2 Year Blogiversary & The Weekly Photo Challenge: Achievement

by Christine M.November 15, 2014

Enjoying delicious cupcakes at New York City based Magnolia Bakery today celebrating our 2 year Blogiversary!

We enjoyed some delicious cupcakes at the New York City based Magnolia Bakery while celebrating our 2 year Blogiversary today!

This week’s photo challenge is Achievement and it was pretty ironic and also perfect timing to receive this message from WordPress this morning:

Celebrating 2 years of blogging today!

I started this blog 2 years ago, and it was right before my family and I made the big life changing move to Finland! We have been very busy settling into our new home (our 2nd expat experience), so I have been a little behind on keeping up with my blog lately. We even had to purchase a car this past week (something we didn’t need while living in Finland). There is so much more to see and do here and it can be quite overwhelming at times. We are hoping to see and experience as much as possible while we are living here.

When I decided to start this blog, I never knew how much it would actually change my family’s life. There is so much more adventure and excitement and we have all made friends from many different countries and cultures. Our upcoming year will be full of adventure as well… and will include a visit to Australia, New Zealand, Italy, Desert Camping, Sea Kayaking, and Golf Lessons just to name a few. We are truly grateful for all we have experienced since starting this blog and are looking forward to many more adventures!

Thanks so much to the above 97 countries who have visited my blog in the past 2 years! Truly an achievement when I see how many countries are now colored in on my WordPress stats! Amazing!!

Thanks so much to everyone from the above 97 countries 🌎 who have visited my blog in the past 2 years! I would never have imagined it would be viewed in so many places around the world. It is pretty cool to see how many countries are now colored in on my WordPress stats map! I am now encouraged to focus more on my blog and get some more posts written. Our visit to St. Petersburg, Russia is finally up next and I’m really looking forward to getting back into reading more of my fellow bloggers’ adventures too! Cheers to another year of blogging! 🍷

Here’s a link to my most popular blog post over the past 2 years and the biggest achievement from our travels so far:

Seeing the Northern Lights through a Glass Igloo in Lapland, Finland

ALS: Ice Bucket Challenge~ In honor of my classmate

by Christine M.August 24, 2014

I have been nominated by my high school classmate, Melissa (Missy) Y., who is currently battling this progressive neurodegenerative disease. If anyone has any doubts about this challenge, I believe her post below shows that it is certainly making a difference, especially to those who are currently battling ALS.

This has been a very successful campaign for the ALS Association and has brought in an extraordinary amount of donations in such a short time. I have accepted her challenge, and would also like to encourage my fellow bloggers and readers to help continue the momentum which brings more awareness and funds to help those currently living with ALS and their families and to hopefully one day find a cure!

Here’s our video:

Please make a video, pass along the challenge to three others, and here’s how you can make a difference by donating at one of the links below:

You can donate to the ALS Association and learn more about the disease at this link:

ALS Association/Ice Bucket Challenge

Missy has also recommended her local chapter for donations:

Webmn.alsa.org

Or, if you would rather your donations go towards ALS drug development, she has recommended this site for donations:

ALS Therapy Development Institute

Update: Thank you to everyone who has donated at one of the above links so far! I normally do not post my blog posts to Facebook, but have been amazed at the response and those who have let me know that they have donated and also doing the challenge now. I know that Missy is grateful for those supporting her and this ALS fundraiser. It certainly gives hope for a cure!

Norway in a Nutshell: (Pt. 1-Oslo, Fjord Cruise, & The Flåm Railway)

by Christine M.June 13, 2014

Norway ranks at the top of my list of places to see in Scandinavia. The peacefulness you feel while in Norway is something you will never forget. I try to show what my family and I experience through my words and photos on this blog, but sometimes I feel that it is hard to do a very special place the justice it truly deserves. Norway is certainly one of those places. You really need to go there in person to experience the calmness, fresh air, and the true majestic beauty of it all. No wonder it was ranked at the top of the list for most happiest countries in the world*(see link below)!

