Ironically only on the last day of the year, we find ourselves with some minus degrees here in Helsinki. This year has been exceptional in many ways. I've seen that many bloggers have written some kind of summary of their year on their blogs, and even though I don't care of making one with mere pictures, I think it's a good idea to recap the year with some lines as new readers might learn something new about me, and for me it gives me the chance to get some closure to the year.
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So here it goes, a recap of what has happened to me during the year 2011:
January: baptism & new dog
In January I made an amulet for the new year and it had two parts, the first having the form of a boy. For me, this stands for my godson that I met for the first time in June 2011 when he came for a visit from the United States and we celebrated his birthday and baptism. You can read more about that in my blog post about it. The second one had the form of a dog, which I think stand for my mom's new dog that you've seen pictures of in my blog post about it.
February: new blog layout & hair change daydreaming
In February I changed my blog layout which I'm still happy about since it looks so much better now! My blog used to have a black background as my oldest blog readers might remember. I was also discussing the eternal topic in Finland; languages that is. Since I belong to a minority in Finland, language issues have always been and will always be close to my heart. I also went to some blog schooling thanks to my workplace for the first time and started to think about my coming hair change. I also realized that I own the same H&M dress as Natalie Portman in this blog post. How cool is that?
March: work & hair change
In March I had my birthday and turned 25! I also went on one of my first work-related business trips to the Finnish cities Turku, Tampere, and Mikkeli! I also went from being a black haired girl to a semi blond, what an incredible change! Read all about it in the blog post about the change! I also started to fix my eyelashes and nails at beauty saloon Blue Lagoon, and I have been doing so once a month ever since!
April: anniversary celebrations, Finland touring & fashion trends
In April I and my lovely boyfriend spent our first anniversary and went on a cottage holiday to the middle of nowhere in Pukkila, about one hour away from Helsinki. Read the whole story in the blog post about it. I also noticed the onepieces for the first time, that came to become one of the biggest new fashion trends in 2011. I also visited some Finnish castles and manors thanks to my workplace. If you want to read more about the beautiful castles and manors we have in Finland, please read the blog posts about it here and here.
May: May Day celebrations, first international business trip & new tattoo
In May we celebrated the first of May, in Finland called Vappu. This is one of the biggest celebrations in Finland throughout the year, read all about it in the blog post about it. I also got my second tattoo as a birthday present from my boyfriend! I even had the chance to host some Swedish journalists that came to visit Helsinki through my workplace. I also went on my first business trip abroad, to our neighboring country Sweden! I joined the Finland days at the Central Railway Station in Stockholm! Read all about the trip in the blog post about it. I also had the pleasure of witnessing the wedding of one of my best friends! She was so beautiful! I also went on a work-related trip to Tuusulanjärvi, an area about 30 minutes from Helsinki, to see one of the nicest settings for unique museums, houses and villas in Finland. Read the whole road trip story in this blog post.
June: travels & junior high school reunion planning & death in family
In June me and my boyfriend went for a one-week-long holiday to Crete, Greece. Read all about the wonderful romantic holiday in this blog post. I also started to plan my junior high school reunion which was exciting. Unfortunately, we also met a terrible tragedy when my boyfriend's father went into a coma in the end of the month and later on passed away. Due to this, I didn't write on the blog for a month.
August: domestic business trips & seeing Dalai Lama
In August, I went on a work related trip to Fiskars, that was great! Read all about the road trip we made in a car in the blog post about it. I also went on another business trip to Turku which was the European capital of culture this year. If you want to learn more about it, please have a look at the blog post about it here. I also saw the Dalai Lama when he was visiting Finland! This had been a long time dream for me, ever since I first read the book "Seven years in Tibet", of which I wrote an essay on in senior high school. Read more about it here. I also attended the very first quality day at my workplace, organized at the world heritage site Suomenlinna. More about that here.
September: food & fashion week inspiration
In September I was inspired by the fashion weeks of New York, London and Milan. Enjoy the pictures from those here and here. I also created a new kind of brochure, about typical Finnish dishes to my workplace, that I have been developing ever since. I would still love your thoughts about that if you have any suggestions about how to improve it. You can leave your ideas under the blog post about it. Thousands of tourists in Helsinki will be thankful for your help.
October: five star hotel stay & new car
In October I visited the renewed and enlarged Finlandia Hall. You can admire its beauty here. Me and my boyfriend also stayed one night at the only five star hotel in Helsinki, Palace Kämp Hotel Kämp. Read all about modern luxury here. I also finally got to see the venue for my junior high school reunion. More about that here. I went to the hair dresser to lighten up my hair a little bit. Read all about that here. My boyfriend also got a new car which you can see here. I also went to the fashion weeks in Helsinki, the biggest book fair in Finland and visited Flamingo spa with my boyfriend.
November: international business trip & junior high school reunion + permanent work position!
In November I went again on a business trip to Stockholm, Sweden. Read all about that here.
My mom also got her new dog Taika during this month. I won tickets to go to see the pre-premiere of the movie New Year's Eve which I went to see with one of my best friends. Read about the movie in the blog post about it. I hosted some Italian competition winners one night in Helsinki, that was fun. Read about the places I took them here. I also had some of my first presentations for students concerning my work. My junior high school class met after 9 years and we had our very successful, I might add, class reunion. Read all about it here. I finally got a permanent position at my work place after four years! Yey!
December: Presidential ball fashion & Christmas traditions
And finally, in december, Finland celebrated its 94th birthday. See the best dresses from the annual Presidental ball here. We also had the annual St. Lucia celebration in the center of Helsinki. See the pictures here. This month has Christmas written all over it. My workplace had its annual Christmas party at the newly opened nightclub Namu. See the picture from the club here. Finally, I spent Christmas with my family, and started to plan my New Year's Eve outfit.
How many blog posts have you read over the year?
What's your opinion?