Icelandic horses have their own agendas.

Riding yesterday was really neat. The horses that we rode on are like none I've ever seen in the States; they were bigger than ponies, but shorter than the typical full-grown horse I picture when I think about riding. Adapted to the climate, Icelandic horses have fur that's really thick and is kept at a longer length than usual. It makes them look sort of stout. And then if you throw a few of them in a snow-covered field they just look beautiful! (see pictures.) 

The group that went consisted of six of us, half of whom had many years of riding experience and the other half who hadn't ridden a horse in their entire lives. These being the circumstances, in our planning process, we opted for a beginner trail so that everyone could enjoy themselves. So. We get to the place and they immediately pair up the experienced riders with horses who are known to be a little more spirited, and the beginners with some mild natured ones. We get a start out on the trail, and right in those first five minutes Stacey and I have assessed that our horses are in no way interested in the mind-numbing boredom of walking nose-to-rump on a trail they've walked a million times. Oh no, on the contrary, our horses would like to push the pace as fast as possible. Before we've even left the barn area the line already has a huge gap separating our horses and the guide with the rest of the group. 

Stacey's horse actually lashes out around halfway through the ride. Frea (her horse) decides that the hill of unscathed snow should be shaken up a bit, and takes a sharp right turn to run around on it while the rest of us suckers are moseying along on the main trail. Nös, my horse, is incredibly jealous...I can tell it takes every ounce of both mine and her energy to resist veering from the path too. For this reason I decide to not take out my camera, but I wish I could get a picture of Stacey and her horse; it looks really pretty, actually, as Frea literally bounces through snow that reaches up to her belly and kicks it up everywhere. 

So that's incident number one...and the tone never really dies down after that. Nös and Frea start walking/trotting, consistently changing places in line with each other. It's obvious that they both want to peel ahead of the guide, but she assures us that, "They know I go first." Right. That's balderdash. As we reach the home stretch, again the three of us a solid 100 feet ahead of the rest of the group, I guess it just becomes too much for Frea. All of a sudden Stacey's horse just TAKES OFF down the 100-yard road leading up to the barn. Well Nös sees this, decides it's simply NOT FAIR that Frea gets to run but she doesn't, so she responds in like kind. So now I'm sitting on a horse running at top speed, faster than I've ever gone on a horse in my entire  life, firmly pulling back on the reins as hard as possible, bellowing, "WHOA!" in sharp, crisp repetition, but Nös has her own initiatives. She wants to leave Frea in her snow. So once I come to terms with the fact that this horse has no intention of paying me any mind whatsoever, I decide to just go with it and enjoy the ride. And we do end up leaving Frea and Stacey in our snow. :)

It was SUCH a rush! Tears were streaming from the corners of my eyes to my hairline, the wind was whipping my face so fast! I loved it. :) So needless to say, taking the beginner's trail wasn't as boring as I thought it might be. 

kt

It just won't stop!

The snow is making a serious statement here these days! We get more and more every day...it's so beautiful. It's going to be AWESOME going horseback riding through it today. Keep your head up for pictures being posted soon! :)

kt

SNOW SNOW SNOW!!!!!!

We have SOOO much snow here right now!! On Saturday, the day 15 of us went snowboarding, the snow started to fall. It literally did not let up until Sunday night! And even though Östersund was breathtakingly vibrant in the Autumn, it most certainly is a Winter town. Think: tiny streets lined with snow-covered cottages, frosted pine trees, people whipping by on sleds with runners (which, by the way, looks like an awesome way to get around town!), snowman after snowman after snowman, gingerbread cookies in every aisle of the grocery store, and a big honkin' Christmas tree right smack dab in the middle of the town center. This town was made for the Winter, no doubt about that. I wouldn't be surprised if Santa himself decided to relocate here. It's a wonderland.

