Club Med Part 2

So, to continue with the vacation recap...

Wednesday morning we ate breakfast and then headed over to sign the kids up for Mini Club.  Just to give you an idea of the activities for 8-10 year olds...archery, "circus" (trapeze and trampoline activities), tennis, swimming, golf, team sports (such as soccer), plus, they would take the kids to lunch, an afternoon snack time, and sometimes dinner, depending on the schedule.  Yep, I am serious!!!! Of course, you always had the option to pick them up and/or take them back any time. We initially set it up where Spencer or I had to sign them in and out, but by the second day, we gave the kids a little more freedom and would let them sign out at a certain time and meet up somewhere.

The first day was a little tough for them because it was mostly in French and they didn't really know the routine of it all.  But, by the second day, they were on a roll!  They ended up trying just about everything, but quickly picked their favorite activities - swimming, tennis, archery - but they also played in an indoor soccer tournament Wednesday afternoon that included parents, tried the circus trampoline once, and attempted golf. By the end of our stay, the counselors were calling Kyla Lady Ga-Ga, thanks to her sunglasses...and Brendan, well, he won their hearts one night when all the kids had a dance party after the evening show and he showed off his very "original" dance moves ;) I was laughing so hard I had tears in my eyes!

While the kids were busy at Mini Club, Spencer and I took advantage of the organized morning walks. The first day was "Cretes d'Opio" and was about a 6.5 km walk to see some scenic and interesting places in the area.  One of the locations was the place where a tribute to the late Coluche, a famous French comedian who was also known for his community involvement in which he started an organization that provided food packages and hot meals to the needy. He was killed in a motorcycle accident at this location in 1986.

We also saw some beautiful homes and parts of a little village - here is a picture of one of the storefronts.

After our walk we met up with the kids and went to lunch.  Then, it was back to the Mini Club for them and off to lounge at the pool for us!  I had splurged on two American magazines at the airport and thoroughly enjoyed reading them cover to cover in the sun!

That evening after dinner the show was a circus themed event - let me just say, it was so cool!  What made it even more awesome is that all the people in the show were the people that worked at the Club, ran the kids' programs and activities - people you saw every day! It was kind of an "Alice in Wonderland" sort of theme and it had trapeze, acrobatics, all kinds of cool stuff - and great costumes too! 

Needless to say, it was a great day!  

Just a little word on the weather there - in one word, GORGEOUS!  It was in the mid-60's during the day and in the low 50's at night.  It ended up raining one day (our whirlwind tour day on Saturday) but otherwise it was fantastic! 

Keep checking the blog...

Au revoir!

I'm Baaaaack...

Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter holiday!

I know you are all anxiously awaiting my next blog...it has been a while and I have lots to chat about!

Just to update some ongoing things...the movie, Water for Elephants, was great - I really liked it and had a great day with friends!  The kids are ready for summer and are so excited to see their cousins and grandparents, aunts, uncles, and friends. I am continuing to see my acupuncturist, Rachel.  She is amazing and has added cupping and moxibustion to my treatments.  The results have been great and I find it so relaxing and helpful for my nerve pain and various other little health-related things.  Spencer has been quite busy with work and is ready to "step it up" and get things on track the way he wants the project to go, so those folks better watch out!!!  Mr. Beard is going to kick butt and take names!

And, just a couple days before we were leaving for holiday, Spencer finally received his letter from the traffikstasjon, so he is now able to start his practice driving and hopefully get his test done before we head to Texas in June.  His first drive will be next week.

Now, what you really want to hear about...drum roll, please...FRANCE!

Our trip to the Club Med Opio en Provence was absolutely great!  The entire family agreed it was awesome!  As a matter of fact, the kids did not want to leave and we could have stayed longer!  We all loved it and enjoyed a more relaxed vacation after several awesome, but busier trips to major cities of Europe.  The best I can describe it is like being on a cruise ship without the boat - swimming pools, activities, sports, shows, huge buffets, organized events, attentive staff - a truly wonderful holiday for all of us!  We did spend one day on a whirlwind tour of several of the very beautiful and famous cities in Southern France as well.  I will, of course, blog a day-by-day account :)

As I think I mentioned previously, Easter is a major holiday here in Norway and the kids had the entire week preceding Easter Sunday off of school as well as the following Monday.  We headed out on Tuesday, April 19th and returned on Monday, April 25th.  I am happy to report, both travel days went well - no major delays, luggage all arrived, driver was waiting for us to take us from the airport to the resort - yea!

