Meanwhile Back at the Ranch

The elves are packing and packing and packing. Mama elf now has serious concerns about the amount of stuff that has been packed and how it will size up (ba dum dum) to the size of the shipping container. I might need to start prioritising what gets packed - just in case we run out of room! Michelle started tonight as my co-packer. After the good work of relatives - I decided a still needed a hired hand - good thing for friends. She helped keep me focused tonight on sorting my clothes. I am finally giving up hopes of going down a few dress sizes and I am purging a huge amount of clothes. Two designer suits are in the pile. Ouch.

I thought I had done such a good job or purging. Darn. Rats.

I still need to call the airline to confirm Forrest's passage. Ah, to be a cat. I have his kitty passport form ready to go...except it needs to be signed by a veterinarian within ten days of us departure and then within six days of arrival in Norway.

I need to sell my/JH's car. I am getting a little stressed because I haven't sold it yet. Saturn anyone? NK still calls it "Daddy's car". I kindly remind him it is now mamma's car - of maybe his car. Daddy has a car in Norway!

NK spent the day with Esther and Al at the zoo. A great diversion. Tomorrow he starts his first of two weeks at summer camp - so he can get caught-up with his "summer friends" that he only sees during the summer at camp.

As much as I love my company, I am slightly regretting working up to the eleventh hour. Well, probably a good diversion for me. I try to focus on work at work and home at home. It probably keeps me from obsessing - but all the while I think I could be a more effective organizer and packer if I wasn't' so tired. Yawn.

The website for Gjovik has some new stuff, check it out http://www.gjovik.com/english/english.php

JH's blog posting about the trip to Myklebust made me slightly green with envy. I can't wait to spend some time relaxing at the island and hanging out with some of the village's people. Breathing the island's air = sea mist + country flowers + cut grass + no stress. Priceless. The view of the farmhouse from the mountain and the view of the ferry's approach to the island are wonderful.

Well, meanwhile, back at the ranch. I am going to stop fantasizing and get back to my dust bunnies and stacks of hangers.

First Road Trip

A long weekend - yahoo.....this year the 2nd day of pentecost coincided with memorial day - and in Norway (of all places) religious holidays like that are national holidays - so I got a three-day weekend

I decided to head North and West - road (and ferry) trip to Myklebust, on the island of Haroy where my dad's family is from. A link to a map showing the route is enclosed:
http://kart.gulesider.no/kart/map.c?startId=a_10000549281&imgt=MAP&stopId=a_10000274444

Friday i left work around noon, and started heading North - I passed Lillehammer - of fame from the 1994 olympics, and headed up the Gudbrandsdal-valley to Dombaas. It was a beautiful day with around 60 degrees F (16-ish deg C). At Dombaas, I headed towards Lesja, and down the Romsdal-valley where it gradually got cooler.

(Todays Norwegian lesson: dal = valley)


It is a drive I haven't done for 20 years - as I often came through on the way from an Army base I was stationed at. The scenery is just awesome, this has been my one of my favorite drives, since the first time I drove this way on my own in the mid-eighties. There is so much to see that one can easily become an unattentive driver, as a lot of attention is spent looking around, down and up......I stopped twice to take a couple of pictures and be a little safer as I looked around. We took the train through here four years ago, but the drive is better - as you can decide on where to stop.

As I got a little further down the valley, rain clouds started rolling over the tops of the mountains.



and as I got down to the sea, and started out along the fjord rain started pouring down, until I passed the last mountain and headed down to Brattvaag to catch the ferry. The coast was clear - literally, and the islands were bathed in the evening sun.

The drive took about 6 hours, I waited for the ferry for about 20 minutes, and it took about 35 minutes to cross. An easy trip on a mostly nice day in the late spring.

The picture shows the ferry at Myklebust two days later, with a track showing its path across the fjord. It isn't every day the waters are that calm.

I got out to the farmhouse (Bakken), found electric heaters and firewood and got the house warmed up. Nobody had stayed there since last November. The next day the weather wasn't as nice, rain sleet and hail with a few thunderstorms - but these storms were barely noticeable for someone that have spent several springs in Wichita. So I puttered around the house, the garage - found things, got the mower started and so on.....



