Kompis!!!!

Jamie, allow me to introduce you to my new friend.

Kompis is one sweet little kitty. I adore him already. So far I have noticed that when he is awake he can't sit still for more than just a few seconds...he loves hiding in ridiculous places...and loves to look out the window. I am already his bitch. When I am sleeping he comes to check on me about every hour to see if I am still here. He's too cute. He is so much nicer. Way nicer than my bitch cat Kato. She was scary and awesome. haha. Did you ever meet her?

What do you think of my new shoes? I think they are perfect. I got them at a second hand affair. Second hand stores here are actually good. You can find tons of nice things. In Tampa everything is almost nasty or gross or just unbuyable even at 25cents.

They click click click click everywhere I go because the heels are metal and my street is cobble stoned. It is so loud. I can't sneak about. poo.

kram Kristina

birthday fun

My birthday week has been so nice. I took a week off of work to spend time with my aunt, uncle and adorable cousin Maddie!

On my birthday Nathan took me to St Pete beach. The water felt amazing and there were silver little fishes swimming everywhere.


Then we ate at an old time seafood restaurant called the "Warf." The lobster bites and Gumbo was so yummy.

The nest day my sister and I took lil Maddie to Bed T Davis beach.


Then I had to Birthday shindigs and ate AMAZING food such as Mexican potato soup, potato casserole, Corey famous potato salad ( I had a potato theme) and then Rita's Italian ice and home made flan!





I got a lot of cash and gift cards so I treated my self to these delicious BCBG PARIS patent black loafer heels and this anthropologie candle, lucky brand jeans, mac eye shadow and the coveted nars orgasm blush!

Birthday wishes

With my birthday being 53 days away I spend every day developing new and magnificent gift ideas! I am determined to have a wonderful 26th birthday, which is a huge thing for me. See, I never let my self have a good time on my b day and I spend every year crying that nobody loves me. Since I am trying to teach my self to find pleasure in pleasurable things (it's really hard sometimes!) I am determined to be happy and content.

With that I have picked out the perfect gifts to get myself. I thought, "Why not buy amazing pieces of furniture every year for the b day?!" I adore interior design and I want to collect classic, fun and authentic furniture. Then every time I look at my cute home I will think of wonderful Birthday memories.




I have decided that I will most likely purchase this book case. I love how it is a bookcase and a sculpture in one.



If I have the Money I would adore this lamp in a quiet little corner of my home. It is perfect.



Lastly, this wall hanging is amazing! It is cute and comical and could hold Nathan's hats and keys and my purse perfectly.

As for Birthday activites I have not finalized any plans yet. I am thinking sushi and dancing though.

xoxo,
Jamie OH

yay for me

Jamie things are starting to get exciting for me. This week is my last week of school and we have a big exhibit to showcase all of our amazing work. So then I have to seriously get a good job. I have written to tons of the magazines that are here in Stockholm to see if possibly there are any internship positions available. Also I have written for other jobs...like possibly a very exclusive restaurant-bar....i just want to do that because I think that I would be paid really well while I am looking for a more arty job. I know that I said I never want to work in a restaurant again. but.....it is in the posh part of town. I might meet lots of hotties and great contacts...plus all the menu items are super expensive....so that equals large tips, which equals lots of shopping money for Kristina...or so I can buy food, and afford my apartment.

And I have started selling more prints on etsy. That is super exciting. Plus I have been drawing more and more new ones. I really like my new Louis Vuitton print. It is so dang cute. Makes me like LV more now...weird. And I got my first freelance illustration job. That was really fun. I will post about that on my other blog, which I have been trying to write more in. I need to market myself a whole lot more. I got soooo many little projects going on. I am super busy.

You should come visit me in August when the weather in florida is hell and here it is perfect. Today it was really nice. But I have like no summery clothes. I need to go shopping or for either you or Ingrid to come soon with a suitcase full of summery clothes. Hehe. I think shopping would be more fun!!!

Last night I cooked for my Stockholm family. I made southern cookin. It was super yummy. with the help of Anders, we made bbq chicken, and a bean dish, and cornbread, and I made Coreys potato salad....it was so good...but still some how your sisters is always sooooo much better.

i wish i could own these...

oh my those were so jamie outfits. that was far too much fun. here are a few that i came up with...it bet you will think they are so Kristina. makes me really want to go shopping. i wish i had a job. poo.

outfitts

These looks are so me! I want to see what you come up with!
Love,
Jamie OH

heart

Dearest Kristina,

Tonight Nathan and I watched the movie Dan in Real Life (cute movie). Then I was inspired to make a heart out of some of my polaroids. I do have so many beautiful polaroids. Years ago a grouped many of them in a lovely album. I hated to break the album apart so I used loose ones i have laying and hanging around. A lot of you of course. It turned out being so cute. Since I do not have a working camera you will have to use your imagination to picture it. 

