It's the start of the world as we know it....and we feel fine!

December 21st 2012 was supposed to be the end of the world. Trees were supposed to fly sideways from the force of the winds created by the four horsemen. The sky was supposed to crumble in ash. Clouds were supposed to burst into flames.

Instead, December 21st 2012 greeted us with trees glittering with a light dusting of snow as we drove around the fjord from Stryn to Førde.

The sky glowed in the late sunrise on the shortest day of the year. Peaking in and out from behind the mountains, the low sun created a strobing show of light and shadow making us do a little dance with the sun visors in the car.





The only thing that burst into flames was the magical sparkler our waitress spontaneously had stuck into a foil-wrapped potato (dessert hadn't been ordered so she got creative) and delivered to the table.

December 21st 2012 was the day that I joined my life and my heart to the most incredible man in the world.

We do still call that day Paper Day (which you can read about here) and we celebrate it, just the two of us, with a quiet dinner.

The last four years have been a roller coaster of ups and downs but, no matter what, we never go to bed angry, we say "I love you" several times a day, and I am always amazed that this man still looks at me with eyes full of love the way he did in that courthouse on that cold, winter day, December 21st 2012.

Here is a glimpse at our last four years together:

Åå så koseleg!

This blog post is written in conjunction with Sarah Shotts' ProjectSTIR movement to record heirloom recipes around the world! To get on board with her amazing journey be sure to visit and support her Kickstarter!

Cooking, for me, has always been an absolute joy. Since I was young I would make up recipes and cook for my family (sometimes not so successfully but what do you expect from a third grader!?). When I first moved to Norway my husband, bless his heart, had just the bare-bones of a kitchen and when I tried to cook it was quite difficult for me. Not only because I was lacking in utensils and such but the conversions from American measurements to things like deciliters and grams and substitutes. It's been an adventure, for sure.

However, even as I sit here our house is engulfed with the smells of apples, cinnamon and nutmeg. I've been making apple butter in my crock-pot for three days. (Two large batches!) When I walked in the house last night after work to the smell of warm apple butter I felt a huge pang of emotion hit me in the chest. This is the smell of my childhood in America filling the home of my family in Norway.

There is a word in Norwegian that eludes a true definition in English but is used widely and quite regularly here in Norway:

koseleg

Pronounced KOH-sell-eg. This word - to dilute it enough into English - basically means “cozy” but it's so much more than that. It is an emotion, a feeling, an adjective. It's when you feel that pang of emotion hit you in the chest followed by the warm-fuzzies of remembering “the old days” engulfed in an atmosphere of candlelight, large pillows, blankets and delicious smells. ALL of that in one word – koseleg.

The moments that are the most koseleg for me are when I am able to bring in an American tradition to my home. I'm not generally homesick for America. Don't get me wrong, I miss my friends and family (AND decent PEANUT BUTTER...cough) but I'm content here and have adopted many Norwegian food traditions in our home. But having the chance to sip a pumpkin spice latte while nibbling on toast smeared with apple butter is not so easy to come by here.

Some adventures I've embarked on in the search for koseleg American recipes:

Everything bagels – bagels topped with poppy seeds, dried onions etc. etc. etc.

Ranch dressing mix – a powder to blend with soured milk and mayonaise to recreate Hidden Valley Ranch

Pumpkin Spice Syrup – I've blogged this recipe here!

Cranberry orange sauce

Chicken/Turkey stock – oh how I miss the convenience of canned stock!

Apple butter

Chocolate cake – the boxed cake here is, well, only one flavor and very dry

Hummus

Cincinnati Chili

Corn bread

AND MORE!

Naked chocolate cake with strawberry buttercream frosting and strawberry jam layers, topped with fresh fruit. All from scratch.

Gluten free 2-layer lemon lavender cake with lavender buttercream frosting and candied lemons. All from scratch, even grew the lavender myself!

Homemade hummus!!Heavenly!

Let me tell ya, making the “everything” topping for the bagel is WORK! Let alone making the BAGEL too! And making ranch dressing mix from scratch? HOLY SHMOLY! (Tip: dehydrating mushrooms to grind up makes your house smell like a baby's diaper for about a week)

Horrible picture but delicious results!

In the end, all of those adventures are worth it when I take that first bite and melt into a puddle of koseleg.

