American in Norway

So as y'all know we are planning a camping trip this summer... let me just say we are NOT campers .... Both Bjørn & I camped as children with our families.... but that doesn't make us campers.... But this summer we feel like we are ready to become a family of REAL campers... (although we are not...) which means buying all of the camping gear..... I noticed a sale at a local sporting goods store.. & suggested Bjørn go ahead & buy the tent for our trip.... I picked it out... took pictures of it... he just needed to pick it up..... Do you think he picked the tent up?... NOOOOO.... darling husband came home with a FREAKING.... HUGE...TIPI ... or Teeeee Peeeee as I like to call it.... (the whole southern accent going on there) Bjørn... "its not a teeee peeee... its a LAVVO ..." Me ... "teeee peeee" Bjørn .."LAVVO" You get the picture..... But hubby promised me that LAVVO's are the best thing going... totally cool.. & we won...

Friday Foto Fiesta.. P A R I S ... It's Friday, It's Friday, Thank Goodness it's Frid ay!!! YIPPEE!I'm playing Candid Carrie's Friday Foto Fiesta Finish again this week .So after you're done here, go over there and check out who's playing thi s week!!! I know many of you have seen this before.... but it is still one of my favorites.... Me & my BFF Song for Whoever young, single-ish & backpacking through Europe... with a break in PARIS.... (remember how simple life was back then Kelly?) Guess who is going back to PARIS this summer? Can you guess? Oh yes, I have started making the holiday plans... which includes 3 days at EuroDisney -Paris... & a couple of extra days in the city.. (there is going to have to be a fine balance to keep the kids interested yet learn something at the sametime...) I would love to think this time around I will be a little less funky for all of our Paris pictures... but considering we are "camping" for ...

Yesterday, after speaking ro Bjørn, I was going to hop on the computer & post my "MAD AS HELL" post... Thankfully my American Dr. friend called me as soon as she received my message & talked me down.... she tried to explain things to me... Basically Bjørn has a Staph infection... "Gul"... the yellow kind... (that doesn't make sense to me either...) But he is on heavy antibiotics & will be in the hospital probably from 1-2 more weeks. I had my whole list of things I was mad about yesterday.... WHY & HOW did he get this STAPH infection... he has had to have been walking around with this infection for the past 10 months... (any wise medical person please correct me if I am wrong...) WHY didn't they find this when he went to the Dr. 2.5 months ago? instead of shrugging their shoulders & sending him home? WHO thought it would be a good idea to let his scar RUPTURE? Additional things that upset me..... After surgery he was put in a 4 man'...

An expatriate (in abbreviated form, expat) is a person temporarily or permanently residing in a country and culture other than that of the person's upbringing or legal residence. The word comes from the Latin ex (out of) and patria (country, fatherland). (stolen from wikpedia...) First let me say that when I start getting all whiny & saying that I want to GO HOME... It has nothing to do with NORWAY ... There are many WONDERFUL things about living here in Norway.... I tend to get down & homesick when I have not -so-good-stuff- going on..... & just want to be home ...my home... with my family. My dearest friend here in Norway is named Leanna (also an expat...) & we know that we can always call each other & say "I am having a I hate (insert country) day..." & vent away.. Do we really hate the country? NOOOOOO... of course not... But somedays... living in a foreign country isn't as glamorous as all of my FACEBOOK friends think.... I thin...

So how did I get to spend my day off yesterday? Sitting out on my veranda sipping coffee in the Norwegian Spring sun..... Nooooooooooooooo... I spent the morning at the dentist... I like my dentist.... he is a very nice guy...& kindda cute to boot... but I can't remember the last time I wanted to kick a man in his PRIVATES... (ouch!) He asked me if I wanted to be numb before we started.... Ummm ... Y E S... Hello ? actually, I would prefer to be put under...but apparently, that wasn't an option. What kind of FREAK doesn't want to be numb before someone starts drilling on your teeth? ( Turns out that FREAK would be my husband...(or so he says....) because it is FASTER...) whatever ... Just so you are not thinking I am a big, funky, ROT mouth.... I had to have 2 fillings replaced.... I left EXHAUSTED... Not sure if I was more tired from the procedure... or from my mind going 150 miles an hour.... I am pretty sure after the conversations I was having with myself (in my...

