundaries on it.. As Judy Garland sang so beautiful "Hang a shining star upon the highest bough"... Live life to the fullest and may all your wishes come true!

Warm hugs and much love from VirgineMary!! <3

Christmas time... <3

Finally we got all the Christams presents done, wrapped up and ready!! With Christmas carols on the speakers we packed them together like the little santa helpers team we are;) It all really put me in a Christmas mood! Something about listening to the same old Christmas carols as I have done every year since I was little, the smells and all the traditions...

Grandfather decided to gather the family this year some days before Christmas, which is the first since my grandmother passed away. My grandmother had her birthday a few days before Christmas, the whole family has come together at their place every year since before I was born. When we were kids it was all about making Christmas decoration, playing dress up with my grandma's old clothes (from her hippie periode) and biggest of all; who would get the almond in the Christmas Porage this year! All very exciting:) The winner would get a big marzipan pig which  lasted all Christmas, sickening, but soooo O good! I remember my childhood Christmas parties as a very special time, allmost magical. It was never Christmas before we had been there. That's pretty much how I feel about them still.. This is the first year that I really feel the Christmas spririt again since my grandma passed.  I think I finally got some more distance to loosing a very special person in my life, which I allmost was convinced would live on for ever. At least till a 100! I think we all did. She allways was so full of life, strong and filled with a force that seemed stronger than death it self. Therefore loosing her was a bigger shock than it may have been otherwise. Allmost like when a young person passes away.. It wasn't expected at all. Even when they found the cancer, I was sure she would be able to fight it, and I'm sure she would've.. Only it had spread so badly through her intestants that there was never really any hope. So veird how a person can seem healthy and strong as an ox one day, the next everything is turned upside down and nothing is like it seemed to be and it will never be again. She went through surgery, 88 years old. She would have had to live with a bag on her stomack the rest of her life. Horrifying for my grandma, a very proud person. I'm not sure if it was the cancer that ate her or the thought of the bag or both, but it all got to much. She refused to eat and slowly shrunk into nothing. She fell asleep one December morning, just as silent as the powdered snow crystals falling from the sky...

But life goes on, and it has. My grandfather finally seems to be doing good, though his thoughts is never far away from his love. The fact that he had the party this year says alot.. We had a really good time, gathered on her day, which has also become our day. Celebrating all those passed Christmases, the good time and memories that we have, but also all the Christmases that will come. Don't forget what has been, but never forget what you have and what that will be.

Concerning me, I have a very special person in my life.. Celebrating the first Christmas with him brings all the magic back!!;)

My first angel in the center of the photo, a real beauty;)

I think this is the second one.. Complete with fillings in her teeth. Which I was really fascinated of when I was a kid, I thought it was really beautiful.. ahha Guess I allways been a bit different;) lol

Some decoration from moms dinner table for Christmas eve, the 24. of December.. Which is when we celebrate Christmas in Scandinavia. We celebrate with a really nice dinner, usually with all kinds of traditional norwegian Christmas dishes. Santa come with gifts during the evening, so we actually get to see him;) We also walk around the tree while we're singing Christmas carols.. A very Scandinavian thing to do, I think we are alone about doing that in the world? (Correct me if I'm wrong). I remember one Christmas when we had my greek boyfriend (my ex) on a visit from Greece, I think he thought it was the most hideous thing he had ever seen.. He was standing on a chair taking photos while laughing hysterically. I'm not sure if it says more about him, us or my taste in men;) ahhaha

Cyberlove by first sight, part 2 <3

The second part of an impossible possible true cyberlove story coming up;)

After a year of e-mails, chatting, phoning, texting and what not else.. Living in despare and agony of being far away and daily craving for each other, resulting in phonebills from an other planet and falling asleep in bed with my computer, after long nights of chatting.. I was finally on my way over the pound, 21 hours travel, one stop in NYC, two long distance flights before hitting Arizona. Every second closer to my love.. As I was sitting on the plane, I was permeated by the feeling of it being the best descission ever:) I counted clouds, m&m's and tried to pass time.. I just couldn't get there fast enough! Butterflies in my stomack, twisting and twirling by the thought of soon being in the arms of the man that I loved. Crazy how you can fall in love with someone even though you never met in person.. Even having the feeling of missing each other, like we had been parted for a long time. Love works in mysterious ways.

I arrived Tucson airport in the dark, it felt like I had traveled through time and space to get there. Bevildered by the time difference, my butt aking from sitting hours in an airplane and sleepy zzzzzleepy.. But O so excited at the same time!! After a quick look in the mirror and brushing of teeth. I went down the escelator to meet my love, my heart was pounding as every clicketi-clack brought me closer.. He saw me first, I caught his eyes, I think time stopped for both of us. Somehow I got over to him, all while gazing into his green eyes. Amazed by how beautiful they were. I didn't even know they were green, I thought they were brown.. Hhaha So much for crappy photos. We hugged for the longest time. It felt so good to finally feel him, to be close to him and smell him. Being there together for real, be able to do normal stuff that normal couples do. Be able to have a date, that didn't consist of never ending chats, sitting on each our side of the earth. Be able to HAVE a date at all! It felt like I had found the last piece of the puzzle fell on place.. Finally home! We held hands and small talked all the way home. Like we had never been appart and it had allways been us. We had 3 weeks of fun and happiness. Sharing everything and getting even closer. It was waaaay too short! After the sweet scratch and so on... It took all my will power to get on that plane back. I cried when it took off, for every up and down and further away I got, and finally when it hit ground in Norway, half a globe away from the man that my heart belonged to!