One frustration, however, comes when I'm trying to “interpret” a family recipe from America into Norwegian ingredients and measurements. It rarely goes well the first try. When a recipe calls for a stick of butter I have to convert that into grams and use a scale because we don't have sticks of butter here. Any recipes call for Crisco? Forget about it! I have yet to find a good substitute for that one.

Every year I have a Thanksgiving dinner here and I've blogged about it before but haven't followed up on my promise to post the recipe for pumpkin pie. That was one successful family recipe that happened on the first try. I had to tweak it but it ended up tasting just like Mimi, my great grandmother, used to make. Because her crust recipe called for Crisco I found another crust recipe that worked beautifully! I've used it for sweet and savory pies with great success! This is the site where I found the crust recipe and where she has more recipes to pair with the crust!

So because it is officially the start of PUMPKIN EVERYTHING season, here is Mimi's Pumpkin Pie

Mimi teaching me how to make a pie crust ca. 1984

CRUST – Recipe makes enough for two single crusts or one double crust (top and bottom)

2 cups (260 g) all purpose flour

1 tsp salt

2 tsp sugar (for sweet pies – like this pumpkin recipe- only, skip if savory)

2 sticks unsalted butter (225 g) cubed

½ cup (1.25dl) full fat sour cream

Cube the butter first and set aside so it has time to soften slightly before you begin to use it.

In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, and sugar. Stir well to combine.

Remove rings from fingers ;)

Add butter cubes to the flour mixture and get your hands to work squishing the butter into the flour with your fingers until you have a coarse meal with a few bits of butter visible.

Add the sour cream and cut it in with a fork or continue to use your hands.

Form the dough into a roll and cut into two pieces. Flatten them out into two disks and wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Chillin the fridge for at least 30 minutes (DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP) so the dough can tighten up and the flour has a chance to absorb some of the excess moisture from the sour cream.

If the dough has been in the fridge for over 2 hours let it sit on the counter for 5-10 minute to loosen up enough for use.

Roll out to desired size and place in your ungreased pie plate.

Refrigerate until ready to use (especially if your kitchen is warm).

PIE FILLING

1 cup (2.25dl) pumpkin

1 egg – lightly beaten with a fork

1 Tbps flour

¼ tsp salt

½ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp nutmeg

¾ cup (1.75 dl) sugar

2 cups (4.74 dl) milk

Bring the milk to a boil and quickly remove before it over cooks.

Add the egg into the pumpkin and beat it well.

Slowly add in the milk to the egg/pumpkin mixture so that the eggs don't scramble.

Add the dry ingredients and mix well.

Pour into an unbaked nine inch pie shell.

Bake for 5 minutes at 450F (230C) degrees then about 35-45 minutes in a 325-350F (160-175C) degree oven.

All the pumpkin recipes I made for Thanksgiving last year!

Here's wishing you a KOSELEG day with a slice of Mimi's Pumpkin Pie!

Don't forget to check out ProjectSTIR!

Just Breathe....

Many friends and family have been urging me to get back to blogging. Not that I was ever really regular about posting. But a lot has been going on. Easy and hard. Happy and sad. Smooth and rough. Rather than get into the details I'll continue with some pictures my husband and I took at the beach last week. With these pictures I will share some of the revelations and inspirations I received from that day at the beach.

UP A STREAM WITH JUST ONE PADDLE

I know, the old saying is, "up a stream without a paddle" but that doesn't really pertain to me.

I have a paddle.

That paddle is my support system. My friends and my families - both Norwegian and American.

The paddle I'm missing - the one whose loss is making me paddle in circles - is the one I am supposed to give myself.

I've lost a lot of self-confidence in the last two years I've lived here. I forget what it is to say, "Yep, I've got this." That just doesn't happen anymore. I'm really good at faking it - not only to myself but to the world as well. I can't look in the mirror anymore. I don't see me. When I see pictures of myself I look lost. This paddling in circles is making me not only look tired but feel exhausted.


Once I find my paddle I'll find my way back to me.

YOU CAN'T PLANT ROOTS IN SAND - But you can try...

Since moving to Norway I've been searching for a place to plant my roots. That has proven very difficult because we do still rent our house. It's not really ours no matter how much work I do on it. It never will be. And that's okay. But for the longest time I was grasping to the handful of sand made up of hopes for our future.

Each grain of hope - building our own house, starting a family, finding a place in the community - have been slipping through my fingers lately. I keep trying to hold onto them. I keep trying to push them back into my palm and hold on tight.