Maybe it is not our recent move that is taking me a long time to show our full Norway adventure (we have been staying in a hotel the past two weeks until we find a new place), but I believe I was really having a hard time deciding how to show such a magnificent place the way I thought it needed to be seen. I think the best I can do at this point, is to forget about what to say in words and just show the photos and hope my two posts on Norway will inspire others to add Norway to their list of places to see! So, here we go…. our Norway in a Nutshell experience in photos:

Our Norway in a Nutshell experience began in the city of Oslo. This is the Royal House of Norway, the official residence of the current monarch.

This is Mia and I next to (well as close as we were allowed to get to his circle on the ground) one of the guards in front of the Royal House.

Mia with the Lego Mascot in the streets of Oslo, Norway. Mia loves her legos!!

Time for a break and desert at the Hard Rock in Oslo!

It was time for a nice break and dessert at the Hard Rock in Oslo!

After one night in Oslo, we took the Bergen Railway to a stop in Myrdal and jumped on the Flåm Railway. One of the steepest and most beautiful railways in the world!

A shot of inside the train before we left the Myrdal stop.

The view from inside the Flåm Railway as we were leaving Myrdal.

Another shot at the beginning of the train ride.

Mia was enjoying the view from the amazing Flåm Railway!

Mia was enjoying the view from inside the amazing Flåm Railway!

I spotted these cross-country skiers while on the train. It looks like a nice relaxing place to enjoy an afternoon of skiing!

At a quick stop on the route to see one of the beautiful waterfalls. The entire route runs 12 miles long.

At a quick stop on the route (Kjosfossen) to see one of the beautiful waterfalls. The entire scenic route runs 12 miles long and has a descent of 2838 feet with a gradient of one in 18!

The beautiful waterfall at one of the stops high above one of the tunnels.

A beautiful waterfall at one of the stops high above one of the 20 tunnels on the route.

Mia getting ready to hop off the train at one of the stops.

The cool Zig Zag Road up the cliff (Flåmsdal – Myrdal).

A shot of one of the beautiful valleys on the route.

A view of the front of the train from the window of our train car on one of the many curves.

Ahhhhh…. the picturesque Flåm Valley!

I would love to spend a year or so in this lovely valley!

The lovely Flåm Valley! So beautiful and peaceful….

I thought this was an interesting shot with the tractor and I believe a cemetery.

I thought this was an interesting shot from the valley with the tractor and what I thought at first was a cemetery, but I believe the stakes are part of their farm to grow something with vines!

We made it to the end of the route at the stop in Flåm! Next, we spent a little time eating lunch and shopped in the enormous gift shop during our break after the train ride! About an hour and a half later, we boarded the amazing Fjord1 cruise to Gudvangen (Aurland, Undredal, Nærøyfjord, and the majestic Sognefjord- the longest and deepest fjord in the world)!

Danny and Mia getting ready to board the ship for our fjord cruise!

The seagulls followed us for a long time on the cruise!

These seagulls followed us for a long time on the cruise!

Me at the beginning of the cruise. What an amazing experience in Norway!

Me at the beginning of the cruise. I was so excited to have the chance to see the magnificent fjords in Norway!

The amazing view as we were leaving Flåm!

Danny enjoying seeing the fjords from the boat!

This was the sight before we made the first turn on the cruise.

This was as we were making the first turn.

One of the many beautiful waterfalls on the tour!

The first view of some cute homes in the charming Village of Undredal!

Some more of the cute homes in the Undredal Village. Another example of the simplistic beauty you will see in Norway!

Charming Undredal Village. Anyone else want to move here? 🙂

This view of Undredal Village really shows the stunning sight! The Village looks so tiny!

Leaving the Village of Undredal….

Absolutely stunning!! The magnificence of Norway!

Mia having fun on the cruise.... One of the funniest moments of our trip. After about 45 minutes into the cruise Mia shouts out "When are we going to see the Fjords!?!?!" Danny and I were completely stunned! She thought when we explained to her what we were going to see on the cruise that the fjords were actually glaciers!! Oh boy!! Love my funny girl! ;)

Mia having fun on the cruise…. and one of the funniest moments of our trip. After about 45 minutes into the cruise Mia shouts out, “When are we going to see the Fjords!?!?!” Danny and I were completely stunned! She thought when we explained to her what we were going to see on the cruise that the fjords were actually glaciers!! Oh boy, I guess we should have explained it a little better!! Love our funny little girl! Now one of our inside jokes as we are traveling is “When are we going to see the Fjords!?!?!” I now need to add glaciers to our list of things to see!! 😉

Toward the end of the amazing cruise!

