Purple Lips

Zack was at a meeting in a neighboring town. William was being treated to a belated birthday celebration of burgers and movies with a friend.

And I had this little cutie all to myself.

We ate popcorn and candy, cuddled, laughed, and watched a movie of his choosing.

He talked about how much he loves his family. And jaw breakers.

And I thanked God for little moments like this. 

Lørdagsjazz - Saturday Jazz

You never know the connections you might make on Facebook! We are in a few groups that have allowed us to meet some really cool people. And we met yet another one this past Saturday.

I connected with Kelly in an expats group. And then I found out that she is quite the accomplished vocalist. So when I found out that she and her partner were performing at a local place this past Saturday, I thought it might be fun to check it out.

We had never been to Draaben before. We invited a couple of friends to meet us, and it turned it to be a really fun evening. I had been sick all week and started to back out last minute, but I am so glad I didn't. We had a great time. Draaben is a cool place: not overly large, a bit more intimate, perfect for a concert like this one.

Here is a quick peek at a special number that Kelly and Werner performed especially for us. You can check out more from Kelly at http://kellydickson.com.

Alternative Coffee

Can I just say how much I love this man of mine? I wrote a little about him last week for our anniversary (that blog post can be found HERE).

I think most people that know Zack would agree that he is laid back, easy to talk to, friendly, funny, and passionate. If he likes something, he's all in. He doesn't typically do things half way.

Yeah, when Zack has an interest in something, he tries to learn as much as he can about it. And coffee is no different. In the past couple of years, and particularly the last year or so, he has been delving into the world of coffee. He hasn't made it to the level of roasting at home as some of our friends have, but he has gotten quite enthusiastic learning about non-traditional coffee processes.

This weekend, he had the opportunity to show some of our friends a bit of what he has learned so far. It was fun watching him as he worked with his V60 and AeroPress, and shared a recent batch of cold brewed coffee as well.

If there is one thing that is quite common in Norway, it is an enthusiasm for coffee. So perhaps Zack is living in the right place...

Not sure if you can see it well in the pics, but
he is sporting a really cool coffee shirt we picked
up in Gothenburg last week at Da Mateo.

Kaffetur 8 / Coffee Tour #8: Octane, Atlanta

Jumping continents for this week's edition of our kaffetur... let's hop over to North America and the USA!

A couple of months ago I took a quick last-minute trip to the states. On my way to the Atlanta airport to fly back home to Norway, I asked my dad if we could swing by a coffee shop I had read about.

Octane Coffee has several locations in the Atlanta metro area, as well as a couple of shops in Birmingham (Alabama). I had read lots of positive reviews. Various Atlanta publications frequently rate it as the best coffee house in the city. And Travel + Leisure included it on its list of America's Coolest Coffee Houses.  So while I wasn't feeling well at the time, I knew I had to at least stop by to see the shop and pick up some beans.

I visited their Grant Park location. Trendy neighborhood, great views, good vibe. Parking was a bit tough to come by, but we finally managed to secure a spot.

Inside, the cafe had a sleek, modern and clean feel. Neutral palette, wood and metal, and exposed ceilings.  (plus plenty of plaid shirts buttoned all the way up to the top - so very hipster)

The staff was friendly. They seemed quite knowledgeable about the products they offered.

They partner with the Little Tart Bakeshop to offer a nice selection of pastries and baked goods.

I picked up a bag of their Ethiopian, as well as their Super Regular blend. I really wanted to try a coffee and something from the bakery counter, but just wasn't feeling up to it. But I could see by the volume of people lounging around and coming in and out on a Friday mid-afternoon that this place knows its stuff.

And once I got home and we brewed up a cup of each, I became a believer as well. The Ethiopian was good. Really good. And yet, something happened that took us by surprise. We both fell in love with their Super Regular.

Yes, a blend. Go figure.

I look forward to visiting Octane again - probably multiple times - when we are in the states the end of this year.

A Super Cool Mom's Day Gift

I just realized that I never shared the creative and totally cool gift that I received for [American] Mother's Day from my boys.

On the Saturday of Mother's Day weekend, they encouraged me to go out into the city for a few hours for shopping and coffee. I figured that was my gift: a bit of time to just walk leisurely through town.

But when I woke up that Sunday morning, they were excited for me to sit down in front of the television and watch what they had made for me. It is a gift that I will treasure for years to come!

I mess up at this motherhood thing. Often. But I have two boys that I love unconditionally, and I am grateful that I am the one they call mommy. They keep me on my toes, teach me so many life lessons, and love me despite my flaws. What an overwhelmingly terrifying, humbling, beautiful and amazing role I have been given.

Exhibition

As I've mentioned before, our boys attend an IB, or International Baccalaureate School. IB schools teach using units or themes, in a more hands-on manner, and all revolving around a learner profile. The learner profile includes 10 areas: Inquirer, Communicator, Principled, Risk-taker, Balanced, Knowledgeable, Thinker, Open-minded, Caring and Reflective.

IB begins with PY - primary years - which runs grades 1 through 6. William is in his sixth and final year of PY. As the final assignment of PY, the students participate in Exhibition. Exhibition is a chance for each student to choose a subject of interest, and then present it in a way that exhibits their learning and the development of the learner profile attributes.

