Reminiscing.

I loved this post from Ashley about her first and last pic of her and her hubby. It was good timing because this weekend I started throwing together the wedding website for Christian and I. Basically I was thrown into full-on reminiscence.

So here's ours! Our first and last pics. 

{January 2007. Finland.}

This was the first pic we ever took together and was taken just after all of us exchange students arrived for our semester in Lappeenranta, Finland! We grabbed a beer after orientation and I instantly became friends with the Dutch students...Christian was one of them ;). And sat right next to me! This was the first week of 6 unforgettable months with friends I met from all over the world.

{August 2012. Amsterdam.}

My friend Liz snapped some amazing engagement pics for us around Amsterdam a few weeks ago--I'm in love with them! It's crazy to look back to when we met in Finland and think about the great life Christian and I have had together so far and look forward to everything that happens next :).

End sappiness. Hope you had a great weekend!

Top 5 Travel Experiences...so far!

Today I'm doing a link-up with fellow blogger and Amsterdam expat Ellen from Company of Clever. I have been BLESSED to be able to live in the beautiful city of Amsterdam and to participate in some pretty amazing adventures along the way. I can't wait to explore the rest of this amazing world and see what other crazy things we can get our hands on! For now though, here's a round-up of my most memorable travel experiences to date! Disclaimer: It was extremely difficult to narrow down to 5 and ofcourse these are in no particular order. I guarantee if you do one or all of these, you're really in store for some unforgettable moments...

...so here goes! My Top 5 Favorite Travel Experiences... 

1.) Navigating through MOROCCO’s ancient cities and riding camels and sandboarding in the Sahara…followed by sleeping under the stars :)

One of the best holidays Christian and I had was when we spent a week exploring Fez and Marrakech, Morocco! The souks, riads and hospitality of Moroccan people made us fall in love with the country. The best part was when we rode camels into the Sahara, went sandboarding and slept on the dunes under a bazillion twinkly stars!  

2.) Throwing tomatoes at SPAIN’s most famous food fight: LA TOMATINA!

On the last Wednesday of August, thrill-seekers venture from near and far to Bunol, Spain, to take part in a crazy tomato fight that I know we will never forget! We started off the morning at 5AM drinking sangria, laughed our butts off during the hour long tomato-flinging and finished the day drinking Spanish beer and dancing to DJs (tapas were involved too ofcourse!)…unimaginable fun!!! 

3.) Dogsledding and snowmobiling in FINLAND’s Arctic Circle

I’d never even put thought into what snowmobiling and dogsledding was like until I was actually doing it on a trip up to the Arctic Circle with Christian during our semester abroad in Finland. I blogged a bit about it here and can say without a doubt that it was one of the most surreal experiences of my life…check out the video below!

4.) Island hopping in GREECE

Oooooh Greece!! I would return to Greece in an absolute second! Christian, my best friend Smitty, Denis (a French friend Christian and I studied in Finland with) and Emma (an awesome Finn, new friend of ours AND Denis' girlfriend) spent 1 week visiting Santorini and Naxos. Cruising between the Greek isles was just as breathtaking as it sounds…and it was too easy to convert each ferry to a party boat! We’re counting down the minutes until we reunite with Denis and Emma again this summer to cruise around Croatia’s Dalmatian coast :).

5.) Being a part of full-fledged World Cup madness in HOLLAND!

It’s not soccer fever, it’s FOOTBALL FEVER! It sucked me in so much that even I was nearly in tears watching the Dutch team lose to the Spanish in the World Cup Final in 2010 (I joined 250,000 other fans and 5 gigantic live TV screens in Museumplein...you could feel the energy of the crowd deep in your bones!). It was definitely a summer to remember and I can’t wait to dress from head to toe in orange (the color of the Dutch team!) this summer when they compete in the European Cup 2012…ORANJE! ORANJE! ORANJE!

Any AHHH-MAZING experiences that you've had? I'd love to hear them and add them to my list!!! :)

Timeline of Our Across-the-World Lovin’!

