13 Things

It's time for another tag, yo! Feel free to copy-paste this and fill it with your own answers :) Let's have some fun! (tags are always always fun! except when they're not.)

13 Things You Like

1. Day dreaming

2. Sleeping

3. Solitude

4. Coke Zero

5. Books

6. Songs that take me back

7. Photographs

8. Book stores

9. Desks

10. USA

11. Weirdness

12. Playing with outfits

13. Instagram

12 Movies You Like

1. Pitch Perfect

2. Titanic

3. White Oleander

4. Wonder Boys

5. Soul Surfer

6. Jurassic Park I-III

7. The Heat

8. The Hunger Games

9. Accepted

10. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 1 & 2

11. Transformers I-III

12. Thelma & Louise

11 Bands / singers You Like

1. Celine Dion

2. Christina Perri

3. Snow Patrol

4. Ellie Goulding

5. Taylor Swift

6. Icona Pop

7. The Strange Familiar

8. Vanessa Carlton

9. Evanescence

10. Pink

11. Jason Walker

10 Songs You Like

1. The Script. feat. Will.I.Am - Hall of Fame

2. Christina Perri - I Don't Wanna Break

3. Christina Perri - Human

4. Sara Bareilles - Brave

5. Celine Dion - Somebody Loves Somebody

6. Jenni Vartiainen - Suru on Kunniavieras

7. Miley Cyrus - Stay

8. Snow Patrol - Just Say Yes

9. Ellie Goulding - Figure 8

10. Emeli Sande - Daddy

9 Things You're Looking Forward To

1. This summer

2. Finding out if I got into any school(s)

3. Traveling

4. Finishing my book

5. Sharing my book with someone

6. My days off

7. Moving

8. Getting white converse

9. Summer clothes shopping!

8 of Your Favorite Foods

1. Chili & cornbread

2. Mac & cheese

3. Chicken pasta

4. Chicken, rice & veggies

5. Kebab

6. Pizza

7. My mom's mashed potatoes and meatballs

8. Salmon

7 Good Things About Today

1. It's my day off

2. It's a beautiful day

3. Blogging

4. This much closer to summer

5. I'm alone but not lonely

6. I'm so inspired

7. Daylight savings time? I have mixed feelings about that. 

6 Things That Annoy You at the Moment

1. The lack of common sense these days. 

2. Stupid people. They annoy me 24/7.

3. My apartment is too small

4. That I don't own a blazer 

5. I have a huge pile of laundry that never goes away even if I washed one load a day

6. That my hair isn't the shade of blonde I would want it to be xD 

5 Things You Touch Every Day

1. My hair

2. My phone

3. My laptop

4. My fridge

5. My face

4 TV Shows You Watch

1. The Big Bang Theory

2. How I Met Your Mother

3. Pretty Little Liars

4. Revolution

3 Places to Find You

1. Home

2. Work

3. Mom's place

2 of Your Favorite Books

1. The Help

2. The Fault in Our Stars

The 1 Thing That Means the Most to You

My Faith.

Make It Happen March: I Made Stuff Happen!

Hey, guys!

March is coming to an end and I couldn't be happier, because it means only one thing.

SUMMER IS ALMOST HERE!

I don't know why, but I am really looking forward to summer this year. I'm always looking forward to summer, but this year particularly. It may have something to do with me having a full four weeks of vacation ahead of me. Or maybe it's the prospect of traveling. Of getting to spend time with my wonderful friends. I'm looking forward to the warmth, the endless summer nights, when it's light throughout. 

Make It Happen will be my theme throughout the summer, too. Here are some things I want to do:

*Stress less, enjoy the now, enjoy life and just have fun

*Spend a week at my mom's in the countryside. No internet for a week, except for blog and emails. The main purpose for this little excursion is to write. I want to work on my novel non-stop.