On Sunday I woke up to a beautiful day. I spent the first few hours cutting grass and cleanining up around the house, and then I headed up on the mountain. The first peak is about 400 feet over the sea level, while the second gets you up to about 500 feet, and yes the view is worth the walk.
(even if you wake up sore the next morning).





Then on Monday, I headed back to Gjovik. As I headed down the Gudbrandsdal, it rained pretty hard, so the drive wasn't quite that nice. I hope to do this trip a few times this summer. Can't wait for my family to join me, and go along on these road trips.

The Wichita Homestead and the Commencement of "the" Good-byes

My first weekend in Wichita was spent with JH at a cheapo motel looking for a place to live. A few weeks later I came to visit JH while he was living at the Marriott - still looking for a place. My dog Koko, my mom and I looked and looked for a place to live over the course of a few days. JH finally found a townhouse after I had returned to Iowa to wrap-up my job, my public service (City Council) and my Iowa loose-ends. After getting married in December 1995 I moved to Wichita to be with JH. I remember driving around Wichita listening to Dr. Hook (still do!) and thinking wow - this will be home...!!!!???...One of my thoughts standing at the top of the Marriott was, "...oh MY, what a flat place". Except maybe I didn't say oh "my". In late-spring of 1996 our realtor told us about a house in N. Wichita.

Our Wichita home has a lot to offer, but the neighbors are the hottest part of the sale. Losing the folks...neighbors we have grown to love really stinks. My intellect leads me to believe that good people cycling in and out of neighborhoods weaves the fabric and creates the culture of a "good" neighborhood. I suppose the converse can be said of "bad" neighborhoods or at least the part about good people leaving and leaving and leaving. We will really miss our neighbors...we have marveled at our luck..buying a worn-out house that needed some love...we invested money and sweat equity and gained a nice place to live and great friends in the process. Thanks for taking care of our yard Tom. Esther and Al, thanks for loving NK so much - I know he loves you right back.

We have had some lookers - two offers without contracts and finally an offer with a contract. JH thinks I am nuts - but, I wanted our good home to find a new owner with integrity, heart and a good sense of values. I think the house has found her. Stay tuned in for more...

I am continuing to have 'lunches and dinners' with friends and colleagues as a part of the "good-byes". Heart breaking and heart warming.

We still communicate with the Cyber Daddy. Thank God for the Internet. Did JH mention that our new place has a wireless network? E-mail is awesome - IM and Skype are amazing. And a daily phone call isn't bad. Still, we miss Cyber Daddy and can't wait to be in Norway with him. I keep thinking that every box I pack is one step that NK and I are closer to Norway.

I suppose the worst "good-byes" will be to my family. But - the incredible relationship with Cyber Daddy has really shown us that we can communicate EVERY DAY with technology...so much so that NK said "Mom, can you talk with daddy I don't know what else to say to him so I am just having to sing!"...and he was, singing into the microphone on the computer watching his daddy smile back at him. So, we are talking so much that we are saying it all...or, at least all the things you say over the phone. I guess it is the companionship we miss the most. Even the cat is sleeping with me...and this has never happened before. NK, Luke (my mom's dog), Forrest the cat and me. I have fur and feet everywhere in my bed. But all three critters are exactly where I want them.

I am realizing how small this planet is. The photo (above) that I took at the Kansas Cosmosphere has really MADE me rethink my perspective of the distance between Wichita, Kansas USA and Gjovik, Norway due to the advent of the Internet. Thank you Al Gore.

A new place to call home.....

I must say I was getting a little disillusioned with the rental market for housing here in Gjovik or Raufoss. I saw all these ads on-line, and it seemed to be quite a few to choose among. Well as soon as I started calling, the common answer was “Sorry, it already rented”. There were a few exceptions – but after I saw the places, I understood why they were still available. If your only other choice was shacking up under an overpass – they would work. While I was getting somewhat frustrated, I wasn’t that desperate.