Happy Valentine’s Day you lovebirds!! I love Valentine’s Day because it’s not only the time to spend with the one that you love, but the people that ya love! I spent plenty of Valentine’s days eating my favorite chocolates with my mom or watching the sunset with my best friends. But I DO have a little lovebug to spend this year with :). Tonight, Christian and I will be cuddling up next to the fireplace at a cozy little Irish bar in Amsterdam (pub food is delicious!) and my last name is O’Banion, gotta represent the Irish at all times! (Google 'Dion O’Banion', yep MOBSTER!)

But but but!!! I have a little Valentine’s treat for you guy…a little look at Christian and I’s transatlantic love that we had to endure for a full 365 days :(…but it wasn’t all that bad :). After Christian and I spent 6 awesome months as exchange students in Finland, we had to return back to our respective countries and do long-distance FOR A WHOLE YEAR!!! Luckily, we got to jetset out and see each other quite a bit! Then that wonderful day in June 2008 came and I hopped on the plane to reunite with my Dutchy once and for all!

Have a fun-filled day of love!!

MET IN FINLAND

JANUARY 2007

I left my warm beaches behind and arrived in Finland in the dead of winter in January with with an open passport, open mind and open heart. Actually I spent a few days in Amsterdam before I continued on to Finland :). Christian had just arrived from the Netherlands…and then we met, aaaand we were basically smitten from first sight! :)

OUR FIRST DATE

JANUARY 2007

We spent the afternoon walking amongst frozen Finnish lakes, drinking hot chocolate and ended the night when he made me dinner.

WE SPENT ONE OF OUR FIRST TRIPS EXPLORING THE ARCTIC CIRCLE, FINLAND

FEBRUARY 2007

We took the train for 12 hours to Northern Finland and spent a few days snowmobiling and dogsledding!

OUR FIRST OVERSEAS TRIP TO SWEDEN

APRIL 2007

We joined two of my friends from California on the 17-hour party cruise from Helsinki to Stockholm! Cruising through the Swedish archipelago watching the sunset, karaoke to Finnish music and a ball pit? It’s more romantic than you think! :) It was a blast!

IT WAS TIME TO LEAVE FINLAND, BUT I STOPPED TO VISIT HIM IN THE NETHERLANDS

JUNE 2007

We said our goodbyes to our new friends and 6 amazing months in Finland. But I visited Christian in his hometown (Maastricht, NL) for a week (ironically, my return flight left from Amsterdam)! I met his friends, family, we celebrated his birthday and he took me on a roadtrip to Luxembourg. Then we said our tearful goodbyes as I returned back to California...boo hoo :(.

I TOOK A 10-DAY BREAK FROM THE FALL SEMESTER AND WENT OUT FOR A VISIT!

SEPTEMBER 2007

We planned on not seeing each other until November but we just couldn’t help it! One-ticket to Amsterdam, please! We drove around the Netherlands visiting cute Dutch villages and we soooo stoked to see each other after 3 months apart.

…THEN HE CAME OUT FOR A VISIT! CALIFORNIA, VEGAS & A REAL AMERICAN THANKSGIVING :)

NOVEMBER 2007

His first trip to America!! And it meant we got to wiggle our toes in the California sand, visit Vegas, San Francisco and celebrate a good ol’ American Thanksgiving with my whole family.

WINTER BREAK + EXTRA AIR MILES MEANT I GOT TO VISIT AGAIN FOR 3 WEEKS! AND WE WENT TO BRUGES, BELGIUM

JANUARY 2008

I got to celebrate New Year’s Eve with him and his friends while we drank into the wee morning hours. Then he surprised me with a trip to Bruges, Belgium, for my birthday :).

