Sunday, Solastranden, and Suksesskake

When I heard about a Sunday buffet at a local hotel I was curious. I had heard both local Norwegians and expats raving about this place and I wondered if it would live up to the hype. So I decided Arthur and I would need to check it out. We started our morning at a local church and then headed out to the Sola Strand Hotel after the service.

I'm no history buff, but I thought it was interesting that the hotel, which was was built in 1914, was used as living quarters by the Norwegian Air Force and was briefly taken over by German soldiers during WWI! But enough history...we were there to EAT!

The buffet did NOT disappoint. I wish I had taken more pictures but I couldn't fill my plate fast enough! There was a huge selection including an amazing salad bar (a rare find here!), fresh and smoked salmon, deviled eggs, slices of Norwegian cheese, jams, and a large bread basket with a variety of breads. The hot dishes included more fish, meatballs, roast, lamb, mashed and boiled potato, steamed veggies, and (of course) pølse (basically a hot dog.)

However, what caught my eye as soon as we walked in was the dessert table. I typically steer clear of deserts...not because I don't like sweets but because I lose all self-control around them!!! Sugar is something we cut out of our diet and with good reason. But when faced with a dessert spread such as this one there is no room for reason.

There was fresh fruits and a cheese tray, chocolate mouse, caramel, vanilla, and chocolate flan (although I'm sure it's not called flan here), adorable pink and purple macaroons, and lots of cakes. Heaven!

Full disclosure here...I had one small plate of salad, smoked salmon, and steamed veggies and 3 (mmmmmmaybe 4) plates of dessert. I told you! No self-control!

Our favorite cake was called a suksesskake (success cake.) It is made mostly of ground almonds which gives it a dense, chewy, and slightly crunchy texture. It is topped with a not-too-sweet thick yellow frosting and sprinkled with more sliced almonds. It's more of a dessert bar than a cake and delicious just doesn't cover it!

As we ate our dessert(s), we had a lovely chat with a couple sitting at the table next to us. When you hear someone speaking English with an southern accent it tends to peak your interest. Turns out they were from Louisiana and had just moved to Stavanger a few months before us. The husband actually works at the same company as Arthur and they exchanged contact info and made plans for golf sometime this summer. They recognized us from church, and although we didn't even realize it, had sat right behind us during the service.

After lunch, we rolled walked out to the beach...just a few steps from the buffet. It was only slightly breezy, sunny, and warm so we sat for a while people watching. Apparently, Solastranden is just one of many white sand beaches characteristic of this region of Norway. But this ain't no Gulf of Mexico beach folks...those frigid waves are coming straight from the North Sea!

And the obligatory bump picture...

All in all...a perfect Sunday in Norway!

Celebrating the first thirty!

When I turned 29 I told Arthur exactly how I wanted my 30th birthday celebration to go. I wanted to wear a fancy frock, go to dinner at some off-the beaten path foodie establishment, then dance and drink the night away with my close friends. I imagined we might even have a destination party somewhere like New Orleans or Miami.

What I didn't imagine was that I'd celebrate my 30th in Norway, very pregnant, and barely able to walk, much less dance and drink! What I missed in being surrounded by family and friends I gained in undivided attention from Arthur. As we talked at dinner, he reminded me the real cause for celebration.

In my first thirty years...

I made my dream of becoming a speech-language pathologist a reality by graduating with both my bachelors and masters degrees and putting in countless hours of clinical work to put all those letters behind my name. I have a career that I enjoy because it is intellectually challenging and personally fulfilling.

The man I've been head-over-heels for since I was 18 decided to give it a go and ask me to marry him. We've been happier than I even knew was possible. Our marriage is by far my most treasured possession.

We were successful in our commitment to get healthy and finally lose the freshmen 15 (um...make that 50+) In the process I learned that I actually love to run, that mountain biking is a total rush, and my husband is still total hottie!!

We've been able to travel all over the US, Canada, the Caribbean, Europe and Asia and now we live in Norway! Living abroad was a long-shot, bucket-list dream that I thought would never be possible! Now I'm living the dream people!

I went through an incredible transformation...from being the girl who said I might not ever want children of my own to loving every minute of growing this precious baby boy in my tummy.

So what if my "fancy-frock" was more Target Maternity than Neiman Marcus! And my off-the-beaten-path foodie establishment was a cozy Italian restaurant on the harbor in Stavanger. I had a wonderful day with my husband and best friend. 

Besides, dancing and drinking the night away is always less fun than it sounds the morning after! Turning in at 9 PM...now that's what I'm talking about! :)

Mother's Day 2014

Mother's Day is about to take on a whole new level of significance for me. I've been thinking a lot about what it means to be a "mom" and naturally, this has led to me thinking a lot about (and missing!) my own mom! So without further ado...a shout-out to the most fabulous, sassy, beautiful, fun mom I know!

