What we love and what we don't love

I have been making this list in my head for quite some time now. I can't help but compare this assignment to all of our other ones. I needed to get this down on paper...and I thought...why not put it on my blog? We have been having fun at school activities, birthday parties, base events and just being a family here in this kick ass house. I usually post the pics of all that everyday stuff on FB lately. Thought I could give you all an idea of what it is like to live here...not just visit.... ENJOY!

Pros of living in Norway:

-Absolutely beautiful, nature all around you, everyday. Water, trees, animals, doesn’t get nicer than here. God's country for sure.
-Our house, and its view of Hafrsfjord is just beautiful. The size of this house really helps me to organize and to simplify...we got rid of a lot of stuff both before and after the move. So much easier to find things. Kids can roll on their push cars across the floor, run around, skip...they love the space.
-New friends...we have some great friends, who like to laugh loudly, who do not get embarrassed easily and who are just a hoot to be around. Our kind of people!! The social events are fun, I am getting out with the girls a lot more, which is good for my sanity!
-Avery’s school is really unbelieveable. I volunteered to be a room mom (had no idea how much work that is....rookie) and the parent involvement is amazing. She is in Kindergarten without being in Kindergarten yet and to Avery....that is a great thing...she was made for a program like this.
-Very low crime rate, little kids walk to school alone! You can leave more than a 4 foot radius from your child, kids are taught to be very independent here because they CAN BE. Nothing really happens around here. The walking & bike trails are so extensive, you can literally walk EVERYWHERE if you really wanted to. School buses all have seatbelts and are the huge touring buses. The drivers are always dressed up in ties and all blue collar workers here actually take their jobs very seriously. I have yet to really see any deadbeats, or druggies, or homeless or shady people. They are NOT here and if they are, they are NOT where you can see them, even downtown.
-Close to the beach, Tahoe is happy. So am I. We can see the North Sea from our house, past the fjord. What a view!
-Being in Europe, need I say more?
-Excellent quality of food, meat, dairy, bakery, produce. Food shopping variety is less than the USA but the quality and laws made to protect the consumer are incredible. Gorgeous meats, fruits, veggies WOW. I love to go food shopping but I leave a LOT of money there. That is ok because I will invest in quality food and my family's health any day.
-Excellent medical care & access to care. They use alternative & traditional medicine. They care a lot about nutrition and exercise. They try to solve your problems naturally or alternatively first, rather than just writing out a Rx. They practice functional medicine...they don't try to put a label on everything....I LOVE THAT! Plus their vaccine schedule is completely different than ours. Norway gives only HALF of the shots the USA gives before the age of 5, yet their kids are healthier....and as a whole has decreased infant/child mortality rates. Norway is #5 in the world with the healthiest kids. USA is #35. We need to take note...Norway has a lot to teach us.
-Excellent job benefits. I am in the process of getting my dental license and it won’t take a lot of paperwork to do it. Plus after 6 months of working, I become “Norwegian” in a sense and start benefitting from their socialized work benefits. More to come on that, as I learn more.
-Excellent outdoor sports, activities. Norwegians go out in any weather and have the most excellent cold weather gear ($$$$ but it's worth it). These kids are conditioned from birth to withstand the cold & rain. Their preschools get them OUT every single day for 1-2 hours EACH DAY regardless of the weather. Heavy downpour in winter or snowstorm....these kids are OUTSIDE. Except in lightning storms, they are OUT. Avery’s school they go out 3 times a day. The opportunites to get in shape and be athletic are endless.
-Our Norwegian neighbors are great, fun, kind. Surprisingly we lucked out. Our street is awesome and we have already been invited to parties.
-Norway could really care less about the USA and their “stuff”. They have no desire to be Americanized and do not think the USA has all the answers (unlike most Americans & other countries in Europe & beyond). This is a good thing....Norwegians have their own identity and are VERY proud of it.

