Here we are outside of Bente and Arne's house just before we left last Saturday for Bergen. They were such amazing hosts-so fun and friendly. Bente made sure to keep us well fed. They are such great people. Bente got mad at me for not being able to speak Norwegian, but I know she loves me anyway ;) .
We said goodbye to Uncle Knut. I don't know if I'll ever get the chance to see him again. But I love this picture. He is carryin his chess set. He is so addicted to that game. I love it!
Friday night we went to Cousin Silvia and Terie's house for dinner. A couple of their kids (Maria and Will) were there too. It's been fun to connect with our family here. My dad has done a great job sending Christmas cards and keeping them updated on who we are. They all say it's great to finally meet us. After dinner we sat around chatting and singing. So fun!
Last Thursday we had a big family reunion dinner so that the family could meet "their American cousins." It was so funny because we just awkwardly stood in a line as they came in to greet us. I felt like we were in a wedding line. A few people spoke some English so that was fun. Here's a video trying to capture the moment.
This is my dad's cousin Ingyard. I just love her! We couldn't really communicate, but she was just so loving. She kept saying how I have my grandmas eyes only different coloring (my grandma had dark brown hair). Ingyard is such a doll!!!
Knut is my grandma's baby brother and the only living sibling. He looks EXACTLY my grandma. It's crazy! He is such a stud. He'll be 89 in August. The first day we met him he told us we should get on the internet and use Google translate so we can communicate better. He stays up super late at night watching soccer and playing chess on-line with people in China. He loves cracking jokes and is a little bit sassy. I love it!
Tuesday we drove out to Porsgrunn where my Grandma grew up. We are staying with my dad's cousin Bente and her husband Arne until Saturday. They don't speak English but she is a fantastic cook! She even has a walk in fridge. There son Jens-Arne is 30 and lives about 5 minutes from here. He has cerebral palsy and is a fighter. He is super independent and speaks English amazingly well and has been pretty much our only link to conversation. We've had a lot of fun talking with him and playing Uno. 
This is Bente's house. I now understand why my Grandma's house was decorated the way it was.
I'm a little behind. Sorry. On Monday we looked around the city a little more and then headed out to the country to Cousin Frank's. Garmin has become the eigth member of our family on this trip. He/she (that's still under debate) is the GPS we've been using to get us around. So far Garmin has gotten us lost more than anything. She does speak many lnaguages which is fun, but it took us 2 and a half hours to get to Frank's when it should have only taken an hour. We ended up on some country road that was not made for the van we are driving and we had to cut through a farm. Let's just say the farmer was shocked to see us come through his back yard. When we asked him how to get to the golf course he just laughed and said "20 miles that way." We eventually made it. We went to the golf course's country club for dinner and ate deer. It was pretty good. They topped it off with strawberries and icecream and then we went back to Frank's for more dessert. We eat at least 5 times a day here. I think I'm going to explode :).
This is my dad's cousin Ingyard. I just love her! We couldn't really communicate, but she was just so loving. She kept saying how I have my grandmas eyes only different coloring (my grandma had dark brown hair). Ingyard is such a doll!!!
Yesterday we drove out to the farm my grandma lived in until she was 13. 
This is the church where my grandma was christened.
We also went to the graveyard where my great grandparents and other relatives were buried. 
My Great Grandma Karethe was born in April 1880 and my Great Grandpa Karl was born in September 1882.
Knut is my grandma's baby brother and the only living sibling. He looks EXACTLY my grandma. It's crazy! He is such a stud. He'll be 89 in August. The first day we met him he told us we should get on the internet and use Google translate so we can communicate better. He stays up super late at night watching soccer and playing chess on-line with people in China. He loves cracking jokes and is a little bit sassy. I love it!
This is Bente's house. I now understand why my Grandma's house was decorated the way it was.
The King and Queen
Streets of downtown Oslo
We ate dinner at my with mt dad's cousin Evelyn and husband Arne, their son Thomas and his family, and Cousin Frank
The sky at 10:15pm tonight