On Schedule

Kory finally got all of the pain meds out of his system, so this morning he was feeling all the pain and not too happy about that. It dawned on me that I had a bottle of Valerian in the car, so I ran out and got it. Valerian is an herb that helps muscles to relax. I always use it when I can’t sleep as it relaxes me so much I fall asleep – but it’s not addicting and has no side effects. I gave it to my dog once when he slipped a disc and it really helped his pain level. Turns out, it did the same for Kory. I was so thankful.

It was a gorgeous day, but we spent it indoors. We had a leisurely morning at the hotel – Kory watched CNN and Kaleb watched kid movies while I was able to work a bit more on a photo album of our year in Norway. I hope to have it printed before we head home.

At noon I loaded Kory and Kaleb up in the car and we drove about ten minutes from the hotel to visit Elin and Sune Andersen – friends of Kory’s from way back. But we got doubly blessed because other friends (Lars and Astrid Eggerhorn) from Seattle were there visiting the Andersen’s as well so we spent the entire afternoon jabbering away (see photo). Kory was able to sit up at a slant on the couch, but not able to sit in a chair at the table, but at least he’s moving in the right direction and could participate in the chatter. Elin let him use her walking sticks, which worked out well for him also, so I’m confident it will just be a few days before he can walk without having to lean so much on me (literally).This morning I went in search of crutches for him but soon found out that they are not for sale in Sweden – they only come by a doctor’s prescription and then they are only on loan. Kory was so hoping to buy some but if he’s still bad when we get to Aalesund I’m sure his cousin Odd can write him a prescription. In the meantime, Kory will be using the walking sticks when my back isn’t available. His group of friends prayed for him today and I’m quite confident he’ll be on the mend sooner than expected. At least the look of pain is gone from his face. I think that Valerian has worked wonders.

It was so great to eat some American food today (Sune made ribs, coleslaw and jo-jo fries) and to hear these friends of Kory’s talking about things that God has done in their lives. They all come from Christian backgrounds and they are all in service to God one way or another so they were quite the inspirational group. I love hearing how God is in the details and they had many examples of it. It was pretty funny when Sune asked Kory how his brother Henry was doing, and then said that Henry was in his wedding some forty years ago. Sune got out his wedding photos to prove it, and it was actually Kory that was in his wedding (people get them mixed up all the time). Kory said he was in so many weddings back in the sixties he can’t remember them all. Too funny. (I think they picked him because he was so good looking he made the photos look good.)

Kaleb was unbelievable quiet today as he just sat and read a book without saying a peep while we were at the Andersen’s. He was hoping to earn a few “brownie points” for extra favors because he didn’t listen to me yesterday and lost his Nintendo privileges for today. Once we got back to the hotel, he was in the kid’s TV room and watched a few more movies, so he was a happy camper. I went back to working on the photo book and Kory had the remote control. I’m just thankful my computer is limping along. I don’t fully understand what’s wrong with it but one guy said it was an automatic software update that went bad so my operating system doesn’t work properly. Most programs won’t open – like the internet or e-mail. I can’t move any files around or delete anything and it won’t ever shut down on its own. At least I can open Word, and the software program that controls the photo albums, so it provides some value, but it’s been more than frustrating not to be able to get on the internet. The campground we stayed at in Denmark let me post my blog from their office computer, and the hotel we’re at now has a computer in the lobby. Most hotels have just the keyboard and screen, with no access to the hard drive so I haven’t been able to upload files or photos. But I’ve been lucky lately. I hate how dependant I am on the internet, but thankful it’s there when I need it. Like today I was able to see what will be required to apply for a new passport tomorrow when we drive to Oslo. I read that we’ll need our social security numbers and I knew I’d be in trouble because I hadn’t yet memorized Kaleb’s so it was written down in my wallet – which was stolen! A quick call to the guy that does our taxes in America and I had that problem solved, but if I hadn’t checked today, tomorrow we’d be hurting because of the time difference. I’m learning to listen better to that “still small voice” which prompted me to check the internet about the passport requirements. It also whispered in my ear to take my backpack into the store with me in Prague last week, but sometimes I have the same problem as Kaleb, and I don’t listen too well then have to suffer the consequences. Oi.

It Was a Beachy Day

The clouds are supposed to move in tomorrow so before the sun disappears, we went to the beach for the afternoon. No need for the French Riviera when you have days like today in Norway.

This morning we got cell phones! Anyone can call us now and all incoming calls are free to us, so we won’t mind a bit if you call (but remember there is a 9 hour time difference and time happens here first). Here are our numbers (I put in all the numbers you dial to reach us) :
My number is 011 47 904 1 9060
Kory’s number is 011 47 904 1 9004
If you call from your home phone you can dial 10 10 297 FIRST before all those other numbers and then you get to talk to Europe (or anywhere in the world ) for 3 cents a minute (but you are charged for a 39 cent connection fee.) We used that system all the time to call Norway – the bill comes on your home phone bill and it’s a super cheap way to keep in touch with those you love around the world (or maybe people like us that you may not love so much but you want to talk to anyway…).

Our cell phones were $200 each (the cheapest you could get as they go all the way up to a thousand dollars). If I initiate the call and don’t talk for more than 20 minutes a month TOTAL on those calls I made, the cost is only $6 a month. I wonder if I can be that disciplined? I know Kory won’t have any problems keeping his conversations to a minimum….but Kory and I can talk to each other unlimited – for free - which is good. The only way we could get such a reasonable plan is because Turid put us on her account and used her Norwegian ID number to set it up (our numbers identify us as “aliens”). Since we aren’t official Norwegian citizens, we would not have this option and our bill would be over a hundred dollars a month. So I’m wondering the same as I did about the SAS flight, if somehow the citizens are subsidized or if they just like to tax the heck out of foreigners. No clue.

We stopped to get gas today – not quite a full tank and it cost $170 to fill up. Gas is down to $12 a gallon (from about $15). I bought food for dinner and a little bit for lunch and it was $110 – so my estimate that we would spend $3,000 a month on food is pretty close. Lord help us.

No progress on our housing dilemma today. Apparently in Norway your word is your bond so everyone that hears about what happened to us is personally offended and they feel it gives a black eye to the whole of Norway. They don’t have law suits here like in America but they do have some easy system to take people to court and it’s been suggested by more than one person we do just that. According to the law, the woman who initially told us we could rent her house would be forced to move out of her house and we would have full rights to live there for three months. When you promise something to someone, if there is a witness, you MUST carry through with your promise or suffer the consequences for it. Good to know, but we won’t be taking anyone to court. Our God supplies all our needs.

Several people I talked to today felt confident I could get a job either teaching English in the high schools around here or proof-reading English for an international company (there are several based out of this area.) I would be thrilled to do either so tonight I worked up a resume. (A weird thing to do when I haven’t worked much in ten years!) Tomorrow I’ll go talk to an employment agency. The reason prices are so high here is because the dollar is so low. But that works in our favor if we are making money and not just spending it. The minimum wage here is 125 kroner an hour – which currently translates to $25 an hour so you can see if we’re able to earn kroner, things aren’t nearly as expensive for us. To think I can get a part-time job working behind the counter at a mini-mart here and make $25 an hour gives me second thoughts on the value of my college education. Tee hee.