Ohio Wedding Celebration

Charlie and his Ohio boys!

Another wedding cake...another messy face.

After Christmas in Colorado, we packed our bags and flew to Ohio for quality time with Charlie's family and another wedding celebration. The best way to get married is to go international and then you have the excuse of having more parties at home. We decided to have not one, but two wedding celebrations to make travel easier for all of our friends and family. The Ohio wedding celebration was held in a wooden barn turned into a cozy party venue at Benham's Grove. The Christmas tree was still sparkling and an amazing spread of food (thanks Bonnie & Bill) took center stage. Highlights of the intimate evening included meeting all of Charlie's relatives, eating the delicious food (and not feeling like I was going to toss my cookies), and seeing Charlie so happy and at peace in "his" element.

A Brazilian Comes to Christmas Dinner

The incredible thing about friendship is that it extends borders, cultures, religion, age, and ...(the list goes on). My dear friend, Ali from Brazil, made the long trip from São Paulo to witness our union and participate in a Weimer Christmas extravaganza. I met Ali in 2006 when I first moved to Europe for my masters degree and immediately connected with her and we quickly became international sisters with different mothers. Since then we have been roommates, travel partners, cheerleaders, therapists and editors for each other. It was an honor to have her in Colorado to celebrate such wonderful life events: our marriage, our bun in the oven, and the completion of my dissertation (of which she contributed to as one of my editors). 

Special Guests in Colorado

Charlie's parents traveled all the way from Ohio to Colorado by train (through a blizzard) to attend our Colorado wedding celebration. It meant the world to us that they were able to join in the Colorado shenanigans, as they were unable to attend the ceremony and sauna party in Finland. So, now both of our parents have seen us tie the knot the twice...I guess that means we have officially sealed the deal! Woohoo.

We Have News: Prego!

Roughly 8 weeks ago, super-hubby rode his bike to the Yliopiston Apteekki (pharmacy) and asked one of the pharmacists for a pregnancy test for his wifey. The woman recommended the 2-pack digital Clearblue Plus test for 14 euro and before you knew it he was handing me the box with a nervous smile on his baby-soft face. This was at 12:30 p.m. and we had a lunch date with our Greek friends at 1:30 p.m., so I began downing water and even heated some hot water for tea to let my bladder know it was, "time to perform!" When 1:25 p.m. came Charlie messaged our friends to let them know we were going to be a little late. Lunch must wait...I need to pee on a stick! We started reading the directions on-line (as the directions in the box were in Finnish) and it said, "You should avoid drinking excessive amounts of fluids before testing." Dang...we must wait, to lunch we go!

After an amazing homemade Greek meal with stuffed peppers, feta cheese, green salad, and red wine (that I slyly passed to super-hubby), we walked home, both anxiously awaiting my bladder to kick in. After a Skype conference call, the bladder was ready for some relief and I ran to the bathroom with the door slightly shut. Charlie stood by the door like a little kid waiting for the candy shop to open. I handed him the stick and we waited, waited, and waited for 2 minutes until the blue line starting forming. 

But, wait...what the hell does the blue line mean? We fumbled to get the directions out of the box and attempted to make sense of the Finnish text and photos. Finally, we realized that the big BLUE + = pregnant! Woohoo. Holy shit. Laughter. Anxiety. Smiles. Happiness. All the emotions settled in at once, we're preggers!!! Charlie ran around the house excitedly proclaiming to the world, "My boys can swim!"

We made the news public at our Colorado wedding celebration and will continue to share the news with all. 

A Colorado Wedding Celebration

The mock ceremony!

Guestbook and photos.

