33 Things I have learned in 33 years

Lifestyle

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! 🙂

My top 5 favorite food Instagrammers

Food, Lifestyle, My Bucketlist, Travel

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! 🙂

What’s Gabby Cooking

Julialtermuli

Hello Healthy Eating

Half-baked Harvest

Healthy Belly

Completed points on my Bucketlist

Food, Lifestyle, My Bucketlist, Travel

Reklame/Affiliate Booking.com

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! 😀

My Fall Bucketlist 🍁

Food, Lifestyle, My Bucketlist, Travel

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;

🍁 Have outdoor bonfire nights with good friends

🍁 Go apple picking and make homemade apple jam & the best apple cake

🍁 Invite friends over for friendsgiving

🍁 Go for many walk outside in fresh, crisp air

🍁 Update my fall wardrobe (I want a new coat, a fluffy scarf and some new jeans)

🍁 Read some new books in front of the fireplace

🍁 Spend some much needed quality time with good friends

🍁 Go on a cabin trip in the Norwegian mountains

🍁 Get busy in the kitchen and try out lot’s of new recipes

🍁 Paint and decorate our livingroom for fall

🍁 Enjoy delicious coffees outside in fresh air at my favorite coffee shops

🍁 Try out at least 3 new workout classes at my gym

🍁 Visit and discover some new cities in Norway

🍁 Visit Lofoten and check off another point on my Bucketlist!

5 things I look forward to in September

Lifestyle

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? 🙂

Interesting links from around the web #13

Food, Lifestyle, My Bucketlist

“Life inside” is a weekly series of first-person essays from people who live or work in the criminal justice system – it’s definitely worth a read!

I definitely want to make some of these summer cocktails

This Southampton home is true perfection – an absolute dream home!

The 25 best romantic comedies of all times

I love Aubrey’s before + after pictures of her colonial kitchen renovation

These melon + prosciutto + fresh basil + mozzarella skewers are the perfect summer snack

Netflix documentary Athlete A delves into the USA Gymnastics sex abuse scandal

Joanna’s top picture of weekend citrus just make me really happy

How cool would it be to wake up in a tree-house?

Book Recommendation

Lifestyle

You know when a book is so good you cannot put it down once you start reading it? This is definitely one of those books! It’s captivating, gripping and phenomenal. Based on one of America’s most notorious real life scandals this book address one of the biggest “Baby market adoption schemes” in America, where Georgia Tann, director of the Memphis-based adoption organization Tennessee Children’s Home Society Orphanage, from the 1920’s – 1950’s, kidnapped and used her home as a base for selling poor children to wealthy families all over the country. To cover her crimes, Tann falsified adoptee’s birth certificates, sealing their true ones and issuing new ones that portrayed adoptive parents as birth parents, a practice that was actually approved by legislatures across the country who believe it would spare the adoptees the onus of legitimacy. It’s estimated that over 5000 children were kidnapped and sold in the course span of thirty years!
As a New York Times #1 best seller for over 104 weeks and with over 2,5 million copies sold worldwide, this book is without a doubt one of the best books I’ve read! 📚😊

“Before We Were Yours” is written by Lisa Windgate, a former journalist, inspirational speaker and a New York Times bestselling author. Fascinated by history, she built this novel on new articles, investigations, books and movies about Georgia Tann and the Tennessee Children’s Home Society, personal visits to Memphis, as well as talking to people who remembered the scandal.. The book follows two main characters and is written from two point of views; Rill’s (one of the main characters) narrative in 1939 and the contemporary one of Avery Stafford. The fact that this book is based on a true story makes this it even more interesting. You read, imagine and are so involved in the history! Without spoiling to much of the plot, I recommend picking up this book and start reading – you will not regret it! 📚

Taco bowl with the BEST avocado dressing!

