Baby, You're a Rich Man

While this week has been on the dull side, I'll come up with something to write about...

My first day of babysitting was on Tuesday! I wasn't very nervous for my first day because I wasn't going to be alone with the kids. Their parents were around the house the entire evening. They helped walk me through picking the kids up at daycare, dinner, bathing, and bed time. The evening went well and I felt pretty confident.

Thursday, I picked the kids up from daycare. We crossed paths with their parents who were on their way to parent/teacher conferences at daycare. That threw the Trym (pronounced Trim) for a loop. He was no longer happy to be with me. When we got to the house, Trym refused to come inside. He stood at the gate and asked for his parents. I got Tyra (pronounced Tee-ra) in the house and after bribing him with dinner/television/trains/legos, Trym finally came inside. He sat down on the door mat and didn't leave that spot until 45 minutes later when his parents came home. I felt awful that he was so upset, but his parents were very understanding. Anyways, I stayed for the rest of the evening so that Trym could see I am not as scary as I look! He eventually warmed up to me and I got both kids bathed and into bed all on my own. By the time I left at 7:00, I felt like I had just climbed a mountain: exhausted and elated. It was also nice to get paid!

After babysitting last night, I went to Travis' game and arrived at the end of the second period. I missed Trav's goal, but I was told it was a good one. In fact, it was the game winning goal!

I got measuring cups and spoons in a care package earlier this week so I am excited to be able to bake! I've got to make Travis cookies soon so that my dad will stop hassling me for not making him any yet!

I guess I had more to write about than I thought! I haven't taken any pictures this week, but I found some game shots of Travis that I'll post.

You can see that he hasn't gotten new equipment yet! Yikes!

I definitely prefer the away jerseys. The green/yellow combo doesn't do it for me!

Lets hope that I don't get arrested for breaking copyright laws. That would be an awful reason for being deported!

Only a Northern Song

Lots of news to share today! Where to begin?

Well, I got a babysitting job! I was contacted by a family through the website I registered on. It turns out they live about four houses away! It takes me all of three minutes to walk there, so the commute is wonderful. I met the family yesterday and I am looking forward to my first day. The mom is Norwegian and the dad is South African. They have a little boy who is three years old and a daughter that is one. They both understand English, and the little boy speaks mostly Norwegian. I will be working while Travis is at practice, from 3:30 to 7:00.

Travis has a four day break in November, and we are going to Rome! We booked our flight and hotel this morning. I'm so excited to go! We are most looking forward to eating delicious Italian food and drinking fabulous Italian wine. I can't wait! Our hotel is very close to the Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain.

Travis wore a new helmet at tonight's game. The leading point scorer on each team wears a gold helmet and after Tuesday's game, he was the top scorer.

When we left the game tonight, there was snow on the ground! Yes, you read that correctly. I said S-N-O-W. I was so cold when we were running errands this afternoon, that I decided to dust off my winter jacket and wear it tonight. I'm glad I did!

Our first Norwegian snow!

A Hard Day's Night

So, the hike I mentioned in my last post... it was epic. We left the apartment yesterday at 12:15pm and didn't return until 6:15pm. The first three hours were great. We followed some nice gravel paths, stopped for every photo op, had a good lunch, and did some actual hiking. By 3:30 or so, we started to get a feeling that we had walked a little too far. When the trail sign says 5k to the next place, it is a direct measurement, not the length of the trail. At that point, Travis started to worry about the sun setting. I wasn't as concerned as he was, but it wasn't too much later that I also started to worry. Luckily, we spotted a mountain biker who helped us out and lent us her map. We got ourselves back on the gravel path and after Travis asked a couple of other people where the heck we were, two hours later we finally were out of the woods (literally!) We hopped on a bus and made it home a few minutes later.

