Boring Day

Kory actually got the new plug-in to work in the bathroom today!  We have the weirdest bathroom.  The only plug-in was on top of the shelf above the sink where the can lights sit.  It’s some kind of extension cord plug-in deal that requires a ladder to access it.  I’ve never been in a bathroom without an accessible plug-in and ours was driving me nuts. 

Right next to the sink is a closet containing the stacked washer and dryer.  Kory figured out he could just drop the extension cord down the side of the close, drill a hole in it and attach the wire to an outlet on the other side.  He’s never messed with electrical things here but he likes a good challenge, and by golly he did it.  I just hope the whole assembly holds because he cut the hole a little too big and it might pop out if someone’s not careful when they unplug something.  Oh well, at least it’s now a working socket, which is a big improvement over what it was.

The rain today kept us indoors and somewhat lazy.  I got a few things crossed off my to-do list and we drove into town to drop off some things at the thrift store.  We give and we take.  Most of it was stuff Kaleb has outgrown, but I am trying hard to thin out the stuff I don’t use much.  I happened to find a few treasures that only set me back a couple of bucks, so that brightened my day. 

Kaleb was home again when we got home, getting out an hour early again.  I guess his class is working on some big assignment so he doesn’t need to stick around for that.  I am still reading the book he is writing and I’m most impressed by his fight scenes – full of descriptive details and lots of action.  He amazes me.  I read a paragraph to Kory today and he just stood there, dumbfounded and said, “Wow.”  Who knew this gift was inside him all this time.   Can’t wait to see how it progresses, but in the meantime he’s sworn me to secrecy about what all the book entails.

I went to a “soaking prayer” meeting tonight with my friend Kristin.  I’ve been to many in the past in other locations, but this one was hard to hear much from God because it was anything but quiet.  It would have been ok if they just played instrumental music, but when they constantly sang songs and read scripture, it broke my concentration so I couldn’t focus on hearing from God – I focused on hearing them.  Ugh.  But one thing I did think about in the midst of it was that God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit all come together within us and nowhere else on this planet does that happen.  It’s the only place the trinity functions as a whole – is within us.  In a way, God doesn’t need us because He’s God, but in another way, we are all He has here on earth.  It was a cool thought anyway and my only “take-away” from the time spent there.

Kory was supposed to go to his men’s fellowship group meeting tonight but he couldn’t remember if it started at 7:30 or 8:30.  I told him to call someone to ask and he didn’t, then he didn’t show up until 8:30 and realized it was well underway so he didn’t go in.  Sometimes I don’t think he can manage his own life very well and it honestly worries me.  He forgets way too much, he won’t take any suggestions from me and he doesn’t hear half of what’s being said by me or anyone else.  The man is getting old.  I pray for him daily.  Lord help us all.

(I took no photos today so all the photos are of the path we took on our hike yesterday - so varied!)

The Mountains

The weather around here changes faster than the channels do on TVs in America.  If it’s sunny one moment, five minutes later, there’s a downpour.  We can see straight to the west so we know what’s coming.  When I wake up in the morning and don’t see a wall of black heading our way, I have hope for at least an hour, we won’t get wet.  Such was the case today.

Cousin Bjørn told us about a hike across from the farm where he grew up at Solevaag.  He said it was only 15 minutes to the top of the mountain and there was a great view from up there.  I knew if it took him 15 minutes, it would take me at least an hour.  It’s not that I’m THAT slow, but I do like to stop and take photos, so that slows me down more than my age.

Kory was in the middle of figuring out how to get an electrical plug-in in our bathroom when I said we really needed to go climb a mountain before the rain starts today.  He agreed.  Of course, he wanted to pack a lunch, get his camera, make coffee and do all the things Norwegians do to get ready for a hike, but I told him there was no time for that.  If we did all the preparations, we’d miss our little window of opportunity to hike and not get wet, so we just went, and I’m so glad we did.

