Still Packing...

We took some clean underwear and snacks to Kaleb over at Daniel’s house today.  It felt like we were exercising some kind of visitation rights, since we were there just a short time and dropped off a few things.  He couldn’t be bothered with our questions as to how he was doing since he was glued to a computer screen and inventing some cartoon character to play in a game.  So absorbed.  We barely got a hug out of him and he was off again with Daniel.  Andre was with them all day too and also spending the night there.  They are all wanting to maximize their time together since we leave so soon.  I’m glad he has friends that want to be with him, but sad he’s now entering that stage where they are more important than we are.  Sniff sniff.

I would have spent all day packing and cleaning, but I was a bit busy being social, instead.  I went to a prayer meeting this morning for a few hours at my friend, Kristin’s house.  We decided to have a little “soaking time” to see if we could “be still” and hear from God.  While I was lying there all I could think about was all the things I’ve been sorting through, and which things I’ll hold on to - some I’ll keep here, some things I’ll take back with us to America, some things I’ll throw away and some things I’ll give away.  I heard God say, “Now if I did that with you, what things are you ready to throw away – what things are you ready to give away – what things are you still holding on to?”  It was a good lesson, dealing with certain emotional issues.  I’ve been thinking about that all day.

After the prayer meeting I went right back to packing and cleaning.  Tobias came over to get the keys to our apartment, as he’s agreed to be our caretaker while we are gone.  I showed him where everything is and I’m confident he’s the right guy for the job.  How blessed we are.  We don’t have anything concrete lined up for renting out the apartment, but I’m pretty sure it won’t sit empty for a year.  We have several possibilities in the works.

Tonight I had a party to attend with the women from a Bible group I go to.  It was too much food and too little time, but we had a nice visit anyway and it was a good way to say goodbye to all of them at once.  What a great bunch of women.  I love our social life in Norway the best.  The scenery is drop dead gorgeous, the weather - maybe not the best, but the people – that’s the real treasure of this land.

It’s been raining hard most of the day.  I guess I won’t miss the rain.  We’ve only had three days of sunshine since we got here so we haven’t climbed any mountains or spent time at the beach.  I need to remind myself of THAT so it will be easier to leave, as I’ve heard summer has arrived in Skagit County so I can look forward to some sunshine, anyway.

We got a message tonight that our van’s battery is dead in Seattle, so we need to figure out how to get home on Saturday night.  Good thing we had some warning or that would have been a bit of a surprise we wouldn’t want to deal with after traveling all day.  God will provide a way, as He always does.  We are truly blessed to have such a good life.

Wedding Day (Bryllupsdag)

This was the first Norwegian wedding I have attended from start to finish. Actually, it’s nearly 2am and it’s still not finished, but I’m holding out. The whole event has been going for almost 12 hours now but that’s a far cry from the three days weddings used to last in Norway. It is some kind of celebration.

All of us who stayed on the island of Austevoll last night had to take a ferry to get to the church for the wedding. The bride and groom, Bent-Jarle and Birgitte are both preacher’s kids. Birgitte’s father officiated the ceremony at his church. It was sweet and beautiful. It followed the Norwegian tradition where the bride and groom sit facing each other through most of the ceremony. After they say their vows, they sit side-by-side. And instead of saying “I do” – they say “JA!” (Unfortunately, Kaleb was so tired he fell asleep in Kory’s lap and missed the whole thing.) I was surprised the first kiss wasn’t until AFTER the ceremony, outside on the steps with all looking on. So many cameras were going off during and after the ceremony it was almost like a paparazzi blitz.

After an hour we all took the ferry back to Austevoll where the reception was held. It was quite a sight to see so many dressed in formal attire, bunads and all, riding the ferry. It was as if the ferry were hired just for the wedding. People came from far and wide to attend this wedding (Australia, New York, all parts of Norway) so adding a ferry ride to the day was as quaint as it could be. (The little islands we passed along the way barely stuck up out of the water – unlike the scenery around Aalesund where they mountains are so high and dramatic, but it was beautiful just the same.) It was another extremely sunny and warm day so it made for beautiful photos even if I was sweating while taking them.