So a little wiser, I went through the “for rent” ads first thing in the morning, then called as soon as I thought the renter would be out of bed….

It helped – I got to see a few decent standard apartments before they rented.

With the incredible demand, you can barely give it a thought or two, before someone else will have seen it and snatched it. Since I still only had seen about 5 apartments, I didn’t feel like I had sampled enough to really be able to make up my mind that quick.

This weekend it started looking up a little – I had seen a couple of decent places – when I arrived to see a 2BR, partially furnished place. It was an apartment that was added on to their house, to house her mother. It was now vacant, and for rent, but they were somewhat picky about who they wanted. With the closeness of the apartment to their living quarters, that seemed fair. After I had looked around and found the apartment to be of a very satisfactory standard and size, we sat down and talked. One thing they were concerned about was whether we would move in, then buy a house and leave very quickly. They wanted a commitment to stay for at least a year. We are contemplating buying here, but we are not in a rush as long as we have a decent place to stay. Getting a better feel for the area than my two week crash-course will be good before we commit to buying.

They offered me first priority, and told me to take some time to discuss it with LL and contemplate whether it would work. The lady had arrived back here from England 20 years ago, after several years abroad, so she could relate to my (our) situation.

Among the good things it offered was a “flexible furniture plan”. Currently it has a fair amount of furniture and appliances. When our furniture arrives, they were willing to remove theirs. The apartment is located 200 yards from the neighborhood elementary school, which is another plus. It is only 2.5 miles from downtown, and there is good bus service. The only negative, I have noted, is that there is limited storage place, so we’ll have to see what will fit when our stuff from KS arrives. We'll find some place for it.

After having given it a little thought I called back, and then went back to really look it over. I asked a few questions, we agreed that this would work, they gave me a key, and we are meeting to set up the rental agreement tomorrow night.

Many weeks ago, I sent myself a box with stuff that included towels and bedding. It seems to be taking its time across the Atlantic, since I haven’t seen it yet. Well, my new landlord insisted on bringing over bedding, which I could use until the box arrives. I am fairly sure we have found a very nice landlord.

A few days ago I was getting quite frustrated with the housing options, but it seem to have all sorted itself out…..

and meanwhile, back in Norway....

JHM

It's been a week or so since I contributed, so I suppose it is time......

I did find a car last weekend, and after double checking some options I decided to buy a Ford Focus C-Max - It is based on the Ford Focus wagon, that can be found in the US, but has been raised to give it a more of a small minivan functionality. I had a hard time deciding between it and a regular wagon which had a turbo diesel - I drove a regular Ford Focus with a TD, and it behaved like a rocket - the RPM redlined very quickly as I hit 50 mph before I shifted from 2nd to 3rd. Well the C-Max won due to functionality. And while the TD could have given 47 mpg, if I didn't treat it like a rocket, 35 isn't too shabby either. Oh yes, it hurts to fill up a tank at $2/liter (almost $8/gallon).



At work I have been given a lot of flexibilty to take care of business, so as required I have been running around the area to get set up with banks, insurance companies and the tax office. While I was a little skeptical to having to deal with some of this beaureucracy, I am now mostly astonished how smooth everything has gone, and how helpful they are, even at the IRS office. Thinking of it, I think a lot of the people I have dealt with have been enabled and allowed to make the processes smooth, so they can help and please their customers there and then. I hope this holds true when we start dealing with immigration for LLM.

I have been driving around almost all over this town and Gjovik, to get familar with it. I am not sufficiently proficient that I could be a cab driver, yet, but I think I have figured out most of the area. The one thing that surprised me, is how hilly it is here. After 11+ years in Kansas, maybe my perspective of what is hilly has changed, compared to when I last was here in 1987.

Using IM it has been easy to keep in touch with LLM and NK. Like when LLM and I look at houses on the internet - a quick copy and paste, and we can see the same information. How did they do this stuff back in the olden days, like in the -1980's before the internet was in everyones home?

