and just like that, home again!

 The time went too fast.  I got to see my sister's daughter Janet, Oscar's mom and sisters, and lots of other friends.  (Joy, I wanted to spend some time with you, next time we have to make a time for it, like a lunch date!!!  It was so good to see you!).   We had late evenings and some fun gatherings, and lots of walking.  (I am so thankful that my knees did what they were made to do, with minimal pain.). 

We had lots of bread (when in Rome, ha), and I had veal for the first time.  I am just opposed to the idea of it, but my friend Patty said, "They'll just kill it when it grows up anyway.", and I thought well, it's already dead, it's be a shame for it to die in vain."  And I ate some of it.   There were little tubes of bacon spread, and other strange things, which I did not try.  They eat open faced sandwiches with lunch meat for brekky, I just had bread (their whole grain bread is so good!), and shh some croissants, with butter, and double shh, nutella.  

We had meetings and were encouraged!  

(Among other good things we heard, this really spoke to me...just think to have His ears open to our prayers...so comforting!)

The fjord from where we stayed

With Miss Charlotte Claire

We left on the bus on Sunday, almost two hours north to Oslo.

From where we stayed in Oslo

The room reminded me of a James Bond movie.

We got up early to enjoy the breakfast buffet before walking across the road to the airport.  Then the fun began.  We had booked direct flights from Oslo to Newark...cancelled.  The entire flight was cancelled.  Emily and Grace were put on a flight to Iceland, then to Newark, Mariel and I on a flight to Copenhagen to Newark, but Patty was being sent to JFK!  We had to beg, plead and reason with the nice lady from SAS (Scandinavian Airlines).  She said her boss said there was nothing she could do for us.  I said, "Can we talk to him?"  She:  HER!  oops.  Boss is a HER.  

Anyway, the lady boss pulled some strings and got Patty on a flight to Iceland all by herself, but she met up with Grace and Emily there, then they all went on to Newark.  (Norwegians don't always realize how big the US is, they seemed to think Newark New Jersey and John F. Kennedy Airport in NYC are interchangeable.).   Mariel and I landed a few hours before they all got there, so we had to wait, which was not difficult.  Airports are very interesting places.  We saw a daddy and two little girls with balloons and flowers run screaming toward MOMMY,  MOMMY!!!  Adorable.   We got some really good iced Americanos, Norway has awful coffee....

Emily and Mariel took turns driving, and we got home around one a.m.  I made myself get up by seven this morning, to get back on schedule.  

Laundry, vacuuming, puttering...it's so good to be home.  Char wanted to go to Target, so off we went...then to Aldi, then home again...it was 68 and sunny, so we sat on the deck, then cleaned up a bit outside.  I had seasoned up some pork chops, then added some lime juice to them...fried up in the iron frying pan in some olive oil...I peeled potatoes, and Camille made mashies.  Green beans with butter and minced onions, yummers.

So I love to travel, but I love coming home even more.  :). Have a good evening!