tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-241785672024-02-28T14:23:28.948+01:00Look to Norwaythe life and times of a Norwegian/American family in Oslojilljenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18051518560523628071noreply@blogger.comBlogger310125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24178567.post-52906561776750901062011-06-17T18:48:00.005+02:002011-06-17T19:10:04.574+02:00Dinner's over<div><meta charset="utf-8"><div>It's Friday, 6:49 pm, and we just finished dinner. Pizza tonight, just like most every Friday night. Benjamin was here for dinner, as he's spending the night. Johan loves having friends sleep over, and Benjamin is one of his very best friends, so they are pretty happy. Anders has a lot of fun with Johan and Benjamin, too.<div>
<br /></div><div>Espen wasn't here. He and the rest of his class are on a bus on there way home from <a href="http://www.skaanevik.no/">Skånevik</a>, south of Bergen, where their teacher has a summer house. They are done with all of their finals, but school isn't officially out yet, so his teacher and her husband offered to take the whole class(28 sixteen-or-soon-to-be-sixteen-year-olds) to their house on the west coast. His teacher just turned 60, and she's been a teacher for a long time, but this is the first time she's done this with a class. I think the class is pretty great. They're a pretty good group of teenagers. Espen has been gone since Tuesday morning. It'll be good to get him back home again.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>It's been raining a lot here, and there's been lots of flooding along some of the big rivers in Norway, although luckily nothing in Oslo. It was pretty nice this weekend, with lots of sun, but the rain started again today. The bonus is that we never need to water, and everything is very green. While I was sitting at the dinner table tonight, this was my view:</div></div><div>
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<br /></div><div>Here are a few pics I took yesterday, too, while the boys were outside fixing a flat tire on Anders' bike:</div></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk7A1c6SLIkO0kQZ1MaKedcJ5WwJeb0601XJ8n3z6ToFFY-LmI8xf19HHuzibrNjZXLDah6o4vUp8A9axqn6tm8R8BfPkpCQoOYC_x7nDTThs3PM5ccvjU_hs1t0Ejw2HErKhL_Q/s1600/IMG_4461.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk7A1c6SLIkO0kQZ1MaKedcJ5WwJeb0601XJ8n3z6ToFFY-LmI8xf19HHuzibrNjZXLDah6o4vUp8A9axqn6tm8R8BfPkpCQoOYC_x7nDTThs3PM5ccvjU_hs1t0Ejw2HErKhL_Q/s320/IMG_4461.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5619236775654662690" /></a>
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<br /></div>jilljenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18051518560523628071noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24178567.post-44558330460618222702011-04-23T08:07:00.002+02:002011-04-23T08:16:29.719+02:00Off to GothenburgGaute, Anders, Johan and I are headed to Gothenburg, Sweden today. A little mini-springbreak. The big amusement park downtown, <a href="http://www.liseberg.com/en/home/">Liseberg</a>, opens for the season today. The kids have never been there, so we thought we'd check it out. They open at 12, and it's about a 3-hour drive, so we'll drive down there this morning. They don't close until 10, and we want to make a little vacation out of this, so we booked a room at the <a href="http://www.gothiatowers.com/en/">hotel across the street</a>. Then we can do some sightseeing and shopping tomorrow. Unlike Norway, Sweden lets stores stay open on Sundays and holidays.<br /><br />The boys are super excited. You would have thought we were going on an African safari. I think we'll have a good time, though. It's supposed to be sunny and warm, and it's hard not to have fun when it's sunny and warm in April!<br /><br />I'll take pictures...jilljenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18051518560523628071noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24178567.post-72865524794225193412011-04-19T19:54:00.006+02:002011-04-19T22:35:19.482+02:00Sure sign of spring<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8JSCe38JIROVoOxiG-VMPeyhiirTY5TOarYBa4qba9yw4x42xQUK2lz_SS_H5CtJlsbrYiGHOwQ6DC26q97_XqJ_vCoJSbIdUzUQiMj1EARSDhMu0uWzvJrGhk0HFXaSUF7U6Xg/s1600/IMG_4338.JPG"><br /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF2PpZMddNa-qi1UJDpEs4vSdeoqc0xYI_W6WjLRt-1MDNtIgQBpqat1A9BE25phhO42_7HR4NbPG8LzPhOMoHZBFpr3peKS_Ws7jljI8RN81Vbv_IHmGvwX7yYGANktMGEoBK3Q/s1600/IMG_4334.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF2PpZMddNa-qi1UJDpEs4vSdeoqc0xYI_W6WjLRt-1MDNtIgQBpqat1A9BE25phhO42_7HR4NbPG8LzPhOMoHZBFpr3peKS_Ws7jljI8RN81Vbv_IHmGvwX7yYGANktMGEoBK3Q/s320/IMG_4334.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5597357693546114386" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_u_qQ1KlJ3qM6BpTpXa7e5FmhikymWV7zUUGjq5bl2LlaBHcfdYtvAM_1d_eyCm35cNGunnY9uBzOUQ-N7xZGx0U0Z6nq7vzLxUisi2XMpPyIAq1GuF4E-QMNEWbMQLEqSchL1w/s1600/IMG_4333.JPG"><br /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKbOxNKuckKIHZIvhB6znwMELJ1yNFMulp6OiwdlKPvas9Y1w8p1-kg-cR-nIe1geH0aAXPN-nzljnY5scRadgsVLV6-vlmWhpJpxWJEfEssdpAtt8-n-NMe8h_RjLDBE3qkBHfA/s1600/IMG_4329.JPG"><br /></a><br />Today is not quite as sunny and warm as yesterday, which was gorgeous. But, all of the snow has melted and there's no school tomorrow, so the tents are out. Anders and Johan have their tent set up on our lawn, and the neighbors have theirs all ready to go next door. Rain is in the air, and I'm happy I can sleep in my own bed, but they're excited!<br /><br /><br /><br />Espen is leaving tonight to visit his girlfriend at her family's cabin. Both of Malene's parents come from the west coast of Norway, not far from where Gaute's mom is from. They have a really nice cabin (house?) up there where they spend most vacations. They invited Espen up to stay for a few days this Easter. They have 3 kids and no room for him in their car, so he's taking the night bus up there tonight (it's about a 10-hour drive). I think he's looking forward to sitting on the bus with his computer and iPhone. And I know he's looking forward to hanging out with Malene :-). The cabin is on an island out in the Norwegian Sea which is well-known for the huge numbers of seabirds that inhabit the cliffs. I've been there a couple of times and it's gorgeous.<br /><br /><iframe marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Runde,+Norway&aq=0&sll=59.961536,10.764274&sspn=0.009302,0.038066&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Runde&ll=62.400551,5.624313&spn=0.095434,0.205994&z=11&iwloc=A&output=embed" frameborder="0" height="300" scrolling="no" width="300"></iframe><br /><small><a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=embed&hl=en&geocode=&q=Runde,+Norway&aq=0&sll=59.961536,10.764274&sspn=0.009302,0.038066&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Runde&ll=62.400551,5.624313&spn=0.095434,0.205994&z=11&iwloc=A" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); text-align: left;">View Larger Map</a><br /><br />UPDATE: I just got back from getting Espen all settled in on the bus. He was pretty excited. I think he'll have a fun few days. When I got back, I found these two little guys all settled into their tent. Good night, everyone!