A visitor from Norway!

Back in the spring of 2003, I was blessed to meet a young lady (only 14 at the time!) named Elisabeth while I was volunteering in Lillehammer, Norway.  She was kind, brilliant, artistic, and I felt privileged to have her as a guide while trying to find my way in Scandinavia.  Her family even invited me to spend a weekend at their home, allowing me a unique experience of "real" life in Norway.  I especially loved the antics of her two little brothers, and a tour of the Royal Norwegian Farm (her father was the vet there).  I was very sad to say good-bye to her when I returned to the USA in May.

A few years later, Elisabeth took a trip to the United States to visit her American aunts, and I was thrilled to be able to drive to MN to see her again.  It was just a quick lunch, but it was so nice to reconnect and see the beautiful young woman she had grown to be.

You can imagine how thrilled I was this spring to hear that Elisabeth was planning a solo trip to the US.  When she asked if she might be able to visit us in Wisconsin, I was overjoyed at the opportunity to spend some real time with her again.

It had been at least eight years since we last met, so I was a little apprehensive as we waited to pick her up from the bus stop.  Though we have kept in touch, I can't say that I understand enough Norwegian to translate most of her Facebook posts correctly, so I wasn't sure what to expect.  After all, since we last spoke she had grown up, moved away from home, gone to college, and traveled the world.  I'd graduated, started work, gotten married, and had two children!  Needless to say, our lives were very different.

Luckily, it was immediately apparent that we still had much in common.

Elisabeth was a great sport, and watched FROZEN with the girls.  Apparently it isn't such a big deal in Norway, so she hadn't seen it (Elsie was appalled to learn this, and demanded an immediate viewing).  Elisabeth enjoyed the fact that it took place in Arendale, a real city in Norway, though Elsie's chatter kept her from hearing much of the story...

Elisabeth made chasing two girls around town MUCH easier!  I tried to convince her to move to America to be our full-time Au Pair, but she seemed to think that she needed to finish college first...

I am pretty sure Elisabeth enjoyed the zoo's carousel as much as Elsie did!

Elisabeth helped Sylvie feed the goats at the zoo.

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It was a very sad morning when the day came for Elisabeth to go back to MN.  Sylvie couldn't get enough cuddle time, and Elsie did her best to convince her to stay longer.

After Elisabeth got on the bus, Elsie didn't want to leave the bus stop.  She was VERY concerned that her new friend would decide she missed us and wanted to stay longer, so Elsie didn't want us to leave until we KNEW Elisabeth wasn't coming back.  Luckily, we didn't have any plans, so a stroll down State Street, a quick stop at a coffee shop, and some cuddles with badgers made everyone feel better.

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