But they haven't really been lost. I know that now. You can't hold onto so many grains of hope without some slipping through your fingers. That's why you find that bucket. That's what the "bucket list" really means.

It's that place where you put all your grains of hope - to free up your hands in order to grasp the here and now.

TEARS ONLY FLOOD YOUR PATH

I've cried a lot lately. A lot.

But only crying, well, that's not going to get you anywhere. It only floods the path you're supposed to be on. There's this funny thing that happens when you look at a fish in water. You don't really see them, just their reflection. The water distorts their actual location. The same thing happens with your feet on a flooded path - they look disconnected from yourself. How can you walk without stumbling when you can't see where your feet actually land?

Crying and learning from it. Crying and looking into yourself. That's where the tears are beneficial.

I'm not saying that crying is bad. It's really truly needed sometimes. To wash the film of sadness or sorrow from your eyes in order to see anew.

COWS AT THE BEACH

Just to break up the seriousness of this post with a a little smile!

Those are some lucky cows!

LIKE WATER OFF A DUCK'S BACK

Oy vey. This one is really hard for me to express. 

When you move to another country you get advice and encouragements from all aspects of your life. They mean well. I really believe they mean well. After two years of hearing the same sentences (sometimes word-for-word) they get more difficult to hear. After two years of being asked about when you're going to find a job or why haven't you found a job yet, or when you're going to start a family, why don't you have this or why don't you do that?.....etc....

No, I can't just let what people are saying or asking roll like water off a duck's back. 

I don't have an answer. All I can say is that I have been trying my hardest to, well, do anything they are asking or advising or encouraging. 

I don't mean to say that I don't appreciate people trying to help. I don't want to discourage people from reaching out or asking me questions. I just want them to know that sometimes I just don't have an answer and I'm more frustrated with myself and the situation than I am with them for asking about it. 

It's not always the positive that is hard to deal with. That's actually the easy part. The negative is like a knife in the stomach. When people talk about me when I'm standing right there and they don't think I understand Norwegian, that hurts. In grocery stores, in the waiting room at the doctor, at the pier when I'm at work. That rolls off my back like a granite boulder. 

But then I have to remind myself why water rolls off a duck's back. It's not only the natural oils on a duck's feathers but there is a delicate structure, feather by feather. Those feathers are constructed of toothy hairs. It's those toothy hairs of positive reinforcement I gather from those around me - no matter how difficult they are to hear at the time - that bind together to create my "feathers" - that create my shield.

Those feathers of positive reinforcement are what help those negative moments to roll off my back and protect me. 

So, please, don't stop asking me the hard questions. Don't stop giving me advice. It may sting a little bit when you do but please know that you're only making me stronger.

THE WEAKEST RUSTY LINK

I feel like everyone in our lives creates a sort of chain. Whether each link knows each other or not, we create this chain of people around us. It's there to grab onto when we're drifting away from our path. It's there to give us strength in difficult moments. The chain can grow. The chain can become shorter.


But we are our own weakest link.

If we don't maintain that chain. If we don't "grease" it with outings, phone calls, text messages, emails or even the simplest smile while passing on the street, those connections can rust and eventually break. I have been finding it very hard to remain emotionally connected with friends back in the States. At absolutely no fault of their own. I take full responsibility. It all stems from my own insecurities.

I've convinced myself that those I "left behind" think exactly that....I've left them behind. I've abandoned them. I promise I did no such thing. I've had to remind myself that wasn't the case. Yes, it is true, that moving abroad can filter out those relationships that were built out of only convenience but it also highlights those relationships that are steadfast and strong. Those links that are strong enough to anchor you.

I know I've drifted out to sea from some of you. I hope you are still holding on to your end of the chain because I'd love to come back to you. Lets polish off our link and make faces in our reflections on the shiny curved surface.

COWS AT THE BEACH AGAIN!

Take a break to smile!

A DOOR LOCKED FROM THE INSIDE OPENS FOR NO ONE

Oh boy, I'm opening a can of worms with this one. This past New Years I made a resolution. It's, quite honestly, the first resolution I've ever kept for more than a month (you know, just staying on trend with statistics!). My resolution was to say yes to Norwegians.

Yep, that's what I said. Unless time doesn't allow, safety is an issue, transportation is a problem or, most importantly, I can't give my fullest to the endeavor, I say yes to when Norwegians ask me to do something.

