stay for cake: the norwegians were here

my posts on the engedal's visit will center mostly around the two long weekends I spent with them. they were in the u.s. for almost two weeks but much of their time was spent in pasco. I spent the first weekend of their visit in tri-cities and the second weekend took place in seattle before their flight home. (sob)

so, without further adieu...

first installment: weekend one

I took friday off which was great and gave me two full days to spend with everyone. it had been nine years since we'd seen each other but it was like no time had passed. well, at least with kristin and rune. the kids on the other hand, it was like the twilight zone. when did my sister get old enough to have such grown-up children? sofie was 3 and johanne 1 when I last saw them. einar wasn't yet a glimmer.

here are the stats:
kristin and rune
ages *ahem* contingent on high school graduation around 1988 (ish) :)

sofie
(pronounced *so-FEE-a*)
age 13. she is smart and techie and my favorite instant message buddy.

johanne
(pronounced *yo-HA-na*)
age 10. she loves high school musical and hannah montana and makes the best funny faces.

einar
(pronounced *A-nar*)
age 7 (just turned!). he LOVES, seriously LOVES, legos and star wars...and bumper cars.

that first friday was the day we introduced the kids to toys r us. it was like einar had died and gone to heaven. we spent like two hours going down all the aisles and trying out the hula hoops and guitar hero and buying lots of lego sets. it was really fun to watch their faces light up!

nothing better to follow up a little shopping spree than with a burger from red robin. the milkshakes and guacamole burgers were the biggest hit.

kristin and I spent the afternoon touring our old high school. it had been 20 years since kristin graduated and I hadn't been back in over 13. there have been so many changes since then...and more to come. it was really fun walking down memory lane and getting the juicy tidbits from our second mom (or my mom's "very best friend in the whole wide world") laurine while she walked us through. one thing never changes, it still smells like school. not in a bad way, just in a olfactory, good memory kind of way. I could walk in that school blindfolded and still know where I was. how does that happen? weird.

it's kind of the end of an era in pasco though. I realize that the school is overcrowded and they need more space, I do not dispute this fact. but I am sad that a second high school will divide my hometown. not all of pasco will be united by the shout of "go bulldogs" any longer. I am a little sad about it.

give me time, I'll come around.

saturday was the day of the open house. we had invited some friends over so kristin would have a chance to introduce the kids and visit with people. some she hadn't seen in almost 20 years! it was a really lovely time.

afterwords, the kids introduced me to a norwegian tradition called saturday candy. kristin said that when she was growing up, kids weren't allowed candy or sweets except on saturdays. it is less strict now but still something a lot of people follow. we had taken the kids to the bulk food section at the grocery store so they could pick out whatever they wanted. we saved it for after dinner but it was sure fun to share in this sweet tradition!

let me tell you a little something about my soul sister, sofie. she loves mexican food almost as much as I do. maybe even more, actually. to be specific, enchiladas are our favorite thing on the menu. oh, we try other things but we always come back to our safety net of cheesy goodness, the mightly enchilada. I love that girl!

kristin had remembered eating at casa chapala (el chapala) now so that's where we spent a chunk of our time on saturday night. jamie and nathan (family friends and my parent's neighbors) joined us for our mexican food outing. although it might not have been exactly as kristin remembered, the service was great and the food pretty darn good. dad and sofie spent most of their time playing hangman. that was pretty fun to watch. ever saw a norwegian speaking granddaughter play a word game with her english speaking grandpa? not all the words translated perfectly but it was really endearing. those two developed quite a bond.

alas, sunday came too soon and I was headed home again. but not without the promise of seeing everyone again in a mere five days. thank goodness because this weekend was not near enough time.

red robin family shot

burger bonanza

ah, the thrill of school lockers.

mom and kristin by the hall of fame.
why is the cool norwegian girl not up there? :)

our official entrance onto the school grounds. I think kristin saved hers.

wish we could have made it to a home game.
the bulldogs were playing out of town that friday.

this is the new phs "mall" or cafeteria to us old people. how fancy?!
I took this shot for johanne...doesn't it look like it could be a scene from high school musical?