<br /><br /></small><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8JSCe38JIROVoOxiG-VMPeyhiirTY5TOarYBa4qba9yw4x42xQUK2lz_SS_H5CtJlsbrYiGHOwQ6DC26q97_XqJ_vCoJSbIdUzUQiMj1EARSDhMu0uWzvJrGhk0HFXaSUF7U6Xg/s1600/IMG_4338.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8JSCe38JIROVoOxiG-VMPeyhiirTY5TOarYBa4qba9yw4x42xQUK2lz_SS_H5CtJlsbrYiGHOwQ6DC26q97_XqJ_vCoJSbIdUzUQiMj1EARSDhMu0uWzvJrGhk0HFXaSUF7U6Xg/s320/IMG_4338.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5597395803495713794" border="0" /></a>jilljenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18051518560523628071noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24178567.post-38599985100782074352011-04-06T19:55:00.002+02:002011-04-06T20:05:49.617+02:00CrashMy hard drive crashed. It's one of those things you hear about happening to other people, and you think "Thank God that didn't happen to me".<br /><br />Back up your hard drive - right now, before you read any more!<br /><br /> I backed up mine last time in December, and I am so glad that I didn't lose all of the pictures and music and other fun stuff that I have on my computer. Luckily, I have most of the good pictures I've taken since then on my Facebook page, which makes me oh, so happy.<br /><br />I've only had my computer for a year and a half, so the hard drive was still under warranty, but I haven't been able to use it for almost 3 weeks. I live on my computer, and I have sorely missed it. I love my iPhone, too, but it's just not the same thing. I was VERY happy to get my good little computer back again yesterday!<br /><br />No pics today, but I am posting my new favorite song, Lost Together. It's by Frazey Ford, and as she says in the intro, it's about being the product of dysfunctional hippie parents. I can kind of relate to it. (BTW, my parents are extremely functional these days!)<br /><br /><iframe title="YouTube video player" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/5hBqmovXPVA" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="390" width="640"></iframe>jilljenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18051518560523628071noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24178567.post-64465528745866114542011-03-13T13:39:00.004+01:002011-03-13T13:44:05.092+01:00Coffee<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitJlxqo8SmAsqU2bXRd4OpruQxKTw63mHGPT3t-sOYKKVshkckIX4oT6tIIbKuyLU-YYDIkXA0PONbfoFKEJmcMH5hPoY4Z_j6CF6Ty7Z5fnUY27np4YuUodaEO5uvCrTBth3Aww/s1600/IMG_4301.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitJlxqo8SmAsqU2bXRd4OpruQxKTw63mHGPT3t-sOYKKVshkckIX4oT6tIIbKuyLU-YYDIkXA0PONbfoFKEJmcMH5hPoY4Z_j6CF6Ty7Z5fnUY27np4YuUodaEO5uvCrTBth3Aww/s320/IMG_4301.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583543381237004546" border="0" /></a><br />I got paid on Friday, and I did what I vowed I would do when I got my next paycheck. I bought a Nespresso machine. I'm the only one in our family who drinks coffee, so it seemed like an unnecessary luxury. I managed to rationalize it, though. Even though the coffee pods cost a bit, I was using a lot of coffee in my french press each day. And although the first cup out of the french press was delicious, the second cup wasn't quite so good. Now, each cup is hot and delicious. And no clean up. Aaahh, the joys of technology...<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIkWgDcK0jTYkPoHWF0jNiyxkFePsX_lLzVINyD9qgEUbUqe6S5PhV5saClh1uoytBFAyLOPMtPG8krS5SBw-WhLiH3yXA4lq3m4DfThnSSS1BFRl64Ik9L7iwNd17cCbpQtI73A/s1600/IMG_4300.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIkWgDcK0jTYkPoHWF0jNiyxkFePsX_lLzVINyD9qgEUbUqe6S5PhV5saClh1uoytBFAyLOPMtPG8krS5SBw-WhLiH3yXA4lq3m4DfThnSSS1BFRl64Ik9L7iwNd17cCbpQtI73A/s320/IMG_4300.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583543555042485890" border="0" /></a>jilljenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18051518560523628071noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24178567.post-35785495726312764072011-02-26T17:08:00.006+01:002011-02-26T19:18:12.198+01:00Music and a bit more...This past week has been winter break here in wintery Oslo. Gaute had to work the first part of the week (including a mini business trip to Bergen on Tuesday). Our plan was to be here until Wednesday or maybe Thursday and then head up to our cabin. But, you know, it just didn't work out quite like we'd planned. I discovered last week that Anders and Johan needed to renew their Norwegian passports, and that Espen and Johan needed to renew their American passports. The Norwegian ones aren't such a big deal, but to renew the American passports, we have to make an appointment at the American Embassy (only on weekdays before 12), and both Gaute and I have to appear in person with the kids. So, I managed to get an appointment for Wednesday (not really, but we got in regardless), and set about getting everything we needed in order. It is such a hassle! You have to go a special place downtown to get special pictures taken (at $40 a pop). Then when you finally show up at the embassy, they make you wait outside the gate until they finally walk over to see what you want. Then one adult and one child are allowed into the little guard booth, where you go through security control that is - literally - worse than anything you experience at the airport. They check your hands for any residue explosives, every little piece of anything you have in your pockets has to come out, before you walk through the metal detector. Then you have to leave your purse at the guard booth when you go inside. Everytime I'm there I consider giving up my American citizenship!<br /><br />But, I never will do that, despite the fact that I need to go to the police station every 2 years and wait in line for at least 2 hours to get a visa stamped into my passport. And this year, when I went down to do it, they said that I didn't have enough pages left in my passport. It costs $80 to get more pages put in my passport, and $100 to get a new passport, so I decided to go for it. Since I'm over 16, I don't have to show up at the embassy in person, but I had to go get a cashier's check and a $40 picture before I sent my application in.<br /><br />And - the Nordic Skiing World Championships started here in Oslo on Thursday. I realize that it is probably not primetime programming in the U.S., but it is here. And it's in Oslo this year! The last time the World Championships were in Oslo was in 1982. So, we kind of felt like it was stupid to leave Oslo right when the excitement was starting...<br /><br />I've been on my computer a lot this week, and I've been listening to a lot of music. I decided to make a playlist of stuff that I've been listening to most lately. Because I'm SURE everyone is dying to know. So, here it is:<br /><br /><ol><li>We Used to Wait - Arcade Fire (I love this whole album, and I've been listening to it a lot ever since I bought it in September. I love the fact that it won a Grammy for Best Album of the Year.)<br /></li><li>Rambling Man - Laura Marling (A great folk singer from England. She used to date one of the guys from Mumford and Sons and has played with them a lot.)</li><li>Hull i Himmelen - John Olav Nilsen og Gjengen - (Trying to get some great Norwegian music out to an American audience. This isn't their newest song, but I think it's their best.)<br /></li><li>Howlin' for You - The Black Keys (Another great album with lots of good songs.)