Things we don't necessarily LOVE about living in Norway (better than the word CONS):

-Cost of living is very high, very expensive. If you knew what we paid in rent you would spit out your coffee. Hopefully our COLA (cost of living allowance) is increased soon. There are rumors that it will be.
-25% VAT is killing us. With one full-time income, shopping is NO FUN. Things are so expensive, then the 25% tax on top of that. We get reimbursed for the VAT because we are NATO (the oil company people do not) but only on non-consumable products. If you can't ship it home, you can't get your VAT back. I hope to be working by January (part-time).
-Not a lot of variety for shopping. If you need something there is probably only 1 or 2 stores in the area that MAY carry it. I have become pretty internet savvy and purchase lots online (always free shipping, and the American PO Box is key here, I'm so good at that)...and it takes up to 2 weeks to get here using the US Postal Service and the Military Postal Service. In general, I love shopping for discounts (Marshalls, TJ Maxx, Nordstrom Rack, factory outlets, garage sales) and “thrill of the hunt” shopping makes me gleeful. Nothing like that here. Except for that one day I went with my landlady. Very few USA businesses are allowed here. We have no Walmart, Costco, Starbucks, Target or anything like that at all. If you need to go shopping you have to travel to a few stores to find everything you need or do without because Norway just doesn't have it. Shopping = no fun.
-Not connected to mainland Europe, makes traveling south difficult and expensive.
-Very slow speed limit, speeding tickets are called SHOCK tickets because only a 5 mph over and you get upwards of a $300 ticket. They are serious about driving safely and have a zero tolerance for drinking & driving. (that is why you don’t see any bars).
-Norwegians can be very reserved and seem “cold”. They just are. Not very animated, not talkative.....I think it’s because they are so literally cold all the time ha ha. They are not showy or into the bling. They all drive expensive cars though and all are very wealthy (cars, multiple homes, land, quality beautiful clothes). This region especially because of all the oil here. They do all of their work on their houses, cars, landscaping themselves because to hire it out is too expensive and the Norwegians really can do it all. Nice people once you get to know them, and when they drink alcohol....watch out!! So fun!
-The language is difficult to discern & learn. It is not the prettiest of languages and I don't really have a desire to learn it. I try to pick out the words when someone is speaking with me but it just sounds very jumbled and harsh sounding with sounds that I don't think my mouth can even make! EVERYONE speaks perfect English here and there really is no need to speak Norsk. No one gets mad either that you are not speaking their language. I'd rather continue my Italian studies and get the kids in Italian lessons at school. Hopefully Logan will be accepted in the Norwegian school system, he probably will be the only one who can speak it after 3 years here.
-No bars, piazzas for social gatherings. No coffee bars. Norwegians don’t eat out very much because of the prices. The only meeting place is the mall and there are only 2 restaurants there and a McDonalds. THAT’S IT.
-No good chinese food or other types of restaurants. We love to eat out and it’s just not happening here. Expect to spend $100 minimum per person for a pretty good restaurant with wine. Not an EXCELLENT restaurant, a pretty good one. They have McD's, Subway and a few 7-11s but are set up differently. I saw one Burger King. There aren't a lot of restaurants here in general.
-Obsessive recycling program. Norwegians are out to save the world. They are amazing, they recycle everything...but it is a pain in the ass.
-The time difference with friends & family in the US makes SKYPING difficult. The distance from the US is far. I liked being a short drive away from our friends...we are a bit far to make birthday parties and weddings.
-Norway is a relatively new country. No real antiquity here. Architecture, both residential & commercial is modern & industrial looking. Nothing really is OLD OLD OLD and I like that about mainland Europe especially Italy. Yes, the vikings were from here but everyone built in wood since then and all have been replaced with modernity. A few stone houses exist but not many.
-The weather. I am doing fine so far but Jan & Feb are my worst months. Hoping we all do well with our new gear and our beautiful view. Our house really has made this assignment what it is! :-)
-TROLLS...they are everywhere...are they good or bad trolls? Nice, or mischevious? We caught one once, but then he got away.

We love the USA, but we love Norway too and we are surprised how much we like it here. Neither of us are Norwegian so we had no idea what to expect when we got this assignment. All is good!

We are always open for visitors and are excited that we will be spending Thanksgiving with our good friends Mica, Sarah & Scott Ashmore who will be visiting from their new assignment in TURKEY! I ordered my holiday meats and can't wait to start celebrating!

Lysefjord and the move

Again, NATO sponsored an excellent day trip to tour the most beautiful Lysefjord by boat. The weather did NOT cooperate but our family had a great time on the boat chartered just for the NATO families. The kids had a blast playing with all of the other kids that they see EVERYWHERE (at school, on base, at events) and everyone just had a great family day. Lysefjord is home to the famous Pretekolien or Pulpit Rock. The fjord walls are sheer cliffs and the expanse of green is truly amazing. Norway really is a natural wonder. We splashed in natural water falls, fed mountain sheep right from the boat and traveled 2 hours into the fjord that day. We took a bus ride back home after the tour and stopped at a candle factory in a resort town and had a quick snack before heading home.