By the time we got to the trailhead, it was sprinkling a little, but we kept going anyway.  The higher up we got, the more intense the autumn colors were, so it was great motivation to keep going.  And around every corner was a new view of scenes we know so well from the ground.  Once we got to the top, it was just breaktaking.  Kory said he felt like we were in the midst of a fairytale land, and it certainly did feel that way.  It has to be my new favorite spot, as it was a 360 degree view and every direction was jaw dropping.  And it only took me an hour! (Our condo is almost right in the center of this photo - a brick building on the left of three that look the same. Photo below is of the Solevaag farm where Kory's mom was born - the nice patch of green on the left.)

Start to finish, from the time we left the car until we got back was under two hours so that was a good way to spend some time today – out of the house and into the fresh air of the mountains.  The rain let up and we got sun spots all around up on top.  By the time we got back to the house it was pouring down rain, so God certainly blessed us with yet another grand experience.  As I’m discovering, a trip into the mountains is the best thing this part of the world has to offer, and I’m starting to get into the groove of it, even in my advanced age.

My friend Tina, the ultimate mountain woman, invited us over for dinner tonight.  It’s the last time we’ll get to see her before we leave because she’s working the night shift and sleeping during the days.  This past weekend she and her husband hiked up a huge and very dangerous mountain she can see from her house.  Seven people in the last five years have died on that hike, so I’m thankful she made it out alive.  She showed me the photos from her trip tonight and it was so cool to see the mountain up close and personal – from the safety of her living room.  We stare at that mountain top from our place too and I’ve always wondered what it was like up there since it’s so unusual looking from down here.  Now I know and I also know never to be crazy enough to climb it.  (The photo below is of Tina on top - taken by Are.  Her house is to the right of her extended hand.  And yes, where she' standing is even more dangerous than it looks.)

Kaleb got off from school two hours early today so he was waiting for us at home when we got back from our hike.  He’d already done some of his homework, while waiting.  Such a good boy he is (sometimes.)  He played non-stop on his computer with Daniel tonight, while we were at Tina’s house.  I’m glad the boys got some time together before we leave.  We had a great visit with Tina and Are and a friend of Are’s who stopped by.  He lost his 26 year old son last year during the massacre on that island in Southern Norway.  There were four families in our region that lost children to the gunman.  Are said he has had a tough year, to say the least.  He looked about Kory’s age, but turns out he’s my age, so this past year hasn’t been kind.  He knew a lot of the people we know and are related to, so that’s always fun to connect the dots.  It’s a good way for us to be accepted more as locals than as foreigners, as Norwegians don’t take to foreigners so well.

I’m now making another to-do list of things to be done before we leave and hopefully we’ll get them all done.  Unless of course, the sun comes out and the mountains start calling my name.

Monday, Monday

Pretty quiet day today in these parts.  Kory’s cousin’s daughter spent the afternoon with us, which was a real treat.  She’s otherwise estranged from the rest of the family, so it’s nice she talks to us.  She’s a single mom of two young kids.  Norway provides a lot of support for single moms so she has a pretty good life.  She just finished up her high school diploma and now has a year off because she had surgery for carpel tunnel.  She gets a lot of time to herself since one kid is in school and the other is in daycare.  Next fall she hopes to start college (she’s 28), which the government will also pay for.   It’s incredible the quality of life people have here.  I’m not sure they realize just how lucky they are.  We always count on “our God” to “supply all our needs” but in Norway, the government has taken over God’s job and gives everyone whatever they need – except dental care for adults.

Tonight at the Bible study I attend, much discussion was around what country provides the best dental care, since Norwegians refuse to pay the outlandish costs charged here in Norway (which happens to be cheaper than America.)  One woman in our Bible study just got back from Spain where she had a cap put on a tooth for half the cost of Norway so it more than paid for her trip, plus she got a few days in the sun to dry out.  The cost for a cap in Norway is about $800, so it was about $400 in Spain.  Last I checked, caps were well over a thousand dollars in America.  Go figure.

Today I started reading the book that Kaleb is writing.  He swore me to secrecy about anything it contains, but I will say, I was more than impressed with his writing style.  I guess all the reading he’s done over the years has imprinted something in his brain, as it reads like a best seller, which of course, he’s hoping it will be.  It’s a good first draft, so I’m anxious to see how it turns out.  It’s a Sci-Fi book which incorporates a lot of his own life experiences, so it’s funny to see that in print.  I’m pretty proud, as he’s a much better writer than I am.