*Show around Finland to my friend who will be visiting from abroad

*Travel

*Read

And here's what I accomplished this month:

*Traveled to Germany and Estonia

*Bought that bag I've wanted since forever ago

*I had my first chance to collaborate with another blogger! You'll see more April 2nd ;)

*Invitations to entrance exams at a couple of schools

*Made more solid plans for my future

With March ending, it's time to reveal the theme for next month!

*Drum roll, please*

Express Yourself April

I have a feeling it'll be a good month:)

Are you guys as excited about summer as I am?!

Have a sunny weekend <3

Day Trip to Estonia + the Titanic Exhibition

It is ridiculously easy and cheap to travel to Estonia from Finland. It's just across the Gulf of Finland and it takes 2,5 hours to cross it. And 20 bucks for a round-trip... Yeah, told you it was cheap. 

Surprisingly, I don't travel to Estonia often. I've been there a ton of times, so it's not really a big deal to go there. It doesn't even feel like I'm going abroad. Go figure. 

Yesterday I traveled to Tallinn, Estonia's Capital city, with my friend H. We wanted to go see the Titanic Exhibition that's being hosted by Tallinn until Monday. You can read more about the exhibit here. 

The Old Town of Tallinn is really beautiful, and it was our first stop of the day. It's only a stone throw away from the harbor and really easy to get to. We had lunch at an Italian restaurant called Controvento. I'd been there before, their food is delicious! We even lucked out with the beautiful, sunny weather :)

From Old Town we walked to Lennusadam (Seaplane Harbor) where the exhibition was held. We took a couple of wrong turns but found the place eventually. 

The guests were given a boarding pass to Titanic that served as the ticket. Each pass included a name of an actual passenger who had been on the Titanic. Mine was Nella Wiggins, and she was a 1st class passenger traveling with her husband. They both survived. 

Under the clock.

1st class cabin.

3rd class cabin.

Some plates collected from the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. All in all the exhibition presented 150+ artifacts recovered from the wreck. 

It was definitely worth visiting and I'm happy I got the chance to go. If you live close by and get the chase before Monday, you should go, too! :)

Now I think I might have to watch the movie some day soon... Cry fest it is!

We headed back to the harbor after the exhibition and killed time at a café. After that we checked out a liquor store and left with a ton of Milka chocolate. AH... I'm set for a while now ;)

I went to work today but have the entire weekend off! I am going to enjoy that to the fullest. Hope all you lovelies have a good one, too! <3

Louis Vuitton Neverfull GM

Yesterday I promised to make a separate post about my trip to the Louis Vuitton Store in Helsinki, so here we go! The title is revealing already, and yes, I did buy the Neverfull bag! I got it in the biggest size, GM (other sizes are MM (Medium) and PM (Small)) and in Damier Ebene print (other prints are Damier Azur and Monogram.)

Eilen lupasin tehdä erillisen postauksen pienestä visiitistäni Helsingin Louis Vuitton -liikkeeseen, joten tässä se tulee! Otsikko paljastaakin mitä tarttui mukaan, ja kyllä, Neverfull-laukku lähti matkaan. Valitsin isoimman eli GM-koon (muita kokoja ovat MM(medium) ja PM(pieni)) ja kuoseista valitsin Damier Ebenen (muita ovat Damier Azur ja Monogram.)

The bag is big, but I actually thought it would be bigger. I think it's the perfect size and serves multiple purposes. The trims and handles are cowhide leather and the bag itself is coated canvas. The interior is a gorgeous red with only one big zipper pocket. The date code can be found under the pocket, on its left side. There's a ring inside where you can clasp your keys, and the bag closes with one simple clip; it does not have a zipper so it doesn't close all the way up. I feel like this bag is ideal for traveling and also for everyday life. It fits so many things, including a full sized laptop etc. I will be using this bag to school, if by any chance I'll get in ;) 

I chose the Damier Ebene print over the Azur because it's dark and I don't have to worry about smudges and dirt so much. I'm telling you, the Damier Azur would not have lasted pretty for long. I also really love the red interior! I like the monogram also, but really had my eyes set on Damier Ebene. 

