Wow, it is hard to believe she is five! At least she is relatively low-maintenance, since her choice for dinner was Ikea.
Unfortunately, the play area was closed, so she didn't get to play in the ball room. They also didn't have her "favorite pasta", so she opted for Swedish meatballs, potatoes, gravy and lingonberry sauce. She did get her "favorite chocolate mousse" though.
She was very happy with the gifts she received (thank you Mrs. Mary Kaye for the book and dress - very nice!) She likes books so much that I caught her at 6:15 this morning awake in bed reading books.
On another note, I want to express my thanks to everyone that reads this blog. It has been a wonderful experience to write it, and I hope it has been helpful and enjoyable to all of you. To date, we have had visitors from at least 77 countries and from every continent except Antarctica! It is interesting to see how our experiences can be spread all over the world. I hope they have been positive for you all.
Kimber is running in the half-marathon Saturday, and Sidney's birthday party with her friends is Sunday. We will have some pictures and a post to follow, as well as plans for the coming couple of weeks.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Monday, August 23, 2010
Kristiansand Zoo
The weather prediction wasn't solid this past weekend, so we opted to go to Kristiansand to the zoo instead of Flekkefjord for the railway bikes. We did stop by Flekkefjord on the way back, though, to reconnoiter the location for the bikes, and we plan on doing those in two weeks.
On the way down to Kristiansand, we went through several tunnels (remember, Norway is hollow.) One tunnel has several roads that come together within the tunnel, resulting in cloverleaf exits, spirals, and lots of other crazy stuff all carved into the mountain. The tunnel then goes straight out to a bridge, then back into another tunnel. This is a view of the bridge from underneath.
The drive was very nice and only took about three hours. It was right around 250 kilometers, but most of the highway is two lane and through mountainous terrain, so there isn't much speed involved.
Once in Kristiansand (actually, the zoo is about 15 kilometers on the other side of Kristiansand), we went straight over to the zoo. We got in just in time to see the lions getting fed, then headed over to check out some of the other exhibits.
The zoo is Norway's version of Disneyland, combining rides, zoo and water park into one area. The animal enclosures are nicer than many zoos, with much more area for the animals to roam in a "natural" environment. It does appear to be a bit wet for some of the animals, but it isn't too bad.
There is a good selection of animals, including several Scandinavian and European species, like the lynx and wolf. There are also some other animals of interest, like the ring-tailed lemurs. You actually get to go into the enclosure with them and walk around. They seemed quite accustomed to humans, though visitors are warned not to touch them.
Also on the first day, we did a few of the rides and activities, like the Alpine Slide and the obstacle course. I should actually say Kimber and Sidney did the obstacle course while I took pictures. Sidney did the whole thing, and we were really quite proud of her. She is getting to be a bit more daring and agile.
We spent the remainder of the afternoon in the water park, but it was a little cool. The outside temperature was only around 70F, and the water wasn't exactly as "warm" as it was described in the website. Still, it was a pretty nice water park and would be great on a warmer day.
Our hotel was a Quality Inn that was built with kids in mind. They had a large play area in the basement, as well as outdoor play equipment and a nice pool. Sidney was too tired by the end of the day for the pool, but Kimber got in a few laps before going to bed. Breakfast the next morning wasn't as good as some of the hotels we have been in here, but Sidney was able to spend some time playing afterward, then we headed back over to the zoo to finish seeing the sights.
We determined that a one day pass is too short to see it all, but a two day pass was a little too long. Granted, if it was warmer we probably would have spent more time in the water park, and because the season is coming to a close some areas of the zoo weren't open. We do, however, feel we got our money's worth out of the experience. That even included getting soaked on the log ride (twice!) on day two, then waiting for a sudden downpour to slow down so we could make it back to the gate to leave (the trees provided just enough protection to keep us from drowning.)
We had a nice ride home, including the brief detour to Flekkefjord. Then it was time to get ready for another week of school, work and getting ready to move. Sidney's birthday is tomorrow, so we are taking her to dinner at one of her favorite restaurants (Ikea). We are actually doing a party for her this year, which won't be until Sunday. Kimber is running in the Stavanger Half-Marathon Saturday. As you can see, we are still a busy family.
