Independence rank high — We are not all natural, tall and blue-eyed Vikings, but Scandinavian women generally have a certain way of living life that is not the norm in all corners of the world. We love our independence, which is what this article will revolve around. …

Some more important than others — This is not one of those articles where I ponder on all the fundamental differences between Scandinavia and the United States. I’ll save those for another day. This is me, simply trying to make sense of 3-car garages and the size of Costco’s chips. …

Think House Hunters International backward — On the show, people are often shocked by the sizes of European homes, whether it is apartments, townhomes, or single-family homes. No king bed? Oh my. No walk-in-closet? Where will I put my clothes? My goodness, did you say no garage?! Well, then I’m out! I thought about this show…

Minimalism with a reality check — If you have paid attention to minimalism within the past decade, odds are you’ve heard of Marie Kondo. She became the world’s declutter guru after the launch of her book “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up” in 2011. KonMari, Kondo’s tidying method, encourages categorizing items to decide whether they “spark…

For more reasons than one — It may be a reaction to my early adult years when I was working a lot, giving everything, not willing to take the breaks my body asked me to. It may be aging, although I’m still only in my 30s. It may be part of how we simply change over…

A style capitalized, sustainably — If I were to use one word to describe Scandinavian design when it comes to clothing, shoes and accessories, it would be functionality. Globally, Scandinavian design has received recognition for its minimalist-inspired approach. The classic cliche “less is more” supports the essence of Scandinavian design and fashion. But more than…

Kind of like a mirror — The word home has many interpretations and definitions. For some, it’s where the heart is. For others, it’s a backpack. In this story, I’m sticking with one of the most common definitions; one’s place of residence. One’s place of residence, whether a mansion, studio apartment, or more commonly, something in…

On the edge, but also not — First: By American, in this case, I am talking about those from the United States. By Scandinavia, Norway. Actually, we’ll include Denmark, because some of these observations are made at the Copenhagen airport. Also: I know not all Americans are the same. But some are, especially when traveling. The security line We’ll start…

With love, from a Scandinavian heart — My readers know that I (mostly) enjoy life in the United States. It’s a bit like a love/hate relationship, though. In the start, there wasn’t a whole lot of love. That’s come over time. Here are some of the things that I wasn’t a huge fan of, to put it…