Laukkuhan on iso, mutta luulin sitä oikeastaan isommaksi. Se onkin täydellisen kokoinen ja palvelee moneen tarkoitukseen. Kantokahvat ja reunat ovat nahkaa, mutta laukku itsessään ei ole. Sisältä se on kauniin punainen, ja siellä on vain yksi iso vetoketjullinen tasku. Päiväyskoodi löytyy taskun alta sen vasemmalta puolelta. Sisällä on myös pieni rengas, johon voi kiinnittää avaimet ja laukun voi sulkea yhdellä klipsillä; vetoketjua ei siis ole eli laukku ei sulkeudu kokonaan ollenkaan. Omasta mielestäni laukku on ihanteellinen matkustamiseen ja myös jokapäiväiseen elämään. Sinne mahtuu paljon tavaraa, mm. täysikokoinen läppäri. Itse tulen käyttämään laukkua koulussa, jos satun pääsemään sisään ;)

Valitsin Damier Ebene kuosin Azurin sijaan, koska se on tumma, eikä minun tarvitse pelätä tahroja ja likaa niin paljon. Damier Azur ei olisi kyllä kestänyt kauaa nättinä, ainakaan minulla. Olen myös aivan rakastunut tuohon punaiseen sisukseen! Pidän Monogram-kuviosta myös, mutta olin jo päätynyt Damier Ebeneen. 

I know there are a lot of people who don't understand why one would want to spend so much money on a bag, and I understand their point of view. There are so many other great bags there with a fraction of the price, why not get those? Well, I could, sure. But I have wanted to have my very own Louis Vuitton ever since I was an early teen. My friend and I would drool over the bags and accessories online, dreaming we would one day have them. I have always loved the design and honestly, haven't ever considered spending my money on another brand if an opportunity presented itself. So, a month or so ago I realized my current situation would allow me to get a bag from Louis Vuitton, and not go bankrupt. I seized the opportunity and yesterday I bought the bag I've had my eye on for so long. I love it to pieces!

Tiedän, että monet eivät ymmärrä suurta rahan tuhlausta laukkuun, ja ymmärrän kyllä heidän näkökulmansa. On niin monia muitakin hienoja laukkuja jotka maksaisivat vain murto-osan, joten miksei sitten ostaisi niitä? Kyllähän minä voisin. Mutta olen halunnut oman Louis Vuittonin varhaisteinistä asti. Kaverini kanssa kuolattiin LV:n nettisivuilta laukkuja ja asusteita, ja unelmoitiin että vielä jonain päivänä meilläkin olisi ne. Olen aina rakastanut Vuittonin designia enkä rehellisesti ole edes harkinnut rahojeni käyttämistä ennemmin mihinkään muuhun merkkituotteeseen. Noin kuukausi sitten tajusin nykyisen elämäntilanteeni sallivan laukun hankkimisen menemättä vararikkoon. Tartuin tilaisuuteen ja ostin laukun, jota olin jo niin kauan silmäillyt. Olen aivan rakastunut siihen!

You can cinch in the sides to make the bag appear smaller...

...or you can leave them as they are! :)

I also know that Louis Vuitton bags have a certain status, at least that's what it seems like here… That it's one's way of showing they have money, and they want to flash the bag to everyone who will pay attention. I think status bag would be a good word here.

I don't see my bag that way. I see it as something I've wanted to have for a long time, a little piece of luxury in my very simple life. And what's wrong with that? I don't care if people don't recognize my bag as a Louis Vuitton, I don't care if others don't like it. What matters is that I love it, and I worked hard to get it. Being able to purchase it for myself means a lot to me, and it shouldn't be an issue to anyone. 

Tiedän myös, että Louis Vuittonin laukuilla on tietty status, ainakin täällä… Että se on tapa näyttää, että on rahaa tuhlata, ja sitä halutaan esitellä kaikille keitä vaan kiinnostaa. Statuslaukku olisi sopiva sana. 

