Linnéa Nordlund & Quick Quest

Sticks and stones may brake my bones

but names will never hurt me.

Song of 2013:
Linkin Park - Iridescent



Tv-show of 2013:
Pretty Little Liars


WIN of 2013:
Buying Vasara.



FAIL of 2013:
Getting burnt out - again.


Worst thing of 2013:
Vasaras injury


Wish I had done more during 2013:
Had time to spend with Mathias and to take better care of myself.


Countries I've visited 2013:
Denmark, Norway, Finland, Germany, France, Iceland, Austria.


Trip of 2013:
Iceland with Mathias and mom.




Professional success of 2013:
Getting brought on by kwintet AND promoted.


Getting-wiser of 2013:
I am not my job and the copany's success is not on my shoulders - in order to perform in the long run I need to be less personal in my realtionship to my work.


Funniest picture of 2013:




Top 3 expensive purchases of 2013:
1. Vasara
2. Trip to iceland
3. Michael Kors trench coat

Yesterday, riding in the dark out in the forest. All was calm and quiet. All of a sudden, a moose bangs out in from of us, scaring Vasara half to death, making her do rodeo, me falling of and hurting my leg, Vasara galloping away in the dark, me calling Birgitta at ask her to catch Vasara at the stable, Nisse jumping in the car and driving out to pick me up.
I hate fucking mooses. Thanks god it didn't attack us.

Saturday: 7 AM. 20 horses: feed, change blankets and bring them out to the pasture. 9 AM; finished, take care of Vasara. 11 AM carry 2,5 kilo x 20 horses out to the pastures for lunch.
Sunday: go to Lunda and muck out and take care of 3 horses. Go to Berga and take care of my own.

And thus yet another year has passed. An what a year it has been, filled so many turbulating changes and personal struggle and success.
Overall it has been a year filled with extremely hard work, both at work and with Vasara. It's hard to say if it's been an overall good or bad year.

When the year began in January, the year I left behind me had been a good one, and I had just started to seriously search for the right horse to buy. I was nervous, anxious, scared - and ready for it. I had prepared as much as I could, and was eager to start my horse life. I had worked at Kwintet for 3 months and was beginning to get into the job for real, and felt like I was at the right place. Also, I was practicing for my drivers license.

February came, and with it, great sadness and great joy. The horse I wanted to buy, Valle, didnt pass the inspection and I felt shattered. But then, I found Vasara. I looked into her eyes, and I fell in love straight away. When I rode her, it just clicked. I pa…

I am happy to present the five themes that will now get their very own daily post!
Starting on Wednesday the 1st of January, here's the schedule:

Mondays: riding excersice of the week. To kick of a new week, on a not-so-inspiring Monday, some inspiration is served.
Tuesdays: riding gear want of the week. So much to want, so little time...
Wednesdays: horse video of the week. Halfway to weekend! Lets laugh, cry and marvel our way to Friday!
Thursdays: not-horse-related want of the week. It's easy to forget yourself when you have a horse.... Enough said.
Fridays: inspiring story of the week. Be it horse welfare in UK or a cool blind chick playing the piano, get inspired to change something in YOUR life!

It's Christmas time again. Though it's been raining all day and not a single snowflake is in sight, I've been looking forward to this since last year.
I love Christmas. The lights, the gifts, the sweets... 
This year it was time to visit Mathias patents, we have a every-second-year thing going on where we spend christmas with my mom (normally abroad) one year and Mathias parents the other year.
It was a nice evening with Mathias parents, his sister an her husband and 2 kids and his grand parents. The food was good, traditionally we ate way too much, the presents were opened very ecstatically (read overloaded) kids, the Santa was funny... It was overall a very nice evening. 

8 am I was at the stable, my perfect Christmas morning!

2500 SEK I will pay the vet for looking at Vasaras teeth and checking if she was limping.
Yum yum. 
I've had enough of vet fees this year, around 15000 in total which could have been spent on so much else, like a new saddle or saving to travel.

Last week was my cleaning week - two areas of cleaning responsibility rotates in the stable and this week I was responsible for the kitchen and club-room-area, changing rooms and toilet.

The other area is tack room, food room and hay area.
Being the way I am, I have cleaned every day. Most people only do it once or twice a week. 

Today is the first time I have the afternoon shift at Berga, which includes feeding 20 horses, bringing them in from the pasture and changing their blankets. Phew!
I have spent quite a lot of time preparing for this by trying to figure out which horse is which.... I think I've got it nailed down, I sure as hell hope so!

Working from home/ on-the-go today, so I'm on my way to have lunch and gift opening at Anna's. :)

Today I finally got to ride again! It was pouring rain all 45 minutes but it was so worth it.

The Christmas tree is up!

