Selfies and Ice Bucks.......

In a little over a month I will be done with my first semester of CoMEM. Ugh, just typing that statement reminds me how much I need to study for exams on a day that I've been extremely lazy. It is so easy to find other things to do/watch on Netflix instead of studying. In fact, I just finished watching "Freaks and Geeks." How have I never watched that show before?! I'm obsessed.
Slacking aside, these last few weeks have been full of ups and downs. My grandmother died....that was a tough thing to deal with being so far away and without my family. I was able to go to the funerals of my other grand parents and it still feels a little incomplete that I couldn't go to hers....it's hard to put these feelings into words when you lose someone you love and I am certainly not very good at expressing my emotions outwardly but I will miss her. She was a great grandmother and I will forever be her "baby Kyle."

So, yeah, let's lighten the mood a little bit now. Speaking of light, there's less and less of it every day. I think it's only light outside now from 9 - 4:30ish but even when the sun is out it does not get very high in the sky. It's weird how it messes with your mood and attitude. I didn't think it would be that bad but already I can feel the short days taking their toll on me but I have to stay optimistic because it's only going to get worse. Some people say vitamin D supplements help so I'll have to give it a go. I need to force myself to work out at well and get those endorphin's pumping. I am not the best at motivating myself to go to the gym when it's cold and dark outside but hey, it's another way to procrastinate so maybe that'll give me the push I need....

I went on my last big trip of the semester last weekend to Iceland. It was a trip I'd been looking forward to for a couple months now and did not disappoint. For those of you who need a little background, my sister's boyfriend Cory spent the month of October touring around Europe with his band Spray Paint. They ended their tour in Reykjavik at the Iceland Airwaves music festival and when I heard Katy was going to Reykjavik to meet up with them I thought it would be really fun if I joined.
Interesting facts:

• Both Katy and I have traveled a lot internationally but we've never been anywhere outside of the US together (unless you count the border of Mexico which I certainly don't). 
• I'd never actually seen Cory play in ANY of his bands before. I know I know, how can that be? they've been dating for 6 six years and Cory has been a member of numerous bands with consistent gigs all over Austin. 

I don't know, I'm a bad sister (and maybe I was still holding out hope that he'd get back together with his Huey Lewis and the News cover band but I fear that's just a pipe dream). Regardless, both of those situations have now been rectified. My friend and extensive travel buddy Nadia also joined in on the trip which was just the cherry on the sundae. That trip marked the 9th country we've ever traveled to together, crazy. Anyways, the trip was fabulous though it didn't feel like I was in a foreign country. We spent most of our time in Reykjavik which Katy described as akin to a ski town in Colorado. I know it was a music festival (though, to be honest, it really just seemed like Austin on a normal weekend) and therefore filled with tourists, but it was still weird to hear so much English. Americans, Brits, they were EVERYWHERE. It was nice getting back on the plane to Norway and not understanding any of the conversations around me. We did get out of the city for one day and saw the countries major sites but to experience the full charm of Iceland's countryside I'm sure one has to spend a few days camping and hiking. Another trip for another time (in the summer). All in all, the trip was filled with:

• Geothermal hot pots. Didn't make it to the Blue Lagoon due to some technical difficulties but we did go to two of the cities many heated pools/hot pots. Very relaxing. No swim up bar but the largest one had a slide with disco lights. You've certainly got to be comfortable with nakedness though, they require you to shower without a swimsuit in the locker rooms before getting into the pools.
• Cheap beer. At least for me. In fact, everything was cheaper than Norway in general. It was great and it felt good to eat out, go to bars, and partake in good old fashioned gluttony without constantly thinking about the price.
• Music. It was nice to see some live music again, it's really been a while. Plus, I got to pull the "I'm with the band" card once and cut in line which can't help but make a person feel like a baller. I also got to witness the one and only time Spray Paint will ever rock out a hotel conference room. Awkward but priceless.
• Selfies. I don't know what it was but I was obsessed with taking selfies in Iceland. The city has a ton of statues every where and maybe it was the alliteration of the phrase "selfies with statues" that really appealed to me. A few of my favorites (most have already been put on facebook but I know I have a few readers who refrain from social media):
  
  
  

  

  Half face selfie. Tribute to my mother who is always taking this more artful form of a selfie. Really quite hard to do when you try.

  
  
  
  
  
  

And now some non selfie pictures of the scenery:

Apparently they used to drown women here back in the day. A common punishment for incest.....

Gullfoss waterfall. 

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Nadia and I channeling our inner viking after touring the Saga Museum. A very interesting museum that has wax figure displays describing some Icelandic history. They're creepily life like and depict lovely scenes of war and beheadings.

I believe that summarizes almost everything. Enough procrastinating already, I need to study! But wait, Netflix now has all of "Gilmore Girls" available to watch.......