The move is going a little slowly. Aaron returned from Germany to find the house completely full with boxes. I am trying so hard to organize our things. Our house has plenty of room to have everything in place. I am getting rid of a lot of items that we just don't need here or have out grown. The base has a thrift shop that I am definitely keeping in business.

This week the American wives club "Northern Lights" is sponsoring a Luau at the Jatta International Women's Club meeting that I joined and attend monthly. Right now I am thawing 30 lbs of pork shoulder to make my famous "luau pork" we had at Logan's Luau a few years ago. Our committee is decorating and cooking and dressing up it really should be a hoot!

Avery continues to excel in school. She really loves it but is really tired when she gets home. She is in no extracurricular activites right now (the school already has a ton of enrichment programs weaved in the day. It really is the best school I have seen). She is happy and gets excellent reports on her progress and her behavior. We are getting ready to go to a pumpkin patch, march in a United Nations Day parade and search for autumn signs and trolls at Troll Woods. So proud of her!

Logan is loving his gymnastics class and is talking up a storm. He and I go everywhere together and I definitely wear him out every day! He is still napping and still working on the potty training...ha ha he is a BLAST! We are on a waiting list for him to attend a Norwegian preschool that is just down the street. Every time we drive past he yells..."Hello Logan's School!". I hope we can get him in there soon. Although I am not ready to drop him off...he really is ready. It's obvious now.

Otherwise, nothing is truly new here the past few weeks. The weather is starting to turn wet and dark. I am looking to buy a happy light to help me through the winter. We are excited to have visitors coming for Thanksgiving! And we are setting up a holiday vacation during Christmas week. Can't wait to take pictures of the house when it is finished. Almost there! xoxo

Moving Day

Aaron was away for two weeks for NATO Training in Oberammergau, Bavaria, Germany so we've been on our own here when I got the phone call. ALL OF OUR HOUSEHOLD GOODS CRATES HAVE ARRIVED! I thought about waiting until Aaron returned, but I decided to accept the goods myself. Some military spouses probably just gasped in horror reading this....but I really need our clothing. I am still living out of one suitcase with summer clothes, the kids have a bit more because I went shopping for them here, but the rain! We need our rain slickers, wellies and warmer jackets. The summer is definitely gone and autumn just rushed in.

SO, I asked a few of my new friends to come over for the moving days for moral support and a show of force. This is probably my 10th move in 15 years and it NEVER goes well, on either end. The move from DC was definitely one of the worst, so I prepared myself. Word must have gotten out that I was accepting the goods alone because the day the movers arrived, I had a quite a few military & civilian employees from the base drive to the house to check on me both in the morning and afternoon. They all said to me...just watch. Norwegian moving companies are the best and they will treat you well. I told them that I didn't believe them as it NEVER goes well....and they kept saying...give them a chance, they will change your thinking. So I exhaled a little....

The movers arrived and there were 6 men. I found out that they were all from POLAND except one. I never had THAT many movers before and was so happy. They all spoke perfect English and were so kind and polite to me. This house is pretty big and I had an idea where I wanted almost everything so as they pulled my items off the truck, I just sent them to the rooms where they needed to go. It was going so smoothly, almost TOO smoothly. I had friends Ingerlise and her daughter Solveig here to help with Logan and to keep me company. In the afternoon, my friend Tiffany came and helped me unpack a few things. SO THANKFUL that they were here. The movers ended in the afternoon with about 12 crates completed, and I was left with the weekend to unpack. The kids did great with all of the mess, played in boxes, had paper throwing fights and did the best they could do to live in the chaos.

