Tag Archives: Oslo

celebrate, Day-to-Day

2014: The year in review

December 31, 2014 Dove Familie Leave a comment

It has been a crazy, busy, fun, frustrating, exciting, exhausting, energizing, and all around interesting year.

Here are just a few highlights from our year.

Christmas cheer

Christmas Cheer (part 17): A bit more of Oslo

December 23, 2014 Dove Familie Leave a comment

We spent a few hours in Oslo this past week. I always love Oslo. But at Christmas time, and in the evening? Yeah, it’s pretty awesome.

Christmas cheer

Christmas Cheer (part 9): Jul med Ikea

December 11, 2014 Dove Familie Leave a comment

Every place we go seems to be oozing with Christmas spirit.And Ikea is no exception. Decorations can be seen throughout the showroom, as well as in the main lobby, as seen here!

Christmas cheer

Christmas Cheer (part 2): Oslo

December 3, 2014 Dove Familie Leave a comment

Windows. That will likely be what I post most during this series.

And as I post more, you will probably see why. The window displays here are so cool. Some are beautiful, others whimsical. While they are of course primarily for the purpose of sales, some manage to create a bit more magic and distraction than others.

Here are a couple of windows I saw in Oslo on Saturday.

Not sure about other countries, but the red/white/gray combo is quite popular here right now.

Day-to-Day, Norway

Summer: so far, so fun!

July 17, 2014 Dove Familie Leave a comment

While we haven’t done our big summer travel yet, we are enjoying summer holidays so far.

Life here really is quite different during the summer. The rhythm changes. People seem a bit more social and a bit less rushed. Our city’s normally quiet and distant veneer seems to fade in the summer sun, as many travel to the area to spend the summer in their seaside cabins.

With that comes a big population increase, but also a population shift. While we do have a lot of tourists, it seems the majority of the faces we see most often have also travelled away from home. This is especially true in July, the official holiday/vacation month. This means most regular events and activities are suspended during the summer, including the majority of church services. This was a big cultural difference for us!

So what have we been up to the past few weeks?We’ve hiked a lot, been to the beach a number of times, attended some cookouts, and strolled around the city. We’ve made some new friends, and worked on building upon existing relationships. We enjoyed a weekend visit from an American friend, spent a few days in Stockholm, visited Oslo, and grilled by the sea. We attended a couple of conferences. We’ve experienced some disappointments, as well as some much-needed encouragement. We’ve met folks for coffee, and shared meals as a way to slow down and grow closer. We’ve taken the time to rest a bit, to practice language in less formal settings, and to simply enjoy each other.

Still to come: a weekend trip to a cabin, and then a big road trip to Germany!

How is your summer going?

Enjoying coffee with a friend from Georgia

Strolling through our city

Our version of a ‘church fellowship dinner’

Look what we found while driving through Sweden!

Zack took this shot during a bike ride with the boys

Oslo

Making a meal with friends

Silly friends taking a break during a summer conference

Mølen

Daniel made a tree friend 🙂

Just a few of the beautiful flowers in Sandefjord

Crab catchers

Dinner break in Stavern

You never know what you might see around here!

Evening concert after a day filled with conference seminars

Driving home from Larvik

Hiking at Bøkeskogen

Norway, visitors

Det som du er, vær fullt og helt, ikke stykkevis og delt

July 3, 2014 Dove Familie Leave a comment

Daniel i Oslo, med et sitat av Henrik Ibsen (Takk til vennen vår Alan – en flott bilde!)

Daniel in Oslo, with a quote by Henrik Ibsen (Thanks to our friend Alan – a great picture!)

What's it like

What’s it like: Easter break

April 22, 2014 Dove Familie Leave a comment

Easter holidays play out differently here than what we experienced in the states. As far as I can tell, all schools have the same spring break, the week adjacent to Easter. And the break is called påskeferie – Easter vacation.Almost all businesses are closed the Thursday and Friday before Easter, and the Monday after Easter. Thursday is skjærtorsdag, Friday is langfredag, and Monday is 2.påskedag. All the shops in the city are closed. You might be able find one of the small Sunday grocery stores open, but that is about it. Most shops are open on Saturday (påskeaften – the day before Easter), but only for a few hours.

Here are some photos from our Easter break – it was a great week with beautiful, summer-like weather, lots of outdoor time, hanging out with friends, and getting to know our neighbors better.

cross-cultural living, friends

Norwegian Hospitality

April 11, 2014 Dove Familie Leave a comment

Over the past fourteen months, we’ve been blessed by so many incredible people. They’ve invited us into their homes, as well as on outings around Norway. We are so thankful for the way they’ve included us and taught us so much through their kindness.Here are a few pictures of just some of the events we’ve been included in and/or hospitality that has been extended to us since arriving here…

celebrate, cross-cultural living, Day-to-Day

Ett år i Norge – Happy Anniversary to Us!

February 1, 2014 Dove Familie Leave a comment

One year in Norway – time sure does fly! One year ago today, we landed in Oslo. We flew from Vancouver to London to Gardermoen. Very little sleep during the flights. A 9 hour time difference. Eighteen bags and four backpacks.

But coming around the corner and seeing Torben, Espen and David was so sweet. And God is so good. He has provided in countless ways over the past 365 days. A good home with a kind landlord & family, who we are happy to also call friends. Good progress in language. A great school for the boys. Many local partners. A reliable car. A city we’ve come to love and call home. And many, many great friends.

A year ago on February 1, we were road weary and overwhelmed. This year on February 1, we celebrated with waffles (made by our little chef), skiing (on our own skis!!), homemade pizza (our family favorite here), and snowfall.

celebrate, Christmas cheer, Norway

Norwegian Christmas: Part 3

December 19, 2013 Dove Familie Leave a comment

We spent about 24 hours in Oslo this week. We had numerous meetings with local friends/partners. And we enjoyed seeing the city all decked out for Jul!