Keep on keepin' on. And some scrapbooking.

That's right, folks. It's been a year. I can no longer say I am new to this business of living abroad. I thought about The Anniversary of Our Moving (well, my moving, since G came here two months before I did) and considered doing a long, insightful post that day. I decided against it. Not because I didn't think it would be cathartic and maybe even funny. Because I had to do _______ instead. Or was it _______?

That is often what happens when I think to myself, "hey, I should blog today." Something else comes up that I end up doing. Sometimes it's important like getting my residence permit renewed. Sometimes it's something equally important but maybe doesn't sound as important. Like sitting on the couch watching an episode (or three) of Friday Night Lights, even though it's been canceled from television. That? That's important, trust me. I can't explain why, but move abroad and then we'll talk.

So, two important points here:

1. I have not given up on blogging.
2. I just checked a year as an expat off my list.

What else have I been doing? Lots, but I'll keep it to just a few things. We celebrated G's birthday last week. Instead of going out, he requested a homemade meal of this and this and this. And something kind of like this but not. Oh, and caviar with crème fraîche, blinis, and some sparkling wine to start. It was good, man. It was really, really good.

I created a scrapbook for his birthday documenting our first year in Oslo - that's the cover you see above. I tried to simplify it and along the way finally did some digital scrapbooking (well, really hybrid scrapbooking, but I digress). Thanks to digital layout templates I had from online classes I took with the amazing Cathy Z through Big Picture Classes, it was pretty easy. The layouts were in Photoshop which I loved playing with. I also discovered the world of digital scrapbook elements, especially those by Ali Edwards. I used a bunch of her overlays in the album, and I love how they turned out. I plan on doing more of that in the future.

I did a monthly synopsis layout for each month and also individual layouts for each trip we took in the past year. Here's what one of the monthly layouts looks like:

Here's one of the travel layouts:

Sorry about the glare. This is about as much sun as you can get on a cloudy day in Oslo in November!

I really loved making this book. All my photos are organized chronologically in iPhoto, which I also use to rate and assign keywords to photos. I'd like to take credit for my mad photo organizational skills, but it's all due to Stacy Julian and her wonderful Library of Memories (LOM) concept. I also used the four major divisions of LOM to organize my text for the monthly pages. I could go on for pages about LOM, but I won't. In short, it is life-changing. If you want to know more, ask me or check out this link to the 2010 LOM class at Big Picture Classes. I'd call it a teaser description. (And no, neither Stacy nor BPC is paying me for endorsements. It is a safe bet to say they probably have no idea who I am!)

I am excited about feeling creative again. About feeling like I want to start so many new creative projects. Christmas cards. The December Daily project. Project Life in 2012. I like having my mojo back. It's just taken a year to get there, I guess.

Happy fall to all. We'll talk soon. Now if you'll excuse me I have to go do __________.

I liked Germany. And that's saying something.

I have never really wanted to visit Germany before. And then I moved to Norway, a stone's throw from the country. Couple our proximity with my German-heritage husband and my Munich-born mother's visit to Oslo, and I was destined to visit a country that never really fetched more than a 'meh' from me on my travel bucket list.

It has earned much more than a meh.

German people? Wonderful. We have a few German friends here in Norway so I should have known better. We had the best people experiences everywhere we went. Our first night in country, Gunter bonded with our server in Frankfurt. The second night? Walked through the menu by a kind man at a German-only restaurant in a small town on the Rhine, and then subsequently serenaded by him and his group of ten hiker friends. What followed was, of course, shots of Schnapps. And on and on. Not the Schnapps but the nice-ness of people throughout our travels.

German food? Surprisingly good. I wouldn't say it was varied, but then again we mostly went to German-cuisine style restaurants. Although I am okay if I don't eat spätzle again for a long time, the food I did have was good. They even had vegetarian food on the menu at the Hofbrauhaus.

Germany sites? Stunning. We drove up the Rhine Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Vineyards climbing up the near-vertical valley slopes, restored and crumbling castles and picturesque villages that looked like time had stood still. And that's just the man-made wonders. The views in the Bavarian Alps, outside of the tiny town of Oberstdorf near the Austrian border, were unreal. You know how tourist websites for towns or locals look too good to be true? Well, I thought this one did. And then we went there. And it was just as spectacular as the website portrayed. Cable car up to Nebelhorn. Hiking around in the mountains. Beer and picnic on the crags overlooking the valley. This was some seriously good stuff.

Shopping? Well, I'll just say we stopped at Käthe Wohlfahrt in Rothenburg. And that's all I have to say about that. Okay, I'll say one more thing: if you've never been there or never heard about it and you love Christmas, it should be on your bucket list.
A German connection? Yes, perhaps more than I can appreciate at this time in my life. You see, my mother was born in Germany because my grandfather was the commanding officer at Dachau Concentration Camp shortly after it was liberated. In his time there, the camp housed German prisoners of war and displaced persons, the beginnings of memorials to the thousands murdered, and nearly three years of Dachau Trials. My grandparents, mother, and aunt lived in the former kommandant's villa, a stone's throw from the camp entrance. It was quite a juxtaposition to visit a place with such a personal story for my family, yet such a horrible one for so many. We visited the memorial at the camp and met with one of the researches at the camp archives for several hours. You see, my grandfather was a prolific note-taker, photographer, and recorder of the every day. He was also a Jew. From his daily journals to his tomes of photos, we have gleaned a little of his life at that time and the lives of those around him. It was a powerful, eye-opening, difficult experience to walk where he walked and glimpse a little of what he saw. But I am glad that we did it. And I am hopeful that my grandfather's recorded history can help tell more of the story of that difficult time so long ago.

