Old Faithful!

Happy 19th Anniversary to Kory and I! We decided it would be poetic and appropriate to spend it at “Old Faithful.” Neither of us have ever been married this long, so “faithful” is a good way to describe it. It was a hot and almost miserable day in the park today though, but it could also be an appropriate description of some of our married years today. The similarities ended there. I hope we have at least 19 more years together ahead of us. I took a photo of Kory standing next to the “Old Faithful Geyser” sign and I thought I might need to Photo Shop it and change the sign to say, “Old Faithful Geezer,” but he’s still a keeper.




I took some amazing photos of all the mud pots and geyser basins today so that kept me well entertained. We saw plenty of buffalo and elk, but no bears; only their tracks. I think Tobias even took over 200 photos as there were so many unusual things to see. We had blue sky and sunshine the whole day. Tonight I even got a great photo of lightening after dark. A big lightening show moved across the sky over our head’s at Joni’s house so we all huddled out on the porch and “ooohed” and “aaaahed” like it were the 4th of July. Tobias had never seen anything like it.

It took over two hours to make it to Old Faithful from Joni’s house because of all the road construction going on in the park. Plus there were all the looky-loos that had to stop in the middle of the road if any wild life were visible. One can’t be impatient when trying to get anywhere in Yellowstone National Park in the middle of summer. We ate lunch on the bench in front of Old Faithful while waiting for it to explode and I told Tobias this might be the most memorable picnic he’s ever been on. He agreed. We got out at a few of the geyser basins to see the unusual formations and watch the earth huff and puff. Tobias got sick from the sulfur smell and didn’t enjoy himself as much as he would have liked to, I think. He and Kaleb sat in the car smacking each other all day because Kaleb wouldn’t stop bugging him. Kaleb still hasn’t learned to be kind and considerate, but I think we are getting closer to the next level of socialization for him. Tobias needs to smack him a little harder I think, and he might learn a little quicker. Kaleb so needs that Big Brother influence to keep him in line. I told Tobias this will be his daily chore, helping us work out the obnoxious streak in Kaleb. He just grinned.

All-in-all it was a good day, as we spent the evening with Jim, Joni and their four kids down at their beach by the river to cool off, and Kaleb and Tobias were separated by a mandatory five foot boundary so they could cool off as well. Some days I think it might be good for Kory and I to do the same, but today wasn’t one of them.

Yellowstone!

We packed up all the kids (and grandma) today and headed into the park to see the Mammoth Hot Springs. We decided to stay close to home because we were so tired of being in the car after the long drive to get here yesterday. Our friends, Joni and Jimmy, live just outside the north entrance, so we were in the park five minutes after leaving their house. Joni’s mom is also here for a visit. She grew up in this neck of the woods as her father worked in the park and her brother was a park ranger at Yellowstone for forty years. They know this place like the back of their hand. When we stopped at the visitor center to have a picnic in the shade, Joni’s mom, Carol, told us that she was married in the chapel on that street, July 4th, 1964. And just down that same street was the house where she lived and the building where her father worked. She pointed out where she had her first job and she showed us the wooden porch where a grizzly bear would crawl under and hibernate every winter. She has stories to tell, so it was fun to see the park through her eyes. Joni and Jimmy now live in the house on the Yellowstone River that her grandparents built after they retired




Tobias clicked his camera again today, but not at any fancy cars. It seems he was impressed with all the wildlife that is so up close and personal roaming around the park. The huge elk wandering among the hoards of cars coming and going, the barn owl up in a tree, the prairie dogs popping their heads up above ground, and a five foot long bull snake that slithered past us as we went on a hike, all caught his attention. Yellowstone is certainly all about nature unleashed. And the hot springs at Mammoth were most impressive as well, but the smell was somewhat of distraction from fully appreciating all their beauty. Tobias kept his nose hidden behind his shirt the whole time we were walking over the boardwalks that went alongside and over the hot springs. It was pretty nasty smelling but the landscape was very surreal looking. It was like being on another planet, but then, that’s why this place is special.