Why? Well, last December I went to visit my family in the States for Christmas. I did a lot of thinking while en route to Missouri. Why was I still feeling so disconnected to my community in Norway? Why had I not found my roll in the community? Why wasn't I participating in what was going on in the neighborhood? Why was I only finding out what was going on after it happened?

Because I wasn't putting myself out there enough. There are various reasons excuses why that wasn't happening but I decided to step up to the plate and participate every possible chance. This has led to me volunteering at ski events, getting small jobs here and there, meeting my neighbors, participating in community events and making connections and relationships that could lead to even more exciting opportunities.

I had been waiting for a door of possibilities to open for me - I finally opened it myself.

THIS SHIP HAS FINALLY SAILED....HOME

I am a tour guide again this summer. A couple of weeks ago I was chatting with a lady while hiking up to see the glacier arm at Briksdal. She asked me where I was from. I get asked this a lot so the easiest thing to say is, "The last place I lived was near Washington DC." It's a recognizable landmark so doesn't require too much follow-up. Well, she persisted and wanted me to list every city I've lived in....so I did. Her response shocked me.

"You lived in a lot of different places in a lot of different houses. I think you were looking for your home...I think you found it."

Woah. That's deep, lady! She had known me for maybe just over one hour and she had dug so deep.

I think she was right.





FINDING THE JOY

Esma doing her "dance" command.

So, this has been a pretty raw post. But I think it will give some insight into what I've been going through these past few months. I haven't been blogging as much as I had wanted to because I wasn't sure how to process all the feels.

Last week I was dealing with a huge loss. It rocked me to my core. So when I asked Svein Arild to take me to the beach he jumped at the chance. We grabbed our Biolite to grill some lunch, brought some knitting and crosswords (in bokmål Norwegian, I'll have you know) hopped in the car and drove out to our favorite beach in Hoddevik.

Svein Arild insisted that I just go for a walk by myself. I took the camera and a bag to gather beach treasures and walked. I walked in the cold water from the North Sea and smushed my toes in the sand. But most importantly, I BREATHED. I hadn't realized just how much I had been holding my breath. All day I kept taking deep breaths, feeling my shoulders relax, feeling my chest open up.

Picnic on the beach!

No matter what has happened. No matter what might happen. All that matters is my husband and my puppy are with me all the time. In fact I have a puppy draped over my shoulder and chest as I type this. When I look in their eyes I see joy and happiness reflected back at me.

When I look into their eyes I see this pure love - this unconditional love. I had heard rumors of this kind of love. I had seen it in movies. I didn't know I could have that love for myself. I didn't know that I could give that love either.

Esma the Magnificent

This furry little munchkin of a Havanese puppy makes me smile on a daily basis and she cracks me up all the time. Esma reminds me to find the joy in the little things. She reminds me that sometimes you just need to take a break and chase a butterfly. We are so lucky to have her.

My classy husband, Svein Arild.

This man. Wow. He is my angel. He is my rock. He is what keeps me standing when the winds of sadness try to knock me down. He holds me tight when he sees pain in my eyes. He makes me laugh with his ridiculous puns and jokes. He takes me on adventures and introduces me to new places.

Guys, I can't stress enough that I would be nowhere without this man. I don't know what I do without him. I don't think I show him enough what he means to me but I fully intend to right that wrong.

I am so lucky he picked me. I'm so lucky he found me. And, to steal a line from Bridget Jones, I'm so lucky because

he loves me just as I am.

Eg elskar deg kjempemasse, Bamsefar.



So, while I have every intention of continuing to post here, I will make no promises. You see, I have just said yes to another Norwegian today for a rather large project...I'm going to be very busy...

And then....drumroll.....MY PARENTS ARE COMING TO VISIT IN AUGUST!!! So, now that I have all this off my chest I can move on and get ready for their visit and plan all the amazing places I want to share with them of my new country - my home, Norway.

Thanksgiving i Norge

An American Thanksgiving.

To many non-Americans - and, indeed, many Americans - the words "American Thanksgiving" conjure up ideas of exactly the opposite to what they really mean. Whenever I mentioned hosting Thanksgiving dinner the following words reoccurred throughout the responses I received: fat Americans, turkeys, pilgrims, indians too much food, American football, Black Friday, family fighting, lazy, and (of course) pumpkin pie. 

Those words bothered me. While, yes, some or all of those words may ring true in some homes across America, they aren't the definition of Thanksgiving. I really wanted to show my Norwegian family and friends what I grew up knowing of Thanksgiving and how important the holiday is to me.

