There's no place like home

This is my family. I love them.

I got to be with them for Christmas and it was great.

I thought that since I felt pretty at home in Trondheim, I might not feel a strong connection to home, at least not right off the bat. My experience couldn't have been more different. To my surprise and delight I settled easily back into place with family and friends. A year and a half had passed, the familiar had become unfamiliar, but it was as if a part of me knew exactly where I was again (guess it hadn't been too long after all). The best part about going home was being a present part of my family again. I got to be a daughter, sister, granddaughter, niece, cousin, and quite possibly best of all, an aunt. These are roles I have missed since coming to Norway, and roles I honestly didn't know if I would fit into again. Haven't asked anyone else, but I think I managed alright.

I'm so thankful for my family, and to have a family at all. I had special joy in celebrating Jesus' birth with them and remembering all he is and all he has done in my life, even bringing me to Norway! There is nothing better than getting to enjoy him together with family.

Christmas with my immediate family:

Attire: Norwegian sweaters, as if there were any other choice!

My special Christmas gift

I was home for 16 days before I came back to Trondheim. Besides several Christmas celebrations my trip was jam-packed with visits and errands. Looking back I probably did a little too much. Maybe I should have just relaxed at home a little more but that's hard to do you've been gone as long as I had. And I was happy to see and spend time with everyone I was able to. But I equally enjoyed the time I spent lounging around the house and getting reacquainted with my parents' endearing peculiarities.

What else did I do?

I went to familiar places like my friends', the Smiths, house. They had set up nativity scenes from many countries around their home, and the one from Norway had a special greeting along with it:

A warm welcome!

Lots of good stories, laughs, and encouragement shared with these guys (as well as a couple greatly needed hot tub sessions):

The Smiths (plus Alex & minus Haley)

Alex & Haley

Downtown with Haley for dinner and a choir concert

Other special people I got to see (and have pictures of):

Jessica, Connie, & Melissa

A couple of my dear cousins, Caroline & Monica

Bekah, Meara, & Paige

I got to reunite with many good friends but wish I could have spent more time with each of them. And I wish I could have seen more friends but at some point I had to choose "quality" over quantity and make tough decisions about how to spend my time. It became more important to me to really catch up and connect with less people in a real way rather than try to see absolutely everyone I would have liked to. Giving the same re-cap story day in and day out gets a little old and you just want things to be somewhat normal.

One thing I focused on was spending as much time as I could with my brother and his family.

David, Jack, Chelsea, & Greta

I played and read with my two-year-old nephew Jack. It was fun to get to know him (now as a toddler), see his personality, and enjoy him at this age. I met my niece Greta for the first time. She is a sweet baby, and I loved seeing the bond Jack is forming with her. It was also good to see David and Chelsea as parents and how they function as a family.

Jack likes to read. Just a little.

Greta likes to smile. A lot!

Being with people was my number one priority, and after that I managed to do a few other things. I went shopping at Fred Meyer and was overwhelmed by the size and selection. I stocked up on necessities like socks, shampoo, and peanut m&m's. Wheat thins, graham crackers, Adam's peanut butter, and Tillamook cheddar cheese were also a significant part of my bounty back to Norway. Somewhere in the mix I managed to apply for life insurance, renew my drivers license at the DMV, and get a haircut.

And I couldn't leave Seattle without having a Dick's Deluxe, fries, and vanilla milkshake.

So good, and so cheap.

As weird as it seems to me, I hardly thought about Norway while I was away. I didn't think about school. I didn't even think about the Norwegian Christmas food I was missing. I told stories and answered questions about Norway, but I didn't find myself missing it. But I guess that's how it is when you're on a much-anticipated trip. And given a little more time I probably would have started to miss it.

It was much more difficult than I anticipated to come back to Norway. A little over two weeks didn't seem long enough and I felt like I was ripped away from the place I belonged. I'd forgotten just how 'home' that home really is. I hope I can get back into life here and not feel like I'm missing out on what's going on at home. I have good friends and plenty to keep me busy here, and it is a good place for me to be. Still, there's no place like home!