This month I finally checked off another point on my Bucketlist; a visit to Lofoten! 🚁🏔🌦✔️😊 Norway is the land of the fjords, the northern lights & midnight sun (which you can both see up north if you’re lucky!), viking history, trolls, quaint villages, and many scenic drives – some which can be found in the area of Lofoten in North of Norway! The Lofoten Islands are draped across the turbulent waters of the Norwegian sea, far above the arctic circle. The main islands are Austvågøy, Gimsøy, Vestvågøy, Flakstadøy, Moskenesøy, Røst and Værøy. We visited my dad’s birthplace Værøy, a small island located approximately 30 km from main body of Lofoten archipelago. It’s accessible by ferry and helicopter from Bodø, the closest city on the mainland of Norway. The helicopter takes roughly 25 min, while the ferry takes either 3 or 6 hours, depending on the route you choose. We took the helicopter out which was both comfortable and convenient, but also more expensive compared to the ferry. We ended up taking the ferry back to Bodø due to some technical problems with the helicopter and it was ok, but I personally prefer the helicopter because it’s quicker and you don’t have to deal with heavy waves and the sea, as I get seasick very easily. Either way, both options are available! 🙂
This was a much needed family trip that we enjoyed to the fullest! Our days was filled with lot’s of walking and time spent outside (plus tons of rain + a little sun in between!), cozy breakfast mornings, the celebration of my sister’s 30th birthday, board games, great food & wine, and lot’s of quality time together. We ended up heading back to Bodø a day before due to stormy weather, so we spent the last night at Bodø Scanic Hotel before flying back to Oslo. Great hotel with good location + the best breakfast – highly recommend this hotel! (Ps; ask for a room with a sea view to avoid the traffic from the busy street).
As always I believe pictures says more than thousands words, so I’ll let the pictures speak for itself. Enjoy!
By judging the headline of this post, you must think that “Oh, she truly has it all figured out huh?”. Well, let me be the first one to tell you that that’s not the case at all. I don’t think anyone has everything figured out in life, ever. That being said, I’m a 33 year old woman who has lived long enough to have learned a thing or two along the way, or maybe I have just figured out what’s truly important as I’ve gotten older. Either way, I just wanted to share these thoughts with you.. 🙂
– You can do anything you want in life – Don’t settle for less, you deserve better – Volunteer and give back to your community, it’s so rewarding – Find your voice and use it – Take care of your body and mind – Continue to invest in yourself and grow as a person – Be kind to yourself and respect yourself – Don’t care to much what others think of you – Travel and explore the world – Don’t sacrifice quality time with family and friends for work – Take time to be grateful for the little things in life – Be kind to other people – Don’t waste time on people who don’t treat you well – Spend more time outside in nature – Always be yourself – there’s only one you – Don’t put limitations on yourself – Don’t sweat the small stuff, it doesn’t mean much in the long run – Making changes throughout life is a must (because we evolve and grow) – Finding your passion is important – Every relationship matter (if not, drop it!) – You don’t need everyone to like you – Jealousy is a wasted and damaging emotion – Change is growth – Pretending to be perfect doesn’t make you perfect – The past doesn’t equal the future – Don’t be afraid of taking risks – Where you actually live makes a difference (find your happy place!) – Incorporate physical activity and yoga in your life – Live in the moment – Missed opportunities are the worst – If you hate your job, quit – Know your strengths and weaknesses – Failure is not final, it’s a step towards success – it’s how you handle things that matters
These are just some thoughts that crossed my mind, all of whom makes sense to me now.. I guess we do get wiser as we get older after all! 🙂
I love scrolling through Instagram for inspiration and probably spend more time doing that than I’d like to admit (I don’t want to know my total screen time for Instagram, hehe).. If you’re getting hungry and are looking for some new inspiration, look no further; here’s my top 5 favorite food Instagrammers – Enjoy! 🙂