I am just glad to say we survived! I was less sore this morning than I thought I would be, but I am very tired. Enough with the words, here are some pictures:

I Want to Tell You

Travis' game made me realize how much I like watching hockey. Manglerud played Lillehammer tonight and won! The final score was 6-5. Travis had two goals and one assist. He was also named Player of the Game for his team. I brought my Flip cam, and had some success getting a few good clips. The first one is Trav's first goal. In my excitement, I accidentally stopped filming. The second clip is the goal celebration.

This last clip is the celebration following the game. I had never seen this before coming to Norway, so I wanted to be sure to share it with everyone. 

Trav was given a backpack at tonight's game for being Player of the Game. He was given a pair of hockey gloves last time. The backpack should come in handy tomorrow. Travis has the day off, so we're going to go for a long hike in the forest behind our apartment. I'll be sure to pack my camera and Flip cam!

Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da

First of all, I have to tell you about the BEST SOUVENIR EVER that I got today!!! I noticed a new poster on the tram today and I immediately fell in love. I had to have it. I seriously considered taking it, but because I didn't want to get arrested for stealing, I got off the tram empty-handed. On our way home, we sat in the front seat of the tram next to the driver. I asked him if he knew where I could get one of the posters and he didn't know. When Travis asked if we could take it, he said yes! I skipped and whistled and sang the whole walk home. Here it is...

This morning, Travis and I went for a hike. Behind our apartment is a large forest, and we headed in that direction. We stumbled upon a trail and followed it. The trail system back there is huge! One trail led us to Grefsenkollen (a ski hill) and further along, we came upon a lake and another ski hill. I will admit, I was huffing and puffing most of the way! We could probably spend days hiking and not see half of the forest. We'll definitely be going back!

Getting Better

Yesterday was gorgeous here in Oslo! It doesn't really compare to the 80 degree weather at home, but it was the perfect day to be outside. I've got a video and plenty of photos to share, so I'll let them speak for themselves.

We went up to Holmenkollen and Frognerseteren. Holmenkollen is a ski jump that will be the site of the 2011 World Ski Championship. It is currently under construction and is one of the most popular attractions in Oslo. We walked 2.5 kilometers uphill to Frognerseteren where we rested our legs and hopped on a bus back down the hill. Once we got off the bus, we continued to wander around Frognerparken. Travis and I enjoyed the sunshine and agreed it was one of our favorite days in Oslo.

Holmenkollen

Holmenkollen 

Travis in front of a church between Holmenkollen and Frognerseteren

Frognerseteren

Me near Frognerseteren

Fungus among us near Frognerseteren

Girl

I have to tell you about last night's dinner. It was good. I'm not just saying that because I made it, but it really was good. I made alfredo sauce from scratch that tasted very much like Olive Garden's. I also made croutons. All in all, it was a damn good meal.

We went to a music store yesterday so Trav could look at instruments. I think he wants to torture me by picking up a musical hobby. Luckily, we were just browsing. Now I definitely need a babysitting job so he can have some practice time. I'll let you know if an actual purchase is made!

Trav left this morning for a game tonight. They flew to Trondheim and played the Rosenborg Elite. I see that they lost 3-2 in a shootout. Travis got an assist in the second period, though, so that is good. You can see on the map below where the Trondheim is in relation to Oslo.

Because the team had to fly to the game, Travis won't return to Oslo until tomorrow morning. That means I spent the day with myself. I laid around for a long time, then went downtown. I thought I would make it at least a month without eating McDonalds, but I didn't quite make it. I had a cheeseburger and fries. It tasted just like it does at home, and I didn't allow myself to feel guilty. I wandered around downtown for quite a while and hopped on and off the tram a few times on the way home to explore a little bit. The highlight of my day was a Skype date with my friend Sam. If not for her, I would have gone almost the entire day without speaking a full sentence! I spoke with my friend Meghan earlier in the week, and I can't say enough good things about Skype! I love it!

This was taken along my walk home today. Fall is officially here!

Not a great picture, but it was sunny!

