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Norway Part One: Tromso

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Hi everyone! Back in March (and the beginning of April), Dan and I went on an amazing trip to Norway. We decided to go because it was always our dream to see the Northern Lights, and this winter the sun was at its solar maximum  - which meant it was the perfect time to go. We built an entire itinerary around seeing the lights and it ended up being a great trip! We spent the first week in Tromso, then flew down to Bergen. From there we took the train to Voss, then a fjord cruise to Flam. The final train of our trip took us to our last Norwegian stop in Oslo. Today I'll be talking all about Tromso - where we stayed, our tours, and all the food we ate! Hotel For our first hotel, we ended up staying at Clarion Hotel The Edge . The location was perfect- we were right in town and had easy walking access to all of our tour meeting spots, restaurants, and the bus route. We also had a great view of the fjord! One of my favorite parts of this hotel was the included breakfast- there were so m...
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April and May Check-In

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Somehow two months have gone by without a check-in! Life has been both hectic and monotonous at the same time- I'm still job searching (somewhat..) and have also been doing a bit more travel. Since my last post we went on an amazing trip to Norway- I'm working on a few posts about it because there's so much to share! In the meantime- Here are some highlights from April and May. - I finished the 100 Day Project! The last day of it was on June 2. I made so many fun things during the 100 days- I posted a little recap on my Instagram (@GretchCrafts) but I think my favorite was the kitty couch (using Selma for scale!) - I also learned how to knit! This is something I wanted to learn for a while, but especially after our trip to Norway and visiting all the yarn shops. So far I've just made the Sophie Scarf, but I'm finishing up my first top and have plans for a sweater next. - Dan and I took a trip to Chicago and Milwaukee for a long weekend. We got to visit 3 new basebal...
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March Check-In

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Happy April! I don't know about you, but March felt like the shortest month ever. I'm sure a lot of that had to do with having my last month of work and wrapping everything up there, and also preparing for vacation! I just got back from an amazing trip that I'll share all about soon, but until I get readjusted to the jetlag I have a quick post today. Here are some highlights from the month: - I'm still going strong with the 100 Day Project- be sure to follow along on my craft instagram- @gretchcrafts. In March I worked on two commissions, did a bunch of granny squares, worked on the Sophie's Universe piece, and painted out of my favorite watercolor artist's book. - I dyed my hair! This was my first time getting it dyed and I decided to jump right in and get what's called "oil slick hair". You know when there's oil on the ground and you see all of the rainbow colors swirled with the dark oil? That's the look we were going for and I really lo...
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February Check-In

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Happy March! February was definitely a strange month, full of a lot of change for me. Here are some of the highlights- - I learned how to pay Mah-Jong. One of my friend's aunt has a Mah-Jong club and occasionally teaches new people how to play, and I was lucky enough to get to join in this month. It's such a fun but challenging game with some luck and strategy involved. I had so much fun and can't wait to go back to play again! - My friend came to visit for President's Day weekend and we had a great time! We did a little tour of downtown Raleigh, stopping by 42nd Street Oyster, Aunty Betty's Gin and Absinthe Bar, Watts and Ward, and Bittersweet one day, then had dinner at Brodeto and explored Iron Works another day. The weather wasn't great while she visited so we didn't do much outside, but got to have a ton of amazing food and had a really fun weekend. - I started #The100DayProject on Instagram. I was in need of a little motivation and a project (more on t...
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January Check-In

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We're already a week into February somehow, but today I'll be sharing a quick check-in from the month of January! For the most part, it was a pretty normal, unremarkable month. I didn't go on any trips or have any major projects at home, so I got to rest and relax after a crazy 2024. Here are a few highlights: - I did a trail race that started at Occoneechee race track, went through greenways to Occoneechee Mountain, ran to the top of the mountain and back to the track. It was such a fun race and I did way better than I expected! - I played a lot of tennis and joined a gym. Last year (and honestly every year since 2020) I felt kind of in a rut physically. I like having a routine and having a regular workout plan, so I'm really happy to have a place to go again. My gym has a pool, tennis courts, racket ball, classes, and all the machines you need. It's a community center so it's not super fancy, but the price is right and I'm really enjoying it! I'm also ...
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Goals for 2025

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Good morning everyone! I hope you're all settling into the new year. I know for me, a new year is always a welcomed fresh start, and one that I really needed. Last year was kind of a stressful and very up and down, so I'm excited for this year to be full of new experiences, getting back in better routines, and taking better care of my health. With that being said, I always start the year with resolutions. I love a goal and checking things off, so for the last few months I've been keeping a list of new experiences I wanted to try. These are things that I've been wanting to try and haven't made an effort to do, or new things that I've heard of and wanted to give a go! I'll be tracking them as I cross each one off, but here is my list: Tarot Reading - I feel like a lot in my life is kind of up in the air right now, so I'm thinking it's a good time to try a tarot reading. I've never had any kind of reading done before, and to be honest I don't kn...
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Highlights from the Last 6 Months

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Hello! Does this thing even work anymore? It's been a very long time since my last post, and that's mostly because my last few months have been very busy. Between a lot of travel, keeping up a busy social calendar, exercising, and working crazy hours, I kind of let everything else go by the wayside. But- I'm excited to be back and hopefully will post more regularly in 2025! In the meantime, here are a few highlights from the end of 2024 as well as a few favorites from the year. - I got to see Earth Wind and Fire in concert with Chicago! They're one of my favorite bands so I was really excited to see them. This was also my first concert at Coastal Credit Union, which is a really cool outdoor concert space in Raleigh. I also saw Gerald Albright at the Raleigh Improv and that was a really fun experience. - I did another sprint triathlon and placed in my age group for the first time. I did the same race last year and took about 10 minutes off my total time which I'm rea...
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