Christmas Letter 2011

Greetings from Norway!

So, I was sitting here this evening and realized it was already time to write the next edition of the Beard Family Christmas Letter…my how time flies!!!

I hope this greeting finds you well!  We send a heartfelt ‘God Jul’ (Merry Christmas) to you all!

We have had a great year here in Norway and are continuing to love our expat experience.  I guess if I had to whittle it down to the highlights…

Spencer has been reassigned twice since we arrived – last December and then again in August.  Apparently he is in high demand – lol!  The good part is each position has been here so we get to stay a bit longer and that is a good thing!  His current role is Systems Engineering Lead.  It will be interesting to see where things go from here!

The kids (Brendan age 10 and Kyla age 8) started 5^th and 3^rd grades this year – WOW!  They both have great teachers and are enjoying school.  Although we all were sad to see some friends move on to their next adventures, we have been blessed with new friends that have moved to the area.  It is the way of the expat life, I suppose.   

The kids are keeping us busy with their activities as well!  Both kids are continuing to play tennis and fall soccer and Kyla has added horse-riding to her schedule.  She LOVES it!  Brendan is also now learning to play the trombone for 5^th grade band.   He is NOT a big fan of practicing which our neighbors likely appreciate…!

We were blessed once again with the opportunity to take several trips this past year!  Shauna enjoyed a COP Spouses trip to Budapest, Hungary in February.  Last spring we visited the south of France and enjoyed a stay at Club Med Opio en Provence for the Easter holiday.  We all thoroughly enjoyed the trip and the kids were sad to leave!  We spent some time in Katy over the summer visiting family and friends and of course, shopping!  Then in late July Shauna and the kids took a short trip to Chester, UK to see friends and do a little sightseeing including Conwy Castle in Wales.  In October, we took a much anticipated family trip to Rome, Italy!  What an amazing city – so much to see!  We took a day trip that included Naples and Pompeii – just magnificent!  The kids had their fill of pizza and gelato!  We are already busy thinking about which places to visit next year!  Our list of places to go keeps growing, of course!

Another highlight of the year was Tall Ships 2011 that came to Stavanger Harbor in July!  It only comes through here every so many years and I believe the last time it was in Stavanger was 7 years ago – truly a once in a lifetime experience!  The ships were HUGE!!!

We had our first visitor this year as well!  Shauna’s mom came for a visit in September.  We loved having someone to show around and just laughed at her reactions to the sights knowing that it was exactly how we looked and sounded when we first arrived!  Truly, there is so much to see and do here in our area – and as mom discovered, a week just isn’t long enough J

Shauna keeps a full calendar with volunteering at the school, welcoming new COP expats, and attending PWC activities and various other coffees and events.  She has also started taking horse riding lessons with a group of ladies and LOVES it! 

In addition to a very busy work life, Spencer is now the fearless leader of the music ministry at North Sea Baptist Church here in Stavanger and has done the occasional sermon to fill in when the pastors are away.   He is also now a Deacon for the church which adds even more to his full calendar!

It is hard to believe we have now been in Norway for a year and a half – our family has thrived here and we are so blessed to have the experience of being an ‘international’ family!

We love to hear from family and friends – here are ways you can contact us:

Email: srbeard180@gmail.com

Facebook:  Shauna Beard

Skype:  shaunabeard

Blog:  katybeardsadventures.blogspot.com

We wish you and your families a wonderful holiday season, a very Merry Christmas, and a blessed New Year in 2012!!!

Much love to you all,

Spencer, Shauna, Brendan, and Kyla

Last Day in Rome

Finally, I have made it to the last of my Rome blogs.  We really only had a short morning on the last day so we set out for just a couple hours to check out a few basilicas near the hotel.  We got a look at several, bu the standout one was Santa Maria degli Angeli.  We had passed it numerous times and we had once tried to go inside only to find there was a service going on.  Once we made it inside, we discovered not only a beautiful church, but also a little museum section with a pretty detailed history of the basilica.  As it turns out, this church was also a project of Michaelangelo and originally had three large entrances, but now, there remains just one.  Inside the courtyard is a large statue of Galileo as well.  Here are a few pictures.

Based on the time stamp on my pictures, I believe this is the inside of S. Maria.  I have to say, we saw so many amazing basilicas throughout the week and the names are often long and very similar to one another, but, here are some more.  I love the one of the organ - can you imagine sitting there playing that enormous instrument?

See the little bench there at the bottom...








The rest of our day consisted of a transport back to the airport and two flights.  One was slightly delayed, but didn't affect our connection.  We arrived back in Stavanger around 10 PM on Friday night.  It was a spectacular trip and went off without a hitch (thanks to my amazing travel agent, Barbara Koy!)