I Love Faces - No Flash At I Love Faces the theme this week is - No Flash Taking natural light photos is my FAVORITE... the hard part was choosing which picture of the kids I wanted to use.... This is my big child- Husband... the day wasn't as clear/nice as the photo above of Eva... but I liked the pink bubble gum & his blue eyes.. : )

Friday Foto Fiesta.. My FAVORITE FOTO from ROME ..... It's Friday, It's Friday, Thank Goodness it's Frid ay!!! YIPPEE!I'm playing Candid Carrie's Friday Foto Fiesta Finish again this week .So after you're done here, go over there and check out who's playing thi s week!!! I snapped this from the top of a double decker bus... & knew as soon as I saw the old men standing together... on the water, that this would probably be my favorite picture from Rome.... I was right...

I'mmmmmmmmmmmm Baaaaack! Did y'all miss me? To say that I /WE needed this was an UNDERSTATEMENT... We had the BEST time.... For 4 days/3 nights... we did whatever we wanted or did not want. The weather, wine & Italian ice cream were PERFECT... It was so nice to leave the Norwegian winter behind us, & be thrust into springtime in Rome... (I think this acutally beats spring in Paris..) after seeing the kids being pulled through the Roman ruins, I am sooo GLAD we went without the kids.... small kids whining/teenagers yawning... But is was so nice to put my mommy hat on the shelf & just be ME.... we had so much fun, wondering all over the city, sipping on wine & being on no timetable... This was my 3rd time to Rome... but I almost felt like it was my first.... Rome has changed in the 15 years since I was last there... then again, perhaps it was more a change in myself..... It was a big difference to see the city as an adult vs. the backpacking college student... I c...

We are going. to Rome. this weekend. NO kids.... (sigh) Bj & I realized that it has been almost 5 years since we last got away without children.... & the last time we did get away, I was pregnant with Eva.. & sick... so does that even count? 5 years? How does that happen? We used to be sooo good about getting away.. once-twice a year.... it helped that we only had one child, we lived close to my parents who LOVED having Dane, & I worked as a Travel agent & had access to cheap/free get aways.... So we are going to ROME.... we are going to RELAX...we are going to do whatever we want for the next 4 days-3 nights.... & I don't even feel bad... (much....) No word about Petter as of yet... it is something with his heart.... they think it is a virus...but they are meeting with a specialist today.... Cross your fingers/say a prayer for them... So now I am off to do all of the things I was too sick to do all week. What am I going to pack? eek... I have only had 6 mon...

Friday Foto Fiesta.. THE BERLIN WALL..... It's Friday, It's Friday, Thank Goodness it's Frid ay!!! YIPPEE!I'm playing Candid Carrie's Friday Foto Fiesta Finish again this week .So after you're done here, go over there and check out who's playing thi s week!!! I have been thinking about starting yet ANOTHER blog documenting my travels... but who am I kidding? Like I have time for that? So instead, I am going to start posting my pictures here...(Lucky you...) This is Moi at the Berlin Wall...taken in 1990... (about 7 months after the wall came down...) I traveled to the Wall with a bunch of my "West" German friends.... It was such an awesome feeling..being right in the middle of EVERYTHI NG... I am standing in East Germany... while my friend Jochen was shooting from West Germany.... (we thought we were being so artsy fartsy "SHOOTING THROUGH THE WALL..." I am pretty sure that NEON tanks & jackets with my cuffed cut offs were pretty ...

I always feel bad when I bitch about my life... where I live (post below)... I do know that I am blessed.. I started trying to think about the positives to living here... & I would have to say the 2 cuties above. This is their home...they love it here... they love their friends, schools, rooms.. and they will grow up having a hometown. Which is something I did not. I moved all over the place... I was often asked if we were part of the witness protection program, because we moved so often (dad was a big corporate guy) ... really ...what kid has to go to 3 different high schools --- That sucked. When people ask where I am from in the states... I usually tell them Texas...but in all actuality I ended up living in Kansas City, longer than Houston. My home in the US is where ever my parents are. Despite all of the cool places I have lived, worked traveled...I have missed having a place to call home... Although I think Fredrikstad is on the boring side...my kids love it here & th...