This morning we took the train up to Elverum. It is very near Lillehammer, the site of the 1992 winter olympics. Remember Ray LeBlanc and the US hockey team?
We had a great meeting with professors and then toured the facilities.
A lot of people in the area for the Birkebeiner cross country ski race, biggest event of the year for sports in Norway.
Headed down to the Oslo airport where we stayed at a hotel just off the airport grounds. Very unique architecture to the hotel, made me feel like we were in barracks. Did have a good steak dinner to top off the trip and a last glass of Ringnes pils (Norwegian beer).
A lot of travel and an early night, as our airport shuttle is picking us up at 4:30am.

Posted from WordPress for Android

A lot of sight seeing today in Oslo. Slept in and knocked out the jet lag, so I was refreshed for the day. The first place we headed to was the Slottet, the Royal Palace.
From the palace we walked toward the Vigelandsparken. During the walk we stopped at a local flea market, where they had some great hand-made wool products.  We also stopped at the Frogner Stadion, where they were speed skating. It is also the new home of the Oslo Vikings football team.
Once we arrived at Vigelandsparken, we looked at all the statues and layout; very impressive. From here we walked to the Norske Folkemuseum, which is a living history of buildings and peoples of Norway going back thousands of years.
On our way back, we walked down embassy row and checked out the Stortinget (congress) & the Domkirken (cathedral built in 1686).
To finish the day we stopped at a pub called The Scots Man and watched the Man U vs Arsenal soccer match live. It was great watching a big game like that in a European pub.

Posted from WordPress for Android

Made it to Oslo with no problems. Took a little while.to figure out transportation from the airport, but we rode the train. Cost 100 NOK. I withdrew 1200 NOK from the ATM, but that converts to $140.
The train ride took about 30 min and was smooth. The station was 2blocks from the hotel so we got to scout some things out. We went out looking for dinner later and walked too long but found a place called Emon’s, more of a British flavor but good.
I got back to the hotel, fell asleep watching Cops on Norwegian at about 9pm. Just got up at 9:45am.
Adios jet lag!

Posted from WordPress for Android

The trip to Oslo, Norway has begun. We flew all night over the Atlantic Ocean. The time zone is 7 hours ahead, so I have almost been up 24 hours.

The flight was good, but couldn’t sleep due to my congestion & head cold. Nice dinner & breakfast on the plane.

Received my first customs stamp in my passport here in Amsterdam.

Will update again when I get into Norway.

Posted from WordPress for Android

It’s championship time again, and as you can see, Makenna is ready for the big game this weekend. The Storm are in the championship game for the for the 5th straight year, having won the last three. So it’s number 4 that they are looking for.

The family has been doing very well. As you can see, Makenna is growing and getting bigger. She has a lot of curly hair, but also a lot of attitude to go with it. Our daycare provider is on vacation this week, so Mom & Dad are splitting time watching her and going to work. It is so fun to watch her experience things and learn at the same time.

Some of what she knows: Nose, Ears, Mouth, Hands, Belly Button
Some of what she says: Mama, Dada, Dog, Hello (sounds like Lello), baby

Recent pictures have been posted to the photo album, so be sure to snoop around!

We must first apologize for being so bad at updating this website/blog. A lot of great things have happened since the last post and we must share them with you.
First of all, Makenna was baptised. It was a small Saturday night service, but it was performed by Pastor John, whom also was the pastor that married us. Because grandparents and godparents were all in town, we decided to celebrate Makenna’s first birthday a little early.
Which leads us to the second big happening; Makenna turning 1-year old. Can you believe it? We hardly can. This has been the best year of our lives. Makenna continues to fill our lives with joy, hope and laughter. We find ourselves saying, “She is so awesome!” all the time.
And finally, Makenna’s learning curve. She is now walking, however, it is very much like Clyde the Orangutan in Clint Eastwood’s “Any Which Way But Loose.” She is also very good at signaling “touchdown” and giving people her “lineman face”. She can clap, wave good bye and give you a “high-five”. She loves playing with Izzy the golden retriever, as she will roll into the dog and get her to lick her face and nudge her around with her snout. Very funny to watch them play together.
Please make sure to head over to the photo album for some updated photos of our little one-year old.

Makenna’s Birth (10 Month) Announcement

Merry ChristmasGreetings from the Aldrich Family (dot org).
Makenna’s first Christmas was great. We traveled to Wessington Springs, SD (just over 100 miles west) to spend Christmas with Great Grandma & Grandpa Edwards and their family. Makenna received gifts of clothes and dolls, which she adores. And she gave us a gift on Christmas Day while spending time with her Great Grandpa; she waved! It was awesome.
Makenna fell right into line with the family on new year’s eve and day, when we spent most of it watching college football bowl games while eating mom’s famous nachos and chili. Makenna had to eat mushy squash and sweet potatoes though! As Makenna went to bed early (lightweight), she didn’t get to celebrate the midnight new year’s, but mom & dad did while watching Dick Clark’s special. We also found out that one of Mike’s players, Matt Lien, was at a party with Dick Clark later in the night.
We hope everyone has a safe and happy 2008! We can’t wait for what the year has in store for us, as 2007 was unforgettable.

Things are going well in the Aldrich household. We have all had our turns at getting sick and battling colds, strep throat and now rotavirus for Makenna!
Thanksgiving was awesome as we traveled to Minneapolis and spent the holiday with Grandma A, Uncle Matt, Auntie Chrissy, Uncle Al, and cousins Amanda and Lisa. It was a lot of fun and we have a lot of pictures in the album from the weekend.
We also have added more pictures from the past months, so check them out.