And for a final note - an update on our new house. Theresa sent us a new picture with the landscaping and grass done. We are really looking forward to getting there to add our own "personal" touches, but are very happy with what we see so far.
On the way down to Kristiansand, we went through several tunnels (remember, Norway is hollow.) One tunnel has several roads that come together within the tunnel, resulting in cloverleaf exits, spirals, and lots of other crazy stuff all carved into the mountain. The tunnel then goes straight out to a bridge, then back into another tunnel. This is a view of the bridge from underneath.
The drive was very nice and only took about three hours. It was right around 250 kilometers, but most of the highway is two lane and through mountainous terrain, so there isn't much speed involved.
Once in Kristiansand (actually, the zoo is about 15 kilometers on the other side of Kristiansand), we went straight over to the zoo. We got in just in time to see the lions getting fed, then headed over to check out some of the other exhibits.
The zoo is Norway's version of Disneyland, combining rides, zoo and water park into one area. The animal enclosures are nicer than many zoos, with much more area for the animals to roam in a "natural" environment. It does appear to be a bit wet for some of the animals, but it isn't too bad.
There is a good selection of animals, including several Scandinavian and European species, like the lynx and wolf. There are also some other animals of interest, like the ring-tailed lemurs. You actually get to go into the enclosure with them and walk around. They seemed quite accustomed to humans, though visitors are warned not to touch them.
Also on the first day, we did a few of the rides and activities, like the Alpine Slide and the obstacle course. I should actually say Kimber and Sidney did the obstacle course while I took pictures. Sidney did the whole thing, and we were really quite proud of her. She is getting to be a bit more daring and agile.
We spent the remainder of the afternoon in the water park, but it was a little cool. The outside temperature was only around 70F, and the water wasn't exactly as "warm" as it was described in the website. Still, it was a pretty nice water park and would be great on a warmer day.
Our hotel was a Quality Inn that was built with kids in mind. They had a large play area in the basement, as well as outdoor play equipment and a nice pool. Sidney was too tired by the end of the day for the pool, but Kimber got in a few laps before going to bed. Breakfast the next morning wasn't as good as some of the hotels we have been in here, but Sidney was able to spend some time playing afterward, then we headed back over to the zoo to finish seeing the sights.
We determined that a one day pass is too short to see it all, but a two day pass was a little too long. Granted, if it was warmer we probably would have spent more time in the water park, and because the season is coming to a close some areas of the zoo weren't open. We do, however, feel we got our money's worth out of the experience. That even included getting soaked on the log ride (twice!) on day two, then waiting for a sudden downpour to slow down so we could make it back to the gate to leave (the trees provided just enough protection to keep us from drowning.)
We had a nice ride home, including the brief detour to Flekkefjord. Then it was time to get ready for another week of school, work and getting ready to move. Sidney's birthday is tomorrow, so we are taking her to dinner at one of her favorite restaurants (Ikea). We are actually doing a party for her this year, which won't be until Sunday. Kimber is running in the Stavanger Half-Marathon Saturday. As you can see, we are still a busy family.
And for a final note - an update on our new house. Theresa sent us a new picture with the landscaping and grass done. We are really looking forward to getting there to add our own "personal" touches, but are very happy with what we see so far.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Back to the Routine
Summer is now over here, and Sidney has started school. Her first day as a first grader was Monday, and we have gotten back into the routine of packing lunches, getting uniforms ready, and all the other school-related things.
She is enjoying class so far and has made at least one new friend. The school's enrollment is growing to the point that they had to add another Reception (kindergarten) and Year 1 (first grade) class. There are 80 new students at the school, which is about a 20% increase over last year.
One thing we did do before school started was take Sidney to the Oil Museum in Stavanger. It is quite a nice museum and covers many aspects of oil production in the North Sea. There are lots of platform models, interactive displays and other activities for both adults and kids. Sidney particularly liked the escape chute, as you can see in the picture.