</li><li>Devil Town - Bright Eyes (I first heard this song, with Tony Lucca singing, on Friday Night Lights, my new favorite show. I love this version, and I love Bright Eyes.)</li><li>San Jose - Joe Purdy (This is so good...)</li><li>Save Yourself - Sharon Van Etten (Another great female singer, American this time.)</li><li>Crash Years - The New Pornographers (This song makes me happy.)</li><li>The Girl and the Robot - Røyksopp (This is a Norwegian electronic band. Robyn, a Swede, is singing on this song. She has become very popular with her latest albums, but I love this song best. Listening to her music a lot lately, because Gaute, Espen and I are going to see her in concert in March. Her live shows are supposed to be incredible, so I'm excited!)</li><li>Monster - Kanye West (I don't listen to a lot of hip-hop, but I love Kanye West's music. He acts like a complete idiot (his tweets are very entertaining...), but I think he makes consistently great music, and this album is really, really good.) </li></ol>I made this playlist on iTunes, too, so you can head over there and here a bit of these songs. Just open this <a href="http://c.itunes.apple.com/us/imix/top-10-february-2011/id423106195"> link</a> in iTunes and you're good to go.<br /><br />There is one more song I would have loved to have put on this playlist, but it's not available on iTunes. Here it is on my blog, though! It's called Warrior Song, and the artist is Ingrid Olava (another Norwegian). It's lovely.<br /><br /><iframe title="YouTube video player" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/FVOivKw7FqQ" frameborder="0" height="390" width="640"></iframe>jilljenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18051518560523628071noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24178567.post-55645880038549379932011-02-05T11:01:00.004+01:002011-02-05T12:06:12.634+01:00Warsaw<div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYXp4N_SMDG6PT3PN7HXpsoUbRLIyfdrH-ota-n5zQk4uvgqeremxi427_lowoKNHibqQ09MpkGcR11o2a9hhpWTmBh4JTmhYdOUIwOVy8HVK87lfYhierhRPWMIfDOQBDFkMSZA/s1600/29+Jan%252C+2011.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYXp4N_SMDG6PT3PN7HXpsoUbRLIyfdrH-ota-n5zQk4uvgqeremxi427_lowoKNHibqQ09MpkGcR11o2a9hhpWTmBh4JTmhYdOUIwOVy8HVK87lfYhierhRPWMIfDOQBDFkMSZA/s320/29+Jan%252C+2011.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Our hotel room on the 33rd floor</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhETRsl_VQz-xJydzFlnUrx9hWWfkOUUZIKXY1ZsB5wvLEErvXDhKdWHduDSZ-RBtsyjczrGFZ4L6OGB97pbkoUm3AC02U49eu9EWteC47qlSdAAoxXWGHl_eWgN7JHGeCd0a3g7A/s1600/IMG_4207.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhETRsl_VQz-xJydzFlnUrx9hWWfkOUUZIKXY1ZsB5wvLEErvXDhKdWHduDSZ-RBtsyjczrGFZ4L6OGB97pbkoUm3AC02U49eu9EWteC47qlSdAAoxXWGHl_eWgN7JHGeCd0a3g7A/s320/IMG_4207.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a> </div>The view from our room<br /><div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;"><div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjYqiFYMJgGmav8Ixkk-iLfvgmmGb21JPtrif0wjdjvH5jRyMaDGunr1LYkTdkPTaCpwHJBRU6P6hExxN4qdYWjQDENqzVzi7PY_zAYOXjqe064CYMIP8VwJA3ASET7J2y1OxYJA/s1600/29+Jan%252C+20111.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjYqiFYMJgGmav8Ixkk-iLfvgmmGb21JPtrif0wjdjvH5jRyMaDGunr1LYkTdkPTaCpwHJBRU6P6hExxN4qdYWjQDENqzVzi7PY_zAYOXjqe064CYMIP8VwJA3ASET7J2y1OxYJA/s400/29+Jan%252C+20111.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a> </div> </div>Lots of apartment buildings built during the Communist time with modern high rises popping up here and there<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH88EXEarmt31f1F3pKYgxZ2n24dmZp9_7jgWLORWHexHBgJJQjnuLYzELk-fhB04-zLT7fbrMlkBxlCDGHp_KjKXnsa_C759nRC23Rs23e0uJ2Y9cWjPDCB0-YFpdhnFHspcNbQ/s1600/IMG_4227.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH88EXEarmt31f1F3pKYgxZ2n24dmZp9_7jgWLORWHexHBgJJQjnuLYzELk-fhB04-zLT7fbrMlkBxlCDGHp_KjKXnsa_C759nRC23Rs23e0uJ2Y9cWjPDCB0-YFpdhnFHspcNbQ/s320/IMG_4227.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a> </div>Warsaw Uprising monument<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwfLW-VGkCmA0CdlmiytKigksTS87uERPTAu9T7R3fEkFly6U24LxpeCDyR7jVerUN6v5q_Mie0MaFyHpW5-oGdBAiPw423r3PrCMqj25W04E4HXSOgCZqWl0UK2qUzl4TDL5Hyg/s1600/29+Jan%252C+20112.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwfLW-VGkCmA0CdlmiytKigksTS87uERPTAu9T7R3fEkFly6U24LxpeCDyR7jVerUN6v5q_Mie0MaFyHpW5-oGdBAiPw423r3PrCMqj25W04E4HXSOgCZqWl0UK2qUzl4TDL5Hyg/s400/29+Jan%252C+20112.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a> </div>Warsaw was completely destroyed during WWII, just a pile of rubble. Everything was built up again after the war, including Old Town.<br /></div><div style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" alt="Posted by Picasa" style="border: 0px none; padding: 0px; background: none repeat scroll 0% 50% transparent;" align="middle" border="0" /></a></div>jilljenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18051518560523628071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24178567.post-30813177151752427672011-01-27T22:44:00.002+01:002011-01-27T22:47:46.157+01:00Off tomorrowFinished packing, more or less, and we're headed to Poland tomorrow. Our plane doesn't leave until 2, but I have the whole day off, which is so nice. It'll be good to be able to be home until the kids leave for school and be able to take it easy in the morning before we leave.<br /><br />I'm charging the batteries on our good camera, so hopefully I'll have some cool pictures to post here when I get back. In the meantime, here's a silly iPhone pic to tide you over...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSvxDs935L3BbvProbXxSHb24ASosVDwsS1W3rjDH683RnYSU8HS74BIFT5Cp3ebMMIxBfggYQHZjeRwKAQJcSjV2TVgD3pGzFkfjyDOegmLeJYEBfV8BL7ZKMZHcb0sGeILMDDA/s1600/photo.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 60px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSvxDs935L3BbvProbXxSHb24ASosVDwsS1W3rjDH683RnYSU8HS74BIFT5Cp3ebMMIxBfggYQHZjeRwKAQJcSjV2TVgD3pGzFkfjyDOegmLeJYEBfV8BL7ZKMZHcb0sGeILMDDA/s320/photo.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566985607695989986" /></a>jilljenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18051518560523628071noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24178567.post-34824528354038918772011-01-25T18:31:00.005+01:002011-01-25T18:40:36.155+01:00Tuesday evening<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizUO6O11eKMa5fIhWzZsiwzGpDTtgt3Q2dJgC_qkcgZdTz_qQtGnMWBa1F1WhmnUk3vpmIw1omnwi7V1TPYX1D2-AFZoe5DF3F9srX4gGTGgr0L1g7UmFn44OCwCE_Uix_yUWAOg/s1600/IMG_4202.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizUO6O11eKMa5fIhWzZsiwzGpDTtgt3Q2dJgC_qkcgZdTz_qQtGnMWBa1F1WhmnUk3vpmIw1omnwi7V1TPYX1D2-AFZoe5DF3F9srX4gGTGgr0L1g7UmFn44OCwCE_Uix_yUWAOg/s320/IMG_4202.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566179281903817522" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCla8ZGtJ5q7b3ULsapIggsW7U1IcEoQNl6Un2kdg3GoWHof9f97Ec_JwoU8TGLOIn2Jk-qyb8A1niQdqTpaRuu-9OHJcyMsarklu-SCxFFBwvUf1R3alvQTvm26B8iCrWW1j_2g/s1600/IMG_4204.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCla8ZGtJ5q7b3ULsapIggsW7U1IcEoQNl6Un2kdg3GoWHof9f97Ec_JwoU8TGLOIn2Jk-qyb8A1niQdqTpaRuu-9OHJcyMsarklu-SCxFFBwvUf1R3alvQTvm26B8iCrWW1j_2g/s320/IMG_4204.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566178894949844514" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkh7Oxh23QQhHszvGSwZDDs40R_SeMIsudpCMmMoSckWY-UJRWffG6IUs3UTvRfl02TgVaGGXFxNHxmb_iQSHRtYKTLimINKTPUodSrAwO1vkW-4MytSe3URIxdXdwzr1oLPVsMw/s1600/IMG_4205.