About my favorite loungewear set, running & future

pierre robert oloasu*adlink

 

I know february is the month we get to see sun again, yet I always  forget how amazing it feels. This year we’ve gotten a lot of snow too, so it’s extra bright. And nice.

The best sounds outside are my shoes scrunching against the snow. (Mom said that as an adult you no longer notice these things – but I do – I especially notice those things.)
My favorite colors are the golden grasses against the pale blue shadows on the snow.

loungewear set merino wool outfit

Once again I’m training for a half marathon and I’m running about three times per week. That’s been challenging to my toes – they don’t appreciate the cold. But I notice my mind already imagining the green buds on the trees and dry road under my feet, so it doesn’t feel that cold (except on my way back – somehow the wind on the shore seems to double).

One day I have this terror of running the distance with my heart beating way too fast for way too long – and on another day I have a peace of mind knowing I can do it, I’ve done it (way too) many times before. I love running. But running half marathons? It’s a trap. One where I’m willing to put myself in, because it’s good to challenge yourself. My mind is racing constantly. So only wise to try and catch up.

I’ve tried meditating, just recently. I’m not too sure about it, but making a bit more room for my thoughts seems like a good thing. Though I think yoga and painting might work even better for me.

I have watched almost every episode of Superstore on Netflix. There’s only so much crime you can solve, before you need some easygoing comedy in your life. Hence: superstore.

I wrote a poem.

merinovilla oloasu

My favorite outfit right now is the merino wool lounge wear set from *Pierre Robert. If we’re looking for positives in the worldwide pandemic, it’s appreciating comfortable clothes. This particular set I could wear to different occasions though, depending on how I style and pair it. This set was a gift. From myself. To myself. Best thing about adulthood? You deserve gifts. (Though I’m trying to tell myself I don’t necessarily need it in all the other colors. Plus the other lovely *Jenny Skavlan clothes.)

What else, what else.

When the real world seems disappointing, I go to Hogwarts. In other words, I decided to read the Harry Potters again. (I’m also gonna watch the movies, unfortunately.) I’m already on my third book.  I missed reading books. Now that I’m back at it, it’s fantastic. I used to list in my hobbies “reading”, but then social media happened. I’ve always read, but not as much as I wanted.

If you know of a book series that is as good as Harry Potters, I’m all ears. Skeptical, but open to suggestions.

merinovilla oloasu pierre robert jenny skavlan

The surface of our new coffee table is so beautiful, I’d like to pet it all the time.
I can see a million little paths in the snow through my window, that I would like to wander (but so far I’ve settled to staring at them in between writing).
I have some careful plans in my calendar and just having them there makes me smile. Whatever happened.

So I guess above all else, I’m hopeful. Better. I’m actually feeling optimistic about future. Is it the sunshine? Is it the year? Is it the good things happening for me work-wise? I don’t know. But I’ll welcome it with open arms.

How are you?

About my holiday in Lapland & life

I like to write about my real life here every once in a while, even though those are not the most popular posts. I contemplated on this text quite a bit though, because the honest answer to “how are you” is not instagrammable or funny. (Or maybe with my twisted humor it is.)

I was planning on writing about my holiday, but I couldn’t write about it without first telling you how it is. How much I needed a break. How much I needed to get away –  even for just a while – and be in Lapland and stare at the most beautiful starry sky I’ve ever seen.

It feels as though this year has been just cancer, heartbreak, serious sicknesses and bad luck. I feel like for a few times already I’ve said aloud something like “if x happens, I don’t know how I’ll manage, I can’t take it”.  And then it happens and I manage. Somehow.

When the latest bad news hit me, I almost started laughing. It’s like, okay 2020, bring it on.

A little holiday in Lapland

Every time I visit Lapland, I fall a bit more in love with it. I feel a bit more rested now and I’m really thankful for the new experiences. And just the fact that we could go, even with the corona.

And when it comes to that – we had less human contacts there than we have here in Helsinki. Obviously we were at our own cottage very social distanced and the hotels we stayed at were basically empty. And the restaurants we ate at (just 2 restaurant, otherwise we had take away or cooked) were also being careful so we were not close to people at any time.

The anxiety of all the bad news didn’t fully disappear while I was eating a three course meal in the restaurant of the year, or looking outside our beautiful hotel suite. But I still enjoyed those moments. I’m still at awe when I think about the menu in Aanaar and for example the mushroom ice cream I had. I tasted things I’ve never tasted before and saw scenery I’ve never seen before.

By the way – did you know that one of the ways to handle anxiety is to eat something and really focus on how it tastes?

Food at Aanaar was delicious.

Northern Lapland is a totally different world to where I live. I felt so small climbing to a fjeld and looking at the endless trees and forested hills. I also felt out of breath, exhausted and freezing. When I was at the top, breathing heavy and being so so tired, I felt as though the whole year was weighing on my shoulders, not just my back pack. But once we got in the car, I felt like a winner, just a bit.

A true before & after. Before hiking and at the (almost) top. If you look at the second photo and behind me, you can kinda imagine how beautiful the view was.

Coming home I toyed with the idea of moving to Northern Lapland one day, to be one with nature. But I guess that’s more about escaping the every day life a bit. Being in a different place, seeing new things, to not think about the reality as much. Realistically I don’t see myself leaving Helsinki.

What else?

–  I experienced the sleepless night of travelling in a night train in the smallest cabin ever (Helsinki – Rovaniemi). I can’t recommend it. Next time we’ll just drive and take a break in a hotel.

– I woke up in a dark and cozy cottage to a warm coffee and delicious breakfast. Risto’s mom even baked me my own oatmeal bread! I watched 3 Christmas movies at the cottage and had two naps. Those are important on a holiday.

– I got to sleep in the aurora suite in Novaskyland hotel. I’ve always dreamt of staying in one of those aurora iglus, but Risto didn’t love the idea. This was almost the same, as the windows were huge and we had a clear view to the sky. The suite was beautiful and everything was nice and clean.

– I saw polar bears! And beautiful owls. We visited Ranua Zoo and because there was basically no one there, we got to walk through the place safely and in peace. Fun fact: we were the only guests at the holiday cottage village there. The cottage was nice. Actually, pretty much all the hotels we stayed at were either empty or just had a few guests.

– Had a lovely city visit to Jyväskylä. We stayed at the Sokos Hotel Paviljonki and also had dinner at their restaurant, Trattoria Aukio. Food was great and the customer service impeccable.

– Got back home and had a small Halloween party for four. My last minute look was Harley Quinn. Next year I want to do it again properly. I feel like I missed a lot of makeup fun this year, because I’ve been so tired. Next year I really want to do more looks.

My merino wool outfit from Icebreaker.

Life is also about finding happiness in the smallest of places

All in all I had a lovely holiday and life is not totally bad. This year has also been about comforting hugs, big laughs with friends, some good news, lots of movies, growth and finding happiness in the smallest of places. I even started going to therapy again and I want to count that as a good thing. This year, more than ever, I have really had to focus to find the positives. But there are always positives – you just gotta look for them.

I have already put up the Christmas decorations and I love walking past them when fetching water and coffee from the kitchen. I find solace in them. I find solace in my routines.

The planet keeps on moving no matter what. I do too. Last year around this time I told myself: you’ll get through anything. Today it feels true. Who knows what the future holds? There must be good things too. And that’s the positive attitude I’m feeling today.

 

So that’s what’s up.

How are you?

 

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