A few photos of our journey for you to enjoy. A journey I will never forget.

Kloster Eberbach, a former monastery in the Hesse region of Germany. The Name of the Rose was filmed here.

Kloster Eberbach also has a lovely outdoor restaurant up on the hill. The first of much meat on our travels.

A small section of the Rhine Valley from Castle Marksburg.

Mosel Vinothek in Bernkastel-Kues. For 15 euro, you can taste as many of the hundreds of wines as you wish.

Zwiebelkuchen (onion tart) and federweissen (new wine), a classic combination in the fall in the Mosel valley.

The Bernkastel part of Bernkastel-Kues, with vineyards on the hillside above.

Architecture in Rothenburg.

View from the Nebelhorn summit (2224 meters). Yes, we took the cable car.

G ridge hiking from the Nebelhorn.

We were in the mountains on National Day in Germany. All sorts of Bavarian hullabaloo going on.

The New Town Hall (Neues Rathaus) in Munich.

Second grocery store in as many countries that I have seen an 'America' aisle. Hm. It's all junk food.

G, mom, and me enjoying a night at the Hofbrauhaus in Munich. Prost!

The gatehouse at Dachau Concentration Camp, where prisoners entered the camp.

The gate, Dachau Concentration Camp.

'Work sets you free,' the gate at Dachau Concentration Camp.

International memorial, Dachau Concentration Camp.

Right now.

Right now I’m trying to get back to blogging.

Right now I’m loving lit candles around the house in the evening.

Right now I am making my way back to a regular workout schedule.

Right now it gets lighter later in the morning and darker earlier at night.

Right now the leaves are golden on the tree outside our bedroom window.

Right now I am coming to terms with committing myself to another semester of intensive Norwegian class.

Right now I am missing my friends and family and wine with the girls after work.

Right now I am thankful for the past year of adventures with G.

Right now I am feeling craftier than I have in a long time. I might even do Christmas cards this year.

Right now I am deciding which lenses to get for my soon-to-be-had DSLR.

Right now I am wishing I would hear back about the several jobs I’ve recently applied for.

Right now I don’t miss my old job, but I do miss my career. And using my brain everyday for something besides Words with Friends.

Right now I find it hard to get out of the house in the afternoons, and can almost hear the sucking sound of the Black Hole that is my laptop.

Right now I am really looking forward to Maryland for Thanksgiving, spending time with family, and getting my hair done.

Right now I am trying to breathe deeper and enjoy life a little more.

What are you doing right now?

Warning: Food Porn

First up, I am not a fashion food photographer. I am not an editor for Gourmet magazine. My culinary writing skills do not rival Mark Bittman. But, I am a lover of food. Good food. Food from far away lands, regardless of whether I find it in a restaurant in town or in a hole-in-the-wall taverna across the ocean in another country.


As I mentioned earlier, G and I have done a bit of traveling this spring/summer and we have eaten well. Some people travel to broaden their minds, immerse themselves in new cultures, see amazing sights, and have unique experiences. I like to do all of those things, but my travel to-do list also includes enjoying food. I think if you're going to travel the world and just eat at McDonald's or get your coffee from Starbucks you are missing out on one of the greatest joys of travel. Now, I will be the first to admit that I enjoy the novelty of going to a Starbucks in a foreign country to see what it's like. And to have a latte. But I much prefer to order a doppio at a cafe in Roma where no one speaks English. Or a Greek coffee in a hill town followed by a shot of raki. But I digress.


I thought I'd share with you some shots of food and food-related events from our recent travels. Sadly I did not take many food photos in Seattle in July, probably because it felt too much like home to photograph the food. However, if you've ever been to Harvest Vine or Anchovies and Olives or even Anthony's, you'll know I could have photographed some seriously good food. Next time, I guess. Enjoy. Is it lunch time yet?


The month of April found us in Paris with G's parents. Here's a fabulous little restaurant we ate at in the Marais:

Not a lot of English spoken at Bistrot du Dȏme Bastille, but the fish was very good and we had great service. Warning that if you ask for pomme de terre avec glace, even if you're joking, you will get exactly that: potatoes with ice cream. Good times.


For me, Paris is all about the crepes. Couldn't get enough Nutella and shredded coconut crepes. These were from a stand in the Bastille farmers market (which I highly recommend).

What I like to think of as my little Parisian secret: the garden cafe at the Rodin museum. For one Euro, you can get into the garden and enjoy the art, then slip over to the cafe and have lunch or a nice glass of wine. Or both.

