Dreamin' with my eyes wide-open

Early Saturday morning and I'm sitting here alone in the living room. It's the first day of Winter Vacation and tonight the girls are coming over for a Girl's Night! Whoo hoo. It seems as if everything insane is happening right now. For the past two weeks it has been snowing... and snowing... and snowing... Oh! And did I mention that it has been snowing? Even looking out the window right now all I see is gray skies and guess what is falling from it? That's right. Snow. Not only has it been snowing for the past two weeks, but I have been like, half-way sick too. For TWO weeks!
There is one thing that is keeping my spirits up though... *anticipation building* I'm probably going to the USA this summer! I'm going home, baby! I have gotten a job, (albeit not the best one, but a job none the less) and will definitely be making enough to buy a ticket to my homeland. Insane-ity, right? I was looking at plane ticket prices just yesterday and I almost threw my computer at the wall in excitement. You know why? Because it was just so cheap and I can pay that amount! I was almost crying on the bus home thinking about seeing my family again. Thinking about those sandy beaches of Florida, being extremely tan again (like I used to be 365 days of the year when I lived there), walking through Target, eating Tacobell, and an ENGLISH speaking country (no need for Norwegian! hahaha). I was thinking about cheap clothes and sunny days, flip flops, learning to drive, drinking Starbucks, buying books... the list goes on and on!

I never cried or felt this huge longing for home when I first came to Norway. For a long time, Florida was just another place and Norway my new home. I was (and still am) very happy here, but now its been almost 4 years and with one plane ticket dangling in my face, the home-sickness is beginning to over take me. I'm, literally, almost crying every time I think about it.
Baby, I'm seriously dreaming with my eyes wide-open and this is one dream that might just come true.

Valentine's Day

Ahhh, the big day of LOVE. For years, being single on this day was depressing, but strangely enough, this year was amazing. Not because I have a boyfriend, I don't. Not because I received a lot of cards, I didn't. No... not because of any of the clichéd reasons that are supposed to make Valentine's Day special. What made it special was that I chose to make cards for my friends and to say just how much I love them. I chose to not think of love between a man and a woman, because I wasn't experiencing that. Instead, I chose to think of the love I had for my friends, who mean oh so much for me. I gave, instead of expecting to receive, and that was enough to make my Valentine's Day a joyful one.
Well, that wasn't the only thing that made it amazing. I suppose the Valentine's Dinner I made for my friends two days before helped my feelings towards the 14th of February. Or maybe it was the fact that I was given roses and chocolate from two close guy friends. Or.... maybe, just maybe it was the fact that I went on a date with my best guy friend, Andy! (Glad i deg, Heartbreaker!)For all my readers, no, it was not a romantic date, but rather a (friend)date between two really good friends who care about each other and just want to spend that day celebrating something other then the great Amor. What better way to celebrate the Day of Love, then it celebrate the love between friends? I know, amazing.
So, all in all... I would have to say that the 4 days surrounding Valentine's Day were some of the best! This year, though I am single, and probably will be for a while (haha.), I went on a date, got roses and chocolate and Hugs(!). Best Valentine's Day I have ever celebrated.

Guitar Lessons

I used to always look upon musicians with envy, wishing that was me playing the instrument. I wanted to be able to touch a soundless, inanimate object and bring it to life. I wanted to be the person who simply moved their fingers and created a harmony, a melody, a sound of beauty.
I always said to myself, "One day... one day, that will be me." I had this strange desire to be one of those people who were so effortlessly cool, just by playing an instrument. The only problem I had was... well, motivation and opportunity. I have never had the skill to actually sit down and teach myself, nor did I bother to pay for over-priced lessons.
Then one day, I came up with the brilliant idea to learn the guitar as part of my creative community service. I then jumped my friend with the proposal to teach me and guess what! He said yes! Haha. Oh Glorious Day!
I have now had two official lessons and its amazing! I don't actually let on how much i love it, but just knowing that I am actually on my way to being able to make beautiful music is enough to make me jump up and shout, YIPPEE! Hahaha. Well, I'm off to become perfect my awesome guitar skills :) Over and Out.

Dedicated to ANDREAS

I would just like to dedicate this post to my "good" friend, Andreas Engedal! *sarcasm* HE said he would buy me a fresh bottle of water today when I was going through a period of DEHYDRATION. THEN he backs out and refuses and says that my OVERWHELMING thirst was all in my head... that it was "psykisk". Thank you very much for that, Andreas.... NAT. Now my mouth is so shriveled and dried that I can now not talk or open my mouth. All i can do is write this post... or on Facebook. SO ANDREAS ENGEDAL!!!!! I BLAME YOU!!! THATS RIGHT! I. BLAME. YOU.

