Our Family Blog

So my kids are taking baths and as they are getting out of the tub Brett is upset because his hands are all wrinkly.

Elizabeth turns to him and says, “Oh, it’ll be ok Brett, they’ll puff back out again soon. But Grandma, yours are going to be there for all time because you’re old.”

Ok – this is my last update on Lisa Arthur I think – basically no need for them anymore!! Lisa is doing really REALLY well.  She is back living at her house with her fiancé and his children and her health is great. Her numbers based on the medical test she has done regularly are all perfect and exactly where the Dr’s want them. We went out a couple days ago and had a great time – same old Lisa as always! Modern medicine really can create miracles when they try hard enough!

Now, for the cookie part of the post -

I made these cookies a few days ago and thoroughly enjoyed them. I was asked for the recipe, so here it is – hopefully you will enjoy them just as much!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1-1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 c. walnuts (if you so desire)

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg and oil and then stir in the vanilla. Blend in the sifted ingredients to form a soft dough. Stir in the chocolate chips and walnuts. Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets.
3. Bake for 11 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly golden. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Makes approx. 24 cookies
   

1. Preparing for my wedding in one month
2. Watching Friends on TV instead of Heroes
3. Hanging with my friends in the Singles Branch
4. Getting ready to move to St. George, Utah
5. Enjoying life with my dog, Boomer and my rabbit (the dearly departed) Sniffles

Five things on my to do list today:

1. Deposit my money in the bank
2. Plan my Holiday Open House
3. Make a couple of flower arrangements
4. Color with Elizabeth
5. Wrestle with Derek & Brett

Five snacks I enjoy:

1. Norwegian Chocolate
2. ICE CREAM!
3. Pie
4. anything with liquid cheese (pretzels, chips, pancakes *j/k*)
5. hot chocolate

*Five things I would do if I were a millionaire:

1. pay off my debt
2. ensure my folks are “set” for retirement
3. set aside enough for my kids for college
4. move to Norway
5. get a tummy tuck

*Five places I’ve lived: (I only get 5??? Forget it – you get the whole list!)

1. Kansas City, MO
2. Coos Bay, OR
3. St. George, UT
4. Orem, UT
5. Santaquin, UT
6. Poway, CA
7. East Berlin, PA
8. Kaukauna, WI
9. Dewey, AZ
10. Prescott Valley, AZ
11. Bakersfield, CA
12. Tonganoxie, KS
13. Pensacola, FL
14. Melbourne, FL
15. Kansas City, MO

*First Five Jobs I had:

1. AMC Theaters (1st two jobs)
2. Wendy’s
3. Bank Teller
4. Bather/Brusher at PetSmart
5. Kohl’s & Robinson’s May Department Stores

*8 Things I Did Today

1. Ate breakfast with my mom, dad and grandma
2. talked on the phone to Anders
3. made flower arrangements at work
4. organized all the balloons at work
5. ate taco bell for lunch
6. made my mom a dozen rose arrangement
7. talked to Jen Little (congrats Jen!!)
8. watched Higglytown Heroes with Elizabeth

*8 Shows I Love to Watch:

1. Grey’s Anatomy
2. House
3. Heroes
4. The Office
5. Lost
6. The New Adventures of Old Christine
7. Nip/Tuck
8. Kyle XY

*8 Restaurants I Love:

1. Northwoods Inn
2. any Brazilian Steakhouse
3. BD’s Mongolian
4. Outback/Lonestar
5. Culver’s
6. In-N-Out
7. Café Italia
8. Chili’s

*8 Things I am Looking Forward to:

1. marrying Anders
2. Getting out of debt
3. Anders getting here for Christmas vacation
4. starting my classes at the University in Oslo in June
5. finishing college
6. seeing my kids grow up
7. sleep
8. Halloween – and all the candy!