Saturday snowboarding was beautiful...you just can't get views like that when you snowboard in the midwest! But unfortunately my snotty wall post that morning came back and bit me in the you-know-what...I ended up messing up my wrist a little toward the end of the day. And of course I did...I mean I was only the hands-down most experienced snowboarder, boasting eight years of experience amongst at least seven friends who had never snowboarded in their LIVES, so of course I would be the only one to leave the slopes with an injury. Haha oh life, you make me laugh. It's still painful as I write this now at 8:30pm on Monday night, so I'll be having a nursing friend take a look at it tomorrow and then, who knows. I might end up coming back home with more than just a Swedish flag to remember my experiences here. Hrrumph. I'll keep you posted.

Then Sunday was brunch, followed by an entire afternoon/evening of cookie baking!! We played Christmas music and cut cookies into all sorts of holiday shapes...it was awesome and filling. :) 

And now I'll be turning my attention to my paper. AGH the paper. Just gotta get it done. 

Well that's all! Happy late thanksgiving!

And oh yeah that reminds me...as a side note, it appears that the Thanksgiving Cheer took a little longer to get to me than usual this year, what with the ocean separating us and all, but it was interesting to feel it all really hit me today. I find myself feeling incredibly warm and just overflowing with love and appreciation for all the good things we have in this world. I feel like I've learned a lot about corruption and negativity since I've been here, but it's comforting to know that peace and goodness still exists in places you'd lest expect it to. So if I forgot to remind you recently, I'm thankful for you. :)

Okay now that's really all, because my good cheer is going to dissolve if I don't get this paper out of my head fast!

kt

Be jealous.

It's 6:54am here in Östersund and we're off to Vemdalen for a full day of....SNOWBOARDING!!!! 

I'm snowboarding in Sweden today...what are you up to? :)

kt

HAPPY THANKSGIVING, EVERYONE BACK HOME!!!

Love you so much!

That's all. :)

kt

I kick butt at yoga.

Well today broke a little ground for Coe Conditioning. I started out with a shorter run than usual in anticipation for the yoga I'd be doing later in the night. I took a new 4-mile trail that led me to a neighborhood where realtors in the Rockies would foam at the mouths to see; with the snow and the pine trees these little homes gave off the image of a perfect mountain village. (Now all we'd need is that mountain and the place would be sold! :)) 

It wasn't until I arrived back at the camping that I noticed the remains of what had transpired there the night before. Mere hours beforehand, two battles had unfolded right there on that very ground; today, there were countless snowballs embedded in the trees and in the walls of the cabins to remind us. As if we could forget. Everywhere I turned, what had once been pristine, unscathed snowy ground now bore a harassed, leftover look from the dozens of feet that had trampled it in the heat of battle. Angels' wings were indistinguishable. Three-chambered snowmen were decapitated. The aftermath was haunting.

So that was my fun way of saying that after my run I was pleasantly reminded of the two awesome snowball fights we had last night. :) Then I hung out with Sandra for a little while before we decided to brave the snow-packed sidewalks on our bikes and volunteer for a bit at the Red Cross. (Which, by the way, I'm fairly certain I'm only doing because then I get first dibs on the clothes that come in...example: Glow-in-the-dark dinosaur PJs. Score. :)) We very well may be doing all of our Christmas shopping there. It's the greatest. 

Then I was off to a Swedish-run yoga class. Have you ever tried to learn a new way to work out in another language? Well, it's tough. It's tough to relax, aka one of the main objectives in yoga, when you're constantly straining your neck to watch the other girls who know what the heck the instructor is saying. Regardless, I didn't fair too badly. I was a twisting, bending, stretching Swedish yoga machine. It was great...I can't believe I'd never done it before! In fact, I like yoga in Swedish so much I'll be going to two classes next week. 

So that was the day. I just reread this post and it's sad how proud I am of being productive. Haha for those of you whose attention I kept, congratulate yourselves. :)

kt

Score.

Grandma Bev sent me the motherload of what grandma's do best, and it came today!!!! Get this: long underwear, caramel puff corn, chocolate-covered peanut butter cracker sandwiches, Halloween candy (which I sorely missed), and yes, the first batch of Grandma Bev's Famous Homemade Caramels!!!! I can't get the smile off my face. Now, if only she could muster up a way to send over one of her classic bear hugs, I'll be golden. :) 

Love you Grandma Bev. :)

kt