When we got home, all the boys had a much needed water fight (it was 90 today) but Kaleb got his nose out of joint when Tobias was able to squirt him more than Kaleb could retaliate. Kaleb wasn’t too happy with me or Tobias anyway because after watching how incredibly patient Tobias is when Kaleb does so many irritating things to him, I gave Tobias full permission to repeat back to Kaleb any and all obnoxious things Kaleb might do to him, to give Kaleb a taste of his own medicine. Tobias had a wonderful smirk on his face after I said that. I told him it was his chore everyday from now on, helping me deal with Kaleb. The minute I said it, Kaleb had to test out those boundaries so he started poking Tobias, and he got poked back. This of course escalated to the point where Kaleb was ready to haul off and slug Tobias hard, but Tobias is much bigger and stronger and was able to just hold Kaleb’s arms to keep him from swinging. (I didn’t really expect nor want Tobias to get hurt in such an arrangement.) Tobias was able to run away and Kaleb couldn’t catch him so Kaleb’s rage had nowhere to go. He cried and cried and screamed and hollered. Kory made him sit in the car for a time out and then he began to scream at me about how unfair this agreement is because Tobias always does MORE than what he does to begin with. I was then able to explain that that is why he shouldn’t get anything started in the first place and he needs to think about all the things he does before he does them. It’s tough being an only child. I told Tobias he’s like the horse trainer, training a wild horse, and hopefully soon Kaleb will calm down and stop being so obnoxious and irritating. One can hope.



When we left Norway a week ago, I brought home a few Norwegian treats with me. One of them was a package mix to make “bolle” - a very common Norwegian sweet roll. I thought Jimmy and Joni would like a little taste of Norway. When Tobias saw the mix, his face just beamed and he asked if he could make it. Master Chef to the rescue! (The only time I used that mix, it was a disaster.) He was smiling ear to ear as he worked that dough between his fingers. He formed all the balls, let them rise and baked them to perfection. They came out of the oven one minute before Jimmy and Joni got back from a meeting at church tonight, so we all had a little “kvelds mat” eating our boller out on the porch watching the sunset. It tasted like home.

The Long Drive to Yellowstone

We did the total America road trip today – ten hours in the car getting to our final destination; eating food in the back seat, not even stopping for a meal. We thought Tobias might like more than just a taste of American life, he got the whole enchilada. Now we are tired and need sleep.




I woke the boys up at 6:30 this morning in order to have breakfast with my friend, Stuart. I got to meet Stuart’s children and grandson and talk about his family farms I visited in Norway. We also talked about the trip he will make next year to Norway to come visit us and see the farms. It was so great to give him all the names I’ve found of his ancestors, and I do believe he appreciated it. His kids were interested too, so that makes it all the more meaningful. I am probably looking forward to his trip to Norway more than he is. Can’t wait for that one….



We left Ellensburg at ten o’clock this morning and arrived at Yellowstone at nine o’clock tonight. Kaleb passed the time watching movies and Tobias slept most of the way. We kept telling Tobias once we were over the mountains the land would just be brown and dry, but there has been so much rain this year, we’ve yet to hit a dry patch and we had beautiful green hills the entire drive (see photo of Paradise Valley in Montana I took out the window WHILE driving about 90mph). It was spectacular scenery and several times it almost felt like we were back in Norway again. Kory and I switched off driving so we could snooze a little here and there and make good time. It was still a long drive, but we made it without incident. How blessed we are to have friends like Joni and Jimmy waiting for us when we got here. Now we get to know what real country folks live like, as Jimmy had to go put the chickens in before he could go to bed, and Joni warned us about the Grizzly bear that sometimes peaks in the window to the room where we will be sleeping tonight. I’m so tired, I can’t even be worried about that one.