*My Wish List

1. I wish I was living in Norway
2. I wish I was out of debt
3. I wish Anders and I lived in the same city
4. I wish I was better at housekeeping
5. I wish I had finished college 10 years ago and was already a working interpreter
6. I wish I wasn’t bi-polar
7. I wish I could afford to live w/out my parents help
8. I wish I could sleep all day!

*8 people I tag: (I don’t get what this means – so I am going to list 8 friends.)

1. Shawna Crawford
2. Anders Valle
3. Mary Alexander
4. Jen Broderdorf
5. Taja Kocourek
6. Byron Combs
7. Elizabeth Tittrington
8. Derek & Brett Tittrington

*I

I am… looking forward to sleep.
I think… my life is wonderful – God has blessed me!
I know… how wonderful it feels to find love.
I want… to marry Anders as soon as the government will allow it.
I have… 3 beautiful children.
I miss… Anders Roger.
I fear… not being successful in college.
I hear… the Higglytown Heroes song from Elizabeth’s show.
I smell… my mom’s house. It’s clean. No smell to be smelled.
I crave… chocolate.
I cry… all too often, especially when I miss Anders.
I search… for my shoes! They are never where they belong!
I wonder… how it will feel to finally have Anders by my side once we get married.
I regret… dropping out of college when I was 18.
I wish…my life will continue going so well!
I love… my loved ones! My kids, my family, Anders!
I care… a lot about animals. They deserve to be treated well.
I always… talk and smile.
I worry… about how the world will be when my kids are grown.
I am not… a good housekeeper. At all.
I remember… sitting on my Grandpa’s lap in his special chair as a child.
I believe… God really does love us all.
I sing… really poorly.
I don’t always… remember to take my medicine.
I argue… too much with my ex-husband.
I write… a lot of messages on Facebook.
I win… most of the time at Tetris!
I listen…to Anders blather on about the stock market – as long as I can at least. Eventually, he must be stopped. LOL
I need… a whole lot more hugs.
I forget…most wrongs against me. I am not one to hold a grudge.
I am happy… with my life. Very very happy.

Her transplant was September 3rd and as of now things are progressing along great. She had all the staples from the surgery removed on the 18th and moves about fine – she doesn’t appear to have any pain left over from the surgery.

She is on more medicine than any human could really imagine, but the amount will go down over time as her body continues to heal and adjust to her new organs.

Her spirits don’t seem daunted at all and she just looking forward to getting some normalcy back in her daily routine. Once she returns to her own home with her fiancé I am sure she will really start to feel like her old self again! Her wedding is planned for April and she is, of course, looking forward to that!!

Thanks to all of you who have sent her kind thoughts and words, either directly or through me – she has appreciated everyone’s good will. Keep your prayers with her – she still has a while to go before the Dr’s will classify her as “in the clear” and we surely want to make sure she gets there!!

I worked on both Saturday and Sunday but inbetween shifts I managed to squeeze in a whole lot more!

On Sat. night I went to the Northland Deaf Church’s fellowship evening. I was there for 4 hours, and spent a large part of it talking to their guest, Asad Moosa, a deaf man born/raised as a Muslim in India. He moved to the states when he was 17 and eventually converted to Christianity. He moved here, alone, as a deaf Indian that did not know American Sign Language or much English.

Wow – he was awesome! You would never know he was not native to the states when talking with him – his ASL is perfect! No accent at all! And such a nice guy – very patient with all those who signed with much less skill than himself.

Then, today, I took my lunch break during church time and went to hear his message at church. (the church and my work are neighbors) I was even further impressed by what a great person this man is! If only we could all be more strong and dedicated to our Savior like he is!

Then, tonight when work was done, I got to go and see Les Misérables at Starlight Theater. (An outdoor amphitheater in Kansas City.) It was a Broadway caliber production and was sooo good! I know the songs from years of hearing them but I had never seen the actual show – it was great!  A little cold outside, but totally worth going to see it! Whew! Now, the weekend is over, I am off to bed, and in the morning I get to start it all over again!

Anyway, she had her transplant on Sept. 3 and was discharged Sept. 11. Only 8 days in the hospital for her, and the average is between 10-15, so her recovery is really going very well so far!