Yeah, that sounded totally complicated. But William and his classmates had their Exhibition a couple of weeks ago, and they did an outstanding job!

So grateful to our friend/William's art teacher, Lizz,
for her assistance and guidance in his art piece. 

William focused on Diet and Nutrition. His exhibition included a research report, an interview with our friend Severina, surveys and mathematical analysis, a blog, a PowerPoint presentation, a cookbook, a running/race challenge, a summary of the race (written in Norwegian), and an art piece.

After all of their work is completed, they have an evening to present it to family and friends, share what they have learned, and answer questions.

We are very proud of our not-so-little-guy and the great work he did on his PY6 Exhibition.

Thanks to friends for coming to support William on Exhibition Night!

Kaffetur / Coffee Tour Updates

Just below the main header of the blog (the picture of us in from of the whaling monument/fountain), you can now find a link for Coffee Tour / KaffeTur. Click on this to access all the posts in our coffee tour series.

You can also enter email address on the right side bar of the blog, and you will receive an email anytime we publish a new post.

A Teenager?!?!

Seems like only yesterday, he was a tiny little blonde-headed boy who struggled to reach the sink to brush his teeth. But suddenly, we have a teenager on our hands. Who, by the way, is now taller than his mom. Crazy.

What a blessing our William is, to our family and to others. He is kind and patient, a good friend and a natural leader. We pray that as he continues to grow in stature, he will also continue to grow in wisdom and knowledge of His Savior.

We had a fun weekend celebrating our teen. Saturday we were at a camp at the border of Norway and Sweden with friends.

So Sunday (his actual birthday), we drove further into Sweden for an overnight trip in Göteborg/Gothenburg.

At his request, we had burgers at Hard Rock for lunch.

We walked around the city, did a bit of shopping, and enjoyed frappucinos.

And we finished the day with burritos at Wrapped Burrito Bar - probably the best burritos we've had since leaving the states!

 Then back to our room for some gifts...

And on our way home on Monday, we stopped and explored a really cool fortress.

Yeah, we aren't so good with the jumping pictures!

Happy 13th Birthday, William!

Kaffetur 7 / Coffee Tour #7: Tim Wendelboe, Oslo

If this blog series were a countdown to the best of the best coffee shops, I would likely have to save this for #1. Or at the very least, in the top five.

But as I am attempting to skip around and mix things up a bit, and because I'm not one to keep a secret, I must tell you about some of the best coffee I've ever tasted.

I've mentioned Grünerløkka before. Artsy, trendy, urban, hip... okay it is actually way too cool a place for me to be. But call us rebels, because despite lacking our cool-kid cards, we tend to hang out there most anytime we are in Oslo.

In the midst of pricey secondhand stores (did you know that the word vintage instead of used means you can charge more money), trendy restaurants, sidewalk cafes, parks and über-cool boutiques sits Tim Wendelboe.

Tim is, at least in our humble opinion, one of the Coffee Kings.

The coffee is carefully selected. Tim travels often to find the best beans from select farms. It is roasted in-house. And when I say in-house, I mean in a quite small shop sitting on a corner in our favorite neighborhood.

Don't go in expecting to find ample seating, as there are only a few seats.

Don't look for an old school coffee machine, because you won't find one.

And I personally would not recommend Tim's for those who like a little coffee with their milk and sugar.

But if you are a coffee purist, I highly recommend a visit.

For more information, visit https://timwendelboe.no

17 Years

Yesterday marked 17 years since we first said I do. Looking back, I can't help but wonder. What did those two naive 22-year-olds think life would be like? What would we have done if someone would have come up to us and told us all that was in store?

Yes, we were young and naive. But that isn't necessarily a bad thing. We were holding on to that classic American 'anything is possible' spirit. And I think that's a pretty good thing in fact! It takes a bit of that and a whole lot more to face trials and challenges. 

(And I'll admit that so far, our challenges have not been near as tough as many couples face!)

I could say that love conquers all. And we do have an incredibly strong love for each other, and for the Lord. But there is also respect, commitment, honesty, lots of laughter, true teamwork, and a promise that we're in this for the long haul.

I am grateful that our good times far outweigh the tough times. We haven't handled everything perfectly and we've both made our share of mistakes. But God has taken difficulties and challenges and made something beautiful. And the beauty of our years together far outweighs any brief not as glamorous moments.

Happy Anniversary to my partner in crime, the peanut butter to my jelly, the one who can finish any movie line I start, who tolerates my nuances and encourages my dreams. The one who laughs uncontrollably at my typos, serves as my food critic, motivates me to get in shape, and then sits down with me for the occasional eat-the-cake-right-out-of-the-box night. Although we didn't meet in a chat room, I'll still love you always and forever. Here's to 17 more. And 17 more after that. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks to sweet friends and cousins visiting from the states this week, we got to have a date night last night. What's even better was having a date night in Oslo, our first night out in the capital city without kiddos since moving here.

Our celebration included a long walk, incredible Indian food, coffee at our favorite cafe, and dessert on Karl Johan's Gate with some great people watching.