The actual history of Thanksgiving has been lost over the years. We may never know exactly what happened (or didn't happen) back when the early European settlers made their homes in North America. What we do know is that a public day of giving thanks has been around for at least 250 years. American Presidents used Thanksgiving multiple times as an attempt to bring together a country in turmoil. Political play? Sure. But the root of the action was to bring people together.

That is the meaning of Thanksgiving to me. No legends about pilgrims and indians. No political plays. No marketing ploys. Simply bring people together. Thank those people for being in your life. Tell them what they mean to you. Go the extra mile to set aside a day to spend with loved ones and celebrate them. 

So that is what I wanted to do. I wanted to bring the people in my family and community together to celebrate them and tell them "thank you" for all they have done for me in this year of transitioning to Norwegian life and culture. I wanted to share some of my traditions with them as a way of giving a little bit back to them.

Last year, in 2013, SA and I held a "small" Thanksgiving in our house. We had 14 people come to dinner and everyone brought a dish with them to share - many of which were American recipes. But the house is so small and just can't comfortably hold that many people. At some point this past summer my sister-in-law mentioned that the neighbors were asking about Thanksgiving. We also had two family members move back to the area with their families and we really wanted to include them as well. So...how was I going to accommodate neighbors reaching out and more family coming? 

Down the street from our house is a saw mill that has been converted into a sort-of event building. (And this past summer they built a beautiful amphitheatre!) So we rented out the part that had been converted into a nice dining room for our Thanksgiving day. I painted an invitation (see: top of this page). I started a Facebook event. I made a list of typical American Thanksgiving dishes in case anyone attending wanted to make them to bring. I asked that everyone bring something to share which was tradition in my family. My husband and I would provide the turkeys, stuffing and pumpkin pie.

<<Insert huge record scratch sound here>>

Shortly after starting planning this lovely event I went to the doctor for an ingrown toenail. Now, I know the timing doesn't sound optimal - and it certainly wasn't - but the only time the doctor had before the end of the year to perform the procedure was the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Which means it was 3 days before our Thanksgiving since we held it on Saturday. I had to have the procedure done before the end of the year so I had no choice. So, I ended up having half the toenail from my left big toe removed...right before the holiday where you stand in the kitchen and cook for hours on end...

Well, Saturday rolled around and by some miracle I had:

- roasted two turkeys

- had a third turkey in the oven to look pretty on the table

- baked six loaves of bread to make stuffing

- made two gallons of homemade bone broth from the bones of the turkeys I had already roasted

- baked three batches of stuffing using the homemade bread and broth (one with giblets)

- made a gallon of turkey gravy from the drippings of all three turkeys

- baked a pumpkin cake with streusel topping

- baked two pumpkin pies (for the first time!!) [will blog this recipe later...you will want it!!!]

Now, I must interject with a much needed acknowledgement. My husband is THE BEST. He was so supportive through the whole ordeal. He put up with my tears from pain in my foot and anxiety about pulling off this big dinner. He forced me to sit on an office chair while cooking so I could scoot around the kitchen. He kept making me sit down so he could put slippers on my feet (I have a tendency to go barefoot a little too much). He is my hero, my rock, my Nitpicky Nurse Nelly. Eg elskar deg kjempemasse bamsefar!!

He wasn't the only one that helped prepare for the day. My brother-in-law, who happens to be caretaker of the saw mill we were using, went over to the building and heated up the room using the wood burning stove as it doesn't have central heating. It was so cozy and warm when we arrived to decorate! So a big thank you goes out to him for arranging the rental and helping warm it up!

Another big help setting up the dinner was my friend Laura who happens to be American! We met at Norwegian school, we're both tour guides and we both love Thanksgiving. She came early to help us take everything over to the mill and helped decorate the tables, light the candles, make whipped cream, arrange the buffet setup, etc. Thank you, Laura!! Unfortunately I don't have a good picture of you from the day!! (I didn't have any time to take pictures so SA took some.)

Our dining room.

Laura and I setting up the buffet.

In the above picture you might notice my footwear looks...different. I had cut a hole in an old sock to slip my bandaged toe through and then wore a flipflop on that foot while wearing a clog on the other. I just couldn't wear a shoe on my left foot yet. The get-up worked but wasn't too pretty. But who cares?! There was turkey to be eaten!

