"Mom, you're not on the same page as me."
"Correct me if I'm wrong..."
Two phrases Sidney has recently started using correctly in conversation.
"Why do they call them chocolate chips? They should call them chocolate mountains because that is what they look like."
Sidney, while baking with Mom. Take note, Nestle!
"Daddy, when will you teach me how to drive?"
It has already started, and she is just turning 5!
"Daddy, why are you teaching me these things?"
Sidney's response after I told her what a social networking website for dogs is.
"Mommy, you call me a Jatta all the time."(Pronounced "yo-to" in Norwegian, the name of an area near us.)
"No, Sidney, I call you a yo-yo."
"You do the blog so people can see the funny things I say."
Sidney, stating the obvious.
"The Earth is the biggest planet in the whole world."
We are going to have to go over that astronomy thing with Sidney again.
"Daddy, did you shave your beard so we wouldn't have to see the white?"
"The Germans beat the Danish. I saw it on t.v."
"In what, football?"
"No, war."
Sidney on world history.
"What do you think he is doing?
"Fishing. He has a fishing pole."
Sidney commenting on the silhouette of a little boy peeing on the side of a public pissoir.
"And that's their barbecue grill they take outside to barbecue with."
Sidney, referring to a roll-top desk in the Royal Apartments in Stockholm.
Sidney’s first joke she made up herself:
The toilet in our cabin flushed loudly because it was on a vacuum system. Kimber flushed it while Sidney was standing beside it, and Sidney said, “That is EAR-ritating!” while tugging her ear.
“Polar bears eat people straight away. They don’t peel them first.”
Sidney describing polar bear eating habits.
“When you eat your food, it goes down to your tummy and turns into throw-up.”
Digestion 101 by Sidney.
“I want to lick you off.”
Sidney, attesting to the fact that Mommy’s hand tasted good after swimming in the salt water.
“Troll (the name of a dessert they served on the trip) is cooked trolls.”
More cooking lessons from Sidney.
“When you have blood in your eyes, does that mean there are little cracks in them?”
Since we were in the midnight sun and up late, we apparently had bloodshot eyes from the lack of sleep.
“You mean you only get one bite from all that?”
Sidney, after eating a crawfish.
"I really, really like blueberry yogurt. Oh, I don't like this one."
"Why not?"
"Too many blueberries."
Sidney to Ms. Rasen while shopping.
"I like Chinese food."
"What's your favorite Chinese food?"
"French fries."
Sidney on international cuisine.
"Hey, Mommy, you could wear your red pants and that red sweater on Halloween as an Elmo costume."
Sidney commenting on Kimber's fashion.
"Daddy, what's interesting about a seahorse is that daddies have a hole."
Sidney is apparently learning some anatomy.
"You know, Grandma, I've tasted lots of animals."
"And how were they?"
"Good."
Sidney attesting to the fact that she is definitely not a vegetarian.
"You can't just throw him from the 7th floor down to the sea. You see, snails can't fly."
Sidney's response to me when I told her the snail she and Grandpa brought up to the apartment was going to need to go back outside.
"Mommy, it's hill, not Hell."
Sidney, correcting Kimber after she made a satirical reference to a portion of her recent bike race.
"Ms. Rasen, I need to come stay at your house again because Daddy needs peace."
Sidney, to her teacher.
"Did you have fun seeing the queen?"
"Yes, but Ms. Rasen spoils me."
Sidney, referring to her overnight trip with her teacher to see the Queen of Norway
"I'll have to bring her a red mat because she really likes red mats."
Sidney, when I told her she will be going to an event next week and possibly see the Queen of Norway.
"...Easter eggs, handmade by chickens..."
"...The Aquarium will give you a chance to see Adriatic sea life without having to eat it. Children will like it; animal rights activists may be less impressed."
Quotes from the Dubrovnik in your Pocket travel guide.
"Fine, I'll just sit on the ball and lay it like an egg."
Sidney, after being told not to throw her ball inside.
"I think we need an idea here, Daddy. I have an idea, but I don't think you do."
Sidney to me during a snowman building competition.
"I have another homonym - turkey and turkey. Turkey like I eat and turkey like I am."
Sidney to her kindergarten teacher, Ms. Rasen.
"He was looking at the ground with a clue mirror."
Sidney describing a picture of a boy looking through a magnifying glass.
"Mom, you have two eyes, not three like an alien."
Sidney's response to Kimber saying she has eyes everywhere and can see her being naughty.
"I know two more homonyms - bow and Bo. Bow as in your hair and Bo, the boy from my class in Findlay."