We arrived at the Nice airport about 6:30 in the evening.  Traffic through Nice was still a bit busy and once we got of the major roads, we quickly found out that the roads through the smaller villages are quite curvy and the stripes on the road to denote lanes are merely a suggestion.  Our driver zipped around and safely deposited us at the Club Med where we were quickly checked in and were shown to our rooms.  It was great because we had adjoining rooms, so the kids had one and Spencer and I had the other - also meant we had two bathrooms and plenty of space!  The kids immediately took a moment to try out the beds and see how "comfy" they were!

By this time it was well past the kids dinner time, so we took a quick peak around the resort and then headed to dinner - and oh, how wonderful it was!  Full buffet with a zillion choices - food with flavor!!! Cheese table, salad table, fancy "starters", meat and vegetable choices, pizza (which was delicious and the kids ate at every meal!), breads, desserts...Spencer was also thrilled he could pour beer from a tap right in the dining area!  The food alone was a little slice of heaven and cured the Norwegian "food funk" we had been in for weeks!  The view from the dining terrace was also lovely!  We ate outside as much as we could!  This picture doesn't do justice, but just to give you perspective, it was taken at 7:40 in the evening!

The evening's show was music and dancing with songs from the 1970's, both American and French favorites.  It was fun and a little silly - the kids were worn out, though and were dozing off, so we headed off to bed to get a good night's sleep - big day Wednesday as the kids would be trying out Mini Club Med!

Stay tuned!

Downtown Stavanger

Since my last blog, I have been running around like mad - doing all the things I want/like/need to do, but staying busy just the same.  I have added acupuncture to my schedule.  I have been having trouble with the sciatic nerve on my left side and our truly terrible topmattress, so between chronic pain and lack of sleep, I was desperate for relief.  I am happy to say, acupuncture is amazing - felt relief from the first appointment!  And, after searching high and low and every store I could think of, we finally found the topmattress like we had in the previous apartment and bought one.  What a difference it has made!  Spencer and I are both enjoying good sleep again!

Last week, a new guy hired for Spencer's project, Jack, was here doing is house hunt visit, so Spencer did a bit of entertaining and we had him over for dinner.  Jack is great - from Louisiana - so we had plenty to chat about!  He is a young, single guy that reminds us of Spencer's buddy, Federico that we got to know when Spencer was working in California.  Both Jack and Federico are part of a thing called the Summit Program that ConocoPhillips does with young and talented people right out of college where they have opportunities to learn various facets of the industry.  Bless his sweet heart, Jack offered to bring us some of our "coveted" items from home when he is back here on business in late April and when he moves here officially later in May.  We just may take him up on a few things...

This week at the school, Kyla had a "share in our learning" time in her music class.  Miss Magda, one of the music teachers, did a great job with the kids showing all the parents what kinds of things they do in music.  This just supports my belief that the international school is wonderful!  They have a music room full of instruments, they sing a wide variety of songs, do musical productions - so super!!!  Kyla is also doing a little after school track and field club once a week for the next month or so.  She is a go-getter!

Brendan has been busy at school with their "Oodle Doodle" projects where they were studying biomes and adaptations in science.  He was most pleased today when he was one of the top finishers in the "Oodle Doodle wars."  They also just finished reading and dissecting the book, The Phantom Tollbooth which culminated in watching the movie today at school.  Now, if we can just get the little lightbulb to "click" on math (yes, math of all things - Spencer's most natural subject!) we would be in great shape!

Today, I had the pleasure of attending a guided tour of downtown Stavanger with a group from the PWC.  The guide was quite interesting and it was fun to learn more about our "home" city.  I am attaching a few pictures from today.  One really cool thing was that one of the ladies on the tour lives downtown in a building with an open access rooftop.  She invited the group up to admire the view from there and it was lovely!