Could you come home already???! Gosh I miss you. You keep popping up in my dreams you know.

I have a lovely week planed with the children. They are on spring break. Tomorrow we go to the Dali Museum for the children's tour. Monday we go to adventure island!

Love,

Jamie

It's Spring! APRIL FOOLS!!!

It has been Spring for a few days now...hopefully it isn't just an April Fools joke! But I think maybe this perfect weather will last...even though those meanie weathermen on tv say it will be cold again next week. But they never know what they are talking about.

Isn't spring beautiful. I now realize how much I missed having seasons. It is so nice watching little flowers peek out of everywhere. Soon everything will be covered in green and flowers...gonna be so amazing. In the US we have ugly dandilions everywhere, but in Sweden they have the cutest little white and yellow and purple flowers that pop up everywhere. Even weeds in Sweden are cooler.









ooooooooo and I finally have a little studio set up. I have my computer and a scanner, and a printer now so I can make more amazing prints and illustrations and stuff. I am really excited to get started. I'll show you soon. And I finally figured out how to post pictures faster and easier. yay.

Here is another picture I took that I thought was really cute. Isn't that the cutest police guy you have ever seen? They are building a hotel around where we live so there is a lot of construction; he was on one of the signs.

I like white...but this may be too much.

Sweden is all about trends. White is very IN right now. All interiors are white...and people don't even like to put up pretty curtains in their living rooms. Not a huge fan of that, don't like living in a fish tank where anyone can peep in. But white walls can be pretty sometimes.

But it is so white outside too. It has snowed so very very much. It can be so beautiful. I love how the snow and ice collects on tree branches. But I hate how brown and mushy it gets in the city. Plus I slipped on the ice and banged up my knee.







I am ready for spring. I can't wait to be able to sit out side at a cute little cafe in the city, or go on long walks without a ton of winter gear on. Can't wait to see all the trees and flowers bloom. I bet it is going to smell amazing. And it is going to start getting lighter and lighter here so that there isn't hardly any night.

I took a free ballet class at the BalettAkademien the other day. It was fun to dance again, but I think it was a little too easy level for me, and I thought the teacher was too nice. I want to be yelled at and the such. Maybe next fall I will sign up for a class. I think I would really love that. It was the weirdest group of people though. Mostly young girls but a few older women and two goofy looking men. One was short and stout, and the other really long and lanky. haha it was perfect. And like in every class there always has to be that one bitch who asks too many questions about herself and has an annoying face. It is funny how people are the same no matter what country you are in.

Isn't this painting pretty? It was part of a mural in the entrance to a restaurant we went to. We ate really really Swedish food. All kinds of flavors of pickled, smoked, cured fish, with potatoes and bread with different kinds of cheeses. Fancy Shmancy too.

I am Legend Did Suck

That movie was horrible. I watched it with Stefan and the LP crew. Ya you fall in love with that sweet dog, and it is Will Smith's only friend, and then they kill it off and at the end he kills himself. whatever. I love how Keira Knightly always speaks with her mouth in a pout, at all times, it is amazing, as if she is always ready for a kiss. I haven't seen Atonement yet. I saw a strange Indian movie. These two couples are living together. The husbands are always out, banging other girls, or doing whatever guys do...so the two wives start fooling around. Then they of course get caught, and then decide to run away together. Freakin' weird...kind of romantic too.

My Easter was nice. The easter bunny left me a huge paper egg filled with candy and goodies. I had the whole house to myself. So I played loud music, and danced around, ate lunch for breakfast and breakfast for lunch, watched tons of crazy television and great movies...went out with the ladies got really really crunk, and could spend the whole next day doing nothing, being really hungover, no one new. hahaha. I was a domestic goddess too, when I felt like it. Plus I ate all the candy...don't want any for a long time.

