So what's new with the Shryman and the Lundster and the Scorecards since we spoke?
Hanne is working away at the hospital... I'm getting pretty much all the shifts I can handle so that's good. I love interacting with patients and my coworkers, and I'm hoping that through my job I can make at least a little bit of a difference to somebody every now and then, but in order to be the best person I can be, I need something more in my life besides work. I am noticing that when I work a lot I can tend to feel uninspired and be a less-than-inspiring person to be around, too. I'm the kind of person who needs at least a little bit of space and time to dream and to have something to reach towards. So now that work life's on track my new project is figuring out what to do with my spare time. Great suggestions are warmly welcome in the comment field:) For now, Christmas preparations are on my mind... and painting our apartment... I have a couple of friends from Fuller visiting me in November (Nelli and Ja-Kyung, yay!!!)... we are starting to get plugged into a church community here... and I'm looking into ways of serving local immigrants or just other newbies like myself, because that is something I am really interested in. Also hopefully, at the start of the new year, we'll be able to have some kind of small gathering of believers that will meet regularly, but that is to happen all in God's time.
We are starting to make friends, and that has been just a super awesome improvement to our life here in Fredrikstad. This fall I've gotten to go along to two of Ryan's gymnasts' competitions, and we've had a lot of fun with the gymnasts and their families--and the girls have had some really good results, too!
Ryan's traveling a bunch with his job, so far to Slovenia and a few places in Norway, later this fall he's heading to Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary and who knows where else... I'm impressed by the work he is doing, it's fun to see him thrive in this new context. Really, getting married and then moving straight to a whole different culture is something I wholeheartedly would recommend, haha, contrary to what most people have gently recommended to us.
We're quickly approaching our first wedding anniversary. This past year has gone by soooo fast, but it's also been soooooo good! Maybe we'll blog about our past year some day, who knows.
And the Scorecards (Torvald)? He lays around and sleeps all day, so not much new with him... He's been on vacation twice this fall, once to Oslo and once to spend the weekend with BJ and her family and their girl dog named Mim. Torvald likes Mim a lot, but to her he couldn't be more invisible... the story of Torvald's life when it comes to girls... sigh...
This is a blog where we'll be sharing what's going on in our lives, thoughts we are having and projects we are working on.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Some quick thoughts on something I read this morning that made a lot of sense to me and I wanted to share
I often read things that stick out in my mind and I think a lot about them. When I read this this morning, I really wanted to share it with someone so I decided I'd write about it. I thought about how simple it is to gauge my spiritual condition and how I'm so often unaware of it and am so often spiritually unfit...
"I was sitting in my bedroom, reading
into the wee hours, when suddenly I heard my dogs barking in the
back yard. My neighbors frown on this kind of disturbance so, with
mixed feelings of anger and shame, as well as fear of my
neighbor's disapproval, I immediately called in my dogs. Several
weeks later the exact situation repeated itself but this time,
because I was feeling more at peace with myself, I was able to
accept the situation--dogs will bark--and I calmly called in the
dogs. Both incidents taught me that when a person experiences
nearly identical events and reacts two different ways, then it
is not the event which is of prime importance, but the person's
spiritual condition. Feelings come from inside, not from outward
circumstances. When my spiritual condition is positive, I react
positively."
This is so true...when I have inner spiritual calmness and am in touch with God, I am better prepared for life. It's not the circumstances of life or the events of the day that matter so much, it's the way in which we approach them and respond to them...When I am spiritually fit, I am more selfless and humble, and am better prepared for anything that comes my way...when I am trying to control and promote my own selfish agenda, things get convoluted and bogged down by things that matter little. Being spiritually unfit, I am bound and glued to one course of action...being spiritually fit, I am free and can make the right decisions.
"I was sitting in my bedroom, reading
into the wee hours, when suddenly I heard my dogs barking in the
back yard. My neighbors frown on this kind of disturbance so, with
mixed feelings of anger and shame, as well as fear of my
neighbor's disapproval, I immediately called in my dogs. Several
weeks later the exact situation repeated itself but this time,
because I was feeling more at peace with myself, I was able to
accept the situation--dogs will bark--and I calmly called in the
dogs. Both incidents taught me that when a person experiences
nearly identical events and reacts two different ways, then it
is not the event which is of prime importance, but the person's
spiritual condition. Feelings come from inside, not from outward
circumstances. When my spiritual condition is positive, I react
positively."
This is so true...when I have inner spiritual calmness and am in touch with God, I am better prepared for life. It's not the circumstances of life or the events of the day that matter so much, it's the way in which we approach them and respond to them...When I am spiritually fit, I am more selfless and humble, and am better prepared for anything that comes my way...when I am trying to control and promote my own selfish agenda, things get convoluted and bogged down by things that matter little. Being spiritually unfit, I am bound and glued to one course of action...being spiritually fit, I am free and can make the right decisions.
Monday, August 1, 2011
Trolløya
The Action Shots...
Hanne, Ryan, and Torvald (aka Scorecard Gonzalez)...