On top of that, the weather today was spectacular!!!  It was a beautiful day to be out and about in town! My friend, Stephanie and I then enjoyed lunch at a cafe in town that serves a traditional Norwegian "hot lunch" special each day for a super reasonable price.










I am looking forward to Friday as well - it is the next PWC Movie Club day - this month's feature, Water for Elephants!  I just finished reading the book last week (really enjoyed the read!) and am looking forward to seeing the movie which will, of course, be followed by lunch with friends!

I guess the other news is that Spencer and I "celebrated" our 14th anniversary this week!  I put celebrated in quotes since the day ended up being a series of "almosts" - Spencer almost made it to lunch with me (I ended up eating with his co-worker, Ian, since Spencer got stuck in a meeting...), we almost made it out to dinner, but a lot of homework drama from Kid 1 ended with me going to the store and making tacos...you get the idea.  But, I still contend, life is good, we are blessed, and we will make up for it another time :)  As I said on my facebook status - "...who would have thought we would be where we are today when we married all those years ago..."

Next for the Beards - our trip to Opio en Provence!!!!  We are so excited about our trip!  So, you can be sure I will have fabulous new pictures (okay, decent pictures...) and lots to share after we return on the 25th!

That is all for now... I am working/thinking on a "fun" blog to do sometime....something light-hearted and not so..."this is what we did today..." report-ish.

Happy Easter, everyone!  We send our love and blessings on each of you!

Norwegian Wisdom...

Ok, so I was teasing Celine that I was going to do a blog dedicated to her - words of wisdom, pearls of knowledge - from an experienced expat...so here are a few...

"Being an expat is a little like being in high school..."

"Some people you will like, some you won't.  And, hey, no one says you have to like everyone or that everyone has to like you." (okay, maybe not an exact quote, but close ;-) )

My other favorite Celine-isms have to do with the weather here...I already mentioned the one about putting the winter gear away on June 20 and getting it back out on June 22...

Then, if you are a faithful reader of the blog, you may have seen her comment on the last post.

Here's another word of wisdom:  Hvis skarene bærer en voksen mann på sankthansdagen, da blir det sen vår.  ("If the snow's crust can carry a grown man on June 24th, then spring will be late.") .... you've been warned!!!

So, here is to Celine and her words of wisdom!  :-)

Since there is really nothing major to report here, I figured I would also share a few other "things I have noticed..."

There is a store downtown - souvenirs - and I have seen this next little tidbit on a postcard.  I am sharing this because I think this explains the Norwegian way quite well...

              The Viking Rules

• Be brave and aggressive
• Be direct
• Grab all opportunities
• Use varying methods of attack
• Be versatile and agile
• Attack one target at a time
• Don’t plan everything in detail
• Use top quality weapons
• Be prepared
• Keep weapons in good condition
• Keep in shape
• Find good battle comrades
• Agree on important points
• Choose one chief
• Be a good merchant
• Find out what the market needs
• Don’t promise what you can’t keep
• Don’t demand overpayment
• Arrange things so that you can return
• Keep the camp in order
• Keep things tidy and organised
• Arrange enjoyable activities which strengthen the group
• Make sure everybody does useful work
• Consult all members of the group for advice

Now, let me give an example or two...

In reference to the first bullet point - Be Brave and Aggressive - I have decided this is the mentality that makes them poor at queuing and quick to push past you, even if it means giving you a little shove on the way.  

Case in point...elevators.  We are accustomed to letting people out of an elevator before you enter.  The other day, here in our building, three workmen were waiting to get on the elevator when the door opened.  I needed off.  They were fully prepared to enter and all but blocked my exit.  Now that I am used to this, I just held my ground and pushed through.  They don't think badly of you or even notice that I can tell.  

Now, early on in my time here, I was at the IKEA waiting to go through a door and once it cleared, I was starting through when from my left comes a lady with a pram who all but knocked me over to get through a doorway... to the dishes at IKEA...really?  I have since learned... be direct, grab an opportunity, and be agile (i.e. HOLD YOUR GROUND - and your place in a line!)

On the point about "Keeping the Camp in Order" - this is what we have noticed...they like to do things that "strengthen the group" particularly on Friday and Saturday nights downtown at the pub...hence the saying, "Norwegians don't necessarily drink more than other nationalities - it's just that they drink it all at once."