They gave her one new kidney and a new pancreas. Apparently they leave in the old organs and simply reroute other stuff to avoid them and use the new ones. So – she now has 3 kidneys and 2 pancreases (pancrei??)  What I didn’t realize is that the pancreas is what makes the insulin, and the cause of diabetes, and so with her new pancreas she is no longer diabetic – how cool is that? After all she has been through, being rid of diabetes is surely one great benefit she deserves!!!

As previously mentioned, she is nearly totally blind now, as a result of the diabetes over the years – the final loss of vision was back in March and she is still adjusting to that, but sounded very upbeat and happy and healthy. She is such a strong woman!! She can see some light/dark variances in one eye, but otherwise is sightless. She will have surgery in a few months on her eyes which may aid in her vision a little, but the blindness will be permanent for her overall.

She has been dating Bob for 2,3 maybe 4? years now and they are still together – what a great guy! She picked right when she picked him!!! He has 3 kids and they all live together and she said all of them have been great at adjusting and helping her with her health problems these past few months. A great support system for her. They plan to get married in April.

The critical time for her is the next 3 months. Most organ rejections happen in that time frame, so if her body does not reject anything, she will be on a great path to recovery from the surgery and a healthy life, free of diabetes! So lets all keep her in our thoughts and prayers through the end of the year that she has a healthy and speedy recovery!

She will be staying with her parents for about a week more – their house has been SUPER cleaned to make it as healthy for her as possible. After her own house gets the same cleaning she will return there. She can have visitors, of course NO ONE who is sick or been around anyone who is sick. And there are limits as to how many at a time and the types of things they can bring in around her. But – if anyone wants to visit her, I have the phone number where she can be reached – just let me know and I will pass it along!

She said she got many messages while at the hospital from friends, some from days long gone that she was so happy to hear from. PLEASE continue to send her get-well wishes and messages and phone calls and whatever … I am no doctor, but I would think the happier she is, the better her body will adjust to the organ transplants in a happy, stress-free way!!

I am still collecting money for a get-well gift for her – I will be visiting her next Friday, the 19th. If you want to contribute any amount from $1 on up just let me know. I use PayPal as Tittrington@msn.com or you can get the money to me directly. Any way is fine for me! Just let me know what kind of message you want included, and I will make sure she knows who the gift is from.

Thanks again – and know Lisa appreciates all our efforts on her behalf!

So today was to be our big travel day. Of my 18 days spent in Norway this was the one night we would be spending in a hotel. (At about $250 a night you can imagine why we felt it best not to spend too many nights in hotels!!)

While the day started out horrible (we had to get up at 5:15 am – yuck!) the day itself was unbelievable. We arrived at the Oslo train-station, grabbed a sandwich (think ham and cheese for lunch – yet somehow in Norway that makes for good breakfast) and then boarded our train. We were off to Bergen! (Bergen is on the West coast of Norway, Oslo is on the East, bordering Sweden.)

The drive in a car to Bergen would not take a whole lot longer than the train, but with gas costing approx. $9.50/gallon, and the fact that driving for 8 hours is tiring, Anders thought it would be better to take the train. I had no problem with that at all. It was an adventure!

I was pretty tired so I actually slept for the first couple hours of the trip, and for Anders’ amusement he thought a picture of me was a good idea. And since I have put in some goofy ones of him, I will include this one of me, pink earplugs and all. Enjoy my shame. ☺

About halfway there the climb through the mountains became noticeable and as we went there was more and more snow. We eventually reached the highest point of our journey, a town named Finse that sits 1222 meters above sea level. I am not exactly sure what the equates to in miles – but its pretty high. There was snow there in places that was probably 5 feet deep. Anders says most of it will melt in the next few months and the lakes in the area will be full again (the are basically drained and the water used as power supply for electric grids over the winter and then the snow replenishes them over the summer.) It was so neat. I not only got some fun snow there on May 17th in Oslo, but I got to enjoy a snow covered journey through the mountains on a train. So fun!