The Guesthouse where we are staying was the location of the reception. There was champagne waiting outside on the patio for us when we returned. After some mingling time we were all invited to find out seats at a very formal dinner (there was a seating chart). Speeches ranging from 15 to 45 minutes were given by the parents, best man and bridesmaid and wedding couple between the appetizer, main course and dessert. The mother’s wrote songs for their children and everyone sang them to familiar tunes. Interspersed into the meal (which took hours) were short breaks and time for some smooching. If everyone banged their forks against their wine glasses, the bride and groom had to stand on their chairs and kiss each other. If the knives were banged against the tabletop, the parent’s of the bride and groom had to stand on their chairs and kiss. But it seems the speeches are the main focus of the wedding reception.

After dinner was over, we took a little break and those that wanted could go upstairs and see the gift table. When the gifts arrive, there are assigned gift openers who open the gifts immediately, document who they are from and set them out in a beautiful display on a decorated table so the guests can see all the loot. The wedding couple usually don’t see the gifts until the next day as they are busy with other things.

During dinner we had a chance to talk to those sitting around us and I sat across from a kid who just finished a year in America as an exchange student. He was in Arkansas so he had some interesting observations about that whole experience. He said he felt like the school there was similar to a prison with police, metal detectors and security cameras everywhere. He didn’t like it so much. We started talking about the differences between the two countries and I told him how shocking it is they print so many swear words in the newspapers here. He said, “That’s because we have freedom of speech here.” I told him we have that in America too and he said, “No you don’t. You say you do, but when you say something you can get fired for, or get sued for – that’s not freedom of speech.” Good point.

Just before midnight we moved outside to hear accordion music while the wedding couple took their first waltz together and others joined in. At midnight we headed into another building where about 20 cakes and coffee were waiting, along with additional speeches from siblings and friends. Most of the speeches revolved around revealing embarrassing information about the bride or groom, but it made for some good laughs. Kaleb lasted until midnight then went back to the room to sleep. He enjoyed the wedding, but thought it “went on a bit too long.” But if it ended any sooner, it just wouldn’t have been the same - as there was nothing that should have been taken from this day. It was like a storybook wedding in some dream land, far, far away. It couldn’t have been any better. We were blessed to be able to attend it.

The Dance

We leave 4 weeks from yesterday! I’ve been frantically cleaning and moving things from one room to the next trying to eliminate some of the clutter for the Starrs (our house sitters). Kaleb leaves a trail of destruction in every room he occupies. The piles of books on the coffee table and the pillows and clothes on the floor in every room of the house almost send me over the edge some days, but I try to keep it in perspective. These days won’t last forever and my yelling at him just might. It’s funny the tapes we play over and over in our heads when we grow up – and I don’t want his biggest memory of me being all the times I yelled at him. (But just my luck, they will be… and he’ll never know all the self control I used in keeping the yelling to a minimum.)

Kaleb finished up the last Weekly Puppy today (note the Puppy Dog pose in the photo). He’s been producing that dog pup-lick-ation for over a year now – every week! Amazing stamina. He’s going to a monthly format now to take some pressure off (and calling it The Weakly Puppy) – mostly because we won’t be homeschooling in Norway. I’m so impressed with all he’s done. Every cent he raised selling subscriptions he gave away – over $1,750 all totaled since he started in February 2007. I’m in awe of that child.

Kory and I attended a prayer meeting last night. Always so incredible to just sit in the presence of God and let him love on us. I had a vision while I was being quiet – one of a ballroom dancing scene and the couple was me and Jesus. It was so beautiful to watch as we gracefully moved around to the sound of the music that was playing in the background. I was asking myself “how do I do that?” (dance so well) and I heard the voice of God say, “I’m the one in the lead… you just need to relax and follow my steps.” It was such a lovely way to picture our relationship and a good reminder to RELAX a bit more these frantic days. Especially good to think about after I got the word from the shipper today that our boxes won’t arrive until the week of August 7th. Yikes. I wasn’t expecting that – he originally said they’d be there the week of July 28th… so I’ll just relax and trust God as I’m sure it will all turn out fine.

On one hand this move feels so completely out of control for me and there are many unknowns. The things I do know (like how expensive it is to live in Norway), are pretty daunting. But on the other hand, I’ve been walking this walk with God long enough to know He wouldn’t be sending us to Norway if he wasn’t coming right along with us and providing for all our needs as He has done so miraculously all these years. Apparently I just need to RELAX a bit more right now and enjoy the dance.