We started the day off having a luxurious breakfast at the SAS Radisson hotel in Trondheim. The room and food were even better than the last time we were there because we got the “friends and family rate” from Turid’s daughter, Sarah, who works for SAS, so it was less than half the cost we should have paid. Bargains always make me happy…. We woke up to blue skies and sunshine too so we walked around the heart of downtown and bought some organic produce from the farmer’s market in the main square and went into a few second hand stores just to see what treasures might be waiting for us. It was good to get some fresh autumn air and to watch the leaves falling off the trees before getting back in the car for the last stretch home. I love this time of year. We made it home safely, and this time, I won the competition as to the exact moment we’d arrive: 6:02pm (I was off by seven minutes, but it beat Kory and Kaleb’s estimate). We had more incredible sights to see on the way home with the colors of autumn all around (the photo is of a cabin we passed along the way – double click on it to see the amazing detail). When we got within an hour of home the skies were black and the rain came down something fierce. It was almost comical as we had such a perfect trip in so many ways and never had to drive in the rain, and then when the trip was over, the skies opened up. Odd says we were “lucky” to have good weather that far north this time of year. I told him luck didn’t have anything to do with it – God loves us that much and wanted to bless us. He nodded in agreement and said, “Yes, maybe.” He was quick to point out also that the weather report says now that winter was right on our tails and that we were very lucky to make it back home without ice or snow on the roads. He was worried about us, I guess, but we managed to stay ahead of the elements. God is good.
Turid was so kind to have us over for dinner tonight. We had to unload the van and start putting things away and making dinner wasn’t something I was looking forward to, but Turid saved the day. I had even commented to Kory on the way home about how spoiled we were back in Mount Vernon as my neighbor Wendy would always put a meal in the refrigerator for us after we’d been gone for a few days so we had something to eat the minute we walked in the door. I was lamenting the fact she wasn’t here now, and then Turid called and invited us over, so we felt lucky, and blessed. We had a great time visiting with Odd and Turid as we went over some of our impressions of the trip with them. Turid’s mom is from the Lofoten Islands and her dad is from just as far north. We talked about how life must be for people living up there and she said their life “may not be wide, but it’s very deep.” Meaning, they don’t spread themselves around in doing many things or going many places, but they have deep thoughts and spend a lot of time contemplating life. I imagine they would, as there isn’t much else to do. I’m thankful we don’t live that far north or Kaleb might drive us all nuts, as he thinks enough as it is. He had a bit of a breakdown in the car on the way home, saying how homesick he is and how he just wants to have a friend that can understand him. (But I’m not sure he even has that back in America, even if they do speak English….) I reminded him that Hege can understand him and they play well together and he countered with, “She’s not my age” (she’s soon 14). He so wants a friend his age to play with, and while Sabina almost fits the bill, she’s close to where we live, she’s his age, she does well in English – she also drives him nuts and has a lot of hard-to-live with social skills. Poor Kaleb. I feel his pain and I’ll just pray he overcomes the desperation. But we do hope the experience of living in Norway serves him well in developing his character and helping him to become the person God wants him to be. Otherwise, we’re in big trouble.
Turid was so kind to have us over for dinner tonight. We had to unload the van and start putting things away and making dinner wasn’t something I was looking forward to, but Turid saved the day. I had even commented to Kory on the way home about how spoiled we were back in Mount Vernon as my neighbor Wendy would always put a meal in the refrigerator for us after we’d been gone for a few days so we had something to eat the minute we walked in the door. I was lamenting the fact she wasn’t here now, and then Turid called and invited us over, so we felt lucky, and blessed. We had a great time visiting with Odd and Turid as we went over some of our impressions of the trip with them. Turid’s mom is from the Lofoten Islands and her dad is from just as far north. We talked about how life must be for people living up there and she said their life “may not be wide, but it’s very deep.” Meaning, they don’t spread themselves around in doing many things or going many places, but they have deep thoughts and spend a lot of time contemplating life. I imagine they would, as there isn’t much else to do. I’m thankful we don’t live that far north or Kaleb might drive us all nuts, as he thinks enough as it is. He had a bit of a breakdown in the car on the way home, saying how homesick he is and how he just wants to have a friend that can understand him. (But I’m not sure he even has that back in America, even if they do speak English….) I reminded him that Hege can understand him and they play well together and he countered with, “She’s not my age” (she’s soon 14). He so wants a friend his age to play with, and while Sabina almost fits the bill, she’s close to where we live, she’s his age, she does well in English – she also drives him nuts and has a lot of hard-to-live with social skills. Poor Kaleb. I feel his pain and I’ll just pray he overcomes the desperation. But we do hope the experience of living in Norway serves him well in developing his character and helping him to become the person God wants him to be. Otherwise, we’re in big trouble.
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