Ryan and ScorecardSwimming
The Norwegian/Swedish Border
More SwimmingMore invasion of heaven...
The Swedish/Norwegian crew... (from left to right) Ryan, Hanne, Marcus, Nils, Torvald, Karen, Sira, Ole, Svea
Hanne and I are definitely going to be doing more of these kinds of things.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Summer vacation...
After having worked for about three and a half month it's time for some vacay time... Most (?) people in Norway have 4 or more weeks off in the summer--I've got a whole week off with nothing to do besides keeping Ryan company at home on the couch or occasionally leave the house should we feel like it. We're trying to save as much money as we can for the time being, and the couch feels like the safest place for that ;)... Plus Torvald likes the couch, too, and he's nice to cuddle with... 
My sister in law, Elisabeth, niece Alida and nephew Noah came and spent the night yesterday.
Ryan and Noah, walking the dog into the sunset...
My dad has been here, too, and later this week my mom will come to visit along with my niece Rikke who just finished first grade and thus gets to go on a tour of Norway with her bestemor as a treat. We're hoping for some beach and sun time for us girls and some reading in the shade time for Ryan.
Tomorrow Ryan will get to experience a major slice of Norway weirdity as we're going to a TV-show called "Allsang på Grensen," an outside concert/singalong with a few thousand other Norwegians and Swedes in a 350 year old fortress on the border.
Have a good summer vacation!!! (I'll try to get Ryan to write some more too, I promise...)
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Torvald
Here's Torvald.. He's shy of the camera...
Haha, they look so cute together!
All worn out after a walk...
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
What's up, world?
"Chilling" at a coffee shop in Oslo I am glad that we chose a smaller place to settle down (for a while :) ). Although people watching and urban life is fun, I'll be happy to come home tonight to our house and our new dog, to water the garden and sit down for a while to enjoy the bright midsummer night before going off to work again tomorrow.
A few things are new since last time I wrote:
We got a dog, a one year old West Highland White Terrier. I'd post a picture of him, but for some reason the uploader won't work... So later... His current name is Torvald, and he's really cute. He likes to cuddle and to chew on people, he does not at all like his toys, and he loves "working" in the garden with me. He even doesn't mind taking showers. He used to share his home with 4 girl dogs and their puppies, but now he gets to rule over our pad all by himself. We've had him for 4 days, and today will be his first day to be home alone for a while. Hope he doesn't freak out!!!
Ryan got an early work start permit!!! This means that although his application for work and residency in Norway is not approved yet, he can work and get paid and that's great. In my opinion, though, anybody that applies for residency here should be given an early work start permit automatically, cuz why the heck should people have to sit on their butts and do nothing for months on end just because their final immigration status is not determined yet? But it feels great to know that we're at least a little bit farther along the way toward really living here.
I'm working at the local hospital, full time and more. It's good, there's a lot of things I don't know yet, but mostly everybody, nurses, patients, doctors, have been really sweet and welcoming toward me and they seem genuinely happy that I'm there to join the team so it's been a good work environment for me so far. It seems like there are good opportunities for professional development at my unit and I think I can maybe squeeze a couple new friends out of it too;) On a side note, working life sure feels like a never ending vacation after completing grad school... so if for nothing else, I will forever appreciate my Fuller years for adding this perspective to the rest of my life:)
We've found an organization that we want to volunteer with. A place to work out. Somewhere to go on short hikes with our dog. And I've come up with lots of plans to start dog-owner friendly coffee shops, dog-sitting/dog play group while you shop type stuff (believe it or not, Californians, we don't have those here in Vikingland), to start groups or hangouts for others who have recently moved to Fredrikstad (because I myself at times feel sad and lonely and not integrated and tired of not knowing where to find good beaches or bookstores, hangouts where there's more people than just myself or places where there's good, live music). It shouldn't have to take years to find community when you move somewhere new, and being of the impatient semi-extroverted kind these are really a selfish self-help kind of thing for me.
Yeah, we are settling down a little, and I think we're both pretty happy with our life. We're hoping Ryan's visa application will go through pretty soon so that he can go to Italy for his job next week, and so that we can visit the Manus family in Spain in July.
Pretty exciting times!
Pics will follow.. watch out.
p.s. our new banner photo (which Ryan put up) is from the Norwegian national day celebration... Norwegian kids do not walk around carrying the flag with them every day, contrary to popular belief:)
A few things are new since last time I wrote:
We got a dog, a one year old West Highland White Terrier. I'd post a picture of him, but for some reason the uploader won't work... So later... His current name is Torvald, and he's really cute. He likes to cuddle and to chew on people, he does not at all like his toys, and he loves "working" in the garden with me. He even doesn't mind taking showers. He used to share his home with 4 girl dogs and their puppies, but now he gets to rule over our pad all by himself. We've had him for 4 days, and today will be his first day to be home alone for a while. Hope he doesn't freak out!!!