Here I was again tonight forcing laughter, faking smiles
Same old tired, lonely place
Walls of insincerity
Shifiting eyes and vancancy vanished when I saw your face
All I can say is it was enchanting to meet you

Your eyes whispered "have we met?"
Across the room your silhouette starts to make it's way to me
The playful conversation starts
Counter all your quick remarks like passing notes in secrecy
And it was enchanting to meet you
All I can say is I was enchanted to meet you

This night is sparkling, don't you let it go
I'm wonderstruck, blushing all the way home
I'll spend forever wondering if you knew
I was enchanted to meet you

The lingering question kept me up
2am, who do you love?
I wonder till I'm wide awake
Now I'm pacing back and forth, wishing you were at my door
I'd open up and you would say,
It was enchanting to meet you
All I know is I was enchanted to meet you

This night is sparkling, don't you let it go

I'm wonderstruck, blushing all the way home
I'll spend forever wondering if you knew
This night is flawless, don't you let it go
I'm wonderstruck, dancing around all alone
I'll spend forever wondering if you knew
I was enchanted to meet you

This is me praying that this was the very first page
Not where the story line ends
My thoughts will echo your name until I see you again
These are the words I held back as I was leaving too soon
I was enchanted to meet you
Please don't be in love with someone else
Please don't have somebody waiting on you
Please don't be in love with someone else
Please don't have somebody waiting on you

This night is sparkling, don't you let it go
I'm wonderstruck, blushing all the way home
I'll spend forever wondering if you knew
This night is flawless, don't you let it go
I'm wonderstruck, dancing around all alone
I'll spend forever wondering if you knew
I was enchanted to meet you

Please don't be in love with someone else
Please don't have somebody waiting on you

Let it snow...

Ahhh... yes, it is a new winter alright. Different from the last and even more appreciated. I wake up this morning to see a white landscape and to hear the fireplace crackling. I spend the day in warm pajamas and my hair in a messy bun. Nothing like a cozy day inside, as it continues to snow. A little later into the evening, I walk outside to bring in some more fire wood. Before I go back inside I walk down to the main street and stand looking in wonderment. The snow is lightly falling around me and everything else is covered in white. All down the road, houses have their lights on and it sends a warm glow over the area. With the sky darkening, everyone was inside trying to keep warm. A stillness hung on the air, the only sound was of the silence of snow hitting the ground. It was beautiful. And then it hits me... This was something I used to look at in pictures of Norway and look at me now. I am actually standing in one of those pictures. It hits me that I really am in a foreign country and I now get to be a part of the beauty I only ever saw in pictures. Except, that now, it is completely natural for me to see this... it is beautiful, yes, but now something that I can have for myself. Something I can be a part of.

LOVE LOVE LOVE

Oh! Happy Day!

HAHAHAHA! Ok, I had such a FAIL/LOL moment today at Laget. So, we always start Laget off with some worship and I feel that it is always such a fail-sad moment. Why do I think this??? OH, only because the kids sing with such pitiful, monotone voices to the God they say they LOVE. I mean, come on, really? The point I'm trying to get to here is that during the preaching today, I started getting this idea of putting some life in their life a little. I mean, NORWEGIANS ARE SO STIFF, unless they get drunk on the weekends are something... it's slightly pathetic. ANYWAY, so when the lady was done with her word, I jumped up and went to the front before Eivind could tell everyone goodbye. And I say, "Sooo, I just have a question for you guys. Do ya'll know the Start song? Something about yellow, black and some other stuff? Anyone?" I received a few mumbles in response. Some knew it and some didn't. There I am, trying to get them to sing it and they did an OK job of it. Finally, I have to explain what the point of this whole thing was. What was the point, you may ask. The point was to try to get these life-less kids to sing something and get them to be a little crazy. I told them that our faith and relationship with Jesus Christ is some to be excited about. So, what do I do next? I try to get them to sing the song, Oh, Happy Day. I start clapping and singing loudly in a not-so-good singing voice, but I don't give in! I have hope for these people! so we start singing it and it sounded like they were being dragged through mud to sing this. It failed totally. No matter what joke I made, or how funny I said something, they still wouldn't give me any more joy. Isn't that just sad? Are these the kind of warriors we have for Christ? Life-less, stiff, without-joy people? My ending line to them was, "Well, ok, I see we are going to have to work on this..." *sigh*

Volleyball!

Funny how things end up happening, isn't it? Somehow I find myself meeting up at the gym every Wednesday for volleyball practice! I am actually part of the school volleyball team and somehow I didn't even realize it! One day I'm just having practice and then BAM! It hits me... I really am part of the team :) I absolutely love it! It's such a hilarious situation because there are only 4 girls and about 12 guys. Hahahahaha. The girls are really awesome because we are all friends, but whats even cooler are the guys! They are all so funny! All of them have this sense of humor and are joking around all the time. Not to mention that they are all MASTERS when it comes to the game. Most of them play with a club and are therefore amazing at playing. So, of course, me and the rest of the girls feel like crap around them. Haha. But it's good practice for us to play with people on a higher level. It causes us to step up our game a bit :P But, yes, well, for the first time, last Wednesday the other girls and myself felt that the guys FINALLY opened up to us. Man, it takes forever to get in with the Norwegians! Anyway, they were finally being helpful and trying to help us improve our skills. Plus, they were really engaged and were joking with us. I must say, I am really happy the guys (and girls) ended up being really kind. It only makes going to practice that much better! I'm really excited to see how things turn out :D Soon, we have some matches coming up so that should be interesting! <3

Cry