Food, Lifestyle

Any taco dish is my go-to any day, but today I topped it with a little extra something – the best avocado dressing! It’s the perfect balance between the sweetness of the honey, the fire of the jalapeños, and of course the creamy avocado.. Paired with taco seasoned cauliflower rice, grounded beef, and your choice of veggies this taco dish with a twist is a must try – you will not be disappointed! 🌮💥🥑

Here’s what you need to make it (3 persons);

Ingredients
400 g grounded beef – taco seasoning – red onion – bell peppers (different colors) – corn – cherry tomatoes – salad – cucumber – cauliflower rice – lime – green scallions

Dressing; 1 avocado – 4 tbsp sour cream – 1 ts honey – a pinch of salt – 1 tbsp water – 1 garlic glove – a dash of olive oil – jalapeños

Directions
Make the grounded beef and add taco seasoning, set aside. Fry the peppers on medium heat with a splash of butter in the pan. For the cauliflower rice, you have two options; 1. you can make it yourself by cutting an half cooked cauliflower into pieces and pulse in a food processor until it turns into rice, or 2. you can buy it ready made (which is what I did). Gently fry the rice in the pan with sprinkles of salt, pepper and taco seasoning. Cut up all the vegetables and layer on a plate. To make the dressing, mix the avocado, lime juice, honey, olive oil, water, salt, sour cream and jalapeños in a food processor, blend until a smooth texture.

Enjoy!

2 New Favorite Podcasts (Norwegian)🎙

Lifestyle

Aaah, I love podcasts! I listen to them all the time, whether I’m in the shower, cleaning, doing laundry, cooking or working out.. It’s a great way for me to unwind and relax, but to be productive at the same time. Lately I have gained a couple of new favorites (both in Norwegian), which I highly recommend! These two woman are bad ass – feel free to check them out!

“I Dybden – med Lene Orvik“
This podcast is hosted by Lene Orvik – an entrepreneur, blogger, designer, influencer and podcaster. In this podcast, Lene allows us to get to know her on a deeper personal level under the surface of social media. She aims to share her personal story about her life and inspire you to be the best version of yourself, and address various topics all of us can relate to including love and sex, single life, challenges surrounding depression and self-image, positive mind-sets, and how to be a successful entrepreneur and get as far as possible.. This podcast is great and if you’re looking for a motivational boost and positive vibe, check it out! Also, check out her Instagram account for a mixed dose of fashion, outdoor life, interior design, traveling, social life and friendship – this account always gets me in a good mood!

“G-Punkt med Iselin Guttormsen“
This podcast is hosted by Iselin Guttormsen – a bad ass lady who is a mother of 2, a certified sex therapist, blogger, TV-personality, lecturer and now podcaster. I love this podcast for many reasons; she is real, raw and honest. Nothing is left behind the scenes and more importantly; she address various topics that are often taboo and unspoken of. Important topics addressed are incest and sexual assault of children, how to talk about sexual boundaries with your children, culture, religious and sexual barriers, long-distance relationship and phone sex, unhealthy relationships, jealousy and break-ups, absence of sexual desire and sexual performance anxiety in a relationship, masturbation, porn, blow jobs, the challenges of being gay and anal sex, and when your partner is having an affair & the challenges surrounding infidelity. Excluding the first episode, she always interview a guest in each episode. A new episode is released every Sunday, you do not want to miss this one!

Happy listening! 🎙

Dalgona Coffee – how to make it at home!

Food, Lifestyle

Dalgona coffee is a hot coffee trend these days and it can’t be missed in the news feed – it’s everywhere! Also known as “Quarantine Coffee” or “Whipped Coffee”, it’s one of the best coffees I’ve ever tried! As most of you probably know by now, I’m a huge fan of cold coffees, ice coffees in particular are my favorite, so the minute I tried a Dalgona coffee, it hit a home run with me! ☕️
With three ingredients only (all cheap) and which you probably already have at home, this coffee drink is quick and easy to make, so that’s what I did. To make a statement, serve them in a whisky glass and if you want to spice it up, you can also add Baily’s to it! 😍

If you feel like trying to make it at home (which you should!), here’s what you need;

Ingredients
Ice cubes – Milk – 2 tbsp Nescafe Coffee – 2 tbsp Sugar – 2 tbsp Water

Directions
In a bowl, combine sugar, coffee and water. Use a mixer and which until mixture turns silky smooth and shiny, then continue whisking until it thickens and holds a lofty, foamy shape. Fill a glass with ice cubes and milk, then swirl the whipped coffee mixture on top. Mix before drinking. Enjoy! 😀

A Few Tips;
– First and foremost rule of making the Dalgona Coffee is to use high-quality coffee powder for beating. I used the Nescafe Gold, which can be found in any grocery store in Norway.

– Use very cold normal milk (e.g. not condensed milk), as the coffee mixture are already sweet.

– You can store the whipped coffee mixture for a week in an airtight container. This is perfect is you’re expecting guests, as it allows you to make the coffee mixture in advance!