Beach bum and pit bull

We also hit the beach in California. Of course. I love the beach. The beach bum that I am. The water was pretty cold, though, so I mostly lied in the sand like a stranded, pale whale desperately trying to get a tan. I at least managed to get a tan line, which really doesn't mean a whole lot considering how white I was when the tanning started.

Here's a story: We were in the car when all of a sudden we hear Selina scream at the top of her lungs. This was one of those authentic I-am-in-pain screams. Well, Amilia had dug her teeth in to Selina's finger and would not let go. She was like a fierce pit bull. Finally Link got her jaw unlocked and Selina's finger out of her mouth. After scolding Amilia for a while, Selina quietly makes a comment about them playing the biting game. Now, what kind of game is that? I know for a fact that we don't play that game at our house!

Here's a picture of that crazy Amilia-Bedilia!



Of course we enjoyed some awesome pool time at the various Marriotts we stayed at. I guess you could say that working for Marriott for 7 years has made me a picky hotel guest. Only the best for me and my family.

Hasta la vista, California! We'll be back!

To be continued.....

The Happiest Place On Earth

Of course we went to Disneyland. How could we not? The massive hoards of people didn't scare us. We were determined to join the crowds and be the Happiest People in the Happiest Place On Earth. Even though the lines were eternal, the food sucked, the money seemed to disappear and Donald Duck walked away as we got ready to add his picture to our 1 billion other pictures, we had a brilliant 2 day adventure.

We started off with the kiddie rides in Fantasyland (which pretty much took the entire day because of the lines.) After a while Selina was ready for some more action, so we headed for the Matterhorn. I wasn't quite sure how Amilia would do as she is only 3, but she loved it. So when we headed over to Space Mountain, I felt confident that nothing can scare that crazy kid. I didn't hear crying or detect panic attacks of any kind during the ride. However, when it was over she firmly stated that she wanted to go home. And she repeated this statement over and over like a broken record for the next 10 minutes. So maybe Space Mountain was a little too much? Well, she was tall enough.....

I really displayed my love and devotion for Selina when I was willing to wait 70 minutes in line with her to go on Splash Mountain. All that for a 3 minute ride and wet clothes. She'd better never forget it!!!

Of course there was crying at the end of the 2nd day. Poor Selina was so tired, but didn't want to leave Disneyland. We could have easily spent a day or two more there because there was still a lot of stuff to do, but I think Link was Disneyed out and our checking account was quickly getting slimmer by the minute.

California dreaming

Summer. 1988. California. I was 15 and flew to LAX all by myself like a big girl. I spent the entire summer (almost 2 months) with my friend, Julie K, and her family. (As well as some time with a new friend....) I have loved California ever since. In fact, I adore California. So when we decided we would take the kids to the US this summer, I told my hubby we have to go to California. I didn't even have to twist his arm once, he agreed immediately!

We left a cold and wet Norway on 17 June only to arrive in a wet and chillier than normal Salt Lake City. We spent a few days with my lovely sister and her family before we hopped in the car and drove west.

It's quite a drive from Salt Lake to Anaheim. Especially with a 3 year old who is crazier than ever in the back seat. In order to keep our sanity, we stopped in Las Vegas and spent the night there.

Now, I'm not one of those people who likes to take something for everything if you know what I mean. On the other hand, I don't care so much for kids puking in the car either. So when you have an 8 year old who always ends up getting car sick on road trips, you cave in and give her something for motion sickness. So, we decided to introduce her to Dramamine. I'm not that familiar with it, really, since I've never had to take it and when going on road trips in Norway we give her some Norwegian drug. Had I known the following possible side effects beforehand, I probably would have reconsidered:

"The auditory/visual hallucinations coupled with the ensuing confusion and short-term memory loss often leads to mild or intensive paranoia among the users. Though auditory hallucinations are more common than visual hallucinations, the visuals of a "Dramamine Trip" can seem very real."

OK, so we didn't give her a high dose, just half a pill as instructed on the label, and therefore she didn't see any frightening creatures, such as zombies or insects, and she didn't have conversations with non-existing people. HOWEVER, the poor kid was drugged. Once we got to Vegas, she looked a little confused and said "Mom, I just don't feel like myself." It was actually kind of scary. I guess even half a pill was too much for a very lean 8 year old. I swore I would deal with the puking in the car the next day when we left for Anaheim. But, she did just fine without it. Thank goodness! I think it's because the roads in America are bigger and better.

I did consider giving something to knock our 3 year old out. She was a terror in the back. She is a trouble maker, that one. At one point I told her if she didn't knock it off, I'd tie her to the top of the car for the remainder of the drive. I was able to enjoy a few minutes of silence before she declared, full of anticipation even, that she wanted to be tied to the top of the car. I just don't even have a comment for that. Thankfully, we all made it to Anaheim in one piece.