We are evaluating plans for this weekend, as the weather doesn't seem to want to make up its mind yet. Our current plan is to go down to Flekkefjord to ride the dressins. They are bicycles that are specially designed to ride on railway tracks. There is a 16 kilometer route that goes through 10 tunnels that has been set aside specifically for this, and it is supposed to be quite a little adventure. As long as it doesn't rain Saturday, that is our plan. If it does rain, we will have to look at the alternative of going to Kristiansand to the zoo.
We have had a new visitor in the port next to us for about a week. It is the Bourbon Monsoon. The paint job looks nice, but it has a really funny looking bow.
Finally, there have been some really dramatic sunsets and sunrises lately. I thought you might enjoy seeing a few of them. As long-time readers of the blog may have noticed, there are several pictures of our little "island" from the same angle at different times of the day, with different lighting and weather. The island has a personality of its own, and the view of it will be one of the things we miss most from here. I plan on looking through all our pictures and putting together a print with the island as the subject so we can see it for many years to come.
She is enjoying class so far and has made at least one new friend. The school's enrollment is growing to the point that they had to add another Reception (kindergarten) and Year 1 (first grade) class. There are 80 new students at the school, which is about a 20% increase over last year.
One thing we did do before school started was take Sidney to the Oil Museum in Stavanger. It is quite a nice museum and covers many aspects of oil production in the North Sea. There are lots of platform models, interactive displays and other activities for both adults and kids. Sidney particularly liked the escape chute, as you can see in the picture.
We are evaluating plans for this weekend, as the weather doesn't seem to want to make up its mind yet. Our current plan is to go down to Flekkefjord to ride the dressins. They are bicycles that are specially designed to ride on railway tracks. There is a 16 kilometer route that goes through 10 tunnels that has been set aside specifically for this, and it is supposed to be quite a little adventure. As long as it doesn't rain Saturday, that is our plan. If it does rain, we will have to look at the alternative of going to Kristiansand to the zoo.
We have had a new visitor in the port next to us for about a week. It is the Bourbon Monsoon. The paint job looks nice, but it has a really funny looking bow.
Finally, there have been some really dramatic sunsets and sunrises lately. I thought you might enjoy seeing a few of them. As long-time readers of the blog may have noticed, there are several pictures of our little "island" from the same angle at different times of the day, with different lighting and weather. The island has a personality of its own, and the view of it will be one of the things we miss most from here. I plan on looking through all our pictures and putting together a print with the island as the subject so we can see it for many years to come.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Going and coming, and going again!
Wow, it has been a busy summer! We have been to 10 different countries, above the 80th parallel, sailing, ferries, offshore - well, you get the idea. The longest I have been home in one stretch all summer was six days.
Kimber has been offshore three times this summer. On the second trip, she got to "shoot the ship", which will be another blog post in itself. She is currently offshore now, and will return Monday afternoon. On this particular trip, the helicopter landed on a drilling ship on the way to Alvheim, so Kimber can now say she has been on an offshore drilling platform as well. I am sure she will have more to add about that.
Sidney starts school again Monday.It has been such a busy summer that it hardly seems like it is time yet! She is looking forward to being back with her friends, and it gives me the opportunity to get things organized here before our big move.
We have a few more special trips to do here in Norway, and one of them is planned for next weekend. There is also Sidney's birthday, and Kimber is planning on running in the Stavanger Half-Marathon at the end of the month. There will be lots more to add to the blog, so keep on reading!
Kimber has been offshore three times this summer. On the second trip, she got to "shoot the ship", which will be another blog post in itself. She is currently offshore now, and will return Monday afternoon. On this particular trip, the helicopter landed on a drilling ship on the way to Alvheim, so Kimber can now say she has been on an offshore drilling platform as well. I am sure she will have more to add about that.
Sidney starts school again Monday.It has been such a busy summer that it hardly seems like it is time yet! She is looking forward to being back with her friends, and it gives me the opportunity to get things organized here before our big move.
We have a few more special trips to do here in Norway, and one of them is planned for next weekend. There is also Sidney's birthday, and Kimber is planning on running in the Stavanger Half-Marathon at the end of the month. There will be lots more to add to the blog, so keep on reading!