It won't stop snowing here. As if it is winter all over again. It is pretty and all but I was more hoping for spring to start. I want to see pretty flowers and green grass and trees. I slipped on the ice, and bruised my knee up...I look abused. We went to Skansen, an outdoor museum of different time periods of swedish history. It was interesting to see. Their little houses were so cute. And it snowed the whole time, a beautiful winter wonderland, in a place that felt really really far away from the city. Plus the snow was the perfect kind to make snow balls with. It was fun. I took lots of wintery pictures. I'll try to put them up soon.

Easter Sunday 2008

Spent the weekend relaxing. Planed to go to the beach, but canceled because of rain. Saw Atonement. Pretty good movie. My boyfriend, James McAvoy plays along with the new favorite of mine Kiera Nightly.  I like the idea of a couple being in love for years over a brief affair. It's so hopeless romantic. Reminds me of me growing up. We also got I am Legend. Don't see it Krissy. They make you fall in love with an amazing dog and then kill her off. I cried my eyes out and forced Nathan to stop the movie. 

Today is Easter Sunday. I did nothing out of the ordinary. Spent time with sweet little children at my work. I also watched a cute Barbie movie. 

snow day...IN MARCH!

Jamie-O. I thought it was going to be spring from now on. The weather had been getting nicer and nicer. On sunday after a weekend of heavy partying, Kerstin and I decided we needed a long long walk in Djurgården....a huge park area in Stockholm. The weather was so perfect. But then it switched on Monday and today it was a snow storm. Craziness!!! What the flip. It is so hard to walk in snow and snowflakes kept getting stuck in my eyelashes and making my mascara run. I need to buy water proof.

I have little routines now too. Like the way I like to walk to work or walk home. Usually when I walk home I choose different routes to switch it up a bit. But my favorite is: walking from Glitnir through the Old Town on the woobly cooble stones past the castle, then over the bridge to Slussen where all the buses stop and meet, then up a ridiculously high stair case...that's my workout for the day, and then I walk through the cute plazas and neighborhoods in Söder, past this huge gorgeous yellow and white Church, and finally make it to my bus stop. I always come right after the bus came so I always have to wait forever. haha.

When both my cousins were in town last week we went out to dinner. I have a cute new family with big brothers. It is super fun. We went to a really fancy kind of pretentious place...their food was overly decorated and elaborate...but it tasted really good anyway. On the table was a mini diamond Cinderella's pumpkin horse carriage, when you opened it had a little message inside. I forget how it read...something like, all dreams do come true. It was cute. We laughed a whole lot.

It is strange having to take taxi's everywhere; kind of feel like some sort of important person. I hate it when I miss the last bus of the night at 2:50 and have to take a taxi home. It only costs 100kr or so which isn't much but I have to deal with some scummy driver asking me annoying personal questions, like why a hottie like me is going home alone....ewww or sitting on the bus I try to sit next to a nice looking old lady...but sometimes some nasty perv ends up sitting next to me. And of course trys to speak with me even though I look very uninterested. gosh, I can't go anywhere!!!

I miss my personal bodyguard Jamie!

I'm wide awake it morning

I decided to start waking up earlier to get more done in the morning. I made a pretty tasty smoothie (a new morning ritual) and started some much needed cleaning. I sweep up wads of dog hair everyday.

I hung up the map you sent me! It looks so nice in the living room.

I am very excited to make a dish from my new Ellie Krieger cookbook. She is an amazing dietitian from the food network. I recomend watching her show or looking at her lovely cookbook.

Well back to my domestic life of cleaning, cooking and dishes. And then off to work where I do the same exact thing.

I wish a could be a sweet waitress and cook like you!

Oh by the way you should start posting amazing swedish stories and things in your blog!

Miss you so

got my junk together

I have been neglecting you, Jamie-O. I am such a horrible person. But now I kind of have my junk together...which is super great. I uploaded a billion pictures onto flickr so you can see how I am living and what I am seeing. Everytime I go out, I seriously look for places that are "so Jamie" that I must take you too when you come....which I am too excited for. I need to take more photos...everything is so gorgeous. I love taking long walks home from work or to school.

Do you love the amazing wallpaper in the little dining room where I work at. I think it is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen.

And we make such yummy meals here...it is such a nice environment. I'll give you a few meal plans we have enjoyed. hmmmmmmmmmm too bad i don't get enough hours.

tortelini pasta sallad with arugula, cherry tomatoes, squash and truffle oil dressing....amazing.

chili lime bulgar salad with mango and shrimp

potato leek soup with pesto rolls....yum

prune stuffed pork with cream sauce and potatoes....tastes like candy.

