Category Archives: Day-to-Day

Day-to-Day

Passion: about William

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William loves football (soccer). The boy is borderline obsessed. He watches it. He plays, with a local club and every day at school. He reads about it. He talks about it. I imagine he dreams about it.
And while he can make your head spin as he quotes statistics and records, it is a joy to watch him play.He has one or two games a week with his club. Last week he scored his first regular season goal (he had only scored in a weekend tournament before that). Then on Saturday, he joined six of his classmates and played in the local Skolecup tournament. He scored two goals, including one on a header. He also played keeper in one game. He did well in that position, too, though it totally stressed me out!

We are thankful that he has found something he really enjoys. It is a great way for him to stay active, to make friends, and to learn some language

It’s amazing to think back to his first season, when he was that tiny 5 year old that had only been with us in America for about two months. Speaking no English and understanding very little, he surprised us with his ability to follow and play appropriately so quickly. Six years later, he is still playing the game he loves, while learning yet another language.

My prayer is that he will always pursue his dreams with passion, that he will live for Jesus with passion, and that he will find the passion and desire to learn this newest language.

 

Day-to-Day

Little pink hearts – what is this?

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I’m quite ignorant when it comes to plants and flowers – so I need your help.Zack and I went for a walk this morning. While we were out, we saw this particular flower in several places around the city. It was really pretty. It almost looks like tiny pink hearts hanging from each limb.

Any idea what it’s called, in Norwegian or English?

 

Day-to-Day

A snake? Stop it.

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Are you familiar with Bill Engvall? I remember a part of his standup where he talked about people’s reactions to snakes. Rarely calm or dignified.

I can vouch for that.
I also remember the boys doing research on Norway before we moved here. One thing in particular that they wanted to learn about was whether or not there were snakes in Norway.
I can now answer that definitively. And affirmatively.
Sunday afternoon, following our time with friends on the beach, we decided to go for a family walk at Folehavna (the end of west peninsula in Sandefjord, and the site of a WWII battery). We’d been walking for quite a while, and Daniel and I were winding through some narrow corridors of one of the old firing ranges. The wall to our right at this point was just below Daniel’s eye level. Zack and William were walking on top of the range, just above us. And suddenly, Daniel saw something moving to his right. Zack realized what it was and told us to turn around.And you bet we did! No time for pictures or anything. This dude was HUGE, and Zack was fairly certain it was the one bad species we have here.

But was he right? We only had to wait until the next day, as we hiked at Tønsberg Tønne. This time around, it was the same type, but much smaller, and on a walkway ahead of us. Zack had enough time to snap a couple of photos.

 

I do not like snakes. And I hope we don’t see any more!

FYI – we confirmed that it is NOT one you want to encounter. Vipera berus is now on my [very, very short] list of things that I do not like about Norway!

Day-to-Day, friends

Budding artist

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We are getting to know so many interesting people here. Such as our new friend L. We met her in language school, and she is an incredibly talented artist. When she learned about Daniel’s interest in art, she was excited for the chance to work with him.
He went for his first art lesson today, and had a great time working with sticky back plastic. I hung around while they worked (her home is like an art gallery so I had plenty to see!), and I was so proud of his finished product!

 

Day-to-Day, friends, Norway

Quick trip to Oslo

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To kick off Easter break (påskeferie), we drove to Oslo on Sunday. We attended a church service with friends, and then had dinner at the Nighthawk Diner (yum!).
Monday we had a brief meeting, grabbed lunch at one of our favorite kebab shops, and then drove to Sweden. That evening we took the ferry back to Sandefjord.
Tuesday we took a 19 km bike ride as a family, including a stop at the park for lunch and football. That evening we met friends for a short walk and a cookout on the beach.
Wednesday we walked a few miles and did some grocery shopping. Then we had some friends over. We did one of our favorite nearby walks: Midtåsen & Mokollen. Afterwards, we grilled together. Bonus: We had grilled Buffalo wings 🙂
So far, Easter break is going great!

Day-to-Day

The Easter Bunny? Påskeharen?

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Daniel made an Easter Bunny at school on Thursday.Really cute – and maybe a little scary 😉

They traced their own feet to make the ears and legs. I have a feeling his bunny had the longest ears in all of second grade. He may not be tall, but the boy has some big feet!

Day-to-Day

I was really on a roll…

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I was blogging almost daily.

And then hubby returned from the states. And my focus shifted. It really is so good to have him home!
But stay tuned… I promise I will be back soon with more about our American-Norwegian life. More about our challenges, fun, faux pas,… more about life in general.
To be continued!

Day-to-Day

Wednesdays Off: thankful for little things

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Terrible photo – but who cares!
So thankful for time outdoors.

We are happy to be back in language school. It is good to have that routine back, to reconnect with friends there, and to make a few more steps towards language proficiency.

That said, we are also happy that unlike our last class which was five days a week, we now have Wednesdays free. It is a great time to catch up on work, run errands, and relax a little together.

Yesterday, we finished our errands a little early and had some time before picking the boys up from school. So we went to the park and enjoyed a brisk 2.5 mile walk. So good to get fresh air and sunshine!

cross-cultural living, Day-to-Day

School Again

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After passing our level 2 language evaluations in November, Zack and I decided to take a short break from language school. It allowed us to rest our brains a bit, and do some practical application.We’ve spent time with friends, in the city, and in various meetings and church services. We’ve learned that we can understand a lot of what is said around us. But we also know we are still a long where from where we need to be when it comes to speaking in everyday conversation.

So it is back-to-school time for us! One year ago this week, we were just beginning our first language course. We knew almost nothing. It is exciting to see how much can be learned in just a year. Can’t wait to see what the next year holds.

Our goal is to take the level 3 evaluations around the beginning of next year. If those go well, we can say ‘ha det bra’ (good-bye) to full-time language school, and spend more time with the city and people we’ve grown to love so much!