Monday the movers were back, and so were my friends. Another friend Ruth came to stay with me and watch Logan. She has lived all over the world (her house shows it, it is amazing) and has moved a lot more than I have, so she just started unwrapping things, keeping me company and helped me with the inventory. She brought us food and brownies and stayed with me all day and is just so lovely to talk with. Another new friend Trish tried to help but she couldn't find parking there were so many cars. I am so thankful for my new NATO family. The movers emptied out the final 7 crates except the last one which was the Harley Davidson. It was packed on a crate on the truck, and the movers had NO ramp to drive it off. They were all standing around the crate when I walked out there to hear them all talking fast in Polish. I knew something was up! I told them they had to speak in English and tell me what was going on. They were calculating the weight of the crate with the amount of the men because they were going to pick up the crate and place it on the ground. THAT WAS NOT the WAY to GET THE BIKE OFF THE TRUCK! I explained to them that we needed a ramp, and that the bike was too heavy, and if anything happened to it, WE'D ALL BE DEAD! DEAD! DEAD! I kept repeating it...and repeating it.... ha ha They started talking in Polish again and turned to me and said "you need to trust us, and maybe you shouldn't watch us".....Hmmmmm....they had treated me so well and were so careful with all of my stuff, they put EVERYTHING together again in record time like beds, the armoires, without complaint. They unpacked most of my big stuff already and removed the debris. I had to trust them...and I walked away!!!!
Ingerlise stayed to watch....................................and said that they did a great job and it was lowered softly and perfectly! A perfect ending to the best move yet!

Ruth returned the next day to help me get the house in a little bit of order before Aaron got back from Germany...she worked hard all day, went food shopping for me, and helped me put so many things together. My friend Tiffany stopped by again to check on me, too. And the rain stayed away. Happy me!

So we've been unpacking ever since. Still unpacking a week later. Still have boxes everywhere. It is not easy to set up a house with little ones but we are getting closer to being finished. Avery has had homework projects during all of this, and I won't sit Logan in front of the TV babysitter all day either, and I have had school meetings at ISS, so we are working slowly. I have a great babysitter right across the street. Elisabeth is Norwegian, is 26 years old and a university student. The kids love her and she refuses to talk to the kids in English (ha ha, she makes them repeat everything in Norwegian). And Avery is in love with her dog Topsy...so help is literally a few steps away.

All in all the move was almost perfect. Just one big problem....the vacuum is missing!!!

**On a side note: We celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary on 15 Sep!! Love you Big A!

Kongeparken & Sirdal

We had a fun week and it was all about the kids (at least that is what we are saying). On Sunday we went to a local amusement park called KONGEPARKEN. NATO families were invited for a day and we all headed there on a big bus. The kids were thrilled just to ride the bus! But when we got there.....it was awesome. It is sort of like Sesame Place without the water rides. The kids are the perfect age to enjoy almost every ride. And if they weren't tall enough, usually they let the kids ride with one of us so we all had fun together instead of taking turns. The rides were great, many of them had the kids climbing and jumping on their own which I expected being here in Norway. These Norwegians are so sporty and athletic. At lunch, the park sponsored a lunch for all of the NATO members with a great spread, face painting and a visit from Brume & Brumeline the park's teddy bear mascots. When our kids saw them though....they both ran in opposite directions. ha ha. This is why we haven't gone to Disney yet! LOL Not sure if any of our friends are reading this who went to Oktoberfest with us 10 years ago....but do you all remember the ride "THE ROLLERSKATE" in Munich? You know the one that we all went on really drunk and was so rough that we all had trouble breathing afterwards? They had that one there and Aaron went on it twice. ha ha but I don't think it was as rough, and Aaron wasn't drinking this time LOL. The kids really had an amazing day and the weather was just perfect. Logan was big enough this time to go on many of the rides. He is a little more hesitant to try new things than Avery. But when he saw his sister going on so many, he really found some confidence to try too. By the look of his face sometimes, we weren't sure if he was liking the ride until it was over. Then he either yelled YAY! or AGAIN, MAMMA! We are definitely going back next summer.

On Wednesday, I attended my first "wives" meeting of the Jatta International Women's Club (JIWC) associated with the Joint Warfare Center. I went with my neighbor Tiffany, whose AF husband is a new Services Commander on base. There were over 75 women there from over 20 countries and we got to learn about this club and the many social activities they have during the year. Some women there speak 5 languages while others have lived in over 7 countries during their husband's military career! Some women have newborns while some have children who are 38 years old! Some families are new to the military, some have been in their country's military for 35 years. So there was lots to learn and lots to talk about. The American wives, aka the NORTHERN LIGHTS, are sponsoring the next JIWC social event in October. We voted on a LUAU (ha ha I have lots of stuff from Logan's party) so our next meeting will be lots of fun. Each country sponsors a month's event, so I am looking forward to the other meetings as well. There are many mini groups within this big group, runners, walkers, supper club, book club, travel club etc. so there is lots to do together. I even won a raffle prize...right after telling Tiffany that I always win at raffles!!

