Icelandic Horses

So, last week a Swedish girl named Ulrika invited me to go and ride Icelandic horses on this ranch that she had been going to since she was young. I looooove animals so I could not wait to go see these horses. I guess they have a special trott and they grow more hair than normal horses - usually fluff around their feet, so I could not wait to see the horses and pet them and the girls who had gone there before said the horses were really nice and gentle so I wasnt scared .... until I got there.

The horses were HUGE. Not compared to normal horses - but compared to the other animals in my life, like cats and dogs. And of course the night before I went Ron lectured me about not standing behind the horse or else it could kick me. So, I didnt know what to expect and I was a little afraid that I had not thought this through completely.

When I got there this Swedish lady who owns the barn asked about my riding level - level zero. I have never ridin a horse - at least not that I can remember. So they gave me Dimma, that means "Mist" in Swedish. She was a really friendly horse, as soon as I walked up to her she started butting her head on my side and rubbing her face on my back - at first I thought she was attacking me but she was actually scratching her face. :p

This is me in the stable picking out a helmet and posing with the saddles...

This is Dimma.....

We have the same hair color.... :)

Here we are on our horses ready waiting for the instructor to start on our path...



There was a Danish family at the barn too for a ride, there were two small girls with their group - probably about 8 years old.

Okay, so when I got on the horse a lady came by to check on my stirrups and ask how they felt - of course, I had no idea what those were for so I sat my feet on them and since my feet could reach them I figured they were good to go. Well, not so much....

Anyhow, before we get to the part where I figured out I need those stirrups for balance....we headed off onto this trail. I didnt even have to tell my horse what to do, as soon as she saw the other horses walking she started walking right behind them and we followed this really pretty trail into the forest...

My view.....

When I first got on the horse I felt REALLY high in the air and unbalanced, and then as soon as I got the hang of it and had my balance going and we were walking steady then I felt more comfortable...but then we got on this one trail that had flat dirt and the leader said "TROTT" and all of a sudden all the horses started trotting!!!

I did not know what to do! At first I felt bad for my horse thinking that I must be heavy for her, but then when she started galloping I began flying into the air and thought I was too light! I couldnt balance at all - I was just bouncing on the horse and holding onto the straps for dear life! My feet slid right off the stirrups and were boucing around on the sides of the horse uncontrollably and I wasnt strong enough to stop the horse so finally my friend called out to the leader because if we didnt stop then I was definitly going to fall off and once the front horse stopped - they all stopped (thankfully).

I ended up getting through the whole two hour tour without falling off, but the whole group had to stop about 4 times because I was bouncing around and going off trail. haha. It was fun - all I kept thinking was that I just wanted to stay on the horse...haha

We took a break in the middle of the tour to have coffee, tea and cookies.

Look at these horses scratching each other! :)


I ended up realizing that I got a horse that was just like me. She got really upset and shook her head around whenever flys got near her face because she didnt like that, and every time we slowed down or stopped she would start eating berrys and flowers nearby (even when the other horses were standing in a straight line...yikes).

I had a really fun day and I think I will definitly go again. This time I will make sure my stirrups are adjusted correctly and that I take more control (my horse knew I was a pushover...). BUT, I dont think I will ever try to ride on a full size horse - that is just crazy!

Thank you Dimma for the memorable day!!

We got a BMW!!!

So, Ron and I have been talking for some time about getting a car thats an automatic so that I can drive it. I did learn how to drive the stick shift but I still didnt like it and so I never used the car. So we have been searching online in Sweden for used cars and we came across this BMW that we really liked.

Today we drove an hour and a half to the dealership and asked if we could see the car and do a test drive - so they made a copy of Ron's personal card and gave us the keys - of course we are in Sweden so something funny was bound to happen - we got in the car and the gas was on empty so we went to tell the dealership and instead of putting gas in the car they gave us cash so that we could - hahaha.

The car drove really nice and we both like the model and the color and the price was reasonable so we decided to go for it and I got to drive it home! Yeek!

Okay - so here are some details about the car, its a 2002 BMW 330Ci and it has all these cool features like GPS and several sets of keys (like one for valet that opens the doors and drives the car - but cant unlock the glove box or trunk) and we got a 6 CD changer and it looks like we can connect our phone somehow and anwser the phone with the steering wheel - it also has an alarm system that goes off when someone trys to open the doors or if their is any movement inside the car - and when you unlock the car and get in there is a red light that will flicker if anyone was messing with the car while you were away.

It also has this feature where two people can adjust the seat and mirrors to their preference and save it in the car so that you just have to press a button and the seat and mirrors will automatically adjust to that persons settings. Also, the outdoor mirrors are heated and the tires can drive year round - summer and winter (so we don't have to change them) :)

Here are some pictures!

Bright White Walls :)

Finally finished painting the guest room! Now we just need to furnish it! :)

Friends!!

We took alot of pictures during our last trip to California in May. Here are some random pics with friends and family!

I couldn't leave California without going roller skating at Fountain Valley Skating Center (FVSC). This place is the first place I ever worked when I was 15 and I used to skate here every Friday, Saturday and Sunday for years!

Here are some pictures of my last trip to the rink...


Ron got to catch up with some friends...


And I got to go see this really scary movie with Celeste! These are pictures we took at home right after we saw the movie (The Haunting in Connecticut) it was so scary we almost couldn't eat our candy and popcorn because we thought we would choke if something scary happened! haha
And here are some pictures of me and my dad..... <3

We always look forward to coming out and getting to spend time with our family and friends! :)

The Honeymoon!!!!

After the pre-wedding activities and all the planning and the wedding itself - it was so nice to run off to Hawaii for a week and just be newlyweds and enjoy our first week of married life without any worries.

We had sooo much fun in Hawaii - everyone we met had 'Aloha' spirit, people were just so genuine and friendly and luckily we had perfect weather the whole time and just soaked up every minute of it!

We stayed at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Honolulu next to Waikiki beach! Our room was in the Rainbow Tower and the hotel had all these animals like flamingos and South African penguins and these really pretty birds!

Okay, here are some pictures!

Our room was on the 21st floor and I am reeeally afraid of heights - I couldnt be on the balcony without holding onto the railing!

We rented a waterbee and boated around in this really pretty lagoon! So much fun!

This was the very first time I have ever been to Hawaii and the whole trip was just amazing - we had so much fun and it was so relaxing...I want to go again! :)