Since Our Wedding Day

It's hard to believe that a month has already passed since our wedding day. While we were hoping for some calm, tranquil time together, it has been a rather crazy and busy-filled month. But, it has definitely been fun, and we have been so happy to simply be in each others lives rather than experiencing the distance of an ocean apart.

Here are some fun memories from our first month together. First, we enjoyed a honeymoon in Yellowstone. Then, we recently took a short day trip down to Bryce Canyon with Dr. Jerry Jaccard and our Hungarian friend, Zsuzsánna Mindszenty.

We're finding there is never a dull moment in married life!

Together in Yellowstone...






A very interesting couple from France that we met in Yellowstone. These people have left their lives for four years to travel the world. You can see the map of their travels on their camper. What a couple!


Bryce Canyon!


Incredibly tall tree...


I always knew Tarjei was strong, but didn't know he could hold up mountains. I love discovering new things about my man :)


Our new little friend. He's much friendlier than the rattlesnake we found. You'll have to contact Jerry Jaccard for a picture of that "friend."


Tarjei, Jerry, and Zsuza...


Tarjei dubbed this rock formation, E.T.


Looks like those Viking conquered Bryce Canyon as well. Take a careful look to see their ship in this picture...



Enjoying married life together!

Our Wedding Day!

May 14th was definitely a wonderful and long-awaited day for the two of us! Everything was absolutely memorable in every way. There is no way to describe the actual ceremony in the Timpanogos Temple other than to say it was beautiful, and we are so very grateful to be sealed together for eternity. We find that the covenants we made there are a strength to us as we have started to build our relationship on love, commitment, and mutual respect.

It meant so much to have many dear friends attend our reception in Provo at the White Willows. We greatly felt the outpouring of love from all of you. Thank you! It went by way too quickly, and we only wish that we would have had more time to enjoy everyone.

We also enjoyed our celebration in Colorado. Again, seeing all the people who have been such a blessing throughout our lives was definitely a treat!

Here are some pictures from the wedding day. Some of us, and some from "behind the scenes." We'll post more pictures once we get the professional ones finished! Be watching for them!






Tarjei's mom, brother, Sindre, and sisters, Trude and Martine. Thanks for coming all the way from Norway!!! Somehow his dad didn't get in this picture. We'll post another soon!


Julianna's family...


The Jaccards with Julianna's dad, Kent.


What kids do while its taking their aunt and uncle take forever to come out of the temple...


Still waiting...

Wonderful friend and maid of honor, Ginny!


Tarjei's best man, Jaran. It was great having you here from Norway!


So happy and looking forward to our life together..

Celebration in Norway

The first of our wedding celebrations took place last Saturday, April 23 in Oslo, Norway. What a wonderful time we had! It was complete with moose stew (amazingly delicious), yummy cakes, beautiful flowers, musical performances, reunions with dear friends, and memorable times with our family. Here's a quick photo report of some of the fun:


All the family together...




With Tarjei's parents...



With Julianna's parents...



Cutting the cake the "Norwegian way" (civilized with forks)...











Tarjei's brother, Sindre - Our fine Toastmaster for the evening...



With Daniel and Catherine Blomberg from Sweden. Tarjei and I served our missions with Daniel many years ago. It was an absolute treat to have them there!





Tarjei with Jaran (his lifelong friend and Best man)...



The set-up for the evening including napkin lilies and amazing Norwegian cakes...





There was a lot more to the evening, but I was busy not taking pictures...maybe more will come later!

It has been approved!

People have been asking over the last year where we plan on living. That's a question we have asked ourselves many times over. Both have been open to the possibility of Julianna coming to Norway and for me to go to Utah. We've gone through the emotions and the practicalities, making lists of pro's and con's. Some ask: "Why don't you just pick one place and go?" Well let me tell you, it's not that easy! Once you start digging into it, there are more factors to think about than first beholds the eye, and they all need to be considered. After having made a list and weighted it once again, and after much prayer and communication, we came to a decision on February 12th that it is I who will go to Utah. For how long? We don't know.

Next step then was to finalize my visa application. March 9th I had an interview scheduled at the embassy in Oslo. We had done a pretty thorough work in our preparations, so I wasn't really expecting any issues or challenges being approved, but when it was two hours after my appointed time, I have to admit that I was starting to get a bit nervous. Close to three hours after I got there it was finally my turn, and five minutes later it was over!

Somewhere between 3 or 4 am I called Julianna to tell her all about the interview and that everything had gone well. She had expected my call and although I felt bad for waking her up, we enjoyed sharing the moment together. One week later I could go and pick up my passport with my visa approved :-)

Winter Break in Norway...Was it all a dream?

