The Americans Have Landed!

I was up at five this morning, trying to get things done before the day got crazy busy.  I had way too much to do, and definitely not enough time to do it.  Kory and Kaleb helped a lot when they got up, only after they suffered the rath of my stress.  Kory tried to compliment me on how well I organize events and I reminded him it comes with a price.  He understood.  Kaleb tried to calm me down by telling me I’m the best Mama in the whole world, which is exactly the opposite of how I was behaving at that very moment.  I had a one o’clock deadline in which to pick up Kaleb’s friends and take them up to the cabin for Kaleb’s “half birthday” party, and I knew it would be tight.  I had to think through every meal, and all the little things needed.  I had to be sure I had all the props for all the games/challenges the boys are going to play.  I had to make up gift bags and figure out prizes for each “round.”  (We’re going to do a “Minute to Win It” party where they compete in funny little tasks like on the TV show.) 

I had done much of the work even before we left for Norway, as I took everything with me we’d need, but there are always those last minute changes or additions that throw me off course.  So packing up for this event not only took time, but it took concentration.  I was going to make some brownies to take along and just as I put the mix and the egg together and started to read how much water to add in, Kaleb started complaining about the fact he has to always slice his own bread (95% of all bread sold in Norway is a whole loaf, never pre-sliced.)  He asked me “Why can’t we buy pre-sliced bread?”  It wasn’t a rhetorical question, he wanted an answer.  He kept asking it while I was reading instructions in Norwegian and next thing I know, I’ve added a liter of water to the mix, rather than 1/10 of a liter (1 dl).  So much for bringing brownies along.  That’s the kind of thing that really kicks up my stress level as many things need my full concentration.  Afterwards, Kaleb decided he’d dust the mini-blinds in our bedroom as an atonement for his behavior.

At the same time I was preparing for this party/weekend getaway, I was trying to get the house straightened up for company.  We have friends of friends that arrived today and are staying with us for a few weeks.   My plan was to wash filthy windows, mop the floors and dust some shelves, but that just never happened.  We picked up the boys on schedule, (Kaleb’s friend Toban was sick so he couldn’t join us, unfortunately) and we headed for the ferry.  The drive up into the mountains is less than half an hour from the other side of the ferry landing, but it’s one of the prettiest drives around here so at least I calmed down as I snapped a few photos along the way.

It was a fine day with no rain, so that was another thing that helped shift my mood toward the peaceful side of life.  And once we arrived, the boys helped lug all the food and supplies from the car, up the hill to the cabin.  Just being at this cabin is enough to turn the most sour person (like me) into nothing but sweetness (I still have a ways to go on that score, however.) 

The cabin is owned by friends of ours and we feel more than blessed to be able to use it whenever we want.  Last year when we borrowed it I left them a little pillow that says, “You never know how many friends you have until you own a cabin.”  I’m glad we are their friends.  It’s really a gem of a place and has all the typical Norwegian furnishings and decorations.  It’s like sitting in a magazine photo and it just makes me smile to be here.

As I was unpacking all the food and putting things away, my cell phone beeped.  It was the airline welcoming me aboard the flight from Oslo to Aalesund.  I used my cell number when making reservations for our company, and I’m so thankful I did because once I got to the cabin, I completely lost track of time and I would have never made it to the airport on time had my phone not beeped that message.  I had to fly out of the cabin, and drive back to the ferry.  I was even going a little over the speed limit, but just as I arrived at the dock, they closed the gate so I had to sit there for twenty minutes waiting for the next one.  If the sun weren’t shining so nicely outside, I might have been stressed out, but we haven’t seen much of the sun since we’ve been in Norway, so I just had to take a deep breath and enjoy it.  I used the time to wipe down the dust on the dashboard and shake out the sand from the floor mats.  We’ve owned our van for three years now and have never once cleaned it.  Once I got to the other side of the fjord, I drove into the nearest car wash and decided today was the day.  Little did I know the drive-through car wash would malfunction and leave me stuck in there for an extra fifteen wasted minutes until the woman waiting behind me went to get help.  I paid thirty bucks for the privilege of a clean car and a few claustrophobic moments I hope never to relive. 

I made a quick dash out to the airport.  I got there 22 minutes before their plane was to land, so I swung into a grocery store across the street to grab a few things I realized I needed for the weekend.  I walked into the baggage area at the airport ten minutes before their plane was due but everyone was already off the plane!  They had a tail wind so they landed early, and there they stood, looking like something the cat drug in.  Tired and weary from at least thirty hours of traveling with no sleep.  Their luggage hadn’t arrived yet so at least they didn’t have time to stress out about me not showing up.  But it all worked out and their luggage made it, they made it, and I had nothing more to stress out about.  We headed back to our condo so they could take a shower and have a little soup and salad dinner before we journeyed on back over the fjord and up into the hills to the cabin. 