En näe omaa laukkuani niin. Näen sen asiana, jota olen halunnut todella pitkään, pienenä palana luksusta yksinkertaisessa elämässäni. Ja mitä vikaa siinä on? En välitä vaikka ihmiset eivät tunnistaisi laukkua Louis Vuittoniksi, enkä välitä vaikka muut eivät pitäisi siitä. Ainut asia, millä on väliä, on se että itse rakastan sitä ja työskentelin kovasti sen eteen. Se, että pystyin ostamaan laukun itselleni, merkitsee minulle paljon, eikä pitäisi olla ongelma kenellekään. 

Had my initials hot stamped on one of the handles! :) Makes the bag feel more me!

Well anyways, wanted to share this with you! At the risk of sounding completely vain and materialistic, I am so happy I bought the bag :) I'm happy I have this little high-end thing and I'm happy I was able to get it by myself. I'm just happy. It's my thing.

Halusinpa jakaa tämän teidän kanssa! Sillä riskillä, että kuulostan turhamaiselta ja materialistilta, haluan sanoa että olen todella onnellinen siitä, että ostin tuon laukun :) Olen onnellinen siitä, että minulla on tämä pieni luksus ja olen onnellinen että pystyin hankkimaan sen itse. Olen vain onnellinen. Se on mun juttu. 

A Quick Spin To Helsinki

Hey you all on the other side of the screen :)

I am writing to you from my mom's comfy couch, after a very nice and happy day! 

I headed out to Helsinki today with my friend. We didn't have much planned, just a few things. It was about lunch time when we arrived, which was perfect and we were both starving, so we had a great lunch at Vapiano. 

I meant to take a camera with me and take real good photos to show you guys, but I forgot all about it when I left home, so now we have to settle with my iPhone pics, sorry :(

After our delicious lunch break, we headed to our main destination, the Louis Vuitton store. 

And I left the store with something!

Oh my god, you guys, I can't even tell you how excited I am! I have wanted to own an LV bag for so many years I can't even count, and now I was finally able to get one. I will make a separate post about it probably tomorrow. Yay! 

Before going back home we stopped to get Starbucks. Ah, my favorite place to get coffee<3

What's you guys' favorite Starbucks drink?

Hope you've had a nice start for the week! I'll get back to you soon :)

Make It Happen March: Should I?

For those of you who don't know, English is not my first language; I didn't start studying English until Iw as nine years old. My first language is Finnish, but when it comes to writing, I feel like English comes more naturally. But lately I've been playing with the idea of maybe blogging in Finnish, too. I've tried it before and to be honest, I wasn't too crazy about it, but maybe I should give it another chance? I'm not abandoning English, but would just write some posts in both languages. I'm following a couple of bloggers who are doing so, and their blogs have a very nice flow to them, and it just seems to be working really well :) if you want to check out those blogs, here are the links:

http://www.rantapallo.fi/mungolife/

http://yummyj.blogspot.fi

(I'm blogging on my iPad now, so if the links aren't actual links, I'm sorry :( just copy-paste them and there you go!)

Niille, jotka eivät ole asiasta tietoisia, englanti ei ole äidinkieleni. Aloitin sen opiskelun vasta yhdeksänvuotiaana. Äidinkieleni on suomi, mutta kirjoittaessa englanti tuntuu paljon sujuvammalta. Viime aikoina olen kuitenkin leikitellyt ajatuksella, että jospa alkaisi bloggailla suomeksikin. Sitä on koitettu aiemminkin, eikä se rehellisesti sanoen oikein sujunut, mitta ehkä sille voisi antaa toisen mahdollisuuden? Englantia en hylkää, mutta joitain postauksia voisi kirjoittaa molemmilla kielillä. Seuraan paria bloggaajaa jotka näin tekevät, ja ainakin heidän kohdallaan homma tuntuu toimivan oikein hyvin :) tuosta yläpuolelta voit katsastaa kyseiset blogit! 

