And so on May 12th, the birthday weekend celebrations commenced. I hoped to fulfill my girlfriend duties by putting my wifey skills to good use and throwing down in the kitchen for a proper, oh, so good American style brunch in honor of babe's birthday. When its your other half's birthday, it's your duty as a girlfriend to make sure that any fitness or diet plan goes right out the window and good food and drinks continuously flow throughout the whole day, haha! At least that's our motto. I decided to make Nic his first ever "Nutella and Strawberry stuffed french toast". Americans love french toast, and it only got better once we learned how to stuff it. I feel that as an American, it's my obligation to make sure to introduce new and American Style food to Nic and my norwegian friends and family. who doesn't like to try new things?! French toast is one of my favorites, and I have yet to see french toast existing anywhere here in Norway. So Norway, let me introduce you to my coma induced, heavenly, American Stuffed french toast. Girls, If you have never made this for your other half, you should really give it a try. You can thank me later. And so, birthday boy gets what I know birthday boy wants....sometimes, a thoughtful gesture as simple as a new and delicious homemade brunch can mean the world to someone, especially when you're foodies like us! ha.

Here in Oslo, the weather is so extremely unpredictable that many of our plans for Nic's big 30th had to be left uncertain. As the weather didn't permit for any outdoor celebrations, we decided to kick the weekend off with a nice dinner with a group our closest friends to try out the chinese cuisine and signature cocktails at the new restaurant Ling Ling in Aker Brygge. If ever there, the crispy duck salad is a must. It was definitely my favorite of the whole night. And....Of course, like we always do, we manged to close down the restaurant, and were the last ones to leave. We seem to be pretty notorious for this when us and our friends get together... whoops! time flies when you're in great company, right?! I also recently decided to try out a new look. I went Icy blonde for the summer, and this was the perfect chance to introduce the new style!

The one question I get asked time and time again after moving from Florida to Norway is, "what do you miss most about home." Aside from the weather, of course, my response is always the same and Nic cant help but to laugh at me every time I say it, " I really just miss the decoration stores and shopping when it comes to putting together events." It may sound so silly, but it's so true. I mainly miss how convenient the shopping is and the ample amount of party supply stores that we have in the states. When it comes to birthday parties and celebrations, the sky is the limit when it comes to picking a theme and having all the means to throwing a beautiful themed party for any occasion. Since Ive moved to Norway, Ive found this actually to be one of my biggest obstacles when it comes to celebrations. Im so used to the over the top big birthday celebrations that I grew up not just having, but also attending. One of my favorite things to do is put together events, or styling, whether it be in fashion, party styling, or home interior. It's always been a big passion of mine, and I find that in Norway, it can be pretty difficult to throw an American, kinda over the top party unless you're looking to spend thousands. The tradition in Nic's family is, the Sunday of the birthday weekend is always left for a party with the family to celebrate another year of age. This year, I wanted to introduce Nic's family to a more American style birthday. I wanted a color scheme, good food, and to have a big American cake or cupcakes. I looked High and low for an American cake baker that could possibly make me the American black, white and gold themed cake I was hoping for, However, all were just too far from Oslo. And when I called anywhere about possibly resorting to pretty cupcakes, almost every place quoted me an insane amount. I'm so sorry, but even though we could have, of course, just purchased the cupcakes, the American in me just couldn't fathom the charge. I know Norway is one of the most expensive countries in the world, But this just blew me away. I knew if I really tried, I could make them, and not be charged $70 for twelve cupcakes. In America, you could buy a truck full of cupcakes for that price!(okay, maybe not a truck.) Nic and I have no problem spending money on things we like, but this for me was just crazy. So, I rolled up my sleeves and put my cupcake making skills to the test. Besides, I really enjoy doing these kinds of things. Hey, I FINALLY had a chance to challenge my YouTube tutorial knowledge, and release my inner Martha Stewart! And so, I baked the vanilla and buttercream frosting cupcakes from scratch. I then found the cutest, and one of the very few party decor stores in Oslo, Congratulations. It's much smaller than the ones I'm used to in the states, but it does the job, and they have really cute things. The American in me thoroughly thanks them for finally bringing this party store concept to Norway. It's now my go to for any celebration or event I have coming up. I also hired Mattis Matfor the catering of the family party. The food was really good, they were extremely helpful, and more than willing to work with us on a last minute request of tapas for 36 people. Tapas for the adults, and "Pigs in a blanket" for the kids. I had to introduce them to my favorite American hot dog from when I was a kid. Just a hot dog rolled into a croissant, does it get any better? I don't think so. All in all, the day was a success, and we were just happy to catch up with all of our loved ones, and celebrate the birth of one of the greatest men I have ever known...Happy 30th, Baby!