And school; that is even more fun. it is like being in kindergarden again except of course with out boogers and pee as main topics of discussion...for the most part haha. we get a new teacher nearly every class so we learn about the design world from every angle. and i am meeting lots of interesting people, and friends. I got plans all weekend...isn't that great.

I really miss you, and Nathan. It was super fun talking to the both of you. I will make sure to make that way more often. Give Truman a huge hug from me. And post cute photos of the progress of your new home...I can't wait to see it.

kiki

Dear Kiki

You make $20 an hour???!!! Lucky duck. Your life sounds amazing! Tell me more!

Mike had mentioned that girl. So cool you are meeting people. We should plan a time to call each other.

Miss you too much!

jaaaaaaaa

I had a fun weekend too. not as freakin' amazing as an 80's prom...but still fun. I met a girl that mr. Wald met in China. Camilla. She was super nice and fun. All Mike had said about her was that she was funny, speaks perfect english, and has the same nose as me...which I think she may have. We had lots of drinks, in an asian stylish bar/restaurant then went to a more rock and roll bar. Super fun...talked to lots of cute swedish boys, got my flirt on...and met one really tasty one. (possibly more on that later, teehee) Drinks here are insanely expensive! definitely no .5 beers or $1 drink specials here. Good thing i make around $20hr. woo hoo. 

anyhow, work is fun. We make really tasty dishes everyday. Today we made tortellini with tomatoes and basil, and rocket, and parmesan and truffle oil. wow yum!!! and at work we get the best bread...good thing i walk everywhere otherwise I would pack it on. hehe. and we get to take leftovers home. extra great. kerstin loves that...because then she doesn't have to cook dinner.

school is fun too. they are teaching us to think really weird and talk to random people, and do stuff that we wouldn't normally do. it is interesting. i saw this indian film about kama sutra....hmmm that was freaky fabulous...and also one more serious indian film about the Untouchable widows of India. the main character was a widow at age 7. creepy. 

i also read this book...which had the cutest little lines in it. such as....

-"How much do you love me?"

-"Enough to melt all the tigers in the world to butter."

-"Farout." 

(that one is kind of like how you and nathan speak to eachother, reminded me of that...but i couldn't think of what you would say..."i love you more than...?")

-"It's great."

-"How great?"

-"Great enough to knock down all the trees in all the forests of the world."

-"You really think so?"

-"I really think so."

how great is that? super great! 

miss you, kiki

Feb. 14! la la la love

This weekend was top of the charts! Started out with Valentines day. Nathan surprised me and took us to Sideburns, sister of Burns steakhouse. He insisted on wearing that awful shirt which is most likely the reason we got sat in the wine cellar instead of the main area.

The menu had more game then I had remembered it having in the past. Elk, boar, cow tounge to name a few. I got a $13 mohito.

We ordered the best starters ever! Raw tuna with infused lavender foam and scallops.

Us primping for the 80's prom!

I had so much fun dancing until an old woman wearing a shirt that says "I love dick" trampeled me with her huge clogs!




I spent the rest of the weekend cleaning my new house and playing hours of video games at the arcade. I am reclaiming the youth I neglected when I was younger!

I remember...

I don't know what my first memory is. I remember playing games for hours with Ingrid and my dad in the swimming pool on floats and with noodles and rings and the such. One time in third grade I was too shy to ask my teacher if I could go the little girls room so I peed a little in my seat...no one knew though. I remember going to the castle and meeting Mike for the first time with you. I thought he had the whitest teeth, because I would look to your backseat and he would smile so huge. And I also remember Nathan's old car; riding in the backseat with tons of wind, great music, Nathan singing into his rearview mirror accessories, and your pretty blond hair.

My first memory is being on my Papas shoulders catching beads at he Gasparilla night parade. I remember playing tag in preschool. If you were tagged you had to lay on the ground and play dead. I would stick out my tongue because I thought you did that when you died. I remember running into Nathan at New World when we first met and being so drunk that I talked to my floor in my bedroom when I got home. I was drunk off hornzby and butterflies in my belly. I remember amazing friends I was so close with ( Ila, Wednesday and Mike) that I no longer talk to :(  I miss my friends

What do you remember?

yes yes yes no yes

Jamie-O!