So what do you think? Maybe this could be something I could start working on? Let me know:)

Mitä mieltä olette? Ehkä tätä voisi alkaa työstämään? Mielipiteitä otetaan vastaan:) 

Love,

I 

Technologically Challenged. Help Wanted.

One of the most frustrating things in my life right now is that my laptop is still not connecting to my wifi. Every time I try to connect, it says: connection timeout.

HELP ME!

I have rebooted my laptop, my internet modem; I have pulled all the plugs and put them back in, I have deleted the wifi from my computer and installed it again, and it still doesn't work. 

This is how I feel now :(

I hate to complain, because there are so much bigger problems in this world than my stupid wifi (which by the way works just fine on my phone and iPad!).

The biggest problem here is, that this problem is making my blogging very inconvenient. I have to connect the chord from the modem to my laptop in order for the internet to work, and my modem is located on the floor level right by my front door. There's no other possible place for it :(

Yes, I am sitting on the floor writing this. I hope you appreciate my posts even more now. 

So basically, this is why I'm not blogging every day. I really don't feel like sitting on the floor each night :( It sucks, I know, and I wish I could be more active, because I want to be. I just have to find a way to fix this problem, because it's driving me insane. 

If you happen to live in Finland and would like to come over and help me fix this, I will bake you a freakin' cake. 

Sorry I'm not more positive now. 

Other than this, I'm feeling good though :) yay!

Make It Happen March: Doing Things Yourself

Often it can be tempting to let others help you when you have something big happening in your life. And yes, it's good not being too proud and accepting the help that's being offered. 

But sometimes we want to do it alone. It's not necessarily because we are too proud to ask for help, or because we want to show off and prove that we're not too stupid for this. 

I want to do some things on my own simply because I can. 

I get a huge kick out of being able to do something without any help, whether it's paying the bills, buying something I need that's out of my price range, running errands I used to need my mom for, traveling solo, anything. It's sort of reassuring, if you know what I mean. 

It makes me feel like an adult, even though I'm really not one. 

It makes me feel like I can handle anything life throws at me. 

Does this sound crazy?

I don't remember if I told you, but I applied to a few schools a while back. 

Today I received my third invitation to an entrance exam. 

I have absolutely no idea what's going to happen, whether I'll get in or not. I'm prepared for any option, and life will go on never the less. 

It's funny, though, how just an invitation to an entrance exam can make me feel accomplished. 

It's trying. 

See Beauty in Every Day

I am sitting on the floor, eating mini marshmallows and drinking milk. 

I'm listening to Taylor Swift. 

I'm browsing We Heart It. 

I'm scratching my head, because my ponytail is too tight.

I'm thinking I really love blogging.

I'm thinking I really love being creative.

I'm dreaming of buying something I've wanted ever since I was a little girl.

I'm dreaming of traveling this summer. 

I'm dreaming of writing.

I'm reading instructions on how to register for an entrance exam at a school I applied to.

I'm reading news, and wondering if they'll ever find that plane.

I'm reading e-mails and blogs I follow.

You can fit a lot in just a few minutes. 

You can fit a lifetime in just a few minutes. 

Sometimes it's hard to grasp everything that comes in our way. Sometimes everything is just too much. 

Every once in a while it's good to stop for a second and take a deep breath. 

Tell yourself: I am OK. 

Then smile. 

Have a beautiful week, everyone <3

Pictures from We Heart It. 

To Write.

I just realized I haven't talked to you guys about writing in a loo-ooong time! Boo! On the other hand, it's impressive how long I've been able to keep my mouth shut about my favorite subject. 

Usually, when I'm not writing, I'm thinking about writing. If I'm not consumed by my own issues, I'm trying to solve my characters issues. The worlds and people I've created in my head take up a lot of room in my life, and I think that's how it should be for anyone who wants to be a serious writer and make a living out of writing. 

I also think sometimes it's good to know how to let go for a while.