On The Road Again

Kory was up early today heading to Seattle to put his car in the Greenwood Classic Car Show. He looks forward to this day every year and today did not disappoint. The weather was perfect, he got to be surrounded by all the cars from his youth, and he had plenty of people to talk to with similar interests. I called him at one point to ask him something and I heard him tell a guy he’d had his Studebaker since 1964. I heard the guy reply, “So you bought it when you were a kid?” It’s hard to believe he’s as old as he is, especially when he doesn’t act like it or look like it and today he sure didn’t feel like it.
After we spent the morning cleaning and packing up the van back home, I drove the boys down to Seattle to have their chance to see the 800 cars on display just down the street from our apartment building. Tobias had purchased a camera before he left for America and I’ve taken him to some beautiful places this week but he hasn’t taken a single photo. Today he took over a hundred. I guess he likes cars. He also explained that the nature here looks a lot like Norway, so I guess that’s nothing to capture the memory of with a digital image, but those cars, oh, those cars. He was grinning from ear to ear all day.
Just down the block from where Kory’s car was sitting, there was a very customized old car that was made to look like a cartoon car (see photo). Tobias thought it was spectacular. Kory got to talking to the guy that owned the car and he mentioned this was Tobias’ first car show and he had just arrived from Norway. The car owner reached under the seat in his car and pulled out a customized cartoon poster of his car and gave it to Tobias, but told him not to show anyone because then everyone would want one. Tobias’ face lit up. What an incredible souvenir to get, especially since that car will be featured on a national TV program about classic cars. I think it made his day.
Kaleb spent the afternoon reading books in the library. I just left him there for a few hours then picked him up when we were done. He could care less about the cars, which breaks Kory’s heart, but at least he racked up some reading hours for the summer reading program competition.
After the car show I took the boys to visit Kaleb’s Grammy J (adopted grandma) for a little while before we took off on the first leg of our journey to Yellowstone. She was glad to see us and to meet Tobias. She gave them both a little pocket money to spend on their trip. She’s a good Grammy.
Our destination for the night was Ellensburg, which we made before sundown. I dropped everyone off at the hotel so the kids could jump in the pool, then drove over to my brother’s house to drop off a graduation card for my niece. I thought they weren’t going to be home this weekend, but they were, so I got in a quick visit with them. It’s never long enough, but I’ll take what I can get, as I love to spend time with my brother.
We have an early morning and lots of road in front of us tomorrow so I’m hoping we’re all exhausted enough to get a good night’s sleep, but after hearing some of my brother’s hilarious stories, it might take a while to turn off my brain. I’m so thankful I have one. A brain, that is. Or is that a brother. How about a brother with a brain. Never mind. It’s late.

Finally Friday

This week has certainly flown by. I’m not nearly ready to head out of town tomorrow as I’m still unpacking from our trip home on Monday. No moss grows under our feet, that’s for sure.




I took Tobias up to Bellingham this morning so he could see a “real” American mall. He made a comment the other day that sounded almost like a sigh of relief when we were at the outlet mall, that now he had finally been to an American mall. I told him that wasn’t really the full mall experience he was looking for, so today he got what he wanted. We shopped for over two hours for the right pair of Levi jeans, but it seems he’s wanting something that apparently isn’t made, as he never found them. Oh well, he tried.



Kaleb stayed home and studied for an upcoming science test and played a little piano. It was good to separate the boys for a while so they don’t get on each other’s nerves. Kaleb has a tendency to be annoying in many ways, but Tobias is so good natured it doesn’t really matter. I’m hoping this time with Tobias improves Kaleb’s social skills, but it might take more than six weeks of having someone in our house to accomplish that goal.



Tonight we had a much anticipated BBQ with our home fellowship group from church. The boys swam in the pool, Tobias shot baskets with some other kids while Kaleb rode around on an ATV (see photo). Tobias hung out with the older boys and ended up on the Wii. No matter what country they are from, kids are hooked on electronics. It’s a universal pull; like gravity to earth.



So far it seems, Tobias is having a good time in America. I keep talking to him about different things and buying typical foods American’s might like, just to give him as much exposure as possible. At this juncture, he doesn’t like Cracker Jacks, he thinks root beer tastes like “bad caramels” and therefore doesn’t like Root Beer floats, and he’s not fond of Red Vines. He likes Reeses’ Pieces, however. He doesn’t eat much of anything though and I’ve yet to see him finish a meal, as he gets full before all the food is gone from his plate. I wish I had that problem. He’s a good kid and easy to have around. I so hope he rubs off on Kaleb.