Me enjoying the amazing views at the end of our cruise! Ready to do it again!

Me enjoying the amazing views at the end of our cruise! I would love to do it again one day!

Last shot from our cruise. We truly enjoyed our experience on the Fjord1 cruise!

Towards the end of our cruise. Spring on the bottom and winter at the top of this scene! Truly an amazing sight to see!

At the end… The view as we entered into Gudvangen. We truly enjoyed our experience on the Fjord1 cruise!

For more information on the Flåm Railway experience, please visit: Flåm Railway

For more information about The Bergen Railway, please visit: NSB

For more information about the Royal House, please visit: The Royal House of Norway

For more information on the Norway in a Nutshell tour, please visit: Norway in a Nutshell

To read the article from Forbes about the Happiest (and saddest) countries in the world in 2013, please visit: Happiest Countries

To read Part 2 of our Norway in a Nutshell adventure, please visit: Norway: Part 2

We can now mark another Red Pin Adventure off our Travel Bucket List: ~~Oslo-Bergen, Norway (See the Fjords and Ride on the Flåm Railway).~~

My upcoming posts will feature a Blog Hop, Sweden (Stockholm), and Russia (St. Petersburg)!

Norway in a Nutshell: (Pt. 2-Voss & Bergen)

by Christine M.May 27, 2014

Norway has to be one of the most breathtaking places I have been so far in my travels! If you only had time to visit one place in Scandinavia, I would certainly put Norway at the top of your list. This post will include the last part of our Norway in a Nutshell tour (Voss & Bergen). I will post the 1st half of the adventure in my next post (Oslo, Flåm Railway & Nœrøyfjord). I’m posting them backwards so that it will show up on the blog in the correct order on the home page. Here are some highlights from the second part of our Norway in a Nutshell adventure:

Mia and I in front of the Fleishman's Hotel where we stayed for one evening after our fjord cruise.

Mia and I in front of the Fleischer’s Hotel (built in 1864) where we stayed for one evening after our fjord cruise. Lots of history here (royal guests) as well as an amazing view of Lake Vangsvatnet.

Mia and I with this huge troll in Voss, Norway.

Mia had fun playing on this cool Voss sign!

Mia and I in front of the breathtaking Vangsvatnet Lake.

The tranquil view of Lake Vangsvatnet! Ahhhhh… I sat for a long time on a rock and really soaked up the view and the fresh air!

Mia playing in front of the Lake. She has always been our “water baby”. She is the happiest when she is in the water or close to it!

One last shot of Mia with the beautiful lake! I think she could have easily spent all day here!

Vangsvatnet Lake in Voss, Norway. I appreciate nature as an amazing work of art which we can enjoy everyday.

Vangsvatnet Lake in Voss, Norway. I will always remember this as one of the most serene moments of my life!

On to the next stop! Mia and I right before we boarded the train to Bergen!

The following photos are from our last stop on the Norway in a Nutshell adventure – Bergen, Norway (Mt. Floyen, Fløibanen Funicular):

Street scene in beautiful Bergen, Norway!

Mia on a cool fish wood carving in Bergen.

This is the entrance to the Fløibanen Funicular.

Tracks and tunnel on the Fløibanen Funicular ride.

The Norway flag and the Fløien Folkerestaurant at the top of Mt. Floyen.

The stunning view at the top of Mt. Floyen.

This is Mia who went into this pose when we made it to the top of Mount Floyen in Bergen, Norway.

Mia went into this pose when we made it to the top of Mount Floyen in Bergen, Norway.

Mia on our hike around Mt. Floyen.

Mia and Danny checking out the swing on our hike around Mt. Floyen.