May found us with our first house guests - my sister and her friend - so we packed up and headed to Bergen for the weekend. Discovered: fresh cooked crab legs on ice at the waterfront open-air seafood market. They'll crack them for you to eat right there. Two thumbs up from G.

Also a must in Norway: experiencing the Kvikk Lunsj, a Kit-Kat-like candy bar most everyone takes skiing. Or in our case, on the Sognefjord in a Nutshell tour, via hydrofoil. With kakao (hot chocolate). Breakfast of champions.

And then there's the vafler (waffles). There's no escaping Norway without one.

Norwegian Constitution Day (17th of May) found us engangsgrill-ing it up in Frognerparken. An engangsgrill is a disposable grill. They are super popular here. We have since purchased a baby Weber so I can grill with a cleaner conscience.

Early June. The beer and food festival in Oslo. I don't remember much about the food, but the beer was fun. Baby beers!

Mid June. One of my favorite food countries of all time: Greece. What's not to love? I am apologizing in advance for not taking some of these photos before starting to indulge. Simple breakfast. Greek yogurt with honey and almonds. Hmmm.

Simple (okay, huge) lunch at a small Athens taverna.

Grilled octopus. Good lord.

Gigantes and spinach pies. I could eat these. All. Day. Long.

Drying octopus. Purdy.

The perfect taverna lunch spot...

...with the most perfect Greek (horiatiki) salad. Seriously.

Early July took us to Stockholm. We went here and it was very, very good:

They had a seafood "bar" in the restaurant where you selected your cut of fish or meat from the chef.

Two days later we were back in Oslo and celebrated American Independence Day in Frognerparken with a little picnic. Apple crisp, sausages and lemonade. How very American of us.

The rest of July? Seattle. Besides some of our favorites I mentioned at the beginning of this post, we also went to Canlis. That is not just dinner. That is an experience. Something to drink with dessert? El Diablo, mixed by Mr. Canlis himself.

What would a trip to Seattle be without wine? And I mean, a lot of wine.

(Brandi and I picked up all the wine for her wedding. We made a lot of friends at Costco that day.)


Finally, Brandi's wedding. Now, some people take pictures of the wedding cake or the artfully arranged appetizers. Apparently we don't do that in our family.

Even at a wedding, sometimes a girl just wants a hot dog. Okay, so maybe this was after dinner. And cupcakes. A girl's gotta live, right?


Pardon me while I go live at the gym for the next six months. Hide the scale and break out the steamed broccoli.

It's chanterelle season. And there's a tool for that.

And...I’m back. Last Friday marked the end of Miss Holly's two week visit, and she and I pretty much exhausted the list of things you can do in and around Oslo. We also had time to - gasp! - relax on her vacation. And go to Sweden! (More on Sweden soon. That was entertaining to say the least.) I guess that’s the benefit of a long vacation in a not-so-large city (only ~600,000 residents) as well as staying with the ‘locals’ (um, that would be us): see a little, chill a little, repeat.

One of the things we did while Holly was here was go mushroom hunting. You may be thinking that, since I am originally from the rainy, wet Pacific Northwest, I am a regular mushroom collector. I am not. In fact, the extent of my past mushroom collecting involved visiting the produce section of the local grocery store. So, when some German friends of ours invited us to go hunt for chanterelles (or kantareller, in Norwegian), we said, yes, yes we can. There were nine of us that went which seemed a little crazy at first, but we quickly spread out near Songsvann, a nearby lake, and hunted.

Now, I cook. A lot. So, I was pretty sure what a chanterelle looked like. Pretty, soft, and kinda orangey-yellow. I am here to tell you that’s the grocery store experience. In the forest, all bets were off. They call it hunting for a reason. In the first hour, I had seen so many mushrooms and had no idea what they were, but none of them were chanterelles. Which was pretty much okay with me because of the awesome wild blueberries and raspberries.


For example, this is not a chanterelle:

These, however, are wild raspberries (I was blurry with excitement.):

And then I spied a slew of mushrooms on an arid hillside. Could it be? Yes it could. It turned out I had found the elusive chanterelles!

After that, people began to find a bunch, but I only found a few more. For me, tromping through the woods was just as enjoyable. It was so quiet and peaceful, and really made me miss hiking in the Cascades. I will assume G felt the same way, although I swear he was also hunting for trolls.

After a few more hours we headed back to our friends' house where we cleaned and sorted the mushrooms and drank some wine while two of the guys made dinner – quiche and crepes:

They took their crepe making very seriously, which was fun to watch.

Note to self: this is a rødskrubb. Turns blue when cut. Edible when cooked. Funky. Check for worms first.

It was a long day, but the end result was great. We had a tasty dinner with friends, good conversation, and a fun story to add to our Norwegian adventures. 

A few days later, I paid tribute to our fun outing by shopping, of course. Seriously, what would a new culinary pursuit be without adding a new tool to the toolbox? Come on, did you really expect me to pass up the opportunity to own a mushroom knife, complete with brush and metric ruler? I think not.