As most of you probably know by know, I’m a huge Bucketlist fan – I love a good Bucketlist! 🙂 My personal Bucketlist is long, but it also keeps growing every day.. I love reading other people’s Bucketlists as I’m always looking for new inspiration to add to my own. 2020 is the year I will always associate with the covid-19 pandemic, which hasn’t exactly been the ideal year for Bucketlist progress (and this year was suppose to be a good one!). But instead of moping around and think about all the things I should have done, I have decided to look at it from a different perspective; all the things I have done so far! As I was writing down all the things I have checked off my Bucketlist, it made me realize that I’m very proud of myself for achieving so many of my goals and experiencing so many fun things in life.. and this is just the beginning! 🙂
If you’re interested, here’s the points I have checked of my Bucketlist so far;
✔️ Voluntair for a cause I’m passionate about ✔️ Serve in the military (Air Force 08/09) ✔️ Gamble in Las Vegas ✔️ Live in another country for more than a year (The U.S. + the Netherlands) ✔️ Visit a stave church ✔️Quit a job I truly hate ✔️ Shoot with a weapon (In the Air Force) ✔️ Become an organ donor ✔️ Work as an aupair (In San Francisco, CA in 2007) ✔️ Ride the cable cars in San Francisco ✔️ Create my own personal blog ✔️ Ride a bike like a local in the Netherlands ✔️ Go to College in the United States (2009-2013) ✔️ Celebrate a local holiday (Thanksgiving + Kings Day) ✔️ Go on a road trip in the US (We drove from North Dakota – Florida) ✔️ Shop at Portobello Road Market, London ✔️ Go snowboarding in the Alps ✔️ Visit Svalbard (October 2018) ✔️ Have a campfire at the beach ✔️ Host a theme party (Great Gatsby for my big 30!) ✔️ Watch a drag show ✔️ Celebrate Halloween in the U.S. ✔️ Try Zip-lining (Down Holmenkollen Ski jump in 2014) ✔️ Visit the Auschwitz/Birkenau Concentration Camps ✔️ Visit Rotterdam Markthall ✔️ Eat a meal with locals in another country ✔️ Go to a drive-in movie theater ✔️ Stay at a 5 star hotel (Panama Jack Resorts, Mexico 2013) ✔️ Live in a big city (San Francisco 2007 – Leiden 2016) ✔️ Have a fish-pedicure ✔️ Eat a meal from a food truck ✔️ Attend an American college keg party ✔️ Go skinny dipping outdoors ✔️ Visit the Red Light District in Amsterdam ✔️ Visit Miami Beach (March 2011) ✔️ Ride a helicopter (in the Air Force 08/09) ✔️ Eat at Jamie Oliver’s Restaurant ✔️ Enjoy a dinner outside in nature ✔️ Climb Gaustadtoppen ✔️ Have an outdoor movie night ✔️ Go on a cabin trip in the Norwegian mountains ✔️ Sleep under the stars ✔️ Try plogging ✅ ✔️ Live with locals in another country (Lived with a host family in San Francisco in 2007 + in college with international roommates!) ✔️ Help someone in need
I can’t wait to continue checking of my Bucketlist in the future! Do you have your own personal Bucketlist? If so, feel free to drop it in the comment section – I would love to read it! 😀
This is how I spent my morning today; the best ice coffee with a hint of caramel, crisp and cooler air, sunshine, fall flowers and the changing colors of the leaves.. It was a much needed moment of solitude before work today, something I highly recommend everyone to do every now and then. So calm, relaxing and definitely the best way to start the day.. 💛
Endlessly exited for fall, here’s my Fall Bucketlist;
It’s finally here; not only the changing of the months, but you can also feel it in the air. It’s officially the end of warm lazy days at the beach or at seas, and you can feel the temperatures dropping. You can feel the cooler and crispier air sneaking up on us in the early mornings and late evenings, and the leaves are slowly changing it’s colors.. Fall is truly one of my favorite seasons and I can’t wait to enjoy everything this season has to offer! 🍁💛☕️🍃👢🍂🎃👻🥘
Here are the top 5 things I look forward to in September;
Invest in some new pieces for my fall wardrobe I recently cleaned out of my closet to prepare for fall season and while it felt a little sad to pack away all the light summer dresses and cute sandals (where did summer really go?!), it also felt great to unpack my fall wardrobe again. After going through all my clothes, I want to invest in some new pieces for my fall wardrobe; a quality coat, a light down jacket, a fluffy quality scarf, a few chunky knit sweaters, and a couple of good quality stretchy jeans!