I had been concerned about how we were going to keep the food warm because it doesn't have a modern kitchen. So we borrowed some large hotplates from the ski center up the road (THANK YOU!!), we brought our own microwave and stand mixer from home and we kept the carved turkey in the crockpot on low. And we crossed our fingers that we wouldn't blow a fuse!

Well, everything was set up and ready to go and at 4pm people started to roll in! Pretty soon we had amassed almost 40 people! Earlier in the week I had written a speech - in nynorsk! - to give before dinner. I was very nervous to speak Norwegian in front of others and I had forgotten my reading glasses so I stumbled over some of it. And, yes, I broke down in tears a couple of times because I was remembering Thanksgivings gone by with my family in the States. It was harder to get through than I thought. 

Before you ask: No, I will not be publishing my speech. I was very personal for me and would like to hold that moment close. Lets just say there were quite a few wet eyes in the room.

Then we went around the room saying what we were thankful for which I know was awkward for some of the guests but I was very impressed that almost everyone participated. 

Okay, time to dig in! (I did forget to sing grace...We'll sing next year!)

The spread!

We had a gorgeous spread! Candied yams! Corn bread! Green been casserole! Two types of Jell-O salad! Mashed potatoes! Creamed spinach! Meatballs! Gravy! Two kinds of stuffing! "Cranberry" sauce! And, of course, turkey!!

I was so proud of the Norwegians trying the stuffing with giblets!

It was so cozy and warm and full of smiles!

People mingling and meeting new friends!

We actually had quite an international Thanksgiving because we had two Americans, one Australian and one Scotsman! Some of our neighbors came so they met some of our friends and family they had never met before. It was so nice seeing everyone socialize and smiling!

This family and this community have welcomed me with such open and warm arms since the day I moved here. I knew that I was moving to a great place but I never anticipated just how incredible the people really are here. I know that Norwegians are known for being introverted and distant but that hasn't been my experience. The Norwegians in my life are warm, inviting, caring, open and always welcoming with a smile. My only complaint - were I forced to give one - would be that they can eat a ton of food and cake and still be so skinny! What's up with that!?

Kidding aside, I couldn't have found a better place for me on earth. Yes, I might feel isolated from time to time in a small farmhouse up on a mountain but I know that if I walk to the end of my driveway and stand there for a little while someone will drive by and smile and wave at me. (For the record, I don't really do that but I know it could happen!)

Even if I have a horrible time with remembering Norwegian names I remember their smiles. Even if I don't always understand what they are saying to me I know that they consider me as part of their community now. This place feels more like home to me than any place I have lived since I left my parents' home as a teenager - and I moved A LOT since their house! To me, I feel lucky to be able to call two so very different yet so very warm places "home."

Now, just like a good ol' fashioned Thanksgiving dinner I will end this blog post with good ol' fashioned pumpkin pie! I was very proud of the pies I made and, again, I will post the recipe and more details about that later. Trust me, you will want the recipe for the pie and the crust! We also had pecan pie, lefse, a delicious dessert made by my mother-in-law, pumpkin cake, and spice cake!

PUMPKIN! And a little bit of lefse ;)

While I wish I would have been able to socialize with more people over the evening and even wish it had lasted longer I was so full of warm fuzzies at the end of the day. I am, truly, surrounded by an incredible family, an amazing community and awesome friends. 

This American has a lot to be thankful for this year.

A Pictorial Update on the Past Year

Well it has been over a year since I have posted here. A lot has happened. I am still living in Norway and still loving it. I guess the reason I haven't been posting is that the transition process living here was taxing and every day I felt like I was giving so much of myself to learning the language, adapt to the culture and process the changes that I needed to preserve what was left of myself at the end of the day and didn't want to put it out there for the world to see.

The past year hasn't been chock-full of unicorns and rainbows but I'm happy to say that the ratio of positive experiences raised high over the negative. I have received a few emails from people thanking me for the information given on the immigration process I went through and I'm so glad that it has been helpful. It has been mentioned to me many times that I should get back to blogging and I feel that I am finally in a place where I can do that again. So, here is a pictorial recap of what the past year has held for me and my husband. I have only selected one or two photos per month that has passed. I will be blogging more in depth about some of the places we have visited later. This is just a taste of what has happened.

August - Married in Loen! (perhaps I'll have a blog about the wedding later...)

September - My residency permit was FINALLY officially approved!! I then went to the local police station to have my picture taken and was fingerprinted (just the pointer fingers) and had a photo ID to carry with me in my wallet. Yay for being allowed to stay in Norway for a year!