Mia and Danny found this cool swing on our hike around Mt. Floyen.

Getting ready to head back down the mountain!

The beautiful view from the bell tower where we stayed in Bergen.

The beautiful view from the clock tower where we stayed in Bergen.

Another view right after sunset from the top of the clock tower.

A beautiful ship at night in Bergen.

Getting ready to fly back to Helsinki… An amazing Mastiff dog we found at the Bergen airport wanted to play with Mia’s stuffed whale!

Saying goodbye to Norway... An amazing Mastiff dog drooling and happy as can be and at the Bergen airport! :)

A great way to say goodbye to Norway… Seeing an amazing Mastiff dog drooling and happy as can be at the Bergen airport! 🙂

For more information about Voss, please visit: Voss, Norway

For more information about Bergen, please visit: Bergen, Norway

For more information about the Fløibanen funicular, please visit: Fløibanen (Bergen)

My next post will be Part 1 of our Norway in a Nutshell adventure. We can now mark another Red Pin Adventure off our Travel/Life Bucket List: ~~Oslo – Bergen, Norway (See the Fjords & Ride on the Flåm Railway)~~

Copenhagen, Denmark: Tivoli Gardens

by Christine M.May 18, 2014

I’m way behind again on blog posts… we have been very busy planning for our upcoming move and packing up the apartment. It is hard to believe that we have less than two weeks left here in Finland. We finally had beautiful weather this weekend and we enjoyed a high of 72℉ today! Too bad we will be moving when it is so nice here. It felt like we were back in Florida today!!

This post is from a trip in April during Spring Break. We decided to use the break to work on seeing more of Scandinavia. Spring Break in Finland is only a long weekend (not like the week off we are used to in Florida), but it was a nice break to finally enjoy some nice sunshine after the dark winter. Here are a few photos which highlight the stunning Tivoli Gardens, which opened in 1843 (the second oldest theme park in the world & the most visited in Scandinavia). Walt Disney himself even visited this park for inspiration for Disneyland:

Mia and I in front of the entrance to Tivoli Gardens.

A beautiful view over the water at Tivoli Gardens.

Mia and I in front of one of the beautiful cherry blossom trees at the park.

Mia and I had fun watching this peacock eat cookies inside this store at Tivoli.

We had fun watching this peacock visit this store at Tivoli for some treats!

A beautiful ballet show at the Pantomime Theatre. Shows have been performed here since 1874.

Mia enjoying a nice relaxing break at the park.

Danny and Mia having fun in front of the stage.

Below are a few other places we visited while in Copenhagen (Rosenborg Castle, The King’s Gardens, Amalienborg Palace & The Little Mermaid Sculpture) :

The front view of the stunning Rosenborg Castle (built in 1606).

This is the crown of King Christian IV which is on display at the castle.

On display at the castle, these amazing S. Colt Revolvers given to King Fredrick VII by Pres. Abraham Lincoln.

On display at the castle, these amazing S. Colt Revolvers given to King Frederik VII by Pres. Abraham Lincoln (1861).

Mia in front of an amazing cherry blossom tree in the King’s Gardens.

Mia and I having fun on the amazing cherry blossom tree at the King’s Gardens.

Mia and I next to the Amalienborg Palace Guards.

The beautiful The Little Mermaid Sculpture by Edvard Eriksen in 1913 at Copenhagen Harbour.

Mia and I in front of The Little Mermaid sculpture.

A view through the trees of Skt. Alban Church.

A beautiful swan was proud to pose for a photo at the Copenhagen Harbour.

A beautiful swan next to The Little Mermaid sculpture at the Copenhagen Harbour.

Mia and I in front of an amazing group of Cherry Blossom Trees.