Sidney discussing homonyms.
"Mom, that white bra is way too big for you."
Sidney, referring to a sports bra in a sporting goods store, loud enough for EVERYONE to hear.
"That lady has pasta hair."
Sidney, referring to some supermodel on television with curly blond hair.
"Does it feel soft when I'm holding the menagerie against your legs?"
Sidney, referring to her stuffed animal collection, which we refer to as her "menagerie"
Thursday, September 23, 2010
A New "Routine"
We have now been in Houston just short of a week, and are settling into a little bit of a routine. Kimber goes off to work early in the morning, I take Sidney to school (about a 45 minute drive), and we come home in the evening and get ready for the next day. It sounds a bit boring, but all the stuff in between keeps it interesting.
First, Sidney is doing great in school. We got her enrolled on Monday. She had to get four shots before they would actually let her go to a classroom, so that was very painful (her words exactly) for her. She started out that afternoon in kindergarten (because of her age) but they started advancement testing immediately. By Tuesday morning, we learned she had passed the tests with flying colors and was being moved to first grade that afternoon. Way to go, Sidney, and way to go to all her teachers back in Stavanger! She is enjoying school and making new friends already, but misses her friends back in Stavanger still.
Secondly, we are getting ready to close on our house (tomorrow!) We have our final walk-through inspection this afternoon, but there will still be a few things that need to be done even after closing. Since we won't actually be moving in until some time in October, it isn't too big of a deal.
I have been getting some of the logistics handled, such as getting a refrigerator and a few other things we needed to buy. I have also been in search of cars for us, getting my Texas driver's license, library cards, etc.
Kimber is trying to settle into her job, as well as handle the phone calls and emails about the house. She did have an opportunity to eat at the "Chinese Hamburger Restaurant" - a local Marathon haunt - and described it as quite an experience. She had the chicken bacon cheeseburger, which is totally out-of-character for her, and said it was fabulous!
I am going to post an archive of Sidney's quotes in the blog itself. It is so I can get the formatting right for the publishing of our "blog book." There will be other changes taking place as well, since we are no longer in Stavanger. We have decided to continue blogging, since it is a great way to keep everyone from all over the world up to date with our lives. We would also like to keep the blog active so those moving to or living near Stavanger (or anyone else that is interested) can learn about our experiences there.
More to come soon!
First, Sidney is doing great in school. We got her enrolled on Monday. She had to get four shots before they would actually let her go to a classroom, so that was very painful (her words exactly) for her. She started out that afternoon in kindergarten (because of her age) but they started advancement testing immediately. By Tuesday morning, we learned she had passed the tests with flying colors and was being moved to first grade that afternoon. Way to go, Sidney, and way to go to all her teachers back in Stavanger! She is enjoying school and making new friends already, but misses her friends back in Stavanger still.
Secondly, we are getting ready to close on our house (tomorrow!) We have our final walk-through inspection this afternoon, but there will still be a few things that need to be done even after closing. Since we won't actually be moving in until some time in October, it isn't too big of a deal.
I have been getting some of the logistics handled, such as getting a refrigerator and a few other things we needed to buy. I have also been in search of cars for us, getting my Texas driver's license, library cards, etc.
Kimber is trying to settle into her job, as well as handle the phone calls and emails about the house. She did have an opportunity to eat at the "Chinese Hamburger Restaurant" - a local Marathon haunt - and described it as quite an experience. She had the chicken bacon cheeseburger, which is totally out-of-character for her, and said it was fabulous!
I am going to post an archive of Sidney's quotes in the blog itself. It is so I can get the formatting right for the publishing of our "blog book." There will be other changes taking place as well, since we are no longer in Stavanger. We have decided to continue blogging, since it is a great way to keep everyone from all over the world up to date with our lives. We would also like to keep the blog active so those moving to or living near Stavanger (or anyone else that is interested) can learn about our experiences there.
More to come soon!
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Tusen Takk!
Well, there is just no easy way to say this, but our time here is over. It hardly seems like a year and a half has gone by since we moved to Norway, but when we look back on all our experiences, it is amazing how much we have done.
Kimber will be coming back for visits as part of her job. If she comes during the summer, Sidney may come along with her. The realist in me says that work schedules will most likely not allow me to come along, but I will try. After all, there are still a few things in Norway we haven't done!
The title of this post means "A thousand thanks" in Norwegian. It is one of the first phrases we all (including Sidney) learned. Rather than say goodbye, I think it is more appropriate to say "thank you".
Thank you to all that have followed the blog, from more than 78 countries and registering over 4500 visits. Thank you to all who have been part of it - I've made you all blog stars!
