I just love this smile so much; I wanted to share it with you.

I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately. It’s been one of those things that has been on my mind for months, but I haven’t really done anything about. I’ve been wondering about how I live. I’ve been wondering about how I spend money. I’ve been wondering what I value and how my spending reflects that. Does it really matter so much what clothes I wear? Do I really need so many? Do I really care about the poor and oppressed? Am I taking care of people?

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I just wonder. I want to do things a bit differently. I want to think differently. Better. I’m just not sure how that’s going to look, yet.

I am back in Madison and my laptop’s power cord thing is busted. Or so Adam tells me. (note: I am so grateful for my Madison boys: Adam who knows how to fix things and the definitions to obscure words and Eliot my little warrior-mouse-catcher-man and purrbox. What would I do without them?) This is why I haven’t written about vanilla sugar yet or my first day of classes or reflected on Norway or how great Madison is or posted the pictures of that amazing amazing snow or whined about how much I spent on bloody books (I spent around $350 on bloody books…and counting!) or gushed about how great my bloody books are. All in due time.

I returned to the States five days ago and a lot has happened since. At first I spent hours and hours kissing Adam and looking into Eliot’s eyes and telling him how handsom he is. Eliot is so handsom. Adam and I also went shopping, and the boy spoiled me by buying me zillions of Penzey’s spices and the greatest pepper mill ever (which I’m using for the grey sea salt from Penzey’s) as well as the second greatest (I’m using that one for the pepper). He also bought me vanilla sugar. And my life will never be the same.

I’ve had vanilla sugar before, but never such delicious vanilla sugar in such a handy little shaker. It is lovely and wonderful and I don’t intend to live without it. Yesterday, I made too much rice for lunch, so as a sweet afternoon tea treat, I sprinkled it with vanilla sugar and drown it all in milk. And it was so so lovely. And then last night I put it in my hot chocolate and I bathed in it this morning and would have brushed my teeth with it, but that might give me cavities.

2nd great food discovery: Trader Joe’s carries crumpets. And it turns out I like crumpets. I like them a lot.

Yesterday was my first day of classes. I’m taking five this semester and had all of them my first day: 4th semester Norwegian, History of Western Culture: 1300-1850, The African Storyteller, The African Autobiography, and Creative Writing: Fiction and Poetry Workshop. I was worn out by the end of it (and still am recovering from all that brainy stuff moving in my head). But I love my classes. I love love love them. I wish they were food so I could mix them together to make blueberry pie and sit down with a fork and gobble them. I have a feeling that these classes are going to be a lot of work. There is a lot to read, and I’m actually going to want to read it all and not slack off. It may be the death of me. It’ll be great.

Speaking of reading, I better get to it! I hope you’re having some sweet days and I hope you by some vanilla sugar and sprinkle it in your coffee.

*Oh. I almost forgot food discovery #3. Adam and I went on an obscure madison market tour and bought pocky sticks and green tea mochi balls at a little Asian market. After enthusiastic consumption of the mochi ice cream and a deep longing for more, we discovered that Trader Joe’s carries them. Adam bought one of every flavor. I heart mochi.*

It’s my last night here in Norway. I leave this flat (you know, the one above the H&M underwear store) early EARLY tomorrow morning. I feel like I’ve learned a lot here- I didn’t expect to; I thought I was just going to have a really good time. But I did learn a lot. I learned a lot about what home is. What friends are. I learned a lot about what I want- I’ve never been any good at knowing what I want. And I’ve learned a lot about what is valuable.

Such good stuff, all of it.

So, with that, I bid farewell to Norway: it’s toe trees, obscene prices, and my dear friends here. It’s been a treasure. And I can think of nothing sweeter than being home again. Not one single thing.

Karl Johans Gata- The big shopping/walking street in Oslo. It’s like State Street, but it’s much bigger, has a three story H&M and not many crazies. I miss the crazies.

Yesterday, I took some time to go shopping for gifts for my family and Adam. Naturally, I went to Karl Johan’s Gata because I know how to get there and it’s pretty and I know that there is a three story H&M. And of course I went to that three story H&M. And, let me tell you, it beats the pants off of any H&M I’ve been to in the States (particularly the two I’ve been to in WI). And that’s not just because Norway is ahead of us in fasion, because to tell you the truth, I’m not to thrilled with the styles that are coming our way- particularly the tight jeans. I just got new jeans. I like the little flarey things we wear. And all the way down tight jeans? Just not very flattering on me. If I have to buy new jeans sometime soon, why couldn’t the funky baggy girl jeans come back in? Those were kind of cool. I hope that this tight jean business doesn’t hit the States as hard as it did here, because I may have to sit this one out.

On the way back, one cappuccino, one kanelboller, and zero gift purchases later, I decided to take the scenic route. The light was too beautiful to miss. And I found myself accidentally at the dear antique bookstore I stumbled upon several days ago the night it was snowing (I can’t believe I’ve been in Oslo for several days, it’s gone so quickly). It’s the best bookstore I’ve ever been in; it’s a tiny little place tucked away on the corner of a quiet little street and has the mustiest, dustiest, bookiest smell ever. The little man who owns it has white hair and glasses. He tries to keep it tidy, but there are just too many books and they spill over the maze of crowded shelves into stacks on the floor and the windowsills and you find yourself always having to step over them. It’s wonderful.

I took the scenic route home from there- wandering all about. And I found wonderful wonderful graffiti:

When I got home, I made brownies and we ate them warm with ice cream on top in the apartment above the H&M underwear store. I love the way Norwegian ice cream melts. Very different from the melting of American ice cream. It was a wonderful day.

This is my dear friend Tåran. I’m staying with her in Oslo- you know, above the H&M underwear store. She makes the most amazing waffles. (They have a Sunday night tradition here: after church at 19.00, people come over and drink coffee. This time, Tåran made waffles. Delicious Weegie waffles. And we laughed. And laughed. And then laughed just a nudge more)
We met more than three years ago. We were at this retreat in Tynset, I was making waffles in the kitchen and she came in and gave me a hand. We got talking. By the end of the conversation, we decided that I would marry a Norwegian and she’d marry an American and we’d be neighbors and watch each other’s kids. We’ve been friends ever since.

She is smart and honest and funny and has a wonderful smile. It’s been great to spend time with her, watching lame TV, laughing, walking, and talking for hours and hours. Three cheers forTåran!

After waking up at 2:30pm and watching that sitcom with Pamela Anderson and an hour of Laguna Beach:

Tåran: Hmm…My Super Sweet 16 is coming on.

Me: (with a note of sarcasm) Ooo. I’m excited.

Tåran: (with a note of sarcasm) Oh yeah, me too.

Me: Actually, I am a little bit excited.

Tåran: I know. Me too. I can’t wait, actually!

Me: (enthusiastically) Ah! It’s on!
I swear- not all my days have been this lazy. But it was great. We ate jellybeans.

Oslo is a city full of streets with rows of five-story yellow houses with steep metal roofs and large white windows. I’m staying with my dear friend Tåran in the apartment she shares with three other guys. It’s on top of an H&M underwear store and they stay up late talking about life and belief and watching Family Guy.

Pictures and stories to come.

So, I didn’t actually mean to chang my theme.  I mean, I had been thinking about it, but just thinking.  I wouldn’t attempt such things with my handy-dandy computer savvy boyfriend on the other side of the ocean.  And then I pressed the wrong button.

oops.

Well, I guess I’ve a night of futzing ahead of me.  But the site may be a mess for a while.