Well time is flying, so I better get to bed......

Missing JH

I am kind of having a bad night. I miss JH and I feel sick over it. I am trying to give myself the positive self talk and helpful optimism...but it isn't working tonight.

To compound my emotional state, I just read that two of my college classmates died weeks apart. One took her own life and the other died suddenly after having an illness. Life is so short, so precious and then...pixie dust.

I think my funk started this evening when NK said 'how did you meet daddy, since he is from Norway and you are from Iowa'. Well, we almost didn't meet. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norway and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iowa). We were introduced by friends (thanks Lenette and Toralf), but it was our common love for books, space, eating, jazz & blues, funny movies, irony, and else that drew us together.

We both like Bonnie Raitt and Pippi Longstocking (Pippi Långstrump)...which might just be the unscientific reason for my current stained red hair.

We both enjoy History, the Milky Way and the study of evolution...hmmm, maybe that has something to do with fleeing Kansas - ha!

We enjoy analyzing religion - with one another, and listening to Public Radio. Of course we love A Prairie Home Companion, http://www.prairiehome.org. Lake Wobegon exists.

We like traveling and we enjoy hanging around the house. We are both gourmet cooks and yet we love popcorn for dinner and toast a la Peanuts...Snoopy & the Gang.

We both have had a great love affair with comics. Growing up on separate continents we each had/have three favorites (the same OF COURSE) - the relationships of Snoopy & Woodstock, Pooh & Piglet and Calvin & Hobbes.

Each of us recycled before it was trendy. We both gardened when we were young and ate food we grew. We love plants & flowers and photography of nature. We like talking to cats.

What sealed the deal in our relationship is that we are ABBA fans. Oh - and we love our family...and we have enjoyed conversations & relationships with our grandparents during the many stages of our lives.

I feel better now - I think I will call it a night and dream of my sweet Norwegian.

Friends & Family Stopping In

For the last month friends & family have stopped by to say good-bye.

Packing, Packing & Even More Packing

My mom spent the weekend at our house helping me pack. We spend considerable time trying to decide what to keep.

I have been lookng for a airline approved animal backpack to take Forrest on the plane. I think that Paris Hilton has really done a lot for the pet carrier industry. There are a lot of styles, although I am leaning more towards price and practicality.

More of our furniture has been sold. Let's hope that I sell more in the next month. I have lots of calls from strange people who sound like they need/want a friend rather than an interest in my furniture. I am wasting cell minutes talking with nuts - great.

We have been chatting online with JH and/or IM each day - NK likes the video conferences the most. Kind of a cyber daddy/hubby. A talking head. NK has been playing chess, tic-tac-toe and chess online with the cyber daddy.

My in-laws called from Belize. They turned on a TV for the first time in a weekend and saw the devastation from the tornado activity in Kansas. They were worried about us. I told them I wish I was sitting on a beach on in the Carribean...but that NK and I are "okay" and we are looking forward to being with JH in Norway.

Let's hope that JH will get a car this week and a temporary furnished apartment in the next two weeks.

The following websites have some of the houses we are looking at. Go to Bolig, and then select Oppland and then Gjovik and Raufoss, www.tinde.no. The housing prices are outrageous when comparing them to dollars especially Kansas dollars since the Wichita market economy is so inexpensive. I hope we don't end up living in a hut. A cold little hut.

We have two couples seriously considering putting an offer on our house. If they or anyone else doesn't make a move I will list it by mid-month with a realtor - so I can focus on work, packing, NK end of school, and final hour stuff like closing banking, blah blah blah.

My Passport Arrived!

The US government surprised me today...okay they surprise me everyday but this time it was a good surprise...my passport arrived! I had to renew my passport at a time when the news headlines have declared that it is taking 12 weeks or so to process even with expedited fees. Well, I received mine after 19 days! I did pay the expedited fees. I had to hold onto my old passport to get back into the country from Belize and then pray that I receive/d my new one in time to head to Norway in June.