Thank you for soup on Tuesday, waffles on Thursday, and being kind neighbors. Thank you for all that have come to see us here, whether people at our apartment or as ships parking at the pier nearby.
Thank you for fiery sunrises, pink sunsets, and snow-covered mountains creeping across the fjord toward us. Thank you for Norwegian delicacies, like pinnekjott, cloudberry cream, and fresh berries all summer and autumn (Norwegian strawberries are the best!)
Thank you for being friends, colleagues, and "family". Thank you for play-dates, hikes and activities we have shared together.
Thank you for being a church family to us. Your warmth, happiness, sharing, and love have been a tremendous support to us all.
Thank you for teaching Sidney. You have opened the world up to her, whether in a classroom or while getting her to answer a question in Norwegian.
Thank you for the experiences. No where else in the world could we have done all the things we did here.
And finally, as Kimber would say, our home is where the three of us are together. Thank you, Norway, for being our home for the past year and a half. Tusen takk og har det bra.
Kimber will be coming back for visits as part of her job. If she comes during the summer, Sidney may come along with her. The realist in me says that work schedules will most likely not allow me to come along, but I will try. After all, there are still a few things in Norway we haven't done!
The title of this post means "A thousand thanks" in Norwegian. It is one of the first phrases we all (including Sidney) learned. Rather than say goodbye, I think it is more appropriate to say "thank you".
Thank you to all that have followed the blog, from more than 78 countries and registering over 4500 visits. Thank you to all who have been part of it - I've made you all blog stars!
Thank you for soup on Tuesday, waffles on Thursday, and being kind neighbors. Thank you for all that have come to see us here, whether people at our apartment or as ships parking at the pier nearby.
Thank you for fiery sunrises, pink sunsets, and snow-covered mountains creeping across the fjord toward us. Thank you for Norwegian delicacies, like pinnekjott, cloudberry cream, and fresh berries all summer and autumn (Norwegian strawberries are the best!)
Thank you for being friends, colleagues, and "family". Thank you for play-dates, hikes and activities we have shared together.
Thank you for being a church family to us. Your warmth, happiness, sharing, and love have been a tremendous support to us all.
Thank you for teaching Sidney. You have opened the world up to her, whether in a classroom or while getting her to answer a question in Norwegian.
Thank you for the experiences. No where else in the world could we have done all the things we did here.
And finally, as Kimber would say, our home is where the three of us are together. Thank you, Norway, for being our home for the past year and a half. Tusen takk og har det bra.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Kimber's IOU
I owe you a post anyway. I haven't made a post since I was on Alvheim and did the Stavanger half-marathon.
I actually was on Alvheim twice in August. I went out to meet with each crew and complete some process safety training as well as help out with the improvements we continue to make for process safety. Have I mentioned before how exciting this job is?!? How cool is it to commute to work by helicopter? Then to work on such a new and sensational project that has gone through the amazing transition from Maersk operation to Marathon operation! Alvheim or any FPSO is phenomenal to mean. Plus I have been involved in the beginning of the operation with the ability to apply what we have learned from other operations to Alvheim to truly make it the best and safest operation. It has been so exciting for me and I feel blessed by the chance I have had to work here on Alvheim in Norway and with all those I now count as my friends.
One of the times I was on Alvheim, I got to "shoot the ship", which was so cool. When the tanker comes to offload Alvheim, they must be connected. So the tanker comes to within 90 meters (which is really close by the way for this very large bobbing vessel) and gets connected. This is done by shooting a small line from the aft of Alvheim to the deck of the tanker. We use a small air gun which is attached to the rail and just fire, aiming for one side or the other of the tankers deck. And about the aim. It isn't like firing a gun. As I learned, twice, you don't always hit the tanker. Granted, it is hard to miss. My first shot went wide right. The second shot actually hit the deck, then bounced off. Surprisingly they let me shoot again. Although I know that since the bridge could watch on CCTV, there was much laughter on the bridge. So I made the third shot. So criminals every where, beware, I am a great shot! Can't hit a tanker. But I am so excited that I have gotten to shoot the ship. After the line goes across, a series of heavier and heavier lines are winched across, until the offloading hose can be sent over. It is really an interesting operation.
The other item of note for me was I completed the Stavanger half-marathon. I am relatively pleased with how I did. I ran the whole time and felt very food as far as fitness. I started at about a 5 minute kilometer and could easily have maintained this for the run except I started to have severe pain in my hips about half way. My legs and lungs felt great and quite energetic but my hips were a real problem. I finished in about 2 hours 13 minutes which I am not that happy with but it was my first 1/2 marathon and the weather was not great. About half the race was in rain.