We are now tying up loose ends and the days will be fairly boring this week, I’m afraid.  Kory called to cancel our internet connection today and he told them the wrong date so I’m not sure how we will all handle our last day here with no wi-fi. He’s still working on the to do list and started to install an electrical plug-in our bathroom, which surprisingly, doesn’t have one, so this should be interesting.

No new photos today as I didn’t leave the house except tonight to attend the Bible study and it was already dark by then.  The Northern Lights were supposed to be visible but we had cloud cover so that killed that chance. (The above photo is of a poisonous mushroom - below is of frozen leaves... brrrr.)

I’m so ready to go home.  Even if it’s finally raining when I get there, I’ll still be glad to be back.  These past few months have been tough, but God is working on me through it all.

Family Feast

I could have slept all day, I was so exhausted from my internet search last night.  But the thought of going to Agape Church this morning was all it took to motivate me out of bed.  Their worship always brings tears to my eyes and Pastor Mark’s sermons hit the nail on the head every time.  What a powerhouse that place is.  If they were in America it would become a mega church, no question, but as it is, maybe 150-200 attend on a good Sunday. 

It’s funny, Norwegians just don’t take church attendance very seriously, even if they are serious Christians.  They hike in the mountains, they go visit friends, they just stay at home and relax.  It’s such a different mindset from what I’m used to.  They even announced for the next two Sundays, because they are the weekends that sandwich together the Fall Break at school, they won’t be having church in the morning – since they know hardly any will show up.  They are switching their meeting time to 8pm on Sunday night so those who want to come can still have a day off and make it to church.  So strange to adjust church hours like that.  And on Easter, they don’t even have a church service at all, because everyone is at a cabin somewhere.  They also shut down church for the whole month of July, as everyone is on vacation.  Incredible.

I had planned to take a hike in the mountains today after church since the weather was cooperating, but unfortunately, Kory wasn’t.  As we were packed up and getting into the car, Kaleb told me he wanted me to pay “rent” for using his camera today, since mine is broken.  I reminded him he’s been using my Kindle since his Nook cable broke, and Kory butted in by saying that since we are a family, everything we all have should be considered all of ours and there shouldn’t be any of this “mine” and “yours” thing.  I quickly reminded him it’s easy for him to say that but if I ever touched “his” i-pad he’s be irate, and I’m never allowed to drive “his” Avanti.  Kaleb agreed with me that he’s as selfish as the rest of us and Kory just popped a cork and got out of the car and wouldn’t go anywhere.  He has the funniest buttons that get pushed every once in a while, so Kaleb and I went back up to the condo and waited for him to cool off.  But by the time he did, it was too late to go for a hike since we were invited to dinner at five and had a time crunch.  So much for those plans.

We had a lovely dinner out at Solevaag, the the farm where Kory’s mom was born (top photo).  Kory’s cousin’s wife (below) made a dinner that would put Thanksgiving to shame, complete with turkey and all the trimmings.  They invited over two of their kids with all of their kids and even the newest of the next generation so it was as reminiscent of a Thanksgiving dinner as I’ll ever experience in Norway.  The food was all yummy and the desserts didn’t stop coming.  We had a nice visit with everyone and felt very much loved, so that was a good way to blot out the stains from earlier in the day.

The countdown is really on this week as we prepare to head home.  So many details need to be attended to while trying to squeeze in our last good-byes to everyone.  We don’t have our place rented out while we are gone, except for the week of Christmas – a neighbor will rent it for his family that’s coming.  Otherwise, we just wait and see what God has in mind, but we still need to take our clothes out of the closets and our toothbrushes out of the bathroom.  We’ll be back in mid-April I think, but I’ve yet to buy the tickets for our return until I see who will be coming for a visit next summer and what their timing is.  It may be Bjorn and Inger, the twins, Tobias and his sister as they lit up when I told them we are taking groups from our church down to work in the orphanage in Mexico.  We are taking one group in April and another in August, and I had one family back out of the August trip so we have enough room for them.  It would be so awesome if they could join us on that trip, so all our time now in Norway has to work around out trips to Mexico. There’s a lot of pieces to the puzzle that have to fit together.  I’m a good planner but God leads the way, so we’ll wait and see how He directs our plans are for the future.