And last, in the work setting at least, Spencer is certain that there is a lot of consulting that goes on and everyone is asked for advice - so no one feels left out and everyone has a useful job, I suppose.

Anyway, my take on the Viking Rules...for now. 

I also have to say, I learned a lot reading the funny little books I received as a house warming gift (yes, Celine again) by Jenny K. Blake - Brown Cheese Please and Norsk, Ikke Sant?  I laughed my way through them as they are meant to be a humorous take on the "Weggies" for the newcomer to Norway and after being here over 8 months, I "get" it!  

Just other fun things, I had lunch with my friend Peyton today at a place I didn't know about...but now I do!  It is a lovely little place in Sandnes with a great menu and a beautiful array of desserts and treats and fresh-baked bread.  Needless to say, I will be going back there! (The quote on the bag basically translates to "I have something good" and I did in that bag, but it is all gone now...")

Tomorrow, the kids' school is having its major fundraising event, the International Festival, where there will be food, games, and activities that represent various countries.  I am helping at the America booth for a little bit and then we will all enjoy checking out the other booths.  There is also a big raffle of themed baskets that each class put together - there are some very neat ones, so we will buy lots of raffle tickets and cross our fingers that we are lucky enough have our name drawn!

The Latest...

As I type, Spencer has left to pick up one kiddo from a birthday party and the other is at a friend's house...I have a rare and quiet 30 minutes on a weekend :)

Well, what can I say? The weather has been crazy here - we have gone from 10 degrees Celsius to snowing, to rain, back to snow, and then, back to sun...we all keep thinking spring is here only to wake up to snow. I give...who knows!!! As my friend Celine said when I facebooked about the weather (and I paraphrase)...Winter gear goes in the closet on June 20 and then you get it back out on June 22...didn't you get the memo? I had to laugh - so far, it is holding true! Those winter tires may never come off the car at this rate! In addition, remember that huge snow ball the kids had rolled and rolled...it lasted for over a week before it finally all melted. It was hilarious! All the other snow was long gone, but the ball remained for days! We kept watch on it from our balcony and checked each day to see if it was still there. Check out the picture!

Here is just a list off the top of my head of what has been going on the last couple weeks...
Shauna saw the movie The King's Speech (loved it!) with the PWC Movie Club, the kids each had sleepovers, Spencer has been in and out of town and one of the trips was to Norwich, UK, Shauna attended her first book club (read Room: A Novel for it), Spencer leading the music for church, plus the usual assortment of tennis lessons, gym, dinner with friends, lunches out for Shauna, volunteering (made Oodle Doodles for the 4th grade the other day...for a biome/adaptation unit), appointments and assorted commitments. Whew! And life goes on...

In other news, Brendan had a little wire issue on one of his retainers so we had a visit to the orthodontist sooner than planned. The good news, the damage was a non-issue. The better news, he is already on reduced wear!!! In only a month's time, his teeth and jaws are making the moves and the orthodontist was quite surprised! His major caution to us...they moved a lot in this short time, so if you are not consistent with wearing the "plates" when you should, they will probably quickly go back and lose ground instead of steadily gaining...so, we are making every effort to have them in at all times except the 8 hours he is at school! We can see his bite changing and his teeth moving - amazing!!! And all this without teeth-pulling or a head gear!

On a stroke of luck and the kindness of friends, Spencer and I managed to get a rare and much-needed "date night" last weekend! Kyla was at the Brownies' sleepover and I happened to mention this when I was with friends...one of them, Jen quickly volunteered her wonderful husband to let Brendan come over for a sleepover with their son, Michael (one of B's buddies.) Jen was helping at the Girl Scout sleepover that same night. What a great deal for us! Spencer and I went downtown and had dinner at a restaurant we have been wanting to try, wandered around a bit, stopped off at a couple parties and didn't get home until almost 1 AM! What a nice evening we had!!!!