Ryan got an early work start permit!!! This means that although his application for work and residency in Norway is not approved yet, he can work and get paid and that's great. In my opinion, though, anybody that applies for residency here should be given an early work start permit automatically, cuz why the heck should people have to sit on their butts and do nothing for months on end just because their final immigration status is not determined yet? But it feels great to know that we're at least a little bit farther along the way toward really living here.
I'm working at the local hospital, full time and more. It's good, there's a lot of things I don't know yet, but mostly everybody, nurses, patients, doctors, have been really sweet and welcoming toward me and they seem genuinely happy that I'm there to join the team so it's been a good work environment for me so far. It seems like there are good opportunities for professional development at my unit and I think I can maybe squeeze a couple new friends out of it too;) On a side note, working life sure feels like a never ending vacation after completing grad school... so if for nothing else, I will forever appreciate my Fuller years for adding this perspective to the rest of my life:)
We've found an organization that we want to volunteer with. A place to work out. Somewhere to go on short hikes with our dog. And I've come up with lots of plans to start dog-owner friendly coffee shops, dog-sitting/dog play group while you shop type stuff (believe it or not, Californians, we don't have those here in Vikingland), to start groups or hangouts for others who have recently moved to Fredrikstad (because I myself at times feel sad and lonely and not integrated and tired of not knowing where to find good beaches or bookstores, hangouts where there's more people than just myself or places where there's good, live music). It shouldn't have to take years to find community when you move somewhere new, and being of the impatient semi-extroverted kind these are really a selfish self-help kind of thing for me.
Yeah, we are settling down a little, and I think we're both pretty happy with our life. We're hoping Ryan's visa application will go through pretty soon so that he can go to Italy for his job next week, and so that we can visit the Manus family in Spain in July.
Pretty exciting times!
Pics will follow.. watch out.
p.s. our new banner photo (which Ryan put up) is from the Norwegian national day celebration... Norwegian kids do not walk around carrying the flag with them every day, contrary to popular belief:)
Thursday, May 19, 2011
The Cross of Humility
"There is, then, a difference between sinners and sinners. There are some sinners who confess that they have sinned but do not long to be justified; instead, they give up hope and go on sinning, so that, when they die, they despair and, while they live, they are enslaved to the world. There are other sinners who confess that they sin and have sinned, but they are sorry for this, hate themselves for it, long to be justified, and under groaning constantly pray to God for righteousness. This is the people of God: it constantly brings the judgment of the cross to bear upon itself."
This statement of Martin Luther's has got me to thinking about my struggles and my desire for God's righteousness to crush the sin in my life and the bondage to self; to obliterate my ego and self-centrism. He also says that, to be justified by faith is to give up pride in ourselves." So hard to do and a definite struggle for me. These statements of Luther shed light upon Jesus' words to deny oneself and pick up one's cross daily. Humility is the key...picking up the cross of humility to strike down the prideful self and bring about the righteousness of God. Only then can we truly love God and others.
Through the grace of God, we, the broken, are justified by faith. Through the grace of God, he does something for us that we cannot do for ourselves. Luther likens the church to an infirmary where the sick, damaged, and broken gather. It is in this infirmary that healing, restoration, and reconciliation to God happens. It is in this restorative process that we see grace at work. Where we were once powerless to do anything about our brokenness, the power of God breaks the power of sin and death and creates in us a new person on a path in relationship with God; a reciprocal relationship in which God expects things from us (like loving our neighbors and our enemies) and we can also expect something from God (his grace, mercy, love, and hope). God never fails at providing these but we fail at loving others. We put down the cross of humility and pick up the sword of self; and when we do we again must pick up the cross of humility.
Thank God for the grace, mercy, love, and hope that he extends to all. If only we were able to extend the same to those we encounter each day.
This statement of Martin Luther's has got me to thinking about my struggles and my desire for God's righteousness to crush the sin in my life and the bondage to self; to obliterate my ego and self-centrism. He also says that, to be justified by faith is to give up pride in ourselves." So hard to do and a definite struggle for me. These statements of Luther shed light upon Jesus' words to deny oneself and pick up one's cross daily. Humility is the key...picking up the cross of humility to strike down the prideful self and bring about the righteousness of God. Only then can we truly love God and others.
Through the grace of God, we, the broken, are justified by faith. Through the grace of God, he does something for us that we cannot do for ourselves. Luther likens the church to an infirmary where the sick, damaged, and broken gather. It is in this infirmary that healing, restoration, and reconciliation to God happens. It is in this restorative process that we see grace at work. Where we were once powerless to do anything about our brokenness, the power of God breaks the power of sin and death and creates in us a new person on a path in relationship with God; a reciprocal relationship in which God expects things from us (like loving our neighbors and our enemies) and we can also expect something from God (his grace, mercy, love, and hope). God never fails at providing these but we fail at loving others. We put down the cross of humility and pick up the sword of self; and when we do we again must pick up the cross of humility.
Thank God for the grace, mercy, love, and hope that he extends to all. If only we were able to extend the same to those we encounter each day.
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