I’d asked Stuart and Judi if they wanted to spend their first night in a Norwegian cabin, and if they did, it came with the price tag of putting up with a lot of noisy boys.  There should have been six boys, but we only have four, so it’s not too bad.  They thought it would be a fine.  Well, once they took the ferry across that gorgeous fjord, and drove up into the mountains through that gorgeous farmland, and arrived at this more than gorgeous mountain cabin, I think they would have been happy even if there were twenty boys to put up with.  Their jaws just hung open the whole way and even though they were more than tired, they were stimulated enough by the beauty of everything around them, they stayed awake until our bedtime.  Judi made the comment about the Norwegian landscape that, “It’s just like l hoped it would be.”  Stuart said, “It’s like being in a fairytale.”  I couldn’t agree more.

Preparations

Tomorrow is the big sleepover at the cabin up in the mountains, so a lot of energy and time was spent today getting things ready for that. Kaleb had a hard time settling down to sleep tonight, even though he was super tired, because he’s so excited to show his friends this very cool cabin. All the boys are riding high, according to the parents I’ve talked to, so it should be interesting. I’m just praying it doesn’t rain.




Some of the women that attend the night time Bible study I held at our place last night, are also part of the Praying Women group I attend. Last time I was there I offered to have the next prayer meeting at our place so everyone could see where we live, and to give Kristen a week off. I didn’t realize until after ten o’clock last night, that I would be hosting it at ten o’clock this morning. The house was already clean, so that wasn’t the problem, but what to serve for lunch - now there’s a perplexor. I thought the grocery store opened at eight o’clock, but I was off by an hour, so that meant I had less than an hour to shop for food, prepare it, present it properly on the coffee table, and get several pots of coffee brewed and in thermoses in preparation for the seven women that were to come. I was scrambling, but I put on a pretty good show. It was almost as good as Kristen does every week – I even had fancy serving dishes and fancy little spoons and serving knives (all from the second hand store.) The candles were burning when they walked in. They presented me with a beautiful bouquet of flowers (see photo), all nestled in a tight bouquet with what looked like a bird’s nest surrounding it. It’s so Scandinavian looking, I love it, but it was then that I realized I didn’t have a vase in the house. Somehow I missed shopping for that. It’s now on the final “must have” list.



We had almost three hours of soaking and praying this morning, so it was time well spent. Kory came home toward the end and was able to meet the women I call my friends here in Norway. How lucky I am to know such fine women.



After they all left Kory and I hurried into the city because I saw a locksmith place yesterday that I thought could solve a few of our problems. We only have one car key, so we needed an extra one made (I thought $15 was a bit much, but those are Norwegian prices). I also have a built in lock on my bike, but the key to it was stolen last year when we were in Prague (along with that extra car key). The bike has been helplessly locked up since then. I went to a bike shop to see if they could help and the guy’s response was just to chuck the whole bike and buy a new one because mine is about 20 years old. Right. I thought the locksmith could help pick the lock, but he tried for a few minutes and gave up. It was a bit too rusted inside so he suggested just taking a hacksaw to it. That’s now on the “must do” list for Kory.



While we were in town I wanted to show Kory a large needlepoint piece of art that I saw yesterday at the second hand store. Kory loved it more than I, so we bought it today. It cost more than most things we’ve purchased so far (a little over a hundred dollars), but it really is incredible. (See other photo.) We had one bare spot on our living room wall that needed something, and this was just the ticket. We only have a few more things to buy and do, and then I think we can call our second home complete, but I’m sure we’ll be working up to the bitter end.



Kaleb stayed home today after school to get some homework done and to help with the sleepover preparations. He wanted to go to the grocery store with me to be sure I bought the right kinds of pop (pear flavored is his favorite), and all the right snacks. He wanted orange colored napkins. It’s kind of his half birthday party celebration, so I’m letting him call the shots. Tonight I made a kind of white cake (not at all like we have in America), that tomorrow I’ll top with some kind of creamy vanilla pudding stuff and fruit. It’s my first attempt at a Norwegian cake. I also made brownies as a backup, and I made “boller” (sweet rolls with cardamom in them.) I had a package mix for each thing I made, as it was quick and easy, but nothing really turned out as I expected. The rolls taste heavenly, but look terrible because they stuck fast to the plastic wrap I put on them while they were rising (the directions never said to butter the plastic!). It felt like the episode last week on “Alt for Norge” where they had the contestants making fish cakes and the best chef in Norway was the judge. He spit out everything he tried and gave them quite the lecture on how bad of a job they did. I’m hoping the kids tomorrow won’t notice that what I made looks NOTHING like boller, but the taste is right on. Maybe we’ll play some kind of blindfold game at the cabin, and then they’ll never know.