Shop til You Drop

I took Tobias shopping today. He had money burning a hole in his pocket, so we hit the outlet mall in Marysville. He wasn’t disappointed. He knows all the name brands and how much everything costs in Norway, so he was pleased to buy his Adidas shoes for $24, Levi Jeans for $27 and two DK shirts for $10 each. He just kept shaking his head and saying, “It’s just so cheap…”. He would have paid more in Norway just to buy one t-shirt than he spent in total today. I kept telling him, it’s not that America is so cheap, it’s that Norway is expensive. Maybe he understands, maybe he doesn’t. He really wanted a Tommy Hilfiger windbreaker but it didn’t fit as perfectly as he would like. He’s a discriminating shopper, and I appreciate that. He’s also very frugal and didn’t want to spend more than he had to.




We stopped at Wal-Mart afterwards so I could get a few things and we happened to walk by the sporting goods section. His eyes nearly popped out of his head when he saw a BB gun on the shelf, ready for the taking. He couldn’t believe people could buy such a thing without having to get permission first. I told him it was just a BB gun, but in Norway, it’s a highly controlled item, I guess. He also nearly choked when he saw it was only twenty bucks and as much as I tried to talk him into buying it, he just wouldn’t do it. He was worried his mom wouldn’t be happy with him if he did, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to spend that much money on it, even though it was so cheap. He knew he couldn’t bring it into Norway, so it would have to qualify as “entertainment” money well spent. I couldn’t stand his anguish, so I just bought it.



When I got home, Kory’s eyes popped out of his head when he saw the gun. He’s been wanting to get Kaleb a BB gun forever, but I wouldn’t allow it. I’m not a fan of fire arms of any kind, but Kaleb’s been to many events where he’s been able to do some target shooting and he likes it and he’s good. I relented and bought it myself, so it doesn’t belong to Kaleb or Tobias and I have control over who uses it. It was the best scenario I could think of, and it’s working out okay. Tobias loved hitting the targets we set up and when Kaleb finally finished all the hissy fits he threw today, he was out there too, shooting pop cans off the fence post, just like I used to do when I was a kid.



We are all still getting over jet lag and Kaleb has the sniffles on top of that, so he’s not been in top form. Today Kory fixed something on the zip line and he asked Kaleb to try it out. Kaleb ended up doing a body slam into the nearest tree, so then he was really a mess, crying for hours about how sore he was and how much pain he was in. I think he was over reacting because of his other conditions, (he didn’t have a bruise on him) but he was most unpleasant to be around this afternoon. I felt badly for Tobias having to watch Kaleb pitch so many fits. Tobias even shook his head and said he’s never seen a kid act so disrespectfully in his life. Lucky me.



I made Tobias pick up the piles of weeds I left in the yard today, as his chore for the day. When I asked him to do it, he hopped right up and completed the task almost before the request was out of my mouth. I pointed out to Kaleb that I liked that kind of immediate obedience, and Kaleb responded with, “It’s the laws of nature; a kid will always obey someone who is not their parent more than they obey their parent.” Where does he come up with this stuff?

Summer Sun

It was pretty warm today, so we planned to maximize our Vitamin D consumption and head to the beach (see photo – the hill on the left was our destination). We left at nine this morning because there was a low tide and we wanted to show Tobias our favorite spot to play in the sand. We haven’t been there is nearly two years and we were shocked with the changes. Normally changes to our landscape involve “progress” with new buildings replacing forested lots and such things, but this time it was nature itself in control. The Skagit River changed course and totally wiped out our beach! We used to be able to walk for miles out on the sand when the tide was low, but the river now runs through it and it was so swift and deep, we dared not venture out to the other side to reach the sand. I was totally bummed, so we just turned around and hiked back to the car, then stopped for ice cream.



I brought the boys home and had them wash our Lexus, since I promised Tobias’ parents I’d make him work hard. They ended up having a water fight with the hoses, so I’m not sure that job could really be considered “work,” but the car did get clean. I took the boys to the Indian Reservation to buy some fireworks, then we had lunch at Subway. Tobias is still amazed by how cheap everything is, but he’s also commented on how much bigger things are in America (personally, I think things are just smaller in Norway.)