Rome was at the very top of my 'must see' places and I wasn't disappointed!  As much as we saw and did on our trip, I am still learning of other places we didn't make it to, so I guess that means I will have to go to Rome again one day!  Of course, I have a list of other destinations and we are always adding more :)

Rome Day 6

Current news...this weekend is the biggest craft fair in all of Norway :)  Do you remember me talking about this last year?  So, I made a dessert, went for the PWC preview time this morning, and worked a shift at the cake and coffee table.  The cool thing about it is really everything there is hand-made here in Scandinavia, mostly Norway.  I will also say, 'biggest in Norway' is a little disappointing when you are from a place where you often hear the phrase, 'everything is bigger in Texas' - but nevertheless, I made a few small purchases and enjoyed walking around and checking out all the wares.  There are certainly some very talented people here!

And now, back to Italy...

On Thursday of our trip, we headed back over to the Vatican area so go inside St. Peters Basilica and walk up the 500+ stairs to the cupola.  What an amazing place, both inside and out!  And the views from the cupola...WOW!  The cathedral was just huge!  You could spend all day just in the main areas, but then you go downstairs where no pictures are allowed and see all the shrines for all the popes.  Each is unique - really cool to see.  Some have statues, some are the stone tombs, each a dedication to that particular pope.  

Tile mosaics are very prevalent and this was one that I really liked.  Obviously it depicts Jesus washing his follower's feet.














After we saw the inside of the basilica, we started the very long climb to the top of the cupola.  I think it was a total of about 550 stairs.  Part of the stairway was very narrow and as you reach the top, the walls curve in around the cupola.  Just when you think you can't go another step, you get to the top and are greeted with THE most amazing views of Rome for as far as the eye can see!

Do you recognize this - the courtyard of the Vatican from a couple days ago!

This is the square in front of the basilica - see the pictures from in front of St. Peters above!

After admiring the views with hundreds of other people at the top of the cupola, we made our way down and set off to make a second stop at a few destinations and hunt down a couple others.

We stopped at Angel Castle and the bridge that crosses the river Tiber first.

One of our stops was Basilica di S. Clemente.  This was a really cool place - no pictures allowed inside, but found below the church are several levels, the third still being excavated.  Archaeologists believe that some of rooms were part of a pagan worship area in the earliest years -

We also stopped back by the church famous for the 'stairway to heaven' which can only be climbed on one's knees.  People climb the stairway in silent prayer on their knees - Spencer, Brendan, and Kyla decided to make the climb - I stayed down and took a few pictures.  The main prayers that day, for MawMaw...  The other prayers, for the poor.  We saw quite a few homeless and very needy people and Brendan really took this to heart and wanted to give money to each one we saw.  In his prayers, he included those less fortunate and chose several to drop coins in their cups throughout the week.

We also went back by the colosseum one last time.

Loved this picture - see the trees on the left?  The tour guide called these umbrella pines - a perfect name for them!

One last day left to blog about before I end the Rome recap, so check back soon!

Naples and Pompei

Before I get started on the recap of our Italy trip, I just wanted to mention what was going on currently...

First, the weather here has been divine!!!  Today especially - sunny skies, only a light breeze, very comfortable temperatures - it was so good in fact that our horse-riding class was able to go on the riding trail with the horses for almost an hour today - a beautiful walk through wooded areas with terrific views of the fjords along the way!  I tell you in absolute truth - I was wearing a tank, a long sleeve shirt over it, and my denim jacket and that was all I needed!  In saying that, it is also (by law) the time to change your tires over to the winter set.  We broke down and did that tonight.  One was flat, so Spencer aired it up and we are hoping it holds!!!

I also have to say, despite that fact that I have been here for almost a year and a half, I am still finding out about cool places, scenic walks, and things to do...it pays to have friends, ask around, and listen when people are chatting!  My friend, Sabrina showed me a trail yesterday and a couple really great areas to play and catch a great view!

We are also trying to finalize our plans for December.  Spencer's mom is hanging in there and seems to be doing pretty well and we promised we would see them in December, so it is time to book our tickets.  We will see how it all plays out...Spencer is low on vacation days and will have to 'borrow' from next year and there are a few logistics to work out.  It won't be a long or leisurely stay for sure!

Okay...back to Rome...Day 5!

So this was our day trip to Naples and Pompei! We boarded a bus early that morning and set off with a large group of tourists.  Along the way, the guide pointed out various places and talked a bit about some of the history of the surrounding areas.  We made a pit stop for a bathroom and snack break about an hour and half in and then set off for Naples.  We arrived in Naples and met up with our local guide who then took over the narration and guiding.  Our first main stop was a scenic view of the Mediterranean and the city of Naples. The sun was bright and the view was beautiful.  As we drove through the city, I will say, it seemed a bit more run down, but when you saw it from a distance it was just gorgeous!