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkh7Oxh23QQhHszvGSwZDDs40R_SeMIsudpCMmMoSckWY-UJRWffG6IUs3UTvRfl02TgVaGGXFxNHxmb_iQSHRtYKTLimINKTPUodSrAwO1vkW-4MytSe3URIxdXdwzr1oLPVsMw/s320/IMG_4205.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566178474599235074" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYtz8x_pC6-6ON43EmzFmaf9GbqeMxDcaJLqBU0y89i_3JoZ2BzI_iwcuUy4eKM1Yv3kwYqsIf0el1HUm6KgE3ecB4zYTey8Ga_STwQEYnE9pG6u52B8owpcgb1K4u7d6O880QjQ/s1600/IMG_4206.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYtz8x_pC6-6ON43EmzFmaf9GbqeMxDcaJLqBU0y89i_3JoZ2BzI_iwcuUy4eKM1Yv3kwYqsIf0el1HUm6KgE3ecB4zYTey8Ga_STwQEYnE9pG6u52B8owpcgb1K4u7d6O880QjQ/s320/IMG_4206.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566178230210395970" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyXaocAFsFkZOUGZxWjpoERbfioD7hnE0M1zzP9qNRNj9YAaAaqgfygk4T3nIgjMRB6gWoxz5JP9em5eJGnx7vqpo5vnsTdTthmXPHjb9LtiEBpscFSpafGkdgguhsk8CM_tHuow/s1600/Photo+on+2011-01-25+at+18.33.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyXaocAFsFkZOUGZxWjpoERbfioD7hnE0M1zzP9qNRNj9YAaAaqgfygk4T3nIgjMRB6gWoxz5JP9em5eJGnx7vqpo5vnsTdTthmXPHjb9LtiEBpscFSpafGkdgguhsk8CM_tHuow/s320/Photo+on+2011-01-25+at+18.33.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566179700141167570" /></a>jilljenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18051518560523628071noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24178567.post-184407932145045762011-01-15T19:51:00.004+01:002011-01-15T20:07:04.959+01:00PolskaSo, Gaute and I are headed to Warsaw in a couple of weeks. Just a short weekend break from Friday to Sunday. We basically chose Warsaw because we got cheap plane tickets, but I'm pretty excited about the trip. I love travelling - and especially when I get to stay at nice hotels. And Poland is cheap compared to Norway, so we are staying at the <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g274856-d284134-r63612784-InterContinental_Hotel_Warsaw-Warsaw_Central_Poland.html#UR63612784">Intercontinental.</a> Nothing like a 5 star hotel to make me smile...jilljenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18051518560523628071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24178567.post-45423445976258957232011-01-09T16:36:00.003+01:002011-01-09T16:54:36.027+01:00Mmmm, Sunday evening<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHg78jggSdQ3tVySRmLOXmldYeRqzur7h-MllvNsmCsVB1QJK-r91fPWCFrXVfaZWBRSIBOXUQFVLg-jj6FhdHgDqaiwS2ztSNh5BZZxgDhcdePzDWAvVyAEpKgO7ux27kdRwVWg/s1600/IMG_0040.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHg78jggSdQ3tVySRmLOXmldYeRqzur7h-MllvNsmCsVB1QJK-r91fPWCFrXVfaZWBRSIBOXUQFVLg-jj6FhdHgDqaiwS2ztSNh5BZZxgDhcdePzDWAvVyAEpKgO7ux27kdRwVWg/s320/IMG_0040.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560214872583531842" /></a><br />Another weekend is winding down. It's been a nice one. We were all pretty worn out on Friday - it's hard starting back to school after a two week vacation. <br /><br />Yesterday Gaute went skiing for the 4th day in a row. Espen had two indoor soccer games (the first game was a tie, and they won the 2nd one). Anders, Johan and I headed to the mall to get some errands done. We delivered Espen's ski jacket to get the zipper repaired, took my 20 year old winter boots to the shoemaker to glue the heel back in place, returned a shirt Anders got for x-mas that he didn't like, and returned a lamp which wasn't working. And, bought some pencils and erasers for the kids. Lots of little things that I've been putting off doing, which I was very happy that I finally got done.<br /><br />After that, we headed to the grocery store to do "big shopping". I always used to plan a week's menu in advance and buy all of the groceries I needed for the whole week. Since I've started working, I haven't been doing that, and our dinners have been suffering. When I get off work at 4 or 5 and I'm hungry, I often end up buying a frozen pizza at the store on my way home. But, if I know what we're going to eat and the food and the recipe are waiting for me at home, we actually end up eating a healthy, well-rounded meal. So far, so good in 2011...<br /><br />Anders and Gaute went on a big cross-country ski trip today (I think they skied 43 km all together). Espen, Johan and I stayed around home. Espen's girlfriend came over for a while, and then he watched the big game between Manchester United and Liverpool (Liverpool lost...). Johan made a fort in the snow - it's been snowing like crazy yesterday and today. I've been enjoying having a day at home. Got lots of laundry done, cleaned up the house, made dinner for tonight, and got a start on tomorrow night's dinner. And for dessert I made a treacle pie. Haven't tried it before, but it looks good!jilljenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18051518560523628071noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24178567.post-55481754866726730572011-01-02T21:27:00.010+01:002011-01-02T22:13:44.967+01:00Happy New Year!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhteW9lcNqX2uIvcG0t9D0sNe-5n-apgv34LPz40JauWPpC1gxEHDjkelqeSsgeK7n321dRKRXNjb8pDogrpq9Jkv_ybNp2R6HjWtW72PPkdfiuYD0IntwJmmzAlLUABlIZURK1OQ/s1600/IMG_0023.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhteW9lcNqX2uIvcG0t9D0sNe-5n-apgv34LPz40JauWPpC1gxEHDjkelqeSsgeK7n321dRKRXNjb8pDogrpq9Jkv_ybNp2R6HjWtW72PPkdfiuYD0IntwJmmzAlLUABlIZURK1OQ/s320/IMG_0023.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557692671274951474" /></a><br /><br />I feel like I was just writing about how vacation was just starting and now tomorrow is the last day. It's been a nice vacation, though. I feel like I've had enough time to relax, and we've been relatively social, too.<br /><br />Christmas Eve was spent at Kari and Grim's house, as usual. Kari made a nice traditional Norwegian Christmas dinner and Grim dressed up as Julenissen and came to the door with presents for the kids. It was a nice evening. <br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhapphznZzjO1bbizHzFDuO80aQdN1p10FuRTZQF0kyVZxphPenT8zRDll-hv_3j9Lwg9VSkiy-VsWv7bIWqWU2nSR-WQ7f7CMwk35yEFkVJDbCK74J1k4H_3b9cyOxwFGGIWKh4Q/s1600/IMG_4108.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhapphznZzjO1bbizHzFDuO80aQdN1p10FuRTZQF0kyVZxphPenT8zRDll-hv_3j9Lwg9VSkiy-VsWv7bIWqWU2nSR-WQ7f7CMwk35yEFkVJDbCK74J1k4H_3b9cyOxwFGGIWKh4Q/s320/IMG_4108.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557689544001317490" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiirvyYbXiCV5wJwOfrSgFuow5ZU1web8q8O-1_noFrCQT1PyudRp_Unt6d5wKzWPqJPiUq6AslylZYFMX0y1Xu2FdrWdkcOyQCvOVqAG3ggqz6r-WqZr8vV4VN_85kl1AgIaKYgQ/s1600/IMG_4110.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiirvyYbXiCV5wJwOfrSgFuow5ZU1web8q8O-1_noFrCQT1PyudRp_Unt6d5wKzWPqJPiUq6AslylZYFMX0y1Xu2FdrWdkcOyQCvOVqAG3ggqz6r-WqZr8vV4VN_85kl1AgIaKYgQ/s320/IMG_4110.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557689872188833714" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXeS0IHFYnNBE0qxz6hGBDG2Ffh4NqtkbDE54w3HMgyFm9Ox4SsXlJMBoYWP44ln5OeU7fVCgwYRUSQUlLv7ohk0dJ3eMns9eGPYvcP6FX1wYSC1F6onBKMuwt7m7LnMTROYYK9A/s1600/IMG_4121.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXeS0IHFYnNBE0qxz6hGBDG2Ffh4NqtkbDE54w3HMgyFm9Ox4SsXlJMBoYWP44ln5OeU7fVCgwYRUSQUlLv7ohk0dJ3eMns9eGPYvcP6FX1wYSC1F6onBKMuwt7m7LnMTROYYK9A/s320/IMG_4121.