Dear friends, family and collegues,

My birthday is less than a month away. If anyone is searching for the perfect gift, look no further! I will gladly accept an Icelandic Hockey team jersey. Thanks!

Last year I posted my 14 favorite love songs leading up to Valentine’s Day. This year I thought it would be nice to write about 14 things I love. Sometimes people focus too much on things they hate instead of things that bring them true happiness, so I thought this would serve as a reminder, be a nice little exercise, and spread some cheer.

Day 1: Iceland
I’m not really sure when I fell in love with Iceland. I think it was probably somewhere between discovering Seabear and drooling over pictures of the northern lights, and knew I had to get there one day. I added “Visit Iceland” to my Life Goal List (we’re no longer calling it a “Bucket List”) and started following every Icelandic blog I could find on Tumblr. When the opportunity to book a trip finally presented itself in November, I couldn’t pass it up. I called up my travel partner in crime, Danielle, and we booked our adventure less than 24 hours later.

To be honest, leading up to the days before we left, I was nervous. I was excited but reserved. What if this place I had built up in my mind didn’t meet my expectations? My cautiously optimistic attitude left as soon as we boarded plane and I heard Sigur Ros playing.

We landed at 6:45AM with no sign of the sun anywhere on the horizon. Groggy and excited, we hopped on a bus and headed to Reykjavic. The next few hours flew by. We enjoyed dinner, made friends with Hreinn the waiter, had ice cold drinks in a tee-pee and rallied to go back out and party at midnight. Girls in Iceland don’t mess around. Below freezing temperatures don’t stop these ladies from walking around in miniskirts, peep-toe heels and fur coats. All I had were some red lips and what I like to call “Drew Barrymore hair.” I may not have looked the part, but I found a home at Boston Bar. As I drank a pint of local Icelandic ale, the DJ played every amazing Motown song known to man. When he played “Respect” by Aretha, I had a moment. I may have even shed a happiness tear. After a few more beers, a few more bars, and a handful of new friends I fell in love with, it was 5AM and time to go home.

The next morning we woke up bright and early for Excursion Day. We drove an hour out to the countryside where we saw some tectonic plates, and geysers. I pet a wild horse, hiked up a mountain to see a waterfall, watched a quarter fall 100 feet down a crystal clear well and made a wish. I rolled around in the snow in my bathing suit and jumped in a naturally heated hot pot, and I saw the Aurora Borealis. How lucky am I? The lights were so close it looked like I could touch them. The colors of cotton candy and Ecto Cooler, they swirled, twirled and danced above my head. Here I was, in Iceland, crying like a giant baby, at a natural phenomenon so precious, I couldn’t believe it was real. I was Kristen Bell and they were my sloth. We were told they were the best lights Iceland had seen in a year. In fact, the next 2 nights we were there, all the northern lights excursions were canceled because it was too cloudy or snowing. I felt like they were just for me.

Before we headed back to the states we explored Reykjavik and enjoyed the Blue Lagoon, where encountering the snow in my bathing suit again prepped me for this weeks Polar Bear Swim. I think we probably said “I can’t believe we’re here right now” about a thousand times. It’s easy to remember how special it is when you’re surrounded by lava, swimming in 80 degree water and it’s snowing outside.

It was time to go home, but not before the sounds of Seabear greeted us as we stepped on the plane. Most locals asked “Why Iceland?” to which I responded “Why not?” As you can see by this blog entry, it’s been a week and I’m still gushing. I am overwhelmed by how perfect our days in Reykjavik were. In fact, “Visit Iceland in every season” has been added to my Life Goal List. I can’t get back there soon enough.

Takk!

Northern Lights, Iceland, January 2012, love.

I don’t wanna jinx it, but… eeeeks!!