Yes, we already tied the knot in Finland, but we wanted to share our union with all of our "favorites " back home. Our Colorado celebration was nothing less than a dream wedding (okay, to be more concise MY dream wedding). It was intimate, located at the base of some of the most beautiful Colorado mountains, and almost all of my favorite people were in attendance. Oh, and the dance party with funny hats was the topping on the cake. Of course, one of the highlights was the mock ceremony that our friend, Brent, officiated. Together, we wrote the ceremony and then Brent interviewed us both to get the "inside scoop" on our relationship. Brent did a phenomenal job pulling it all together in a memorable, humorous, and touching ceremony. It was an amazing way to celebrate our union through words and stories that orchestrated our love, commitment, and our zest for life and adventures. Charlie and I were extremely touched by the entire evening...our friends, family, and the incredible network of love and support.

The wedding details included:

The venue: Chautauqua.

Getting groovy!

-flowers by my big sister: magenta orchids and greens (beautiful!)
-each table was named after a city of significance: Paris, London, Athens (Greece), Berlin,
-the guestbook was a picture book of Colorado
-music by my little kid bro (including Electric Slide, Humpty-Dance, Chicken Dance,

The Colorado ladies serenading Charlie and I.

-bar featured Colorado micro-brew beers (Avery, Breckenridge Brewery, New Belgium, Lefthand, etc.)
-Charlie wore his French suit (bought in Finland) and I wore my pink dress (designed in Finland)
-we hired a friend as the photographer--amazing pics!
-each place setting had a nameplate with written name and an ivory paper box with Fazer chocolates (from Finland)

The wild & wacky Weimer/Neiderworder clan.

-my dad walked me down the "aisle" to the sounds of "Build me up Buttercup"
-there was both vegan and gluten-free food items
-we shared a slideshow of our life abroad with photos from Finland, Belgium, Greece, London, and Italy 
-"save the date" postcard was sent from Finland (Finnish postcards with stickers of the love-birds)
-official (on-line) invitation on mywedding.com
-wedding registry for honeymoon to Istanbul via honeyfund.com

***Special thanks to all of those near and dear who traveled to Colorado to celebrate with us (Ali from Brazil, Charlie's parents from Ohio, Bobby from North Carolina, and Aunt Marie from South Dakota).

The BIG Day: Send & Receive!

Today, I clicked the SEND button and my final dissertation draft (all 200 pages of it) flew through the internet galaxy to land gently in the inbox of four professors. Next stop in this process: my defense January 7, 2013 in Athens, Georgia. Woohoo!

Today, I also picked up my superhusband from the airport and I was filled with emotions when I melted into his arms. We were in different countries for 27 days--way too long! Ah, relief...all around.

It has been a tough two months!

The Final Push!

Dissertation inspiration: Colorado sunset!

I arrived in Colorado November 21...just in time for a lovely Thanksgiving dinner on November 22 with my family (sans my super-hubby and my little kid brother, Bobby). Other than Thanksgiving, a beautiful ski day with my dear friend, Melanie, and a cookie decorating extravaganza with my cousin, Schanell, my days could be described as a dissertation-palooza! (I am trying to make this "final push" sound very fun, because it has been anything but...fun!) For me, the final push has been the hardest of the dissertation roller-coaster. December 17 marks "D" day, when I turn in the final document to my committee and all fate rests in their hands. The good news is that my major adviser said I was ready for the defense, with just a few more additions and revisions (this is never-ending). 

 
The silver lining in all of this: I am in Colorado and the weather has been fantastic and SUNNY (very different from the dark and gray days in Finland--they call November the death month)! So, my mom and I have been going on walks about every other day...it is great to get off my computer butt and feel my body move under the warm sunshine. Ahhhh...more later!

Dissertation Break: Wedding Planning

These days I am pounding the keyboard like a mad-woman trying to put the finishing touches on my dissertation. My breaks consist of wedding planning (yes, again!) When Charlie and I go back to the U.S. we are having not one, but two, small and intimate American wedding celebrations. One in Colorado and one in Ohio. In Colorado, we are renting out the Grand Assembly at Chautauqua in Boulder...one of my favorite places, it is sure to be a special evening. I keep dreaming about the dance party with all of my favorite people--can't wait! Not only will we celebrate our union, but I (along with Charlie--he is so ready for me to stop complaining) will celebrate my DONE dissertation (well, almost DONE). The only thing that needs to happen is a defense and subsequent revisions. (Sorry to keep writing about this, but it has completely and totally consumed me the past few months and well, it is kinda a big deal!)

