Goodbye 2009!! The best year of my life.....!

I haven't been the most eager blogger in the world this year, but my other blog projects are taking so much of my blogging time that this blog has been put aside a bit. There is one thing I do every year and that is to sum up
the year that has been when it get close to the New Year. And what a year this has been for me. Just take a look here.

January: Spent time with my daughter and family. Decided to split up with my husband.

February: Moved to Oslo, spent more time with my daughter.

March: Got to know Mike, travelled to Germany. Spent time with Liv Annie.

April: Moved over to England to live with Mike!! Best day of my life!! Travelled a lot: England, Belgium, Netherlands and Germany. Spent time with my mum.

May: Went to see Manic Street Preachers for the 17th time, this time with Mike. Had a great time. Travelled a lot around South England.

June: So in love, spending lots of time with Mike just enjoying my life. Bought my new computer.

July: Went back to Norway for two weeks, spent time with family. Travelled. Missed Mike so much. Got back to England and moved in with Mike properly.

August: Travelled a lot around England, great summer so spent lots of time outdoors. Worked a lot with shoots. Met all of Mike's friends in one go. Had met a few, but now I met all of them.

September: Holiday with Mike in Dorset. Started working for Eric Hill, temp work. Did lots of photo shoots all over South England.

October: Was Cover Girl!!! Went to different parties. Lots of shoots. So in love.....

November: Went to different parties, worked a lot, shoots and other work. Spent lots of time with Mike.

December: Celebrated my first Christmas in England with Mike and later on with his family. Mike LOVE!!!

2009 has for me been one of the best years of my life! It has been filled with so much joy, love and fun. Despite the fact that I split up with my husband Haavar early in the year, it's been a great year. When Haavar and I broke
it was something we both wanted and had agreed on so it was not a bad break up. We still remain best friends and I'm so happy for him that he has found new happiness in Empita from Peru. He is visiting her in Peru right now
and I think it is very brave of him to travel all that way to Peru and it makes me really happy to hear all about his experiences from the trip through his successful blog.
I feel like I have lived my life to the fullest and done exactly what I intend to do, to live everyday as if it was the last.
Instead of moving to Canada, I did a big U turn when love hit me hard in March and moved to England to live with my new boyfriend, Mike. Things with Mike and me happened quick, but I haven't regret my descision to move
to him for a second. Life has never been better and I've never been more in love. I love my life, I love my new homeland, I love the feeling I have inside and I love Mike.
Mike and I are starting the new year by travelling to Portugal together for a weeks holiday. I look so much forward to it and it will be our first trip abroad together. We have rented a car so we are going to look around in the area.
We are going to Algarve and I have never been to that part of Portugal before(been to Lisboa and to the Azores) so it will be interesting to explore. Temperature down there is pleasantly around 20 degrees so it will be a great break
from the cold England.
Hope you all will get a great New Year and do like me, stay happy!!!

Anne Lise.

It's cold in England.

It's not the most common thing in the world that there is actually snow in England and white Christmas is even more rare. But this year it seems to be a white Christmas. It's been cold for quite some time now and before the weekend it came a bit of snow as well. The weather is great. Sunny and stable so I really enjoy it. Mike and I was out for a really great walk this weekend to a beautiful place about 10-15 minutes drive from Guildford. I took a few pictures and wanted to share them with you.

Going to Dover tomorrow.

Mike has taken a day off from his job as an underwriting manager tomorrow. The reason is that we have planned this day for quite some time. Mike's favourite football team Woking is playing an away match in Dover tomorrow so we thought it would be a great idea to go down to Dover for the entire day, to watch some sights and watch the football match in the evening. As some of you might know, Dover mean something special to me. I went there in 2000 when I visited my friend Rachel, and I was blown away with fascination over Dover Castle. Dover Castle is so much more than just a castle, it also houses an amazing maze of underground tunnels that first were built during the Napoleonic wars to solve the urgent need for more barracks and storeroom. These tunnels were first used in 1803. They were later used by the Coast Blockade Service to combat smuggling and more famously used as air raid shelter during WWII. For a history geek like me this is like a heaven. And the way they have made these tunnels into a tourist attraction is really great as they have made it more interactive than most attractions. You can feel, smell, hear and see the agony and horror of the scenes that took place in the tunnels. Such as in the tunnels hospital from WWII you can smell the cloroform used, see bloody cloth and hear screaming people. In other parts you can feel small rubble fall from the ceiling as an air attack is taking place. The whole experience impressed me so much back in 2000 that I ever since have wanted to return. In the years since I went there last they have also had large reconstruction done to the castle itself so I'm very excited. And spending the day with my dear Mike is the best way of spending a day.