On Saturday we headed to Sirdal, a mountain town about 60 miles away on a winding country road. There was a festival there commemorating the herding of sheep off the mountains and sending them away for the traditional Norwegian Christmas dinner. :-( The kids LOVED seeing hundreds of sheep on the mountains and walking in the street. They had fun calling to them and watching the cowboys round them up for the truck. We tried bbq lamb and it was fantastic. Although we are in Norway, I have NO IDEA how to cook lamb so we are going to stick to the Christmas ham. The sheep were too cute to cook.

Aaron left on Sunday for two weeks in Bavaria at a NATO conference. Just in time for OKTOBERFEST??

Our household goods are scheduled to arrive this week, but I have heard from NO ONE yet, so I am just going to stop thinking about it. I have a few friends here who have volunteered to accept the shipment with me so I won't be too overwhelmed. This is why I love the military....instant family no matter where you are in the world.

On a totally random note, Avery has been coming up with some real doozies lately. On the way home from school, she is always so tired, so I either let her fall asleep or just let her veg on the way home. But on Tuesday, out of the blue she said, "Hey mamma, remember last week when you thought Tahoe ran away? Why did you yell OH SHIT!!!!!!?" Ha ha ha so it begins!! I was hoping she missed that. Not a chance. Miss you all xoxo

Aaron's BACK!

Aaron was gone for the week for a training trip to Szczecin, Poland & Berlin, Germany. He flew there with 50 other NATO officers & civilians for official business but also found a little time to see the sights. He hung out with two colleagues in particular, one from Poland and one from Germany who work with him at his office. The stories these two men had to tell, really changed Aaron's perspective on life and enhanced his trip. Christian, the German, told of his childhood in East Berlin (he is Aaron's age) and how his father smuggled him (age 4) and his infant sister (sedated) in the trunk of a car to get through the Berlin Wall checkpoint. His father got a hold of some counterfeit official paperwork that made him look like a diplomat, which allowed him across. His father then ditched his car, got Christian and his sister on a plane to Frankfurt and defected. I don't do the story justice, it really had me on the edge of my seat. Jersey from Poland told Aaron of his time there during the Solidarity movement. He was one of the confidants of Lech Walesa and helped him get to power. Jersey had to spend time in the Communist party support his family (the only way he could survive during those dark times), but the entire time, was working against them. Even when ordered to kill his own people, he and his men made a pact to shoot over their heads, instead of shooting to kill. He wrote a book about his efforts, his experiences and his relationship with Walesa and gave Aaron a signed copy. Makes you thankful to be an American, and really makes your own problems pretty trivial. These are just two of the amazing stories & European history tales he learned about during this trip. Aaron visited the Brandenberg Gate, Potsdam (where Truman, Stalin & Churchill met to plan post war Europe), inside the German Parliament and of course, the seaside town of Szczecin. Being back to Germany made Aaron sooooooo happy (you may remember his time in Munich for Oktoberfest back in the day....ha ha or you may not remember, we don't remember much) but Aaron said he gorged himself on German food and beer again which made the trip WORTH EVERY MINUTE! LOL. At one point during the trip, all 50 officers lined up under a military war monument, and had an official group photo taken. All of a sudden hoardes of tourists saw this and started taking pics...Aaron said it was a pretty spectacular site, to see all of these international officers in full Class A service dress with Aaron's 3-star German general at the front. Afterwards, some tourists came up to Aaron to take photos with the "American" one...so that was pretty darn cool.

Avery started school full time this week. In the beginning, I was not thrilled to learn that her school is full time but to be honest, she loves it, and is showing no signs of distress. She did well for her first day, but when I picked her up and put her in the car at 3:15, she immediately fell asleep. It was a LONG DAY!! During the day they do have a "rest" time, and Avery and I worked together this weekend to make her a special pillow for that. We had fun picking out the colors and button. We got an IKEA small pillow and made a washable cover with a pretty pink towel and a friend's sewing machine. (For some reason IKEA doesn't sell covers for this small pillow?) Easy project, but Avery showed EVERYONE at school her work. Too cute. I am still deciding if she will stay all day all week, I have the ability to choose her schedule if I want...she will let ME KNOW how she is doing...I'm keeping a close eye. I really miss her.