The new year is quickly approaching. Inevitable as time is.
For me, the beginning of the New Year have always been very powerful in giving me a strong momentum for changes. New energy and inspiration. I think this is due to a very special New Year's Eve in Gisborne, New Zealand.
This will mean that I will get a kick to change this blog a bit. I used to have daily and weekly themes that generated A LOT of readers and so I will start it up again. It has been hard to find the inspiration to blog with an injured horse and with a job that has almost killed me, so let's turn it around!
My plan is to have five themes, each connected to one weekday. What these themes will be, I will reveal later on... :) but I will kick this off starting January 1st!

I had amazing sushi for lunch today, and eve though I ordered and paid for 11 bits I got 12.

Yummy in my tummy!

I have now completed my little project "spend all your welfare money before they expire at new year!'
I suddenly remembered that I have 2500 SEK to spend before the end of the year, when they would be lost and I would get new money. Such a waste, especially since I have so much trouble with my back and neck. So, what else to do than to book 5 massages in the 10 remaining days before the Christmas vacation? :)
I went to a clinic just 5 minutes from work, that serial people hav recommended. But this was not some kind of relaxation massage, oh no, I was there to make a change. So these five times I've been screaming, crying, whimpering etc as the incredible pain was overwhelming, but it has been worth it by far.
So now I think I will start going once a month, and not wait until I'm having problems walking...

I can hardly believe it, it's finally time for the Christmas Holliday! I won't be back at the office until 2nd January, and even though I'll work for 3 days until then, I'll be working from home, in my pajama, with goodies to eat and relaxing.
I feel like I really, reeeeally need this. This past week have been weird, I've been so exhausted that I've hardly remembered my own name. But now it's time to rest, relax, ride in daylight and celebrate my favorite time of year - Christmas!

The vet called, she was already at Berga when I left work, so I would never be able to make it out, luckily, she offered to lunge Vasara herself and said she'd call me when she was done, which I more than gladly accepted.
Then 20 minutes of very nervous waiting followed. When I lunged Vasara yesterday she looked fine to me, but then a vet always sees more. But then she called me back and said that the limping was gone and that I'm allowed to start riding gently again!!!!!! Yey!!!!
She is still a bit stiff, so I will start by just walking for two weeks, then one week with 5 minutes of trotting a day, then 10 minutes a day the week after that, and then 15 the day after that. If that works, I'm allowed to start cantering.
Yesterday I said to my mom that the only wish I have for Christmas is a healthy horse, and it seems like my wish came true.

Today I got to hand out some early Christmas gifts, to my mom and to Tomas.

I have already given Marre her gift two weeks ago, she will get to see 4 plays of her choice at the Gothenburg city theatre.
But today was mom and Tomas turn. Tomas got a poster with photographs from the skate park he has built, quite an awesome place called Highvalley skate park. I got hold of a photographer who had lots of pics taken this summer and he kindly gave them to me for free. SHOU OUT to you Danne, Tomas was so happy!


My mom got 4 gifts: 1 jar of home made hard candy, 1 box of home made chocolate truffles, 1 calendar and iPhone5 case, both of which I've designed myself and then ordered. They both stared our cat, Nalle, and she was so moved that her eyes teared.


I also got to open some gifts, Tomas gave me a gift card for the cinema (I just spent the one he gave me last year on the hobbit, so maybe I'll save this one for the next hobbit? :)) and my mom gave me a 90 day public transportation c…

I wanted to take a picture of how beautiful Vasara looked in the moonlight when we took a walk last night, but the picture doesn't really do her justice...

When I was driving to the stable yesterday suddenly my finger started to feel weird. I lost all feelings in it and it became stiff. When I arrived, I removed my glove and this was what I found.



A lady in stable saw it and asked if I had troubles with my back... And I said yes... Then she asked "is it here?" And touched a my back. And I said yes... Seems like this massaging is really stirring things up!

The good side



The bad side 

Emilia and Vanja came to Stockholm this Wednesday for a full day meeting, it was so great and I'm really grateful to have such sweet colleagues, whom I see as my friends.

My baby is so sweet and takes her medicine like a really good girl!

I love my horse enough to walk her by hand for one hour in the cold rain.

Tomorrow me and Mathias will go to see the hobbit 2. So today we are watching the first movie, pep for tomorrow!

I slept until 10 (!) today and after going to the stable I played some computer games and almost took a nap. I really needed a calm day!

Shout out to Mimmo in Italy, thanks a lot for your nice email :)

Bella is coming to Berga! She is training for Uffe this weekend, so I get to see her and show her how we're doing at Berga. I miss her a lot so it will be great!
I think I will watch her train tomorrow too :)

I couldn't ask for better people to have around me every day, I have made some home made truffles for you.

These jars of hard candy that I've made will be given to Mathias parents and his brother and sister on Christmas Eve.