Who knew...a wedding and PhD all in one year? Awesome! 

Dissertation Writing

Writing a dissertation is like running a marathon except the amount of time it takes to complete a dissertation is WAY longer than a marathon and maybe even more grueling. (That is speaking from experience--I have run two marathons!) I wish I could write for 4 hours and cross the finish line...but instead I am going on 4.5 months (of writing) and I have yet to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I have three chapters left...one more findings/analysis chapter, the introduction, and the conclusion. Okay, so the introductory chapter will be the easiest, but the other two...well, I have some work to do. Plus, I have to work on chapter revisions, references, and the most important page in the dissertation--acknowledgements. My days consist of time at the library (writing), then time at my office (writing), and then coming home for dinner with my honey for some R&R at home (and often times a dance party to shake off all of the stress). Oh, and lately I have been trying hard to make time for yoga-stretch classes (in Finnish). I have this knot in my shoulder and neck that will not cease to relax. Ugh, welcome to PhD dissertation life! Here are some thoughts posted on FB lately...

Oct. 17
"Becoming one with my appendices today..."

Oct. 8
"Deep thoughts from a day in the bowels of PhD land: Waiting patiently for that day when I can say 'I see light at the end of the tunnel.'"

Sept. 20
"Today is one of those schizophrenic PhD days when I throw my arms up and scream WTF am I doing? Then I quietly sit back down at my computer and peacefully type my way back into blissful agony...and so the cycle continues."

Sept. 17 
"Feelin' the love (or at least trying really hard to find the love...)"

Fall in Jyväskylä

Two dudes, two fishing poles, and a boat.

Campus all dressed up in fall colors.

Fall has arrived and the mild September-early October weather (10-14c) has made for a long and colorful season. Charlie and I started a weekly routine where we run about 3 miles around the lake on Sunday morning. We saw this first image as we were running around the lake: eye-candy! When we arrived home I grabbed my bike and Nikon and headed back to the lake to catch a few shots. This is one of my favorite times of year to pull out the Nikon and spend hours shooting.

Conference Coordination in Copenhagen

The team...working hard in the penthouse!

View from penthouse deck.

The conference team: action photo!

Part of my Erasmus Mundus Association (EMA) duties brought me to a neighboring Nordic country for a long weekend. I was part of a rockin' team who organized and hosted a Humanities conference, Human(i)ties Perspective, in Copenhagen. The team consisted of seven of us, representing five countries...I love international teamwork, because you learn so much about cultural values around work. We rented a penthouse apartment through Airbnb that slept six of us...and that made for a very fun before and after-conference experience. My role as photographer kept me busy throughout the weekend and there was not much time for anything else but a 2 a.m. yoga session that my fellow team members convinced me to teach (oh, alright...twist my arm.)

YOGA-riffic!

The class is in this beautiful building.

 It only took one year of living in Finland to convince the university sports office that they would benefit from offering a yoga class in English. You see, here in Finland, although most Finnish people (especially the younger generation) speak and comprehend English they prefer to take classes in the Finnish language. I totally understand this; I crave yoga classes taught in my native language! It allows you to sink deeper into your practice and you are more likely to experience yoga bliss.You actually understand the words that come out of the teacher's mouth and you do not need to look around or listen for people moving into the next asana. Okay, I get it!

Great studio--it used to be the Teachers' Gym.

The front door.

But, what about the international students? When I approached the university sports office last year they said, "there is no demand for English yoga classes." So, I tried again this summer and was persistent--I sent them three emails and each one of them I explained in detail why they should, at least, TRY an English yoga class. So, they finally caved in. WOOHOO! You know I do not teach yoga for the money, I teach it because I love it...and it has been a huge hole in my life this past year. So, I went out of my way to advertise the class all over campus, on listservs, Facebook pages, etc. and it paid off! I had 13 people sign up for the class--almost all international students (with the exception of two Finns and my super-husband). Nice! My first class was yesterday and I was in heaven. I just love teaching people practical ways to relax through breathe, movement, and mind/body synergy.