To my mom on Mother's Day...

I love your joie de vivre. You've taught me to delight in both the meaningful and mundane.

I love the genuine empathy and care you show for everyone you encounter. You've taught me it's OK to open my heart to others and be vulnerable.

I love your sillyness. You've taught me there is great joy in letting loose, dancing, and singing out loud...just because.

I love your marriage to dad. You've taught me the best marriages are built on a foundation of trust, communication, and commitment and sustained by friendship, laughter, passion, adventure and love.

I love everything about you and I'm thankful to have you as my teacher and friend through this crazy journey of life. Happy Mother's Day to you!

May Day Pictures in Eiganes

Første Mai (May 1st) is a national holiday in Norway. We were blessed with amazing weather for a lovely morning photo-shoot with the talented Theresa Pauls (check her out here...Theresa Pauls Photography)

30 Weeks!

How many weeks: 30

What size is baby: head of cabbage, 15.7 inches and 3 lbs

Movement: If he had a theme song right now it would be "I Like to Move It Move It!" When I am still, even for a second, he starts wiggling around. He's discovered this fun place called my ribs and enjoys kicking the crap out of them without notice. Every once in a while, he goes really nuts and you can see the outline of body parts pushing out of my stomach. Son, I love you but that's pretty weird!

New symptoms: I'm having A LOT of hip, back, and pelvic pain. I figured it was from over-exerting myself during the move but I've gotten to the point where some days I can hardly walk. My new midwife here said that it's very common in Norwegian women to experience hip/pelvic pain in pregnancy and referred me to a chiropractor. My chiropractor (Hilde) discovered that my right knee is 2 inches higher than my left and I have a significantly reduced range of motion in my neck and hip due to how "out of alignment" my hips and spine are...then she scolded me for about 10 minutes for waiting so long to come in. I am now going twice a week to get "re-aligned". I'm still not able to walk more than about 10 minutes at a time but I'm seeing an improvement for sure.

On a side note...everything is so scenic and well...Scandinavian looking. Even the chiropractor's clinic is pretty!

Cravings: I wouldn't call it a craving...but I definitely developed a taste for tart and sour sweets. Luckily, every grocery store we've gone to here has a self-serve, bulk, candy section that looks similar to this one...

from www.an.no

There are tons of chewy and sour candies. I just have to make sure not to grab any licorice. It's a Norwegian favorite but ICK!

Sleep: Much improved from the previous 7 months. Now that I'm over jet-lag and getting used to the noises of this house and the city, I can sleep about 7-8 hours per night. I do have to flip from side to side as my hips start to ache but I usually fall back asleep quickly. Would it be TMI if I mentioned that my bladder seems to be holding it like a champ...no waking up to pee!

Rings on/off: on

Best memory of the week: Arthur and I have been very indecisive about a name. His middle name has been set since we found out he was a boy, but finding the perfect first name has been tricky. We want something traditional but unique, easy to spell and pronounce, with a touch of Norway and a dash of Texas. So we're going with Sven-Davy-Crockett!!! No? OK...then we've decided to commit to a name that has been at the top of our list for months. Our plan is to use this name for a while and see if it feels right. No, we're not ready to share yet...mostly because we're still so wishy-washy about it that any comment for/against would probably sway us :) I'm just excited to call him something!

(Just for the record, Tortilla Jackson was a close second...5 points if you can name that movie without asking The Google.)

Looking forward to: so much! All this moving around has got us speculating on his personality. I have a feeling he might be a little feisty like his momma. I just hope he has a sweet side too, like his dad :)

A Move Like No Other - Part 2

Friday morning we finally FINALLY got word that our tickets had been approved! It was well worth the wait too because, due to the fact that I'm carrying this big ole baby in my belly, we both got to fly first class.

It was a beautiful cool, clear, morning and I took a picture out the window feeling a little nostalgic that this would be our last morning in Texas for a while. The hotel is so close to our house you could probably zoom in and see the top of our roof!

One of the biggest lessons we have learned about international travel is to never fly hungry. It's hard in all the rushing around and preparations to continue eating regular meals but experiencing "hangry" (angry hunger) in a foreign airport is the WORST experience ever (not to mention it probably was the cause of us missing our flight in February from Frankfurt to DFW...but I digress.)

So to keep the "hangry" at bay we headed down to the Denton square for one last hurrah and some brunch at the Chestnut Tree Teahouse. If you're ever in Little D I highly recommend it!

I'm gonna miss this funky little town!

Then, it was off to the airport to get the boys checked it. To say that we were stressed about them flying was a massive understatement. We hired an international pet re-locator help us with moving them (worth every penny) and she met us at the Lufthansa gate to help us check them in.