I got a swedish bank account yesterday. it is a little different, such as, to log on to my account on the internet i have to use this little clicker thing and punch in my pin and a code and another code...i feel so James Bond. also this is really really bad...now i have a bank account...and some money in it and i have all these amazing stores to be tempted by.

yesterday i went looking at housewares. oh my gosh!!!!!!!!!!!!!! every single spoon, towel, plant pot, chair, pillow, cooking pan, coaster etc. is amazing. you would be in heaven.

have a lookie:
http://www.mujionline.co.uk/ so dang cute japanese stuff
http://www.duka.se/sv/ so dang amazing everything
http://ahlens.se/heminredning/ huge department store with tons of fabulous stuff

i have yet to go to ikea...but that should be soon...they have their own ikea bus that goes into the city that i can take. woo hoo.

when you come to visit...you have to bring and empty suitcase so you can bring home tons and tons of amazing housewares to tampa. doesn't that sound awesome?

puss och kram
kiki

swedish decor

           Can I please live here?

Hopefully I am moving into a lovely camper trailer!

Yes Hopefully!

new start!!!

This is going to be a busy week. My to do list:

-meet with owner of little cafe I'll be working at to see what I will be doing.

-go to Folkuniversitetet and figure out which Swedish class I can get into.

-attend first Swedish class.

-start working at cafe.

-buy cell phone and minutes.

-fill out lots and lots of more paperwork to become a real Swede.

-go to Skatteverket with lots of paperwork

-try to open a bank account with new Swedish person nummer.

-go to all art schools in the Stockholm area...get lots of packets and information.

-choose a favorite art program.

-fill out applications and make packets of examples of my work.

-apply to favorite art program and all others.

-walk off all the calories gained from visit with Grandparents!

-go shopping...because there are still lots of sales...and because that would be fun!!!

~Kristina

Jamie's to do list week of Jan 19, 2008

pay library fine

put together new bed

put clothes in dresser

eat at PF changs

start thank you cards

paint bathroom

Lovely

Dear Krissy,

Your pictures are beautiful and your new life seems oh so sweet. I only with I could spend a week with my grandmother and help her do little sweet things. I am so busy moving. Thats all I have been doing these past three weekends. The new apartments is a disaster at the moment. Beautifying it has been a slow process. I am so very excited today though. I purchased a brand new, and extra comfy mattress and an iron headboard and footboard from pier 1!! My first new bed ever! I also picked out a pretty salmon color to paint the bathroom. I will hopefully have pictures of the honeymoon up in the next week. I honestly miss you so much. Weekend shopping is boring with out you and though I adore my husband, when I drag him along on my shopping adventures he does not find housewares as exciting as you and I do. Keep me informed on everything!!! Oh and I need an online lesson on Skype please!

luv,

Jamie O

JAMIE-O I MISS YOU

Here is my cute little Mormor...outside of the very modern Library in Halmstad where my mommy grew up.
Here is my Morfar. Aren't those red heart curtains just toooooo sweet! We had swedish waffles with berry jam and whipped cream. yum yum.
We went on a walk around where they live in Halmstad...isn't it amazingly beautiful. Little red houses with white details are everywhere...it is typical Swedish.
Mormor embroidered this Marilyn Monroe picture for me...I get to bring to Stockholm. She is so talented.
My momma's aunt and uncle...they were so happy to see me. Kept calling me 'little kristina' and tapping my bottom. hehe And below are two pairs of unused booties that were in Mormor's closet...I really like the moccasins, I also got some motorcycle looking boots too.

Here is their house. Isn't it sooooooooooo cute.
Aren't I cute? With a new hat and scarf Mormor knitted. Outside of their little mall, EuroStop. It actually hasn't been that cold...like 40s and 50s...but it is a bit rainy/misty.
And here I sit with my Mormor, and cousin Eric, my uncle Michael and sweet little Effie!!!

I have been visiting my Mormor and Morfar this week. Everything has been so great, they are so nice to me. I have gotten 3 new pairs of booties, and tons and tons of candy! It is super fun to be here with them...they are too funny. My granny is always talking about how old and fat she is. She's ridiculous...think my momma X1000, hehe. I helped sort colored threads for embroidery...that was fun, and I am waited on like at a 5 star restaurant...I can't even get my own glass of water. 

I hope you are enjoying married life! Do you have pictures of your new apartment yet? let's see!!! miss you tons and tons...come visit soon, it is soooooo amazing here. I start swedish classes next week!!! woo hoo

talk to you soon hopefully, Kiki