You would think somewhere in between running a school and taking Norwegian and social studies classes to apply for permanent residence, I could find time to write. This will be a short update, but I have only skipped one month since I began my blog. I do not intend for that to happen again. I actually have plenty of stories, but those are not for today. My boss tells me I should write a book (think a comic book meets The Office) and NBF wholeheartedly agrees as he listens giggling incessantly when I even say, "So today at school..." Toward the beginning of March I took the train to a leadership meeting in Oslo. After the meeting, I had other errands and the weather was nice so I decided to walk. BAH will say it was NOT walking distance, but it was only about 8 kilometers (5 miles) by the time I got back to the train. On that walk, I had occasion to think about how long it had been since I walked in a city just looking at the sites. Oslo is such an interesting city to walk through. There are statues and art everywhere. I realized on that walk how much I missed walking for exploration. I was so wrapped up of course that I took a grand total of one photo, and then it was only so I could convince NBF to take me back. Frogner Park in Oslo is a major attraction, and someday I will bring photos of all the surreal statues there for your pleasure. There is honest to god a statue that looks like a man throwing children. Anyway, here is the main entrance gate and the one picture I took on my walking tour. I think NBF must have sensed the restlessness, because we spent a couple of weekends making small trips. He knows I love the glassworks, so we went shopping for new plates and bowls. It was a kids' weekend, so there was a horse and carriage and plenty of giggles. The Monet bridge was reworked so visitors could "view the aurora" complete with a moose. Of course, this shopping trip was much more successful than our first attempt. Turns out we can build ALL the Ikea but choosing bowls was a hill to climb. We toured the warehouse, and then went to have coffee and discuss. It was such a painless process; just one more reminder of what a patient and caring man I have. I am not saying my lack of choices in my past damaged me to the point I nearly can't make this type of decision and will defer to him, but yeah. We are leaving that one to the therapist. However, aren't these brilliant? This year we had planned to make a trip to Trømso to see the actual aurora, but you know how life gets in the way. That doesn't stop me from checking in on my aurora app every so often. And on this particular evening, it said we actually had a chance to see the aurora from home. NBF loaded me and the camera up in the car because he had the perfect place. We took some photos and made a plan to return when the app said the aurora would be at its best. Armed with coffee and bundled in wool underwear, we went back. While it wasn't as powerful as we hoped, I saw the aurora. I stood in the arms of this man willing to make midnight trips to quench a whim and soaked it up. Of course, we will plan a trip to Trømso or maybe Iceland, but I am satisfied for now. I might be mixed up on my timeline of which trip came first, but one of these little excursion was up to a hilltop near home. NBF had read my blog and his poor Norwegian mind was boggled to know I had never walked on frozen water. So, he took me to a place where I could walk on frozen water. Me being me, I ran around leaving prints in ALL the untouched snow. I made a huge heart and wrote my name in three meter tall letters. It was a blast. He even dug down in the snow so I could see the ice. Mostly he was busy with his camera photographing through his orb lens. That reminds me, he has some pictures that he needs to share. On the way home, we stopped at another place where we had taken photos in the autumn with fast flowing water. It is simply amazing to see what the snow does to a place. Another highlight of the month was doing a Mystery Location Zoom call with a school in Andover. The students had to ask yes and no questions until they guessed where I was. How fun to share home with them. I certainly miss these opportunities since I am out of the classroom, but hopefully we can arrange for a class to class mystery call next year. But now, we see spring peeking through. Much of the snow around town has melted, but the fjords are still thawing. The ice is so amazingly thick. NBF survived a trip to the plant store, although he about did himself in asking if I just needed new things to kill. The audacity. This weekend was so nice, we set up the patio furniture with new cushions. At the store, I found a gnome that looked like he needed a good home, and NBF bought him for me! He laughed about my toddler like excitement and said he wished he knew that was all it took. That evening, we fired up the fire pit so we could grill pølser, and NBF got to enjoy an Easter beer. I tell you these Norwegians are serious about their holiday beers. I even taught the bonus kids how to make smores. The dip in our hot tub was icing on the cake, letting us end our week completely relaxed. After all this time, it is still the little things, you know. Sometimes it gets hard to keep looking, but I must. This, afterall, is what a great life looks like.
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Nellie HillJust a woman leaping outside her comfort zone and telling the tale. Archives
April 2024
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