Are we there yet??

The past three weeks have been busy, challenging and enjoyable.

One June 21st we flew to Denmark to spend a couple of weeks with Moss and Omma. We met at the airport and from there went straight to Tivoli. The kids had a blast, especially Benjamin. He was in Tivoli last summer and still remembered all the rides and where they were. Moss, being the good trooper that she is, followed Benjamin around and rode all the rides with him. Annika rode a few rides, but eventually fell asleep while eating her fries. After a day of fun at Tivoli, we took the train to Odense. The kids pretty much have things figured out when it comes to Moss and Omma: Benjamin is Omma's boy and Annika is Moss' girl.... it's clear cut with no gray areas and makes a lot of things a lot easier. After a week of relaxing, bike riding, playgrounds, yard work and Legoland, I flew back to Norway while the kids stayed in Denmark. Now, Omma and Moss were free to spoil them and to break all the rules that mamma and babba set:)

Back in Norway: Pre-, during and post-move-in have been a roller coaster ride with some ups and downs and loops as well. So far, dealing with utility companies has been a pleasure, people are friendly and helpful. Dealing with the government....well, that has not changed much... The kids and I are still waiting for our registration numbers and even re-applied a few days back. So, right now we cannot do practical things like setting up a doctor, dentist, bank account, insurance etc, because our paperwork is somewhere in the system and probably will be for a while because it's vacation time!!! Ggrrr...... On the brighter side: We have a car now!! Yeah!!. I have to admit, I was getting to be quite the expert there for a while on the bus, train and tram schedules. For what we sold two fairly new cars for in the States, we purchased one old car here in Norway. Also, because we have two car seats, any passenger riding in the back of the car, between the car seats, must have a rear less than 12 inches. For an older car, it is a very well maintained Toyota Corolla.

Move in was.... well, it was a disaster. Even with a three months notice the previous tenant in "our" house was not ready to hand over the keys and do all the final formalities until the morning of our move in. The agent was running late and when she showed up, she failed the house as it was not ready to hand over.... it needed major cleaning. Then, we had to wait for some people to come over and clean the house...all this while three men and a container waited and a clock was ticking. A group of young people came over and with in the hour turned a failed-house into a move-in-ready house. With that kind of speed and efficiency, I envisioned them all with a magic wand and true "Higitus Figitus" Merlin style. Unfortunately, this turned out to not be the case. The house looked more like an authentic post-spring-cleaning of a bachelor pad: floors, tables and windows were clean. Behind, under, over, corners, cabinets, fridge etc were filthy and the trash was overflowing with junk and beer cans. Since we had no choice, we moved in and spent the next several days cleaning and unpacking from dawn til dusk. This was the biggest dip on our roller coaster ride.

We have finally reached a point where the "fun" begins and we get to make it our home. Pictures are now on the walls and we are planning on blinds and paint. The kids love the house and the area. Inside, they now have a game room and outside there are a lot of kids to get to know. There is definitely more freedom here for the kids to roam around. We are making an effort to meet and get to know our neighbors, as people here are not as open as people back in Texas. The area itself is.....perfect (however, I reserve the right to change my mind after winter hits). We live in a small neighborhood between two small villages, about 15 mins away from the nearest small town and about 30-40 mins from Oslo. Things are laid back here and so far, two of our main "hobbies" are to enjoy the view from the back patio or to sit by the breakfast table in the kitchen and watch our neighbors go on with their lives. Our street is a dead end street, so traffic is limited. Back yard is a wooden deck, wild natural area for a short stretch, a fence and a 100ft-ish drop into a small lake..... Not bad for someone who used to have a view of a handful of trees in a cul-de-sac.

I guess we can finally say: Yes, we are here now.