We stopped at a local strawberry stand to meet a neighbor boy the same age as Tobias and his mom invited the boys over to swim in their pool anytime, so that’s where they spent their afternoon. I offered to take them to another park, but appreciating the beauty of God’s creation just isn’t something teenage boys are into, I guess.


Tobias wanted to have “take out Chinese food” because he’s seen it in the movies a lot but never had it (they don’t have Chinese food restaurants near where he lives in Norway.) I ordered up the food and he went with me into town to pick it up. We got home at the same time as Kory (he was in Seattle all day fixing a toilet in one of our apartments), so we were able to eat dinner together. Tobias was mostly looking forward to those cool Chinese food boxes with the little metal handles, so he was quite disappointed the food came in Styrofoam flat packages with no handles or fortune cookies inside. I guess I ordered from the wrong place, but the food was good.

I think most Norwegians think of America as the images they get through TV and movies. Real life is pretty ordinary and boring around here sometimes so I hope he’s not too disappointed. I’ve spent a lot of time explaining American history, culture and different governmental systems to him, so maybe he’ll have a better grasp of the real America by the time he leaves here. The image of the immigrant work camp we passed today is one I’m sure he won’t soon forget, as in Norway, even the dogs don’t live in such deplorable conditions. America the beautiful, isn’t always so.

Back Home Again

We made it home from Norway late last night. It was 6am our body clock time and we hadn’t slept much since we left Norway, so we were all zombies by then, having been awake for 36 hours straight. We had an eventful trip home, which was a good thing, but I asked our friend to pick us up on Tuesday, not Monday, so that was a bit of a panic when I realized that mistake.  E-mail saved the day, and she was there right on the dot, thankfully.  And all my worries about coming home from Norway with an extra child that was not my own (Tobias, a 14 year old friend of Kaleb’s), turned out to be a waste of time (as worries usually are.) I won’t discount the power of prayer, however. The passport control guy didn’t even ask for the note his parents wrote saying it was okay for him to spend the summer with us, but it still never hurts to be prepared.




Our first day back home was filled with the usual routines; going through seven weeks of mail; unpacking; grocery shopping and yard work. Tobias’ parents said to make sure he works for his keep, so we planted his little butt down on the riding lawn mower and cracked the whip. He enjoyed it too much to call it work, so I’m not sure that’s what they had in mind, but I’m pretty sure he’ll be happy to do that job again. I wish I felt the same about paying bills and grocery shopping.



We took Tobias to a few stores today to buy some stuff. His eyes got pretty big when we entered Costco, as Norway has nothing at all on that scale. He just walked around in a daze, checking prices and seeing what was available. He bought a t-shirt at Old Navy, with an American flag on it, and he bought a camera case at Wal-Mart – another place where he was overwhelmed with quantity, size and price. “Everything is so cheap,” he said, over and over. He was most impressed with the dollar store and all the things that can be bought for just a dollar, but he didn’t buy a thing, he just looked.



Now I get to experience America through a foreigner's eyes. I bought Kory some beer to have with our BBQ tonight and Tobias didn’t understand why he couldn’t carry it out to the car. I had to explain that minors can’t be in possession of alcohol and he said he was just carrying it, so that was a dumb law. That won’t be the first dumb thing he discovers about America, guaranteed.



Kaleb’s best friend, Timothy, invited the boys over “to hang out” today at his house for a few hours. (Timothy’s mom informed me they are no longer called “play dates.”) The boys were outside all afternoon as it was warm and sunny and nature provided their entertainment. I was thankful for a few quiet hours to make phone calls and pay bills without interruption. Kory piddled around the yard as that is where he is most at home.



Our house was well cared for while we were gone and the yard looked great. I wish I could say we are glad to be home, but Norway is still in our hearts. I heard Kaleb talking in his sleep last night, and he was talking in Norwegian. I find that I talk to myself in Norwegian now, so I think we’ve crossed over to the other side, and it’s going to take a while to get back into the American swing of things. There’s no place like home, but we now have one in Norway, too, so home will have to be wherever we are.  East or West, Home is Best.