The course was fine. About 1/3 was on trail and the rest asphalt. It was well marked and plenty of water available. There was only one section towards then end that I thought there was not enough traffic control. There were a lot of fast moving cars in one area, and tourists in another. I am sure I will try another 1/2 marathon sometime but I need to sort out my hips first. Oh, and congratulations to all the other Marathon marathoner's and 10K runners. Well done!
The next post will likely be our farewell to Norway. Although we are very sad to leave, we will always treasure out memories here and I for one will always think of our time here with a smile.
I actually was on Alvheim twice in August. I went out to meet with each crew and complete some process safety training as well as help out with the improvements we continue to make for process safety. Have I mentioned before how exciting this job is?!? How cool is it to commute to work by helicopter? Then to work on such a new and sensational project that has gone through the amazing transition from Maersk operation to Marathon operation! Alvheim or any FPSO is phenomenal to mean. Plus I have been involved in the beginning of the operation with the ability to apply what we have learned from other operations to Alvheim to truly make it the best and safest operation. It has been so exciting for me and I feel blessed by the chance I have had to work here on Alvheim in Norway and with all those I now count as my friends.
One of the times I was on Alvheim, I got to "shoot the ship", which was so cool. When the tanker comes to offload Alvheim, they must be connected. So the tanker comes to within 90 meters (which is really close by the way for this very large bobbing vessel) and gets connected. This is done by shooting a small line from the aft of Alvheim to the deck of the tanker. We use a small air gun which is attached to the rail and just fire, aiming for one side or the other of the tankers deck. And about the aim. It isn't like firing a gun. As I learned, twice, you don't always hit the tanker. Granted, it is hard to miss. My first shot went wide right. The second shot actually hit the deck, then bounced off. Surprisingly they let me shoot again. Although I know that since the bridge could watch on CCTV, there was much laughter on the bridge. So I made the third shot. So criminals every where, beware, I am a great shot! Can't hit a tanker. But I am so excited that I have gotten to shoot the ship. After the line goes across, a series of heavier and heavier lines are winched across, until the offloading hose can be sent over. It is really an interesting operation.
The other item of note for me was I completed the Stavanger half-marathon. I am relatively pleased with how I did. I ran the whole time and felt very food as far as fitness. I started at about a 5 minute kilometer and could easily have maintained this for the run except I started to have severe pain in my hips about half way. My legs and lungs felt great and quite energetic but my hips were a real problem. I finished in about 2 hours 13 minutes which I am not that happy with but it was my first 1/2 marathon and the weather was not great. About half the race was in rain.
The course was fine. About 1/3 was on trail and the rest asphalt. It was well marked and plenty of water available. There was only one section towards then end that I thought there was not enough traffic control. There were a lot of fast moving cars in one area, and tourists in another. I am sure I will try another 1/2 marathon sometime but I need to sort out my hips first. Oh, and congratulations to all the other Marathon marathoner's and 10K runners. Well done!
The next post will likely be our farewell to Norway. Although we are very sad to leave, we will always treasure out memories here and I for one will always think of our time here with a smile.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
A Final Hike Up Dalsnuten
We sold our car yesterday, so our range of travel is now somewhat limited to where public transportation can go. Since we knew it was going to be our last opportunity to go to Dalsnuten (it is a long bus ride), we went for one last hike the night before.
The weather was quite clear, so the views were nice. It was very windy, though, so we had to be careful at the top not to get blown away. It was really interesting watching the water down in Gandsfjord below and seeing how the wind made it move.
The hike itself shows how much Sidney has changed since we first arrived. Dalsnuten was one of our first hikes, and has been the hike we have done the most since we came here. When we first arrived, we had to help Sidney quite a bit to get over rocks and such. We also had to constantly motivate her and put up with a lot of whining. The hike took quite a bit longer to do, as well.
Now, Sidney "leads" the way when hiking, hopping from one rock to another, admiring the view as we are walking, running in relatively clear areas. She can even identify a blueberry bush even when there is no fruit on it! It is amazing to see the transformation over the year and a half. She even calls herself a mountain goat and talks about how much she likes the mountains. I almost fear how she will react to the "flatness" of Katy, Texas! We will be making some trips to the hill country just to keep her hiking skills up.
We will probably miss this aspect of the lifestyle here the most. It is not everywhere that you can just go out in the evening and hike to the top of a 1000 ft. mountain and admire the views of the mountains, fjords and sea.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Bikes!
