Out of office AW at Stockholm Waterfront

Stockholm parties at its best!

xoxo

Mälarpaviljongen with Anna

Beautiful summer evenings are still rare here in Stockholm and therefor I make sure to utilize it at its best when we finally get one. Tonight my childhood friend Anna suggested a dinner at Mälarpaviljongen and it turned out to be beautiful evening and we had a really good time. 

Mälarpaviljongen is one of my true favorite summer restaurants here in Stockholm!

xoxo

Vapiano Stureplan

Dinner and a long evening walk with my two lovely girl friends, Zarah and Cicci.

xoxo 

Midsummer-day evening walk

We have one month left in Solna/Huvudsta before we move to our new house. 

I am very happy about moving but there are few things I will miss here in Huvudsta. For example the lovely walking strolls that Huvudsta offers down the water which are perfect for jogging, picnics, meditations or just long walks. We will live equally close to the water in our new place but to be honest I haven't checked that area out yet...

It was 9 pm in the evening when these pics where taken, it looks like mid day right? 

xoxo

Midsummer in Flen 2015

A rainy Swedish midsummer at its best!

I am so fed up with the Swedish summer weather. Whole June has soon passed and we haven’t had more than a couple of days of summer weather. Gah!

Anyway, midsummer passed and we really made the best of it. We were a gang of almost 30 people of mixed ages (from 8 months until 89 years old) and we celebrated a real traditional Swedish midsummer.

We all arrived at lunch time. We prepared the paypole full of flowers and leaves. And then of course we danced around it.

After that we had the traditional herring lunch followed by the even more traditional strawberry and cream cakes. Few midsummer shots together its “shots songs” (nubbevisor) warmed people up.

Then it was time for the games. We were split into teams and completed 6 tasks together. Much fun.

In the evening we had BBQ, more singing and a music quiz.

The weather was crap but our day was great fun anyway. More Swedish than that is hard to get :)

xoxo

100 day workout challenge

Like I said the other day I have been having a workout challenge together with some ex colleagues and friends. I started of perfectly with two great workout months in January and February with an average of 4-5 days a week. Even March was a good month even if we had a long holiday in the middle of the month. April was neither quite good too. But May was terrible. Thanks to all the work and stress when selling our apartments. I had an average of 2,5 times a week and thanks to that I was close to loose my challenge. 

But June was great. I catched up what I missed and manage to get my 100 workout sessions today, the day before the end. 

This challenge was 100 workout sessions from new years eve until midsummer.

My next summer challenge is quite easy, I think. It consists of 20 workout days in 10 week - from 8th of June until 16th of August. 

Then its one more challenge,,, 200 day workout challenge from midsummer until New years eve. Thank will be harder!

xoxo

Summer conference 2015

It’s been a bit stressful lately. As usual in my life I guess. I have had quite a lot at work and at the same time I have been trying to plan and organize the big summer conference for my office. It might sound easy but it has been so many bits and pieces to put together in order to get it planned on time. I had a budget and obviously wanted to get as much as possible within the range. I felt I had a big responsibility on my shoulders and I was a bit nervous that things wouldn’t turn out well. But they did!

We had the most perfect summer conference. We took the boat from work to Nacka Strand (Tornvillan) where I had booked the lunch and conference. The weather was good and everyone were happy. After lunch we had a couple of presentations. Then, the part I was a bit scared about, we had something called “improvisational theater”. I think everyone thought a big No No when they heard the word, but I know I can talk for most of us when I say it was so much fun. I can’t remember when I laughed that much with any my colleagues last time. After that things got more relaxed. We had a couple of workshops before it was time for the big BBQ dinner down at the wharf at the fancy Nacka J restaurant.

Some people stayed just for the dinner. Some people stayed late. We all were very satisfied. A big relief!

xoxo

Picnic in Rålis and a good weekend

It’s been a quite relaxed weekend for once. No stress and a good combination of activities. 

It started off very well with a spontaneous and relaxed picnic in the park on Friday. We were a fabulous mix of people! I had one of my best childhood friends there. My mum. One friend from my university with his international girlfriend. And one my firends from London. Then Christoffer had one childhood friend with his girlfriend. And one of his university friends. It could hardly get better :) And then it was one of our first true summer evenings and everyone were happy.