Dizzy Miss Lizzy

Yesterday was rough. My sleep schedule was all out of whack from Saturday night's karaoke intrusion, so when I went to bed on Sunday night, I couldn't sleep. I got out of bed and updated my blog. Then I went back to bed and couldn't stop obsessing over the smell in our bedroom. We hang dry our clothes in there during the day, and the moisture created a funky/mildewy smell. So I laid in bed imagining mildew and mold growing in my lungs. Then I pictured myself with bronchitis and asthma. After going back and forth to the couch a few times, I eventually fell asleep on the couch and got maybe 3-4 hours of sleep.

We spent Monday morning washing our bedding and airing out the apartment. We requested a dehumidifier from our landlord and he said he'd try to get us one. Then we went to Ikea and bought a mattress pad and other little things. After dousing everything in homemade Febreeze (water and fabric softener), our room was finally free of the funk. I slept like a baby last night!

This afternoon we made a trip to the library and yet another trip to the grocery store. There is quite a large English section at the downtown library and I usually wander around until a cover or author catches my eye. There are mostly popular American/English authors as well as "the classics" (which don't really appeal to me.)  I would love to hear suggestions for good books to read!

Another problem that I've been having since moving here is motion sickness. Especially now that the weather is getting colder (about 50 degrees) the buses and trams are overheated. I usually can make it 2-3 stops before I start feeling really gross. Riding the train is better, but I still end up feeling ill at some point in the trip. I have suffered from motion sickness my entire life, but it seems to be getting worse and worse.

To end the post on a higher note, we bought Yahtzee yesterday and played a few games tonight. Travis won overall, but I will beat him next time.

Two of Us

Well, I thought I would have the urge to update this blog more often, but it seems to not be the case.

Travis had the day off on Friday, so we went to the Historical Museum (Historisk museum). There were exhibits about early Christianity in Norway, Vikings, masks from around the world, Egypt, native cultures (including American Indian and Alaskan-Inuit), Ancient Asia, and Buddhism. It was a free museum, so it wasn't of the highest quality, but nonetheless it was interesting and something to do on a cloudy day. Then we had lunch at a nearby diner/deli. I made bbq chicken sandwiches and roasted potatoes for dinner.

Life imitating art at Frognerparken

After Trav's morning practice on Saturday, we went to Frognerparken. Travis and I wandered around looking at the sculptures. We walked downtown after stopping at a bakery for a cup of coffee. Later that evening, while Travis was making tacos for dinner, our landlord, Tom, stopped by to let us know he would be having people over. We thought, "Okay, whatever." Little did we know that Tom and his friends are karaoke enthusiasts who enjoyed singing and what sounded like dancing well into the night. After tossing and turning for a couple of hours, we popped some benadryl and decided that we would cancel our plans for church. Travis wanted to make sure he got enough sleep for tonight's game, and I had no objections to sleeping in. Yet again, our plans to go to church were foiled. That also helps to explain why I am updating my blog at 2:12 am!

Tonight's game went well (finally!) and Trav scored in the first period! He claims to have a record of 1-1 this season, although his team cannot say the same. Hopefully, the guys will win the next game (or two, or three, or four....). At the game, I sat with the girlfriend of the other player from the US. She found a nannying job and gave me the name for the website she used. I signed myself up and created a profile. Some of the required information included height and weight. I could not believe I had to announce (i.e. lie about) my weight and height on the internet! I mean, why the hell does it matter? They also asked if I was in excellent, good, fair, or poor health and how many times I had been seriously sick in the past year. So lets hope my stats and health history will appeal to a family with in Oslo who would like a nanny for 20 hours a week!

Travis has the day off tomorrow and a game on Thursday which requires a one hour flight from Oslo to Trondheim. We don't have anything planned for tomorrow, but I am hoping that the weather is nice! I will make more of an effort to write more often. Post a comment if you have any questions you would like me to answer!