American in Norway

Like to just pop in from my blogging "break" to say the Northwest Airlines SUCKS.... Remember the days when you were able to get "FREE" tickets by using your miles? Past few years when we were able to get a "Free" ticket... we had to pay some where around $150 for taxes & processing... OK, I was cool with that...cause it was still a cheap ticket... - so I am all ready to book my ticket with my 51,000 miles I have saved... only to find out that now the international ticket will cost me 60,000 miles... shit..... but a girl has to do what a girl has to do to get home for her 20 Th reunion RIGHT? So I just paid $300 to transfer to the miles between our accounts... go online to book the ticket... when I get to the end my "free" ticket is costing me an additional $300 are you BLEEPING kidding me? before I hit the pay button thought I would check to see how much it would cost to just buy a ticket... approx $750 (150 more & a WAY better connecti...

Land of the Midnight Sun... OK I am really too far south to truly enjoy the "Midnight Sun" for more than maybe one night... but these were taken around 11 pm last night... & if it weren't for these (in my opinion) AMAZING clouds, you can see it would still be pretty light.... I wonder what the neighbors were thinking as I stood on my toilet taking pictures out of the window last night.... there goes that CRAZY Freak of an American taking pictures out her window A G A I N... A while ago I found some guys blog & it was an entire blog based on pictures of CLOUDS... some of the pictures were really cool...but still an entire blog about CLOUDS?... & then I start going throught the pictures on my computer & see how many pictures of the sky I have taken.... I am always AMAZED with the sky here in Norway... not like we don't have clouds or rain where I have lived in the U.S..... For a while, I was pretty sure it seemed so different because I neve...

I did it! I went back through "rush" hour like a crazy woman... & bought not ONE but TWO sets.. I found 300 kr in birthday money stuck to the fridge... B I N G O.. Y'all told me too... & I did... I always feel like I need to justify myself when I buy something like this... (of course I can drop $100's of dollars on NOTHING or on the kids.... but when it is something for ME... I feel bad...) But I am LOVING these... can't wait to break them out & see how they look mixed up with what I have... The store had 4 sets left... lets hope that no one else will buy them because lets face it... you can't get a whole set now... & they will mark them even L O W E R... cross you fingers for me... I am going to be the crazy ROSENTHAL stalking lady... waiting.. & waiting... until the store no longer wants these dishes taking up place & practically GIVE them to me... (a girl can hope can't she...?) Thanks for the push I needed to get in the car ...

Oh ya... I remember why I don't go out shopping anymore... its because I have a PROBLEM... Although things cost about 4 x's more than they do at home... I have saved a fortune since moving here because I never go out to S H O P... I only like to do my THERAPY shopping when I THINK I am getting a good deal... a REALLY good deal which almost never happens here... Today I was going to do all of my running around... I have been on a mission this week to use every gift card I have saved since my Christmas & my birthday... I had my first massage here in Norway... (interesting experience for a prude like me...) Today I was going to use the gift card from my Brother & sister in law.... it is worth about $50 U.S.. Super sweet right? I thought I would go & pick up a coffee can... (not sure what you call this in English...) You know, to keep your coffee warm & on the table... Um, ya right... not in THIS STORE unless you are willing to pay approx $150... As I move to the ba...

Y'all know how I am totally into I ♥ Faces... I play almost E V E R Y week... not inhopes of winning... although that would be nice... but for the LEARNING... I learn something new each week I play. Everytime I post a picture, I THINK I am SATISFIED... until I start looking at some of the other entries... & then I want to KICK MYSELF... I coulda, shoulda woulda.... This week was no exception... I started thinking how I could have made my pictures better.... I like the hint of color... which I SHOULD have had in my entires... OH WELL... here is crossing my fingers they do a sepia week again sometime.... I started playing today & this is what I came up with... This is the neighbor baby... which I could just EAT UP.... I love her chubby cheeks, dimples & that square jaw line... These pictures remind me of something from the 1950's... I thought this little girl's eyes were almost brown... until I kept the eyecolor & added the sepia.... ( I didn't alte...