I spent Saturday with my parents. We had lunch in the sun and lunch dessert in my mums place where we watched part of the royal wedding. In the evening Christoffer and I went for this year’s first BBQ dinner at Anna and Fredriks place in Nacka. Yam!

On Sunday the autumn/spring-weather was back. Christoffer and I cruised around in between different car selling firms trying to find our new family member (a new car). We did find one that we actually both liked (it doesn’t happen too often) but as we were not yet convinced we ended up not buying it.

xoxo

Almost there...

Together with a group of ex colleagues I joined a challenge in the beginning of the year. We were supposed to work out 100 times before midsummer - 1st January -19th of June. 

As you can see out of the diagram above I started of the year perfectly working out 20 times a month but in May I screwed it up. The stress with the selling of our apartments made me focus on other things and my training average decreased. 

But as I am a true competitive person I am working hard to reach my goal now the last two weeks. Today I got 6 days left and I have four times to go to win my own challenge. Most of my ex colleagues already made it. 

Cheer for me and maybe I can make it!

xoxo

Fun with a camera

It looks like the summer has finally arrived also to Sweden. Warmer days and long sunny evenings. All I want is to spend time outside. Yesterday after the gym I met up with Christoffer in the park/at the hill outside our home. We had dinner, listen to music and just stayed in the sun until after 10 in the evening. 

Welcome lovely Swedish summer!

xoxo

Marilyn Manson live at Gröna Lund

A good mix in life has always been my mission. A mix of a little bit of everything. Also in music. That is why I decided to go for the big Marilyn Manson concert on Wednesday. I can’t say I am a big fan, neither that I would listen to his music but a concert is always a concert and Marilyn is always Marilyn. It was a great show even if I don’t really like his style, or his personality. I don’t scream the f-word. I don’t give the finger. I surly don’t repeat “I hate love, I love hate” twenty times. But I do love concerts and I love to sing and dance together with 17 000 other people whoever is on stage. And one thing Marilyn can it to perform and create a good show.

The whole evening was great. We were a gang of 10 people that had dinner and beers in the sun before the concert. That afterwards took a long walk along the coast back to town.

Great evening, until I got back home and realized someone had cut off the tire of my bicycle :(

xoxo

HiF - IFK at Tele2 arena

It’s been years since I went to a football game, especially a Swedish one. Last time on a football arena must have been one of the AC Milan-games I saw in Italy in 2013. In London I went to maybe 10 games during my 4,5 years I lived there. But a Swedish Allsvenskan game I think was in 2005 or so. 10 years ago.

On Sunday I joined two friends to see Hammarby – IFK Göteborg at Tele2 arena. I must say I found it quite boring. The whole show was fun, for a while at least. But they played very badly. It was the day after the champions league final so maybe my head was used to another standard but when I watched these two Swedish teams, one of them in top of the league, I felt I could had done it better myself.

The three of us had a great afternoon anyway. The feeling of just being at the arena was great fun. We had popcorn, beer and chatted and the game became a bit of a background noise. That’s how interested we were after half an hour of watching at it. Now I would like to go for a real derby game, preferably to see my own team AIK. Will try to find tickets for it after the summer.

xoxo

Ulvsundssjön runt 2015

(Much more pictures on the camera, but I haven't had time to load them yet)

It’s now a tradition! Every year, on the national day of Sweden, Christoffer and I host a running event. We run 5 + 5 km with one drink stop halfway. Then afterwards people showers before the party starts. I have been part of this tradition only the past two years but I think Christoffer has been hosting it for 4 or 5 years now. I think we were 15 people running this year, some supports and then some more people joined afterwards just for the dinner. Last year we had a big BBQ but this year we were a bit lazy so we ordered lots of pizzas that we ate in the sun up at the hill behind our home. And then we stayed there until 10pm eating, drinking, talking, listening to music, singing ourselves and just had a fabulous time. At ten we went inside, saw the second half of the Champions league final and then continued the party inside. I asked myself before going to bed, why do we only catch up like this once a year? :)

xoxo

Our new lovely house!

Like I said few times before, my boyfriend and I bought a house few weeks ago. We were looking at both apartments in the centre and houses close outside the centre and hadn't really decided what we mostly wanted. 

