Hello World!

I’m not going to change the original heading because it’s fitting. Hello world!

I love to write and have attempted blogging in the past. I moved to Rochester, New York in 2006 and started blogging about my experiences as an international student and athlete at Nazareth College. Eventually school, friends, and athletics got in the way, and the blog died after six months. It was my first blogging experience, and I still have a lot of the content saved. I still read my old posts every now and then; time traveling can be a lot of fun. At the time, it also proved to be a great way to document my experiences while letting my friends and family in Sweden in on all the fun.

Moving to the U.S was a gigantic adventure, and I remember blogging about so many oddities and experiences. I thought people dressed weird, and my teammates thought my jeans were way too tight. I went grocery shopping and had to return a couple of items, not realizing the sales tax was added at checkout. I struggled to understand how a sport I had never heard of (Lacrosse) could draw a bigger crowd than soccer at my school. I developed a love for Beer Pong, and felt like I was a part of an American Pie taping with the red cups and Animal House style parties. My English improved tremendously, and I took a lot of classes that had nothing to do with my major (Marketing).

While in college, I gave up regular blogging for the micro blogging awesomeness that is Twitter. I am not as obsessed anymore, but still use it daily. I wrote a lot of editorials for Sweden’s largest soccer website, on my experiences as a student-athlete and on European top flight clubs. In 2010, I wrote a lot on behalf of a website following my favorite soccer team Juventus FC.

I have missed blogging ever since freshman year. I still wrote a lot, thanks to college assignments and soccer, but it just wasn’t the same. In college, my idea of a pleasant assignment included a blank word document and limited instructions on execution. I like being creative.

In late September of 2011 I was getting ready for my cross country road trip. I was a year out of college, and had decided to make the move to Los Angeles. I have family and friends here, and was aching for an adventure. After five years in upstate New York, I felt like I needed a change in scenery. I also had a strong urge to see more of this beautiful country. Escaping the snowy madness that is upstate New York was intriguing as well.

While I was planning the trip, it occurred to me it would be neat to document my travels. After all, not a lot of people embark on something this crazy. I decided to take action, and created my second blog. I updated from the road every day, and posted a lot of pictures. I played the license plate game, experienced voodoo in New Orleans, and hiked Grand Canyon. I started in Rochester, went down to Washington DC, followed by Atlanta, New Orleans, Dallas, Denver, Grand Canyon, and Los Angeles. The blog is still up, and if cross country travels excite you, check it out.

Now, roughly six months later, I am settled in Santa Monica. I live right by the beach and the third street promenade. It’s extremely different compared to Sweden and upstate New York, but I have embraced the change and genuinely love it.

I recently created my online home, and figured a blog would be a nice addition to this. I tend to be all over the place, and I am sure my blog will be too. I am likely to post random content, and do so infrequently. Depending on your interests, I am confident some of it will be worth reading.

I will look to cover every day events, social media, marketing, travels, adventures, and soccer.  Feel free to tag along for what is likely to be a confusing, fun, interesting, and exciting adventure.