This is my sister in law in her BEAUTIFUL Norwegian Bunad (traditional dress) as we took the sailboat into town for all of the 17th of May festivities ... Not sure I am in love with the way Eva looks in the picture.... But there were a lot of elements I liked... I was shooting up at her with an AMAZING sky... & I really liked her eyes... Head on over to I Heart Faces , & see who else is playing! Are you playing yet? if not...WHY NOT? Sooo many neat bloggers who WOW me every week...get on over there...go on ...

There are indeed MANY of us here (Americans in Norway) ... Just had lunch with another really nice American blogger here in my area.... kind of like a blind date... it went well I think.... Talked to Corinne over at Northern Natterings we are FOR SURE going to plan a get together over the summer...for all of our fellow bloggers & expats alike.... We would like to plan something while Kelli from Mads & Kelli is in town... but I'm not sure I will be back from our TI PI -Tastic trip through Europe... if I'm not, Corrine PROMISED we would have another party in August... I'm also up for hosting a get together in the fantastic resort town of FREDRIKSTAD.... Who is in? (No weirdos - PLEASE) Holly... There wasn't a link to your email address... if you pop back here, email me... Love to shoot the B.S. with ya...

If you want to play please head on over and let Jennifer at It's a Beautiful Life know! Here's my top things I should have done.... What is your top 10 things of things you should have done? This is really a TOUGH one... because although not perfect... I have a pretty awesome life... If I had changed ANYTHING... school..boyfriends...bad relationships, I wouldn't be where I am right now.... So my shoulda list might seem a little superficial... 1:) I SHOULD have studied more & made better use out of the scholarship I had to study in Germany...(I did way too much partying....) 2.) I should have taken more time to appreciate the opportunities I have had to travel & see things.. instead of trying to have a good time... (so you see a common thread here?) 3.) I should not have taken my sisters moped out for a joyride - read...shattered leg, compound fracture, 1/2 inch difference in length & scars that will never fade. 4.) I should have never started smoking... I...

First... Awwwww... Thanks for all of the bloggy L O V E ... I wasn't in so much in a funk because of not having any more babies... not really sure why or what it was.... maybe it IS because I was outside doing summer stuff.... I dunno... but looks like I am back on the horse... So I thought I would share the "plan" - which isn't really a plan because we are going to "WING" it R I G H T? Eeek.... It will be interesting to see what we actually end up seeing/doing..... The thing I LOVE about living in Europe is that you are only a car ride from pretty much EVERYTHING... Granted my idea of a car ride may be different than most American's.... I grew up in TEXAS... so a "road trip" to Grandma & Grandpas was a mere 17 hours in the car... STRAIGHT ...through Texas.... Oklahoma... Ill... (I usually konked out by then... or mom & dad drugged us so we would all stop whining" HOW MUCH LONGER....." Point being... I grew up with 8 hours mi...

Sigh.... where have I been, you ask? OK, OK, no one has asked, no one has been looking for me... sigh... (feel like I will be sighing A LOT in this post.....) But I am here.... can't even tell you what I have been up to really.... (nothing exciting....) OK... saying GOOD BYE to bags & bags of crap & clothes..... cleaning out closets, working LOTS... Bjørn finally convinced me to say goodbye to all of Eva's beautiful baby clothes.... I saved the special things... but all of the things I was hanging onto to sell on our version of EBAY was given away this past week.... ( I KNOW I could have made a fortune...) - ok probably not... Lilly Pulitzer, Kate Mack aren't real big over here...... But he convinced me that it really wasn't worth the time or the mess to start trying to sell the BOXES & BOXES &BOXES of her clothes... so I gave them away--- So hard to say good bye... As Bjørns co worker was trying to pry the huge plastic tubs out of my hands... I aske...

Seems I am going through a Black & white phase again ... OH well .... the first two pictures had very poor lighting ... switch them over to B& W... & Voilà I'm in LOVE... I have a million things to do... ( should be going to bed... ) yet here . I. sit . Lets hope tomorrow is a little more productive ...

This would be Eva's 4th birthday last year.... She LOOKS like a little princess... but really is ALL BOY.... I tried to get her to have a Hello Kitty or Princess party... NO way... had to be Pirates.... Here is my little pirate.... Head on over to I Heart Faces , & see who else is playing! Are you playing yet? if not...WHY NOT? Sooo many neat bloggers who WOW me every week...get on over there...go on ...