I finally gave in and made a couple purchases this past week or so...a little cordless, stand-up vacuum with a removable "dust buster" and a waffle iron. I know, sad, but you just can't imagine how excited I was about both purchases! The vacuum I have been using is HORRIBLE!!! It a back-breaking, miserable piece of machinery that I could not find vacuum bags for and ended up ordering them from the UK many months ago (both apartments are equipped with the same vacuum.) As for the waffle iron, well, I just like waffles and the kids do too...finally talked myself into spending the money :) I am attaching pictures for your viewing pleasure - lol! Oh, and I won't even mention the price - it may cause you have a stroke and I don't want to be responsible!

We also received a box from home with some treats of course and some super cool Command picture hanging things, so I was finally able to hang some of the kids art work I brought and a few baby pictures. The new place is feeling more comfortable and homey and the size difference, although not huge, is more than enough to keep us comfy!

We are in count-down mode looking forward to our Easter break trip. The Easter week here is a very serious holiday - the stores close beginning on the Wednesday evening before Maundy Thursday and stay closed through Friday. They open for a little while on Saturday and then are closed Sunday (which they are ALL the time) through the Monday following Easter. I am thinking it is just as well for us to be away! We will leave on the Tuesday and return on the following Monday - Club Med en Provence better look out because the Beards will be coming soon!

Kyla has signed up for a little sports club at school - track - which will run (no pun intended) once a week for about a month or so. Brendan wasn't interested...but both kids continue to enjoy their tennis lessons! Brendan seems to be a natural and seems to be really getting the hang of it. Kyla likes it too, but Kyla will try just about anything...

So, I mentioned I joined a book club - turns out I knew most everyone there! I really enjoyed the novel we read and am looking forward to continuing with that. It will "encourage" me to read books I may not have normally chosen, so that is good too. I just finished another book that my friend, Celine recommended - The Art of Racing in the Rain - LOVED it!!! I think I read it in two long sittings...as I did the book club novel, Room: A Novel. My Kindle has been getting a work out over here! I would highly recommend both if you are looking for good books to read. Now, I need to get reading on Water for Elephants since the movie is coming out and that is the next PWC Movie Club viewing in a couple weeks! Want to read before I watch... :) The next book club book, The Bookseller of Kabul...NOT available on Kindle...bummer! Hoping to borrow from a friend prior to our next book club meeting!

I also mentioned the weather...well, yesterday was gorgeous! Full out sun, a slight wind blowing (much less then the previous 2 days,) and a nice temperature - we went on a family walk for about 2 hours enjoying the sun and fresh air. Oh and how things change...we woke this morning to fairly heavy snow coming down that had turned to rain by mid-morning that then turned to an almost bit of sun and now back to heavier clouds...all in less than 24 hours. As they say here, there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing choices :)

Well, the fact of the matter is, there is no shortage of things to do and the Beard Family calendar stays pretty full these days! We are so blessed to be in an area with so many kind and friendly people and plenty of other expats to share thoughts, vent frustrations, and just enjoy one another's company! I can honestly say, I am loving the experience we are having here (despite the frustrations that come along no matter where you are!) After 8 months of "expat" living, I think I have the hang of it and I am so pleased we will stay here a good while longer!

Snowy Winter Break!

As I write today, I am enjoying the beautiful sunny sky, but the past 4 days or so it was a blanket of white! The kids have been on break this past week and we had a nice quiet week!

I guess to go back a bit, we are all settled in at the new apartment, and even had friends over last weekend to celebrate our "spacious" new place! It was a fun time, but as usual, the adults all stayed gathered around the big island counter to chat and eat while the kids bounced from room to room - go figure :)

Our winter break was this past week and we would have generally taken a trip, but Spencer has been very busy at work and also needed to go to Oslo for a couple days, so the kids and I just hung out here, which turned out to be a nice, restful week. Last weekend was full of sun as is today, but in between, snow, snow, and more snow was the weather of the week! The kids and I had lunch with friends on Monday and later in the week they had a couple playdates and we went over to the big mall, Kvadrat, so Brendan could spend his birthday gift card. Brendan and Kyla spent a LOT of time outside (mom was happy!) playing and enjoying the snow - they worked together and made a huge ball of snow! It was hilarious to watch them from the balcony rolling over it, falling, pushing...but best of all, playing and working together with hardly any arguing!!!