Tahoe left our yard again this weekend. Aaron let him out without his collar (a big no-no) and we both forgot he was out there. There is a partial fence and a hedge, but Tahoe barrels through the hedge sometimes when he sees a cat or just wants to follow a scented trail. Aaron left to walk to the market when I realized Tahoe was NOT in the house or in the yard! I literally threw the kids in the car, and jumped in with my pajamas on and starting driving through the neighborhood on Sunday morning (early). Avery, Logan & I all were yelling for TAHOE!!!!!!!!!!! So now all of the Grannes neighborhood knows I am the loud American nut. I couldn't find him, or Aaron at the store (I stopped there too and ran up & down the aisles) so I drove home to find Aaron looking very confused, and Tahoe standing next to him. Apparently Tahoe had come home on his own because he hadn't eaten breakfast yet. I love that blonde boy SOOOO MUCH but he is making me gray.

Our car & household goods are almost here. In fact, probably both will be here in two days. I CAN'T WAIT to get our stuff here...although there is something to be said for living simply, it's been really great and relatively easy. But 3 months is enough...I want my shit.

*UPDATE* Our car is here, and can be picked up in a day or two. Our household goods shipment is NOT here yet, and was actually split up in two. So only 10 crates are close to being here (early Sept). We have 18 total. But which crates? The beds? The clothes? The toys? Who knows.......*sigh*

School Days

Well, this week starts the school year for the greater Stavanger area, and we started our week at the International School of Stavanger. Aaron is on a business trip this week to Poland & Berlin, so I am flying solo right now.

All I have to say is wow, what a school! ISS has a beautiful campus and consists of students from pre-K to 12th grade, about 700 students from over 40 countries. Americans make up many of the students, with Great Britain having the most students attending there. Avery doesn't make the cut-off for Kindergarten, so she is starting her third year of preschool (she should earn a degree for this!). There are two pre-K classes each with about 18 kids.

Monday was "Meet the Teacher" day and I took her to meet Miss Anthea Demos, her lead teacher. Miss Anthea is from Austin, TX and taught Kindergarten for the past 6 years there. She also attended the ISS as a child as her father was in the oil industry here when she was about 8 years old. She is adorable, sweet, very smart & organized and right away Avery warmed up to her. I was so nervous that day but Avery walked right in, introduced herself, sat down at the table and started telling her all about herself, her brother, her dog, horses, unicorns, dogs, cats, our new house, etc. There was not one ounce of hesitation or anxiety coming from this little big girl. I was such a proud mama. The classroom is gorgeous, and there are two other helper teachers, Miss Lizzie & Mrs. Alison there to help teach the 4B "Busy Bees". I was handed a huge welcome packet and had to fill out some forms. We went on a quick tour of the school and that was it....for the first day.

On Tuesday, we had to wake up early because her school day starts at 0830. We headed out to the school with Logan at around 0815...it's about 3 miles away on a country road, driving right along Hafrsfjord. Our house is absolutely in the perfect location for so many things!! She had her lunch, her backpack, her rain gear (they go out 2 times a day in all weather) and I had all of the paperwork to get her registered. We found her cubby & coat hook outside her classroom and she gave me a big hug. And that was it....that's when it happened....ugh I completely started sobbing!!! The thing is about this kid, she understands that mommies sometimes cry when we are happy, not always sad. She recognized this, hugged me, patted me on the back a few times and whispered to me "it's ok mama, I'm gonna be fine, this is gonna be great". And then of course I REALLY LOST IT THEN!! Miss Lizzie saw the whole thing and rushed over with a box of tissues for me. HA HA so embarrassing! Parents could stay for the morning if we wanted to, but I didn't feel the need. Avery was doing great, talking to the other kids at the table, and besides...I had Logan with me. I started to leave when Logan finally realized he was leaving his sister behind....HE then completely lost it! He went face down like a big "X" in the middle of the carpet, screaming "Avery! Avery! I stay with Avery!" and pointing at her. These two have spent every single moment together for the past 3 months and have bonded so wonderfully...and Logan liked it exactly that way!! Poor thing, it took us another 30 minutes to get out of the building...step by step. Which turned out to be a good thing because on the way out I met a woman named Heidi...