Within the past month or so I've been stressing about work a lot, and let me tell you, my work isn't exactly the kind that's worth stressing about. It's not something I have to take home with me, which is great. Yet, certain changes at work have really gotten under my skin and I hate the feeling. Going to work didn't used to bother me so much, now on certain days it bothers me a lot. I can't go into details on this one, so I'm sorry for the vague description of my situation. Just know that I am planning on switching jobs after summer. Why not now? Because I have a full vacation of four weeks ahead of me, and if I quit now, I won't have any vacation at all (unless I'd be completely unemployed, lol).

Man, I wish I had a pink typewriter.

Anyway, my point in telling you all that is that due to stress and all my writing has suffered. My constant thinking of writing has suffered and I need to get back on track. I'm glad to notice that I have gradually started to ponder about my novel on a daily basis again, and now I just need to get back into the writing mode. Any tips? 

Well, motivation isn't the issue anymore. I'm thrilled to get back in business! :)

Have a jolly weekend, everyone!

Seriously, that typewriter, though...

Make It Happen March: An Exciting Announcement!

Hey, guys! 

So, in the spirit of making things happen and setting things in motion I've been dying to tell you about this exciting opportunity that has presented itself to me recently!

I was contacted by the lovely Ariadna, a.k.a The Always Believer, and she asked me to share my story on her page. 

Here's some information about the #GoDoFly -movement:

#GoDoFly is all about encouraging yourself, getting on track, making changes in your life to fulfill your dreams. It is also about helping others, telling the people you love and kind strangers to #GoDoFly.

This movement is to help people who need to hear the message loud and proud. #GoDoFly! To stand up for yourself, to be your own hero, to work hard for your goals,to be yourself and much more things people need to hear. We participate with true stories around the world, telling tales of overcoming obstacles and lending a helping hand to a friend too.

I was so flattered and excited to have Ariadna contact me, and my story will be out some time in April. I will definitely let you know when it happens! <3

Make sure to check out http://thealwaysbeliever.com! 

Also, if you want to participate, you will find all the necessary information on that site. 

Hope you are all having a great week so far! I think I'm coming down on something, a flu maybe, but won't let it crush my spirit! I'm soooooooo thrilled about all of this! 

February Favorites

A little late with the favorites, but better late than never, right? :) 

Let's get started!

MAKE UP & BEAUTY

Haha, don't mind my reddish eyes. This picture was taken soon after waking up. My absolute favorites for February are my eye lash extensions, which I already talked about on this post, and the Garnier BB-cream that I bought on sale. It smooths the skin and corrects little faults; I don't think it's as efficient as a foundation would be, but I feel it's more gentle and light as it also serves as a moisturizer. 

MOVIES & TV

Besides my regular shows, I also started watching 30 Rock on Netflix. I watched the show when it first aired years ago, but then stopped, who knows why… Anyway, brilliant cast, brilliant writing. Such great entertainment! 

My mom told me Under the Dome the TV-show is nothing like the book, and now I'm just compelled to read the book, even though it's a freaking brick (do you guys use that expression on big, heavy books? We do lol!)

Anyways, I still loved the show and ended up watching the entire first season within a few days. Can't wait for the second season! If you guys have been watching this, too, what do you think??

MUSIC

Lucy Hale - You Sound Good To Me

Taylor Swift -  Our Song

It was all about country music last month! My fav genre :)

TRAVELING

I went to Germany for a few days! Read more about my trip here. <3

SOCIAL MEDIA

I hit 200 followers on Instagram! Yaaaaayyy! Go follow me :) Instagram is becoming my favorite social media site; I love the simplicity of it. Link me your Instagram-site and I will go check them out!

Somewhat shorter favorites-list this time, but oh well, hope you enjoyed it anyway!

I will get back to y'all later! Thanks for reading! 