We then began heading back down the mountain and eventually arrived in Myrdal. A small little town in the middle of nowhere but in a neat location. We got off the train there and then immediately boarded another, smaller train. We could have stayed on the first train all the way to Bergen but Anders had better things in store for us!

The train we got on was basically a tourist train. It took about an hour to go from Myrdal to Flåm and through the journey it stopped near an astounding waterfall and let everyone off to go and take some pictures. And throughout the trip there were explanations of the different things we were seeing along the way. It was a very interesting journey.

We got to Flåm and I got to do some shopping where I ended up buying myself a Norwegian sweater – something I have wanted for years. It was my big keepsake from the trip. Then we grabbed some lunch and I actually Moose again. This time it was prepared similar to a hamburger but was not on bread. Just on the plate with brown sauce, potatoes, etc … Again, it was good. Me and Moose are good friends now!!

After we ate it was time for the next part of our journey. We boarded a boat for a 5.5 hour tour of the Sognefjord that would eventually drop us off at the wharf in Bergen. Of all beautiful things we saw while I was in Norway, the first half of this cruise was certainly the best.

After the cruise started we headed to the front of the boat where we could stand outside and have an unobstructed view of the fjord. This is the longest, deepest fjord in Norway – and when you see pictures or postcards of Norway – this is probably the place you are seeing. High mountains, steep cliffs, waterfalls and beautiful blue/green water.

On a side note – I was wearing a skirt and this boat was not a slow float – it had a fair amount of speed. So we go up on deck and as I am walked towards the rail the wind catches hold and my skirt goes flying up over my head. Keep in mind that behind me are the glass windows in which the majority of the other passengers are sitting behind to see the view. So – yeah – lots of Norwegians got to see my bum. Haha. Oh well. So we headed back in, got our bag and found my jeans and new sweater (it was chilly with all the wind.) and I changed my clothes and therefore avoided giving any further peepshows to my fellow passengers.

We went back up top and spent a couple hours just enjoying the view and taking pictures. They took us over to see a specific, large waterfall – the boat stopped for a few minutes for photos, then back to the main fjord and on to Bergen. We stopped at several small harbors along the way where people could board or get off. The quickest way for the people that live in this area to travel is by boat so while the boat had a tourist angle – it is also regularly used by locals as a form of transportation.

I can’t even begin to describe to beauty we saw – just look at the pics after this and you will see what I am talking about. After about halfway the landscape really began to shift. I would say we saw about 3 distinct landscapes. For a period it became rocky and much less steep. Then it later became more like rolling hills and such. It was beautiful the whole time, but of course the steep fjords was the most awe-inspiring of the journey.

We did arrive in Bergen, as scheduled and we had a short walk to our hotel. We got checked in and dropped off our bags but then headed back down to the wharf to find dinner and just see the city. They were having some sort of festival or something there that weekend so it was really busy and bustling with people. On the whole I liked Oslo much better, but Bergen has a really neat, old town built along the wharf with many neat shops to take the tourist money. ☺ We kind-of wandered aimlessly, ate some fish on the dock, and then just window shopped along the main street – Bryggen. It was fun and we sat in a park for a while and just watched people and enjoyed the views.

We headed back to the hotel near dark and settled in for the night. Many of these pics were taken through the window of a train – so keep that in mind if you see any odd reflections. Now – enjoy!

On the train, heading to Myrdal

The man who enjoyed sharing his snoring with us all, for hours

We eventually travelled high enough that we began to see more and more snow

After arriving in Myrdal, we changed from this train …

To this one …

And this is one we saw between Myrdal and Flåm

Eating more Moose in Flåm

The boat we took from Flåm to Bergen

Things we saw on the boat ride

A fish hatchery

Norwegian Waffles

Bergen, heading in to the harbor

Pics from Bergen

Today was the day I have been waiting for, specifically, for 14 years!!! Today we went to Lillehammer!! I told Anders from the day this trip was planned that what we did while I was in Norway was pretty open and I was flexible, but that a trip to Lillehammer was non-negotiable! ☺

So, we got ourselves up and going I the morning and got ourselves headed on our way. For the drive up there we drove along side Lake Mjøsa – Norways largest lake. It took about 3 hours to drive there and nearly half was alongside this lake. It surely did make for a beautiful drive – going around bends and curves the turned in the direction the lake chose.