Tonight was the final episode of “Alt for Norge.” The guy from Seattle won so he got to meet his Norwegian relatives (most of them were fourth cousins – same as I have here.) In his dialog afterwards, he made many of the same observations I made when I first came here, like how amazing the bread is and that Americans have no sense of a rich heritage that provides so many traditions. Being the melting pot that America is, we gain a lot, but also lose a sense of identity. Here in Norway, it’s all about identity. I just hope mine isn’t that I made some weirdo looking cardamom rolls.

Field Trippin'

Back home we have a hat that looks like a crab (which we call The Crabby Hat) and if we wake up feeling like one, we put it on as a warning to the rest of the household. I needed that hat this morning. I didn’t get to sleep before 4am so my mood was shot. It took more than one cup of coffee to make changes. We had a field trip today to an outdoor museum so it helped that I could take a bus an hour later than usual but I still had to get up and make Kaleb’s lunch. He had a field trip too – a hike to a beach that took the whole day. It would have been nice for both of us if we had a little sunshine to go along with our field trips, but as it was, it poured down rain most of the day and when it wasn’t raining hard, it was hailing. Kaleb had to walk home in the worst of it and by the time he came in the door soaking wet he had come up with a little ditty that goes like this: All hail the rain of the sun of weather. He thought it was pretty clever. Kory needed it explained, but I got it right away, even lacking sleep.

Kory spent his day over at Odd’s again, finishing up the interior walls. He’s glad to have that milestone under his belt but it all took longer than he anticipated. Odd is thrilled, but it might still look the same when we come back next year so Kory is prepared for trim work then if he doesn’t get to it before we leave town this year. Odd has waited ten years for this remodel, so I guess if it doesn’t all get done now, he’s used to waiting.

I was able to get a two hour nap this afternoon which was the only thing that kept everyone around me alive. Kaleb was in top form arguing and complaining about every little thing, for which I had no patience. When he broke into disobedience, he got his electronics taken away for tomorrow, which nearly sent him packing. He had a playdate set up for tomorrow and his Nintendo is the key element to his bonding with other kids. Kory spent a good hour trying to explain that it was a just punishment to fit the crime. Kaleb didn’t think so and now hates me. Uff da.

Tonight we had the good fortune of having Kory’s Tante Berit and Onkel Per over for dinner (see photo). They are siblings and half brother and sister to Kory’s mom, Jenny, but they never met her. We found out tonight that tomorrow is Per’s 80th birthday so it was extra special to have them here. Berit has moved to Spain and is only here visiting for a few more days before she heads back. She loves it there. Many retired Norwegians head to the coast of Spain in the winter, but some end up staying year round as it’s cheaper to live there and they are pretty much done with the snow and rain in Norway. They get nothing but sunshine and warm days down south. There are entire Norwegian communities down there so they can buy the foods they love and talk all the Norwegian they want. Berit’s husband died a few years ago and she never had children, so she’s glad she has a good group of friends in Spain to hang out with. She’s a lovely woman and most everyone around here knows her as she is a retired banker.

Per is a funny guy. He had Kory laughing nearly the entire evening. He’s been rapidly losing his eyesight, and he is sure it’s from the prescription drugs he must take ever since he had heart surgery a few years ago. He said all his friends who take the same drugs are losing their sight also, but the doctor won’t pay any attention to their claims. It made Kory all the more thankful God closed the door for him to have any kind of heart surgery. Quality over quantity of life has got to be the way to go.

I finally was able to talk Norwegian with them so I asked a few questions about their dad, the grandfather Kory never knew. Karl was a machinist his whole life and grew up and lived in Langevåg, the same town Kory is from. While the war was going on, Karl was working on a merchant ship and after that sank near Pakistan he tried to get back home via a train through Russia, but couldn’t, so he found another ship that needed a machinist and got a job on that one which unbeknownst to him, ended up it’s tour in Seattle. Karl wasn’t able to travel back to Norway because Germany had closed all the ports so he got a job in a machine shop in Ballard and didn't see his family for two more years, until after the war was over. They said he loved to be on a boat out at sea and to go fishing. He died just a few weeks after Kory’s dad died in October of 1968 – both of them from heart attacks.

Kaleb attended a birthday party tonight and came home from it in the foulest of moods. I guess Morten used him for a punching bag one too many times. He said the parents there didn’t do anything to stop him and even though he kept running away from him, Morten continued to come after him and punch and kick him. He was in tears asking to buy a ticket back home immediately and he says he refuses to go to school tomorrow. He just had one heck of a bad day today and not enough sleep last night so hopefully tomorrow will be a better day for all of us.