Make It Happen March: Let's Talk About Goals

Spring is here! :) I am so thrilled about it. The thing is, weather's been acting super weird this year, and usually around this time of the year we still have a ton of snow and it's cold, but there's hardly any snow, the temperature's above zero and… yeah, we even have sunny days every now and then ;)

Today was the first day that I put on this pair of Converse, the first day this year that I left my winter shoes inside and decided to wear something lighter! Little things make me happy :) Oh, what do you think of the bag? I just got it from Germany and love how it matches with my shoes. Looooove pink!

Anyways, I wanted to talk about goals today. I feel like sometimes it's really hard to set firm goals, whether they're short or long term goals. And achieving them can be even harder. This is why I rarely announce my goals out loud. The less people know, the less humiliating it is if I don't make it. Others find telling people motivating - the more people know, the more they want to be true to their word. 

However, I have a few goals I would like to share with y'all. These aren't something I can achieve within a month, but am definitely setting things in motion asap.

*Switching jobs this year (most likely not before the fall; I will have a full four-week summer vacation this year, which is kind of a big motivator right now, and I don't want to switch until I've had the chance to enjoy that.)

*Finish the first draft of my book (I'm not setting a time limit here, because lately I've noticed how irregular my life is, work schedule and all. All I can do is my best, and hope that it gets me somewhere.)

*Travel some (just waiting to get my official vacation dates so I can book the flights)

It's good to have goals; having something to work for, something to look forward to, is vital. What are your goals? Short or long term? :) Let me know!

One more thing: I now have 91 followers on Glipho and 10 on Blogger. One of them follows me on both platforms, so that means that I have

100 followers.

This might not be a big thing to many of you, but to me it is huge. To have 100+ people reading my blog is something I value more than you'll ever know. 

Thank you so much!

<3

Extended Weekend in Germany

After our trip to the States in December I didn't really feel relaxed at all, and was in desperate need of another vacation. ASAP. Do I sound vain or something? Oh well… I needed to reset and have fun and so I started making plans with my friend S, whom I met in Portland in the fall of 2012. She and I had such a great time there, and after Portland I visited S in Germany and she visited me in Finland. 

I was so excited to have the chance to visit her again this year :) 

I flew to Bremen on Friday the 28th and S picked me up from the airport. After not seeing each other for… 10 months, it was a very happy reunion. We do actually see each other almost every week through Skype, but of course it's not the same. 

We had a pretty relaxed day, and had a great dinner at an American restaurant with a bunch of friends. I can't remember the last time I spent three or four hours at a restaurant, it was so nice and relaxed; just what I needed. 

A friend of mine, with whom I'd grown up together, surprisingly moved to Germany in December, and only an hour away from S, so on Saturday we headed to his place and ended up exploring Osnabrück. 

It was a rainy day and the carnival was in town, so it was busy and a lot of commotion pretty much everywhere. After walking around downtown for a while we headed to IKEA to get some stuff for M's new apartment, and afterwards had a nice dinner at an Italian restaurant. All in all we had a very good day and it was great seeing my friend after two months. 

On Sunday S took me to a lovely town called Bad Zwischenahn. The day was sunny and the shops were open, so the place was buzzing with people. The town is located by a lake and looked like a postcard, so pretty :) 

These aren't sold in Finland, which, come to think of it, is probably a good thing. 

We went to a grocery store to pick up some goodies for the night, because we planned on staying up all night and watch the Oscars! And that we did :) Only, we didn't eat anything we bought. Seriously, I had like three pieces of chocolate throughout the entire night. Just didn't feel like eating, which is weiiiird.

After the Oscars (by the way, how awesome was Ellen DeGeneres??? She deserves an Oscar for best host!) S took me to the airport. My visit was short but wonderful, and even though I was half dead having not slept at all, I was happy I'd gotten to spend time with my friends. Even short vacations can make you feel so much better and this one certainly did. Yay :) I'm so lucky to have such great friends!

<3

And now I'll just wait until I can put in a request for my summer vacation. Then I'll start looking into flights a little further away. 

It's always nice to have something to look forward to!

Thanks for reading!