Within the next two weeks I will book the travel for NK and I to Norway. I am still trying to decide whether Forrest the cat will ride in the main cabin or whether he should be stowed in the belly of a plane. Ideally I will be able to give him some kitty prozac and he will nap - but I fear he will freak out and stink up the aircraft. Hmmmm...decisions decisions. I hope to connect somewhere on the east coast and/or Iceland to break-up the trip. I would love to spend a few days in Iceland hanging out at the Blue Lagoon - but Forrest has put a crimp in the plans for a stop-over. AND we look forward to seeing JH and our new town in Norway.

I still need to sell our remaining car and our house...I have sold more of the furniture. Last night NK was worried that we wouldn't have any furniture to sit on -I reminded him that lack of furniture was the goal not the problem!

I will try to upload photos tomorrow - I am too tired tonight...I have been packing and sorting through more of our worldly possessions. It is so exhausting to sort through every single item under our roof. I am going to post some items on Wichita Free Cycle. I just want some things gone...key rings, 'after shave', dog house anyone?

In Norway my loverboy should be ready to crawl out of bed. On this side of the planet I am going to be crawling into a bed...in about two minutes...

First arrival in Norway

JHM

Wichita - Chicago - Copenhagen - Oslo - by plane went well with only a few annoyances. The oversized and overweight luggage arrived. One suitcase is on its last leg - both handles to carry it with were not able to support the weight - so one broke upon arrival to Oslo, the next one upon departing Oslo.

I hung out with my sister and her family for almost two days - so I am now fairly de-jetlagged.
My folks were on their way to Belize - so they swung by, too.

Today May 1, I took the train from Oslo to Raufoss - 1 hr 50 minutes.



I found a taxi to haul my load to the hotel - established internet connection and then went for a walk to find my new employer.

Raufoss seem like a nice and laid-back little town - at least from what I saw today.

Everyone is amused that I don't have a cellphone (yet) - the hotel doesn't have room phones anymore - cause "everyone" has cell phones - you can't even get a wake up call......my PDA will take care of that.

JH has Flown the Coop

At 5:30 p.m. last Saturday JH flew out of Wichita. He connected in Chicago (nightmare) and then took Scandanavian Air. to Copenhagen, Denmark and then on to Oslo.

Before we could leave the house it was clear that NK was going to shed a few tears. I realized the day before when he wouldn't get out of my car once I had sold it that Dad leaving would be tough. Had NK not been with us I would have been the one having the melt down in our driveway, but I "acted" tough for the departure. Happy I was not, but prepared I was. Listening to NK scream left me with a huge lump in my throat, but some how we made it in two cars to the airport. Because of the baggage and JH's bike we had a little convoy.

Check-in took 1/2 hour. Good thing it was a slow day and that we were able to walk straight-up to the counter. It appears that taking a bike and having a lot of over weight baggage creates extra paperwork and extra payments (as we had guessed).

NK, my mom and I hung around the airport and ate a snack and visited with JH until it was time for him to head to the gate. After some tears he headed in one direction and we headed in another. Boo hoo.

To distract NK we went to Hutchinson to the hotel with the indoor water park. NK ran into some kids from school and had a blast swimming for hours and hours. We also went to the Kansas Cosmosphere since NK couldn't remember his last visit when he was younger.

JH has called twice. O'Hare Airport was a mess but the flight to Denmark wasn't very full so he had two seats to himself. He played trivia and snoozed most of the way across the Atlantic. The flight attendants with Scandanavian settled their strike so his flight from Copenhagen to Oslo was uneventful.

Thank goodness his sister has a station wagon because his baggage and bike took-up a lot of space. Ironically his parents are headed to Belize for a few weeks - so they met for a day in passing at his sister's home in Oslo. I hope they visit the same resort we stayed at on Ambergris Caye in Belize...they will love it!

Well, JH forgot his Norwegian drivers license - I will send it tomorrow.

I have started packing again! Yuck.

Off to NK's soccer we go - this will keep him and I busy until we depart. On Saturday he was goalie and he punted the ball all the way across the field past every player on the field and into the goal after a slight deflection. What a leg.