For more information about Rosenborg Castle, please visit: Rosenborg Castle

For more information about Tivoli Gardens, please visit: Tivoli Gardens

For more information about Sculptor Edvard Eriksen and The Little Mermaid, please visit: The Little Mermaid

My next posts will show our adventures in Norway and Sweden. We can now mark another Red Pin Adventure off our Travel Bucket List: ~~Copenhagen, Denmark (visit Tivoli Gardens)~~

Ski Saariselkä & Santa’s Resort in Finland

by Christine M.April 10, 2014

My family and I were finally able to try out snow skiing and snowboarding for the first time in our lives at Ski Saariselkä Sport Resort in Finland two weekends ago. I ended up with a nice bruise on one of my butt cheeks from it for the past 2 weeks, but all in all it was a very fun experience for all of us!! We also went on a ski lift for the first time… and boy oh boy was that hilarious!! I fell off the side trying to get off and lost my blue winter hat in the process which went flying down the ski slope never again to be seen! 😦 So, if anyone finds a nice light blue winter hat that has a Helsinki tag on it… it’s mine! My husband also banged up his legs trying to get him and Mia off safely… my goodness, we were a complete mess trying to get off that darn ski lift!! Leave it to the family from Florida to show everyone how to do it so gracefully! Ha Ha! Oh well, we can now say we’ve tried it, not successfully, but we survived… barely! Another check off the bucket list! 🙂

We first tried out snow skiing with a very nice ski instructor named Leen. It was a great experience to have snow skis on our feet for the first time. It was a little difficult to walk at first, but we managed to go skiing down a little part of the bottom of the slope! The next day we tried out snowboarding. We were exhausted from all of the excitement of staying up late the evening before to see the amazing northern lights, so my husband and I didn’t do as well. But, to our surprise, Mia was a natural!! She had so much fun and we couldn’t believe our eyes when she kept successfully going down the little part of the slope and even slightly turning at the bottom. She looked like a little surfer girl with her arms stretched out on that snowboard…We were so proud and amazed!! All in all, this was a very fun experience for us and something we will never forget. We would love to try cross country skiing one day as well.. it looks a lot less scary and much more peaceful!!

Here are a few photos from our first experience snow skiing and snowboarding:

Mia with a pair of snow skis on for the first time!

Mia was so happy to have a pair of snow skis on her feet for the very first time!

This is Mia with our ski instructor Leen, learning how to stop.

This is Mia with our very patient ski instructor Leen, skiing down the slope!

This is me trying out snowboarding for the first time! It was much more difficult than I thought it would be!

Mia and her daddy on the ski lift… so happy right before all the excitement happened trying to get off! 🙂

Mia and I at what felt like the top of the world (well almost)… we were north of the arctic circle! That is also my blue hat I lost after falling off the ski lift!

I had a lot of fun trying out snowboarding for the first time!

This one is a bit blurry (forgot to change the settings). This is our family with our amazing ski instructor, Leen! 🙂

Santa’s Resort: After our ski lesson on Friday, we made it back to the Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort where we stayed and they had transportation (a quick 5-minute drive) ready for a group of us to experience their Santa’s Resort. We were greeted by a very friendly elf and were taken to feed some of Santa’s reindeer. We were then taken up a pretty snow lined path to where we could see Santa in front of a cute little cottage and he was standing next to a real reindeer!! Mia starting screaming “Santa, Santa, Santa!!” It was a pretty cool sight to see! We were then able to take photos with Santa and his reindeer and then went inside his cute cottage. Mia was able to sit on Santa’s lap and he gave her a present. The cottage had a cute desk where letters from children around the world were displayed. It also had a room where Santa’s sleigh bed was and a very cozy fireplace in the living area.

We were then taken down a beautiful wooden bridge where you could get a great view of the Celebration House (Finland’s largest log building which is used for special events). We enjoyed a nice warm juice drink and some tasty gingerbread cookies inside the stunning Celebration House. Here are a few photos from our experience at Santa’s Resort:

Mia and I with Santa and one of his reindeer at Santa’s Resort. What a neat experience!!

Our Family with Santa and one of his beautiful reindeer! I believe this may be a photo for our Christmas card this year!

Our family with Santa and one of his beautiful reindeer! I believe this may be the photo for our Christmas card this year!

Mia with Santa in his cottage. He gave her a nice gift as well!

I love this shot of Santa walking in the distance with all of the snow all around him!

This was a very unique building on the property at the end of the bridge!

You can go gold panning here in the summer. Mia really wanted to do that, but of course it was frozen!

