Planning a trip

So as I mentioned in the Italy post, I really want to travel somewhere. And actually for a couple of years I've wanted to do a roadtrip around USA. The time should be perfect next summer, so I'm anxious to get started on the planning. The first thing is to check with friends around USA whether or not a visit would suite their schedule and start choosing the route. My dream is to fly to New York and drive "diagonally", all the way to Los Angeles. Only time will tell whether we will be able to fit it all into one trip, or should we just do "one side" first and go back for the "other side" some other time.

So far places to visit on my list are:
- Ann (a friend from Nicholls)
- New York - just in general
- Grand Canyon, would be awesome
- Ansku (you always miss your lil'sis)
- Las Vegas (I've always wanted to see the craziness there is)
- Los Angeles

I'm also hoping to grab some friends along for atleast some parts of the trip. To me the more the merrier (Tonny has really changed my point-of view in social situations)... At least Katja and Aki have expressed the interest, so there is still hope :D.

So for now, I'm just gathering ideas on what should we do on that trip, if anyone has any good ones, please let me know :D

House warming... pictures

Because I had lost my camera (but luckily found it few weeks ago) I was never able to post any pics from our house warming party. I was finally able to get some photos from Blandina, so here you go. Some good moments from the party and I guess a sneak peak to how our house looks like.

Until next time again... I'll try to take some more photos of the house.

A weekend in Italy

I would love to be able to say that I went on a nice weekend trip with my new hubby, but unfortunately, that's not true. Instead I actually went with the board members and employees of Tampereen Voimistelijat. It was time for the yearly get together weekend, where we try to focus on the future and draw the big lines. Of course it's also our only chance to spend some time with each other socially so the nights went on quite long with the aid of nice food and good italian wines.



We were able to make some good plans for whatever issue was going on at the moment, and enjoy the beautiful sunshine in Italy, while Tampere is already gearing towards fall (too fast I might add). This weekend made me feel that I do still want to live abroad - do something completely different, and immediately I started to think what could that be.. We have (Tonny and I) been talking alot about going somewhere to do our masters degrees, it will be atleast a couple of years still to go, but it's fun to start planning about it.

Beautiful Pergamo...

Back to work and to coldness of Tampere, they actually announced on the radio today that tomorrow the fall will start... well I guess it's time to start waiting for Christmas! :D

The happiness in reaching your goal

For a while now I've been thinking about my job. As much as I love working with the people on the 7th floor, and all of my colleagues around the country after the year changed I started to feel un-challenged with the actual work I was doing. So finally before summer vacation I decided that I'm too young to give up on my dreams and applied for a better position within If.

They took me through a phone interview, interview with the "future boss" and his superior, as well as an in-depth personality analysis. And today I finally got the news that I had been hoping for. Starting on November 1 I will be a sales manager at the small enterprices business unit!!! I couldn't believe it when I got the call - I barely had the patience to stay focused while I was talking to the boss, and even with my lowered energy level (due to the flu) I found myself jumping up and down as soon as I hung up the phone.

He told me that I had truly impressed him during the interview, and then he revealed that there had been 46 other applicants!!! I am so glad I did not know that before today, it just would have put so much more pressure on me, and I might not have been so relaxed and ME during the process.

So, now I have two months to get ready for the change - I can't wait to take on this challenge!!!!

Sick and tired of being sick and tired

Growing up it didn't seem so back - you feel sick, you get some relaxing days with your parents and sisters taking care of you, you get to eat what ever you like and watch what ever you want on tv.

Now, if it wasn't for Tonny, I don't know how would I have survived these last couple of days. On friday I woke up feeling so sick that when I went to the doctor's office, I didn't even have the patience to listen. And at the laboratory, where everything usually works so nice and fast I felt like crying when it took 20 minutes for my number to come up. Twenty minutes - just shows how exhausted I was feeling. Luckily I have a good husband who on top of working all days and nights still had energy to cook for me, bring me extra blankets and water, and tea or what ever else I needed at that moment. I can't say how much it made me really appreciate the fact that I have found someone who loves me in sickness and in health. I guess I really put that in sickness to the test this weekend. Today things are starting to look better, the fever has finally burned out and I'm sure that with one more day of rest I'll be as good as new.


A little over a year ago I started my exercise program. I've been doing ok, but just before wedding I felt so stressed out that even thinking of exercise felt like a additional stress. But just before falling ill I was truly getting back to my system. I am so determined not to gain my weight back on now that the wedding is over (like everyone says I will) and in fact I still have not reached my ultimate goal and feel super motivated to finally reach it. I still have a bit of a way to go but when I started I decided not to rush it this time and really try to do it the healthy way and not by denying all the things that I like from my self. My next mini-goal is to drop another 4,5 kilos by 01 January 2010. Doesn't sound like so much, but it's not as easy as it was in the beginning. If I can make it, I will be so happy to see the new year coming.

But for now, I just need to get back to full strength so I can take my sneaker's for a run :D

Thanks Aki and Katja

Just came back from a super relaxing weekend. It is strange how a mere 48 hours can make you feel so relaxed and peaceful.

Katja and Aki invited us to a get-away-weekend to Aki's parents cottage by the sea. It took us three hours to get there, but it surely was worth the wait. For the first time ever, Tonny and I were able to really experience what is a summer vacation like for most of the finns. We swam straigth from the sauna, had a MÖLKKY competition and ate lost and lots of nice grilled food. And the night ended with a desparately tired group trying to play Trivial pursuit. In the end we had to change some rules around, to actually find a winner, but it was all good fun.

Today (Sunday) after driving home, I even had energy to go for a run! That's how relaxed the weekend left me..

JUST AMAZING!