I appreciate to live close to work. Close to my family. Close to my friends. Close to the gym. Close to the grocery store. But I also wanted to be close to the nature. Beautiful walking paths. Close to the water. Close to horses. I am an active person that wants to fill my life with social activities. 

Christoffer instead is the restless person that loves to work with his hands. In an apartment he has tried to fill his time with fixing the balcony, treating his flowers and installing great sound and light systems. He grow up in a house and his dream is to have house himself to spend so much time just fixing everything and nothing. 

The mix of our wish list ended up being a house along the metro line (still easy and kind of fast to get to work/friends/social events). It is 1,5 km from the sea and lovely nature strolls. 2 km from a couple of stables. 500 meter from the underground and the closest Sats gym. 1 km from a massive shopping centre with one of Stockholm's newest Sats-gym. Quiet and pretty area. Friends living in the area. Well, we got almost everything we wanted so I can say we are very happy.

The house is from the 50th. Everything is in good conditions but we are planning to create something totally own in it. Install the kitchen we like. Choose the floors we want to walk around on. Fixing the garden in our style. Our plan is to give it some time (and money) and make it fabulous. I know its gonna take some time and effort but I know the result will be great. And the blow will slowly become more of a home decor and garden blog than the crazy travel girl-blog it has been. 

xoxo

Wind music awards at Rai Tv

I miss Italy! I miss Italy so much that it hurts some times.

The summer in Sweden has still not started. It is the beginning of June. The spring has hardly arrived in my opinion. I still walk around with a duvet jacket and gloves in the mornings. That is winter for me. We have got between 5 and 15 degrees. It has been raining most days in the whole 2015. Just boring!

I am happy I got such a great life that the weather is not the main focus even if it annoys me. Best boyfriend, a great job and a new house soon to settle into brightens my mood up. I have also been crazily busy so even if we would have had sunny days I would have spent them inside.

However, yesterday evening I ended up in front of the TV. (It happens very rarely) But my sixth sense turned the TV on and immediately put the Italian Rai uno on and just happend to find the amazing Wind music awars show. I melted. Italy! My lovely Italy. The wonderful Italian music. The heat. They have 30 degrees in Italy at the moment, 22 by night and people in the crowd were sweating. I so wish I was there but I wasn't. 

Today I will book tickets to go to Italy in August. Can't wait.

xoxo

Last time at Färingsö ridskola

...well, last time for this semester I mean. I am sure I will be back one day. 

I am not sure I will go on riding next semester though. Even if I, a part from a couple of dramatic accident moments, have loved every minute of it I am not sure I will go back next semester.

Färingsö ridskola is better than most other riding schools because of the way they treat their horses and because of the flexibility of changing the time for your riding classes. The teachers are good, or at least they are very kind. I feel appreciated. The group I have been part of is great, few of us became friends in the spare time even. I love that. 

The bad part about Färingsö ridskola is mainly the distance. It takes me at least 1,5 hour to get there from work. Extreme traffic jams every week that stresses me off. Then the school have got the mosy rude and aggressive little girl working there. I think she is hired to help people but she mainly just screams at people if they happen to ask her something. 

Then I can admit I feel I haven't learned anything new this semester. Obviously I have got tips and tricks how to do things better. But there is nothing I feel I have neither learned of got better in unfortunatelly

It is a riding school where to come to in order to enjoy riding horses. Not one of those riding schools where they focus on pure training to learn things or to get perfect before a competition.

 But one thing is sure. I have highly enjoyed my semester with the lovely little horses at Färingsö ridskola and now I feel stucked in the middle in the decision if I should sign up next semester or not. 

xoxo

Selling my apartment part 2

It is a crazy job to sell an apartment. Honestly, I am exhausted. Obviously I have had the triple work than other people selling their flats. 

1. We are selling two flats at the same time

2. My apartment is still rented out to a person

We have been working like monsters to get everything done on time. And as a girl is living in the flat we have to do the careful cleaning over and over again; before meeting the real estate broker, before the photography session, before all three showings. In between all these days the flat manage to get extremely dirty over and over again. 

Now it is getting close to and end I hope. I really keep my fingers crossed as I feel I can't make it any more! I can't handle the stress I feel around all this. 

The first show was today. The second on Sunday morning and the last one on Monday evening. Then I hope hope hope to have it sold by the end of next week. 

Wish me the best of luck!

xoxo