October - I worked at Opera Nordfjord as a scenic/props assistant on their production of Flaggermusen as well as their Nutcracker. So much fun and so many amazing people! I was so glad to be able to use my skills and education. I wasn't sure that was going to happen in such a rural part of the country. Here is a picture of the Nutcracker's mask I made.

November - I began attending Norwegian school at the culture house in town. I attended four days a week from 9am-1:30pm.

We also had Thanksgiving at our house. We somehow squeezed 14 people into our tiny dining room and living room!

December - I made my first pepparkakehus (gingerbread house) and designed it after the little cabin down by the fjord that my husband's family has used for years as a boat dock and apple storage house. My father-in-law had been working down there a lot building the dock during the summer so I wanted to pay tribute to all that hard work. It takes about half an hour to walk down the steep side of the mountain to the fjord and about 45 minutes to get back up again. Impressive work for anyone to do, let alone someone who is 83!

January - We went to Bergen because SA (my husband) had a meeting to attend. On the way home we encountered some gorgeous scenery!

February - I started out the month in the hospital in Førde which was an interesting and informative introduction to Norwegian healthcare! I also took my first language test and passed! Finally, I redecorated our bedroom as a birthday present to SA.

Before...

After!

March - We drove down to Oslo to see one of my favorite musicians, Rufus Wainwright, in concert! I can't seem to find a good photo of the concert - you know, too dark and blurry - so here is one of us having a picnic on the roof of the Opera House...it was a little chilly to have a picnic on a windy roof but it was beautiful!

April - For my birthday SA surprised me with a trip to Kalvåg on the North Sea. We had a fantastic lunch on the pier and walked around the cute little shops. We also took a trip to the beach even though it was freezing!

May - I was on the planning committee for the 17.mai celebrations...even though it was my first 17.mai ever! (17th of May is the equivalent of the American 4th of July for those who aren't familiar) Here is the poster I designed for the 200 year anniversary. The whole day was a success! (I made animal balloons for the kids...and some adults!)

June - FINALLY GOT A JOB! Just for the summer but, hey, it was better than nothing! I was hired as a tour guide for the tourists that come off the cruise ships in Olden and Geiranger. I, of course, guided in English and most of my passengers were from America or Great Britain though I encountered many other cultures as well. It was a blast!

The Briksdal Glacier

We also welcomed a new member to our family! A Havanese/Chinese Crested Powderpuff mix (very allergy friendly because SA is very allergic!) named Esma! She is THE BEST puppy in the whole world. Seriously. The best!

July - I hosted a Fourth of July Party complete with the corniest, over-the-top, totally Americanized kransekake which made all the Norwegians roll their eyes at the crazy American!

Later in the month we took a 10 day vacation over to Røros, up to Trondheim, over to the coast and back down to home again. It was a great camping trip with lots of adventures! The picture is of Esma in front of the cathedral in Trondheim.

August - For our anniversary we went to Urnes Stave Church which is the oldest one remaining in Norway. It was so beautiful! (Separate post of that later, I hope) We also stopped at the church where we were married on the exact day of our one year anniversary and stood exactly where we stood to exchange our vows.

September - This picture was taken from our front yard on the night that I received my new residency permit! I was so surprised to see that I had been approved to stay in Norway for another TWO years and I didn't have to renew it next year! It is rare that we see the Northern Lights from our house because of where we are positioned on a ledge on the mountain. It was a treat to walk outside and see it for the FIRST time in my life and in our own front yard. I took it as a welcome present from Norway ;)

October - More redecorating! This time I tackled the living room and dining room. In the living room, alone, there were SEVEN different colors of brown paint. Well, not anymore! I also painted a "family tree" in the corner for pictures of our two families.

Before...

After!

November - And now we're caught up! I was originally going to post about the Thanksgiving dinner we hosted but decided to do the update. So I will compose a separate post about the dinner in a couple days. Here is a picture to hold you over until then. My first EVER pumpkin pie!! And it was GOOD! (I'm wearing that thing on my head because I have long hair and I was terrified I would get hair in the food I was making.)

SO

I will try to be better about posting. There really have been so many amazing adventures we have been on so I will even try to backlog some because I really want people to see the beautiful places and incredible cultural traditions this country has to offer. I hope you bear with me in this process and that this pictorial tour through the past year of adventures will entice you to come back and learn more about Norway. I promise you, this country will not let you down!

Until next time...Hadet!