We finally made our trip to Flekkefjord yesterday. Our main purpose in going there was to ride the dresins, which are bikes that are designed to travel on the train tracks.
The rails were closed to train service several years ago, but a group called the "Friends of Flekkefjord Railway" has preserved the 17 kilometer line and some of the associated structures. They also maintain and operate the dresins for rental to ride the line.
The trip out is the "uphill" half of the ride. There are no steep hills, but you can tell you are going uphill by the amount of effort you must put into pedaling. On the trip back, hardly any pedaling is required. You must be careful to maintain a safe speed, however, as the dresin can jump the tracks of you go too fast.
The weather for the trip was absolutely beautiful. It was probably one of the best days of weather we have had in Norway this summer. Additionally, the scenery along the line was beautiful. There are several lakes and parts of the fjord you pass on the trip, and the reflections of the mountains in the water were spectacular.
There are also 17 tunnels along the 17 kilometer line. We wore lights mounted on headbands. Even so, it was so dark in some of the tunnels, we couldn't tell how fast we were going, and we felt as though we might crash into a wall since we couldn't see anything in front of us.
Andrea joined us on the trip, along with Dan, another Marathon person who works in Equatorial Guinea. At the halfway point, we stopped for a little break before turning the bikes around for the trip back.
We finished out the day by taking the coastal road back to Stavanger. It took a little longer, but the scenery and drive were really nice, as you can see from this photo.
Finally, Sidney is also doing some biking of her own. We took the training wheels off her bike and she has been learning to ride by herself. She has the balancing and pedaling part down, but we are still working on teaching her to take off on her own. Good job, Sidney!
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
The Birthday Party
We had Sidney's birthday party Sunday, and she and 13 other kids were let loose on Metrolekeland (which means City Play Land). It is a big indoor play area with inflatables, slides, ball pits and anything else that you think kids up to preteen level would like.
The kids all had a blast. There is one slide in particular that is quite popular. It is an inflatable about 20 feet tall and the kids like to jump and bounce down it as they come down. How they don't break an arm or something is beyond me. Here you see Sidney coming down, as well as one of her friends, Viola, in mid-air of a bounce.
The kids were all very good during the party (other than one point where they all chanted like a prison riot to have all the lights turned off in the party room). When the person came in to clean up, he actually commented that the kids were all much more polite than most of the parties, as they all said "please" and "thank you" and were pretty well-behaved in general. It was a very nice complement.
As this seems to be the "birthday season", Sidney had been to another little girl's party the day before. In the pictures you can see the temporary tattoo on her forehead, as well as the pink hair that was a result of that party. She didn't want to get rid of them, and it was her birthday party, so, oh well!
After the party, Sidney came home and opened her gifts. It is not customary here to open gifts at the party. We had her do her thank you notes as she opened each gift, so they were all done by the end of the afternoon of the party.
Sidney is back in school this week, and we are on a somewhat normal schedule for a little while. The weather this weekend looks good, so we are going to Flekkefjord (finally!) We also plan to hike up Dalsnuten and take a portable grill and sausages - maybe even watch the sun set over the North Sea before we come down. If I take marshmallows to roast, Sidney will stay. There should also be ripe blueberries to pick (BONUS!)
The kids all had a blast. There is one slide in particular that is quite popular. It is an inflatable about 20 feet tall and the kids like to jump and bounce down it as they come down. How they don't break an arm or something is beyond me. Here you see Sidney coming down, as well as one of her friends, Viola, in mid-air of a bounce.
The kids were all very good during the party (other than one point where they all chanted like a prison riot to have all the lights turned off in the party room). When the person came in to clean up, he actually commented that the kids were all much more polite than most of the parties, as they all said "please" and "thank you" and were pretty well-behaved in general. It was a very nice complement.
As this seems to be the "birthday season", Sidney had been to another little girl's party the day before. In the pictures you can see the temporary tattoo on her forehead, as well as the pink hair that was a result of that party. She didn't want to get rid of them, and it was her birthday party, so, oh well!
After the party, Sidney came home and opened her gifts. It is not customary here to open gifts at the party. We had her do her thank you notes as she opened each gift, so they were all done by the end of the afternoon of the party.
Sidney is back in school this week, and we are on a somewhat normal schedule for a little while. The weather this weekend looks good, so we are going to Flekkefjord (finally!) We also plan to hike up Dalsnuten and take a portable grill and sausages - maybe even watch the sun set over the North Sea before we come down. If I take marshmallows to roast, Sidney will stay. There should also be ripe blueberries to pick (BONUS!)
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