Family time

 I've finally finished my exams, and I'm off to see my sister and her family next weekend

 specifically, my niece Dina and my nephew Andreas

 Here pictured at Easter (ahem ahem)

"Does anyone want to go to the hairdresser?"

The most glorious cherry cheeks that ever existed

Bye, winter

This photo is from Dominique's visit in January - the mountains look pretty much the same as now in April.

I don't know what's happening with time, I think it's sped up since I turned 25, two years ago. Now I'm 27 (what) and I feel like Dominique was just here and I've just been working a bit and studying a bit since then. Then again, when I think about it, since January I have gone househunting, found a new house, moved all my stuff over to said new house and met new housemates, I've started studying Spanish in my spare time and I've gotten new tasks at work. Oh, and I've turned 27, and I've started noticing how much I've changed since I started this blog at 19 (nineteen!).

In other news, I really do need a new camera.

Northern Lights and a Dominique

 I'm far too impatient to take good Northern Lights photos, I just snap them and then run inside

 But hey, the lights themselves manage quite well

And Dominique was pleased (even though she doesn't look it in this photo) so I'm happy

When Dominique came to visit me in January, it was the first time we saw each other since June 2011. After the first ten seconds of disbelief, it was pretty much as if time hadn't passed at all. We still agree - and disagree - about the same topics, and are so different that we become similar. 

Every night, we went out to look for the Northern Lights, but we'd only see late night ski-goers (this is Tromsø), snow, and stars. On the third night, I got a message from an acquaintance who had seen my comment on Facebook, saying that there were Northern Lights outside quite early. We ran out, and it was really amazing and grand, and even I was a bit awed.

More photos might be on their way!

Some weather for you

At the marina visiting my sister's boat, December 26th

Sunset on December 27th

After a really slow winter, we finally got some snow in December. I'm confused as to whether I like it or not, and I've been missing Cali and the heat they have there in December. At the same time, I know how to deal with the snow and the wind and the cold, and I can feel that this is where I come from. 

Christmas 2015 at my sister's house

 My niece and nephew had a lot of christmassy energy going on

 Even though my sister had limited their number of presents this year

 Andreas, two and a half years old, will be a famous portrait photographer

 Or a famous paparazzi?

 Andreas, me and Dina waiting for the opening of presents. 

Andreas was wearing a shirt, but it disappeared.

 Some indoors skiing, trying on his sister's new ski boots and skis

 Sister helping out, documenting her brother's skills with an ipad

 "I'll film you first, then you can film me afterwards"

 Trading of skis and ipads

Andreas with his paternal grandfather (i.e. not my dad), enjoying his new books

Christmas with my sister, brother in law, and niece and nephew (respectively five and two years old) was a rollercoaster of an experience, as it is when you throw expectations, sweets, sugar, presents and late bed hours into the mix. It was so good seeing them again, and realising how much they've grown in the past two months. Also being with children at Christmas is beautiful - the past two Christmases I've spent in Colombia and Spain with all grown-ups. Being with children I get to show more of my childish side and go back to my own childhood Christmases, which is nostalgia heaven. 

Spain more Spain then some Spain

 We had one rainy day, which made us feel a bit down.

 So we decided to go somewhere else!

 On a "glass boat", as we used to call them when we were younger. I named one of my dolls after this very boat - Gavina - when I was little.

 The boats have a glass bottom in the middle, where you can see a lot of sand, some rocks and finally - fish!

 There were no fish to be seen at first...

 And then they magically appeared when the crew threw some crumbs into the water.

My cousins, obliging as always, at The Other Beach which is similar to Our Beach, only further away.

We used to go to this exact town in Spain when I was little, so anything I do there brings up memories. The best memory this time was when I bought a pastry I vaguely remembered the look of, and as I bit into it I was transported twenty years back in time and actually started laughing out loud. Not lol-ing, but laughing. Out loud. Ah, childhood memories. 

Now let's get ready for some Christmas time!

Summer throwback

 To my family holiday in Tossa de Mar, Spain, in September. (Not my family on the photo).

 Where my cousin Mats was happy to be photographed at any given moment.

 My aunt Mette tried to find a hat that didn't make her children laugh.

 The mannequins were brilliant.

 I found Atlantis!

 And there were other tourists about.

 You could buy all the bathing equipment you could imagine.

And my cousin Elisa was also happy to have her photographer cousin around.

Stay tuned for more! As I'm writing, it's dark outside my window in Tromsø, the snow is whirling about, and I'm preparing to go visit my sister for Christmas. So why not look back at summer and sunshine? *Pretends it's not because she left blogging off for four months* *Coughs*.