The vet came out to look at her minor stiffness/limping yesterday. It's back, or it's something new due to her being chased in the pasture.
Anyway, it's time for 7 days of metacam again and walking her 2 x 20 minutes per day. 
The vet will be back in 10 days.

Both me and Vasara have now been to dentist, and we both have impeccable teeth.
For me, it was the first time at this new dentist (private, I would never go to the community dentist) and it was a very painful experience but wit a good result. I usually spend 15 minutes, but this time it was one hour! I think she was more accurate than my old dentist, and the clinic was really modern. So after lots of examinations and work, and pain, the verdict was: I have really good teeth.
I felt really bad for Vasara, as they always need to be subdued, and their mouths opened with a big metal contraption, but she was so very very good and her teeth was also really good, which was great to hear. I also got to look into her mouth, and man that's a lot of teeth 50 centimeters into her skull! I had her head supported on my shoulder  during the procedures, which was very heavy but also cozy.

Today is doomsday: I'm going to the dentist. Well, only to the hygienist actually since my teeth are so good, but still, I'm terrified each time (every other year, don't have to go every year). What if I have gotten a hole!? Just the thought of a drill makes me feel sick.
Dear god I hope I will get good news.

The vet will come to visit on Wednesday - it's time to have a look at her teeth!
We are like a family full of "tandtroll"; cavity creeps, as Mathias went to the dentist last week, I'm going today and Vasara tomorrow.
The vet will also check her stiffness in the left hind leg and hopefully recommend a chiropractor.

Mathias was babysitting Vasara last night due to the interview, and hence had to tak care of the farrier too.It went really smooth, and he came with good news: the infection in one of her frogs was just tiny and he could cut it away, and I will stop it from coming back by using regular hoof tar.
One less worry!

Before last nights interview, I went on a small shopping spree. As I never have time to go shopping (I have to go to the stable :)) it was nice to browse the shops. But it got old really quickly due to all the late Christmas shoppers.
I bought one more gift for Mathias, one gift for myself (a kimono) which I paid with my checks from the music interview: I only had to pay 25 SEK over that.
Then I went to H&M and bought socks, after paying with a bonus check I only had to pay 20 SEK.
Then I went to Scorett and bought silicon pads for my high heels and after paying with a bonus check I only paid 10 SEK.
Finally I went to Twilfit and bought cozy Christmas socks and after paying with a bonus check I only paid 10 SEK.
Now I have spent all my club bonus checks (which would expire in the beginning of 2014 - I've had them in my bag for a year lol) and gotten stuff without paying anything!

Last night it was time for another interview, this time a focus group about make up, ordered by Lumene.
It was great fun, us 8 girls got along great and we had a really great time.
For the trouble I got 500 SEK.

Vasara in her ner blanket. So warm.

Finally Vasaras coat has been clipped!
Now it's time for the thick blankets :)

The farrier called to say he was on his way out. Unfortunately I was busy with all the candy so I didn't hear my phone, so he turned around... Crap! But he promised to come out tomorrow instead, let's hope he keeps that promise, since I've been chasing him for two weeks....
She's lost on shoe and I think one hoof has gotten an infection.

I've bought a new blanket, from Biltema (yes you read correctly).

I figured I had to try out their new equestrian collection and see if it's any good, it's so cheap! So I'm gonna put the quality to the test.

All day had been spent at Anna's place, making home made chocolate truffles and hard candy.
Marre came up from Gothenburg and brought her lovely friend Isabell with her, it was SO great to see her and meet Isabell, she was so sweet and all of us had such a nice time together!

Vasara was getting beat up in the pasture so I had to move her to a mini-pasture for sick horses.... I called Birgitta and she will move the horses around a bit so hopefully we can find a nice friend for her.

Time to try new facial products. After using Biotherm for something like 6 years it's time for a change. After several recommendations I've decided to try Dermalogica.

I bought a starter kit today, containing a cleanser, a AHA scrub, toning lotion, day and night cream and eye cream. Will be very exciting to try!
I know it takes a few weeks for the skin to get used to changes like this so I will try not to panic when I get outbursts and stuff, I know it's supposed to happen.

On your 65th birthday!!

We went out to have dinner at Ulla Winbladh and of course she got the Blanket!

I haven't really reported anything about Berga, where we've been for almost a week now. Well, all I can say is this: hallelujah!!!!!!!!!!
It's a completely different league compared to Lunda. And the riding hall.... Omg.... Everything is just... Perfect.

Yes that's right, it's snow time!!
My colleagues in Borås couldn't open their doors this morning, they were snowed in. And apparently the storm is coming my way.
I love snow!!!! But not if it's stoping me from getting to Vasara :)

I love you dear colleagues, I couldn't ask for better people to spend my days with!
L

And rain! And snow! And rain! And snow!
First snow of the year, mixed with rain.
Vasara will be wet tonight :)

Vasara is getting more and more at home