Monday, August 9, 2010
Homeowners again (almost)!
We are currently in Houston for our house-hunting trip. We arrived on Wednesday, and it has been a whirlwind since then.
It started Thursday with looking at 24 resale (previously-owned) houses. We saw some possibilities and also determined pretty quickly "eliminating" factors. One of the last houses we saw became a very strong possibility, and we determined we would see it again the next day.
Friday started with 12 more resales, then visits to model homes and new builds. We probably looked at an additional 20 new homes.
That is when it became difficult. We had a really strong resale possibility, and two very strong new build contenders. We put them in order, then went and looked at the resale we liked. There were two factors that then moved it down from the top of our list- size (it was a little too big and had one more bedroom than we need) and a small set of power lines that ran through the back neighbors yards.
We went back to the new home center and put in a bid for the new "top" choice. We heard back from the new sales agent on Saturday with a counter offer, and came to an agreement around noon. We signed the contract and made the deal. We will close on or before the 24th of September.
Our new house is a four bedroom, 3 1/2 bath with a study, dining room, media room and two-car garage. It is in a new part of Cinco Ranch (near Katy, Texas), and is very close to Sidney's new school.
The house faces an area that will be a park, though it still isn't determined whether it will just be a green space or have playground equipment. Either way, there are several close-by parks, pools, bike trails, etc., in the area. The house is also only around a mile away from our friend Theresa from Findlay.
The house has a lot of nice features like granite counters, wood floors, iron stair spindles and such, but Kimber was sold when she saw the master bathroom. It is beautiful, and will be a welcome place to get ready for the day each morning!
Sidney has her own suite, with its own bathroom and walk-in closet. There is room for all of her bedroom furniture, as well as her other toys, play things and art desk.
We will have a few things to do after we get back to the U.S. for good and close on the house before we can fully "move in." It will take several weeks for our household goods in Norway to arrive back in the U.S., but we do have some stuff here in storage that we will start getting arranged.
We are really looking forward to being in our new home, but still are sad to leave our lives in Norway. We return to Norway tomorrow, and will continue to make the most of what time we still have left there.
It started Thursday with looking at 24 resale (previously-owned) houses. We saw some possibilities and also determined pretty quickly "eliminating" factors. One of the last houses we saw became a very strong possibility, and we determined we would see it again the next day.
Friday started with 12 more resales, then visits to model homes and new builds. We probably looked at an additional 20 new homes.
That is when it became difficult. We had a really strong resale possibility, and two very strong new build contenders. We put them in order, then went and looked at the resale we liked. There were two factors that then moved it down from the top of our list- size (it was a little too big and had one more bedroom than we need) and a small set of power lines that ran through the back neighbors yards.
We went back to the new home center and put in a bid for the new "top" choice. We heard back from the new sales agent on Saturday with a counter offer, and came to an agreement around noon. We signed the contract and made the deal. We will close on or before the 24th of September.
Our new house is a four bedroom, 3 1/2 bath with a study, dining room, media room and two-car garage. It is in a new part of Cinco Ranch (near Katy, Texas), and is very close to Sidney's new school.
The house faces an area that will be a park, though it still isn't determined whether it will just be a green space or have playground equipment. Either way, there are several close-by parks, pools, bike trails, etc., in the area. The house is also only around a mile away from our friend Theresa from Findlay.
The house has a lot of nice features like granite counters, wood floors, iron stair spindles and such, but Kimber was sold when she saw the master bathroom. It is beautiful, and will be a welcome place to get ready for the day each morning!
Sidney has her own suite, with its own bathroom and walk-in closet. There is room for all of her bedroom furniture, as well as her other toys, play things and art desk.
We will have a few things to do after we get back to the U.S. for good and close on the house before we can fully "move in." It will take several weeks for our household goods in Norway to arrive back in the U.S., but we do have some stuff here in storage that we will start getting arranged.
We are really looking forward to being in our new home, but still are sad to leave our lives in Norway. We return to Norway tomorrow, and will continue to make the most of what time we still have left there.
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