American in Norway

Sorry to worry y'all! Life is good- very good. I am keeping myself busy with HAPPY, healthy kids & hubby.  Dane's leg being broken last spring was actually a BLESSING - yes, I said that.  BLESSING !  Made hubs & I get off of our  butts & move our children to a better environment. Dane is thriving.. as is the rest of the family.  We were so thrilled with the new school, that we moved baby girl as well. As if I didn't have enough to do keeping up with the kiddos, I accepted a new position with Oriflame & am responsible for the Norwegian sales team. I have been traveling all over Norway & have probably been in your area. Lol I will be going to Northern Norway in the middle of Nov.  so if you have any suggestions of things to do in Tromsø or Narvik, please let me know. I am unable to post from my laptop - if there is something I missed (update to blogger) let me know... Until then, I will have to try to post from...

OK... first time E V E R I am going to try my best to participate in a blogging CHALLENGE.. I will be blogging an A-Z challenge . Every day a different letter...   I thought I would try to use this challenge to tell you a little more about me... my family.. and my life as an expat in Norway. today the letter is A... and for me..   A   is   for   A M E R I C A N... There isn't a day that goes by that I am not reminded of who I am .. and where I come from. And how much I miss my homeland and family.. Europeans are always amused when Americans say .. oh I am 1/2 this and 1/4 that...etc. Guilty... I used to do the same thing.. I have been asked  "when do Americans stop saying I am  1/2 this or that.. and just say.. I AM AMERICAN... ?" I am pretty sure Americans start identifying themselves as AMERICANS when they become expats.. LOL I dropped all of the 1/2 this and that.. when I realized how confusing it was for m...

Thanks to mormor & aunt Ali who bought Guitar Hero for Dane's birthday, Dane has decided to go for a GUITAR HERO theme... all of the kids have to dress up like their favorite rock star... (have I mentioned there is NO ONE around here who does a THEME.. you know they think I am NUTs ...) Oh well wish me LUCK... 20.... 10 years olds fighting over ONE guitar hero... I better find something else to entertain them with...

Made it through another birthday party....This time much more Norwegian.. (read....easier) and I must admit less stressful. I was so "unstressed" on Sat. night, that I started getting STRESSED. B-days are a MAJOR event in our house... (for me anyway) My mother was a big planner... my friends "Martha Stewarts of the Midwest", are big planners... and I am (was)a big planner. *My son usually decides the theme of his party about 11 months before hand. We talk about it all year... *a few months before the big event, I will start having large amounts of crap sent to my mothers house... who in turn will wait to the last min. to send it over to me, paying around $150 to overnight my $5 Oriental trading party favours.... *I send the invites out 2 weeks in advance so everyone can save the date for my 6..7..8..year olds party. (Think I need to get over myself ?) *Pull an all nighter finishing food, decorations etc... All of the games... are planned out... bla bla bla you get...

I am in a crappy mood today.... CRAPPY.. meaning no sun although it was promised for the rest of the month...LIARS... SO in an effort to make myself feel better... I am posting things that make me laugh instead of bitching about the friggen post office & furniture I ordered 2 months ago.... Thank you Leanna for this little diddy... made me smile! You know you have been too long in Norway when....... *You only buy your own drink at the bar even when you are with a group of people..... *You can't remember when to say "please" and "excuse me"..... *You always prepare to catch the closing door if following closely behind somebody..... * stranger on the street smiles at you, you assume that:a) he is drunkb) insanec) Americand) all of the above.... *Silence is fun..... *you use "Mmmm" as conversation filler..... *You actually believe that there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing..... *You know Norway's results in the last three years ...

Just had to share.. this makes me giggle. Not sure from where the bathtub or "sauna of vapour" (as we like to call it) is imported, but I am guessing English is not their first language.... And despite the image on the sign... our " sauna of vapour" does not double as a toilet This is reason #496 that I choose to not write in Norwegian.... I don't want to look like a total idiot. Really... if you were going to ship your product worldwide... don't you think you would have someone proofread your English.... ?

OK you have to sing this to "Turning Japanese" by The Vapors... catchy little tune from the 80's. It seems everyday I resist a little less... and I'm turning Norwegian.. Examples of my Norwegianism ... (yes kinda like a Bushism ) The sun is shining... and I feel like yelling it from the roof tops... THE SUN IS OUT... THE SUN IS OUT!. Which of course means I need to be outside doing SOMETHING... You can not be in the house when the sun is out.... In KC... I could give a big shit.... if the sun was out... and Oprah was on... forgetaboutit .... Sun was out & needed retail therapy... I was off to the mall. Because I have never lived in Alaska or Seattle... I just took sunshine for granted. Here I feel like I need to savour every delicious drop of light.... because you really aren't sure when it will disappear or if it will return. RETAIL THERAPY? I used to enjoy my days at the mall--- swinging by on my way home for work, hitting the sales at Jones store... or bet...