3 1/2 miserable months of waiting, endless phonecalls, texting, chatting, pain, tears and more tears followed.. Before he FINALLY came to Norway, we had decided that it was no way we could live without each other! Sweet as he is he said he would move here, since it would be easier for him to move than for me and he would never ask me to do such a thing for him. He quit his job over the last 6 years and sold his belongings. Finally together again:D And this time hopefully for ever! That's before we understood it wasn't just that easy.. Getting a job and a visa wasn't done in a snap. Laws and regulations saying that he was more than welcome to work, but on the other hand NOOOO.. A laberint of a bureaucratic world from hell and endless paper work! He stayed 3 months on his tourist visa before we had to wave each other off for the second time. Even worse this time around, after spending every single moment of ever day together, as long a I wasn't working that was. We had to put an end to it. Every day appart, felt like one day too many...

28.2.2009, we got married in a Little White Wedding Chappel in Las Vegas:) We went there on holiday the first time I came to visit and we very much feel like it is "our" town, a very natural choice. Needless to say, we had the TIME of our lifes celebrating our love!!;) Only me and him. It was romantic, special, intimate and fun and all those things you want it to be! Our pastor was an old man with coca cola bottle bottom glasses and fish eyes. The real deal, no Elvis here.. He insisted on saying a praier for us even though we're not religious (maybe he thought we needed it;), and also give us a real Christian ceremony with talk of Jesus and God, but so be it. It made him happy. And I couldn't be happier! I was with my man and we would finally be able to be together. After the ceremony the pastor stuck an envelope in our hands saying: suggested tip, 50$ 80$ or 100$.. We were really surprised as no one had mentioned it and we thought we had paid for everything. Apparently not! (If you ever get married in Vegas, remember to have tip on you for the priest) We only had a visa card...:/ He looked quite desperate for a bit, before he concluded with that we had his address and that we could send it to him......... (Very Christian indeed). The limo driver on the other hand said that it didn't matter, as long as we got a long and happy life together, that was the main thing. Quite ironic you ask me.

<3

A couple of months later my love moved to Norway for the second time. He came just a few days before our National Day this year and has stayed here all through summer and autumn up till now. We applied for a visa, filling out never ending aggravating forms and applications. Providing them with our story, lots of photos and gave them our life on a silver platter pretty much. They said it could take 5 months before we heard anything more... Last week we started to really worry since we hadn't heard anything more. My man was climbing the walls, not being able to work, being a housefather and in charge of the kitchen and all. I called in. Guess what?? WE GOT IT!!!:D Yes WE, not him, it feels like we.. We are going through this very much as a WE. And now WE got it!! Soooooooooooooo happy and relieved!!!!! Things are falling into place:) bestest Christmas present EVER!

Mooohahah And a Very Scarrrrry Merry Christmas to Ya'll!!;D

I've not been able to write for days now, a week maybe.. Christmas has arrived with all sorts of Christmas preparations, arrangements and soscialization... Jolly jolly happy! Christmas table at work (with a splendid after party that lasted all morning, with strangers met in the dark of the night), beer fiest the day after (doing a rare double night, because a promise I made to my man. Never back out of a promise) and a totally new position at work together with my old one has kept me awfully busybusy all week!!:S

I also had my hand read on my way between the Christmas table to more beer out. A random meeting at a road cross down town. A gentleman asked for the time. Turned out he reads energies and hands for a living. That's when I popped out my hand. Peculiar experience, scary how much one can read out of a hand...

I've made a scaresome lil' package of frightful art for you that I found while working late this eve, since we're closing in on the jolly season... Be very aware of the Christmas ghouls;)

Bloody gifts this year.. Merry Christmas by DarkRedRose.

This is so sweeeeet,  I love the decorated tombstone;) Merry Scary Christmas by Platinium420.

Something tells me Christmas won't be the same this year.. Christmas Is Ours by Van Heist.

Love the colors and the silouettes.. Merry Christmas To All by My Twisted Logic.

Very devious, indeed... Welcoming Christmas carolers. Messy Christmas, wallpaper by Dianar87.

Silent night..? My Bloody Christmas by Rotten Orange.

Who can resist this guy?;) By Azkaban.

Thanksgiving Saturday:)

I'll be celebrating my first Thanksgiving today, it will also be the first together with my love. It's probably one of the last american holidays that hasn't made it over here yet.. Hmmm something tells me it's probably just matter of time before the turkey comes knocking on our door;) People love celebrations and and very much need it I think.. Thanksgiving is celebrated the last Thursday of November and it's a perfect time to squize in a celebration in this part of the world, as the the dark is pretty much consuming us this time of the year. I think the sun goes down around 03:00-03:30 at the moment... Incredible. I don't think I'll ever get used to it, it's the same when summer come and we have those long, bright everlasting days.. Beautiful and magical! But today I'll raise the glass and do a toast for the old tradition that started out long time ago, when some of the first settelers came over to America. The indians helped them out and showed them how to catch eel and grow corn to survive the harsh winters. The first Thanksgiving was celebrated to thank God for helping the pilgrims for surviving the first brutal winter and lasted for no more than three days! Think I'll go for the one day..

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!;)