As we came to Hamar, a town along the way, Anders casually pointed out Vikingskipet – he said “Oh, that’s the Viking Ship, they used it in the Olympics for the skating.” I looked at him and said, “The speed skating??” Uh huh. “We have to go there!!! Take this exit!!” He somehow thought it would be ok to just point it out and drive on by. But let me fill you all in, for those of you who are missing a few important details – My whole love of Norway began, back in 1994 with the Olympics in Lillehammer. But more specifically with a crush on a particular Norwegian speed skater – Johann Olav Koss. He set 3 world records during the games that year. I was only 14 then, so I had no idea that the speed skating was in Hamar, not Lillehammer. So – when I told Anders we had to go to Lillehammer – well, Hamar was what I really wanted to see!!!

So anyhow – we got to the arena and paid our 30 kr. so we could go in and walk around. Best 30 kr. ever spent!!! The arena is now used for many different things – soccer, skating, expo events – and this day it was set up for little league soccer I think. I got to sit in the stands, take a bunch of photos, and see photos and plaques signed by Johann and such. It was so great to get to see the place where it all began for me and to think about the different way my life’s path went after watching Johann during that two weeks in 1994.

We stayed in Hamar for quite a while but we did eventually then continue on our journey to Lilleammer. On our way there we stopped at a place to get some lunch and while looking at the menu board Anders asked me if I had tried elg (Moose) before. It was pretty easy for me to answer that I surely had not but that I was all for it! When he ordered it the lady informed him there was only one meal of Moose left and so he ordered that for me and Salmon for himself. I have included a pic of it below – but it was kind-of like beef stroganoff in a way. (no noodles though.) But it was ground moose in a creamy brown game sauce with mushrooms. Served with other stuff as well. It was actually quite good! I enjoyed it very much – it did not taste weird or gamey at all. Norwegian food is really beginning to grow on me!

On to Lillehammer – we found the place where they performed the ski jumping competitions. We got to take the ski lift up to the top of the hill and climb the tower and we had a gorgeous view looking out of Lillehammer and some water (not sure if it was river, lake, fjord, etc …) It was really neat to stand up there and imagine having the guts to strap on skis and have the skill required to throw yourself down that huge, steep hill and land on your feet!

Anders was not so crazy about being on the ski lift going up – so high above the ground, and the idea of riding the lift back down was even less pleasant. But in the end, he did choose to ride vs. walk down the zillion stairs to the bottom of the jump.

After that we drove over to the Maihaugen open-air museum which was really neat too. It had nothing to do with the Olympics, but a great sight to see if you are ever in Lillehammer, and after 5 its free! ☺

This place was created by a man wishing to preserve some history based on Norwegian architecture. So, from around the country he has purchased and then relocated houses, barns, churches and workshops. The age of the buildings range from WAYYYY back when (like 1500’s maybe?) to current homes and designs. And everything is arranged in a way to give a feel for the life of the era. So, the super old things are set up in a very rustic, village type of setting. The stuff from the 70’s and 80’s looks like a modern neighborhood. You get the picture. It was really interesting to see “life in Norway” from years long gone to modern times.

We then headed back to Oslo – we had to get up super early the next morning and did not want to have too late of a night.

Hamar Olympic site

On the top row, to Anders’ left is a Olympic Gold Medalist that he had a few college classes with

Moose Stew (Elggryte) for lunch

Lillehammer

At the top of the Ski Jump

The flame holder for the Olympic Torch in 1994

They still have some snow here!

Maihaugen Outdoor Museum