Heidi has lived here in Norway for 5 years and has two boys (Fraser & Ewan) about 6 months behind each of our kids. She is a beautiful blond New Yorker who is married to a Scot who works for one of the oil companies here. She speaks Norwegian too, and talked with me for about an hour outside (the little ones played on the playground) about all things Stavanger, Norway. I was lucky to meet her. My Norwegian friend Ingerlise, from our first week here at the hotel, joined us with her little one and she & Heidi hit it off immediately, too. And then...then they started talking!!! Whew I was like a sponge taking in all of the information these two were passing...so despite all of the emotion & tears, the morning turned out super great.

Well Logan finally let me put him in the car and we headed home. I am keeping Logan home a few months as I research Norwegian preschools for him. He is too young to attend ISS and there are SO MANY options for attending Norwegian programs...I just have to pick a school and get him on the waiting list. I am NOT ready to drop him off ANYWHERE!!! LOL. Half days only this week for Avery, I pick her up at noon. Next week is FULL DAY, 5-days a week! I wonder how I am going to handle THAT!? I know one thing for sure though...my girl will be just fine! xoxo

*UPDATE* I picked Avery up at noon and she ran out of the classroom to give me a big hug. She said she was really good and didn't cry! She told me about her new friends April, Jack & Elizabeth.... (I told ya!)

Now it's a HOME, not just a house

We moved into our house on Monday and we couldn't be happier. I was really tired of living out of suitcases for the past 2 months and really needed some room to spread out. The kids could not be more thrilled either, they have a gymnasium size living room to race cars, color, and to roll coins the farthest (you'd be amazed at the games these two make up when they have hardly any toys). They play horsey on top of each other, wrestle, and tag, who-can-find-the-biggest-slugs, who-can-tear-down-the-neighbors-driveway-on-the-tricycle-fastest, and hide & seek but we can never find Logan. We always have to call out and have him answer LOL.

Our household goods don't arrive for another 3 weeks, so we have loaner furniture and I've been to IKEA quite a bit buying rugs, linens for the loaner beds and toys. I've been cooking every day and I am starting to enjoy it for once. I found the best grocery store just a 5 minute drive away. We also have a small store only a 5 minute walk away through a forested trail and we've strolled there with Tahoe a few times this week for fresh produce. Remember that baguette we talked about at the hotel? We found out which bakery it was from, and that too is only a 5 minute drive away. We went there on Sunday and it was a MADHOUSE...they were pulling the breads & danish right out of the ovens and into the baskets, people were wall to wall trying to get the freshest breads...it was AWESOME!

Tahoe has walked himself around the neighborhood a few times. Not sure if he is looking for Arlington, Virginia or not, but we found him sniffing someone's garden on our way home from the store the other day. He got out through an unlocked door. I freaked and slammed on the brakes! He is not the runaway type, he is just curious and he came over to the car right away. He would NEVER leave me! We have a few resident cats (which European city doesn't?) and Tahoe is not so tolerant of them any longer. He darts after them now and we are always yelling for him to COME HOME! There are minimal cars here on our secluded street so the kids & Tahoe can play right outside our house. It's a great location for SO many reasons. We can walk out our front door and down the hill right to the edge of the fjord. A short km walk to the right and we are at the THREE SWORDS monument & beach where Tahoe dives into the salt water. He gets that puppy face every time he swims. All of our neighbors have come right up to us to meet us all. Who says Norwegians aren't friendly??

I also have my European husband back. He has stripped his DC persona and is back to the Aaron I knew 10 years ago. He's always been super great but the Pentagon can change even Ghandi I tell ya! Mr. Mayor talks to EVERYONE he sees and shakes hands, and smiles so brightly, he is definitely in his element. He can mountain bike to work and is outside most of the day with the kids. He worked so incredibly hard to get us here, it was definitely our worst move yet. He moved us all on short notice too, he was one stressed puppy but now.....He is one happy CAMPER!

I am meeting a few of the wives at the base and everyone is welcoming. There are many spouses groups: the Northern Lights for Americans, Jatta for all of NATO, then there are OIL COMPANY women's groups also. Then there are subgroups like a fitness/running club, quilting, shopping, cooking, hiking, drinking (just kidding). So the first meeting of all of these groups is in September where I will meet all the women and hopefully connect with a club or two. There is a change of command for the new USAF Brig Gen arriving and the ceremony is Thursday so most of the base will be present. This is a geographically separated unit so the base population is really small, but hopefully we will all be one big happy military family. Because when you are so far from home, your military family is all you've got....xoxo