Spencer did take Friday off after being in Oslo for two nights and we went into town, had a great lunch at Phileas Fogg (one of our favorite places), and finally took in the Oil Museum. It was really quite interesting and there were some really neat models of rigs and offshore setups plus a year by year history of the oil business here in Norway. It was a lovely day!

Spencer has decided to get a little more involved in the music program at the church we attend, NSBC, and is helping lead tomorrow. We have also been invited for lunch with some folks from church as well.

Otherwise, it is just the usual here - we are looking ahead to our trip in April and then our extended visit to Katy in June - it will be here before we know it!

I am including some pictures from the Oil Museum and the kids snowball :)

Har en god dag (have a good day)

S.

The Last Two Weeks...

So, things have been busy here at the Beard household...!

Since my last blog, Spencer has played with the church praise band twice, Brendan got his two retainer appliances at the orthodontist, we had student-led conferences at the kids' school, hung out with friends for a BBQ, met with Relocation, lunched with friends, coffees with friends, Spencer toured a local brewery called Lervig, had movers do a furniture swap, MOVED, and celebrated Brendan's 10th birthday! Yes, all in the last two weeks :) WHEW! Oh, plus all the usual day-to-day stuff like tennis lessons, volunteer mornings, yoga... It has been a little crazy here, so we are hoping for a non-eventful week ahead!

I guess I should elaborate on the "big" stuff - Brendan has been a real trooper with his retainers. He is expected to wear them 24/7, even while eating. He takes them out only to brush and clean them. He has a little trouble talking and there is some slurping going on, but he had been dedicated! He knows if he toughs it out now, he will get "reduced wear time" sooner. He has figured out how to eat most stuff, but is sticking with some of the easier to chew things for the most part.

Student-led conferences were a new experience. The kids had the day off from school, but we had to go there for them to "present" some of their work and show what they have been doing at school.

As for Relocation, there is very little for us unless we move into a house, so we decided, after taking a second and third look, to move over to the other 3-bedroom in our building that is leased by ConocoPhillips. It offers bigger bedrooms and 2 full baths. That alone is a huge plus, not to mention a separate laundry room and larger storage room. Plus, we still have the advantage of the great location! One of our requests was to flip-flop the furniture between the two apartments. They readily agreed to this as well as the purchase of a couple linen storage items for each bathroom. The movers came this past Thursday to to the furniture swap and I started making trips over from that point on. Despite being in the same building, it is in a different section with a separate elevator bank, so moving was a slow process - up and down elevators, in and out of doors - very time consuming and tedious, but we managed to get it all done this weekend and now we are settled in for the most part! The additional space is great, even if Spencer and I don't think the bed is as comfortable :)

I guess Spencer's highlight of the last two weeks would be his tour of the Lervig Brewery. Oddly enough, it is operated by two Americans. He had visions of Shiner...:) It is a very small brewery and most of what is sold in the stores is their basic pilsner, but on the tour, they were able to sample several of the specialty beers that don't make it into the stores for various reasons (taxes, alcohol content, etc.) Spencer, of course, knew about all the machines and probably could have guided the tour too!

Last, but not least, we celebrated Brendan's 10th birthday! It is hard to believe that tiny little premature baby boy is a great big 10-year-old full of pre-teen attitude! We had a party at the local bowling alley with several of his friends. The boys had a great time :) Brendan, of course, loved the attention, but most of all he loved his presents! He got a couple Lego Star Wars things from friends, new clothes (from the states!), Houston Dynamo gear, the first 3 movies of the Star Wars series (we now have ALL 6!), and most exciting of all, he got his very own computer - a netbook! He has his own email account and is also set up to use skype from his computer, so let me know if you need his information! He finished his homework today and promptly checked his email and called Grandma on skype!

One more thing...did I mention...we booked our April vacation! March is going by the wayside since Spencer has to travel for work-related stuff, so we went all out for April - Club Med Opio en Provence - yep, we are headed to France for some relaxing at the all-inclusive resort! We will only be about 30 minutes from Nice (also will fly in there) and be in driving distance to Cannes on the coast! So, so excited!!!!

Okay, so that is all for now, I think...I am including some pictures from the birthday celebration.

And, our new address...

Madlastokken 3, Apt. H0603
4042, Hafrsfjord, Norway