Happy New Year 2008

New Years Eve 2007

The girls before we had dinner on New Years Eve - about 30 minutes after this picture was taken, I had to put both of their dresses in the washing machine!

We were going to go to the bonfire and firework display tonight but it's too windy so they've post phoned it until tomorrow night. Well, that's OK then, we'll just go tomorrow.

Cosy day at the Pells' household

Bob and the girls were having a cosy time in front of the TV the other day, and let's not forget Píla! Is that the way to spend Christmas or what!

Little painters

The girls were playing with their easel tonight after having their bath. They put on their night gowns and robes and went down to play for a bit. Here are some pictures.

Christmas Eve 2007

We had a great Christmas Eve here, just the four of us. The girls looking beautiful in their national dresses and behaving reasonably well. Here's a picture.

Merry Christmas everyone.

Merry Christmas

Icelandic

As of December 17th, Bob is an Icelandic citizen. He just got the letter confirming it.

New email address

We've got new email addresses, birgitta@pellshome.com and bob@pellshome.com

Sowing day

Yesterday was a sowing day here in Furulundur 2d. Hrefna, a seamstress, my mother's sister-in-law and the person who took care of me for three years when I was studying in Reykjavík, flew in from Reykjavík and spent the day here working on the girls' national dresses. They're not finished but the rest I can do myself - and I need to do so before Christmas because I want them to wear this then. They tried it on before she started and then before she left. My parents came by so they got to see them in their dresses. This picture isn't very good but it does show how it's going to look like.

Feeding time at the zoo

Little one feeding the big one!

Last day at work

Today was my last official day at Þekking. I've worked there since June 1st 1996 so it's been 11 and a half years. I've worked with many good people and I will miss them, but they are still around and I will meet them every now and then. Hopefully I'll still see the girls in our "sowing club nights", if they still continue.

They had a leaving presentation for me this afternoon, Heiða talked and handed me a little present. They got me earrings, small golden earrings with a little stone in it, not sure what it is. It's very nice actually. It'll be strange not going there to work but somewhere else. But the people in the new place just seem extremely nice and friendly. I went there this morning, they had an "Advent do", invited people over for some nice food and drinks, music and a guy read a few short chapters from a book he wrote (biography). I just had a very nice time there.

Christmas cookies

I've been baking today. Made my vanilla rings, which we all like a lot, and chockolate cookies, which are ok, but not as good as the others.

The new colleagues

I went to my new work for lunch today to meet everybody. It was very nice, everybody was nice an relaxed and I instantly felt at home there. They are six there, plus one that is sometimes there but in Reykjavík most of the time (he wasn't there yesterday), two women and 4 men, and they all seemed very nice and I felt welcome there. It'll be cool to move over there in a few weeks.

Today we've been to Hagkaup and Nettó. In Hagkaup we got nice black shoes for the girls and in Nettó the groceries. Not too much since we went shopping on Thursday. Next on my list is to do some revision, put the light-arch at the front door and make the hats for the girls. And just relax - if I can.

Changes

October wasn't a very good month at work, I've been getting more and more unhappy with things there. I tried talking to my department manager, the staff manager and the manager of the company but it didn't bring anything. We don't have enough work for all of us, I am unhappy with the fact that last year they hired another programmer, someone who has the same education I do (or less since I've been adding credits) and gave her higher salary than I have. I had also been asking to go to courses or have more training but couldn't. And adding to that, I don't see that they are doing much in getting us more work or different things to do. So I started looking for another job, called a former colleague and he talked to his team leader. I went to a job interview and they made me an offer - which I didn't like and I told them that so they then withdrew the offer. Then I talked to an old friend of mine, who works for a software house and she told me that I should just talk to Gulla, who is her department manager and also someone I know since we both worked for the same company years ago. That was on a Friday. On Monday she called me and sounded very positive and a few days later I had a new job. I resigned just before the end of month and will leave here on Friday before Christmas.

My new job will be similar to the one I have now. But the change is that I will be able to get training in a new business application - which I haven't been able to get here. The salary is better as well and that is good. But most of all I think the change will do me good. I've been with Þekking for 11 and a half years and it's time to do something else now. Learn new things, be with new people. Although I will miss people from here.

Hrefna called me last night and she's coming here to finish the national dresses for the girls on the sixteenth. They will be so pretty :)