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557690249908900178" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiZGwhjpreMaZQtxJ3Dkh8NN7QtloL0Wdx5ztV5MgsrSG1-EYzjzBZOw06R-TaJgdkBjxH3UiYFwzX69NQktu0_iwNbBxJVd4hfiuOcQczcnRFVPVt7nvBhDpv5mUypAVIu6yv3w/s1600/IMG_4154.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiZGwhjpreMaZQtxJ3Dkh8NN7QtloL0Wdx5ztV5MgsrSG1-EYzjzBZOw06R-TaJgdkBjxH3UiYFwzX69NQktu0_iwNbBxJVd4hfiuOcQczcnRFVPVt7nvBhDpv5mUypAVIu6yv3w/s320/IMG_4154.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557690742884704386" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBPd3SL2-EzM-tGCO3Y1r9dHMdmezzuRYPiUW7qYMlKw6FzCOawjAi1lgmjLoPDyvoY9dz7CgFK0R7GwijCXJaAafSTQSKMEcdPW1DIdimXstUsfkYTavh34Vb9MFwdNLEuEQygQ/s1600/IMG_4155.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBPd3SL2-EzM-tGCO3Y1r9dHMdmezzuRYPiUW7qYMlKw6FzCOawjAi1lgmjLoPDyvoY9dz7CgFK0R7GwijCXJaAafSTQSKMEcdPW1DIdimXstUsfkYTavh34Vb9MFwdNLEuEQygQ/s320/IMG_4155.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557691047437814882" /></a><br /><br />Later we went home and hung up the stockings. Anders and Johan each wrote notes for Santa which they left with the cookies. They don't <span style="font-style:italic;">really</span> believe in Santa anymore, but they're not quite ready to take any chances. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhimLrWjbfM4DSM-JrJH94U-hRmpDjZhzTfDN6H64UK8WEtcpsAVLvFsLsAVCDUhKLQpetytCroTzDj0Z8c-HVRQiPa4Io7YVKQXuyO5Qtk12r8hYFPB2QrF6_7JjA-KtFlfFNWxA/s1600/IMG_4161.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhimLrWjbfM4DSM-JrJH94U-hRmpDjZhzTfDN6H64UK8WEtcpsAVLvFsLsAVCDUhKLQpetytCroTzDj0Z8c-HVRQiPa4Io7YVKQXuyO5Qtk12r8hYFPB2QrF6_7JjA-KtFlfFNWxA/s320/IMG_4161.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557691506642011122" /></a><br /><br />Christmas day started bright and early. Everyone was thrilled with their gifts, but Anders and Espen didn't sleep much at all the night before, so they were pretty out of it by early afternoon. We had Kari and Grim over for a Christmas brunch, and after they left, we all pretty much passed out :-)<br /><br />The next day, Sindre and his kids were in town. Sindre turned 50 on January 1st, and since he wasn't going to be in town on his actual birthday, he took us all out to a nice celebration dinner on the 26th. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2EHb8I8osSURBDGz2waVqC-ANgztcozexjx6n2yv-Q-kw2pK8DITzz4cXTVfQmylr49or8mcaiZsmC6qcBIp-TWT1sn8nxhATyvK6yvH7Cv617ROitW3LnzcBO9NfykA1cBtgmw/s1600/IMG_0021.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2EHb8I8osSURBDGz2waVqC-ANgztcozexjx6n2yv-Q-kw2pK8DITzz4cXTVfQmylr49or8mcaiZsmC6qcBIp-TWT1sn8nxhATyvK6yvH7Cv617ROitW3LnzcBO9NfykA1cBtgmw/s320/IMG_0021.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557692257672488114" /></a><br /><br />I don't have photographic documentation of the rest of my vacation, but that doesn't mean we didn't have fun. On the 28th, my friend Sandra from Salt Lake came for dinner with her Norwegian husband and kids. They just moved to southern France from Salt Lake at the end of summer, and were in Norway spending Christmas with Bjorn's (her husband's) family. I haven't seen Sandra for 8 years, and it was really fun to have them over. <br /><br />The last big event was New Year's Eve. We invited quite a few people over, but it was pretty last minute, and most people had other plans. We did end up having two people over, though, and it was a nice evening. Almost everyone in Norway makes a turkey for New Year's Eve, and since we didn't celebrate Thanksgiving this year, we made a Thanksgiving dinner for New Year's. Tasted delicious! <br /><br />And now there's only one day left. The nice thing is that we start back to school on Tuesday, so this Sunday night isn't like a real Sunday night. It feels like we get a bonus day.<br /><br />Happy New Year, everyone!jilljenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18051518560523628071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24178567.post-14236900530874925652010-12-24T09:44:00.008+01:002010-12-24T10:36:03.272+01:00Christmas Eve<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ_uz3rgTwLoi4JvP7ZM2AOq_OPSBr4va79RUtsTfuprg4-meKo8i7vbM4_Pj3l-89unDUz-wqg7PnsJb5zekKam0Aji46khldt5J5Q-5L77VtyK_iiemIR0vRnyTBE5nqxOg_qw/s1600/IMG_4089.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ_uz3rgTwLoi4JvP7ZM2AOq_OPSBr4va79RUtsTfuprg4-meKo8i7vbM4_Pj3l-89unDUz-wqg7PnsJb5zekKam0Aji46khldt5J5Q-5L77VtyK_iiemIR0vRnyTBE5nqxOg_qw/s320/IMG_4089.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5554177457015804978" /></a><br />Well, we made it to Christmas Eve, and I think everything is under control. Going to make some fudge today and make sure the house is picked up and clean. The kids have a few small presents that they are going to deliver to their friends, and we have an azalea that we're going to give to our neighbor next door. I realized that we don't have any Rice Krispies to make Rice Krispie treats, and they only sell them at one or two stores in Oslo, so I'm sending Gaute out on a Rice Krispie run. <br /><br />It's sunny and cold today, just like it has been pretty much every day since the beginning of November. Snow on the ground, and it feels like Christmas.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyAnD3eTrFuSdZzV6KiUzn5e3niKF3STBMIrUzNZU7iGp76eSxYd1Eh5MVS8huHYigSGOqF0GdTgjLEc6U3aQyX31Mk_7W6K-YDSUgKga3kCUnmCH12rnFu2kBDb3UgMebm2e7lQ/s1600/IMG_4064.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyAnD3eTrFuSdZzV6KiUzn5e3niKF3STBMIrUzNZU7iGp76eSxYd1Eh5MVS8huHYigSGOqF0GdTgjLEc6U3aQyX31Mk_7W6K-YDSUgKga3kCUnmCH12rnFu2kBDb3UgMebm2e7lQ/s320/IMG_4064.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5554178098071196130" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj488S3GToFtETsFSicJraBrAqIm6qfk9eBMRNrijVW4_lfD3iHzOAli0Y6sTkumOMiQ76g61CW80fhS8T0-lhsrueXkqpBBans1sbQ-NLFWGFzh2-ZrSTM5cXECtpLEPC4hjDs0Q/s1600/IMG_4066.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj488S3GToFtETsFSicJraBrAqIm6qfk9eBMRNrijVW4_lfD3iHzOAli0Y6sTkumOMiQ76g61CW80fhS8T0-lhsrueXkqpBBans1sbQ-NLFWGFzh2-ZrSTM5cXECtpLEPC4hjDs0Q/s320/IMG_4066.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5554178725260452898" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Gp97exhB-GTzm0707lNO3vlIZiHb3qn2C2F5TauVotgdsBWQXDm7_sJ1VfrTfxjPfpXvveEUT0LUEbAyt6LB6PLUJpgcqqwnIt-r14R1p26zVeWzBVoomJ6jxywiViBt_S96gA/s1600/IMG_4074.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Gp97exhB-GTzm0707lNO3vlIZiHb3qn2C2F5TauVotgdsBWQXDm7_sJ1VfrTfxjPfpXvveEUT0LUEbAyt6LB6PLUJpgcqqwnIt-r14R1p26zVeWzBVoomJ6jxywiViBt_S96gA/s320/IMG_4074.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5554179498361768962" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixaiuDsiFQjXa6K8C6xpSemqDr-KyFXAiVToi6-d4S1eDqSno0WXwK8whadf21-GcHfU-4nMPU5vN3jIeByw4XICtWrt4-78Vshyu2Sz0yCF68ds6bui288tIeDDHpoc0LbI_pvA/s1600/IMG_4104.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixaiuDsiFQjXa6K8C6xpSemqDr-KyFXAiVToi6-d4S1eDqSno0WXwK8whadf21-GcHfU-4nMPU5vN3jIeByw4XICtWrt4-78Vshyu2Sz0yCF68ds6bui288tIeDDHpoc0LbI_pvA/s320/IMG_4104.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5554179974807419378" /></a>jilljenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18051518560523628071noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24178567.post-49734318526345390092010-12-21T16:32:00.004+01:002010-12-21T16:44:33.177+01:00Christmas vacationYippeee! Today was the last day of school, so Christmas vacation has officially started. No work until Tuesday, January 4th. I was really ready for a vacation now. Not a day too soon...