SPRING BREAK AND EVEN MORE AIR MILES MEANT 10 DAYS IN EUROPE AGAIN! AND A WEEKEND IN VIENNA, AUSTRIA

APRIL 2008

At this point, I was accepted to the University of Amsterdam, got the great news about my scholarship and just had to go for another visit (I also got to move some stuff over..hehe)! My Dutchy took me to Vienna, Austria, to celebrate that we’d be united in 2 short months!

COLLEGE GRADUATION: CHECK—BAGS PACKED: CHECK—READY TO MOVE TO EUROPE: CHECK!

JUNE 2008

I finally boarded my one-way flight bound for Holland! After graduating from college, packing my bags, and spending 2 weeks with family and friends, I was on my way. My parents came out a few weeks later and we roadtripped around Belgium and Germany. We spent the first half of the summer lounging in Maastricht and watching European Cup hysteria hit the Netherlands, camping in Belgium with his family, soaking up the thermals baths in Budapest and he took me to see my favorite band (Death Cab for Cutie!), which just so happend to be playing in Amsterdam that summer. The below pic was the day we moved in! We spent the remaining part of the summer getting to know our new city we’d call home, Amsterdam…Home Sweet Holland!!

And now…5 years later (almost 4 years since I moved to Amsterdam!) and we are oh-so-happy and ENGAGED!!

Dogsledding, snowmobiling and Christmas cheer Finnish-style!

Christmas is just around the corner and we always get a bit giddy around this time of the year, not just because of the presents and cheeriness in the air but Christian and I ACTUALLY visited Santa’s house in the North Pole. No really! One of the highlights of our time in Finland was visiting the Arctic Circle with Christian’s brother and we took part in a slew of wintry activities near Rovaniemi, waaaaay up in Northern Finland. About a 12 hour train ride from where we were living in Lappeenranta, Rovaniemi is right where the Arctic Circle begins in Finland.

For 5 days, we bundled up to prepare for -30 degrees exploring the Arctic Circle (thanks mom and pops for those Columbia boots!) and prepared for one of the most unique experiences I’ve ever had. We first walked around Santa Claus village, visiting all of the little houses (i.e. Santa’s desk where he makes his ‘list’ and where Mrs. Claus does all of her baking) surrounded by giant snowmen and lots of Christmas cheer, even though it was only February. Christian’s brother, Maurice, made an awesome schedule complete with a visit to the Poro Cup (that means Reindeer Cup to all you non-Finns!), snowmobiling and dog-sledding! Yep I said it...DOG-SLEDDING! Coming from California, I thought dog-sledding was only seen in movies and even when I was sitting in the sleigh watching those cute lil pups whisk us off through the woods, I was in AWE with the biggest smile on my face and laughter bellowing from all parts of me. After 1-2 hours of dog-sledding and thinking ‘I-can-seriously-never-explain-this-to-anyone-ever!’, we finished the experience at a husky farm in the woods. They had  some hot drinks to warm us up in a cozy little cottage but I couldn't help but walk around and give some cuddles to every husky in sight! Huskies of all ages have their own cozy wooden dog houses spread out between the trees and quite a few of them were happily rolling in the snow. Snowy conditions are most certainly the preferred environments for huskies and their thick fur...and they can’t get enough of diving face first into a mound of fresh powder.

Like dog-sledding, snowmobiling was absolutely incredible. We each had our own snowmobile and a very thick-accented Finn guided us over ice-covered lakes (more like hauled-ass over those lakes!) with views of a snow covered tundra all-around and ice fisherman tents illuminated on the far side of the lake awaiting their catch. Before I knew it, we ventured through the woods, up hills, down hills and through trees while powdery snow was tossed in all directions. It was exhilarating but my heart really got pumping when I tipped mine over and went sprawling over the snow...oops :). There is something really magical about being in what looks like uncharted forest covered in snow. Unfortunately we had to return the snowmobiles, but we did a little walk in the woods before we boarded our overnight train back to the South and took in the beauty and the silence...but not too far out, Siberia couldn’t be too far away! 

Ready to take off for the race. Yep those are Finns harnessed to reindeers!!