You can go gold panning here in the summer with Santa’s elves. Mia really wanted to do that, but of course the river was frozen!

Mia and I with the beautiful Celebration House in the background.

The Celebration House on the property is absolutely stunning!

My family and I really enjoyed our weekend trip to Saariselkä, and truly had the time of our lives! We can now mark two things off our Red Pin Adventure Travel Bucket List:

~~Try snow skiing~~

~~Try snowboarding~~

For more information about Ski Saariselkä and ski/snowboarding lessons, please visit:

Ski Saariselkä Sport Resort

For more information about visiting Santa’s Home, please go to:

Kakslauttanen – Santa’s Home

To view my earlier post from this same trip about seeing the northern lights from a glass igloo, please visit:

Seeing the Northern Lights through a Glass Igloo

Weekly Photo Challenge: Street Life

by Christine M.March 31, 2014

I have three photos to share for this weeks photo challenge. The first one is one of my favorite shots from our trip this past year to Paris. The guy in the background with the black jacket and his eyes closed was so peaceful and was handing out bird seed to people in the street to feed the birds. When we tried to pay him for it, he refused our money and just filled our hands with the seeds. He was one of those people who seemed so peaceful and fulfilled in life. As soon as I got over the surprise of the birds landing in my hands, I could feel the peacefulness that he must feel while feeding the birds, which I assume is often. I will be forever grateful for this wonderful experience on the streets in Paris!

This is me feeling free as a bird at the Notre Dame Cathedral.

This second photo is of a couple that I feel was just as peaceful in life and didn’t care what anyone thought in the beautiful streets of Tallinn, Estonia. They were just happy to be relaxing and soaking up the sun!

One of the cutest older couples I have ever seen!

My last photo from the streets is of the Naked Invisible Man in Tallinn, Estonia. It’s truly amazing what you can find just walking around the streets of a new place you are exploring!

We enjoyed saying hello to the Naked Invisible Man at the Viru Gates. 😉

A Backyard Koi Pond: The Ultimate in Relaxation

by Christine M.January 12, 2014

Mia and I in front of the relaxing koi pond at my parent’s house.

It’s 2014 and my family and I just returned to Finland a few days ago after spending three weeks back at home in Florida for the holidays. We have gone nonstop for the past year with the move and my husband’s busy job, so we really needed some time to recharge, thaw out, and just turn everything off for a couple of days. We were successfully able to do so mostly because my dad decided to put in this amazing koi pond for my mom a little over a year ago. My mom is from Okinawa, Japan, and one of her dreams has always been to have a koi pond in her backyard. Well, my dad jokes that he has heard her say that she has wanted one the whole time they have been married (40 years this year). So, if he was going to finally put one in for her, he was “going to make damn sure it was a really nice one, so he wouldn’t have to hear about one for the rest of his life!”

Well, he successfully did so after finding a company that installs koi ponds in the Central Florida area and to our surprise, construction finally began on my mom’s koi pond and was finished in only a couple of days! This corner of their backyard has turned into an amazing sanctuary where you can sit on one of the benches and listen to the sounds of the waterfall and truly feel yourself completely relax. My daughter Mia has spent hours upon hours playing and catching little minnows and frogs at the pond. There is even something so tranquil about feeding the koi (nishikigoi) and watching them come to the surface and swim around each other while they eat.

There is a lot involved in the pond such as the pump, waterfall feature, bubblers, UV lighting to control the algae, the filter, and testing the water. But, overall there is not much upkeep to it other than feeding the koi everyday and cleaning out the filter. There are about 30 koi total in the pond as well as minnows and frogs. The plants have really grown in since the install and although the lily pads that were originally put in looked really nice, they have all been eaten by the koi. Here are a few photos of the koi pond in my parent’s backyard:

A backyard koi pond: The ultimate in relaxation!

A few of the koi coming up to the surface to eat.

Mia spends a lot of time with this little net catching some of the minnows in the pond.

Mia enjoys spending a lot of time with this little net catching some of the minnows in the pond. She puts them in a bucket and then returns them back to the pond.