<br /><br />Last night we put up the Christmas tree. Late by American standards, but in Norway, the tree doesn't go up until the 23rd. So basically, we didn't get it right according to any standards :-)<br /><br />Anders and Johan have been counting and sorting the presents under the tree today. Brings back good memories from my youth...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihinn2cY4pddt8SCRQeFVPTCPTbyznsXowCgL4jjvoeWxBQo4Qn43A0fA2qEIHgnNjW4LIB3VAw6XpPZDL13hYiMcXbWWPJlS8rsqxHbUvOaI3_pGop6i6hCYZyRMipT50ZFDzlA/s1600/IMG_4059.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihinn2cY4pddt8SCRQeFVPTCPTbyznsXowCgL4jjvoeWxBQo4Qn43A0fA2qEIHgnNjW4LIB3VAw6XpPZDL13hYiMcXbWWPJlS8rsqxHbUvOaI3_pGop6i6hCYZyRMipT50ZFDzlA/s320/IMG_4059.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553161496848377650" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3ceseZgWqlMuwmi1wueMCu8HrV4tQGH0u6dVR89IIqNnXvG6wTbxZzDCR9tfb1-zw2aHvoLc1xsS8vYD57rPYU0_cJESr25mLNjxq-GPcKE-kaY3X1SheTlb359M8zY-fv1i8Pg/s1600/IMG_4062.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3ceseZgWqlMuwmi1wueMCu8HrV4tQGH0u6dVR89IIqNnXvG6wTbxZzDCR9tfb1-zw2aHvoLc1xsS8vYD57rPYU0_cJESr25mLNjxq-GPcKE-kaY3X1SheTlb359M8zY-fv1i8Pg/s320/IMG_4062.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553161785939673698" /></a><br /><br />By the way, the iPhone 4 I'm getting for Christmas arrived today.jilljenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18051518560523628071noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24178567.post-91357212970222978302010-12-18T10:50:00.002+01:002010-12-18T11:00:21.899+01:00Snow storm<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjy12xflbgi_pmycoGqvKcqlgterTiwDwXyiQz5JHxdhInaMKN_B3lkje1Ie1i_efAYHTxUXYcwifnaNhb7zv73f1Lzb9EDmt6r9uIXhuaCzOk6ujUiNyPfP4g5Vr1rRE9aULQMQ/s1600/IMG_4054.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjy12xflbgi_pmycoGqvKcqlgterTiwDwXyiQz5JHxdhInaMKN_B3lkje1Ie1i_efAYHTxUXYcwifnaNhb7zv73f1Lzb9EDmt6r9uIXhuaCzOk6ujUiNyPfP4g5Vr1rRE9aULQMQ/s320/IMG_4054.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551957728743745314" /></a><br />Well, not a storm exactly, but it is snowing outside, and it has been on and off since yesterday. It will definitely be a white Christmas here this year. We've had snow on the ground since the middle of November, and that is not the norm here in Oslo. The white snow makes it seem less dark, so everyone's pretty happy about it.<br /><br />Slowly but surely, I feel like I'm getting ready for Christmas. I long for the days when December was a fun, festive month. The last few years, it's felt incredibly stressful. I had a slight meltdown last night, when I found out that Gaute put off buying my Christmas present (iPhone 4) too long, and that it won't be here until after Christmas. I think I will survive, though :-).<br /><br />Tonight we're all going to see a movie (not sure which one yet) and then out to dinner afterwards (probably at TGI Fridays or Hard Rock Cafe). Espen's girlfriend is coming with us, too, so Espen is pretty happy. Espen and Malene celebrated their 10 month anniversary a few weeks ago. <br /><br />Well, time to go blowdry my hair and put on some makeup. Busy day today!jilljenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18051518560523628071noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24178567.post-53170211864534872152010-12-15T07:13:00.005+01:002010-12-15T07:23:36.514+01:00Johan's BirthdayYesterday was Johan's 10th birthday. True to tradition, we woke him up with the Happy Birthday song and a cinnamon roll with a candle on top.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0ULhpotEQSZ3TnzHYtUH203If-1mZqaAOcW6rySOrrFtJRhrBeVewPMpS8GqSrusvXrIog0zTn0f8qLIuUUcM5NBNhiJT25J8wkMybWoaDM4l8pS3dWqKWVx7blKO5Ut9dL9UgQ/s1600/IMG_4036.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0ULhpotEQSZ3TnzHYtUH203If-1mZqaAOcW6rySOrrFtJRhrBeVewPMpS8GqSrusvXrIog0zTn0f8qLIuUUcM5NBNhiJT25J8wkMybWoaDM4l8pS3dWqKWVx7blKO5Ut9dL9UgQ/s320/IMG_4036.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550788388949857554" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRf6n5ylChE_OAYEwCRHEESgIPZiXvPtR5vHn4tLXUf8wCyvTbVk2FaBuTmqE9rkuMY6gb4DRNe3DRtA6CUZl6MVh-EjTyLSjGgKVdsJuyWXdbvYa2xRoZjqQYG-ddviTBnq1mSQ/s1600/IMG_4037.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRf6n5ylChE_OAYEwCRHEESgIPZiXvPtR5vHn4tLXUf8wCyvTbVk2FaBuTmqE9rkuMY6gb4DRNe3DRtA6CUZl6MVh-EjTyLSjGgKVdsJuyWXdbvYa2xRoZjqQYG-ddviTBnq1mSQ/s320/IMG_4037.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550788659768646962" /></a><br /><br />Johan finally got what he has been waiting for for a long time - a "one-piece", a kind of jumpsuit made out of fleece with a zipper that goes all the way up the hood. He has been waiting for one of these since before summer vacation, and he was VERY happy when he finally got it yesterday :-). <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYD0Xs4ZPMAeYI5ctxg6zlYHS77a74spwaLijOU3aAVx5u-cjGTuSwhlKLspGE4nAdA4ucDKH9Edz7udefTATvNs8Tdw4njL9z3pJbXE22JivRkodgDN05PjarBC9Fqsoq7Ebjuw/s1600/IMG_4039.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYD0Xs4ZPMAeYI5ctxg6zlYHS77a74spwaLijOU3aAVx5u-cjGTuSwhlKLspGE4nAdA4ucDKH9Edz7udefTATvNs8Tdw4njL9z3pJbXE22JivRkodgDN05PjarBC9Fqsoq7Ebjuw/s320/IMG_4039.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550789898207724066" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbN9Jhan1MKDGIr9VTcYIe9mc5c_bUokaDAkT5rs1Eiv_jr4OBmXccZ-SzkgvFNv6lQUn097y7_p9u_11FyEdY1mzL8djZQK-YqAJZcc8AOwdmSmzACo8Rf_VGMv_K9YJU2kKhIA/s1600/IMG_4043.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbN9Jhan1MKDGIr9VTcYIe9mc5c_bUokaDAkT5rs1Eiv_jr4OBmXccZ-SzkgvFNv6lQUn097y7_p9u_11FyEdY1mzL8djZQK-YqAJZcc8AOwdmSmzACo8Rf_VGMv_K9YJU2kKhIA/s320/IMG_4043.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550790362788088402" /></a><br /><br />After his birthday dinner of cheese tortellini, Bestemor and Bestefar came over for chocolate cake. Johan declared it one of his best birthdays ever!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnqaC6ZaXse2slCtH9wzryLP78vtMnt86HAjnZaLia88u2mIjgErfPleuNjbwOW4dITV8NONavqXM5EwDr0-f4xPkVwM8LSBbELqUeW_FVOW80Kh1d_IqdxUxvqqF7JlJrCHp7cA/s1600/IMG_4047.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnqaC6ZaXse2slCtH9wzryLP78vtMnt86HAjnZaLia88u2mIjgErfPleuNjbwOW4dITV8NONavqXM5EwDr0-f4xPkVwM8LSBbELqUeW_FVOW80Kh1d_IqdxUxvqqF7JlJrCHp7cA/s320/IMG_4047.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550790574736782770" /></a>jilljenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18051518560523628071noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24178567.post-10513887011693925992010-12-13T19:34:00.004+01:002010-12-13T19:48:39.862+01:002 days in a rowNot much going on tonight. Tomorrow is Johan's birthday, and he is very excited. He didn't fall asleep until after 11 last night, and both he and Anders are pretty wired this evening. <br /><br />But, now the birthday cake is in the oven, and things have calmed down a bit. Espen is at football practice, and Anders is working on his math homework.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiDoR8B2eRjW3en9gbVrbS0fjYke5mLwK-sIIrs_U9Gx9e17rr9z7TmsgqrcQYrEDZtrQrGGF8dB3f_huuAlUO8u1Y0iQT6l0olHJdrOZpcCPYvua-iY3obg8DzMSAzo0Ie8aqxQ/s1600/IMG_4028.