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Emily, Kate and Penelope. Katherine has a very cute wardrobe here in Norway, assembled from all of her friends who let us have or borrow their outgrown winter clothes since buying winter clothes in July, in Texas is not easy. So, today she wore Kate's adorable brown velvet pants, Penelope's pink cashmere sweater and Emily's brown shoes. It was quite a nice ensemble.




Katherine helped me to do laundry today. It seems that even more than back home there is always laundry to be done. This is due to the fact that our washer is about 1/2 the size as back home and it takes twice as long. Katherine thinks it is fun to help me take the clothes out of the washer and then hand each item to me to put in the dryer. I hope that she continues to think chores are fun.

Today we went to the International Mom's and Toddler's playgroup. There were about 15-20 mom's and toddlers. Most were from the US or the UK. It was a lot of fun and meets every week so I look forward to adding it to our schedule. I met one mom, Wendy, who is from Houston. She is a Christian and really nice. She has 4 kids, three of whom are in school and the youngest is 10 months. Denise was also really nice. She has a daughter who is about to turn 2. I also met a British mom who happens to live in the building right across the street. In a city of 500,000, what are the odds that I would randomly meet someone who lives that close at a small meeting?

I was very glad to meet her and hope to ride with her in future weeks. Getting to the playgroup (and anywhere for that matter) was not that easy. It was at a church that is 6 km from the city center (about 3.5 miles). In Texas that is practically next door! In Norway, it takes 35 minutes to get there. I had to walk 5 minutes to the subway, go one stop, walk 2 minutes to the bus stop, wait 10 minutes, take a 13 minute bus ride, and walk up the hill to the church. It was a nice sunny, cool day so it was no big deal but if it is cold and/or rainy (which it will be) then it is not so fun. That is pretty much how it is to get anywhere.

You also have to plan ahead. There is a website where you type in the name of your stop and where you are going and it tells you the best connections and the times. It can change depending on when you are leaving. If you are even one minute late it can throw off your entire itinerary and set you back 15 to 30 minutes depending on how often the buses run.

Katherine waiting for the bus to arrive.