Nice weekend.

As all weekends have been here in England I have had a good time. I was in desperate need of a rest after that hard week in my new job. Yes, I have a new job. It's just a temporary job, but it's better than nothing and I really like it. I'm doing archiving and data input work for a clothing company. Maybe not the most exciting work in the world, but it's ok paid and with todays situation with all the resessions and large unemployment here in England I'm glad I just have a job.

Yesterday Mike and I was at a birthday party to a friend of Mike. Mike has this large group of friends that he has known since the school days, which is something I find very remarkable as I don't think many of you can say the same. So yesterday most of them were gathered with wives and children. I'm not the most social person in the world, so it's a new situation for me to go to big parties like that. I'm not quite sure if I like it or not. I think I prefer to be in smaller groups of people. But it was nice to get out and be dressed up. I love being all dressed up.

Today has been devoted to doing photo shoots, relaxing and watching football. Following Norwegian football online and watching English matches on TV. Mike is supporting a local club, Woking FC and I have been to a few of their matches. It's such great football, even far down in the divisions it such good play and amazing goals.
Doing photo shoots is always great, but I don't think many people realize how much work it really is to have a photo shoot, both for the model and for the photographer. Because you have to be really focused and keep poses for a long time to not lose that one special expression that can be the little detail that makes the difference between an average picture and a perfect shot. I'm not complaining at all. I love being in front of the camera and it's great fun. And looking through all the frames when done is so much fun.
Hope all of you have had a great weekend!!

Hugs from Anne Lise.

Welcome to my brand new blog.

Many might know me, but many of you might not so I will start off by introducing myself. My name is Annie and I was born in Oslo, Norway 34 years ago. I grew up in the beautiful achipelago of Lofoten.
Lofoten is located far up north in Norway, above the Arctic Circle for those of you who doesn't know. It's my paradise up there. Miss it!!


I have lived many places in my life, but right now I'm living in Guildford in England together with my boyfriend, Mike. I moved here in April, I love it here!

Guildford is a very nice town with lots of nice architecture and an exciting history.

As many of you know I used to be married with Haavar. We were together for 13 years, but we split up a year ago. Thankfully it has not been a bad break up and we are best friends and are in regular contact. I have a gorgeous daughter, Liv Annie, she is 12 years old and is living back home in Norway. I miss you so much!! She has grown up to be a strong and beautiful girl who loves horses and her friends more than anything. It seems like yesterday that she was a baby.

I work as a model, bbw and plus size model. I love it!!! I have always enjoyed being in front of the camera, but working as a model and being able to live of it is great. It's really giving to work as a model cause it gives me lot of great feed back from other big girls who think I'm a great example that big girls can be sexy and nice looking too. It gives me a great self-esteem boost to do a shoot or walk on a catwalk in front of a lot of people.

I work volunteer work at the museum in Godalming. It's a nice little museum and it's a great way of establishing a network as well. And since I'm interested in history it could not be a better way of spending one day a month doing something meaningful.

I have got a lot of new friends here in England now. I'm out and about the whole time. Mike has got a huge circle of friends and they have all been so nice to me. Going out for a dinner with two of Mike's friends tomorrow. Looking forward to it.
I have got to know this Danish girl that lives not far from Guildford as well. There is quite a lot of Scandinavians in this area. Probably due to the Universaty in Guildford. Although there is a lot of Norwegians living in UK in general. And I have to say I understand why as it's a great place to live. I have not regret one day coming over here to stay.