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiDoR8B2eRjW3en9gbVrbS0fjYke5mLwK-sIIrs_U9Gx9e17rr9z7TmsgqrcQYrEDZtrQrGGF8dB3f_huuAlUO8u1Y0iQT6l0olHJdrOZpcCPYvua-iY3obg8DzMSAzo0Ie8aqxQ/s320/IMG_4028.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550238946088279042" /></a><br /><br />Johan and Gaute are watching the Discovery channel. Soon time for Johan to take a shower and wash his hair. And then Anders, Johan and I are going to watch the final episode of our favorite outdoor reality show, 71 Degrees North. Should be an exciting finale...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP6h9geUKxDLPP65LJZ9Msh9uQEDCxIKzKFDwy-X-TKH5BMXtEmGAXuQsBbGmdcVlYZq8P57OpNYA9FzlnLfeXa7JzwIJoQtxSGR9BMv-pT6OcCfeWMZqILXytCcDl2iteiReidQ/s1600/IMG_4033.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP6h9geUKxDLPP65LJZ9Msh9uQEDCxIKzKFDwy-X-TKH5BMXtEmGAXuQsBbGmdcVlYZq8P57OpNYA9FzlnLfeXa7JzwIJoQtxSGR9BMv-pT6OcCfeWMZqILXytCcDl2iteiReidQ/s320/IMG_4033.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550240393982277970" /></a>jilljenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18051518560523628071noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24178567.post-12371422045693522612010-12-12T18:56:00.005+01:002010-12-12T19:11:24.101+01:00I'm back......at least for now. I haven't blogged for almost a year, and I've kind of missed it lately, so here goes - again.<br /><br />Last night was our work Christmas party. It was at a restaurant downtown, and it was pretty fun, despite the fact they were about an hour and a half late serving us our food. I had my camera with me, and we took lots of pictures, but I promised everyone that I wouldn't post any pics online, so all you get to see is a cropped picture of me :-) <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5TG6P-S2QsggZTKY062bBqXrec2lTF6X6OqjkYZZbpwnVMo1N9L7HFxeDF9VGfA2IlfXKLXPZu4P81BiL0obz4WhzwGM5acBaskplt-3QVUqmvib4nZnCGSJjW9HPHhwDGFPj9A/s1600/IMG_3911.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 259px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5TG6P-S2QsggZTKY062bBqXrec2lTF6X6OqjkYZZbpwnVMo1N9L7HFxeDF9VGfA2IlfXKLXPZu4P81BiL0obz4WhzwGM5acBaskplt-3QVUqmvib4nZnCGSJjW9HPHhwDGFPj9A/s320/IMG_3911.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549857253073577954" /></a><br /><br />This being Norway, the party didn't break up until the wee hours of the morning. My friend Linda and I made a 3 am stop at McDonalds to get some grease in our systems before we went and waited in line for a taxi. Waiting in line outside for a taxi when it's freezing cold, the middle of the night and you're wearing party clothes is not the funnest thing in the world, but we finally got a ride home. I got home at about 4 in the morning, so most of today has been spent on the sofa.<br /><br />We just finished dinner a little while ago, but it was just Gaute, Johan and me tonight. Espen is eating at his girlfriend's house and Anders is at a birthday party.<br /><br />One more full week of school, and then school on Monday and Tuesday of next week, and THEN it's Christmas vacation! Can't wait!<br /><br />It's the 3rd Sunday in Advent today, and just like everyone else in Norway, we have 3 purple candles lit tonight (purple is the color of Advent, according to Norwegian tradition). <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwXfM7xmAb84BYbStTe7na-V28rtmsTeD7zUpZuFamk7N2E9HGAh3CPg6MLyJ3yt2Ahtfqy5fa8n5SnhkwU2cYJFN528lWawlIlB7YAK7UIpJ6Oum33XXLQvj7GAy44F5ds9jFyQ/s1600/IMG_4016.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwXfM7xmAb84BYbStTe7na-V28rtmsTeD7zUpZuFamk7N2E9HGAh3CPg6MLyJ3yt2Ahtfqy5fa8n5SnhkwU2cYJFN528lWawlIlB7YAK7UIpJ6Oum33XXLQvj7GAy44F5ds9jFyQ/s320/IMG_4016.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549859625075476386" /></a>jilljenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18051518560523628071noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24178567.post-75778134698183958702010-02-16T19:40:00.003+01:002010-02-16T19:43:08.472+01:00Taking a breakNot really sure if anyone checks this blog anymore, since I haven't posted anything for a really long time. I want to keep in touch with everyone and let everyone know what's going on around here, but Facebook is a much funner way to do it. Sooo - if you want to know what's going on, then you'd better friend me on Facebook :-)jilljenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18051518560523628071noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24178567.post-69200814496216991952010-01-08T19:59:00.002+01:002010-01-08T20:05:25.037+01:00Diesel, baby<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5R8G9Gew-ye_xstgUaQ1D8wOJIH69D8yEBNvHW7a89sL7xf4YSWnyA-Hm8V0v4FCdfpfV3SJ-qZpsHQqUyFnSvZbJMyba4MbCgSFGSun25A7Csso2foncbwGPckr0i8yMwJB8rw/s1600-h/49_-1995270721.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5R8G9Gew-ye_xstgUaQ1D8wOJIH69D8yEBNvHW7a89sL7xf4YSWnyA-Hm8V0v4FCdfpfV3SJ-qZpsHQqUyFnSvZbJMyba4MbCgSFGSun25A7Csso2foncbwGPckr0i8yMwJB8rw/s320/49_-1995270721.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424447020369816594" /></a><br />A little note to my post yesterday. I've been googling Jettas this evening, and I see that there are many reviews of the 2009 Jetta TDI, which is what I am buying. And the reviews of it are pretty great. It's a turbo diesel, which they claim gets as much as 40 mpg, performing great at the same time. Oh, yes...<br /><br />In Norway, Jettas aren't popular at all. Volkswagens are super popular, but sedans are totally out. Everyone around here wants either a station wagon or a hatchback, and anything else is uninteresting. Kind of lame, but, on the other hand, it means that I got a really good deal on this Jetta, which I like!jilljenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18051518560523628071noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24178567.post-51179784882216541622010-01-07T21:43:00.005+01:002010-01-07T22:00:26.113+01:00New car<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDzw2gjcNuh8S0HLsQqIO9ygcDk9cS9zt3E7WnTud30E8Nyj6xU-p4P75gBjUNgxDOBp0Hj-_txlF8YKDsU2wawAyDDSjLE1DiW-HKaDPLHV0z8DRgvhLjcCEn7bs__WAUHhkTBA/s1600-h/49_-718760342.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDzw2gjcNuh8S0HLsQqIO9ygcDk9cS9zt3E7WnTud30E8Nyj6xU-p4P75gBjUNgxDOBp0Hj-_txlF8YKDsU2wawAyDDSjLE1DiW-HKaDPLHV0z8DRgvhLjcCEn7bs__WAUHhkTBA/s320/49_-718760342.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424104700768164882" /></a><br />So, I bought a new car today. Excitement, excitement... Actually it's not a brand new car, but a 1-year-old VW Jetta (I've always loved Jettas...). We've been thinking about buying a new car for a while now. Gaute's 15-year-old Volvo is falling apart and didn't pass its last inspection, so it is pretty much done for after February, when the registration expires. My car is 5-years-old, and still runs and looks great, but it's starting to run into those 5-year-old car problems which have a tendency to show up (at the moment, my parking brake isn't working, for example). So, first we thought we would buy a new car for Gaute, something about 4-5 years old, in fairly decent shape. He was actually all set to buy a car, and the deal fell through, and the his motivation was gone. Then we started thinking that maybe we could get by with one car for a while, and get a new family car instead. So we started looking at Volvo V70s, which are really nice, but not so cheap. We found one that we liked, and had the dealership give us a trade-in price for my car, which was ridiculously low. And the car we wanted was really pushing our limits.