This was the first part of my travel description. Rest assured that there will be more. I have lots more to share about our wonderful vacation.

Here are some Las Vegas pictures:

I guess they did get along in the back seat as well.


Amilia driving. Scary thought!

Amilia doesn't quite know what to think of Elvis.

She loves the M, though.

A big day

Our oldest turned 8 on April 24th, and the next day she was baptized. She had been looking forward to her baptism for so long and was really excited. It was a great day and I was a proud Momma! We had a lot of family and friends join us which made the day even more special.

Of course our 3 year old had to make her special mark on the day by throwing a fit from out of this world when she was told that no, she was not going to be baptized today, too. She sat by the door to the baptismal font and screamed. I honestly thought she would just open the door and jump in the water in the midst of her frustration, disappointment and anger. Crazy kid! Luckily my sweet sister-in-law came to the rescue and eventually got her out of the bathroom. I wish I would have recorded the whole episode for future blackmail opportunities.

As you can see, I did get a cute picture of The Star of the day and my Dad, who baptized her, though.

Catching up

Hello, Loewen News readers, I am still here. I don't want you to think that my life is so boring that I have nothing to blog about. It has been busy around here lately and no time for blogging. I know, I know, where are my priorities?

I'll give you the quick version of the past 3 weeks:

1. We FINALLY moved in to our apartment. And we L-O-V-E it! It is quite grand! All our stuff made it all the way from the States, and nothing even broke. So I'm a happy camper.

2. During the moving process, I got sick, of course. Laryngitis, as a matter of fact. It was hard to boss people around with no voice. Hard to yell at your kids, too. And not to mention your husband. I think they enjoyed the 3 days of whispering.

3. We celebrated our baby's 3rd birthday. She is crazier than ever. Hard to believe, but it's the fact. Her favorite phrases lately seem to be "Don't look at me" or "Don't talk to me" or "Leave me alone" or something along those lines. It's so refreshing and motivating.

4. We also celebrated Easter. Easter in Norway is the best. We get 5 days off in a row. We stayed true to the family tradition and went to Sweden. We came home with a lot less money then when we left, but on a positive note, we came home with a lot more food and candy.

5. We welcomed the chicken pox into our household. Our 3 year old is the poor victim. Our oldest has already had them (and so have I and my hubby.) It would suck to get the chicken pox at the age of 36. My husband was 19 when he got them, just in case you wanted to know, and it sucked (according to him).

So that pretty much sums it up, folks. More action to come this weekend as our oldest daughter turns 8!!

Winter memories.

I'm not really a big fan of winter. Kind of a shame really considering I live fairly close to the North Pole. I guess I technically don't really mind it, but it's one of those things I would be totally fine without. Wouldn't really miss it, to be honest. I'm more of a beach bum kind of person, as opposed to the ski bum trend here.

That being said, and since I really can't do anything about the weather conditions here up north, I must admit that I'm relieved that my kids haven't inherited my dislike for snow and cold weather. Here are a few pictures of my cute winter kids.

We had so much snow this winter. But that doesn't stop a detirmened 2 year old heading for the playground.

This was her first time skiing. I was impressed that she even wanted to try. I personally will not put those thin things on my feet.

The fashion police has spoken

I'm in no way, shape or form a credible member of the fashion police. I will admit that I like cute clothes, but I never really have a clue about what's hot in the fashion industry.

And here is a big HOWEVER....... There are some fashion styles that I don't care much for. Before I elaborate, I would like to point out that I don't wish to offend anyone. You are allowed to disagree with my dislikes and I will not hold it against you. I will just laugh at you if I catch you wearing any of these.

First of all, I never understood the hype about crocs. I just don't get it. The only people that can wear crocs and still look cute, are kids. But, for some reason, crocs on big people makes me think about hobbits. It must be the rubbery material or something, I don't know.

I also don't care much for potato sack tunics. Know what I mean? Those HUGE looking things that just hang straight down and make you look 20 lbs bigger? (I don't need to look 20 lbs bigger, thank you very much!) I'm all for clothes that make you look smaller. (And by that I don't mean tiny clothes.....)

Then there's the issue of pink shirts on guys. I'm just not a fan. I guess there's technically nothing wrong with it, I just don't find it very manly. Kind of like guys wearing capris pants. Not my cup of tea.

Here's a fashion statement that just completely CRACKS ME UP: The combination of jeans and rubber bands around the ankles. What's up with this? I guess I'm getting old and just don't understand the cooleness of it. I just think it's hideous!

In closure, just a few tips: Please don't wear white socks with black shoes. And please, please, PLEASE don't wear socks at all with open toed sandals! I don't care if archaeologists have uncovered evidence that strongly suggests that manly Roman soldiers wore socks with open-toed sandals.