Barrett's family took us to the airport, so we said goodbye to my parents first. It really was sad. We look all happy in this picture, but I definitely shed a few tears driving to Barrett's family's house. We had been in limbo long enough that we were ready to get started in Norway, but it's still hard knowing you (and especially Lily) won't see them for a really long time.
Lily LOVED "Lukie". They were pals for sure and she always asked where he went if he was out of sight. He would also wait at the top of the stairs when she would wake up in the mornings.
Us and all of our many bags. We did ship several boxes and Barrett's bike, but other than a few things in there, this is our life for at least the next year. It seems like a lot, but have you tried to fit all of your stuff into 6 bags? It gets tight. Fast.
Luckily we did have all of Barrett's family to help us with all those bags! It looked like we were all going on vacation, ha ha.
Saying goodbye to Lily :(
Getting ready to take-off on our first flight. Our total travel time was about 17 hours. We left Salt Lake at 5:00pm and arrived in Minneapolis around 8:00. We had a short time to walk to the next gate and stand for a little bit, until we had to board the next flight to Amsterdam.
Lily was amazing on the flights! She only got a little restless on the first 3-hour flight, but played with her toys. Then before take-off on the second flight we put her pajamas on and did her bedtime routine. She was out quickly and slept the entire flight, waking up only a short time before landing. We were lucky to have two seats to ourselves on the side, which was perfect. Barrett was such a trooper and held Lily the entire flight, so I could get up and go to the bathroom all through the night, ha ha. They fed us 2 meals and we watched movies and slept. It was an 8-hour flight, but it really went by quickly. (Sorry for the blurry, front camera selfie)
When we arrived in Amsterdam it was early in the morning for us, but midday there. The last flight was a little delayed, but it was nice to be out of the plane for awhile. We also had a few new rules on this flight which we didn't expect. Lily was supposed to have her own boarding pass and she had to be in her own buckle. They have cool attachments that buckle to the adult seat so she can strap in while on your lap. She didn't like that very much since she was used to getting up and down as she wanted. It was also our first taste of Norwegian and not being able to understand anything. The last flight was only an hour and a half, but it was the hardest for me. We actually all fell asleep during take-off because we were so tired, ha ha.
But when we woke up for the snack I got really sick. I had been a little nauseous on the second flight, but not like this. I don't know if it was the smaller plane or just that we were tired and had been on 3 flights. But I was so close to being sick that Barrett grabbed a bag for me when we were landing. I don't know how I made it but I sure was grateful when we got off that plane.
We contacted the bishop in the Stavanger ward before we moved and he connected us with another American family. They offered to pick us up from the airport, feed us dinner, and then drive us to our new home. So nice of them! I love the Church! It has to be true for so many people to be incredibly Christlike and giving of themselves. I am always surprised with how willing people are to help. We don't have a car (which is one of the big adjustments) and many families in our ward have reached out to give us rides already. Anyway, we had a groggy dinner at the Meads, asking all the questions we could, and taking in as much as our brains would hold, before we arrived at our apartment.
It looked exactly like the pictures. That sounds funny, but it was surreal standing in front of this house you had looked at knowing that when you were there you would be in Norway. Norway! Anyway, here are some pictures of the outside.
Our landlords live in the top two levels and we are in the basement. They are very nice and have twins that are a few months younger than Lily and have already been good playmates. Things like this are such a blessing in a foreign place. That's the window into our living room. It's a basement, but doesn't really feel like it (thankfully) because we are above ground.
The pathway to our front door is to the left of the picture above. Don't worry I will take some pictures of the inside and post them eventually. It is really small, but very nice inside, furnished, and has plenty of space for what we'll need short-term here.
Just to put a plug in for visiting Norway... :) Now that wasn't such a bad flight to Norway right? Takes a little while, but you get some meals, drinks, free movies, and sights of different countries. And just to entice you more, here is a sneak peak into a little of the nature. We went on a couple minute walk to the lake nearby our house and found this beautiful scenery!
Anyway, we want visitors. So let me know if you're interested. Then we can hold a sign for you at the airport that says "Velkommen til Norge!"
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