I find myself back in the U.S. after an amazing week and a half in Norway, but now I'm left wondering if it was all a dream. Tarjei and I tried to make the most of every moment that we had together. We skied, went sledding, celebrated Christmas, spent time playing games with his family, danced into 2011, watched fireworks, attended a delightful Norwegian play, and even went to our first movie in the theater. It was wonderful to just be together. Now, I find myself wandering around my house, half expecting him to magically appear around the corner. I wish he could!

Here are a few highlights:

As part of the Christmas Eve festivities, Norwegians dance and sing around the Christmas tree. Here's a video of his family enjoying this fun tradition.



Apparently, Santa knows just when to ring the doorbell and interrupt the tree dancing. This Santa was quite the "surprise"


To survive the cold in Norway, mittens are an essential. Notice how there are three mittens for four hands....



Did you know that Christmas tinsel hangs vertically in Norway? Well it does, and here's the proof. I couldn't resist trying to capture this darling moment of Tarjei's niece hanging something on the tree. Be sure to notice the little cone baskets hanging on the tree as well. Those get filled with candy throughout the season.



No Christmas is ever complete without lots of delicious food. Tarjei's mom says that Norwegian tradition states that at least seven varieties of "cake" be made for the season. She begins making these weeks ahead of time, and then everyone gets to enjoy them for days on end. She's a fantastic cook!



After the Christmas festivities were finished, we all headed out doors for lots of fun in the snow....







Check out this amazing sunset at 3:30 in the afternoon. I must say that the short days took some adjusting for me. It was especially hard when 8:00 a.m. feels and looks like 5:00 in the morning.



Then there's the Christmas lights in the streets of Oslo. We enjoyed these on our way to see a Norwegian Christmas play, "Reisen til Julestjernen" ("Journey to the Christmas Star"). It was absolutely delightful! I love the Norwegian culture, and I love how they love to display it!


For the New Year, Tarjei treated us to a three course meal at a nice restaurant in Oslo called the Mona Lisa. We enjoyed lobster soup, and yes, a fillet of reindeer. I must admit that it was quite good. Dessert afterward was a bowl of warm blackberries covered in cream. Yum!!! Did you know that Norwegians have an extra dessert stomach? I'm hoping that by marrying Tarjei, I'll get one too :)


After dinner, we followed the masses down the streets to see the fireworks display over the fjord. They were going off everywhere, and were quite exciting. In case you didn't get to see any, here is a video for you...



What can I say? It was wonderful! Thanks to Tarjei and his family, I will never forget my first Christmas in Norway. This picture of us together says it all....

Snø!!!!

The snow is beautiful in Norway! It makes for a perfect Winter Wonderland. This morning, I woke up and big fluffy flakes were coming down everywhere. It's a good thing I brought some boots, though...where there is snow...there is cold as well!

Tarjei and I were able to get out and play in the snow yesterday with his sister and nieces. We had a great time! Thought I would post a video of our fun created by the new video camera that Tarjei received for Christmas. I will definitely have to post more Christmas pictures and videos soon! I'll say this for now, Christmas in Norway is an unforgettable and absolutely wonderful experience. Of course, the best part was being with my sweetheart.

Oh, and one more thing. In the video, you will see the Norwegian's favorite snow transportation. It's called a "spark." In decades and centuries past, the gentlemen would court their ladies on this snow gliding sleigh. Guess that's what he's doing now :)

1 year!!!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I love this holiday. It seriously is my favorite. There is something so unique about a day where we all stop and just reflect on the blessings that we have been given. One of my favorite quotes goes perfect on this day..."Gratitude is the memory of the heart."

This Thanksgiving I am especially grateful for the past year of my life. It was today a year ago that Tarjei and I first skyped each other. Somehow he got up the courage to ask if we could reconnect over skype, and that one bold move changed both of our lives forever.

We had a simple conversation just catching up on what we were doing with our lives, but we were both amazed at how easily we could share our stories. We instantly felt connected in friendship, and both left the conversation absolutely exhilarated! I was so excited to get to know him more. That one skype call led to a myriad of others which have never stopped. Now, there's rarely a day that goes by that we don't find at least a few minutes to catch up with each other on skype. It allows us to feel like we're in each others presence even when we're so far apart.

So, yes, I am grateful for the last year - the friendship, the love, the new perspectives, the faithful decisions, the memories, and the joys that Tarjei has brought to my life. We have changed each others lives for the better. I have a lot to be grateful for!

Some awesome memories from the past year:

A trip to Bryce Canyon...



A quiet, yet eventful, winter campfire by an ice covered lake in April...



Visiting with family, here we're with Tarjei's 90 year old grandma...



Eating our favorite Middle Eastern treat that can only be found in Europe, doner kebab...



Exploring Denver, Colorado. And, yes, there are things taller than my viking man...



Shadowplay...



Temple trips...



He sent me flowers the other day with a card that said it all, it read..."1 year". It has been a wonderful year!