We continued to drive through a few areas of the city and along the port and shipping areas.  We also saw some beautiful buildings and a castle too!

After our drive through Naples, we stopped off at a cameo maker and we saw a brief demonstration of how cameos are made and had the opportunity to shop in the store.  They were quite beautiful - not necessarily my style of jewelry, but really interesting and unique!

After these stops, it was time for lunch and then...then, the main attraction - POMPEI!  Lunch was part of our tour package and it was really nice and very efficient.  A 3-course meal served to probably 60 people in about an hour.  Then it was time for our tour.  We had 2 hours in the ruins of Pompei with Mount Vesuvius ever-present in the background.  It is still an active volcano and its last eruption was in 1944.  The tour was incredible and the ruins absolutely fascinating.  The streets and some of the buildings, the amphitheater area, the marketplace, temples, private residences, and...the brothel, complete with paintings on the walls of the 'options' and the stone 'beds'!!! Yes, totally serious!  But really, a truly once-in-a-lifetime kind of experience to see all this!  I took tons of pictures, but here are just a few.

Mount Vesuvius is behind those trees!

One of the many 'streets' through Pompei - each area and street have been given names by the archeaologists as they discover more and more areas.

One of several of the plaster-preserved remains.  On one of these, you could actually see the skeletal bones of the feet.

Couldn't resist including this one...Kyla being Kyla - pretending to be in a glass box...

This painting was in one of best preserved private residences of the city.  My photo doesn't show how bright the color actually still shows.

In the "museum" section of Pompei, they had several large storage rooms of various urns and clay jars, etc. that have been uncovered.

This is one of the temples within the city.  

I have to say, this tour was so interesting and the kids ended up really enjoying it despite the long bus ride.  We again had a pit stop on the way back to Rome and arrived back in town around 7 PM.  We had a late dinner and then turned in for the night.  Our last full day in Rome was upon us and we had a list of places to either visit or re-visit before we left!

Rome Day 4

Ok, I am back...busy weekend with Halloween activities and a soccer tournament we had signed the kids up to play in!  We were lucky enough to again be invited to the NATO Trunk-or-Treat party on Friday night, played soccer all afternoon Saturday and then enjoyed the "Batty BISS Mums" Trunk-or-Treat on Sunday evening!  Whew!  Throw in our time change and my aged twenty-something 'kids' over for dinner and that sums up the weekend!

Anyway, back to Rome...Day 4 was the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel and a few other stops later in the afternoon.  We again were taking advantage of our tour packages and had a guided tour for the morning that included a guided walk through the Vatican courtyard, museum, and into the Sistine Chapel.  It certainly pays to go with a guided group as the line to get into the Vatican is VERY long and wraps around the city walls.  If you are with a group, you skip all that and basically go right in.  Once inside, it is a bit like a slow cattle drive - you keep moving and there isn't much time or space to really stop and admire all the items on display for more than a few moments.  But, we had been prepared for that, so it was sort of expected.  The first area is the outdoor courtyard.  Here, there are large illustrations of the Sistine Chapel and the guide used these to point out interesting things to notice for when we did get to that part of the tour.

Our guide then took us through the museum - what is essentially a series of huge corridors.  Some of the 'rooms' were full of statues, urns, pieces of art from various time periods and from different Popes.  As you moved through, you could not forget to look up - all the ceilings were elaborately painted and one corridor flowed into the next.  Several of the areas were adorned with huge tapestries.  And when I say huge, I do mean big!!!  Floor to ceiling, many feet long, and some extremely old!

This statue is special because it has the glass eyes that were actually quite common in statues, but are rarely still seen in preserved statues these days.

This is one of the huge tapestries hanging behind the kids - no pictures would truly show their magnificent size and artistry!

All the ceilings throughout the museum area were this elaborate or more - room after room...

Not the best picture, but you can see the door of one room leading to the next, each unique in style and features!








From here, we entered the famed Sistine Chapel painted by Michaelangelo - it truly leaves you speechless.  When you walk in you can actually hear the intake of air of the people around you as they gaze up.  Of course, no pictures are allowed here and it is supposed to be silent and the guards are often shushing the crowd, but still the people murmur and point and look for all the little details and 'special' features Michaelangelo included in the minute details of each part and scene.  Truly an incredible sight!

Following our time there, our tour group was taken to a popular shop where many of the special gifts of the Roman Catholic faith are sold - rosaries, crucifixes, etc.  From the street outside the shop, we had a view of St. Peters Basilica where we would visit later in our trip and go inside.

After our tour was over, we set off to feed the two hungry beasts and work our way over to get a closer look at Piazza del Popolo and back into Villa Borghese park.

Kyla striking a pose...no surprise there :)

Brendan's favorite place...anywhere there is food!











It was a great day and we still have a few days to go!