Blitz seemed anxious but was surprisingly calm.

Bailey calm?! Yeah...that wasn't going to happen!

They went through doggy security and then to a special pet holding area until it was time to load them onto the plane.

We went through security and then to a special people holding area called the Lufthansa First Class Lounge until it was time for us to board the plane. Arthur took advantage of the free booze.

I took advantage of the free ginger ale and cranberry juice and grumbled about not being able to take advantage of the free booze.

We boarded the plane around 5pm and settled into our first class seats, pretending that it was no big deal that four-fifths of the plane had to walk past us to get to coach...HA! Yeah, we totally fly like this all the time. Why yes, you can take my coat. Why yes, we'd love a bottle of wine and a steaming hot towel that smells of lemongrass and lavender.

Then we took a selfie...something no self-respecting regular first-class flyer would ever do and our cover was blown for the rest of the flight!

But I didn't notice because I was too busy ordering off the 5 course menu...

...and enjoying my cushiony seat! That seat laid down completely flat folks...I think I heard angels singing as I drifted off to sleep.

The rest of the travel was a bit of a blur. In Frankfurt, we walked through the underground, fun-house tunnel of delirium to change terminals.

Pictures just do not do the weirdness of the tunnel justice. It's lit with miles of LED lights that fade from blue to purple, green, pink, and yellow.

Kinda makes you feel like you're losing your mind...if you haven't lost it due to jet-lag already.

Then hours, days, weeks, (who knows) later we finally landed in Stavanger. We watched them unload the boys off the plane.

We picked them up in baggage claim and (per usual in Stavanger) there was no one at customs to scowl at our one-way tickets or check our dog's meticulously prepared paperwork. So we hopped in a taxi and headed to our new home! Arthur picked up some salad and pizza while I showered.

The dogs settled in...

Then we all passed out for the next 15 hours :)

A Move Like No Other - Part 1

I've moved many times in my life.

In middle school, our family moved from Northwest Crossing to Braun Heights...just a few neighborhoods over. In college, I moved all up and down the I-35 corridor...Austin to San Marcos, San Marcos to San Antonio, and San Antonio to Schertz. Shortly after getting married, Arthur and I moved from Schertz to Denton...the furthest away from home either of us had ever moved. At the time, it seemed like moving 5.5 hours away was such a colossal effort.

But this time we made a LEGIT move!

Crazy how your perspective changes with experience, huh!?

Hey Arthur...remember that one time we said it would be so cool to move to Norway, and we were given the opportunity, and we jumped at it? Yeah, isn't it cute how naive we were!? We had no clue just how many details are involved in moving abroad (you'll just have to trust me on that one. I started to list them off and it was a loooooooong list...ain't nobody got time for that!)

After the garage sale, our house was relatively empty of big furniture items. My lovely parents drove up to Denton to pick up my car (which we sold to my Mom) and our bedroom set. Once they were gone, all that was left was what the movers had to pack. Arthur's sister, Charlotte, also came up for a few days to help. I don't know how we would have done it without her! So thankful for her giving spirit and "can do" attitude during such a stressful time!

This is how you take a break from packing in a house with no furniture.

We were warned to be prepared for the movers as much as possible. We tried to have our sea shipment and air shipment items separated. Charlotte did an excellent job packing all our "sneaky items" (medicines, liquids, and nail polish) so the movers wouldn't question them. Arthur bought breakfast tacos the morning of the movers arrival so they would be more likely to oblige any requests we had (see "sneaky items" above.)

Ohmagosh those tacos were good!

Ha! Nothing prepares you for the tornado that is international movers. They were literally grabbing anything and everything laying around and throwing it into a box. I fully expect to be unpacking boxes and find full trash bags, used paper towels, and dirty socks. Lucky for us, they were kind enough to write the contents on each box. For example, a box full of baby clothes was labeled "bags", a box with kitchen items was labeled "magazines, pot" (pot???), and another box of baby clothes was labeled "baby cards, paper bags". If it didn't fit in a box, no problem, just wrap a bunch of brown paper around it, slap some packing tape on the edges and call it a day.

To be fair, they were a nice bunch and it was wonderful not to have to do the packing ourselves. It took them two days to pack up the last of our earthly belongings and load them into a massive semi. I think our stuff barely filled a quarter of that truck.

We took what was left of our stuff and shoved it into 7 suitcases and moved into a hotel down the street. We tried but there wasn't enough room for the dogs in the suitcases...

...so we had to bring them with us to the hotel. This is how they roll...living the good life.

Then we waited for company approval to book our one-way tickets for Thursday to Stavanger!

Monday goes by...nothing.

Tuesday passes...not a word.

Wednesday...STILL waiting!!! What the heck!?

Thursday morning, still nothing, no approval, and it looks like we are NOT leaving Thursday as planned...