<br /><br />So, then Gaute came up with a great idea. We could buy a new "commuter car" for me, and my Renault could be our 2nd car, which he can use. My car is pretty big, with lots of room for when we go to our cabin and stuff, and runs fine (just have to get that pesky brake fixed). And I really wanted a car with an automatic transmission for when I sit in traffic on my way to work. I'm pretty happy - I think this was a good compromise. Now I get a new car, and Gaute gets a car, too. If we would have bought the Volvo, we would have spent more money, and Gaute wouldn't have had a car. Plus, the Volvo was smaller than the Renault. Now we have a big car with room for 7 people (as long as two of them are midgets) plus a mid-size car with room for 5 people. <br /><br />Anyway, this has been a rambling post, but hopefully you get the gist of things. I don't have my car yet, they're going to give it a service checkup and stuff, but I have been promised the car by the end of next week. Here are some pics of the car from the online ad:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4O1MaFDteLNK8nWo4quMmnwCgK_iCoJSEfIpie8bZTfqoEl4p6kUfzuyu8NolhLzY8UGu5fKNaQHXlavFMWDLvplC6Lfph0FnwFxxLv2Tq67OO94DE19kCyeDg0atSr641jiDKw/s1600-h/49_-2092067141.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4O1MaFDteLNK8nWo4quMmnwCgK_iCoJSEfIpie8bZTfqoEl4p6kUfzuyu8NolhLzY8UGu5fKNaQHXlavFMWDLvplC6Lfph0FnwFxxLv2Tq67OO94DE19kCyeDg0atSr641jiDKw/s320/49_-2092067141.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424105017086722018" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir1wFGZ0W7r1sGfUDeYZ1s_QE1YF9XsbcYkmeSiOnOlWXljQgrPkYxausmQg9qRQCPMp5f9FrpeCzdzvdraMrK1Lu03LZPASWpH772ooArHzIxvjN9jlQ6ArTaYXNSrMSG5chv0w/s1600-h/49_1444125163.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir1wFGZ0W7r1sGfUDeYZ1s_QE1YF9XsbcYkmeSiOnOlWXljQgrPkYxausmQg9qRQCPMp5f9FrpeCzdzvdraMrK1Lu03LZPASWpH772ooArHzIxvjN9jlQ6ArTaYXNSrMSG5chv0w/s320/49_1444125163.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424105255935195490" /></a>jilljenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18051518560523628071noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24178567.post-32616187423537521782010-01-06T20:09:00.004+01:002010-01-06T20:20:20.872+01:00Twenty-ten (otherwise known as two thousand and ten)2010...It's kind of hard to believe I'm still alive. When I was a kid, 2010 sounded like it was sooo far in the future, that I couldn't really imagine what life would be like. Was pretty sure that we would be riding in hover cars and that robots would be cleaning our house. But here I am with a car with 4 tires and a Polish cleaning lady...<br /><br />Christmas vacation is over, and I started back to work this week. I was actually kind of looking forward to getting back to work. And I have had a nice week at work. What hasn't been so great is the feeling of total exhaustion that I have had every evening when I get home. We were staying up really late every night during vacation, and sleeping in really late. My body has gone into shock this week, getting up at 6 every morning. I'm hoping that my sleep habits will adjust themselves soon, so that life feels a bit more normal.<br /><br />It's been super cold here this week. Today it was -20 Celsius (-4 Fahrenheit) pretty much all day. Makes me happy that I got a new down jacket for Christmas!jilljenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18051518560523628071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24178567.post-35430166238166535832009-12-28T10:44:00.002+01:002009-12-28T10:53:01.049+01:00Off to the cabinChristmas is over. It was, as usual, a high-technological Christmas for the Langaas family. Two iPhones, two mini-laptops and a Wii. No one has any reason to complain, at least. And thankfully, they're not. <br /><br />Unfortunately for them, we have a low-tech cabin, where no laptops or game consoles are allowed. (Actually, iPhones are allowed, though. And we do have a TV and DVD player there.) The plan for the next few days is to do lots of skiing and relaxing. Everyone got new books, too, so there will be reading.<br /><br />We are going to celebrate New Year's the same way we have since we got the cabin. A yummy dinner of cheese fondue followed by bottle rockets and other cool fireworks in the snow. It's almost always super cold up there this week after Christmas, and it's supposed to be just as cold this year. And sunny and nice. With lots of snow. Should be a good week.<br /><br />We'll be back on Saturday - and then back to work/school on Monday. Two weeks vacation isn't that much, actually.jilljenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18051518560523628071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24178567.post-31390148000100521892009-12-24T12:39:00.002+01:002009-12-24T12:47:12.764+01:00Christmas eveIt's been snowing hard since I woke up this morning. Very Christmas-like in Oslo this Christmas Eve. I got the rest of the baking done this morning, now I just have some presents to wrap and then I can relax. I recorded Christmas Vacation last night, so I think I'm going to force the kids to watch it with me. It's important that they're familiar with all of Chevy Chase's greatest works.<br /><br />Yesterday, while Gaute was "working", I took the kids to see A Christmas Carol. I really liked it a lot, but Anders and Johan thought it was pretty scary. Johan held my hand through most of the film, and Anders had his eyes closed a lot of the time. We saw the 3D version, but what I didn't think about until we got there, was that 3D is not easy for Espen. His eyes can't focus well enough to be able to get the 3D effect. The movie actually looked better without the glasses on than with them. And if you've ever watched a 3D movie without the glasses on, then you can imagine how much fun it was for Espen.<br /><br />The plan is to go see Avatar on the 26th, and I think we'll see the 2D version.jilljenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18051518560523628071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24178567.post-29607074929790908232009-12-22T16:07:00.002+01:002009-12-22T20:29:08.351+01:00Merry ChristmasWasn't really sure if I was going to pull it off this year, but it looks like we might have Christmas after all. We got the tree up and decorated last night, the gingerbread house is all set, and I even made some Christmas cookies today. Yesterday, I did had a marathon shopping trip, and I think I have everything now. I'm trying to convince myself that what I have is enough, and not rush out tomorrow to pick up a few more gifts. The kids' stockings are big, though...<br /><br />Tomorrow, I'm taking the kids to see A Christmas Carol. The last few years, we've had tickets to see the Nutcracker on the 23rd, but this year, I didn't get my butt in gear early enough, and it was sold out. So, we'll be seeing a movie this year instead of a ballet. The kids are probably happier, but I know they think it's fun to get all dressed up and go to the opera house. I know that I like it, at least.<br /><br />Merry, merry Christmas, everyone!jilljenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18051518560523628071noreply@blogger.com1