Visit Lofoten After going through half of 2020 with no traveling at all, we’re finally taking a vacation! In mid September we are going to visit my dad’s birthplace, Værøy in Lofoten in north of Norway. I visited the island for a family reunion 2004, but it’s so long ago I hardly remember anything. I can’t wait to travel a little again, see more of Norway and spend some much needed quality time with my family. Big bonus; I get to check of yet another point of my Bucketlist (stay tuned for a blog post!).
Go apple picking and make homemade apple jam One of my favorite memories as a child, was my grandfathers homemade apple jam. It’s was the perfect consistency and filled with lot’s of flavor. After he died, I made an attempt to make it myself and even though it can be compared to his jam (nothing can), it was pretty close (recipe can be found here). I can’t wait to go apple picking and make lot’s of delicious homemade jam filled with large chunks of apple and a hint of cinnamon.
More outdoor bonfire nights With the goal of spending more time outside in fresh air, we aim to continue our ongoing tradition of outdoor bonfire nights with friends and family. There’s nothing better than spend an evening outdoor in fresh air, get the fire going, bring some food, drinks & snacks, and enjoy great conversations with the people you love. We’re definitely doing more of that!
Get busy in the kitchen I love cooking and I’m always on the outlook for new recipes to try out. Fall is the ultimate season for comfort food and I’m talking about delicious creamy and tasteful soups, meat & vegetables, and great desserts. A few recipes I want to try out is this Creamy Tomato Soup with Cheese Toasties, the Dutch Oven baked Bread, and this Instant Pot Coq au Vin, which looks absolutely amazing!
Are you exited for fall? Do you have any fun things planned? 🙂
Today’s breakfast was a plate filled with deliciousness!
If you need some breakfast inspiration, I can’t recommend this dish enough; whole grain toast with scrambled eggs and topped with fresh chives, cucumber, tomatoes, colorful bell pepper and your choice of protein.. So easy, filled with good nutrients, and so good! 😊😋 Enjoy!
Earlier this week I checked off another point on my Bucketlist; I ate a meal from a food truck! As many of you know, I’m a big fan of Bucketlists and I use it as a drive to do all the things I want to do. However, having a Bucketlist also made realize that your points doesn’t have to be grand and major, because it’s often the small things in life that gives you great joy.. And enjoying a delicious meal in the sun with my amazing husband was just what I needed! 😍
Whether you’re a local or a tourist visiting, you simply must pay Alex’s Food truck a visit! This business is run by Alex and his family, a bunch of warm and wonderful people from Portugal. They specialize is gourmet hotdogs and skewers marinated with homemade Portuguese seasoning, all paired with the best crispy french fries, salad, delicious toppings and and tasty dressings.. You can simply choose your favorite! They focus on using local vendors, so their gourmet hotdogs and fresh buns are from a local butcher and bakery, which is a big plus in my book! 💯
Upon our visit, we were greeted with a warm welcome by Alex himself, who were very eager to inform us about their menu and the products they use.. It’s clear that he is very passionate about his business and the food they serve and with good reason; this food is the best! We tried a couple of dishes; the beef skewers marinated in delicious Portugese seasoning with french fries, salad and dressing + Alex’s Hot Dog paired with french fries, coleslaw, choritzo, manchego cheese and chipotle mayonnaise – two dishes that definitely satisfied our taste buds! 😋💥🤤 This food is not only super tasty and filled with lots flavor, but it’s also very affordable. Unfortunately Alex’s Food Truck is only in Stavern during the summer and the next weekend (August 15-16th) is the last weekend they’re open, so if you want to give it a try (which you should!), you must hurry up! 🙂
Ps; if you visit, make sure to follow them on Instagram and don’t forget to rate & review them on TripAdvisor!
I think it’s safe to say that this summer is very different, but it doesn’t mean it’s bad.. Here’s a current glimpse of life in pictures; lot’s of delicious food & ice coffees, days at seas (we have a boat this summer!), quality time with loved ones, cat cuddles, reading, and lot’s of walks outside in fresh air and wonderful sunsets.. It’s not bad at all! 🙂