To Belgrade, Serbia: Baltic Food (Oh yeah and a conference)

An academic conference brought me to Belgrade, Serbia. My first time in Serbia...Nice! That makes 37 countries visited. The conference, Consortium for Higher Education Researchers (CHER), gathered all of the big-name, up-n-coming, and junior European researchers for a few days of academic sparring, wine drinking, and intellectual bantering. Our hotel was very close to the fortress, the University of Belgrade, and the Knez Mihailova Street pedestrian mall. I did not have the opportunity to do much sightseeing, but managed to enjoy the fortress area which has been developed into a beautiful park area with cafes, basketball courts, and spectacular views overlooking the confluence of two rivers: Sava and Danube.

The highlight for me was the Baltic food--no joke! The food in Serbia is amazing and apparently the food is good throughout the entire Baltic region. As a vegan I was treated to amazing green and bean salads, roasted veggies, roasted red pepper spread, and good bread. YUM! My plate was always stacked full of delicious produce. One night a group of 8 of us went out to a traditional restaurant and luckily a Slovenian woman in our group was also a veg-head. She did the honor of ordering for us and the plates of food just kept coming. We ate family style, passing plates from person to person. Just as all of us were becoming satiated...two BIG plates of meat came. Which meant my fellow veggie eater and I got to polish off the rest of the veggie plates (Nice!) Oh, and the wine in this region is also very GOOD!

Back to the conference! It was good; I presented one of the chapters from my dissertation and received valuable feedback on it. I also caught up with my European colleagues and professors and met a fun group of new faces. A group of us junior researchers attended a pre-conference gathering and so we hung out throughout the conference.

And, one last nerdy thing...the Belgrade airport was named after the Serbian-American inventor Nikola Tesla in 2006. This is the dude known for inventing the electric alternating current and also the dude who got a raw deal from Thomas Edison. It is nice to know that Serbia takes pride in his accomplishments, because often times his work is overshadowed by Edison's work.

Escape to Estonia

Now that my dissertation schedule has been extended, I have time to enjoy life a little more. So, Charlie and I decided to go South to Tallinn, Estonia which, by the way, was our first trip alone as a couple since our Christmas trip to London-Riga/Tallinn. No honeymoon YET (but it will come). We spent our first night in Helsinki at the new and posh Scandic Passi hotel where we got free house slippers, a bathtub (rare in Finland) and a killer balcony. Before jumping the ferry to Tallinn, we enjoyed FREE bicycles from the hotel and toured around the Helsinki harbor area---a different perspective by bike. From there we took the Linda Line ferry to Tallinn, which I renamed the Puke Line. Seriously, the waters were so rough and the hydrofoil of a "ferry" absorbed every single wave...barf bags were in full effect. But, we made it and after two days in Tallinn we had to turn around and experience the same nauseating boat ride.

Our weekend in Tallinn was super relaxing and fun--just what we both needed! We have come to love the old town area and visited some of our favorite spots and also added a few more to our list:

-Kolmas Draakon for 1€ pies and 2€ beer and wine.
-Chocolaterie Pierre cafe for "to die for" chocolate cake and coffee and tea.
-Climb to the top of Old Town for spectacular aerial views. 
-Walk the narrow cobblestone streets, especially at night--perfect for photos.
-Balti Jaama Turg, a Russian market with vendors selling about anything and everything under the sun. Good people watching here!


 

Dissertation Update...

My motto these days: Keep Calm! The past two weeks have been rather stressful, to say the least. I had originally planned for a November defense date and that date was changed to a January date, for reasons that were out of my control. Life is funny how you are so anxious to get a monkey off of your back, but that monkey just keeps hanging on for dear life. So, long story short I will defend January 7, 2013 (if nothing else tantalizes the monkey...). By the way, monkey and I are in therapy to begin dealing with the separation anxiety.